Sample records for squash leaf curl

  1. First Complete Squash leaf curl China virus Genomic Segment DNA-A Sequence from East Timor

    PubMed Central

    Maina, Solomon; Edwards, Owain R.; de Almeida, Luis; Ximenes, Abel

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT We present here the first complete Squash leaf curl China virus (SLCCV) genomic segment DNA-A sequence from East Timor. It was isolated from a pumpkin plant. When compared with 15 complete SLCCV DNA-A genome sequences from other world regions, it most resembled the Malaysian isolate MC1 sequence. PMID:28619789

  2. Association of tomato leaf curl Gujarat virus and tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite on papaya showing typical leaf curl symptoms in North India.

    PubMed

    Varun, Priyanka; Saxena, Sangeeta

    2018-05-01

    Papaya leaf curl is an economically important disease occurring in papaya growing tropical and subtropical areas. Papaya leaf curl virus, a begomovirus, is the main causative agent for the disease, but many other begomoviruses as well as betasatellites have also been reported on papaya leaf curl disease. Rapidly evolving host range of begomoviruses is a major issue for developing successful resistance strategies against begomoviral infection considering their expanding host range and mixed infection. In our study, we have identified the presence of begomovirus and associated satellite molecule on papaya showing severe leaf curl symptoms in Lucknow, India. Analysis of complete DNA-A component of this isolate (MG757245) revealed the highest similarity (91%) with tomato leaf curl Gujarat virus (ToLCuGuV), while sequence data of betasatellite (MG478451) showed maximum (89%) identity with tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite (ToLCuBB). This is the first report on identification of ToLCuGuV and ToLCuBB coinfecting papaya plants in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (India).

  3. Melon chlorotic leaf curl virus: characterization and differential reassortment with closest relatives reveal adaptive virulence in the squash leaf curl virus clade and host shifting by the host-restricted bean calico mosaic virus.

    PubMed

    Idris, A M; Mills-Lujan, K; Martin, K; Brown, J K

    2008-02-01

    The genome components of the Melon chlorotic leaf curl virus (MCLCuV) were cloned from symptomatic cantaloupe leaves collected in Guatemala during 2002. The MCLCuV DNA-A and DNA-B components shared their closest nucleotide identities among begomoviruses, at approximately 90 and 81%, respectively, with a papaya isolate of MCLCuV from Costa Rica. The closest relatives at the species level were other members of the Squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) clade, which is endemic in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Biolistic inoculation of cantaloupe seedlings with the MCLCuV DNA-A and -B components resulted in the development of characteristic disease symptoms, providing definitive evidence of causality. MCLCuV experimentally infected species within the Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, and Solanaceae. The potential for interspecific reassortment was examined for MCLCuV and its closest relatives, including the bean-restricted Bean calico mosaic virus (BCaMV), and three other cucurbit-infecting species, Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV), SLCV, and SMLCV. The cucurbit viruses have distinct but overlapping host ranges. All possible reassortants were established using heterologous combinations of the DNA-A or DNA-B components. Surprisingly, only certain reassortants arising from MCLCuV and BCaMV, or MCLCuV and CuLCrV, were viable in bean, even though it is a host of all of the "wild-type" (parent) viruses. The bean-restricted BCaMV was differentially assisted in systemically infecting the cucurbit test species by the components of the four cucurbit-adapted begomoviruses. In certain heterologous combinations, the BCaMV DNA-A or -B component was able to infect one or more cucurbit species. Generally, the reassortants were less virulent in the test hosts than the respective wild-type (parent) viruses, strongly implicating adaptive modulation of virulence. This is the first illustration of reassortment resulting in the host range expansion of a host-restricted begomovirus.

  4. Senna leaf curl virus: a novel begomovirus identified in Senna occidentalis.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Jitesh; Alok, Anshu; Kumar, Jitendra; Tuli, Rakesh

    2016-09-01

    Begomoviruses are whitefly-transmitted, single-stranded DNA viruses that infect a variety of cultivated (crop) and non-cultivated (weed) plants. The present study identified a novel begomovirus and satellites (alpha- and betasatellite) in Senna occidentalis (syn. Cassia occidentalis) showing leaf curl symptoms. The begomovirus shared a maximum sequence identity of 88.6 % with french bean leaf curl virus (JQ866297), whereas the alphasatellite and the betasatellite shared identities of 98 % and 90 % with ageratum yellow vein India alphasatellite (LK054802) and papaya leaf curl betasatellite (HM143906), respectively. No other begomovirus or satellites were detected in the suspected plants. We propose to name the virus "senna leaf curl virus" (SenLCuV).

  5. A new virus in Luteoviridae is associated with raspberry leaf curl disease

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    To determine the etiology of Raspberry Leaf Curl Disease (RLCD), which causes leaf curling, leaf distortion, leaf chlorosis, shoot dwarfing, shoot proliferation in raspberries and can kill plants within three years, a next generation sequences approach was applied. Two red raspberry plants collected...

  6. Genetic diversity of Sweet potato begomoviruses in the United States and identification of a natural recombinant between Sweet potato leaf curl virus and Sweet potato leaf curl Georgia virus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In the United States, two sweetpotato begomoviruses, Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) and Sweet potato leaf curl Georgia virus (SPLCGV) were previously identified in Louisiana. In recent years, at least seven additional sweetpotato begomoviruses have been identified in other parts of the world....

  7. Frequent occurrence of tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus in cotton leaf curl disease affected cotton in Pakistan

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) in the Indian subcontinent is associated with several distinct monopartite begomoviruses and DNA satellites. However, only a single begomovirus was associated with breakdown of resistance against CLCuD in previously resistant cotton varieties. The monopartite begomov...

  8. A molecular insight into papaya leaf curl-a severe viral disease.

    PubMed

    Varun, Priyanka; Ranade, S A; Saxena, Sangeeta

    2017-11-01

    Papaya leaf curl disease (PaLCuD) caused by papaya leaf curl virus (PaLCuV) not only affects yield but also plant growth and fruit size and quality of papaya and is one of the most damaging and economically important disease. Management of PaLCuV is a challenging task due to diversity of viral strains, the alternate hosts, and the genomic complexities of the viruses. Several management strategies currently used by plant virologists to broadly control or eliminate the viruses have been discussed. In the absence of such strategies in the case of PaLCuV at present, the few available options to control the disease include methods like removal of affected plants from the field, insecticide treatments against the insect vector (Bemisia tabaci), and gene-specific control through transgenic constructs. This review presents the current understanding of papaya leaf curl disease, genomic components including satellite DNA associated with the virus, wide host and vector range, and management of the disease and suggests possible generic resistance strategies.

  9. Development and application of triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for begomovirus detection using monoclonal antibodies against Tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus.

    PubMed

    Seepiban, Channarong; Charoenvilaisiri, Saengsoon; Warin, Nuchnard; Bhunchoth, Anjana; Phironrit, Namthip; Phuangrat, Bencharong; Chatchawankanphanich, Orawan; Attathom, Supat; Gajanandana, Oraprapai

    2017-05-30

    Tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus, TYLCTHV, is a begomovirus that causes severe losses of tomato crops in Thailand as well as several countries in Southeast and East Asia. The development of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and serological methods for detecting TYLCTHV is essential for epidemiological studies and screening for virus-resistant cultivars. The recombinant coat protein (CP) of TYLCTHV was expressed in Escherichia coli and used to generate MAbs against TYLCTHV through hybridoma technology. The MAbs were characterized and optimized to develop triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (TAS-ELISAs) for begomovirus detection. The efficiency of TAS-ELISAs for begomovirus detection was evaluated with tomato, pepper, eggplant, okra and cucurbit plants collected from several provinces in Thailand. Molecular identification of begomoviruses in these samples was also performed through PCR and DNA sequence analysis of the CP gene. Two MAbs (M1 and D2) were generated and used to develop TAS-ELISAs for begomovirus detection. The results of begomovirus detection in 147 field samples indicated that MAb M1 reacted with 2 begomovirus species, TYLCTHV and Tobacco leaf curl Yunnan virus (TbLCYnV), whereas MAb D2 reacted with 4 begomovirus species, TYLCTHV, TbLCYnV, Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) and Squash leaf curl China virus (SLCCNV). Phylogenetic analyses of CP amino acid sequences from these begomoviruses revealed that the CP sequences of begomoviruses recognized by the narrow-spectrum MAb M1 were highly conserved, sharing 93% identity with each other but only 72-81% identity with MAb M1-negative begomoviruses. The CP sequences of begomoviruses recognized by the broad-spectrum MAb D2 demonstrated a wider range of amino acid sequence identity, sharing 78-96% identity with each other and 72-91% identity with those that were not detected by MAb D2. TAS-ELISAs using the narrow-specificity MAb M1 proved highly efficient for the detection of

  10. Engineered disease resistance in cotton using RNA-interference to knock down cotton leaf curl kokhran virus-Burewala and cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cotton Leaf Curl virus Disease (CLCuD) has caused enormous losses in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production in Pakistan. RNA interference (RNAi) is an emerging technique that could knock out CLCuD by targeting different regions of the pathogen genome that are important for replication, transcription...

  11. Molecular analysis of new isolates of Tomato leaf curl Philippines virus and an associated betasatellite occurring in the Philippines.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Pradeep; Matsuda, N; Bajet, N B; Ikegami, M

    2011-02-01

    Three new begomovirus isolates and one betasatellite were obtained from a tomato plant exhibiting leaf curl symptom in Laguna, the Philippines. Typical begomovirus DNA components representing the three isolates (PH01, PH02 and PH03) were cloned, and their full-length sequences were determined to be 2754 to 2746 nucleotides. The genome organizations of these isolates were similar to those of other Old World monopartite begomoviruses. The sequence data indicated that PH01 and PH02 were variants of strain B of the species Tomato leaf curl Philippines virus, while PH03 was a variant of strain A of the species Tomato leaf curl Philippines virus. These isolates were designated ToLCPV-B[PH:Lag1:06], ToLCPV-B[PH:Lag2:06], and ToLCPV-A[PH:Lag3:06], respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the present isolates form a separate monophyletic cluster with indigenous begomoviruses reported earlier in the Philippines. A betasatellite isolated from same sample belongs to the betasatellite species Tomato leaf curl Philippines betasatellite and designated Tomato leaf curl Philippines betasatellite-[Philippines:Laguna1:2006], ToLCPHB-[PH:Lag1:06]. When co-inoculated with this betasatellite, tomato leaf curl Philippines virus induced severe symptoms in N. benthamiana and Solanum lycopersicum plants. Using a PVX-mediated transient assay, we found that the C4 and C2 proteins of tomato leaf curl Philippines virus and the βC1 protein of ToLCPHB-[PH:Lag1:06] function as a suppressor of RNA silencing.

  12. A new betasatellite associated with cotton leaf curl Burewala virus infecting tomato in India: influence on symptoms and viral accumulation.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Jitendra; Gunapati, Samatha; Singh, Sudhir P; Kumar, Abhinav; Lalit, Adarsh; Sharma, Naresh C; Puranik, Rekha; Tuli, Rakesh

    2013-06-01

    A begomovirus and its associated alpha- and betasatellite were detected in tomato plants affected with leaf curl disease. Based on a nucleotide sequence identity of 99 %, this begomovirus was designated an isolate of cotton leaf curl Burewala virus (CLCuBuV). The alphasatellite exhibited 93 % sequence identity to cotton leaf curl Burewala alphasatellite (CLCuBuA) and is hence referred to here as a variant of CLCuBuA. The detected betasatellite was recombinant in nature and showed 70 % sequence identity to the known betasatellites. Inoculation of healthy tomato with CLCuBuV plus betasatellite, either in the presence or the absence of alphasatellite, led to typical leaf curling, while inoculation with CLCuBuV in the absence of betasatellite resulted in mild symptoms. This confirmed the role of the betasatellite in expression of disease symptoms. We propose to name the newly detected betasatellite tomato leaf curl Hajipur betasatellite (ToLCHJB).

  13. Breeding for cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) resistance

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is caused by a whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmitted geminivirus. It is a major disease of cotton in Africa and South Asia, and has spread to other countries through ornamental plants. It can potentially devastate U.S. cotton where commercial varieties have no resi...

  14. Recent evolution of a novel begomovirus causing tomato leaf curl disease in the Al-Batinah region of Oman.

    PubMed

    Khan, Akhtar J; Akhtar, Sohail; Singh, Achuit K; Al-Shehi, Adel A; Al-Matrushi, Abdulrahman M; Ammara, Ume; Briddon, Rob W

    2014-03-01

    For last two decades, begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae) have been a major constraint for tomato production in Oman, particularly in the Al-Batinah region, the major agricultural area of Oman. Farms in the Al-Batinah region were surveyed during January-March and November-December in 2012 and January-February in 2013. Leaf samples of tomato plants showing typical leaf curl disease symptoms were collected and analyzed for begomoviruses. Out of fifteen begomovirus clones sequenced, seven were shown to be tomato yellow leaf curl virus strain Oman (TYLCV-OM); three, chili leaf curl virus strain Oman (ChLCV-OM); and one, tomato leaf curl Oman virus (ToLCOMV) - viruses that have previously been shown to occur in Oman. Four sequences were shown to have relatively low percent identity values to known begomoviruses, with the highest (86 %) to isolates of pepper leaf curl Lahore virus, indicating that these should be included in a new species, for which the name "Tomato leaf curl Al Batinah virus" (ToLCABV) is proposed. Although the betasatellite tomato leaf curl betasatellite (ToLCB; 7 full-length sequences isolated) was identified with some isolates of ChLCV-OM, TYLCV-OM and ToLCOMV, it was not identified in association with any of the ToLCABV isolates. Analysis of the sequences of the TYLCV-OM and ToLCOMV isolates characterized here did not show them to differ significantly from previously characterized isolates of these viruses. The three isolates of ChLCV-OM characterized were shown to have a recombination pattern distinct from earlier characterized isolates. ToLCABV was shown to have resulted from recombination between ChLCV-OM and ToLCOMV. A clone of ToLCABV was infectious by Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation to Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato, inducing symptoms typical of those seen in tomato in the field. Additionally, ToLCABV was shown to be able to interact in planta with ToLCB, resulting in a change in symptom phenotype, although the betasatellite did not

  15. Transcriptomics reveals multiple resistance mechanisms against cotton leaf curl disease in a naturally immune cotton species, Gossypium arboreum

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cotton is an economically important crop affected by a number of abiotic and biotic stresses. Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is caused by virus in the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae), collectively called cotton leaf curl viruses (CLCuVs). It is one of the most devastating virual diseases ...

  16. Molecular characterization and infectivity of Papaya leaf curl China virus infecting tomato in China.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui; Ma, Xin-ying; Qian, Ya-juan; Zhou, Xue-ping

    2010-02-01

    Papaya leaf curl China virus (PaLCuCNV) was previously reported as a distinct begomovirus infecting papaya in southern China. Based on molecular diagnostic survey, 13 PaLCuCNV isolates were obtained from tomato plants showing leaf curl symptoms in Henan and Guangxi Provinces of China. Complete nucleotide sequences of 5 representative isolates (AJ558116, AJ558117, AJ704604, FN256260, and FN297834) were determined to be 2738-2751 nucleotides, which share 91.7%-97.9% sequence identities with PaLCuCNV isolate G2 (AJ558123). DNA-beta was not found to be associated with PaLCuCNV isolates. To investigate the infectivity of PaLCuCNV, an infectious clone of PaLCuCNV-[CN:HeNZM1] was constructed and agro-inoculated into Nicotiana benthamiana, N. tabacum Samsun, N. glutinosa, Solanum lycopersicum and Petunia hybrida plants, which induced severe leaf curling and crinkling symptoms in these plants. Southern blot analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) indicated a systemic infection of test plants by the agro-infectious clone.

  17. Whitefly transmission of Sweet potato leaf curl virus in sweetpotato germplasm

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., is among an extensive number of plant species attacked by Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius). Because this important world food crop is vegetatively propagated, it can conveniently accumulate infections by several viruses. Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) (ssDNA...

  18. Mining cotton germplasm resources to fight Cotton Leaf Curl Virus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    CLCuV (Cotton Leaf Curl Virus) is a major threat to cotton production in Pakistan and parts of India and has been reported in cotton producing countries in Africa, as well as China and Uzbekistan. Identifying sources of resistance to CLCuV helps not only countries such as Pakistan where the virus is...

  19. Complete nucleotide sequences of okra isolates of Cotton leaf curl Gezira virus and their associated DNA-beta from Niger.

    PubMed

    Shih, S L; Kumar, S; Tsai, W S; Lee, L M; Green, S K

    2009-01-01

    Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a major crop in Niger. In the fall of 2007, okra leaf curl disease was observed in Niger and the begomovirus and DNA-beta satellite were found associated with the disease. The complete nucleotide sequences of DNA-A (FJ469626 and FJ469627) and associated DNA-beta satellites (FJ469628 and FJ469629) were determined from two samples. This is the first report of molecular characterization of okra-infecting begomovirus and their associated DNA-beta from Niger. The begomovirus and DNA-beta have been identified as Cotton leaf curl Gezira virus and Cotton leaf curl Gezira betasatellite, respectively, which are reported to also infect okra in Egypt, Mali and Sudan.

  20. Papaya is not a host for Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The economic value of tomato production is threatened by tomato yellow leaf-curl virus TYLCV and its vector, the silverleaf whitefly Bemisia tabaci biotype B (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Use of papaya Carica papaya L. as a banker plant for a whitefly parasitoid shows promise as a whitefly m...

  1. Novel member of the Luteoviridae associated with raspberry leaf curl disease

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Raspberry leaf curl virus (RLCV) was first reported in the 1920s, is limited to the genus Rubus and is transmitted in a persistent manner by the small raspberry aphid, Aphis rubicola. It is only reported from North America, principally in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, and i...

  2. [Effects of soil moisture content and light intensity on the plant growth and leaf physiological characteristics of squash].

    PubMed

    Du, She-ni; Bai, Gang-shuan; Liang, Yin-li

    2011-04-01

    A pot experiment with artificial shading was conducted to study the effects of soil moisture content and light intensity on the plant growth and leaf physiological characteristics of squash variety "Jingyingyihao". Under all test soil moisture conditions, 30% shading promoted the growth of "Jingyingyihao", with the highest yield at 70% - 80% soil relative moisture contents. 70% shading inhibited plant growth severely, only flowering and not bearing fruits, no economic yield produced. In all treatments, there was a similar water consumption trend, i. e., both the daily and the total water consumption decreased with increasing shading and decreasing soil moisture content. Among all treatments, 30% shading and 70% - 80% soil relative moisture contents had the highest water use efficiency (2.36 kg mm(-1) hm(-2)) and water output rate (1.57 kg mm(-1) hm(-2)). The net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll content of squash leaves decreased with increasing shading, whereas the intercellular CO2 concentration was in adverse. The leaf protective enzyme activity and proline content decreased with increasing shading, and the leaf MAD content decreased in the order of 70% shading, natural radiation, and 30% shading. Under the three light intensities, the change characteristics of squash leaf photosynthesis, protective enzyme activity, and proline and MAD contents differed with the increase of soil relative moisture content.

  3. Identification of a disease complex involving a novel monopartite begomovirus with beta- and alphasatellites associated with okra leaf curl disease in Oman.

    PubMed

    Akhtar, Sohail; Khan, Akhtar J; Singh, Achuit S; Briddon, Rob W

    2014-05-01

    Okra leaf curl disease (OLCD) is an important viral disease of okra in tropical and subtropical areas. The disease is caused by begomovirus-satellite complexes. A begomovirus and associated betasatellite and alphasatellite were identified in symptomatic okra plants from Barka, in the Al-Batinah region of Oman. Analysis of the begomovirus sequences showed them to represent a new begomovirus most closely related to cotton leaf curl Gezira virus (CLCuGeV), a begomovirus of African origin. The sequences showed less than 85 % nucleotide sequence identity to CLCuGeV isolates. The name okra leaf curl Oman virus (OLCOMV) is proposed for the new virus. Further analysis revealed that the OLCOMV is a recombinant begomovirus that evolved by the recombination of CLCuGeV isolates with tomato yellow leaf curl virus-Oman (TYLCV-OM). An alpha- and a betasatellite were also identified from the same plant sample, which were also unique when compared to sequences available in the databases. However, although the betasatellite appeared to be of African origin, the alphasatellite was most closely related to alphasatellites originating from South Asia. This is the first report of a begomovirus-satellite complex infecting okra in Oman.

  4. The role of corchorus in spreading of tomato yellow leaf curl virus on tomato in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

    PubMed

    Sohrab, Sayed Sartaj

    2016-03-01

    Corchorus (Corchorus capsularis L. and Corchorus olitorius L.) is one of the most important fiber crops grown in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. Field survey was conducted and naturally infected leaf samples were collected from corchorus and tomato plants in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The causal virus was transmitted by whiteflies to tomato plants and begomovirus infection was confirmed by Polymerase chain reaction. The complete viral genome and associated betasatellites were amplified, cloned and sequenced from both corchorus and tomato samples. The genetic variability and phylogenetic relationships were determined for both isolates (corchorus and tomato). The complete genome sequences showed highest (99.5 % nt) similarity with tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and formed closest cluster with TYLCV-Tomato reported from Jizan and Al-Qasim, Saudi Arabia and betasatellites sequences showed highest similarity (99.8 % nt) with Tomato yellow leaf curl betasatellites-Jeddah followed by Tomato yellow leaf curl Oman betasatellites and formed closed cluster with TYLCV-Tomato. On the basis of results obtained from whiteflies transmission, sequence similarity and phylogenetic relationships; it is concluded that the identified virus could be a variant of TYLCV circulating in the Kingdom. The significance of this study demonstrated that the corchorus is serving as reservoir and alternative host and playing an important role in spreading the begomovirus associated disease in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

  5. Lettuce necrotic leaf curl virus, a new plant virus infecting lettuce and a proposed member of the genus Torradovirus.

    PubMed

    Verbeek, Martin; Dullemans, Annette M; van Raaij, Henry M G; Verhoeven, Jacobus Th J; van der Vlugt, René A A

    2014-04-01

    A new virus was isolated from a lettuce plant grown in an open field in the Netherlands in 2011. This plant was showing conspicuous symptoms that consisted of necrosis and moderate leaf curling. The virus was mechanically transferred to indicator plants, and a total RNA extract of one of these indicator plants was used for next-generation sequencing. Analysis of the sequences that were obtained and further biological studies showed that the virus was related to, but clearly distinct from, viruses belonging to the genus Torradovirus. The name "lettuce necrotic leaf curl virus" (LNLCV) is proposed for this new torradovirus.

  6. Peach leaf curl disease shifts sugar metabolism in severely infected leaves from source to sink.

    PubMed

    Moscatello, Stefano; Proietti, Simona; Buonaurio, Roberto; Famiani, Franco; Raggi, Vittorio; Walker, Robert P; Battistelli, Alberto

    2017-03-01

    Peach leaf curl is a disease that affects the leaves of peach trees, and in severe cases all of the leaf can be similarly affected. This study investigated some effects of this disease on the metabolism of peach leaves in which all parts of the leaf were infected. These diseased leaves contained very little chlorophyll and performed little or no photosynthesis. Compared to uninfected leaves, diseased leaves possessed higher contents of fructose and especially glucose, but lowered contents of sucrose, sorbitol and especially starch. The activities of soluble acid invertase, neutral invertase, sorbitol dehydrogenase and sucrose synthase were all higher in diseased leaves, whereas, those of aldose-6-phosphate reductase and sucrose phosphate synthase were lower. The activities of hexokinase and fructokinase were little changed. In addition, immunblots showed that the contents of Rubisco and ADP-glucose phosphorylase were reduced in diseased leaves, whereas, the content of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was increased. The results show that certain aspects of the metabolism of diseased leaves are similar to immature sink leaves. That is photosynthetic function is reduced, the leaf imports rather than exports sugars, and the contents of non-structural carbohydrates and enzymes involved in their metabolism are similar to sink leaves. Further, the effects of peach leaf curl on the metabolism of peach leaves are comparable to the effects of some other diseases on the metabolism of photosynthetic organs of other plant species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  7. Predicting the presence of whiteflies and tomato yellow leaf curl virus in Florida tomato fields

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Florida is one of the leading states for production of fresh market tomatoes. Production is severely affected by Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). The objective of this study was to identify landscape and climatic factors that drive whitefly populations and TYLCV incidence in commercial tomato ...

  8. Genetic diversity in Gossypium hirsutum L. for cotton leaf curl disease in association with agronomic and fiber traits

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Information of genetic diversity in germplasm for cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) resistance/susceptibility and economic characters is essential before starting a breeding program to development germplasm with disease resistance. In this study, 17 conventional cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genoty...

  9. Isolation and sequence characterization of DNA-A genome of a new begomovirus strain associated with severe leaf curling symptoms of Jatropha curcas L.

    PubMed

    Chauhan, Sushma; Rahman, Hifzur; Mastan, Shaik G; Pamidimarri, D V N Sudheer; Reddy, Muppala P

    2018-07-20

    Begomoviruses belong to the family Geminiviridae are associated with several disease symptoms, such as mosaic and leaf curling in Jatropha curcas. The molecular characterization of these viral strains will help in developing management strategies to control the disease. In this study, J. curcas that was infected with begomovirus and showed acute leaf curling symptoms were identified. DNA-A segment from pathogenic viral strain was isolated and sequenced. The sequenced genome was assembled and characterized in detail. The full-length DNA-A sequence was covered by primer walking. The genome sequence showed the general organization of DNA-A from begomovirus by the distribution of ORFs in both viral and anti-viral strands. The genome size ranged from 2844 bp-2852 bp. Three strains with minor nucleotide variations were identified, and a phylogenetic analysis was performed by comparing the DNA-A segments from other reported begomovirus isolates. The maximum sequence similarity was observed with Euphorbia yellow mosaic virus (FN435995). In the phylogenetic tree, no clustering was observed with previously reported begomovirus strains isolated from J. curcas host. The strains isolated in this study belong to new begomoviral strain that elicits symptoms of leaf curling in J. curcas. The results indicate that the probable origin of the strains is from Jatropha mosaic virus infecting J. gassypifolia. The strains isolated in this study are referred as Jatropha curcas leaf curl India virus (JCLCIV) based on the major symptoms exhibited by host J. curcas. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Infection of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci with Rickettsia spp. alters its interactions with Tomato yellow leaf curl virus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Numerous animal and plant viruses are transmitted by arthropod vectors in a persistent, circulative manner. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is transmitted by the sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci. Here we report that infection with Rickettsia spp., a facultative endosymbiont of whiteflies...

  11. Genetic diversity and distribution of a distinct strain of Chili leaf curl virus and associated betasatellite infecting tomato and pepper in Oman.

    PubMed

    Khan, Akhtar J; Akhtar, Sohail; Al-Zaidi, Amal M; Singh, Achuit K; Briddon, Rob W

    2013-10-01

    Tomato and pepper are widely grown in Oman for local consumption. A countrywide survey was conducted during 2010-2011 to collect samples and assess the diversity of begomoviruses associated with leaf curl disease of tomato and pepper. A virus previously only identified on the Indian subcontinent, chili leaf curl virus (ChLCV), was found associated with tomato and pepper diseases in all vegetable grown areas of Oman. Some of the infected plant samples were also found to contain a betasatellite. A total of 19 potentially full-length begomovirus and eight betasatellite clones were sequenced. The begomovirus clones showed >96% nucleotide sequence identity, showing them to represent a single species. Comparisons to sequences available in the databases showed the highest levels of nucleotide sequence identity (88.0-91.1%) to isolates of the "Pakistan" strain of ChLCV (ChLCV-PK), indicating the virus from Oman to be a distinct strain, for which the name Oman strain (ChLCV-OM) is proposed. An analysis for recombination showed ChLCV-OM likely to have originated by recombination between ChLCV-PK (the major parent), pepper leaf curl Lahore virus and a third strain of ChLCV. The betasatellite sequences obtained were shown to have high levels of identity to isolates of tomato leaf curl betasatellite (ToLCB) previous shown to be present in Oman. For the disease in tomato Koch's postulates were satisfied by Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation of virus and betasatellites clones. This showed the symptoms induced by the virus in the presence of the betasatellite to be enhanced, although viral DNA levels were not affected. ChLCV-OM is the fourth begomovirus identified in tomato in Oman and the first in Capsicum. The significance of these findings is discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. A multiplex PCR method discriminating between the TYLCV and TYLCV-Mld clades of tomato yellow leaf curl virus.

    PubMed

    Lefeuvre, P; Hoareau, M; Delatte, H; Reynaud, B; Lett, J-M

    2007-09-01

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is one of the causal agents of tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD) and can cause up to 100% yield losses in tomato fields. As TYLCV continues to spread, many isolates have been described in different parts of the world. Recently two closely related but distinct TYLCV clades, called TYLCV and TYLCV-Mld, have been identified. Isolates from those two clades differ mainly in the nucleotide sequences of their replication associated protein genes but do not display significantly different symptomatology. In order to improve monitoring of the rapidly expanding worldwide TYLCD epidemic, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay (mPCR) was developed. A set of three primers were designed to detect and characterize the TYLCV and TYLCV-Mld clade isolates. The specificity and sensitivity of the mPCR were validated on TYLCV infected tomato plants and Bemisia tabaci whiteflies. Being cheap, fast and highly sensitive this new diagnostic tool should greatly simplify efforts to trace the global spread of TYLCV.

  13. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus C4 protein is a determinant of disease phenotype in tomato

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a monopartite begomovirus. Its genome contains six open reading frames, with V1 and V2 in sense, and C1 to C4 in complementary orientation. The functions of V1 and V2 are for coat protein and pre-coat, respectively. C1 is for virus replication, C2 for trans-a...

  14. Genome organization of Tobacco leaf curl Zimbabwe virus, a new, distinct monopartite begomovirus associated with subgenomic defective DNA molecules.

    PubMed

    Paximadis, M; Rey, M E

    2001-12-01

    The complete DNA A of the begomovirus Tobacco leaf curl Zimbabwe virus (TbLCZWV) was sequenced: it comprises 2767 nucleotides with six major open reading frames encoding proteins with molecular masses greater than 9 kDa. Full-length TbLCZWV DNA A tandem dimers, cloned in binary vectors (pBin19 and pBI121) and transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens, were systemically infectious upon agroinoculation of tobacco and tomato. Efforts to identify a DNA B component were unsuccessful. These findings suggest that TbLCZWV is a new member of the monopartite group of begomoviruses. Phylogenetic analysis identified TbLCZWV as a distinct begomovirus with its closest relative being Chayote mosaic virus. Abutting primer PCR amplified ca. 1300 bp molecules, and cloning and sequencing of two of these molecules revealed them to be subgenomic defective DNA molecules originating from TbLCZWV DNA A. Variable symptom severity associated with tobacco leaf curl disease and TbLCZWV is discussed.

  15. Association of an alphasatellite with tomato yellow leaf curl virus and ageratum yellow vein virus in Japan is suggestive of a recent introduction.

    PubMed

    Shahid, Muhammad Shafiq; Ikegami, Masato; Waheed, Abdul; Briddon, Rob W; Natsuaki, Keiko T

    2014-01-14

    Samples were collected in 2011 from tomato plants exhibiting typical tomato leaf curl disease symptoms in the vicinity of Komae, Japan. PCR mediated amplification, cloning and sequencing of all begomovirus components from two plants from different fields showed the plants to be infected by Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and Ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV). Both viruses have previously been shown to be present in Japan, although this is the first identification of AYVV on mainland Japan; the virus previously having been shown to be present on the Okinawa Islands. The plant harboring AYVV was also shown to contain the betasatellite Tomato leaf curl Java betasatellite (ToLCJaB), a satellite not previously shown to be present in Japan. No betasatellite was associated with the TYLCV infected tomato plants analyzed here, consistent with earlier findings for this virus in Japan. Surprisingly both plants were also found to harbor an alphasatellite; no alphasatellites having previously been reported from Japan. The alphasatellite associated with both viruses was shown to be Sida yellow vein China alphasatellite which has previously only been identified in the Yunnan Province of China and Nepal. The results suggest that further begomoviruses, and their associated satellites, are being introduced to Japan. The significance of these findings is discussed.

  16. Recessive Resistance Derived from Tomato cv. Tyking-Limits Drastically the Spread of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus

    PubMed Central

    Pereira-Carvalho, Rita C.; Díaz-Pendón, Juan A.; Fonseca, Maria Esther N.; Boiteux, Leonardo S.; Fernández-Muñoz, Rafael; Moriones, Enrique; Resende, Renato O.

    2015-01-01

    The tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD) causes severe damage to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) crops throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. TYLCD is associated with a complex of single-stranded circular DNA plant viruses of the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae) transmitted by the whitefy Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). The tomato inbred line TX 468-RG is a source of monogenic recessive resistance to begomoviruses derived from the hybrid cv. Tyking F1. A detailed analysis of this germplasm source against tomato yellow leaf curl virus-Israel (TYLCV-IL), a widespread TYLCD-associated virus, showed a significant restriction to systemic virus accumulation even under continuous virus supply. The resistance was effective in limiting the onset of TYLCV-IL in tomato, as significantly lower primary spread of the virus occurred in resistant plants. Also, even if a limited number of resistant plants could result infected, they were less efficient virus sources for secondary spread owing to the impaired TYLCV-IL accumulation. Therefore, the incorporation of this resistance into breeding programs might help TYLCD management by drastically limiting TYLCV-IL spread. PMID:26008699

  17. Genome wide identification of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)-encoded microRNA targets against Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus.

    PubMed

    Shweta; Akhter, Yusuf; Khan, Jawaid Ahmad

    2018-01-05

    Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus (CLCuBV, genus Begomovirus) causes devastating cotton leaf curl disease. Among various known virus controlling strategies, RNAi-mediated one has shown potential to protect host crop plants. Micro(mi) RNAs, are the endogenous small RNAs and play a key role in plant development and stress resistance. In the present study we have identified cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)-encoded miRNAs targeting the CLCuBV. Based on threshold free energy and maximum complementarity scores of host miRNA-viral mRNA target pairs, a number of potential miRNAs were annotated. Among them, ghr-miR168 was selected as the most potent candidate, capable of targeting several vital genes namely C1, C3, C4, V1 and V2 of CLCuBV genome. In addition, ghr-miR395a and ghr-miR395d were observed to target the overlapping transcripts of C1 and C4 genes. We have verified the efficacy of these miRNA targets against CLCuBV following suppression of RNAi-mediated virus control through translational inhibition or cleavage of viral mRNA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. RNAi-mediated resistance against Cotton leaf curl disease in elite Indian cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) cultivar Narasimha.

    PubMed

    Khatoon, Sameena; Kumar, Abhinav; Sarin, Neera B; Khan, Jawaid A

    2016-08-01

    Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is caused by several distinct begomovirus species in association with disease-specific betasatellite essential for induction of disease symptoms. CLCuD is a serious threat for the cultivation of cotton (Gossypium sp.) and several species in the family Malvaceae. In this study, RNAi-based approach was applied to generate transgenic cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) plants resistant to Cotton leaf curl Rajasthan virus (CLCuRV). An intron hairpin (ihp) RNAi construct capable of expressing dsRNA homologous to the intergenic region (IR) of CLCuRV was designed and developed. Following Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of cotton (G. hirsutum cv. Narasimha) plants with the designed ihpRNAi construct, a total of 9 independent lines of transformed cotton were obtained. The presence of the potential stretch of IR in the transformed cotton was confirmed by PCR coupled with Southern hybridization. Upon inoculation with viruliferous whiteflies, the transgenic plants showed high degree of resistance. None of them displayed any CLCuD symptoms even after 90 days post inoculation. The transformed cotton plants showed the presence of siRNAs. The present study demonstrated that ihp dsRNA-mediated resistance strategy of RNAi is an effective means to combat the CLCuD infection in cotton.

  19. Multiple begomoviruses found associated with cotton leaf curl disease in Pakistan in early 1990 are back in cultivated cotton

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The first epidemic of cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) in the early 1990’s on the Indian subcontinent was associated with several distinct begomoviruses along with a disease-specific betasatellite. Resistant cotton varieties were introduced in the late 1990’s, but resistance was broken in early 2000...

  20. Within-Host Dynamics of the Emergence of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Recombinants

    PubMed Central

    Urbino, Cica; Gutiérrez, Serafin; Antolik, Anna; Bouazza, Nabila; Doumayrou, Juliette; Granier, Martine; Martin, Darren P.; Peterschmitt, Michel

    2013-01-01

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a highly damaging begomovirus native to the Middle East. TYLCV has recently spread worldwide, recombining with other begomoviruses. Recent analysis of mixed infections between TYLCV and Tomato leaf curl Comoros begomovirus (ToLCKMV) has shown that, although natural selection preserves certain co-evolved intra-genomic interactions, numerous and diverse recombinants are produced at 120 days post-inoculation (dpi), and recombinant populations from different tomato plants are very divergent. Here, we investigate the population dynamics that lead to such patterns in tomato plants co-infected with TYLCV and ToLCKMV either by agro-inoculation or using the natural whitefly vector Bemisia tabaci. We monitored the frequency of parental and recombinant genotypes independently in 35 plants between 18 and 330 dpi and identified 177 recombinants isolated at different times. Recombinants were detected from 18 dpi and their frequency increased over time to reach about 50% at 150 dpi regardless of the inoculation method. The distribution of breakpoints detected on 96 fully sequenced recombinants was consistent with a continuous generation of new recombinants as well as random and deterministic effects in their maintenance. A severe population bottleneck of around 10 genomes was estimated during early systemic infection–a phenomenon that could account partially for the heterogeneity in recombinant patterns observed among plants. The detection of the same recombinant genome in six of the thirteen plants analysed beyond 30 dpi supported the influence of selection on observed recombination patterns. Moreover, a highly virulent recombinant genotype dominating virus populations within one plant has, apparently, the potential to be maintained in the natural population according to its infectivity, within-host accumulation, and transmission efficiency - all of which were similar or intermediate to those of the parent genotypes. Our results

  1. Genetic structure and evolution of natural populations of viruses causing the tomato yellow leaf curl disease in Spain.

    PubMed

    Font, María Isabel; Rubio, Luis; Martínez-Culebras, Pedro Vicente; Jordá, Concepción

    2007-09-01

    The population structure and genetic variation of two begomoviruses: tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV) and tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in tomato crops of Spain were studied from 1997 until 2001. Restriction digestion of a genomic region comprised of the CP coat protein gene (CPR) of 358 TYLC virus isolates enabled us to classify them into 14 haplotypes. Nucleotide sequences of two genomic regions: CPR, and the surrounding intergenic region (SIR) were determined for at least two isolates per haplotype. SIR was more variable than CPR and showed multiple recombination events whereas no recombination was detected within CPR. In all geographic regions except Murcia, the population was, or evolved to be composed of one predominant haplotype with a low genetic diversity (<0.0180). In Murcia, two successive changes of the predominant haplotype were observed in the best studied population. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the TYLCSV sequences determined clustered with sequences obtained from the GenBank of other TYLCSV Spanish isolates which were clearly separated from TYLCSV Italian isolates. Most of our TYLCV sequences were similar to those of isolates from Japan and Portugal, and the sequences obtained from TYLCV isolates from the Canary island of Lanzarote were similar to those of Caribbean TYLCV isolates.

  2. Cotton Leaf Curl Multan Betasatellite DNA as a Tool to Deliver and Express the Human B-Cell Lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) Gene in Plants.

    PubMed

    Kharazmi, Sara; Ataie Kachoie, Elham; Behjatnia, Seyed Ali Akbar

    2016-05-01

    The betasatellite DNA associated with Cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMB) contains a single complementary-sense ORF, βC1, which is a pathogenicity determinant. CLCuMB was able to replicate in plants in the presence of diverse helper geminiviruses, including Tomato leaf curl virus-Australia (TLCV-Au), Iranian isolate of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV-[Ab]), and Beet curly top virus (BCTV-Svr), and can be used as a plant gene delivery vector. To test the hypothesis that CLCuMB has the potential to act as an animal gene delivery vector, a specific insertion construct was produced by the introduction of a human B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) cDNA into a mutant DNA of CLCuMB in which the βC1 was deleted (β∆C1). The recombinant βΔC1-Bcl-2 construct was successfully replicated in tomato and tobacco plants in the presence of TLCV-Au, BCTV-Svr and TYLCV-[Ab]. Real-time PCR and Western blot analyses of plants containing the replicative forms of recombinant βΔC1-Bcl-2 DNA showed that Bcl-2 gene was expressed in an acceptable level in these plants, indicating that β∆C1 can be used as a tool to deliver and express animal genes in plants. This CLCuMB-based system, having its own promoter activity, offers the possibility of production of animal recombinant proteins in plants.

  3. Influence of Water Relations and Temperature on Leaf Movements of Rhododendron Species 1

    PubMed Central

    Nilsen, Erik Tallak

    1987-01-01

    Rhododendron maximum L. and R. Catawbiense L. are subcanopy evergreen shrubs of the eastern United States deciduous forest. Field measurements of climate factors and leaf movements of these species indicated a high correlation between leaf temperature and leaf curling; and between leaf water potential and leaf angle. Laboratory experiments were performed to isolate the influence of temperature and cellular water relations on leaf movements. Significant differences were found between the patterns of temperature induction of leaf curling in the two species. Leaves of the species which curled at higher temperatures (R. catawbiense) also froze at higher leaf temperatures. However, in both cases leaf curling occurred at leaf temperatures two to three degrees above the leaf freezing point. Pressure volume curves indicated that cellular turgor loss was associated with a maximum of 45% curling while 100% or more curling occurred in field leaves which still had positive cell turgor. Moisture release curves indicated that 70% curling requires a loss of greater than 60% of symplastic water which corresponds to leaf water potentials far below those experienced in field situations. Conversely, most laboratory induced changes in leaf angle could be related to leaf cell turgor loss. PMID:16665296

  4. RNA interference-based resistance in transgenic tomato plants against Tomato yellow leaf curl virus-Oman (TYLCV-OM) and its associated betasatellite.

    PubMed

    Ammara, Um e; Mansoor, Shahid; Saeed, Muhammad; Amin, Imran; Briddon, Rob W; Al-Sadi, Abdullah Mohammed

    2015-03-04

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), a monopartite begomovirus (family Geminiviridae) is responsible for heavy yield losses for tomato production around the globe. In Oman at least five distinct begomoviruses cause disease in tomato, including TYLCV. Unusually, TYLCV infections in Oman are sometimes associated with a betasatellite (Tomato leaf curl betasatellite [ToLCB]; a symptom modulating satellite). RNA interference (RNAi) can be used to develop resistance against begomoviruses at either the transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels. A hairpin RNAi (hpRNAi) construct to express double-stranded RNA homologous to sequences of the intergenic region, coat protein gene, V2 gene and replication-associated gene of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus-Oman (TYLCV-OM) was produced. Initially, transient expression of the hpRNAi construct at the site of virus inoculation was shown to reduce the number of plants developing symptoms when inoculated with either TYLCV-OM or TYLCV-OM with ToLCB-OM to Nicotiana benthamiana or tomato. Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Pusa Ruby was transformed with the hpRNAi construct and nine confirmed transgenic lines were obtained and challenged with TYLCV-OM and ToLCB-OM by Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation. For all but one line, for which all plants remained symptomless, inoculation with TYLCV-OM led to a proportion (≤25%) of tomato plants developing symptoms of infection. For inoculation with TYLCV-OM and ToLCB-OM all lines showed a proportion of plants (≤45%) symptomatic. However, for all infected transgenic plants the symptoms were milder and virus titre in plants was lower than in infected non-transgenic tomato plants. These results show that RNAi can be used to develop resistance against geminiviruses in tomato. The resistance in this case is not immunity but does reduce the severity of infections and virus titer. Also, the betasatellite may compromise resistance, increasing the proportion of plants which ultimately show symptoms.

  5. Evaluating Weeds as Hosts of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus.

    PubMed

    Smith, Hugh A; Seijo, Teresa E; Vallad, Gary E; Peres, Natalia A; Druffel, Keri L

    2015-08-01

    Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype B transmits Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), which affects tomato production globally. Prompt destruction of virus reservoirs is a key component of virus management. Identification of weed hosts of TYLCV will be useful for reducing such reservoirs. The status of weeds as alternate hosts of TYLCV in Florida remains unclear. In greenhouse studies, B. tabaci adults from a colony reared on TYLCV-infected tomato were established in cages containing one of four weeds common to horticultural fields in central and south Florida. Cages containing tomato and cotton were also infested with viruliferous whiteflies as a positive control and negative control, respectively. Whitefly adults and plant tissue were tested periodically over 10 wk for the presence of TYLCV using PCR. After 10 wk, virus-susceptible tomato plants were placed in each cage to determine if whiteflies descended from the original adults were still infective. Results indicate that Bidens alba, Emilia fosbergii, and Raphanus raphanistrum are not hosts of TYLCV, and that Amaranthus retroflexus is a host. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Amplicon based RNA interference targeting V2 gene of cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus-Burewala strain can provide resistance in transgenic cotton plants

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    An RNAi based gene construct designated “C2” was used to target the V2 region of the cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV) genome which is responsible for virus movement. The construct was transformed into two elite cotton varieties MNH-786 and VH-289. A shoot apex method of plant transformation using Agr...

  7. Insecticidal Effects on the Spatial Progression of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus and Movement of Its Whitefly Vector in Tomato.

    PubMed

    Dempsey, M; Riley, D G; Srinivasan, R

    2017-06-01

    Commercial management of whitefly-transmitted Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) typically relies on insecticide control of whitefly vectors as a first line of defense. We quantified this effect in crop tunnel studies, with validation in a tomato field setting. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus-infected and Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)-infested source plants were planted at the beginning of tunneled rows to serve as inoculum source, so that movement of whiteflies and TYLCV symptoms could be tracked down the length of the tunnel over time. Tunnel study results showed that proximity to the source plant was a more important factor than insecticide treatments. Insecticide-treated tomato transplants did tend to suppress whitefly incidence and slowed TYLCV movement in comparison with the untreated check; however, tomato plants planted closer to the source plant had higher incidence of whiteflies and TYLCV infection, regardless of treatment. In a large tomato plot study with a controlled inoculum source, insecticide treatments significantly reduced the spread of TYLCV. When uninhibited by insecticide treatment, 80% of the TYLCV spread was restricted to <15 m from the source plant (<11 m in the validation study), with insecticide treatment generally reducing the distance and magnitude of this spread. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. Suppression of cotton leaf curl disease symptoms in Gossypium hirsutum through over expression of host-encoded miRNAs.

    PubMed

    Akmal, Mohd; Baig, Mirza S; Khan, Jawaid A

    2017-12-10

    Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD), a major factor resulting in the enormous yield losses in cotton crop, is caused by a distinct monopartite begomovirus in association with Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB). Micro(mi)RNAs are known to regulate gene expression in eukaryotes, including antiviral defense in plants. In a previous study, we had computationally identified a set of cotton miRNAs, which were shown to have potential targets in the genomes of Cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMuV) and CLCuMB at multiple loci. In the current study, effect of Gossypium arboreum-encoded miRNAs on the genome of CLCuMuV and CLCuMB was investigated in planta. Two computationally predicted cotton-encoded miRNAs (miR398 and miR2950) that showed potential to bind multiple Open Reading Frames (ORFs; C1, C4, V1, and non- coding intergenic region) of CLCuMuV, and (βC1) of CLCuMB were selected. Functional validation of miR398 and miR2950 was done by overexpression approach in G. hirsutum var. HS6. A total of ten in vitro cotton plants were generated from independent events and subjected to biological and molecular analyses. Presence of the respective Precursor (pre)-miRNA was confirmed through PCR and Southern blotting, and their expression level was assessed by semi quantitative RT-PCR, Real Time quantitative PCR and northern hybridization in the PCR-positive lines. Southern hybridization revealed 2-4 copy integration of T-DNA in the genome of the transformed lines. Remarkably, expression of pre-miRNAs was shown up to 5.8-fold higher in the transgenic (T 0 ) lines as revealed by Real Time PCR. The virus resistance was monitored following inoculation of the transgenic cotton lines with viruliferous whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) insect vector. After inoculation, four of the transgenic lines remained apparently symptom free. While a very low titre of viral DNA could be detected by Rolling circle amplification, betasatellite responsible for symptom induction could not be detected

  9. Detection and molecular characterization of tomato yellow leaf curl virus naturally infecting Lycopersicon esculentum in Egypt.

    PubMed

    Rabie, M; Ratti, C; Abdel Aleem, E; Fattouh, F

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) infections of tomato crops in Egypt were widely spread in 2014. Infected symptomatic tomato plants from different governorates were sampled. TYLCV strains Israel and Mild (TYLCV-IL, TYLCV-Mild) were identified by multiplex and real-time PCR. In addition, nucleotide sequence analysis of the V1 and V2 protein genes, revealed ten TYLCV Egyptian isolates (TYLCV from TY1 to 10). Phylogenetic analysis showed their high degree of relatedness with TYLCV-IL Jordan isolate (98%). Here we have showed the complete nucleotide sequence of the TYLCV Egyptian isolate TY10, sampled from El Beheira. A high degree of similarity to other previously reported Egyptian isolates and isolates from Jordan and Japan reflect the importance of phylogenetic analysis in monitoring virus genetic diversity and possibilities for divergence of more virulent strains or genotypes.

  10. Expression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) coat protein genes in plants using cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite-based vector.

    PubMed

    Ataie Kachoie, Elham; Behjatnia, Seyed Ali Akbar; Kharazmi, Sara

    2018-01-01

    It has already been demonstrated that a betasatellite associated with cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMB) can be used as a plant and animal gene delivery vector to plants. To examine the ability of CLCuMB as a tool to transfer coat protein genes of HIV-1 to plants, two recombinant CLCuMB constructs in which the CLCuMB βC1 ORF was replaced with two HIV-1 genes fractions including a 696 bp DNA fragment related to the HIV-1 p24 gene and a 1501 bp DNA fragment related to the HIV-1 gag gene were constructed. Gag is the HIV-1 coat protein gene and p24 is a component of the particle capsid. Gag and p24 are used for vaccine production. Recombinant constructs were inoculated to Nicotiana glutinosa and N. benthamiana plants in the presence of an Iranian isolate of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV-[Ab]) as a helper virus. PCR analysis of inoculated plants indicated that p24 gene was successfully replicated in inoculated plants, but the gag gene was not. Real-time PCR and ELISA analysis of N. glutinosa and N. benthamiana plants containing the replicative forms of recombinant construct of CLCuMB/p24 indicated that p24 was expressed in these plants. This CLCuMB-based expression system offers the possibility of mass production of recombinant HIV-1 p24 protein in plants.

  11. Characterization of a New World Monopartite Begomovirus Causing Leaf Curl Disease of Tomato in Ecuador and Peru Reveals a New Direction in Geminivirus Evolution

    PubMed Central

    Melgarejo, Tomas A.; Kon, Tatsuya; Rojas, Maria R.; Paz-Carrasco, Lenin; Zerbini, F. Murilo

    2013-01-01

    All characterized whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses (begomoviruses) with origins in the New World (NW) have bipartite genomes composed of a DNA-A and DNA-B component. Recently, an NW begomovirus lacking a DNA-B component was associated with tomato leaf curl disease (ToLCD) in Peru, and it was named Tomato leaf deformation virus (ToLDeV). Here, we show that isolates of ToLDeV associated with ToLCD in Ecuador and Peru have a single, genetically diverse genomic DNA that is most closely related to DNA-A components of NW bipartite begomoviruses. Agroinoculation of multimeric clones of the genomic DNA of three ToLDeV genotypes (two variants and a strain) resulted in the development of tomato leaf curl symptoms indistinguishable from those of ToLCD in Ecuador and Peru. Biological properties of these ToLDeV genotypes were similar to those of Old World (OW) monopartite tomato-infecting begomoviruses, including lack of sap transmissibility, phloem limitation, a resistance phenotype in tomato germplasm with the Ty-1 gene, and functional properties of the V1 (capsid protein) and C4 genes. Differences in symptom phenotypes induced by the ToLDeV genotypes in tomato and Nicotiana benthamiana plants were associated with a highly divergent left intergenic region and C4 gene. Together, these results establish that ToLDeV is an emergent NW monopartite begomovirus that is causing ToLCD in Ecuador and Peru. This is the first report of an indigenous NW monopartite begomovirus, and evidence is presented that it emerged from the DNA-A component of a NW bipartite progenitor via convergent evolution and recombination. PMID:23468482

  12. The infective cycle of Cabbage leaf curl virus (CaLCuV) is affected by CRUMPLED LEAF (CRL) gene in Arabidopsis thaliana

    PubMed Central

    Trejo-Saavedra, Diana L; Vielle-Calzada, Jean P; Rivera-Bustamante, Rafael F

    2009-01-01

    Background Geminiviruses are single-stranded DNA viruses that cause serious crop losses worldwide. Successful infection by these pathogens depends extensively on virus-host intermolecular interactions that allow them to express their gene products, to replicate their genomes and to move to adjacent cells and throughout the plant. Results To identify host genes that show an altered regulation in response to Cabbage leaf curl virus (CaLCuV) infection, a screening of transposant Arabidopsis thaliana lines was carried out. Several genes were identified to be virus responsive and one, Crumpled leaf (CRL) gene, was selected for further characterization. CRL was previously reported by Asano et al., (2004) to affect the morphogenesis of all plant organs and the division of plastids. We report here that CRL expression, during CaLCuV infection, shows a short but strong induction at an early stage (3-5 days post inoculation, dpi). To study the role of CRL in CaLCuV infection, CRL over-expressing and silenced transgenic plants were generated. We compared the replication, movement and infectivity of CaLCuV in transgenic and wild type plants. Conclusion Our results showed that CRL over-expressing plants showed an increased susceptibility to CaLCuV infection (as compared to wt plants) whereas CRL-silenced plants, on the contrary, presented a reduced susceptibility to viral infection. The possible role of CRL in the CaLCuV infection cycle is discussed. PMID:19840398

  13. Without the Academic Part, It Wouldn't Be Squash": Youth Development in an Urban Squash Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hemphill, Michael A.; Richards, K. Andrew R.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine youth development outcomes in an Urban Squash program. Methods: A mixed method approach to was employed to address three research questions: 1) to what extent did the Urban Squash program exhibit features of a quality OST program?; 2) what aspects of the Urban Squash program were most valued by…

  14. Stability of squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kimura, Masashi; Ishihara, Hideki; Murata, Keiju

    2008-03-15

    The stability of squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes is studied. The squashed Kaluza-Klein black hole looks like a five-dimensional black hole in the vicinity of horizon and looks like a four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime with a circle at infinity. In this sense, squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes can be regarded as black holes in the Kaluza-Klein spacetimes. Using the symmetry of squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes, SU(2)xU(1){approx_equal}U(2), we obtain master equations for a part of the metric perturbations relevant to the stability. The analysis based on the master equations gives strong evidence for the stability of squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes. Hence, the squashed Kaluza-Kleinmore » black holes deserve to be taken seriously as realistic black holes in the Kaluza-Klein spacetime.« less

  15. Conductance Oscillations in Squashed Carbon Nanotubes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mehrez, H.; Anantram, M. P.; Svizhenko, A.

    2003-01-01

    A combination of molecular dynamics and electrical conductance calculations are used to probe the electromechanical properties of squashed metallic carbon nanotubes. We find that the conductance and bandgap of armchair nanotubes show oscillations upon squashing. The physical origin of these oscillations is attributed to interaction of carbon atoms with a fourth neighbor. Squashing of armchair and zigzag nanotubes ultimately leads to metallic behavior.

  16. Faithful Squashed Entanglement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brandão, Fernando G. S. L.; Christandl, Matthias; Yard, Jon

    2011-09-01

    Squashed entanglement is a measure for the entanglement of bipartite quantum states. In this paper we present a lower bound for squashed entanglement in terms of a distance to the set of separable states. This implies that squashed entanglement is faithful, that is, it is strictly positive if and only if the state is entangled. We derive the lower bound on squashed entanglement from a lower bound on the quantum conditional mutual information which is used to define squashed entanglement. The quantum conditional mutual information corresponds to the amount by which strong subadditivity of von Neumann entropy fails to be saturated. Our result therefore sheds light on the structure of states that almost satisfy strong subadditivity with equality. The proof is based on two recent results from quantum information theory: the operational interpretation of the quantum mutual information as the optimal rate for state redistribution and the interpretation of the regularised relative entropy of entanglement as an error exponent in hypothesis testing. The distance to the set of separable states is measured in terms of the LOCC norm, an operationally motivated norm giving the optimal probability of distinguishing two bipartite quantum states, each shared by two parties, using any protocol formed by local quantum operations and classical communication (LOCC) between the parties. A similar result for the Frobenius or Euclidean norm follows as an immediate consequence. The result has two applications in complexity theory. The first application is a quasipolynomial-time algorithm solving the weak membership problem for the set of separable states in LOCC or Euclidean norm. The second application concerns quantum Merlin-Arthur games. Here we show that multiple provers are not more powerful than a single prover when the verifier is restricted to LOCC operations thereby providing a new characterisation of the complexity class QMA.

  17. Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus: An Emerging Virus Complex Threatening Vegetable and Fiber Crops

    PubMed Central

    Moriones, Enrique; Chakraborty, Supriya

    2017-01-01

    The tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) represents an important constraint to tomato production, as it causes the most predominant and economically important disease affecting tomato in the Indian sub-continent. However, in recent years, ToLCNDV has been fast extending its host range and spreading to new geographical regions, including the Middle East and the western Mediterranean Basin. Extensive research on the genome structure, protein functions, molecular biology, and plant–virus interactions of ToLCNDV has been conducted in the last decade. Special emphasis has been given to gene silencing suppression ability in order to counteract host plant defense responses. The importance of the interaction with DNA alphasatellites and betasatellites in the biology of the virus has been demonstrated. ToLCNDV genetic variability has been analyzed, providing new insights into the taxonomy, host adaptation, and evolution of this virus. Recombination and pseudorecombination have been shown as motors of diversification and adaptive evolution. Important progress has also been made in control strategies to reduce disease damage. This review highlights these various achievements in the context of the previous knowledge of begomoviruses and their interactions with plants. PMID:28934148

  18. Introgression of genes for cotton leaf curl virus resistance and increased fiber strength from Gossypium stocksii into upland cotton (G. hirsutum).

    PubMed

    Nazeer, W; Ahmad, S; Mahmood, K; Tipu, A L; Mahmood, A; Zhou, B

    2014-02-21

    Cotton leaf curl virus disease is a major hurdle for successful cotton production in Pakistan. There has been considerable economic loss due to this disease during the last decade. It would be desirable to have cotton varieties resistant to this disease. We explored the possibility of transferring virus resistant genes from the wild species Gossypium stocksii into MNH-786, a cultivar of G. hirsutum. Hybridization was done under field condition at the Cotton Research Station, Multan, during 2010-11. Boll shedding was controlled by application of exogenous hormones. F1 seeds were treated with 0.03% colchicine solution for 6 h and germinated. Cytological observations at peak squaring/flowering stage showed that these plants were hexaploid, having 2n = 6x = 78 chromosomes. The F1 plants showed intermediate expression for leaf size, leaf area, petiole length, bracteole number and size, bracteole area, bracteole dentation, flower size, pedicel size, and petal number and size. Moreover it possessed high fiber strength of 54.4 g/tex, which is 54% greater than that of the check variety, i.e. MNH-786 (G. hirsutum). The F1 population did not show any symptom of CLCuVD in the field, tested by grafting with CLCuVD susceptible rootstock (var. S12). We conclude that it is possible to transfer CLCuVD resistance and high fiber strength from G. stocksii to G. hirsutum.

  19. Bemisia tabaci Q carrying tomato yellow leaf curl virus strongly suppresses host plant defenses

    PubMed Central

    Shi, Xiaobin; Pan, Huipeng; Zhang, Hongyi; Jiao, Xiaoguo; Xie, Wen; Wu, Qingjun; Wang, Shaoli; Fang, Yong; Chen, Gong; Zhou, Xuguo; Zhang, Youjun

    2014-01-01

    The concurrence of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) with the spread of its vector Bemisia tabaci Q rather than B in China suggests a more mutualistic relationship between TYLCV and Q. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that viruliferous B and Q have different effects on plant defenses. We found the fecundity of nonviruliferous B, nonviruliferous Q, viruliferous Q and viruliferous B was 11.080, 12.060, 10.760, and 11.220 respectively on plants previously attacked by the other biotype, however, on their respective noninfested control leaves fecundity was 12.000, 10.880, 9.760, and 8.020 respectively. Only viruliferous B had higher fecundity on viruliferous Q-infested plants than on control plants. The longevity of viruliferous B showed the same phenomenon. At 1 d infestion, the jasmonic acid content in leaves noninfested and in leaves infested with nonviruliferous B, nonviruliferous Q, viruliferous B and viruliferous Q was 407.000, 281.333, 301.333, 266.667 and 134.000 ng/g FW, respectively. The JA content was lowest in viruliferous Q-infested leaves. The proteinase inhibitor activity and expression of JA-related upstream gene LOX and downstream gene PI II showed the same trend. The substantial suppression of host defenses by Q carrying TYLCV probably enhances the spread of Q and TYLCV in China. PMID:24912756

  20. C4 Protein of Sweet Potato Leaf Curl Virus Regulates Brassinosteroid Signaling Pathway through Interaction with AtBIN2 and Affects Male Fertility in Arabidopsis

    PubMed Central

    Bi, Huiping; Fan, Weijuan; Zhang, Peng

    2017-01-01

    Sweepoviruses have been identified globally and cause substantial yield losses and cultivar decline in sweet potato. This study aimed to investigate the interaction between sweepovirus and plant host by analyzing the function of the viral protein C4 of Sweet potato leaf curl virus-Jiangsu (SPLCV-JS), a sweepovirus cloned from diseased sweet potato plants in East China. Ectopic expression of the C4 in Arabidopsis altered plant development drastically with phenotypic changes including leaf curling, seedling twisting, deformation of floral tissues and reduction of pollen fertility, and seed number. Using bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis, this study demonstrated that the SPLCV-JS C4 protein interacted with brassinosteroid-insensitive 2 (AtBIN2) in the plasma membrane of Nicotiana benthamiana cells. The C4 AtBIN2 interaction was further confirmed by yeast two-hybrid assays. This interaction led to the re-localization of AtBIN2-interacting proteins AtBES1/AtBZR1 into the nucleus which altered the expression of brassinosteroid (BR)-response genes, resulting in the activation of BR-signaling pathway. The interaction of SPLCV-JS C4 and AtBIN2 also led to the down-regulated expression of key genes involved in anther and pollen development, including SPROROCYTELESS/NOZZLE, DEFECTIVE IN TAPEL DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION 1, and ABORTED MICROSPORES, which caused abnormal tapetal development, followed by defective exine pattern formation of microspores and pollen release. Consequently, male fertility in the C4 transgenic Arabidopsis was reduced. The present study illustrated how the sweepovirus C4 protein functioned in host cells and affected male fertility by interacting with the key components of BR-signaling pathway. PMID:29021807

  1. Molecular evidence for the occurrence of tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus on chayote (Sechium edule) in southern India.

    PubMed

    Nagendran, K; Mohankumar, S; Mohammed Faisal, P; Bagewadi, B; Karthikeyan, G

    2017-12-01

    During 2012-2014, mosaic disease on chayote in the farmers field of Kodaikanal region (high altitude zone) of Tamil Nadu was observed. The disease was characterized with severe mosaic, cupping and enation on leaves with reduced fruit size. Disease was found to causes an yield loss of more than 60% with the maximum disease incidence of 100% for the past 5 years consecutively. Preliminary serological and molecular screening indicated the association of begomovirus with the disease. Complete nucleotide sequence and phylogenetic analysis of DNA A revealed the identity of the virus as tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV). In recombination analysis study, the major parent was identified as ToLCNDV from Pakistan infecting tomato. Thus the present finding confirms expansion of new geographical region and host for ToLCNDV causing mosaic disease on chayote from Tamil Nadu. To our knowledge this is the first confirmed report for the occurrence of ToLCNDV on chayote in southern India.

  2. Energy Requirements of Squash and Racquetball.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Montpetit, Richard R.; And Others

    1987-01-01

    Oxygen consumption and heart rate were monitored in 32 male adults playing racquetball and squash. Results indicated that energy expenditure in racquetball was only slightly less than for squash, suggesting that either sport is appropriate for developing and maintaining fitness in healthy adults. (Author/CB)

  3. Ribbon curling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Juel, Anne; Prior, Chris; Moussou, Julien; Chakrabarti, Buddhapriya; Jensen, Oliver

    The procedure of curling a ribbon by running it over a sharp blade is commonly used when wrapping presents. Despite its ubiquity, a quantitative explanation of this everyday phenomenon is still lacking. We address this using experiment and theory, examining the dependence of ribbon curvature on blade curvature, the longitudinal load imposed on the ribbon and the speed of pulling. Experiments in which a ribbon is drawn steadily over a blade under a fixed load show that the ribbon curvature is generated over a restricted range of loads, the curvature/load relationship can be non-monotonic, and faster pulling (under a constant imposed load) results in less tightly curled ribbons. We develop a theoretical model that captures these features, building on the concept that the ribbon under the imposed deformation undergoes differential plastic stretching across its thickness, resulting in a permanently curved shape. The model identifies factors that optimize curling and clarifies the physical mechanisms underlying the ribbon's nonlinear response to an apparently simple deformation.

  4. Unprotected eyes in squash: not seeing the risk of injury.

    PubMed

    Eime, R; McCarty, C; Finch, C F; Owen, N

    2005-03-01

    The use of appropriate eyewear in squash can protect the eyes against injury. However, few adult squash players adequately protect their eyes against potential severe injuries. We describe the characteristics of non-users of protective eyewear and examine predictors of appropriate eyewear use. Self-report surveys of adult players were conducted in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Information on players' knowledge, behaviours and attitudes associated with protective eyewear use was collected, in addition to player demographic data. Appropriate eyewear was defined as Standards-approved polycarbonate lens eyewear. The majority 92.2% of players did not adequately protect their eyes while playing squash. Significant predictors of reported eyewear use were: previous eye injury: playing squash on average more than 2 hr per wk: having played for more than 20 y; and having more favourable attitudes towards eye safety in squash. The significant predictors of appropriate eyewear use were: being female; previous eye injury; playing squash on average more than 2 hr per week; and having more favourable attitudes towards eye safety in squash. Understanding the characteristics of both users and non-users of appropriate eye protection in squash is essential for informing future prevention strategies.

  5. Functional Characterization of a Bidirectional Plant Promoter from Cotton Leaf Curl Burewala Virus Using an Agrobacterium-Mediated Transient Assay

    PubMed Central

    Ashraf, Muhammad Aleem; Shahid, Ahmad Ali; Rao, Abdul Qayyum; Bajwa, Kamran Shehzad; Husnain, Tayyab

    2014-01-01

    The C1 promoter expressing the AC1 gene, and V1 promoter expressing the AV1 gene are located in opposite orientations in the large intergenic region of the Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus (CLCuBuV) genome. Agro-infiltration was used to transiently express putative promoter constructs in Nicotiana tabacum and Gossypium hirsutum leaves, which was monitored by a GUS reporter gene, and revealed that the bidirectional promoter of CLCuBuV transcriptionally regulates both the AC1 and AV1 genes. The CLCuBuV C1 gene promoter showed a strong, consistent transient expression of the reporter gene (GUS) in N. tabacum and G. hirsutum leaves and exhibited GUS activity two- to three-fold higher than the CaMV 35S promoter. The CLCuBuV bidirectional genepromoter is a nearly constitutive promoter that contains basic conserved elements. Many cis-regulatory elements (CREs) were also analyzed within the bidirectional plant promoters of CLCuBuV and closely related geminiviruses, which may be helpful in understanding the transcriptional regulation of both the virus and host plant. PMID:24424501

  6. Curling for Confidence: Psychophysical Benefits of Curling for Older Adults.

    PubMed

    Stone, Rachael C; Rakhamilova, Zina; Gage, William H; Baker, Joseph

    2018-04-01

    While physical activity is increasingly promoted for older adults, there is a paucity of sport promotion, which has distinct benefits from exercise and remains stereotypically associated with younger age. Curling is a moderately intense and safe sport that continues to gain popularity; however, no research has investigated psychophysical benefits of curling for older adults. The present study compares high-experience (20+ years; n = 63) and low-experience (<20 years; n = 53) curlers (aged 60+ years) with older adult noncurlers (n = 44) on measures of daily functionality, balance confidence, and perceptions of the aging process. While no significant differences were found between high- and low-experience curlers, any level of experience reported significantly better functionality, physical confidence, and aging attitudes compared to noncurlers (p ≤ .05). Although further research is necessary, the results suggest that any level of curling experience can enhance older adult psychophysical well-being, and warrants consideration for physical activity promotion and falls prevention programs.

  7. Are squash players protecting their eyes?

    PubMed

    Eime, R M; Finch, C F; Sherman, C A; Garnham, A P

    2002-09-01

    To determine factors associated with adult squash players' protective eyewear behaviours. A survey of 303 players (aged >or =18 years) was conducted at three squash venues in Melbourne, Australia over a three week period in June 2000 to obtain information about protective eyewear use. Of 303 participants the response rate was 98.1%; 66.1% were males, with a mean age of 40.5 years. The majority (68.4%) had played squash for 10 years or more. Although 18.8% of players reported using protective eyewear, only 8.9% reported wearing approved eyewear. Both age group (p<0.05) and years of squash experience (p<0.01) were significantly associated with any eyewear use. The two main influences were personal experience of eye injuries (50.0%) and knowledge of eye injury risk (33.9%). A commonly reported barrier was restriction of vision (34.2%). These findings demonstrate a low prevalence of voluntary use of appropriate protective eyewear. Future prevention strategies incorporating education campaigns should focus on increasing players' knowledge of risks. The barriers to use and misconceptions about which types of eyewear is most protective need to be addressed as a priority.

  8. SlLAX1 is Required for Normal Leaf Development Mediated by Balanced Adaxial and Abaxial Pavement Cell Growth in Tomato.

    PubMed

    Pulungan, Sri Imriani; Yano, Ryoichi; Okabe, Yoshihiro; Ichino, Takuji; Kojima, Mikiko; Takebayashi, Yumiko; Sakakibara, Hitoshi; Ariizumi, Tohru; Ezura, Hiroshi

    2018-06-01

    Leaves are the major plant organs with a primary function for photosynthesis. Auxin controls various aspects of plant growth and development, including leaf initiation, expansion and differentiation. Unique and intriguing auxin features include its polar transport, which is mainly controlled by the AUX1/LAX and PIN gene families as influx and efflux carriers, respectively. The role of AUX1/LAX genes in root development is well documented, but the role of these genes in leaf morphogenesis remains unclear. Moreover, most studies have been conducted in the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana, while studies in tomato are still scarce. In this study, we isolated six lines of the allelic curly leaf phenotype 'curl' mutants from a γ-ray and EMS (ethyl methanesulfonate) mutagenized population. Using a map-based cloning strategy combined with exome sequencing, we observed that a mutation occurred in the SlLAX1 gene (Solyc09g014380), which is homologous to an Arabidopsis auxin influx carrier gene, AUX1 (AtAUX1). Characterization of six alleles of single curl mutants revealed the pivotal role of SlLAX1 in controlling tomato leaf flatness by balancing adaxial and abaxial pavement cell growth, which has not been reported in tomato. Using TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genome) technology, we isolated an additional mutant allele of the SlLAX1 gene and this mutant showed a curled leaf phenotype similar to other curl mutants, suggesting that Solyc09g014380 is responsible for the curl phenotype. These results showed that SlLAX1 is required for normal leaf development mediated by balanced adaxial and abaxial pavement cell growth in tomato.

  9. What do adult squash players think about protective eyewear?

    PubMed Central

    Finch, C.; Vear, P.

    1998-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To determine the attitudes of adult squash players towards protective eyewear. METHODS: A survey of 197 competition and social squash players from seven squash centres in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia was conducted in September to October 1995. Information about participation in squash, previous injuries, use of protective eyewear, barriers towards eyewear use, and attitudes towards protective eyewear was obtained by a self report questionnaire. RESULTS: Squash is a popular sport in Australia. Of the players surveyed, 6% played in junior competitions, 67% in senior competitions, and 27% were social players. Most had been playing for more than ten years. Some 15% of players had previously suffered an eye injury, most commonly caused by a racquet. Less than 10% of players reported that they wore protective eyewear when they played squash, and 35% of these wore prescriptive lenses which they considered to be protective. The major reason for not wearing protective eyewear was the perception that it was unnecessary. Poor vision and a lack of comfort were also stated as reasons by a significant number of players. More than half (57%) of the respondents agreed that more players should wear protective eyewear, yet only 16% thought it should be compulsory for all players. There was considerable support for protective eyewear use by junior players, however. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of protective eyewear use is low among competition and social squash players in Melbourne. The major areas that need to be addressed are the ignorance of the need for protective eyewear among social and experienced players and the mistaken belief that prescription lenses provide adequate protection on a squash court. 


 PMID:9631225

  10. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus infection mitigates the heat stress response of plants grown at high temperatures

    PubMed Central

    Ghandi, Anfoka; Adi, Moshe; Lilia, Fridman; Linoy, Amrani; Or, Rotem; Mikhail, Kolot; Mouhammad, Zeidan; Henryk, Czosnek; Rena, Gorovits

    2016-01-01

    Cultured tomatoes are often exposed to a combination of extreme heat and infection with Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). This stress combination leads to intense disease symptoms and yield losses. The response of TYLCV-susceptible and resistant tomatoes to heat stress together with viral infection was compared. The plant heat-stress response was undermined in TYLCV infected plants. The decline correlated with the down-regulation of heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) HSFA2 and HSFB1, and consequently, of HSF-regulated genes Hsp17, Apx1, Apx2 and Hsp90. We proposed that the weakened heat stress response was due to the decreased capacity of HSFA2 to translocate into the nuclei of infected cells. All the six TYLCV proteins were able to interact with tomato HSFA2 in vitro, moreover, coat protein developed complexes with HSFA2 in nuclei. Capturing of HSFA2 by viral proteins could suppress the transcriptional activation of heat stress response genes. Application of both heat and TYLCV stresses was accompanied by the development of intracellular large protein aggregates containing TYLCV proteins and DNA. The maintenance of cellular chaperones in the aggregated state, even after recovery from heat stress, prevents the circulation of free soluble chaperones, causing an additional decrease in stress response efficiency. PMID:26792235

  11. Comparison of transmission of Papaya leaf curl China virus among four cryptic species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci complex

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Tao; Guo, Qi; Cui, Xi-Yun; Liu, Yin-Quan; Hu, Jian; Liu, Shu-Sheng

    2015-01-01

    Begomoviruses are transmitted by cryptic species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci complex, often in a species-specific manner. Papaya leaf curl China virus (PaLCuCNV) has been recorded to infect several crops including papaya, tomato and tobacco in China. To help assess the risks of spread of this virus, we compared the acquisition, retention and transmission of PaLCuCNV among four species of whiteflies, Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), Mediterranean (MED), Asia 1 and Asia II 7. All four species of whiteflies are able to acquire, retain and transmit the virus, but with different levels of efficiency. Transmission tests using tomato as the host plant showed that MEAM1 transmitted PaLCuCNV with substantially higher efficiency than did MED, Asia 1 and Asia II 7. Furthermore, accumulation of PaLCuCNV in the whiteflies was positively associated with its efficiency of transmitting the virus. Altogether, these findings indicate that MEAM1 is the most efficient vector for PaLCuCNV in the four species of whiteflies, and suggest that risks of PaLCuCNV pandemics are high in regions where MEAM1 occurs. PMID:26486606

  12. Comparison of transmission of Papaya leaf curl China virus among four cryptic species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci complex.

    PubMed

    Guo, Tao; Guo, Qi; Cui, Xi-Yun; Liu, Yin-Quan; Hu, Jian; Liu, Shu-Sheng

    2015-10-21

    Begomoviruses are transmitted by cryptic species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci complex, often in a species-specific manner. Papaya leaf curl China virus (PaLCuCNV) has been recorded to infect several crops including papaya, tomato and tobacco in China. To help assess the risks of spread of this virus, we compared the acquisition, retention and transmission of PaLCuCNV among four species of whiteflies, Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), Mediterranean (MED), Asia 1 and Asia II 7. All four species of whiteflies are able to acquire, retain and transmit the virus, but with different levels of efficiency. Transmission tests using tomato as the host plant showed that MEAM1 transmitted PaLCuCNV with substantially higher efficiency than did MED, Asia 1 and Asia II 7. Furthermore, accumulation of PaLCuCNV in the whiteflies was positively associated with its efficiency of transmitting the virus. Altogether, these findings indicate that MEAM1 is the most efficient vector for PaLCuCNV in the four species of whiteflies, and suggest that risks of PaLCuCNV pandemics are high in regions where MEAM1 occurs.

  13. The autophagy pathway participates in resistance to tomato yellow leaf curl virus infection in whiteflies.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lan-Lan; Wang, Xin-Ru; Wei, Xue-Mei; Huang, Huang; Wu, Jian-Xiang; Chen, Xue-Xin; Liu, Shu-Sheng; Wang, Xiao-Wei

    2016-09-01

    Macroautophagy/autophagy plays an important role against pathogen infection in mammals and plants. However, little has been known about the role of autophagy in the interactions of insect vectors with the plant viruses, which they transmit. Begomoviruses are a group of single-stranded DNA viruses and are exclusively transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci in a circulative manner. In this study, we found that the infection of a begomovirus, tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) could activate the autophagy pathway in the Middle East Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) species of the B. tabaci complex as evidenced by the formation of autophagosomes and ATG8-II. Interestingly, the activation of autophagy led to the subsequent degradation of TYLCV coat protein (CP) and genomic DNA. While feeding the whitefly with 2 autophagy inhibitors (3-methyladenine and bafilomycin A1) and silencing the expression of Atg3 and Atg9 increased the viral load; autophagy activation via feeding of rapamycin notably decreased the amount of viral CP and DNA in the whitefly. Furthermore, we found that activation of whitefly autophagy could inhibit the efficiency of virus transmission; whereas inhibiting autophagy facilitated virus transmission. Taken together, these results indicate that TYLCV infection can activate the whitefly autophagy pathway, which leads to the subsequent degradation of virus. Furthermore, our report proves that an insect vector uses autophagy as an intrinsic antiviral program to repress the infection of a circulative-transmitted plant virus. Our data also demonstrate that TYLCV may replicate and trigger complex interactions with the insect vector.

  14. The typical RB76 recombination breakpoint of the invasive recombinant tomato yellow leaf curl virus of Morocco can be generated experimentally but is not positively selected in tomato.

    PubMed

    Belabess, Z; Urbino, C; Granier, M; Tahiri, A; Blenzar, A; Peterschmitt, M

    2018-01-02

    TYLCV-IS76 is an unusual recombinant between the highly recombinogenic tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV), two Mediterranean begomoviruses (Geminiviridae). In contrast with the previously reported TYLCV/TYLCSV recombinants, it has a TYLCSV derived fragment of only 76 nucleotides, and has replaced its parental viruses in natural conditions (Morocco, Souss region). The viral population shift coincided with the deployment of the popular Ty-1 resistant tomato cultivars, and according to experimental studies, has been driven by a strong positive selection in such resistant plants. However, although Ty-1 cultivars were extensively used in Mediterranean countries, TYLCV-IS76 was not reported outside Morocco. This, in combination with its unusual recombination pattern suggests that it was generated through a rare and possibly multistep process. The potential generation of a recombination breakpoint (RB) at locus 76 (RB76) was investigated over time in 10 Ty-1 resistant and 10 nearly isogenic susceptible tomato plants co-inoculated with TYLCV and TYLCSV clones. RB76 could not be detected in the recombinant progeny using the standard PCR/sequencing approach that was previously designed to monitor the emergence of TYLCV-IS76 in Morocco. Using a more sensitive PCR test, RB76 was detected in one resistant and five susceptible plants. The results are consistent with a very low intra-plant frequency of RB76 bearing recombinants throughout the test and support the hypothesis of a rare emergence of TYLCV-IS76. More generally, RBs were more scattered in resistant than in susceptible plants and an unusual RB at position 141 (RB141) was positively selected in the resistant cultivar; interestingly, RB141 bearing recombinants were detected in resistant tomato plants from the field. Scenarios of TYLCV-IS76 pre-emergence are proposed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Handicapping in Squash

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wagaman, John; Fletcher, Michael

    2018-01-01

    This article considers how a handicapping system should be devised for squash. It looks at the American scoring system, and whether it is possible to have a fair system of handicapping. We consider "fair" from a perspective of expected number of rallies won and probability of winning.

  16. Functional characterization of a strong bi-directional constitutive plant promoter isolated from cotton leaf curl Burewala virus.

    PubMed

    Khan, Zainul A; Abdin, Malik Z; Khan, Jawaid A

    2015-01-01

    Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus (CLCuBuV), belonging to the genus Begomovirus, possesses single-stranded monopartite DNA genome. The bidirectional promoters representing Rep and coat protein (CP) genes of CLCuBuV were characterized and their efficacy was assayed. Rep and CP promoters of CLCuBuV and 35S promoter of Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) were fused with β-glucuronidase (GUS) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes. GUS activity in individual plant cells driven by Rep, CP and 35S promoters was estimated using real-time PCR and fluorometric GUS assay. Histochemical staining of GUS in transformed tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi) leaves showed highest expression driven by Rep promoter followed by 35S promoter and CP promoter. The expression level of GUS driven by Rep promoter in transformed tobacco plants was shown to be two to four-fold higher than that of 35S promoter, while the expression by CP promoter was slightly lower. Further, the expression of GFP was monitored in agroinfiltrated leaves of N. benthamiana, N. tabacum and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) plants using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Rep promoter showed strong consistent transient expression in tobacco and cotton leaves as compared to 35S promoter. The strong constitutive CLCuBuV Rep promoter developed in this study could be very useful for high level expression of transgenes in a wide variety of plant cells.

  17. Kinetics of interaction of Cotton Leaf Curl Kokhran Virus-Dabawali (CLCuKV-Dab) coat protein and its mutants with ssDNA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Priyadarshini, C.G. Poornima; Savithri, H.S., E-mail: bchss@biochem.iisc.ernet.i

    Gemini viral assembly and transport of viral DNA into nucleus for replication, essentially involve DNA-coat protein interactions. The kinetics of interaction of Cotton Leaf Curl Kokhran Virus-Dabawali recombinant coat protein (rCP) with DNA was studied by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The rCP interacted with ssDNA with a K{sub A}, of 2.6 +- 0.29 x 10{sup 8} M{sup -1} in a sequence non-specific manner. The CP has a conserved C2H2 type zinc finger motif composed of residues C68, C72, H81 and H85. Mutation of these residues to alanine resulted in reduced binding to DNA probes.more » The H85A mutant rCP showed the least binding with approximately 756 fold loss in the association rate and a three order magnitude decrease in the binding affinity as compared to rCP. The CP-DNA interactions via the zinc finger motif could play a crucial role in virus assembly and in nuclear transport.« less

  18. Evolution of perturbations of squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes: Escape from instability

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ishihara, Hideki; Kimura, Masashi; Konoplya, Roman A.

    2008-04-15

    The squashed Kaluza-Klien (KK) black holes differ from the Schwarzschild black holes with asymptotic flatness or the black strings even at energies for which the KK modes are not excited yet, so that squashed KK black holes open a window in higher dimensions. Another important feature is that the squashed KK black holes are apparently stable and, thereby, let us avoid the Gregory-Laflamme instability. In the present paper, the evolution of scalar and gravitational perturbations in time and frequency domains is considered for these squashed KK black holes. The scalar field perturbations are analyzed for general rotating squashed KK blackmore » holes. Gravitational perturbations for the so-called zero mode are shown to be decayed for nonrotating black holes, in concordance with the stability of the squashed KK black holes. The correlation of quasinormal frequencies with the size of extra dimension is discussed.« less

  19. Physiological profiles and sport specific fitness of Asian elite squash players.

    PubMed Central

    Chin, M K; Steininger, K; So, R C; Clark, C R; Wong, A S

    1995-01-01

    There is a scarcity of descriptive data on the physiological characteristics of elite Asian squash players. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physiological profile and sports specific fitness of Hong Kong elite squash players. It was conducted before the selection of the Hong Kong national squash team for the 1992 Asian Squash Championship. Ten elite squash players were selected as subjects for the study. Maximum oxygen uptake was measured using a continuous treadmill running test. A sports specific field test was performed in a squash court. The following means (s.d.) were observed: height 172.6(4.3) cm; weight 67.7(6.9) kg; body fat 7.4(3.4)%; forced vital capacity (FVC) 5.13(0.26) litres; maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) 61.7(3.4) ml.kg-1.min-1; anaerobic threshold (AT) 80.2(3.3)% of VO2max; alactic power index 15.5(1.8) W.kg-1; lactic work index 323.5(29.4) J.kg-1, peak isokinetic dominant knee extensor and flexor strengths 3.11(0.29) Nm.kg-1 and 1.87(0.18) Nm.kg-1. The results show that the Hong Kong squash players have relatively high cardiorespiratory sports specific fitness and muscle strength which may be one of the key factors that contributed to the success of the Hong Kong team in the Asian Championship. PMID:8800847

  20. Functional Characterization of a Strong Bi-directional Constitutive Plant Promoter Isolated from Cotton Leaf Curl Burewala Virus

    PubMed Central

    Khan, Zainul A.; Abdin, Malik Z.; Khan, Jawaid A.

    2015-01-01

    Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus (CLCuBuV), belonging to the genus Begomovirus, possesses single-stranded monopartite DNA genome. The bidirectional promoters representing Rep and coat protein (CP) genes of CLCuBuV were characterized and their efficacy was assayed. Rep and CP promoters of CLCuBuV and 35S promoter of Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) were fused with β-glucuronidase (GUS) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes. GUS activity in individual plant cells driven by Rep, CP and 35S promoters was estimated using real-time PCR and fluorometric GUS assay. Histochemical staining of GUS in transformed tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi) leaves showed highest expression driven by Rep promoter followed by 35S promoter and CP promoter. The expression level of GUS driven by Rep promoter in transformed tobacco plants was shown to be two to four-fold higher than that of 35S promoter, while the expression by CP promoter was slightly lower. Further, the expression of GFP was monitored in agroinfiltrated leaves of N. benthamiana, N. tabacum and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) plants using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Rep promoter showed strong consistent transient expression in tobacco and cotton leaves as compared to 35S promoter. The strong constitutive CLCuBuV Rep promoter developed in this study could be very useful for high level expression of transgenes in a wide variety of plant cells. PMID:25799504

  1. Squash vein yellowing virus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cucurbits are an important crop of temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) is a major viral pathogen of cucurbits. This chapter provides an overview of the biology of SqVYV and the disease it causes....

  2. Expression of Ascorbic Acid Oxidase in Zucchini Squash (Cucurbita pepo L.).

    PubMed

    Lin, L S; Varner, J E

    1991-05-01

    The expression of ascorbic acid oxidase was studied in zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), one of the most abundant natural sources of the enzyme. In the developing fruit, specific activity of ascorbic acid oxidase was highest between 4 and 6 days after anthesis. Protein and mRNA levels followed the same trend as enzyme activity. Highest growth rate of the fruit occurred before 6 days after anthesis. Within a given fruit, ascorbic acid oxidase activity and mRNA level were highest in the epidermis, and lowest in the central placental region. In leaf tissue, ascorbic acid oxidase activity was higher in young leaves, and very low in old leaves. Within a given leaf, enzyme activity was highest in the fast-growing region (approximately the lower third of the blade), and lowest in the slow-growing region (near leaf apex). High expression of ascorbic acid oxidase at a stage when rapid growth is occurring (in both fruits and leaves), and localization of the enzyme in the fruit epidermis, where cells are under greatest tension during rapid growth in girth, suggest that ascorbic acid oxidase might be involved in reorganization of the cell wall to allow for expansion. Based on the known chemistry of dehydroascorbic acid, the end product of the ascorbic acid oxidase-catalyzed reaction, we have proposed several hypotheses to explain how dehydroascorbic acid might cause cell wall "loosening."

  3. Are squash players protecting their eyes?

    PubMed Central

    Eime, R; Finch, C; Sherman, C; Garnham, A

    2002-01-01

    Methods: A survey of 303 players (aged ≥18 years) was conducted at three squash venues in Melbourne, Australia over a three week period in June 2000 to obtain information about protective eyewear use. Results: Of 303 participants the response rate was 98.1%; 66.1% were males, with a mean age of 40.5 years. The majority (68.4%) had played squash for 10 years or more. Although 18.8% of players reported using protective eyewear, only 8.9% reported wearing approved eyewear. Both age group (p<0.05) and years of squash experience (p<0.01) were significantly associated with any eyewear use. The two main influences were personal experience of eye injuries (50.0%) and knowledge of eye injury risk (33.9%). A commonly reported barrier was restriction of vision (34.2%). Conclusion: These findings demonstrate a low prevalence of voluntary use of appropriate protective eyewear. Future prevention strategies incorporating education campaigns should focus on increasing players' knowledge of risks. The barriers to use and misconceptions about which types of eyewear is most protective need to be addressed as a priority. PMID:12226124

  4. Computed tomography of ball pythons (Python regius) in curled recumbency.

    PubMed

    Hedley, Joanna; Eatwell, Kevin; Schwarz, Tobias

    2014-01-01

    Anesthesia and tube restraint methods are often required for computed tomography (CT) of snakes due to their natural tendency to curl up. However, these restraint methods may cause animal stress. The aim of this study was to determine whether the CT appearance of the lungs differs for ball pythons in a curled position vs. tube restraint. Whole body CT was performed on ten clinically healthy ball pythons, first in curled and then in straight positions restrained in a tube. Curved multiplanar reformatted (MPR) lung images from curled position scans were compared with standard MPR lung images from straight position scans. Lung attenuation and thickness were measured at three locations for each scan. Time for positioning and scanning was 12 ± 5 min shorter for curled snakes compared to tube restraint. Lung parenchyma thickness and attenuation declined from cranial to caudal on both straight and curled position images. Mean lung parenchyma thickness was greater in curled images at locations 1 (P = 0.048) and 3 (P = 0.044). Mean lung parenchyma thickness decreased between location 1 and 2 by 86-87% (straight: curled) and between location 1 and 3 by 51-50% (straight: curled). Mean lung attenuation at location 1 was significantly greater on curled position images than tube restraint images (P = 0.043). Findings indicated that CT evaluation of the lungs is feasible for ball pythons positioned in curled recumbency if curved MPR is available. However, lung parenchyma thickness and attenuation in some locations may vary from those acquired using tube restraint. © 2014 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

  5. Squashed Entanglement, k-Extendibility, Quantum Markov Chains, and Recovery Maps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Ke; Winter, Andreas

    2018-02-01

    Squashed entanglement (Christandl and Winter in J. Math. Phys. 45(3):829-840, 2004) is a monogamous entanglement measure, which implies that highly extendible states have small value of the squashed entanglement. Here, invoking a recent inequality for the quantum conditional mutual information (Fawzi and Renner in Commun. Math. Phys. 340(2):575-611, 2015) greatly extended and simplified in various work since, we show the converse, that a small value of squashed entanglement implies that the state is close to a highly extendible state. As a corollary, we establish an alternative proof of the faithfulness of squashed entanglement (Brandão et al. Commun. Math. Phys. 306:805-830, 2011). We briefly discuss the previous and subsequent history of the Fawzi-Renner bound and related conjectures, and close by advertising a potentially far-reaching generalization to universal and functorial recovery maps for the monotonicity of the relative entropy.

  6. Hawking radiation from squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes: A window to extra dimensions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ishihara, Hideki; Soda, Jiro

    2007-09-15

    We explore the observability of extra dimensions through five-dimensional squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes residing in the Kaluza-Klein spacetime. With the expectation that the Hawking radiation reflects the five-dimensional nature of the squashed horizon, we study the Hawking radiation of a scalar field in the squashed black hole background. As a result, we show that the luminosity of Hawking radiation tells us the size of the extra dimension, namely, the squashed Kaluza-Klein black holes open a window to extra dimensions.

  7. Complete Nucleotide Sequence of Watermelon Chlorotic Stunt Virus Originating from Oman

    PubMed Central

    Khan, Akhtar J.; Akhtar, Sohail; Briddon, Rob W.; Ammara, Um; Al-Matrooshi, Abdulrahman M.; Mansoor, Shahid

    2012-01-01

    Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) is a bipartite begomovirus (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) that causes economic losses to cucurbits, particularly watermelon, across the Middle East and North Africa. Recently squash (Cucurbita moschata) grown in an experimental field in Oman was found to display symptoms such as leaf curling, yellowing and stunting, typical of a begomovirus infection. Sequence analysis of the virus isolated from squash showed 97.6–99.9% nucleotide sequence identity to previously described WmCSV isolates for the DNA A component and 93–98% identity for the DNA B component. Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation to Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in the development of symptoms fifteen days post inoculation. This is the first bipartite begomovirus identified in Oman. Overall the Oman isolate showed the highest levels of sequence identity to a WmCSV isolate originating from Iran, which was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. This suggests that WmCSV present in Oman has been introduced from Iran. The significance of this finding is discussed. PMID:22852046

  8. Complete nucleotide sequence of watermelon chlorotic stunt virus originating from Oman.

    PubMed

    Khan, Akhtar J; Akhtar, Sohail; Briddon, Rob W; Ammara, Um; Al-Matrooshi, Abdulrahman M; Mansoor, Shahid

    2012-07-01

    Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) is a bipartite begomovirus (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) that causes economic losses to cucurbits, particularly watermelon, across the Middle East and North Africa. Recently squash (Cucurbita moschata) grown in an experimental field in Oman was found to display symptoms such as leaf curling, yellowing and stunting, typical of a begomovirus infection. Sequence analysis of the virus isolated from squash showed 97.6-99.9% nucleotide sequence identity to previously described WmCSV isolates for the DNA A component and 93-98% identity for the DNA B component. Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation to Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in the development of symptoms fifteen days post inoculation. This is the first bipartite begomovirus identified in Oman. Overall the Oman isolate showed the highest levels of sequence identity to a WmCSV isolate originating from Iran, which was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. This suggests that WmCSV present in Oman has been introduced from Iran. The significance of this finding is discussed.

  9. The sports science of curling: a practical review.

    PubMed

    Bradley, John L

    2009-01-01

    Curling is a sport played on ice in which two teams each deliver 8 granite stones towards a target, or 'house'. It is the only sport in which the trajectory of the projectile can be influenced after it has been released by the athlete. This is achieved by sweeping the ice in front of the stone to change the stone-ice friction and thereby enable to stone to travel further, curl more or stay straight. Hard sweeping is physically demanding. Different techniques of sweeping can also have different effects on the stone. This paper will review the current research behind sweeping a curling stone, outline the physiological demands of sweeping, the associated performance effects and suggest potential strategies of sweeping that can be used by both coaches and curling teams. Key pointsSweeping a curling stone can be highly physically demanding.Effective sweeping requires a combination of downward force and brush head speed, determined by the stone velocity.Sweeping on the left or right of a stone can help the stone to remain straight or curl more depending on the rotation of the stone.This can lead to the development of sweeping and playing tactics and contribute to team selection.

  10. The Sports Science of Curling: A Practical Review

    PubMed Central

    Bradley, John L.

    2009-01-01

    Curling is a sport played on ice in which two teams each deliver 8 granite stones towards a target, or ‘house’. It is the only sport in which the trajectory of the projectile can be influenced after it has been released by the athlete. This is achieved by sweeping the ice in front of the stone to change the stone-ice friction and thereby enable to stone to travel further, curl more or stay straight. Hard sweeping is physically demanding. Different techniques of sweeping can also have different effects on the stone. This paper will review the current research behind sweeping a curling stone, outline the physiological demands of sweeping, the associated performance effects and suggest potential strategies of sweeping that can be used by both coaches and curling teams. Key points Sweeping a curling stone can be highly physically demanding. Effective sweeping requires a combination of downward force and brush head speed, determined by the stone velocity. Sweeping on the left or right of a stone can help the stone to remain straight or curl more depending on the rotation of the stone. This can lead to the development of sweeping and playing tactics and contribute to team selection. PMID:24149588

  11. Highly sensitive serological methods for detecting tomato yellow leaf curl virus in tomato plants and whiteflies.

    PubMed

    Xie, Yan; Jiao, Xiaoyang; Zhou, Xueping; Liu, Huan; Ni, Yuequn; Wu, Jianxiang

    2013-05-06

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a member of the genus Begomovirus in the family Geminiviridae, which causes severe losses in tomato production in tropic and subtropic regions. The purified TYLCV virions were used as the immunogen to produce monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) using the hybridoma technology. MAb-based dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dot-ELISA) and direct tissue blot immunoassay (DTBIA) were developed for sensitive, simple, and rapid detection of TYLCV in field tomato and whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) samples collected from TYLCV prevalent provinces in China. Using the hybridoma technology, six murine MAbs (1C4, 8D10, 6E3, 2F2, 3F4 and 4G3) against TYLCV were prepared. Using the MAb 1C4, dot-ELISA and DTBIA were then established for detecting TYLCV in field tomato and whitefly samples collected from TYLCV prevalent provinces in China. The dot-ELISA could detect TYLCV in infected tissue crude extract diluted at 1:5,120 (w/v, g mL-1), and in viruliferous whitefly homogenate diluted at 1:128 (individual whitefly/μL), respectively. Field tomato samples (n=487) and whitefly samples (n=110) from TYLCV prevalent districts in China were screened for the presence of TYLCV using the two developed methods, and the results were further confirmed by PCR and nucleotide sequencing. The survey revealed that TYLCV is widespread on tomato plants in Zhejiang, Shandong and Henan provinces in China. The developed dot-ELISA is very suitable for the routine detection of TYLCV in field tomato and whitefly samples, and the DTBIA is more suitable for the routine detection of TYLCV in large-scale tomato plant samples collected from TYLCV prevalent areas.

  12. Swept Away: Exploring the Physics of Curling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Esser, Liza

    2011-01-01

    Studying the Olympic sport of curling is a fun and engaging way to learn about the concepts of friction, forces, momentum, and Newton's laws. Each winter, the author takes her eighth-grade physical science class on a field trip to experience curling firsthand. This field trip has become a favorite of the eighth graders at Capitol Hill Day School…

  13. Comparative analysis of Cucurbita pepo metabolism throughout fruit development in acorn squash and oilseed pumpkin

    PubMed Central

    Wyatt, Lindsay E; Strickler, Susan R; Mueller, Lukas A; Mazourek, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Both the fruit mesocarp and the seeds of winter squash can be used for consumption, although the focus of breeding efforts varies by cultivar. Cultivars bred for fruit consumption are selected for fruit mesocarp quality traits such as carotenoid content, percent dry matter, and percent soluble solids, while these traits are essentially ignored in oilseed pumpkins. To compare fruit development in these two types of squash, we sequenced the fruit transcriptome of two cultivars bred for different purposes: an acorn squash, ‘Sweet REBA’, and an oilseed pumpkin, ‘Lady Godiva’. Putative metabolic pathways were developed for carotenoid, starch, and sucrose synthesis in winter squash fruit and squash homologs were identified for each of the structural genes in the pathways. Gene expression, especially of known rate-limiting and branch point genes, corresponded with metabolite accumulation both across development and between the two cultivars. Thus, developmental regulation of metabolite genes is an important factor in winter squash fruit quality. PMID:27688889

  14. Amino Acids in the Capsid Protein of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus That Are Crucial for Systemic Infection, Particle Formation, and Insect Transmission

    PubMed Central

    Noris, E.; Vaira, A. M.; Caciagli, P.; Masenga, V.; Gronenborn, B.; Accotto, G. P.

    1998-01-01

    A functional capsid protein (CP) is essential for host plant infection and insect transmission in monopartite geminiviruses. We studied two defective genomic DNAs of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), Sic and SicRcv. Sic, cloned from a field-infected tomato, was not infectious, whereas SicRcv, which spontaneously originated from Sic, was infectious but not whitefly transmissible. A single amino acid change in the CP was found to be responsible for restoring infectivity. When the amino acid sequences of the CPs of Sic and SicRcv were compared with that of a closely related wild-type virus (TYLCV-Sar), differences were found in the following positions: 129 (P in Sic and SicRcv, Q in Sar), 134 (Q in Sic and Sar, H in SicRcv) and 152 (E in Sic and SicRcv, D in Sar). We constructed TYLCV-Sar variants containing the eight possible amino acid combinations in those three positions and tested them for infectivity and transmissibility. QQD, QQE, QHD, and QHE had a wild-type phenotype, whereas PHD and PHE were infectious but nontransmissible. PQD and PQE mutants were not infectious; however, they replicated and accumulated CP, but not virions, in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf discs. The Q129P replacement is a nonconservative change, which may drastically alter the secondary structure of the CP and affect its ability to form the capsid. The additional Q134H change, however, appeared to compensate for the structural modification. Sequence comparisons among whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses in terms of the CP region studied showed that combinations other than QQD are present in several cases, but never with a P129. PMID:9811744

  15. Complete genome sequence of a novel genotype of squash mosaic virus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Complete genome sequence of a novel genotype of Squash mosaic virus (SqMV) infecting squash plants in Spain was obtained using deep sequencing of small ribonucleic acids and assembly. The low nucleotide sequence identities, with 87-88% on RNA1 and 84-86% on RNA2 to known SqMV isolates, suggest a new...

  16. 7 CFR 319.56-36 - Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 5 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from... QUARANTINE NOTICES Fruits and Vegetables § 319.56-36 Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), squash (Cucurbita maxima), cucumber (Cucumis...

  17. 7 CFR 319.56-36 - Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 5 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from... QUARANTINE NOTICES Fruits and Vegetables § 319.56-36 Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), squash (Cucurbita maxima), cucumber (Cucumis...

  18. 7 CFR 319.56-36 - Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 5 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from... QUARANTINE NOTICES Fruits and Vegetables § 319.56-36 Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), squash (Cucurbita maxima), cucumber (Cucumis...

  19. Implication of the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci Cyclophilin B Protein in the Transmission of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus

    PubMed Central

    Kanakala, Surapathrudu; Ghanim, Murad

    2016-01-01

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a single-stranded (ssDNA) begomoviruses that causes severe damage to tomato and several other crops worldwide. TYLCV is exclusively transmitted by the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci in a persistent circulative and propagative manner. Previous studies have shown that the transmission, retention, and circulation of TYLCV in its vector involves interaction with insect and endosymbiont proteins, which aid in the transmission of the virus, or have a protective role in response to the presence of the virus in the insect body. However, only a low number of such proteins have been identified. Here, the role of B. tabaci Cyclophilin B (CypB) in the transmission of TYLCV protein was investigated. Cyclophilins are a large family of cellular prolyl isomerases that have many molecular roles including facilitating protein-protein interactions in the cell. One cyclophilin protein has been implicated in aphid-luteovirus interactions. We demonstrate that the expression of CypB from B. tabaci is altered upon TYLCV acquisition and retention. Further experiments used immunocapture-PCR and co-immunolocalization and demonstrated a specific interaction and colocalization between CypB and TYLCV in the the midgut, eggs, and salivary glands. Membrane feeding of anti-CypB antibodies and TYLCV-infected plants showed a decrease in TYLCV transmission, suggesting a critical role that CypB plays in TYLCV transmission. Further experiments, which used membrane feeding with the CypB inhibitor Cyclosporin A showed decrease in CypB-TYLCV colocalization in the midgut and virus transmission. Altogether, our results indicate that CypB plays an important role in TYLCV transmission by B. tabaci. PMID:27895657

  20. Implication of the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci Cyclophilin B Protein in the Transmission of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus.

    PubMed

    Kanakala, Surapathrudu; Ghanim, Murad

    2016-01-01

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a single-stranded (ssDNA) begomoviruses that causes severe damage to tomato and several other crops worldwide. TYLCV is exclusively transmitted by the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci in a persistent circulative and propagative manner. Previous studies have shown that the transmission, retention, and circulation of TYLCV in its vector involves interaction with insect and endosymbiont proteins, which aid in the transmission of the virus, or have a protective role in response to the presence of the virus in the insect body. However, only a low number of such proteins have been identified. Here, the role of B. tabaci Cyclophilin B (CypB) in the transmission of TYLCV protein was investigated. Cyclophilins are a large family of cellular prolyl isomerases that have many molecular roles including facilitating protein-protein interactions in the cell. One cyclophilin protein has been implicated in aphid-luteovirus interactions. We demonstrate that the expression of CypB from B. tabaci is altered upon TYLCV acquisition and retention. Further experiments used immunocapture-PCR and co-immunolocalization and demonstrated a specific interaction and colocalization between CypB and TYLCV in the the midgut, eggs, and salivary glands. Membrane feeding of anti-CypB antibodies and TYLCV-infected plants showed a decrease in TYLCV transmission, suggesting a critical role that CypB plays in TYLCV transmission. Further experiments, which used membrane feeding with the CypB inhibitor Cyclosporin A showed decrease in CypB-TYLCV colocalization in the midgut and virus transmission. Altogether, our results indicate that CypB plays an important role in TYLCV transmission by B. tabaci .

  1. Robert Curl, Jr. and the Discovery of Fullerenes

    Science.gov Websites

    produced thousands of variations of the buckyball, including carbon sheets one atom thick and microscopic equilibrium in the carbon vapor that allowed the group to identify a unique, 60-atom configuration of carbon Interview with Robert F. Curl, Jr., nobelprize.org (video) Interview with Robert Curl (video) Buckyballs

  2. Potential organic herbicides for squash production: Pelargonic acid herbicides AXXE® and Scythe®

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Organic squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) producers need appropriate herbicides that can effectively provide season-long weed control. Although corn gluten meal has shown promise as an early-season pre-emergent organic herbicide in squash production, any uncontrolled weeds can inflict serious yield reducti...

  3. Bacterial elicitation of transcriptional response of female squash bug, Anasa tristis (De Geer)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The Squash bug, Anasa tristis (De Geer), is a major pest of squash, pumpkin, and other cucurbits throughout North America. A. tristis is a piercing/sucking feeder which causes extensive foliar wilting, fruit scarring, and in addition transmits plant pathogens. Current biological control agents ava...

  4. Curling Prominence

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-18

    A small prominence observed in profile arched up and sent streams of plasma curling back into the sun over a 30-hour period (Dec. 13-14, 2017). We are observing charged particles streaming along magnetic field lines made visible in extreme ultraviolet light. Prominences are cooler strands of plasma tethered above the sun's surface by magnetic forces. They are quite unstable and frequently fall apart within hours or days. Movies are available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22196

  5. The physics of sliding cylinders and curling rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Penner, A. Raymond

    2001-03-01

    The lateral deflection of a rotating cylindrical shell sliding on one of its ends is considered and both theoretical and experimental results are presented. The coefficient of kinetic friction between a curling rock and an ice surface is then derived and compared with experiment. Current models of the motion of a curling rock are discussed and an alternate hypothesis is presented.

  6. Direct discretization of planar div-curl problems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nicolaides, R. A.

    1989-01-01

    A control volume method is proposed for planar div-curl systems. The method is independent of potential and least squares formulations, and works directly with the div-curl system. The novelty of the technique lies in its use of a single local vector field component and two control volumes rather than the other way around. A discrete vector field theory comes quite naturally from this idea and is developed. Error estimates are proved for the method, and other ramifications investigated.

  7. Curls of My Dreams.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greenman, Geri

    2001-01-01

    Describes an art activity in which students draw ribbons (thin watercolor paper that, when torn, will stand up in a curling fashion). Explains in detail the assignment in which students used pencil rendering or charcoal pencil depending on the type of paper used for the assignment. (CMK)

  8. Occurrence of Squash yellow mild mottle virus and Pepper golden mosaic virus in Potential New Hosts in Costa Rica

    PubMed Central

    Castro, Ruth M.; Moreira, Lisela; Rojas, María R.; Gilbertson, Robert L.; Hernández, Eduardo; Mora, Floribeth; Ramírez, Pilar

    2013-01-01

    Leaf samples of Solanum lycopersicum, Capsicum annuum, Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita pepo, Sechium edule and Erythrina spp. were collected. All samples were positive for begomoviruses using polymerase chain reaction and degenerate primers. A sequence of ∼1,100 bp was obtained from the genomic component DNA-A of 14 samples. In addition, one sequence of ∼580 bp corresponding to the coat protein (AV1) was obtained from a chayote (S. edule) leaf sample. The presence of Squash yellow mild mottle virus (SYMMoV) and Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV) were confirmed. The host range reported for SYMMoV includes species of the Cucurbitaceae, Caricaceae and Fabaceae families. This report extends the host range of SYMMoV to include the Solanaceae family, and extends the host range of PepGMV to include C. moschata, C. pepo and the Fabaceae Erythrina spp. This is the first report of a begomovirus (PepGMV) infecting chayote in the Western Hemisphere. PMID:25288955

  9. Occurrence of Squash yellow mild mottle virus and Pepper golden mosaic virus in Potential New Hosts in Costa Rica.

    PubMed

    Castro, Ruth M; Moreira, Lisela; Rojas, María R; Gilbertson, Robert L; Hernández, Eduardo; Mora, Floribeth; Ramírez, Pilar

    2013-09-01

    Leaf samples of Solanum lycopersicum, Capsicum annuum, Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita pepo, Sechium edule and Erythrina spp. were collected. All samples were positive for begomoviruses using polymerase chain reaction and degenerate primers. A sequence of ∼1,100 bp was obtained from the genomic component DNA-A of 14 samples. In addition, one sequence of ∼580 bp corresponding to the coat protein (AV1) was obtained from a chayote (S. edule) leaf sample. The presence of Squash yellow mild mottle virus (SYMMoV) and Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV) were confirmed. The host range reported for SYMMoV includes species of the Cucurbitaceae, Caricaceae and Fabaceae families. This report extends the host range of SYMMoV to include the Solanaceae family, and extends the host range of PepGMV to include C. moschata, C. pepo and the Fabaceae Erythrina spp. This is the first report of a begomovirus (PepGMV) infecting chayote in the Western Hemisphere.

  10. Pollination value of male bees: the specialist bee Peponapis pruinosa (Apidae) at summer squash (Cucurbita pepo).

    PubMed

    Cane, James H; Sampson, Blair J; Miller, Stephanie A

    2011-06-01

    Male bees can be abundant at flowers, particularly floral hosts of those bee species whose females are taxonomic pollen specialists (oligolecty). Contributions of male bees to host pollination are rarely studied directly despite their prevalence in a number of pollination guilds, including those of some crop plants. In this study, males of the oligolectic bee, Peponapis pruinosa Say, were shown to be effective pollinators of summer squash, Cucurbita pepo L. Seven sequential visits from male P. pruinosa maximized squash fruit set and growth. This number of male visits accumulated during the first hour of their foraging and mate searching at flowers soon after sunrise. Pollination efficacy of male P. pruinosa and their abundances at squash flowers were sufficient to account for most summer squash production at our study sites, and by extrapolation, to two-thirds of all 87 North American farms and market gardens growing squashes that were surveyed for pollinators by collaborators in the Squash Pollinators of the Americas Survey. We posit that the substantial pollination value of male Peponapis bees is a consequence of their species' oligolecty, their mate seeking strategy, and some extreme traits of Cucurbita flowers (massive rewards, flower size, phenology).

  11. Host-mediated effects of semipersistently transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus on sweetpotato whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) behavior and fitness

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Alighting, settling and oviposition behavioral assays were conducted on Squash vein yellowing virus- (SqVYV-) infected and mock-inoculated squash and watermelon plants. Developmental time of immature stages, adult longevity, and fecundity were measured on SqVYV-infected and mock-inoculated squash p...

  12. SlMAPK3 enhances tolerance to tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) by regulating salicylic acid and jasmonic acid signaling in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

    PubMed Central

    Li, Yunzhou; Qin, Lei; Zhao, Jingjing; Muhammad, Tayeb; Cao, Hehe; Li, Hailiang; Zhang, Yan; Liang, Yan

    2017-01-01

    Several recent studies have reported on the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK3) in plant immune responses. However, little is known about how MAPK3 functions in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) infected with tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). There is also uncertainty about the connection between plant MAPK3 and the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) defense-signaling pathways. The results of this study indicated that SlMAPK3 participates in the antiviral response against TYLCV. Tomato seedlings were inoculated with TYLCV to investigate the possible roles of SlMAPK1, SlMAPK2, and SlMAPK3 against this virus. Inoculation with TYLCV strongly induced the expression and the activity of all three genes. Silencing of SlMAPK1, SlMAPK2, and SlMAPK3 reduced tolerance to TYLCV, increased leaf H2O2 concentrations, and attenuated expression of defense-related genes after TYLCV infection, especially in SlMAPK3-silenced plants. Exogenous SA and methyl jasmonic acid (MeJA) both significantly induced SlMAPK3 expression in tomato leaves. Over-expression of SlMAPK3 increased the transcript levels of SA/JA-mediated defense-related genes (PR1, PR1b/SlLapA, SlPI-I, and SlPI-II) and enhanced tolerance to TYLCV. After TYLCV inoculation, the leaves of SlMAPK3 over-expressed plants compared with wild type plants showed less H2O2 accumulation and greater superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity. Overall, the results suggested that SlMAPK3 participates in the antiviral response of tomato to TYLCV, and that this process may be through either the SA or JA defense-signaling pathways. PMID:28222174

  13. SlMAPK3 enhances tolerance to tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) by regulating salicylic acid and jasmonic acid signaling in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

    PubMed

    Li, Yunzhou; Qin, Lei; Zhao, Jingjing; Muhammad, Tayeb; Cao, Hehe; Li, Hailiang; Zhang, Yan; Liang, Yan

    2017-01-01

    Several recent studies have reported on the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK3) in plant immune responses. However, little is known about how MAPK3 functions in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) infected with tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). There is also uncertainty about the connection between plant MAPK3 and the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) defense-signaling pathways. The results of this study indicated that SlMAPK3 participates in the antiviral response against TYLCV. Tomato seedlings were inoculated with TYLCV to investigate the possible roles of SlMAPK1, SlMAPK2, and SlMAPK3 against this virus. Inoculation with TYLCV strongly induced the expression and the activity of all three genes. Silencing of SlMAPK1, SlMAPK2, and SlMAPK3 reduced tolerance to TYLCV, increased leaf H2O2 concentrations, and attenuated expression of defense-related genes after TYLCV infection, especially in SlMAPK3-silenced plants. Exogenous SA and methyl jasmonic acid (MeJA) both significantly induced SlMAPK3 expression in tomato leaves. Over-expression of SlMAPK3 increased the transcript levels of SA/JA-mediated defense-related genes (PR1, PR1b/SlLapA, SlPI-I, and SlPI-II) and enhanced tolerance to TYLCV. After TYLCV inoculation, the leaves of SlMAPK3 over-expressed plants compared with wild type plants showed less H2O2 accumulation and greater superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity. Overall, the results suggested that SlMAPK3 participates in the antiviral response of tomato to TYLCV, and that this process may be through either the SA or JA defense-signaling pathways.

  14. The Curl of a Vector Field: Beyond the Formula

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burch, Kimberly Jordan; Choi, Youngna

    2006-01-01

    It has been widely acknowledged that there is some discrepancy in the teaching of vector calculus in mathematics courses and other applied fields. The curl of a vector field is one topic many students can calculate without understanding its significance. In this paper, we explain the origin of the curl after presenting the standard mathematical…

  15. Electrostatic and Electromagnetic Resonances of the Curling probe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arshadi, Ali; Valadbeigi, Leila; Brinkmann, Ralf Peter

    2015-09-01

    The term Active Plasma Resonance Spectroscopy denotes a class of plasma diagnostic techniques utilizing the natural ability of plasma to resonate on or near the electron plasma frequency: An electric signal in the GHz range is coupled into the plasma via a probe. The spectral response of the plasma is recorded and a mathematical model is used to find plasma parameters such as the electron density. The curling probe, recently invented by Liang et al., is a novel realization of this concept which has many practical advantages. In particular, it can be miniaturized, and flatly embedded into the chamber wall, enabling monitoring of plasma processes without perturbing them. Physically, the curling probe can be seen as a ``curled'' form of the hairpin probe. Assuming that the effect of the spiralization is negligible, this work investigates the features of a ``straightened'' curling probe by modeling it as a slot-type resonator which is in contact with the plasma. The diffraction of an incident plane wave at the slot is calculated by solving Maxwell's equations and the cold plasma model simultaneously. Electrostatic and Electromagnetic resonances are derived. Good agreement of the analytically computed resonance frequencies with the numerical results of the probe inventors is shown.

  16. Out with the Sit-Up, in with the Curl-Up!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacFarlane, Pamela A.

    1993-01-01

    Explains why physical education teachers should discourage full sit-ups and describes the Robertson Modified Curl-Up Test as a recommended alternative test of abdominal muscular strength. Curl-up test administration guidelines are included with some preliminary norms from adult groups. (SM)

  17. Heavy metals in summer squash fruits grown in soil amended with municipal sewage sludge.

    PubMed

    Antonious, George F; Snyder, John C; Dennis, Sam O

    2010-02-01

    The increasing awareness of the value of vegetables and fruits in the human diet requires monitoring of heavy metals in food crops. The effects of amending soil with compost made from municipal sewage sludge (MSS) and MSS mixed with yard waste (MSS-YW) on Cd, Cr, Mo, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Ni concentrations in soil and the potential bioaccumulation of heavy metals in squash fruits at harvest were investigated. A field study was conducted in a silty-loam soil at Kentucky State University Research Farm. Eighteen plots of 22 x 3.7 m each were separated using metal borders and the soil in six plots was mixed with MSS at 15 t acre(-1), six plots were mixed with MSS-YW at 15 t acre(-1) (on dry weight basis), and six unamended plots (no-mulch) were used for comparison purposes. Plots were planted with summer squash and heavy metals were analyzed in soil and mature fruits at harvest. Analysis of heavy metals in squash fruits was conducted using inductively coupled plasma spectrometry. Zinc and Cu concentrations in soil mixed with MSS were extremely high compared to other metals. In squash fruits, concentrations of Zn were generally greater than Cu. Total squash marketable yield was greatest in MSS-YW and MSS treatments compared to no-mulch conventional soil. Concentrations of Cd and Pb in soil amended with MSS averaged 0.1 and 1.4 mg kg(-1), respectively. These levels were much lower than the limits in the U.S. guidelines for using MSS in land farming. Data revealed that maximum concentrations of Cd and Pb in squash fruits were 0.03 and 0.01 microg g(-1) dry fruit, respectively. Nickel concentration in squash fruits fluctuated among harvest dates reaching a maximum of 2.5 microg g(-1) dry fruit. However, these concentrations were far below their permissible limits in edible fruits.

  18. A simple, rapid and inexpensive method for localization of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus and Potato leafroll virus in plant and insect vectors.

    PubMed

    Ghanim, Murad; Brumin, Marina; Popovski, Smadar

    2009-08-01

    A simple, rapid, inexpensive method for the localization of virus transcripts in plant and insect vector tissues is reported here. The method based on fluorescent in situ hybridization using short DNA oligonucleotides complementary to an RNA segment representing a virus transcript in the infected plant or insect vector. The DNA probe harbors a fluorescent molecule at its 5' or 3' ends. The protocol: simple fixation, hybridization, minimal washing and confocal microscopy, provides a highly specific signal. The reliability of the protocol was tested by localizing two phloem-limited plant virus transcripts in infected plants and insect tissues: Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) (Begomovirus: Geminiviridae), exclusively transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) in a circulative non-propagative manner, and Potato leafroll virus (Polerovirus: Luteoviridae), similarly transmitted by the aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer). Transcripts for both viruses were localized specifically to the phloem sieve elements of infected plants, while negative controls showed no signal. TYLCV transcripts were also localized to the digestive tract of B. tabaci, confirming TYLCV route of transmission. Compared to previous methods for localizing virus transcripts in plant and insect tissues that include complex steps for in-vitro probe preparation or antibody raising, tissue fixation, block preparation, sectioning and hybridization, the method described below provides very reliable, convincing, background-free results with much less time, effort and cost.

  19. Hawking radiation as tunneling from squashed Kaluza-Klein black hole

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Matsuno, Ken; Umetsu, Koichiro

    2011-03-15

    We discuss Hawking radiation from a five-dimensional squashed Kaluza-Klein black hole on the basis of the tunneling mechanism. A simple method, which was recently suggested by Umetsu, may be used to extend the original derivation by Parikh and Wilczek to various black holes. That is, we use the two-dimensional effective metric, which is obtained by the dimensional reduction near the horizon, as the background metric. Using the same method, we derive both the desired result of the Hawking temperature and the effect of the backreaction associated with the radiation in the squashed Kaluza-Klein black hole background.

  20. Host-Mediated Effects of Semipersistently Transmitted Squash Vein Yellowing Virus on Sweetpotato Whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Behavior and Fitness.

    PubMed

    Shrestha, Deepak; McAuslane, Heather J; Adkins, Scott T; Smith, Hugh A; Dufault, Nicholas; Colee, James; Webb, Susan E

    2017-08-01

    Plant viruses may indirectly affect insect vector behavior and fitness via a shared host plant. Here, we evaluated the host-mediated effects of Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) on the behavior and fitness of its whitefly vector, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) Middle East-Asia Minor 1, formerly biotype B. Alighting, settling, and oviposition behavioral assays were conducted on infected and mock-inoculated squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) and watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb) Matsum and Nakai] plants. Developmental time of immature stages, adult longevity, and fecundity were measured on infected and mock-inoculated squash plants. For adult longevity and fecundity, whiteflies were reared on infected and mock-inoculated squash plants to determine the effects of nymphal rearing host on the adult stage. More whiteflies alighted and remained settled on infected squash than on mock-inoculated squash 0.25, 1, 8, and 24 h after release. No such initial preference was observed on watermelon plants, but by 8 h after release, more whiteflies were found on mock-inoculated watermelon plants than on infected plants. Whiteflies laid approximately six times more eggs on mock-inoculated watermelon than on infected watermelon; however, no differences were observed on squash. Development from egg to adult emergence was 3 d shorter on infected than mock-inoculated squash plants. Females lived 25% longer and had higher fecundity on infected squash plants than on mock-inoculated plants, regardless of infection status of the rearing host. The host-mediated effects of SqVYV infection on whitefly behavior differ on two cucurbit host plants, suggesting the potential for more rapid spread of the virus within watermelon fields. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Complex Chern-Simons from M5-branes on the squashed three-sphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Córdova, Clay; Jafferis, Daniel L.

    2017-11-01

    We derive an equivalence between the (2,0) superconformal M5-brane field theory dimensionally reduced on a squashed three-sphere, and Chern-Simons theory with complex gauge group. In the reduction, the massless fermions obtain an action which is second order in derivatives and are reinterpreted as ghosts for gauge fixing the emergent non-compact gauge symmetry. A squashing parameter in the geometry controls the imaginary part of the complex Chern-Simons level.

  2. 75 FR 29309 - Notice of Decision to Issue Permits for the Importation of Fresh Male Summer Squash Flowers From...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-25

    ...] Notice of Decision to Issue Permits for the Importation of Fresh Male Summer Squash Flowers From Israel... into the continental United States of fresh male summer squash flowers from Israel. Based on the... importation of fresh male summer squash flowers from Israel. EFFECTIVE DATE: May 25, 2010. FOR FURTHER...

  3. 75 FR 6346 - Notice of Availability of a Pest Risk Analysis for the Importation of Fresh Male Summer Squash...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-09

    ...] Notice of Availability of a Pest Risk Analysis for the Importation of Fresh Male Summer Squash Flowers... evaluates the risks associated with the importation of fresh male summer squash flowers from Israel into the... summer squash flowers, Cucurbita pepo L. into the continental United States. Currently, fresh male summer...

  4. The Whitefly Bemisia tabaci Knottin-1 Gene Is Implicated in Regulating the Quantity of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Ingested and Transmitted by the Insect

    PubMed Central

    Hariton Shalev, Aliza; Sobol, Iris; Ghanim, Murad; Liu, Shu-Sheng; Czosnek, Henryk

    2016-01-01

    The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a major pest to agricultural crops. It transmits begomoviruses, such as Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), in a circular, persistent fashion. Transcriptome analyses revealed that B. tabaci knottin genes were responsive to various stresses. Upon ingestion of tomato begomoviruses, two of the four knottin genes were upregulated, knot-1 (with the highest expression) and knot-3. In this study, we examined the involvement of B. tabaci knottin genes in relation to TYLCV circulative transmission. Knottins were silenced by feeding whiteflies with knottin dsRNA via detached tomato leaves. Large amounts of knot-1 transcripts were present in the abdomen of whiteflies, an obligatory transit site of begomoviruses in their circulative transmission pathway; knot-1 silencing significantly depleted the abdomen from knot-1 transcripts. Knot-1 silencing led to an increase in the amounts of TYLCV ingested by the insects and transmitted to tomato test plants by several orders of magnitude. This effect was not observed following knot-3 silencing. Hence, knot-1 plays a role in restricting the quantity of virions an insect may acquire and transmit. We suggest that knot-1 protects B. tabaci against deleterious effects caused by TYLCV by limiting the amount of virus associated with the whitefly vector. PMID:27455309

  5. Knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of squash venue operators relating to use of protective eyewear.

    PubMed

    Eime, Rochelle; Finch, Caroline; Owen, Neville; Gifford, Sandra; Vear, Paul

    2004-03-01

    Sports venues are in a position to potentially influence the safety practices of their patrons. This study examined the knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of venue operators that could influence the use of protective eyewear by squash players. A 50% random sample of all private and public squash venues affiliated with the Victorian Squash Federation in metropolitan Melbourne was selected. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 15 squash venue operators during August 2001. Interviews were transcribed and content and thematic analyses were performed. The content of the interviews covered five topics: (1) overall injury risk perception, (2) eye injury occurrence, (3) knowledge, behaviors, attitudes and beliefs associated with protective eyewear, (4) compulsory protective eyewear and (5) availability of protective eyewear at venues. Venue operators were mainly concerned with the severe nature of eye injuries, rather than the relatively low incidence of these injuries. Some venue operators believed that players should wear any eyewear, rather than none at all, and believed that more players should use protective eyewear. Generally, they did not believe that players with higher levels of experience and expertise needed to wear protective eyewear when playing. Only six venues had at least one type of eyewear available for players to hire or borrow or to purchase. Operators expressed a desire to be informed about correct protective eyewear. Appropriate protective eyewear is not readily available at squash venues. Better-informed venue operators may be more likely to provide suitable protective eyewear.

  6. Curling dynamics of naturally curved ribbons from high to low Reynolds numbers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Albarran Arriagada, Octavio; Massiera, Gladys; Abkarian, Manouk

    2012-11-01

    Curling deformation of thin elastic sheets appears in numerous structures in nature, such as membranes of red blood cells, epithelial tissues or green algae colonies to cite just a few examples. However, despite its ubiquity, the dynamics of curling propagation in a naturally curved material remains still poorly investigated. Here, we present a coupled experimental and theoretical study of the dynamical curling deformation of naturally curved ribbons. Using thermoplastic and metallic ribbons molded on cylinders of different radii, we tune separately the natural curvature and the geometry to study curling dynamics in air, water and in viscous oils, thus spanning a wide range of Reynolds numbers. Our theoretical and experimental approaches separate the role of elasticity, gravity and hydrodynamic dissipation from inertia and emphasize the fundamental differences between the curling of a naturally curved ribbon and a rod described by the classical Elastica. Our work shows evidence for the propagation of a single instability front, selected by a local buckling condition. We show that depending on gravity, and both the Reynolds and the Cauchy numbers, the curling speed and shape are modified by the large scale drag and the local lubrication forces. This work was supported by the French Ministry of Research, the CNRS Physics-Chemistry-Biology Interdisciplinary Pro- gram, the University Montpellier 2 Interdisciplinary Program and the Region Languedoc-Roussillon.

  7. 78 FR 25620 - Importation of Female Squash Flowers From Israel Into the Continental United States

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-02

    ... Flowers From Israel Into the Continental United States AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service... importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of female squash flowers from Israel into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, female squash flowers from Israel would be subject to a...

  8. Identification and molecular characterization of a new recombinant begomovirus and associated betasatellite DNA infecting Capsicum annuum in India.

    PubMed

    Bhatt, Bhavin S; Chahwala, Fenisha D; Rathod, Sangeeta; Singh, Achuit K

    2016-05-01

    Capsicum annuum (Chilli) is a perennial herbaceous plant that is cultivated as an annual crop throughout the world, including India. Chilli leaf curl disease (ChiLCD) is a major biotic constraint, causing major losses in chilli production. During 2014, leaf samples of chilli plants displaying leaf curl disease were collected from the Ahmedabad district of Gujarat, India. These samples were used to isolate, clone and sequence viral genomic DNA and an associated betasatellite DNA molecule. Sequence analysis showed 90.4 % nucleotide sequence identity to the previously reported chilli leaf curl virus-[India:Guntur:2009] (ChiLCV-[IN:Gun:09]. As per ICTV nomenclature rules, ChiLCV-Ahm represents a new species of begomovirus, and we therefore propose the name chilli leaf curl Ahmedabad virus-[India:Ahmedabad:2014] (ChiLCAV-[IN:Ahm:14]). The associated betasatellite DNA showed a maximum of 93.5 % nucleotide sequence identity to a previously reported tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite and may be named tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite-[India:Ahmedabad:Chilli:2014].

  9. Audio-based performance evaluation of squash players

    PubMed Central

    Hajdú-Szücs, Katalin; Fenyvesi, Nóra; Vattay, Gábor

    2018-01-01

    In competitive sports it is often very hard to quantify the performance. A player to score or overtake may depend on only millesimal of seconds or millimeters. In racquet sports like tennis, table tennis and squash many events will occur in a short time duration, whose recording and analysis can help reveal the differences in performance. In this paper we show that it is possible to architect a framework that utilizes the characteristic sound patterns to precisely classify the types of and localize the positions of these events. From these basic information the shot types and the ball speed along the trajectories can be estimated. Comparing these estimates with the optimal speed and target the precision of the shot can be defined. The detailed shot statistics and precision information significantly enriches and improves data available today. Feeding them back to the players and the coaches facilitates to describe playing performance objectively and to improve strategy skills. The framework is implemented, its hardware and software components are installed and tested in a squash court. PMID:29579067

  10. Effect of Fusarium isolates and their filtrates on respiratory rate and chemical analysis of squash plants.

    PubMed

    El-Shenawy, Z; Mansour, M A; El-Behrawi, S

    1978-01-01

    The highly pathogenic isolate stimulated the emergence of the squash seedlings first, caused, however, the highest death rate of the seedlings finally. Fusarium isolates and their culture filtrates inhibited the respiratory rate of squash plants significantly. However, F. oxysporum isolates inhibited respiration more than F. solani isolates. Seasonal changes of respiration decline show that the respiratory rate decreased with plant growth in the case of infested soil and of plants injected with culture filtrates. However, spraying Fusarium culture filtrates on the foliage gave opposite results when the plants grew older. Fusarium solani isolates decreased nitrogen content of squash stems and leaves, while F. oxysporum isolates gave reverse results. Injecting Fusarium culture filtrate into the plant decreased nitrogen content of both stems and leaves, while spraying the foliage with the filtrates increased nitrogen content more than that of the control. Phosphorus content of the stems of squash plants, sown in infested soil, was less than in the control when the plants were treated with F. solani and higher when they were treated with F. oxysporum isolates. On the other hand, the phosphorus content of squash leaves was higher than in the control. In the case of injected plants, however, the phosphorus content in stems and leaves was equal to that of the control or less, and with sprayed plants it was higher than in the control. Infesting the soil with Fusarium isolates and spraying the foliage with their culture filtrates increased potassium content of squash stems and leaves, while injecting the filtrates into the plants decreased potassium content of both stems and leaves.

  11. Analysis of Tactical, Decisional and Executional Behaviour according to the Level of Expertise in Squash

    PubMed Central

    Catalán-Eslava, María; González-Víllora, Sixto; Pastor-Vicedo, Juan C.; Contreras-Jordán, Onofre R.

    2018-01-01

    Abstract The objective of this study was to analyse the differences in tactical principles, decision-making and execution of the return shot and drop shot of squash players at different levels of proficiency. The sample was composed of 80 players, divided into four levels of expertise (first national category, second national category, autonomous regional level and provincial level). The Squash Performance Evaluation Tool was used for recording the level of decision-making and execution. The results revealed that reading of the context of the game improved as the level of the player’s expertise of both the return shot and the drop shot increased. The correlation between correct decision-making and better quality execution for both the return shot and the drop shot in squash also improved with the player’s level of expertise. According to these results, improvements in situational tactical principles and the application of tactical principles, correct decision-making and high-quality execution are essential to develop the athletic performance level among squash players. PMID:29599875

  12. Squashed Toric Sigma Models and Mock Modular Forms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, Rajesh Kumar; Murthy, Sameer

    2018-05-01

    We study a class of two-dimensional N}=(2,2)} sigma models called squashed toric sigma models, using their Gauged Linear Sigma Models (GLSM) description. These models are obtained by gauging the global {U(1)} symmetries of toric GLSMs and introducing a set of corresponding compensator superfields. The geometry of the resulting vacuum manifold is a deformation of the corresponding toric manifold in which the torus fibration maintains a constant size in the interior of the manifold, thus producing a neck-like region. We compute the elliptic genus of these models, using localization, in the case when the unsquashed vacuum manifolds obey the Calabi-Yau condition. The elliptic genera have a non-holomorphic dependence on the modular parameter {τ} coming from the continuum produced by the neck. In the simplest case corresponding to squashed {C / Z_{2 the elliptic genus is a mixed mock Jacobi form which coincides with the elliptic genus of the {N=(2,2)} {SL(2,R) / U(1)} cigar coset.

  13. Ribbon curling via stress relaxation in thin polymer films

    PubMed Central

    Prior, Chris; Moussou, Julien; Chakrabarti, Buddhapriya

    2016-01-01

    The procedure of curling a ribbon by running it over a sharp blade is commonly used when wrapping presents. Despite its ubiquity, a quantitative explanation of this everyday phenomenon is still lacking. We address this using experiment and theory, examining the dependence of ribbon curvature on blade curvature, the longitudinal load imposed on the ribbon, and the speed of pulling. Experiments in which a ribbon is drawn steadily over a blade under a fixed load show that the ribbon curvature is generated over a restricted range of loads, the curvature/load relationship can be nonmonotonic, and faster pulling (under a constant imposed load) results in less tightly curled ribbons. We develop a theoretical model that captures these features, building on the concept that the ribbon under the imposed deformation undergoes differential plastic stretching across its thickness, resulting in a permanently curved shape. The model identifies factors that optimize curling and clarifies the physical mechanisms underlying the ribbon’s nonlinear response to an apparently simple deformation. PMID:26831118

  14. Glucose Content and In Vitro Bioaccessibility in Sweet Potato and Winter Squash Varieties during Storage

    PubMed Central

    Zaccari, Fernanda; Cabrera, María Cristina; Saadoun, Ali

    2017-01-01

    Glucose content and in vitro bioaccessibility were determined in raw and cooked pulp of Arapey, Cuabé, and Beauregard sweet potato varieties, as well as Maravilla del Mercado and Atlas winter squash, after zero, two, four, and six months of storage (14 °C, 80% relative humidity (RH)). The total glucose content in 100 g of raw pulp was, for Arapey, 17.7 g; Beauregard, 13.2 g; Cuabé, 12.6 g; Atlas, 4.0 g; and in Maravilla del Mercado, 4.1 g. These contents were reduced by cooking process and storage time, 1.1 to 1.5 times, respectively, depending on the sweet potato variety. In winter squash varieties, the total glucose content was not modified by cooking, while the storage increased glucose content 2.8 times in the second month. After in vitro digestion, the glucose content released was 7.0 times higher in sweet potato (6.4 g) than in winter squash (0.91 g) varieties. Glucose released by in vitro digestion for sweet potato stored for six months did not change, but in winter squashes, stored Atlas released glucose content increased 1.6 times. In conclusion, in sweet potato and winter squash, the glucose content and the released glucose during digestive simulation depends on the variety and the storage time. These factors strongly affect the supply of glucose for human nutrition and should be taken into account for adjusting a diet according to consumer needs. PMID:28665302

  15. Glucose Content and In Vitro Bioaccessibility in Sweet Potato and Winter Squash Varieties during Storage.

    PubMed

    Zaccari, Fernanda; Cabrera, María Cristina; Saadoun, Ali

    2017-06-30

    Glucose content and in vitro bioaccessibility were determined in raw and cooked pulp of Arapey, Cuabé, and Beauregard sweet potato varieties, as well as Maravilla del Mercado and Atlas winter squash, after zero, two, four, and six months of storage (14 °C, 80% relative humidity (RH)). The total glucose content in 100 g of raw pulp was, for Arapey, 17.7 g; Beauregard, 13.2 g; Cuabé, 12.6 g; Atlas, 4.0 g; and in Maravilla del Mercado, 4.1 g. These contents were reduced by cooking process and storage time, 1.1 to 1.5 times, respectively, depending on the sweet potato variety. In winter squash varieties, the total glucose content was not modified by cooking, while the storage increased glucose content 2.8 times in the second month. After in vitro digestion, the glucose content released was 7.0 times higher in sweet potato (6.4 g) than in winter squash (0.91 g) varieties. Glucose released by in vitro digestion for sweet potato stored for six months did not change, but in winter squashes, stored Atlas released glucose content increased 1.6 times. In conclusion, in sweet potato and winter squash, the glucose content and the released glucose during digestive simulation depends on the variety and the storage time. These factors strongly affect the supply of glucose for human nutrition and should be taken into account for adjusting a diet according to consumer needs.

  16. Recent Advances in the Molecular Characterization of Sweetpotato Begomoviruses

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Although sweetpotato leaf curl disease has been observed on sweetpotato in Japan and Taiwan since 1985, molecular characterization of sweetpotato begomoviruses has only been conducted in recent years. In the U.S., two begomoviruses, Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) and Sweet potato leaf curl Ge...

  17. Exceptionally High Levels of Genetic Diversity in Wheat Curl Mite (Acari: Eriophyidae) Populations from Turkey.

    PubMed

    Szydło, W; Hein, G; Denizhan, E; Skoracka, A

    2015-08-01

    Recent research on the wheat curl mite species complex has revealed extensive genetic diversity that has distinguished several genetic lineages infesting bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and other cereals worldwide. Turkey is the historical region of wheat and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) domestication and diversification. The close relationship between these grasses and the wheat curl mite provoked the question of the genetic diversity of the wheat curl mite in this region. The scope of the study was to investigate genetic differentiation within the wheat curl mite species complex on grasses in Turkey. Twenty-one wheat curl mite populations from 16 grass species from nine genera (Agropyron sp., Aegilops sp., Bromus sp., Elymus sp., Eremopyrum sp., Hordeum sp., Poa sp., Secale sp., and Triticum sp.) were sampled in eastern and southeastern Turkey for genetic analyses. Two molecular markers were amplified: the cytochrome oxidase subunit I coding region of mtDNA (COI) and the D2 region of 28S rDNA. Phylogenetic analyses revealed high genetic variation of the wheat curl mite in Turkey, primarily on Bromus and Hordeum spp., and exceptionally high diversity of populations associated with bread wheat. Three wheat-infesting wheat curl mite lineages known to occur on other continents of the world, including North and South America, Australia and Europe, were found in Turkey, and at least two new genetic lineages were discovered. These regions of Turkey exhibit rich wheat curl mite diversity on native grass species. The possible implications for further studies on the wheat curl mite are discussed. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Heart Rate Response and Lactic Acid Concentration in Squash Players.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beaudin, Paula; And Others

    1978-01-01

    It was concluded that playing squash is an activity that results in heart rate responses of sufficient intensity to elicit aerobic training effects without producing high lactic acid concentration in the blood. (MM)

  19. Crop domestication facilitated rapid geographical expansion of a specialist pollinator, the squash bee Peponapis pruinosa

    PubMed Central

    Cane, James H.; Minckley, Robert L.; Danforth, Bryan N.

    2016-01-01

    Squash was first domesticated in Mexico and is now found throughout North America (NA) along with Peponapis pruinosa, a pollen specialist bee species of the squash genus Cucurbita. The origin and spread of squash cultivation is well-studied archaeologically and phylogenetically; however, no study has documented how cultivation of this or any other crop has influenced species in mutualistic interactions. We used molecular markers to reconstruct the demographic range expansion and colonization routes of P. pruinosa from its native range into temperate NA. Populations east of the Rocky Mountains expanded from the wild host plant's range in Mexico and were established by a series of founder events. Eastern North America was most likely colonized from squash bee populations in the present-day continental Midwest USA and not from routes that followed the Gulf and Atlantic coasts from Mexico. Populations of P. pruinosa west of the Rockies spread north from the warm deserts much more recently, showing two genetically differentiated populations with no admixture: one in California and the other one in eastern Great Basin. These bees have repeatedly endured severe bottlenecks as they colonized NA, following human spread of their Cucurbita pollen hosts during the Holocene. PMID:27335417

  20. Evaluating the Effect of Slab Curling on IRI for South Carolina Concrete Pavements

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-10-01

    Concrete pavements are known to curl due to a temperature gradient within the concrete caused by both daily : and seasonal temperature variations. This research project measured the magnitude of concrete pavement slab : curling of two newly construct...

  1. Fruit quality of seedless watermelon grafted onto squash rootstocks under different production systems.

    PubMed

    Liu, Qianru; Zhao, Xin; Brecht, Jeffrey K; Sims, Charles A; Sanchez, Tatiana; Dufault, Nicholas S

    2017-11-01

    The market demand for seedless watermelon has been continuously increasing because of consumer preference. Grafting is a useful tool to manage soilborne diseases in watermelon production, but the use of squash rootstocks may negatively affect watermelon fruit quality. Currently, most research has focused on seeded cultivars, while grafting effects on seedless watermelons remain largely unknown. This multi-season study was conducted to assess the effects of squash rootstocks, including both Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata and C. moschata cultivars, with intact or excised and regenerated roots, on fruit quality of seedless watermelon 'Melody' using both instrumental and sensory measurements under different production scenarios. The grafted watermelon plants were also challenged by field inoculation with Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum. A combination of instrumental measurements and consumer sensory analyses suggested that fruit quality of the seedless watermelon 'Melody' was not impacted by the use of the squash rootstocks used in this study, which included soluble solids content, titratable acidity, pH and most fruit sensory properties. Watermelon flesh firmness was increased by grafting but the grafting effect on lycopene content was inconclusive. Root excision and regeneration did not influence the grafting effect, whereas the grafting effect on flesh firmness varied among the rootstocks under Fusarium inoculation. Overall, grafting with squash rootstocks did not reduce fruit quality attributes of 'Melody' but improved texture. Our results support incorporating grafting into integrated management programs for seedless watermelon production. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  2. Gourd and squash artifacts yield starch grains of feasting foods from preceramic Peru

    PubMed Central

    Duncan, Neil A.; Pearsall, Deborah M.; Benfer, Robert A.

    2009-01-01

    In a study of residues from gourd and squash artifacts, we recovered starch grains from manioc (Manihot esculenta), potato (Solanum sp.), chili pepper (Capsicum spp.), arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea), and algarrobo (Prosopis sp.) from feasting contexts at the Buena Vista site, a central Peruvian preceramic site dating to ≈2200 calendar years B.C. This study has implications for the study of plant food use wherever gourds or squashes are preserved, documents the earliest evidence for the consumption of algarrobo and arrowroot in Peru, and provides insights into foods consumed at feasts. PMID:19633184

  3. Tennis-Badminton-Squash Guide. June 1974-June 1976.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherman, Patricia, Ed.; And Others

    This guide is a collection of essays by various authors on tennis, badminton, and squash. The document is divided into three sections, one for each sport. The topics covered include general teaching methods, methods to employ for teaching specific skills such as the lob or the backhand, the use of visual aids, conditioning drills, study questions,…

  4. Crop domestication facilitated rapid geographical expansion of a specialist pollinator, the squash bee Peponapis pruinosa.

    PubMed

    López-Uribe, Margarita M; Cane, James H; Minckley, Robert L; Danforth, Bryan N

    2016-06-29

    Squash was first domesticated in Mexico and is now found throughout North America (NA) along with Peponapis pruinosa, a pollen specialist bee species of the squash genus Cucurbita The origin and spread of squash cultivation is well-studied archaeologically and phylogenetically; however, no study has documented how cultivation of this or any other crop has influenced species in mutualistic interactions. We used molecular markers to reconstruct the demographic range expansion and colonization routes of P. pruinosa from its native range into temperate NA. Populations east of the Rocky Mountains expanded from the wild host plant's range in Mexico and were established by a series of founder events. Eastern North America was most likely colonized from squash bee populations in the present-day continental Midwest USA and not from routes that followed the Gulf and Atlantic coasts from Mexico. Populations of P. pruinosa west of the Rockies spread north from the warm deserts much more recently, showing two genetically differentiated populations with no admixture: one in California and the other one in eastern Great Basin. These bees have repeatedly endured severe bottlenecks as they colonized NA, following human spread of their Cucurbita pollen hosts during the Holocene. © 2016 The Author(s).

  5. Effect of Crotalaria juncea Amendment on Squash Infected with Meloidogyne incognita.

    PubMed

    Wang, K-H; McSorley, R; Gallaher, R N

    2004-09-01

    Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to examine the effect of Crotalaria juncea amendment on Meloidogyne incognita population levels and growth of yellow squash (Cucurbita pepo). In the first experiment, four soils with a long history of receiving yard waste compost (YWC+), no-yard-waste compost (YWC-), conventional tillage, or no-tillage treatments were used; in the second experiment, only one recently cultivated soil was used. Half of the amount of each soil received air-dried residues of C. juncea as amendment before planting squash, whereas the other half did not. Crotalaria juncea amendment increased squash shoot and root weights in all soils tested, except in YWC+ soil where the organic matter content was high without the amendment. The amendment suppressed the numbers of M. incognita if the inoculum level was low, and when the soil contained relatively abundant nematode-antagonistic fungi. Microwaved soil resulted in greater numbers of M. incognita and free-living nematodes than frozen or untreated soil, indicating nematode-antagonistic microorganisms played a role in nematode suppression. The effects of C. juncea amendment on nutrient cycling were complex. Amendment with C. juncea increased the abundance of free-living nematodes and Harposporium anguillulae, a fungus antagonistic to them in the second experiment but not in the first experiment. Soil histories, especially long-term yard waste compost treatments that increased soil organic matter, can affect the performance of C. juncea amendment.

  6. Regulation of Compound Leaf Development by PHANTASTICA in Medicago truncatula1[C][W][OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Ge, Liangfa; Peng, Jianling; Berbel, Ana; Madueño, Francisco; Chen, Rujin

    2014-01-01

    Plant leaves, simple or compound, initiate as peg-like structures from the peripheral zone of the shoot apical meristem, which requires class I KNOTTED-LIKE HOMEOBOXI (KNOXI) transcription factors to maintain its activity. The MYB domain protein encoded by the ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1/ROUGH SHEATH2/PHANTASTICA (ARP) gene, together with other factors, excludes KNOXI gene expression from incipient leaf primordia to initiate leaves and specify leaf adaxial identity. However, the regulatory relationship between ARP and KNOXI is more complex in compound-leafed species. Here, we investigated the role of ARP and KNOXI genes in compound leaf development in Medicago truncatula. We show that the M. truncatula phantastica mutant exhibited severe compound leaf defects, including curling and deep serration of leaf margins, shortened petioles, increased rachises, petioles acquiring motor organ characteristics, and ectopic development of petiolules. On the other hand, the M. truncatula brevipedicellus mutant did not exhibit visible compound leaf defects. Our analyses show that the altered petiole development requires ectopic expression of ELONGATED PETIOLULE1, which encodes a lateral organ boundary domain protein, and that the distal margin serration requires the auxin efflux protein M. truncatula PIN-FORMED10 in the M. truncatula phantastica mutant. PMID:24218492

  7. Curl-meter of Electrical Fields In The Ground.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krylov, S. M.; Maibuk, Z.-Ju. Ja.; Nikiforova, N. N.

    A special instrument U curl-meter was designed and manufactured in the Institute of Physics of the Earth of RAS for measuring of variable electric fields during alternation of stressedly-deformed state in rock mass. The instrument consist the four-electrode unit and a circuit of analogue signal processing for separation of E U circulations or according to the StokesSs theorem, Curl E in absence of indirect sources. Four electrodes are laied out in rocks on angles of square and they are affixed by ring-type circuit to uninverting inputs of precision operational amplifiers. First input is connected to electrode N1, the second one is connected to N2 and so on. The independent inputs are grounded to a arbitrary point (the fifth electrode is SzeroT). The transmission factors of the circuit are set by resistors accurate to within 0.25 %. First and third, and also second and fourth outputs of the amplifiers are connected to the grad EX and grad EY calculation circuit (deduction circuits). So, if the vector components have different signs of both two EX values and two values EY, the gradient calculation circuit generates signal extremums. If in this case the signs inside pairs are identical , that means that the signal not- ring-type and it is absent on output (difference of the equal values with equal signs). The signals from outputs of the gradient calculations act into adding device for calculation of Curl E (circulation). Curl-meter differs by high security from clutters and from cues on any of inputs rather of "zero point" (ground) reacting only on a ring-type current, thus it is essential (on the order) the noise level and drift of operational amplifiers is moderated. Curl-meter works in a complex of measuring devices on Obninsk seismological polygon for study of behavior of superlow frequency of tectonic genesis electromagnetic emission. Through four inputs (electrode spacing 7x7 2, resistance between welding rods 0.8 - 1.1 kOm), manufactured from fine- dyspersated

  8. Predation and Parasitism Rates on Sentinel and Naturally Occurring Egg Masses of the Squash Bug (Hemiptera: Coreidae) in Maryland

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Seasonal changes in egg predation and parasitism rates on sentinel and naturally occurring (wild) egg masses of the squash bug, Anasa tristis (DeGeer), were evaluated in squash fields in Maryland from June through September in 2013 and 2014. Rates of egg predation and parasitism were significantly ...

  9. Effect of Crotalaria juncea Amendment on Squash Infected with Meloidogyne incognita

    PubMed Central

    Wang, K.-H.; McSorley, R.; Gallaher, R. N.

    2004-01-01

    Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to examine the effect of Crotalaria juncea amendment on Meloidogyne incognita population levels and growth of yellow squash (Cucurbita pepo). In the first experiment, four soils with a long history of receiving yard waste compost (YWC+), no-yard-waste compost (YWC-), conventional tillage, or no-tillage treatments were used; in the second experiment, only one recently cultivated soil was used. Half of the amount of each soil received air-dried residues of C. juncea as amendment before planting squash, whereas the other half did not. Crotalaria juncea amendment increased squash shoot and root weights in all soils tested, except in YWC+ soil where the organic matter content was high without the amendment. The amendment suppressed the numbers of M. incognita if the inoculum level was low, and when the soil contained relatively abundant nematode-antagonistic fungi. Microwaved soil resulted in greater numbers of M. incognita and free-living nematodes than frozen or untreated soil, indicating nematode-antagonistic microorganisms played a role in nematode suppression. The effects of C. juncea amendment on nutrient cycling were complex. Amendment with C. juncea increased the abundance of free-living nematodes and Harposporium anguillulae, a fungus antagonistic to them in the second experiment but not in the first experiment. Soil histories, especially long-term yard waste compost treatments that increased soil organic matter, can affect the performance of C. juncea amendment. PMID:19262819

  10. Molecular diagnostic development for begomovirus-betasatellite complexes undergoing diversification: A case study.

    PubMed

    Brown, Judith K; Ur-Rehman, Muhammad Zia; Avelar, Sofia; Chingandu, N; Hameed, Usman; Haider, Saleem; Ilyas, Muhammad

    2017-09-15

    At least five begomoviral species that cause leaf curl disease of cotton have emerged recently in Asia and Africa, reducing fiber quality and yield. The potential for the spread of these viruses to other cotton-vegetable growing regions throughout the world is extensive, owing to routine, global transport of alternative hosts of the leaf curl viruses, especially ornamentals. The research reported here describes the design and validation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers undertaken to facilitate molecular detection of the two most-prevalent leaf curl-associated begomovirus-betasatellite complexes in the Indian Subcontinent and Africa, the Cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus-Burewala strain and Cotton leaf curl Gezira virus, endemic to Asia and Africa, respectively. Ongoing genomic diversification of these begomoviral-satellite complexes was evident based on nucleotide sequence alignments, and analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms, both factors that created new challenges for primer design. The additional requirement for species and strain-specific, and betasatellite-specific primer design, imposes further constraints on primer design and validation due to the large number of related species and strains extant in 'core leaf curl virus complex', now with expanded distribution in south Asia, the Pacific region, and Africa-Arabian Peninsula that have relatively highly conserved coding and non-coding regions, which precludes much of the genome-betasatellite sequence when selecting primer 'targets'. Here, PCR primers were successfully designed and validated for detection of cloned viral genomes and betasatellites for representative 'core leaf curl' strains and species, distant relatives, and total DNA isolated from selected plant species. The application of molecular diagnostics to screen plant imports prior to export or release from ports of entry is expected to greatly reduce the likelihood of exotic leaf curl virus introductions that could dramatically affect

  11. Molecular Evidence for Occurrence of Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus in Ash Gourd (Benincasa hispida) Germplasm Showing a Severe Yellow Stunt Disease in India.

    PubMed

    Roy, Anirban; Spoorthi, P; Panwar, G; Bag, Manas Kumar; Prasad, T V; Kumar, Gunjeet; Gangopadhyay, K K; Dutta, M

    2013-06-01

    An evaluation of 70 accessions of ash gourd germplasm grown at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India during Kharif season (2010) showed natural occurrence of a yellow stunt disease in three accessions (IC554690, IC036330 and Pusa Ujjwal). A set of begomovirus specific primers used in PCR gave expected amplicon from all the symptomatic plants; however no betasatellite was detected. Complete genome of the begomovirus (DNA-A and DNA-B), amplified through rolling circle amplification, was cloned and sequenced. The begomovirus under study shared high sequence identities to different isolates of Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) and clustered with them. Among those isolates, the DNA-A and DNA-B of the present begomovirus isolate showed highest 99.6 and 96.8 % sequence identities, respectively with an isolate reported on pumpkin from India (DNA-A: AM286433, DNA-B: AM286435). Based on the sequence analysis, the begomovirus obtained from ash gourd was considered as an isolate of ToLCNDV. Thus, the present findings constitute the first report of occurrence of a new yellow stunt disease in ash gourd from India and demonstrated the association of ToLCNDV with the symptomatic samples. Occurrence of ToLCNDV in ash gourd germplasm not only adds up a new cucurbitaceous host of this virus but also raises the concern about the perpetuation of this virus in absence of its main host tomato and thus has an epidemiological relevance for understanding the rapid spread of this virus in tomato and other hosts in Indian sub-continent.

  12. Tomato leaf curl Yunnan virus-encoded C4 induces cell division through enhancing stability of Cyclin D 1.1 via impairing NbSKη -mediated phosphorylation in Nicotiana benthamiana

    PubMed Central

    Mei, Yuzhen; Yang, Xiuling; Huang, Changjun

    2018-01-01

    The whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses induce severe developmental abnormalities in plants. Geminivirus-encoded C4 protein functions as one of viral symptom determinants that could induce abnormal cell division. However, the molecular mechanism by which C4 contributes to cell division induction remains unclear. Here we report that tomato leaf curl Yunnan virus (TLCYnV) C4 interacts with a glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3)/SHAGGY-like kinase, designed NbSKη, in Nicotiana benthamiana. Pro32, Asn34 and Thr35 of TLCYnV C4 are critical for its interaction with NbSKη and required for C4-induced typical symptoms. Interestingly, TLCYnV C4 directs NbSKη to the membrane and reduces the nuclear-accumulation of NbSKη. The relocalization of NbSKη impairs phosphorylation dependent degradation on its substrate-Cyclin D1.1 (NbCycD1;1), thereby increasing the accumulation level of NbCycD1;1 and inducing the cell division. Moreover, NbSKη-RNAi, 35S::NbCycD1;1 transgenic N. benthamiana plants have the similar phenotype as 35S::C4 transgenic N. benthamiana plants on callus-like tissue formation resulted from abnormal cell division induction. Thus, this study provides new insights into mechanism of how a viral protein hijacks NbSKη to induce abnormal cell division in plants. PMID:29293689

  13. Sphingolipid Long-Chain Base Synthesis in Plants (Characterization of Serine Palmitoyltransferase Activity in Squash Fruit Microsomes).

    PubMed

    Lynch, D. V.; Fairfield, S. R.

    1993-12-01

    The activity of serine palmitoyltransferase (palmitoyl-coenzyme A [CoA]:L-serine [Ser]-C-palmitoyltransferase [decarboxylating], EC 2.3.1.50), the enzyme catalyzing the first step in the synthesis of the long-chain base required for sphingolipid assembly, has been characterized in a plant system. Enzyme activity in a microsomal membrane fraction from summer squash fruit (Cucurbita pepo L. cv Early Prolific Straightneck) was assayed by monitoring the incorporation of L-[3H]Ser into the chloroform-soluble product, 3-ketosphinganine. Addition of NADPH to the assay system resulted in the conversion of 3-ketosphinganine to sphinganine. The apparent Km for Ser was approximately 1.8 mM. The enzyme exhibited a strong preference for palmitoyl-CoA, with optimal activity at a substrate concentration of 200 [mu]M. Pyridoxal 5[prime]-phosphate was required as a coenzyme. The pH optimum was 7.6, and the temperature optimum was 36 to 40[deg]C. Enzyme activity was greatest in the microsomal fraction obtained by differential centrifugation and was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum using marker enzymes. Two known mechanism-based inhibitors of the mammalian enzyme, L-cycloserine and [beta]-chloro-L-alanine, were effective inhibitors of enzyme activity in squash microsomes. Changes in enzyme activity with size (age) of squash fruit were observed. The results from this study suggest that the properties and catalytic mechanism of Ser palmitoyltransferase from squash are similar to those of the animal, fungal, and bacterial enzyme in most respects. The specific activity of the enzyme in squash microsomes ranged from 0.57 to 0.84 nmol min-1 mg-1 of protein, values 2- to 20-fold higher than those previously reported for preparations from animal tissues.

  14. Incidence and behavior of Salmonella and Escherichia coli on whole and sliced zucchini squash (Cucurbitapepo) fruit.

    PubMed

    Castro-Rosas, Javier; Santos López, Eva María; Gómez-Aldapa, Carlos Alberto; González Ramírez, Cesar Abelardo; Villagomez-Ibarra, José Roberto; Gordillo-Martínez, Alberto José; López, Angélica Villarruel; del Refugio Torres-Vitela, M

    2010-08-01

    The incidence of coliform bacteria (CB), thermotolerant coliforms (TC), Escherichia coli, and Salmonella was determined for zucchini squash fruit. In addition, the behavior of four serotypes of Salmonella and a cocktail of three E. coli strains on whole and sliced zucchini squash at 25+/-2 degrees C and 3 to 5 degrees C was tested. Squash fruit was collected in the markets of Pachuca city, Hidalgo State, Mexico. CB, TC, E. coli, and Salmonella were detected in 100, 70, 62, and 10% of the produce, respectively. The concentration ranged from 3.8 to 7.4 log CFU per sample for CB, and >3 to 1,100 most probable number per sample for TC and E. coli. On whole fruit stored at 25+/-2 degrees C or 3 to 5 degrees C, no growth was observed for any of the tested microorganisms or cocktails thereof. After 15 days at 25+/-2 degrees C, the tested Salmonella serotypes had decreased from an initial inoculum level of 7 log CFU to <1 log, and at 3 to 5 degrees C they decreased to approximately 2 log. Survival of E. coli was significantly greater than for the Salmonella strains at the same times and temperatures; after 15 days, at 25+/-2 degrees C E. coli cocktail strains had decreased to 3.4 log CFU per fruit and at 3 to 5 degrees C they decreased to 3.6 log CFU per fruit. Both the Salmonella serotypes and E. coli strains grew when inoculated onto sliced squash: after 24 h at 25+/-2 degrees C, both bacteria had grown to approximately 6.5 log CFU per slice. At 3 to 5 degrees C, the bacterial growth was inhibited. The squash may be an important factor contributing to the endemicity of Salmonella in Mexico.

  15. Transabdominal ultrasound to assess pelvic floor muscle performance during abdominal curl in exercising women.

    PubMed

    Barton, Amanda; Serrao, Chloe; Thompson, Judith; Briffa, Kathy

    2015-12-01

    The aim of this study was to assess pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function using transabdominal ultrasound (TAUS) in women attending group exercise classes. Specific aims were to: (1) identify the ability to perform a correct elevating PFM contraction and (2) assess bladder-base movement during an abdominal curl exercise. Ninety women participating in group exercise were recruited to complete a survey and TAUS assessment performed by two qualified Continence and Women's Health physiotherapists with clinical experience in ultrasound scanning. The assessment comprised three attempts of a PFM contraction and an abdominal curl exercise in crook lying. Bladder-base displacement was measured to determine correct or incorrect activation patterns. Twenty-five percent (n = 23) of women were unable to demonstrate an elevating PFM contraction, and all women displayed bladder-base depression on abdominal curl (range 0.33-31.2 mm). Parous women displayed, on average, significantly more bladder-base depression than did nulliparous women [15.5 (7.3) mm vs 11.4 (5.8) mm, p < 0.009). Sixty percent (n = 54) reported stress urinary incontinence (SUI). There was no association between SUI and the inability to perform an elevating PFM contraction (p = 0.278) or the amount of bladder-base depression with abdominal curl [14.1 (7.6) mm SUI vs 14.2 (6.7) mm non-SUI]. TAUS identified that 25 % of women who participated in group exercise were unable to perform a correctly elevating PFM contraction, and all depressed the bladder-base on abdominal curl. Therefore, exercising women may be at risk of PFM dysfunction when performing abdominal curl activities.

  16. The C2 protein of tomato leaf curl Taiwan virus is a pathogenicity determinant that interferes with expression of host genes encoding chromomethylases.

    PubMed

    Tu, Yu-Ching; Tsai, Wen-Shi; Wei, Jyuan-Yu; Chang, Kai-Ya; Tien, Chang-Ching; Hsiao, Hui-Yu; Fu, Shih-Feng

    2017-12-01

    Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most important crops worldwide and is severely affected by geminiviruses. Tomato leaf curl Taiwan virus (ToLCTWV), belonging to the geminiviruses, was isolated in Taiwan and causes tremendous crop loss. The geminivirus-encoded C2 proteins are crucial for a successful interaction between the virus and host plants. However, the exact functions of the viral C2 protein of ToLCTWV have not been investigated. We analyzed the molecular function(s) of the C2 protein by transient or stable expression in tomato cv. Micro-Tom and Nicotiana benthamiana. Severe stunting of tomato and N. benthamiana plants infected with ToLCTWV was observed. Expression of ToLCTWV C2-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein was predominately located in the nucleus and contributed to activation of a coat protein promoter. Notably, the C2-GFP fluorescence was distributed in nuclear aggregates. Tomato and N. benthamiana plants inoculated with potato virus X (PVX)-C2 displayed chlorotic lesions and stunted growth. PVX-C2 elicited hypersensitive responses accompanied by production of reactive oxygen species in N. benthamiana plants, which suggests that the viral C2 was a potential recognition target to induce host-defense responses. In tomato and N. benthamiana, ToLCTWV C2 was found to interfere with expression of genes encoding chromomethylases. N. benthamiana plants with suppressed NbCMT3-2 expression were more susceptible to ToLCTWV infection. Transgenic N. benthamiana plants expressing the C2 protein showed decreased expression of the NbCMT3-2 gene and pNbCMT3-2::GUS (β-glucuronidase) promoter activity. C2 protein is an important pathogenicity determinant of ToLCTWV and interferes with host components involved in DNA methylation. © 2017 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

  17. A new method for assessing squash tactics using 15 court areas for ball locations.

    PubMed

    Vučković, Goran; James, Nic; Hughes, Mike; Murray, Stafford; Milanović, Zoran; Perš, Janez; Sporiš, Goran

    2014-04-01

    Tactics in squash have typically been assessed using the frequency of different shot types played at different locations on the court either without reference to other relevant information or on the basis of the preceding shot. This paper presents a new squash specific method for categorizing court locations in which the ball was played, a novel techniques for assessing the reliability of this method and presents typical shots responses in these new areas controlled for preceding shot as well as the time between shots and the handedness of the players. Twelve games were viewed using the SAGIT/Squash software and 2907 shots viewed a second time from a video image taken from behind the court with an overall agreement of 88.90% for the court location data and 99.52% for shot type. 3192 shots from 9 matches from the 2003 World Team Championships were analyzed in SAGIT/Squash. In the court areas analyzed between 2 and 7 shot responses were predominant suggesting tactical patterns were evident. This was supported by differences evident between shot responses played from the two back corners where the backhand side was characterized by a predominance of straight drives whereas straight and crosscourt drives were played on the forehand side. These results tended to confirm that tactics i.e., consistent shot types, are played although these are only apparent when factors that determine shot selection are accounted for. This paper has controlled for some of these factors but others need to be considered e.g., if individual player profiles are to be ascertained. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Rényi squashed entanglement, discord, and relative entropy differences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seshadreesan, Kaushik P.; Berta, Mario; Wilde, Mark M.

    2015-10-01

    The squashed entanglement quantifies the amount of entanglement in a bipartite quantum state, and it satisfies all of the axioms desired for an entanglement measure. The quantum discord is a measure of quantum correlations that are different from those due to entanglement. What these two measures have in common is that they are both based upon the conditional quantum mutual information. In Berta et al (2015 J. Math. Phys. 56 022205), we recently proposed Rényi generalizations of the conditional quantum mutual information of a tripartite state on ABC (with C being the conditioning system), which were shown to satisfy some properties that hold for the original quantity, such as non-negativity, duality, and monotonicity with respect to local operations on the system B (with it being left open to show that the Rényi quantity is monotone with respect to local operations on system A). Here we define a Rényi squashed entanglement and a Rényi quantum discord based on a Rényi conditional quantum mutual information and investigate these quantities in detail. Taking as a conjecture that the Rényi conditional quantum mutual information is monotone with respect to local operations on both systems A and B, we prove that the Rényi squashed entanglement and the Rényi quantum discord satisfy many of the properties of the respective original von Neumann entropy based quantities. In our prior work (Berta et al 2015 Phys. Rev. A 91 022333), we also detailed a procedure to obtain Rényi generalizations of any quantum information measure that is equal to a linear combination of von Neumann entropies with coefficients chosen from the set \\{-1,0,1\\}. Here, we extend this procedure to include differences of relative entropies. Using the extended procedure and a conjectured monotonicity of the Rényi generalizations in the Rényi parameter, we discuss potential remainder terms for well known inequalities such as monotonicity of the relative entropy, joint convexity of the relative

  19. Implication of the Bacterial Endosymbiont Rickettsia spp. in Interactions of the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci with Tomato yellow leaf curl virus

    PubMed Central

    Kliot, Adi; Cilia, Michelle; Czosnek, Henryk

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT Numerous animal and plant viruses are transmitted by arthropod vectors in a persistent, circulative manner. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is transmitted by the sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci. We report here that infection with Rickettsia spp., a facultative endosymbiont of whiteflies, altered TYLCV-B. tabaci interactions. A B. tabaci strain infected with Rickettsia acquired more TYLCV from infected plants, retained the virus longer, and exhibited nearly double the transmission efficiency compared to an uninfected B. tabaci strain with the same genetic background. Temporal and spatial antagonistic relationships were discovered between Rickettsia and TYLCV within the whitefly. In different time course experiments, the levels of virus and Rickettsia within the insect were inversely correlated. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of Rickettsia-infected midguts provided evidence for niche exclusion between Rickettsia and TYLCV. In particular, high levels of the bacterium in the midgut resulted in higher virus concentrations in the filter chamber, a favored site for virus translocation along the transmission pathway, whereas low levels of Rickettsia in the midgut resulted in an even distribution of the virus. Taken together, these results indicate that Rickettsia, by infecting the midgut, increases TYLCV transmission efficacy, adding further insights into the complex association between persistent plant viruses, their insect vectors, and microorganism tenants that reside within these insects. IMPORTANCE Interest in bacterial endosymbionts in arthropods and many aspects of their host biology in agricultural and human health systems has been increasing. A recent and relevant studied example is the influence of Wolbachia on dengue virus transmission by mosquitoes. In parallel with our recently studied whitefly-Rickettsia-TYLCV system, other studies have shown that dengue virus levels in the mosquito vector are inversely correlated with

  20. First report of Squash vein yellowing virus in watermelon in Guatemala

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In this study, we report the first detection of Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV)-induced watermelon vine decline in Central America. Symptoms including wilt and collapse of plants at harvest, and non-marketable fruits with internal rind necrosis were observed. This report provides an overview o...

