Systemic Markers Research Articles

Symbolic Changes in the Space of the City: Address Urbanonyms of Khmelnytskyi in the XX Century

Symbols are a significant resource in preserving historical memory. Influencing the consciousness of people, they contribute to the unity of different ways of life, worldview values and individual human experience. In the complex nature of symbols ideological, educational and spiritual potential lies, taking into account a culture of memory formed. The names of the streets of Khmelnitsky city in the twentieth century received an ideological connotation and wer e intended to fulfill the function of demonstrating the symbolic strength of Soviet power. Many streets of the city were named after a certain person. The symbolic marking of the streets of Khmelnitsky is significantly focused on the militarist component. In such conditions, the symbolic image of the city lost its uniqueness, acquired universal features that were inherent in many average Ukrainian cities of the Soviet period. An analysis of the symbolism of the modern city of Khmelnytskyi testifies to significant shifts towards the democratization of this process and the ideological decolonization of the toponymic system of verbal markers. Historical amnesia remained virtually unchanged in relation to the multicultural issues of Khmelnytskyi in the past.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9-generated diallelic mutants reveal Arabidopsis actin-related protein 2 function in the trafficking of syntaxin PEN1.

In plants, the actin cytoskeleton plays a critical role in defense against diverse pathogens. The formation of actin patches is essential for the intracellular transport of organelles and molecules toward pathogen penetration sites and the formation of papillae for an early cellular response to powdery mildew attack in Arabidopsis thaliana. This response process is regulated by the actin-related protein (ARP)2/3 complex and its activator, the WAVE/SCAR complex (W/SRC). The ARP2/3 complex is also required for maintaining steady-state levels of the defense-associated protein, PENETRATION 1 (PEN1), at the plasma membrane and for its deposition into papillae. However, specific ARP2 functionalities in this context remain unresolved, as knockout mutants expressing GFP-PEN1 reporter constructs could not be obtained by conventional crossing approaches. In this study, employing a CRISPR/Cas9 multiplexing-mediated genome editing approach, we produced an ARP2 knockout expressing the GFP-PEN1 marker in Arabidopsis. This study successfully identified diallelic somatic mutations with both ARP2 alleles edited among the primary T1 transgenic plants, and also obtained independent lines with stable arp2/arp2 mutations in the T2 generation. Further analyses on these arp2/arp2 mutants showed similar biological functions of ARP2 to ARP3 in the accumulation of PEN1 against fungal invasion. Together, this CRISPR/Cas9-based approach offers highly efficient simultaneous disruption of the two ARP2 alleles in GFP-PEN1-expressing lines, and a rapid method for performing live-cell imaging to facilitate the investigation of important plant–pathogen interactions using a well-established and widely applied GFP marker system, thus gaining insights and elucidating the contributions of ARP2 upon fungal attack.

Molecular Characterization of Native Entomopathogenic Fungi from Ambrosia Beetles in Hazelnut Orchards of Turkey and Evaluation of Their In Vitro Efficacy.

Simple SummaryTurkey is the world’s largest producer and exporter of hazelnut. Ambrosia beetle species are the most common species of pests for hazelnut in the orchards of Turkey. These beetles cause enormous economic losses by draining hazelnut branches and trees. The techniques for managing ambrosia beetles are limited. The more effective and eco-friendly alternative control methods, including the use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), should be included in integrated pest management programs to suppress ambrosia beetle populations. The objectives of the current study were (i) to isolate EPF from individual ambrosia beetles that were obtained from Turkey’s main hazelnut production areas; (ii) to characterize EPF isolates using DNA sequencing and iPBS profiling; and (iii) to assess the effectiveness of the isolates against three ambrosia beetle species under laboratory conditions. A total of 47 EPF isolates were obtained from beetle cadavers and classified into eight EPF species. For the first time, the primer binding site (PBS) marker system was used to successfully discriminate among the EPF species. Some isolates caused 100% mortality of the beetle species within 7 to 9 days, depending on the beetle species, demonstrating their effectiveness in managing the pests. The major EPF species in this study provided an important basis for developing bioproducts and a possible alternative approach in controlling these ambrosia beetles.Ambrosia beetles, Anisandrus dispar Fabricius, Xylosandrus germanus Blandford, and Xyleborinus saxesenii Ratzeburg (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are among the most significant hazelnut pests in Turkey. The control of these pests is difficult and expensive due to their biology. The present study aimed to isolate entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) from A. dispar, X. germanus, and X. saxesenii individuals that were obtained from the main hazelnut production areas of Turkey, characterize the EPF isolates using internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-DNA sequencing and iPBS profiling, and determine the efficacy of the isolates against A. dispar, X. germanus, and X. saxesenii under laboratory conditions. Phylogenetic analyses based on ITS revealed that the 47 native isolates were Beauveria bassiana (11), B. pseudobassiana (8), Cordyceps fumosorosea (6), Cordyceps farinosa (1), Akanthomyces lecanii (13), Purpureocillium lilacinum (3), Clonostachys rosea (2) and Metarhizium anisopliae (3). For the first time, the primer binding site (PBS) marker system, based on retrotransposons, was used to discriminate successfully among the EPF species. Some isolates of B. bassiana, B. pseudobassiana, C. fumosorosea, A. lecanii, and M. anisopliae caused 100% mortality of the beetle species within 7 to 9 days. The findings of this study indicated that some isolated entomopathogenic fungi provide an essential basis for the development of bioproducts, as well as a promising alternative method for controlling these ambrosia beetles.

A glycan-based approach to cell characterization and isolation: Hematopoiesis as a paradigm.

Cell surfaces display a wide array of molecules that confer identity. While flow cytometry and cluster of differentiation (CD) markers have revolutionized cell characterization and purification, functionally heterogeneous cellular subtypes remain unresolvable by the CD marker system alone. Using hematopoietic lineages as a paradigm, we leverage the extraordinary molecular diversity of heparan sulfate (HS) glycans to establish cellular "glycotypes" by utilizing a panel of anti-HS single-chain variable fragment antibodies (scFvs). Prospective sorting with anti-HS scFvs identifies functionally distinct glycotypes within heterogeneous pools of mouse and human hematopoietic progenitor cells and enables further stratification of immunophenotypically pure megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors. This stratification correlates with expression of a heptad of HS-related genes that is reflective of the HS epitope recognized by specific anti-HS scFvs. While we show that HS glycotyping provides an orthogonal set of tools for resolution of hematopoietic lineages, we anticipate broad utility of this approach in defining and isolating novel, viable cell types across diverse tissues and species.

Exploiting the miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements insertion polymorphisms as an efficient DNA marker system for genome analysis and evolutionary studies in wheat and related species.

Transposable elements (TEs) constitute ~80% of the complex bread wheat genome and contribute significantly to wheat evolution and environmental adaptation. We studied 52 TE insertion polymorphism markers to ascertain their efficiency as a robust DNA marker system for genetic studies in wheat and related species. Significant variation was found in miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE) insertions in relation to ploidy with the highest number of “full site” insertions occurring in the hexaploids (32.6 ± 3.8), while the tetraploid and diploid progenitors had 22.3 ± 0.6 and 15.0 ± 3.5 “full sites,” respectively, which suggested a recent rapid activation of these transposons after the formation of wheat. Constructed phylogenetic trees were consistent with the evolutionary history of these species which clustered mainly according to ploidy and genome types (SS, AA, DD, AABB, and AABBDD). The synthetic hexaploids sub-clustered near the tetraploid species from which they were re-synthesized. Preliminary genotyping in 104 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) showed predominantly 1:1 segregation for simplex markers, with four of these markers already integrated into our current DArT-and SNP-based linkage map. The MITE insertions also showed stability with no single excision observed. The MITE insertion site polymorphisms uncovered in this study are very promising as high-potential evolutionary markers for genomic studies in wheat.

