Genome-Wide Association Study and Genomic Prediction of Fusarium Wilt Resistance in Common Bean Core Collection.

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a globally cultivated leguminous crop. Fusarium wilt (FW), caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli (Fop), is a significant disease leading to substantial yield loss in common beans. Disease-resistant cultivars are recommended to counteract this. The objective of this investigation was to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with FW resistance and to pinpoint potential resistant common bean accessions within a core collection, utilizing a panel of 157 accessions through the Genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach with TASSEL 5 and GAPIT 3. Phenotypes for Fop race 1 and race 4 were matched with genotypic data from 4740 SNPs of BARCBean6K_3 Infinium Bea Chips. After ranking the 157-accession panel and revealing 21 Fusarium wilt-resistant accessions, the GWAS pinpointed 16 SNPs on chromosomes Pv04, Pv05, Pv07, Pv8, and Pv09 linked to Fop race 1 resistance, 23 SNPs on chromosomes Pv03, Pv04, Pv05, Pv07, Pv09, Pv10, and Pv11 associated with Fop race 4 resistance, and 7 SNPs on chromosomes Pv04 and Pv09 correlated with both Fop race 1 and race 4 resistances. Furthermore, within a 30 kb flanking region of these associated SNPs, a total of 17 candidate genes were identified. Some of these genes were annotated as classical disease resistance protein/enzymes, including NB-ARC domain proteins, Leucine-rich repeat protein kinase family proteins, zinc finger family proteins, P-loopcontaining nucleoside triphosphate hydrolase superfamily, etc. Genomic prediction (GP) accuracy for Fop race resistances ranged from 0.26 to 0.55. This study advanced common bean genetic enhancement through marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection (GS) strategies, paving the way for improved Fop resistance.

Inhibition of Botrytis cinerea Growth and Suppression of Gray Mold on Petunia Leaves Using Chitosan.

Exogenous application of chitosan has been shown to reduce plant disease severity in food crops; however, less is known about the potential use of chitosan in floriculture. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of chitosan to suppress gray mold on petunia leaves caused by Botrytis cinerea using in vitro and in planta approaches. We also aimed to determine if chitosan molecular weight influences efficacy. Medium and high molecular weight reagent grade chitosan reduced growth of B. cinerea in vitro at chitosan concentrations ranging from 1.25 to 2% (v/v), while low molecular weight reagent grade chitosan only reduced growth at 2.0% (v/v). In detached leaf assays, all reagent grade chitosan treatments reduced Botrytis lesion size on petunia leaves up to 65% compared to the water control. The commercial product Tidal Grow reduced in vitro growth of Botrytis, starting at 0.5%, and reduced disease severity at 0.75% on petunia leaves. The commercial product ARMOUR-Zen 15 reduced Botrytis growth in vitro at 3.75% and higher and reduced disease severity at 0.3 and 1.0% on petunia leaves. Under greenhouse conditions, low, medium, and high molecular weight reagent grade chitosan and ARMOUR-Zen 15 at 0.4% chitosan reduced Botrytis lesion size on petunia leaves up to 60% compared to the water control. Suppression in vitro suggests that chitosan may have direct phytotoxic effects on fungal growth, however our in planta and greenhouse trials suggest that additional modes of action may also play a role in the observed suppressive effects.

A Mobile Alert System for Preparing the Delivery of Radiation Mitigators.

BACKGROUND/AIM: A mobile system allowing hospital medical personnel to prepare for the administration of radiation mitigators prior to receiving casualties is desirable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated a portable spectroscopic personal radiation detector for use as an ambulance-based unit for early detection and identification of gamma radiation. We tested the sensitivity, time-to-identification, and radionuclide identification accuracy rates, change in detector response to vehicle operation, interference from cardiac equipment, and internal versus external radiation source location. RESULTS: We detected radiation sources in each of 119 trials using a humanoid phantom in a moving ambulance with a primary radionuclide identification accuracy of 96%. Typical identification time was around two minutes (149±95 s). CONCLUSION: Our observations suggest this mobile system is a potential pre-hospital arrival tool allowing for rapid preparation of radiation mitigators.

