In February 2014, a severe disease on maize (Zea mays L.) broke out in the fields of central and southwestern Taiwan and caused yield losses in sweet corn production. Chlorotic spots first appeared ...at the base of infected leaves and later developed into systemic mottling. Diffused necrotic patches were also found on leaves or husks of the diseased plants. Moreover, severe rosetting and stunting accompanied by abnormalities in ear production were observed on mature plants. Eighteen leaf samples from symptomatic plants were collected and submitted to our Plant Diagnostic Clinic for virus diagnosis. All of the samples were first tested by reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR to detect Maize stripe virus (MSpV) and by indirect ELISA to detect Maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV) or Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), which were endemic to this area (1). Only 2 out of 18 samples were positive for MDMV, SCMV, or mixed infection of both viruses. Sap inoculation tests conducted on seedlings of sweet corn cv. Honey 236 indicated that the MDMV- and SCMV-negative samples still had an unknown pathogen causing original symptoms in the receptor plants. The isolate from Yunlin county reacted only with the antibody to Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) (AC Diagnostics, Fayetteville, AR) in ELISA. For further identification, the MCMV-specific primers (forward: MCMVg3514F-GGGAACAACCTGCTCCA; reverse MCMVg4014R-GGACACGGAGTACGAGA) were designed from the nucleotide sequence of MCMV coat protein (CP) gene. In RT-PCR using the AccuPower RT/PCR PreMix kit (Bioneer, Daejeon, Korea), an expected 500-bp DNA fragment was observed. This PCR product was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined by Mission Biotech Co., Taipei, Taiwan. BLAST analysis of the CP gene of the MCMV-Yunlin revealed the maximum nucleotide identities (99%) with Chinese Sichuan isolates (GenBank Accession No. JQ984270) and 98% identities to four Chinese Yunnan isolates (GU138674, JQ982468, JQ982469, and KF010583) and one Kenya isolate (JX286709), compared with 97% to Kansas isolate (X14736) and 96% to Nebraska isolate (EU358605). Subsequently, the complete nucleotide sequence of the viral genome (KJ782300) was determined from five overlapping DNA fragments obtained from independent RT-PCR amplification. The virus isolate was infectious to sweet corn cultivars Bai-long-wang, Devotion, SC-34, SC2015, and Zheng-zi-mi, on which similar symptoms were developed after mechanical inoculation. During the spring of 2014, a total of 224 sweet corn samples were collected from the epidemic areas of Taichung, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Kaohsiung counties. Samples (n= 161) reacted positive for MCMV in ELISA and/or RT-PCR. In the field survey, more than 20 adult thrips might be observed on an MCMV-infected plant. Two species of Frankliniella were found on maize plants: F. williamsi Hood and F. intonsa Trybom. Maize thrips (F. williamsi), an occasional pest of maize occurring during winter and spring in Taiwan, was characterized by its abdominal sternite II on which 1 or 2 discal setae of equal length with posteromarginal setae were borne (2). Samples with 1, 5, 10, and 30 F. williamsi collected in the field were tested by RT-PCR; MCMV was detectable not only in the pooled crushed bodies but also in a single maize thrips. This is the first report of MCMV occurrence on maize in Taiwan and of the virus transmitted by maize thrips. References: (1) C. T. Chen et al. Taiwan Sugar 37(4):9, 1990. (2) C.-L. Wang et al. Zool. Stud. 49:824, 2010.
The discovery of massless Dirac electrons in graphene and topological Dirac-Weyl materials has prompted a broad search for bosonic analogues of such Dirac particles. Recent experiments have found ...evidence for Dirac magnons above an Ising-like ferromagnetic ground state in a two-dimensional (2D) kagome lattice magnet and in the van der Waals layered honeycomb crystalCrI3, and in a 3D Heisenberg magnetCu3TeO6. Here, we report our inelastic neutron scattering investigation on a large single crystal of a stacked honeycomb lattice magnetCoTiO3, which is part of a broad family of ilmenite materials. The magnetically ordered ground state ofCoTiO3features ferromagnetic layers ofCo2+, stacked antiferromagnetically along thecaxis. The magnon dispersion relation is described very well with a simple magnetic Hamiltonian with strong easy-plane exchange anisotropy. Importantly, a magnon Dirac cone is found along the edge of the 3D Brillouin zone. Our results establishCoTiO3as a model pseudospin-1/2material to study interacting Dirac bosons in a 3D quantumXYmagnet.
To explore the validity and prognostic significance of minimal residual disease detection by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in patients of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) bearing ...Nucleophosmin (NPM1) mutations, we quantified mutants in 194 bone marrow samples from 38 patients with a median follow-up time of 20.6 months. Following induction chemotherapy, a median of 2.78 log decline in mutant copy number was observed. Relapse was always accompanied by significant increase of mutant numbers (P<0.001). After achieving complete remission (CR), the mutant copy number was significantly higher in patients with subsequent relapse than in those remaining in continuous CR (P<0.001). Presence of detectable mutants after treatment predicted relapse if no further chemotherapy was administered. Furthermore, the patients with any rise of mutant signals during serial follow-up had 3.2-fold increase of relapse risk compared to those with persistently low or undetectable signals (P<0.001). Patients who could achieve mutant reduction to <0.1% of internal control had significantly longer overall survival (OS) (P=0.004) and relapse-free survival (RFS) (P<0.001). Failure to achieve 2 logs of reduction after consolidation predicted shorter OS (P=0.01) and RFS (P=0.001). In conclusion, qPCR monitoring may have prognostic impact in AML patients with NPM1 mutations.
