Identification of Mendel's white flower character

Background The genetic regulation of flower color has been widely studied, notably as a character used by Mendel and his predecessors in the study of inheritance in pea. Methodology/Principal Findings We used the genome sequence of model legumes, together with their known synteny to the pea genome to identify candidate genes for the A and A2 loci in pea. We then used a combination of genetic mapping, fast neutron mutant analysis, allelic diversity, transcript quantification and transient expression complementation studies to confirm the identity of the candidates. Conclusions/Significance We have identified the pea genes A and A2. A is the factor determining anthocyanin pigmentation in pea that was used by Gregor Mendel 150 years ago in his study of inheritance. The A gene encodes a bHLH transcription factor. The white flowered mutant allele most likely used by Mendel is a simple G to A transition in a splice donor site that leads to a mis-spliced mRNA with a premature stop codon, and we have identified a second rare mutant allele. The A2 gene encodes a WD40 protein that is part of an evolutionarily conserved regulatory complex.

Differences in membrane acyl phospholipid composition between an endothermic mammal and an ectothermic reptile are not limited to any phospholipid class

This study examined questions concerning differences in the acyl composition of membrane phospholipids that have been linked to the faster rates of metabolic processes in endotherms versus ectotherms. In liver, kidney, heart and brain of the ectothermic reptile, Trachydosaurus rugosus, and the endothermic mammal, Rattus norvegicus, previous findings of fewer unsaturates but a greater unsaturation index (UI) in membranes of the mammal versus those of the reptile were confirmed. Moreover, the study showed that the distribution of phospholipid head-group classes was similar in the same tissues of the reptile and mammal and that the differences in acyl composition were present in all phospholipid classes analysed, suggesting a role for the physical over the chemical properties of membranes in determining the faster rates of metabolic processes in endotherms. The most common phosphatidylcholine (PC) molecules present in all tissues (except brain) of the reptile were 16:0/18:1, 16:0/18:2, 18:0/18:2, 18:1/18:1 and 18:1/18:2, whereas arachidonic acid (20:4), containing PCs 16:0/ 20: 4, 18: 0/ 20: 4, were the common molecules in the mammal. The most abundant phosphatidylethanolamines ( PE) used in the tissue of the reptile were 18:0/18:2, 18:0/20:4, 18:1/18:1, 18:1/18:2 and 18:1/20:4, compared to 16: 0/ 18: 2, 16: 0/ 20: 4, 16: 0/ 22: 6, 18: 0/ 20: 4, 18: 0/ 22: 6 and 18:1/20: 4 in the mammal. UI differences were primarily due to arachidonic acid found in both PC and PEs, whereas docosahexaenoic acid (22:6) was a lesser contributor mainly within PEs and essentially absent in the kidney. The phospholipid composition of brain was more similar in the reptile and mammal compared to those of other tissues.

Differences in physical activity between black and white girls living in rural and urban areas

This study examined the relationship of race and rural/urban setting to physical, behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental factors associated with physical activity. Subjects included 1,668 eighth-grade girls from 31 middle schools: 933 from urban settings, and 735 from rural settings. Forty-six percent of urban girls and 59% of rural girls were Black. One-way and two-way ANOVAs with school as a covariate were used to analyze the data. Results indicated that most differences were associated with race rather than setting. Black girls were less active than White girls, reporting significantly fewer 30-minute blocks of both vigorous and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Black girls also spent more time watching television, and had higher BMIs and greater prevalence of overweight than White girls. However, enjoyment of physical education and family involvement in physical activity were greater among Black girls titan White girls. Rural White girls and urban Black girls had more favorable attitudes toward physical activity. Access to sports equipment, perceived safety of neighborhood, and physical activity self-efficacy were higher in White girls than Black girls.

