Dr. Monsef Benkirane, from the Laboratoire de Virologie Moléculaire in Montpellier, France, has been announced as the recipient of the 2013 Retrovirology Prize. This bi-annual prize covers all aspects of the Retrovirology field and celebrates groundbreaking research from retrovirologists aged between 45 and 60. Monsef is among the brightest young “stars” in HIV-1 biology. At 45 years of age, he is the youngest recipient of the Retrovirology prize. This year the competition was particularly fierce with 4 strong contenders.Monsef received training in immunology at the University of Marseille, France, and came to the laboratory of our former editor-in-chief Kuan-Teh Jeang at the NIH in 1995, where he worked on HIV-1 transcription and post transcriptional regulation. In 1998, Monsef established his own laboratory at the Human Genetics Institute in Montpellier, France. He published the first paper showing that the transcriptional activity of Tat is regulated by post-translational modifications such as acetylation and ubiquitylation . He alsoHe focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms leading to the establishment and maintenance of transcriptionally silent HIV provirus, an important area of research for the design of virus eradication strategies (Cure for AIDS) . His teaMost recently, Monsef has worked on a puzzle that has occupied the study of HIV-1 for over 2 decades: why myeloid cell and quiescent CD4+ T cells are refractory to HIV-1 replication. He and his team have made ground breaking contributions in this field. They identified SAMHD1, a protein encoded by an Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome susceptibility gene, as the HIV-1 restriction factor operating in dendritic cells, macrophages and quiescent CD4+ T cells . The ideDr. Benkirane’s honors in research recognition include elected membership in EMBO and French Academy of Science Award (both 2012), and he was recently elected to the American Academy of Microbiology (2013). He has published over 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts and review articles, very often in top journals such as Cell and Nature. He has been an Editor of Retrovirology since 2004 and organized the first Frontiers of Retrovirology meeting in Montpellier in 2009.Retrovirology. The Retrovirology Prize recipient is selected by Retrovirology's Editors based on nominations submitted by the journal's Editorial Board. The biennial prize for HIV or non-HIV related research consists of a $3,000 check and a crystal trophy. He will receive the prize at the upcoming third Frontiers of Retrovirology meeting in Cambridge, UK (http://www.frontiers-of-retrovirology.com).To mark the award, an editorial will be published in BioMed Central's open access journal Past winners include Professor Masao Matsuoka from Japan (2011), Professor Mike Malim from the United Kingdom (2010) and Professor Thierry Heidmann from France (2009).


Errata 1CERTIFICATIONHighlights in the minimally invasivetreatment of SUI in women, authors Surcel C, Chibelean C, Iordache A,Mirvald C, Gngu C, Margaritis S, Stoica R, Codoiu C, Savu C, Marksteiner R, Sinescu I,published in vol 4, issue 3, Journal of Medicine and Life and Minimallyinvasive treatment for female stress urinary incontinence Romanianhighlights authors Surcel C, Chibelean C, Iordache A, Mirvald C, Gngu C,Margaritis S, Stoica R, Codoiu C, Savu C, Marksteiner R, Sinescu I, published in vol 4,issue 4, Journal of Medicine and Life, appeared at one issue distance, have beenpublished as a result of lack of communication between the authors of the articles andthe reviewers of Journal of Medicine and Life, and, as a consequence of the previousPublishing Editors leaving in UK for doctoral studies, the Publishing Editor who tookher place and whose task was to review the article, was not familiarized with thepublishing and editing procedures specific to Journal of Medicine and Life. Hereby certifies that the articles Prof. I. Sinescu, MD, had no implication in the relationship with Carol Davila PrintingPress and in the process of publishing the above-mentioned articles. Therefore, Carol Davila University Press takes the blame for these dysfunctions andconsiders appropriate the withdrawal of the two above-mentioned articles from PubMed andthe archive of the journal (website and printed versions). The University Press who is the owner of Journal of Medicine and Life regrets thepossible prejudices suffered by the authors by the publishing the two articles (revisedversions of a single article) and wishes to continue the collaboration with the authors. Errata 2Management ofsmall renal masses update 2011, authors Surcel C, Mirvald C, Gngu C,Stoica R, Sinescu I, published in Journal of Medicine and Life, 2011 May 15, 4(2):139-47, ISSN: 1844-122x (CNCSIS B+ 852) is similar to Managementul tumorilorrenale parenchimatoase mici, authors Sinescu I, Surcel C, Cngu C,Mirvald C, Stoica R, Tuca M, published in Revista Romana de Urologie, 2010, vol. 9, nr.4, ISSN: 1223 0650 (CNCSIS B+ 486).The following article has been published both in English in Journal of Medicine and Lifeand in Romanian in Revista Romana de Urologie. The article The English version of the article published in Journal of Medicine and Life should beremoved (deleted) from the printed/ website versions of Journal of Medicine and Life andPubMed database.Errata 3Prognostic factorsin retroperitoneal fibrosis, authors I. Sinescu, C. Surcel, Mirvald C,Chibelean C, Gngu C, Avram D, Hrza M, Manu MA, Lazar R, Savu C, Udrea A, published inJournal of Medicine and Life, 2010, January-March, 3(1), 19-25, ISSN: 1844-122x (CNCSISC 852), PMID: 20302193 (PubMed indexed for MEDLINE) is similar to Factori de prognosticin fibroza retroperitoneala idiopatica, authors Sinescu I, Surcel C, Mirvlad C,Chibelean C, Cngu C, Avram C, Hrza M, Manu MA, Lazar R, Savu Carmen, Gutu I, Udrea A,Joianu S, published in Revista Romana de Urologie, 2009, vol. 8, nr. 4, 53-59, ISSN:1223-0650 (CNCSIS B+ 486).The following article has been published both in English in Journal of Medicine and Lifeand in Romanian in Revista Romana de Urologie. The article The English version of the article published in Journal of Medicine and Life should beremoved (deleted) from the printed/ website versions of Journal of Medicine and Life andPubMed database.Errata 4Complete spontaneous regression of a total pneumothorax in apatient with chronic obstructive lung disease by Gonlugur U, Mirici A,Yildiz M, which appeared in Volume 4, Issue 4, October-December 2011, of Journal ofMedicine and Life :419-20. Epub 2011 Nov 24), the names andgiven names of the authors were changed. In the article The authors names should have appeared as it follows: Gonlugur U, Mirici A, Yildiz M.Errata 5Primary tubercular abscess of the breast an unusualentity by Gupta R, Singal RP, Gupta A, Singal S, Shahi S, Singal R,which appeared in Volume 5, Issue 1, January-March 2012, of Journal of Medicine and Life:98-100. Epub 2012 Mar 5. [PMID: 22574095]), the name ofthe second author was misspelled.In the article The complete list of authors should have appeared as it follows: Gupta R, Singal RP,Gupta A, Singal S, Shahi S, Singal R.The publishers regret any inconvenience caused by these errors.


Philosophical Transactions has a long and distinguished history. As the oldest continuously published journal in the world, it is not surprising that many of the most famous names in physical science have published in it. To name just a few, Dirac, Faraday, Halley, Joule, Newton, Maxwell, Priestley, Rutherford and Young have all made contributions, which are now available on the web as with all the Royal Society publications. These days, the scope for a journal covering many subject areas is limited in view of the competition of specialized titles, consequently a few years ago the decision was made to eliminate contributed papers and devote each issue to a theme with a Guest Editor who would approach colleagues for articles. When combined with publishing the proceedings of the very popular discussion meetings held at the Royal Society, this has resulted in a very successful approach with the number of issues being increased from 12 to 24 per annum.To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society, this special issue has been published, which comprises a number of articles covering a spread of physical sciences in a manner not requiring the reader to be a specialist to gain understanding of the content. It is to be hoped that this will demonstrate the continued vitality and combination of relevance and longevity that characterize the journal.


Pain-1, which are associated with positive or negative effect with chip color, tuber starch content and starch yield. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) and marker validation were performed in tetraploid breeding populations, using various combinations of 11 allele-specific markers associated with tuber quality traits. To facilitate MAS, user-friendly PCR assays were developed for specific candidate gene alleles. In a multi-parental population of advanced breeding clones, genotypes were selected for having different combinations of five positive and the corresponding negative marker alleles. Genotypes combining five positive marker alleles performed on average better than genotypes with four negative alleles and one positive allele. When tested individually, seven of eight markers showed an effect on at least one quality trait. The direction of effect was as expected. Combinations of two to three marker alleles were identified that significantly improved average chip quality after cold storage and tuber starch content. In F1 progeny of a single-cross combination, MAS with six markers did not give the expected result. Reasons and implications for MAS in potato are discussed.Tuber yield, starch content, starch yield and chip color are complex traits that are important for industrial uses and food processing of potato. Chip color depends on the quantity of reducing sugars glucose and fructose in the tubers, which are generated by starch degradation. Reducing sugars accumulate when tubers are stored at low temperatures. Early and efficient selection of cultivars with superior yield, starch yield and chip color is hampered by the fact that reliable phenotypic selection requires multiple year and location trials. Application of DNA-based markers early in the breeding cycle, which are diagnostic for superior alleles of genes that control natural variation of tuber quality, will reduce the number of clones to be evaluated in field trials. Association mapping using genes functional in carbohydrate metabolism as markers has discovered alleles of invertases and starch phosphorylases that are associated with tuber quality traits. Here, we report on new DNA variants at loci encoding ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and the invertase The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00122-012-2035-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Potatoes are grown worldwide for food, feed and industrial uses. The tubers are the source of carbohydrates, high quality protein, essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Tuber starch is the basis of various industrial products and is used increasingly as substitute for fossil oil in the generation of chemical compounds, for example, bioplastics. Besides starch quality, tuber starch content and starch yield (starch produced per area unit) are important traits for the production of potatoes for industrial uses. A further important quality criterion arises from the requirements of the food processing industry, which produces chips, French fries and other deep fried products from potatoes. This criterion is the tuber content of the reducing sugars fructose and glucose, which determines the culinary quality of chips and French fries . The selection process from the initial cross to the release of a new variety requires 10–15 years   and 55 % (tuber starch content) of the total variation  is an important candidate gene that has not been fully evaluated for association with tuber quality traits. AGPase is a key enzyme in starch biosynthesis in higher plants  have been cloned and characterized  refined marker-trait associations at the invertase locus Pain-1, (3) the development of user-friendly polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for candidate gene alleles associated with tuber quality traits, (4) the first results of MAS for tuber quality and (5) the validation of previously identified marker-trait associations in new germplasm.In this present study, we report (1) novel associations of A population of 243 tetraploid cultivars , tuber starch content (% fresh weight), yield (dt/ha) and starch yield (dt/ha) were evaluated as described previously  were added to each tube. Freeze dried leaves were grinded to a fine powder with a Retsch Mixer Mill MM300 . Total genomic DNA was extracted using the BioSprint DNA Plant Kit and a BioSprint workstation . DNA quality and quantity were determined using a spectrophotometer. The quality of the DNA re-isolated in 2009 from BNC and SKC clones selected in 2008 was additionally checked by PCR amplification of a 250 base pair ubiquitin gene fragment, using the primers 5′ GACCATCACTCTTGAGGTTGAG 3′ (forward) and 5′ AATGGTGTCTGAGCTCTCGAC 3′ (reverse) and standard PCR conditions.AGPaseS, accession X61187) and a 1 kbp promoter fragment of soluble acid invertase . Primer sequences, annealing temperatures and amplicon sizes are specified in Table Amplicons were generated by PCR from genomic DNA as described . The marker allele InvGE-6f is diagnostic for the group a alleles of the apoplastic invertase gene InvGE  allele Pain1-A1544, whereas Pain1-8c is equivalent to the SNP alleles Pain1-A718 and Pain1-C552 . The SSCP alleles Stp23-8b, StpL-3b and StpL-3e originate from two plastidic starch phosphorylase genes .Markers were chosen based on the most significant associations with tuber quality traits detected in previous association mapping experiments  and cloned in the pGEM-T vector system I  according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Clones carrying different SSCP alleles present in a heterozygous genotype were identified by SSCP analysis of the PCR products generated with the same primers from recombinant plasmids. For each SSCP allele, 20–30 plasmid insertions were sequenced to obtain a consensus sequence. All sequences were generated at the core facility for DNA analysis of the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research. The dideoxy chain-termination sequencing method was employed using an ABI PRISM Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit and an ABI PRISM 3730 automated DNA Sequencer . DNA sequence analyses were performed using Lasergene software . The sequences were aligned to detect SNPs or insertion–deletion polymorphisms specific for the associated SSCP allele, which were then used for primer design . In some cases, allele-specific primers were designed based on the method ‘PCR Amplification of Specific Alleles’ (PASA) . PCR amplification was performed in 25-μl reaction mixture  containing 50–60 ng DNA template, 0.4 μM of each primer, 0.2 mM dNTP and 1 U Taq DNA polymerase . Touchdown PCR was used in some cases to increase PCR specificity. The annealing temperature in the initial cycle was set 5 °C above the optimal annealing temperature (TA) of the primers  by the t test for tuber starch content, yield and starch yield, and Mann–Whitney U test for chip quality. Marker combinations were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) for tuber starch content, yield and starch yield, and Kruskal–Wallis test for chip quality. All analyses were performed with SPSS 15.0 software .All markers were scored as 1 for presence and 0 for absence in a given genotype. Single markers with two character states were tested for significant phenotypic differences between genotype groups  associations with TSC, TSY, CQA and CQS but not with TY  1.6] for chip color after cold storage—the trait of particular interest for MAS—whereas the individuals carrying Pain1-8c had a mean rating of 4.0 (SD 2.0). The mean ratings of individuals lacking both markers Pain1prom-d/e and Pain1-8c were 2.3 (SD 2.1) and 2.1 (SD 2.0), respectively. The marker Pain1prom-g with small positive associations with CQA, CQS and TSC represents a new Pain-1 allele.Three of nine scorable SSCP markers derived from the QS Table . The disprom-d/e, AGPsS-9a and AGPsS-10a (this paper) into specific PCR assays as described in the “To facilitate MAS for tuber quality traits, we converted the associated SSCP markers Stp23-8b, StpL-3b, StpL-3e, Pain1-8c  or negatively (−) associated with chip quality, tuber starch content and starch yield: Stp23-8b (+), StpL-3e (+), Pain1-9a (+), AGPsS-10a (−), Rca-1a (−) and GP171-a (−). The Rca-1a marker was not detected in the 500 genotypes. Eleven groups of BNC clones  were selected based on sharing different combinations of the five remaining markers  and after cold storage , for tuber starch content (TSC), yield (TY) and starch yield (TSY). Population means and ranges are shown in Table The trait means over the years 2009 and 2010 of the 11 genotypic groups are included in Table prom-d/e (+). When tested individually for effects on the 2-year means of the phenotypic traits, seven of the eight markers were significant for one or two traits (Table 1 = 17.3 % (SD 1.7), mean0 = 15.5 % (SD 1.3)]. AGPsS-9a was the only marker significant for both traits CQS7 and CQS5 . Presence of this marker increased the score for chips quality on average by one unit . Consistent with previous results , mean0 = 5.7 (SD 1.4)].In addition to the five markers used for MAS, the 76 BNC clones were genotyped with the markers AGPsS-9a (+), Pain1-8c (+) and Pain1To identify optimal marker combinations for chip quality and tuber starch content, marker pairs and combinations of three markers were tested for their effect on the traits Table . Seven oFive hundred and seventy-six F1 genotypes (SKC clones) originating from the cross Diana × Candella were genotyped in 2008 for the segregating markers GP171-a (−), Stp23-8b (+), StpL-3b (−), StpL-3e (+), AGPaseS-10a (−) and InvGE-6f (+). Eighteen groups of SKC clones  were selected for having in common various combinations of the six markers. Group A consisted of five individuals with all positive markers, whereas three individuals in group P had all negative markers. Ten groups corresponded to five pairs with complementary marker combinations  Table . In 2009Except for TSC-09, phenotypic differences between the selected genotypic groups were not significant. The group D1 had the highest tuber starch content in the year 2009 (20.6 %), which differed significantly from other groups, for example, from the complementary group D2  was in strong LD with Pain1-9a (= Pain1-A1544), but was less frequent in the CHIPS-ALL population and showed stronger association with chip quality than Pain1-9a, which is predominantly associated with tuber starch content  were a subset of the genotypes having the Pain1-8c allele. These genotypes scored on average even better for chip quality after cold storage than genotypes with Pain1-8c, but showed only a small effect on starch content. The distribution of Pain1-8c and Pain1prom-d/e was nearly identical in the selected BNC population, and the two markers co-segregated in the SKC family, indicating that they are derived from the same haplotype. Alleles with positive trait associations like Pain1-8c, Pain1prom-d/e and AGPsS-9a had a low frequency in the CHIPS-ALL population. This indicates that there is room for improving processing quality by enriching breeding populations for these low frequency alleles.Despite the link between tuber starch and sugar content, the relative size of phenotypic effect can vary between alleles of the same locus. Interesting examples are the invertase alleles RB from numerous RB homologs in potato . In this respect, Pain1-8c was the only marker that showed a consistent positive effect on chip quality in both BNC and SKC genotypes.Another reason may be that the markers explain only part of the phenotypic variation of polygenic traits. In this case, the markers can predict the phenotype of an individual only with a certain probability but not with certainty. The prediction of marker effect is probabilistic, not deterministic. The prediction might fail, therefore, in individual cross combinations due to additional, unknown genetic factors and epistatic interactions Supplementary material 2 (DOCX 15 kb)Supplementary material 3 (XLSX 14 kb)Supplementary material 4 (XLSX 13 kb)Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.


The editors of BioPsychoSocial Medicine would like to thank all our reviewers who have contributed to the journal in Volume 6 (2012). Akihiro AsakawaJapanTakanobu BabaJapanAdriano Chio'ItalyEsther CrawleyUnited KingdomPaul DavenportUnited States of AmericaHans-Christian DeterGermanyDaniel DevcichNew ZealandAtsushi FukaoJapanMikihiko FukunagaJapanHans GrabeGermanyHarald GündelGermanyMasahiro HashizumeJapanJunichiro HayanoJapanTakahiro HigashiJapanSamuel M.Y. HoHong KongReiko HoriJapanYoko HoshiJapanMasako HosoiJapanHiroshi KanekoJapanMehran KarimiIranToshihiko KatafuchiJapanGen KomakiJapanDietrich LehmannSwitzerlandSarah Lloyd-FoxUnited KingdomMark LumleyUnited States of AmericaYoshiya MoriguchiJapanEmi MoritaJapanNarumi NagaiJapanShinichiro NagamitsuJapanJun NaganoJapanYoshikatsu NakaiJapanMutsuhiro NakaoJapanKristy NielsonUnited States of AmericaShinobu NomuraJapanCarl Erik NordSwedenTakakazu OkaJapanIsa OkajimaJapanToshikatsu OkumuraJapanPiero PorcelliItalyJudith RabkinUnited States of AmericaPeter RoweUnited States of AmericaJulie SchirmerUnited States of AmericaTomotaka ShojiJapanJudith SluiterNetherlandsNobuyuki SudoJapanThomas SuslowGermanyYuriko SuzukiJapanMasaaki TanakaJapanMitsunao TomiokaJapanMichael WitthöftGermanyJong Min WooKorea, SouthBlake WoodsideCanadaHidenori YamasueJapanKazufumi YoshiharaJapanStephan ZipfelGermany


When biij came into being in early 2005, it was envisioned as a tool for the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Today, biij continues to fulfill this role, having gone through a process of evolution and growth.In the early days , the emaFrom January 2007, biij gradually implemented the open source Open Journal Systems (OJS) software for online manuscript submission, tracking and management. The software was developed as part of the Public Knowledge Project, managed in partnership between the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, the Simon Fraser University Library, the School of Education at Stanford University, and the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing at Simon Fraser University [From the outset of biij's birth, the publishers have always emphasised the searchability and availability of biij’s contents. In October 2005, biij became a member of CrossRef  and provBiij is now indexed in a number of indexing databases, including Scopus, Embase, and Compendex (since January 2008); Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) (since April 2006); INSPEC (since March 2006); Index Copernicus International (since April 2006); Google Scholar (since December 2005); and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) (since September 2005). In November 2008, Elsevier also agreed to include all manuscripts prior to 2008 in its Scopus and EMBASE database.Biij contents are currently being submitted to Pubmed Central , the onlThe main objective of a journal is the dissemination of scientific knowledge. The concept of biij was to offer a platform for effective communication between the authors and readers . One jarTo achieve the above, a new feature was introduced recently, a feedback/ comment box where readers can send their comments to the journal. This feature, hopefully, will enhance the communication between the authors and the scientific community.There are, of course, challenges that lie ahead. For a biomedical imaging journal, high quality images play a prominent part in the manuscripts. However, imaging journals still publish images in low resolution formats, such as jpeg. Until today, there is still no appropriate interface for readers to display and interact with DICOM images in real time while reading the paper. Many researchers and readers recognise that there is a need to have a browser-based image viewer embedded into the journal in a seamless manner.The other challenge is to maximise the multimedia features of biij. One of the biggest attractions for journals to go electronic is the potential utilisation of multimedia in the paper – for example, the inclusion of video clips, 3D movies, animation, etc.Medical Physics is using the Electronic Physics Auxiliary Publication Service (EPAPS) [The journal  (EPAPS) . It is aHowever, not many biij authors have taken advantage of this multimedia feature. One of the reasons could be due to the technical hassles involved. It may take several more years for this feature to become the norm.As Internet technology is progressing ever so rapidly, the landscape of electronic publishing will be continually changing as well. The world is witnessing a revolutionary change in the paradigm of scholarly publishing.


The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine's third with our new international publisher, Maney Publishing. I am pleased to report that the feedback on JSCM's new look has been overwhelmingly positive. Of greater importance is that with Maney's expanded online article access, the journal is more widely available to professionals and libraries around the world.This issue marks JSCM as a benefit for their members—the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (the Academy) and the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA).For the journal and the dynamic field of spinal cord injury, there's never been a more exciting time. The broad range of research and clinical activities of interest to our readers is evident in the 2011 meeting agendas for the two organizations that feature ISCoS-ASIA 2011 International Conference on Spinal Cord Medicine and Rehabilitation. More than 750 scientists and clinicians will be in attendance for the joint conference program, as well as the Spine Symposium on June 4 and the pre-course, The State of the Science in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, beginning June 5.From June 4 to 8, ASIA joins with the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) for their shared meeting in Washington, DC—SCI Medicine - An Intensive Review Preconference Workshop. This comprehensive review of assessment and treatment and rehabilitation strategies is highly recommended, especially for those preparing for the Subspecialty SCI Certification and Maintenance of Certification Examination offered by the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.Las Vegas, Nevada is once again the site for the Academy's annual conference, this time hosted at Rio All Suites Resorts and Casino from September 5-7. Look for the return appearance of Dr. Vernon Lin in JSCM looks forward to bringing you interdisciplinary content reflecting the diverse topics addressed in Washington, DC, and Las Vegas.Make time in your schedule for these terrific opportunities for education, inspiration, networking and relaxation. Comments and suggestions from our readers are always welcome.


The following scientsts assisted the journal by reviewing manuscripts that were submitted for consideration during the period November 1, 2008 to September 30, 2010. We gratefully acknowledge their critical evaluation and assistance in the selection of papers for publication.


International Journal of Molecular Science is instituting an annual award to recognize the outstanding papers in the area of chemistry, molecular physics and molecular biology published in the International Journal of Molecular Science.International Journal of Molecular Science Best Paper Award” for 2012. Nominations were made by the Section Editor-in-Chiefs of International Journal of Molecular Science from all papers published in 2008. The awards are issued to reviews and articles separately. We are pleased to announce that the following three papers were chosen:We are pleased to announce the first “Article Award:First PrizeXing Y. Ling, In Y. Phang, David N. Reinhoudt, G. J. Vancso and Jurriaan HuskensSupramolecular Layer-by-Layer Assembly of 3D Multicomponent Nanostructures via Multivalent Molecular RecognitionInt. J. Mol. Sci.2008, 9(4), 486–497; doi:10.3390/ijms9040486http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/9/4/486/Available online: Second PrizeDemberelnyamba Dorjnamjin, Maamaa Ariunaa and Young K. ShimSynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Hydroxyl Functionalized Ionic Liquids and Their Antimicrobial ActivityInt. J. Mol. Sci.2008, 9(5), 807–820; doi:10.3390/ijms9050807http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/9/5/807/Available online: Review Award:First PrizeVishwanath Patil, Khanh-Quang Tran and Hans Ragnar GiselrødTowards Sustainable Production of Biofuels from MicroalgaeInt. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9(7), 1188–1195; doi:10.3390/ijms9071188http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/9/7/1188/Available online: International Journal of Molecular Science and the scientific research field. On behalf of the Prize Awarding Committee and the Editorial Board of International Journal of Molecular Science, we would like to congratulate these three teams for their excellent work. In recognition of their accomplishment, Dr. Jurriaan Huskens, Dr. Young K. Shim and Dr. Vishwanath Patil will receive prizes of CHF 1000, CHF 500, and CHF 500, respectively, and the privilege of publishing an additional paper free of charge in Open Access format in the International Journal of Molecular Science, after the usual peer-review procedure.We believe that these three exceptional papers are valuable contributions to Prize Awarding CommitteeEditor-in-Chief, Section ‘Bioactives and Nutraceuticals’Prof. Dr. Charles BrennanDepartment of Food and Tourism Management, Manchester Metropolitan University, Hollings Faculty, Old Hall Lane, Manchester, M14 6HR, UKcharlesbrennan1@yahoo.co.ukE-Mail: Editor-in-Chief, Section ‘Molecular Pathology’Prof. Dr. Kurt A. JellingerInstitute of Clinical Neurobiology, Kenyongasse 18, A-1070 Vienna, Austriakurt.jellinger@univie.ac.atE-Mail: Editor-in-Chief, Section ‘Molecular Recognition’Prof. Dr. Ian A. NichollsSchool of Pure & Applied Natural Sciences, University of Kalmar, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Swedenian.nicholls@hik.seE-Mail: Editorial Board Member, Section ‘Molecular Recognition’Prof. Dr. Vince RotelloDepartment of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 1302-1314 LGRT, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USArotello@chem.umass.eduE-Mail:


There is an error in the funding statement. The correct funding is, “This work was conducted with support from Harvard Catalyst / The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University and its affiliated academic health care centers, the National Center for Research Resources, or the National Institutes of Health. In addition, the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.”


Rodent models of heterotopic cardiac transplantation are important for gaining a better understanding of heart allograft rejection. This study compared a working heart (WkHt) transplant model, which have developed by our laboratory, with the traditional non-working heart (Non-WkHt) model using cardiac MRI (CMRI) and pathological evaluation. Our results indicate that the physiological hemodynamic loading significantly impacts graft immune cell infiltration and myocardial function. Our WkHt transplant model with intact pulmonary circulation, retains hemodynamic loading close to that of native heart, and is thus more appropriate for both functional and immunological studies, especially for developing the clinically relevant CMRI techniques for comprehensive evaluation of the heart graft.The traditional heterotopic heart transplantation rodent model ,2 lacks WkHt model: En bloc of graft heart and lung was transplanted into the recipient abdomen. Graft aorta and superior vena cava (SVC) were anastomosed with recipient abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava (IVC), respectively.,4 Non-WkAlthough isograft hearts from both models had strong heart beats and normal ECG, they exhibited very different cardiac functions revealed by CMRI Fig.. The WkHOur results indicate that hemodymamic loading significantly impacts the graft status. The WkHt transplant model, with intact pulmonary circulation, retains physiological conditions close to that of the native heart, and therefore is more appropriate for functional and immunological studies, especially for developing the clinically relevant CMRI techniques for comprehensive evaluation of the heart graft.This study is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (P41EB001977 and R01HL-081349).


The biij will shortly be completing its first year of publication. This calls for a celebration for very many reasons. There have been mistakes made, lessons learned, triumphs and achievements…all in these 12 months. With this issue, we decided it was time to pause a little and take stock of our progress during the past year.We firmly believe that knowledge should not be the monopoly of a few select individuals especially when it has the potential to enhance the quality of life for mankind. We also believe that this can be achieved through participation in the open access initiative -3.One of the founding principles of the biij is to ensure that biij offers easy access to research for academics, scientists and anybody else who seek it . We are To achieve this we have to acknowledge the support from researchers, reviewers, authors and readers who believed in our vision for the journal and helped realise it through their regular, invaluable contributions.We also acknowledge our sponsors who have been generous and enormously supportive. It takes a huge load off our shoulders when we know that each issue of the biij will see light of day thanks to their commitment.They say, the first year is always the most difficult to get through. The journal has been able to efficiently maintain the entire editorial lifecycle within a reasonable timeframe (data as of 29 June 2006): average time from submission to first review was 20.7 days, time lag between submission and acceptance (turn around time) was 109.9 days and a manuscript was published within a mean period of 35.2 days following acceptance. Each manuscript is processed for dual formats: a multimedia enabled, display independent web format, and a more traditional typeset PDF format. Abstracts are extracted and automatically indexed in supported bibliographic indexing engines. The number of submissions has reached 82 and our acceptance rate is currently 80.8%.The readership of biij comes from more than 60 countries, from Canada to Cyprus, from Singapore to Slovenia, and from United States to Uruguay; making it a truly international journal. Another achievement is that we have been indexed by the following bibliographic agencies: Chemical Abstract, INSPEC, Index Copernicus, Directory of Open Access Journals and CrossRef. We aim to get indexed by Medline in the near future.With every passing month, the website's popularity has increased and its virtual readership has grown steadily . BetweenEvery article is assigned a unique Document Object Identifier (DOI) and carries the citation information which is a great boon to contributors to determine how frequently their article has been cited. The journal also provides a list of its "most-viewed articles" with the highest having reached 2,172 page loads (as of 29 June 2006).http://www.biij.org/biomedical-imaging-intervention-journal-resources.asp), have proven to be a valuable educational resource.Digital recordings of lectures and conferences have been a useful tool in learning , and biiWe are planning a few special focus issues, including PET/CT and molecular imaging, image-guided surgery and therapy, radiation dose optimisation in biomedical imaging and intervention, leadership and management. To ensure a publication of the highest quality, well known researchers and practitioners have been invited to contribute articles.Finally, we would like to especially thank our readers whose support is what keeps the journal going for each issue. Your readership, feedback, and encouragement help sustain our work and in return we assure you that the biij will strive to maintain the highest publication quality.We can only march forward now.


Acinetobacter is one of the most prevalent opportunistic pathogens causing recent nosocomial infections with NDM-1, and drug-resistant strains pose serious threats to public health worldwide. Herein, we present the genomic sequence of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus XM1570, a multidrug-resistant isolate that carries the blaNDM-1 gene.The NDM-1 gene is a significant public health concern.  Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa  were identified. Further, a 47,274-bp plasmid carrying blaNDM-1 was identified. Our sequence data will be more valuable when further studies on the horizontal transfer of blaNDM-1 are conducted.Acinetobacter calcoaceticus PHEA-2. This drug-resistant strain, which has been identified in many Chinese hospitals, belongs to the A. calcoaceticus-A. baumannii (ACB) complex . Herein, we present the draft genomic sequence of the blaNDM-1-bearing strain Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus XM1570.Our strain is very similar to  complex . This gr species . As is tde novo using SOAPdenovo v1.05. Acinetobacter oleivorans DR1 and contigs were next manually connected with reference to paired-end relationships at the 2-kb level. After all sequence data were evaluated, we identified putative protein-encoding sequences using Glimmer 3.0 ; the average G+C percentage of the strain is 38.82%. β-lactamase and 16S rRNA methylase genes were sought using PCR and specific sequencing protocols to check whether the sequencing data are accurate.Finally, we obtained 95 contigs with a total length of 4,076,308 bp, including one 47.3-kb circular contig identified as a Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus XM1570 has been deposited at DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession no. AMXH00000000. The version described in this paper is the first version, accession no. AMXH01000000.The genome sequence of


Cardiovascular Journal of Africa (CVJA), Prof Andries Brink, the Journal continues to operate on the excellent foundation he and managing editor Julia Aalbers established.In the wake of the death of the founder and editor-in-chief of the CVJA had, at the end of May, an all-time record number of manuscript submissions; already 85% of the total submitted during the course of 2012. We are also delighted to have received submissions from a greater number of African countries and covering an increasing range of fields pertinent to cardiovascular medicine. As a result, we have invited additional topic editors in our established fields and will have to create new fields of interest.The CVJA to further expose the work of our Francophone colleagues globally.Furthermore, an increasing number of French-language submissions from African countries, accompanied by an English translation of the abstract, have been very welcome. During the 11th PASCAR meeting hosted in Dakar, Senegal, and co-hosted by the Senegalese Society of Cardiology (SOSECAR), great progress was made in sourcing appropriate reviewers for these French-language submissions. This will enable the Journal is being steered by Prof Paul Brink. In this he has relied on advice and support from Profs Amanda Lochner and Johann Brink. Our sincere thanks are extended to them and the topic editors who have tirelessly managed our submissions.Interviews with selected candidates for the position of editor-in-chief are planned and an announcement will be made soon. In the interim, the CVJA and was a regular sight at academic gatherings. She is well known for her optimistic can-do attitude and creativity, and has contributed to highlighting Africa on international platforms. We will certainly miss her boundless energy and skill.Julia Aalbers, after some uncertainty, has decided to leave the journal to pursue other interests; an intention she had indicated late in 2012. Julia dedicated 25 years to the From these solid foundations, the CVJA is proudly marching into the future.


World Allergy Organization Journal , and I must begin with a thank you to the previous Editor-in-Chief, Professor Lanny Rosenwasser. He had set for the Journal a high standard that I pledge to maintain and to develop further. During his tenure, the Journal was established as an open-access resource and became indexed in PubMed Central and PubMed as well as other open source indexes, and the number of articles increased significantly, making it a regular publication in its new online-only form. Both Professor Rosenwasser and our first Editor-in-Chief, Professor Johannes Ring, will thankfully stay involved as Founding Editors, so the Journal will have the opportunity to continue to profit from their combined experience.This is my first editorial as the new Editor-in-Chief of the In addition, I would like to reciprocate the wishes to Professor Rosenwasser  for a frWAO Journal is ready for citation analysis toward acquiring its Impact Factor.I have no doubt that the new presidency will further extend the WAO horizons. Thus, while Professor Rosenwasser is receiving a growing organization, I am taking the leadership of a very interesting and growing Journal, now entering its seventh year of publication, with a substantial number of articles covering the main topics of our discipline, i.e., (in decreasing order of citations) asthma, allergic rhinitis, food allergy, immunotherapy, and drug allergy. Most important, the Being the official organ of the World Allergy Organization, WAO Journal is intended to mirror the professional and academic interests of our members. It will also be a platform for viewing the development of allergic disease in the world. As a pediatric allergist active in the last 25 years, I have experienced the clinical impact of the increase of this new class of diseases: increasing number of patients, increasing complexity of cases, and new allergic pathologies. To exemplify, our generation witnessed the appearance of the Oral Allergy Syndrome , the FooWAO Journal will profit from the tremendous advancements reflected in these journals and will attempt to keep the reader updated on the different aspects of allergy diagnosis, interpretation, and treatment. For diagnosis and treatment, in particular, the availability of molecular tools opens new avenues to a better interpretation of the disease [WAO Journal, Professor Erika Jensen-Jarolim, as an expert in the field has followed the progress of diagnostics and molecular therapy since the cloning of the first allergen to the borders with oncology [The  disease , the for disease , and the disease . Specifioncology . She wiloncology . WAO is oncology  aimed toWAO Journal over the next few years. In this respect, we have still to learn from epidemiologic studies that are being actively developed. The comparison among the allergy trends in the different parts of the world will be particularly interesting in this regard, and the Journal is the natural place for comptive epidemiologic studies [The causes of allergy epidemics are far from being fully understood and remain a real mystery of modern life . I am su studies ,15.WAO Journal endeavor to publish works with specific clinical relevance and practical measures that are critical for the practice of allergy anywhere in the world.All active individual members of the 92 WAO Member Societies are members of WAO. This Journal is their publication. It is your publication. Thus, I encourage you to participate in the


Persea americana) is an extreme case of a species with a very low fruit to flower ratio. In this work, the implications of starch content in the avocado flower on the subsequent fruit set are explored. Firstly, starch content in individual ovaries was analysed from two populations of flowers with a different fruit set capacity showing that the flowers from the population that resulted in a higher percentage of fruit set contained significantly more starch. Secondly, in a different set of flowers, the style of each flower was excised one day after pollination, once the pollen tubes had reached the base of the style, and individually fixed for starch content analysis under the microscope once the fate of its corresponding ovary (that remained in the tree) was known. A high variability in starch content in the style was found among flowers, with some flowers having starch content up to 1,000 times higher than others, and the flowers that successfully developed into fruits presented significantly higher starch content in the style at anthesis than those that abscised. The relationship between starch content in the ovary and the capacity of set of the flower together with the correlation found between the starch content in the style and the fate of the ovary support the hypothesis that the carbohydrate reserves accumulated in the flower at anthesis are related to subsequent abscission or retention of the developing fruit.A common observation in different plant species is a massive abscission of flowers and fruitlets even after adequate pollination, but little is known as to the reason for this drop. Previous research has shown the importance of nutritive reserves accumulated in the flower on fertilization success and initial fruit development but direct evidence has been elusive. Avocado ( A common phenomenon in a wide range of flowering plants is the production of more flowers than fruits –5. DiffeSeveral studies suggest that seed and fruit abortion might be attributed to resource limitations ,6,7. In In woody plant species, the carbohydrate support needed for flower and fruit development originates either from reserves accumulated in the tree the year before or from photosynthesis performed in the inflorescences, flowers or leaves –17. MorePersea americana Mill.), a member of the Lauraceae, a family included in the early-divergent Magnoliid clade in the angiosperms, is an extreme case of a species with a very low fruit to flower ratio, with less than 1% of the flowers produced able to set fruits due to a massive drop of flowers and developing fruitlets . The samples were then stained using the potassium iodide-iodine reaction . Therefore, to detect a putative relationship between the starch content in the cortical tissue of the style and that in different parts of the upper and lower sections of the ovary and the transmitting tissue of the style at anthesis, while correcting for differences among flowers, Pearson’s correlation coefficients at the 0.01 significance level were computed. Prior to performing the experiment to compare the nutritive status of the style in abscising and non-abscising flowers, and to determine whether the starch content of the style was correlated to the starch content in the different tissues of the ovary, 150 flowers at anthesis were randomly collected from three trees and their starch content was evaluated at different levels in the upper and lower sections of the ovary and in the style . In ever In the experiment to compare the starch content of the style in abscising and non-abscising flowers, once the fate of each ovary remaining on the tree after style dissection was known in the 597 individually labelled flowers, the starch content of the style was analysed from 15 flowers that finally set fruits and from 40 randomly selected flowers that finally abscised. Student’s t-test at the 0.05 significance level was used to detect differences in starch content between the population of flowers that dropped and the population of flowers that set fruits.8.7,112.9 = 2.48 ; G-C adjustment P = 0.014). Pollen tubes started to reach the base of the style between 4 and 6 h after hand pollination  , whereas no fruits developed in the late-developing inflorescences. The analysis of the starch content in the ovary revealed that the amount in early-developing inflorescences  was significantly higher than that in late-developing inflorescences  (= 0.033) . 9,43 = 13.04, P < 0.001). Such decrease was significant only one day after anthesis, while no significant changes occurred afterwards  was found . Thus, tN = 1242, χ21 = 1.650, P = 0.199). In both populations of flowers, the highest drop wave took place during the first week after anthesis . On the other hand, from the 645 hand-pollinated flowers, without dissection of the styles used as control, only 13 developed into fruits (2%). When the two populations of flowers, with or without style dissection, were compared, no differences were found either in the drop pattern , or in tanthesis .t = -2.64, df = 53, P = 0.011) than those that abscised prematurely  were studied. The results show significant differences in starch content between those two populations of flowers suggesting a role of starch, present in the flowers at anthesis, in reproductive success in avocado. Similar evidence suggesting that the flower capacity to accumulate carbohydrates is related to the subsequent fruit set or flower/fruitlet abscission is accumulating in different woody perennial plant species. Thus, starch content in the pistil at anthesis could be a good indicator of flower quality , an elusHowever, most of the studies performed on carbohydrate metabolism and partitioning in woody perennial species have been focused on changes at the whole tree level comparing different structures ,60 and mThe results obtained in this work allowed us to establish differences among flowers in the same tree and even in the same inflorescence. Avocado flowers with a higher starch content in the pistil were found to successfully develop into fruit whereas those with a low starch content abscised prematurely. Therefore, the amount of starch in the avocado pistil appears to play an important role in fertilization and fruit set as has been suggested in other species ,20,24, i


Acinetobacter and Rickettsia species DNA in lice and Melophagus ovinus (sheep ked) of animals from Oromia Regional State in Ethiopia. From September through November 2011, a total of 207 cattle, 85 sheep, 47 dogs and 16 cats were examined for ectoparasites. Results of morphological identification revealed several species of ectoparasites: Linognathus vituli (L. vituli), Bovicola bovis (B. bovis) and Solenopotes capillatus (S. capillatus) on cattle; B. ovis and Melophagus ovinus (M. ovinus) on sheep; and Heterodoxus spiniger (H. spiniger) on dogs. There was a significantly (p≤0.0001) higher prevalence of L. vituli observed in cattle than both S. capillatus and B. bovis. Molecular identification of lice using an 18S rRNA gene analysis confirms the identified lice species by morphological methods. We detected different Acinetobacter species among lice (11.1%) and keds (86.4%) including A. soli in L. vituli of cattle, A. lowffii in M. ovinus of sheep, A. pittii in H. spiniger of dogs, 1 new Acinetobacter spp. in M. ovinus and 2 new Acinetobacter spp. in H. spiniger of dogs using partial rpoB gene sequence analysis. There was a significantly higher prevalence of Acinetobacter spp. in keds than in lice (p≤0.00001). Higher percentage of Acinetobacter spp. DNA was detected in H. spiniger than in both B. ovis and L. vituli (p≤0.00001). Carbapenemase resistance encoding genes for blaOXA-23, blaOXA-24, blaOXA-58, blaNDM-1 and blaOXA-51 were not found in any lice and keds. These findings suggest that synanthropic animals and their ectoparasites might increase the risk of human exposure to zoonotic pathogens and could be a source for Acinetobacter spp. infections in humans. However, additional epidemiological data are required to determine whether ectoparasites of animals can act as environmental reservoirs and play a role in spreading these bacteria to both animal and human hosts.This study was conducted to determine the presence of  Melophagus ovinus) are two of the most common and economically important ectoparasites of domestic animals worldwide. They are responsible for a wide range of health problems in domestic animals Lice and sheep keds  bovis, and three species of sucking lice, including Linognathus vituli (the long-nosed cattle louse), Solenopotes capillatus (the little blue cattle louse) and Haematopinus quadripertusus (the cattle tail louse) Bovicola  ovis; one species of sucking lice, Linognathus ovillus and one species of the fly, Melophagus ovinus, are common ectoparasites Bovicola  caprae, and the sucking lice Linognathus stenopsis have been reported Heterodoxus spiniger and Trichodectes canis as well as one species of sucking lice, Linognathus steosus, were reported. In contrast, there are no reports available on the lice from cats in Ethiopia Several species of lice have been found on Ethiopian cattle; one species of chewing lice, All the previous reports on the lice and sheep keds of animals in Ethiopia resulted from studies of other ectoparasites, specifically ticks and mange mites Acinetobacter species are Gram-negative coccobacilli bacteria commonly found in water, soil, mud, living organisms, vegetables, as well as in the feces, urine and skin of humans and animals Acinetobacter has been continually revised Acinetobacter genomic sp. 3 was renamed as A. pittii, Acinetobacter genomic sp. 13TU as A. nosocomialis and Acinetobacter genomic sp. G13 as A.lwoffiiAcinetobacter have emerged as opportunistic pathogens, and are frequently implicated in various types of infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals and intensive health care units A. baumannii is described as the most common species in this genus frequently associated with outbreaks and has been repeatedly reported to develop a high level of resistance against all available classes of antimicrobial drugs in many parts of the world A. pittii is reported as the second most commonly isolated Acinetobacter species after A. baumannii in human patients A. lwoffii and A. soli have been associated with serious infections and considered as emerging pathogens A. lwoffii has been associated with acute gastroenteritis in USA A. lwoffii in southern Thailand A. soli outbreak as a cause of infection in neonatal intensive health care unit in Korea A. pittii in United States were reported.In humans, members of the genus Acinetobacter species is considered as an emerging problem due to escalating in the number of reports from many countries of the world. Nosocomial infection by A. baumannii in dogs and cats in intensive care unit in Switzerland A. baumannii in pets and horses in Switzerland Acinetobacter spp. in veterinary clinics in Germany A. baumannii in samples from cattle and pigs slaughtered for human consumption in major Scottish abattoirs Acinetobacter spp. in cattle from France Acinetobacter spp. from faeces of horses in Belgium Acinetobacter spp. in veterinary medicine mirroring the situation happening in human medicine.In animals infection due to Acinetobacter spp. have been detected in different species including tsetse flies, sand flies, mosquitoes, fleas and ticks in many countries of the world. Details on Acinetobacter spp. detected in arthropods, species of vectors and methods of detection is presented  as per the instructions of the manufacturer. DNA from each ectoparasite was eluted in 200 µl of TE buffer and stored at −20°C under sterile conditions to preclude any contamination until the sample was used for PCR. The second half of each louse and fly was kept at −80°C as a backup sample.Pediculus humanus capitis collected in Mali and one sample of P. humanus humanus collected in Algeria. These samples were included in the PCR assay, and sterile water was used as negative control.For molecular species identification, DNA samples of 3 to 8 randomly selected individual lice per species were subjected to standard PCR in an automated DNA thermal cycler to amplify a fragment of the 18S rRNA gene as described The PCR products were cleaned of excess primers and nucleotides using a QIAquick Spin PCR Purification Kit (Qiagen) as per instructions of the manufacturer. Purified DNA was sequenced using the BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit . All obtained sequences were assembled and edited using Chromas Pro1.34 . The sequences of the 18S rRNA genes were then subjected to BLAST analysis to determine similarities to those available in GenBank and to construct a phylogenetic tree using Mega 5 software .Acinetobacter species DNA targeting the rpoB gene Rickettsia with primers targeting the gltA gene specific for this group Rickettsia with primers targeting the Rpr274P gene, which encodes a hypothetical protein A. baumannii, R. montanensis and R. typhi DNA were used as positive controls. The samples were considered positive when cycle thresholds (Ct) were <35.All the specimens were individually tested for the presence of Acinetobacter species were tested for the presence of carbapenemase encoding genes by qPCR targeting blaOXA-23, blaOXA-24, blaOXA-58 and blaNDM-1 using primers, probes and all conditions as has been described before All the DNA of lice (n = 82) and flies (n = 19) positive for Acinetobacter spp. by qPCR were further subjected to standard PCR targeting partial rpoB gene (zone 1) to identify Acinetobacter spp. using the primers and all conditions as described before A. genomosp DNA were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Detection of amplified products, cleaning of excess primers and nucleotides from DNA, sequencing, assembling and edition of sequences, BLAST analysis and rpoB gene phylogenetic tree construction with Maximum likelihood statistics of Mega 5 were all performed using similar methods as described for 18S rRNA gene for lice above.A total of 32 lice and 10 keds DNA of sufficient amount and positive for Ethical approval for the collection of lice and flies from domestic animals was obtained from the animal research ethics board (Agreement # 14/160/550/2011) of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture of Addis Ababa University. All necessary oral permits were obtained for the described field studies, including permission of administration and agricultural office of each Ethiopian district and from each animal owner. Ectoparasite collections are not harmful and are not against the welfare of animals. No collection had been done from privately-owned, wildlife, national park or other protected areas and endangered or protected species.TM7 and a P-value of <0.05 was considered significant.Microsoft Excel was used for data management. Descriptive statistics such as percentages and means were employed to summarize the proportions of infestations with lice and keds. Statistical analysis was performed with EpiInfoLinognathus vituli, 4 Bovicola bovis and 3 Solenopotes capillatus from cattle; 22 Heterodoxus spiniger from dogs; 298 Bovicola ovis and 22 Melophagus ovinus from sheep  with S. capillatus and 0.5% (1/207) with B. bovis. In cattle, there was a significantly higher prevalence of L. vituli than both S. capillatus and B. bovis (p≤0.0001). Of the total examined sheep, 48.2% (41/85) were infested with B. ovis and 21.05% (4/19) were positive for M. ovinus. In addition, 19.1% (9/47) of the examined dogs were infested with H. spiniger. Alternatively, lice were not detected on any of the cats studied.A total of 207 cattle, 85 sheep, 47 dogs and 16 cats in six districts were examined for the presence of lice and sheep keds . The resom sheep . FurtherH. spiniger (n = 5) showed 100% (509/509) similarity to the GenBank reference of H. spiniger collected from Japan (GU569166) (L. vituli (n = 7) showed 99.3% (553/557) similarity to Linognathus vituli collected in Australia (GenBank Access. No. AY077774). Four mutations were detected between our sequence and the reference (AY077774) at 283 bp (T-G), 327 bp (T-A), 352 bp (T-C), and 420 bp (T-C). This sequence was submitted to GenBank under accession number JX401573.Molecular identification of the lice based on the 18S rRNA gene analysis was used to confirm the species of lice identified by morphological methods. A BLAST analysis of 18S rRNA gene sequences of lice from dogs morphologically identified as U569166) . LikewisSolenopotes capillatus showed 92.2% (536/581) homology with the GenBank sequence of Neohaematopinus sciuri (AF423798) and 92% (520/565) homology with Hoplopleura hirsute collected in Japan from the cotton rat Sigmodon hispidus (GU569181).Interestingly, a sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene of 3 lice from cattle morphologically identified as Bovicola bovis lice from cattle showed 99.8% (494/495) similarity to B. ovis (GenBank Access No. GU569184) and 99.4% (510/513) similarity to Geomydoecus craigi (GenBank Access No. AF385040)  from sheep revealed 100% (495/495) similarity with Bovicola ovis detected in Japan and Australia with the sequences GU569184 and AY077769, respectively.A BLAST analysis of the 18S rRNA gene of 4 F385040) . There aPediculus humanus humanus (n = 1) from Mali revealed 99.4% (496/499) similarity with Pediculus humanus corporis detected in France with Accessions Nos. AF139479 and AF139478, respectively. An analysis of the 18S rRNA gene from Pediculus humanus capitis (n = 1) from Algeria revealed 99.8% (518/520) similarity with the Pediculus humanus capitis detected in Thailand, Portugal and China with Accessions Nos. AY236418, AY236414 and AY236417, respectively.An analysis of the 18S rRNA gene from H. spiniger reference lice and our lice sample from dogs that belong to the family Boophidae in the suborder Amblycera formed one group on the phylogenetic tree  and 19 flies (86.4%) . The study showed that a higher percentage of Acinetobacter spp. DNA was detected in H. spiniger of dogs than in B. ovis and L. vituli . The prevalence of Acinetobacter spp. in L. vituli collected from cattle was significantly higher than in B. ovis from sheep . Acinetobacter spp. was not detected in any of the 4 Bovicola bovis collected from cattle (We detected  (86.4%) . In our m cattle .H. spiniger, 45% (18/40) of cattle were infested with L. vituli and 34.4% (14/41) of sheep were infested with B. ovis and harbored at least 1 louse positive for Acinetobacter spp.  infested sheep. Highest proportion of Acinetobacter spp. was observed in cattle infested with L. vituli in Walmara and Gachi districts whereas highest percentage of Acinetobacter spp. was noted in sheep infested with B. ovis in Shano and Asalla districts  of dogs were infested with ter spp. . Similaristricts .Melophagus ovinus collected from sheep using qPCR did not produced any positive results for either spotted fever or typhus group Rickettsia species.A molecular investigation of the 735 lice collected from domestic animals and 22 rpoB gene from a total of 10 samples including one from L. vituli of cattle, 3 from M. ovinus of sheep and 6 from H. spiniger of dogs  in Brazil Glossina palpalis palpalis (tsetse fly) in Angola Prionoplus reticularis larvae (wood feeding beetle) in New Zealand Bacterria cockerelli (potato psyllid) in the USA Bemisia tabaci (tobacco whitefly) in India A. baumannii have been detected with a prevalence of 5.1% in the feces of domestic animals in Senegal In line with our findings, he world . For insA. baumannii infection A. baumannii bacteremia in infested patients as a source of infection for body lice but they stated it is not possible to rule out the possibility of acquiring A. baumannii infection in human body lice from external environmental contamination Acinetobacter abundant in the environment reside in the gut of several species of arthropods as transient or natural flora Acinetobacter spp. in the environment including on the skin and in the faces of animals Acinetobacter spp. infection from the skin, faces or transient Acinetobacter spp. bacteremia of their host animals. Moreover, it is not possible to rule out infection of lice and keds by vertical route and also probably animals may play a role as reservoirs for these bacteria.Most earlier investigators suggested that it is still yet not exactly determined how both body and head human lice acquired Rickettsia DNA in the lice and flies in our study. This finding contrasts with previous work that reported detecting R. helvetica in M. ovinus from sheep, in Linognathus stenopsis from goats, and Rickettsia spp. in Haematopinus eurysternus from cattle in Hungary We did not detect Acinetobacter spp. in the lice and keds of domestic animals in our study is in line with the previous finding of absence of resistance to several antimicrobials in A. soli in intensive health care units of neonates in Brazil A. lwoffii from acute gastroenteritis in USA A. baumannii from faeces of domestic animals in Senegal A. baumannii reported from several countries of the world Acinetobacter spp. from a range of environmental sources in South Korea A. baumannii and other Acinetobacter spp. from blood cultures in Norway The absence of any positive results for blaOXA-23, blaOXA-24, blaOXA-58, blaNDM-1 and blaOXA-51 genes encoding for carbapenemase resistance by both qPCR and standard PCR in Acinetobacter spp. identification study from DNA of lice and keds of animals in Oromia uncovered the occurrence of 3 previously described species and 3 new Acinetobacter spp.  than A. baumannii (only 8.8%) from human blood culture isolates was recently reported from Norway Acinetobacter spp.ter spp. . All the GenBank . This fiAcinetobacter species from H. spiniger of dogs and one from ked of sheep (Acinetobacter spp. demonstrated low nucleotide homology with reference rpoB sequence in the GenBank and low bootstrap value in the rpoB phylogenetic tree. Results of our study suggest the presence of specific Acinetobacter species in lice and keds of domestic animals unlike A. baumannii in human lice. We believe that additional in depth epidemiological studies involving other species of lice and ectoparasites of different animal species from vast areas in the world are needed as has been done during the last decade for Bartonella species, ectoparasites and their animal hosts Acinetobacter spp. detected in the lice and keds from animals.We also identified two new of sheep . All theAcinetobacter spp. in various species of lice collected from domestic animals and in flies collected from sheep. Our study demonstrates that Acinetobacter spp. are not only common as hospital pathogens and in human lice but they can also be detected in the ectoparasites of animals. Our findings suggest that synanthropic animals and their ectoparasites might play a role to increase the risk of human exposure to zoonotic pathogens and could be a source for Acinetobacter spp. infections in humans. However, additional epidemiological data are required to justify the significance of this finding and to determine whether ectoparasites from animals can act as environmental reservoirs and play a role in spreading these bacteria to both animal and human hosts.To our knowledge, this study is the first to report the presence of DNAs from different


An increasing number of healthcare providers author medical blogs (bloggers) to educate the public and fellow physicians. Traditionally, many bloggers have assumed that readers are most interested in information presented at prestigious and popular scientific meetings. As a result, the readers and bloggers often ignore blogs of local scientific meetings. We hypothesize that blog readers will utilize blogs about local scientific meetings less than those about national meetings.We examined nephrology-pertinent blogs from 2010-2012. Blogs were categorized as "local/regional" or "national/international" based on the majority of the audience that attended the live scientific meeting. We tracked the number of pageviews, reading time, and location of use per blog for the first 90-days after its first availability on the website. Wilcoxon testing was performed on all data.There were 9 local/regional and 11 national/international scientific meetings for which blogs were available. The mean number of page views was significantly lower in blogs from local/regional than national/international conferences . However, the mean difference in total reading time between both categories of blogs was not significant (p = 0.25).Data from this investigation do not fully support the hypothesis that readers utilized local/regional blogs less than national/international blogs. Although local/regional blogs attracted fewer readers (lower pageviews), the content in these blogs was compelling enough to keep the reader equally engaged as with national/international blogs. Bloggers use this medium to report the events, discussions, and controversies that occur at scientific conferences. As a result, the blog is a valuable tool for the reader who may otherwise not have access to this information. Traditionally, many bloggers have assumed that readers are most interested in information presented at prestigious and popular scientific meetings4. Thus, they have focused their blogging efforts on large national and international conferences and have ignored smaller, local meetings5. Historically, local scientific meetings attract a smaller live audience, have a geographically restricted educational impact, and do not present much novel medical information. Nevertheless, the value of blogs that pertain to local conferences has not been studied. Given these limitations, we hypothesize that blog readers will utilize blogs about local scientific meetings less than those about national meetings.An increasing number of healthcare providers author medical blogs (bloggers) to educate the public and fellow physicianshttp://www.mynod.org). These blogs were text-based narrative reports of scientific meetings that occurred between 2010–2012. Blogs were categorized as “local/regional” or “national/international” based on the majority of the audience that primarily attended the live scientific meeting. All of the meetings were based in the United States. The only blogs analyzed were firsthand accounts written by individuals who attended live conferences and not those created from second- or third-party sources. Blogs were posted on Nephrology On-Demand and were freely available to all users athttp://goo.gl/28zza. We used Google Analytics to track the number of pageviews, reading time, and location of use per blog for the first 90-days after its availability on the website. Wilcoxon tests were used to compare pageviews and reading time for each blog from different continents. JMP Pro 10 and Microsoft Excel 2007 were used for all statistical analyses.We examined nephrology-pertinent blogs authored by the editors or administrators of Nephrology On-Demand , the content in these blogs was compelling enough to keep the reader equally engaged as with national/international blogs . The latter finding is surprising because it suggests that information presented at local conferences can keep the attention of the reader as effectively as national conferences. Blogs open local conferences to the global communityFurther investigations are needed to determine what features local/regional blogs need to have in order to be viewed by a similar number of readers as the national/international blogs. Such features, if identified and incorporated, would greatly increase the value of local/regional scientific conferences. This exploratory investigation suggests that once these readers view a blog, the content within that blog will keep them engaged, no matter where it was presented. I have read this submission. I believe that I have an appropriate level of expertise to confirm that it is of an acceptable scientific standard. A very important and relevant analysis of the use of modern day technology in education. The education tools utilized in medicine in general has to adapt to the needs and interests of the students in the millennium era. I would suggest that the discussion needs to include a few sentences on how best the authors feel the “millennium multi-tasking student” can be kept engaged and focused so the “take home message” is delivered. Will keeping the blogs short and concise help with delivering the right message?I have read this submission. I believe that I have an appropriate level of expertise to confirm that it is of an acceptable scientific standard.


