bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Updating the geographic records of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in Roraima state
Authors: Barroso Paulo Cézar Salgado , Somavilla Alexandre , Boldrini Rafael
Published: October 2017

The Roraima state in Brazil is part of Northern Amazon, an area harboring high biodiversity and high degree of endemism. Nevertheless, there are few studies on diversity of social wasps occurring in this region. This study presents a list of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) collected actively and using Malaise, Suspended and Light trap in six localities in Roraima state. A total of 85 species of 14 genera were collected. Fourty-five of these species are new distribution records to Roraima state, some species are not common found in the collections and lists of species, and some are recorded for the second time to Brazil or the Amazon region. This increase may be an indication that the Polistinae richness is probably higher in the regions studied and that Roraima may well contain a number of additional (as yet unrecorded) social wasp species. More comprehensive studies are needed in order to increase the knowledge of wasp species in Roraima, contributing to increased knowledge of the diversity in Northern Brazil.
Increased Plasma Ferritin Concentration and Low-Grade Inflammation—A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Moen Ingrid W , Bergholdt Helle K M , Mandrup-Poulsen Thomas , Nordestgaard Børge G , Ellervik Christina
Published: October 2017

BACKGROUND

It is unknown why increased plasma ferritin concentration predicts all-cause mortality. As low-grade inflammation and increased plasma ferritin concentration are associated with all-cause mortality, we hypothesized that increased plasma ferritin concentration is genetically associated with low-grade inflammation.

METHODS

We investigated whether increased plasma ferritin concentration is associated with low-grade inflammation [i.e., increased concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and complement component 3 (C3)] in 62537 individuals from the Danish general population. We also applied a Mendelian randomization approach, using the hemochromatosis genotype C282Y/C282Y as an instrument for increased plasma ferritin concentration, to assess causality.

RESULTS

For a doubling in plasma ferritin concentration, the odds ratio (95% CI) for CRP ≥2 vs <2 mg/L was 1.12 (1.09–1.16), with a corresponding genetic estimate for C282Y/C282Y of 1.03 (1.01–1.06). For a doubling in plasma ferritin concentration, odds ratio (95% CI) for complement C3 >1.04 vs ≤1.04 g/L was 1.28 (1.21–1.35), and the corresponding genetic estimate for C282Y/C282Y was 1.06 (1.03–1.12). Mediation analyses showed that 74% (95% CI, 24–123) of the association of C282Y/C282Y with risk of increased CRP and 56% (17%–96%) of the association of C282Y/C282Y with risk of increased complement C3 were mediated through plasma ferritin concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased plasma ferritin concentration as a marker of increased iron concentration is associated observationally and genetically with low-grade inflammation, possibly indicating a causal relationship from increased ferritin to inflammation. However, as HFE may also play an immunological role indicating pleiotropy and as incomplete penetrance of C282Y/C282Y indicates buffering mechanisms, these weaknesses in the study design could bias the genetic estimates.
Ethnodramatherapy applied in a project focusing on relationships in the lives of adults with developmental disabilities, especially romance, intimacy and sexuality
Authors: Snow Stephen , D’Amico Miranda , Mongerson Eric , Anthony Elizabeth , Rozenberg Mira , Opolko Christina , Anandampillai Shyam
Published: October 2017

This article reviews a six-month, collaborative, research project, sponsored by the Centre for the Arts in Human Development at Concordia University. The study investigated how ethnodramatherapy (EDT), a new method that integrates ethnodrama with drama therapy, could help adults with developmental disabilities (DD) to explore their lived experience of human relationships, including intimacy, romance and sexuality. EDT was used to create performance-based research on relationships, while also providing a supportive and therapeutic experience to group members. Results demonstrated the empowering effects of the participants expressing their authentic voice. Responses of the audience to a post-performance questionnaire were also analysed.
Comments and discussion on the thyroid gland elastography World Recommendations 2015
Authors: Borsukov Alexey V.
Published: October 2017

В статье приведены 28 всемирных рекомендаций по эластографии, опубликованных в 2016 г. группой экспертов Мировой ассоциации специалистов по ультразвуковой диагностике в медицине. Приводятся уровни доказательности каждого из положений и уровень рекомендаций с процентным соотношением голосования экспертов. Обсуждается методика, клиническая интерпретация показателей различных видов эластографии: компрессионной эластографии, точечной эластографии сдвиговых волн, двумерной эластографиисдвиговых волн. Подчеркивается, что эластография – дополнительная методика к ультразвуковому исследованию, состоящему из серошкального и допплеровского режимов. В некоторых положениях указывается, что происходит наложение клинических данных, например, по медуллярному раку щитовидной железы. Приводятся цифровые значения эластографии не только для очаговой патологии, но и для диффузных заболеваний щитовидной железы. Данные положения обсуждаются в свете Общероссийских рекомендаций по узловому зобу Российской ассоциации эндокринологов 2016 г. с поиском путей валидации положений для внедрения в практическое отечественное здравоохранение. Данные рекомендации необходимы для включения в валидированную для России систему TI-RADS с включением ультразвукового критерия “эластография щитовидной железы” в протокол обязательного обследования пациентов с диффузными и очаговыми заболеваниями щитовидной железы.
A Competitive Optimal Stopping Game
Authors: Whitmeyer Mark
Published: October 2017

