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Key message: A Fusarium wilt resistance gene FwS1 on pea chromosome 6 was identified and mapped to a 91.4 kb region by a comprehensive genomic-based approach, and the gene Psat6g003960 harboring NB-ARC domain was identified as the putative candidate gene. Pea Fusarium wilt, incited by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi (Fop), has always been a devastating disease that causes severe yield losses and economic damage in pea-growing regions worldwide. The utilization of pea cultivars carrying resistance gene is the most efficient approach for managing this disease. In order to finely map resistance gene, F2 populations were established through the cross between Shijiadacaiwan 1 (resistant) and Y4 (susceptible). The resistance genetic analysis indicated that the Fop resistance in Shijiadacaiwan 1 was governed by a single dominant gene, named FwS1. Based on the bulked segregant analysis sequencing analyses, the gene FwS1 was initially detected on chromosome 6 (i.e., linking group II, chr6LG2), and subsequent linkage mapping with 589 F2 individuals fine-mapped the gene FwS1 into a 91.4 kb region. The further functional annotation and haplotype analysis confirmed that the gene Psat6g003960, characterized by a NB-ARC (nucleotide-binding adaptor shared by APAF-1, R proteins, and CED-4) domain, was considered as the most promising candidate gene. The encoding amino acids were altered by a “T/C” single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the first exon of the Psat6g003960, and based on this SNP locus, the molecular marker A016180 was determined to be a diagnostic marker for FwS1 by validating its specificity in both pea accessions and genetic populations with different genetic backgrounds. The FwS1 with diagnostic KASP marker A016180 could facilitate marker-assisted selection in resistance pea breeding in pea. In addition, a comparison of the candidate gene Psat6g003960 in 74SN3B and SJ1 revealed the same sequences. This finding indicated that 74SN3B carried the candidate gene for FwS1, suggesting that FwS1 and Fwf may be closely linked or an identical resistant gene against Fusarium wilt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential for off-target mutations is a critical concern for the therapeutic application of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. Current detection methodologies, such as GUIDE-seq, exhibit limitations in oligonucleotide integration efficiency and sensitivity, which could hinder their utility in clinical settings. To address these issues, we introduce OliTag-seq, an in-cellulo assay specifically engineered to enhance the detection of off-target events. OliTag-seq employs a stable oligonucleotide for precise break tagging and an innovative triple-priming amplification strategy, significantly improving the scope and accuracy of off-target site identification. This method surpasses traditional assays by providing comprehensive coverage across various sgRNAs and genomic targets. Our research particularly highlights the superior sensitivity of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in detecting off-target mutations, advocating for using patient-derived iPSCs for refined off-target analysis in therapeutic gene editing. Furthermore, we provide evidence that prolonged Cas9 expression and transient HDAC inhibitor treatments enhance the assay's ability to uncover off-target events. OliTag-seq merges the high sensitivity typical of in vitro assays with the practical application of cellular contexts. This approach significantly improves the safety and efficacy profiles of CRISPR-Cas9 interventions in research and clinical environments, positioning it as an essential tool for the precise assessment and refinement of genome editing applications. OliTag-seq, a specific and reproducible in-cellulo assay for CRISPR/Cas9 off-target analysis, can improve site cleavage efficiency and the identification of off-target sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe pisi DC. is a major disease affecting pea worldwide. This study aimed to confirm the resistance genes contained in three powdery mildew-resistant Chinese pea landraces (Suoshadabaiwan, Dabaiwandou, and Guiwan 1) and to develop the functional markers of the novel resistance genes. The resistance genes were identified by genetic mapping and PsMLO1 gene sequence identification. To confirm the inheritance of powdery mildew resistance in the three Landraces, the susceptible cultivars Bawan 6, Longwan 1, and Chengwan 8 were crossed with Suoshadabaiwan, Dabaiwandou, and Guiwan 1 to produce F1, F2, and F2:3 populations, respectively. All F1 plants were susceptible to E. pisi, and phenotypic segregation patterns in all the F2 and F2:3 populations fit the 3:1 (susceptible: resistant) and 1:2:1 (susceptible homozygotes: heterozygotes: resistant homozygotes) ratios, respectively, indicating powdery mildew resistance in the three Landraces were controlled by a single recessive gene, respectively. The analysis of er1-linked markers and genetic mapping in the F2 populations suggested that the recessive resistance genes in three landraces could be er1 alleles. The cDNA sequences of 10 homologous PsMLO1 cDNA clones from the contrasting parents were obtained. A known er1 allele, er1-4, was identified in Suoshadabaiwan. Two novel er1 alleles were identified in Dabaiwandou and Guiwan 1, which were designated as er1-13 and er1-14, respectively. Both novel alleles were characterized with a 1-bp deletion (T) in positions 32 (exon 1) and 277 (exon 3), respectively, which caused a frame-shift mutation to result in premature termination of translation of PsMLO1 protein. The co-dominant functional markers specific for er1-13 and er1-14, KASPar-er1-13, and KASPar-er1-14 were developed and effectively validated in populations and pea germplasms. Here, two novel er1 alleles were characterized and their functional markers were validated. These results provide powerful tools for marker-assisted selection in pea breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induced mutation is useful for improving the disease resistance of various crops. Fusarium wilt and powdery mildew are two important diseases which severely influence pea production worldwide. In this study, we first evaluated Fusarium wilt and powdery mildew resistance of mutants derived from two elite vegetable pea cultivars, Shijiadacaiwan 1 (SJ1) and Chengwan 8 (CW8), respectively. Nine SJ1 and five CW8 M3 mutants showed resistant variations in Fusarium wilt, and the same five CW8 mutants in powdery mildew. These resistant variations were confirmed in M4 and M5 mutants as well. Then, we investigated the genetic variations and relationships of mutant lines using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Among the nine effective SSR markers, the genetic diversity index and polymorphism information content (PIC) values were averaged at 0.55 and 0.46, which revealed considerable genetic variations in the mutants. The phylogenetic tree and population structure analyses divided the M3 mutants into two major groups at 0.62 genetic similarity (K = 2), which clearly separated the mutants of the two cultivars and indicated that a great genetic difference existed between the two mutant populations. Further, the two genetic groups were divided into five subgroups at 0.86 genetic similarity (K = 5) and each subgroup associated with resistant phenotypes of the mutants. Finally, the homologous PsMLO1 cDNA of five CW8 mutants that gained resistance to powdery mildew was amplified and cloned. A 129 bp fragment deletion was found in the PsMLO1 gene, which was in accord with er1-2. The findings provide important information on disease resistant and molecular variations of pea mutants, which is useful for pea production, new cultivar breeding, and the identification of resistance genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the existence and exponential decay of traveling waves with the critical speed for a periodic and diffusive Kermack-McKendrick epidemic model. By a delicate analysis of periodic traveling waves with super-critical speeds and strong maximum principle of parabolic equations, we obtain the existence of positive periodic traveling waves with the critical speed. Thus, the open problem [29] is solved completely. In addition, this approach is also valid for the model in [30] without any limitation condition. Besides the existence, the main part of the paper is devoted to the exponential decay of the infected component when the critical periodic traveling waves approach the initial disease-free steady state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium wilt (FW), caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi (Fop), has always been an important disease affecting pea production and causing severe yield losses in most pea-growing areas worldwide. Growing resistant pea cultivars is the most economical and effective method for controlling the disease. In this study, firstly, 21 Fusarium oxysporum isolates were identified as races 1 and 5 of Fop based on morphological and molecular characteristics, and the disease reactions of seven pea differential cultivars. Then, a detailed resistance evaluation strategy was established and validated by a death rate score, disease index, and percentage of leaves showing symptoms for each individual plant. Finally, a 1311 pea germplasm collection including 740 accessions from China and 571 accessions aboard or unknown sources was evaluated for resistance to a representative isolate PF22b of Fop race 5, and the results showed that 28 accessions and 164 accessions were highly resistant (HR) and resistant (R), respectively. Among these resistance accessions, 13 HR and 44 R accessions were collected from 19 provinces in China, most of which came from Sichuan, Tibet, and Gansu Provinces. The 15 HR and 120 R accessions were collected in 10 countries outside China or unknown sources, the majority of which came from the United States, Australia, and Russia. The findings would provide important information for using resistance pea cultivars to control Fusarium wilt. Incorporating these resistance accessions into breeding programs will contribute to improving the Fop resistance of pea cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum machine learning explores the interplay between machine learning and quantum physics, which may lead to unprecedented perspectives for both fields. In fact, recent works have shown strong evidence that quantum computers could outperform classical computers in solving certain notable machine learning tasks. Yet, quantum learning systems may also suffer from the vulnerability problem: adding a tiny carefully crafted perturbation to the legitimate input data would cause the systems to make incorrect predictions at a notably high confidence level. In this paper, we study the universality of adversarial examples and perturbations for quantum classifiers. Through concrete examples involving classifications of real-life images and quantum phases of matter, we show that there exist universal adversarial examples that can fool a set of different quantum classifiers. We prove that, for a set of k classifiers with each receiving input data of n qubits, an O (ln [ k ]/2 n ) increase of the perturbation strength is enough to ensure a moderate universal adversarial risk. In addition, for a given quantum classifier, we show that there exist universal adversarial perturbations, which can be added to different legitimate samples to make them adversarial examples for the classifier. Our results reveal the universality perspective of adversarial attacks for quantum machine learning systems, which would be crucial for practical applications of both near-term and future quantum technologies in solving machine learning problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the existence and nonexistence of time-periodic traveling waves for a diffusive influenza model with treatment and seasonality. By using the next generation operator theory, we first get basic reproduction number R 0 for the corresponding periodic ODEs. Then, by constructing sub-and super-solutions and using Schauder's fixed point theorem, we obtain the existence of time-periodic traveling wave solutions for the system with wave speed c > c ∗ and R 0 > 1. We further prove the existence of time-periodic traveling waves with wave speed c = c ∗ by a delicate limitation argument. For d u = d h , the nonexistence of traveling waves is proved by a contradiction argument for two cases involved with c ∗ and R 0 , while the exponential decay of traveling waves with the critical speed is obtained by a dynamical system approach combined with Laplace transform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotics can improve the intestinal flora structure of host, improve the digestion and absorption of nutrients, enhance the body immunity and promote the healthy growth of animals and improve performance. The paper reviews the biological functions of probiotics and their application in chicken production, to provide reference for the for the application of probiotics in chicken breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: The WHO recently designated salivary gland lymphoepithelial carcinoma as a unique malignant tumor that most commonly occurs in the parotid gland. This is a rare cancer and there are few reports in the literature. Among 854 patients with parotid gland tumors who were admitted to our institution, we diagnosed 12 patients (1.41%) with parotid lymphoepithelial carcinoma. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 12 patients with parotid lymphoepithelial carcinoma diagnosed by the Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Results: All 12 patients had unilateral parotid gland disease and 8 had cervical lymph node metastasis. Five patients received PCR testing for the Epstein–Barr virus and two were positive. All patients received surgical treatment, two received surgical resection alone, nine received surgery and postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and one received surgery and postoperative chemotherapy. The postoperative follow-up time ranged from 13 to 77 months. As of the last follow-up, eight patients were tumor-free, one patient was lost to follow-up, and three patients died. The main cause of death was local tumor recurrence and multiple metastases throughout the body. Conclusion: Parotid lymphoepithelial carcinoma is a malignant neoplasm characterized by proliferation, invasion, and inclusion of poorly differentiated or undifferentiated carcinoma, and a high rate of metastasis to ipsilateral cervical lymph nodes. The comprehensive treatment method consists of radical resection combined with postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy. After this comprehensive treatment, the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival rates of our patients were 100%, 78.8%, and 39.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the dynamical transition and chaos for a five‐dimensional Lorenz system. Based on the eigenvalue analysis, the principle of exchange of stabilities conditions is obtained. By using the dynamical transition theory, three different types of dynamical transition for the five‐dimensional Lorenz system are derived. More precisely, when the control parameter r=1, the system has a continuous transition and bifurcates to two stable steady states. As r further increases, the system undergoes two successive transitions. That is, under some condition, the transition is continuous and a stable limit cycle is bifurcated; if not, the system undergoes a jump transition and an unstable periodic orbit occurs. Especially, the chaotic orbits occur when r=36.91. Finally, numerical results are given to illustrate our theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-stressed anchor cables are widely used in slope engineering for effectively improving slope stability as a reinforcement measure. Based on assumptions of stresses on a slip surface, this work proposes a new limit equilibrium (LE) method to analyse the stability of slopes reinforced with anchor cables. Meanwhile, the nonlinear Mohr–Coulomb (M–C) strength criterion has been adopted to describe the slope sliding for shear failure of the slip surface. Then, after comparison and analysis of several examples, the feasibility of the proposed method is verified. Compared with the traditional LE methods, the proposed method has a simple calculation process without iterative loop calculation of the slope factor of safety, and a reasonable solution can also be obtained. Furthermore, the slope reinforced by anchor cables with more than a row can be simplified into a slope with a row to analyse its stability because the same stability would be obtained for the reinforced slope with different reinforcement patterns under an equivalent reinforcement relation. Thereafter, to facilitate the engineering application and optimize the design of anchor cable parameters, the stability charts of the reinforced slope under the linear M–C strength criterion are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of Zeng Ye Bai Hu Tang (Humor-Increasing White Tiger Decoction) combined with pulse-taking acupuncture on dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its influence to Epstein-Barr virus shell antigen immunoglobulin A (VCA-IgA), Epstein- Barr virus RTA protein antibody immunoglobulin G (Rat-IgG) and sialic acid (SA) antibody levels. Methods: A total of 83 dysphagia patients after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosed and treated in our hospital from June 2015 to April 2017 were selected in the study. By using a random number table method, patients were assigned into either the combination group (n = 41) or the control group (n = 42). Patients in the two groups were treated with Zeng Ye Bai Hu Tang (Humor-Increasing White Tiger Decoction), while patients in the observation group were treated with pulse-taking acupuncture additionally on the basis of the control group. The patients in the two groups were followed up for two years after completing all of the treatments. The efficacy of dysphagia symptom at the last follow-up of patients in the two groups was observed and compared. Moreover, the swallowing function assessment of the patients in the two groups were performed and compared respectively before treatment and at the last follow-up. In addition, scores of quality of life, serum EB virus antibody level and condition of adverse reactions of the patients in the two groups were observed and compared respectively before treatment and at the last follow-up. Results: The total effective rate of the combination group was 90.24%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (71.42%) (P < 0.05). The mean grade of water drinking test at the last follow-up was compared between the two groups, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The scores of fluid, semi-fluid and solid-state food vadeofluroscopic dysphagia scale (VDS) and scores of World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument-brief (WHOQOL-BREF) were compared between the two groups after treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The number of cases with VCA-IgA titer equaling to 1 : 20 and under 1 : 20 in the combination group at the last follow-up was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). However, the content of serum Rat-IgG and SA in the combination group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in number of cases with adverse reactions (P = 0.223). Conclusions: Adding pulse-taking acupuncture on the basis of Zeng Ye Bai Hu Tang (Humor-Increasing White Tiger Decoction) can treat dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma effectively, and the effect of combined treatment is better than that of sole usage of Zeng Ye Bai Hu Tang (Humor-Increasing White Tiger Decoction). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to study the existence of travelling waves with a critical speed for an influenza model with treatment. By using some analysis techniques that involve super-critical speeds and an approximation method, the existence of travelling waves with the critical speed is proved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug resistance in China is becoming a more and more serious issue. Infection by drug-resistant bacteria has become a major disease that seriously threatens the health of Chinese people and affects national medical finance. Therefore, it is of great scientific and clinical significance to actively carry out research on the prevention and treatment of infections by multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO). Previous studies by the authors suggested that patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by MDRO mostly showed the pathological state of "insufficient healthy Qi and internal accumulation of pathogenic Qi" and "acute deficiency syndrome" mainly characterized by Qi deficiency. Buzhong Yiqi decoction is a famous classic prescription in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating internal damage fever. This study intends to provide an evidence-based rationale for Buzhong Yiqi decoction in treating MDRO hospital-acquired pneumonia by conducting a multi-center randomized controlled clinical study.Methods/design: This study is designed to be a multi-center randomized controlled study in which patients are assigned randomly into control (standard therapy) and trial (standard therapy plus Buzhong Yiqi decoction) groups. The patients will be selected from the emergency department and the ICU inpatient department of five study sites and will all be diagnosed with MDRO hospital-acquired pneumonia and meet the inclusion criteria. Forty patients are to be enrolled in each study site, resulting in a total of 200 patients in the study. The treatment course is 28 days.Discussion: In this study: (1) the theory of "acute Qi deficiency" in MDRO hospital-acquired pneumonia is put forward for the first time, and the basic theories of TCM are further improved; (2) a multi-center randomized controlled clinical study will be performed for the first time with Buzhong Yiqi decoction, the classic prescription for reinforcing healthy Qi and eliminating pathogenic Qi, providing a reliable evidence-based rationale for the treatment of MDRO pulmonary infection with TCM; (3) the clinical application and modern disease spectrum of Buzhong Yiqi decoction is expanded, and the scientific notion of "treating different diseases with the same method" is enriched further.Trial Registration: China Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900022429. Registered on April 11, 2019. http://www.chictr.org.cn/listbycreater.aspx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (TF-PELD) is a minimally invasive technique with high radiation exposure. The purpose of this study was to compare radiation exposure of ultrasound-guided TF-PELD with fluoroscopy-guided TF-PELD. Methods In this prospective randomized controlled clinical trial, 60 patients with lumbar disc herniation were enrolled and randomly assigned to 2 groups (30 cases in each group): the ultrasound-guided group or the fluoroscopy-guided group. The radiation exposure, fluoroscopy time, and visual analog scale score were recorded. The number of possible operations per year within the yearly occupational exposure limit (OEL) was calculated. We also recorded the adverse events to evaluate the safety of ultrasound-guided TF-PELD. Results In 30 patients from the ultrasound-guided group, the lumbar disc structure was clearly visible under ultrasound guidance. The effective dose to surgeons and radiation dose to patients were 1.7 ± 0.4 and 25.2 ± 4.9 μSv in the ultrasound-guided group and 9.0 ± 2.5 and 127.4 ± 27.1 μSv in the fluoroscopy-guided group (P < 0.05), respectively. The fluoroscopy time was 2.6 ± 0.5 seconds in the ultrasound-guided group and 127.3 ± 29.5 seconds in the fluoroscopy-guided group (P < 0.05). A surgeon with shielding devices could treat 5556 cases per year in the fluoroscopy-guided group before exceeding the OEL for whole-body radiation, whereas they could treat 29,412 cases in the ultrasound-guided group. No difference between groups was detected in postoperative visual analog scale score (P > 0.58). No serious adverse event was found in any patient. Conclusions Ultrasound-guided TF-PELD could decrease radiation exposure to surgeons and patients, without serious adverse events. It seems to be an acceptable alternative to fluoroscopy-guided TF-PELD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marriage of the two fields may give birth to a new research frontier that could transform them both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a clean fuel, LNG has been used in heavy vehicles widely in China. Before reaching the engine for combustion, LNG store in a high vacuum multi-layer thermal insulation tank and need to be evaporated from its cryogenic state to natural gas. During the evaporation, the available cold energy of LNG has been calculated. The concept has been proposed that the separated type heat pipe technology is employed to utilize the available cold energy for automotive air-conditioning. The experiment has been conducted to validate the proposal. It is found that it is feasible to use the separated type heat pipe to convey the cold energy from LNG to automotive air-conditioning. And the cooling capacity of the automotive air-conditioning increase with the LNG consumption and air flow rate increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review the physics of many-body localization in models with incommensurate potentials. In particular, we consider one-dimensional quasiperiodic models with single-particle mobility edges. A conventional perspective suggests that delocalized states act as a thermalizing bath for the localized states in the presence of of interactions. However, contrary to this intuition there is evidence that such systems can display non-ergodicity. This is in part due to the fact that the delocalized states do not have any kind of protection due to symmetry or topology and are thus susceptible to localization. A study of such incommensurate models, in the non-interacting limit, shows that they admit extended, partially extended, and fully localized many-body states. Non-interacting incommensurate models cannot thermalize dynamically and remain localized upon the introduction of interactions. In particular, for a certain range of energy, the system can host a non-ergodic extended (i.e. metallic) phase in which the energy eigenstates violate the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) but the entanglement entropy obeys volume-law scaling. The level statistics and entanglement growth also indicate the lack of ergodicity in these models. The phenomenon of localization and non-ergodicity in a system with interactions despite the presence of single-particle delocalized states is closely related to the so-called 'many-body proximity effect' and can also be observed in models with disorder coupled to systems with delocalized degrees of freedom. Many-body localization in systems with incommensurate potentials (without single-particle mobility edges) have been realized experimentally, and we show how this can be modified to study the the effects of such mobility edges. Demonstrating the failure of thermalization in the presence of a single-particle mobility edge in the thermodynamic limit would indicate a more robust violation of the ETH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antislide micropiles can effectively reinforce slopes and improve their stability. To introduce the mechanical mechanisms of micropiles in slope stability analysis, this work adopted a reasonable failure mode for the micropile and simplified the interaction model into three parts: the geotechnical body around the embedded section of the antislide micropile, the sliding body, and the antislide micropile. This was done so that a simple calculation formula of the effective micropile side pressure was derived. Then, based on the assumption of stresses on the slip surface, a new limit-equilibrium method (LEM) was established for analyzing the stability of slopes reinforced with antislidemicropiles. Meanwhile, contour curve charts of the factor of safety (FOS) were drawn for slopes reinforced with single-row antislide micropiles. Comparing with the limit analysis method (LAM) and traditional LEM, the current method exhibits similar results, indicating its feasibility; it can also obtain strict FOS solutions. Additionally, the contour curve charts of the FOS can be used to both reliably analyze slope stability and optimally design antislidemicropile parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the robustness of machine learning approaches to adversarial perturbations, with a focus on supervised learning scenarios. We find that typical phase classifiers based on deep neural networks are extremely vulnerable to adversarial perturbations: adding a tiny amount of carefully crafted noises into the original legitimate examples will cause the classifiers to make incorrect predictions at a notably high confidence level. Through the lens of activation maps, we find that some important underlying physical principles and symmetries remain to be adequately captured for classifiers with even near-perfect performance. This explains why adversarial perturbations exist for fooling these classifiers. In addition, we find that, after adversarial training the classifiers will become more consistent with physical laws and consequently more robust to certain kinds of adversarial perturbations. Our results provide valuable guidance for both theoretical and experimental future studies on applying machine learning techniques to condensed matter physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A novel er1 allele, er1 -7, conferring pea powdery mildew resistance was characterized by a 10-bp deletion in PsMLO1 cDNA, and its functional marker was developed and validated in pea germplasms. Abstract: Pea powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe pisi DC is a major disease worldwide. Pea cultivar 'DDR-11' is an elite germplasm resistant to E. pisi. To identify the gene conferring resistance in DDR-11, the susceptible Bawan 6 and resistant DDR-11 cultivars were crossed to produce F, F, and F populations. The phenotypic segregation patterns in the F and F populations fit the 3:1 (susceptible:resistant) and 1:2:1 (susceptible homozygotes:heterozygotes:resistant homozygotes) ratios, respectively, indicating that resistance was controlled by a single recessive gene. Analysis of er1-linked markers in the F population suggested that the recessive resistance gene in DDR-11 was an er1 allele, which was mapped between markers ScOPE16-1600 and c5DNAmet. To further characterize er1 allele, the cDNA sequences of PsMLO1 from the parents were obtained and a novel er1 allele in DDR-11 was identified and designated as er1-7, which has a 10-bp deletion in position 111-120. The er1-7 allele caused a frame-shift mutation, resulting in a premature termination of translation of PsMLO1 protein. A co-dominant functional marker specific for er1-7 was developed, InDel111-120, which co-segregated with E. pisi resistance in the mapping population. The marker was able to distinguish between pea germplasms with and without the er1-7. Of 161 pea germplasms tested by InDel111-120, seven were detected containing resistance allele er1-7, which was verified by sequencing their PsMLO1 cDNA. Here, a novel er1 allele was characterized and its an ideal functional marker was validated, providing valuable genetic information and a powerful tool for breeding pea resistance to powdery mildew. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major facilitator superfamily glucose transporters, exemplified by human GLUT1-4, have been central to the study of solute transport. Using lipidic cubic phase crystallization and microfocus X-ray diffraction, we determined the structure of human GLUT3 in complex with d-glucose at 1.5 Å resolution in an outward-occluded conformation. The high-resolution structure allows discrimination of both α- and β-anomers of d-glucose. Two additional structures of GLUT3 bound to the exofacial inhibitor maltose were obtained at 2.6 Å in the outward-open and 2.4 Å in the outward-occluded states. In all three structures, the ligands are predominantly coordinated by polar residues from the carboxy terminal domain. Conformational transition from outward-open to outward-occluded entails a prominent local rearrangement of the extracellular part of transmembrane segment TM7. Comparison of the outward-facing GLUT3 structures with the inward-open GLUT1 provides insights into the alternating access cycle for GLUTs, whereby the C-terminal domain provides the primary substrate-binding site and the amino-terminal domain undergoes rigid-body rotation with respect to the C-terminal domain. Our studies provide an important framework for the mechanistic and kinetic understanding of GLUTs and shed light on structure-guided ligand design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Increasing number of studies suggested that biallelic CEBPA (bi CEBPA) mutations were associated with favorable prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia ( AML), but the results remain inconclusive. We therefore present a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of bi CEBPA mutations in patients with AML. Methods A comprehensive literature search was undertaken through August 2014 looking for eligible studies. Pooled hazard ratios ( HRs) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) in overall survival ( OS) and event-free survival ( EFS) were used to calculate estimated effect. Results Ten studies covering a total of 6219 subjects were included in this analysis. Overall, bi CEBPA mutations were associated with favorable clinical outcome in patients with AML ( HR for EFS: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.32-0.52; for OS: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.27-0.50), in cytogenetically normal ( CN)- AML ( HR for EFS: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.29-0.49; for OS: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.23-0.43). When took the cohort of monoallelic CEBPA (mo CEBPA) mutated and wild-type CEBPA (wt CEBPA) AML as a reference group, bi CEBPA mutated AML also shown beneficial outcomes ( HR for OS: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.37-0.72). No significant difference was found between mo CEBPA mutation and wt CEBPA in patients with AML or CN- AML ( P > 0.05). Conclusion Bi CEBPA mutations in patients with AML are strongly associated with a favorable prognosis, which suggested that bi CEBPA mutations would potentially serve as a novel prognostic marker in AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glucose transporter GLUT1 catalyses facilitative diffusion of glucose into erythrocytes and is responsible for glucose supply to the brain and other organs. Dysfunctional mutations may lead to GLUT1 deficiency syndrome, whereas overexpression of GLUT1 is a prognostic indicator for cancer. Despite decades of investigation, the structure of GLUT1 remains unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of human GLUT1 at 3.2 Å resolution. The full-length protein, which has a canonical major facilitator superfamily fold, is captured in an inward-open conformation. This structure allows accurate mapping and potential mechanistic interpretation of disease-associated mutations in GLUT1. Structure-based analysis of these mutations provides an insight into the alternating access mechanism of GLUT1 and other members of the sugar porter subfamily. Structural comparison of the uniporter GLUT1 with its bacterial homologue XylE, a proton-coupled xylose symporter, allows examination of the transport mechanisms of both passive facilitators and active transporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correction to: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-021-... In the original publication of the article, the affiliation details for authors "Zhuo-miao Ye, Zhe Xu" were incorrectly given as "Zhuo-miao Ye SP 2 sp , Zhe Xu SP 1 sp " but should have been "Zhuo-miao Ye SP 1 sp , Zhe Xu SP 2 sp ". The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-021-06947-7. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: This trial evaluated the effects of partial replacement of fishmeal protein by a defatted microalgae meal (DMM) in a shrimp diet. The DMM was a by-product of astaxanthin production from Haematococcus pluvialis and contained 40.3% crude protein (CP) and 0.9% crude lipid (CL). Test diets were prepared by using DMM (3, 6, 9 and 12% in a diet) to replace 12.5%, 25%, 37.5% or 50% of a fishmeal protein in a control diet (32.3% CP & 8.9% CL). All test diets had similar protein and lipid levels. Each diet was randomly assigned to four tanks (12 juvenile shrimp per tank) in an indoor flow through seawater laboratory. After an 8-week feeding trial, shrimp fed the diet with 12.5% of the fishmeal protein replaced showed a significantly higher growth rate and lower feed conversion ratio than the shrimp fed the control diet (P<0.05). The other three DMM-added diets had a similar effect on the growth of shrimp as the control diet (P>0.05). Shrimp fed the four DMM-added diets appeared redder and contained higher free and esterified astaxanthins than shrimp fed the control diet. The results indicated that DMM could be a valuable alternative protein and pigmentation ingredient in shrimp feed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel class of optical breathers, called elegant Ince-Gaussian breathers, are presented in this paper. They are exact analytical solutions to Snyder and Mitchell's mode in an elliptic coordinate system, and their transverse structures are described by Ince-polynomials with complex arguments and a Gaussian function. We provide convincing evidence for the correctness of the solutions and the existence of the breathers via comparing the analytical solutions with numerical simulation of the nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The presence of the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis in the upper San Francisco Estuary (SFE) since 1999 is a potential but to date an unquantified threat to the health and survival of aquatic organisms, such as fish and zooplankton. The microcystins (MCs) predominantly in the LR-form (MC-LR) contained in Microcystis is hepatotoxic and a potential threat to the fishery. This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary exposure of the endemic Sacramento splittail, Pogonichthys macrolepidotus in SFE to Microcystis and its toxin, MC-LR. Juvenile splittail (12.59±0.7gfish−1) were exposed to five diets for 28d with MC-LR obtained from: (1) Microcystis harvested from the SFE and (2) a synthetic purified form of MC-LR. Three of the test diets contained 3.55 (D5), 9.14 (D10) and 17.13 (D20)mg MC-LRkg−1 from Microcystis. The other two diets contained either purified MC-LR at 3.89mg MC-LRkg−1 (D5R) or no MC-LR (D0). The RNA/DNA ratio of fish muscle was significantly lower for all treatments fed test diets containing MC-LR compared to the control diet D0, suggesting Microcystis adversely affected nutritional status. Protein phosphatase 2A expression in the fish from the D5, D10 and D20 treatments were inversely affected by increasing concentrations of MC-LR. Cytoplasmic inclusion bodies and single cell necrosis were more prevalent and greater in severity in the fish exposed to the diets D10 and D20 compared to fish from the D0 treatment and indicate severe liver toxicity in splittail exposed to MC-LR. The sublethal effects on splittail characterized by this study suggest cyanobacterial blooms have the potential to affect splittail nutritional status and health in SFE. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel capillary electrophoresis (CE) method coupled with monolithic molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) fiber based solid phase microextraction (SPME) was developed for selective and sensitive determination of ephedrine (E) and pseudoephedrine (PE). With in situ polymerization in a silica capillary mold and E as template, the MIP fibers could be produced in batch reproducibly and each fiber was available for 50 extraction cycles without significant decrease in extraction ability. Using the MIP fiber under optimized extraction conditions, CE detection limits of E and PE were greatly lowered from 0.20 to 0.00096μg/mL and 0.12 to 0.0011μg/mL, respectively. Analysis of urine and serum samples by the MIP-SPME-CE method was also performed, with results indicating that E and PE could be selectively extracted. The recoveries and relative standard deviations (RSDs) for sample analysis were found in the range of 91–104% and 3.8–9.1%, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study was designed to estimate the optimal dietary protein level for juvenile Pacific threadfin fed two levels of dietary lipid. Ten semi-purified diets were formulated to contain five levels of dietary protein (25, 30, 35, 40 and 45%) at either 10 or 14% dietary lipid. A commercial diet containing 14% lipid and 50% protein was fed as a reference treatment. Juvenile threadfin (initial body weight, 3.4g) were hand fed these diets at 7% body weight/day for 8weeks with 3 replications per dietary treatment. Fish were cultured in an indoor flow-through system with 31‰ seawater at 26°C. There were 20 fish per replicate. The dietary lipid levels did not cause significant changes in growth performance or body composition (P>0.05). In contrast, the diet with 25% protein resulted in significantly (P<0.05) lower weight gain and higher feed conversion ratios (FCR) than the diets with 30–45% protein. The lowest FCR occurred in fish fed diets containing 35% protein and 10% lipid or 30% protein and 14% lipid. Increased dietary protein level resulted in decreased protein efficiency ratio, hepatosomatic index, and lipid level in carcass or whole fish. Protein and energy retentions in carcass or whole fish were negatively correlated to dietary protein levels. Estimation using a polynomial model, 41% protein supported maximum growth of Pacific threadfin under these experimental conditions. Fish fed the test diets containing 35% protein, however, had similar growth performance but better protein utilization than fish fed either the commercial feed or the diet with 40% protein. These results demonstrate the possibility of reducing protein content in commercial feeds and thus lowing feed costs needed for Pacific threadfin culture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to develop an amino acid test diet for Pacific threadfin ( Polydactylus sexfilis) and estimate its lysine (Lys) requirement based on growth performance. A basal test diet was formulated using Pacific threadfin muscle and a mixture of precoated crystalline amino acids as the protein sources to achieve the same amino acid profile as in Pacific threadfin muscle with the exception of Lys. An 8-week growth trial was conducted with juvenile fish (initial body weight, 3.0±0.1g) fed eight isonitrogenous (35% crude protein) and isoenergetic (19.1MJ/kg diet) semi-purified diets containing 1.26% to 2.91% Lys. The fish were cultured in an indoor flow-through system with 31‰ seawater at 25°C. There were three replicate groups per dietary treatment. No mortalities occurred during the growth trial. Fish fed diets containing 2.23–2.43% Lys had higher specific growth rate, feed efficiency, protein efficiency ratio and protein retention than those fed diets containing less than 1.69% Lys. Excess dietary Lys also decreased growth of fish significantly. The basal diet (1.26% of Lys) resulted in higher liver but lower carcass to body weight ratio. Fish fed the diet containing 1.26% Lys showed significantly higher whole-body lipid and energy levels but lower moisture and protein levels than those fish fed the other diets. Broken-line analysis of the growth data indicated that the Lys requirement was 1.79% of diet (5.1% protein) under current culture conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Viola baoshanensis is one of the most rare cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulators, however, it is hard to propagate. Micropropagation has been applied to solve the problems with propagation of a few heavy metal hyperaccumulators. Therefore there is a high likelihood that micropropagation may offer a suitable method for large-scale propagation of V. baoshanensis. To test this hypothesis, three types of explants were used for shoot regeneration and various combinations of four plant growth regulators were used to improve shoot regeneration efficiency from leaflet of V. baoshanensis. Best shoot regeneration efficiency was obtained by incubating leaflet in a 1/2 MS medium supplemented with 2.5 μM BA + 2.5 μM IBA, therein shoot regeneration rate was 70.9% and the number of shoots formation per explant was 22.4. Rooting was achieved from almost all regenerated shoot growing on 1/2 MS medium without plant growth regulator. Micropropagated seedlings were acclimatized under greenhouse conditions and 95% of them survived and showed no visible morphological variation compared to their donor plant. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between regenerated and seed-germinated V. baoshanensis in Cd tolerance and accumulation. These results suggested that an efficient and rapid micropropogation system was successfully developed for V. baoshanensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was designed to estimate the toxic threshold of male and female fish to microcystins based on different biomarkers. Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were fed dietary Microcystin-LR (0, 0.46, 0.85, 2.01 and 3.93 μg MC-LR/g dry diet for 8 weeks at 25 °C. The results revealed that dietary MC-LR inhibited growth at the end of 8 weeks. The survival of embryos and the RNA/DNA ratio of whole fish decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in fish fed 3.93 μg MC-LR/g dry diet. Heat shock protein (Hsp60) expression was induced in the liver of female and male fish fed diets containing ≥0.85 and 0.46 μg MC-LR/g diet, respectively. The activity of liver caspase 3/7 was significantly higher in female fish fed 3.93 μg MC-LR/g diet and in males fed 2.01 MC-LR μg/g dry diet than fish fed the control diet. The threshold for inhibition of liver protein phosphatase expression was lower in female (2.01 μg/g diet) than that in male fish (3.93 μg/g diet). Histopathological examination showed significant single-cell necrosis in female and male medaka fed diets containing 0.85 and 3.93 μg MC-LR/g diet, respectively. Based on different biomarkers, this study demonstrated that dietary MC-LR is toxic to Medaka and the effects are gender dependent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recently Seevinck and Uffink argued that genuine multipartite entanglement (GME) had not been established in the experiments designed to confirm GME. In this paper, we use the Bell-type inequalities introduced by Seevinck and Svetlichny [M. Seevinck, G. Svetlichny, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89 (2002) 060401] to investigate the GME problem in the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model. We show explicitly that the ground states of this model violate the inequality when the external transverse magnetic field is weak, which indicate that the ground states in this model with weak magnetic field are fully entangled. Since this model can be simulated with nuclear magnetic resonance, our results provide a fresh approach to experimental test of GME. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As a result of mutual recognition, 1,1′-binaphthalene-2,2′-diol(binol) (1) and various aromatic diimines including 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (2), 4,5-diazafluoren-9-one (3), 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine (4), 4,4′-bipyridine (5), and 5-nitro-1,10-phenanthroline (6) formed well-defined co-crystals 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a and 6a, respectively. In 2a, 3a, 5a and 6a, the components form discrete aggregates, whereas in 4a, the components form infinite one-dimensional arrays. The crystal structures of these co-crystals are all stabilized by O–H···O and O–H···N hydrogen bonds as well as C–H···π and π···π interactions. Remarkably, a preferential co-crystal of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (7) over 1,10-phenanthroline (8) and other diimines with binol is established through competitive crystallization and guest-exchange experiments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the celebrated paper [D. Collins, N. Gisin, J. Phys. A Math. Gen. 37 (2004) 1775], Collins and Gisin presented for the first time a three-setting Bell inequality (here we call it CG inequality for simplicity) which is relevant to the Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt (CHSH) inequality. Inspired by their brilliant ideas, we obtained some multi-setting tight Bell inequalities, which are relevant to the CHSH inequality and the CG inequality. Moreover, we generalized the method in the paper [J.L. Chen, D.L. Deng, Phys. Rev. A 79 (2009) 012115] to construct Bell inequality for qubits to higher dimensional system. Based on the generalized method, we present, for the first time, a three-setting tight Bell inequality for two qutrits, which is maximally violated by nonmaximally entangled states and relevant to the Collins–Gisin–Linden–Massar–Popescu inequality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In a celebrated paper [Optics Communications 179, 447, 2000], A.O. Pittenger and M.H. Rubin presented for the first time a sufficient and necessary condition of separability for the generalized Werner states. Inspired by their ideas, we generalized their method to a more general case. We obtain a sufficient and necessary condition for the separability of a specific class of N d-dimensional system (qudits) states, namely special generalized Werner state (SGWS): , where is an entangled pure state of N qudits system and satisfies two restrictions: (i) ; (ii) Matrix , where , is a density matrix. Our condition gives quite a simple and efficiently computable way to judge whether a given SGWS is separable or not and previously known separable conditions are shown to be special cases of our approach. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A two-week trial was conducted to study the effect of feeding rates on heat shock protein levels in larval white sturgeon. The larvae (30 day post hatch, 230 mg initial body weight) were fed a commercial feed (12.6% moisture, 49.5% crude protein, 20.7% crude fat, and 8.6% ash) at 5, 15, or 25% body weight per day (BW d−1). Liver heat shock proteins (Hsp) were measured before and after the larvae were subjected to a heat shock from 18 to 26 °C at 1 °C/15 min and maintained at 26 °C for 4 h thereafter. Before heat shock, larvae fed 5% BW d−1 had significantly (P <0.05) lower final body weight, RNA/DNA ratio, whole body lipid and protein content, and Hsp60 and Hsp70 levels but higher protein efficiency ratio, and whole body moisture content than larvae fed the two higher feeding rates. Heat shock significantly induced Hsp60 and Hsp70 levels in the liver of all fish but they were lower in larvae fed the 5% than those fed 15 and 25% BW d−1. Hsp70 level increased much more than Hsp60 after the heat shock suggesting that Hsp70 is a more sensitive biomarker under our experimental conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cholesterol is an essential component of lysosomal membranes. In this study, we investigated the effects of membrane cholesterol on the permeability of rat liver lysosomes to K+ and H+, and the organelle stability. Through the measurements of lysosomal β-hexosaminidase free activity, membrane potential, membrane fluidity, intra-lysosomal pH, and lysosomal proton leakage, we established that methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD)-produced loss of membrane cholesterol could increase the lysosomal permeability to both potassium ions and protons, and fluidize the lysosomal membranes. As a result, potassium ions entered the lysosomes through K+/H+ exchange, which produced osmotic imbalance across the membranes and osmotically destabilized the lysosomes. In addition, treatment of the lysosomes with MβCD caused leakage of the lysosomal protons and raised the intra-lysosomal pH. The results indicate that membrane cholesterol plays important roles in the maintenance of the lysosomal limited permeability to K+ and H+. Loss of this membrane sterol is critical for the organelle acidification and stability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The stability of a wedge is an important research topic for rock slopes. A rock wedge is formed by two sets of intersecting discontinuous structural surfaces distributed in a rock mass and cutting the rock slope. Hence, its stability is related to the occurrence of structural surfaces. To evaluate the stability of rock wedges, the limit equilibrium (LE) methods, which do not fully consider the shear forces on the slip surface of both sides of the rock wedge, are usually adopted. As a result, the calculated rock wedge factor of safety (FOS) may be overestimated. Here, a spatial model of a rock wedge is established from the occurrence parameters of the structural planes and slope surfaces. Moreover, reasonable assumptions of internal forces on both sides of a micro-unit body are adopted with the micro-unit body in the rock wedge as the analysis object. Subsequently, the analytical formulas for the normal and shear forces of the rock wedge with full consideration of the shear forces on the slip surface of both sides are derived by applying mechanical equilibrium conditions. Furthermore, the solution of the normal stress on the slip surface of a rock wedge under the assumption of a linear distribution is given. Afterwards, the formulas for calculating the FOS of a rock wedge under the linear Mohr–Coulomb strength criterion and nonlinear generalised Hoek–Brown strength criterion are derived. By comparing and analysing some rock slope examples, the feasibility of the proposed method is verified, and it is shown that the conventional LE methods overestimate the stability of rock wedges. In addition, stability charts of rock wedges are proposed to illustrate the influence trend of dips and dip directions of discontinuous structural planes on the rock wedge FOS when the structural planes have certain discreteness and distribution ranges. • A rigorous LE model is established for analysing the stability of rock wedges. • The FOS of a rock wedge under the nonlinear GHB strength criterion is calculated. • Stability charts of rock wedges are proposed and plotted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the maximal violations for both sides of the d-dimensional CGLMP inequality by using the Bell operator method. It turns out that the maximal violations have a decelerating increase as the dimension increases and tend to a finite value at infinity. The numerical values are given out up to d = 106 for positively maximal violations and d = 2 × 105 for negatively maximal violations. Counterintuitively, the negatively maximal violations tend to be a little stronger than the positively maximal violations. Further we show the states corresponding to these maximal violations and compare them with the maximally entangled states by utilizing entangled degree defined by von Neumann entropy. It shows that their entangled degree tends to some nonmaximal value as the dimension increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although Candida containing biofilms contribute to the development of oral candidosis, the characteristics of multi-species Candida biofilms and how oral bacteria modulate these biofilms is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate interactions between Candida albicans and either Candida glabrata or Streptococcus mutans in biofilms grown on various surfaces, with or without saliva. Hydroxyapatite (HA), polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) and soft denture liner (SL) discs were used as substratum. Counts of viable micro-organisms in the accumulating biofilm layer were determined and converted to colony forming units per unit surface area. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to characterize biofilms and to quantitate the number of hyphae in each condition tested. Viable counts of C. albicans and C. glabrata per mm2 decreased in the order HA>PMMA>SL (p <0.05). Biofilms grown on saliva-coated specimens harboured fewer C. glabrata than uncoated specimens (p <0.05). Glucose and the presence of S. mutans suppressed C. albicans hyphal formation. Dual Candida species biofilms did not show competitive interaction between the two species. We conclude that Candida biofilms are significantly affected by saliva, substratum type and by the presence of other micro-organisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sedum alfredii Hance is a newly reported zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulator native to China. In this study, four populations of S. alfredii were collected from Yejiwei (YJW), Jinchuantang (JCT) and Qiaokou (QK) lead (Pb)/Zn mines located in Hunan Province as well as Quzhou (QZ) Pb/Zn mine located in Zhejiang Province for exploring the intraspecies difference of this plant in metal accumulation. Although they grew in the Pb/Zn spoils with relatively similar levels of Zn, Cd and Pb, remarkable differences among the four populations in tissue heavy metal concentrations were observed. The shoot Zn concentration of QZ population (11 116 mg/kg) was highest and nearly five times higher than that of the JCT population (1 930 mg/kg). Furthermore, the shoot Cd concentration observed in the QZ population (1 090 mg/kg) was also highest and 144 times higher than that found in the JCT population (7.5 mg/kg). As for Pb concentrations in the shoot of different populations, a fourfold difference between the highest and the lowest was also found. Such difference on metal accumulation was population-specific and may be significantly explained by differences in the soil properties such as pH, organic matter (OM), and electrical conductivity (EC). Taking biomass and metal concentration in plants into consideration, the QZ, YJW and QK populations may have high potential for Zn phytoremediation, the QZ population may have the highest potential in Cd phytoremediation, and the QK population may be the most useful in Pb phytoremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the oral cavity a balanced physiological response is essential for Streptococcus mutans to survive various types of external challenges. In this study we examined the role of the ClpP serine protease in the response of S. mutans towards sodium fluoride, sodium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorhexidine. By constructing a clpP promoter–green fluorescent protein reporter strain, we showed increased fluorescence intensities under all types of stress, indicating a need for ClpP under all these challenges. We constructed a clpP knockout mutant, which proved to be more sensitive to all the challenges than the wild-type strain. This knockout strain also displayed a reduced growth rate, hyperaggregation, and increased biofilm formation. Furthermore, an increased resistance to toxic levels of hydrogen peroxide and chlorhexidine after pre-incubation with sublethal levels of the corresponding compounds was found in the wild-type strain but not in the knockout mutant. In conclusion, ClpP is involved in the general stress response of S. mutans and assists the bacteria to resist killing through adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We examined the growth performance, tissue selenium (Se) concentration, and histopathology of Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) fed a control diet (0.4 μg Se/g) for 1, 3, 7, 13, 21 wk after a 9-month dietary exposure to 0.4, 12.6, 26.0, and 57.6 μg Se/g dry diet. Splittail previously fed 57.6 μg Se/g showed a significantly (P <0.05) lower final body weight but had higher weight gain than fish fed 0.4 μg Se/g diet at the end of the 21-wk depuration study. There were no significant differences in body weight in fish previously fed diets with or less than 26.0 μg Se/g. Liver and muscle Se concentrations decreased significantly in fish previously fed 26.0 and 57.6 μg Se/g diet but did not change significantly in fish fed 12.6 or less μg Se/g diet at the end of 21 wk. Liver Se concentrations dropped to the same concentration as fish fed 0.4 μg Se/g diet after a 13-wk depuration in all treatments. Muscle Se concentrations remained significantly higher in fish previously fed 12.6 or higher μg Se/g diets when compared to fish fed control diet at the end of a 21-wk depuration. Except for the presence of preneoplastic basophilic foci in two fish previously fed 57.6 μg Se/g diet, normal liver morphology was observed in splittail in all treatments at the end of 21-wk depuration. Prevalences of kidney lesions were increased in fish previously fed 26.0 and 57.6 μg Se/g diets at 3 and 7 wk, and decreased at 13 and 21 wk of depuration. No kidney lesions were observed in fish previously fed 12.6 μg Se/g diet or less. In conclusion, growth of splittail previously fed a diet containing 57.6 μg Se/g was still affected at the end of 21-wk depuration. The 21-wk depuration was not long enough for muscle Se concentrations to return to basal levels in fish previously fed 12.6 or more μg Se/g diet. Deleterious health effects of Se persisted in fish previously fed diets with 26.0 or more μg Se/g diet. Current results suggest that splittail that survived the 9-month exposure to 12.6 or less μg Se/g diet under current laboratory conditions is likely to thrive if Se in diet was reduced to control concentration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An 8-week growth trial was conducted to study carbohydrate utilization by white sturgeon fed diets containing glucose or hydrolyzed potato starch (HPS). Four diets supplemented with 15% or 30% of glucose or HPS and a control diet with no added carbohydrate were each fed to triplicate groups of fish. The diets were processed by a 3-min 80 °C microwave moist heating, followed by 1-h 70 °C drying. Feeding rates varied from 1.7% to 3.2% body weight day−1 so that all treatment groups were fed the same amount of dietary protein and lipid. The HPS groups showed the highest (P &#60;0.05) specific growth rate, followed by the control, and then by the glucose groups. Feed efficiency was highest in the control and 15% HPS group followed by the 30% HPS group, and lowest in the glucose groups. Protein and energy retentions, whole body lipid, and muscle glycogen showed a similar pattern; with the glucose groups significantly lower than the control and HPS groups, whereas there was no difference among the control and HPS groups. A lower lysine and glucose in the glucose than control diets suggested that a severe Maillard reaction had occurred in the moist heat process, drying, and storage of the glucose diets. This is supported by the significantly lower plasma lysine concentrations in sturgeon fed the glucose diets than those fed the control diet. Sturgeon fed the glucose diets also showed significantly lower concentrations of plasma protein, cysteine, and hydroxyproline than those fed the control diet, whereas concentrations of liver glycogen and plasma alanine, γ-aminobutyric acid and proline were significantly higher in sturgeon fed the glucose than the control and HPS diets. In conclusion, growth performances of sturgeon were not adversely affected by 15% HPS in the diet but severe Maillard reaction in the glucose diets resulted in significant reduction in the growth performances of the fish. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]