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To identify novel allelic variations in key genes of wheat quality, the present study used the targeting induced local lesions in genomes platform to detect point mutations in target genes. The wheat variety Longfumai 17 was treated by the mutagen ethyl methanesulfonate to produce a bulk M generation, and the population included 1122 plants. A total length of 3906.80 kb nucleotides was analyzed, and the average mutation density was 1/244.17 kb. The identified mutations included G>A substitutions (43.75%), C>T substitutions (31.25%), A insertions (12.50%), T insertions (6.25%), and deletions (6.25%). These point mutations led to changes in amino acids and thus the encoded protein sequences, ultimately producing 18.75% of missense mutations, 12.50% of frame shift mutations, 6.25% of nonsense mutations, 25.00% of silent mutations and 37.50% of non-coding region mutations. In the kernel hardness gene Pinb and 3 starch synthesis genes waxy, Agp2 and SSIIa-A, we detected 16 different point mutations in 25 mutant lines. The Pinb gene harbored two missense mutations and a nonsense mutation; the C>T missense mutation resulted in a novel allele, this novel allele and the nonsense mutation alerted protein 3D structure; the waxy gene presented missense and frame shift mutations; the Agp2 gene carried a missense mutation; the SSIIa-A incurred a missense mutation and a frame shift mutation that resulted in premature protein termination. All the frame shift mutations, nonsense mutations and the Pinb novel allele resulted in allelic variation of their corresponding genes, which in turn affected their gene functions. The identified mutant lines can be used as intermediate materials in wheat quality improvement schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the strong consistency of some estimators for an errors-in-variables regression model. We first provide an extension of Meister's theorem. Then, the same problem is dealt with under the Fourier-oscillating noises. Finally, we prove two strong consistency theorems for wavelet estimators corresponding to non-oscillating and Fourier-oscillating noises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ionization of aromatic ethylamines by photons or electrons leads to elimination of CH2NH fragments, supposedly deriving from the McLafferty rearrangement involving intramolecular γ-hydrogen transfer. Using tryptamine and phenethylamine as examples, the results reported here suggest that the McLafferty mechanism is inadequate for interpreting the observations of CH2NH elimination due to much higher calculated appearance energy than experimentally measured values. Furthermore, by considering the roaming-mediated effect, the calculated appearance energy for the elimination of CH2NH fragments is reduced and matches well with the experimental results and verifies the existence of roaming-mediated effect. This effect could potentially be extended to explain the general CH2NH elimination of aromatic ethylamines. Due to the similar hydrogen transfer to that of the McLafferty mechanism, the roaming-mediated effect was taken into account to suggest a novel mechanism, termed the 'roaming-modified McLafferty rearrangement', that explains the observations of CH2NH elimination in the ionization of aromatic ethylamines. This is a reasonable modification of the McLafferty rearrangement mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of anaemia among HIV patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in China has not been extensively studied. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anaemia among HIV patients receiving HAART in China. This cross-sectional study was conducted based on data in routine record registers. Factors associated with anaemia were evaluated by logistic regression model. Among the 8632 HIV patients in this analysis, the overall prevalence of anaemia was 39.2%, and the prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe anaemia were 27.2%, 10.8%, and 1.2%, respectively. Anaemia was more prevalence among male, older, little time taken HAART and lower CD4 cell count. Patients taken TCM had lower prevalence of anaemia. The prevalence of anaemia among the HIV patients receiving HAART was high in this study. HIV patients with anaemia who are older and have CD4 cells count lower than 200 cells/mL require more attention. Traditional Chinese medicine may be a potential method to lower the frequency of anaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proper fabrication processes can keep the peak electric field away from the implantation damage region, effectively increase the Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) lifetime, reduce the multiplication region concentration and finally increase the operating voltage. • The dark current for HgCdTe APD is dominated by I concentration when I region width reaches a certain value, the lower the I concentration is, the smaller the dark current is. • Tuning Cd composition (from 0.298 to 0.332) could be a trade-off way for GNDCD suppression, which is supposed to approach ∼10−10 A/cm2@-10 V. Mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) HgCdTe electron-initiated avalanche photodiodes (e-APDs) have presented excellent performances to resolve and count photons with linear mode. Aiming at low flux, the ROIC noise can be extremely reduced by certain gain, and very low excess noise makes opportunity for noise equivalent photon (NEPh) to be 1. Therefore, the main issue for SNR of HgCdTe APD is gain normalized dark current density (GNDCD) at high reverse bias. In this work, the architecture of multiplication region is modeled and studied. The depth and width of multiplication region are controlled by regulating the p-type doping concentration, ion implantation and post thermal annealing conditions as well. Proper processes can keep the peak electric field away from the implantation damage region, effectively increase the Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) lifetime, reduce the multiplication region concentration and finally increase the operating voltage. Considered with dark current and gain, depletion region (I region) width is optimized and characterized to be 3–3.6 μm when I region concentration is ∼1 × 1015 cm−3 in our case. The GNDCD of MW APD (cut off wavelength ∼5.16 μm @80 k) is less than 10−6 A/cm2@≤-10 V, with avalanche gain of ∼1570@-9.8 V. The excess noise factor (F) is measured to be 1–1.4 by noise power spectral density (PSD). The NEPh value is less than 5 photons with gain up to ∼280 for MW 128 × 128 HgCdTe APD array. Simulation results anticipate that GNDCD can be further reduced by decreasing the doping concentration of I region to below 5 × 1014 cm−3. Furthermore, increasing the p-type doping concentration and band gap will significantly reduce GNDCD below to ∼10−10 A/cm2@-10 V for 4.22 μm Hg 1- x Cd x Te (x = 0.332) APD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the radiosensitivity of plants, an important factor in crop mutation breeding programs, requires a thorough investigation of the factors that contribute to this trait. In this study, we used the highly radiosensitive wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) variety HY1 and J411, a γ-irradiation-insensitive control, which were screened from a natural population, to examine the factors affecting radiosensitivity, including free radical content and total antioxidant capacity, as well as the expression of TaKu70 and TaKu80 (DNA repair-related genes) as measured by real-time PCR. We also investigated the alternative splicing of this gene in the wild-type wheat ecotype by sequence analysis. Free radical contents and total antioxidant capacity significantly increased upon exposure of HY1 wheat to γ-irradiation in a dose-dependent manner. By contrast, in J411, the free radical contents exhibited a similar trend, but the total antioxidant capacity exhibited a downward trend upon increasing γ-irradiation. Additionally, we detected dose-dependent increases in TaKu70 and TaKu80 expression levels in γ-irradiated HY1, while in J411, TaKu70 expression levels increased, followed by a decline. We also detected alternative splicing of TaKu70 mRNA, namely, intron retention, in HY1 but not in J411. Our findings indicate that γ-irradiation induces oxidative stress and DNA damage in hexaploid wheat, resulting in growth retardation of seedlings, and they suggest that TaKu70 may play a causal role in radiosensitivity in HY1. Further studies are required to exploit these factors to improve radiosensitivity in other wheat varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody directed against the CD20 antigen. Treatment using rituximab in combination with chemotherapy has dramatically improved overall survival rate of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Since rituximab can deplete both lymphoma B cells and normal B cells, how rituximab-treatment affects normal B cell function in DLBCL patients under remission is unclear. Here, we examined peripheral blood B cell composition and antigen-specific B cell responses in DLBCL patients in remission and observed reductions in the frequencies of total B cell as well as several major B cell subsets, including CD19IgD naive B cells, CD19IgDCD27 memory B cells, and CD19CD27 plasmablasts. Moreover, tetanus toxin (TT)-specific B cell proliferation was reduced in DLBCL patients in remission. On the other hand, HA-specific IgG-secreting B cell responses could be stimulated by influenza vaccination in DLBCL patients in remission, demonstrating that the machinery for generating de novo adaptive B cell responses was functional in DLBCL patients in remission. Our results provided insights in normal B cell function in DLBCL patients in remission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to detect severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) infection using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification in adult Haemaphysalis concinna ticks. A total of 72 adult H. concinna ticks were obtained from 35 goats, three adult H. concinna ticks (4.17 %) collected from two goats were found to be infected with SFTSV via PCR assay. Sequence analysis showed that the partial segment M glycoprotein gene of SFTSV was about 500 bases long by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and that the PCR products from the samples had an identical sequence (KP714259). With regard to the phylogenetic analysis, the Nei-Gojobri (Kimura 2-parameter) method was used to construct the phylogenetic trees. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the obtained sequence closely resembled SFTSV strain from Zhejiang Province (KC189856) and belonged to the same clade. The similarity of these strains was up to 96.62 % (only differing by 17 bases). In addition, phylogenetic analysis also indicated that the sequence obtained from adult H. concinna ticks was most closely related to the sequence isolated from Haemaphysalis longicornis (KF781498) with 97.22 % similarity (differing only by 4 bases) and belonged to the same clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]