Development of ILP-markers for Aegilops tauschii and their application in molecular genetic analysis

To develop marker systems based on the study of intron length polymorphism of various genes (ILP) in Ae. tauschii, to test the possibility of their use for genetic differentiation of Ae. tauschii and Ae. biuncialis. Methods. The NCBI database was used to obtain EST sequences, online tools CD-HIT, BLAST and Primer3Plus (for the development of primers). The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method with the developed primers was done. Amplified fragments were separated by non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and stained with silver. Results. Molecular markers Aet_ILP1, Aet_ILP6 were developed and tested for different genotypes of Ae. tauschii and Ae. biuncialis. No intraspecific differentiation was observed in all studied samples, but amplicons of introns of different species differed significantly. It was also found that the studied species had one copy of the HO222074.1 gene and 1 to 3 copies of the CX244643.1 gene. Conclusions. The obtained results indicate a low level of intraspecific variability of the developed ILP markers and the possibility of their use for interspecific differentiation of Ae. tauschii and Ae. biuncialis.

Chromosome-specific potential intron polymorphism markers for large-scale genotyping applications in pomegranate.

Despite the availability of whole genome assemblies, the identification and utilization of gene-based marker systems has been limited in pomegranate. In the present study, we performed a genome-wide survey of intron length (IL) markers in the 36,524 annotated genes of the Tunisia genome. We identified and designed a total of 8,812 potential intron polymorphism (PIP) markers specific to 3,445 (13.40%) gene models that span 8 Tunisia chromosomes. The ePCR validation of all these PIP markers on the Tunisia genome revealed single-locus amplification for 1,233 (14%) markers corresponding to 958 (27.80%) genes. The markers yielding single amplicons were then mapped onto Tunisia chromosomes to develop a saturated linkage map. The functional categorization of 958 genes revealed them to be a part of the nucleus and the cytoplasm having protein binding and catalytic activity, and these genes are mainly involved in the metabolic process, including photosynthesis. Further, through ePCR, 1,233 PIP markers were assayed on multiple genomes, which resulted in the identification of 886 polymorphic markers with an average PIC value of 0.62. In silico comparative mapping based on physically mapped PIP markers indicates a higher synteny of Tunisia with the Dabenzi and Taishanhong genomes (>98%) in comparison with the AG2017 genome (95%). We then performed experimental validation of a subset of 100 PIP primers on eight pomegranate genotypes and identified 76 polymorphic markers, with 15 having PIC values ≥0.50. We demonstrated the potential utility of the developed markers by analyzing the genetic diversity of 31 pomegranate genotypes using 24 PIP markers. This study reports for the first time large-scale development of gene-based and chromosome-specific PIP markers, which would serve as a rich marker resource for genetic variation studies, functional gene discovery, and genomics-assisted breeding of pomegranate.

ОЦЕНКА СИСТЕМ КООРДИНАТНЫХ МЕТОК С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ БОРТОВОЙ КАМЕРЫ МОБИЛЬНОГО РОБОТА «СЕРВОСИЛА ИНЖЕНЕР» В УСЛОВИЯХ ЗАКРЫТЫХ ПОМЕЩЕНИЙ