  1. On the Magnetic Squashing Factor and the Lie Transport of Tangents

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Scott, Roger B.; Pontin, David I.; Hornig, Gunnar

    The squashing factor (or squashing degree) of a vector field is a quantitative measure of the deformation of the field line mapping between two surfaces. In the context of solar magnetic fields, it is often used to identify gradients in the mapping of elementary magnetic flux tubes between various flux domains. Regions where these gradients in the mapping are large are referred to as quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs), and are a continuous extension of separators and separatrix surfaces. These QSLs are observed to be potential sites for the formation of strong electric currents, and are therefore important for the study ofmore » magnetic reconnection in three dimensions. Since the squashing factor, Q , is defined in terms of the Jacobian of the field line mapping, it is most often calculated by first determining the mapping between two surfaces (or some approximation of it) and then numerically differentiating. Tassev and Savcheva have introduced an alternative method, in which they parameterize the change in separation between adjacent field lines, and then integrate along individual field lines to get an estimate of the Jacobian without the need to numerically differentiate the mapping itself. But while their method offers certain computational advantages, it is formulated on a perturbative description of the field line trajectory, and the accuracy of this method is not entirely clear. Here we show, through an alternative derivation, that this integral formulation is, in principle, exact. We then demonstrate the result in the case of a linear, 3D magnetic null, which allows for an exact analytical description and direct comparison to numerical estimates.« less

  2. The Complete Genomic Sequence of Pepper Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (PYLCV) and Its Implications for Our Understanding of Evolution Dynamics in the Genus Polerovirus

    PubMed Central

    Dombrovsky, Aviv; Glanz, Eyal; Lachman, Oded; Sela, Noa; Doron-Faigenboim, Adi; Antignus, Yehezkel

    2013-01-01

    We determined the complete sequence and organization of the genome of a putative member of the genus Polerovirus tentatively named Pepper yellow leaf curl virus (PYLCV). PYLCV has a wider host range than Tobacco vein-distorting virus (TVDV) and has a close serological relationship with Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV) (both poleroviruses). The extracted viral RNA was subjected to SOLiD next-generation sequence analysis and used as a template for reverse transcription synthesis, which was followed by PCR amplification. The ssRNA genome of PYLCV includes 6,028 nucleotides encoding six open reading frames (ORFs), which is typical of the genus Polerovirus. Comparisons of the deduced amino acid sequences of the PYLCV ORFs 2-4 and ORF5, indicate that there are high levels of similarity between these sequences to ORFs 2-4 of TVDV (84-93%) and to ORF5 of CABYV (87%). Both PYLCV and Pepper vein yellowing virus (PeVYV) contain sequences that point to a common ancestral polerovirus. The recombination breakpoint which is located at CABYV ORF3, which encodes the viral coat protein (CP), may explain the CABYV-like sequences found in the genomes of the pepper infecting viruses PYLCV and PeVYV. Two additional regions unique to PYLCV (PY1 and PY2) were identified between nucleotides 4,962 and 5,061 (ORF 5) and between positions 5,866 and 6,028 in the 3' NCR. Sequence analysis of the pepper-infecting PeVYV revealed three unique regions (Pe1-Pe3) with no similarity to other members of the genus Polerovirus. Genomic analyses of PYLCV and PeVYV suggest that the speciation of these viruses occurred through putative recombination event(s) between poleroviruses co-infecting a common host(s), resulting in the emergence of PYLCV, a novel pathogen with a wider host range. PMID:23936244

  3. The complete genomic sequence of pepper yellow leaf curl virus (PYLCV) and its implications for our understanding of evolution dynamics in the genus polerovirus.

    PubMed

    Dombrovsky, Aviv; Glanz, Eyal; Lachman, Oded; Sela, Noa; Doron-Faigenboim, Adi; Antignus, Yehezkel

    2013-01-01

    We determined the complete sequence and organization of the genome of a putative member of the genus Polerovirus tentatively named Pepper yellow leaf curl virus (PYLCV). PYLCV has a wider host range than Tobacco vein-distorting virus (TVDV) and has a close serological relationship with Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV) (both poleroviruses). The extracted viral RNA was subjected to SOLiD next-generation sequence analysis and used as a template for reverse transcription synthesis, which was followed by PCR amplification. The ssRNA genome of PYLCV includes 6,028 nucleotides encoding six open reading frames (ORFs), which is typical of the genus Polerovirus. Comparisons of the deduced amino acid sequences of the PYLCV ORFs 2-4 and ORF5, indicate that there are high levels of similarity between these sequences to ORFs 2-4 of TVDV (84-93%) and to ORF5 of CABYV (87%). Both PYLCV and Pepper vein yellowing virus (PeVYV) contain sequences that point to a common ancestral polerovirus. The recombination breakpoint which is located at CABYV ORF3, which encodes the viral coat protein (CP), may explain the CABYV-like sequences found in the genomes of the pepper infecting viruses PYLCV and PeVYV. Two additional regions unique to PYLCV (PY1 and PY2) were identified between nucleotides 4,962 and 5,061 (ORF 5) and between positions 5,866 and 6,028 in the 3' NCR. Sequence analysis of the pepper-infecting PeVYV revealed three unique regions (Pe1-Pe3) with no similarity to other members of the genus Polerovirus. Genomic analyses of PYLCV and PeVYV suggest that the speciation of these viruses occurred through putative recombination event(s) between poleroviruses co-infecting a common host(s), resulting in the emergence of PYLCV, a novel pathogen with a wider host range.

  4. Qualitative investigation into students' use of divergence and curl in electromagnetism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bollen, Laurens; van Kampen, Paul; Baily, Charles; De Cock, Mieke

    2016-12-01

    Many students struggle with the use of mathematics in physics courses. Although typically well trained in rote mathematical calculation, they often lack the ability to apply their acquired skills to physical contexts. Such student difficulties are particularly apparent in undergraduate electrodynamics, which relies heavily on the use of vector calculus. To gain insight into student reasoning when solving problems involving divergence and curl, we conducted eight semistructured individual student interviews. During these interviews, students discussed the divergence and curl of electromagnetic fields using graphical representations, mathematical calculations, and the differential form of Maxwell's equations. We observed that while many students attempt to clarify the problem by making a sketch of the electromagnetic field, they struggle to interpret graphical representations of vector fields in terms of divergence and curl. In addition, some students confuse the characteristics of field line diagrams and field vector plots. By interpreting our results within the conceptual blending framework, we show how a lack of conceptual understanding of the vector operators and difficulties with graphical representations can account for an improper understanding of Maxwell's equations in differential form. Consequently, specific learning materials based on a multiple representation approach are required to clarify Maxwell's equations.

  5. Squash cytology findings of subependymomas: A report of three cases and differential diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Tokumitsu, Takako; Sato, Yuichiro; Fukushima, Tsuyoshi; Takeshima, Hideo; Sato, Shinya; Asada, Yujiro

    2018-03-01

    Subependymomas are slowly growing glial tumors, corresponding to WHO grade I. Few descriptions of the cytologic features of this neoplasm are available. This study describes the cytologic features of three subependymomas, as well as their differential diagnosis based on cytology. Three men, aged 52, 56, and 63 years, presented with headache. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a nodular intraventricular mass in all three patients. Intraoperative squash cytology specimens from the three intraventricular tumors showed nodular clusters with microcystic changes. Nuclei were round to oval in shape, but showed no evidence of severe nuclear atypia or mitoses. Histological examination showed features of subependymoma. Squash cytology findings, including nodular clusters, mild cellular atypia, microcystic changes, and mucoid material, are useful in the rapid intraoperative diagnosis of subependymoma. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Oncogene 6b from Agrobacterium tumefaciens induces abaxial cell division at late stages of leaf development and modifies vascular development in petioles.

    PubMed

    Terakura, Shinji; Kitakura, Saeko; Ishikawa, Masaki; Ueno, Yoshihisa; Fujita, Tomomichi; Machida, Chiyoko; Wabiko, Hiroetsu; Machida, Yasunori

    2006-05-01

    The 6b gene in the T-DNA region of the Ti plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and A. vitis is able to generate shooty calli in phytohormone-free culture of leaf sections of tobacco transformed with 6b. In the present study, we report characteristic morphological abnormalities of the leaves of transgenic tobacco and Arabidopsis that express 6b from pTiAKE10 (AK-6b), and altered expression of genes related to cell division and meristem formation in the transgenic plants. Cotyledons and leaves of both transgenic tobacco and Arabidopsis exhibited various abnormalities including upward curling of leaf blades, and transgenic tobacco leaves produced leaf-like outgrowths from the abaxial side. Transcripts of some class 1 KNOX homeobox genes, which are thought to be related to meristem functions, and cell cycle regulating genes were ectopically accumulated in mature leaves. M phase-specific genes were also ectopically expressed at the abaxial sides of mature leaves. These results suggest that the AK-6b gene stimulates the cellular potential for division and meristematic functions preferentially in the abaxial side of leaves and that the leaf phenotypes generated by AK-6b are at least in part due to such biased cell division during polar development of leaves. The results of the present experiments with a fusion gene between the AK-6b gene and the glucocorticoid receptor gene showed that nuclear import of the AK-6b protein was essential for upward curling of leaves and hormone-free callus formation, suggesting a role for AK-6b in nuclear events.

  7. Management of Powdery Mildew in Squash by Plant and Alga Extract Biopesticides

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Shouan; Mersha, Zelalem; Vallad, Gary E.; Huang, Cheng-Hua

    2016-01-01

    Although many fungicides are registered for use to control powdery mildew on cucurbits, management of resistance to fungicides in pathogen populations still remains a major challenge. Two biopesticides Regalia SC and HMO 736 were evaluated in the greenhouse and field for their efficacy against powdery mildew in squash. In greenhouses, Regalia SC alone significantly (P < 0.05) reduced powdery mildew compared to the nontreated control, and was as effective as the chemical standard Procure 480SC (triflumizole). In alternation with Procure 480SC, Regalia SC demonstrated greater or equivalent effects on reducing the disease. HMO 736 alone showed varying levels of disease control, but alternating with Procure 480SC significantly improved control efficacy. In addition, application of Regalia SC or HMO 736 each in alternation with Procure 480SC significantly increased the chlorophyll content in leaves and the total fresh weight of squash plants, when compared with the water control, Regalia SC and HMO 736 alone. In field trials, application of Regalia SC and HMO 736 each alone significantly reduced disease severity in one of two field trials during the early stage of disease development, but not during later stages when disease pressure became high. Both Regalia SC and HMO 736 each applied in alternation with Procure 480SC significantly improved the control efficacy compared to Procure 480SC alone. Results from this study demonstrated that an integrated management program can be developed for powdery mildew in squash by integrating the biopesticides Regalia SC, HMO 736 with the chemical fungicide Procure 480SC. PMID:27904459

  8. Management of Powdery Mildew in Squash by Plant and Alga Extract Biopesticides.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shouan; Mersha, Zelalem; Vallad, Gary E; Huang, Cheng-Hua

    2016-12-01

    Although many fungicides are registered for use to control powdery mildew on cucurbits, management of resistance to fungicides in pathogen populations still remains a major challenge. Two biopesticides Regalia SC and HMO 736 were evaluated in the greenhouse and field for their efficacy against powdery mildew in squash. In greenhouses, Regalia SC alone significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced powdery mildew compared to the nontreated control, and was as effective as the chemical standard Procure 480SC (triflumizole). In alternation with Procure 480SC, Regalia SC demonstrated greater or equivalent effects on reducing the disease. HMO 736 alone showed varying levels of disease control, but alternating with Procure 480SC significantly improved control efficacy. In addition, application of Regalia SC or HMO 736 each in alternation with Procure 480SC significantly increased the chlorophyll content in leaves and the total fresh weight of squash plants, when compared with the water control, Regalia SC and HMO 736 alone. In field trials, application of Regalia SC and HMO 736 each alone significantly reduced disease severity in one of two field trials during the early stage of disease development, but not during later stages when disease pressure became high. Both Regalia SC and HMO 736 each applied in alternation with Procure 480SC significantly improved the control efficacy compared to Procure 480SC alone. Results from this study demonstrated that an integrated management program can be developed for powdery mildew in squash by integrating the biopesticides Regalia SC, HMO 736 with the chemical fungicide Procure 480SC.

  9. Tennis-Badminton-Squash Guide with Official Rules. June 1972 - June 1974.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knight, Martha, Ed.; And Others

    Rules in tennis, badminton, and squash for girls and women from June 1972 - June 1974 are discussed. Standards in the sports are detailed along with the Division for Girls and Women's Sports (DGWS) statement of beliefs. Specific articles dealing with teaching techniques, officiating techniques, and rules for tennis and badminton are presented.…

  10. Cell lines derived from the squash bug, anasa tristis (coreidae: hemiptera)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The squash bug, Anasa tristis, is a pest of cucurbits that exerts direct damage on crops and is a vector of plant pathogens. We established cell lines from this insect to serve as tools for basic biology, such as virology and immunology, as well as applied studies, such as insecticide development pr...

  11. Weed control in yellow squash using sequential postdirected applications of pelargonic acid

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) producers would benefit from appropriate herbicides that can effectively provide season-long weed control. Research was conducted in southeast Oklahoma (Atoka County, Lane, OK) during 2010 and 2011 to determine the impact of a naturally derived herbicide on weed control ef...

  12. Predicting hand function in older adults: evaluations of grip strength, arm curl strength, and manual dexterity.

    PubMed

    Liu, Chiung-Ju; Marie, Deana; Fredrick, Aaron; Bertram, Jessica; Utley, Kristen; Fess, Elaine Ewing

    2017-08-01

    Hand function is critical for independence in activities of daily living for older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine how grip strength, arm curl strength, and manual dexterous coordination contributed to time-based versus self-report assessment of hand function in community-dwelling older adults. Adults aged ≥60 years without low vision or neurological disorders were recruited. Purdue Pegboard Test, Jamar hand dynamometer, 30-second arm curl test, Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, and the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument were administered to assess manual dexterous coordination, grip strength, arm curl strength, time-based hand function, and self-report of hand function, respectively. Eighty-four adults (mean age = 72 years) completed the study. Hierarchical multiple regressions show that older adults with better arm curl strength (β = -.25, p < .01) and manual dexterous coordination (β = -.52, p < .01) performed better on the time-based hand function test. In comparison, older adults with better grip strength (β = .40, p < .01), arm curl strength (β = .23, p < .05), and manual dexterous coordination (β = .23, p < .05) were associated with better self-report of upper extremity function. The relationship between grip strength and hand function may be test-specific. Grip strength becomes a significant factor when the test requires grip strength to successfully complete the test tasks. Arm curl strength independently contributed to hand function in both time-based and self-report assessments, indicating that strength of extrinsic muscles of the hand are essential for hand function.

  13. The effectiveness of a squash eyewear promotion strategy

    PubMed Central

    Eime, R; Finch, C; Wolfe, R; Owen, N; McCarty, C

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the protective eyewear promotion (PEP) project, which was a comprehensive educational strategy to increase the use of appropriate protective eyewear by squash players. Methods: An ecological study design was used. Four squash venues in one playing association were randomly chosen to receive PEP and four in another association maintained usual practice and hence formed a control group. The primary evaluation measurements were surveys of cross sectional samples of players carried out before and after the intervention. The surveys investigated players' knowledge, behaviours, and attitudes associated with the use of protective eyewear. The survey carried out after the intervention also determined players' exposure to PEP. Univariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken to describe differences at PEP venues from pre- to post-intervention and to compare these with the control venues. Results: The PEP players had 2.4 times the odds (95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 4.2) of wearing appropriate eyewear compared with control group players post-intervention, relative to the groups' pre-intervention baselines. Components of PEP, such as stickers and posters and the availability and prominent positioning of the project eyewear, were found to contribute to players adopting favourable eyewear behaviours. Conclusions: Components of the PEP intervention were shown to be effective. The true success will be the sustainability and dissemination of the project, favourable eyewear behaviours, and evidence of the prevention of eye injuries long into the future. PMID:16118310

  14. Synthesis, salvage, and catabolism of uridine nucleotides in boron-deficient squash roots.

    PubMed

    Lovatt, C J; Albert, L S; Tremblay, G C

    1981-12-01

    Previous work has provided evidence that plants may require boron to maintain adequate levels of pyrimidine nucleotides, suggesting that the state of boron deficiency may actually be one of pyrimidine starvation. Since the availability of pyrimidine nucleotides is influenced by their rates of synthesis, salvage, and catabolism, we compared these activities in the terminal 3 centimeters of roots excised from boron-deficient and -sufficient squash plants (Cucurbita pepo L.). Transferring 5-day-old squash plants to a boron-deficient nutrient solution resulted in cessation of root elongation within 18 hours. However, withholding boron for up to 30 hours did not result in either impaired de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis or a change in the sensitivity of the de novo pathway to regulation by end product inhibition. Boron deprivation had no significant effect on pyrimidine salvage or catabolism. These results provide evidence that boron-deficient plants are not starved for uridine nucleotides collectively. Whether a particular pyrimidine nucleotide or derivative is limiting during boron deprivation remains to be examined.

  15. Computation of Surface Integrals of Curl Vector Fields

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hu, Chenglie

    2007-01-01

    This article presents a way of computing a surface integral when the vector field of the integrand is a curl field. Presented in some advanced calculus textbooks such as [1], the technique, as the author experienced, is simple and applicable. The computation is based on Stokes' theorem in 3-space calculus, and thus provides not only a means to…

  16. Effect of morphological fin curl on the swimming performance and station-holding ability of juvenile shovelnose sturgeon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Deslauriers, David; Johnston, Ryan; Chipps, Steven R.

    2016-01-01

    We assessed the effect of fin-curl on the swimming and station-holding ability of juvenile shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (mean fork length = 17 cm; mean weight = 16 g; n = 21) using a critical swimming speed test performed in a small swim chamber (90 L) at 20°C. We quantified fin-curl severity using the pectoral fin index. Results showed a positive relationship between pectoral fin index and critical swimming speed indicative of reduced swimming performance displayed by fish afflicted with a pectoral fin index < 8%. Fin-curl severity, however, did not affect the station-holding ability of individual fish. Rather, fish affected with severe fin-curl were likely unable to use their pectoral fins to position their body adequately in the water column, which led to the early onset of fatigue. Results generated from this study should serve as an important consideration for future stocking practices.

  17. Singularities of the quad curl problem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nicaise, Serge

    2018-04-01

    We consider the quad curl problem in smooth and non smooth domains of the space. We first give an augmented variational formulation equivalent to the one from [25] if the datum is divergence free. We describe the singularities of the variational space which correspond to the ones of the Maxwell system with perfectly conducting boundary conditions. The edge and corner singularities of the solution of the corresponding boundary value problem with smooth data are also characterized. We finally obtain some regularity results of the variational solution.

  18. Impact of the egg parasitoid, gryon pennsylvanicum (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), on sentinel and wild egg masses of the squash bug (Hemiptera: Coreidae) in Maryland

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Seasonal changes in egg predation and parasitism rates on sentinel and naturally occurring (wild) egg masses of the squash bug, Anasa tristis (DeGeer), were evaluated in squash fields in Maryland from June through September in 2013 and 2014. Rates of egg predation and parasitism were significantly...

  19. Polarization curling and flux closures in multiferroic tunnel junctions

    PubMed Central

    Peters, Jonathan J. P.; Apachitei, Geanina; Beanland, Richard; Alexe, Marin; Sanchez, Ana M.

    2016-01-01

    Formation of domain walls in ferroelectrics is not energetically favourable in low-dimensional systems. Instead, vortex-type structures are formed that are driven by depolarization fields occurring in such systems. Consequently, polarization vortices have only been experimentally found in systems in which these fields are deliberately maximized, that is, in films between insulating layers. As such configurations are devoid of screening charges provided by metal electrodes, commonly used in electronic devices, it is wise to investigate if curling polarization structures are innate to ferroelectricity or induced by the absence of electrodes. Here we show that in unpoled Co/PbTiO3/(La,Sr)MnO3 ferroelectric tunnel junctions, the polarization in active PbTiO3 layers 9 unit cells thick forms Kittel-like domains, while at 6 unit cells there is a complex flux-closure curling behaviour resembling an incommensurate phase. Reducing the thickness to 3 unit cells, there is an almost complete loss of switchable polarization associated with an internal gradient. PMID:27848970

  20. Polarization curling and flux closures in multiferroic tunnel junctions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peters, Jonathan J. P.; Apachitei, Geanina; Beanland, Richard; Alexe, Marin; Sanchez, Ana M.

    2016-11-01

    Formation of domain walls in ferroelectrics is not energetically favourable in low-dimensional systems. Instead, vortex-type structures are formed that are driven by depolarization fields occurring in such systems. Consequently, polarization vortices have only been experimentally found in systems in which these fields are deliberately maximized, that is, in films between insulating layers. As such configurations are devoid of screening charges provided by metal electrodes, commonly used in electronic devices, it is wise to investigate if curling polarization structures are innate to ferroelectricity or induced by the absence of electrodes. Here we show that in unpoled Co/PbTiO3/(La,Sr)MnO3 ferroelectric tunnel junctions, the polarization in active PbTiO3 layers 9 unit cells thick forms Kittel-like domains, while at 6 unit cells there is a complex flux-closure curling behaviour resembling an incommensurate phase. Reducing the thickness to 3 unit cells, there is an almost complete loss of switchable polarization associated with an internal gradient.

  1. Confirmation of bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata, feeding on cucurbits

    PubMed Central

    Koch, R.L.; Burkness, E.C.; Hutchison, W.D.

    2004-01-01

    The objective of these studies was to assess the degree to which bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata (Forster), will feed on cucurbits. In 2003, we documented an infestation of C. trifurcata in a commercial pumpkin field near Rosemount, MN, USA. To evaluate C. trifurcata feeding on cucurbits, we conducted laboratory no-choice and choice test feeding studies. In the laboratory, C. trifurcata fed most heavily on cotyledon-stage cucumber plants, followed by pumpkin and squash. With soybean plants present, C. trifurcata still fed on cucumber plants. However, C. trifurcata appeared to prefer soybeans until the quality of the soybean plants was diminished through feeding damage. This is the first known report of C. trifurcata feeding on cucurbits. The pest potential of C. trifurcata in cucurbit cropping systems should be further evaluated. PMID:15861221

  2. Wheat streak mosaic virus coat protein is a determinant for vector transmission by the wheat curl mite

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV; genus Tritimovirus; family Potyviridae), is transmitted by the wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer). The requirement of coat protein (CP) for WSMV transmission by the wheat curl mite was examined using a series of viable deletion and point mutations. Mite trans...

  3. Analytical investigation into the resonance frequencies of a curling probe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arshadi, Ali; Brinkmann, Ralf Peter

    2016-08-01

    The term ‘active plasma resonance spectroscopy’ (APRS) denotes a class of closely related plasma diagnostic methods which utilize the natural ability of plasmas to resonate on or near the electron plasma frequency {ω\\text{pe}} ; an electrical radio frequency signal (in the GHz range) is coupled into the plasma via an antenna or a probe, the spectral response is recorded and a mathematical model is employed to determine plasma parameters such as the plasma density and the electron temperature. The curling probe, recently invented by Liang et al (2011 Appl. Phys. Express 4 066101), is a novel realization of the APRS concept which has many practical advantages. In particular, it can be miniaturized and flatly embedded into the chamber wall, thus allowing the monitoring of plasma processes without contamination nor disturbance. Physically, the curling probe can be understood as a ‘coiled’ form of the hairpin probe (Stenzel 1976 Rev. Sci. Instrum. 47 603). Assuming that the spiralization of the probe has little electrical effect, this paper investigates the characteristcs of a ‘straightened’ curling probe by modeling it as an infinite slot-type resonator that is in direct contact with the plasma. The diffraction of an incident plane wave at the slot is calculated by solving the cold plasma model and Maxwell’s equations simultaneously. The resonance frequencies of the probe are derived and are found to be in good agreement with the numerical results of the probe inventors.

  4. Sesbania bispinosa, a new host of a begomovirus-betasatellite complex in Pakistan

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Severe leaf curling, yellowing and vein thickening symptoms, typical of begomoviruses infection, were observed on Sesbania bispinosa grown in cotton leaf curl disease affected cotton field in Pakistan. A begomovirus and its associated betasatellite were amplified and sequenced from these plants. Com...

  5. Root foraging elicits niche complementarity-dependent yield advantage in the ancient ‘three sisters’ (maize/bean/squash) polyculture

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Chaochun; Postma, Johannes A.; York, Larry M.; Lynch, Jonathan P.

    2014-01-01

    Background and Aims Since ancient times in the Americas, maize, bean and squash have been grown together in a polyculture known as the ‘three sisters’. This polyculture and its maize/bean variant have greater yield than component monocultures on a land-equivalent basis. This study shows that below-ground niche complementarity may contribute to this yield advantage. Methods Monocultures and polycultures of maize, bean and squash were grown in two seasons in field plots differing in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability. Root growth patterns of individual crops and entire polycultures were determined using a modified DNA-based technique to discriminate roots of different species. Key Results The maize/bean/squash and maize/bean polycultures had greater yield and biomass production on a land-equivalent basis than the monocultures. Increased biomass production was largely caused by a complementarity effect rather than a selection effect. The differences in root crown architecture and vertical root distribution among the components of the ‘three sisters’ suggest that these species have different, possibly complementary, nutrient foraging strategies. Maize foraged relatively shallower, common bean explored the vertical soil profile more equally, while the root placement of squash depended on P availability. The density of lateral root branching was significantly greater for all species in the polycultures than in the monocultures. Conclusions It is concluded that species differences in root foraging strategies increase total soil exploration, with consequent positive effects on the growth and yield of these ancient polycultures. PMID:25274551

  6. Evaluation of cotton leaf curl virus resistance in BC1, BC2, and BC3 progenies from an interspecific cross between Gossypium arboreum and Gossypium hirsutum.

    PubMed

    Nazeer, Wajad; Tipu, Abdul Latif; Ahmad, Saghir; Mahmood, Khalid; Mahmood, Abid; Zhou, Baoliang

    2014-01-01

    Cotton leaf curl virus disease (CLCuD) is an important constraint to cotton production. The resistance of G. arboreum to this devastating disease is well documented. In the present investigation, we explored the possibility of transferring genes for resistance to CLCuD from G. arboreum (2n = 26) cv 15-Mollisoni into G. hirsutum (2n = 52) cv CRSM-38 through conventional breeding. We investigated the cytology of the BC1 to BC3 progenies of direct and reciprocal crosses of G. arboreum and G. hirsutum and evaluated their resistance to CLCuD. The F1 progenies were completely resistant to this disease, while a decrease in resistance was observed in all backcross generations. As backcrossing progressed, the disease incidence increased in BC1 (1.7-2.0%), BC2 (1.8-4.0%), and BC3 (4.2-7.0%). However, the disease incidence was much lower than that of the check variety CIM-496, with a CLCuD incidence of 96%. Additionally, the disease incidence percentage was lower in the direct cross 2(G. arboreum)×G. hirsutum than in that of G. hirsutum×G. arboreum. Phenotypic resemblance of BC1 ∼BC3 progenies to G. arboreum confirmed the success of cross between the two species. Cytological studies of CLCuD-resistant plants revealed that the frequency of univalents and multivalents was high in BC1, with sterile or partially fertile plants, but low in BC2 (in both combinations), with shy bearing plants. In BC3, most of the plants exhibited normal bearing ability due to the high frequency of chromosome associations (bivalents). The assessment of CLCuD through grafting showed that the BC1 to BC3 progenies were highly resistant to this disease. Thus, this study successfully demonstrates the possibility of introgressing CLCuD resistance genes from G. arboreum to G. hirsutum.

  7. A Putative Role for the Tomato Genes DUMPY and CURL-3 in Brassinosteroid Biosynthesis and Response1

    PubMed Central

    Koka, Chala V.; Cerny, R. Eric; Gardner, Randy G.; Noguchi, Takahiro; Fujioka, Shozo; Takatsuto, Suguru; Yoshida, Shigeo; Clouse, Steven D.

    2000-01-01

    The dumpy (dpy) mutant of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) exhibits short stature, reduced axillary branching, and altered leaf morphology. Application of brassinolide and castasterone rescued the dpy phenotype, as did C-23-hydroxylated, 6-deoxo intermediates of brassinolide biosynthesis. The brassinolide precursors campesterol, campestanol, and 6-deoxocathasterone failed to rescue, suggesting that dpy may be affected in the conversion of 6-deoxocathasterone to 6-deoxoteasterone, similar to the Arabidopsis constitutive photomorphogenesis and dwarfism (cpd) mutant. Measurements of endogenous brassinosteroid levels by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were consistent with this hypothesis. To examine brassinosteroid-regulated gene expression in dpy, we performed cDNA subtractive hybridization and isolated a novel xyloglucan endotransglycosylase that is regulated by brassinosteroid treatment. The curl-3 (cu-3) mutant (Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium [Jusl.] Mill.) shows extreme dwarfism, altered leaf morphology, de-etiolation, and reduced fertility, all strikingly similar to the Arabidopsis mutant brassinosteroid insensitive 1 (bri1). Primary root elongation of wild-type L. pimpinellifolium seedlings was strongly inhibited by brassinosteroid application, while cu-3 mutant roots were able to elongate at the same brassinosteroid concentration. Moreover, cu-3 mutants retained sensitivity to indole-3-acetic acid, cytokinins, gibberellin, and abscisic acid while showing hypersensitivity to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in the root elongation assay. The cu-3 root response to hormones, coupled with its bri1-like phenotype, suggests that cu-3 may also be brassinosteroid insensitive. PMID:10631252

  8. Leaf structural traits of tropical woody species resistant to cement dust.

    PubMed

    Siqueira-Silva, Advanio Inácio; Pereira, Eduardo Gusmão; Modolo, Luzia Valentina; Paiva, Elder Antonio Sousa

    2016-08-01

    Cement industries located nearby limestone outcrops in Brazil have contributed to the coating of cement dust over native plant species. However, little is known about the extent of the response of tropical woody plants to such environmental pollutant particularly during the first stages of plant development and establishment. This work focused on the investigation of possible alterations in leaf structural and ultrastructural traits of 5-month-old Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. (Malvaceae), 6-month-old Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão (Anacardiaceae), and 9-month-old Trichilia hirta L. (Meliaceae) challenged superficially with cement dust during new leaf development. Leaf surface of plants, the soil or both (leaf plus soil), were treated (or not) for 60 days, under controlled conditions, with cement dust at 2.5 or 5.0 mg cm(-2). After exposure, no significant structural changes were observed in plant leaves. Also, no plant death was recorded by the end of the experiment. There was also some evidence of localized leaf necrosis in G. ulmifolia and T. hirta, leaf curling in M. urundeuva and T. hirta, and bulges formation on epidermal surface of T. hirta, after cement dust contact with plant shoots. All species studied exhibited stomata obliteration while T. hirta, in particular, presented early leaf abscission, changes in cellular relief, and organization and content of midrib cells. No significant ultrastructural alterations were detected under the experimental conditions studied. Indeed, mesophyll cells presented plastids with intact membrane systems. The high plant survival rates, together with mild morphoanatomic traits alterations in leaves, indicate that G. ulmifolia is more resistant to cement dust pollutant, followed by M. urundeuva and T. hirta. Thus, the three plant species are promising for being used to revegetate areas impacted by cement industries activities.

  9. A peptide derived from enzymatic digestion of globulins from amaranth shows strong affinity binding to the replication origin of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus reducing viral replication in Nicotiana benthamiana.

    PubMed

    Mendoza-Figueroa, J S; Kvarnheden, A; Méndez-Lozano, J; Rodríguez-Negrete, E-A; Arreguín-Espinosa de Los Monteros, R; Soriano-García, M

    2018-02-01

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV; genus Begomovirus; family Geminiviridae) infects mainly plants of the family Solanaceae, and the infection induces curling and chlorosis of leaves, dwarfing of the whole plant, and reduced fruit production. Alternatives for direct control of TYLCV and other geminiviruses have been reported, for example, the use of esterified whey proteins, peptide aptamer libraries or artificial zinc finger proteins. The two latter alternatives affect directly the replication of TYLCV as well as of other geminiviruses because the replication structures and sequences are highly conserved within this virus family. Because peptides and proteins offer a potential solution for virus replication control, in this study we show the isolation, biochemical characterization and antiviral activity of a peptide derived from globulins of amaranth seeds (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) that binds to the replication origin sequence (OriRep) of TYLCV and affects viral replication with a consequent reduction of disease symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana. Aromatic peptides obtained from papain digests of extracted globulins and albumins of amaranth were tested by intrinsic fluorescent titration and localized surface resonance plasmon to analyze their binding affinity to OriRep of TYLCV. The peptide AmPep1 (molecular weight 2.076 KDa) showed the highest affinity value (Kd = 1.8 nM) for OriRep. This peptide shares a high amino acid similarity with a part of an amaranth 11S globulin, and the strong affinity of AmPep1 could be explained by the presence of tryptophan and lysine facilitating interaction with the secondary structure of OriRep. In order to evaluate the effect of the peptide on in vitro DNA synthesis, rolling circle amplification (RCA) was performed using as template DNA from plants infected with TYLCV or another begomovirus, pepper huasteco yellow vein virus (PHYVV), and adding AmPep1 peptide at different concentrations. The results showed a decrease in

  10. Intact Plastids Are Required for Nitrate- and Light-Induced Accumulation of Nitrate Reductase Activity and mRNA in Squash Cotyledons 1

    PubMed Central

    Oelmüller, Rolf; Briggs, Winslow R.

    1990-01-01

    Induction of nitrate reductase activity and mRNA by nitrate and light is prevented if chloroplasts are destroyed by photooxidation in norflurazon-treated squash (Cucurbita maxima L.) cotyledons. The enzyme activity and mRNA can be induced if norflurazon-treated squash seedlings are kept in low-intensity red light, which minimizes photodamage to the plastids. It is concluded that induction of nitrate reductase activity and nitrate reductase mRNA requires intact plastids. If squash seedlings grown in low-intensity red light are transferred to photooxidative white light, nitrate reductase activity accumulates during the first 12 hours after the shift and declines thereafter. Thus photodamage to the plastids and the disappearance of nitrate reductase activity and mRNA are events separable in time, and disappearance of the enzyme activity is a consequence of the damage to the plastids. Images Figure 1 Figure 3 Figure 4 PMID:16667294

  11. Xanthium strumarium: a weed host of components of begomovirus-betasatellite complexes affecting crops.

    PubMed

    Mubin, M; Akhtar, S; Amin, I; Briddon, R W; Mansoor, S

    2012-02-01

    Xanthium strumarium is a common weed that often shows symptoms typical of begomovirus infection, such as leaf curling and vein thickening. The virus complex isolated from the weed consisted of two begomoviruses along with a betasatellite and an alphasatellite. The first begomovirus was shown to be an isolate of Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus, a new recombinant begomovirus species that is associated with resistance breaking in previously resistant cotton varieties in Pakistan, whereas the second was shown to be an isolate of Tomato leaf curl Gujarat virus (ToLCGV), a begomovirus previously reported to be bipartite. However, there was no evidence for the presence of the second genomic component, DNA B, of ToLCGV in X. strumarium. The betasatellite was shown to be an isolate of Tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand betasatellite, the first time this satellite has been identified in Pakistan. The alphasatellite associated with infection of X. strumarium was shown to be a species recently identified in potato and various weeds; Potato leaf curl alphasatellite. Although each component has been identified previously, this is the first time they have been identified in a single host. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that weeds are reservoirs of crop-infecting begomoviruses that may contribute to virus diversity by virtue of harboring multiple viruses and virus associated components, which may lead to interspecific recombination and component exchange.

  12. Squash preparation: A reliable diagnostic tool in the intraoperative diagnosis of central nervous system tumors

    PubMed Central

    Mitra, Sumit; Kumar, Mohan; Sharma, Vivek; Mukhopadhyay, Debasis

    2010-01-01

    Background: Intraoperative cytology is an important diagnostic modality improving on the accuracy of the frozen sections. It has shown to play an important role especially in the intraoperative diagnosis of central nervous system tumors. Aim: To study the diagnostic accuracy of squash preparation and frozen section (FS) in the intraoperative diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Materials and Methods: This prospective study of 114 patients with CNS tumors was conducted over a period of 18 months (September 2004 to February 2006). The cytological preparations were stained by the quick Papanicolaou method. The squash interpretation and FS diagnosis were later compared with the paraffin section diagnosis. Results: Of the 114 patients, cytological diagnosis was offered in 96 cases. Eighteen nonneoplastic or noncontributory cases were excluded. Using hematoxylin and eosin-stained histopathology sections as the gold standard, the diagnostic accuracy of cytology was 88.5% (85/96) and the accuracy on FS diagnosis was 90.6% (87/96). Among these cases, gliomas formed the largest category of tumors (55.2%). The cytological accuracy in this group was 84.9% (45/53) and the comparative FS figure was 86.8% (46/53). In cases where the smear and the FS diagnosis did not match, the latter opinion was offered. Conclusions: Squash preparation is a reliable, rapid and easy method and can be used as a complement to FS in the intraoperative diagnosis of CNS tumors. PMID:21187881

  13. Hawking radiation in a rotating Kaluza-Klein black hole with squashed horizons

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen Songbai; Wang Bin; Su Rukeng

    2008-01-15

    We explore the signature of the extra dimension in the Hawking radiation in a rotating Kaluza-Klein black hole with squashed horizons. Comparing with the spherical case, we find that the rotating parameter brings richer physics. We obtain the appropriate size of the extra dimension which can enhance the Hawking radiation and may open a window to detect the extra dimensions.

  14. A developmentally regulated lipocalin-like gene is overexpressed in Tomato yellow leaf curl virus-resistant tomato plants upon virus inoculation, and its silencing abolishes resistance.

    PubMed

    Sade, Dagan; Eybishtz, Assaf; Gorovits, Rena; Sobol, Iris; Czosnek, Henryk

    2012-10-01

    To discover genes involved in tomato resistance to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), we previously compared cDNA libraries from susceptible (S) and resistant (R) tomato lines. Among the genes preferentially expressed in R plants and upregulated by TYLCV infection was a gene encoding a lipocalin-like protein. This gene was termed Solanum lycopersicum virus resistant/susceptible lipocalin (SlVRSLip). The SlVRSLip structural gene sequence of R and S plants was identical. SlVRSLip was expressed in leaves during a 15-day window starting about 40 days after sowing (20 days after planting). SlVRSLip was upregulated by Bemisia tabaci (the TYLCV vector) feeding on R plant leaves, and even more strongly upregulated following whitefly-mediated TYLCV inoculation. Silencing of SlVRSLip in R plants led to the collapse of resistance upon TYLCV inoculation and to a necrotic response along the stem and petioles accompanied by ROS production. Contrary to previously identified tomato lipocalin gene DQ222981, SlVRSLip was not regulated by cold, nor was it regulated by heat or salt. The expression of SlVRSLip was inhibited in R plants in which the hexose transporter gene LeHT1 was silenced. In contrast, the expression of LeHT1 was not inhibited in SlVRSLip-silenced R plants. Hence, in the hierarchy of the gene network conferring TYLCV resistance, SlVRSLip is downstream of LeHT1. Silencing of another gene involved in resistance, a Permease-I like protein, did not affect the expression of SlVRSLip and LeHT1; expression of the Permease was not affected by silencing SlVRSLip or LeHT1, suggesting that it does not belong to the same network. The triple co-silencing of SlVRSLip, LeHT1 and Permease provoked an immediate cessation of growth of R plants upon infection and the accumulation of large amounts of virus. SlVRSLip is the first lipocalin-like gene shown to be involved in resistance to a plant virus.

  15. A Scott bench with ergonomic thorax stabilisation pad improves body posture during preacher arm curl exercise.

    PubMed

    Biscarini, Andrea; Benvenuti, Paolo; Busti, Daniele; Zanuso, Silvano

    2016-05-01

    We assessed whether the use of an ergonomic thorax stabilisation pad, during the preacher arm curl exercise, could significantly reduce the excessive shoulder protraction and thoracic kyphosis induced by the standard flat pad built into the existing preacher arm curl equipment. A 3D motion capture system and inclinometers were used to measure shoulder protraction and thoracic kyphosis in 15 subjects performing preacher arm curl with a plate-loaded machine provided with the standard flat pad. The same measures were repeated after replacing the flat pad with a new ergonomic pad, specifically designed to accommodate the thorax profile and improve body posture. Pad replacement significantly (p < 0.001) reduced shoulder protraction (from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]) and thoracic kyphosis (from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]), enabling postural and functional improvements within the entire spine, shoulder girdle and rib cage. The ergonomic pad may potentially allow a more effective training, prevent musculoskeletal discomfort and reduce the risk of injury. Practitioner summary: We have designed an ergonomic thorax stabilisation pad for the preacher arm curl exercise. The new ergonomic pad improves the poor posture conditions induced by the standard flat pad and may potentially allow a more effective training, prevent musculoskeletal discomfort, improve the breathing function and reduce the risk of injury.

  16. Lack of Effect of Ankle Position During the Nordic Curl on Muscle Activity of the Biceps Femoris and Medial Gastrocnemius.

    PubMed

    Comfort, Paul; Regan, Amy; Herrington, Lee; Thomas, Chris; McMahon, John; Jones, Paul

    2017-05-01

    Regular performance (~2×/wk) of Nordic curls has been shown to increase hamstring strength and reduce the risk of hamstring strain injury, although no consensus on ankle position has been provided. To compare the effects of performing Nordic curls, with the ankle in a dorsiflexed (DF) or plantar-flexed (PF) position, on muscle activity of the biceps femoris (BF) and medial gastrocnemius (MG). 15 male college athletes (age 22.6 ± 2.1 y, height 1.78 ± 0.06 m, body mass 88.75 ± 8.95 kg). A repeated-measures design was used, with participants performing 2 sets of 3 repetitions of both variations of Nordic curls, while muscle activity was assessed via surface electromyography (EMG) of the BF and MG. Comparisons of muscle activity were made by examining the normalized EMG data as the percentage of their maximum voluntary isometric contraction. Paired-samples t test revealed no significant difference in normalized muscle activity of the BF (124.5% ± 6.2% vs 128.1 ± 5.0%, P > .05, Cohen d = 0.64, power = .996) or MG (82.1% ± 3.9% vs 83.5 ± 4.8%, P > .05, Cohen d = 0.32, power = .947) during the Nordic curls in a PF or DF position, respectively. Ankle position does not influence muscle activity during the Nordic curl; however, performance of Nordic curls with the ankle in a DF position may be preferential, as this replicates the ankle position during terminal leg swing during running, which tends to be the point at which hamstring strains have been reported.

  17. 7 CFR 319.56-36 - Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... QUARANTINE NOTICES Fruits and Vegetables § 319.56-36 Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from... McPhail traps (or a similar type with a protein bait that has been approved for the pests of concern) in...

  18. 7 CFR 319.56-36 - Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from the Republic of Korea.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... QUARANTINE NOTICES Fruits and Vegetables § 319.56-36 Watermelon, squash, cucumber, and oriental melon from... McPhail traps (or a similar type with a protein bait that has been approved for the pests of concern) in...

  19. Sweepoviruses cause disease in sweet potato and related Ipomoea spp.: fulfilling Koch's postulates for a divergent group in the genus begomovirus.

    PubMed

    Trenado, Helena P; Orílio, Anelise F; Márquez-Martín, Belén; Moriones, Enrique; Navas-Castillo, Jesús

    2011-01-01

    Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and related Ipomoea species are frequently infected by monopartite begomoviruses (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae), known as sweepoviruses. Unlike other geminiviruses, the genomes of sweepoviruses have been recalcitrant to rendering infectious clones to date. Thus, Koch's postulates have not been fullfilled for any of the viruses in this group. Three novel species of sweepoviruses have recently been described in Spain: Sweet potato leaf curl Lanzarote virus (SPLCLaV), Sweet potato leaf curl Spain virus (SPLCSV) and Sweet potato leaf curl Canary virus (SPLCCaV). Here we describe the generation of the first infectious clone of an isolate (ES:MAL:BG30:06) of SPLCLaV. The clone consisted of a complete tandem dimeric viral genome in a binary vector. Successful infection by agroinoculation of several species of Ipomoea (including sweet potato) and Nicotiana benthamiana was confirmed by PCR, dot blot and Southern blot hybridization. Symptoms observed in infected plants consisted of leaf curl, yellowing, growth reduction and vein yellowing. Two varieties of sweet potato, 'Beauregard' and 'Promesa', were infected by agroinoculation, and symptoms of leaf curl and interveinal loss of purple colouration were observed, respectively. The virus present in agroinfected plants was readily transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci to I. setosa plants. The progeny virus population present in agroinfected I. setosa and sweet potato plants was isolated and identity to the original isolate was confirmed by sequencing. Therefore, Koch's postulates were fulfilled for the first time for a sweepovirus.

  20. Sweepoviruses Cause Disease in Sweet Potato and Related Ipomoea spp.: Fulfilling Koch's Postulates for a Divergent Group in the Genus Begomovirus

    PubMed Central

    Márquez-Martín, Belén; Moriones, Enrique; Navas-Castillo, Jesús

    2011-01-01

    Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and related Ipomoea species are frequently infected by monopartite begomoviruses (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae), known as sweepoviruses. Unlike other geminiviruses, the genomes of sweepoviruses have been recalcitrant to rendering infectious clones to date. Thus, Koch's postulates have not been fullfilled for any of the viruses in this group. Three novel species of sweepoviruses have recently been described in Spain: Sweet potato leaf curl Lanzarote virus (SPLCLaV), Sweet potato leaf curl Spain virus (SPLCSV) and Sweet potato leaf curl Canary virus (SPLCCaV). Here we describe the generation of the first infectious clone of an isolate (ES:MAL:BG30:06) of SPLCLaV. The clone consisted of a complete tandem dimeric viral genome in a binary vector. Successful infection by agroinoculation of several species of Ipomoea (including sweet potato) and Nicotiana benthamiana was confirmed by PCR, dot blot and Southern blot hybridization. Symptoms observed in infected plants consisted of leaf curl, yellowing, growth reduction and vein yellowing. Two varieties of sweet potato, ‘Beauregard’ and ‘Promesa’, were infected by agroinoculation, and symptoms of leaf curl and interveinal loss of purple colouration were observed, respectively. The virus present in agroinfected plants was readily transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci to I. setosa plants. The progeny virus population present in agroinfected I. setosa and sweet potato plants was isolated and identity to the original isolate was confirmed by sequencing. Therefore, Koch's postulates were fulfilled for the first time for a sweepovirus. PMID:22073314

  1. Evaluating the effects of concrete pavement curling and warping on ride quality.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-09-01

    Construction of a jointed concrete pavement on US 34 near Greeley, Colorado in 2012 led to an investigation of slab curling : and warping that appeared to be contributing to undesirable levels of pavement roughness. Specifically, the westbound lanes ...

  2. Validity and Reliability of an on-Court Fitness Test for Assessing and Monitoring Aerobic Fitness in Squash.

    PubMed

    James, Carl Alexander; Vallejo, Florencio Tenllado; Kantebeen, Melvin; Farra, Saro

    2018-02-14

    Current on-court assessments of aerobic fitness in squash are not designed to yield a wealth of physiological data. Moreover, tests may require complex computer equipment or involve simulated racket strokes, which are difficult to standardize at high intensities. This study investigated the validity and reliability of a squash-specific fitness test which can yield both a standalone performance score, as well as pertinent physiological markers such as V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, the lactate turnpoint and oxygen cost, in a sport-specific environment. Eight national squash players completed three tests in a counter-balanced order; an incremental laboratory treadmill test (LAB) and two on-court fitness tests (ST) that involved repeated shuttle runs at increasing speeds. V[Combining Dot Above]O2max during ST was agreeable with LAB (Typical error [TE]=3.3 mL.kg.min, r=0.79). The mean bias between LAB and ST was 2.5 mL.kg.min. There were no differences in maximum heart rate, post exercise blood lactate concentration or end of test RPE between LAB and ST (p>0.05). The ST was highly reliable, with 74 (10) laps completed in ST1 and 75 (12) laps in ST2 (mean bias=1 lap, TE=3 laps, r=0.97). Physiological markers were also reliable, including V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, (TE=1.5 mL.kg.min, r=0.95), the lap number at 4 mMol (TE=4 laps, r=0.77) and average VO2 across the first 4 stages (TE=0.94 mL.kg.min, r=0.95). We observed good agreement between LAB and ST for assessing V[Combining Dot Above]O2max and between both on-court trials for assessing test performance and selected physiological markers. Consequently, we recommend this test for monitoring training adaptations and prescribing individualized training in elite squash players.

  3. The Impact of Location and Growing Medium on Harvest Yield and Flavor of Basil and Squash Microgreens

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leal, J.; Ventura, C. J.

    2016-12-01

    The purpose of this experiment is to discover the most efficient, feasible way to produce a high yield of flavorful microgreens within the best growing medium and building location at the Stanford Educational Farm. In recent years, microgreens, young, small edible greens utilized as flavor garnishes for fine dining, have evolved into an immensely profitable market that will continue to expand and prosper. To capitalize on such opportunities, the primary metrics focused upon are harvest yield and flavor of basil and squash microgreens, as they develop in different concentrations of quick root and compost while located in either a greenhouse or lath house. It was hypothesized that if basil and squash microgreens were grown in a mixture of 50% compost and 50% quick root in the greenhouse, then they would produce the greatest harvest yield and maximum amount of flavor. The general experimental protocol includes monitoring the growth of the microgreens, then harvesting directly after the first true leaves begin to emerge. Upon harvest, each set of microgreens are separated into different clear glass jars to place on a small scale for weighing to determine the yield and tasting the leaves to analyze the flavor content. The highest yield of basil (63 grams) developed in a tray of 100% quick root in the lath house, while the greatest yield of squash (51 grams) succeeded in 100% quick root in the greenhouse. Overall however, the basil grew fastest in the greenhouse but tasted stronger in the lath house. Additionally, because the harvest yield and flavor results were so poor in all other locations and growing mediums for squash during the first trial, it cannot be considered a viable microgreen. In the future, more trials should be conducted for greater numbers of trays of microgreens to collect more data. The nutritional value of microgreens should also be explored further to obtain a holistic approach to the value of these plants from seed to harvest to consumption.

  4. Crop domestication facilitated rapid geographic expansion of a specialist pollinator, the squash bee Peponapis pruinosa

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Over the past 10,000 years, humans have facilitated rapid range expansions of animal, plants and microorganisms, often accompanying agriculture’s spread. Three squash species were early domesticates in the New World. Their spreading cultivation out of the Southwest across much of today’s USA has bee...

  5. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus infection of a resistant tomato line with a silenced sucrose transporter gene LeHT1 results in inhibition of growth, enhanced virus spread, and necrosis.

    PubMed

    Eybishtz, Assaf; Peretz, Yuval; Sade, Dagan; Gorovits, Rena; Czosnek, Henryk

    2010-02-01

    To identify genes involved in resistance of tomato to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), cDNA libraries from lines resistant (R) and susceptible (S) to the virus were compared. The hexose transporter LeHT1 was found to be expressed preferentially in R tomato plants. The role of LeHT1 in the establishment of TYLCV resistance was studied in R plants where LeHT1 has been silenced using Tobacco rattle virus-induced gene silencing (TRV VIGS). Following TYLCV inoculation, LeHT1-silenced R plants showed inhibition of growth and enhanced virus accumulation and spread. In addition, a necrotic response was observed along the stem and petioles of infected LeHT1-silenced R plants, but not on infected not-silenced R plants. This response was specific of R plants since it was absent in infected LeHT1-silenced S plants. Necrosis had several characteristics of programmed cell death (PCD): DNA from necrotic tissues presented a PCD-characteristic ladder pattern, the amount of a JNK analogue increased, and production of reactive oxygen was identified by DAB staining. A similar necrotic reaction along stem and petioles was observed in LeHT1-silenced R plants infected with the DNA virus Bean dwarf mosaic virus and the RNA viruses Cucumber mosaic virus and Tobacco mosaic virus. These results constitute the first evidence for a necrotic response backing natural resistance to TYLCV in tomato, confirming that plant defense is organized in multiple layers. They demonstrate that the hexose transporter LeHT1 is essential for the expression of natural resistance against TYLCV and its expression correlates with inhibition of virus replication and movement.

  6. Potential organic herbicides for squash production: Pelargonic acid herbicides AXXE (registered trademark) and Scythe (registered trademark)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Organic squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) producers need appropriate herbicides that can effectively provide season- long weed control. Research was conducted in southeast Oklahoma (Atoka County, Lane, OK) to determine the impact of potential organic herbicides on weed control efficacy, crop injury, and y...

  7. Identification of a monopartite begomovirus associated with yellow vein mosaic of Mentha longifolia in Saudi Arabia.

    PubMed

    Sohrab, Sayed Sartaj; Daur, Ihsanullah

    2018-02-01

    Mentha is a very important crop grown and used extensively for many purposes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Begomoviruses are whitefly-transmitted viruses causing serious disease in many important plants exhibiting variable symptoms with significant economic loss globally. During farmers' field survey, yellow vein mosaic disease was observed in Mentha longifolia plants growing near tomato fields in Saudi Arabia. The causative agent was identified in 11 out of 19 samples using begomovirus-specific primers and the association of begomovirus with yellow vein mosaic disease in M. longifolia was confirmed. The full-length viral genome and betasatellite were amplified, cloned, and sequenced bidirectionally. The full DNA-A genome was found to have 2785 nucleotides with 1365 bp-associated betasatellite molecule. An attempt was made to amplify DNA-B, but none of the samples produced any positive amplicon of expected size which indicated the presence of monopartite begomovirus. The sequence identity matrix and phylogenetic analysis, based on full genome showed the highest identity (99.6%) with Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and in phylogenetic analysis it formed a closed cluster with Tomato leaf curl virus infecting tomato and Corchorus crop in Saudi Arabia. The sequence analysis results of betasatellites showed the highest identity (98.9%) with Tomato yellow leaf curl betasatellites infecting tomato and phylogenetic analysis using betasatellites formed a close cluster with Tomato yellow leaf curl betasatellites infecting tomato and Corchorus crops, which has already been reported to cause yellow vein mosaic and leaf curl disease in many cultivated and weed crops growing in Saudi Arabia. The identified begomovirus associated with yellow vein mosaic disease in mentha could be a mutated strain of TYLCV and tentatively designated as TYLCV-Mentha isolate. Based on published data and latest information, this is the first report of identification of Tomato yellow leaf

  8. The effect of court location and available time on the tactical shot selection of elite squash players.

    PubMed

    Vučković, Goran; James, Nic; Hughes, Mike; Murray, Stafford; Sporiš, Goran; Perš, Janez

    2013-01-01

    No previous research in squash has considered the time between shots or the proximity of the ball to a wall, which are two important variables that influence shot outcomes. The aim of this paper was to analyse shot types to determine the extent to which they are played in different court areas and a more detailed analysis to determine whether the time available had an influence on the shot selected. Ten elite matches, contested by fifteen of the world's top right handed squash players (age 27 ± 3.2, height 1.81 ± 0.06 m, weight 76.3 ± 3.7 kg), at the men's World Team Championships were processed using the SAGIT/Squash tracking system with shot information manually added to the system. Results suggested that shot responses were dependent upon court location and the time between shots. When these factors were considered repeatable performance existed to the extent that one of two shots was typically played when there was limited time to play the shot (< 1.20s). For example, it was clear that when players did not have a lot of time to hit the ball (low time i.e. < 1.06s, and mid time i.e. 1.06 - 1.20s) in the front left corner close to the side wall, the crosscourt lob was used frequently (44.30% and 36.31% respectively) whereas when there was more time this shot was seldom used (13.64%). Consequently variant and invariant behaviour were shown to exist in elite squash although for the first time it was suggested that the availability of time to play a shot contributed to which of these behaviours was evident. This analysis could be extended by adopting a case study approach to see how individual differences in strategy and tactics affect shot selections. Key pointsPrevious research has suggested that a playing strategy, elements decided in advance of the match, may be evident for elite players by examining court location and preceding shot type, however these parameters alone are unlikely to be sufficient predictors.At present there is no known analysis in squash

  9. The Effect of Court Location and Available Time on the Tactical Shot Selection of Elite Squash Players

    PubMed Central

    Vučković, Goran; James, Nic; Hughes, Mike; Murray, Stafford; Sporiš, Goran; Perš, Janez

    2013-01-01

    No previous research in squash has considered the time between shots or the proximity of the ball to a wall, which are two important variables that influence shot outcomes. The aim of this paper was to analyse shot types to determine the extent to which they are played in different court areas and a more detailed analysis to determine whether the time available had an influence on the shot selected. Ten elite matches, contested by fifteen of the world’s top right handed squash players (age 27 ± 3.2, height 1.81 ± 0.06 m, weight 76.3 ± 3.7 kg), at the men’s World Team Championships were processed using the SAGIT/Squash tracking system with shot information manually added to the system. Results suggested that shot responses were dependent upon court location and the time between shots. When these factors were considered repeatable performance existed to the extent that one of two shots was typically played when there was limited time to play the shot (< 1.20s). For example, it was clear that when players did not have a lot of time to hit the ball (low time i.e. < 1.06s, and mid time i.e. 1.06 - 1.20s) in the front left corner close to the side wall, the crosscourt lob was used frequently (44.30% and 36.31% respectively) whereas when there was more time this shot was seldom used (13.64%). Consequently variant and invariant behaviour were shown to exist in elite squash although for the first time it was suggested that the availability of time to play a shot contributed to which of these behaviours was evident. This analysis could be extended by adopting a case study approach to see how individual differences in strategy and tactics affect shot selections. Key points Previous research has suggested that a playing strategy, elements decided in advance of the match, may be evident for elite players by examining court location and preceding shot type, however these parameters alone are unlikely to be sufficient predictors. At present there is no known analysis in

  10. Recovering stereo vision by squashing virtual bugs in a virtual reality environment.

    PubMed

    Vedamurthy, Indu; Knill, David C; Huang, Samuel J; Yung, Amanda; Ding, Jian; Kwon, Oh-Sang; Bavelier, Daphne; Levi, Dennis M

    2016-06-19

    Stereopsis is the rich impression of three-dimensionality, based on binocular disparity-the differences between the two retinal images of the same world. However, a substantial proportion of the population is stereo-deficient, and relies mostly on monocular cues to judge the relative depth or distance of objects in the environment. Here we trained adults who were stereo blind or stereo-deficient owing to strabismus and/or amblyopia in a natural visuomotor task-a 'bug squashing' game-in a virtual reality environment. The subjects' task was to squash a virtual dichoptic bug on a slanted surface, by hitting it with a physical cylinder they held in their hand. The perceived surface slant was determined by monocular texture and stereoscopic cues, with these cues being either consistent or in conflict, allowing us to track the relative weighting of monocular versus stereoscopic cues as training in the task progressed. Following training most participants showed greater reliance on stereoscopic cues, reduced suppression and improved stereoacuity. Importantly, the training-induced changes in relative stereo weights were significant predictors of the improvements in stereoacuity. We conclude that some adults deprived of normal binocular vision and insensitive to the disparity information can, with appropriate experience, recover access to more reliable stereoscopic information.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in our three-dimensional world'. © 2016 The Author(s).

