Occurrence and Severity of the Viruses of Strawberry in Minnesota

Approximately 900 plants of commercially grown strawberries of 45 varieties and experimental seedling selections were collected from various parts of the state of Minnesota and indexed for the presence of viruses. Their presence in these plants was demonstrated by the appearance of symptoms in the indicator plant, Fragaria vesca L., after they were inarch-grafted. 93 % of the plants indexed were virus-infected. Based on symptoms, the viruses have been classified into 14 symptomtypes. It was found that mottle and mild yellow-edge were the two dominant viruses, whereas crinkle and vein chlorosis were of rare occurrence. There was no indication that certain symptom-types are associated with particular commercial varieties of strawberries or experimental seedling selections

Heavy Quarks and Heavy Quarkonia as Tests of Thermalization

We present here a brief summary of new results on heavy quarks and heavy quarkonia from the PHENIX experiment as presented at the "Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization" Workshop in Vienna, Austria in August 2005, directly following the International Quark Matter Conference in Hungary.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization Workshop (Vienna August 2005) Proceeding

Type 2 Diabetes Variants Disrupt Function of SLC16A11 through Two Distinct Mechanisms

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects Latinos at twice the rate seen in populations of European descent. We recently identified a risk haplotype spanning SLC16A11 that explains ∼20% of the increased T2D prevalence in Mexico. Here, through genetic fine-mapping, we define a set of tightly linked variants likely to contain the causal allele(s). We show that variants on the T2D-associated haplotype have two distinct effects: (1) decreasing SLC16A11 expression in liver and (2) disrupting a key interaction with basigin, thereby reducing cell-surface localization. Both independent mechanisms reduce SLC16A11 function and suggest SLC16A11 is the causal gene at this locus. To gain insight into how SLC16A11 disruption impacts T2D risk, we demonstrate that SLC16A11 is a proton-coupled monocarboxylate transporter and that genetic perturbation of SLC16A11 induces changes in fatty acid and lipid metabolism that are associated with increased T2D risk. Our findings suggest that increasing SLC16A11 function could be therapeutically beneficial for T2D. Video Abstract [Figure presented] Keywords: type 2 diabetes (T2D); genetics; disease mechanism; SLC16A11; MCT11; solute carrier (SLC); monocarboxylates; fatty acid metabolism; lipid metabolism; precision medicin

The genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes

The genetic architecture of common traits, including the number, frequency, and effect sizes of inherited variants that contribute to individual risk, has been long debated. Genome-wide association studies have identified scores of common variants associated with type 2 diabetes, but in aggregate, these explain only a fraction of heritability. To test the hypothesis that lower-frequency variants explain much of the remainder, the GoT2D and T2D-GENES consortia performed whole genome sequencing in 2,657 Europeans with and without diabetes, and exome sequencing in a total of 12,940 subjects from five ancestral groups. To increase statistical power, we expanded sample size via genotyping and imputation in a further 111,548 subjects. Variants associated with type 2 diabetes after sequencing were overwhelmingly common and most fell within regions previously identified by genome-wide association studies. Comprehensive enumeration of sequence variation is necessary to identify functional alleles that provide important clues to disease pathophysiology, but large-scale sequencing does not support a major role for lower-frequency variants in predisposition to type 2 diabetes

Local symmetry predictors of mechanical stability in glasses

The mechanical properties of crystals are controlled by the translational symmetry of their structures. But for glasses with a disordered structure, the link between the symmetry of local particle arrangements and stability is not well established. In this contribution, we provide experimental verification that the centrosymmetry of nearest-neighbor polyhedra in a glass strongly correlates with the local mechanical stability. We examine the distribution of local stability and local centrosymmetry in a glass during aging and deformation using microbeam x-ray scattering. These measurements reveal the underlying relationship between particle-level structure and larger-scale behavior and demonstrate that spatially connected, coordinated local transformations to lower symmetry structures are fundamental to these phenomena. While glassy structures lack obvious global symmetry breaking, local structural symmetry is a critical factor in predicting stability. </p

Angelo Zottoli’s Cursus litteraturæ sinicæ as propaedeutic to Chinese classical tradition

© Monumenta Serica Institute 2015.One of the most impressive landmarks in Western Sinology must be the Cursus litteraturæ sinicæ by Italian Jesuit Angelo Zottoli (1826–1902). This four-thousand page work, presented as a Latin introduction to the written Chinese language, is actually a synoptic guide to the Chinese tradition, encompassing a vast range of texts from the Shijing (Book of Songs) to Qing-era examination essays, poetry, and letters. The Cursus was regarded even in its own time as an overly demanding text for beginners, but it remains a useful model for thinking abouthowscholars of premodern China should approach the linguistic and rhetorical features of texts. Though specialized study is essential, an appreciation of premodern China also demands comprehensive perspective. Conscious reflection on the Cursus and its potential may thus help to clarify some of the challenges faced by Sinology in the 21st century.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex