On Automorphisms and Focal Subgroups of Blocks

Given a p-block B of a finite group with defect group P and fusion system on P, we show that the rank of the group is invariant under stable equivalences of Morita type. The main ingredients are the construction, due to Broué and Puig, a theorem of Weiss on linear source modules, arguments of Hertweck and Kimmerle applying Weiss’ theorem to blocks, and connections with integrable derivations in the Hochschild cohomology of block algebras

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

The NKF-NUS hemodialysis trial protocol - a randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of a self management intervention for hemodialysis patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Poor adherence to treatment is common in patients on hemodialysis which may increase risk for poor clinical outcomes and mortality. Self management interventions have been shown to be effective in improving compliance in other chronic populations. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a recently developed group based self management intervention for hemodialysis patients compared to standard care.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This is a multicentre parallel arm block randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a four session group self management intervention for hemodialysis patients delivered by health care professionals compared to standard care. A total of 176 consenting adults maintained on hemodialysis for a minimum of 6 months will be randomized to receive the self management intervention or standard care. Primary outcomes are biochemical markers of clinical status and adherence. Secondary outcomes include general health related quality of life, disease-specific quality of life, mood, self efficacy and self-reported adherence. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, immediately post-intervention and at 3 and 9 months post-intervention by an independent assessor and analysed on intention to treat principles with linear mixed-effects models across all time points. A qualitative component will examine which aspects of program participants found particularly useful and any barriers to change.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The NKF-NUS intervention builds upon previous research emphasizing the importance of empowering patients in taking control of their treatment management. The trial design addresses weaknesses of previous research by use of an adequate sample size to detect clinically significant changes in biochemical markers, recruitment of a sufficiently large representative sample, a theory based intervention and careful assessment of both clinical and psychological endpoints at various follow up points. Inclusion of multiple dependent variables allows us to assess the broader impact on the intervention including both hard end points as well as patient reported outcomes. This program, if found to be effective, has the potential to be implemented within the existing renal services delivery model in Singapore, particularly as this is being delivered by health care professionals already working with hemodialysis patients in these settings who are specifically trained in facilitating self management in renal patients.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRTN31434033">ISRTN31434033</a></p

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Cancer Biomarker Discovery: The Entropic Hallmark

Background: It is a commonly accepted belief that cancer cells modify their transcriptional state during the progression of the disease. We propose that the progression of cancer cells towards malignant phenotypes can be efficiently tracked using high-throughput technologies that follow the gradual changes observed in the gene expression profiles by employing Shannon's mathematical theory of communication. Methods based on Information Theory can then quantify the divergence of cancer cells' transcriptional profiles from those of normally appearing cells of the originating tissues. The relevance of the proposed methods can be evaluated using microarray datasets available in the public domain but the method is in principle applicable to other high-throughput methods. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using melanoma and prostate cancer datasets we illustrate how it is possible to employ Shannon Entropy and the Jensen-Shannon divergence to trace the transcriptional changes progression of the disease. We establish how the variations of these two measures correlate with established biomarkers of cancer progression. The Information Theory measures allow us to identify novel biomarkers for both progressive and relatively more sudden transcriptional changes leading to malignant phenotypes. At the same time, the methodology was able to validate a large number of genes and processes that seem to be implicated in the progression of melanoma and prostate cancer. Conclusions/Significance: We thus present a quantitative guiding rule, a new unifying hallmark of cancer: the cancer cell's transcriptome changes lead to measurable observed transitions of Normalized Shannon Entropy values (as measured by high-throughput technologies). At the same time, tumor cells increment their divergence from the normal tissue profile increasing their disorder via creation of states that we might not directly measure. This unifying hallmark allows, via the the Jensen-Shannon divergence, to identify the arrow of time of the processes from the gene expression profiles, and helps to map the phenotypical and molecular hallmarks of specific cancer subtypes. The deep mathematical basis of the approach allows us to suggest that this principle is, hopefully, of general applicability for other diseases

Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases

The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs) can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e. iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference

Behavioral and Cognitive Improvement Induced by Novel Imidazoline I2 Receptor Ligands in Female SAMP8 Mice

As populations increase their life expectancy, age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease have become more common. I2-Imidazoline receptors (I2-IR) are widely distributed in the central nervous system, and dysregulation of I2-IR in patients with neurodegenerative diseases has been reported, suggesting their implication in cognitive impairment. This evidence indicates that high-affinity selective I2-IR ligands potentially contribute to the delay of neurodegeneration. In vivo studies in the female senescence accelerated mouse-prone 8 mice have shown that treatment with I2-IR ligands, MCR5 and MCR9, produce beneficial effects in behavior and cognition. Changes in molecular pathways implicated in oxidative stress, inflammation, synaptic plasticity, and apoptotic cell death were also studied. Furthermore, treatments with these I2-IR ligands diminished the amyloid precursor protein processing pathway and increased Aβ degrading enzymes in the hippocampus of SAMP8 mice. These results collectively demonstrate the neuroprotective role of these new I2-IR ligands in a mouse model of brain aging through specific pathways and suggest their potential as therapeutic agents in brain disorders and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Keywords Imidazoline I2 receptors (2-imidazolin-4-yl)phosphonates Behavior Cognition Neurodegeneration Neuroprotection Agin

