Nitrogen fertilizer rate but not form affects the severity of Fusarium wilt in banana

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers are routinely applied to bananas (Musa spp.) to increase production but may exacerbate plant diseases like Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), which is the most economically important disease. Here, we characterized the effects of N rate and form on banana plant growth, root proteome, bacterial and fungal diversity in the rhizosphere, the concentration of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) in the soil, and the FWB severity. Banana plants (Musa subgroup ABB) were grown under greenhouse conditions in soil with ammonium or nitrate supplemented at five N rates, and with or without inoculation with Foc. The growth of non-inoculated plants was positively correlated with the N rate. In bananas inoculated with Foc, disease severity increased with the N rate, resulting in the Foc-inoculated plant growth being greatest at intermediate N rates. The abundance of Foc in the soil was weakly related to the treatment conditions and was a poor predictor of disease severity. Fungal diversity was consistently affected by Foc inoculation, while bacterial diversity was associated with changes in soil pH resulting from N addition, in particular ammonium. N rate altered the expression of host metabolic pathways associated with carbon fixation, energy usage, amino acid metabolism, and importantly stress response signaling, irrespective of inoculation or N form. Furthermore, in diseased plants, Pathogenesis-related protein 1, a key endpoint for biotic stress response and the salicylic acid defense response to biotrophic pathogens, was negatively correlated with the rate of ammonium fertilizer but not nitrate. As expected, inoculation with Foc altered the expression of a wide range of processes in the banana plant including those of defense and growth. In summary, our results indicate that the severity of FWB was negatively associated with host defenses, which was influenced by N application (particularly ammonium), and shifts in microbial communities associated with ammonium-induced acidification. Copyright © 2022 Orr, Dennis, Wong, Browne, Cooper, Birt, Lapis-Gaza, Pattison and Nelson

Spin-flipping a stored polarized proton beam with an rf dipole

Frequent polarization reversals, or spin-flips, of a stored polarized high-energy beam may greatly reduce systematic errors of spin asymmetry measurements in a scattering asymmetry experiment. We studied the spin-flipping of a 120 MeV horizontally-polarized proton beam stored in the IUCF Cooler Ring by ramping an rf-dipole magnet’s frequency through an rf-induced depolarizing resonance in the presence of a nearly-full Siberian snake. After optimizing the frequency ramp parameters, we used multiple spin-flips to measure a spin-flip efficiency of 86.5±0.5%.86.5±0.5%. The spin-flip efficiency was apparently limited by the rf-dipole’s field strength. This result indicates that an efficient spin-flipping a stored polarized beam should be possible in high energy rings such as RHIC and HERA where Siberian snakes are certainly needed and only dipole rf-flipper-magnets are practical. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87561/2/662_1.pd

99.9% Spin‐Flip Efficiency in the Presence of a Strong Siberian Snake

We recently studied the spin‐flipping efficiency of an rf‐dipole magnet using a 120‐MeV horizontally polarized proton beam stored in the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility Cooler Ring, which contained a full Siberian snake. We flipped the spin by ramping the rf dipole’s frequency through an rf‐induced depolarizing resonance. By adiabatically turning on the rf dipole, we minimized the beam loss, while preserving almost all of the beam’s polarization. After optimizing the frequency ramp parameters, we used up to 400 multiple spin flips to measure a spin‐flip efficiency of 99.93 ± 0.02%. This result indicates that spin flipping should be possible in very‐high‐energy polarized storage rings, where Siberian snakes are certainly needed and only dipole rf‐flipper magnets are practical. © 2003 American Institute of PhysicsPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87684/2/776_1.pd

Nitrogen fertilizer rate but not form affects the severity of Fusarium wilt in banana

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers are routinely applied to bananas (Musa spp.) to increase production but may exacerbate plant diseases like Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), which is the most economically important disease. Here, we characterized the effects of N rate and form on banana plant growth, root proteome, bacterial and fungal diversity in the rhizosphere, the concentration of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) in the soil, and the FWB severity. Banana plants (Musa subgroup ABB) were grown under greenhouse conditions in soil with ammonium or nitrate supplemented at five N rates, and with or without inoculation with Foc. The growth of non-inoculated plants was positively correlated with the N rate. In bananas inoculated with Foc, disease severity increased with the N rate, resulting in the Foc-inoculated plant growth being greatest at intermediate N rates. The abundance of Foc in the soil was weakly related to the treatment conditions and was a poor predictor of disease severity. Fungal diversity was consistently affected by Foc inoculation, while bacterial diversity was associated with changes in soil pH resulting from N addition, in particular ammonium. N rate altered the expression of host metabolic pathways associated with carbon fixation, energy usage, amino acid metabolism, and importantly stress response signaling, irrespective of inoculation or N form. Furthermore, in diseased plants, Pathogenesis-related protein 1, a key endpoint for biotic stress response and the salicylic acid defense response to biotrophic pathogens, was negatively correlated with the rate of ammonium fertilizer but not nitrate. As expected, inoculation with Foc altered the expression of a wide range of processes in the banana plant including those of defense and growth. In summary, our results indicate that the severity of FWB was negatively associated with host defenses, which was influenced by N application (particularly ammonium), and shifts in microbial communities associated with ammonium-induced acidification

6-methylmercaptopurine-induced leukocytopenia during thiopurine therapy in inflammatory bowel disease patients

Background and Aim: Thiopurines have a favorable benefit–risk ratio in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. A feared adverse event of thiopurine therapy is myelotoxicity, mostly occurring due to toxic concentrations of the pharmacologically active metabolites 6-thioguaninenucleotides. In oncology, myelosuppression has also been associated with elevated 6-methylmercaptopurine (6-MMP). In this case series, we provide a detailed overview of 6-MMP-induced myelotoxicity in inflammatory bowel disease patients. Methods: We retrospectively scrutinized pharmacological laboratory databases of five participating centers over a 5-year period. Patients with leukocytopenia at time of elevated 6-MMP levels (>5700 pmol/8 × 108 red blood cells) were included for detailed chart review. Results: In this case series, we describe demographic, clinical, and pharmacological aspects of 24 cases of 6-MMP-induced myelotoxicity on weight-based thiopurine therapy with a median steady-state 6-MMP level of 14 500 pmol/8 × 108 red blood cells (range 6600–48 000). All patients developed leukocytopenia (white blood cell count 2.7 ± 0.9 × 109/L) after a median period of 11 weeks after initiation of thiopurine therapy (interquartile range 6–46 weeks). Eighteen patients (75%) developed concurrent anemia (median hemoglobin concentration 6.9 × 109/L), and four patients developed concurrent thrombocytopenia (median platelet count 104 × 109/L). Leukocytopenia resolved in 20 patients (83%) within 4 weeks upon altered thiopurine treatment regimen, and white blood cell count was increasing, but not yet normalized, in the remaining four patients. Conclusion: We observed that thiopurine-induced myelotoxicity also occurs because of (extremely) high 6-MMP concentrations in patients with a skewed thiopurine metabolism. Continued treatment with adapted thiopurine therapy was successful in almost all patients

Spin Flipping and Polarization Lifetimes of a 270 MeV Deuteron Beam

We recently studied the spin flipping of a 270 MeV vertically polarized deuteron beam stored in the IUCF Cooler Ring. We swept an rf solenoid’s frequency through an rf‐induced spin resonance and observed the effect on the beam’s vector and tensor polarizations. After optimizing the resonance crossing rate and setting the solenoid’s voltage to its maximum value, we obtained a spin‐flip efficiency of about 94 ± 1% for the vector polarization; we also observed a partial spin‐flip of the tensor polarization. We then used the rf‐induced resonance to measure the vector and tensor polarizations’ lifetimes at different distances from the resonance; the polarization lifetime ratio τvector/τtensor was about 1.9 ± 0.4. © 2003 American Institute of PhysicsPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87679/2/766_1.pd

Sustained improvements in MRI outcomes with abatacept following the withdrawal of all treatments in patients with early, progressive rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives: To assess structural damage progression with subcutaneous abatacept (ABA) in the Assessing Very Early Rheumatoid arthritis Treatment (AVERT) trial following abrupt withdrawal of all rheumatoid arthritis (RA) medication in patients achieving Disease Activity Score (DAS)-defined remission or low disease activity. Methods: Patients with early, active RA were randomised to ABA plus methotrexate (ABA/MTX) 125 mg/week, ABA 125 mg/week or MTX for 12 months. All RA treatments were withdrawn after 12 months in patients with DAS28 (C reactive protein (CRP)) <3.2. Adjusted mean changes from baseline in MRI-based synovitis, osteitis and erosion were calculated for the intention-to-treat population. Results: 351 patients were randomised and treated: ABA/MTX (n=119), ABA (n=116) or MTX (n=116). Synovitis and osteitis improved, and progression of erosion was statistically less with ABA/MTX versus MTX at month 12 (−2.35 vs −0.68, −2.58 vs −0.68, 0.19 vs 1.53, respectively; p<0.01 for each) and month 18 (−1.34 vs −0.49 −2.03 vs 0.34, 0.13 vs 2.0, respectively; p<0.01 for erosion); ABA benefits were numerically intermediate to those for ABA/MTX and MTX. Conclusions: Structural benefits with ABA/MTX or ABA may be maintained 6 months after withdrawal of all treatments in patients who have achieved remission or low disease activity

Spin-flipping with an rf-dipole and a full Siberian snake

We recently used a vertical-field rf-dipole magnet to study the spin-flipping of a 120 MeV horizontally polarized proton beam stored in the presence of a nearly-full Siberian snake in the IUCF Cooler Ring. The spin was flipped by ramping the rf-dipole’s frequency through an rf-induced depolarizing resonance. After optimizing the frequency ramp parameters, we used multiple spin-flips to measure a maximum spin-flip efficiency of 86.5±0.5%86.5±0.5% in April 2000, and 92.5±0.5%92.5±0.5% in June 2000. The spin-flip efficiency was apparently limited by the maximum achievable current in the rf-dipole. This result indicates that spin-flipping a stored polarized proton beam should be possible in high energy rings such as RHIC (and perhaps HERA in the future), where Siberian snakes are utilized and the dipole rf-flipper-magnets should be quite practical. During the June 2000 run, a new faster technique of locating the rf depolarizing resonance frequency was developed. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87739/2/736_1.pd