Improving competitive ability and herbicide options in domesticated oat production systems (Avena sativa L.)

Non-Peer ReviewedDomesticated oat (Avena sativa L.) is an economically important crop, ranking sixth in world cereal production and with production reaching approximately 25 million tonnes annually. It is largely utilized within the food industry and has increased in demand due to recent recognition of its health benefits attributed to beta-glucan. Oat yield reductions and poor grain seed quality have become more prevalent with increased resistant kochia populations. Multiple herbicide resistant (HR) kochia, along with a lack of herbicide registration for domesticated oat, have lead to a significant decrease in weed control efficacy. Thus, the initial objectives of this study are to quantify the efficacy of new herbicides for domesticated oat production. This project will be utilizing Group 2, 6, 14, and 28 PRE- and POST applicant herbicides. Oat yield and biomass was not significantly reduced within most treatments, indicating high crop tolerance. However, based on CWSS visual ratings, which were conducted after application indicated severe tissue damage and growth reductions attributed to several treatments. In contrast, fluthiacet-methyl, florasulam with bromoxynil, and pyrasulfotole with bromoxynil, and bentazon with 2,4-D could pose as alternative herbicide control options, as initial tissue damage was limited and provided reasonable kochia control. Future research is required to confirm efficacy of kochia control and oat tolerance, as apposing research indicates varying results

Surface acoustic waves in finite slabs of three-dimensional phononic crystals

We study theoretically, by means of layer-multiple-scattering techniques, the propagation of elastic waves through finite slabs of phononic crystals consisting of metallic spheres in a polyester matrix, embedded in air. In particular, we focus on the study of modes localized on the surfaces of the structure. Their origin and behavior, as well as the physical parameters that influence and determine their appearance, are investigated in detail. Our results reveal the existence of absolute phononic frequency gaps in these finite structures, and point out the possibility, under an appropriate choice of the parameters, of tunable regions of frequency free of propagating and/or surface-localized modes. © 2008 The American Physical Society.Peer Reviewe

The complex TIE between macrophages and angiogenesis

Macrophages are primarily known as phagocytic immune cells, but they also play a role in diverse processes, such as morphogenesis, homeostasis and regeneration. In this review, we discuss the influence of macrophages on angiogenesis, the process of new blood vessel formation from the pre-existing vasculature. Macrophages play crucial roles at each step of the angiogenic cascade, starting from new blood vessel sprouting to the remodelling of the vascular plexus and vessel maturation. Macrophages form promising targets for both pro- and anti-angiogenic treatments. However, to target macrophages, we will first need to understand the mechanisms that control the functional plasticity of macrophages during each of the steps of the angiogenic cascade. Here, we review recent insights in this topic. Special attention will be given to the TIE2-expressing macrophage (TEM), which is a subtype of highly angiogenic macrophages that is able to influence angiogenesis via the angiopoietin-TIE pathway

Common Variants at 10 Genomic Loci Influence Hemoglobin A(1C) Levels via Glycemic and Nonglycemic Pathways

OBJECTIVE Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), used to monitor and diagnose diabetes, is influenced by average glycemia over a 2- to 3-month period. Genetic factors affecting expression, turnover, and abnormal glycation of hemoglobin could also be associated with increased levels of HbA1c. We aimed to identify such genetic factors and investigate the extent to which they influence diabetes classification based on HbA1c levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied associations with HbA1c in up to 46,368 nondiabetic adults of European descent from 23 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and 8 cohorts with de novo genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We combined studies using inverse-variance meta-analysis and tested mediation by glycemia using conditional analyses. We estimated the global effect of HbA1c loci using a multilocus risk score, and used net reclassification to estimate genetic effects on diabetes screening. RESULTS Ten loci reached genome-wide significant association with HbA1c, including six new loci near FN3K (lead SNP/P value, rs1046896/P = 1.6 × 10−26), HFE (rs1800562/P = 2.6 × 10−20), TMPRSS6 (rs855791/P = 2.7 × 10−14), ANK1 (rs4737009/P = 6.1 × 10−12), SPTA1 (rs2779116/P = 2.8 × 10−9) and ATP11A/TUBGCP3 (rs7998202/P = 5.2 × 10−9), and four known HbA1c loci: HK1 (rs16926246/P = 3.1 × 10−54), MTNR1B (rs1387153/P = 4.0 × 10−11), GCK (rs1799884/P = 1.5 × 10−20) and G6PC2/ABCB11 (rs552976/P = 8.2 × 10−18). We show that associations with HbA1c are partly a function of hyperglycemia associated with 3 of the 10 loci (GCK, G6PC2 and MTNR1B). The seven nonglycemic loci accounted for a 0.19 (% HbA1c) difference between the extreme 10% tails of the risk score, and would reclassify ∼2% of a general white population screened for diabetes with HbA1c. CONCLUSIONS GWAS identified 10 genetic loci reproducibly associated with HbA1c. Six are novel and seven map to loci where rarer variants cause hereditary anemias and iron storage disorders. Common variants at these loci likely influence HbA1c levels via erythrocyte biology, and confer a small but detectable reclassification of diabetes diagnosis by HbA1c

A comprehensive 1000 Genomes-based genome-wide association meta-analysis of coronary artery disease