Large size (∼2 cm) single crystals of layered MoTe2 in both 2H- and 1T′-types were synthsized using TeBr4 as the source of Br2 transport agent in chemical vapor transport growth. The crystal ...structures of the as-grown single crystals were fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and electrical resistivity (ρ) measurements. The resistivity ρ(T), magnetic susceptibility χ(T), and heat capacity C p(T) measurement results reveal a first order structural phase transition near ∼240 K for 1T′-MoTe2, which has been identified to be the orthorhombic Td-phase of MoTe2 as a candidate of Weyl semimetal. The STM study revealed different local defect geometries found on the surface of 2H- and Td-types of MoTe6 units in trigonal prismatic and distorted octahedral coordination, respectively.
Background and purpose
We aimed to determine the burden of comorbidities at the time of diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), the risk of developing new comorbidities after diagnosis and the effect ...of comorbidities on mortality in patients with MS.
Methods
This study used data from 2526 patients with incident MS and 9980 age‐, sex‐ and physician‐matched controls without MS identified from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink.
Results
Before the MS diagnosis, the adjusted odds ratio for the association between MS and a Charlson comorbidity index score of 1–2, 3–4 or ≥5 was 131 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.17–1.47, 1.65 (95% CI, 1.20–2.26) or 3.26 (95% CI, 1.58–6.70), respectively. MS was associated with increased risks of cardiovascular and neurological/mental diseases. After diagnosis, the adjusted hazard ratio for the association between MS and an increased risk of developing comorbidities was 1.13 (95% CI, 1.00–1.29). The risk of developing any comorbidity in terms of neoplasms, musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases or neurological/mental diseases was higher in MS. Patients with MS had a higher mortality risk compared with controls, with a hazard ratio of 2.29 (95% CI, 1.81–2.73) after adjusting for comorbidities. There was a dose effect of pre‐existing comorbidities on mortality.
Conclusions
Patients with MS have an increased risk of developing multiple comorbidities both before and after diagnosis and pre‐existing comorbidities have an impact on survival.
Subdural hematoma in diabetic patients Wang, I.-K.; Chen, H.-J.; Cheng, Y.-K. ...
European journal of neurology,
January 2015, Letnik:
22, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Background and purpose
Subdural hematoma (SDH) is associated with a high mortality rate. However, the risk of SDH in diabetic patients has not been well studied. The aim of the study was to examine ...the risk of SDH in incident diabetic patients.
Methods
From a universal insurance claims database of Taiwan, a cohort of 28 045 incident diabetic patients from 2000 to 2005 and a control cohort of 56 090 subjects without diabetes were identified. The incidence and hazard ratio of SDH were measured by the end of 2010.
Results
The mean follow‐up years were 7.24 years in the diabetes cohort and 7.44 years in the non‐diabetes cohort. The incidence of SDH was 1.57‐fold higher in the diabetes cohort than in the non‐diabetes cohort (2.04 vs. 1.30 per 1000 person‐years), with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.63 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43–1.85. The stratified data showed that adjusted hazard ratios were 1.51 (95% CI 1.28–1.77) for traumatic SDH and 1.89 (95% CI 1.52–2.36) for non‐traumatic SDH. The 30‐day mortality rate for those who developed SDH in the diabetes cohort was 8.94%.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that incident diabetic patients are at higher risk of SDH than individuals without diabetes. Proper intervention for diabetic patients is necessary for preventing the devastating disorder.
Flux tube integrated Rayleigh‐Taylor instability growth rates computed by using the results of ionosphere data assimilation are used for the first time to investigate global plasma bubble occurrence. ...The study is carried out by assimilating total electron content measurements using ground‐based Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers into thermosphere ionosphere electrodynamic general circulation model, and the growth rates are calculated by using standalone model run without assimilation (control run) as well as using prior (or forecast) state output of the assimilation run. The growth rates are compared with the rate of change of total electron content index (ROTI), estimated from global network of GPS receivers, as well as all‐sky airglow observations carried out over Taiwan on the nights of 16 and 17 March 2015. In contrast to the growth rates using the control run, results using data assimilation show remarkable agreement with the ROTI. Further, the all‐sky images reveal intense plasma bubbles over Taiwan on the night of 16 March, when the corresponding assimilated growth rate is also pronounced. Similarly, the absence of plasma bubbles in the all‐sky images on the night of 17 March (St. Patrick's Day storm) is supported by smaller growth rates predicted by the assimilation model. Significant improvements in the calculated growth rates could be achieved because of the accurate updating of zonal electric field in the data assimilation forecast. The results suggest that realistic estimate or prediction of plasma bubble occurrence could be feasible by taking advantage of the data assimilation approach adopted in this work.
Key Points
Ionosphere data assimilation is used for the first time to compare the plasma bubble growth rate and occurrence
Assimilated growth rates agree remarkably with irregularities indicated by GPS‐ROTI and 630.0 nm all‐sky images
The improvement of zonal electric field in the assimilation mostly contributes to forecasting realistic growth rates
In this Letter, we report measurements of the coupling between Dirac fermion quasiparticles (DFQs) and phonons on the (001) surface of the strong topological insulator Bi2Se3. While most contemporary ...investigations of this coupling have involved examining the temperature dependence of the DFQ self-energy via angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements, we employ inelastic helium-atom scattering to explore, for the first time, this coupling from the phonon perspective. Using a Hilbert transform, we are able to obtain the imaginary part of the phonon self-energy associated with a dispersive surface-phonon branch identified in our previous work Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 186102 (2011) as having strong interactions with the DFQs. From this imaginary part of the self-energy we obtain a branch-specific electron-phonon coupling constant of 0.43, which is stronger than the values reported from the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements.
Usher syndrome type III (USH3) is characterized by progressive loss of hearing and vision, and varying degrees of vestibular dysfunction. It is caused by mutations that affect the human clarin-1 ...protein (hCLRN1), a member of the tetraspanin protein family. The missense mutation CLRN1(N48K), which affects a conserved N-glycosylation site in hCLRN1, is a common causative USH3 mutation among Ashkenazi Jews. The affected individuals hear at birth but lose that function over time. Here, we developed an animal model system using zebrafish transgenesis and gene targeting to provide an explanation for this phenotype. Immunolabeling demonstrated that Clrn1 localized to the hair cell bundles (hair bundles). The clrn1 mutants generated by zinc finger nucleases displayed aberrant hair bundle morphology with diminished function. Two transgenic zebrafish that express either hCLRN1 or hCLRN1(N48K) in hair cells were produced to examine the subcellular localization patterns of wild-type and mutant human proteins. hCLRN1 localized to the hair bundles similarly to zebrafish Clrn1; in contrast, hCLRN1(N48K) largely mislocalized to the cell body with a small amount reaching the hair bundle. We propose that this small amount of hCLRN1(N48K) in the hair bundle provides clarin-1-mediated function during the early stages of life; however, the presence of hCLRN1(N48K) in the hair bundle diminishes over time because of intracellular degradation of the mutant protein, leading to progressive loss of hair bundle integrity and hair cell function. These findings and genetic tools provide an understanding and path forward to identify therapies to mitigate hearing loss linked to the CLRN1 mutation.
Mutations in the clarin-1 gene affect eye and ear function in humans. Individuals with the CLRN1(N48K) mutation are born able to hear but lose that function over time. Here, we develop an animal model system using zebrafish transgenesis and gene targeting to provide an explanation for this phenotype. This approach illuminates the role of clarin-1 and the molecular mechanism linked to the CLRN1(N48K) mutation in sensory hair cells of the inner ear. Additionally, the investigation provided an in vivo model to guide future drug discovery to rescue the hCLRN1(N48K) in hair cells.
•This article discusses the effect of temperature and the applied magnetic field strength, through SQUID-VSM studies, on the magnetic behavior of the cobalt nickel ferrites nano powders.•The magnetic ...behavior is studied through BH curves, BH Vs H curves, ZFC and FC curves.•These powders synthesized by a simple and environmentally benign method were further characterized to study their structural and optical behavior of the samples through XRD, TEM, RAMAN and DRS studies.•Thus it gives and elaborate study on these magnetic samples and their possible applications.
Spinel ferrites have come a long way in their versatile applications. The ever growing applications of these materials demand detailed study of material properties and environmental considerations in their synthesis. In this article, we report the effect of temperature and applied magnetic field strength on the magnetic behavior of the cobalt nickel ferrite nano powder samples. Basic structural properties of spinel ferrite nano particles, that are synthesized by an environmentally benign method of auto combustion, are characterized through XRD, TEM, RAMAN spectroscopy. Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) is done to understand the nickel substitution effect on the optical properties of cobalt ferrite nano particles. Thermo magnetic studies using SQUID in the temperature range 5 K to 400 K and room temperature (300 K) VSM studies are performed on these samples. Fields of 0Oe (no applied field: ZF), 1 kOe (for ZFC and FC curves), 5 kOe (0.5 T), 50 kOe (5T) (for M-H loop study) are used to study the magnetic behavior of these nano particles. The XRD,TEM analysis suggest 40 nm crystallites that show changes in the cation distribution and phase changes in the spinel structure with nickel substitution. Raman micrographs support phase purity changes and cation redistributions with nickel substitution. Diffuse reflectance study on powder samples suggests two band gap values for nickel rich compounds. The Magnetic study of these sample nano particles show varied magnetic properties from that of hard magnetic, positive multi axial anisotropy and single-magnetic-domain structures at 5 K temperature to soft magnetic core shell like structures at 300 K temperature. Nickel substitution effect is non monotonous. Blocking temperature of all the samples is found to be higher than the values suggested in the literature.
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