195 research outputs found
Updated guidelines for gene nomenclature in wheat
The last decade has seen a proliferation in genomic resources for wheat, including reference- and pan-genome assemblies with gene annotations, which provide new opportunities to detect, characterise, and describe genes that influence traits of interest. The expansion of genetic information has supported growth of the wheat research community and catalysed strong interest in the genes that control agronomically important traits, such as yield, pathogen resistance, grain quality, and abiotic stress tolerance. To accommodate these developments, we present an updated set of guidelines for gene nomenclature in wheat. These guidelines can be used to describe loci identified based on morphological or phenotypic features or to name genes based on sequence information, such as similarity to genes characterised in other species or the biochemical properties of the encoded protein. The updated guidelines provide a flexible system that is not overly prescriptive but provides structure and a common framework for naming genes in wheat, which may be extended to related cereal species. We propose these guidelines be used henceforth by the wheat research community to facilitate integration of data from independent studies and allow broader and more efficient use of text and data mining approaches, which will ultimately help further accelerate wheat research and breeding.EEA PergaminoFil: Boden, S. A. University of Adelaide. Waite Research Institute. School of Agriculture, Food and Wine; AustraliaFil: McIntosh, R .A. University of Sydney. School of Life and Environmental Sciences. Plant Breeding Institute; AustraliaFil: Uauy, C. Norwich Research Park. John Innes Centre; Reino UnidoFil: Krattinger, S. G. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division. Plant Science Program; Arabia SauditaFil: Krattinger, S. G. The Wheat Initiative; AlemaniaFil: Dubcovsky, J. University of California. Department of Plant Science; Estados UnidosFil: Dubcovsky, J. The Wheat Initiative; AlemaniaFil: Rogers, W.J. Universidad Nacional del Centro de La Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía (CIISAS, CIC-BIOLAB AZUL, CONICET-INBIOTEC, CRESCA). Departamento de Biología Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Rogers, W.J. The Wheat Initiative; AlemaniaFIL: Xia, X. C. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. National Wheat Improvement Centre. Institute of Crop Science; ChinaFil: Badaeva, E. D. Russian Academy of Sciences. N.I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics; RusiaFil: Bentley, A. R. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT); MéxicoFil: Bentley, A. R. The Wheat Initiative; AlemaniaFil: Brown-Guedira, G. North Carolina State University. USDA-ARS Plant Science Research; Estados UnidosFil: Brown-Guedira, G. The Wheat Initiative; AlemaniaFil: González, Fernanda G. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino. Sección Ecofisiología; ArgentinaFil: González, Fernanda G. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CITNOBA, CONICET-UNNOBA-UNSADA); ArgentinaFil: González, Fernanda G. The Wheat Initiative; AlemaniaFil: Zhang, Y. Fudan University. School of Life Sciences. Institute of Plant Biology. Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development. State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering; Chin
The Hamiltonian limit of (3+1)D SU(3) lattice gauge theory on anisotropic lattices
The extreme anisotropic limit of Euclidean SU(3) lattice gauge theory is
examined to extract the Hamiltonian limit, using standard path integral Monte
Carlo (PIMC) methods. We examine the mean plaquette and string tension and
compare them to results obtained within the Hamiltonian framework of Kogut and
Susskind. The results are a significant improvement upon previous Hamiltonian
estimates, despite the extrapolation procedure necessary to extract
observables. We conclude that the PIMC method is a reliable method of obtaining
results for the Hamiltonian version of the theory. Our results also clearly
demonstrate the universality between the Hamiltonian and Euclidean formulations
of lattice gauge theory. It is particularly important to take into account the
renormalization of both the anisotropy, and the Euclidean coupling ,
in obtaining these results.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure
Path Integral Monte Carlo Approach to the U(1) Lattice Gauge Theory in (2+1) Dimensions
Path Integral Monte Carlo simulations have been performed for U(1) lattice
gauge theory in (2+1) dimensions on anisotropic lattices. We extractthe static
quark potential, the string tension and the low-lying "glueball" spectrum.The
Euclidean string tension and mass gap decrease exponentially at weakcoupling in
excellent agreement with the predictions of Polyakov and G{\" o}pfert and Mack,
but their magnitudes are five times bigger than predicted. Extrapolations are
made to the extreme anisotropic or Hamiltonian limit, and comparisons are made
with previous estimates obtained in the Hamiltonian formulation.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figure
Evidence for exercise-based interventions across 45 different long-term conditions: An overview of systematic reviews
Background
Almost half of the global population face significant challenges from long-term conditions (LTCs) resulting in substantive health and socioeconomic burden. Exercise is a potentially key intervention in effective LTC management.