Modern tasks of special areas of robotics, including search and rescue operations in urbanareas, face a number of obstacles to mobile robotics, where the automatic performance of various functionsby mobile robots remains a key task. One of the important requirements for the algorithms andsoftware of the robot is the possibility of autonomous decision-making and automatic performance bythe robot of various functions, both low and high levels based on the embedded algorithms and informationreceived from the on-board sensors of the robot. To date, the most common on-board robot sensorsare cameras of various types, due to their technical capabilities and lower cost relative to lidarsand other sensors that provide visual information in the form of digital images. Camera calibration is anecessary process for extracting accurate information from digital images. This process is necessary toobtain an exact correspondence between the three-dimensional object space and the pixel space of theimage, for the possibility of subsequent use of computer vision algorithms, aggregation, and informationprocessing. Calibration of digital cameras is an integral part of a number of practical tasks of machinevision such as navigation of mobile robotic systems, medicine, reconstruction of dense and sparse threedimensionalmaps of the environment, video surveillance and visual inspection, visual simultaneouslocalization and mapping, etc. The urgency of the problem of camera calibration is defined by the presenceof many different methods of calibration and calibration templates. Each individual solution issuitable only for special conditions, e.g., lack of lighting, bad weather conditions, the presence of thirdpartyobjects blocking visibility, etc. In most cases, each calibration method uses a specific calibrationpattern. Camera calibration is usually associated with the use of special calibration templates. Theyallow to achieve the most accurate results due to a previously known geometric structure. Currently, theprocedure for camera calibrating of robotic systems is carried out in laboratory conditions using theclassic “chessboard” method. In addition, there are only a few alternative approaches that are in their infancy state both in Russia and abroad. On the other hand, research into camera calibration methodscontinues and new alternatives for camera calibration are emerging. One of the new directions is theuse of fiducial marker systems as a reference object. A variety of parameters such as the size of the calibrationtemplate, the dimension of the calibration data set, the distribution of distances from the camerato objects on the stage, etc. creates a vast area for experimental testing of optimal camera calibrationparameters. This paper presents a research of automatic camera calibration using fiducial marker systems(FMS), which are located on the surface of the robot. Based on the results of virtual experimentswith FMS in the Gazebo simulation environment of the robotic operating system ROS, two differenttypes of FMS were selected that are optimal relative to other types of FMS covered by our previousstudies in terms of the resistance of FMS to systematic occlusion of the marker area and the effect ofmarker size on quality of its recognition. The selected FMS were tested using the onboard camera of theRussian mobile robot Servosila Engineer in indoor settings to assess the correlation of results in virtualand real environments.

Validation of a novel model of ovarian carcinogenesis: Digital spatial profiling of premalignant fallopian tube lesions in the MADM mouse and the potential impact on primary prevention of epithelial ovarian cancer (124)

Validation of a novel model of ovarian carcinogenesis: Digital spatial profiling of premalignant fallopian tube lesions in the MADM mouse and the potential impact on primary prevention of epithelial ovarian cancer (124)

Development of a vision-based high precision position and orientation measurement system to facilitate automation of workpiece installation in machine tools

One of the barriers to automating high-mix, variable-volume production is the process of installing the workpiece in the machine tool. In this paper, we propose a new principle for position and orientation measurements involving the use of 3-dimensional shape markers with shadows. We prototyped a marker system and demonstrated position and orientation measurements with a position precision of about 3 µm and an orientation precision of about 0.02 deg. We also proposed a method for transferring the position and orientation of workpieces between machine tools as an example of its application to a high-mix, variable-volume production system. • The aim of the research was to apply position and orientation marker functions used in AR to manufacturing system. • New measurement principle was improved involving 3D shape markers and their projected shadows. • Precision of the developed marker was about 3 µm (position) and 0.02 deg (attitude). • A method of transferring workpiece for high-mix, variable-volume production was proposed.

A study of Genetic Relationships of Crocus Taxa, Series Biflori (Iridaceae) from Bulgaria by ISSR Markers

The taxonomy of the genus Crocus ser. Nudiscapus and the relationship between species in the genus are complicated and often contradictory. In this study, the genetic diversity and molecular markers’ pattern variation among members of the C. biflorus group in Bulgaria were evaluated. For this study, five Crocus L. species from 15 natural populations were collected and assessed using the ISSR marker system. The data obtained was consolidated in a consensus tree, revealing a high degree of genetic variability among the studied species, as well as among the specimens inside the group.

Identification of a rapidly-spreading triple mutant for high-level metabolic insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae provides a real-time molecular diagnostic for antimalarial intervention deployment.

