Introgression of Chromosome 3Ns from Psathyrostachys huashanica into Wheat Specifying Resistance to Stripe Rust

Wheat stripe rust is a destructive disease in the cool and humid wheat-growing areas of the world. Finding diverse sources of stripe rust resistance is critical for increasing genetic diversity of resistance for wheat breeding programs. Stripe rust resistance was identified in the alien species Psathyrostachys huashanica, and a wheat- P. huashanica amphiploid line (PHW-SA) with stripe rust resistance was reported previously. In this study, a P. huashanica 3Ns monosomic addition line (PW11) with superior resistance to stripe rust was developed, which was derived from the cross between PHW-SA and wheat J-11. We evaluated the alien introgressions PW11-2, PW11-5 and PW11-8 which were derived from line PW11 for reaction to new Pst race CYR32, and used molecular and cytogenetic tools to characterize these lines. The introgressions were remarkably resistant to CYR32, suggesting that the resistance to stripe rust of the introgressions thus was controlled by gene(s) located on P. huashanica chromosome 3Ns. All derived lines were cytologically stable in term of meiotic chromosome behavior. Two 3Ns chromosomes of P. huashanica were detected in the disomic addition line PW11-2. Chromosomes 1B of substitution line PW11-5 had been replaced by a pair of P. huashanica 3Ns chromosomes. In PW11-8, a small terminal segment from P. huashanica chromosome arm 3NsS was translocated to the terminal region of wheat chromosomes 3BL. Thus, this translocated chromosome is designated T3BL-3NsS. These conclusions were further confirmed by SSR analyses. Two 3Ns-specific markers Xgwm181 and Xgwm161 will be useful to rapidly identify and trace the translocated fragments. These introgressions, which had significant characteristics of resistance to stripe rust, could be utilized as novel germplasms for wheat breeding

Molecular and epidemiologic analysis of a county-wide outbreak caused by Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis traced to a bakery

BACKGROUND: An increase in the number of attendees due to acute gastroenteritis and fever was noted at one hospital emergency room in Taiwan over a seven-day period from July to August, 2001. Molecular and epidemiological surveys were performed to trace the possible source of infection. METHODS: An epidemiological investigation was undertaken to determine the cause of the outbreak. Stool and blood samples were collected according to standard protocols per Center for Disease Control, Taiwan. Typing of the Salmonella isolates from stool, blood, and food samples was performed with serotyping, antibiotypes, and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) following XbaI restriction enzyme digestion. RESULTS: Comparison of the number of patients with and without acute gastroenteritis (506 and 4467, respectively) during the six weeks before the outbreak week revealed a significant increase in the number of patients during the outbreak week (162 and 942, respectively) (relative risk (RR): 1.44, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22–1.70, P value < 0.001). During the week of the outbreak, 34 of 162 patients with gastroenteritis were positive for Salmonella, and 28 of these 34 cases reported eating the same kind of bread. In total, 28 of 34 patients who ate this bread were positive for salmonella compared to only 6 of 128 people who did not eat this bread (RR: 17.6, 95%CI 7.9–39.0, P < 0.001). These breads were produced by the same bakery and were distributed to six different traditional Chinese markets., Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) was isolated from the stool samples of 28 of 32 individuals and from a recalled bread sample. All S. Enteritidis isolates were of the same antibiogram. PFGE typing revealed that all except two of the clinical isolates and the bread isolates were of the same DNA macrorestriction pattern. CONCLUSIONS: The egg-covered bread contaminated with S. Enteritidis was confirmed as the vehicle of infection. Alertness in the emergency room, surveillance by the microbiology laboratory, prompt and thorough investigation to trace the source of outbreaks, and institution of appropriate control measures provide effective control of community outbreaks

Uncovering packaging features of co-regulated modules based on human protein interaction and transcriptional regulatory networks

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Network co-regulated modules are believed to have the functionality of packaging multiple biological entities, and can thus be assumed to coordinate many biological functions in their network neighbouring regions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we weighted edges of a human protein interaction network and a transcriptional regulatory network to construct an integrated network, and introduce a probabilistic model and a bipartite graph framework to exploit human co-regulated modules and uncover their specific features in packaging different biological entities (genes, protein complexes or metabolic pathways). Finally, we identified 96 human co-regulated modules based on this method, and evaluate its effectiveness by comparing it with four other methods.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Dysfunctions in co-regulated interactions often occur in the development of cancer. Therefore, we focussed on an example co-regulated module and found that it could integrate a number of cancer-related genes. This was extended to causal dysfunctions of some complexes maintained by several physically interacting proteins, thus coordinating several metabolic pathways that directly underlie cancer.</p

Population Structure of a Hybrid Clonal Group of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, ST239-MRSA-III

The methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal group known as ST239-MRSA-III is notable for its hybrid origin and for causing sustained hospital epidemics worldwide since the late 1970s. We studied the population structure of this MRSA clonal group using a sample of 111 isolates that were collected over 34 years from 29 countries. Genetic variation was assessed using typing methods and novel ascertainment methods, resulting in approximately 15 kb of sequence from 32 loci for all isolates. A single most parsimonious tree, free of homoplasy, partitioned 28 haplotypes into geographically-associated clades, including prominent European, Asian, and South American clades. The rate of evolution was estimated to be approximately 100× faster than standard estimates for bacteria, and dated the most recent common ancestor of these isolates to the mid-20th century. Associations were discovered between the ST239 phylogeny and the ccrB and dru loci of the methicillin resistance genetic element, SCCmec type III, but not with the accessory components of the element that are targeted by multiplex PCR subtyping tools. In summary, the evolutionary history of ST239 can be characterized by rapid clonal diversification that has left strong evidence of geographic and temporal population structure. SCCmec type III has remained linked to the ST239 chromosome during clonal diversification, but it has undergone homoplasious losses of accessory components. These results provide a population genetics framework for the precise identification of emerging ST239 variants, and invite a re-evaluation of the markers used for subtyping SCCmec

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

The Magazine "Student" and its Times (1965 - 1968)

Hlavním cílem této práce, kterou jsem nazval "Casopis Student a jeho doba", je postihnout význam casopisu v dejinách naší žurnalistiky a prostrednictvím obsahu clánku a osudu lidí podílejících se na jeho existenci priblížit atmosféru doby, v níž Student vycházel. Tato práce je svým zpusobem nová a zasahuje do mnoha oblastí kulturního i politického života druhé poloviny šedesátých let dvacátého století. Pri vytvárení koncepce obsahu práce jsem se tady nemohl oprít o žádnou dosud vydanou publikaci. Pro usnadnení a zprehlednení práce jsem si tedy stanovil další dílcí cíle: Prostrednictvím casopisu postihnout a rozkrýt události v CSM a studentském hnutí. Priblížit fungování cenzury a její vliv na novinárskou práci. Popsat nástup nové generace mladých novináru druhé poloviny šedesátých let a její konfrontaci se starší generací. Vystihnout vztah casopisu Student s Literárními novinami. Postihnout význam casopisu Student behem krize ceskoslovenské spolecnosti v roce 1967, v období "Pražského jara" a následné okupace vojsky Varšavské smlouvy. Popsat životní osudy nejvýznacnejších osob spojených s casopisem Student