Intraspecific variations in cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum Maton): assessment of genomic diversity by flow cytometry, cytological studies and ISSR analysis.

BACKGROUND: The main goal of the work was to analyse intraspecific variation in Elettaria cardamomum Maton (cardamom) using genome size, cytological studies and molecular marker data. Nuclear DNA content and molecular marker details furnish data on genome size and genetic diversity respectively among the studied accessions and both complement each other for evolutionary and taxonomic studies. RESULTS: The relative 2C genome size and total number of base pairs of cardamom was determined through flow cytometric analysis using propidium iodide staining. The nuclear DNA content was estimated in various sections of the species representing individuals from wild and cultivar genotypes following Zea mays L. CE-777 (2C = 5.43 pg) as internal reference standard. Chromosome number from growing root tip was examined following standard protocols. Twenty-six ISSR primers that generated polymorphic bands were used for genetic diversity analysis of the thirty accessions of cardamom. Estimated nuclear 2C DNA content ranged from 2.57 to 3.22 pg demonstrating 1.25-fold variation. The mean amount of 2C nuclear DNA of the cardamom was calculated as 2.87 pg which is equivalent of 2806 Mbp as the diploid genome size. The chromosome number was found to be 2n = 48. Among the thirty accessions of cardamom studied using ISSR markers, C53 (feral from Bonacaud) showed a very prominent level of genetic diversity and was lowest for C96 (Avinash-I, a released variety from Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode). CONCLUSION: These analyses revealed the existence of genetic variability within the studied cardamom accessions. The plant specimens also differed significantly in their genome size. However, the genetic variability parameters did not show any correlation with genome size.

Parity violation constraints using cosmic microwave background polarization spectra from 2006 and 2007 observations by the QUaD polarimeter.

We constrain parity-violating interactions to the surface of last scattering using spectra from the QUaD experiment's second and third seasons of observations by searching for a possible systematic rotation of the polarization directions of cosmic microwave background photons. We measure the rotation angle due to such a possible "cosmological birefringence" to be 0.55 degrees +/-0.82 degrees (random) +/-0.5 degrees (systematic) using QUaD's 100 and 150 GHz temperature-curl and gradient-curl spectra over the spectra over the multipole range 200

Cosmology from MAXIMA-1, BOOMERANG, and COBE DMR cosmic microwave background observations.

Recent results from BOOMERANG-98 and MAXIMA-1, taken together with COBE DMR, provide consistent and high signal-to-noise measurements of the cosmic microwave background power spectrum at spherical harmonic multipole bands over 2

Measurement of a Peak in the Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum from the North American Test Flight of Boomerang.

We describe a measurement of the angular power spectrum of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at scales of 0&fdg;3 to 5 degrees from the North American test flight of the Boomerang experiment. Boomerang is a balloon-borne telescope with a bolometric receiver designed to map CMB anisotropies on a long-duration balloon flight. During a 6 hr test flight of a prototype system in 1997, we mapped more than 200 deg(2) at high Galactic latitudes in two bands centered at 90 and 150 GHz with a resolution of 26&arcmin; and 16&farcm;5 FWHM, respectively. Analysis of the maps gives a power spectrum with a peak at angular scales of 1 degrees with an amplitude 70 µK(CMB).

A Measurement of Omega from the North American Test Flight of Boomerang.

We use the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background, measured during the North American test flight of the Boomerang experiment, to constrain the geometry of the universe. Within the class of cold dark matter models, we find that the overall fractional energy density of the universe Omega is constrained to be 0.85

A flat Universe from high-resolution maps of the cosmic microwave background radiation

The blackbody radiation left over from the Big Bang has been transformed by the expansion of the Universe into the nearly isotropic 2.73 K cosmic microwave background. Tiny inhomogeneities in the early Universe left their imprint on the microwave background in the form of small anisotropies in its temperature. These anisotropies contain information about basic cosmological parameters, particularly the total energy density and curvature of the Universe. Here we report the first images of resolved structure in the microwave background anisotropies over a significant part of the sky. Maps at four frequencies clearly distinguish the microwave background from foreground emission. We compute the angular power spectrum of the microwave background, and find a peak at Legendre multipole Ipeak = (197 +/- 6), with an amplitude delta T200 = (69 +/- 8) microK. This is consistent with that expected for cold dark matter models in a flat (euclidean) Universe, as favoured by standard inflationary models.

First Results from Viper: Detection of Small-scale Anisotropy at 40 GHz.

Results of a search for small-scale anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) are presented. Observations were made at the South Pole using the Viper telescope, with a 0&fdg;26 (FWHM) beam and a passband centered at 40 GHz. Anisotropy band-power measurements in bands spanning the range of l in which the first acoustic peak is expected (bands centered at l=108, 173, 237, 263, 422, and 589) are reported. Statistically significant CMB anisotropy is detected in all bands.