Proceedings of the 17th Annual Meeting, Southern Soybean Disease Workers (March 20-22, 1990, Biloxi, Mississippi): Soybean Disease Control at a Crossroad

Contents Southern Soybean Disease Workers Officers 1989-1990 Southern Soybean Disease Workers Program Committee 1989-1990 Southern Soybean Disease Workers Committee Chairmen 1989-1990 General session Presidential address. B Gazaway Keynote address. K Smith Invited speakers Future Impacts of Biotechnology on Soybean Production and Uses. X Delannay Diseases of Soybean Associated with International Seed Trade. B Moore Impact of Regulatory Change and GLP\u27s on New Fungicide Discovery and Development. G Hammes Graduate student papers Double-Stranded RNA and Virus-Like Particles From the Soybean Stem canker Pathogen, Diaporthe phaseolorum var. caulivora. Y Lee, JP Snow, GT Berggren, and RA Valverde Development of Soybean Varieties Resistant to Phomopsis Seed Decay. MS Zimmerman and HC Minor Cloning of the vir Region of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Chry 5, a Strain Highly Virulent on Soybean. LG Kovacs, JA Wrather, and SG Pueppke Role of Overwintering Bean Leaf Beetle in the Epidemiology of Bean Pod Mottle Virus in Soybeans in Kentucky. JR dosAnjos, SA Ghabinal, DE Hershman, and DW Johnson Contributed papers SSDW soybean Disease Loss Estimates G Sciumbato Effects of Amino Acid Biosynthesis Inhibiting Herbicides on in vitro Growth and Development of Calonectria crotalariae. DK Berner, GT Berggren, and JP Snow Infection Cushion Formation by Rhizoctonia solani on Soybean Leaves. CS Kousik, JP Snow, and GT Berggren Is Stem Canker Monocyclic? KV SubbaRao, JP Snow, and GT Berggren Early-season Fungicide Sprays for Soybean Stem Canker Control. AY Chambers SSDW business session Treasurer\u27s report, 1989. G Hammes Contributed paper session Effect of Frogeye Leaf Spot on Soybeans in Florida. FM Shakes and CK Hiebsch Comparison of Application Timing of Two Foliar Fungicides for Control of Soybean Diseases. JC Rupe and MJ Cochran Performance of Soybean Lines under Stress Due to Brown Stem Rot, Soybean Cyst Nematode, and Iron Deficiency Chlorosis. LM Mansur, H Tachibana, and K Bidne Performance of Soybean Cultivars in Cyst and Peanut Root-Knot Nematode Infested Fields. CE Drye, DK Barefield, ER Shipe, and JD Mueller Yield of Aldicarb Treated Nematode Resistant and Susceptible Soybean Varieties. CE Drye, ER Garner, and JD Mueller Distribution, Races, and Effects of Soybean Cyst Nematode in Missouri. TL Niblack and GS Smith Performance of Selected Nematicides in a Field Infested with Root-Knot and Cyst Nematodes. RW Young, R Rodríguez-Kábana, and EL Carden Performance of Selected Soybean Cultivars in a Field Infested with Meloidogyne arenaria and Heterodera glycines. DG Robertson, R Rodríguez-Kábana, D Weaver, and EL Carden Sorghum-Soybean Rotation for the Management of Root-Knot and Cyst Nematodes: Long Term Effects. CF Weaver, R Rodríguez-Kábana, DB Weaver, and EL Carden Bahiagrass-Soybean Rotation for the Management of Root-Knot and Cyst Nematodes: Long Term Effects. PS King, R Rodríguez-Kábana, DB Weaver, and EL Carden Peanut-Soybean Rotations for the Management of Meloidogyne arenaria. R Rodríguez-Kábana, and DG Robertson Field Evaluation of Polyspecific Nematode Resistance in Soybean. DB Weaver, R Rodríguez-Kábana, and EL Carden Long Term Effects of Selected Rotations with Soybeans and Corn on Populations of Meloidogyne arenaria. R Rodríguez-Kábana, and D.G. Robertson Histopathology of Soybean Roots Inoculated with Fusariurn solani and Heterodera glycines. KS McLean, KW Roy and GW Lawrence. The opinions expressed by the participants at this conference are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the southern Soybean Disease Workers (SSDW). Text, references, figures, and tables are reproduced essentially as they were supplied by the author(s) of each paper. Mention of pesticides does not constitute a recommendation for use, nor does it imply that the pesticides are registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act as · amended. The use of trade names in this publication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or endorsement of the products by SSDW

Rates of referable eye disease in the Scottish National Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme

Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial on Benfotiamine Treatment in Patients With Diabetic Nephropathy