Studies of insecticide resistance provide insights into the capacity of populations to show rapid evolutionary responses to contemporary selection. Malaria control remains heavily dependent on pyrethroid insecticides, primarily in long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). Resistance in the major malaria vectors has increased in concert with the expansion of LLIN distributions. Identifying genetic mechanisms underlying high-level resistance is crucial for the development and deployment of resistance-breaking tools. Using the Anopheles gambiae 1000 genomes (Ag1000g) data we identified a very recent selective sweep in mosquitoes from Uganda which localized to a cluster of cytochrome P450 genes. Further interrogation revealed a haplotype involving a trio of mutations, a nonsynonymous point mutation in Cyp6p4 (I236M), an upstream insertion of a partial Zanzibar-like transposable element (TE) and a duplication of the Cyp6aa1 gene. The mutations appear to have originated recently in An. gambiae from the Kenya-Uganda border, with stepwise replacement of the double-mutant (Zanzibar-like TE and Cyp6p4-236 M) with the triple-mutant haplotype (including Cyp6aa1 duplication), which has spread into the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. The triple-mutant haplotype is strongly associated with increased expression of genes able to metabolize pyrethroids and is strongly predictive of resistance to pyrethroids most notably deltamethrin. Importantly, there was increased mortality in mosquitoes carrying the triple-mutation when exposed to nets cotreated with the synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO). Frequencies of the triple-mutant haplotype remain spatially variable within countries, suggesting an effective marker system to guide deployment decisions for limited supplies of PBO-pyrethroid cotreated LLINs across African countries.

Screening Technique Based on Seed and Early Seedling Parameters for Cold Tolerance of Selected F2-Derived F3 Rice Genotypes under Controlled Conditions

The cold tolerance studies were carried out in a bi-parental F2 population of a cross between tolerant and susceptible parents (SKUA-529 and HEERA, respectively). The purpose was to screen the individuals of a population for primary cold-tolerance-related attributes. The information generated has a direct application and use in identifying cold tolerance quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and further can be used for genotyping with an appropriate marker system. The screening was carried out on F2-derived F3 seeds and F3 plants for seedling and agronomic traits, respectively. Two tests measuring cold tolerance were conducted. In experiment I, seeds were germinated for 28 days at 13 °C and 7 days at 28 °C, and in experiment II, the seeds were germinated for 72 h at 28 °C, 96 h at 13 °C, and once more for 72 h at 28 °C. Coleoptile length, germination percentage, and radical reduction percentages were all measured in experiment I. The radicle and coleoptile regeneration in experiment II were measured after the cold period. The improvement in cold tolerance was achieved through radicle regrowth, as evidenced by the difference between the second and first measurements. The individual lines from the F2:3 population that recorded high germination (%) were #21, #13, #14, and #15. The percentage of coleoptile length (PERCOL %) was observed to be between the ranges of 23.33% to 53.00%. The reduction in coleoptile length (REDCOL %) was also obtained, and there was less reduction in #15, #16, and #14 and it had a range between 38.46% and 75%. Radicle regrowth (REDRAG) was high at 13 °C in #7, #11, #30, #35, and #36. Survival of the seedling range was between 33.33% and up to 100%, and the highest survival rate was observed in #16. The main objective of this rotation in temperature was to emulate field conditions where there has been a drop in temperature. The evaluations were done for primary cold stress tolerance traits, and it was found that most of these traits exhibited high variability. The mapping population developed may be utilized to generate a linkage map and locate QTLs for tolerance to cold stress in rice. Further, the identified donors for cold tolerance may be utilized for breeding programs aimed at the transfer of low-temperature stress tolerance into susceptible backgrounds. In general, a genotype with improved seedling germination rates, growth rates, and leaf yellowing scores; high seedling survival; lesser reduction in coleoptile length and in radicle development; and recovery following a cold shock at the seedling stage demonstrated its cold resistance. Genotypes with a low germination percentage, a greater number of days to germination, slow growth rate and higher leaf yellowing score, high reduction in coleoptile and radicle growth, and reduced seedling survival indicated cold susceptibility.

Genetic relationships between populations of Aegilops tauschii Coss. (Poaceae) using SCoT molecular markers

The genus Aegilops has an important potential utilization in wheat improvement because of its resistance to different biotic and abiotic stresses and close relation with the cultivated wheat. Aegilops tauschii grows in Iran, westward to Turkey and eastward to Afghanistan and China with a distribution center in the south of Caspian Sea. In spite of its very good biochemical characterization, the knowledge about the DNA variability is very limited and no DNA markers were used to analyses the genomic variability of the populations, up to date. In the present study, genetic diversity of 117 Aegilops tauschii, individuals nine populations were studied using 10 Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers. High polymorphic bands (96.33%), polymorphic information content (0.48) and allele number (1.024) showed SCoT as a reliable marker system for genetic analysis in Aegilops tauschii. At the species, the percentage of polymorphic loci [P] was 66.30%, Nei’s gene diversity [H] was 0.35, Shannon index [I] was 0.33 and unbiased gene diversity [UHe] was 0.37. Genetic variation within populations (59%) was higher than among populations (41%) based on analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). We used SCoT molecular marker for our genetic investigation with the following aims: 1— Investigate genetic diversity both among and with date Aegilops tauschii, 2—Identify genetic groups within these nine populations Aegilops tauschii, and 3—produce data on the genetic structure of date Aegilops tauschii populations. The results obtained revealed a high within-population genetic variability.

Intensity Image-Based LiDAR Fiducial Marker System

The fiducial marker system for LiDAR is crucial for the robotic application but it is still rare to date. In this paper, an Intensity Image-based LiDAR Fiducial Marker (IILFM) system is developed. This system only requires an unstructured point cloud with intensity as the input and it has no restriction on marker placement and shape. A marker detection method that locates the predefined 3D fiducials in the point cloud through the intensity image is introduced. Then, an approach that utilizes the detected 3D fiducials to estimate the LiDAR 6-DOF pose that describes the transmission from the world coordinate system to the LiDAR coordinate system is developed. Moreover, all these processes run in real-time (approx 40 Hz on Livox Mid-40 and approx 143 Hz on VLP-16). Qualitative and quantitative experiments are conducted to demonstrate that the proposed system has similar convenience and accuracy as the conventional visual fiducial marker system. The codes and results are available at: https://github.com/York-SDCNLab/IILFM.

Range of Motion Remains Constant as Movement Rate Decreases During a Repetitive High-Speed Knee Flexion-Extension Task.

Maintaining the range of motion in repetitive movement tasks is a crucial point since it directly influences the movement rate. Ensuring the movement amplitude can be reliably maintained when motor function is assessed by measuring the maximum movement rate is therefore a key consideration. However, the performed range of motion during such tasks is often not reported. This study aimed to determine whether individuals are able to maintain an intended range of motion during a knee flexion/extension maximum movement rate task in the absence of tactile and visual feedback. Twelve healthy male individuals performed knee flexion/extension at maximum speed for eight 10-s blocks in a 45° arc between 45° and 90°. The range of motion was monitored using a marker system and the movement rate was measured. The performed range of motion was not significantly different from the 45° arc during the task despite a 13.47% decrease in movement rate from the start to the end of the task. Nevertheless, there was only anecdotal evidence of no difference from 45° in most blocks, while on the second and seventh blocks, there was anecdotal evidence of differences in the Bayesian one-sample test. There was also no significant shift in the maximum flexion/extension angles throughout the task. Healthy male individuals were thus able to perform a consistent average predefined knee range of motion in a maximum movement rate task despite decreases in movement rate. This was achieved without constraint-inducing devices during the task, using only basic equipment and verbal feedback.

Experience in the Study of the Religious Field: Reflection on the Example of Republic of Tatarstan

The article presents a research’s reflection on entrance and working in the religious field, description of physical context of the research and the researcher's frame in a particular case, through the main aspects: researcher's identity (gender, age, nationality), personal research position, determined through the correlation of insidership and outsidership. The author draws attention to the fact that the researcher's position cannot be clearly defined through the categories of insider and outsider, each participant of the study has a complex system of identities, cultural and social markers that will certainly have points of contact, intersections and divergences. The article reveals the features of the empirical part of the study devoted to the life strategies of young Muslims, in particular, the issues of research organization, establishing communication with the research field, and conducting interviews.

Genotypic Variability Analysis of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) from Bangladesh using RAPD and SSR Markers

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) is a perennial aquatic plant with high ecological, medicinal, ornamental, and economic value from the prehistoric times. Different types of genotypes of lotus found in Bangladesh which represent a great variability. However, investigations on the variability of the lotus at genetic level are insufficient and limited in Bangladesh. In the current study, fourteen samples of lotus were collected from six different locations of Bangladesh were subjected to molecular analysis using codominant Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs), as well as, dominant Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to estimate the genetic diversity, and to test the genetic basis relationships among the germplasm. Analysis of SSRs showed a moderate level of polymorphism which was 68.12% and Nei’s genetic distance was ranging from 0.0328 to 0.7598 showing a significant level of variation among the genotypes. The germplasm collected from Kapasia identified as different and superior among the morphotypes. Moreover, RAPD analysis showed 60.44% polymorphism and Nei’s genetic distance was ranging from 0.0600 to 0.5743 indicating a moderate level of variability where yellow lotus was identified as distinct. Two Neighbor-Joining dendrograms were constructed using UPGMA method in which the germplasm were clustered into two main clades with 55% genetic similarity level for both RAPD and SSR markers. The current study was successful in establishing an efficient method for evaluating the variation and the genetic marker system to be used to identify core N. nucifera accessions. The method also could further assist in designing of suitable strategic programs to preserve the core lotus gene pool. Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 32(1): 77-87, 2022 (June)

IPBS-Retrotransposon Markers in the Analysis of Genetic Diversity among Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Germplasm from Türkiye.

Beans are legumes that play extremely important roles in human nutrition, serving as good sources of protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In this study, we tried to elucidate the genetic diversity and population structure of 40 Turkish bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) local varieties and 5 commercial cultivars collected from 8 different locations in Erzurum-Ispir by using inter-primary binding site (iPBS) retrotransposon markers. For molecular characterization, the 26 most polymorphic iPBS primers were used; 52 bands per primer and 1350 bands in total were recorded. The mean polymorphism information content was 0.331. Various diversity indices, such as the mean effective allele number (0.706), mean Shannon’s information index (0.546), and gene diversity (0.361) revealed the presence of sufficient genetic diversity in the germplasm examined. Molecular analysis of variance (AMOVA) revealed that 67% of variation in bean germplasm was due to differences within populations. In addition, population structure analysis exposed all local and commercial bean varieties from five sub-populations. Expected heterozygosity values ranged between 0.1567 (the fourth sub-population) and 0.3210 (first sub-population), with an average value of 0.2103. In contrary, population differentiation measurement (Fst) was identified as 0.0062 for the first sub-population, 0.6372 for the fourth subpopulations. This is the first study to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of bean germplasm in Erzurum-Ispir region using the iPBS-retrotransposon marker system. Overall, the current results showed that iPBS markers could be used consistently to elucidate the genetic diversity of local and commercial bean varieties and potentially be included in future studies examining diversity in a larger collection of local and commercial bean varieties from different regions.

Developing a Prototype Behavioural Marker System for Farmer Non-Technical Skills (FLINTS)

ABSTRACT Objective Non-technical skills, the social and cognitive skills thought necessary for safe and effective working, have been studied within the farming context over the past six years. However, these skills are not yet taught as part of a safety curriculum for farmers, due, in part, to a lack of defined framework and assessment system. The current paper describes the development of the FLINTS behavioral marker system for discussion, observation, evaluation and feedback on non-technical skills for farmers. Method The development of the behavioral marker system proceeded through three key stages. First, the current research knowledge on non-technical skills was synthesized to compile a list of non-technical skill categories and elements. Second, a series of discussion groups with subject matter experts was conducted to develop behavioral markers for each element. Lastly, refinement and review of the system was undertaken by academics and experts. Results The prototype FLINTS taxonomy containing five non-technical skill categories and 16 elements was produced. The non-technical skill categories comprised situation awareness, teamwork & communication, leadership, task management and decision-making each with specific elements and behavioral markers. Conclusion FLINTS represents the first behavioral marker system for farmer non-technical skills, constructed through expert knowledge and advice via discussion and review groups, combined with underpinning research findings. This represents the first step towards the development of non-technical training and assessment for farmers. The current version of the FLINTS system is freely available to all potential users (https://research.abdn.ac.uk/nts-farming/flints/).