Methods
In this overview of systematic reviews (SRs), we searched six electronic databases from January 2000 to October 2023 for SRs assessing health outcomes (mortality, hospitalisation, exercise capacity, disability, frailty, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and physical activity) related to exercise-based interventions in adults (aged >18 years) diagnosed with one of 45 LTCs. Methodological quality was assessed using AMSTAR-2. International Prospective Resister of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) ID: CRD42022319214.
Findings
Forty-two SRs plus three supplementary RCTs were included, providing 990 RCTs in 936,825 people across 39 LTCs. No evidence was identified for six LTCs. Predominant outcome domains were HRQoL (82% of SRs/RCTs) and exercise capacity (66%); whereas disability, mortality, physical activity, and hospitalisation were less frequently reported (≤25%). Evidence supporting exercise-based interventions was identified in 25 LTCs, was unclear for 13 LTCs, and for one LTC suggested no effect. No SRs considered multimorbidity in the delivery of exercise. Methodological quality varied: critically-low (33%), low (26%), moderate (26%), and high (12%).
Interpretation
Exercise-based interventions improve HRQoL and exercise capacity across numerous LTCs. Key evidence gaps included limited mortality and hospitalisation data and consideration of multimorbidity impact on exercise-based interventions.
Funding
This study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR; Personalised Exercise-Rehabilitation FOR people with Multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity)—NIHR202020)
Functional diversity of chemokines and chemokine receptors in response to viral infection of the central nervous system.
Encounters with neurotropic viruses result in varied outcomes ranging from encephalitis, paralytic poliomyelitis or other serious consequences to relatively benign infection. One of the principal factors that control the outcome of infection is the localized tissue response and subsequent immune response directed against the invading toxic agent. It is the role of the immune system to contain and control the spread of virus infection in the central nervous system (CNS), and paradoxically, this response may also be pathologic. Chemokines are potent proinflammatory molecules whose expression within virally infected tissues is often associated with protection and/or pathology which correlates with migration and accumulation of immune cells. Indeed, studies with a neurotropic murine coronavirus, mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), have provided important insight into the functional roles of chemokines and chemokine receptors in participating in various aspects of host defense as well as disease development within the CNS. This chapter will highlight recent discoveries that have provided insight into the diverse biologic roles of chemokines and their receptors in coordinating immune responses following viral infection of the CNS
Recent Advances in Understanding Particle Acceleration Processes in Solar Flares
We review basic theoretical concepts in particle acceleration, with
particular emphasis on processes likely to occur in regions of magnetic
reconnection. Several new developments are discussed, including detailed
studies of reconnection in three-dimensional magnetic field configurations
(e.g., current sheets, collapsing traps, separatrix regions) and stochastic
acceleration in a turbulent environment. Fluid, test-particle, and
particle-in-cell approaches are used and results compared. While these studies
show considerable promise in accounting for the various observational
manifestations of solar flares, they are limited by a number of factors, mostly
relating to available computational power. Not the least of these issues is the
need to explicitly incorporate the electrodynamic feedback of the accelerated
particles themselves on the environment in which they are accelerated. A brief
prognosis for future advancement is offered.Comment: This is a chapter in a monograph on the physics of solar flares,
inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in
Space Science Reviews (2011
Origins of the Ambient Solar Wind: Implications for Space Weather
The Sun's outer atmosphere is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees,
and solar plasma flows out into interplanetary space at supersonic speeds. This
paper reviews our current understanding of these interrelated problems: coronal
heating and the acceleration of the ambient solar wind. We also discuss where
the community stands in its ability to forecast how variations in the solar
wind (i.e., fast and slow wind streams) impact the Earth. Although the last few
decades have seen significant progress in observations and modeling, we still
do not have a complete understanding of the relevant physical processes, nor do
we have a quantitatively precise census of which coronal structures contribute
to specific types of solar wind. Fast streams are known to be connected to the
central regions of large coronal holes. Slow streams, however, appear to come
from a wide range of sources, including streamers, pseudostreamers, coronal
loops, active regions, and coronal hole boundaries. Complicating our
understanding even more is the fact that processes such as turbulence,
stream-stream interactions, and Coulomb collisions can make it difficult to
unambiguously map a parcel measured at 1 AU back down to its coronal source. We
also review recent progress -- in theoretical modeling, observational data
analysis, and forecasting techniques that sit at the interface between data and
theory -- that gives us hope that the above problems are indeed solvable.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Special issue
connected with a 2016 ISSI workshop on "The Scientific Foundations of Space
Weather." 44 pages, 9 figure
Updated guidelines for gene nomenclature in wheat.