OBJECTIVE - To investigate the effect of benfotiamine on urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and the tubular damage marker kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Patients with type 2 diabetes and UAE equivalent to 15-300 mg/24 h, despite ACE inhibitors (ACE-Is) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of benfotiamine (900 mg/day) (n = 39) or placebo (n = 43). RESULTS - Compared with placebo, benfotiamine treatment resulted in significant improvement of thiamine status (P <0.001). Benfotiamine treatment did not significantly decrease 24-h UAE or 24-h KIM-1 excretion. CONCLUSIONS - In patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy, high-dose benfotiamine treatment for 12 weeks in addition to ACE-Is or ARBs did not reduce UAE or KIM-1 excretion, despite improvement of thiamine status

Mixing Quantum and Classical Mechanics

Using a group theoretical approach we derive an equation of motion for a mixed quantum-classical system. The quantum-classical bracket entering the equation preserves the Lie algebra structure of quantum and classical mechanics: The bracket is antisymmetric and satisfies the Jacobi identity, and, therefore, leads to a natural description of interaction between quantum and classical degrees of freedom. We apply the formalism to coupled quantum and classical oscillators and show how various approximations, such as the mean-field and the multiconfiguration mean-field approaches, can be obtained from the quantum-classical equation of motion.Comment: 31 pages, LaTeX2

A method for extracting calibrated volatility information from the FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS and its experimental application

The Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO) is an inlet specifically designed to be coupled with the Aerodyne High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-CIMS). The FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS provides simultaneous molecular information relating to both the gas- and particle-phase samples and has been used to extract vapour pressures (VPs) of the compounds desorbing from the filter whilst giving quantitative concentrations in the particle phase. However, such extraction of vapour pressures of the measured particle-phase components requires use of appropriate, well-defined, reference compounds. Vapour pressures for the homologous series of polyethylene glycols (PEG) ((H-(O-CH2CH2)n-OH) for n = 3 to n = 8), covering a range of vapour pressures (VP) (10-1 to 10-7 Pa) that are atmospherically relevant, have been shown to be reproduced well by a range of different techniques, including Knudsen Effusion Mass Spectrometry (KEMS). This is the first homologous series of compounds for which a number of vapour pressure measurement techniques have been found to be in agreement, indicating the utility as a calibration standard, providing an ideal set of benchmark compounds for accurate characterization of the FIGAERO for extracting vapour pressure of measured compounds in chambers and the real atmosphere. To demonstrate this, single-component and mixture vapour pressure measurements are made using two FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS instruments based on a new calibration determined from the PEG series. VP values extracted from both instruments agree well with those measured by KEMS and reported values from literature, validating this approach for extracting VP data from the FIGAERO. This method is then applied to chamber measurements, and the vapour pressures of known products are estimated

Evolutionarily Conserved Linkage between Enzyme Fold, Flexibility, and Catalysis

Proteins are intrinsically flexible molecules. The role of internal motions in a protein's designated function is widely debated. The role of protein structure in enzyme catalysis is well established, and conservation of structural features provides vital clues to their role in function. Recently, it has been proposed that the protein function may involve multiple conformations: the observed deviations are not random thermodynamic fluctuations; rather, flexibility may be closely linked to protein function, including enzyme catalysis. We hypothesize that the argument of conservation of important structural features can also be extended to identification of protein flexibility in interconnection with enzyme function. Three classes of enzymes (prolyl-peptidyl isomerase, oxidoreductase, and nuclease) that catalyze diverse chemical reactions have been examined using detailed computational modeling. For each class, the identification and characterization of the internal protein motions coupled to the chemical step in enzyme mechanisms in multiple species show identical enzyme conformational fluctuations. In addition to the active-site residues, motions of protein surface loop regions (>10 Å away) are observed to be identical across species, and networks of conserved interactions/residues connect these highly flexible surface regions to the active-site residues that make direct contact with substrates. More interestingly, examination of reaction-coupled motions in non-homologous enzyme systems (with no structural or sequence similarity) that catalyze the same biochemical reaction shows motions that induce remarkably similar changes in the enzyme–substrate interactions during catalysis. The results indicate that the reaction-coupled flexibility is a conserved aspect of the enzyme molecular architecture. Protein motions in distal areas of homologous and non-homologous enzyme systems mediate similar changes in the active-site enzyme–substrate interactions, thereby impacting the mechanism of catalyzed chemistry. These results have implications for understanding the mechanism of allostery, and for protein engineering and drug design

Theoretical models of nonlinear effects in two-component cooperative supramolecular copolymerizations

The understanding of multi-component mixtures of self-assembling molecules under thermodynamic equilibrium can only be advanced by a combined experimental and theoretical approach. In such systems, small differences in association energy between the various components can be significantly amplified at the supramolecular level via intricate nonlinear effects. Here we report a theoretical investigation of two-component, self-assembling systems in order to rationalize chiral amplification in cooperative supramolecular copolymerizations. Unlike previous models based on theories developed for covalent polymers, the models presented here take into account the equilibrium between the monomer pool and supramolecular polymers, and the cooperative growth of the latter. Using two distinct methodologies, that is, solving mass-balance equations and stochastic simulation, we show that monomer exchange accounts for numerous unexplained observations in chiral amplification in supramolecular copolymerization. In analogy with asymmetric catalysis, amplification of chirality in supramolecular polymers results in an asymmetric depletion of the enantiomerically related monomer pool

