Detection of a closteroviruslike particle from a corky bark-affected grapevine cultivar

Closteroviruslike particles were mechanically transmitted from in vitro shoot tip cultures of a grapevine affected with corky bark disease to seedlings of Nicotiana benthamiana. Local necrotic lesions appeared 9-12 d and systemic symptoms 14-16 d post-inoculation. This virus had a normal length of 725 nm, striations with a pitch of 3.4 nm and was 10 nm wide. In ISEM tests, the virus was not decorated with antibodies prepared against GVA, NY-1, CA-4, GLRV-1, GLRV-3, ASGV, PVT or CLSV

Mechanical sap transmission of a closterovirus from in vitro shoot tip cultures of a leafroll-affected grapevine to Nicotiana benthamiana

Transmission manuelle d'un clostérovirus au Nicotiana benthamiana à partir de cultures in vitro d'une vigne atteinte de l'enroulementDes cultures in vitro d'une vigne de Vitis vinifera Limberger atteinte de l'enroulement ont été broyées dans une solution tampon contenant de la nicotine. Les extraits ont été inoculés sur des feuilles de Nicotiana benthamiana et de 6 autres espèces de plantes herbacées. 3 semaines plus tard, seuls les plants de N. benthamiana ont démontré des symptômes. Ceux-ci consistaient d'un nanissement systémique accompagné d'un éclaircissement des nervures qui se transformait en chlorose interveinale. Les feuilles de ces N. benthamiana contenaient le virus A de la vigne (GVA), démontré par la méthode ISEM

Double-stranded RNA from rupestris stem pitting-affected grapevines

Nucleic acids were extracted from in vitro shoot tip cultures of 31 grapevine cultivars affected with rupestris stem pitting (RSP) disease and from cultures of 11 RSPfree cultivars, 4 of which were disease-free, 2 of which were fleck-affected and 5 of which were grapevine leafroll disease-affected. Analysis of the extracts by polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis showed that 21 of the 31 RSP-affected cultivars contained a previously unreported nucleic acid which was absent from the RSP-free controls. Nuclease digestions showed that the nucleic acid was double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). The apparent size of the dsRNA was inconsistent with that expected for either a viroid or a closterovirus. The observation that 10 of the 31 RSP-affected cultivars lacked this dsRNA is consistent with the view that there may be more than one 'RSP-like' disease. The dsRNA detected in this investigation may be associated with one of these diseases

Comparison of RNA extracts from in vitro shoot tip cultures of leafroll-affected and leafroll-free grapevine cultivars

The RNA content of in vitro shoot tip cultures from grapevine leafroll (GLR) disease-affected grapevines was analyzed and compared to that of similar cultures from GLR-free grapevines. A previously unreported low-molecular-weight single-stranded RNA (LMWssRNA) was detected in in vitro shoot tip cultures of 65 % (11 out of 17) of GLR-affected cultivars. This LMWssRNA was absent from disease-free cultivars and may be associated with a virus or a strain of a virus responsible for GLR. Numerous high-molecular-weight (HMW) dsRNA bands were also detected in GLR-affected grapevine cultivars. The intensities and mobilities (apparent molecular weights) of these dsRNA bands varied considerably from one GLR-affected cultivar to the next, but were reproducible for each cultivar. The detection of multiple distinctive RNA banding patterns is consistent with the possibility that more than one agent can cause grapevine leafroll disease

ENABLING WARFARE AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MULTI-MISSION HIGH ENERGY LASER RADARS

This capstone report provides a cost effectiveness analysis of various radar systems capable of guiding the Multi-Mission High Energy Laser (MMHEL) from a Stryker platform. The Army's Rapid Capability and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) is developing the MMHEL to provide a Mobile Short-Range Air Defense (MSHORAD) capability to maneuver units. The MMHEL requires a radar to cue the fire control system for target engagement. Past efforts to employ high-energy lasers have relied on large, stationary radars for target acquisition. The reliance on such radars limits a unit's ability to maneuver and results in the laser being employed primarily from a defensive posture. To maximize maneuverability and enable the offensive employment of the MMHEL, the U.S. Army needs an on-platform radar that is compact and inexpensive enough to equip multiple Strykers within a Stryker Brigade Combat Team with the capability to engage targets from a mobile platform. The RCCTO is currently tasked with accelerating efforts to fill this need. The intent of this report is to assist the RCCTO in these efforts by generating a list of viable radar alternatives and conducting a cost effectiveness analysis to produce a recommendation of the most optimal solution. The results indicate that RADA's aCHR radar presents the best value in terms of cost and benefit to the warfighter.http://archive.org/details/enablingwarfarea1094564109Captain, United States ArmyCaptain, United States ArmyMajor, United States ArmyCaptain, United States ArmyCaptain, United States ArmyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Nucleation in Systems with Elastic Forces

Systems with long-range interactions when quenced into a metastable state near the pseudo-spinodal exhibit nucleation processes that are quite different from the classical nucleation seen near the coexistence curve. In systems with long-range elastic forces the description of the nucleation process can be quite subtle due to the presence of bulk/interface elastic compatibility constraints. We analyze the nucleation process in a simple 2d model with elastic forces and show that the nucleation process generates critical droplets with a different structure than the stable phase. This has implications for nucleation in many crystal-crystal transitions and the structure of the final state

Critical behavior of a fluid in a disordered porous matrix: An Ornstein-Zernike approach

Using a liquid-state approach based on Ornstein-Zernike equations, we study the behavior of a fluid inside a porous disordered matrix near the liquid-gas critical point.The results obtained within various standard approximation schemes such as lowest-order $\gamma$-ordering and the mean-spherical approximation suggest that the critical behavior is closely related to that of the random-field Ising model (RFIM).Comment: 10 pages, revtex, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Androgen Deprivation Therapy Potentiates the Efficacy of Vascular Targeted Photodynamic Therapy of Prostate Cancer Xenografts

WST11 vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) is a local ablation approach relying upon rapid, free radical-mediated destruction of tumor vasculature. A phase III trial showed that VTP significantly reduced disease progression when compared with active surveillance in patients with low-risk prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to identify a druggable pathway that could be combined with VTP to improve its efficacy and applicability to higher risk prostate cancer tumors. Transcriptome analysis of VTP-treated tumors (LNCaP-AR xenografts) was used to identify a candidate pathway for combination therapy. The efficacy of the combination therapy was assessed in mice bearing LNCaP-AR or VCaP tumors. Gene set enrichment analysis identifies the enrichment of androgen-responsive gene sets within hours after VTP treatment, suggesting that the androgen receptor (AR) may be a viable target in combination with VTP. We tested this hypothesis in mice bearing LNCaP-AR xenograft tumors by using androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), degarelix, in combination with VTP. Compared with either ADT or VTP alone, a single dose of degarelix in concert with VTP significantly inhibited tumor growth. A sharp decline in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) confirmed AR inhibition in this group. Tumors treated by VTP and degarelix displayed intense terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling staining 7 days after treatment, supporting an increased apoptotic frequency underlying the effect on tumor inhibition. Improvement of local tumor control following androgen deprivation combined with VTP provides the rationale and preliminary protocol parameters for clinical trials in patients presented with locally advanced prostate cancer.

Clusters and Fluctuations at Mean-Field Critical Points and Spinodals

We show that the structure of the fluctuations close to spinodals and mean-field critical points is qualitatively different than the structure close to non-mean-field critical points. This difference has important implications for many areas including the formation of glasses in supercooled liquids. In particular, the divergence of the measured static structure function in near-mean-field systems close to the glass transition is suppressed relative to the mean-field prediction in systems for which a spatial symmetry is broken.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur