Constituent Traits Research Articles

Identification of best temperature humidity index model for assessing impact of heat stress on milk constituent traits in Murrah buffaloes under subtropical climatic conditions of Northern India

The present study was conducted to identify the most suitable temperature humidity index (THI) model among seven reported THI models for analyzing the impact of thermal stress on monthly test day fat % (MTDF%),monthly test day SNF% (MTSNF%), monthly test day fat yield (MTDFY) and monthly test day SNF yield (MTDSNFY) of Murrah buffaloes at subtropical climatic conditions of Karnal, India. A total of 8868 MTDF% and 8606 MTDSNF% records from 1107 lactational records of Murrah buffaloes under five parities were included in the present study and weather information on dry bulb temperature (Tdb), wet bulb temperature (Twb) and relative humidity (RH in %) for the corresponding period of 20 years (March 1994- December 2013) were collected from ICAR-NDRI and ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal, respectively. The overall least-squares means for MTDF% ranged from 7.71 ± 0.067 in TD1 to 8.10 ± 0.08 in TD 9 and MTDSNF% ranged from 9.61 ± 0.01 in TD5 and TD 6 to 9.65 ± 0.01 in TD 8. The overall least squares means of MTDFY (g) ranged from 411.23 ± 14.74 to 745.98 ± 13.57 while for MTDSNFY (g) the value ranged from 491.90 ± 17.21 to 922.16 ± 15.17. Monthly average THI was computed for each of the seven models. The lowest monthly average THI value was found in January, while either May, June or July showed the highest average THI value for all seven THI models. Regression analysis was performed for identifying the best THI to assess the impact of heat stress on milk constituent traits under study anda negative association was found between the milk constituent traits and monthly average THI values.The THI model[THI = (0.55 × Tdb + 0.2 × Tdp) × 1.8 + 32 + 17.5]developed by NRC(1971)was identified as the most suitable THI model to assess the impact of heat stress on milk composition traits of Murrah indicating maximum decline in MTDF% (-0.005), MTDFY (-0.68 g),MTDSNF% (b=-0.0008) and MTDSNFY (-2.25 g) per unit rise in THI.

Impact of environmental factors on milk constituents and yield traits in Murrah buffaloes

The present study was carried out to analyse milk constituents and yield traits using 1,582 first lactation monthly test day records of 224 Murrah buffaloes, calved between 2006 and 2014. The overall least-squares means of monthly test day milk constituent traits, viz. fat, protein, lactose, solids-not-fat (SNF) and total solids (TS) were 7.96 ±0.07, 3.86±0.02, 5.63±0.02, 9.97±0.01 and 17.75±0.07%, respectively. The overall least-squares means ofmonthly test day milk constituent yield traits, viz. milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, lactose yield, SNF yield and TS yield were 6.95±0.15 kg, 549.76±12.97 g, 269.17±6.12 g, 392.52±8.65 g, 681.02±14.97 g and 1231.00±27.46 g, respectively. The estimates of milk constituent traits were found higher in autumn and lower in summer season, except SNF (%) that was found higher in rainy season. All the yield traits were found higher in winter and autumnseason and lower in rainy season. Milk protein (%) was significantly higher during early stage (<90 days) and decreased along with stage of lactation. On the other hand, milk lactose (%) was minimum during early stage of lactation and increased thereafter. All the yield traits were significantly higher during early stage and decreased with the stage of lactation. All the milk constituent traits were higher in buffaloes calved up to the age of 51 months; whereas, buffaloes calved after 51 months of age had higher yield traits. Phenotypic correlations revealed that, milk fat, lactose and TS per cent had very low and negative correlation with monthly test day milk yield. The milk fat (%) had very high and positive correlation with TS (%), indicating that, buffaloes with higher fat content may be selected for higher TS content in milk. Data on variation of milk constituent and yield traits over the years, seasons, stages of lactation and age of buffaloes can be utilized to improve quality as well as quantity of milk in breed improvement programmes.

