Mining wheat germplasm collections for yield enhancing traits

The material in genebanks includes valuable traditional varieties and landraces, non-domesticated species, advanced and obsolete cultivars, breeding lines and genetic stock. It is the wide variety of potentially useful genetic diversity that makes collections valuable. While most of the yield increases to date have resulted from manipulation of a few major traits (such as height, photoperiodism, and vernalization), meeting future demand for increased yields will require exploitation of novel genetic resources. Many traits have been reported to have potential to enhance yield, and high expression of these can be found in germplasm collections. To boost yield in irrigated situations, spike fertility must be improved simultaneously with photosynthetic capacity. CIMMYT's Wheat Genetic Resources program has identified a source of multi-ovary florets, with up to 6 kernels per floret. Lines from landrace collections have been identified that have very high chlorophyll concentration, which may increase leaf photosynthetic rate. High chlorophyll concentration and high stomatal conductance are associated with heat tolerance. Recent studies, through augmented use of seed multiplication nurseries, identified high expression of these traits in bank accessions, and both traits were heritable. Searches are underway for drought tolerance traits related to remobilization of stem fructans, awn photosynthesis, osmotic adjustment, and pubescence. Genetic diversity from wild relatives through the production of synthetic wheats has produced novel genetic diversity.

Loss as a universal concept: Review of the literature to identify common aspects of loss in diverse situations

It has long been recognized that loss and its associated grief are important elements of many adverse life events that affect the entire global population: death, disability, traumatic events, abuse., terminal and chronic illness, aging, addiction, unemployment, relationship breakdown, war, migration, and educational failure. While there is significant empirical evidence of the potential deleterious effects of specific situations of loss across the global community, systematic discussion concerning the common elements of loss that are associated with adverse life situations in general has been limited. This review of the theoretical and empirical literature concerning various losses and the recommendations for care of those affected by such losses identifies common aspects of situations of loss and common recommendations in the care of those confronted by such losses. These common themes of loss are described by simple summary statements that can be communicated to a broad audience, hence enhancing community education and, potentially, community-wide mental health promotion.

New product warranty: A literature review

Warranty is an important element of marketing new products as better warranty signals higher product quality and provides greater assurance to customers. Servicing warranty involves additional costs to the manufacturer and this cost depends on product reliability and warranty terms. Product reliability is influenced by the decisions made during the design and manufacturing of the product. As such warranty is very important in the context of new products. Product warranty has received the attention of researchers from many different disciplines and the literature on warranties is vast. This paper carries out a review of the literature that has appeared in the last ten years. It highlights issues of interest to manufacturers in the context of managing new products from an overall business perspective. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The triad of bilateral retinoblastoma, dysplastic naevus syndrome and multiple cutaneous malignant melanomas: a case report and review of the literature

We report a case of a patient with the triad of retinoblastoma, dysplastic naevus syndrome (DNS) and multiple cutaneous melanomas. The combination of retinoblastoma and DNS is a significant risk factor for the development of cutaneous melanoma. This risk extends to family members. We recommend that survivors of (inherited) retinoblastoma and their relatives are closely screened for the presence of dysplastic naevi. (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams Wilkins.

Erotic Literature in Nineteenth-Century Bali

Two nineteenth-century Balinese genres in which the erotic predominates are epic kakawin poetry and tutur (religious manuals) on sexual yoga. The article points to the strong intertextual links between these diverse genres. Through their focus on practical sexual matters and on the pursuit of sexual pleasure as integral to spiritual growth, tutur and kakawin also offer insight into notions of gender and sexuality in nineteenth-century Bali.

Selenium content of Australian foods: A review of literature values

The aim of this study was to review the published literature values for the selenium content of Australian foods. A secondary aim was to compare the results for Australian foods with food composition data from international sources to investigate the extent of geographical variation. Published food composition data sources for the selenium content in Australian foods were identified and assessed for data quality using established criteria. The selenium content is available for 148 individual food items. The highest values found are for fish (12.0-63.2 mug/100 g), meats (4.75-37.9 mug/100 g) and eggs (9.00-41.4 mug/100 g), followed by cereals (1.00-20.3 mug/100 g). Moderate levels are seen in dairy products (2.00-7.89 mug/100 g) while most fruits and vegetables have low levels (trace-3.27 mug/100 g). High selenium foods show the greatest level of geographical variation, with foods from the United States generally having higher selenium levels than Australian foods and foods from the United Kingdom and New Zealand having lower levels. This is the first attempt to review the available literature for selenium composition of Australian foods. These data serve as an interim measure for the assessment of selenium intake for use in epidemiological studies of diet-disease relationships. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.