Enhancing the energy resolution of resonant coherent excitation using the cooled U 89+ beam extracted from the ESR

Synopsis We report on the resonant coherent excitation (RCE) of the 2 s -2 p 3/2 transition in Li-like U 89+ with an enhanced energy resolution, which was achieved by reducing the projectiles momentum spread. The kinetic temperature of the beam was decreased by electron cooling in the ESR, and the collisional momentum broadening in the target was suppressed by the use of thin crystal (1.0 and 2.5 μm-thick). The resonance width was observed to be ∼1.4 eV in FWHM, which is three-times narrower than that from the previous work

TILLING to detect induced mutations in soybean

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Soybean (<it>Glycine max </it>L. Merr.) is an important nitrogen-fixing crop that provides much of the world's protein and oil. However, the available tools for investigation of soybean gene function are limited. Nevertheless, chemical mutagenesis can be applied to soybean followed by screening for mutations in a target of interest using a strategy known as Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes (TILLING). We have applied TILLING to four mutagenized soybean populations, three of which were treated with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and one with N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We screened seven targets in each population and discovered a total of 116 induced mutations. The NMU-treated population and one EMS mutagenized population had similar mutation density (~1/140 kb), while another EMS population had a mutation density of ~1/250 kb. The remaining population had a mutation density of ~1/550 kb. Because of soybean's polyploid history, PCR amplification of multiple targets could impede mutation discovery. Indeed, one set of primers tested in this study amplified more than a single target and produced low quality data. To address this problem, we removed an extraneous target by pretreating genomic DNA with a restriction enzyme. Digestion of the template eliminated amplification of the extraneous target and allowed the identification of four additional mutant alleles compared to untreated template.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The development of four independent populations with considerable mutation density, together with an additional method for screening closely related targets, indicates that soybean is a suitable organism for high-throughput mutation discovery even with its extensively duplicated genome.</p

Fatigue, reduced sleep quality and restless legs syndrome in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: a web-based survey

To investigate the prevalence of fatigue, daytime sleepiness, reduced sleep quality, and restless legs syndrome (RLS) in a large cohort of patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) and their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Participants of a web-based survey answered the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and, if the diagnostic criteria of RLS were met, the International RLS Severity Scale. Diagnosis of RLS was affirmed in screen-positive patients by means of a standardized telephone interview. HRQoL was assessed by using the SF-36 questionnaire. Age- and sex-matched control subjects were recruited from waiting relatives of surgical outpatients. 227 adult self-reported CMT patients answered the above questionnaires, 42.9% were male, and 57.1% were female. Age ranged from 18 to 78 years. Compared to controls (n = 234), CMT patients reported significantly higher fatigue, a higher extent and prevalence of daytime sleepiness and worse sleep quality. Prevalence of RLS was 18.1% in CMT patients and 5.6% in controls (p = 0.001). RLS severity was correlated with worse sleep quality and reduced HRQoL. Women with CMT were affected more often and more severely by RLS than male patients. With regard to fatigue, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, RLS prevalence, RLS severity, and HRQoL, we did not find significant differences between genetically distinct subtypes of CMT. HRQoL is reduced in CMT patients which may be due to fatigue, sleep-related symptoms, and RLS in particular. Since causative treatment for CMT is not available, sleep-related symptoms should be recognized and treated in order to improve quality of life