Psychosocial correlates of physical activity in white and African-American girls

Purpose To evaluate the relative utility of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in explaining intentions and physical activity behavior in white and African-American eighth-grade girls. Methods One-thousand-thirty white and 1114 African-American eighth-grade girls (mean age 13.6 ± 0.7 years) from 31 middle schools in South Carolina completed a 3-day physical activity recall and a questionnaire assessing attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, and intentions related to regular participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Results Among Whites, 17% of the variance in intentions was contributed by subjective norms and attitude, with intentions accounting for 8% of the variance in MVPA. The addition of perceived behavioral control and self-efficacy to the TRA significantly improved the prediction of intentions and MVPA accounting for 40% and 10% of the variance, respectively. Among African-Americans, subjective norms and attitude accounted for 13% of the variance in intentions, with intentions accounting for only 3% of the variance in MVPA. The addition of perceived behavioral control and self-efficacy to the TRA significantly improved the prediction of intentions and MVPA accounting for 28% and 5% of the variance, respectively. Conclusions The results provided limited empirical support for the TPB among white adolescent girls; however, our findings suggest that the planned behavior framework has limited utility among African-American adolescent girls. The relatively weak link between intentions and MVPA observed in both population groups suggest that constructs external to the TPB may be more important mediators of physical activity behavior in adolescent girls.

Configurations of Gender, Class and Rurality in Resource Affected Rural Australia

Historically, class has been a key concern in studies of resource affected communities (e.g., Williamson 1982, Warwick and Littlejohn 1992). While work continues, particularly in Britain, today it reflects the rationalization of the British mining sector, and thus focuses largely on mining heritage (e.g., Strangleman et al. 1999, Dicks 2008). In contrast, this chapter examines class relations as manifest in a contemporary setting in rural Australia. This site, the Ravensthorpe Shire in the south west of Western Australia, relied largely on agriculture until 2004 when BHP Billiton commenced construction of a nickel mine in the area. This affected the entire Shire as well as the two rural communities of Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun. The mine, which was officially opened in June 2008, is one of a large number of new mineral and energy developments being established in non metropolitan areas of the country as high international demand for resources fuels significant growth in the sector. In a single six month period in 2009, for example, 15 major minerals and energy projects were completed across the nation and a further 74 projects were at advanced stages (Australian Bureau of Agricultural Economics 2009). A number of these were, as was the case in Ravensthorpe, in what had been traditionally agricultural communities.

Pattern analysis of the diversity of morphological plant attributes and herbage yield in a world collection of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) germplasm characterised in a summer moisture stress environment of Australia

Information on the variation available for different plant attributes has enabled germplasm collections to be effectively utilised in plant breeding. A world sourced collection of white clover germplasm has been developed at the White Clover Resource Centre at Glen Innes, New South Wales. This collection of 439 accessions was characterised under field conditions as a preliminary study of the genotypic variation for morphological attributes; stolon density, stolon branching, number of nodes. number of rooted nodes, stolon thickness, internode length, leaf length, plant height and plant spread, together with seasonal herbage yield. Characterisation was conducted on different batches of germplasm (subsets of accessions taken from the complete collection) over a period of five years. Inclusion of two check cultivars, Haifa and Huia, in each batch enabled adjustment of the characterisation data for year effects and attribute-by-year interaction effects. The component of variance for seasonal herbage yield among batches was large relative to that for accessions. Accession-by-experiment and accession-by-season interactions for herbage yield were not detected. Accession mean repeatability for herbage yield across seasons was intermediate (0.453). The components of genotypic variance among accessions for all attributes, except plant height, were larger than their respective standard errors. The estimates of accession mean repeatability for the attributes ranged from low (0.277 for plant height) to intermediate (0.544 for internode length). Multivariate techniques of clustering and ordination were used to investigate the diversity present among the accessions in the collection. Both cluster analysis and principal component analysis suggested that seven groups of accessions existed. It was also proposed from the pattern analysis results that accessions from a group characterised by large leaves, tall plants and thick stolons could be crossed with accessions from a group that had above average stolon density and stolon branching. This material could produce breeding populations to be used in recurrent selection for the development of white clover cultivars for dryland summer moisture stress environments in Australia. The germplasm collection was also found to be deficient in genotypes with high stolon density, high number of branches high number of rooted nodes and large leaves. This warrants addition of new germplasm accessions possessing these characteristics to the present germplasm collection.

A study of the emotional climate of a science education class for pre-service teachers in Bhutan

This thesis studied the emotional climate (EC) of a pre-service science teachers' class in Bhutan. It examined the types of activities students engaged in and the relationship between the tutor and students whose interactions produced both positive and negative EC in the class. The major finding was that the activities involving students' presentations using video clips and models, group activity, and coteaching valenced the class EC positively. Negative EC was identified when the tutor ignored students' responses, during formal lectures, and when the tutor was uncertain of the subject knowledge. The replication of activities that produce positive EC by other Bhutanese tutors may improve the standard of science education in the country.