Existing knowledge of genetic variants affecting risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) is largely based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) analysis of common SNPs. Leveraging phased haplotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project, we report a GWAS meta-analysis of 185 thousand CAD cases and controls, interrogating 6.7 million common (MAF>0.05) as well as 2.7 million low frequency (0.005<MAF<0.05) variants. In addition to confirmation of most known CAD loci, we identified 10 novel loci, eight additive and two recessive, that contain candidate genes that newly implicate biological processes in vessel walls. We observed intra-locus allelic heterogeneity but little evidence of low frequency variants with larger effects and no evidence of synthetic association. Our analysis provides a comprehensive survey of the fine genetic architecture of CAD showing that genetic susceptibility to this common disease is largely determined by common SNPs of small effect siz

Excitation and trapping of lower hybrid waves in striations

The theory of lower hybrid (LH) waves trapped in striations in warm ionospheric plasma in the three-dimensional case is presented. A specific mechanism of trapping associated with the linear transformation of waves is discussed. It is shown analytically that such trapping can take place in elongated plasma depletions with the frequencies below and above the lower hybrid resonance frequency of the ambient plasma. The theory is applied mainly to striations generated artificially in ionospheric modification experiments and partly to natural plasma depletions in the auroral upper ionosphere. Typical amplitudes and transverse scales of the trapped LH waves excited in ionospheric modification experiments are estimated. It is shown that such waves possibly can be detected by backscattering at oblique sounding in very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) ranges

Sequential formation and resolution of multiple rosettes drive embryo remodelling after implantation

The morphogenetic remodelling of embryo architecture after implantation culminates in pro-amniotic cavity formation. Despite its key importance, how this transformation occurs remains unknown. Here, we apply high-resolution imaging of embryos developing in vivo and in vitro, spatial RNA sequencing and 3D trophoblast stem cell models to determine the sequence and mechanisms of these remodelling events. We show that cavitation of the embryonic tissue is followed by folding of extra-embryonic tissue to mediate the formation of a second extra-embryonic cavity. Concomitantly, at the boundary between embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues, a hybrid 3D rosette forms. Resolution of this rosette enables the embryonic cavity to invade the extra-embryonic tissue. Subsequently, β1-integrin signalling mediates the formation of multiple extra-embryonic 3D rosettes. Podocalyxin exocytosis leads to their polarized resolution, permitting the extension of embryonic and extra-embryonic cavities and their fusion into a unified pro-amniotic cavity. These morphogenetic transformations of embryogenesis reveal a previously unappreciated mechanism for lumen expansion and fusionThe M.Z.G lab is supported by grants from the European Research Council (669198) and the Welcome Trust (098287/Z/12/Z) and the EU Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions (ImageInLife,721537). C.K is supported by BBSRC Doctoral training studentship

Novel iterative min-max clustering to minimize information loss in statistical disclosure control

In recent years, there has been an alarming increase of online identity theft and attacks using personally identifiable information. The goal of privacy preservation is to de-associate individuals from sensitive or microdata information. Microaggregation techniques seeks to protect microdata in such a way that can be published and mined without providing any private information that can be linked to specific individuals. Microaggregation works by partitioning the microdata into groups of at least k records and then replacing the records in each group with the centroid of the group. An optimal microaggregation method must minimize the information loss resulting from this replacement process. The challenge is how to minimize the information loss during the microaggregation process. This paper presents a new microaggregation technique for Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC). It consists of two stages. In the first stage, the algorithm sorts all the records in the data set in a particular way to ensure that during microaggregation very dissimilar observations are never entered into the same cluster. In the second stage an optimal microaggregation method is used to create k-anonymous clusters while minimizing the information loss. It works by taking the sorted data and simultaneously creating two distant clusters using the two extreme sorted values as seeds for the clusters. The performance of the proposed technique is compared against the most recent microaggregation methods. Experimental results using benchmark datasets show that the proposed algorithm has the lowest information loss compared with a basket of techniques in the literature

The Dynamic Processing of CD46 Intracellular Domains Provides a Molecular Rheostat for T Cell Activation

Adequate termination of an immune response is as important as the induction of an appropriate response. CD46, a regulator of complement activity, promotes T cell activation and differentiation towards a regulatory Tr1 phenotype. This Tr1 differentiation pathway is defective in patients with MS, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, underlying its importance in controlling T cell function and the need to understand its regulatory mechanisms. CD46 has two cytoplasmic tails, Cyt1 and Cyt2, derived from alternative splicing, which are co-expressed in all nucleated human cells. The regulation of their expression and precise functions in regulating human T cell activation has not been fully elucidated.Here, we first report the novel role of CD46 in terminating T cell activation. Second, we demonstrate that its functions as an activator and inhibitor of T cell responses are mediated through the temporal processing of its cytoplasmic tails. Cyt1 processing is required to turn T cell activation on, while processing of Cyt2 switches T cell activation off, as demonstrated by proliferation, CD25 expression and cytokine secretion. Both tails require processing by Presenilin/γSecretase (P/γS) to exert these functions. This was confirmed by expressing wild-type Cyt1 and Cyt2 tails and uncleavable mutant tails in primary T cells. The role of CD46 tails was also demonstrated with T cells expressing CD19 ectodomain-CD46 C-Terminal Fragment (CTF) fusions, which allowed specific triggering of each tail individually.We conclude that CD46 acts as a molecular rheostat to control human T cell activation through the regulation of processing of its cytoplasmic tails