In 2019, brown root rot symptoms were observed in pea sprouts (
Pisum sativum
L.) grown in a plant factory in Japan. Bacteria were isolated from symptomatic plants and confirmed to cause the same ...symptoms in inoculation to pea seedlings. Based on multilocus sequence analysis and the bacteriological characteristics, the isolates were identified as a
Pseudomonas
species belonging to the
Pseudomonas asplenii
subgroup, which is most closely related to
Pseudomonas vanderleydeniana
. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a bacterial root disease in pea plants and of a
P
.
asplenii
subgroup member that is pathogenic to legumes.
Biogenic manganese (Mn) oxides occur ubiquitously in the environment including the uranium (U) mill tailings at the Ningyo-toge U mine in Okayama, Japan, being important in the sequestration of ...radioactive radium (Ra). To understand the nanoscale processes in Mn oxides formation at the U mill tailings site, Mn2+ absorption by a basidiomycete fungus, Coprinopsis urticicola, isolated from Ningyo-toge mine water samples, was investigated in the laboratory under controlled conditions utilizing electron microscopy, synchrotron-based X-ray analysis, and fluorescence microscopy with molecular pH probe. The fungus’ growth was first investigated in an agar-solidified medium supplemented with 1.0 mmol/L of Mn2+, ± Cu2+ (50 – 200 µM), ± Zn2+ (50 – 200 µM), or ± diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI) (50 – 100 µM) at 25 °C. The results revealed that Zn2+ has no significant effects on the Mn oxides formation, whereas Cu2+ and DPI significantly inhibit both fungal growth and Mn oxidation, indicating superoxide-mediated Mn oxidation. During the interaction of Mn2+ with the fungi in solution medium at the initial pH of 5.67, a small fraction of Mn2+ infiltrated into the fungal hyphae within 8 h, forming a few tens nm-sized concentrates of soluble Mn2+ in the intracellular pH of ~6.5, which can be released back to solution within a day as shown in a subsequent releasing experiment. After 1 day of incubation, Mn oxides began to precipitate on the hyphae, which were characterized to be fibrous nanocrystals with a hexagonal birnessite-structure, these forming spherical aggregates with a diameter of ~1.5 µm. When the fungi were reacted using the Ningyo-toge mine water, the Mn concentration decreased at a rate of 1.0 mmol·day-1 per unit dry weight. The nanoscale processes associated with the fungi derived from the Ningyo-toge mine area provides additional insights into the existing mechanisms of Mn oxidation by filamentous fungi at other U mill tailings sites under circumneutral pH conditions. Such processes add to the class of reactions important to the sequestration of toxic elements.
Enhanced computed tomography (CT) is unsuitable for patients with reduced renal function and/or allergy for contrast medium (CM). CT image registration into an electroanatomic system (EAMS) is ...essential to perform pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) safely and smoothly in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). To create three-dimensional pulmonary vein-left atrium (3D PV-LA) images from non-enhanced CT images to register them into EAMS for AF ablation. Using a non-enhanced ECG-gated image, 3D PV-LA images were generated by our developed techniques with an EnSite image analyzing tool for patients unfit for CM use (n = 100). Segmentation between tissues was performed as follows: tissues distal from or close to PV-LA were segmented in transverse slices to clearly show the whole LA. Tissues bordering PV-LA, including the pulmonary artery, left ventricle, and right atrium, were segmented manually with great care. Practical ablation parameters were compared with those obtained from enhanced CT (n = 100). 3D PV-LA image reconstruction from non-enhanced CT imaging required a longer time than that from enhanced CT (42 ± 6 vs 14 ± 3 min). All 100 PV-LA non-enhanced CT images were successfully reconstructed and registered into the EAM system without the need for re-segmentation. Practical ablation parameters, including procedural time and AF recurrence rate, did not differ between imaging methods. This study provides clinically useful information on a detailed methodology for 3D PV-LA image reconstruction using non-enhanced CT. Non-enhanced CT 3D PV-LA images were successfully registered into the EAM system and useful for patients unsuitable for CM use.