Effect of genetic and non-genetic factors on milk yield and milk constituents in Murrah buffalo

The present study was carried on milk production and milk constituents of 444 lactations of 176 Murrah buffaloes over a period of 10 years from 2001 to 2010 with the objective to find out the effect of various genetic and non-genetic factors on milk yield and milk constituents traits in Murrah buffaloes. Data on total milk yield, milk yield in 305 days or less, lactational average fat per cent and lactational average solid not fat percent (LSA) were collected and compiled purposely and analyzed with suitable statistical tool. Overall least square mean for all lactation traits of total milk yield (TMY), milk yield in 305 days or less (305MY), lactational average fat % (LFA) and lactational average solid not fat % (LSA) were 2253.88 ±70.15 Kg, 2097.11 ±59.12 Kg, 7.97 ±0.02 % and 9.64 ±0.01 % respectively. The period has significant effect on milk yield and milk constituent traits. Sire and parity affects significantly to TMY and 305MY, however, seasons were affecting to TMY only. Hence it is concluded as milk constituents (LFA and LSA) not affected by sire, parity and season. Although, sire and parity has affect on TMY and 305MY whereas season affects only TMY, therefore, due importance should be given to sire and parity during selection and genetic improvement of Murrah buffalo. Analysis among the parities also revealed that there were no significant (P<sup>3</sup>0.05) difference among the second, third and fourth parity hence, at the time of selection second lactation (305MY) milk yield is equally important as fourth lactation in which highest milk yield has been reported in present study.

Integration and macroevolutionary patterns in the pollination biology of conifers.

Integration influences patterns of trait evolution, but the relationship between these patterns and the degree of trait integration is not well understood. To explore this further, we study a specialized pollination mechanism in conifers whose traits are linked through function but not development. This mechanism depends on interactions among three characters: pollen that is buoyant, ovules that face downward at pollination, and the production of a liquid droplet that buoyant grains float through to enter the ovule. We use a well-sampled phylogeny of conifers to test correlated evolution among these characters and specific sequences of character change. Using likelihood models of character evolution, we find that pollen morphology and ovule characters evolve in a concerted manner, where the flotation mechanism breaks down irreversibly following changes in orientation or drop production. The breakdown of this functional constraint, which may be facilitated by the lack of developmental integration among the constituent traits, is associated with increased trait variation and more diverse pollination strategies. Although this functional "release" increases diversity in some ways, the irreversible way in which the flotation mechanism is lost may eventually result in its complete disappearance from seed plant reproductive biology.

Phage fitness may help predict phage therapy efficacy.

We isolated 6 phages from 2 environmental water sources and assessed their ability to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection of Drosophila melanogaster. We found all 6 phages were able to significantly increase mean survival time (MST) of infected D. melanogaster. Although phage traits, such as adsorption rate, burst size, and lysis time, varied significantly among these phages, none of the traits correlated significantly with MST. Phage growth rate determined in vitro, however, was found to be significantly correlated with MST. Overall, our study shows that infected D. melanogaster can be used as a model system to test the therapeutic efficacy of phages. In addition, a more comprehensive characteristic, like the in vitro growth rate, seems to be a better indicator in predicting therapeutic success than constituent traits like the adsorption rate, burst size, or lysis time.

A worldwide analysis of within-canopy variations in leaf structural, chemical and physiological traits across plant functional types.

Extensive within-canopy light gradients importantly affect the photosynthetic productivity of leaves in different canopy positions and lead to light-dependent increases in foliage photosynthetic capacity per area (AA). However, the controls on AA variations by changes in underlying traits are poorly known. We constructed an unprecedented worldwide database including 831 within-canopy gradients with standardized light estimates for 304 species belonging to major vascular plant functional types, and analyzed within-canopy variations in 12 key foliage structural, chemical and physiological traits by quantitative separation of the contributions of different traits to photosynthetic acclimation. Although the light-dependent increase in AA is surprisingly similar in different plant functional types, they differ fundamentally in the share of the controls on AA by constituent traits. Species with high rates of canopy development and leaf turnover, exhibiting highly dynamic light environments, actively change AA by nitrogen reallocation among and partitioning within leaves. By contrast, species with slow leaf turnover exhibit a passive AA acclimation response, primarily determined by the acclimation of leaf structure to growth light. This review emphasizes that different combinations of traits are responsible for within-canopy photosynthetic acclimation in different plant functional types, and solves an old enigma of the role of mass- vs area-based traits in vegetation acclimation.