  11. Quasi-local action of curl-less vector potential on vortex dynamics in superconductors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gulian, Armen M.; Nikoghosyan, Vahan R.; Gulian, Ellen D.; Melkonyan, Gurgen G.

    2018-04-01

    Studies of the Abrikosov vortex motion in superconductors based on time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations reveal an opportunity to detect the values of the Aharonov-Bohm type curl-less vector potentials without closed-loop electron trajectories encompassing the magnetic flux.

  12. Large-Deformation Curling Actuators Based on Carbon Nanotube Composite: Advanced-Structure Design and Biomimetic Application.

    PubMed

    Chen, Luzhuo; Weng, Mingcen; Zhou, Zhiwei; Zhou, Yi; Zhang, Lingling; Li, Jiaxin; Huang, Zhigao; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Changhong; Fan, Shoushan

    2015-12-22

    In recent years, electroactive polymers have been developed as actuator materials. As an important branch of electroactive polymers, electrothermal actuators (ETAs) demonstrate potential applications in the fields of artificial muscles, biomimetic devices, robotics, and so on. Large-shape deformation, low-voltage-driven actuation, and ultrafast fabrication are critical to the development of ETA. However, a simultaneous optimization of all of these advantages has not been realized yet. Practical biomimetic applications are also rare. In this work, we introduce an ultrafast approach to fabricate a curling actuator based on a newly designed carbon nanotube and polymer composite, which completely realizes all of the above required advantages. The actuator shows an ultralarge curling actuation with a curvature greater than 1.0 cm(-1) and bending angle larger than 360°, even curling into a tubular structure. The driving voltage is down to a low voltage of 5 V. The remarkable actuation is attributed not only to the mismatch in the coefficients of thermal expansion but also to the mechanical property changes of materials during temperature change. We also construct an S-shape actuator to show the possibility of building advanced-structure actuators. A weightlifting walking robot is further designed that exhibits a fast-moving motion while lifting a sample heavier than itself, demonstrating promising biomimetic applications.

  13. On the Contribution of Curl-Free Current Patterns to the Ultimate Intrinsic Signal-to-Noise Ratio at Ultra-High Field Strength.

    PubMed

    Pfrommer, Andreas; Henning, Anke

    2017-05-01

    The ultimate intrinsic signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is a coil independent performance measure to compare different receive coil designs. To evaluate this benchmark in a sample, a complete electromagnetic basis set is required. The basis set can be obtained by curl-free and divergence-free surface current distributions, which excite linearly independent solutions to Maxwell's equations. In this work, we quantitatively investigate the contribution of curl-free current patterns to the ultimate intrinsic SNR in a spherical head-sized model at 9.4 T. Therefore, we compare the ultimate intrinsic SNR obtained with having only curl-free or divergence-free current patterns, with the ultimate intrinsic SNR obtained from a combination of curl-free and divergence-free current patterns. The influence of parallel imaging is studied for various acceleration factors. Moreover results for different field strengths (1.5 T up to 11.7 T) are presented at specific voxel positions and acceleration factors. The full-wave electromagnetic problem is analytically solved using dyadic Green's functions. We show, that at ultra-high field strength (B 0 ⩾7T) a combination of curl-free and divergence-free current patterns is required to achieve the best possible SNR at any position in a spherical head-sized model. On 1.5- and 3T platforms, divergence-free current patterns are sufficient to cover more than 90% of the ultimate intrinsic SNR. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Effects of mutations in the Arabidopsis Cold Shock Domain Protein 3 (AtCSP3) gene on leaf cell expansion.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yongil; Karlson, Dale

    2012-08-01

    The cold shock domain is among the most evolutionarily conserved nucleic acid binding domains from prokaryotes to higher eukaryotes, including plants. Although eukaryotic cold shock domain proteins have been extensively studied as transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators during various developmental processes, their functional roles in plants remains poorly understood. In this study, AtCSP3 (At2g17870), which is one of four Arabidopsis thaliana c old s hock domain proteins (AtCSPs), was functionally characterized. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis confirmed high expression of AtCSP3 in reproductive and meristematic tissues. A homozygous atcsp3 loss-of-function mutant exhibits an overall reduced seedling size, stunted and orbicular rosette leaves, reduced petiole length, and curled leaf blades. Palisade mesophyll cells are smaller and more circular in atcsp3 leaves. Cell size analysis indicated that the reduced size of the circular mesophyll cells appears to be generated by a reduction of cell length along the leaf-length axis, resulting in an orbicular leaf shape. It was also determined that leaf cell expansion is impaired for lateral leaf development in the atcsp3 loss-of-function mutant, but leaf cell proliferation is not affected. AtCSP3 loss-of-function resulted in a dramatic reduction of LNG1 transcript, a gene that is involved in two-dimensional leaf polarity regulation. Transient subcellular localization of AtCSP3 in onion epidermal cells confirmed a nucleocytoplasmic localization pattern. Collectively, these data suggest that AtCSP3 is functionally linked to the regulation of leaf length by affecting LNG1 transcript accumulation during leaf development. A putative function of AtCSP3 as an RNA binding protein is also discussed in relation to leaf development.

  15. CLD1/SRL1 modulates leaf rolling by affecting cell wall formation, epidermis integrity and water homeostasis in rice.

    PubMed

    Li, Wen-Qiang; Zhang, Min-Juan; Gan, Peng-Fei; Qiao, Lei; Yang, Shuai-Qi; Miao, Hai; Wang, Gang-Feng; Zhang, Mao-Mao; Liu, Wen-Ting; Li, Hai-Feng; Shi, Chun-Hai; Chen, Kun-Ming

    2017-12-01

    Leaf rolling is considered as one of the most important agronomic traits in rice breeding. It has been previously reported that SEMI-ROLLED LEAF 1 (SRL1) modulates leaf rolling by regulating the formation of bulliform cells in rice (Oryza sativa); however, the regulatory mechanism underlying SRL1 has yet to be further elucidated. Here, we report the functional characterization of a novel leaf-rolling mutant, curled leaf and dwarf 1 (cld1), with multiple morphological defects. Map-based cloning revealed that CLD1 is allelic with SRL1, and loses function in cld1 through DNA methylation. CLD1/SRL1 encodes a glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored membrane protein that modulates leaf rolling and other aspects of rice growth and development. The cld1 mutant exhibits significant decreases in cellulose and lignin contents in secondary cell walls of leaves, indicating that the loss of function of CLD1/SRL1 affects cell wall formation. Furthermore, the loss of CLD1/SRL1 function leads to defective leaf epidermis such as bulliform-like epidermal cells. The defects in leaf epidermis decrease the water-retaining capacity and lead to water deficits in cld1 leaves, which contribute to the main cause of leaf rolling. As a result of the more rapid water loss and lower water content in leaves, cld1 exhibits reduced drought tolerance. Accordingly, the loss of CLD1/SRL1 function causes abnormal expression of genes and proteins associated with cell wall formation, cuticle development and water stress. Taken together, these findings suggest that the functional roles of CLD1/SRL1 in leaf-rolling regulation are closely related to the maintenance of cell wall formation, epidermal integrity and water homeostasis. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Transcriptomics of the interaction between the monopartite phloem-limited geminivirus tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus and Solanum lycopersicum highlights a role for plant hormones, autophagy and plant immune system fine tuning during infection.

    PubMed

    Miozzi, Laura; Napoli, Chiara; Sardo, Luca; Accotto, Gian Paolo

    2014-01-01

    Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV), a DNA virus belonging to the genus Begomovirus, causes severe losses in tomato crops. It infects only a limited number of cells in the vascular tissues, making difficult to detect changes in host gene expression linked to its presence. Here we present the first microarray study of transcriptional changes induced by the phloem-limited geminivirus TYLCSV infecting tomato, its natural host. The analysis was performed on the midrib of mature leaves, a material naturally enriched in vascular tissues. A total of 2206 genes were up-regulated and 1398 were down-regulated in infected plants, with an overrepresentation of genes involved in hormone metabolism and responses, nucleic acid metabolism, regulation of transcription, ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and autophagy among those up-regulated, and in primary and secondary metabolism, phosphorylation, transcription and methylation-dependent chromatin silencing among those down-regulated. Our analysis showed a series of responses, such as the induction of GA- and ABA-responsive genes, the activation of the autophagic process and the fine tuning of the plant immune system, observed only in TYLCSV-tomato compatible interaction so far. On the other hand, comparisons with transcriptional changes observed in other geminivirus-plant interactions highlighted common host responses consisting in the deregulation of biotic stress responsive genes, key enzymes in the ethylene biosynthesis and methylation cycle, components of the ubiquitin proteasome system and DNA polymerases II. The involvement of conserved miRNAs and of solanaceous- and tomato-specific miRNAs in geminivirus infection, investigated by integrating differential gene expression data with miRNA targeting data, is discussed.

  17. Seasonal patterns of wind stress and wind stress curl over the Gulf of Mexico

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Velasco, Guillermo Gutiérrez; Winant, Clinton D.

    1996-08-01

    Meteorological observations from an array of stations deployed along the periphery of the Gulf of Mexico, between 1990 and 1993, are used to describe the seasonal fluctuations in patterns of atmospheric variables from a contemporary set of measurements. Seasonal maps of wind stress based on these measurements resemble wind stress maps based on ship observations, as published by Elliott [1979], rather than maps based on analyses of numerical weather forecasts, as published by Rhodes et al. [1989], particularly near the western boundary of the gulf. Seasonal maps of wind stress curl are characterized by positive curls over the western and southwestern gulf. The central result of this study is to document the important role of the mountain chain which extends along the southwestern section of the gulf in channeling the wind toward the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

  18. Curl and Warp Analysis of the LTPP SPS-2 Site in Arizona : TechBrief

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-05-01

    Variability in the roughness levels of jointed Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements can often be observed over short periods of time. This study demonstrated specialized analyses for quantifying the effect of curl and warp on the roughness of joi...

  19. Squashing the Millennium Bug: A Year 2000 Compliance Guide for Elementary/Secondary Schools and School Districts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Root, Mark; Carlson, Robert; Dexter, David; Karinch, Samantha; Kaplan, Heather

    This guide was developed to assist the nation's elementary and secondary schools and school districts address their Year 2000 (Y2K) problem. The guide is divided into three sections: Squashing the Millennium Bug Step-by-Step; Remediating Specific Types of Systems; and Appendix. The first chapter presents the following steps for tackling the Year…

  20. Global spread of wheat curl mite by the most polyphagous and pestiferous lineages

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The wheat curl mite (WCM), Aceria tosichella, is an important pest of wheat and other cereal crops that transmits wheat streak mosaic virus and several other plant viruses. WCM has long been considered a single polyphagous species, but recent studies in Poland revealed a complex of genetically disti...

  1. Effects of Cucumber mosaic virus infection on vector and non-vector herbivores of squash.

    PubMed

    Mauck, Kerry E; De Moraes, Consuelo M; Mescher, Mark C

    2010-11-01

    Plant chemicals mediating interactions with insect herbivores seem a likely target for manipulation by insectvectored plant pathogens. Yet, little is currently known about the chemical ecology of insect-vectored diseases or their effects on the ecology of vector and nonvector insects. We recently reported that a widespread plant pathogen, Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), greatly reduces the quality of host-plants (squash) for aphid vectors, but that aphids are nevertheless attracted to the odors of infected plants-which exhibit elevated emissions of a volatile blend otherwise similar to the odor of healthy plants. This finding suggests that exaggerating existing host-location cues can be a viable vector attraction strategy for pathogens that otherwise reduce host quality for vectors. Here we report additional data regarding the effects of CMV infection on plant interactions with a common nonvector herbivore, the squash bug, Anasa tristis, which is a pest in this system. We found that adult A. tristis females preferred to oviposit on healthy plants in the field, and that healthy plants supported higher populations of nymphs. Collectively, our recent findings suggest that CMV-induced changes in host plant chemistry influence the behavior of both vector and non-vector herbivores, with significant implications both for disease spread and for broader community-level interactions.

  2. Development and evaluation of ELISA and qRT-PCR for identification of Squash vein yellowing virus in cucurbits

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Enzyme linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) assays were developed for identification of Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), the cause of viral watermelon vine decline. Both assays were capable of detecting SqVYV in a wide range of cucurbit hosts. ...

  3. Influence of insecticides and reflective mulch on watermelon vine decline caused by squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Watermelon vine decline (WVD) caused by the whitefly-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) has been a major limiting factor in watermelon production in southwest and west-central Florida for the past several years. Symptoms of WVD typically manifest as sudden decline of vines a few weeks ...

  4. 7 CFR 319.56-48 - Conditions governing the entry of baby squash and baby courgettes from Zambia.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Fruits and Vegetables § 319.56-48 Conditions governing the entry of baby squash and baby courgettes from... fly traps with an approved protein bait must be placed inside the greenhouses at a density of four... fly traps with an approved protein bait must be placed inside a buffer area 500 meters wide around the...

  5. 7 CFR 319.56-48 - Conditions governing the entry of baby squash and baby courgettes from Zambia.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Fruits and Vegetables § 319.56-48 Conditions governing the entry of baby squash and baby courgettes from... fly traps with an approved protein bait must be placed inside the greenhouses at a density of four... fly traps with an approved protein bait must be placed inside a buffer area 500 meters wide around the...

  6. Faba Greens, Globe Artichoke's Offshoots, Crenate Broomrape and Summer Squash Greens: Unconventional Vegetables of Puglia (Southern Italy) With Good Quality Traits.

    PubMed

    Renna, Massimiliano; Signore, Angelo; Paradiso, Vito M; Santamaria, Pietro

    2018-01-01

    Globe artichoke ( Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. [L.] scolymus Hayek), summer squash ( Cucurbita pepo L.) and faba bean ( Vicia faba L.) are widely cultivated for their immature inflorescences, fruits and seeds, respectively. Nevertheless, in some areas of Puglia (Southern Italy), other organs of these species are traditionally used as vegetables, instead of being considered as by-products. Offshoots (so-called cardoni or carducci ) of globe artichoke, produced during the vegetative growing cycle and removed by common cultural procedures, are used like to the cultivated cardoons ( C. cardunculus L. var. altilis DC). The stems, petioles, flowers and smaller leaves of summer squash are used as greens (so-called cime di zucchini ), like other leafy vegetables such as chicory ( Cichorium intybus L.) and Swiss chard ( Beta vulgaris L.). Also the plant apex of faba bean, about 5-10 cm long, obtained from the green pruning, are used as greens (so-called cime di fava ) like spinach leaves. Moreover, crenate broomrape ( Orobanche crenata Forssk.), a root parasite plant that produces devastating effects on many crops (mostly legumes), is used like asparagus ( Asparagus officinalis L.) to prepare several traditional dishes. In this study ethnobotanical surveys and quality assessment of these unconventional vegetables were performed. For their content of fiber, offshoots of globe artichokes can be considered a useful food to bowel. Summer squash greens could be recommended as a vegetable to use especially in the case of hypoglycemic diets considering both content and composition of their carbohydrates. For their low content of nitrate, faba greens could be recommended as a substitute of nitrate-rich leafy vegetables. Crenate broomrape shows a high antioxidant activity and may be considered as a very nutritious agri-food product. Overall, the results of the present study indicate that offshoots of globe artichoke, summer squash greens, faba greens and crenate broomrape have good

  7. Direct measurement of conformational strain energy in protofilaments curling outward from disassembling microtubule tips.

    PubMed

    Driver, Jonathan W; Geyer, Elisabeth A; Bailey, Megan E; Rice, Luke M; Asbury, Charles L

    2017-06-19

    Disassembling microtubules can generate movement independently of motor enzymes, especially at kinetochores where they drive chromosome motility. A popular explanation is the 'conformational wave' model, in which protofilaments pull on the kinetochore as they curl outward from a disassembling tip. But whether protofilaments can work efficiently via this spring-like mechanism has been unclear. By modifying a previous assay to use recombinant tubulin and feedback-controlled laser trapping, we directly demonstrate the spring-like elasticity of curling protofilaments. Measuring their mechanical work output suggests they carry ~25% of the energy of GTP hydrolysis as bending strain, enabling them to drive movement with efficiency similar to conventional motors. Surprisingly, a β-tubulin mutant that dramatically slows disassembly has no effect on work output, indicating an uncoupling of disassembly speed from protofilament strain. These results show the wave mechanism can make a major contribution to kinetochore motility and establish a direct approach for measuring tubulin mechano-chemistry.

  8. Exogenous Methyl Jasmonate Treatment Increases Glucosinolate Biosynthesis and Quinone Reductase Activity in Kale Leaf Tissue

    PubMed Central

    Ku, Kang-Mo; Jeffery, Elizabeth H.; Juvik, John A.

    2014-01-01

    Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) spray treatments were applied to the kale varieties ‘Dwarf Blue Curled Vates’ and ‘Red Winter’ in replicated field plantings in 2010 and 2011 to investigate alteration of glucosinolate (GS) composition in harvested leaf tissue. Aqueous solutions of 250 µM MeJA were sprayed to saturation on aerial plant tissues four days prior to harvest at commercial maturity. The MeJA treatment significantly increased gluconasturtiin (56%), glucobrassicin (98%), and neoglucobrassicin (150%) concentrations in the apical leaf tissue of these genotypes over two seasons. Induction of quinone reductase (QR) activity, a biomarker for anti-carcinogenesis, was significantly increased by the extracts from the leaf tissue of these two cultivars. Extracts of apical leaf tissues had greater MeJA mediated increases in phenolics, glucosinolate concentrations, GS hydrolysis products, and QR activity than extracts from basal leaf tissue samples. The concentration of the hydrolysis product of glucoraphanin, sulforphane was significantly increased in apical leaf tissue of the cultivar ‘Red Winter’ in both 2010 and 2011. There was interaction between exogenous MeJA treatment and environmental conditions to induce endogenous JA. Correlation analysis revealed that indole-3-carbanol (I3C) generated from the hydrolysis of glucobrassicin significantly correlated with QR activity (r = 0.800, P<0.001). Concentrations required to double the specific QR activity (CD values) of I3C was calculated at 230 µM, which is considerably weaker at induction than other isothiocyanates like sulforphane. To confirm relationships between GS hydrolysis products and QR activity, a range of concentrations of MeJA sprays were applied to kale leaf tissues of both cultivars in 2011. Correlation analysis of these results indicated that sulforaphane, NI3C, neoascorbigen, I3C, and diindolylmethane were all significantly correlated with QR activity. Thus, increased QR activity may be due to

  9. Analysis of factors that influence the maximum number of repetitions in two upper-body resistance exercises: curl biceps and bench press.

    PubMed

    Iglesias, Eliseo; Boullosa, Daniel A; Dopico, Xurxo; Carballeira, Eduardo

    2010-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of exercise type, set configuration, and relative intensity load on relationship between 1 repetition maximum (1RM) and maximum number of repetitions (MNR). Thirteen male subjects, experienced in resistance training, were tested in bench press and biceps curl for 1RM, MNR at 90% of 1RM with cluster set configuration (rest of 30s between repetitions) and MNR at 70% of 1RM with traditional set configuration (no rest between repetitions). A lineal encoder was used for measuring displacement of load. Analysis of variance analysis revealed a significant effect of load (p<0.01) and a tendency in exercise factor (p=0.096), whereas the interaction effect was not significant. MNR at 70% of 1RM was lower for biceps curl (16.31+/-2.59 vs. 8.77+/-3 in bench press and biceps curl, respectively; p<0.05) and at 90% of 1RM (21.85+/-11.06 vs. 18.54+/-12.84 in bench press and biceps curl, respectively; p>0.05). Correlation between 1RM and MNR was significant for medium-intensity in biceps curl (r=-0.574; p<0.05) and between MNR and 1RM/body mass (r=-0.574; p<0.05). Neither 1RM nor 1RM/body mass correlated with velocity along set, so velocity seems to be similar at a same relative intensity for subjects with differences in maximum strength levels. From our results, we suggest the employment of MNR rather than % of 1RM for training monitoring. Furthermore, we suggest the introduction of cluster set configuration for upper-body assessment of MNR and for upper-body muscular endurance training at high-intensity loads, as it seems an efficient approach in looking for sessions with greater training volumes. This could be an interesting approach for such sports as wrestling or weightlifting.

  10. Molecular characterization of two sweepoviruses from China and evaluation of the infectivity of cloned SPLCV-JS in Nicotiana benthamiana.

    PubMed

    Bi, Huiping; Zhang, Peng

    2012-03-01

    Sweepoviruses are important begomoviruses that infect Ipomoea plants worldwide and cause sweet potato yield losses and cultivar decline. Two sweepoviruses, sweet potato leaf curl virus-Jiangsu (SPLCV-JS) and sweet potato leaf curl China virus-Zhejiang (SPLCCNV-ZJ), were cloned from diseased sweet potato plants collected in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces of China. Sequence characterization and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that both are typical monopartite begomoviruses and have close relationships to several reported SPLCV and SPLCCNV isolates, respectively, from Asian countries. Analysis of the protein alignments and subcellular localizations of the six SPLCV-JS proteins was also conducted to verify their putative functions. In Nicotiana benthamiana, an infectivity assay of the infectious SPLCV-JS clone resulted in mild symptoms and weak viral DNA accumulation. Interestingly, SPLCV-JS, together with a heterologous betasatellite DNA (tomato yellow leaf curl China virus isolate Y10 [TYLCCNV-Y10] DNA-β), showed a synergistic effect on enhanced symptom severity and viral DNA accumulation. This is the first reported infectious SPLCV clone.

  11. A second gene for acyl-(acyl-carrier-protein): glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase in squash, Cucurbita moschata cv. Shirogikuza(*), codes for an oleate-selective isozyme: molecular cloning and protein purification studies.

    PubMed

    Nishida, I; Sugiura, M; Enju, A; Nakamura, M

    2000-12-01

    A new isogene for acyl-(acyl-carrier-protein):glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT; EC 2.3.1.15) in squash has been cloned and the gene product was identified as oleate-selective GPAT. Using PCR primers that could hybridise with exons for a previously cloned squash GPAT, we obtained two PCR products of different size: one coded for a previously cloned squash GPAT corresponding to non-selective isoforms AT2 and AT3, and the other for a new isozyme, probably the oleate-selective isoform AT1. Full-length amino acid sequences of respective isozymes were deduced from the nucleotide sequences of genomic genes and cDNAs, which were cloned by a series of PCR-based methods. Thus, we designated the new gene CmATS1;1 and the other one CmATS1;2. Genome blot analysis revealed that the squash genome contained the two isogenes at non-allelic loci. AT1-active fractions were partially purified, and three polypeptide bands were identified as being AT1 polypeptides, which exhibited relative molecular masses of 39.5-40.5 kDa, pI values of 6.75-7.15, and oleate selectivity over palmitate. Partial amino-terminal sequences obtained from two of these bands verified that the new isogene codes for AT1 polypeptides.

  12. A weak Galerkin least-squares finite element method for div-curl systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Jichun; Ye, Xiu; Zhang, Shangyou

    2018-06-01

    In this paper, we introduce a weak Galerkin least-squares method for solving div-curl problem. This finite element method leads to a symmetric positive definite system and has the flexibility to work with general meshes such as hybrid mesh, polytopal mesh and mesh with hanging nodes. Error estimates of the finite element solution are derived. The numerical examples demonstrate the robustness and flexibility of the proposed method.

  13. Faba Greens, Globe Artichoke’s Offshoots, Crenate Broomrape and Summer Squash Greens: Unconventional Vegetables of Puglia (Southern Italy) With Good Quality Traits

    PubMed Central

    Renna, Massimiliano; Signore, Angelo; Paradiso, Vito M.; Santamaria, Pietro

    2018-01-01

    Globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. [L.] scolymus Hayek), summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) are widely cultivated for their immature inflorescences, fruits and seeds, respectively. Nevertheless, in some areas of Puglia (Southern Italy), other organs of these species are traditionally used as vegetables, instead of being considered as by-products. Offshoots (so-called cardoni or carducci) of globe artichoke, produced during the vegetative growing cycle and removed by common cultural procedures, are used like to the cultivated cardoons (C. cardunculus L. var. altilis DC). The stems, petioles, flowers and smaller leaves of summer squash are used as greens (so-called cime di zucchini), like other leafy vegetables such as chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) and Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.). Also the plant apex of faba bean, about 5–10 cm long, obtained from the green pruning, are used as greens (so-called cime di fava) like spinach leaves. Moreover, crenate broomrape (Orobanche crenata Forssk.), a root parasite plant that produces devastating effects on many crops (mostly legumes), is used like asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) to prepare several traditional dishes. In this study ethnobotanical surveys and quality assessment of these unconventional vegetables were performed. For their content of fiber, offshoots of globe artichokes can be considered a useful food to bowel. Summer squash greens could be recommended as a vegetable to use especially in the case of hypoglycemic diets considering both content and composition of their carbohydrates. For their low content of nitrate, faba greens could be recommended as a substitute of nitrate-rich leafy vegetables. Crenate broomrape shows a high antioxidant activity and may be considered as a very nutritious agri-food product. Overall, the results of the present study indicate that offshoots of globe artichoke, summer squash greens, faba greens and crenate broomrape have good potential

  14. The Potential Influence of Bumble Bee Visitation on Foraging Behaviors and Assemblages of Honey Bees on Squash Flowers in Highland Agricultural Ecosystems

    PubMed Central

    Xie, Zhenghua; Pan, Dongdong; Teichroew, Jonathan; An, Jiandong

    2016-01-01

    Bee species interactions can benefit plant pollination through synergistic effects and complementary effects, or can be of detriment to plant pollination through competition effects by reducing visitation by effective pollinators. Since specific bee interactions influence the foraging performance of bees on flowers, they also act as drivers to regulate the assemblage of flower visitors. We selected squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) and its pollinators as a model system to study the foraging response of honey bees to the occurrence of bumble bees at two types of sites surrounded by a high amount of natural habitats (≥ 58% of land cover) and a low amount of natural habitats (≤ 12% of land cover) in a highland agricultural ecosystem in China. At the individual level, we measured the elapsed time from the departure of prior pollinator(s) to the arrival of another pollinator, the selection of honey bees for flowers occupied by bumble bees, and the length of time used by honey bees to explore floral resources at the two types of sites. At the community level, we explored the effect of bumble bee visitation on the distribution patterns of honey bees on squash flowers. Conclusively, bumble bee visitation caused an increase in elapsed time before flowers were visited again by a honey bee, a behavioral avoidance by a newly-arriving honey bee to select flowers occupied by bumble bees, and a shortened length of time the honey bee takes to examine and collect floral resources. The number of overall bumble bees on squash flowers was the most important factor explaining the difference in the distribution patterns of honey bees at the community level. Furthermore, decline in the number of overall bumble bees on the squash flowers resulted in an increase in the number of overall honey bees. Therefore, our study suggests that bee interactions provide an opportunity to enhance the resilience of ecosystem pollination services against the decline in pollinator diversity. PMID:26765140

  15. The Potential Influence of Bumble Bee Visitation on Foraging Behaviors and Assemblages of Honey Bees on Squash Flowers in Highland Agricultural Ecosystems.

    PubMed

    Xie, Zhenghua; Pan, Dongdong; Teichroew, Jonathan; An, Jiandong

    2016-01-01

    Bee species interactions can benefit plant pollination through synergistic effects and complementary effects, or can be of detriment to plant pollination through competition effects by reducing visitation by effective pollinators. Since specific bee interactions influence the foraging performance of bees on flowers, they also act as drivers to regulate the assemblage of flower visitors. We selected squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) and its pollinators as a model system to study the foraging response of honey bees to the occurrence of bumble bees at two types of sites surrounded by a high amount of natural habitats (≥ 58% of land cover) and a low amount of natural habitats (≤ 12% of land cover) in a highland agricultural ecosystem in China. At the individual level, we measured the elapsed time from the departure of prior pollinator(s) to the arrival of another pollinator, the selection of honey bees for flowers occupied by bumble bees, and the length of time used by honey bees to explore floral resources at the two types of sites. At the community level, we explored the effect of bumble bee visitation on the distribution patterns of honey bees on squash flowers. Conclusively, bumble bee visitation caused an increase in elapsed time before flowers were visited again by a honey bee, a behavioral avoidance by a newly-arriving honey bee to select flowers occupied by bumble bees, and a shortened length of time the honey bee takes to examine and collect floral resources. The number of overall bumble bees on squash flowers was the most important factor explaining the difference in the distribution patterns of honey bees at the community level. Furthermore, decline in the number of overall bumble bees on the squash flowers resulted in an increase in the number of overall honey bees. Therefore, our study suggests that bee interactions provide an opportunity to enhance the resilience of ecosystem pollination services against the decline in pollinator diversity.

  16. Wheat curl mite and dry bulb mite: untangling a taxonomic conundrum through a multidisciplinary approach

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The taxonomy of two economically important eriophyoid species, Aceria tosichella (wheat curl mite, WCM) and A. tulipae (dry bulb mite, DBM), was confounded in the world literature until the late 20th century due to their morphological similarity and ambiguous data from plant-transfer and virus-trans...

  17. Direct measurement of conformational strain energy in protofilaments curling outward from disassembling microtubule tips

    PubMed Central

    Driver, Jonathan W; Geyer, Elisabeth A; Bailey, Megan E; Rice, Luke M; Asbury, Charles L

    2017-01-01

    Disassembling microtubules can generate movement independently of motor enzymes, especially at kinetochores where they drive chromosome motility. A popular explanation is the ‘conformational wave’ model, in which protofilaments pull on the kinetochore as they curl outward from a disassembling tip. But whether protofilaments can work efficiently via this spring-like mechanism has been unclear. By modifying a previous assay to use recombinant tubulin and feedback-controlled laser trapping, we directly demonstrate the spring-like elasticity of curling protofilaments. Measuring their mechanical work output suggests they carry ~25% of the energy of GTP hydrolysis as bending strain, enabling them to drive movement with efficiency similar to conventional motors. Surprisingly, a β-tubulin mutant that dramatically slows disassembly has no effect on work output, indicating an uncoupling of disassembly speed from protofilament strain. These results show the wave mechanism can make a major contribution to kinetochore motility and establish a direct approach for measuring tubulin mechano-chemistry. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.28433.001 PMID:28628007

  18. Genetic relationships in Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin, squash, gourd) as viewed with high frequency oligonucleotide–targeting active gene (HFO–TAG) markers

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Cucurbita pepo is a highly diverse, economically important member of the Cucurbitaceae. C. pepo encompasses hundreds of cultivars of pumpkins, squash, and gourds. Although C. pepo has been scrutinized with various types of DNA markers, the relationships among the cultivar-groups of C. pepo subsp. p...

  19. Wilson loops and chiral correlators on squashed spheres

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fucito, F.; Morales, J. F.; Poghossian, R.

    2015-11-01

    We study chiral deformations of N=2 and N=4 supersymmetric gauge theories obtained by turning on τ J tr Φ J interactions with Φ the N=2 superfield. Using localization, we compute the deformed gauge theory partition function Z(overrightarrow{τ}|q) and the expectation value of circular Wilson loops W on a squashed four-sphere. In the case of the deformed {N}=4 theory, exact formulas for Z and W are derived in terms of an underlying U( N) interacting matrix model replacing the free Gaussian model describing the {N}=4 theory. Using the AGT correspondence, the τ J -deformations are related to the insertions of commuting integrals of motion in the four-point CFT correlator and chiral correlators are expressed as τ-derivatives of the gauge theory partition function on a finite Ω-background. In the so called Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit, the entire ring of chiral relations is extracted from the ɛ-deformed Seiberg-Witten curve. As a byproduct of our analysis we show that SU(2) gauge theories on rational Ω-backgrounds are dual to CFT minimal models.

  20. Squashed, magnetized black holes in D = 5 minimal gauged supergravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blázquez-Salcedo, Jose Luis; Kunz, Jutta; Navarro-Lérida, Francisco; Radu, Eugen

    2018-02-01

    We construct a new class of black hole solutions in five-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory with a negative cosmological constant. These configurations are cohomogeneity-1, with two equal-magnitude angular momenta. In the generic case, they possess a non-vanishing magnetic potential at infinity with a boundary metric which is the product of time and a squashed three-dimensional sphere. Both extremal and non-extremal black holes are studied. The non-extremal black holes satisfying a certain relation between electric charge, angular momenta and magnitude of the magnetic potential at infinity do not trivialize in the limit of vanishing event horizon size, becoming particle-like (non-topological) solitonic configurations. Among the extremal black holes, we show the existence of a new one-parameter family of supersymmetric solutions, which bifurcate from a critical Gutowski-Reall configuration.

  1. Autophagy functions as an antiviral mechanism against geminiviruses in plants

    PubMed Central

    Haxim, Yakupjan; Ismayil, Asigul; Jia, Qi; Wang, Yan; Zheng, Xiyin; Chen, Tianyuan; Qian, Lichao; Liu, Na; Wang, Yunjing; Han, Shaojie; Cheng, Jiaxuan; Qi, Yijun; Hong, Yiguo; Liu, Yule

    2017-01-01

    Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that recycles damaged or unwanted cellular components, and has been linked to plant immunity. However, how autophagy contributes to plant immunity is unknown. Here we reported that the plant autophagic machinery targets the virulence factor βC1 of Cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMuV) for degradation through its interaction with the key autophagy protein ATG8. A V32A mutation in βC1 abolished its interaction with NbATG8f, and virus carrying βC1V32A showed increased symptoms and viral DNA accumulation in plants. Furthermore, silencing of autophagy-related genes ATG5 and ATG7 reduced plant resistance to the DNA viruses CLCuMuV, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, and Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus, whereas activating autophagy by silencing GAPC genes enhanced plant resistance to viral infection. Thus, autophagy represents a novel anti-pathogenic mechanism that plays an important role in antiviral immunity in plants. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23897.001 PMID:28244873

  2. Generalized Squashing Factors for Covariant Description of Magnetic Connectivity in the Solar Corona

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Titov, V. S.

    2007-01-01

    The study of magnetic connectivity in the solar corona reveals a need to generalize the field line mapping technique to arbitrary geometry of the boundaries and systems of coordinates. Indeed, the global description of the connectivity in the corona requires the use of the photospheric and solar wind boundaries. Both are closed surfaces and therefore do not admit a global regular system of coordinates. At least two overlapping regular systems of coordinates for each of the boundaries are necessary in this case to avoid spherical-pole-like singularities in the coordinates of the footpoints. This implies that the basic characteristic of magnetic connectivity-the squashing degree or factor Q of elemental flux tubes, according to Titov and coworkers-must be rewritten in covariant form. Such a covariant expression of Q is derived in this work. The derived expression is very flexible and highly efficient for describing the global magnetic connectivity in the solar corona. In addition, a general expression for a new characteristic Q1, which defines a squashing of the flux tubes in the directions perpendicular to the field lines, is determined. This new quantity makes it possible to filter out the quasi-separatrix layers whose large values of Q are caused by a projection effect at the field lines nearly touching the photosphere. Thus, the value Q1 provides a much more precise description of the volumetric properties of the magnetic field structure. The difference between Q and Q1 is illustrated by comparing their distributions for two configurations, one of which is the Titov-Demoulin model of a twisted magnetic field.

  3. Curl forces and the nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation.

    PubMed

    Wedemann, R S; Plastino, A R; Tsallis, C

    2016-12-01

    Nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations endowed with curl drift forces are investigated. The conditions under which these evolution equations admit stationary solutions, which are q exponentials of an appropriate potential function, are determined. It is proved that when these stationary solutions exist, the nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations satisfy an H theorem in terms of a free-energy-like quantity involving the S_{q} entropy. A particular two-dimensional model admitting analytical, time-dependent q-Gaussian solutions is discussed in detail. This model describes a system of particles with short-range interactions, performing overdamped motion under drag effects due to a rotating resisting medium. It is related to models that have been recently applied to the study of type-II superconductors. The relevance of the present developments to the study of complex systems in physics, astronomy, and biology is discussed.

  4. Rapid immunocytochemistry based on alternating current electric field using squash smear preparation of central nervous system tumors.

    PubMed

    Moriya, Jun; Tanino, Mishie Ann; Takenami, Tomoko; Endoh, Tomoko; Urushido, Masana; Kato, Yasutaka; Wang, Lei; Kimura, Taichi; Tsuda, Masumi; Nishihara, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Shinya

    2016-01-01

    The role of intraoperative pathological diagnosis for central nervous system (CNS) tumors is crucial for neurosurgery when determining the surgical procedure. Especially, treatment of carmustine (BCNU) wafers requires a conclusive diagnosis of high-grade glioma proven by intraoperative diagnosis. Recently, we demonstrated the usefulness of rapid immunohistochemistry (R-IHC) that facilitates antigen-antibody reaction under alternative current (AC) electric field in the intraoperative diagnosis of CNS tumors; however, a higher proportion of water and lipid in the brain parenchyma sometimes leads to freezing artifacts, resulting in poor quality of frozen sections. On the other hand, squash smear preparation of CNS tumors for cytology does not affect the frozen artifacts, and the importance of smear preparation is now being re-recognized as being better than that of the tissue sections. In this study, we established the rapid immunocytochemistry (R-ICC) protocol for squash smears of CNS tumors using AC electric field that takes only 22 min, and demonstrated its usefulness for semi-quantitative Ki-67/MIB-1 labeling index and CD 20 by R-ICC for intraoperative diagnosis. R-ICC by AC electric field may become a substantial tool for compensating R-IHC and will be applied for broad antibodies in the future.

  5. Ovipositional preferences of two squash bug species, Anasa tristis, and Anasa armigera (Heteroptera: Coreidae), for different cultivars and species of Cucurbitaceae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The ovipositional preferences of two squash bug species, Anasa tristis (DeGeer) and Anasa armigera Say, were evaluated in paired choice tests of different species and cultivars of plants in the family Cucurbitaceae. Females of A. tristis preferred to oviposit on the cultivar from which they were rea...

  6. Core Muscle Activation During Unstable Bicep Curl Using a Water-Filled Instability Training Tube.

    PubMed

    Glass, Stephen C; Blanchette, Taylor W; Karwan, Lauren A; Pearson, Spencer S; OʼNeil, Allison P; Karlik, Dustin A

    2016-11-01

    Glass, SC, Blanchette, TW, Karwan, LA, Pearson, SS, O'Neil, AP, and Karlik, DA. Core muscle activation during unstable bicep curl using a water-filled instability training tube. J Strength Cond Res 30(11): 3212-3219, 2016-The purpose of this study was to assess compensatory muscle activation created during a bicep curl using a water-filled, unstable lifting tube. Ten men (age = 21 ± 1.6 years, height = 180.0 ± 3.3 cm, mass = 87.4 ± 15.0 kg) and 10 women (age = 19.6 ± 1.3 years, height = 161.4 ± 12.0 cm, mass = 61.2 ± 7.4 kg) completed bicep curls using an 11.4-kg tube partially filled with water during a 50% open-valve, 100% open, and control setting. Subjects completed 8 repetitions within each condition with integrated electromyographic signal (converted to percent maximal voluntary contraction) of the bicep, deltoid, rectus abdominus, and paraspinal muscles measured. Compensatory activation was determined using the natural log of coefficient of variation across concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) contractions. There were no differences between gender for any condition. Significant variability was seen across treatments for paraspinal muscles for CON and ECC at 50% (CON LnCV = 3.13 ± 0.56%, ECC LnCV = 3.34 ± 0.58%) and 100% (CON = 3.24 ± 0.34%, ECC = 3.46 ± 0.35%) compared with control (CON = 2.59 ± 0.47%, ECC = 2.80 ± 0.61%). Deltoid variability was greater at the 100% open setting (CON = 3.51 ± 0.53%, ECC = 3.56 ± 0.36%) compared with control (CON = 2.98 ± 0.35%, ECC = 2.97 ± 0.45%). The abdominal CON 100% showed variability (3.02 ± 0.47%) compared with control (2.65 ± 0.43%). Bicep activation remained unvaried. Compensatory activation of postural muscles contribute to postural stability. This device may be a useful tool for neuromuscular training leading to improved stability and control.

  7. Molecular characterization and experimental host range of an isolate of Wissadula golden mosaic St. Thomas virus.

    PubMed

    Collins, A M; Mujaddad-ur-Rehman, Malik; Brown, J K; Reddy, C; Wang, A; Fondong, V; Roye, M E

    2009-12-01

    Partial genome segments of a begomovirus were previously amplified from Wissadula amplissima exhibiting yellow-mosaic and leaf-curl symptoms in the parish of St. Thomas, Jamaica and this isolate assigned to a tentative begomovirus species, Wissadula golden mosaic St. Thomas virus. To clone the complete genome of this isolate of Wissadula golden mosaic St. Thomas virus, abutting primers were designed to PCR amplify its full-length DNA-A and DNA-B components. Sequence analysis of the complete begomovirus genome obtained, confirmed that it belongs to a distinct begomovirus species and this isolate was named Wissadula golden mosaic St. Thomas virus-[Jamaica:Albion:2005] (WGMSTV-[JM:Alb:05]). The genome of WGMSTV-[JM:Alb:05] is organized similar to that of other bipartite Western Hemisphere begomoviruses. Phylogenetic analyses placed the genome components of WGMSTV-[JM:Alb:05] in the Abutilon mosaic virus clade and showed that the DNA-A component is most closely related to four begomovirus species from Cuba, Tobacco leaf curl Cuba virus, Tobacco leaf rugose virus, Tobacco mottle leaf curl virus, and Tomato yellow distortion leaf virus. The putative Rep-binding-site motif in the common region of WGMSTV-[JM:Alb:05] was observed to be identical to that of Chino del tomate virus-Tomato [Mexico:Sinaloa:1983], Sida yellow mosaic Yucatan virus-[Mexico:Yucatan:2005], and Tomato leaf curl Sinaloa virus-[Nicaragua:Santa Lucia], suggesting that WGMSTV-[JM:Alb:05] is capable of forming viable pseudo-recombinants with these begomoviruses, but not with other members of the Abutilon mosaic virus clade. Biolistic inoculation of test plant species with partial dimers of the WGMSTV-[JM:Alb:05] DNA-A and DNA-B components showed that the virus was infectious to Nicotiana benthamiana and W. amplissima and the cultivated species Phaseolus vulgaris (kidney bean) and Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato). Infected W. amplissima plants developed symptoms similar to symptoms observed under field

  8. The single-leg Roman chair hold is more effective than the Nordic hamstring curl in improving hamstring strength-endurance in Gaelic footballers with previous hamstring injury.

    PubMed

    Macdonald, Ben; O'Neill, John; Pollock, Noel; Van Hooren, Bas

    2018-03-06

    Poor hamstring strength-endurance is a risk factor for hamstring injuries. This study investigated the effectiveness of the single-leg Roman hold and Nordic hamstring curl in improving hamstring strength-endurance. Twelve Gaelic footballers (mean ± standard deviation age, height and mass were 25.17 ± 3.46 years, 179.25 ± 5.88 cm, 85.75 ± 4.75 kilo) with a history of hamstring injury were randomized into 2 groups that performed 6 weeks of either Nordic hamstring curl, or single-leg Roman chair hold training. The single-leg hamstring bridge (SLHB) was measured pre- and post- intervention. The Roman chair group showed a very likely moderate magnitude improvement on SLHB performance for both legs (23.7% for the previously injured leg [90% confidence interval 9.6% to 39.6%] and 16.9% for the non-injured leg [6.2% to 28.8%]). The Nordic curl group showed a likely trivial change in SLHB performance for the non-injured leg (-2.1% [-6.7% to 2.6%]) and an unclear, but possibly trivial change for the previously injured leg (0.3% [-5.6% to 6.6%]). The Roman chair group improved very likely more with a moderate magnitude in both the non-injured (19.5% [8.0% to 32.2%]) and the previously injured leg (23.3% [8.5% to 40.0%]) compared to the Nordic curl group. This study demonstrated that 6-weeks single-leg Roman chair training substantially improved SLHB performance, suggesting that it may be an efficacious strategy to mitigate hamstring (re-) injury risk. Conversely, 6-weeks Nordic curl training did not substantially improve SLHB performance, suggesting this may not be the intervention of choice for modifying this risk factor.

  9. A Process to Reduce DC Ingot Butt Curl and Swell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Ho

    1980-11-01

    A simple and effective process to reduce DC ingot butt curl and swell has been developed in the Ingot Casting Division of Alcoa Technical Center.1 In the process, carbon dioxide gas is dissolved under high pressure into the ingot cooling water upstream of the mold during the first several inches of the ingot cast. As the cooling water exits from the mold, the dissolved gas evolves as micron-size bubbles, forming a temporary effective insulation layer on the ingot surface. This reduces thermal stress in the ingot butt. An insulation pad covering about 60% of the bottom block is used in conjunction with the carbon dioxide injection when maximum butt swell reduction is desired. The process, implemented in four Alcoa ingot plants, has proven extremely successful.

  10. Complete nucleotide sequence of a monopartite Begomovirus and associated satellites infecting Carica papaya in Nepal.

    PubMed

    Shahid, M S; Yoshida, S; Khatri-Chhetri, G B; Briddon, R W; Natsuaki, K T

    2013-06-01

    Carica papaya (papaya) is a fruit crop that is cultivated mostly in kitchen gardens throughout Nepal. Leaf samples of C. papaya plants with leaf curling, vein darkening, vein thickening, and a reduction in leaf size were collected from a garden in Darai village, Rampur, Nepal in 2010. Full-length clones of a monopartite Begomovirus, a betasatellite and an alphasatellite were isolated. The complete nucleotide sequence of the Begomovirus showed the arrangement of genes typical of Old World begomoviruses with the highest nucleotide sequence identity (>99 %) to an isolate of Ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV), confirming it as an isolate of AYVV. The complete nucleotide sequence of betasatellite showed greater than 89 % nucleotide sequence identity to an isolate of Tomato leaf curl Java betasatellite originating from Indonesian. The sequence of the alphasatellite displayed 92 % nucleotide sequence identity to Sida yellow vein China alphasatellite. This is the first identification of these components in Nepal and the first time they have been identified in papaya.

  11. Deer predation on leaf miners via leaf abscission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamazaki, Kazuo; Sugiura, Shinji

    2008-03-01

    The evergreen oak Quercus gilva Blume sheds leaves containing mines of the leaf miner Stigmella sp. (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae) earlier than leaves with no mines in early spring in Nara, central Japan. The eclosion rates of the leaf miner in abscised and retained leaves were compared in the laboratory to clarify the effects of leaf abscission on leaf miner survival in the absence of deer. The leaf miner eclosed successfully from both fallen leaves and leaves retained on trees. However, sika deer ( Cervus nippon centralis Kishida) feed on the fallen mined leaves. Field observations showed that deer consume many fallen leaves under Q. gilva trees, suggesting considerable mortality of leaf miners due to deer predation via leaf abscission. This is a previously unreported relationship between a leaf miner and a mammalian herbivore via leaf abscission.

  12. A duplex real-time RT-PCR system with an internal control offers sensitive and reliable broad spectrum detection of Squash mosaic virus variants

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Squash mosaic virus (SqMV) is a seed-borne virus, belonging to the genus Commovirus in the subfamily Comoviridae of family Secoviridae. SqMV has a bipartite single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) genome (RNA1 and RNA2) encapsidated separately with two capsid proteins. Two serotypes (genotypes) of ...

  13. Geometric classification of scalp hair for valid drug testing, 6 more reliable than 8 hair curl groups.

    PubMed

    Mkentane, K; Van Wyk, J C; Sishi, N; Gumedze, F; Ngoepe, M; Davids, L M; Khumalo, N P

    2017-01-01

    Curly hair is reported to contain higher lipid content than straight hair, which may influence incorporation of lipid soluble drugs. The use of race to describe hair curl variation (Asian, Caucasian and African) is unscientific yet common in medical literature (including reports of drug levels in hair). This study investigated the reliability of a geometric classification of hair (based on 3 measurements: the curve diameter, curl index and number of waves). After ethical approval and informed consent, proximal virgin (6cm) hair sampled from the vertex of scalp in 48 healthy volunteers were evaluated. Three raters each scored hairs from 48 volunteers at two occasions each for the 8 and 6-group classifications. One rater applied the 6-group classification to 80 additional volunteers in order to further confirm the reliability of this system. The Kappa statistic was used to assess intra and inter rater agreement. Each rater classified 480 hairs on each occasion. No rater classified any volunteer's 10 hairs into the same group; the most frequently occurring group was used for analysis. The inter-rater agreement was poor for the 8-groups (k = 0.418) but improved for the 6-groups (k = 0.671). The intra-rater agreement also improved (k = 0.444 to 0.648 versus 0.599 to 0.836) for 6-groups; that for the one evaluator for all volunteers was good (k = 0.754). Although small, this is the first study to test the reliability of a geometric classification. The 6-group method is more reliable. However, a digital classification system is likely to reduce operator error. A reliable objective classification of human hair curl is long overdue, particularly with the increasing use of hair as a testing substrate for treatment compliance in Medicine.

  14. Geometric classification of scalp hair for valid drug testing, 6 more reliable than 8 hair curl groups

    PubMed Central

    Mkentane, K.; Gumedze, F.; Ngoepe, M.; Davids, L. M.; Khumalo, N. P.

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Curly hair is reported to contain higher lipid content than straight hair, which may influence incorporation of lipid soluble drugs. The use of race to describe hair curl variation (Asian, Caucasian and African) is unscientific yet common in medical literature (including reports of drug levels in hair). This study investigated the reliability of a geometric classification of hair (based on 3 measurements: the curve diameter, curl index and number of waves). Materials and methods After ethical approval and informed consent, proximal virgin (6cm) hair sampled from the vertex of scalp in 48 healthy volunteers were evaluated. Three raters each scored hairs from 48 volunteers at two occasions each for the 8 and 6-group classifications. One rater applied the 6-group classification to 80 additional volunteers in order to further confirm the reliability of this system. The Kappa statistic was used to assess intra and inter rater agreement. Results Each rater classified 480 hairs on each occasion. No rater classified any volunteer’s 10 hairs into the same group; the most frequently occurring group was used for analysis. The inter-rater agreement was poor for the 8-groups (k = 0.418) but improved for the 6-groups (k = 0.671). The intra-rater agreement also improved (k = 0.444 to 0.648 versus 0.599 to 0.836) for 6-groups; that for the one evaluator for all volunteers was good (k = 0.754). Conclusions Although small, this is the first study to test the reliability of a geometric classification. The 6-group method is more reliable. However, a digital classification system is likely to reduce operator error. A reliable objective classification of human hair curl is long overdue, particularly with the increasing use of hair as a testing substrate for treatment compliance in Medicine. PMID:28570555

  15. T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia within an adrenocorticotropic hormone and thyroid stimulating hormone positive pituitary adenoma: A cytohistological correlation emphasizing importance of intra-operative squash smear.

    PubMed

    Gupta, Rakesh K; Saran, Ravindra K; Srivastava, Arvind K; Jagetia, Anita; Garg, Lalit; Sharma, Mehar C

    2017-08-01

    We present a rare case of primary pituitary T cell lymphoma/leukemia (T-LBL) in association with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) expressing pituitary adenoma in a 55-year-old woman highlighting the importance of intra-operative squash smears examination. The patient presented with complaints of headache, diminution of vision and recent onset altered sensorium. MRI revealed a mass lesion in the sellar-suprasellar region with non-visualization of pituitary gland separately, extending to involve adjacent structures diagnosed as invasive pituitary macroadenoma. Intra-operative tissue was sent for squash smear examination. The cytology showed a tumor comprising of sheets of immature lymphoid cells intermixed with clusters of pituitary acinar cells with many mitoses and tingible body macrophages. A diagnosis of presence of immature lymphoid cells within the pituitary was offered and differentials of infiltration by lymphoma cells from systemic disease versus primary central nervous lymphoma-like lymphoma arising in the pituitary adenoma were considered. Later paraffin section examination and immunohistochemistry corroborated with the squash findings and a final diagnosis of primary pituitary T cell lymphoma/leukemia in association with ACTH and TSH expressing pituitary adenoma was made. To date, only six cases of primary pituitary T cell lymphomas, including three T-LBL cases, have been reported. This is the seventh case and first one additionally describing cytohistological correlation and importance of intra-operative cytology. © 2017 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

  16. Revisiting the ADT mass of the five-dimensional rotating black holes with squashed horizons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Jun-Jin

    2017-10-01

    We evaluate the Abbott-Deser-Tekin (ADT) mass of the five-dimensional rotating black holes with squashed horizons on two different on-shell reference backgrounds, which are the flat background and the boundary matched Kaluza-Klein (KK) monopole. The mass on the former, identified with the one on the background of the asymptotic geometry, differs from the mass on the latter by that of the KK monopole. However, each mass satisfies the first law of black hole thermodynamics. To test the results in five dimensions, we compute the mass in the context of the dimensionally reduced theory. Finally, in contrast with the original ADT formulation, its off-shell generalisation is applied to calculate the mass as well.

  17. Have the attitudes of Australian squash players towards protective eyewear changed over the past decade?

    PubMed Central

    Eime, R; Finch, C

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To assess indicative trends in the use of protective eyewear by Australian squash players and their attitudes towards its use since 1989. Methods: Data were extracted from three Australian surveys of squash players conducted in 1989, 1995, and 2000. Responses to directly similar attitudinal questions relating to protective eyewear use from each survey were compared. The proportion of players giving each response was calculated for each survey, along with 95% confidence intervals for the differences between the 2000 survey and those from the earlier surveys. Results: Self reported use of protective eyewear ranged from 10.0% in 1989, to 8.6% in 1995, and 18.8% in 2000. However, only 8.9% of the players surveyed in 2000 actually wore appropriate standards approved/polycarbonate lens eyewear. This can be compared with 8.0% and 2.0% of players who reported wearing appropriate polycarbonate lens eyewear in the 1989 and 1995 surveys respectively. Compared with the 1995 survey, significantly more players in 2000 believed that more players should wear protective eyewear (95% confidence interval (CI) for difference 1 to 18). A significantly higher proportion of players also supported the compulsory use of protective eyewear by juniors in 2000 than in both 1989 (95% CI for difference 6 to 24) and 1995 (95% CI for difference 5 to 22). No other attitudes had significantly changed over the decade. Conclusion: These data suggest that self reported use of protective eyewear has probably increased over the past decade. However, many players report wearing inappropriate eyewear. A transition from positive attitudes to appropriate eyewear behaviours is required before mandatory protective eyewear use can be effectively introduced. PMID:12453839

  18. Solution Structure of the Squash Aspartic Acid Proteinase Inhibitor (SQAPI) and Mutational Analysis of Pepsin Inhibition

    PubMed Central

    Headey, Stephen J.; MacAskill, Ursula K.; Wright, Michele A.; Claridge, Jolyon K.; Edwards, Patrick J. B.; Farley, Peter C.; Christeller, John T.; Laing, William A.; Pascal, Steven M.

    2010-01-01

    The squash aspartic acid proteinase inhibitor (SQAPI), a proteinaceous proteinase inhibitor from squash, is an effective inhibitor of a range of aspartic proteinases. Proteinaceous aspartic proteinase inhibitors are rare in nature. The only other example in plants probably evolved from a precursor serine proteinase inhibitor. Earlier work based on sequence homology modeling suggested SQAPI evolved from an ancestral cystatin. In this work, we determined the solution structure of SQAPI using NMR and show that SQAPI shares the same fold as a plant cystatin. The structure is characterized by a four-strand anti-parallel β-sheet gripping an α-helix in an analogous manner to fingers of a hand gripping a tennis racquet. Truncation and site-specific mutagenesis revealed that the unstructured N terminus and the loop connecting β-strands 1 and 2 are important for pepsin inhibition, but the loop connecting strands 3 and 4 is not. Using ambiguous restraints based on the mutagenesis results, SQAPI was then docked computationally to pepsin. The resulting model places the N-terminal strand of SQAPI in the S′ side of the substrate binding cleft, whereas the first SQAPI loop binds on the S side of the cleft. The backbone of SQAPI does not interact with the pepsin catalytic Asp32–Asp215 diad, thus avoiding cleavage. The data show that SQAPI does share homologous structural elements with cystatin and appears to retain a similar protease inhibitory mechanism despite its different target. This strongly supports our hypothesis that SQAPI evolved from an ancestral cystatin. PMID:20538608

  19. Comparative spatial spread overtime of Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus (ZYMV) and Watermelon Mosaic Virus (WMV) in fields of transgenic squash expressing the coat protein genes of ZYMV and WMV, and in fields of nontransgenic squash.

    PubMed

    Klas, Ferdinand E; Fuchs, Marc; Gonsalves, Dennis

    2006-10-01

    The spatial and temporal patterns of aphid-vectored spread of Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus (ZYMV) and Watermelon Mosaic Virus (WMV) were monitored over two consecutive years in plantings of nontransgenic and transgenic squash ZW-20H (commercial cv. Freedom II) and ZW-20B, both expressing the coat protein genes of ZYMV and WMV. All test plants were surrounded by nontransgenic plants that were mechanically inoculated with ZYMV or WMV, and served as primary virus source. Across all trials, none of the transgenic plants exhibited systemic symptoms upon infection by ZYMV and WMV but a few of them developed localized chlorotic dots and/or blotches, and had low mixed infection rates [4% (6 of 139) of ZW-20H and 9% (13 of 139) of ZW-20B], as shown by ELISA. Geostatistical analysis of ELISA positive transgenic plants indicated, (i) a lack of spatial relationship on spread of ZYMV and WMV for ZW-20H with flat omnidirectional experimental semivariograms that fitted poorly theoretical models, and (ii) some extent of spatial dependence on ZYMV spread for ZW-20B with a well structured experimental semivariogram that fitted poorly theoretical models during the first but not the second growing season. In contrast, a strong spatial dependence on spread of ZYMV and WMV was found for nontransgenic plants, which developed severe systemic symptoms, had prevalent mixed infection rates (62%, 86 of 139), and well-defined omnidirectional experimental semivariograms that fitted a spherical model. Geostatistical data were sustained by virus transmission experiments with Myzus persicae in screenhouses, showing that commercial transgenic squash ZW-20H alter the dynamics of ZYMV and WMV epidemics by preventing secondary plant-to-plant spread.

  20. A new div-curl result. Applications to the homogenization of elliptic systems and to the weak continuity of the Jacobian

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Briane, M.; Casado Díaz, J.

    2016-04-01

    In this paper a new div-curl result is established in an open set Ω of RN, N ≥ 2, for the product σn ṡηn of two sequences of vector-valued functions σn, ηn such that σn is bounded in Lp(Ω)N, ηn is bounded in Lq(Ω)N, with 1 / p + 1 / q = 1 + 1 / (N - 1), and such that divσn, curlηn are compact in suitable spaces. The new assumption is that the product converges weakly in W - 1 , 1 (Ω). The approach is also new in the topic, and is based on a compactness result for bounded sequences in W 1 , q (Ω) through a suitable selection of annuli on which the gradients are not too high, in the spirit of [26,32] and using the imbedding of W 1 , q into Lp‧ for the unit sphere of RN. The div-curl result is applied to the homogenization of equi-coercive systems whose coefficients are equi-bounded in Lρ (Ω) for some ρ >N-1/2 if N > 2, or in L1 (Ω) if N = 2. It also allows us to prove a weak continuity result for the Jacobian for bounded sequences in W 1 , N - 1 (Ω) satisfying an alternative assumption to the L∞-strong estimate of [8]. Two examples show the sharpness of the results.

  1. Virus movement within grafted watermelon plants

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Watermelon production in Florida is impacted by several viruses including whitefly-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus and Cucurbit leaf crumple virus, and aphid-transmitted Papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W). While germplasm resistant to some...

  2. Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Multiple Whitefly Transmitted Virus Infections In Watermelon

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV), and Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) are three whitefly-transmitted viruses recently introduced to Florida that induce visually distinguishable symptoms on watermelon. The epidemiology of these three viruses wa...

  3. Assessing soybean leaf area and leaf biomass by spectral measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holben, B. N.; Tucker, C. J.; Fan, C. J.

    1979-01-01

    Red and photographic infrared spectral radiances were correlated with soybean total leaf area index, green leaf area index, chlorotic leaf area index, green leaf biomass, chlorotic leaf biomass, and total biomass. The most significant correlations were found to exist between the IR/red radiance ratio data and green leaf area index and/or green leaf biomass (r squared equals 0.85 and 0.86, respectively). These findings demonstrate that remote sensing data can supply information basic to soybean canopy growth, development, and status by nondestructive determination of the green leaf area or green leaf biomass.

  4. Relationships of leaf dark respiration to leaf nitrogen, specific leaf area and leaf life-span: a test across biomes and functional groups.

    PubMed

    Reich, Peter B; Walters, Michael B; Ellsworth, David S; Vose, James M; Volin, John C; Gresham, Charles; Bowman, William D

    1998-05-01

    Based on prior evidence of coordinated multiple leaf trait scaling, we hypothesized that variation among species in leaf dark respiration rate (R d ) should scale with variation in traits such as leaf nitrogen (N), leaf life-span, specific leaf area (SLA), and net photosynthetic capacity (A max ). However, it is not known whether such scaling, if it exists, is similar among disparate biomes and plant functional types. We tested this idea by examining the interspecific relationships between R d measured at a standard temperature and leaf life-span, N, SLA and A max for 69 species from four functional groups (forbs, broad-leafed trees and shrubs, and needle-leafed conifers) in six biomes traversing the Americas: alpine tundra/subalpine forest, Colorado; cold temperate forest/grassland, Wisconsin; cool temperate forest, North Carolina; desert/shrubland, New Mexico; subtropical forest, South Carolina; and tropical rain forest, Amazonas, Venezuela. Area-based R d was positively related to area-based leaf N within functional groups and for all species pooled, but not when comparing among species within any site. At all sites, mass-based R d (R d-mass ) decreased sharply with increasing leaf life-span and was positively related to SLA and mass-based A max and leaf N (leaf N mass ). These intra-biome relationships were similar in shape and slope among sites, where in each case we compared species belonging to different plant functional groups. Significant R d-mass -N mass relationships were observed in all functional groups (pooled across sites), but the relationships differed, with higher R d at any given leaf N in functional groups (such as forbs) with higher SLA and shorter leaf life-span. Regardless of biome or functional group, R d-mass was well predicted by all combinations of leaf life-span, N mass and/or SLA (r 2 ≥ 0.79, P < 0.0001). At any given SLA, R d-mass rises with increasing N mass and/or decreasing leaf life-span; and at any level of N mass , R d

  5. A randomised clinical trial of the efficacy of drop squats or leg extension/leg curl exercises to treat clinically diagnosed jumper's knee in athletes: pilot study

    PubMed Central

    Cannell, L; Taunton, J; Clement, D; Smith, C; Khan, K

    2001-01-01

    Objectives—To compare the therapeutic effect of two different exercise protocols in athletes with jumper's knee. Methods—Randomised clinical trial comparing a 12 week programme of either drop squat exercises or leg extension/leg curl exercises. Measurement was performed at baseline and after six and 12 weeks. Primary outcome measures were pain (visual analogue scale 1–10) and return to sport. Secondary outcome measures included quadriceps and hamstring moment of force using a Cybex II isokinetic dynamometer at 30°/second. Differences in pain response between the drop squat and leg extension/curl treatment groups were assessed by 2 (group) x 3 (time) analysis of variance. Two by two contingency tables were used to test differences in rates of return to sport. Analysis of variance (2 (injured versus non-injured leg) x 2 (group) x 3 (time)) was also used to determine differences for secondary outcome measures. Results—Over the 12 week intervention, pain diminished by 2.3 points (36%) in the leg extension/curl group and 3.2 points (57%) in the squat group. There was a significant main effect of both exercise protocols on pain (p<0.01) with no interaction effect. Nine of 10 subjects in the drop squat group returned to sporting activity by 12 weeks, but five of those subjects still had low level pain. Six of nine of the leg extension/curl group returned to sporting activity by 12 weeks and four patients had low level pain. There was no significant difference between groups in numbers returning to sporting activity. There were no differences in the change in quadriceps or hamstring muscle moment of force between groups. Conclusions—Progressive drop squats and leg extension/curl exercises can reduce the pain of jumper's knee in a 12 week period and permit a high proportion of patients to return to sport. Not all patients, however, return to sport by that time. Key Words: knee; patellar tendon; tendinopathy; tendinosis; eccentric strengthening; strength training

  6. Relationships of leaf dark respiration to leaf nitrogen, specific leaf area and leaf life-span: a test across biomes and functional groups

    Treesearch

    Peter B. Reich; Michael B. Walters; David S. Ellsworth; [and others; [Editor’s note: James M.. Vose is the SRS co-author for this publication.

    1998-01-01

    Based on prior evidence of coordinated multiple leaf trait scaling, the authors hypothesized that variation among species in leaf dark respiration rate (Rd) should scale with variation in traits such as leaf nitrogen (N), leaf life-span, specific leaf area (SLA), and net photosynthetic capacity (Amax). However, it is not known whether such scaling, if it exists, is...

  7. Leaf-IT: An Android application for measuring leaf area.

    PubMed

    Schrader, Julian; Pillar, Giso; Kreft, Holger

    2017-11-01

    The use of plant functional traits has become increasingly popular in ecological studies because plant functional traits help to understand key ecological processes in plant species and communities. This also includes changes in diversity, inter- and intraspecific interactions, and relationships of species at different spatiotemporal scales. Leaf traits are among the most important traits as they describe key dimensions of a plant's life history strategy. Further, leaf area is a key parameter with relevance for other traits such as specific leaf area, which in turn correlates with leaf chemical composition, photosynthetic rate, leaf longevity, and carbon investment. Measuring leaf area usually involves the use of scanners and commercial software and can be difficult under field conditions. We present Leaf-IT, a new smartphone application for measuring leaf area and other trait-related areas. Leaf-IT is free, designed for scientific purposes, and runs on Android 4 or higher. We tested the precision and accuracy using objects with standardized area and compared the area measurements of real leaves with the well-established, commercial software WinFOLIA using the Altman-Bland method. Area measurements of standardized objects show that Leaf-IT measures area with high accuracy and precision. Area measurements with Leaf-IT of real leaves are comparable to those of WinFOLIA. Leaf-IT is an easy-to-use application running on a wide range of smartphones. That increases the portability and use of Leaf-IT and makes it possible to measure leaf area under field conditions typical for remote locations. Its high accuracy and precision are similar to WinFOLIA. Currently, its main limitation is margin detection of damaged leaves or complex leaf morphologies.

  8. Italian horticultural and culinary records of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbitaceae) and emergence of the zucchini in 19th-century Milan

    PubMed Central

    Lust, Teresa A.; Paris, Harry S.

    2016-01-01

    Background and Aims Summer squash, the young fruits of Cucurbita pepo, are a common, high-value fruit vegetable. Of the summer squash, the zucchini, C. pepo subsp. pepo Zucchini Group, is by far the most cosmopolitan. The zucchini is easily distinguished from other summer squash by its uniformly cylindrical shape and intense colour. The zucchini is a relatively new cultivar-group of C. pepo, the earliest known evidence for its existence having been a description in a book on horticulture published in Milan in 1901. For this study, Italian-language books on agriculture and cookery dating from the 16th to 19th centuries have been collected and searched in an effort to follow the horticultural development and culinary use of young Cucurbita fruits in Italy. Findings The results indicate that Cucurbita fruits, both young and mature, entered Italian kitchens by the mid-16th century. A half-century later, round and elongate young fruits of C. pepo were addressed as separate cookery items and the latter had largely replaced the centuries-old culinary use of young, elongate bottle gourds, Lagenaria siceraria. Allusion to a particular, extant cultivar of the longest fruited C. pepo, the Cocozelle Group, dates to 1811 and derives from the environs of Naples. The Italian diminutive word zucchini arose by the beginning of the 19th century in Tuscany and referred to small, mature, desiccated bottle gourds used as containers to store tobacco. By the 1840s, the Tuscan word zucchini was appropriated to young, primarily elongate fruits of C. pepo. The Zucchini Group traces its origins to the environs of Milan, perhaps as early as 1850. The word zucchini and the horticultural product zucchini arose contemporaneously but independently. The results confirm that the Zucchini Group is the youngest of the four cultivar-groups of C. pepo subsp. pepo but it emerged approximately a half-century earlier than previously known. PMID:27343231

  9. Italian horticultural and culinary records of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbitaceae) and emergence of the zucchini in 19th-century Milan.

    PubMed

    Lust, Teresa A; Paris, Harry S

    2016-07-01

    Summer squash, the young fruits of Cucurbita pepo, are a common, high-value fruit vegetable. Of the summer squash, the zucchini, C. pepo subsp. pepo Zucchini Group, is by far the most cosmopolitan. The zucchini is easily distinguished from other summer squash by its uniformly cylindrical shape and intense colour. The zucchini is a relatively new cultivar-group of C. pepo, the earliest known evidence for its existence having been a description in a book on horticulture published in Milan in 1901. For this study, Italian-language books on agriculture and cookery dating from the 16th to 19th centuries have been collected and searched in an effort to follow the horticultural development and culinary use of young Cucurbita fruits in Italy. The results indicate that Cucurbita fruits, both young and mature, entered Italian kitchens by the mid-16th century. A half-century later, round and elongate young fruits of C. pepo were addressed as separate cookery items and the latter had largely replaced the centuries-old culinary use of young, elongate bottle gourds, Lagenaria siceraria Allusion to a particular, extant cultivar of the longest fruited C. pepo, the Cocozelle Group, dates to 1811 and derives from the environs of Naples. The Italian diminutive word zucchini arose by the beginning of the 19th century in Tuscany and referred to small, mature, desiccated bottle gourds used as containers to store tobacco. By the 1840s, the Tuscan word zucchini was appropriated to young, primarily elongate fruits of C. pepo The Zucchini Group traces its origins to the environs of Milan, perhaps as early as 1850. The word zucchini and the horticultural product zucchini arose contemporaneously but independently. The results confirm that the Zucchini Group is the youngest of the four cultivar-groups of C. pepo subsp. pepo but it emerged approximately a half-century earlier than previously known. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany

  10. α-Carotene and β-Carotene Content in Raw and Cooked Pulp of Three Mature Stage Winter Squash “Type Butternut”

    PubMed Central

    Zaccari, Fernanda; Galietta, Giovanni

    2015-01-01

    Winter squash “type butternut” is harvested in physiological ripening for better commercial distribution, when sensory and/or nutritional quality is not optimum for consumption. The objective of this study was to quantify the content of α-carotene, β-carotene, color and dry matter in the pulp of raw and microwave-cooked winter squash “type butternut” (variety CosmoF1) in three states of commercial maturity. Immature, mature, and very mature fruit, defined at the time of the harvest by the percentage of orange peel and green stalk, were evaluated. The highest concentration of carotenes (α-carotene + β-carotene) in mg.100 g−1 pulp wet basis was found in very mature fruits (31.96 mg), followed by mature fruits (24.65 mg), and immature fruits (18.82 mg). Microwave cooking caused the loss of β-carotene (28.6% wet basis) and α-carotene (34.1%). Cooking promote a greater reduction of α-carotene in immature (40.3%) and mature (34.5%) fruits. The ratio of β-carotene and α-carotene content increased with commercial maturity from 0.93 for immature fruits to 1.0 for very mature fruit, with higher ratio in cooked pulp (1.04) vs. raw pulp (0.96). PMID:28231218

  11. Real-time curling probe monitoring of dielectric layer deposited on plasma chamber wall

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hotta, Masaya; Ogawa, Daisuke; Nakamura, Keiji; Sugai, Hideo

    2018-04-01

    A microwave resonator probe called a curling probe (CP) was applied to in situ monitoring of a dielectric layer deposited on a chamber wall during plasma processing. The resonance frequency of the CP was analytically found to shift in proportion to the dielectric layer thickness; the proportionality constant was determined from a comparison with the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation result. Amorphous carbon layers deposited in acetylene inductively coupled plasma (ICP) discharge were monitored using the CP. The measured resonance frequency shift dictated the carbon layer thickness, which agreed with the results from the surface profiler and ellipsometry.

  12. Genetic characterization of North American populations of the wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella) and dry bulb mite (Aceria tulipae)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The wheat curl mite, Aceria tosichella Keifer, transmits at least three harmful viruses, wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), high plains virus (HPV), and Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) throughout the Great Plains. This virus complex is considered to be the most serious d...

  13. The cultural and chronological context of early Holocene maize and squash domestication in the Central Balsas River Valley, Mexico

    PubMed Central

    Ranere, Anthony J.; Piperno, Dolores R.; Holst, Irene; Dickau, Ruth; Iriarte, José

    2009-01-01

    Molecular evidence indicates that the wild ancestor of maize is presently native to the seasonally dry tropical forest of the Central Balsas watershed in southwestern Mexico. We report here on archaeological investigations in a region of the Central Balsas located near the Iguala Valley in Guerrero state that show for the first time a long sequence of human occupation and plant exploitation reaching back to the early Holocene. One of the sites excavated, the Xihuatoxtla Shelter, contains well-stratified deposits and a stone tool assemblage of bifacially flaked points, simple flake tools, and numerous handstones and milling stone bases radiocarbon dated to at least 8700 calendrical years B.P. As reported in a companion paper (Piperno DR, et al., in this issue of PNAS), starch grain and phytolith residues from the ground and chipped stone tools, plus phytoliths from directly associated sediments, provide evidence for maize (Zea mays L.) and domesticated squash (Cucurbita spp.) in contexts contemporaneous with and stratigraphically below the 8700 calendrical years B.P. date. The radiocarbon determinations, stratigraphic integrity of Xihuatoxtla's deposits, and characteristics of the stone tool assemblages associated with the maize and squash remains all indicate that these plants were early Holocene domesticates. Early agriculture in this region of Mexico appears to have involved small groups of cultivators who were shifting their settlements seasonally and engaging in a variety of subsistence pursuits. PMID:19307573

  14. Final report on the safety assessment of AloeAndongensis Extract, Aloe Andongensis Leaf Juice,aloe Arborescens Leaf Extract, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Juice, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Protoplasts, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice,aloe Barbadensis Leaf Polysaccharides, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice, and Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice Extract.

    PubMed

    2007-01-01

    Plant materials derived from the Aloe plant are used as cosmetic ingredients, including Aloe Andongensis Extract, Aloe Andongensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Extract, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Juice, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Protoplasts, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Polysaccharides, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice, and Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice Extract. These ingredients function primarily as skin-conditioning agents and are included in cosmetics only at low concentrations. The Aloe leaf consists of the pericyclic cells, found just below the plant's skin, and the inner central area of the leaf, i.e., the gel, which is used for cosmetic products. The pericyclic cells produce a bitter, yellow latex containing a number of anthraquinones, phototoxic compounds that are also gastrointestinal irritants responsible for cathartic effects. The gel contains polysaccharides, which can be acetylated, partially acetylated, or not acetylated. An industry established limit for anthraquinones in aloe-derived material for nonmedicinal use is 50 ppm or lower. Aloe-derived ingredients are used in a wide variety of cosmetic product types at concentrations of raw material that are 0.1% or less, although can be as high as 20%. The concentration of Aloe in the raw material also may vary from 100% to a low of 0.0005%. Oral administration of various anthraquinone components results in a rise in their blood concentrations, wide systemic distribution, accumulation in the liver and kidneys, and excretion in urine and feces; polysaccharide components are distributed systemically and metabolized into smaller molecules. aloe-derived material has fungicidal, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities, and has been effective in wound healing and infection treatment in animals. Aloe barbadensis (also known as Aloe vera)-derived ingredients were not toxic

  15. Distribution of Four Viruses in Single and Mixed Infections Within Infected Watermelon Plants in Florida

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Whitefly-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) and Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV), and aphid-transmitted Papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W) have had serious impact on watermelon production in southwest and west-central Florida in recent years. Tissue blot nucleic acid hybridizati...

  16. Epidemiology and Association of Four Insect-Vectored Viruses in Florida Watermelon

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Whitefly-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV), Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) and aphid-transmitted Papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W) have had serious impact on watermelon production in southwest and west-central Florida in the pa...

  17. Patterns of Virus Distribution in Single and Mixed Infections of Florida Watermelons

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Whitefly-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) and Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV), and aphid-transmitted Papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W) have had serious impact on watermelon production in southwest and west-central Florida in recent years. Tissue blot nucleic acid hybridizati...

  18. Investigations of Crown Gall in the Commercial Propagation of Weeping Fig

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Whitefly-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) and Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV), and aphid-transmitted Papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W) have had serious impact on watermelon production in southwest and west-central Florida in recent years. Tissue blot nucleic acid hybridizati...

  19. Epidemiological Analysis of Multi-Virus Infections of Watermelon in Experimental Fields in Southwest Florida

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Whitefly-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) and Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV), and aphid-transmitted Papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W) have had serious impact on watermelon production in southwest and west-central Florida in recent years. Tissue blot nucleic acid hybridizati...

  20. Discovery of a new genotype of Squash mosaic virus through deep sequencing of small RNAs and development of a qRT-PCR for broad spectrum detection

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Squash mosaic virus (SqMV), a seed-borne virus belonging to the genus Commovirus in the family Comoviridae, could cause a serious yield loss on cucurbit crops worldwide. SqMV has a bipartite single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) genome (RNA-1 and RNA-2) encapsidated separately with two capsid prote...

  1. Patterns of Virus Distribution in Single and Mixed Infections of Florida Watermelons

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Whitefly-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) and Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV), and aphid-transmitted Papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W) have had serious impact on watermelon production in southwest and west-central Florida in recent years. To determine the distribution of vir...

  2. Update on the watermelon vine decline virus and other whitefly-transmitted cucurbit viruses in Florida, and their effects on watermelon

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Whitefly-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) was shown in the mid-2000’s to cause a watermelon vine decline in southwest and west-central Florida. More recently, Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV) and Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), also whitefly-transmitted, have bee...

  3. Maize YABBY genes drooping leaf1 and drooping leaf2 affect agronomic traits by regulating leaf architecture

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Leaf architectural traits, such as length, width and angle, directly influence canopy structure and light penetration, photosynthate production and overall yield. We discovered and characterized a maize (Zea mays) mutant with aberrant leaf architecture we named drooping leaf1 (drl1), as leaf blades ...

  4. Evaluation of different pulverisation methods for RNA extraction in squash fruit: lyophilisation, cryogenic mill and mortar grinding.

    PubMed

    Román, Belén; González-Verdejo, Clara I; Peña, Francisco; Nadal, Salvador; Gómez, Pedro

    2012-01-01

    Quality and integrity of RNA are critical for transcription studies in plant molecular biology. In squash fruit and other high water content crops, the grinding of tissue with mortar and pestle in liquid nitrogen fails to produce a homogeneous and fine powered sample desirable to ensure a good penetration of the extraction reagent. To develop an improved pulverisation method to facilitate the homogenisation process of squash fruit tissue prior to RNA extraction without reducing quality and yield of the extracted RNA. Three methods of pulverisation, each followed by the same extraction protocol, were compared. The first approach consisted of the lyophilisation of the sample in order to remove the excess of water before grinding, the second one used a cryogenic mill and the control one a mortar grinding of frozen tissue. The quality of the isolated RNA was tested by carrying out a quantitative real time downstream amplification. In the three situations considered, mean values for A(260) /A(280) indicated minimal interference by proteins and RNA quality indicator (RQI) values were considered appropriate for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) amplification. Successful qRT-PCR amplifications were obtained with cDNA isolated with the three protocols. Both apparatus can improve and facilitate the grinding step in the RNA extraction process in zucchini, resulting in isolated RNA of high quality and integrity as revealed by qRT-PCR downstream application. This is apparently the first time that a cryogenic mill has been used to prepare fruit samples for RNA extraction, thereby improving the sampling strategy because the fine powder obtained represents a homogeneous mix of the organ tissue. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. The relationship of leaf photosynthetic traits V cmax and Jmax - to leaf nitrogen, leaf phosphorus, and specific leaf area: A meta-analysis and modeling study

    DOE PAGES

    Walker, Anthony P.; Beckerman, Andrew P.; Gu, Lianhong; ...

    2014-07-25

    Great uncertainty exists in the global exchange of carbon between the atmosphere and the terrestrial biosphere. An important source of this uncertainty lies in the dependency of photosynthesis on the maximum rate of carboxylation (Vcmax) and the maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax). Understanding and making accurate prediction of C fluxes thus requires accurate characterization of these rates and their relationship with plant nutrient status over large geographic scales. Plant nutrient status is indicated by the traits: leaf nitrogen (N), leaf phosphorus (P), and specific leaf area (SLA). Correlations between Vcmax and Jmax and leaf nitrogen (N) are typically derivedmore » from local to global scales, while correlations with leaf phosphorus (P) and specific leaf area (SLA) have typically been derived at a local scale. Thus, there is no global-scale relationship between Vcmax and Jmax and P or SLA limiting the ability of global-scale carbon flux models do not account for P or SLA. We gathered published data from 24 studies to reveal global relationships of Vcmax and Jmax with leaf N, P, and SLA. Vcmax was strongly related to leaf N, and increasing leaf P substantially increased the sensitivity of Vcmax to leaf N. Jmax was strongly related to Vcmax, and neither leaf N, P, or SLA had a substantial impact on the relationship. Although more data are needed to expand the applicability of the relationship, we show leaf P is a globally important determinant of photosynthetic rates. In a model of photosynthesis, we showed that at high leaf N (3 gm 2), increasing leaf P from 0.05 to 0.22 gm 2 nearly doubled assimilation rates. Lastly, we show that plants may employ a conservative strategy of Jmax to Vcmax coordination that restricts photoinhibition when carboxylation is limiting at the expense of maximizing photosynthetic rates when light is limiting.« less

  6. The relationship of leaf photosynthetic traits V cmax and Jmax - to leaf nitrogen, leaf phosphorus, and specific leaf area: A meta-analysis and modeling study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Walker, Anthony P.; Beckerman, Andrew P.; Gu, Lianhong

    Great uncertainty exists in the global exchange of carbon between the atmosphere and the terrestrial biosphere. An important source of this uncertainty lies in the dependency of photosynthesis on the maximum rate of carboxylation (Vcmax) and the maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax). Understanding and making accurate prediction of C fluxes thus requires accurate characterization of these rates and their relationship with plant nutrient status over large geographic scales. Plant nutrient status is indicated by the traits: leaf nitrogen (N), leaf phosphorus (P), and specific leaf area (SLA). Correlations between Vcmax and Jmax and leaf nitrogen (N) are typically derivedmore » from local to global scales, while correlations with leaf phosphorus (P) and specific leaf area (SLA) have typically been derived at a local scale. Thus, there is no global-scale relationship between Vcmax and Jmax and P or SLA limiting the ability of global-scale carbon flux models do not account for P or SLA. We gathered published data from 24 studies to reveal global relationships of Vcmax and Jmax with leaf N, P, and SLA. Vcmax was strongly related to leaf N, and increasing leaf P substantially increased the sensitivity of Vcmax to leaf N. Jmax was strongly related to Vcmax, and neither leaf N, P, or SLA had a substantial impact on the relationship. Although more data are needed to expand the applicability of the relationship, we show leaf P is a globally important determinant of photosynthetic rates. In a model of photosynthesis, we showed that at high leaf N (3 gm 2), increasing leaf P from 0.05 to 0.22 gm 2 nearly doubled assimilation rates. Lastly, we show that plants may employ a conservative strategy of Jmax to Vcmax coordination that restricts photoinhibition when carboxylation is limiting at the expense of maximizing photosynthetic rates when light is limiting.« less

  7. Spatial and host-associated variation in prevalence and population density of wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella) cryptic genotypes in agricultural landscapes

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The wheat curl mite (WCM), Aceria tosichella Keifer, is a major pest of cereals worldwide that also comprises a complex of at least 16 genetic lineages with divergent physiological traits, including host preference and specificity. The goal of this study was to test the extent to which host-plant sp...

  8. Cell lines derived from the squash bug, Anasa tristis (Coreidae: Hemiptera).

    PubMed

    Goodman, Cynthia L; Ringbauer, Joseph A; Li, Yao-Fa; Lincoln, Tamra Reall; Stanley, David

    2017-05-01

    The squash bug, Anasa tristis, is a pest of cucurbits that exerts direct damage on crops and is a vector of plant pathogens. We established cell lines from this insect to serve as tools for basic biology, including virology and immunology, as well as applied studies, such as insecticide development programs. We initiated 15 cell cultures, using nine media or combinations of media. The media yielding the best results were a modification of Kimura's medium and a combination of two commercially available cell culture media (EX-CELL 420 and L15). We designated the two cell lines as BCIRL-AtE-CLG11 and BCIRL-AtE-CLG15. From the AtE-CLG15 line, we isolated two sub-lines, A and B. Of these, the most consistently replicating line was AtE-CLG15A. We determined the doubling time of this line (190 h) and its mean cell diameter (14.5 ± 0.7 μm). We characterized the AtE-CLG15A line using DAF-PCR. The BCIRL-AtE-CLG15A cell line is now available for researchers world-wide.

  9. Response of Leaf Water Potential, Stomatal Resistance, and Leaf Rolling to Water Stress

    PubMed Central

    O'Toole, John C.; Cruz, Rolando T.

    1980-01-01

    Numerous studies have associated increased stomatal resistance with response to water deficit in cereals. However, consideration of change in leaf form seems to have been neglected. The response of adaxial and abaxial stomatal resistance and leaf rolling in rice to decreasing leaf water potential was investigated. Two rice cultivars were subjected to control and water stress treatments in a deep (1-meter) aerobic soil. Concurrent measurements of leaf water potential, stomatal resistance, and degree of leaf rolling were made through a 29-day period after cessation of irrigation. Kinandang Patong, an upland adapted cultivar, maintained higher dawn and midday leaf water potential than IR28, a hybrid selected in irrigated conditions. This was not explained by differences in leaf diffusive resistance or leaf rolling, and is assumed to result from a difference in root system extent. Stomatal resistance increased more on the abaxial than the adaxial leaf surface in both cultivars. This was associated with a change in leaf form or rolling inward of the upper leaf surface. Both responses, increased stomatal resistance and leaf rolling, were initiated in a similar leaf water potential range (−8 to −12 bars). Leaves of IR28 became fully rolled at leaf water potential of about −22 bars; however, total leaf diffusive resistance was only about 4 to 5 seconds per centimeter (conductance 0.25 to 0.2 centimeter per second) at that stage. Leaf diffusive resistance and degree of leaf rolling were linearly related to leaf water potential. Thus, leaf rolling in rice may be used as an estimate of the other two less obvious effects of water deficit. PMID:16661206

  10. Epidemiological Analysis of Multi-Virus Infections of Watermelon in Experimental Fields in Southwest Florida

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The whitefly-transmitted viruses Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) and Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV) have had serious impact on watermelon production in west-central and southwest Florida in recent years. We monitored the progress of SqVYV and CuLCrV and whitefly density in 2.5 acre experim...

  11. Solvability and Regularity for an Elliptic System Prescribing the Curl, Divergence, and Partial Trace of a Vector Field on Sobolev-Class Domains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, C. H. Arthur; Shkoller, Steve

    2017-09-01

    We provide a self-contained proof of the solvability and regularity of a Hodge-type elliptic system, wherein the divergence and curl of a vector field u are prescribed in an open, bounded, Sobolev-class domain {Ω \\subseteq R^n}, and either the normal component {{u} \\cdot {N}} or the tangential components of the vector field {{u} × {N}} are prescribed on the boundary {partial Ω}. For {k > n/2}, we prove that u is in the Sobolev space {H^k+1(Ω)} if {Ω} is an {H^k+1}-domain, and the divergence, curl, and either the normal or tangential trace of u has sufficient regularity. The proof is based on a regularity theory for vector elliptic equations set on Sobolev-class domains and with Sobolev-class coefficients, and with a rather general set of Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. The resulting regularity theory for the vector u is fundamental in the analysis of free-boundary and moving interface problems in fluid dynamics.

  12. "Breath figures" on leaf surfaces-formation and effects of microscopic leaf wetness.

    PubMed

    Burkhardt, Juergen; Hunsche, Mauricio

    2013-01-01

    "Microscopic leaf wetness" means minute amounts of persistent liquid water on leaf surfaces which are invisible to the naked eye. The water is mainly maintained by transpired water vapor condensing onto the leaf surface and to attached leaf surface particles. With an estimated average thickness of less than 1 μm, microscopic leaf wetness is about two orders of magnitude thinner than morning dewfall. The most important physical processes which reduce the saturation vapor pressure and promote condensation are cuticular absorption and the deliquescence of hygroscopic leaf surface particles. Deliquescent salts form highly concentrated solutions. Depending on the type and concentration of the dissolved ions, the physicochemical properties of microscopic leaf wetness can be considerably different from those of pure water. Microscopic leaf wetness can form continuous thin layers on hydrophobic leaf surfaces and in specific cases can act similar to surfactants, enabling a strong potential influence on the foliar exchange of ions. Microscopic leaf wetness can also enhance the dissolution, the emission, and the reaction of specific atmospheric trace gases e.g., ammonia, SO2, or ozone, leading to a strong potential role for microscopic leaf wetness in plant/atmosphere interaction. Due to its difficult detection, there is little knowledge about the occurrence and the properties of microscopic leaf wetness. However, based on the existing evidence and on physicochemical reasoning it can be hypothesized that microscopic leaf wetness occurs on almost any plant worldwide and often permanently, and that it significantly influences the exchange processes of the leaf surface with its neighboring compartments, i.e., the plant interior and the atmosphere. The omission of microscopic water in general leaf wetness concepts has caused far-reaching, misleading conclusions in the past.

  13. Effect of application timing and method on efficacy and phytotoxicity of 1,3-D, chloropicrin and metam-sodium combinations in squash plasticulture.

    PubMed

    Desaeger, Johan A; Seebold, Kenneth W; Csinos, Alex S

    2008-03-01

    Metam-sodium, 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) and chloropicrin are widely used soil fumigants. Combined application of metam-sodium and 1,3-D + chloropicrin is intended to improve efficacy and broaden spectrum of control, but little is known about the effect on crop safety. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of application timing of fumigant combinations on soilborne pest and disease control (nematodes, soil fungi and weeds) and growth of squash. Two separate tests with chisel-injected and drip-applied fumigant combinations and plant-back times ranging from 1 to 4 weeks were conducted in Tifton, GA, USA, in spring and fall 2002. Fumigant combinations using 1,3-D, chloropicrin and metam-sodium were as effective as methyl bromide in controlling Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White) Chitwood, Pythium irregulare Buis., Rhizoctonia solani Kühn and Cyperus esculentus L. Chisel-applied combinations were more effective in terms of root-knot nematode control than drip-applied combinations. Root-knot nematode reduced squash yields by up to 60%. Phytotoxicity problems and lower yields were observed during spring, especially following 1,3-D + chloropicrin and when plant-back periods were shorter. The main problem with fumigant alternatives to methyl bromide may not be reduced efficacy but, in particular for 1,3-D products, loss of flexibility in terms of longer plant-back periods. (c) 2008 Society of Chemical Industry.

  14. Simultaneous bilateral distal biceps tendon rupture during a preacher curl exercise: a case report.

    PubMed

    Rokito, Andrew S; lofin, Ilya

    2008-01-01

    Complete rupture of the distal biceps tendon is a rare injury, the overwhelming majority occurring in the dominant arm of males during the fourth to sixth decades of life. Simultaneous bilateral rupture of the distal biceps tendon is an extremely rare occurrence, with only three cases reported in the literature. This unusual injury occurred in a recreational weightlifter during a preacher curl exercise. In this particular case, a 6-week delay in presentation necessitated a staged procedure in which a primary repair was feasible in one elbow, while reconstruction using allograft tissue was required in the contralateral elbow. Satisfactory results for both elbows were achieved, with return to weightlifting by one year following surgery.

  15. Larger temperature response of autumn leaf senescence than spring leaf-out phenology.

    PubMed

    Fu, Yongshuo H; Piao, Shilong; Delpierre, Nicolas; Hao, Fanghua; Hänninen, Heikki; Liu, Yongjie; Sun, Wenchao; Janssens, Ivan A; Campioli, Matteo

    2018-05-01

    Climate warming is substantially shifting the leaf phenological events of plants, and thereby impacting on their individual fitness and also on the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Previous studies have largely focused on the climate impact on spring phenology, and to date the processes underlying leaf senescence and their associated environmental drivers remain poorly understood. In this study, experiments with temperature gradients imposed during the summer and autumn were conducted on saplings of European beech to explore the temperature responses of leaf senescence. An additional warming experiment during winter enabled us to assess the differences in temperature responses of spring leaf-out and autumn leaf senescence. We found that warming significantly delayed the dates of leaf senescence both during summer and autumn warming, with similar temperature sensitivities (6-8 days delay per °C warming), suggesting that, in the absence of water and nutrient limitation, temperature may be a dominant factor controlling the leaf senescence in European beech. Interestingly, we found a significantly larger temperature response of autumn leaf senescence than of spring leaf-out. This suggests a possible larger contribution of delays in autumn senescence, than of the advancement in spring leaf-out, to extending the growing season under future warmer conditions. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Thermal niches of two invasive genotypes of the wheat curl mite Aceria tosichella (Acari: Eriophyidae): congruence between physiological and geographical distribution data

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The wheat curl mite (WCM; Aceria tosichella) is a major pest of cereals worldwide. It is also a complex of well-defined genetic lineages with divergent physiological traits, which has not been accounted for in applied contexts. The aims of the study were to model the thermal niches of the two most p...

  17. Influence of "in series" elastic resistance on muscular performance during a biceps-curl set on the cable machine.

    PubMed

    García-López, David; Herrero, Azael J; González-Calvo, Gustavo; Rhea, Matthew R; Marín, Pedro J

    2010-09-01

    This study aimed to investigate the role of elastic resistance (ER) applied "in series" to a pulley-cable (PC) machine on the number of repetitions performed, kinematics parameters, and perceived exertion during a biceps-curl set to failure with a submaximal load (70% of the 1 repetition maximum). Twenty-one undergraduate students (17 men and 4 women) performed, on 2 different days, 1 biceps-curl set on the PC machine. Subjects were randomly assigned to complete 2 experimental conditions in a cross-over fashion: conventional PC mode or ER + PC mode. Results indicate ER applied "in series" to a PC machine significantly reduces (p < 0.05) the maximal number of repetitions and results in a smooth and consistent decline in mean acceleration throughout the set, in comparison to the conventional PC mode. Although no significant differences were found concerning intrarepetition kinematics, the ER trended to reduce (18.6%) the peak acceleration of the load. With a more uniformly distributed external resistance, a greater average muscle tension could have been achieved throughout the range of movement, leading to greater fatigue that could explain the lower number of maximal repetitions achieved. The application of force in a smooth, consistent fashion during each repetition of an exercise, while avoiding active deceleration, is expected to enhance the benefits of the resistance exercise, especially for those seeking greater increases in muscular hypertrophy.

  18. Gynaikothrips uzeli (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) , New Record From Tartous, Syria

    PubMed Central

    Yaseen Ali, Ali

    2014-01-01

    Abstract The weeping fig thrips Gynaikothrips uzeli Zimmermann (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) is newly recorded for the first time in the leaf galls of the weeping fig tree Ficus benjamina L. (Rosales: Moraceae) in the coastal area of Tartous, Syria. The thrips caused purplish red spots on the leaf surface of the host plant and the leaves curl. G. uzeili appears to be successfully adapted to this area. PMID:25527584

  19. Wild tomato introgressions that confer resistance to begomoviruses in Guatemala

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Begomoviruses, whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses, are one of the major diseases of tomatoes in subtropical and tropical regions. In Guatemala, several bipartite begomoviruses and the monopartite geminivirus, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, are present. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate th...

  20. A BDDC Algorithm with Deluxe Scaling for Three-Dimensional H (curl) Problems

    DOE PAGES

    Dohrmann, Clark R.; Widlund, Olof B.

    2015-04-28

    In our paper, we present and analyze a BDDC algorithm for a class of elliptic problems in the three-dimensional H(curl) space. Compared with existing results, our condition number estimate requires fewer assumptions and also involves two fewer powers of log(H/h), making it consistent with optimal estimates for other elliptic problems. Here, H/his the maximum of Hi/hi over all subdomains, where Hi and hi are the diameter and the smallest element diameter for the subdomain Ωi. The analysis makes use of two recent developments. The first is our new approach to averaging across the subdomain interfaces, while the second is amore » new technical tool that allows arguments involving trace classes to be avoided. Furthermore, numerical examples are presented to confirm the theory and demonstrate the importance of the new averaging approach in certain cases.« less

  1. Increasing leaf hydraulic conductance with transpiration rate minimizes the water potential drawdown from stem to leaf

    PubMed Central

    Simonin, Kevin A.; Burns, Emily; Choat, Brendan; Barbour, Margaret M.; Dawson, Todd E.; Franks, Peter J.

    2015-01-01

    Leaf hydraulic conductance (k leaf) is a central element in the regulation of leaf water balance but the properties of k leaf remain uncertain. Here, the evidence for the following two models for k leaf in well-hydrated plants is evaluated: (i) k leaf is constant or (ii) k leaf increases as transpiration rate (E) increases. The difference between stem and leaf water potential (ΔΨstem–leaf), stomatal conductance (g s), k leaf, and E over a diurnal cycle for three angiosperm and gymnosperm tree species growing in a common garden, and for Helianthus annuus plants grown under sub-ambient, ambient, and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration were evaluated. Results show that for well-watered plants k leaf is positively dependent on E. Here, this property is termed the dynamic conductance, k leaf(E), which incorporates the inherent k leaf at zero E, which is distinguished as the static conductance, k leaf(0). Growth under different CO2 concentrations maintained the same relationship between k leaf and E, resulting in similar k leaf(0), while operating along different regions of the curve owing to the influence of CO2 on g s. The positive relationship between k leaf and E minimized variation in ΔΨstem–leaf. This enables leaves to minimize variation in Ψleaf and maximize g s and CO2 assimilation rate over the diurnal course of evaporative demand. PMID:25547915

  2. Long term leaf phenology and leaf exchange strategies of a cerrado savanna community

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Camargo, Maria Gabriela G.; Costa Alberton, Bruna; de Carvalho, Gustavo H.; Magalhães, Paula A. N. R.; Morellato, Leonor Patrícia C.

    2017-04-01

    Leaf development and senescence cycles are linked to a range of ecosystem processes, affecting seasonal patterns of atmosphere-ecosystem carbon and energy exchanges, resource availability and nutrient cycling. The degree of deciduousness of tropical trees and communities depend on ecosystems characteristics such as amount of biomass, species diversity and the strength and length of the dry season. Besides defining the growing season, deciduousness can also be an indicator of species response to climate changes in the tropics, mainly because severity of dry season can intensify leaf loss. Based on seven-years of phenological observations (2005 to 2011) we describe the long-term patterns of leafing phenology of a Brazilian cerrado savanna, aiming to (i) identify leaf exchange strategies of species, quantifying the degree of deciduousness, and verify whether these strategies vary among years depending on the length and strength of the dry seasons; (ii) define the growing seasons along the years and the main drivers of leaf flushing in the cerrado. We analyzed leafing patterns of 107 species and classified 69 species as deciduous (11 species), semi-deciduous (29) and evergreen (29). Leaf exchange was markedly seasonal, as expected for seasonal tropical savannas. Leaf fall predominated in the dry season, peaking in July, and leaf flushing in the transition between dry to wet seasons, peaking in September. Leafing patterns were similar among years with the growing season starting at the end of dry season, in September, for most species. However, leaf exchange strategies varied among years for most species (65%), except for evergreen strategy, mainly constant over years. Leafing patterns of cerrado species were strongly constrained by rainfall. The length of the dry season and rainfall intensity were likely affecting the individuals' leaf exchange strategies and suggesting a differential resilience of species to changes of rainfall regime, predicted on future global

  3. Evaluation of Methane from Sisal Leaf Residue and Palash Leaf Litter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arisutha, S.; Baredar, P.; Deshpande, D. M.; Suresh, S.

    2014-12-01

    The aim of this study is to evaluate methane production from sisal leaf residue and palash leaf litter mixed with different bulky materials such as vegetable market waste, hostel kitchen waste and digested biogas slurry in a laboratory scale anaerobic reactor. The mixture was prepared with 1:1 proportion. Maximum methane content of 320 ml/day was observed in the case of sisal leaf residue mixed with vegetable market waste as the feed. Methane content was minimum (47 ml/day), when palash leaf litter was used as feed. This was due to the increased content of lignin and polyphenol in the feedstock which were of complex structure and did not get degraded directly by microorganisms. Sisal leaf residue mixtures also showed highest content of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as compared to palash leaf litter mixtures. It was observed that VFA concentration in the digester first increased, reached maximum (when pH was minimum) and then decreased.

  4. Emerging viruses in Florida and the Caribbean

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Multiple thrips-, whitefly- and aphid-transmitted viruses have recently emerged or re-emerged in vegetable and ornamental crops in Florida and the Caribbean. Tomato spotted wilt virus (a thrips-transmitted tospovirus) and Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (a whitefly-transmitted begomovirus) have histor...

  5. Drought effects on leaf abscission and leaf production in Populus clones

    Treesearch

    Stephen G. Pallardy; Julie L. Rhoads

    1997-01-01

    Leaf abscission and foliation responses to water stress were studied in potted plants of five Populus clones grown in a greenhouse. As predawn leaf water potential (Ψ1) fell to -3 MPa, drought-induced leaf abscission increased progressively to 30% for data pooled across clones. As predawn Ψ1...

  6. 7 CFR 29.3033 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3033 Section 29.3033 Agriculture Regulations... Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16758, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  7. 7 CFR 29.3033 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3033 Section 29.3033 Agriculture Regulations... Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16758, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  8. 7 CFR 29.3033 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3033 Section 29.3033 Agriculture Regulations... Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16758, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  9. 7 CFR 29.3033 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3033 Section 29.3033 Agriculture Regulations... Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16758, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  10. 7 CFR 29.3033 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3033 Section 29.3033 Agriculture Regulations... Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16758, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  11. Seasonal Changes in Leaf Area of Amazon Forests from Leaf Flushing and Abscission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samanta, A.; Knyazikhin, Y.; Xu, L.; Dickinson, R.; Fu, R.; Costa, M. H.; Ganguly, S.; Saatchi, S. S.; Nemani, R. R.; Myneni, R.

    2011-12-01

    A large increase in near-infrared (NIR) reflectance of Amazon forests during the light-rich dry season and a corresponding decrease during the light-poor wet season has been observed in satellite measurements. This has been variously interpreted as seasonal changes in leaf area resulting from net leaf flushing in the dry season and net leaf abscission in the wet season, enhanced photosynthetic activity during the dry season from flushing new leaves and as change in leaf scattering and absorption properties between younger and older leaves covered with epiphylls. Reconciling these divergent views using theory and observations is the goal of this article. The observed changes in NIR reflectance of Amazon forests could be due to similar, but small, changes in NIR leaf albedo (reflectance plus transmittance) only, from exchanging older leaves with newer ones, with total leaf area unchanged. However, this argument ignores accumulating evidence from ground-based studies of higher leaf area in the dry season relative to the wet season, seasonal changes in litterfall and does not satisfactorily explain why NIR reflectance of these forests decreases in the wet season. A more convincing explanation for the observed increase in NIR reflectance during the dry season and decrease during the wet season is one that invokes changes in both leaf area and leaf optical properties. Such an argument is consistent with known phonological behavior of tropical forests, ground-based reports of seasonal changes in leaf area, litterfall, leaf optical properties and fluxes of evapotranspiration, and thus, reconciles the various seemingly divergent views.

  12. Seasonal changes in leaf area of Amazon forests from leaf flushing and abscission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samanta, Arindam; Knyazikhin, Yuri; Xu, Liang; Dickinson, Robert E.; Fu, Rong; Costa, Marcos H.; Saatchi, Sassan S.; Nemani, Ramakrishna R.; Myneni, Ranga B.

    2012-03-01

    A large increase in near-infrared (NIR) reflectance of Amazon forests during the light-rich dry season and a corresponding decrease during the light-poor wet season has been observed in satellite measurements. This increase has been variously interpreted as seasonal change in leaf area resulting from net leaf flushing in the dry season or net leaf abscission in the wet season, enhanced photosynthetic activity during the dry season from flushing new leaves and as change in leaf scattering and absorption properties between younger and older leaves covered with epiphylls. Reconciling these divergent views using theory and observations is the goal of this article. The observed changes in NIR reflectance of Amazon forests could be due to similar, but small, changes in NIR leaf albedo (reflectance plus transmittance) resulting from the exchange of older leaves for newer ones, but with the total leaf area unchanged. However, this argument ignores accumulating evidence from ground-based reports of higher leaf area in the dry season than the wet season, seasonal changes in litterfall and does not satisfactorily explain why NIR reflectance of these forests decreases in the wet season. More plausibly, the increase in NIR reflectance during the dry season and the decrease during the wet season would result from changes in both leaf area and leaf optical properties. Such change would be consistent with known phenological behavior of tropical forests, ground-based reports of seasonal changes in leaf area, litterfall, leaf optical properties and fluxes of evapotranspiration, and thus, would reconcile the various seemingly divergent views.

  13. Counting Microfiche: The Utilization of the Microform Section of the ANSI Standard Z39.7-1983 "Library Statistics"; Microfiche Curl; and "Poly" or "Cell"?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Caldwell-Wood, Naomi; And Others

    1987-01-01

    The first of three articles describes procedures for using ANSI statistical methods for estimating the number of pieces in large homogeneous collections of microfiche. The second discusses causes of curl, its control, and measurement, and the third compares the advantages and disadvantages of cellulose acetate and polyester base for microforms.…

  14. Leaf Relative Water Content Estimated from Leaf Reflectance and Transmittance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vanderbilt, Vern; Daughtry, Craig; Dahlgren, Robert

    2016-01-01

    Remotely sensing the water status of plants and the water content of canopies remain long term goals of remote sensing research. In the research we report here, we used optical polarization techniques to monitor the light reflected from the leaf interior, R, as well as the leaf transmittance, T, as the relative water content (RWC) of corn (Zea mays) leaves decreased. Our results show that R and T both change nonlinearly. The result show that the nonlinearities cancel in the ratio R/T, which appears linearly related to RWC for RWC less than 90%. The results suggest that potentially leaf water status and perhaps even canopy water status could be monitored starting from leaf and canopy optical measurements.

  15. Leaf phenomics: a systematic reverse genetic screen for Arabidopsis leaf mutants.

    PubMed

    Wilson-Sánchez, David; Rubio-Díaz, Silvia; Muñoz-Viana, Rafael; Pérez-Pérez, José Manuel; Jover-Gil, Sara; Ponce, María Rosa; Micol, José Luis

    2014-09-01

    The study and eventual manipulation of leaf development in plants requires a thorough understanding of the genetic basis of leaf organogenesis. Forward genetic screens have identified hundreds of Arabidopsis mutants with altered leaf development, but the genome has not yet been saturated. To identify genes required for leaf development we are screening the Arabidopsis Salk Unimutant collection. We have identified 608 lines that exhibit a leaf phenotype with full penetrance and almost constant expressivity and 98 additional lines with segregating mutant phenotypes. To allow indexing and integration with other mutants, the mutant phenotypes were described using a custom leaf phenotype ontology. We found that the indexed mutation is present in the annotated locus for 78% of the 553 mutants genotyped, and that in half of these the annotated T-DNA is responsible for the phenotype. To quickly map non-annotated T-DNA insertions, we developed a reliable, cost-effective and easy method based on whole-genome sequencing. To enable comprehensive access to our data, we implemented a public web application named PhenoLeaf (http://genetics.umh.es/phenoleaf) that allows researchers to query the results of our screen, including text and visual phenotype information. We demonstrated how this new resource can facilitate gene function discovery by identifying and characterizing At1g77600, which we found to be required for proximal-distal cell cycle-driven leaf growth, and At3g62870, which encodes a ribosomal protein needed for cell proliferation and chloroplast function. This collection provides a valuable tool for the study of leaf development, characterization of biomass feedstocks and examination of other traits in this fundamental photosynthetic organ. © 2014 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. 7 CFR 29.3525 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3525 Section 29.3525 Agriculture Regulations... Type 95) § 29.3525 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16759, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  17. 7 CFR 29.3525 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3525 Section 29.3525 Agriculture Regulations... Type 95) § 29.3525 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16759, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  18. 7 CFR 29.3525 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3525 Section 29.3525 Agriculture Regulations... Type 95) § 29.3525 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16759, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  19. 7 CFR 29.3525 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3525 Section 29.3525 Agriculture Regulations... Type 95) § 29.3525 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16759, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  20. 7 CFR 29.3525 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf. 29.3525 Section 29.3525 Agriculture Regulations... Type 95) § 29.3525 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16759, Apr. 20, 1984] ...

  1. Leaf habit and woodiness regulate different leaf economy traits at a given nutrient supply.

    PubMed

    Ordoñez, Jenny C; van Bodegom, Peter M; Witte, Jan-Philip M; Bartholomeus, Ruud P; van Dobben, Han F; Aerts, Rien

    2010-11-01

    The large variation in the relationships between environmental factors and plant traits observed in natural communities exemplifies the alternative solutions that plants have developed in response to the same environmental limitations. Qualitative attributes, such as growth form, woodiness, and leaf habit can be used to approximate these alternative solutions. Here, we quantified the extent to which these attributes affect leaf trait values at a given resource supply level, using measured plant traits from 105 different species (254 observations) distributed across 50 sites in mesic to wet plant communities in The Netherlands. For each site, soil total N, soil total P, and water supply estimates were obtained by field measurements and modeling. Effects of growth forms, woodiness, and leaf habit on relations between leaf traits (SLA, specific leaf area; LNC, leaf nitrogen concentration; and LPC, leaf phosphorus concentration) vs. nutrient and water supply were quantified using maximum-likelihood methods and Bonferroni post hoc tests. The qualitative attributes explained 8-23% of the variance within sites in leaf traits vs. soil fertility relationships, and therefore they can potentially be used to make better predictions of global patterns of leaf traits in relation to nutrient supply. However, at a given soil fertility, the strength of the effect of each qualitative attribute was not the same for all leaf traits. These differences may imply a differential regulation of the leaf economy traits at a given nutrient supply, in which SLA and LPC seem to be regulated in accordance to changes in plant size and architecture while LNC seems to be primarily regulated at the leaf level by factors related to leaf longevity.

  2. Application of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), cause and effect analysis, and Pareto diagram in conjunction with HACCP to a corn curl manufacturing plant.

    PubMed

    Varzakas, Theodoros H; Arvanitoyannis, Ioannis S

    2007-01-01

    The Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) model has been applied for the risk assessment of corn curl manufacturing. A tentative approach of FMEA application to the snacks industry was attempted in an effort to exclude the presence of GMOs in the final product. This is of crucial importance both from the ethics and the legislation (Regulations EC 1829/2003; EC 1830/2003; Directive EC 18/2001) point of view. The Preliminary Hazard Analysis and the Fault Tree Analysis were used to analyze and predict the occurring failure modes in a food chain system (corn curls processing plant), based on the functions, characteristics, and/or interactions of the ingredients or the processes, upon which the system depends. Critical Control points have been identified and implemented in the cause and effect diagram (also known as Ishikawa, tree diagram, and the fishbone diagram). Finally, Pareto diagrams were employed towards the optimization of GMOs detection potential of FMEA.

  3. Importance of Rootstock and Scion Tomato Mosaic Virus Resistance for Grafting Heirloom Tomatoes

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    During the 2011-2012 tomato production season at a Florida organic farm, heirloom tomato scions grafted onto Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV)-resistant tomato rootstocks were observed to undergo a rapid and severe wilt, and ultimately die. The soilborne fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii, was isolated...

