Phylogenetic systematics of Vigna sensu stricto in the context of Physostigma and allies.

Premise: Vigna includes economically vital crops and wild species. Molecular systematic studies of Vigna species resulted in generic segregates of many New World (NW) species. However, limited Old World (OW) sampling left questions regarding inter- and intraspecific relationships in Vigna s.

Comparison of three frailty measures for predicting hospitalization and mortality in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Background: Few studies have compared different measures of frailty for predicting adverse outcomes. It remains unknown which frailty measurement approach best predicts healthcare utilization such as hospitalization and mortality.

Aims: This study aims to compare three approaches to measuring frailty-grip strength, frailty phenotype, and frailty index-in predicting hospitalization and mortality among middle-aged and older Canadians.

Occupational Exposures and Lung Cancer Risk-An Analysis of the CARTaGENE Study.

Objective: To determine the associations between prevalent occupational agents and lung cancer risk.

Methods: A case-cohort design (ncases= 147; nsub-cohort= 1,032) was nested within the CARTaGENE prospective cohort study. The Canadian Job Exposure Matrix was used to determine the probability of exposure to 27 agents in participants' longest-held jobs.

Inter-rater reliability of occupational exposure assessment in a case-control study of female breast cancer.

The objective of this paper was to estimate the inter-rater reliability of expert assessments of occupational exposures. An inter-rater reliability sub-study was conducted within a population-based case-control study of postmenopausal breast cancer. Detailed information on lifetime occupational histories was obtained from participants and two industrial hygienists assigned exposures to 185 jobs using a checklist of 293 agents.

Variation in the UGT2B17 genotype, exemestane metabolism and menopause-related toxicities in the CCTG MAP.3 trial.

Purpose: To examine associations between the UGT2B17 gene deletion and exemestane metabolites, and commonly reported side effects (fatigue, hot flashes, and joint pain) among postmenopausal women participating in the MAP.3 chemoprevention trial.

Methods: The analytical samples for the UGT2B17 analysis comprised 1752 women on exemestane and 1721 women on placebo; the exemestane metabolite analysis included 1360 women on exemestane with one-year serum samples.

Baseline estrogen levels in postmenopausal women participating in the MAP.3 breast cancer chemoprevention trial.

Objective: The aim of the study was to quantify baseline estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1) concentrations according to selected patient characteristics in a substudy nested within the MAP.3 chemoprevention trial.

Methods: E2 and E1 levels were measured in 4,068 postmenopausal women using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

High burden of neurological disease in the older general population: results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Background And Purpose: Our objective was to study the association between the presence of a neurological disease and the comorbidity burden as well as healthcare utilization (HCU).

Methods: Using baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), we examined the burden of five neurological conditions. The CLSA is a population-based study of approximately 50 000 individuals, aged 45-85 years at baseline.

Development of and Selected Performance Characteristics of CANJEM, a General Population Job-Exposure Matrix Based on Past Expert Assessments of Exposure.

Objectives: We developed a job-exposure matrix called CANJEM using data generated in population-based case-control studies of cancer. This article describes some of the decisions in developing CANJEM, and some of its performance characteristics.

Methods: CANJEM is built from exposure information from 31673 jobs held by study subjects included in our past case-control studies.

Occupational exposures to leaded and unleaded gasoline engine emissions and lung cancer risk.

Objectives: To determine whether occupational exposure to gasoline engine emissions (GEE) increased the risk of lung cancer and more specifically whether leaded or unleaded GEE increased the risk.

Methods: Two population-based case-control studies were conducted in Montreal, Canada. The first was conducted in the early 1980s and included many types of cancer including lung cancer.

Covariation and phenotypic integration in chemical communication displays: biosynthetic constraints and eco-evolutionary implications.

Chemical communication is ubiquitous. The identification of conserved structural elements in visual and acoustic communication is well established, but comparable information on chemical communication displays (CCDs) is lacking. We assessed the phenotypic integration of CCDs in a meta-analysis to characterize patterns of covariation in CCDs and identified functional or biosynthetically constrained modules.

Genetic hitchhiking and resistance evolution to transgenic Bt toxins: insights from the African stalk borer Busseola fusca (Noctuidae).

Since transgenic crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins were first released, resistance evolution leading to failure in control of pests populations has been observed in a number of species. Field resistance of the moth Busseola fusca was acknowledged 8 years after Bt maize was introduced in South Africa. Since then, field resistance of this corn borer has been observed at several locations, raising questions about the nature, distribution and dynamics of the resistance trait.

The consumption of coffee and black tea and the risk of lung cancer.

Purpose: Coffee and black tea are among the most consumed beverages worldwide. Although their potential role in lung cancer occurrence has been investigated in several studies, results have been inconclusive. We investigated the associations between intake of coffee and black tea with lung cancer in a population-based case-control study in Montreal, Canada.

Impact of violated high-dose refuge assumptions on evolution of Bt resistance.

Transgenic crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins have been widely and successfully deployed for the control of target pests, while allowing a substantial reduction in insecticide use. The evolution of resistance (a heritable decrease in susceptibility to Bt toxins) can pose a threat to sustained control of target pests, but a high-dose refuge (HDR) management strategy has been key to delaying countervailing evolution of Bt resistance. The HDR strategy relies on the mating frequency between susceptible and resistant individuals, so either partial dominance of resistant alleles or nonrandom mating in the pest population itself could elevate the pace of resistance evolution.

