Comparison of response of canola (Brassica napus L. CV. Hyola 401) to biofertilizer inoculation in optimal and delayed cropping dates

In order to compare the effects of phosphate solubilizing bacteria as biofertilizer and mineral phosphorous application in optimal date of sowing with delayed cropping date on canola (Brassica napus L.) growth and productivity, a splitplot experiment, using randomized complete block design with three replications, was conducted at Dashate-Naz Agronomy Research Station, in 2014. Four levels of bacterial inoculation (Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fluorescens, singly or in combination) were applied as main plots and five levels of mineral phosphorus (P) application (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 kg·ha-1 of mineral phosphorous) were applied as sub plots. Canola plant were sown at two dates of sowing, one at optimal date of sowing (30 Sept., 2014) and the other one month later as delayed cropping (30 Oct., 2014). The results obtained showed that effects of bacterial inoculation on number of seeds per pod, number of pods on plant, and seed yield were significant at one percent probability level at both sowing dates. Moreover, rates of phosphate application had significant effects on all traits at one percent level. Comparing the means showed that application of mineral P resulted in substantial increase in seed yield. At optimal date of sowing, it was shown that while minimum seed yield obtained at control treatment (1600 kg·ha-1), the maximum (2980 kg·ha-1) obtained with interaction effects of application of both bacterial strains along with 75 kg·ha-1 mineral P, having no statistically difference with that of P. fluorescens, along with 75 kg·ha-1 mineral P (2940 kg·ha-1). It was shown that delayed cropping resulted in decreasing canola growth which is reflected in seed yield and yield components. Minimum seed yield at control plot at first date of sowing (1600 kg·ha-1) decreased to 740 kg·ha-1, in the second date of sowing, showing 54 % decrease. The maximum seed yield also decreased in delayed cropping, from 2980 kg·ha-1 at 30 Sept., 2014, as compared to 1074 kg·ha-1 at 30 Oct., 2014, showing a 64% decrease. The results obtained showed that an increase in P level, eventually enhanced the seed yield. This increasing trend continued until a threshold level (75 kg·ha-1 of P), after which seed yield showed a declining fashion

Identification of a region required for TSC1 stability by functional analysis of TSC1 missense mutations found in individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex

Background: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterised by the development of hamartomas in a variety of organs and tissues. The disease is caused by mutations in either the TSC1 gene on chromosome 9q34, or the TSC2 gene on chromosome 16p13.3. The TSC1 and TSC2 gene products, TSC1 and TSC2, form a protein complex that inhibits signal transduction to the downstream effectors of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Recently it has been shown that missense mutations to the TSC1 gene can cause TSC. Methods: We have used in vitro biochemical assays to investigate the effects on TSC1 function of TSC1 missense variants submitted to the Leiden Open Variation Database. Results: We identified specific substitutions between amino acids 50 and 190 in the N-terminal region of TSC1 that result in reduced steady state levels of the protein and lead to increased mTOR signalling. Conclusion: Our results suggest that amino acid residues within the N-terminal region of TSC1 are important for TSC1 function and for maintaining the activity of the TSC1-TSC2 complex

Grafting Trees: a Fault Attack against the SPHINCS framework

Because they require no assumption besides the preimage or collision resistance of hash functions, hash-based signatures are a unique and very attractive class of post-quantum primitives. Among them, the schemes of the SPHINCS family are arguably the most practical stateless schemes, and can be implemented on embedded devices such as FPGAs or smart cards. This naturally raises the question of their resistance to implementation attacks. In this paper, we propose the first fault attack against the framework underlying SPHINCS, Gravity-SPHINCS and SPHINCS+. Our attack allows to forge any message signature at the cost of a single faulted message. Furthermore, the fault model is very reasonable and the faulted signatures remain valid, which renders our attack both stealthy and practical. As the attack involves a non-negligible computational cost, we propose a fine-grained trade-off allowing to lower this cost by slightly increasing the number of faulted messages. Our attack is generic in the sense that it does not depend on the underlying hash function(s) used

Parent of origin genetic effects on methylation in humans are common and influence complex trait variation

Parent-of-origin effects (POE) are observed when there are different effects from alleles inherited from the two parents on phenotypic measures. Here, Zeng et al. study POE on DNA methylation in 5,101 individuals and identify genetic variants that associate with methylation variation via POE and their potential phenotypic consequences