Here, we provide an updated set of guidelines for naming genes in wheat that has been endorsed by the wheat research community. The last decade has seen a proliferation in genomic resources for wheat, including reference- and pan-genome assemblies with gene annotations, which provide new opportunities to detect, characterise, and describe genes that influence traits of interest. The expansion of genetic information has supported growth of the wheat research community and catalysed strong interest in the genes that control agronomically important traits, such as yield, pathogen resistance, grain quality, and abiotic stress tolerance. To accommodate these developments, we present an updated set of guidelines for gene nomenclature in wheat. These guidelines can be used to describe loci identified based on morphological or phenotypic features or to name genes based on sequence information, such as similarity to genes characterised in other species or the biochemical properties of the encoded protein. The updated guidelines provide a flexible system that is not overly prescriptive but provides structure and a common framework for naming genes in wheat, which may be extended to related cereal species. We propose these guidelines be used henceforth by the wheat research community to facilitate integration of data from independent studies and allow broader and more efficient use of text and data mining approaches, which will ultimately help further accelerate wheat research and breeding.S. A. Boden, R. A. McIntosh, C. Uauy, S. G. Krattinger, J. Dubcovsky, W. J. Rogers, X. C. Xia, E. D. Badaeva, A. R. Bentley, G. Brown, Guedira, M. Caccamo, L. Cattivelli, P. Chhuneja, J. Cockram, B. Contreras, Moreira, S. Dreisigacker, D. Edwards, F. G. González, C. Guzmán, T. M. Ikeda, I. Karsai, S. Nasuda, C. Pozniak, R. Prins, T. Z. Sen, P. Silva, H. Simkova, Y. Zhang, the Wheat Initiativ
The ‘mosaic habitat’ concept in human evolution: past and present
The habitats preferred by hominins and other species are an important theme in palaeoanthropology, and the ‘mosaic habitat’ (also referred to as habitat heterogeneity) has been a central concept in this regard for the last four decades. Here we explore the development of this concept – loosely defined as a range of different habitat types, such as woodlands, riverine forest and savannah within a limited spatial area– in studies of human evolution in the last sixty years or so. We outline the key developments that took place before and around the time when the term ‘mosaic’ came to wider palaeoanthropological attention. To achieve this we used an analysis of the published literature, a study of illustrations of hominin evolution from 1925 onwards and an email survey of senior researchers in palaeoanthropology and related fields. We found that the term mosaic starts to be applied in palaeoanthropological thinking during the 1970’s due to the work of a number of researchers, including Karl Butzer and Glynn Isaac , with the earliest usage we have found of ‘mosaic’ in specific reference to hominin habitats being by Adriaan Kortlandt (1972). While we observe a steady increase in the numbers of publications reporting mosaic palaeohabitats, in keeping with the growing interest and specialisation in various methods of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, we also note that there is a lack of critical studies that define this habitat, or examine the temporal and spatial scales associated with it. The general consensus within the field is that the concept now requires more detailed definition and study to evaluate its role in human evolution
AD51B in Familial Breast Cancer
Common variation on 14q24.1, close to RAD51B, has been associated with breast cancer: rs999737 and rs2588809 with the risk of female breast cancer and rs1314913 with the risk of male breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of RAD51B variants in breast cancer predisposition, particularly in the context of familial breast cancer in Finland. We sequenced the coding region of RAD51B in 168 Finnish breast cancer patients from the Helsinki region for identification of possible recurrent founder mutations. In addition, we studied the known rs999737, rs2588809, and rs1314913 SNPs and RAD51B haplotypes in 44,791 breast cancer cases and 43,583 controls from 40 studies participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) that were genotyped on a custom chip (iCOGS). We identified one putatively pathogenic missense mutation c.541C>T among the Finnish cancer patients and subsequently genotyped the mutation in additional breast cancer cases (n = 5259) and population controls (n = 3586) from Finland and Belarus. No significant association with breast cancer risk was seen in the meta-analysis of the Finnish datasets or in the large BCAC dataset. The association with previously identified risk variants rs999737, rs2588809, and rs1314913 was replicated among all breast cancer cases and also among familial cases in the BCAC dataset. The most significant association was observed for the haplotype carrying the risk-alleles of all the three SNPs both among all cases (odds ratio (OR): 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–1.19, P = 8.88 x 10−16) and among familial cases (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.16–1.32, P = 6.19 x 10−11), compared to the haplotype with the respective protective alleles. Our results suggest that loss-of-function mutations in RAD51B are rare, but common variation at the RAD51B region is significantly associated with familial breast cancer risk
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