Genetic diversity and population structure of wild/weedy eggplant (Solanum insanum, Solanaceae) in southern India: implications for conservation.

Unlabelled: •

Premise Of The Study: Crop wild relatives represent important genetic resources for crop improvement and the preservation of native biodiversity. Eggplant (Solanum melongena), known as brinjal in India, ranks high among crops whose wild gene pools are underrepresented in ex situ collections and warrant urgent conservation. Knowledge of outcrossing rates and patterns of genetic variation among wild populations can aid in designing strategies for both in situ and ex situ preservation.

The potential for crop to wild hybridization in eggplant (Solanum melongena; Solanaceae) in southern India.

Unlabelled: •

Premise Of The Study: In India and elsewhere, transgenic Bt eggplant (Solanum melongena) has been developed to reduce insect herbivore damage, but published studies of the potential for pollen-mediated, crop- to- wild gene flow are scant. This information is useful for risk assessments as well as in situ conservation strategies for wild germplasm.•

Methods: In 2010-2014, we surveyed 23 populations of wild/weedy eggplant (Solanum insanum; known as wild brinjal), carried out hand-pollination experiments, and observed pollinators to assess the potential for crop- to- wild gene flow in southern India.

Allopolyploidy, diversification, and the Miocene grassland expansion.

The role of polyploidy, particularly allopolyploidy, in plant diversification is a subject of debate. Whole-genome duplications precede the origins of many major clades (e.g.

Dominant inheritance of field-evolved resistance to Bt corn in Busseolafusca.

Transgenic crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins have been adopted worldwide, notably in developing countries. In spite of their success in controlling target pests while allowing a substantial reduction of insecticide use, the sustainable control of these pest populations is threatened by the evolution of resistance. The implementation of the "high dose/refuge" strategy for managing insect resistance in transgenic crops aims at delaying the evolution of resistance to Bt crops in pest populations by promoting survival of susceptible insects.

Quantitative trait loci analysis of flowering time related traits identified in recombinant inbred lines of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata).

Flowering time is a major adaptive trait in plants and an important selection criterion in the breeding for genetic improvement of crop species. QTLs for the time of flower opening and days to flower were identified in a cross between a short duration domesticated cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.

Genetic structure and mating system of wild cowpea populations in West Africa.

Background: Cowpea is a highly inbred crop. It is part of a crop-weed complex, whose origin and dynamics is unknown, which is distributed across the African continent. This study examined outcrossing rates and genetic structures in 35 wild cowpea (Vigna unguiculata ssp.

Regulatory considerations surrounding the deployment of Bt-expressing cowpea in Africa: report of the deliberations of an expert panel.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata spp unguiculata) is adapted to the drier agro-ecological zones of West Africa where it is a major source of dietary protein and widely used as a fodder crop. Improving the productivity of cowpea can enhance food availability and security in West Africa. Insect predation--predominately from the legume pod borer (Maruca vitrata), flower thrips (Megalurothrips sjostedti) and a complex of pod-sucking bugs (e.

Vigna (Leguminosae) sensu lato: the names and identities of the American segregate genera.

Premise Of Study: The legume genus Vigna and close relatives have highly elaborated floral morphologies that involve the coiling, bending, and intricate connection of flower parts. Banners, levers, platforms, and pumps have evolved that attract pollinators and then manipulate their movement. Given this three-dimensional floral complexity, the taxonomy of Vigna and relatives has been confounded by the study of mostly two-dimensional museum specimens.

Isolation, phylogeny and evolution of the SymRK gene in the legume genus Lupinus L.

SymRK is one of the key genes involved in initial steps of legume symbiotic association with fungi (mycorrhization) and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (nodulation). A large portion of the sequence encoding the extracellular domain of SYMRK was obtained for 38 lupine accessions and 2 outgroups in order to characterize this region, to evaluate its phylogenetic utility, and to examine whether its molecular evolutionary pattern is correlated with rhizobial diversity and specificity in Lupinus. The data suggested that, in Lupinus, SymRK is a single copy gene that shows good phylogenetic potential.

A simulation model of waterborne gastro-intestinal disease outbreaks: description and initial evaluation.

We present an agent-based simulation model for generating realistic multivariable outbreak signals. The model defines a synthetic population and simulates the dissemination of pathogenic organisms through a municipal water distribution system, the mobility of individuals between geographic locations, their exposure to pathogens through water consumption, and disease progression in infected individuals. We present the results of an initial evaluation of the model - a simulation study replicating the historical outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Milwaukee in 1993.

Long-distance pollen flow assessment through evaluation of pollinator foraging range suggests transgene escape distances.

Foraging range, an important component of bee ecology, is of considerable interest for insect-pollinated plants because it determines the potential for outcrossing among individuals. However, long-distance pollen flow is difficult to assess, especially when the plant also relies on self-pollination. Pollen movement can be estimated indirectly through population genetic data, but complementary data on pollinator flight distances is necessary to validate such estimates.