Corporate governance and securities class actions

This study investigates the governance attributes of firms that have been subject to securities class actions (SCAs). There has been a recent sizable increase in the number of firms subject to SCAs in Australia. We examine a sample of firms that have been subject to SCAs due to disclosure breaches and match the firms by industry and size to a control sample. First, we examine the compliance culture of the SCA firms via the frequency of Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)queries of the firm and find that the frequency of ASX queries is positively associated with the occurrence of a SCA. Secondly, we provide evidence that SCA firms exhibit weaker levels of corporate governance than the matched control sample. In addition, we contribute to the understanding of firms subject to SCAs and their corporate governance attributes. Our results suggest the presence of a nomination committee may be associated with higher agency costs and that the influence of CEO duality may reduce the effectiveness of a nomination committee.

Multiband photoluminescence from carbon nanoflakes synthesized by hot filament CVD: towards solid-state white light sources

Carbon nanoflakes (CNFLs) are synthesized on silicon substrates deposited with carbon islands in a methane environment using hot filament chemical vapor deposition. The structure and composition of the CNFLs are studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that the CNFLs are composed of multilayer graphitic sheets and the area and thickness of CNFs increase with the growth time. The photoluminescence (PL) of CNFLs excited by a 325 nm He-Cd laser exhibits three strong bands centered at 408, 526, and 699 nm, which are related to the chemical radicals terminated on the CNFLs and the associated interband transitions. The PL results indicate that the CNFLs are promising as an advanced nano-carbon material capable of generating white light emission. These outcomes are significant to control the electronic structure of CNFLs and contribute to the development of next-generation solid-state white light emission devices. © 2014 the Partner Organisations.

An intentional class design model to engage first year students with threshold concepts using the academic discourse theories of Vygotsky and Laurillard

In the context of the first-year university classroom, this paper develops Vygotsky’s claim that ‘the relations between the higher mental functions were at one time real relations between people’. By taking the main horizontal and hierarchical levels of classroom discourse and dialogue (student-student, student-teacher, teacher-teacher) and marrying these with the possibilities opened up by Laurillard’s conversational framework, we argue that the learning challenge of a ‘troublesome’ threshold concept might be met by a carefully designed sequence of teaching events and experiences for first year students, and we provide a number of strategies that exploit each level of these ‘hierarchies of discourse’. We suggest that an analytical approach to classroom design that embodies these levels of discourse in sequenced dialogic methods could be used by teachers as a strategy to interrogate and adjust teaching-in-practice especially in the first year of university study.

The story of the men’s white shirt

The classic white dress shirt is familiar and omnipresent in men’s fashion. As a result, we tend to be unaware that for more than 200 years this singular item of apparel, which is essentially unadulterated in form from the late 19th century, has been able to define and represent status, wealth and fashion norms. The history underlying this garment is rich and, in the main part, untold.

The topography of multiple drug use among adolescent Australians : findings from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey

Introduction and aims: Despite evidence that many Australian adolescents have considerable experience with various drug types, little is known about the extent to which adolescents use multiple substances. The aim of this study was to examine the degree of clustering of drug types within individuals, and the extent to which demographic and psychosocial predictors are related to cluster membership. Design and method: A sample of 1402 adolescents aged 12-17. years were extracted from the Australian 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Extracted data included lifetime use of 10 substances, gender, psychological distress, physical health, perceived peer substance use, socioeconomic disadvantage, and regionality. Latent class analysis was used to determine clusters, and multinomial logistic regression employed to examine predictors of cluster membership. Result: There were 3 latent classes. The great majority (79.6%) of adolescents used alcohol only, 18.3% were limited range multidrug users (encompassing alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana), and 2% were extended range multidrug users. Perceived peer drug use and psychological distress predicted limited and extended multiple drug use. Psychological distress was a more significant predictor of extended multidrug use compared to limited multidrug use. Discussion and conclusion: In the Australian school-based prevention setting, a very strong focus on alcohol use and the linkages between alcohol, tobacco and marijuana are warranted. Psychological distress may be an important target for screening and early intervention for adolescents who use multiple drugs.