This paper explores a multi-player game of optimal stopping over a finite time horizon. A player wins by retaining a higher value than her competitors do, from a series of independent draws. In our game, a cutoff strategy is optimal, we derive its form, and we show that there is a unique Bayesian Nash Equilibrium in symmetric cutoff strategies. We establish results concerning the cutoff value in its limit and expose techniques, in particular, use of the Budan-Fourier Theorem, that may be useful in other similar problems.
Direct products, varieties, and compactness conditions
Authors: Shahryari Mohammad , Shevlyakov Artem
Published: October 2017

We study equationally Noetherian and
Structure and function of the human parvulins Pin1 and Par14/17
Authors: Matena Anja , Rehic Edisa , Hönig Dana , Kamba Bianca , Bayer Peter
Published: October 2017

Parvulins belong to the family of peptidyl-prolylcis/transisomerases (PPIases) assisting in protein folding and in regulating the function of a broad variety of proteins in all branches of life. The human representatives Pin1 and Par14/17 are directly involved in processes influencing cellular maintenance and cell fate decisions such as cell-cycle progression, metabolic pathways and ribosome biogenesis. This review on human parvulins summarizes the current knowledge of these enzymes and intends to oppose the well-studied Pin1 to its less well-examined homolog human Par14/17 with respect to structure, catalytic and cellular function.
Evaluation of oral multi-herbal preparation of Dashmoolarishta on mice model of osteoarthritis
Authors: Shetty Yashashri C. , Godbharle Santosh , Brahma Smita , Salgaonkar Sweta , Rege Nirmala N.
Published: October 2017

Background:

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic progressive disease commonly affecting the hip and knee joints. Although synthetic drugs are available and afford symptomatic relief, their side effects pose limitations to their continuous use. So, this research was focused on extracting drugs from indigenous medicinal plants that could have a beneficial effect on osteoarthritis. Dashmoolarishta is one such preparation whose effects have never been studied in comparison with recent drugs like hyaluronic acid (HA), hence this particular study was undertaken. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Dashmoolarishta compared with HA on joint pathology and pain behavior in monosodiumiodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA in experimental mice.

Methods:

The study was initiated after obtaining permission from the Animal Ethics Committee. This study was based on the MIA model of osteoarthritis, with mice being divided into five groups viz.: disease control (DC), Dasahmoolarishta high dose (HD) and low dose (LD), sham control (SC) and HA. The OA of the knee joint was induced in these mice using monosodiumiodoacetate. Seven days after induction, animals were subjected to weekly behavioral tests, daily oral Dashmoolarishta, and biweekly HA administration from weeks 2–4. At the end of the 4th week, histopathological examination of the knee joints was done.

Results:

DC showed significant osteoarthritic changes. At week 4, the behavioral tests and histopathology results of all groups were found to be significant. A significant difference (p<0.05) was found between DC vs. SC, HA, HD, LD for open field test, Rota rod test, knee joint diameter, and Cat walk test. Dashmoolarishta HD and LD showed significant improvement in pain, as assessed by behavioral tests (p<0.05) and pathology, as assessed by knee joint histopathology (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

Oral Dashmoolarishta showed reduction in pain and disease activity in MIA-induced osteoarthritis in mice model.
Modified and Optimized Method for Segmenting Pulmonary Parenchyma in CT Lung Images, Based on Fractional Calculus and Natural Selection
Authors: Kumar S. Pramod , Latte Mrityunjaya V.
Published: October 2017

Computer-aided diagnosis of lung segmentation is the fundamental requirement to diagnose lung diseases. In this paper, a two-dimensional (2D) Otsu algorithm by Darwinian particle swarm optimization (DPSO) and fractional-order Darwinian particle swarm optimization (FODPSO) is proposed to segment the pulmonary parenchyma from the lung image obtained through computed tomography (CT) scans. The proposed method extracts pulmonary parenchyma from multi-sliced CT. This is a preprocessing step to identify pulmonary diseases such as emphysema, tumor, and lung cancer. Image segmentation plays a significant role in automated pulmonary disease diagnosis. In traditional 2D Otsu, exhaustive search plays an important role in image segmentation. However, the main disadvantage of the 2D Otsu method is its complex computation and processing time. In this paper, the 2D Otsu method optimized by DPSO and FODPSO is developed to reduce complex computations and time. The efficient segmentation is very important in object classification and detection. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) method is widely used to speed up the computation and maintain the same efficiency. In the proposed algorithm, the limitation of PSO of getting trapped in local optimum solutions is overcome. The segmentation technique is assessed and equated with the traditional 2D Otsu method. The test results demonstrate that the proposed strategy gives better results. The algorithm is tested on the Lung Image Database Consortium image collections.
Effects of 1-year growth hormone replacement therapy on thyroid volume and function of the children and adolescents with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency
Authors: Keskin Meliksah , Bayramoglu Elvan , Aycan Zehra
Published: October 2017

Background:

There are different opinions about the effects of growth hormone replacement therapy (GHRT) on thyroid function and volume. This study aimed to assess the effects of GHRT on thyroid volume and function in the children and adolescents with growth hormone (GH) deficiency.

