Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a complex developmental disorder with serious medical, cognitive and emotional symptoms across the lifespan. This genetic deletion also imparts a lifetime risk for developing schizophrenia that is 25–30 times that of the general population. The origin of this risk is multifactorial and may include dysregulation of the stress response and immunological systems in relation to brain development. Vitamin D is involved in brain development and neuroprotection, gene transcription, immunological regulation and influences neuronal signal transduction. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety in the general population. Yet, little is known about how vitamin D levels in children with 22q11.2DS could mediate risk of psychosis in adulthood. Blood plasma levels of vitamin D were measured in children aged 7–16 years with (n=11) and without (n=16) 22q11.2DS in relation to parent reports of children’s anxiety and atypicality. Anxiety and atypicality in childhood are risk indicators for the development of schizophrenia in those with 22q11.2DS and the general population. Children with 22q11.2DS had lower vitamin D levels, as well as elevated anxiety and atypicality compared with typical peers. Higher levels of anxiety, depression and internalizing problems but not atypicality were associated with lower levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D insufficiency may relate to higher levels of anxiety and depression, in turn contributing to the elevated risk of psychosis in this population. Further study is required to determine casual linkages between anxiety, stress, mood and vitamin D in children with 22q11.2DS.

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a major wheat disease that can inflict yield losses of up to 70% on susceptible varieties under favourable environmental conditions. The timely identification of plant genetic resources likely to possess novel resistance to this disease would facilitate the rapid development of resistant wheat varieties. The focused identification of germplasm strategy (FIGS) approach was used to predict stripe rust resistance in a collection of wheat landraces conserved at ICARDA genebank. Long-term climate data for the collection sites, from which these accessions originated and stripe rust evaluation scores for one group of accessions were presented to three different non-linear models to explore the trait×collection site environment interactions. Patterns in the data detected by the models were used to predict stripe rust resistance in a second and different set of accessions. The results of the prediction were then tested against actual evaluation scores of the disease in the field. The study mimics the real scenario where requests are made to plant genetic resources curators to provide accessions that are likely to possess variation for specific traits such as disease resistance.

The models used were able to identify stripe rust-resistant accessions with a high degree of accuracy. Values as high as 0·75 for area under the curve and 0·45 for Kappa statistics, which quantify the agreement between the models’ predictions and the curator's disease scores, were achieved. This demonstrates a strong environmental component in the geographic distribution of resistance genes and therefore supports the theoretical basis for FIGS. It is argued that FIGS will improve the rate of gene discovery and efficiency of mining genetic resource collections for adaptive traits by reducing the number of accessions that are normally required for evaluation to identify such variation.

Field trials were conducted in British Columbia and Oregon in 1972, which demonstrated that trans-11-tetradecenal, a sex attractant for male Choristoneura fumiferana and C. occidentalis, is also a sex attractant for male 2-year-cycle spruce budworm, C. biennis, and that trans-11-tetradecenyl acetate is a sex attractant for male green budworm, C. viridis Free.

The scope of this reflection paper was to review the latest research on the risk of MRSA infection and colonization in animals. Attention focused on occurrence, risk factors for colonization and infection, and human contact hazard for livestock, horses, and companion animals. Whereas the clonal relationship between MRSA strains of CC398 is straightforward in livestock this is less obvious in horses. Small companion animals typically share MRSA strains that seem to exchange with a human reservoir. Management and therapeutic options have been suggested for livestock, horses, companion animals, as well as instructions on safety measures for persons in contact with animals. Conclusions were drawn with emphasis on future research activities, especially to confirm the apparent evolution of the organism and to demonstrate efficiency of control strategies.

This paper briefly describes the principle of operation and science goals of the AMANDA high energy neutrino telescope located at the South Pole, Antarctica. Results from an earlier phase of the telescope, called AMANDA-BIO, demonstrate both reliable operation and the broad astrophysical reach of this device, which includes searches for a variety of sources of ultrahigh energy neutrinos: generic point sources, Gamma-Ray Bursts and diffuse sources. The predicted sensitivity and angular resolution of the telescope were confirmed by studies of atmospheric muon and neutrino backgrounds. We also report on the status of the analysis from AMANDA-II, a larger version with far greater capabilities. At this stage of analysis, details of the ice properties and other systematic uncertainties of the AMANDA-II telescope are under study, but we have made progress toward critical science objectives. In particular, we present the first preliminary flux limits from AMANDA-II on the search for continuous emission from astrophysical point sources, and report on the search for correlated neutrino emission from Gamma Ray Bursts detected by BATSE before decommissioning in May 2000. During the next two years, we expect to exploit the full potential of AMANDA-II with the installation of a new data acquisition system that records full waveforms from the in-ice optical sensors.

Crosses between certain genotypes of common bean result in dwarfing of F1 plants and lethal dwarfing in a proportion of the F2 population. This is under the control of the semi-dominant alleles, DL1 and DL2 at two complementary loci which are expressed in the root and shoot respectively. The various DL genotypes can be simulated by grafting. The graft combination DL1DL1dl2dl2/dl1dl1DL2DL2 was found to have a significantly higher root dry matter fraction than either parent. Lethally dwarfed plants (DL1DL1DL2DL2) and the analogous lethal graft combination (dl1dl1DL2DL2/DL1DL1dl2dl2) exhibit failure of root growth and have very low root fractions. Hybrids or graft combinations with failed roots ceased growth and accumulated large amounts of starch throughout their hypocotyls. In sterile culture, both lethal dwarfs and lethal graft combinations were able to grow roots if sucrose was added to the growth medium. This indicates that a failure of sucrose translocation to the roots is probably responsible for failed root growth. Data from screening the DL genotypes of 49 cultivars could be fully explained using the DL system hypothesis, and grafting proved to be efficient for identifying DL genotype. The DL system might be of fundamental importance in root–shoot partitioning. Current evidence favours the hypothesis that failure of root growth is the outcome of excessively high sink strength of shoots compared to roots, which might arise from signalling incompatibilities between the genotypes.

Strains of Hebeloma representative of different climatic zones were grown in axenic culture at either 2°C and 22° or 6° and 22°. Culture filtrates were assayed for proteolytic activity using FITC labelled BSA as a substrate. Assays were run between 0–37°. Growth at low temperature induced greater proteolytic activity (g−1D.W. mycelium). Many of the strains produced protease(s) which retained significant activity at temperatures as low as 0°, and a thermal optimum between 0–6° with a second optimum at higher temperature. The results are discussed in relation the nutrient acquisition potential of ectomycorrhizal fungi at low temperature and the contribution such cold active proteases might make to the soil enzyme pool.

Hebeloma strains of arctic and temperature origin, grown at 22° or 6°, were assayed for wall-bound and extracellular acid phosphomonoesterase (pNPPase) across a temperature range 2–37°. Only when grown at 6° was a cold active extracellular pNPPase induced in all the arctic strains and most of the temperature strains tested. Such enzymes are suggested to be an adaptation to low soil temperatures, and are discussed in the context of ectomycorrhizal access to soil PO4− monoesters at low temperature.

Arctic and temperate strains of Hebeloma spp. were grown in axenic culture on glutamic acid, alanine, lysine and NH4+ as sole sources of nitrogen (N), with excess carbon (C) or deficient C (supplied as glucose). Their ability to utilize seed protein as a natural N source was also assessed. All strains tested had the capacity to assimilate amino acids and generally utilized alanine and glutamic acid more readily than NH4+. Some strains were able to utilize amino C when starved of glucose C, and could mineralize amino-N to NH3-N. Arctic strains, in particular, appeared to be pre-adapted to the utilization of seed protein N and glutamic acid N, which is often liberated in high concentrations after soil freezing. The results are discussed in relation to their possible ecological importance.

Acid phosphatase production by 12 Hebeloma strains was usually derepressed when inorganic phosphorus in the growth medium was limited, but appeared to be constitutive in some strains. At low temperatures ([les ]12°) arctic strains produced more extracellular and wall-bound acid phosphatase, yet grew more slowly than the temperate strains. We suggest that low growth rates in arctic strains may be a physiological response to cold whereby resources are diverted into carbohydrate accumulation for cryoprotection. At near freezing temperatures, increased extracellular phosphatase production may compensate for a loss of enzyme activity at low temperature and serve to hydrolyse organic phosphorus in frozen soil over winter.

1.1 Following the thalidomide tragedy, a Royal Commission was set up in March 1973 to examine and report on the circumstances in which anyone suffering personal injury should be entitled to compensation and on the amount, the form and the source of such compensation. The Commission also considered the extent to which dependants should be compensated for losses which they incurred arising from the injury or death of a victim. The Commission, whose chairman was Lord Pearson, took written evidence from 766 organizations or persons and oral evidence from 113. The Report of the Commission, published in March 1978, was in three volumes comprising in all 1,084 pages. Volume 2 (259 pages) contained detailed statistical information which had been produced from various sources. It is known that in many cases information had to be assembled from inadequate data, and the Commission pointed out that many of the figures were a matter of judgment. They ascribed degrees of reliability to each table, but in some cases they were probably over-optimistic. Volume 3 (280 pages) reported on practice overseas.