QTL Analysis of Kernel-Related Traits in Maize Using an Immortalized F2 Population

Kernel size and weight are important determinants of grain yield in maize. In this study, multivariate conditional and unconditional quantitative trait loci (QTL), and digenic epistatic analyses were utilized in order to elucidate the genetic basis for these kernel-related traits. Five kernel-related traits, including kernel weight (KW), volume (KV), length (KL), thickness (KT), and width (KWI), were collected from an immortalized F2 (IF2) maize population comprising of 243 crosses performed at two separate locations over a span of two years. A total of 54 unconditional main QTL for these five kernel-related traits were identified, many of which were clustered in chromosomal bins 6.04–6.06, 7.02–7.03, and 10.06–10.07. In addition, qKL3, qKWI6, qKV10a, qKV10b, qKW10a, and qKW7a were detected across multiple environments. Sixteen main QTL were identified for KW conditioned on the other four kernel traits (KL, KWI, KT, and KV). Thirteen main QTL were identified for KV conditioned on three kernel-shape traits. Conditional mapping analysis revealed that KWI and KV had the strongest influence on KW at the individual QTL level, followed by KT, and then KL; KV was mostly strongly influenced by KT, followed by KWI, and was least impacted by KL. Digenic epistatic analysis identified 18 digenic interactions involving 34 loci over the entire genome. However, only a small proportion of them were identical to the main QTL we detected. Additionally, conditional digenic epistatic analysis revealed that the digenic epistasis for KW and KV were entirely determined by their constituent traits. The main QTL identified in this study for determining kernel-related traits with high broad-sense heritability may play important roles during kernel development. Furthermore, digenic interactions were shown to exert relatively large effects on KL (the highest AA and DD effects were 4.6% and 6.7%, respectively) and KT (the highest AA effects were 4.3%).

Boldness is influenced by sublethal interactions with predators and is associated with successful harem infiltration in Madagascar hissing cockroaches

One of the contemporary challenges of the behavioral syndromes literature is to identify how individual variation in behavior is determined, and whether this variation impacts ecological success. Although variation in experience is an obvious potential driver of intraspecific behavioral variation, predicting the impact of experience on suites of correlated behavioral traits is less intuitive. Specifically, if experience impacts traits that shape individuals' success in multiple contexts (e.g., foraging and anti-predator behavior), then experience could generate cross-contextual performance trade-offs associated with behavioral spillover. In the present study, we explore how sublethal experience with predators impacts various aspects of male behavioral tendencies in the Madagascar hissing cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa. First, we found that males' activity level and boldness were correlated together in the form of a behavioral syndrome. Second, we found that repeated sublethal interactions with predators shifted male boldness but not activity level, thus suggesting that the syndrome's constituent traits can respond to experience at least semi-independently. Third, we discovered that although predator exposure only influenced boldness, we found that boldness was highly correlated with males' ability to obtain rewarding positions in the harems of rival males. Taken together, our data suggest (but do not yet confirm) that although sublethal exposure to predators influences only a narrow subset of male's behavioral tendencies, these effects could still have nonintuitive consequences for males' success in functionally dissimilar ecological contexts (i.e., social and sexual encounters).