Methods:

A total of 29 patients diagnosed with GH deficiency were enrolled in the study. The control group consisted of 29 cases matched for age, gender and pubertal period with the patients. Thyroid function tests and insulin-like growth factor levels were measured, simultaneously thyroid volumes were assessed by ultrasonography at the initiation period and at the end of GHRT.

Results:

Thyroid volumes of the patient group was −0.55±1.1 standard deviations (SDs) initially; whereas at the end of 1 year it was found to be −0.29±1.29 SDs and both SDs of thyroid volumes did not differ significantly. The SDs of thyroid volume of the control group was −0.85±1.03 SDs initially and −0.72±0.85 SDs at the end of 1 year; and they did not differ significantly. On the other hand, after GHRT of 1 year, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (T4) levels decreased.

Conclusions:

It was observed that SDs of thyroid gland volumes did not change in GH deficient children and adolescents after GHRT.
Achieving pattern uniformity in plasmonic lithography by spatial frequency selection
Authors: Liang Gaofeng , Chen Xi , Zhao Qing , Guo L. Jay
Published: October 2017

The effects of the surface roughness of thin films and defects on photomasks are investigated in two representative plasmonic lithography systems: thin silver film-based superlens and multilayer-based hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM). Superlens can replicate arbitrary patterns because of its broad evanescent wave passband, which also makes it inherently vulnerable to the roughness of the thin film and imperfections of the mask. On the other hand, the HMM system has spatial frequency filtering characteristics and its pattern formation is based on interference, producing uniform and stable periodic patterns. In this work, we show that the HMM system is more immune to such imperfections due to its function of spatial frequency selection. The analyses are further verified by an interference lithography system incorporating the photoresist layer as an optical waveguide to improve the aspect ratio of the pattern. It is concluded that a system capable of spatial frequency selection is a powerful method to produce deep-subwavelength periodic patterns with high degree of uniformity and fidelity.
Studies to optimize the process of biofuel production from castor stalk
Authors: Kotia Vasudha , Vijayaraghavan Rangananthan , Rangaswamy Vidhya , Aduri Pavankumar , Noronha Santosh B. , MacFarlane Douglas R. , Patti Antonio F.
Published: October 2017

Lignocellulosic biomass is a rich source of cellulose and one of the most promising raw materials for the production of biofuels and other value added chemicals. However, its high lignin content and complex cellular structure represent a significant processing challenge. In this work, the effect of pretreatment using [EMIM][Ac] was studied at various process parameters in order to develop a cost-effective process. In order to minimize the loss of sugars in this process bulk of the solids, comprising both regenerated cellulose and undissolved particles were subjected to the enzymatic hydrolysis. Up to 96% enzymatic digestibility was achieved, even with relatively coarse particle sizes (0.6–1.0 mm range), at 10% biomass loading. The enhanced digestibility of CS is attributed to reduction in lignin content, crystallinity of the cellulose coupled with an increase in surface area.
Three-dimensional viscoelastic numerical analysis of the effects of gas flow on L-profiled polymers in gas-assisted coextrusion
Authors: Deng Xiaozhen , Liu Hesheng
Published: October 2017

In this study, polymer gas-assisted coextrusion experiments were performed. The influence of a traditional coextrusion flow zone on the gas groove and the relationship between the gas pressure and the melt flow rate were studied. To determine the effects of the gas flow on gas-assisted coextrusion, a three-dimensional simulation was developed in which the gas layer was considered as an independent flow zone. The influence of the gas pressure, gas layer thickness and melt flow rate on the melts’ profile and the deflection deformation degree (DDD) was studied, and the relationship between the gas pressure, gas layer thickness and melt flow rate was obtained. The numerical results indicated that a traditional coextrusion flow zone in front of a gas-assisted coextrusion flow zone could allow products to avoid a gas groove. The quality of the products could be improved by decreasing the gas pressure and gas layer thickness or increasing the melt flow rate. Additionally, the minimum gas pressure decreased as the gas layer thickness increased and increased as the melt flow rate increased. The numerical results were in good agreement with the experimental results, despite a slight quantitative error. Therefore, reasonably controlling the gas flow condition is key in practical applications of gas-assisted coextrusion, and the effects of the gas layer should be considered in gas-assisted coextrusion simulations.
Process control strategies for injection molding processes with changing raw material viscosity
Authors: Hopmann Christian , Heinisch Julian
Published: October 2017