Neurocognitive functioning in school-aged cystinosis patients

Contains fulltext : 89600.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)INTRODUCTION: Cystinosis is an autosomal recessive disorder leading to intralysosomal cystine accumulation in various tissues. It causes renal Fanconi syndrome and end stage renal failure around the age of 10 years if not treated with cysteamine. Children with cystinosis seem to have a normal intelligence but frequently show learning difficulties. These problems may be due to specific neurocognitive deficits rather than impaired renal function. Whether cysteamine treatment can improve cognitive functioning of cystinosis patients is thus far unknown. We aim to analyze neurocognitive functioning of school-aged cystinosis patients treated with cysteamine in order to identify specific deficits that can lead to learning difficulties. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fourteen Dutch and Belgian school-aged cystinosis patients were included. Glomerular filtration rate was estimated using the Schwartz formula. Children were tested for general intelligence, visual-motor integration, inhibition, interference, sustained attention, accuracy, planning, visual memory, processing speed, motor planning, fluency and speed, and behavioural and emotional functioning using standardized methods. RESULTS: Glomerular filtration rate ranged from 22 to 120 ml min(-1) 1.73 m(-2). Median full-scale intelligence was below the average of a normal population (87, range 60-132), with a discrepancy between verbal (median 95, range 60-125) and performance (median 87, range 65-130) intelligence. Over 50% of the patients scored poorly on visual-motor integration, sustained attention, visual memory, planning, or motor speed. The other tested areas showed no differences between patients' and normal values. CONCLUSION: Neurocognitive diagnostics are indicated in cystinosis patients. Early recognition of specific deficits and supervision from special education services might reduce learning difficulties and improve school careers.1 december 201

A Rigidifying Salt-Bridge Favors the Activity of Thermophilic Enzyme at High Temperatures at the Expense of Low-Temperature Activity

Although enzymes from thermophiles thriving in hot habitats are more stable than their mesophilic homologs, they are often less active at low temperatures. One theory suggests that extra stabilizing interactions found in thermophilic enzymes may increase their rigidity and decrease enzymatic activity at lower temperatures. We used acylphosphatase as a model to study how flexibility affects enzymatic activity. This enzyme has a unique structural feature in that an invariant arginine residue, which takes part in catalysis, is restrained by a salt-bridge in the thermophilic homologs but not in its mesophilic homologs. Here, we demonstrate the trade-offs between flexibility and enzymatic activity by disrupting the salt-bridge in a thermophilic acylphosphatase and introducing it in the mesophilic human homolog. Our results suggest that the salt-bridge is a structural adaptation for thermophilic acylphosphatases as it entropically favors enzymatic activity at high temperatures by restricting the flexibility of the active-site residue. However, at low temperatures the salt-bridge reduces the enzymatic activity because of a steeper temperature-dependency of activity

Structure of an Engineered β-Lactamase Maltose Binding Protein Fusion Protein: Insights into Heterotropic Allosteric Regulation

Engineering novel allostery into existing proteins is a challenging endeavor to obtain novel sensors, therapeutic proteins, or modulate metabolic and cellular processes. The RG13 protein achieves such allostery by inserting a circularly permuted TEM-1 β-lactamase gene into the maltose binding protein (MBP). RG13 is positively regulated by maltose yet is, serendipitously, inhibited by Zn2+ at low µM concentration. To probe the structure and allostery of RG13, we crystallized RG13 in the presence of mM Zn2+ concentration and determined its structure. The structure reveals that the MBP and TEM-1 domains are in close proximity connected via two linkers and a zinc ion bridging both domains. By bridging both TEM-1 and MBP, Zn2+ acts to “twist tie” the linkers thereby partially dislodging a linker between the two domains from its original catalytically productive position in TEM-1. This linker 1 contains residues normally part of the TEM-1 active site including the critical β3 and β4 strands important for activity. Mutagenesis of residues comprising the crystallographically observed Zn2+ site only slightly affected Zn2+ inhibition 2- to 4-fold. Combined with previous mutagenesis results we therefore hypothesize the presence of two or more inter-domain mutually exclusive inhibitory Zn2+ sites. Mutagenesis and molecular modeling of an intact TEM-1 domain near MBP within the RG13 framework indicated a close surface proximity of the two domains with maltose switching being critically dependent on MBP linker anchoring residues and linker length. Structural analysis indicated that the linker attachment sites on MBP are at a site that, upon maltose binding, harbors both the largest local Cα distance changes and displays surface curvature changes, from concave to relatively flat becoming thus less sterically intrusive. Maltose activation and zinc inhibition of RG13 are hypothesized to have opposite effects on productive relaxation of the TEM-1 β3 linker region via steric and/or linker juxtapositioning mechanisms