Pre-harvest contamination of maize grain with aflatoxin is a chronic problem worldwide and particularly in the southeastern U.S. Aflatoxin is a mycotoxin produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, an opportunistic ear-rot pathogen of maize (Zea mays). Resistance to aflatoxin accumulation is heritable, and resistant germplasm-lines are available. These lines are derived from “exotic” genetic backgrounds and were released as sources of resistance, not parental inbreds. However, all current sources of resistance are quantitative, which complicates conventional efforts to introgress resistance alleles from unadapted but resistant donor lines to adapted but susceptible recipient lines. Mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) and their linked markers enables targeted introgression of the desired alleles via marker-assisted selection. Quantitative trait loci were identified in two F2:3 mapping populations, derived from crossing resistant inbreds Mp715 and Mp717 to a common susceptible parent (Va35). The Mp715 x Va35 population was phenotyped for aflatoxin accumulation under artificial inoculation in replicated field trials at Mississippi State (MSU) in 2015 and 2016. The Mp717 x Va35 population was phenotyped at MSU and Lubbock, TX in 2016. Populations were genotyped using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and linkage maps created in JoinMap4. To locate QTL, linkage maps, genotypes, and phenotypes were analyzed jointly in QTL Cartographer 2.5 using composite interval mapping (CIM) and multiple interval mapping (MIM) procedures. Five QTL with the beneficial allele contributed by Mp715 were identified during CIM in bins 5.01, 6.06, 7.03 10.04 and 10.05. Three QTL with the beneficial allele contributed by Mp717 were identified during CIM in bins 3.07/3.08, 7.02/7.03, and 10.05. In both populations, QTL were identified with the beneficial allele contributed by Va35. Those QTL did not co-locate across populations but four of the six were on chromosome 1. Significant QTL effects from CIM were used as the initial model terms in MIM, where all QTL effects were fit simultaneously and their gene-action and epistatic interactions estimated.

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no / This research explores the possibility that a person's (perceiver's) prospects of making a correct inference of another person's (target's) inner states depends on the personal characteristics of the target, potentially relating to how readable they are. Twenty-seven targets completed the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and were classified as having low, average or high EQ. They were unobtrusively videoed while thinking of an event of happiness, gratitude, anger and sadness. After observing targets thinking of such a past event, fifty-two perceivers (participants) in Study 1 were asked to infer what the target was thinking, and fifty perceivers in Study 2 were asked to rate the target's expression – positive or negative. Results suggested that (1) perceivers' accuracy in detecting targets' thoughts depended on which EQ group the target belonged to, and (2) target readability is not a proxy measure for level of target expressiveness. In other words, something about EQ status renders targets more or less easy to read in a way that is not simply explained by expressive people being more readable. We conclude with discussion of the importance of the target's trait as well as situation they experience in determining how accurately a perceiver might infer their inner states.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-184). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Em ecologia de comunidades buscam-se padrões reproduzíveis, dentre os quais se destaca a busca por regras de montagem ou padrões de organização de comunidades. Diante disso propomos a avaliação desses padrões, com base em convergência e divergência de atributos (TCAP – trait convergence assembly patterns e TDAP – trait divergence assembly patterns, respectivamente), e da influência filogenética na organização de assembléias de espécies lenhosas em florestas. As comunidades foram descritas a partir de atributos funcionais de espécies vegetais, considerando um gradiente sucessional de Floresta Ombrófila Mista, entre áreas que sofreram supressão total da vegetação (denominadas comunidades iniciais) e áreas que não sofreram intervenções expressivas (comunidades avançadas). Para tal, as espécies amostradas, tanto para o estrato superior (indivíduos com DAP ≥ 10 cm), quanto para o estrato inferior (indivíduos com altura > 0,10 m e até 1 cm de DAP), que apresentaram frequência superior a 10%, considerando a amostragem total, foram descritas a partir de 17 atributos funcionais e por relações filogenéticas. Os dados foram analisados a partir de algoritmos baseados em multiplicação e correlações parciais entre diferentes matrizes, que possibilitam discriminar a relevância de TCAP, TDAP e do sinal filogenético para os padrões. Os resultados indicaram que está ocorrendo estruturação das comunidades vegetais a partir dos padrões avaliados, seja convergência ou divergência, relacionados, também, com a filogenia. Diante disso, avaliamos fatores abióticos (filtros ambientais) e bióticos (filtros bióticos) exercem efeitos distintos em comunidades ao longo de um gradiente sucessional, sendo possível observar, também, o sinal filogenético nessas. / In community ecology reproducible patterns are sought, among which stands out the search for assembly rules or assembly patterns. Considering this we propose to evaluate these patterns, based on convergence and divergence of attributes (TCAP – trait convergence assembly patterns and TDAP – trait divergence assembly patterns, respectively) and the phylogenetic influence in the organization of assemblages of woody species in forests. The communities were described from functional traits of plant species, considering a successional gradient of Araucaria Forest, among areas subjected to total removal of vegetation (called initial communities) and areas that haven’t suffered significant interventions (advanced communities). To this end, the species sampled for both the upper stratum (individuals with DBH ≥ 10 cm), and for the lower stratum (individuals with height > 0.10 m and until 1 cm DBH), which had a frequency exceeding 10%, considering the total sampling, were described from 17 functional attributes and phylogenetic relationships. Data were analyzed using algorithms based on multiplication and partial correlations between different matrixes, which permit to discriminate the relevance of TCAP, TDAP and phylogenetic signal to the patterns. The results indicated that is occurring organization of plant communities from the patterns assessed, either convergence or divergence, related also with the phylogeny. Given this, we conclude that abiotic (environmental filters) and biotic (biotic filters) factors exert distinct effects on communities along a successional gradient, and it was possible to observe also the phylogenetic signal in these.

Em ecologia de comunidades buscam-se padrões reproduzíveis, dentre os quais se destaca a busca por regras de montagem ou padrões de organização de comunidades. Diante disso propomos a avaliação desses padrões, com base em convergência e divergência de atributos (TCAP – trait convergence assembly patterns e TDAP – trait divergence assembly patterns, respectivamente), e da influência filogenética na organização de assembléias de espécies lenhosas em florestas. As comunidades foram descritas a partir de atributos funcionais de espécies vegetais, considerando um gradiente sucessional de Floresta Ombrófila Mista, entre áreas que sofreram supressão total da vegetação (denominadas comunidades iniciais) e áreas que não sofreram intervenções expressivas (comunidades avançadas). Para tal, as espécies amostradas, tanto para o estrato superior (indivíduos com DAP ≥ 10 cm), quanto para o estrato inferior (indivíduos com altura > 0,10 m e até 1 cm de DAP), que apresentaram frequência superior a 10%, considerando a amostragem total, foram descritas a partir de 17 atributos funcionais e por relações filogenéticas. Os dados foram analisados a partir de algoritmos baseados em multiplicação e correlações parciais entre diferentes matrizes, que possibilitam discriminar a relevância de TCAP, TDAP e do sinal filogenético para os padrões. Os resultados indicaram que está ocorrendo estruturação das comunidades vegetais a partir dos padrões avaliados, seja convergência ou divergência, relacionados, também, com a filogenia. Diante disso, avaliamos fatores abióticos (filtros ambientais) e bióticos (filtros bióticos) exercem efeitos distintos em comunidades ao longo de um gradiente sucessional, sendo possível observar, também, o sinal filogenético nessas. / In community ecology reproducible patterns are sought, among which stands out the search for assembly rules or assembly patterns. Considering this we propose to evaluate these patterns, based on convergence and divergence of attributes (TCAP – trait convergence assembly patterns and TDAP – trait divergence assembly patterns, respectively) and the phylogenetic influence in the organization of assemblages of woody species in forests. The communities were described from functional traits of plant species, considering a successional gradient of Araucaria Forest, among areas subjected to total removal of vegetation (called initial communities) and areas that haven’t suffered significant interventions (advanced communities). To this end, the species sampled for both the upper stratum (individuals with DBH ≥ 10 cm), and for the lower stratum (individuals with height > 0.10 m and until 1 cm DBH), which had a frequency exceeding 10%, considering the total sampling, were described from 17 functional attributes and phylogenetic relationships. Data were analyzed using algorithms based on multiplication and partial correlations between different matrixes, which permit to discriminate the relevance of TCAP, TDAP and phylogenetic signal to the patterns. The results indicated that is occurring organization of plant communities from the patterns assessed, either convergence or divergence, related also with the phylogeny. Given this, we conclude that abiotic (environmental filters) and biotic (biotic filters) factors exert distinct effects on communities along a successional gradient, and it was possible to observe also the phylogenetic signal in these.

