Tobravirus 2b Protein Acts in Trans to Facilitate Transmission by Nematodes

AbstractAnalysis of RNA2 of TRV PaY4 showed it to be recombinant, carrying 3′-terminal sequences derived from RNA1. Virus produced using an infectious cDNA clone of PaY4 RNA2 was nematode transmissible, demonstrating that natural TRV recombinant isolates are not necessarily defective. Mutations introduced into PaY4 RNA2 showed that the 2b gene, but not the 2c gene, is required for transmission by both Paratrichodorus pachydermus and P. anemones nematodes. Experiments examined whether infection of plants with two different virus clones would impact upon nematode transmission of either virus. Simultaneous inoculation with TRV clones expressing green or red fluorescent proteins revealed that mixing of the two virus populations did not occur, although, in roots, adjacent cells were found containing green- or red-tagged viruses. Subsequently, in similar experiments it was found that a TRV PaY4 2b mutant was transmitted when combined with wild-type TRV PaY4. Also, transmission of a 2b mutant of an in vitro TRV/PEBV recombinant virus (TRV-C1) occurred after coinfection with wild-type virus. Thus, the tobravirus 2b transmission protein is trans-acting. Although TRV PaY4 and TRV PpK20 are both transmitted by P. pachydermus, a 2b mutant of TRV PaY4 was not transmitted when coinoculated to plants with TRV PpK20

Gauge-string duality for (non)supersymmetric deformations of N=4 Super Yang-Mills theory

We consider a non-supersymmetric example of the AdS/CFT duality which generalizes the supersymmetric exactly marginal deformation constructed in hep-th/0502086. The string theory background we use was found in hep-th/0503201 from the AdS_5 x S5 by a combination of T-dualities and shifts of angular coordinates. It depends on three real parameters gamma_i which determine the shape of the deformed 5-sphere. The dual gauge theory has the same field content as N=4 SYM theory, but with scalar and Yukawa interactions ``deformed'' by gamma_i-dependent phases. The special case of equal deformation parameters gamma_i=gamma corresponds to the N=1 supersymmetric deformation. We compare the energies of semiclassical strings with three large angular momenta to the 1-loop anomalous dimensions of the corresponding gauge-theory scalar operators and find that they match as it was the case in the SU(3) sector of the standard AdS/CFT duality. In the supersymmetric case of equal gamma_i this extends the result of our previous work (hep-th/0503192) from the 2-spin to the 3-spin sector. This extension turns out to be quite nontrivial. To match the corresponding low-energy effective ``Landau-Lifshitz'' actions on the string theory and the gauge theory sides one is to make a special choice of the spin chain Hamiltonian representing the 1-loop gauge theory dilatation operator. This choice is adapted to low-energy approximation, i.e. it allows one to capture the right vacuum states and the macroscopic spin wave sector of states of the spin chain in the continuum coherent state effective action.Comment: 43 pages, Latex; v2:Discussion of 0-modes improved in section 2, Appendix B expanded to demonstrate agreement between gauge and string theory for 0-mode fluctuations; references added; v3: Modification to the discussion on the U(1) factor in sec.4.

Gene-gene Interaction Analyses for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heritable disease that affects more than thirty million individuals worldwide. Extensive efforts have been devoted to the study of genetic determinants of AF. The objective of our study is to examine the effect of gene-gene interaction on AF susceptibility. We performed a large-scale association analysis of gene-gene interactions with AF in 8,173 AF cases, and 65,237 AF-free referents collected from 15 studies for discovery. We examined putative interactions between genome-wide SNPs and 17 known AF-related SNPs. The top interactions were then tested for association in a

Genetic Interactions with Age, Sex, Body Mass Index, and Hypertension in Relation to Atrial Fibrillation: The AFGen Consortium

It is unclear whether genetic markers interact with risk factors to influence atrial fibrillation (AF) risk. We performed genome-wide interaction analyses between genetic variants and age, sex, hypertension, and body mass index in the AFGen Consortium. Study-specific results were combined using meta-analysis (88,383 individuals of European descent, including 7,292 with AF). Variants with nominal interaction associations in the discovery analysis were tested for association in four independent studies (131,441 individuals, including 5,722 with AF). In the discovery analysis, the AF risk associated with the minor rs6817105 allele (at the PITX2 locus) was greater among subjects ≤ 65 years of age than among those > 65 years (interaction p-value = 4.0 × 10-5). The interaction p-value exceeded genome-wide significance in combined discovery and replication analyses (interaction p-value = 1.7 × 10-8). We observed one genome-wide significant interaction with body mass index and several suggestive interactions with age, sex, and body mass index in the discovery analysis. However, none was replicated in the independent sample. Our findings suggest that the pathogenesis of AF may differ according to age in individuals of European descent, but we did not observe evidence of statistically significant genetic interactions with sex, body mass index, or hypertension on AF risk

Parâmetros fotossintéticos e crescimento em mudas de bertholletia excelsa e carapa guianensis em resposta a pré-aclimatação a pleno sol e estresse hídrico moderado

Light and water are important factors that may limit the growth and development of higher plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate photosynthetic parameters and growth in seedlings of Bertholletia excelsa and Carapa guianensis in response to pre-acclimation to full sunlight and mild water stress. I used six independent pre-acclimation treatments (0, 90 (11h15-12h45), 180 (10h30-13h30), 360 (09h00-15h00), 540 (07h30-16h30) and 720 min (06h00-18h00)) varying the time of exposure to full sunlight (PFS) during 30 days, followed by whole-day outdoor exposure for 120 days. Before PFS, the plants were kept in a greenhouse at low light levels (0.8 mol m-2 day-1). The PFS of 0 min corresponded to plants constantly kept under greenhouse conditions. From the beginning to the end of the experiment, each PFS treatment was submitted to two water regimesmoderate water stress (MWS, pre-dawn leaf water potential (ΨL) of -500 to -700 kPa) and without water stress (WWS, ΨL of -300 kPa, soil kept at field capacity). Plants under MWS received only a fraction of the amount of water applied to the well-watered ones. At the end of the 120-day-period under outdoor conditions, I evaluated light saturated photosynthesis (Amax), stomatal conductance (g s), transpiration (E) and plant growth. Both Amax and g s were higher for all plants under the PFS treatment. Stem diameter growth rate and Amax were higher for C. guianensis subjected to MWS than in well-watered plants. The contrary was true for B. excelsa. The growth of seedlings was enhanced by exposure to full sunlight for 180 minutes in both species. However, plants of B. excelsa were sensitive to moderate water stress. The higher photosynthetic rates and faster growth of C. guianensis under full sun and moderate water stress make this species a promissory candidate to be tested in reforestation programs.A luz e a água são importantes fatores que limitam o crescimento e o desenvolvimento das plantas. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os paâmetros fotossintéticos e o crescimento em mudas de Bertholletia excelsa e Carapa guianensis em resposta a pré-aclimatação à luz solar plena e estresse hídrico moderado. Foram usados seis independentes tratamentos de pré-aclimatação a pleno sol (PFS), sendo estes de (0, 90 (11h15-12h45), 180 (10h30-13h30), 360 (09h00-15h00), 540 (07h30-16h30) e 720 min (06h00-18h00)) durante 30 dias seguidos por um período de exposição a pleno sol de 120 dias durante o dia todo. Antes da PFS, as plantas foram mantidas em casa de vegetação a baixos níveis de luz (0,8 mol m-2 dia-1). O PFS de 0 min correspondeu às plantas mantidas constatemente na casa de vegetação. Cada tratamento de PFS foi submetido desde o início até o final do experimento a dois regimes hídricos, denominado de estresse hídrico moderado (MWS, potencial hidrico da folha medido antes do amanhecer (ΨL) de -500 a -700 kPa) e sem estresse hídrico (WWS , ΨL de -300 kPa, solo mantido na capacidade de campo). As plantas do tratamento MWS receberam apenas uma fração do volume de água fornecido para aquelas do tratamento WWS. No final do período de 120 dias foi avaliada a fotossíntese saturada por luz (Amax), a condutância estomática (g s), transpiração (E) e o crescimento. Amax e g s foram maiores em todas as plantas sob o tratamento de PFS. A taxa de crescimento em diâmetro e Amax foram maiores em plantas de C. guianensis submetidas à MWS. O contrário foi observado em B. excelsa. O crescimento das mudas foi maior nas plantas expostas à luz solar em 180 minutos em ambas as espécies. Entretanto, as plantas de B. excelsa foram mais sensíveis ao estresse hídrico moderado. C. guianensis foi à especie que teve melhor desempenho fotossintético e crescimento sob estresse hídrico moderado e luz solar plena. Portanto, essa espécie tem grande potencialidade para ser testada em programas de reflorestamento

Determination of the Form Factors for the Decay B0 --> D*-l+nu_l and of the CKM Matrix Element |Vcb|