The ultimate goal of process control in injection molding is to achieve a reproducible part quality despite changing boundary conditions and disturbances. Especially, changing material viscosities have a considerable impact on part quality and are often inevitable. This study starts with a brief review of the state of the art in injection molding control strategies with regards to melt viscosity. The requirement for a process control strategy with a direct feedback to part quality adapting to the current process viscosity and using in-mold data is derived. In this paper, a fuzzy controller using a pressure loss measurement is implemented for a cycle-to-cycle control of injection velocity based on the current melt viscosity. Depending on the conditions, the controller enables to realize a set point jump in viscosity after approximately six injection molding cycles. To improve control performance and to realize an online closed-loop control in the injection phase, the system behavior of a mold using pressure sensors in the hot runner manifold to obtain a viscosity equivalent indicator is analyzed. The mold in combination with a fuzzy controller using injection velocity and hot runner temperature as actuating variables provide a sound basis for viscosity control in injection molding.
Structural, optical, and aging studies of biocompatible PVC-PVP blend films
Authors: Bhavsar Vaishali , Tripathi Deepti
Published: October 2017

In the present communication, an attempt is made to prepare and study the structural, optical, and aging properties of polyvinylchloride (PVC)-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) blend films for their probable applications as biodegradable/biocompatible materials in biomedical and optoelectronics fields. The surface properties such as contact angles and surface free energies of films are measured to investigate the interaction of polymer films with water. These measurements reveal that on increasing the weight percentage concentration of PVP in PVC, the hydrophilicity of the films increases. The surface free energy was found to increase with increasing concentration of PVP in PVC, which indicates that these films tend to adsorb more moisture from the atmosphere and, thereby, will have a tendency to age faster. The Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of blend films indicate a significant change in the intermolecular/intramolecular interactions taking place. The UV-visible (VIS) absorption spectra clearly reveal that blend films absorb UV radiations appreciably compared to visible light. The optical band gap, Urbach energy, and the carbonaceous cluster size were estimated from the absorption spectra.
What Does The Crowd Say About You? Evaluating Aggregation-based Location Privacy
Authors: Pyrgelis Apostolos , Troncoso Carmela , De Cristofaro Emiliano
Published: October 2017

Information about people’s movements and the locations they visit enables an increasing number of mobility analytics applications, e.g., in the context of urban and transportation planning, In this setting, rather than collecting or sharing raw data, entities often use aggregation as a privacy protection mechanism, aiming to hide individual users’ location traces. Furthermore, to bound information leakage from the aggregates, they can perturb the input of the aggregation or its output to ensure that these are differentially private.

In this paper, we set to evaluate the impact of releasing aggregate location time-series on the privacy of individuals contributing to the aggregation. We introduce a framework allowing us to reason about privacy against an adversary attempting to predict users’ locations or recover their mobility patterns. We formalize these attacks as inference problems, and discuss a few strategies to model the adversary’s prior knowledge based on the information she may have access to. We then use the framework to quantify the privacy loss stemming from aggregate location data, with and without the protection of differential privacy, using two real-world mobility datasets. We find that aggregates do leak information about individuals’ punctual locations and mobility profiles. The density of the observations, as well as timing, play important roles, e.g., regular patterns during peak hours are better protected than sporadic movements. Finally, our evaluation shows that both output and input perturbation offer little additional protection, unless they introduce large amounts of noise ultimately destroying the utility of the data.
Personalized Pseudonyms for Servers in the Cloud
Authors: Xiao Qiuyu , Reiter Michael K. , Zhang Yinqian
Published: October 2017

A considerable and growing fraction of servers, especially of web servers, is hosted in compute clouds. In this paper we opportunistically leverage this trend to improve privacy of clients from network attackers residing between the clients and the cloud: We design a system that can be deployed by the cloud operator to prevent a network adversary from determining which of the cloud’s tenant servers a client is accessing. The core innovation in our design is a PoPSiCl (pronounced “popsicle”), a persistent pseudonym for a tenant server that can be used by a single client to access the server, whose real identity is protected by the cloud from both passive and active network attackers. When instantiated for TLS-based access to web servers, our design works with all major browsers and requires no additional client-side software and minimal changes to the client user experience. Moreover, changes to tenant servers can be hidden in supporting software (operating systems and web-programming frameworks) without imposing on web-content development. Perhaps most notably, our system boosts privacy with minimal impact to web-browsing performance, after some initial setup during a user’s first access to each web server.
Efficient Utility Improvement for Location Privacy
Authors: Chatzikokolakis Konstantinos , ElSalamouny Ehab , Palamidessi Catuscia
Published: October 2017

The continuously increasing use of location-based services poses an important threat to the privacy of users. A natural defense is to employ an obfuscation mechanism, such as those providing geo-indistinguishability, a framework for obtaining formal privacy guarantees that has become popular in recent years.

Ideally, one would like to employ an optimal obfuscation mechanism, providing the best utility among those satisfying the required privacy level. In theory optimal mechanisms can be constructed via linear programming. In practice, however, this is only feasible for a radically small number of locations. As a consequence, all known applications of geo-indistinguishability simply use noise drawn from a planar Laplace distribution.