  4. First report of Tomato chlorosis virus infecting sweet pepper in Costa Rica

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In September 2008, a survey of whiteflies and whitefly-borne viruses was performed in greenhouses in the province of Cartago, Costa Rica. During this survey, sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum cv. Nataly) plants showing interveinal chlorosis, enations, necrosis, and mild upward leaf curling were observed...

  5. 7 CFR 29.2528 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf. 29.2528 Section 29.2528 Agriculture Regulations...-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Types 22, 23, and Foreign Type 96) § 29.2528 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16757, Apr. 20...

  6. 7 CFR 29.1028 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf. 29.1028 Section 29.1028 Agriculture Regulations... Type 92) § 29.1028 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16755, Apr. 20, 1984. Redesignated at 51 FR 25027, July...

  7. 7 CFR 29.2528 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf. 29.2528 Section 29.2528 Agriculture Regulations...-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Types 22, 23, and Foreign Type 96) § 29.2528 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16757, Apr. 20...

  8. 7 CFR 29.2528 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf. 29.2528 Section 29.2528 Agriculture Regulations...-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Types 22, 23, and Foreign Type 96) § 29.2528 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16757, Apr. 20...

  9. 7 CFR 29.1028 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf. 29.1028 Section 29.1028 Agriculture Regulations... Type 92) § 29.1028 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16755, Apr. 20, 1984. Redesignated at 51 FR 25027, July...

  10. 7 CFR 29.1028 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf. 29.1028 Section 29.1028 Agriculture Regulations... Type 92) § 29.1028 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16755, Apr. 20, 1984. Redesignated at 51 FR 25027, July...

  11. 7 CFR 29.1028 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf. 29.1028 Section 29.1028 Agriculture Regulations... Type 92) § 29.1028 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16755, Apr. 20, 1984. Redesignated at 51 FR 25027, July...

  12. 7 CFR 29.1028 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf. 29.1028 Section 29.1028 Agriculture Regulations... Type 92) § 29.1028 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16755, Apr. 20, 1984. Redesignated at 51 FR 25027, July...

  13. 7 CFR 29.2528 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf. 29.2528 Section 29.2528 Agriculture Regulations...-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Types 22, 23, and Foreign Type 96) § 29.2528 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16757, Apr. 20...

  14. 7 CFR 29.2528 - Leaf.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf. 29.2528 Section 29.2528 Agriculture Regulations...-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Types 22, 23, and Foreign Type 96) § 29.2528 Leaf. Whole, unstemmed leaf. Leaf, when applied to tobacco in strip form, shall describe the divided unit of a whole leaf. [49 FR 16757, Apr. 20...

  15. Global variability in leaf respiration in relation to climate and leaf traits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Atkin, Owen K.

    2015-04-01

    Leaf respiration plays a vital role in regulating ecosystem functioning and the Earth's climate. Because of this, it is imperative that that Earth-system, climate and ecosystem-level models be able to accurately predict variations in rates of leaf respiration. In the field of photosynthesis research, the F/vC/B model has enabled modellers to accurately predict variations in photosynthesis through time and space. By contrast, we lack an equivalent biochemical model to predict variations in leaf respiration. Consequently, we need to rely on phenomenological approaches to model variations in respiration across the Earth's surface. Such approaches require that we develop a thorough understanding of how rates of respiration vary among species and whether global environmental gradients play a role in determining variations in leaf respiration. Dealing with these issues requires that data sets be assembled on rates of leaf respiration in biomes across the Earth's surface. In this talk, I will use a newly-assembled global database on leaf respiration and associated traits (including photosynthesis) to highlight variation in leaf respiration (and the balance between respiration and photosynthesis) across global gradients in growth temperature and aridity.

  16. Using a situation awareness approach to determine decision-making behaviour in squash.

    PubMed

    Murray, Stafford; James, Nic; Perš, Janez; Mandeljc, Rok; Vučković, Goran

    2018-06-01

    Situation awareness (SA) refers to the awareness of all relevant sources of information, an ability to synthesise this information using domain knowledge gained from past experiences and the ability to physically respond to a situation. Expert-novice differences have been widely reported in decision-making in complex situations although determining the small differences in expert behaviour are more elusive. This study considered how expert squash players use SA to decide on what shot to play. Matches at the 2010 (n = 14) and 2011 (n = 27) Rowe British Grand Prix were recorded and processed using Tracker software. Shot type, ball location, players' positions on court and movement parameters between the time an opponent played a shot prior to the player's shot to the time of the opponent's following shot were captured 25 times per second. Six SA clusters were named to relate to the outcome of a shot ranging from a defensive shot played under pressure to create time to an attempted winner played under no pressure with the opponent out of position. This new methodology found fine-grained SA differences in expert behaviour, even for the same shot type played from the same court area, beyond the usual expert-novice differences.

  17. Functional Immunomics of the Squash Bug, Anasa tristis (De Geer) (Heteroptera: Coreidae)

    PubMed Central

    Shelby, Kent S.

    2013-01-01

    The Squash bug, Anasa tristis (De Geer), is a major piercing/sucking pest of cucurbits, causing extensive damage to plants and fruits, and transmitting phytopathogens. No genomic resources to facilitate field and laboratory studies of this pest were available; therefore the first de novo exome for this destructive pest was assembled. RNA was extracted from insects challenged with bacterial and fungal immunoelicitors, insects fed on different cucurbit species, and insects from all life stages from egg to adult. All treatments and replicates were separately barcoded for subsequent analyses, then pooled for sequencing in a single lane using the Illumina HiSeq2000 platform. Over 211 million 100-base tags generated in this manner were trimmed, filtered, and cleaned, then assembled into a de novo reference transcriptome using the Broad Institute Trinity assembly algorithm. The assembly was annotated using NCBIx NR, BLAST2GO, KEGG and other databases. Of the >130,000 total assemblies 37,327 were annotated identifying the sequences of candidate gene silencing targets from immune, endocrine, reproductive, cuticle, and other physiological systems. Expression profiling of the adult immune response was accomplished by aligning the 100-base tags from each biological replicate from each treatment and controls to the annotated reference assembly of the A. tristis transcriptome. PMID:26462532

  18. Stomatal Density Influences Leaf Water and Leaf Wax D/H Values in Arabidopsis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, H.; Feakins, S. J.; Sternberg, L. O.

    2014-12-01

    The hydrogen isotopic composition (δD) of plant leaf wax is a powerful tool to study the hydrology of past and present environments. The δD value of leaf waxes is known to primarily reflect the δD value of source water, modified by biological fractionations commonly summarized as the 'net or apparent' fractionation. It remains a challenge, however, to quantitatively relate the isotopic composition of the end product (wax) back to that of the precursor (water) because multiple isotope effects contributing to the net fractionation are not yet well understood. Transgenic variants have heretofore unexplored potential to isolate individual isotope effects. Here we report the first hydrogen isotopic measurements from transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants with calculations of leaf water enrichment, net and biosynthetic fractionation values from measured δD of plant waters and leaf wax n-alkanes. We employed transgenic Arabidopsis leaves, engineered to have different stomatal density, by differential expression of the stomatal growth hormone stomagen. Comparison of variants and wild types allow us to isolate the effects of stomatal density on leaf water and the net fractionation expressed by leaf wax biomarkers. Results show that transgenic leaves with denser pores have more enriched leaf water and leaf wax δD values than wild type and even more so than transgenic leaves with sparse stomata (difference of 10 ‰). Our findings that stomatal density controls leaf water and leaf wax δD values adds insights into the cause of variations in net fractionations between species, as well as suggesting that geological variations in stomatal density may modulate the sedimentary leaf wax δD record. In nature, stomatal density varies between species and environments, and all other factors being equal, this will contribute to variations in fractionations observed. Over geological history, lower stomatal densities occur at times of elevated pCO2; our findings predict reduced leaf

  19. Maize YABBY Genes drooping leaf1 and drooping leaf2 Regulate Plant Architecture[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Briggs, Sarah; Bradbury, Peter J.

    2017-01-01

    Leaf architecture directly influences canopy structure, consequentially affecting yield. We discovered a maize (Zea mays) mutant with aberrant leaf architecture, which we named drooping leaf1 (drl1). Pleiotropic mutations in drl1 affect leaf length and width, leaf angle, and internode length and diameter. These phenotypes are enhanced by natural variation at the drl2 enhancer locus, including reduced expression of the drl2-Mo17 allele in the Mo17 inbred. A second drl2 allele, produced by transposon mutagenesis, interacted synergistically with drl1 mutants and reduced drl2 transcript levels. The drl genes are required for proper leaf patterning, development and cell proliferation of leaf support tissues, and for restricting auricle expansion at the midrib. The paralogous loci encode maize CRABS CLAW co-orthologs in the YABBY family of transcriptional regulators. The drl genes are coexpressed in incipient and emergent leaf primordia at the shoot apex, but not in the vegetative meristem or stem. Genome-wide association studies using maize NAM-RIL (nested association mapping-recombinant inbred line) populations indicated that the drl loci reside within quantitative trait locus regions for leaf angle, leaf width, and internode length and identified rare single nucleotide polymorphisms with large phenotypic effects for the latter two traits. This study demonstrates that drl genes control the development of key agronomic traits in maize. PMID:28698237

  20. Downregulation of net phosphorus-uptake capacity is inversely related to leaf phosphorus-resorption proficiency in four species from a phosphorus-impoverished environment.

    PubMed

    de Campos, Mariana C R; Pearse, Stuart J; Oliveira, Rafael S; Lambers, Hans

    2013-03-01

    Previous research has suggested a trade-off between the capacity of plants to downregulate their phosphorus (P) uptake capacity and their efficiency of P resorption from senescent leaves in species from P-impoverished environments. To investigate this further, four Australian native species (Banksia attenuata, B. menziesii, Acacia truncata and A. xanthina) were grown in a greenhouse in nutrient solutions at a range of P concentrations [P]. Acacia plants received between 0 and 500 µm P; Banksia plants received between 0 and 10 µm P, to avoid major P-toxicity symptoms in these highly P-sensitive species. For both Acacia species, the net P-uptake rates measured at 10 µm P decreased steadily with increasing P supply during growth. In contrast, in B. attenuata, the net rate of P uptake from a solution with 10 µm P increased linearly with increasing P supply during growth. The P-uptake rate of B. menziesii showed no significant response to P supply in the growing medium. Leaf [P] of the four species supported this finding, with A. truncata and A. xanthina showing an increase up to a saturation value of 19 and 21 mg P g(-1) leaf dry mass, respectively (at 500 µm P), whereas B. attenuata and B. menziesii both exhibited a linear increase in leaf [P], reaching 10 and 13 mg P g(-1) leaf dry mass, respectively, without approaching a saturation point. The Banksia plants grown at 10 µm P showed mild symptoms of P toxicity, i.e. yellow spots on some leaves and drying and curling of the tips of the leaves. Leaf P-resorption efficiency was 69 % (B. attenuata), 73 % (B. menziesii), 34 % (A. truncata) and 36 % (A. xanthina). The P-resorption proficiency values were 0·08 mg P g(-1) leaf dry mass (B. attenuata and B. menziesii), 0·32 mg P g(-1) leaf dry mass (A. truncata) and 0·36 mg P g(-1) leaf dry mass (A. xanthina). Combining the present results with additional information on P-remobilization efficiency and the capacity to downregulate P-uptake capacity for two other

  1. Downregulation of net phosphorus-uptake capacity is inversely related to leaf phosphorus-resorption proficiency in four species from a phosphorus-impoverished environment

    PubMed Central

    de Campos, Mariana C. R.; Pearse, Stuart J.; Oliveira, Rafael S.; Lambers, Hans

    2013-01-01

    Background and Aims Previous research has suggested a trade-off between the capacity of plants to downregulate their phosphorus (P) uptake capacity and their efficiency of P resorption from senescent leaves in species from P-impoverished environments. Methods To investigate this further, four Australian native species (Banksia attenuata, B. menziesii, Acacia truncata and A. xanthina) were grown in a greenhouse in nutrient solutions at a range of P concentrations [P]. Acacia plants received between 0 and 500 µm P; Banksia plants received between 0 and 10 µm P, to avoid major P-toxicity symptoms in these highly P-sensitive species. Key Results For both Acacia species, the net P-uptake rates measured at 10 µm P decreased steadily with increasing P supply during growth. In contrast, in B. attenuata, the net rate of P uptake from a solution with 10 µm P increased linearly with increasing P supply during growth. The P-uptake rate of B. menziesii showed no significant response to P supply in the growing medium. Leaf [P] of the four species supported this finding, with A. truncata and A. xanthina showing an increase up to a saturation value of 19 and 21 mg P g−1 leaf dry mass, respectively (at 500 µm P), whereas B. attenuata and B. menziesii both exhibited a linear increase in leaf [P], reaching 10 and 13 mg P g−1 leaf dry mass, respectively, without approaching a saturation point. The Banksia plants grown at 10 µm P showed mild symptoms of P toxicity, i.e. yellow spots on some leaves and drying and curling of the tips of the leaves. Leaf P-resorption efficiency was 69 % (B. attenuata), 73 % (B. menziesii), 34 % (A. truncata) and 36 % (A. xanthina). The P-resorption proficiency values were 0·08 mg P g−1 leaf dry mass (B. attenuata and B. menziesii), 0·32 mg P g−1 leaf dry mass (A. truncata) and 0·36 mg P g−1 leaf dry mass (A. xanthina). Combining the present results with additional information on P-remobilization efficiency and the capacity to

  2. Leaf anatomy mediates coordination of leaf hydraulic conductance and mesophyll conductance to CO2 in Oryza.

    PubMed

    Xiong, Dongliang; Flexas, Jaume; Yu, Tingting; Peng, Shaobing; Huang, Jianliang

    2017-01-01

    Leaf hydraulic conductance (K leaf ) and mesophyll conductance (g m ) both represent major constraints to photosynthetic rate (A), and previous studies have suggested that K leaf and g m is correlated in leaves. However, there is scarce empirical information about their correlation. In this study, K leaf , leaf hydraulic conductance inside xylem (K x ), leaf hydraulic conductance outside xylem (K ox ), A, stomatal conductance (g s ), g m , and anatomical and structural leaf traits in 11 Oryza genotypes were investigated to elucidate the correlation of H 2 O and CO 2 diffusion inside leaves. All of the leaf functional and anatomical traits varied significantly among genotypes. K leaf was not correlated with the maximum theoretical stomatal conductance calculated from stomatal dimensions (g smax ), and neither g s nor g smax were correlated with K x . Moreover, K ox was linearly correlated with g m and both were closely related to mesophyll structural traits. These results suggest that K leaf and g m are related to leaf anatomical and structural features, which may explain the mechanism for correlation between g m and K leaf . © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

  3. Association of 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' with the Psyllid, Trioza apicalis (Hemiptera: Triozidae) in Europe

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Carrot psyllid (Trioza apicalis Förster) is a serious pest of carrots (Daucus carota L.) in northern and central Europe. Carrots exhibiting symptoms of psyllid damage were observed in commercial fields in southern Finland in 2008. Symptoms in affected plants included leaf curling, yellow and purple ...

  4. Molecular markers linked to genes important for Hard Winter Wheat production and marketing in the U.S. Great Plains

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Biotic stresses including diseases [leaf, stem and stripe rusts, and wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV)] and insects [greenbug (GB), Hessian fly (Hf), Russian wheat aphid (RWA) and wheat curl mite (WCM)] significantly affect grain yield and end-use quality of hard winter wheat (HWW, Triticum aestivum ...

  5. Cytologic features of the normal pineal gland on squash preparations.

    PubMed

    Murro, Diana; Alsadi, Alaa; Nag, Sukriti; Arvanitis, Leonidas; Gattuso, Paolo

    2014-11-01

    As primary pineal lesions are extremely rare, many surgical pathologists are unfamiliar with normal pineal cytologic features. We describe cytologic features of the normal pineal gland in patients of varying ages and identify common diagnostic pitfalls. We performed a retrospective review of pineal gland biopsies performed at our institution, where approximately 30,000 surgical specimens are accessioned yearly, for the last 23 years. Only two pineal gland biopsies were found. Although both cases were initially diagnosed as low-grade gliomas on frozen section, the final diagnosis was benign pineal tissue based on light microscopy and immunohistochemistry results. Additionally, we performed squash preparations of five normal pineal gland autopsy specimens with Papanicolaou and Diff-Quik® (Dade Behring, Newark, DE) stains. Infant preparations were highly cellular smears composed of numerous, uniform, single cells with indistinct cytoplasm, small round-to-oval nuclei, fine chromatin, and absent nucleoli and calcifications. The vague microfollicular pattern mimicked a pineocytoma and the fine fibrillary background mimicked a glial neoplasm. Young adult smears were similar; however, microcalcifications were present with fewer background single cells. Older patients had much less cellular smears composed of small clusters of cells with fusiform-to-spindle nuclei, a fine chromatin pattern, and indistinct cytoplasmic borders. There were fewer background single cells and more microcalcifications. The cytologic features of the native pineal gland vary with age. Normal pineal tissue can be confused with a pineocytoma or low-grade glioma. Familiarity with normal pineal gland cytological features will help to avoid a potential misdiagnosis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. A Constrained Maximization Model for inspecting the impact of leaf shape on optimal leaf size and stoma resistance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ding, J.; Johnson, E. A.; Martin, Y. E.

    2017-12-01

    Leaf is the basic production unit of plants. Water is the most critical resource of plants. Its availability controls primary productivity of plants by affecting leaf carbon budget. To avoid the damage of cavitation from lowering vein water potential t caused by evapotranspiration, the leaf must increase the stomatal resistance to reduce evapotranspiration rate. This comes at the cost of reduced carbon fixing rate as increasing stoma resistance meanwhile slows carbon intake rate. Studies suggest that stoma will operate at an optimal resistance to maximize the carbon gain with respect to water. Different plant species have different leaf shapes, a genetically determined trait. Further, on the same plant leaf size can vary many times in size that is related to soil moisture, an indicator of water availability. According to metabolic scaling theory, increasing leaf size will increase total xylem resistance of vein, which may also constrain leaf carbon budget. We present a Constrained Maximization Model of leaf (leaf CMM) that incorporates metabolic theory into the coupling of evapotranspiration and carbon fixation to examine how leaf size, stoma resistance and maximum net leaf primary productivity change with petiole xylem water potential. The model connects vein network structure to leaf shape and use the difference between petiole xylem water potential and the critical minor vein cavitation forming water potential as the budget. The CMM shows that both maximum net leaf primary production and optimal leaf size increase with petiole xylem water potential while optimal stoma resistance decreases. Narrow leaf has overall lower optimal leaf size and maximum net leaf carbon gain and higher optimal stoma resistance than those of broad leaf. This is because with small width to length ratio, total xylem resistance increases faster with leaf size. Total xylem resistance of narrow leaf increases faster with leaf size causing higher average and marginal cost of xylem water

  7. On the temporal variation of leaf magnetic parameters: seasonal accumulation of leaf-deposited and leaf-encapsulated particles of a roadside tree crown.

    PubMed

    Hofman, Jelle; Wuyts, Karen; Van Wittenberghe, Shari; Samson, Roeland

    2014-09-15

    Understanding the accumulation behaviour of atmospheric particles inside tree leaves is of great importance for the interpretation of biomagnetic monitoring results. In this study, we evaluated the temporal variation of the saturation isothermal remanent magnetisation (SIRM) of leaves of a roadside urban Platanus × acerifolia Willd. tree in Antwerp, Belgium. We hereby examined the seasonal development of the total leaf SIRM signal as well as the leaf-encapsulated fraction of the deposited dust, by washing the leaves before biomagnetic analysis. On average 38% of the leaf SIRM signal was exhibited by the leaf-encapsulated particles. Significant correlations were found between the SIRM and the cumulative daily average atmospheric PM10 and PM2.5 measurements. Moreover, a steady increase of the SIRM throughout the in-leaf season was observed endorsing the applicability of biomagnetic monitoring as a proxy for the time-integrated PM exposure of urban tree leaves. Strongest correlations were obtained for the SIRM of the leaf-encapsulated particles which confirms the dynamic nature of the leaf surface-accumulated particles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Seasonal variability of multiple leaf traits captured by leaf spectroscopy at two temperate deciduous forests

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Xi; Tang, Jianwu; Mustard, John F.

    Understanding the temporal patterns of leaf traits is critical in determining the seasonality and magnitude of terrestrial carbon, water, and energy fluxes. However, we lack robust and efficient ways to monitor the temporal dynamics of leaf traits. Here we assessed the potential of leaf spectroscopy to predict and monitor leaf traits across their entire life cycle at different forest sites and light environments (sunlit vs. shaded) using a weekly sampled dataset across the entire growing season at two temperate deciduous forests. In addition, the dataset includes field measured leaf-level directional-hemispherical reflectance/transmittance together with seven important leaf traits [total chlorophyll (chlorophyllmore » a and b), carotenoids, mass-based nitrogen concentration (N mass), mass-based carbon concentration (C mass), and leaf mass per area (LMA)]. All leaf traits varied significantly throughout the growing season, and displayed trait-specific temporal patterns. We used a Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) modeling approach to estimate leaf traits from spectra, and found that PLSR was able to capture the variability across time, sites, and light environments of all leaf traits investigated (R 2 = 0.6–0.8 for temporal variability; R 2 = 0.3–0.7 for cross-site variability; R 2 = 0.4–0.8 for variability from light environments). We also tested alternative field sampling designs and found that for most leaf traits, biweekly leaf sampling throughout the growing season enabled accurate characterization of the seasonal patterns. Compared with the estimation of foliar pigments, the performance of N mass, C mass and LMA PLSR models improved more significantly with sampling frequency. Our results demonstrate that leaf spectra-trait relationships vary with time, and thus tracking the seasonality of leaf traits requires statistical models calibrated with data sampled throughout the growing season. In conclusion, our results have broad implications for future

  9. Seasonal variability of multiple leaf traits captured by leaf spectroscopy at two temperate deciduous forests

    DOE PAGES

    Yang, Xi; Tang, Jianwu; Mustard, John F.; ...

    2016-04-02

    Understanding the temporal patterns of leaf traits is critical in determining the seasonality and magnitude of terrestrial carbon, water, and energy fluxes. However, we lack robust and efficient ways to monitor the temporal dynamics of leaf traits. Here we assessed the potential of leaf spectroscopy to predict and monitor leaf traits across their entire life cycle at different forest sites and light environments (sunlit vs. shaded) using a weekly sampled dataset across the entire growing season at two temperate deciduous forests. In addition, the dataset includes field measured leaf-level directional-hemispherical reflectance/transmittance together with seven important leaf traits [total chlorophyll (chlorophyllmore » a and b), carotenoids, mass-based nitrogen concentration (N mass), mass-based carbon concentration (C mass), and leaf mass per area (LMA)]. All leaf traits varied significantly throughout the growing season, and displayed trait-specific temporal patterns. We used a Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) modeling approach to estimate leaf traits from spectra, and found that PLSR was able to capture the variability across time, sites, and light environments of all leaf traits investigated (R 2 = 0.6–0.8 for temporal variability; R 2 = 0.3–0.7 for cross-site variability; R 2 = 0.4–0.8 for variability from light environments). We also tested alternative field sampling designs and found that for most leaf traits, biweekly leaf sampling throughout the growing season enabled accurate characterization of the seasonal patterns. Compared with the estimation of foliar pigments, the performance of N mass, C mass and LMA PLSR models improved more significantly with sampling frequency. Our results demonstrate that leaf spectra-trait relationships vary with time, and thus tracking the seasonality of leaf traits requires statistical models calibrated with data sampled throughout the growing season. In conclusion, our results have broad implications for future

  10. SU-F-T-350: Continuous Leaf Optimization (CLO) for IMRT Leaf Sequencing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Long, T; Chen, M; Jiang, S

    Purpose: To study a new step-and-shoot IMRT leaf sequencing model that avoids the two main pitfalls of conventional leaf sequencing: (1) target fluence being stratified into a fixed number of discrete levels and/or (2) aperture leaf positions being restricted to a discrete set of locations. These assumptions induce error into the sequence or reduce the feasible region of potential plans, respectively. Methods: We develop a one-dimensional (single leaf pair) methodology that does not make assumptions (1) or (2) that can be easily extended to a multi-row model. The proposed continuous leaf optimization (CLO) methodology takes in an existing set ofmore » apertures and associated intensities, or solution “seed,” and improves the plan without the restrictiveness of 1or (2). It then uses a first-order descent algorithm to converge onto a locally optimal solution. A seed solution can come from models that assume (1) and (2), thus allowing the CLO model to improve upon existing leaf sequencing methodologies. Results: The CLO model was applied to 208 generated target fluence maps in one dimension. In all cases for all tested sequencing strategies, the CLO model made improvements on the starting seed objective function. The CLO model also was able to keep MUs low. Conclusion: The CLO model can improve upon existing leaf sequencing methods by avoiding the restrictions of (1) and (2). By allowing for more flexible leaf positioning, error can be reduced when matching some target fluence. This study lays the foundation for future models and solution methodologies that can incorporate continuous leaf positions explicitly into the IMRT treatment planning model. Supported by Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) - ID RP150485.« less

  11. Are leaf physiological traits related to leaf water isotopic enrichment in restinga woody species?

    PubMed

    Rosado, Bruno H P; De Mattos, Eduardo A; Sternberg, Leonel Da S L

    2013-09-01

    During plant-transpiration, water molecules having the lighter stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen evaporate and diffuse at a faster rate through the stomata than molecules having the heavier isotopes, which cause isotopic enrichment of leaf water. Although previous models have assumed that leaf water is well-mixed and isotopically uniform, non-uniform stomatal closure, promoting different enrichments between cells, and different pools of water within leaves, due to morpho-physiological traits, might lead to inaccuracies in isotopic models predicting leaf water enrichment. We evaluate the role of leaf morpho-physiological traits on leaf water isotopic enrichment in woody species occurring in a coastal vegetation of Brazil known as restinga. Hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope values of soil, plant stem and leaf water and leaf traits were measured in six species from restinga vegetation during a drought and a wet period. Leaf water isotopic enrichment relative to stem water was more homogeneous among species during the drought in contrast to the wet period suggesting convergent responses to deal to temporal heterogeneity in water availability. Average leaf water isotopic enrichment relative to stem water during the drought period was highly correlated with relative apoplastic water content. We discuss this observation in the context of current models of leaf water isotopic enrichment as a function of the Péclet effect. We suggest that future studies should include relative apoplastic water content in isotopic models.

  12. How do leaf veins influence the worldwide leaf economic spectrum? Review and synthesis.

    PubMed

    Sack, Lawren; Scoffoni, Christine; John, Grace P; Poorter, Hendrik; Mason, Chase M; Mendez-Alonzo, Rodrigo; Donovan, Lisa A

    2013-10-01

    Leaf vein traits are implicated in the determination of gas exchange rates and plant performance. These traits are increasingly considered as causal factors affecting the 'leaf economic spectrum' (LES), which includes the light-saturated rate of photosynthesis, dark respiration, foliar nitrogen concentration, leaf dry mass per area (LMA) and leaf longevity. This article reviews the support for two contrasting hypotheses regarding a key vein trait, vein length per unit leaf area (VLA). Recently, Blonder et al. (2011, 2013) proposed that vein traits, including VLA, can be described as the 'origin' of the LES by structurally determining LMA and leaf thickness, and thereby vein traits would predict LES traits according to specific equations. Careful re-examination of leaf anatomy, published datasets, and a newly compiled global database for diverse species did not support the 'vein origin' hypothesis, and moreover showed that the apparent power of those equations to predict LES traits arose from circularity. This review provides a 'flux trait network' hypothesis for the effects of vein traits on the LES and on plant performance, based on a synthesis of the previous literature. According to this hypothesis, VLA, while virtually independent of LMA, strongly influences hydraulic conductance, and thus stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate. We also review (i) the specific physiological roles of VLA; (ii) the role of leaf major veins in influencing LES traits; and (iii) the role of VLA in determining photosynthetic rate per leaf dry mass and plant relative growth rate. A clear understanding of leaf vein traits provides a new perspective on plant function independently of the LES and can enhance the ability to explain and predict whole plant performance under dynamic conditions, with applications towards breeding improved crop varieties.

  13. Leaf age dependent changes in within-canopy variation in leaf functional traits: a meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Niinemets, Ülo

    2018-01-01

    Within-canopy variation in leaf structural and photosynthetic characteristics is a major means by which whole canopy photosynthesis is maximized at given total canopy nitrogen. As key acclimatory modifications, leaf nitrogen content (NA) and photosynthetic capacity (AA) per unit area increase with increasing light availability in the canopy and these increases are associated with increases in leaf dry mass per unit area (MA) and/or nitrogen content per dry mass and/or allocation. However, leaf functional characteristics change with increasing leaf age during leaf development and aging, but the importance of these alterations for within-canopy trait gradients is unknown. I conducted a meta-analysis based on 71 canopies that were sampled at different time periods or, in evergreens, included measurements for different-aged leaves to understand how within-canopy variations in leaf traits (trait plasticity) depend on leaf age. The analysis demonstrated that in evergreen woody species, MA and NA plasticity decreased with increasing leaf age, but the change in AA plasticity was less suggesting a certain re-acclimation of AA to altered light. In deciduous woody species, MA and NA gradients in flush-type species increased during leaf development and were almost invariable through the rest of the season, while in continuously leaf-forming species, trait gradients increased constantly with increasing leaf age. In forbs, NA plasticity increased, while in grasses, NA plasticity decreased with increasing leaf age, reflecting life form differences in age-dependent changes in light availability and in nitrogen resorption for growth of generative organs. Although more work is needed to improve the coverage of age-dependent plasticity changes in some plant life forms, I argue that the age-dependent variation in trait plasticity uncovered in this study is large enough to warrant incorporation in simulations of canopy photosynthesis through the growing period. PMID:27033356

  14. Vector wind, horizontal divergence, wind stress and wind stress curl from SEASAT-SASS at one degree resolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pierson, W. J., Jr.; Sylvester, W. B.; Salfi, R. E.

    1984-01-01

    Conventional data obtained in 1983 are contrasted with SEASAT-A scatterometer and scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) data to show how observations at a single station can be extended to an area of about 150,000 square km by means of remotely sensed data obtained in nine minutes. Superobservations at a one degree resolution for the vector winds were estimated along with their standard deviations. From these superobservations, the horizontal divergence, vector wind stress, and the curl of the wind stress can be found. Weather forecasting theory is discussed and meteorological charts of the North Pacific Ocean are presented. Synoptic meteorology as a technique is examined.

  15. Leaf Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mingie, Walter

    Leaf activities can provide a means of using basic concepts of outdoor education to learn in elementary level subject areas. Equipment needed includes leaves, a clipboard with paper, and a pencil. A bag of leaves may be brought into the classroom if weather conditions or time do not permit going outdoors. Each student should pick a leaf, examine…

  16. Tracking disease and insect pests using Smartphone technology: a new approach for regional (and local) pest management

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is vectored by the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci biotype B) and was first detected in south Florida in 1997. The virus has spread widely in Florida and is responsible for millions of dollars of lost production. Anlaysis of data from a comprehensive, multi-...

  17. Healing the Wounds of War and More: An Integrative Approach to Peace--The Work of Adam Curle and Others with Mir i dobro in Zupanja, Croatia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitchels, Barbara

    2003-01-01

    Examines practical implications of Curle's approach to psychological aspects of conflict and peacemaking as evidenced in the Mir i dobro project in Zupanja, taking into consideration some of the current debates concerning treatment of psychological trauma, including validity of the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder and use of so-called…

  18. Purification and Kinetics of Higher Plant NADH:Nitrate Reductase.

    PubMed

    Campbell, W H; Smarrelli, J

    1978-04-01

    Squash cotyledon (Cucurbita pepo L.) NADH:nitrate reductase (NR) was purified 150-fold with 50% recovery by a single step procedure based on the affinity of the NR for blue-Sepharose. Blue-Sepharose, which is prepared by direct coupling of Cibacron blue to Sepharose, appears to bind squash NR at the NADH site. The NR can be purified in 2 to 3 hours to a specific activity of 2 mumol of NADH oxidized/minute * milligram of protein. Corn (Zea mays L.) leaf NR was also purified to a specific activity of 6.9 mumol of NADH oxidized/minute * milligram of protein using a blue-Sepharose affinity step. The blue-Sepharose method offers the advantages of a rapid purification of plant NR to a high specific activity with reasonable recovery of total activity.The kinetic mechanism of higher plant NR was investigated using these highly purified squash and corn NR preparations. Based on initial velocity and product inhibition studies utilizing both enzymes, a two-site ping-pong mechanism is proposed for NR. This kinetic mechanism incorporates the concept of the reduced NR transferring electrons from the NADH site to a physically separated nitrate site.

  19. Easy Leaf Area: Automated digital image analysis for rapid and accurate measurement of leaf area.

    PubMed

    Easlon, Hsien Ming; Bloom, Arnold J

    2014-07-01

    Measurement of leaf areas from digital photographs has traditionally required significant user input unless backgrounds are carefully masked. Easy Leaf Area was developed to batch process hundreds of Arabidopsis rosette images in minutes, removing background artifacts and saving results to a spreadsheet-ready CSV file. • Easy Leaf Area uses the color ratios of each pixel to distinguish leaves and calibration areas from their background and compares leaf pixel counts to a red calibration area to eliminate the need for camera distance calculations or manual ruler scale measurement that other software methods typically require. Leaf areas estimated by this software from images taken with a camera phone were more accurate than ImageJ estimates from flatbed scanner images. • Easy Leaf Area provides an easy-to-use method for rapid measurement of leaf area and nondestructive estimation of canopy area from digital images.

  20. Leaf anatomical traits determine the 18O enrichment of leaf water in coastal halophytes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, J.; Lin, G., Sr.; Sternberg, L. O.

    2017-12-01

    Foliar anatomical adaptations to high-salinity environment in mangroves may be recorded by leaf water isotopes. Recent studies observed that a few mangrove species have lower 18O enrichment of leaf water (ΔL) relative to source water than the adjacent terrestrial trees, but what factors actually control this phenomenon is still disputable at present. To resolve this issue, we collected 15 species of true mangrove plants, 14 species of adjacent freshwater trees and 4 species of semi-mangrove plants at five study sites on the southeastern coast of China. Leaf stomatal density and pore size, water content, ΔL and other related leaf physiological traits were determined for the selected leaves of these plants. Our results confirmed that ΔL values of mangroves were generally 3 4 ‰ lower than those of the adjacent freshwater or semi-mangrove species. Higher leaf water per area (LWC) and lower leaf stomatal density (LS) of mangroves played co-dominant roles in lowering ΔL through elongating effective leaf mixing length by about 20%. The Péclet model incorporated by LWC and LS performed well in predicting ΔL. The demonstrated general law between leaf anatomy and ΔL in this paper based on a large pool of species bridges the gap between leaf functional traits and metabolic proxies derived ΔL, which will have considerable potential applications in vegetation succession and reconstruction of paleoclimate research.

  1. Coming of leaf age: control of growth by hydraulics and metabolics during leaf ontogeny.

    PubMed

    Pantin, Florent; Simonneau, Thierry; Muller, Bertrand

    2012-10-01

    Leaf growth is the central process facilitating energy capture and plant performance. This is also one of the most sensitive processes to a wide range of abiotic stresses. Because hydraulics and metabolics are two major determinants of expansive growth (volumetric increase) and structural growth (dry matter increase), we review the interaction nodes between water and carbon. We detail the crosstalks between water and carbon transports, including the dual role of stomata and aquaporins in regulating water and carbon fluxes, the coupling between phloem and xylem, the interactions between leaf water relations and photosynthetic capacity, the links between Lockhart's hydromechanical model and carbon metabolism, and the central regulatory role of abscisic acid. Then, we argue that during leaf ontogeny, these interactions change dramatically because of uncoupled modifications between several anatomical and physiological features of the leaf. We conclude that the control of leaf growth switches from a metabolic to a hydromechanical limitation during the course of leaf ontogeny. Finally, we illustrate how taking leaf ontogeny into account provides insights into the mechanisms underlying leaf growth responses to abiotic stresses that affect water and carbon relations, such as elevated CO2, low light, high temperature and drought. © 2012 INRA. New Phytologist © 2012 New Phytologist Trust.

  2. Recovering stereo vision by squashing virtual bugs in a virtual reality environment

    PubMed Central

    Vedamurthy, Indu; Knill, David C.; Huang, Samuel J.; Yung, Amanda; Ding, Jian; Kwon, Oh-Sang; Bavelier, Daphne

    2016-01-01

    Stereopsis is the rich impression of three-dimensionality, based on binocular disparity—the differences between the two retinal images of the same world. However, a substantial proportion of the population is stereo-deficient, and relies mostly on monocular cues to judge the relative depth or distance of objects in the environment. Here we trained adults who were stereo blind or stereo-deficient owing to strabismus and/or amblyopia in a natural visuomotor task—a ‘bug squashing’ game—in a virtual reality environment. The subjects' task was to squash a virtual dichoptic bug on a slanted surface, by hitting it with a physical cylinder they held in their hand. The perceived surface slant was determined by monocular texture and stereoscopic cues, with these cues being either consistent or in conflict, allowing us to track the relative weighting of monocular versus stereoscopic cues as training in the task progressed. Following training most participants showed greater reliance on stereoscopic cues, reduced suppression and improved stereoacuity. Importantly, the training-induced changes in relative stereo weights were significant predictors of the improvements in stereoacuity. We conclude that some adults deprived of normal binocular vision and insensitive to the disparity information can, with appropriate experience, recover access to more reliable stereoscopic information. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Vision in our three-dimensional world’. PMID:27269607

  3. Active suppression of a leaf meristem orchestrates determinate leaf growth

    PubMed Central

    Alvarez, John Paul; Furumizu, Chihiro; Efroni, Idan; Eshed, Yuval; Bowman, John L

    2016-01-01

    Leaves are flat determinate organs derived from indeterminate shoot apical meristems. The presence of a specific leaf meristem is debated, as anatomical features typical of meristems are not present in leaves. Here we demonstrate that multiple NGATHA (NGA) and CINCINNATA-class-TCP (CIN-TCP) transcription factors act redundantly, shortly after leaf initiation, to gradually restrict the activity of a leaf meristem in Arabidopsis thaliana to marginal and basal domains, and that their absence confers persistent marginal growth to leaves, cotyledons and floral organs. Following primordia initiation, the restriction of the broadly acting leaf meristem to the margins is mediated by the juxtaposition of adaxial and abaxial domains and maintained by WOX homeobox transcription factors, whereas other marginal elaboration genes are dispensable for its maintenance. This genetic framework parallels the morphogenetic program of shoot apical meristems and may represent a relic of an ancestral shoot system from which seed plant leaves evolved. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15023.001 PMID:27710768

  4. Genome-wide association study of rice (Oryza sativa L.) leaf traits with a high-throughput leaf scorer.

    PubMed

    Yang, Wanneng; Guo, Zilong; Huang, Chenglong; Wang, Ke; Jiang, Ni; Feng, Hui; Chen, Guoxing; Liu, Qian; Xiong, Lizhong

    2015-09-01

    Leaves are the plant's solar panel and food factory, and leaf traits are always key issues to investigate in plant research. Traditional methods for leaf trait measurement are time-consuming. In this work, an engineering prototype has been established for high-throughput leaf scoring (HLS) of a large number of Oryza sativa accessions. The mean absolute per cent of errors in traditional measurements versus HLS were below 5% for leaf number, area, shape, and colour. Moreover, HLS can measure up to 30 leaves per minute. To demonstrate the usefulness of HLS in dissecting the genetic bases of leaf traits, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed for 29 leaf traits related to leaf size, shape, and colour at three growth stages using HLS on a panel of 533 rice accessions. Nine associated loci contained known leaf-related genes, such as Nal1 for controlling the leaf width. In addition, a total of 73, 123, and 177 new loci were detected for traits associated with leaf size, colour, and shape, respectively. In summary, after evaluating the performance with a large number of rice accessions, the combination of GWAS and high-throughput leaf phenotyping (HLS) has proven a valuable strategy to identify the genetic loci controlling rice leaf traits. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  5. Leaf drop affects herbivory in oaks.

    PubMed

    Pearse, Ian S; Karban, Richard

    2013-11-01

    Leaf phenology is important to herbivores, but the timing and extent of leaf drop has not played an important role in our understanding of herbivore interactions with deciduous plants. Using phylogenetic general least squares regression, we compared the phenology of leaves of 55 oak species in a common garden with the abundance of leaf miners on those trees. Mine abundance was highest on trees with an intermediate leaf retention index, i.e. trees that lost most, but not all, of their leaves for 2-3 months. The leaves of more evergreen species were more heavily sclerotized, and sclerotized leaves accumulated fewer mines in the summer. Leaves of more deciduous species also accumulated fewer mines in the summer, and this was consistent with the idea that trees reduce overwintering herbivores by shedding leaves. Trees with a later leaf set and slower leaf maturation accumulated fewer herbivores. We propose that both leaf drop and early leaf phenology strongly affect herbivore abundance and select for differences in plant defense. Leaf drop may allow trees to dispose of their herbivores so that the herbivores must recolonize in spring, but trees with the longest leaf retention also have the greatest direct defenses against herbivores.

  6. Automated Leaf Tracking using Multi-view Image Sequences of Maize Plants for Leaf-growth Monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Das Choudhury, S.; Awada, T.; Samal, A.; Stoerger, V.; Bashyam, S.

    2017-12-01

    Extraction of phenotypes with botanical importance by analyzing plant image sequences has the desirable advantages of non-destructive temporal phenotypic measurements of a large number of plants with little or no manual intervention in a relatively short period of time. The health of a plant is best interpreted by the emergence timing and temporal growth of individual leaves. For automated leaf growth monitoring, it is essential to track each leaf throughout the life cycle of the plant. Plants are constantly changing organisms with increasing complexity in architecture due to variations in self-occlusions and phyllotaxy, i.e., arrangements of leaves around the stem. The leaf cross-overs pose challenges to accurately track each leaf using single view image sequence. Thus, we introduce a novel automated leaf tracking algorithm using a graph theoretic approach by multi-view image sequence analysis based on the determination of leaf-tips and leaf-junctions in the 3D space. The basis of the leaf tracking algorithm is: the leaves emerge using bottom-up approach in the case of a maize plant, and the direction of leaf emergence strictly alternates in terms of direction. The algorithm involves labeling of the individual parts of a plant, i.e., leaves and stem, following graphical representation of the plant skeleton, i.e., one-pixel wide connected line obtained from the binary image. The length of the leaf is measured by the number of pixels in the leaf skeleton. To evaluate the performance of the algorithm, a benchmark dataset is indispensable. Thus, we publicly release University of Nebraska-Lincoln Component Plant Phenotyping dataset-2 (UNL-CPPD-2) consisting of images of the 20 maize plants captured by visible light camera of the Lemnatec Scanalyzer 3D high throughout plant phenotyping facility once daily for 60 days from 10 different views. The dataset is aimed to facilitate the development and evaluation of leaf tracking algorithms and their uniform comparisons.

  7. Leaf area dynamics of conifer forests

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Margolis, H.; Oren, R.; Whitehead, D.

    1995-07-01

    Estimating the surface area of foliage supported by a coniferous forest canopy is critical for modeling its biological properties. Leaf area represents the surface area available for the interception of energy, the absorption of carbon dioxide, and the diffusion of water from the leaf to the atmosphere. The concept of leaf area is pertinent to the physiological and ecological dynamics of conifers at a wide range of spatial scales, from individual leaves to entire biomes. In fact, the leaf area of vegetation at a global level can be thought of as a carbon-absorbing, water-emitting membrane of variable thickness, which canmore » have an important influence on the dynamics and chemistry of the Earth`s atmosphere over both the short and the long term. Unless otherwise specified, references to leaf area herein refer to projected leaf area, i.e., the vertical projection of needles placed on a flat plane. Total leaf surface area is generally from 2.0 to 3.14 times that of projected leaf area for conifers. It has recently been suggested that hemisurface leaf area, i.e., one-half of the total surface area of a leaf, a more useful basis for expressing leaf area than is projected area. This chapter is concerned with the dynamics of coniferous forest leaf area at different spatial and temporal scales. In the first part, we consider various hypotheses related to the control of leaf area development, ranging from simple allometric relations with tree size to more complex mechanistic models that consider the movement of water and nutrients to tree canopies. In the second part, we consider various aspects of leaf area dynamics at varying spatial and temporal scales, including responses to perturbation, seasonal dynamics, genetic variation in crown architecture, the responses to silvicultural treatments, the causes and consequences of senescence, and the direct measurement of coniferous leaf area at large spatial scales using remote sensing.« less

  8. 7 CFR 29.1162 - Leaf (B Group).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Specifications, and Tolerances B1L—Choice Quality Lemon Leaf Ripe, firm leaf structure, medium body, rich in oil... percent. B2L—Fine Quality Lemon Leaf Ripe, firm leaf structure, medium body, rich in oil, deep color.... B3L—Good Quality Lemon Leaf Ripe, firm leaf structure, medium body, oily, strong color intensity...

  9. 7 CFR 29.1162 - Leaf (B Group).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Specifications, and Tolerances B1L—Choice Quality Lemon Leaf Ripe, firm leaf structure, medium body, rich in oil... percent. B2L—Fine Quality Lemon Leaf Ripe, firm leaf structure, medium body, rich in oil, deep color.... B3L—Good Quality Lemon Leaf Ripe, firm leaf structure, medium body, oily, strong color intensity...

  10. 7 CFR 29.3036 - Leaf surface.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf surface. 29.3036 Section 29.3036 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Leaf surface. The smoothness or roughness of the web or lamina of a tobacco leaf. Leaf surface is...

  11. 7 CFR 29.3036 - Leaf surface.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf surface. 29.3036 Section 29.3036 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Leaf surface. The smoothness or roughness of the web or lamina of a tobacco leaf. Leaf surface is...

  12. 7 CFR 29.3036 - Leaf surface.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf surface. 29.3036 Section 29.3036 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Leaf surface. The smoothness or roughness of the web or lamina of a tobacco leaf. Leaf surface is...

  13. 7 CFR 30.2 - Leaf tobacco.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf tobacco. 30.2 Section 30.2 Agriculture... AND STANDARDS Classification of Leaf Tobacco Covering Classes, Types and Groups of Grades § 30.2 Leaf... stemming, sweating or fermenting, and conditioning are not regarded as manufacturing processes. Leaf...

  14. 7 CFR 29.3036 - Leaf surface.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf surface. 29.3036 Section 29.3036 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Leaf surface. The smoothness or roughness of the web or lamina of a tobacco leaf. Leaf surface is...

  15. 7 CFR 30.2 - Leaf tobacco.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf tobacco. 30.2 Section 30.2 Agriculture... AND STANDARDS Classification of Leaf Tobacco Covering Classes, Types and Groups of Grades § 30.2 Leaf... stemming, sweating or fermenting, and conditioning are not regarded as manufacturing processes. Leaf...

  16. 7 CFR 30.2 - Leaf tobacco.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf tobacco. 30.2 Section 30.2 Agriculture... AND STANDARDS Classification of Leaf Tobacco Covering Classes, Types and Groups of Grades § 30.2 Leaf... stemming, sweating or fermenting, and conditioning are not regarded as manufacturing processes. Leaf...

  17. 7 CFR 30.2 - Leaf tobacco.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf tobacco. 30.2 Section 30.2 Agriculture... AND STANDARDS Classification of Leaf Tobacco Covering Classes, Types and Groups of Grades § 30.2 Leaf... stemming, sweating or fermenting, and conditioning are not regarded as manufacturing processes. Leaf...

  18. 7 CFR 29.3036 - Leaf surface.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf surface. 29.3036 Section 29.3036 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Leaf surface. The smoothness or roughness of the web or lamina of a tobacco leaf. Leaf surface is...

  19. 7 CFR 30.2 - Leaf tobacco.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf tobacco. 30.2 Section 30.2 Agriculture... AND STANDARDS Classification of Leaf Tobacco Covering Classes, Types and Groups of Grades § 30.2 Leaf... stemming, sweating or fermenting, and conditioning are not regarded as manufacturing processes. Leaf...

  20. Apparent over-investment in leaf venation relaxes leaf morphological constraints on photosynthesis in arid habitats

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Boer, Hugo; Drake, Paul; Veneklaas, Erik

    2017-04-01

    The close relationship between leaf water status and stomatal conductance implies that the hydraulic architecture of leaves poses an important constraint on transpiration, specifically in arid environments with high evaporative demands. However, it remains uncertain how morphological, hydraulic and photosynthetic traits are coordinated to achieve optimal leaf functioning in arid environments. Critical is that leaf veins supply the mesophyll with water that evaporates when stomata are open to allow CO2 uptake for photosynthesis. Theoretical analyses suggest that water is optimally distributed in the mesophyll when the lateral distance between veins (dx) is equal to the distance from these veins to the epidermis (dy), expressed as dx:dy≈1. Although this theory is supported by observations on many derived angiosperms, we hypothesize that plants in arid environments may reduce dx:dy below unity owing to climate-specific functional adaptations of increased leaf thickness and increased vein density. To test our hypothesis we assembled leaf hydraulic, morphological and photosynthetic traits of 68 species from the Eucalyptus and Corymbia genera (termed eucalypts) along an aridity gradient in southwestern Australia. We inferred the potential gas exchange advantage of reducing dx beyond dy using a model that links leaf morphology and hydraulics to photosynthesis. Our observations reveal that eucalypts in arid environments have thick amphistomatous leaves with high vein densities, resulting in dx:dy ratios that range from 1.6 to 0.15 along the aridity gradient. Our model suggests that as leaves become thicker, the effect of reducing dx beyond dy is to offset the reduction in leaf gas exchange that would result from maintaining dx:dy at unity. This apparent over-investment in leaf venation may be explained from the selective pressure of aridity, under which traits associated with long leaf lifespan, high hydraulic and thermal capacitances, and high potential rates of leaf

  1. Leaf primordium size specifies leaf width and vein number among row-type classes in barley.

    PubMed

    Thirulogachandar, Venkatasubbu; Alqudah, Ahmad M; Koppolu, Ravi; Rutten, Twan; Graner, Andreas; Hensel, Goetz; Kumlehn, Jochen; Bräutigam, Andrea; Sreenivasulu, Nese; Schnurbusch, Thorsten; Kuhlmann, Markus

    2017-08-01

    Exploring genes with impact on yield-related phenotypes is the preceding step to accomplishing crop improvements while facing a growing world population. A genome-wide association scan on leaf blade area (LA) in a worldwide spring barley collection (Hordeum vulgare L.), including 125 two- and 93 six-rowed accessions, identified a gene encoding the homeobox transcription factor, Six-rowed spike 1 (VRS1). VRS1 was previously described as a key domestication gene affecting spike development. Its mutation converts two-rowed (wild-type VRS1, only central fertile spikelets) into six-rowed spikes (mutant vrs1, fully developed fertile central and lateral spikelets). Phenotypic analyses of mutant and wild-type leaves revealed that mutants had an increased leaf width with more longitudinal veins. The observed significant increase of LA and leaf nitrogen (%) during pre-anthesis development in vrs1 mutants also implies a link between wider leaf and grain number, which was validated from the association of vrs1 locus with wider leaf and grain number. Histological and gene expression analyses indicated that VRS1 might influence the size of leaf primordia by affecting cell proliferation of leaf primordial cells. This finding was supported by the transcriptome analysis of mutant and wild-type leaf primordia where in the mutant transcriptional activation of genes related to cell proliferation was detectable. Here we show that VRS1 has an independent role on barley leaf development which might influence the grain number. © 2017 The Authors. The Plant Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Experimental Biology.

  2. Biology and control of Eriophyid mites with a case study of Aceria sp. on New Mexico olive (Forestiera pubescens Nutt. var. pubescens)

    Treesearch

    Tessa R. Grasswitz

    2012-01-01

    The biology, recognition, and impact of eriophyid mites (with emphasis on species associated with trees and shrubs) are briefly reviewed. A case study of a leaf-curling eriophyid mite (Aceria sp.) attacking New Mexico olive (Forestiera pubescens Nutt. var. pubescens) is used to illustrate the complexities of developing control strategies for eriophyids in native plant...

  3. Leaf-rolling in maize crops: from leaf scoring to canopy-level measurements for phenotyping

    PubMed Central

    Madec, Simon; Irfan, Kamran; Lopez, Jeremy; Comar, Alexis; Hemmerlé, Matthieu; Dutartre, Dan; Praud, Sebastien; Tixier, Marie Helene

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Leaf rolling in maize crops is one of the main plant reactions to water stress that can be visually scored in the field. However, leaf-scoring techniques do not meet the high-throughput requirements needed by breeders for efficient phenotyping. Consequently, this study investigated the relationship between leaf-rolling scores and changes in canopy structure that can be determined by high-throughput remote-sensing techniques. Experiments were conducted in 2015 and 2016 on maize genotypes subjected to water stress. Leaf-rolling was scored visually over the whole day around the flowering stage. Concurrent digital hemispherical photographs were taken to evaluate the impact of leaf-rolling on canopy structure using the computed fraction of intercepted diffuse photosynthetically active radiation, FIPARdif. The results showed that leaves started to roll due to water stress around 09:00 h and leaf-rolling reached its maximum around 15:00 h (the photoperiod was about 05:00–20:00 h). In contrast, plants maintained under well-watered conditions did not show any significant rolling during the same day. A canopy-level index of rolling (CLIR) is proposed to quantify the diurnal changes in canopy structure induced by leaf-rolling. It normalizes for the differences in FIPARdif between genotypes observed in the early morning when leaves are unrolled, as well as for yearly effects linked to environmental conditions. Leaf-level rolling score was very strongly correlated with changes in canopy structure as described by the CLIR (r2=0.86, n=370). The daily time course of rolling was characterized using the amplitude of variation, and the rate and the timing of development computed at both the leaf and canopy levels. Results obtained from eight genotypes common between the two years of experiments showed that the amplitude of variation of the CLIR was the more repeatable trait (Spearman coefficient ρ=0.62) as compared to the rate (ρ=0.29) and the timing of development (ρ=0

  4. Apparent Overinvestment in Leaf Venation Relaxes Leaf Morphological Constraints on Photosynthesis in Arid Habitats.

    PubMed

    de Boer, Hugo J; Drake, Paul L; Wendt, Erin; Price, Charles A; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef; Turner, Neil C; Nicolle, Dean; Veneklaas, Erik J

    2016-12-01

    Leaf veins supply the mesophyll with water that evaporates when stomata are open to allow CO 2 uptake for photosynthesis. Theoretical analyses suggest that water is optimally distributed in the mesophyll when the lateral distance between veins (d x ) is equal to the distance from these veins to the epidermis (d y ), expressed as d x :d y ≈ 1. Although this theory is supported by observations of many derived angiosperms, we hypothesize that plants in arid environments may reduce d x :d y below unity owing to climate-specific functional adaptations of increased leaf thickness and increased vein density. To test our hypothesis, we assembled leaf hydraulic, morphological, and photosynthetic traits of 68 species from the Eucalyptus and Corymbia genera (termed eucalypts) along an aridity gradient in southwestern Australia. We inferred the potential gas-exchange advantage of reducing d x beyond d y using a model that links leaf morphology and hydraulics to photosynthesis. Our observations reveal that eucalypts in arid environments have thick amphistomatous leaves with high vein densities, resulting in d x :d y ratios that range from 1.6 to 0.15 along the aridity gradient. Our model suggests that, as leaves become thicker, the effect of reducing d x beyond d y is to offset the reduction in leaf gas exchange that would result from maintaining d x :d y at unity. This apparent overinvestment in leaf venation may be explained from the selective pressure of aridity, under which traits associated with long leaf life span, high hydraulic and thermal capacitances, and high potential rates of leaf water transport confer a competitive advantage. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  5. Scaling up stomatal conductance from leaf to canopy using a dual-leaf model for estimating crop evapotranspiration.