Virologie / Bakteriologie / Mykologie

141 - Effizienz von Kaliumhypochlorit zur Inaktivierung ausgewählter pilzlicher, bakterieller und viraler PflanzenkrankheitserregerEfficancy of Potassium Hypochlorite (KClO) to inactivate selected plant pathogenic fungi, bacteria and virusesMarlon-Hans Rodríguez, Martina Bandte, Gerhard Fischer, Carmen Büttner142 - Eignung von elektrolytisch generiertem Kaliumhypochlorit zur Inaktivierung von Pflanzenviren in rezirkulierender Nährlösungen im Gewächshausanbau von TomatenAbility of electrolysed produced Potassium Hypochlorite (KClO) to inactivate plant viruses in recirculating nutrient solutions in greenhouse production of tomatosJanine Paulke, Martina Bandte, Carmen Büttner143 - Ultrafiltration und Ultrazentrifugation zur Konzentrierung von Pflanzenviren in NährlösungUltrafiltration and ultracentrifugation as tools to concentrate plant viruses in nutrient solutionJanina Vincenz, Martina Bandte, Carmen Büttner144 - Reinigung doppelsträngiger RNA in Verbindung mit Hochdurchsatzsequenzierung als Werkzeug zum Nachweis von RNA Viren in PflanzenThe combination of double-stranded RNA isolation and deep sequencing as an unspecific diagnostic tool to assess the presence of RNA viruses in plantsTill Lesker, Paul Rentz, Edgar Maiss145 - Impact of silica supplementation on virus infected cucumber culturesRolle der Kieselsäureapplikation Virus infizierter GurkenkulturenSabine Holz, Grzegorz Bartoszewski , Michael Kube, Carmen Büttner146 - Untersuchungen zum Auftreten des Arabis mosaic virus in Birken aus Rovaniemi (Finnland) mit Virus-spezifischen SymptomenInvestigations on the occurence of Arabis mosaic virus in birches from Rovaniemi (Finland) with virus-specific symptomsRichard Pauwels, Markus Rott, Susanne von Bargen, Carmen Büttner147 - Cherry leaf roll virus in Betula spp. in Finland: what do we know about its population diversity?Cherry leaf roll virus in Birken-Arten in Finnland: Was wissen wir über die Populationsdiversität?A. Rumbou, S. von Bargen, M. Rott, R. Jalkanen, C. Büttner148 - Viruserkrankungen im WeinbauViroses in viticultureHenriette Gruber, Patricia Bohnert, Christiane Rieger149 - Molecular analysis of Tobacco rattle virus isolates from potatoes in various parts of GermanyKerstin Lindner, Renate Koenig150 - Detektion und Diversität des European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus (EMARaV) in Ebereschen (Sorbus aucuparia L.) in NorwegenDetection and variability of European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus (EMARaV) in Sorbus aucuparia L. in NorwayTheresa Büttner, Jenny Robel, Hans-Peter Mühlbach, Susanne von Bargen, Carmen Büttner151 - Charakterisierung des European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus (EMARaV) in Mehlbeerenarten (Sorbus spp.)Characterization of the European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus (EMARaV) in whitebeam species (Sorbus spp.)Luisa Dieckmann, Jenny Robel, Susanne von Bargen, Carmen Büttner152 - Vollständige Genomsequenz eines Carrot virus S Isolates aus Meerfenchel aus SpanienW. Menzel, P. Menzel, S. Winter153 - Nachweis und vollständige Sequenzierung eines Carla- und eines Potex-virus aus Epiphyullum spec.Detection and complete sequence of a Carla- and Potexvirus in Epiphyllum spec.Edgar Maiss, Paul Rentz, Annette Hohe, Rosa Herbst154 - Analysis of mixed populations of latent viruses of apple and rubbery wood disease of apple using new generation sequencingAnalyse von Mischpopulationen latenter Apfelviren und der Gummiholzkrankheit an Apfel mittels HochdurchsatzsequenzierungVladimir Jakovljevic, Patricia Otten, Jonathon Blake, Wilhelm Jelkmann155 - Experiments on transmission of viroids under glass and longevity of viroid RNA in detached leaves under different storage conditionsThi Thu Vo, Heinz-Wilhelm Dehne, Stephan Winter, Joachim Hamacher156 - Phytoplasmen in Schleswig-HolsteinPhytoplasmas in the state of Schleswig-HolsteinG. Henkel, C. Willmer, M. Wunderlich, B. Golecki157 . Phytoplasmen verändern das Dufststoffbouquet ihres pflanzlichen LebensraumsPlant volatile emission is affected by phytoplasma infectionMargit Rid, Kai Lukat, Svenja Hoferer, Jürgen Gross159 - Ist das Wurzelbild ein Sortierungsmerkmal für durch Candidatus Phytoplasma pyri verursachten Birnenverfall?Is the root file a sorting feature for Pear decline caused by Canditatus Phytoplama pyri?Georg Henkel, Claudia Willmer, Bernd Kaland, Bettina Golecki160 - Die Bedeutung von β-Caryophyllen als Lockstoff für die Apfeltriebsucht übertragende Blattsaugerart Cacopsylla pictaThe impact of β-caryophyllene as attractant for the Apple Proliferation transmitting insect Cacopsylla pictaConstanze Mesca, Svenja Hoferer, Jürgen Gross161 - Echte Mehltauarten an Beet- und BalkonpflanzenSpecies of powdery mildews on bedding plantsUlrike Brielmaier-Liebetanz162 - Echter Mehltau an Petersilie – Untersuchungen zum WirtspflanzenspektrumPowdery Mildew of Parsley – studies on the host rangePeggy Marx, Ute Gärber163 - Falscher Mehltau an Petersilie – Untersuchungen zum Wirtspflanzenspektrum und molekularbiologische CharakterisierungDowny mildew of parsley – studies on the host range and molecular characterizationGabriele Leinhos, Hermann-Josef Krauthausen, Frank Brändle164 - Welkekrankheit an Euonymus japonicaWilt disease on Euonymus japonicaUlrike Brielmaier-Liebetanz, Roswitha Ulrich, Stefan Wagner, Sabine Werres165 - Taxonomische Analyse der mikrobiellen Gemeinschaft von Zuckerrüben unter unterschiedlichen Lagerbedingungen mittels Hochdurchsatz-Amplikonsequenzierung von unterschiedlichen MarkergenenTaxonomic analysis of the microbial community in stored sugar beets using highthroughput sequencing of different marker genesSebastian Liebe, Daniel Wibberg, Anika Winkler, Alfred Pühler, Andreas Schlüter, Mark Varrelmann166 - Molecular characterization of a novel mycovirus found in Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-2IIIBMolekulare Charakterisierung eines neuen Mycovirus aus Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-2 IIIBAnika Bartholomäus, Mark Varrelman