Selection for growth performance of tank-reared Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

Seven growth-related traits were measured to assess the selection response and genetic parameters of the growth of Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, which had been domesticated in tanks for more than four generations. Phenotypic and genetic parameters were evaluated and fitted to an animal model. Realized response was measured from the difference between the mean growth rates of selected and control families. Realized heritability was determined from the ratio of the selection responses and selection differentials. The animal model heritability estimate over generations was 0.44±0.09 for body weight (BW), and ranged from 0.21±0.08 to 0.37±0.06 for size traits. Genetic correlations of phenotypic traits were more variable (0.51–0.97), although correlations among various traits were high (>0.83). Across generations, BW and size traits increased, while selection response and heritability gradually decreased. Selection responses were 12.28%-23.35% for harvest weight and 3.58%–13.53% for size traits. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.34±0.09 to 0.48±0.15 for harvest weight and 0.17±0.01–0.38±0.11 for size traits. All phenotypic and genetic parameters differed between various treatments. To conclude, the results demonstrated a potential for mass selection of growth traits in L. vannamei. A breeding scheme could use this information to integrate the effectiveness constituent traits into an index to achieve genetic progress.

SSCP typing of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin gene and its association with milk production and constituent traits in Indian riverine buffalo

A study was conducted to explore genetic polymorphism in alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin gene and to elucidate the effect of polymorphism on milk production and constituent traits in Indian riverine buffaloes namely, Murrah, Bhadawari, Mehsana and Surti. Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) was conducted on exon II of alpha-lactalbumin and exon I of beta-lactoglobulin gene. The study on alpha-lactalbumin gene revealed the presence of a number of genotypes namely, AB, AC, BB, BC, BD and BE in Mehsana; AC, BB, BC, BD, BE and CC in Surti; AC, BB, BC, BE and CC in Bhadawari and BC, BE, CC and CD in Murrah buffalo. In beta-lactoglobulin gene, genotypes like AA, BB, CC, AB and AC were observed in Murrah buffalo; AA, BB, AB and AC in Mehsana; AA, BB, CC, AB and AC in Surti and BB, CC, AB and AC in Bhadawari buffalo. All the alleles were sequenced and found to be differed at different locations. The alpha-lactalbumin genotypes had significant effect (P<0.05) on fat%, daily fat yield, total fat yield, SNF%, daily solid not fat and total solid not fat yield in Murrah buffalo; whereas, in Surti breed total milk yield, daily solid yield, total solid, daily solid not fat, total solid not fat yield, daily and total protein yield were significantly associated with the genotypes. The beta-lactoglobulin genotypes showed significant effect (P<0.05) on daily milk yield in Murrah, Bhadawari and Mehsana buffalo. In all the breeds, BB genotypes produced highest daily milk yield. In Murrah, Bhadawari and Mehsana breed, genotypes AA, CC and AC were associated with lowest production.

The genetic parameters of feed efficiency and its component traits in the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Residual feed intake (RFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) can be incorporated into a breeding program as traits to select for feed efficiency. Alternatively, the direct measures used to calculate RFI and FCR can be analyzed to determine the underlying variation in the traits that impact overall efficiency. These constituent traits can then be appropriately weighted in an index to achieve genetic gain. To investigate feed efficiency in the turkey, feed intake and weight gain were measured on male primary breeder line turkeys housed in individual feeding cages from 15 to 19 weeks of age. The FCR and RFI showed moderate heritability values of 0.16 and 0.21, respectively. Feed intake, body weight, and weight gain were also moderately heritable (0.25, 0.35, and 0.18, respectively). Weight gain was negatively correlated to feed conversion ratio and was not genetically correlated to RFI. Body weight had a small and positive genetic correlation to RFI (0.09) and FCR (0.12). Feed intake was positively genetically correlated to RFI (0.62); however, there was no genetic correlation between feed intake and FCR. These estimates of heritability and the genetic correlations can be used in the development of an index to improve feed efficiency and reduce the cost of production.

Wood traits in parental and hybrid species ofSorbus

The genus Sorbus is an example of taxonomic complexity arising from the combined effects of hybridization, polyploidy, and apomixis. In this study, a comparison of the diagnostic microscopic characteristics of wood, together with the quantitative traits of vascular anatomy, fiber morphology, and cell wall constituents in parental ( Sorbus aria , Sorbus aucuparia , Sorbus chamaemespilus ) and hybrid ( Sorbus haljamovae , Sorbus montisalpae , Sorbus zuzanae ) taxa, was undertaken to discriminate each one of the examined taxa from the other and also to examine relatedness among parental and hybrid taxa. Chemical profiles of the degree of polymerization of cellulose were found to be the discriminating chemotaxonomic marker for all taxa. Sorbus haljamovae was determined to be the only taxon distinctively identified microscopically and distinguishable from the other examined taxa. The use of cell wall constituent traits provided a better segregation of hybrid taxa from their putative parental species than did the application of vascular anatomy variables. Sorbus zuzanae and Sorbus haljamovae formed isolated clusters that were distinctively segregated from all the other examined taxa. The results of this study indicate that the majority of wood traits in Sorbus hybrids do not exhibit an intermediate position between the parental taxa.