Class notes : 10 principles of good BPM

The question concerning what makes for good BPM is often raised. A recent call from Paul Harmon on the BPTrends Discussion LinkedIN Group for key issues in BPM received 189 answers within two months, with additional answers still appearing. I have teamed up with a number of BPM researchers and practitioners to bring together our joint experience in a BPM workshop at the University in Liechtenstein in 2013, where we developed ten principles of good BPM, later published in Business Process Management Journal (vom Brocke et al., 2014). The paper, which has received considerable attention in academia, was ranked the journal’s most downloaded paper the month it was published. Slides on Slideshare that provide a brief summary of the paper have been accessed more than 3,000 times since they were first put online in March 2014. Given the importance of the topic–what makes for good BPM–and the positive response to the ten principles, I wrote this note with the co-authors of the original BPMJ paper to outline the ten principles and illustrate how to use them in practice. We invite all readers to engage in this discussion via any channel they find appropriate.

Conjugation of carcinogens by 6 class glutathione S-transferases : mechanisms and relevance to variations in human risk

Conjugation of chemicals with glutathione (GSH) can lead to decreased or increased toxicity. A genetic deficiency in the GSH S-transferase μ class gene M1 has been hypothesized to lead to greater risk of lung cancer in smokers. Recently a gene deletion polymorphism involving the human θ enzyme T1 has been described; the enzyme is present in erythrocytes and can be readily assayed. A rat θ class enzyme, 5-5, has structural and catalytic similarity and the protein was expressed in the Salmonella typhimurium tester strain TA1535. Expression of the cDNA vector increased the mutagenicity of ethylene dibromide and several methylene dihalides. Mutations resulting from the known GSH S-transferase substrate 1,2-epoxy-3-(4′nitrophenoxy)propane were decreased in the presence of the transferase. Expression of transferase 5-5 increased mutations when 1,2,3,4-diepoxybutane (butadiene diepoxide), 4-bromo-1,2-epoxybutane, or 1,3-dichloracetone were added. The latter compound is a model for the putative 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane oxidation product 1-bromo-3-chloroacetone. These genotoxicity and genotyping assays may be of use in further studies of the roles of GSH S-transferase θ enzymes in bioactivation and detoxication and any changes in risk due to polymorphism.

Identification of theta-class glutathione S-transferase in liver cytosol of the marmoset monkey

The presence of theta-class glutathione S-transferase (GST) in marmoset monkey liver cytosol was investigated. An anti-peptide antibody targeted against the C-terminus of rGSTT1 reacted with a single band in marmoset liver cytosol that corresponded to a molecular weight of 28 kDa. The intensity of the immunoreactive band was not affected by treatment of marmoset monkeys with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, phenobarbitone, rifampicin or clofibric acid. Similarly, activity towards methyl chloride (MC) was unaffected by these treatments. However, GST activity towards 1,2-epoxy3-(p- nitrophenoxy)-propane (EPNP) was increased in marmosets treated with phenobarbitone (2.6-fold) and rifampicin (2.6-fold), activity towards dichloromethane (DCM) was increased by 50% after treatment of marmosets with clofibric acid, and activity towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) was raised slightly (30-42% increases) after treatment with phenobarbitone, rifampicin or clofibric acid. Compared with humans, marmoset liver cytosol GST activity towards DCM was 18-fold higher, activity towards MC was 7 times higher and activity towards CDNB was 4 times higher. Further, EPNP activity was clearly detectable in marmoset liver cytosol samples, but was undetectable in human samples. Immunoreactive marmoset GST was partially purified by affinity chromatography using hexylglutathione-Sepharose and Orange A resin. The interaction of immunoreactive marmoset GST was similar to that found previously for rat and human GSTT1, suggesting that this protein is also a theta class GST. However, unlike rat GSTT1, the marmoset enzyme was not the major catalyst of EPNP conjugation. Instead, immunoreactivity was closely associated with activity towards MC. In conclusion, these results provide evidence for the presence of theta-class GST in the marmoset monkey orthologous to rGSTT1 and hGSTT1.