In this work, we study methods for substantially improving the utility of location obfuscation, while maintaining practical applicability as a main goal. We provide such solutions for both infinite (continuous or discrete) as well as large but finite domains of locations, using a Bayesian remapping procedure as a key ingredient. We evaluate our techniques in two real world complete datasets, without any restriction on the evaluation area, and show important utility improvements with respect to the standard planar Laplace approach.
Systematizing Decentralization and Privacy: Lessons from 15 Years of Research and Deployments
Authors: Troncoso Carmela , Isaakidis Marios , Danezis George , Halpin Harry
Published: October 2017

Decentralized systems are a subset of distributed systems where multiple authorities control different components and no authority is fully trusted by all. This implies that any component in a decentralized system is potentially adversarial. We revise fifteen years of research on decentralization and privacy, and provide an overview of key systems, as well as key insights for designers of future systems. We show that decentralized designs can enhance privacy, integrity, and availability but also require careful trade-offs in terms of system complexity, properties provided, and degree of decentralization. These trade-offs need to be understood and navigated by designers. We argue that a combination of insights from cryptography, distributed systems, and mechanism design, aligned with the development of adequate incentives, are necessary to build scalable and successful privacy-preserving decentralized systems.
Properties of the high burnup structure in nuclear light water reactor fuel
Authors: Wiss Thierry , Rondinella Vincenzo V. , Konings Rudy J. M. , Staicu Dragos , Papaioannou Dimitrios , Bremier Stéphane , Pöml Philipp , Benes Ondrej , Colle Jean-Yves , Van Uffelen Paul , Schubert Arndt , Cappia Fabiola , Marchetti Mara , Pizzocri Davide , Jatuff Fabian , Goll Wolfgang , Sonoda Takeshi , Sasahara Akihiro , Kitajima Shoichi , Kinoshita Motoyasu
Published: October 2017

The formation of the high burnup structure (HBS) is possibly the most significant example of the restructuring processes affecting commercial nuclear fuel in-pile. The HBS forms at the relatively cold outer rim of the fuel pellet, where the local burnup is 2–3 times higher than the average pellet burnup, under the combined effects of irradiation and thermo-mechanical conditions determined by the power regime and the fuel rod configuration. The main features of the transformation are the subdivision of the original fuel grains into new sub-micron grains, the relocation of the fission gas into newly formed intergranular pores, and the absence of large concentrations of extended defects in the fuel matrix inside the subdivided grains. The characterization of the newly formed structure and its impact on thermo-physical or mechanical properties is a key requirement to ensure that high burnup fuel operates within the safety margins. This paper presents a synthesis of the main findings from extensive studies performed at JRC-Karlsruhe during the last 25 years to determine properties and behaviour of the HBS. In particular, microstructural features, thermal transport, fission gas behaviour, and thermo-mechanical properties of the HBS will be discussed. The main conclusion of the experimental studies is that the HBS does not compromise the safety of nuclear fuel during normal operations.
Social robotics to help children with autism in their interactions through imitation
Authors: Pennazio Valentina
Published: October 2017

This article aims to reflect on the main variables that make social robotics efficient in an educational and rehabilitative intervention. Social robotics is based on imitation, and the study is designed for children affected by profound autism, aiming for the development of their social interactions. Existing research, at the national and international levels, shows how children with autism can interact more easily with a robotic companion rather than a human peer, considering its less complex and more predictable actions. This contribution also highlights how using robotic platforms helps in teaching children with autism basic social abilities, imitation, communication and interaction; this encourages them to transfer the learned abilities to human interactions with both adults and peers, through human–robot imitative modelling. The results of a pilot study conducted in a kindergarten school in the Liguria region are presented. The study included applying a robotic system, at first in a dyadic child–robot relation, then in a triadic one that also included another child, with the aim of eliciting social and imitative abilities in a child with profound autism.
An effective approach to synthesize carbon nanotube-reinforced Al matrix composite precursor
Authors: Alanka Sandeep , Ratnam Chanamala , Prasad Balla Srinivasa
Published: October 2017

Aluminum-based nanocomposites reinforced with carbon nanotubes have increased scientific attention in today’s life. The dispersion quality was the critical aspect, which decides the homogeneous distribution of CNTs within the Al matrix as starting precursors. In this study, a new attempt has been made to obtain a uniformly dispersed Al-0.75% CNT precursor via combining ultra-sonication, cubic tumbler rod milling, and spray drying. This process was integrated with organic deflocculant (formulator) in specific proportion to transform as a semi-wet-based route. The effect of milling media on the morphology and interface structure of the as-produced composite precursor after all the processing steps was investigated through scanning electron microscope (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results reveal that the approach is effective in CNT dispersion in Al precursor, which shields the nanotube structure from damage for longer periods of milling time due to the organic formulator mixture, and also, the CNT retention in the Al precursor with minimum clustering is identified compared to the ball milling process. Carbon traces were confirmed in the as-produced composite precursor by this approach.
Maintenance of Genetic Structure in Progenies of Marginal Mountainous and Steppe Populations of Three Species of Pinaceae Lindl. Family in Ukraine
Authors: Korshikov I. I. , Pirko N. N. , Mudrik E. A. , Pirko Ya. V.
Published: October 2017

Comparative investigations of the genetic variation have been conducted at 8 to 10 polymorphic allozyme loci in samples of embryos and maternal plants from marginal populations of Abies alba Mill., Pinus pallasiana D. Don and Pinus sylvestris var cretacea Kalenicz. ex Kom. in Ukraine. It was found that the allele frequencies of the loci analysed were maintained in progenies of maternal plants of these populations. However, the population genotype structure of embryos was shifted towards an excess of homozygous genotypes. The highly variable loci of the maternal plants make the greatest contribution to the homozygotation of progenies.
Growth Performance and Variability in Different Clones of Gmelina arborea (ROXB.)
Authors: Kumar A.
Published: October 2017

A clonal trial of Gmelina arborea consisting of seventy clones selected from ten geographical locations in four states of northeast India was evaluated for and 0.37 with a genetic gain of 18.1, 24.6 and 30.1%, respectively. Diameter at breast height (DBH) was determined to be an important trait with maximum genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation of 18.6 and 30.4%, respectively. Clones selected from the geographical location of Lanka (Assam) were better performers over other locations. Clone 106 attained the greatest height (517 cm) and DGL (119 mm), whereas Clone 108 performed poorly for all the traits studied. Clone 106 maintained its superiority from an early age of 12 months. Clones 009, 017 and 079 showed an increasing trend for height, and markedly changed rankings from 13th, 15th and 20th positions at the age of 12 months to 2nd, 4th and 15th positions at 24 months of age. The interim assessment of different clones indicated large genetic improvement possibilities in G. arborea. and 0.37 with a genetic gain of 18.1, 24.6 and 30.1%, respectively. Diameter at breast height (DBH) was determined to be an important trait with maximum genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation of 18.6 and 30.4%, respectively. Clones selected from the geographical location of Lanka (Assam) were better performers over other locations. Clone 106 attained the greatest height (517 cm) and DGL (119 mm), whereas Clone 108 performed poorly for all the traits studied. Clone 106 maintained its superiority from an early age of 12 months. Clones 009, 017 and 079 showed an increasing trend for height, and markedly changed rankings from 13th, 15th and 20th positions at the age of 12 months to 2nd, 4th and 15th positions at 24 months of age. The interim assessment of different clones indicated large genetic improvement possibilities in G. arborea.
Interspecific Differences in Postharvest Quality on Mexican Christmas Trees
Authors: Álvarez-Moctezuma J. G. , Alia-Tejacal I. , Colinas-León M. T. , Sahagún-Castellanos J.
Published: October 2017

There are no comparative studies in postharvest quality of Mexican Christmas trees. The objective of this study was to identify the best postharvest performing Mexican cultivated species. The experiment was done in the 2004-2005 season with six replications (trees) of Abies religiosa, Cupressus lindleyi, Pinus ayacahuite, and Pseudotsuga menziesii; from two provenances (Tlaxcala and Veracruz) for the last two species. Cultural management was similar. Each tree was placed under dry conditions according to a completely randomized design. Secondary branches, twig diameter and density, initial and final weight, biomass allocation, areas and volumes, total and twig moisture content, foliage density, color, chlorophyll a/b ratio, CO2 and ethylene production were evaluated. Analyses of variance, comparisons of means, correlation, and simple regression were performed. The four studied species displayed undesirable characteristics. Genetic improvement is required. P. menziesii showed values nearer ideotype breeding in more variables. The best provenance was Tlaxcala. Several correlations between variables showed tradeoffs in selecting the best species.
Genetic Performance and Maximizing Genetic Gain Through Direct and Indirect Selection in Cherrybark Oak
Authors: Adams J. P. , Rousseau R. J. , Adams J. C.
Published: October 2017

In 1987, an open-pollinated test of cherrybark oak (Quercus pagodae Raf.) was established on a loess site in Carlisle County, Kentucky. The test contained 37 half-sib families representing eight provenances from Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. Height measurements were taken at ages one, three, five, ten, and fifteen, and diameter at ages five, ten, and fifteen. Significant differences existed among provenances and among families within provenances. Seed sources from the west-central Mississippi area performed better for both diameter and height, yet no overall geographic trend was apparent. The top three families were all from the Warren Co., Mississippi source while two of the top three diameter families were from Washington Co., MS and the third was from Warren Co., Mississippi. Survival among the eight provenances was constant from age one to ten. A drop in survival was shown between ages 10 and 15, probably a result of inter-tree competition. Height and diameter growth between ages five and 10 was nearly double that prior to age five and between ages 10 and 15. Family heritabilities for height and diameter were calculated for each measurement year. Family heritabilities for diameter ranged from 0.55 to 0.70 while height ranged from 0.50 to 0.70. Strong age-age correlations for height, diameter, and volume were found indicating good trait predictability from early measurements. Genetic gain equations were used to identify the optimum selection age and trait for maximizing age 15 volume. Early selection of families within provenances should yield gains in height, diameter, and volume.
Variation in Clone Fertility and its Effect on the Gene Diversity of Seeds From a Seed Orchard of Chamaecyparis obtusa in Korea
Authors: Kang K. S. , Mullin T. J.
Published: October 2017