For the past two decades, precipitation radars (PR) onboard low‐orbiting satellites such as Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) have provided invaluable insight into global precipitation ...variability and led to advancements in numerical weather prediction through data assimilation. Building upon this success, planning has begun on the next generation of satellite‐based PR instruments, with the consideration for a future geostationary‐based PR (GPR), bringing the advantage of higher observation frequency over previous and current PR satellites. Following the successful demonstration by a recent study to test the feasibility of a GPR to obtain three‐dimensional precipitation data, this study takes the first step to investigate the potential usefulness of GPR observations for numerical weather prediction by performing a perfect model observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) for a West Pacific tropical cyclone (TC). Data assimilation experiments are performed assimilating reflectivity observations obtained for a range of beam sampling spans, following a previous finding that oversampling improves observation quality. Results showed observations obtained with finer sampling spans of 5 km and 10 km were able to better capture key tropical cyclone features in analyses, including the eye, heavy rainfall associated with the eyewall, and outer convective rainbands. Results also showed that through increased moistening and upward velocity within the inner storm environment, assimilation of observations drove an intensification of the secondary circulation and deepening of the storm, leading to an improvement in TC intensity error. Intensity forecasts were found improved for assimilation of observations obtained with increasingly finer beam sampling span, suggesting an important benefit of oversampling.
Plain Language Summary
In a recent study, the feasibility of a future precipitation radar based onboard a geostationary satellite (GPR) that could obtain three‐dimensional precipitation measurements was successfully tested. In this study, we take the first step to investigate whether reflectivity observations can be used to improve analyses and forecasts of global weather systems. We perform data assimilation experiments that use simulated GPR observations for a West Pacific tropical cyclone, with observations obtained with varying radar beam sampling spans to generate observation oversampling, following a previous finding that this improves observation quality. Results found that key convective features of the tropical cyclone (TC), including the eye, eyewall structure, and outer rainbands, were all better captured in simulations assimilating observations obtained with finer beam sampling spans, with 5 km sampling providing best results. Observations were also found to have a positive impact on TC intensity in both model analyses and forecasts, with forecast errors for minimum sea level pressure improved at all lead times up to 18 h. TC intensity forecasts were also improved with increasingly finer beam span, suggesting an important potential benefit of oversampling for TC prediction.
Key Points
Reflectivity observations from a geostationary precipitation radar improved representation of convective features for a tropical cyclone
Oversampling with finer beam sampling span improved tropical cyclone intensity errors in analyses and forecasts
Oversampling improved precipitation and maximum surface wind intensity in forecasts
Androgen receptor (AR) functions as a transcriptional factor for the development and progression of prostate cancer. Resveratrol is known to inhibit the function of AR and to repress AR expression at ...the transcriptional level. This study focuses on the effects of resveratrol on the AR function and the post-translational AR level. Resveratrol repressed the transcriptional activities of a mutant AR lacking the ligand-binding domain, a constitutive active form of AR, and wild-type AR in a concentration-dependent manner in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells, indicating that resveratrol does not inhibit the transcriptional activity of AR through binding to the ligand-binding domain of AR. Furthermore, the half-life of AR protein was approximately 4 h in resveratrol-treated AR-positive prostate cancer LNCaP cells, compared to approximately 13 h in control cells, as determined by cycloheximide chase. These results indicate that resveratrol down-regulates AR protein through a post-translational mechanism and suggest that the inhibitory effect of resveratrol on AR function is partly attributable to a decrease in the post-translational AR level.
Eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) has been shown to interact with both the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and the 3′-terminal genomic RNA of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). In this ...study, we demonstrated that the down-regulation of
eEF1A
mRNA levels by virus-induced gene silencing using potato virus X vector dramatically reduced the accumulation of TMV RNA and the spread of TMV infection. The translation activity of the
eEF1A
-silenced
Nicotiana benthamiana
leaves was not severely affected. Collectively, these results suggest an essential role of eEF1A in TMV infection.
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