AbstractKosteletzkya C. Presl, 1835  includes 17 species, all but two of which are about evenly distributed between Africa and the northern Neotropics. Fifteen of the species were brought into cultivation and used in a hybridization program in an attempt to shed light on evolutionary and phytogeographic relationships in the genus. Chromosome pairing (x = 19) at meiosis was examined in 51 of the 56 interspecific hybrids that were produced, and the seven New World species, all diploids, were found to exhibit nearly complete pairing among themselves, indicating that they share a genome. By contrast the three African diploids showed low levels of chromosome pairing in crosses among themselves, leading to the recognition here of three distinct genomes, newly designated A, B and G. The African B-genome diploid, Kosteletzkya buettneri Gürke, 1889, was found to share its genome with the New World species. Four other African species are known to be tetraploids and a fifth, a hexaploid. The results of chromosome pairing in hybrids among all of the African species at all ploidy levels, plus the discovery of a spontaneously tetraploidized experimental intergenomic African diploid hybrid, suggest that three of the four tetraploids and the single hexaploid might all be allopolyploids built on the three known extant genomes. The fourth tetraploid paired poorly or moderately with these three genomes. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that Kosteletzkya arose in Africa, radiated at the diploid level, underwent natural interspecific hybridization, produced two tiers of allopolyploids, and at some more recent time dispersed a B-genome diploid to the New World where it underwent another radiation at the diploid level. Structural features of the fruits suggest adaptations for passive distribution by animals, potentially over long distances.PageBreak Kosteletzkya C. Presl, 1835  comprises 17 species that, with two exceptions, are about evenly divided between Africa (eight species) and the northern New-World tropics  Ledebour, 1841, is found primarily extra-tropically along the eastern and Gulf coasts of the United States, with a few probably introduced populations in Eurasia  Fernández-Villar, 1880, is found only on the island of Luzon in the Philippines , and onKosteletzkya raises a question of where the group originated. Because the more complex, polyploid-rich species assemblage in Africa suggests a longer evolutionary history than its uniformly diploid New-World counterparts, I have speculated that Africa was the birthplace of the genus  O. J. Blanchard, 1988  or early fall . To make these three available PageBreakto a greater variety of other potential crossing partners, beginning in early summer plants of several of the other species were put on carts, moved daily at 1700h into an adjoining darkened room, and retrieved the next morning. Within three or four weeks, flower-bud initiation was evident. Early flowering was thereby induced so as to coincide with the flowering of the three late-summer-early-fall species.While most of the species that were studied were short-day, fall-and-winter-flowering plants, three of them flowered in the late summer , Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida, USA. In a few cases the vouchers for the parents are either the original wild-collected specimens that were the seed sources for the greenhouse plants, or they are specimens from the same seed source but grown in other years.Pollen was stained with Cotton Blue in lactophenol. Each pollen slide was made from a single flower. Normal-sized, fully and deeply blue-stained grains were treated as “stained” and are expressed here as a percent of the total number of grains on a slide. At least three and usually five or more slides were counted for each hybrid combination. The majority of the species that participated as parents in the stainability evaluations were themselves counted and their stainabilities were found to range from 97 to 100 percent. Later in the hybridization program space was at a premium and the few replicates of hybrid plants that could be grown were used almost solely as a source of young flower buds for meiotic samples, so for some of the later-produced hybrids no fruit or pollen data were obtained. By that time, however, the general patterns of fruit-set and pollen stainability were already evident.Recurvature of the styles is a problem for controlled pollinations, but it is a boon for fruit-set purposes because, with one exception, it was theoretically possible to let the greenhouse hybrids pollinate themselves and use those results rather than resorting to manual self-pollination. In actual practice, however, the plants were usually hand-pollinated anyway, as a part of the routine of nearly daily visits to the greenhouse.PageBreakKosteletzkya tubiflora  O. J. Blanchard & McVaugh, 1978 is one parent. This species bears distinctive yellow-and-red tubular flowers with an exserted staminal column and style  in northern Mexico  at meiotic metaphase I. Details of methods of collection, fixing, staining, and preservation of meiotic material can be found in tographs , especiatographs ; hence ttographs , as welltographs , 3b, 5a,A total of 56 interspecific hybrid combinations were obtained during the course of the study . Mean vaKosteletzkya thurberi, was unavailable), and all interspecific crosses that were attempted were successful and comprised 17 of the 21 possible pairwise combinations among the seven species. Hybrid plants generally grew as vigorously as their parents under greenhouse conditions. Pollen stainability among them ranged from 15 to 98 percent, while fruit-set ranged from 2 to 66 percent. Low or high values in one measure did not necessarily correspond with those of the other measure. For instance, the combination Kosteletzkya blanchardii Fryxell, 1977 × Kosteletzkya ramosa had 90 percent pollen stainability but only 7 percent fruit-set.All seven available New World species were involved in the crossing program  O. J. Blanchard, Fryxell et D. M. Bates, 1978 × Kosteletzkya tubiflora, whose parental species are dramatically different in habitat, morphology and floral adaptations. Kosteletzkya depressa is a lowland, bee-pollinated plant with a small, white-to-pink, rotate PageBreakPageBreakcorolla , included staminal column, and a green calyx , exserted staminal column and a pink-to-red calyx  Masters, 1868, Kosteletzkya buettneri and Kosteletzkya grantii  Garcke, 1880 were obtained, although these offspring were not as robust as the New-World PageBreakhybrids. Like the New-World diploid species, the three African parent species differ considerably in habit, leaf shape, inflorescence form and details of flowers  Ulbrich, 1924 resulted in only a single viable seed. Nevertheless, altogether six of the possible 12 diploid-tetraploid hybrids were eventually produced. As might be expected in hybrids between ploidy levels, pollen stainability was low (0-2 percent in the four interspecific combinations that were sampled for this characteristic) and their fruit-set was likewise low (0 percent in the same four combinations). Average chromosome pairing in these six hybrids varied widely. Two approached the potential maximum of 19, forming 17.9 to 18.8 pairs  it was 63 percent. Of the four tetraploid-tetraploid hybrids that were examined cytologically, one had bivalent-equivalents approaching the maximum possible 38, whereas the other three ranged from 3.5 to 24.6 bivalent-equivalents  in all of the 17 diploid New-World hybrids, the three African diploids contain chromosome sets with only low-to-modest affinity among themselves . A consequence of this is mirrored in the negligible pollen stainability (0 to 1 percent) and zero fruit-set in hybrids among the three African species. This has prompted the designation here of three distinct genomes among the African diploids: A for the Kosteletzkya buettneri and six different species from the New World show a nearly perfect pairing in each, consisting on average of 18.9 to 19 bivalent-equivalents. Clearly then, the one New-World genome must be B. Indirect support for this comes from the fact that New-World species recognize only 7.7 to 11.4chromosomes in the G genome, and only 1.2 chromosomes in the A genome—a pattern similar to crosses of these same two genomes directly with Kosteletzkya buettneri itself. These results, of course, indicate a direct connection between the African and New World parts of the genus. Simply stated, the African Kosteletzkya buettneri appears to be more closely related to the New World species than it is to its two African diploid congeners.Considering chromosome-pairing relationships in these genomic terms, it is apparent that only one genome is shared by all of the New World species. More interestingly, the trans-Atlantic crosses between the African diploid Malvaceae: Malvoideae, allopolyploidy has been extensively documented in Gossypium  or by flowering season (e.g. Kosteletzkya depressaPageBreak and Kosteletzkya pentacarpos in western Cuba and southern Florida). In contrast, while the African diploids are broadly sympatric, though perhaps often ecologically separated, experiments reported here have shown that hybrids among them are more difficult to obtain and weaker—conditions likely to pertain in the wild as well. In either hemisphere the hybrids themselves would obviously be transitory, living for a few years and then likely vanishing unrecognized and leaving few if any progeny.In classic allopolyploidy, the production of an interspecific hybrid is the first step leading to a new species, yet in an examination of over 2800 herbarium specimens comprising all 17 species in the genus, no plants were found that might have been considered natural hybrids. In a way, this is not a surprise. The New-World species, though relatively easily inter-crossable, are at present largely geographically allopatric, and even where they are in geographic proximity they are kept separate elevationally (e.g. Kosteletzkya grantii (2x) and Kosteletzkya begoniifolia (4x) averaged 17.9 bivalent-equivalents out of a possible 19, and likewise the diploid-tetraploid hybrid between Kosteletzkya buettneri (2x) and Kosteletzkya borkouana (4x) averaged 18.8 out of 19. The reverse crosses (Kosteletzkya buettneri × Kosteletzkya begoniifolia and Kosteletzkya grantii × Kosteletzkya borkouana) yielded averages of 3.9 and 7.0 respectively. This suggests that the G genome but not the B genome is present in the tetraploid Kosteletzkya begoniifolia, and the B genome but not the G genome is present in the tetraploid Kosteletzkya borkouana. Neither of these two diploids was combined in this study into a hybrid with the tetraploid Kosteletzkya rotundalata but this species shows nearly complete chromosome homology with Kosteletzkya begoniifolia—an average of 37.0 pairs out of a potential 38—suggesting a close relationship between the two, and indirectly indicating that the G genome is also present in Kosteletzkya rotundalata. Finally, the tetraploid Kosteletzkya semota was combined with both the B-bearing Kosteletzkya borkouana and the G-bearing Kosteletzkya rotundalata, producing on average only 3.5 and 11.3 pairs respectively, from which it can be reasonably concluded that Kosteletzkya semota contains neither B nor G genomes. This is further suggested by crosses of Kosteletzkya semota with the African diploids Kosteletzkya buettneri and Kosteletzkya grantii as well as with three New-World B-genome diploids, in which all five results ranged between 4.3 and 13.1 bivalent-equivalents.Nevertheless, there appears to be clear evidence of allopolyploidy in Africa. The experimental diploid-tetraploid hybrid between Kosteletzkya begoniifolia and Kosteletzkya borkouana were crossed with one another, the resulting hybrids averaged 24.6 bivalent-equivalents out of a possible 36, which indicates that they share a genome. That genome cannot be either G or B since it is shown above that neither is shared by the two tetraploids. This shared, unknown Kosteletzkya borkouana-Kosteletzkya begoniifolia-Kosteletzkya rotundalata genome cannot be present in Kosteletzkya semota because many fewer that a full set of 19 chromosomes were detected in Kosteletzkya semota by these other tetraploids.When the tetraploids Kosteletzkya adoensis and the tetraploids Kosteletzkya begoniifolia and Kosteletzkya borkouana produced only a single viable seed—from the first of these two combinations—and that seed yielded a severely stunted, deformed, non-reproductive plant. This made it impossible to introduce an A genome into either of the two tetraploids to the extent that it could reach meiosis and seek out a possible genomic match. On the other hand, the PageBreakputative hybrids that would have had to form in nature as a first step in the allopolyploid production of the postulated AAGG and AABB tetraploids are, respectively, the combinations AG (Kosteletzkya adoensis × Kosteletzkya grantii), and AB (Kosteletzkya adoensis × Kosteletzkya buettneri). Both of these hybrids were indeed produced experimentally. The first had 1 percent pollen stainability, 0 percent fruit-set and produced an average of 2.0 bivalent-equivalents out of a potential 19; the second had 0 percent pollen stainability, 0 percent fruit-set, and an average of 3.1 bivalent equivalents. Although one might invoke some undiscovered or now-extinct genome as the postulated shared genome, the most obvious suggestion is that it is the extant genome A. It was therefore particularly frustrating that hundreds of cross-pollinations between the A-bearing Kosteletzkya begoniifolia or Kosteletzkya rotundalata. Both of these test hybrids were obtained, and they showed averages of 36.9 and 36.6 bivalent-equivalents respectively out of a potential 38. Kosteletzkya begoniifolia × Kosteletzkya artificial tetraploid.Remarkably, one day I found in the greenhouse a normal-appearing fruit on a branch of the otherwise profoundly sterile diploid hybrid AG plant. It contained three well-formed seeds, all of which subsequently germinated and produced vigorous plants which themselves yielded abundant fruit when selfed. This restoration of fertility strongly suggested that a spontaneous doubling of chromosomes had occurred in at least a small part of the hybrid plant, thereby creating identical pairs of chromosome sets and permitting full synapsis in meiotic prophase I, with the result that meiosis and gamete formation were able to proceed to normal completion. Examination of meiotic metaphase in one of these plants indeed showed 38 pairs of chromosomes . The conKosteletzkya adoensis and with Kosteletzkya grantii each yielded an average pairing of 19 out of 19 potential pairs. Interestingly, Kosteletzkya adoensis, which had been so intractable in attempts at crossing it with the two wild tetraploids, crossed fairly readily with their home-made counterpart, and the offspring grew and flowered well.This settled two important matters: 1) that the artificial tetraploid corresponded genomically to these wild tetraploids, and 2) that the identity of the elusive shared genome was indeed A. The latter was also separately verified by subsequent backcrossing of the artificial tetraploid to each of its two diploid parents. These crosses with Kosteletzkya begoniifolia, Kosteletzkya rotundalata and Kosteletzkya borkouana are respectively AAGG, AAGG and AABB.In summary, these results suggest that the genomic makeups of the tetraploids Since it is generally observed that most allopolyploids arise via unreduced gametes , and sinPageBreakKosteletzkya racemosa and any of the diploids, either African or New-World, however the hexaploid did cross with all four tetraploids. With Kosteletzkya begoniifolia and Kosteletzkya borkouana it averaged 37.1 and 37.8 chromosome pairs respectively out of a possible 38  Now that genomic makeups are known for the tetraploids Kosteletzkya borkouana and Kosteletzkya begoniifolia it can be stated with reasonable certainty that the genomic constitution of the hexaploid is AABBGG. This is because both AAGG (Kosteletzkya begoniifolia) and AABB (Kosteletzkya borkouana) tetraploids were shown separately to find nearly perfect correspondence with two sets of chromosomes in the hexaploid.Despite numerous attempts, no hybrids could be produced between the single African hexaploid sible 38 , whereasKosteletzkya buettneri-like narrower leaves and depressed fruit, plus the Kosteletzkya begoniifolia-like dark petal bases and larger seeds that together characterize the hexaploid, hint that the combination AAGG × BB might be the better candidate. The matter is complicated by the fact that while both of the relevant diploids occur in the geographical vicinity of the two known occurrences of Kosteletzkya racemosa in southern Congo-Kinshasa and northwestern Zambia, none of the tetraploids are currently known to do so.The hexaploid could theoretically have arisen in nature in one of two ways. A triploid ABG hybrid could have formed between an AABB tetraploid and a GG diploid, or between an AAGG tetraploid and a BB diploid, in both cases followed by chromosome doubling. No persuasive evidence at present strongly favors either scenario as being more likely, but the Kosteletzkya adoensis, Kosteletzkya buettneri and Kosteletzkya grantii are the direct, immediate sources of the genomes A, B and G that are found in the polyploids, but rather that the lineages that gave rise to these three modern diploids also contributed their genomes relatively recently to the polyploids. The two interspecific hybrids that are the diploid counterparts, AB and AG, of the natural tetraploids whose genomic makeups are known, i.e. Kosteletzkya borkouana (AABB) and Kosteletzkya begoniifolia/rotundalata (AAGG), are only somewhat similar morphologically, not identical, to these tetraploids. Likewise the artificial tetraploid that is the full genomic counterpart of the wild species Kosteletzkya begoniifolia is similar to the latter, but distinguishable from it. Finally, both the triploid combination Kosteletzkya begoniifolia-Kosteletzkya buettneri (ABG), and the triploid combination Kosteletzkya borkouana-Kosteletzkya grantii , look similar, but not identical, to the hexaploid Kosteletzkya racemosa (AABBGG).The preceding discussion is not meant to imply that Kosteletzkya semota, the third genomically distinctive tetraploid , appears to show little affinity with any of the three known diploid genomes. In effect the hexaploid Kosteletzkya racemosa offered all three known genomes to Kosteletzkya semota in a cross, but the 37-38 chromosomes of the latter could only recognize, on average, 6.6 Kosteletzkya racemosa chromosomes—the equivalent PageBreakof about one-third of a genome. There were similar outcomes when semota participated in crosses with other tetraploids discussed above, yielding bivalent-equivalents ranging from 3.5 to 11.3, indicating at best a low-to-modest level of chromosomal homology with any of the other known genomes. Interestingly however, Kosteletzkya semota was shown to share over two-thirds of a genome (13.1 pairs) in a cross directly with the diploid Kosteletzkya grantii. These varied results leave uncertainties about the evolutionary position Kosteletzkya semota, so it seems best to give it a provisional designation of XXYY, which recognizes the species as distinctive and assumes an allopolyploid origin. At least one of its diploid progenitors, and its constituent genome, remains undiscovered or, more likely, extinct.The decision to convert trivalents and quadrivalents to bivalent-equivalents  was intended to make Kosteletzkya based on the cytogenetic evidence presented here. It assumes that the degree of chromosome pairing in the experimental hybrids can be used as a rough relative measure of the degree of evolutionary divergence of the parents of a cross. In support of this assumption, I note that in the well-studied malvaceous genus Gossypium, the African genomes A, B and E show pairing relationships among themselves  lineage, since this alternative seems better supported by morphological evidence. The two postulated early-diverging genomes that led to the formation of the tetraploid Kosteletzkya semota have been designated here as XXYY, but in the depiction in Kosteletzkya grantii lineage, since the cross Kosteletzkya semota × Kosteletzkya grantii yielded 13.1 chromosome pairs, the equivalent of more than 2/3 of a genome.The reconstruction shown here indicates the reticulate nature of the evolution of Kosteletzkya begoniifolia × Kosteletzkya rotundalata contrasts dramatically with the zero percent seen in all twelve of the other African hybrids for which there are fruit-set data , considered the winged fruits of species of Hibiscus sect. Pterocarpus Garcke, 1849 and found no dispersal function for the wings since the capsules of Hibiscus dehisce in place to release their seeds. Instead he suggested that the wings mimicked those of the fruits of an East-African Pavonia in which, however, the wing-bearing mericarps actually individually enclose the seeds and could therefore presumably act as windborne disseminules. He later elaborated further on winged fruits in the Malvoideae (1913). Kosteletzkya, saying that in both Hibiscus sect. Pterocarpus and in Kosteletzkya the capsule-valves separate from the fruiting axis, so that it was possible that incompletely laterally disarticulated capsule-valve pairs could become windborne and carry seeds with them. Hochreutiner later Malvoideae.The suggestion that a Kosteletzkya indicates that both Mattei and Hochreutiner were correct. Adjacent capsule-valves in Kosteletzkya often do cohere in pairs or threes and PageBreakseparate together from the fruiting axis, carrying one or two seeds with them  to have an air space within the seed that permits it to float  and the mountains of Sierra Leone (a further 1350 miles), with no known occurrences of the species—and no montane habitats—in the intervening areas. Kosteletzkya begoniifolia has made a similar jump from montane East Africa to Cameroon (1050 miles), and Kosteletzkya borkouana has dispersed from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and East Africa 1300 miles across a considerable expanse of the Sahara to the Borkou region of northern Chad (Kosteletzkya depressa has spread to the Cayman Islands and throughout the Greater Antilles, presumably from a mainland source (see Kosteletzkya pentacarpos has spread from the United States to Cuba and Bermuda. Moreover, if the latter turns out not to have been transported to Eurasia by human agency, it must have made the trans-Atlantic trip by long-distance dispersal, as did the carrier of the ancestral B-genome, but in this case dispersing from west to east.Dispersal over considerable distances appears to have been accomplished by several ern Chad . In the urce see , and KosKosteletzkya borkouana, for example, the Sahara Desert was apparently largely vegetated at times during the interval from 15000 to 5000 years ago (PageBreakframe in which these plants could have dispersed without having undergone appreciable subsequent divergence would have been too recent to attribute their dispersal to the narrowed or bridged ocean gaps known to have occurred earlier in the Cenozoic, so some sort of island-hopping seems to be the only plausible explanation for the island distributions of Kosteletzkya depressa and Kosteletzkya pentacarpos (see It is worth noting, however, that some of these dispersal feats may have been aided in Africa by paleoclimatic cycles that provided geographically more benign intervening conditions . In the ears ago , and mayrpos see .Kosteletzkya species were unavailable for inclusion in the hybridization experiments reported here: Kosteletzkya thurberi from northwestern Mexico and the rare Kosteletzkya batacensis, endemic to the Philippine island of Luzon.It can be reasonably predicted that Kosteletzkya thurberi is a diploid of genomic makeup BB like all other New-World Kosteletzkya species. Kosteletzkya batacensis, on the other hand, remains a complete mystery. On the basis of general morphology—particularly of the fruits—the plant seems to belong in Kosteletzkya, although it is unique in the genus in being an annual. However its restricted range and its remote geographical location in relation to the rest of the genus would make any further speculation on its relationships almost reckless. There was an active maritime trade between Manila and Mexico for centuries, but suggestions of a Mexican origin for the plant (Two he plant , althoughe plant .Kosteletzkya, Africa and the northern Neotropics, the constituent species occur in approximately equal numbers and display similar ranges of morphological diversity. The results of the present study suggest that this apparent symmetry hides profound underlying differences in the evolutionary histories of the two groups. Pairing relationships in interspecific hybrids appear to show that Kosteletzkya in Africa underwent an early diversification at the diploid level, followed by a rich and complex history of allopolyploidy. In dramatic contrast, Kosteletzkya made a late appearance in the New World, where it underwent a rapid diploid-level diversification. These observations, especially if also borne out by a molecular study currently under way, lend strong support to my earlier contention, based on chromosome-number differences, that Africa is the birthplace of the genus. This scenario necessitates a long-distance dispersal, and the fruit and seed adaptations in Kosteletzkya,as well as known within-hemisphere dispersals, suggest such a capability.These observations also lend further weight to similar dispersals proposed by other workers to explain distributions in other malvoid genera, including the precursors of the cultivated cottons.In the two centers of diversity of