Male and female strobilus production was assessed annually over a four-year period for a clonal seed orchard of hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl.) in Korea. Clonal fertility and fertility variation, expressed by both sibling coefficient and coefficient of variation in strobilus production among 50 orchard clones, were reported. Fertility varied among clones and among years producing four-year averages per ramet of 510.2 and 1050.6 for female and male strobili, respectively. The correlation between female and male strobilus production was positive in each of the four years studied and, with the exception of one year, statistically significant. The clonal status number (Ns), a measure of gene diversity, was calculated based on the observed clonal fertility variation and varied from 28.0 (N = 50) in the poorest flowering year (2002) to 46.7 in the best year (2005). On average (pooled), the relative status number was 95% of the census number (N). Variation in female fertility was generally higher than that for male fertility, and this variation was reflected in the status numbers of female and male parents. The pooled Ns estimated from all four years was higher than that for any single year, implying that gene diversity would increase when seeds collected from different years are pooled. Sexual asymmetry calculations showed that clonal contributions would be balanced between genders.
Problems in the Analysis of Genetic Differentiation Among Populations – a Case Study in Quercus robur
Authors: Gregorius H.-R. , Degen B. , König A.
Published: October 2017

The conclusions drawn from studies of genetic differentiation among populations largely determine our understanding of ecological and population genetic processes. These conclusions basically depend on the applied type of genetic marker and the method of measuring and estimating genetic differentation. However, concerns have been raised about the conceptual appropriateness of common methods of measuring genetic differentiation. The present paper contributes to the clarification of the problems involved by recalling the conceptual characteristics of FST(= GST), by specifying basic tests of the major causal factors of genetic differentiation with the help of permutation analysis, by comparing FSTand Hedrick’s new normalization F’ST with the basic index δ of differentiation for data on allozymes and microsatellites obtained from 6 oak stands. All three descriptors display small values, among which δ is largest and closely followed by F’ST, while FSTis distinctly smaller than both across all loci. Degrees of covariation of δ with FSTand F’ST differ distinctly between allozymes and microsatellites as a probable consequence of confounding aspects of differentiation with aspects of fixation in the FSTdescriptors. Permutation analysis reveals that the boundary conditions provided by the number of populations and their (sample) sizes as well as the overall genetic variation across population samples determine the order of magnitude of differentiation. This mathematical artefact undermines the widely held opinion that small degrees of differentiation at many loci are the result of extensive gene flow or recent joint history. Differentation patterns vary considerably among allozyme loci (indicating the action of homogenizing and diversifying selection). In contrast, microsatellite loci consistently display significant differentiation as can be explained by mechanisms of non-recurrent mutation. These observations apply to all three descriptors for the relatively high within population polymorphism observed in the studied stands. At least for low within population polymorphism close to fixation, however, it is shown theoretically that the predictions may diverge distinctly among the three descriptors.
Cross-Species Amplification of Coconut Microsatellite Markers in Rattans
Authors: Nageswara Rao M. , Ramesha B. T. , Ravikanth G. , Ganeshaiah K. N. , Shaanker R. Uma
Published: October 2017

Cross-species amplification of microsatellite loci is considered to be a time-saving as well as a cost-effective approach for developing locus specific markers for new species. In an attempt to identify molecular markers to determine gene flow events and genetic differentiation of populations in rattans, microsatellite primer pairs developed for Cocos nucifera (Arecaceae) were examined for cross-species amplification in rattans. Of the six microsatellite primer pairs screened, two (CNZ34 and CN2A5) yielded good cross-species amplification across different rattan genera and species from South and Southeast Asia. Based on microsatellite-specific PCR amplification products, cluster analysis was performed. The dendrogram indicated a clear grouping of rattans based on their genera and species. The coconut locus specific primer pairs could be successfully used to construct molecular differentiation of rattan genera across different geographical locations.
Main and Interaction Effects of Factors on Softwood Cutting of White Poplar (Populus alba L.).
Authors: Harfouche A. , Baoune N. , Merazga H.
Published: October 2017

White poplar is an important species for reforesting riparian sites in Algeria, but efficient techniques are still to be perfected. The study investigates the feasibility of softwood cutting as a method of propagation of the species. Results showed that sand or gravel, used as substrate, do not determine significant differences in rooting percent, but exert an influence on the quality and vigour of roots of cuttings. The findings, also, suggest that softwood cutting of the species would be most efficient if root suckers and/or sticklings were the sources of cuttings. Moreover, summer is the best period for achieving good results, while IBA treatments would have little effect on the rooting response of cuttings. Significant stand and individual within stand variation in rooting response of cuttings was found. However, the low or moderate broad sense heritabilities suggest that microsite effects at the individual scale could influence significantly the results. Overall, the results of the investigations suggest that selection of stands and, individuals within stands with good rooting ability, together with taking care with respect to factors such as the period of cuttings collection and the sources of cuttings, could achieve real progress in vegetative propagation of white poplar in Algeria.
Genetic Variation of Anatolian Black Pine (Pinus nigra Arnold. subsp. pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe) in the Lakes District of Turkey
Authors: Gülcü S. , Üçler A. Ö.
Published: October 2017