We present a combined measurement of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $|V_{cb}|$ and of the parameters $\rho^2$, $R_1$, and $R_2$, which fully characterize the form factors of the $B^0 \to D^{*-}\ell^{+}\nu_\ell$ decay in the framework of HQET, based on a sample of about 52,800 $B^0 \to D^{*-}\ell^{+}\nu_\ell$ decays recorded by the BABAR detector. The kinematical information of the fully reconstructed decay is used to extract the following values for the parameters (where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic): $\rho^2 = 1.156 \pm 0.094 \pm 0.028$, $R_1 = 1.329 \pm 0.131 \pm 0.044$, $R_2 = 0.859 \pm 0.077 \pm 0.022$, $\mathcal{F}(1)|V_{cb}| = (35.03 \pm 0.39 \pm 1.15) \times 10^{-3}$. By combining these measurements with the previous BABAR measurements of the form factors which employs a different technique on a partial sample of the data, we improve the statistical accuracy of the measurement, obtaining: $\rho^2 = 1.179 \pm 0.048 \pm 0.028, R_1 = 1.417 \pm 0.061 \pm 0.044, R_2 = 0.836 \pm 0.037 \pm 0.022,$ and $\mathcal{F}(1)|V_{cb}| = (34.68 \pm 0.32 \pm 1.15) \times 10^{-3}.$ Using the lattice calculations for the axial form factor $\mathcal{F}(1)$, we extract $|V_{cb}| =(37.74 \pm 0.35 \pm 1.25 \pm ^{1.23}_{1.44}) \times 10^{-3}$, where the third error is due to the uncertainty in $\mathcal{F}(1)$

Study of the Exclusive Initial-State Radiation Production of the DDˉD \bar D System

A study of exclusive production of the $D \bar D$ system through initial-state r adiation is performed in a search for charmonium states, where $D=D^0$ or $D^+$. The $D^0$ mesons are reconstructed in the $D^0 \to K^- \pi^+$, $D^0 \to K^- \pi^+ \pi^0$, and $D^0 \to K^- \pi^+ \pi^+ \pi^-$ decay modes. The $D^+$ is reconstructed through the $D^+ \to K^- \pi^+ \pi^+$ decay mode. The analysis makes use of an integrated luminosity of 288.5 fb$^{-1}$ collected by the BaBar experiment. The $D \bar D$ mass spectrum shows a clear $\psi(3770)$ signal. Further structures appear in the 3.9 and 4.1 GeV/$c^2$ regions. No evidence is found for Y(4260) decays to $D \bar D$, implying an up per limit \frac{\BR(Y(4260)\to D \bar D)}{\BR(Y(4260)\to J/\psi \pi^+ \pi^-)} < 7.6 (95 % confidence level)

EuFe2_2As2_2 under high pressure: an antiferromagnetic bulk superconductor

We report the ac magnetic susceptibility $\chi_{ac}$ and resistivity $\rho$ measurements of EuFe$_2$As$_2$ under high pressure $P$. By observing nearly 100% superconducting shielding and zero resistivity at $P$ = 28 kbar, we establish that $P$-induced superconductivity occurs at $T_c \sim$~30 K in EuFe$_2$As$_2$. $\rho$ shows an anomalous nearly linear temperature dependence from room temperature down to $T_c$ at the same $P$. $\chi_{ac}$ indicates that an antiferromagnetic order of Eu$^{2+}$ moments with $T_N \sim$~20 K persists in the superconducting phase. The temperature dependence of the upper critical field is also determined.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., Vol. 78 No.

Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms

Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods1,2. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome3,4. Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins5,6,7. However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes8. This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies9 provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade

Multi-ancestry GWAS of the electrocardiographic PR interval identifies 202 loci underlying cardiac conduction

The electrocardiographic PR interval reflects atrioventricular conduction, and is associated with conduction abnormalities, pacemaker implantation, atrial fibrillation (AF), and cardiovascular mortality. Here we report a multi-ancestry (N = 293,051) genome-wide association meta-analysis for the PR interval, discovering 202 loci of which 141 have not previously been reported. Variants at identified loci increase the percentage of heritability explained, from 33.5% to 62.6%. We observe enrichment for cardiac muscle developmental/contractile and cytoskeletal genes, highlighting key regulation processes for atrioventricular conduction. Additionally, 8 loci not previously reported harbor genes underlying inherited arrhythmic syndromes and/or cardiomyopathies suggesting a role for these genes in cardiovascular pathology in the general population. We show that polygenic predisposition to PR interval duration is an endophenotype for cardiovascular disease, including distal conduction disease, AF, and atrioventricular pre-excitation. These findings advance our understanding of the polygenic basis of cardiac conduction, and the genetic relationship between PR interval duration and cardiovascular disease