A simple, non-invasive technique has been developed for assessment of the stability of the pre-corneal tear film. Changes are observed in the reflection of a grid pattern from the tear film surface. Breaks in the tear film appear as random discontinuities in the grid image. Using this non-invasive technique the stability of the pre-corneal tear film was assessed in nine normal subjects and twelve established dry-eye patients. The non-invasive tear film break-up time (NIBUT) of the dry-eye patients was on average only 25% to 32% of normal values. The non-invasive technique provides an alternative approach to diagnosing non-wetting disorders as well as a means of evaluating the efficacy of artificial tear solutions.

Aegilops tauschii, the diploid wild progenitor of the D subgenome of bread wheat, is a reservoir of genetic diversity for improving bread wheat performance and environmental resilience. Here we sequenced 242 Ae. tauschii accessions and compared them to the wheat D subgenome to characterize genomic diversity. We found that a rare lineage of Ae. tauschii geographically restricted to present-day Georgia contributed to the wheat D subgenome in the independent hybridizations that gave rise to modern bread wheat. Through k-mer-based association mapping, we identified discrete genomic regions with candidate genes for disease and pest resistance and demonstrated their functional transfer into wheat by transgenesis and wide crossing, including the generation of a library of hexaploids incorporating diverse Ae. tauschii genomes. Exploiting the genomic diversity of the Ae. tauschii ancestral diploid genome permits rapid trait discovery and functional genetic validation in a hexaploid background amenable to breeding.

Non-invasive tear film break-up time (NIBUT) was measured in nine normal subjects to investigate the effect of fluorescein instillation of tear film stability. It was found that fluorescein instillation reduced the tear film stability in the treated group, compared with the control group (P less than 0.05). It is, therefore likely that the tear film stability may be greater than had hitherto been suggested by the fluorescein method.

Disease-resistance (R) gene cloning in wheat (Triticum aestivum) has been accelerated by the recent surge of genomic resources, facilitated by advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics. However, with the challenges of population growth and climate change, it is vital not only to clone and functionally characterize a few handfuls of R genes, but also to do so at a scale that would facilitate the breeding and deployment of crops that can recognize the wide range of pathogen effectors that threaten agroecosystems. Pathogen populations are continually changing, and breeders must have tools and resources available to rapidly respond to those changes if we are to safeguard our daily bread. To meet this challenge, we propose the creation of a wheat R-gene atlas by an international community of researchers and breeders. The atlas would consist of an online directory from which sources of resistance could be identified and deployed to achieve more durable resistance to the major wheat pathogens, such as wheat rusts, blotch diseases, powdery mildew, and wheat blast. We present a costed proposal detailing how the interacting molecular components governing disease resistance could be captured from both the host and the pathogen through biparental mapping, mutational genomics, and whole-genome association genetics. We explore options for the configuration and genotyping of diversity panels of hexaploid and tetraploid wheat, as well as their wild relatives and major pathogens, and discuss how the atlas could inform a dynamic, durable approach to R-gene deployment. Set against the current magnitude of wheat yield losses worldwide, recently estimated at 21%, this endeavor presents one route for bringing R genes from the lab to the field at a considerable speed and quantity.