Population differences in behaviour are explained by shared within‐population trait correlations

Correlations in behavioural traits across time, situation and ecological context (i.e. 'behavioural syndromes' or 'personality') have been documented for a variety of behaviours, and in diverse taxa. Perhaps the most controversial inference from the behavioural syndromes literature is that correlated behaviour may act as an evolutionary constraint and evolutionary change in one's behaviour may necessarily involve shifts in others. We test the two predictions of this hypothesis using comparative data from eighteen populations of the socially polymorphic spider, Anelosimus studiosus (Araneae, Theriidae). First, we ask whether geographically distant populations share a common syndrome. Second, we test whether population differences in behaviour are correlated similarly to within-population trait correlations. Our results reveal that populations separated by as much as 36 degrees latitude shared similar syndromes. Furthermore, population differences in behaviour were correlated in the same manner as within-population trait correlations. That is, population divergence tended to be along the same axes as within-population covariance. Together, these results suggest a lack of evolutionary independence in the syndrome's constituent traits.

Genotype and growing environment influence chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seed composition

AbstractBACKGROUND: As a first step towards genetic improvement of seed quality in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), seven desi and nine kabuli varieties were grown at multiple sites to assess the affect of environment on seed yield, weight and selected seed constituents. The sites were chosen to represent a range of environments in chickpea production areas of the Canadian prairies.RESULTS: Genotype × environment interaction effects on starch, amylose and protein (desi only) concentrations and seed yield were significant, suggesting that the varieties did not perform consistently relative to each other in the different environments. Starch concentration was negatively correlated (rkabuli = −0.25, P < 0.05; rdesi = −0.16, P < 0.05) with protein concentration in both chickpea market classes. However, repeatability estimates of starch, amylose and protein concentrations were low and inconsistent across chickpea market classes, possibly owing to complex biosynthetic pathways for these constituents.CONCLUSION: The results suggest that testing for seed constituent traits over a range of environments will be required to improve seed quality in individual chickpea varieties. The best selection strategies for seed constituent improvement in chickpea will be influenced by genotype and genotype × environment interaction for these traits. The negative relationship between seed constituents and yield indicates that selection for chickpea cultivars with desired seed composition may require compromise and indirect selection. Copyright © 2009 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An Orphaned Manliness: The Pukka Sahib and the End of Empire in A Passage to India and Burmese Days

Why iss it that always you are abusing the pukka sahibs, ass you call them? They are the salt of the earth. Consider the great things they have done-consider the great administrators who have made British India what it iss... And consider how noble a type iss the English gentleman! Their glorious loyalty to one another! The school spirit! Even those of them whose manner is unfortunate--some Englishmen are arrogant, I concede-have the great, sterling qualities that we Orientals lack. Beneath rough exterior, are of gold. --George Orwell (Burmese Days 38) In Burmese Days, responding to liberal John Flory's condemnation, the Indian doctor, Dr. Veraswami, enthusiastically extols the virtues of the noble imperial Englishman. Veraswami praises him in idealistic terms, as if regurgitating school mottos. He eulogizes the nobility of English gentlemen, their glorious loyalty, public school spirit, and hearts of gold (38). Here, the naive and loyal Veraswami is a caricature of the Westernized native who has internalized the imperial discourse of his inferiority. He is an instrument of heavy narrative irony, because the apparent embodiments of these ideals-in the shape of the Sahibs who actually live in Kyauktada, the colonial station where the action takes place-are without exception dissolute, debauched, and wholly ignoble. Indeed, Veraswami is perhaps the most gentlemanly and honorable of all colonial officials. And yet, the myth of the noble type of English gentleman is so powerful that both the ruler and ruled believe in its existence even if imperial reality contradicts it. They long for it, and mourn its loss, even as they believe they still embody it. The Marlowian contrast between the rhetoric of manliness that once existed--that apparently still animates the endeavor--and the harsh reality of Englishmen in a crumbling realm is a dirge heard everywhere in the texts of late empire. However, unlike Conrad's Congo, the degeneration is not solely caused by the white soul's encounter with the heart of darkness. Rather, the rise of the supine native precipitates the breaking apart of the pukka Sahib or the perfect/solid Englishman. Though the British empire was at its largest and most expansive in the 1920s and '30s, that same period was also the beginning of the end of imperial authority. Following the devastation of the Great War, these decades saw the gaining momentum of the Indian independence movement, the founding of the Irish Free State, and mass labor strikes across Africa. The works of George Orwell, Virginia Woolf, and Evelyn Waugh, among others, chart the steady deterioration of imperial confidence both at home and in the empire. Recent critical focus has been on the contrapuntal production of Englishness, and on how literature of the '20s and '30s, anticipating impending imperial disintegration, sought to disengage Englishness and national culture from its imperial web. (1) Crucially, these otherwise excellent works do not account for the centrality of gender to both national culture and identity in the literature and culture of the interval between the World Wars. Extending and refining the examination of imperial masculinities during the fin-de-siecle by Anjali Arondekar, Tim Middleton, and Sarah Cole, I bring to bear a focus on gentlemanliness, specifically its articulated constituent traits, with an investigation of the contrapuntal production of English national culture and identity in the interwar years. I analyze two anti-imperial texts of the interwar years, rarely examined together: E.M. Forster's A Passage to India (1924) and George Orweli's Burmese Days (1934). Linking these two texts together renders visible the gradual progression of the devolution of imperial manliness in the long twilight of empire. Indeed, it reveals that anti-imperialist perspective shapes the representation of imperial gender politics. Read together, they reveal the perennial fragility of the cross-hatched discourses of manliness and imperial power even as they demonstrate its progressive disarticulation, especially as it folds up against the colonial nationalist resistance that signaled the end of empire. …

Genetic evaluation of Ethiopian Boran cattle and their crosses with Holstein Friesian for milk constituent traits in central Ethiopia

Breed additive and non-additive effects, and genetic parameters of milk fat, protein, solids not fat (SNF) and total solids (TS) percents, were estimated in Ethiopian Boran cattle and their crosses with Friesian in central Ethiopia. Ethiopian Boran cattle were consistently superior (P 0.05) in milk constituents. It was apparent, therefore, that as the exotic gene level increased the percentages of the milk constituents declined significantly. The individual additive genetic breed difference for milk composition traits were all significant (P 0.05) for all traits except for fat percent. Heritabilities of fat, protein, SNF and TS percents for Ethiopian Boran were 0.49 ±0.03, 0.26 ± 0.05, 0.46 ± 0.04 and 0.45 ± 0.04, respectively. The corresponding estimates for crosses were 0.32 ± 0.04, 0.49 ± 0.03, 0.39 ± 0.04 and 0.41 ± 0.04, respectively. Within Ethiopian Boran breed selection accompanied by crossing should enormously improve these traits in crossbreds under such production system. Key words: Genetic evaluation, genetic parameter, Ethiopian Boran, Holstein Friesian

Frontolimbic Serotonin 2A Receptor Binding in Healthy Subjects Is Associated with Personality Risk Factors for Affective Disorder

Serotonergic dysfunction has been associated with affective disorders. High trait neuroticism, as measured on personality inventories, is a risk factor for major depression. In this study we investigated whether neuroticism is associated with serotonin 2A receptor binding in brain regions of relevance for affective disorders. Eighty-three healthy volunteers completed the standardized personality questionnaire NEO-PI-R (Revised NEO Personality Inventory) and underwent [(18)F]altanserin positron emission tomography imaging for assessment of serotonin 2A receptor binding. The correlation between the neuroticism score and frontolimbic serotonin 2A receptor binding was evaluated by multiple linear regression analysis with adjustment for age and gender. Neuroticism correlated positively with frontolimbic serotonin 2A receptor binding [r(79) = .24, p = .028]. Post hoc analysis of the contributions from the six constituent traits of neuroticism showed that the correlation was primarily driven by two of them: vulnerability and anxiety. Indeed, vulnerability, defined as a person's difficulties in coping with stress, displayed the strongest positive correlation, which remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons (r = .35, p = .009). In healthy subjects the personality dimension neuroticism and particularly its constituent trait, vulnerability, are positively associated with frontolimbic serotonin 2A binding. Our findings point to a neurobiological link between personality risk factors for affective disorder and the serotonergic transmitter system and identify the serotonin 2A receptor as a biomarker for vulnerability to affective disorder.

Altered memory and affective instability in prisoners assessed for dangerous and severe personality disorder

Previous studies of borderline personality disorder report neuropsychological impairments in several domains, including memory. No studies have compared memory functioning in high-risk prisoners with borderline personality disorder with similar prisoners with other personality disorders. To explore mnemonic impairments in prisoners undergoing personality assessment as part of the dangerous and severe personality disorder initiative or detained in a medium secure facility. We investigated memory function in 18 prisoners with borderline personality disorder and 18 prisoners with other personality disorders. Prisoners with borderline personality disorder exhibited a pattern of multi-modal impairments in the immediate and delayed recall of verbal and visual information, with some association with affective instability. These deficits were not associated with the severity of personality disturbance. These data suggest that memory deficits have some specificity in relation to the constituent traits of borderline personality disorder and indicate that neuropsychological assessment may be a source of useful adjunctive information for distinguishing between the cognitive and psychological difficulties of individual prisoners.

Arts & Crafts and the Great City: Charles Robert Ashbee in Jerusalem

The aim of the paper is to bring together art and the city by linking town planning and the Arts & Crafts movement. This association is evident in the theoretical writing and professional practice of the architect Charles Robert Ashbee (1863–1942), whose work is characterized by a blend of tradition and innovation. Ashbee, a prominent artist, served as a British town planner in Jerusalem, assisting its first governor, Sir Ronald Storrs, in laying out the city and providing services for its inhabitants. In Jerusalem, Ashbee received his only chance to realize his artistic urban Utopia. The paper discusses Ashbee as a town planner and explores his artistic urban ideal, revealing his comprehensive appreciation of the city and its constituent artistic and social traits, and his combination of the modern requirements of a growing city with traditional artistic ideals. This was the basis of Ashbee’s work in Jerusalem and determined many of its results. In many ways, Ashbee’s ideas still guide the development of Jerusalem to this day, embodying a unique contribution of the Arts & Crafts movement to modern town planning.

Genetic polymorphism of alpha-lactalbumin gene in riverine buffalo

Alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-LA) is a major whey protein found in milk. Polymorphs of alpha-LA gene are reported to be significantly associated with milk production and constituent traits. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to detect polymorphism in alpha-LA at the genic level and to explore allelic variability at this locus. A total of 196 animals, belonging to four breeds of riverine buffalo viz. Bhadwari, Mehsana, Surti and Murrah were included under the present investigation. Two fragments i.e. 133 bp (Exon 1) and 159 bp (Exon 2) of alpha-LA gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and subsequently, single strand confirmation polymorphism (SSCP) study was carried out to identify different allelic pattern and genotypes of the animal included in the study. Both fragment of alpha-LA gene was found to be polymorphic in all the four breeds of riverine buffalo. Number of genotypes and allele varied breed to breed for both the fragments. In case of 133 bp fragment, four alleles A, B, C and D were found among different breeds of buffalo whereas in 159 bp fragment, five alleles namely A, B, C, D and E was found in different breeds. Nucleotide sequence data of different alleles showed the presence of both silent as well as functional mutation leading to variability in polypeptide chain.