    PubMed

    Ding, Risheng; Kang, Shaozhong; Du, Taisheng; Hao, Xinmei; Zhang, Yanqun

    2014-01-01

    The dual-source Shuttleworth-Wallace model has been widely used to estimate and partition crop evapotranspiration (λET). Canopy stomatal conductance (Gsc), an essential parameter of the model, is often calculated by scaling up leaf stomatal conductance, considering the canopy as one single leaf in a so-called "big-leaf" model. However, Gsc can be overestimated or underestimated depending on leaf area index level in the big-leaf model, due to a non-linear stomatal response to light. A dual-leaf model, scaling up Gsc from leaf to canopy, was developed in this study. The non-linear stomata-light relationship was incorporated by dividing the canopy into sunlit and shaded fractions and calculating each fraction separately according to absorbed irradiances. The model includes: (1) the absorbed irradiance, determined by separately integrating the sunlit and shaded leaves with consideration of both beam and diffuse radiation; (2) leaf area for the sunlit and shaded fractions; and (3) a leaf conductance model that accounts for the response of stomata to PAR, vapor pressure deficit and available soil water. In contrast to the significant errors of Gsc in the big-leaf model, the predicted Gsc using the dual-leaf model had a high degree of data-model agreement; the slope of the linear regression between daytime predictions and measurements was 1.01 (R2 = 0.98), with RMSE of 0.6120 mm s-1 for four clear-sky days in different growth stages. The estimates of half-hourly λET using the dual-source dual-leaf model (DSDL) agreed well with measurements and the error was within 5% during two growing seasons of maize with differing hydrometeorological and management strategies. Moreover, the estimates of soil evaporation using the DSDL model closely matched actual measurements. Our results indicate that the DSDL model can produce more accurate estimation of Gsc and λET, compared to the big-leaf model, and thus is an effective alternative approach for estimating and partitioning λET.

  6. Seasonality of Leaf Carbon Isotopic Composition and Leaf Water Isotopic Enrichment in a Mixed Evergreen Forest in Southern California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santiago, L. S.; Sickman, J. O.; Goulden, M.; DeVan, C.; Pasquini, S. C.; Pivovaroff, A. L.

    2011-12-01

    Leaf carbon isotopic composition and leaf water isotopic enrichment reflect physiological processes and are important for linking local and regional scale processes to global patterns. We investigated how seasonality affects the isotopic composition of bulk leaf carbon, leaf sugar carbon, and leaf water hydrogen under a Mediterranean climate. Leaf and stem samples were collected monthly from four tree species (Calocedrus decurrens, Pinus lambertiana, Pinus ponderosa, and Quercus chrysolepis) at the James San Jacinto Mountain Reserve in southern California. Mean monthly bulk leaf carbon isotopic composition varied from -34.5 % in P. ponderosa to -24.7 % in P. lambertiana and became more depleted in 13C from the spring to the summer. Mean monthly leaf sugar varied from -29.3 % in P. ponderosa to -21.8 % in P. lambertiana and was enriched in 13C during the winter, spring and autumn, but depleted during the mid-summer. Leaf water hydrogen isotopic composition was 28.4 to 68.8 % more enriched in deuterium than source water and this enrichment was greater as seasonal drought progressed. These data indicate that leaf carbon and leaf water hydrogen isotopic composition provide sensitive measures that connect plant physiological processes to short-term climatic variability.

  7. 7 CFR 28.464 - Leaf Grade 4.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf Grade 4. 28.464 Section 28.464 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.464 Leaf Grade 4. Leaf Grade 4 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  8. 7 CFR 28.465 - Leaf Grade 5.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf Grade 5. 28.465 Section 28.465 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.465 Leaf Grade 5. Leaf Grade 5 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  9. 7 CFR 28.467 - Leaf Grade 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf Grade 7. 28.467 Section 28.467 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.467 Leaf Grade 7. Leaf Grade 7 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  10. 7 CFR 28.463 - Leaf Grade 3.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf Grade 3. 28.463 Section 28.463 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.463 Leaf Grade 3. Leaf Grade 3 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  11. 7 CFR 28.462 - Leaf Grade 2.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf Grade 2. 28.462 Section 28.462 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.462 Leaf Grade 2. Leaf Grade 2 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  12. 7 CFR 28.462 - Leaf Grade 2.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf Grade 2. 28.462 Section 28.462 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.462 Leaf Grade 2. Leaf Grade 2 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  13. 7 CFR 28.465 - Leaf Grade 5.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf Grade 5. 28.465 Section 28.465 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.465 Leaf Grade 5. Leaf Grade 5 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  14. 7 CFR 28.464 - Leaf Grade 4.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf Grade 4. 28.464 Section 28.464 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.464 Leaf Grade 4. Leaf Grade 4 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  15. 7 CFR 28.462 - Leaf Grade 2.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf Grade 2. 28.462 Section 28.462 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.462 Leaf Grade 2. Leaf Grade 2 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  16. 7 CFR 28.465 - Leaf Grade 5.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf Grade 5. 28.465 Section 28.465 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.465 Leaf Grade 5. Leaf Grade 5 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  17. 7 CFR 28.463 - Leaf Grade 3.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf Grade 3. 28.463 Section 28.463 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.463 Leaf Grade 3. Leaf Grade 3 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  18. 7 CFR 28.462 - Leaf Grade 2.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf Grade 2. 28.462 Section 28.462 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.462 Leaf Grade 2. Leaf Grade 2 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  19. 7 CFR 28.464 - Leaf Grade 4.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf Grade 4. 28.464 Section 28.464 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.464 Leaf Grade 4. Leaf Grade 4 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  20. 7 CFR 28.463 - Leaf Grade 3.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf Grade 3. 28.463 Section 28.463 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.463 Leaf Grade 3. Leaf Grade 3 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  1. 7 CFR 28.466 - Leaf Grade 6.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf Grade 6. 28.466 Section 28.466 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.466 Leaf Grade 6. Leaf Grade 6 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  2. 7 CFR 28.461 - Leaf Grade 1.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf Grade 1. 28.461 Section 28.461 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.461 Leaf Grade 1. Leaf Grade 1 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  3. 7 CFR 28.461 - Leaf Grade 1.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf Grade 1. 28.461 Section 28.461 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.461 Leaf Grade 1. Leaf Grade 1 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  4. 7 CFR 28.461 - Leaf Grade 1.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf Grade 1. 28.461 Section 28.461 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.461 Leaf Grade 1. Leaf Grade 1 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  5. 7 CFR 28.465 - Leaf Grade 5.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf Grade 5. 28.465 Section 28.465 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.465 Leaf Grade 5. Leaf Grade 5 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  6. 7 CFR 28.463 - Leaf Grade 3.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf Grade 3. 28.463 Section 28.463 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.463 Leaf Grade 3. Leaf Grade 3 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  7. 7 CFR 28.467 - Leaf Grade 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf Grade 7. 28.467 Section 28.467 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.467 Leaf Grade 7. Leaf Grade 7 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  8. 7 CFR 28.467 - Leaf Grade 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf Grade 7. 28.467 Section 28.467 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.467 Leaf Grade 7. Leaf Grade 7 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  9. 7 CFR 28.466 - Leaf Grade 6.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf Grade 6. 28.466 Section 28.466 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.466 Leaf Grade 6. Leaf Grade 6 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  10. 7 CFR 28.465 - Leaf Grade 5.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf Grade 5. 28.465 Section 28.465 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.465 Leaf Grade 5. Leaf Grade 5 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  11. 7 CFR 28.462 - Leaf Grade 2.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf Grade 2. 28.462 Section 28.462 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.462 Leaf Grade 2. Leaf Grade 2 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  12. 7 CFR 28.463 - Leaf Grade 3.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf Grade 3. 28.463 Section 28.463 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.463 Leaf Grade 3. Leaf Grade 3 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  13. 7 CFR 28.464 - Leaf Grade 4.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf Grade 4. 28.464 Section 28.464 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.464 Leaf Grade 4. Leaf Grade 4 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  14. 7 CFR 28.461 - Leaf Grade 1.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf Grade 1. 28.461 Section 28.461 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.461 Leaf Grade 1. Leaf Grade 1 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  15. 7 CFR 28.466 - Leaf Grade 6.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf Grade 6. 28.466 Section 28.466 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.466 Leaf Grade 6. Leaf Grade 6 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  16. 7 CFR 28.464 - Leaf Grade 4.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf Grade 4. 28.464 Section 28.464 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.464 Leaf Grade 4. Leaf Grade 4 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  17. 7 CFR 28.466 - Leaf Grade 6.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf Grade 6. 28.466 Section 28.466 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.466 Leaf Grade 6. Leaf Grade 6 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  18. 7 CFR 28.466 - Leaf Grade 6.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf Grade 6. 28.466 Section 28.466 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.466 Leaf Grade 6. Leaf Grade 6 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  19. 7 CFR 28.467 - Leaf Grade 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf Grade 7. 28.467 Section 28.467 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.467 Leaf Grade 7. Leaf Grade 7 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  20. 7 CFR 28.461 - Leaf Grade 1.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf Grade 1. 28.461 Section 28.461 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.461 Leaf Grade 1. Leaf Grade 1 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  1. 7 CFR 28.467 - Leaf Grade 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf Grade 7. 28.467 Section 28.467 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.467 Leaf Grade 7. Leaf Grade 7 is leaf which is within the range represented by...

  2. Is leaf dry matter content a better predictor of soil fertility than specific leaf area?

    PubMed Central

    Hodgson, J. G.; Montserrat-Martí, G.; Charles, M.; Jones, G.; Wilson, P.; Shipley, B.; Sharafi, M.; Cerabolini, B. E. L.; Cornelissen, J. H. C.; Band, S. R.; Bogard, A.; Castro-Díez, P.; Guerrero-Campo, J.; Palmer, C.; Pérez-Rontomé, M. C.; Carter, G.; Hynd, A.; Romo-Díez, A.; de Torres Espuny, L.; Royo Pla, F.

    2011-01-01

    Background and Aims Specific leaf area (SLA), a key element of the ‘worldwide leaf economics spectrum’, is the preferred ‘soft’ plant trait for assessing soil fertility. SLA is a function of leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and leaf thickness (LT). The first, LDMC, defines leaf construction costs and can be used instead of SLA. However, LT identifies shade at its lowest extreme and succulence at its highest, and is not related to soil fertility. Why then is SLA more frequently used as a predictor of soil fertility than LDMC? Methods SLA, LDMC and LT were measured and leaf density (LD) estimated for almost 2000 species, and the capacity of LD to predict LDMC was examined, as was the relative contribution of LDMC and LT to the expression of SLA. Subsequently, the relationships between SLA, LDMC and LT with respect to soil fertility and shade were described. Key Results Although LD is strongly related to LDMC, and LDMC and LT each contribute equally to the expression of SLA, the exact relationships differ between ecological groupings. LDMC predicts leaf nitrogen content and soil fertility but, because LT primarily varies with light intensity, SLA increases in response to both increased shade and increased fertility. Conclusions Gradients of soil fertility are frequently also gradients of biomass accumulation with reduced irradiance lower in the canopy. Therefore, SLA, which includes both fertility and shade components, may often discriminate better between communities or treatments than LDMC. However, LDMC should always be the preferred trait for assessing gradients of soil fertility uncoupled from shade. Nevertheless, because leaves multitask, individual leaf traits do not necessarily exhibit exact functional equivalence between species. In consequence, rather than using a single stand-alone predictor, multivariate analyses using several leaf traits is recommended. PMID:21948627

  3. Is leaf dry matter content a better predictor of soil fertility than specific leaf area?

    PubMed

    Hodgson, J G; Montserrat-Martí, G; Charles, M; Jones, G; Wilson, P; Shipley, B; Sharafi, M; Cerabolini, B E L; Cornelissen, J H C; Band, S R; Bogard, A; Castro-Díez, P; Guerrero-Campo, J; Palmer, C; Pérez-Rontomé, M C; Carter, G; Hynd, A; Romo-Díez, A; de Torres Espuny, L; Royo Pla, F

    2011-11-01

    Specific leaf area (SLA), a key element of the 'worldwide leaf economics spectrum', is the preferred 'soft' plant trait for assessing soil fertility. SLA is a function of leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and leaf thickness (LT). The first, LDMC, defines leaf construction costs and can be used instead of SLA. However, LT identifies shade at its lowest extreme and succulence at its highest, and is not related to soil fertility. Why then is SLA more frequently used as a predictor of soil fertility than LDMC? SLA, LDMC and LT were measured and leaf density (LD) estimated for almost 2000 species, and the capacity of LD to predict LDMC was examined, as was the relative contribution of LDMC and LT to the expression of SLA. Subsequently, the relationships between SLA, LDMC and LT with respect to soil fertility and shade were described. Although LD is strongly related to LDMC, and LDMC and LT each contribute equally to the expression of SLA, the exact relationships differ between ecological groupings. LDMC predicts leaf nitrogen content and soil fertility but, because LT primarily varies with light intensity, SLA increases in response to both increased shade and increased fertility. Gradients of soil fertility are frequently also gradients of biomass accumulation with reduced irradiance lower in the canopy. Therefore, SLA, which includes both fertility and shade components, may often discriminate better between communities or treatments than LDMC. However, LDMC should always be the preferred trait for assessing gradients of soil fertility uncoupled from shade. Nevertheless, because leaves multitask, individual leaf traits do not necessarily exhibit exact functional equivalence between species. In consequence, rather than using a single stand-alone predictor, multivariate analyses using several leaf traits is recommended.

  4. The Rice E3-Ubiquitin Ligase HIGH EXPRESSION OF OSMOTICALLY RESPONSIVE GENE1 Modulates the Expression of ROOT MEANDER CURLING, a Gene Involved in Root Mechanosensing, through the Interaction with Two ETHYLENE-RESPONSE FACTOR Transcription Factors1

    PubMed Central

    Lourenço, Tiago F.; Serra, Tânia S.; Cordeiro, André M.; Swanson, Sarah J.; Gilroy, Simon; Saibo, Nelson J.M.; Oliveira, M. Margarida

    2015-01-01

    Plant roots can sense and respond to a wide diversity of mechanical stimuli, including touch and gravity. However, little is known about the signal transduction pathways involved in mechanical stimuli responses in rice (Oryza sativa). This work shows that rice root responses to mechanical stimuli involve the E3-ubiquitin ligase rice HIGH EXPRESSION OF OSMOTICALLY RESPONSIVE GENE1 (OsHOS1), which mediates protein degradation through the proteasome complex. The morphological analysis of the roots in transgenic RNA interference::OsHOS1 and wild-type plants, exposed to a mechanical barrier, revealed that the OsHOS1 silencing plants keep a straight root in contrast to wild-type plants that exhibit root curling. Moreover, it was observed that the absence of root curling in response to touch can be reverted by jasmonic acid. The straight root phenotype of the RNA interference::OsHOS1 plants was correlated with a higher expression rice ROOT MEANDER CURLING (OsRMC), which encodes a receptor-like kinase characterized as a negative regulator of rice root curling mediated by jasmonic acid. Using the yeast two-hybrid system and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays, we showed that OsHOS1 interacts with two ETHYLENE-RESPONSE FACTOR transcription factors, rice ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING PROTEIN1 (OsEREBP1) and rice OsEREBP2, known to regulate OsRMC gene expression. In addition, we showed that OsHOS1 affects the stability of both transcription factors in a proteasome-dependent way, suggesting that this E3-ubiquitin ligase targets OsEREBP1 and OsEREBP2 for degradation. Our results highlight the function of the proteasome in rice response to mechanical stimuli and in the integration of these signals, through hormonal regulation, into plant growth and developmental programs. PMID:26381316

  5. 7 CFR 28.471 - Below Leaf Grade Cotton.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Below Leaf Grade Cotton. 28.471 Section 28.471... REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Below Leaf Grade Cotton § 28.471 Below Leaf Grade Cotton. Below leaf grade cotton is American Upland cotton which is lower in leaf grade than Leaf...

  6. 7 CFR 28.471 - Below Leaf Grade Cotton.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Below Leaf Grade Cotton. 28.471 Section 28.471... REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Below Leaf Grade Cotton § 28.471 Below Leaf Grade Cotton. Below leaf grade cotton is American Upland cotton which is lower in leaf grade than Leaf...

  7. 7 CFR 28.471 - Below Leaf Grade Cotton.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Below Leaf Grade Cotton. 28.471 Section 28.471... REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Below Leaf Grade Cotton § 28.471 Below Leaf Grade Cotton. Below leaf grade cotton is American Upland cotton which is lower in leaf grade than Leaf...

  8. 7 CFR 28.471 - Below Leaf Grade Cotton.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Below Leaf Grade Cotton. 28.471 Section 28.471... REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Below Leaf Grade Cotton § 28.471 Below Leaf Grade Cotton. Below leaf grade cotton is American Upland cotton which is lower in leaf grade than Leaf...

  9. 7 CFR 28.471 - Below Leaf Grade Cotton.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Below Leaf Grade Cotton. 28.471 Section 28.471... REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Below Leaf Grade Cotton § 28.471 Below Leaf Grade Cotton. Below leaf grade cotton is American Upland cotton which is lower in leaf grade than Leaf...

  10. Scaling Up Stomatal Conductance from Leaf to Canopy Using a Dual-Leaf Model for Estimating Crop Evapotranspiration

    PubMed Central

    Ding, Risheng; Kang, Shaozhong; Du, Taisheng; Hao, Xinmei; Zhang, Yanqun

    2014-01-01

    The dual-source Shuttleworth-Wallace model has been widely used to estimate and partition crop evapotranspiration (λET). Canopy stomatal conductance (Gsc), an essential parameter of the model, is often calculated by scaling up leaf stomatal conductance, considering the canopy as one single leaf in a so-called “big-leaf” model. However, Gsc can be overestimated or underestimated depending on leaf area index level in the big-leaf model, due to a non-linear stomatal response to light. A dual-leaf model, scaling up Gsc from leaf to canopy, was developed in this study. The non-linear stomata-light relationship was incorporated by dividing the canopy into sunlit and shaded fractions and calculating each fraction separately according to absorbed irradiances. The model includes: (1) the absorbed irradiance, determined by separately integrating the sunlit and shaded leaves with consideration of both beam and diffuse radiation; (2) leaf area for the sunlit and shaded fractions; and (3) a leaf conductance model that accounts for the response of stomata to PAR, vapor pressure deficit and available soil water. In contrast to the significant errors of Gsc in the big-leaf model, the predicted Gsc using the dual-leaf model had a high degree of data-model agreement; the slope of the linear regression between daytime predictions and measurements was 1.01 (R2 = 0.98), with RMSE of 0.6120 mm s−1 for four clear-sky days in different growth stages. The estimates of half-hourly λET using the dual-source dual-leaf model (DSDL) agreed well with measurements and the error was within 5% during two growing seasons of maize with differing hydrometeorological and management strategies. Moreover, the estimates of soil evaporation using the DSDL model closely matched actual measurements. Our results indicate that the DSDL model can produce more accurate estimation of Gsc and λET, compared to the big-leaf model, and thus is an effective alternative approach for estimating and

  11. Estimating leaf functional traits by inversion of PROSPECT: Assessing leaf dry matter content and specific leaf area in mixed mountainous forest

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, Abebe Mohammed; Darvishzadeh, Roshanak; Skidmore, Andrew K.; Duren, Iris van; Heiden, Uta; Heurich, Marco

    2016-03-01

    Assessments of ecosystem functioning rely heavily on quantification of vegetation properties. The search is on for methods that produce reliable and accurate baseline information on plant functional traits. In this study, the inversion of the PROSPECT radiative transfer model was used to estimate two functional leaf traits: leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and specific leaf area (SLA). Inversion of PROSPECT usually aims at quantifying its direct input parameters. This is the first time the technique has been used to indirectly model LDMC and SLA. Biophysical parameters of 137 leaf samples were measured in July 2013 in the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany. Spectra of the leaf samples were measured using an ASD FieldSpec3 equipped with an integrating sphere. PROSPECT was inverted using a look-up table (LUT) approach. The LUTs were generated with and without using prior information. The effect of incorporating prior information on the retrieval accuracy was studied before and after stratifying the samples into broadleaf and conifer categories. The estimated values were evaluated using R2 and normalized root mean square error (nRMSE). Among the retrieved variables the lowest nRMSE (0.0899) was observed for LDMC. For both traits higher R2 values (0.83 for LDMC and 0.89 for SLA) were discovered in the pooled samples. The use of prior information improved accuracy of the retrieved traits. The strong correlation between the estimated traits and the NIR/SWIR region of the electromagnetic spectrum suggests that these leaf traits could be assessed at canopy level by using remotely sensed data.

  12. Leaf morphological effects predict effective path length and enrichment of 18O in leaf water of different Eucalyptus species

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kahmen, A.; Merchant, A.; Callister, A.; Dawson, T. E.; Arndt, S. K.

    2006-12-01

    Stable isotopes have been a valuable tool to study water or carbon fluxes of plants and ecosystems. In particular oxygen isotopes (δ18O) in leaf water or plant organic material are now beginning to be established as a simple and integrative measure for plant - water relations. Current δ18O models, however, are still limited in their application to a broad range of different species and ecosystems. It remains for example unclear, if species-specific effects such as different leaf morphologies need to be included in the models for a precise understanding and prediction of δ18O signals. In a common garden experiment (Currency Creek Arboretum, South Australia), where over 900 different Eucalyptus species are cultivated in four replicates, we tested effects of leaf morphology and anatomy on δ18O signals in leaf water of 25 different species. In particular, we determined for all species enrichment in 18O of mean lamina leaf water above source water (Δ18O) as related to leaf physiology as well as leaf thickness, leaf area, specific leaf area and weight and selected anatomical properties. Our data revealed that diurnal Δ18O in leaf water at steady state was significantly different among the investigated species and with differences up to 10% at midday. Fitting factors (effective path length) of leaf water Δ18O models were also significantly different among the investigated species and were highly affected by species-specific morphological parameters. For example, leaf area explained a high percentage of the differences in effective path length observed among the investigated species. Our data suggest that leaf water δ18O can act as powerful tool to estimate plant - water relations in comparative studies but that additional leaf morphological parameters need to be considered in existing δ18O models for a better interpretation of the observed δ18O signals.

  13. Spectral reflectance relationships to leaf water stress

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ripple, William J.

    1986-01-01

    Spectral reflectance data were collected from detached snapbean leaves in the laboratory with a multiband radiometer. Four experiments were designed to study the spectral response resulting from changes in leaf cover, relative water content of leaves, and leaf water potential. Spectral regions included in the analysis were red (630-690 nm), NIR (760-900 nm), and mid-IR (2.08-2.35 microns). The red and mid-IR bands showed sensitivity to changes in both leaf cover and relative water content of leaves. The NIR was only highly sensitive to changes in leaf cover. Results provided evidence that mid-IR reflectance was governed primarily by leaf moisture content, although soil reflectance was an important factor when leaf cover was less than 100 percent. High correlations between leaf water potentials and reflectance were attributed to covariances with relative water content of leaves and leaf cover.

  14. Comparison of leaf-on and leaf-off ALS data for mapping riparian tree species

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laslier, Marianne; Ba, Antoine; Hubert-Moy, Laurence; Dufour, Simon

    2017-10-01

    Forest species composition is a fundamental indicator of forest study and management. However, describing forest species composition at large scales and of highly diverse populations remains an issue for which remote sensing can provide significant contribution, in particular, Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data. Riparian corridors are good examples of highly valuable ecosystems, with high species richness and large surface areas that can be time consuming and expensive to monitor with in situ measurements. Remote sensing could be useful to study them, but few studies have focused on monitoring riparian tree species using ALS data. This study aimed to determine which metrics derived from ALS data are best suited to identify and map riparian tree species. We acquired very high density leaf-on and leaf-off ALS data along the Sélune River (France). In addition, we inventoried eight main riparian deciduous tree species along the study site. After manual segmentation of the inventoried trees, we extracted 68 morphological and structural metrics from both leaf-on and leaf-off ALS point clouds. Some of these metrics were then selected using Sequential Forward Selection (SFS) algorithm. Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification results showed good accuracy with 7 metrics (0.77). Both leaf-on and leafoff metrics were kept as important metrics for distinguishing tree species. Results demonstrate the ability of 3D information derived from high density ALS data to identify riparian tree species using external and internal structural metrics. They also highlight the complementarity of leaf-on and leaf-off Lidar data for distinguishing riparian tree species.

  15. Effect of Infection by Hypomyces solani f. sp. Cucurbitac on Apparent Free Space, Cell Membrane Permeability, and Respiration of Squash Hypocotyls 1

    PubMed Central

    Hancock, Joseph G.

    1968-01-01

    Initial symptoms and increases in respiration, apparent free space, and rate of leakage of amino acids occurred concomitantly in squash (Cucurbita maxima Dcne) hypocotyls infected by Hypomyces solani f. sp. cucurbitae Snyd. and Hans. Young, rapidly expanding lesions had greater respiratory rates and apparent free space than comparable tissues from healthy plants. Hypocotyl tissues above (1-45 mm) lesions possessed greater endogenous respiratory rates (2-3 times) and lower respiratory quotients than similar tissues from healthy plants. But no differences were found in membrane permeability to nonelectrolytes and water and in apparent free space between cells above lesions and healthy hypocotyls. Host cells contiguous to fungal hyphae at lesion margins were completely permeable to solutes and failed to accumulate neutral red or exhibit cyclosis. Images PMID:16656953

  16. Differences in Leaf Flammability, Leaf Traits and Flammability-Trait Relationships between Native and Exotic Plant Species of Dry Sclerophyll Forest

    PubMed Central

    Murray, Brad R.; Hardstaff, Lyndle K.; Phillips, Megan L.

    2013-01-01

    The flammability of plant leaves influences the spread of fire through vegetation. Exotic plants invading native vegetation may increase the spread of bushfires if their leaves are more flammable than native leaves. We compared fresh-leaf and dry-leaf flammability (time to ignition) between 52 native and 27 exotic plant species inhabiting dry sclerophyll forest. We found that mean time to ignition was significantly faster in dry exotic leaves than in dry native leaves. There was no significant native-exotic difference in mean time to ignition for fresh leaves. The significantly higher fresh-leaf water content that was found in exotics, lost in the conversion from a fresh to dry state, suggests that leaf water provides an important buffering effect that leads to equivalent mean time to ignition in fresh exotic and native leaves. Exotic leaves were also significantly wider, longer and broader in area with significantly higher specific leaf area–but not thicker–than native leaves. We examined scaling relationships between leaf flammability and leaf size (leaf width, length, area, specific leaf area and thickness). While exotics occupied the comparatively larger and more flammable end of the leaf size-flammability spectrum in general, leaf flammability was significantly correlated with all measures of leaf size except leaf thickness in both native and exotic species such that larger leaves were faster to ignite. Our findings for increased flammability linked with larger leaf size in exotics demonstrate that exotic plant species have the potential to increase the spread of bushfires in dry sclerophyll forest. PMID:24260169

  17. Leaf hydraulic conductance declines in coordination with photosynthesis, transpiration and leaf water status as soybean leaves age regardless of soil moisture

    PubMed Central

    Locke, Anna M.; Ort, Donald R.

    2014-01-01

    Photosynthesis requires sufficient water transport through leaves for stomata to remain open as water transpires from the leaf, allowing CO2 to diffuse into the leaf. The leaf water needs of soybean change over time because of large microenvironment changes over their lifespan, as leaves mature in full sun at the top of the canopy and then become progressively shaded by younger leaves developing above. Leaf hydraulic conductance (K leaf), a measure of the leaf’s water transport capacity, can often be linked to changes in microenvironment and transpiration demand. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that K leaf would decline in coordination with transpiration demand as soybean leaves matured and aged. Photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (g s) and leaf water potential (Ψleaf) were also measured at various leaf ages with both field- and chamber-grown soybeans to assess transpiration demand. K leaf was found to decrease as soybean leaves aged from maturity to shading to senescence, and this decrease was strongly correlated with midday A. Decreases in K leaf were further correlated with decreases in g s, although the relationship was not as strong as that with A. Separate experiments investigating the response of K leaf to drought demonstrated no acclimation of K leaf to drought conditions to protect against cavitation or loss of g s during drought and confirmed the effect of leaf age in K leaf observed in the field. These results suggest that the decline of leaf hydraulic conductance as leaves age keeps hydraulic supply in balance with demand without K leaf becoming limiting to transpiration water flux. PMID:25281701

  18. Reaction of sorghum lines to zonate leaf spot and rough leaf spot

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Abundant, frequent rains, along with humid and cloudy conditions during the early part of the 2015 growing season, provided conducive conditions for an unusually severe outbreak of zonate leaf spot and rough leaf spot in a block of sorghum lines at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Farm, Burleson Coun...

  19. Coordination between leaf and stem traits related to leaf carbon gain and hydraulics across 32 drought-tolerant angiosperms.

    PubMed

    Ishida, Atsushi; Nakano, Takashi; Yazaki, Kenichi; Matsuki, Sawako; Koike, Nobuya; Lauenstein, Diego L; Shimizu, Michiru; Yamashita, Naoko

    2008-05-01

    We examined 15 traits in leaves and stems related to leaf C economy and water use for 32 co-existing angiosperms at ridge sites with shallow soil in the Bonin Islands. Across species, stem density was positively correlated to leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf lifespan (LLS), and total phenolics and condensed tannins per unit leaf N (N-based), and negatively correlated to leaf osmotic potential and saturated water content in leaves. LMA and LLS were negatively correlated to photosynthetic parameters, such as area-, mass-, and N-based assimilation rates. Although stem density and leaf osmotic potential were not associated with photosynthetic parameters, they were associated with some parameters of the leaf C economy, such as LMA and LLS. In the principal component (PCA) analysis, the first three axes accounted for 74.4% of total variation. Axis 1, which explained 41.8% of the total variation, was well associated with parameters for leaf C and N economy. Similarly, axis 2, which explained 22.3% of the total variation, was associated with parameters for water use. Axis 3, which explained 10.3% of the total variation, was associated with chemical defense within leaves. Axes 1 and 2 separated functional types relatively well, i.e., creeping trees, ruderal trees, other woody plants, C(3) shrubs and forbs, palms, and CAM plants, indicating that plant functional types were characterized by similar attributes of traits related to leaf C and N economy and water use. In addition, when the plot was extended by two unrelated traits, leaf mass-based assimilation rates and stem density, it also separated these functional types. These data indicate that differences in the functional types with contrasting plant strategies can be attributed to functional integration among leaf C economy, hydraulics, and leaf longevity, and that both leaf mass-based assimilation rates and stem density are key factors reflecting the different functions of plant species.

  20. Functional relationships between leaf hydraulics and leaf economic traits in response to nutrient addition in subtropical tree species.

    PubMed

    Villagra, Mariana; Campanello, Paula I; Bucci, Sandra J; Goldstein, Guillermo

    2013-12-01

    Leaves can be both a hydraulic bottleneck and a safety valve against hydraulic catastrophic dysfunctions, and thus changes in traits related to water movement in leaves and associated costs may be critical for the success of plant growth. A 4-year fertilization experiment with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition was done in a semideciduous Atlantic forest in northeastern Argentina. Saplings of five dominant canopy species were grown in similar gaps inside the forests (five control and five N + P addition plots). Leaf lifespan (LL), leaf mass per unit area (LMA), leaf and stem vulnerability to cavitation, leaf hydraulic conductance (K(leaf_area) and K(leaf_mass)) and leaf turgor loss point (TLP) were measured in the five species and in both treatments. Leaf lifespan tended to decrease with the addition of fertilizers, and LMA was significantly higher in plants with nutrient addition compared with individuals in control plots. The vulnerability to cavitation of leaves (P50(leaf)) either increased or decreased with the nutrient treatment depending on the species, but the average P50(leaf) did not change with nutrient addition. The P50(leaf) decreased linearly with increasing LMA and LL across species and treatments. These trade-offs have an important functional significance because more expensive (higher LMA) and less vulnerable leaves (lower P50(leaf)) are retained for a longer period of time. Osmotic potentials at TLP and at full turgor became more negative with decreasing P50(leaf) regardless of nutrient treatment. The K(leaf) on a mass basis was negatively correlated with LMA and LL, indicating that there is a carbon cost associated with increased water transport that is compensated by a longer LL. The vulnerability to cavitation of stems and leaves were similar, particularly in fertilized plants. Leaves in the species studied may not function as safety valves at low water potentials to protect the hydraulic pathway from water stress-induced cavitation

  1. Leaf hydraulics II: vascularized tissues.

    PubMed

    Rockwell, Fulton E; Holbrook, N Michele; Stroock, Abraham D

    2014-01-07

    Current models of leaf hydration employ an Ohm's law analogy of the leaf as an ideal capacitor, neglecting the resistance to flow between cells, or treat the leaf as a plane sheet with a source of water at fixed potential filling the mid-plane, neglecting the discrete placement of veins as well as their resistance. We develop a model of leaf hydration that considers the average conductance of the vascular network to a representative areole (region bounded by the vascular network), and represent the volume of tissue within the areole as a poroelastic composite of cells and air spaces. Solutions to the 3D flow problem are found by numerical simulation, and these results are then compared to 1D models with exact solutions for a range of leaf geometries, based on a survey of temperate woody plants. We then show that the hydration times given by these solutions are well approximated by a sum of the ideal capacitor and plane sheet times, representing the time for transport through the vasculature and tissue respectively. We then develop scaling factors relating this approximate solution to the 3D model, and examine the dependence of these scaling factors on leaf geometry. Finally, we apply a similar strategy to reduce the dimensions of the steady state problem, in the context of peristomatal transpiration, and consider the relation of transpirational gradients to equilibrium leaf water potential measurements. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Investigating differences in the root to shoot transfer and xylem sap solubility of organic compounds between zucchini, squash and soybean using a pressure chamber method.

    PubMed

    Garvin, Naho; Doucette, William J; White, Jason C

    2015-07-01

    A pressure chamber method was used to examine differences in the root to shoot transfer and xylem sap solubility of caffeine (log Kow=-0.07), triclocarban (log Kow=3.5-4.2) and endosulfan (log Kow=3.8-4.8) for zucchini (cucurbita pepo ssp pepo), squash (cucurbita pepo ssp ovifera), and soybean (glycine max L.). Transpiration stream concentration factors (TSCF) for caffeine (TSCF=0.8) were statistically equivalent for all plant species. However, for the more hydrophobic endosulfan and triclocarban, the TSCF values for zucchini (TSCF=0.6 and 0.4, respectively) were 3 and 10 times greater than the soybean and squash (TSCF=0.2 and 0.05, respectively). The difference in TSCF values was examined by comparing the measured solubilities of caffeine, endosulfan and triclocarban in deionized water to those in soybean and zucchini xylem saps using a modified shake flask method. The measured solubility of organic contaminants in xylem sap has not previously been reported. Caffeine solubilities in the xylem saps of soybean and zucchini were statistically equal to deionized water (21500mgL(-1)) while endosulfan and triclocarban solubilities in the zucchini xylem sap were significantly greater (0.43 and 0.21mgL(-1), respectively) than that of the soybean xylem sap (0.31 and 0.11mgL(-1), respectively) and deionized water (0.34 and 0.11mgL(-1), respectively). This suggests that the enhanced root to shoot transfer of hydrophobic organics reported for zucchini is partly due to increased solubility in the xylem sap. Further xylem sap characterization is needed to determine the mechanism of solubility enhancement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Estimating leaf area and leaf biomass of open-grown deciduous urban trees

    Treesearch

    David J. Nowak

    1996-01-01

    Logarithmic regression equations were developed to predict leaf area and leaf biomass for open-grown deciduous urban trees based on stem diameter and crown parameters. Equations based on crown parameters produced more reliable estimates. The equations can be used to help quantify forest structure and functions, particularly in urbanizing and urban/suburban areas.

  4. Pulvinus activity, leaf movement and leaf water-use efficiency of bush bean (Phaseplus vulgaris L.) in a hot environment.

    PubMed

    Raeini-Sarjaz, Mahmoud; Chalavi, Vida

    2008-11-01

    Pulvinus activity of Phaseolus species in response to environmental stimuli plays an essential role in heliotropic leaf movement. The aims of this study were to monitor the continuous daily pulvinus movement and pulvinus temperature, and to evaluate the effects of leaf movements, on a hot day, on instantaneous leaf water-use efficiency (WUEi), leaf gas exchange, and leaf temperature. Potted plants of Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Provider were grown in Chicot sandy loam soil under well-watered conditions in a greenhouse. When the second trifoliate leaf was completely extended, one plant was selected to measure pulvinus movement using a beta-ray gauging (BRG) meter with a point source of thallium-204 (204Tl). Leaf gas exchange measurements took place on similar leaflets of three plants at an air temperature interval of 33-42 degrees C by a steady-state LI-6200 photosynthesis system. A copper-constantan thermocouple was used to monitor pulvinus temperature. Pulvinus bending followed the daily diurnal rhythm. Significant correlations were found between the leaf-incident angle and the stomatal conductance (R2 = 0.54; P < 0.01), and photosynthesis rate (R2 = 0.84; P < 0.01). With a reduction in leaf-incidence angle and increase in air temperature, WUEi was reduced. During the measurements, leaf temperature remained below air temperature and was a significant function of air temperature (r = 0.92; P < 0.01). In conclusion, pulvinus bending followed both light intensity and air temperature and influenced leaf gas exchange.

  5. Joint Leaf chlorophyll and leaf area index retrieval from Landsat data using a regularized model inversion system

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Leaf area index (LAI) and leaf chlorophyll (Chl) content represent key biophysical and biochemical controls on water, energy and carbon exchange processes in the terrestrial biosphere. In combination, LAI and leaf Chl content provide critical information on vegetation density, vitality and photosynt...

  6. Leaf density explains variation in leaf mass per area in rice between cultivars and nitrogen treatments.

    PubMed

    Xiong, Dongliang; Wang, Dan; Liu, Xi; Peng, Shaobing; Huang, Jianliang; Li, Yong

    2016-05-01

    Leaf mass per area (LMA) is an important leaf trait; however, correlations between LMA and leaf anatomical features and photosynthesis have not been fully investigated, especially in cereal crops. The objectives of this study were (a) to investigate the correlations between LMA and leaf anatomical traits; and (b) to clarify the response of LMA to nitrogen supply and its effect on photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE). In the present study, 11 rice varieties were pot grown under sufficient nitrogen (SN) conditions, and four selected rice cultivars were grown under low nitrogen (LN) conditions. Leaf anatomical traits, gas exchange and leaf N content were measured. There was large variation in LMA across selected rice varieties. Regression analysis showed that the variation in LMA was more closely related to leaf density (LD) than to leaf thickness (LT). LMA was positively related to the percentage of mesophyll tissue area (%mesophyll), negatively related to the percentage of epidermis tissue area (%epidermis) and unrelated to the percentage of vascular tissue area (%vascular). The response of LMA to N supplementation was dependent on the variety and was also mainly determined by the response of LD to N. Compared with SN, photosynthesis was significantly decreased under LN, while PNUE was increased. The increase in PNUE was more critical in rice cultivars with a higher LMA under SN supply. Leaf density is the major cause of the variation in LMA across rice varieties and N treatments, and an increase in LMA under high N conditions would aggravate the decrease in PNUE. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. 7 CFR 29.3035 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity or solidity. (See Elements... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3035 Section 29.3035 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing...

  8. 7 CFR 29.3035 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3035 Section 29.3035 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity or solidity. (See Elements...

  9. 7 CFR 29.3035 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3035 Section 29.3035 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity or solidity. (See Elements...

  10. 7 CFR 29.3035 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3035 Section 29.3035 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity or solidity. (See Elements...

  11. 7 CFR 29.3035 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3035 Section 29.3035 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity or solidity. (See Elements...

  12. Leaf shape: genetic controls and environmental factors.

    PubMed

    Tsukaya, Hirokazu

    2005-01-01

    In recent years, many genes have been identified that are involved in the developmental processes of leaf morphogenesis. Here, I review the mechanisms of leaf shape control in a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, focusing on genes that fulfill special roles in leaf development. The lateral, two-dimensional expansion of leaf blades is highly dependent on the determination of the dorsoventrality of the primordia, a defining characteristic of leaves. Having a determinate fate is also a characteristic feature of leaves and is controlled by many factors. Lateral expansion is not only controlled by general regulators of cell cycling, but also by the multi-level regulation of meristematic activities, e.g., specific control of cell proliferation in the leaf-length direction, in leaf margins and in parenchymatous cells. In collaboration with the polarized control of leaf cell elongation, these redundant and specialized regulating systems for cell cycling in leaf lamina may realize the elegantly smooth, flat structure of leaves. The unified, flat shape of leaves is also dependent on the fine integration of cell proliferation and cell enlargement. Interestingly, while a decrease in the number of cells in leaf primordia can trigger a cell volume increase, an increase in the number of cells does not trigger a cell volume decrease. This phenomenon is termed compensation and suggests the existence of some systems for integration between cell cycling and cell enlargement in leaf primordia via cell-cell communication. The environmental adjustment of leaf expansion to light conditions and gravity is also summarized.

  13. Apparent Overinvestment in Leaf Venation Relaxes Leaf Morphological Constraints on Photosynthesis in Arid Habitats1[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    de Boer, Hugo J.; Drake, Paul L.; Wendt, Erin; Price, Charles A.; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef; Turner, Neil C.; Nicolle, Dean

    2016-01-01

    Leaf veins supply the mesophyll with water that evaporates when stomata are open to allow CO2 uptake for photosynthesis. Theoretical analyses suggest that water is optimally distributed in the mesophyll when the lateral distance between veins (dx) is equal to the distance from these veins to the epidermis (dy), expressed as dx:dy ≈ 1. Although this theory is supported by observations of many derived angiosperms, we hypothesize that plants in arid environments may reduce dx:dy below unity owing to climate-specific functional adaptations of increased leaf thickness and increased vein density. To test our hypothesis, we assembled leaf hydraulic, morphological, and photosynthetic traits of 68 species from the Eucalyptus and Corymbia genera (termed eucalypts) along an aridity gradient in southwestern Australia. We inferred the potential gas-exchange advantage of reducing dx beyond dy using a model that links leaf morphology and hydraulics to photosynthesis. Our observations reveal that eucalypts in arid environments have thick amphistomatous leaves with high vein densities, resulting in dx:dy ratios that range from 1.6 to 0.15 along the aridity gradient. Our model suggests that, as leaves become thicker, the effect of reducing dx beyond dy is to offset the reduction in leaf gas exchange that would result from maintaining dx:dy at unity. This apparent overinvestment in leaf venation may be explained from the selective pressure of aridity, under which traits associated with long leaf life span, high hydraulic and thermal capacitances, and high potential rates of leaf water transport confer a competitive advantage. PMID:27784769

  14. 7 CFR 29.6023 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6023 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.6023 Section 29.6023 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing...

  15. 7 CFR 29.1030 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Type 92) § 29.1030 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.1030 Section 29.1030 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing...

  16. 7 CFR 29.3527 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Type 95) § 29.3527 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3527 Section 29.3527 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing...

  17. 7 CFR 29.1030 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.1030 Section 29.1030 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Type 92) § 29.1030 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See...

  18. 7 CFR 29.3527 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3527 Section 29.3527 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Type 95) § 29.3527 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See...

  19. 7 CFR 29.6022 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.6022 Section 29.6022 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6022 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. ...

  20. 7 CFR 29.3527 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3527 Section 29.3527 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Type 95) § 29.3527 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See...

  1. 7 CFR 29.3527 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3527 Section 29.3527 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Type 95) § 29.3527 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See...

  2. 7 CFR 29.3527 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.3527 Section 29.3527 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Type 95) § 29.3527 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See...

  3. 7 CFR 29.6022 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.6022 Section 29.6022 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6022 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. ...

  4. 7 CFR 29.6022 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.6022 Section 29.6022 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6022 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. ...

  5. 7 CFR 29.6023 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.6023 Section 29.6023 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6023 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its...

  6. 7 CFR 29.1030 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.1030 Section 29.1030 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Type 92) § 29.1030 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See...

  7. 7 CFR 29.6022 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.6022 Section 29.6022 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6022 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. ...

  8. 7 CFR 29.6023 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.6023 Section 29.6023 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6023 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its...

  9. 7 CFR 29.1030 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.1030 Section 29.1030 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Type 92) § 29.1030 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See...

  10. 7 CFR 29.6023 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.6023 Section 29.6023 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6023 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its...

  11. 7 CFR 29.6022 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.6022 Section 29.6022 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6022 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. ...

  12. 7 CFR 29.6023 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.6023 Section 29.6023 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... INSPECTION Standards Definitions § 29.6023 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its...

  13. 7 CFR 29.1030 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.1030 Section 29.1030 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... Type 92) § 29.1030 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See...

  14. An evolutionary perspective on leaf economics: phylogenetics of leaf mass per area in vascular plants

    PubMed Central

    Flores, Olivier; Garnier, Eric; Wright, Ian J; Reich, Peter B; Pierce, Simon; Dìaz, Sandra; Pakeman, Robin J; Rusch, Graciela M; Bernard-Verdier, Maud; Testi, Baptiste; Bakker, Jan P; Bekker, Renée M; Cerabolini, Bruno E L; Ceriani, Roberta M; Cornu, Guillaume; Cruz, Pablo; Delcamp, Matthieu; Dolezal, Jiri; Eriksson, Ove; Fayolle, Adeline; Freitas, Helena; Golodets, Carly; Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie; Hodgson, John G; Brusa, Guido; Kleyer, Michael; Kunzmann, Dieter; Lavorel, Sandra; Papanastasis, Vasilios P; Pérez-Harguindeguy, Natalia; Vendramini, Fernanda; Weiher, Evan

    2014-01-01

    In plant leaves, resource use follows a trade-off between rapid resource capture and conservative storage. This “worldwide leaf economics spectrum” consists of a suite of intercorrelated leaf traits, among which leaf mass per area, LMA, is one of the most fundamental as it indicates the cost of leaf construction and light-interception borne by plants. We conducted a broad-scale analysis of the evolutionary history of LMA across a large dataset of 5401 vascular plant species. The phylogenetic signal in LMA displayed low but significant conservatism, that is, leaf economics tended to be more similar among close relatives than expected by chance alone. Models of trait evolution indicated that LMA evolved under weak stabilizing selection. Moreover, results suggest that different optimal phenotypes evolved among large clades within which extremes tended to be selected against. Conservatism in LMA was strongly related to growth form, as were selection intensity and phenotypic evolutionary rates: woody plants showed higher conservatism in relation to stronger stabilizing selection and lower evolutionary rates compared to herbaceous taxa. The evolutionary history of LMA thus paints different evolutionary trajectories of vascular plant species across clades, revealing the coordination of leaf trait evolution with growth forms in response to varying selection regimes. PMID:25165520

  15. A Journey Through a Leaf: Phenomics Analysis of Leaf Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana

    PubMed Central

    Vanhaeren, Hannes; Gonzalez, Nathalie; Inzé, Dirk

    2015-01-01

    In Arabidopsis, leaves contribute to the largest part of the aboveground biomass. In these organs, light is captured and converted into chemical energy, which plants use to grow and complete their life cycle. Leaves emerge as a small pool of cells at the vegetative shoot apical meristem and develop into planar, complex organs through different interconnected cellular events. Over the last decade, numerous phenotyping techniques have been developed to visualize and quantify leaf size and growth, leading to the identification of numerous genes that contribute to the final size of leaves. In this review, we will start at the Arabidopsis rosette level and gradually zoom in from a macroscopic view on leaf growth to a microscopic and molecular view. Along this journey, we describe different techniques that have been key to identify important events during leaf development and discuss approaches that will further help unraveling the complex cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie leaf growth. PMID:26217168

  16. Comparison of dwarf bamboos (Indocalamus sp.) leaf parameters to determine relationship between spatial density of plants and total leaf area per plant.

    PubMed

    Shi, Pei-Jian; Xu, Qiang; Sandhu, Hardev S; Gielis, Johan; Ding, Yu-Long; Li, Hua-Rong; Dong, Xiao-Bo

    2015-10-01

    The relationship between spatial density and size of plants is an important topic in plant ecology. The self-thinning rule suggests a -3/2 power between average biomass and density or a -1/2 power between stand yield and density. However, the self-thinning rule based on total leaf area per plant and density of plants has been neglected presumably because of the lack of a method that can accurately estimate the total leaf area per plant. We aimed to find the relationship between spatial density of plants and total leaf area per plant. We also attempted to provide a novel model for accurately describing the leaf shape of bamboos. We proposed a simplified Gielis equation with only two parameters to describe the leaf shape of bamboos one model parameter represented the overall ratio of leaf width to leaf length. Using this method, we compared some leaf parameters (leaf shape, number of leaves per plant, ratio of total leaf weight to aboveground weight per plant, and total leaf area per plant) of four bamboo species of genus Indocalamus Nakai (I. pedalis (Keng) P.C. Keng, I. pumilus Q.H. Dai and C.F. Keng, I. barbatus McClure, and I. victorialis P.C. Keng). We also explored the possible correlation between spatial density and total leaf area per plant using log-linear regression. We found that the simplified Gielis equation fit the leaf shape of four bamboo species very well. Although all these four species belonged to the same genus, there were still significant differences in leaf shape. Significant differences also existed in leaf area per plant, ratio of leaf weight to aboveground weight per plant, and leaf length. In addition, we found that the total leaf area per plant decreased with increased spatial density. Therefore, we directly demonstrated the self-thinning rule to improve light interception.

  17. The oxygen isotope enrichment of leaf-exported assimilates--does it always reflect lamina leaf water enrichment?

    PubMed

    Gessler, Arthur; Brandes, Elke; Keitel, Claudia; Boda, Sonja; Kayler, Zachary E; Granier, André; Barbour, Margaret; Farquhar, Graham D; Treydte, Kerstin

    2013-10-01

    The oxygen stable isotope composition of plant organic matter (OM) (particularly of wood and cellulose in the tree ring archive) is valuable in studies of plant-climate interaction, but there is a lack of information on the transfer of the isotope signal from the leaf to heterotrophic tissues. We studied the oxygen isotopic composition and its enrichment above source water of leaf water over diel courses in five tree species covering a broad range of life forms. We tracked the transfer of the isotopic signal to leaf water-soluble OM and further to phloem-transported OM. Observed leaf water evaporative enrichment was consistent with values predicted from mechanistic models taking into account nonsteady-state conditions. While leaf water-soluble OM showed the expected (18)O enrichment in all species, phloem sugars were less enriched than expected from leaf water enrichment in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), European larch (Larix decidua) and Alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis). Oxygen atom exchange with nonenriched water during phloem loading and transport, as well as a significant contribution of assimilates from bark photosynthesis, can explain these phloem (18)O enrichment patterns. Our results indicate species-specific uncoupling between the leaf water and the OM oxygen isotope signal, which is important for the interpretation of tree ring data. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

  18. 7 CFR 29.2277 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.2277 Section 29.2277 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Official Standard Grades for Virginia Fire-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Type 21) § 29.2277 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco. Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists...

  19. 7 CFR 29.2277 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.2277 Section 29.2277 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Official Standard Grades for Virginia Fire-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Type 21) § 29.2277 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco. Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists...

  20. 7 CFR 29.2277 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.2277 Section 29.2277 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Official Standard Grades for Virginia Fire-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Type 21) § 29.2277 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco. Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists...

  1. 7 CFR 29.2277 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.2277 Section 29.2277 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Official Standard Grades for Virginia Fire-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Type 21) § 29.2277 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco. Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists...

  2. 7 CFR 29.2277 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.2277 Section 29.2277 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Official Standard Grades for Virginia Fire-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Type 21) § 29.2277 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco. Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists...

  3. Evolutionary and domestication history of Cucurbita (pumpkin and squash) species inferred from 44 nuclear loci.

    PubMed

    Kates, Heather R; Soltis, Pamela S; Soltis, Douglas E

    2017-06-01

    Phylogenetics can facilitate the study of plant domestication by resolving sister relationships between crops and their wild relatives, thereby identifying the ancestors of cultivated plants. Previous phylogenetic studies of the six Cucurbita crop lineages (pumpkins and squashes) and their wild relatives suggest histories of deep coalescence that complicate uncovering the genetic origins of the six crop taxa. We investigated the evolution of wild and domesticated Cucurbita using the most comprehensive and robust molecular-based phylogeny for Cucurbita to date based on 44 loci derived from introns of single-copy nuclear genes. We discovered novel relationships among Cucurbita species and recovered the first Cucurbita tree with well-supported resolution within species. Cucurbita comprises a clade of mesophytic annual species that includes all six crop taxa and a grade of xerophytic perennial species that represent the ancestral xerophytic habit of the genus. Based on phylogenetic resolution within-species we hypothesize that the magnitude of domestication bottlenecks varies among Cucurbita crop lineages. Our phylogeny clarifies how wild Cucurbita species are related to the domesticated taxa. We find close relationships between two wild species and crop lineages not previously identified. Expanded geographic sampling of key wild species is needed for improved understanding of the evolution of domesticated Cucurbita. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. 7 CFR 28.517 - Leaf Grade No. 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf Grade No. 7. 28.517 Section 28.517 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Pima Cotton § 28.517 Leaf Grade No. 7. American Pima cotton which in leaf is inferior to Leaf...

  5. 7 CFR 28.517 - Leaf Grade No. 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf Grade No. 7. 28.517 Section 28.517 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Pima Cotton § 28.517 Leaf Grade No. 7. American Pima cotton which in leaf is inferior to Leaf...

  6. 7 CFR 28.517 - Leaf Grade No. 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf Grade No. 7. 28.517 Section 28.517 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Pima Cotton § 28.517 Leaf Grade No. 7. American Pima cotton which in leaf is inferior to Leaf...

  7. 7 CFR 28.517 - Leaf Grade No. 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf Grade No. 7. 28.517 Section 28.517 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Pima Cotton § 28.517 Leaf Grade No. 7. American Pima cotton which in leaf is inferior to Leaf...

  8. 7 CFR 28.517 - Leaf Grade No. 7.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf Grade No. 7. 28.517 Section 28.517 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Leaf Grade of American Pima Cotton § 28.517 Leaf Grade No. 7. American Pima cotton which in leaf is inferior to Leaf...

  9. How to pattern a leaf.

    PubMed

    Bolduc, N; O'Connor, D; Moon, J; Lewis, M; Hake, S

    2012-01-01

    Leaf development presents a tremendous resource for tackling the question of patterning in biology. Leaves can be simple or highly dissected. They may have elaborated parts such as the tendrils of a pea leaf or the rolled blade of a carnivorous pitcher plant. Despite the variation in size, shape, and function, all leaves initiate in the same manner: from the flanks of a meristem. The maize leaf is useful for analysis of patterning due to the wealth of mutants and the distinct tissues along the proximal distal axis. The blade is distal, the sheath is proximal, and the ligule forms at the blade/sheath boundary. Establishment of this boundary involves the transcription factors LIGULELESS1 and LIGULELESS2 and the kinase LIGULELESS NARROW. The meristem-specific protein KNOTTED1 (KN1) binds and modulates the lg2 gene. Given the localization of KN1 at the proximal end of the leaf from the time of inception, we hypothesize that KN1 has a role in establishing the very proximal end of the leaf, whereas an auxin maximum guides the growing distal tip.

  10. 7 CFR 29.3526 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.3526 Section 29.3526 Agriculture... Type 95) § 29.3526 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. [30 FR 9207, July 23, 1965...

  11. 7 CFR 29.2278 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.2278 Section 29.2278 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Official Standard Grades for Virginia Fire-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Type 21) § 29.2278 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See chart, § 29.2351.) ...

  12. 7 CFR 29.2278 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.2278 Section 29.2278 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Official Standard Grades for Virginia Fire-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Type 21) § 29.2278 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See chart, § 29.2351.) ...

  13. 7 CFR 29.3526 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.3526 Section 29.3526 Agriculture... Type 95) § 29.3526 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. [30 FR 9207, July 23, 1965...

  14. 7 CFR 29.2278 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.2278 Section 29.2278 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Official Standard Grades for Virginia Fire-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Type 21) § 29.2278 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See chart, § 29.2351.) ...

  15. 7 CFR 29.3526 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.3526 Section 29.3526 Agriculture... Type 95) § 29.3526 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. [30 FR 9207, July 23, 1965...

  16. 7 CFR 29.3034 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.3034 Section 29.3034 Agriculture... Leaf scrap. A by-product of unstemmed tobacco. Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. [24 FR 8771, Oct. 29, 1959. Redesignated at 49 FR...

  17. 7 CFR 29.3034 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.3034 Section 29.3034 Agriculture... Leaf scrap. A by-product of unstemmed tobacco. Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. [24 FR 8771, Oct. 29, 1959. Redesignated at 49 FR...

  18. 7 CFR 29.2278 - Leaf structure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Leaf structure. 29.2278 Section 29.2278 Agriculture... INSPECTION Standards Official Standard Grades for Virginia Fire-Cured Tobacco (u.s. Type 21) § 29.2278 Leaf structure. The cell development of a leaf as indicated by its porosity. (See chart, § 29.2351.) ...

  19. 7 CFR 29.3526 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.3526 Section 29.3526 Agriculture... Type 95) § 29.3526 Leaf scrap. A byproduct of unstemmed tobacco Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. [30 FR 9207, July 23, 1965...

  20. 7 CFR 29.3034 - Leaf scrap.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Leaf scrap. 29.3034 Section 29.3034 Agriculture... Leaf scrap. A by-product of unstemmed tobacco. Leaf scrap results from handling unstemmed tobacco and consists of loose and tangled whole or broken leaves. [24 FR 8771, Oct. 29, 1959. Redesignated at 49 FR...