Variations in Suppressor Molecule CTLA-4 Gene Are Related to Susceptibility to Multiple Myeloma in a Polish Population

Various phenotype and functional T-cell abnormalities are observed in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between polymorphisms in the gene encoding cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), a negative regulator of the T-lymphocyte immune response and susceptibility to multiple myeloma in a Polish population. Two hundred MM patients and 380 healthy subjects were genotyped for the following polymorphisms: CTLA-4c.49A>G, CTLA-4g.319C>T, CTLA-4g.*642AT(8_33), CT60 (CTLA-4g.*6230G>A), Jo31 (CTLA-4g.*10223G>T). Our study is the largest and most comprehensive evaluation to date of the association between genetic polymorphisms in the CTLA-4 molecule and multiple myeloma. It was found that CTLA-4c.49A>G[G], CT60[G], and Jo31[G] alleles were more frequently observed in MM patients than in controls (0.50 vs. 0.44, p = 0.03, 0.65 vs. 0.58, p = 0.04, and 0.63 vs. 0.57, p = 0.03, respectively). Moreover, the haplotype CTLA-4c.49A>G[G], CTLA-4g.319C>T[C], CTLA-4g.*642AT(8_33) [8], CT60[G], Jo31[G] including all susceptibility alleles increases the risk of MM about fourfold (OR: 3.79, 95%CI: 2.08–6.89, p = 0.00001). These findings indicate that genetic variations in the CTLA-4 gene play role in susceptibility to multiple myeloma and warrant further investigation through replication studies

Residential mobility and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: an ecological study

We conducted an ecological analysis of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia-incidence data from children ⩽5 years old during 1992–1998 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program in 200 counties and Hawaii. The response variable was the count of cases in each county race–sex stratum, examined in relation to data from the United States Census and the United States Department of Agriculture. The final models for both sexes included race, proportion moved during 1985–1990, and proportion of households with income ⩾$5000 as potential predictors. Incidence was lower among black boys (rate ratio (RR)=0.5) and black girls (RR=0.4) than among other children of the same sex; no other significant racial differences were detected. Incidence was elevated among males (but not females) residing in counties where ⩾50$5000 (RR=1.5). These sex differences in risk factors were unexpected

Trace elements in glucometabolic disorders: an update

Many trace elements, among which metals, are indispensable for proper functioning of a myriad of biochemical reactions, more particularly as enzyme cofactors. This is particularly true for the vast set of processes involved in regulation of glucose homeostasis, being it in glucose metabolism itself or in hormonal control, especially insulin. The role and importance of trace elements such as chromium, zinc, selenium, lithium and vanadium are much less evident and subjected to chronic debate. This review updates our actual knowledge concerning these five trace elements. A careful survey of the literature shows that while theoretical postulates from some key roles of these elements had led to real hopes for therapy of insulin resistance and diabetes, the limited experience based on available data indicates that beneficial effects and use of most of them are subjected to caution, given the narrow window between safe and unsafe doses. Clear therapeutic benefit in these pathologies is presently doubtful but some data indicate that these metals may have a clinical interest in patients presenting deficiencies in individual metal levels. The same holds true for an association of some trace elements such as chromium or zinc with oral antidiabetics. However, this area is essentially unexplored in adequate clinical trials, which are worth being performed

Genome evolution in the allotetraploid frog Xenopus laevis

To explore the origins and consequences of tetraploidy in the African clawed frog, we sequenced the Xenopus laevis genome and compared it to the related diploid X. tropicalis genome. We characterize the allotetraploid origin of X. laevis by partitioning its genome into two homoeologous subgenomes, marked by distinct families of ???fossil??? transposable elements. On the basis of the activity of these elements and the age of hundreds of unitary pseudogenes, we estimate that the two diploid progenitor species diverged around 34 million years ago (Ma) and combined to form an allotetraploid around 17-18 Ma. More than 56% of all genes were retained in two homoeologous copies. Protein function, gene expression, and the amount of conserved flanking sequence all correlate with retention rates. The subgenomes have evolved asymmetrically, with one chromosome set more often preserving the ancestral state and the other experiencing more gene loss, deletion, rearrangement, and reduced gene expression.ope