Em ecologia de comunidades buscam-se padrões reproduzíveis, dentre os quais se destaca a busca por regras de montagem ou padrões de organização de comunidades. Diante disso propomos a avaliação desses padrões, com base em convergência e divergência de atributos (TCAP – trait convergence assembly patterns e TDAP – trait divergence assembly patterns, respectivamente), e da influência filogenética na organização de assembléias de espécies lenhosas em florestas. As comunidades foram descritas a partir de atributos funcionais de espécies vegetais, considerando um gradiente sucessional de Floresta Ombrófila Mista, entre áreas que sofreram supressão total da vegetação (denominadas comunidades iniciais) e áreas que não sofreram intervenções expressivas (comunidades avançadas). Para tal, as espécies amostradas, tanto para o estrato superior (indivíduos com DAP ≥ 10 cm), quanto para o estrato inferior (indivíduos com altura > 0,10 m e até 1 cm de DAP), que apresentaram frequência superior a 10%, considerando a amostragem total, foram descritas a partir de 17 atributos funcionais e por relações filogenéticas. Os dados foram analisados a partir de algoritmos baseados em multiplicação e correlações parciais entre diferentes matrizes, que possibilitam discriminar a relevância de TCAP, TDAP e do sinal filogenético para os padrões. Os resultados indicaram que está ocorrendo estruturação das comunidades vegetais a partir dos padrões avaliados, seja convergência ou divergência, relacionados, também, com a filogenia. Diante disso, avaliamos fatores abióticos (filtros ambientais) e bióticos (filtros bióticos) exercem efeitos distintos em comunidades ao longo de um gradiente sucessional, sendo possível observar, também, o sinal filogenético nessas. / In community ecology reproducible patterns are sought, among which stands out the search for assembly rules or assembly patterns. Considering this we propose to evaluate these patterns, based on convergence and divergence of attributes (TCAP – trait convergence assembly patterns and TDAP – trait divergence assembly patterns, respectively) and the phylogenetic influence in the organization of assemblages of woody species in forests. The communities were described from functional traits of plant species, considering a successional gradient of Araucaria Forest, among areas subjected to total removal of vegetation (called initial communities) and areas that haven’t suffered significant interventions (advanced communities). To this end, the species sampled for both the upper stratum (individuals with DBH ≥ 10 cm), and for the lower stratum (individuals with height > 0.10 m and until 1 cm DBH), which had a frequency exceeding 10%, considering the total sampling, were described from 17 functional attributes and phylogenetic relationships. Data were analyzed using algorithms based on multiplication and partial correlations between different matrixes, which permit to discriminate the relevance of TCAP, TDAP and phylogenetic signal to the patterns. The results indicated that is occurring organization of plant communities from the patterns assessed, either convergence or divergence, related also with the phylogeny. Given this, we conclude that abiotic (environmental filters) and biotic (biotic filters) factors exert distinct effects on communities along a successional gradient, and it was possible to observe also the phylogenetic signal in these.