Pollen sterility is one of the main hindrances against the utilization of strong intersubspecific (indica-japonica) heterosis in rice. We looked for neutral alleles at known pollen sterility loci Sd and Se that could overcome this pollen sterility characteristic. Taichung 65, a typical japonica cultivar, and its near isogenic lines E7 and E8 for pollen sterility loci Sd and Se were employed...

BACKGROUND The work- or environmental-related type I sensitization to maize pollen is hardly investigated. We sought to determine the prevalence of sensitization to maize pollen among exposed workers and to identify the eliciting allergens. METHODS In July 2010, 8 out of 11 subjects were examined who were repeatedly exposed to maize pollen by pollinating maize during their work in a biologica...

In an ongoing research, 24 cultivated and wild cultivars of barley were evaluated for morphological characteristics of grain, pollen, and stomata. Traits of interest included length, width, and area. Results of variance analysis showed that all samples were differed in traits of stomata, grain, and pollen at probability levels of 1 and 5%, suggesting remarkable genetic variation among studied s...

The appearance of ragweed pollen in the air became more frequent in northerly countries. Attention of allergologists and aerobiologists in these countries is focused on the phenomenon that Ambrosia plants found relatively sporadic but the amount of pollen is high in particular days. Over the latter decade, a matter of particular concern has been Ambrosia pollen, whose appearance in the air is d...

Pollen ranges from 2.5% to 61% protein content. Most pollen proteins are likely to be enzymes that function during pollen tube growth and subsequent fertilization, but the vast range of protein quantity may not reflect only pollen–pistil interactions. Because numerous vertebrate and invertebrate floral visitors consume pollen for protein, protein content may influence floral host choice. Additi...

Superconductingg thickk films (200µm ~300µm) of YBCO have been fabricated successfully on MgO substrates by a new approach. The precursor powders (YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (Y123) + 0.1molY 2 BaCuO 5 (Y211)) are placedd between two MgO (10mm×10mm)slicesto formsandwichstructure.TheYBCOthickk films have been obtainedd from the precursors by modifiedd melt growth process. Resistance measurementsofYBCOthick...

The eastern pygmy possum, Cercartetus nanus, is known to feed both on flower products and on invertebrates. This study compares its ability to meet its nitrogen requirements on pollen and on insect larvae. Captive C. nanus were fed diets in which nitrogen was provided either by Eucalyptus pollen or by the mealworm Tenebrio molitor. The apparent digestibility of the nitrogen from both sources wa...

Juniperus ashei pollen has been reported as a major airborne allergen in regions of Texas and Oklahoma. Pollen production across these populations was examined in order to support a pollen forecast system. Four locations in Texas and 2 locations in Oklahoma were chosen as study sites. Trees in each location were measured, cone production was evaluated based on a rating system, and percent tree ...

BACKGROUND Birch pollen is the major allergen in pollinosis in northern Japan. IgE reactivity to individual birch pollen allergens has been shown to differ between populations of birch pollen-allergic patients living in different countries. In this study, we examined the IgE profiles to recombinant birch pollen allergens in birch-sensitive patients living in Sapporo. METHODS This study used t...