In this study, morphological characteristics of juvenile 1- and 2-year-old seedlings of Anatolian black pine were studied to estimate the amount of genetic variation and heritability of seedling traits of the species in the Lakes District of Turkey. This nursery study involved 460 parent trees from 23 populations in a randomized complete block design. Traits studied were the number and length of cotyledons, hypocotyls and epicotyls lengths, weight and length of initial roots, height, root collar diameter, and stem and root fresh weights, and number of buds. Variation was higher among than within populations with individual tree heritability ranging from 0.09 to 0.76, whereas family mean heritability ranged from 0.16 to 0.80. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between juvenile and 1-year-old seedling traits were generally the same sign and magnitude. Variation and heritabilities were higher for growth-related traits than the number and length of embryonic tissues. The observed level of population differentiation was low, possibly due limited geographic sampling of populations, which spanned only 2° of latitudes and longitudes, and 300m in elevation. If the observed heritabilities for growth traits were sustained to tree maturity combined family and within family selection would be effective in improving growth of this species in the Lakes District of Turkey. A broader geographic sampling is recommended for better estimation of population differentiation and establishment of the geographic pattern of the species in this region.
Chromosomal Mapping of 18S-25S and 5S Ribosomal Genes on 15 Species of Fagaceae From Northern Thailand
Authors: Chokchaichamnankit P. , Anamthawat-Jónsson K. , Chulalaksananukul W.
Published: October 2017

Fifteen species of Fagaceae from Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand, were investigated: eight Castanopsis, four Lithocarpus and three Quercus species. The species were generally diploid with the chromosome number 2n = 24, and the basic number x =12 was confirmed in some species with meiosis. One tree belonging to Q. lenticellatus had 2n = 14. Chromosomal mapping of the highly repetitive 18S-25S and 5S ribosomal genes by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) was performed. Most species (from all three genera) showed four 18S-25S rDNA sites (two pairs: one subterminal major and one paracentromeric/intercalary minor loci) and two 5S rDNA sites (one pair: paracentromeric locus). Quercus kerrii also had two pairs of 18S-25S rDNA sites, but both were subterminal major loci. Two species, C. argentea and Q. brandisianus, only had one pair of 18S-25S rDNA sites. Two species, C. calathiformis and L. vestitus, showed an odd number of (unpaired) sites, and this indicated hybrid origin and/or polyploidy. Polyploid cells were detected in these species. The ribosomal gene maps based on both sequences together were genus-specific. In Castanopsis, the 18S-25S and the 5S genes were localized on three different chromosome pairs, and comprised species-specific maps. On the other hand, the ribosomal genes in Lithocarpus and Quercus were found only on two chromosome pairs, because one of the two 18S-25S rDNA loci was localized on the same chromosome as the 5S rDNA locus. The FISH markers may be used to clarify discrepancies arising from morphological assessments.
Triploid Induction in Populus alba x P. glandulosa by Chromosome Doubling of Female Gametes
Authors: Li Y. H. , Kang X. Y. , Wang S. D. , Zhang Z. H. , Chen H. W.
Published: October 2017

Efficient methods for obtaining unreduced female gametes are needed for triploid induction in Populus alba x P. glandulosa. A cytological study of MMCs and PMCs meiosis and staminate floral elongation revealed that there was a close association between MMCs meiotic stage and male bud phenology during development under the same environment conditions. Female buds of Populus alba x P. glandulosa were treated with 0.5% colchicine solution at the selected meiotic stages based on male bud phenology. The treated buds were pollinated with pollen of P. tomentosa. A high rate of unreduced female gametes occurred in late leptotene and pachytene stages of MMC, as evidenced by a relatively higher percentage of triploids in the progeny, when compared to progeny from colchincine application at other meiotic stages. The present results demonstrated that male bud phenology can be used to guide colchicine applications to female buds and cause a more efficient production of triploids.
Short Note: Development of Mitochondrial Markers for Population Genetics of Norway Spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.]
Authors: Maghuly F. , Burg K. , Pinsker W. , Nittinger F. , Praznik W. , Fluch S.
Published: October 2017

Norway spruce is an important commercial tree species in northern and central Europe. Pure mitochondrial DNA isolated from tissue culture materials grown in the dark were used to construct a partial mitochondrial library. 100 clones were randomly selected and 19 markers were isolated. Three of these markers proved to be polymorphic and two showed maternal inheritance in controlled crosses. These markers will be useful for population genetic studies in P. abies.