Interceptor and Phantom Trials of EDNS at UPMC.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) installed an Emergency Department Notification System (EDNS) in one of its hospitals. The system, manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., 81 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02454), consists of four NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors, a 2.5 L PVT gamma counter, a 512 channels multi-channel analyzer, a system controller, and a database-monitoring server. We evaluated a portable Interceptor Interceptor™ hand-held detector (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., 81 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02454) as part of the system for potential ambulancebased early detection and warning unit. We present the minimum detectable activity, distance, and isotope identification success rates along with the change in detector response to various radioisotope sources placed in a Rando® humanoid phantom. (The Phantom Laboratory. P.O. Box 511, Salem, NY 12865-0511 USA). The present paper reports these results.

The reminiscence bump for salient personal memories: is a cultural life script required?

Older adults report a higher frequency of autobiographical memories for experiences that occurred between ages 15 and 30, as compared with other life periods. This reminiscence bump is evident for memories involving positive, but not negative, emotions. The cultural life script hypothesis proposes that people share knowledge for the types and timing of positive landmark events and that this script guides the memory search to the bump period. The present research examined whether a reminiscence bump would be evident when memory cues prompted recall of surprising and unexpected events. Older adults recalled positive and negative, surprising positive and surprising negative, or highly expected and highly unexpected events. Adults' memory distributions were compared with distributions of predicted life events generated by undergraduates. Reminiscence bumps were found not only for memories of positive and expected events, but also for memories of surprising and unexpected events. Implications for the life script account are discussed.

Results of a survey of patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

BACKGROUND: alpha(1)-Antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is an uncommon genetic disease which occurs in 1-2.5% of Americans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Little is known about current demographics of AATD. OBJECTIVES: This survey study reviews the clinical characteristics of diseased individuals in North America. METHODS: A survey of members from the mailing lists of US AATD patient support organizations was commissioned with duplicate persons omitted. The survey was mailed to 5,222 unique individuals with AATD. Questionnaires were returned by 1,953 individuals, including 1,810 with severe deficiency, 93 with the carrier state and 41 who were caregivers of others. RESULTS: The majority (81%) of participants reported COPD with symptoms of asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema, usually in combination. The mean age of respondents [53.1 +/- 13.2 (SD) years] is older than the general US population. Lung or liver transplantation was reported by 9% of all respondents (n = 175), including 66 single lung transplants, 68 double lung transplants, and 47 liver transplants. Another 6.6% (n = 128) reported that they were currently on a transplant list. Twenty-one percent of lung transplants report continuing augmentation therapy use. Augmentation use is reported by 75% of those with obstructive lung disease. The majority of patients with liver disease also have COPD. CONCLUSIONS: AATD remains a devastating illness for many of those affected as reflected in a high incidence of transplantation for liver and lung disease.

Delay in diagnosis of alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency: a continuing problem.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY OBJECTIVES: Alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is common but under-recognized. A 1994 mail survey showed a long delay between the onset of symptoms and the initial diagnosis of AAT deficiency. In 2003, we carried out a similar mail survey of AAT-deficient individuals to determine whether any delay in diagnosis experienced by individuals with a more recent diagnosis had become shorter. We also determined whether individuals living near medical centers with an expressed interest in AAT deficiency experienced shorter diagnostic delays than those living at a distance. METHODS: Results from mail surveys of two different cohorts were compared: a 1994 survey of 304 individuals with severe AAT deficiency and a 2003 survey of 1,953 AAT-deficient individuals. In the 2003 survey cohort, diagnostic delay intervals were analyzed by calendar year of initial diagnosis, rural vs urban residence, visit to a liver or lung specialist within the last year, and living within 50 miles of a medical center with particular expertise in AAT deficiency. One thousand nine hundred fifty-three individuals responded to the 2003 mail survey (37.4%). RESULTS: In the 2003 cohort, the mean +/- SD diagnostic delay was 5.6 +/- 8.5 years, compared with 7.2 +/- 8.3 years for the 1994 cohort (p = 0.002). In the 2003 cohort, younger patients and male patients experienced shorter diagnostic delays than older patients and female patients (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.007, respectively). For example, the delay was 6.5 +/- 8.8 years for those born in the 1940s, as compared with 0.43 +/- 1.08 years for those born after 1980. Neither urban residence nor living near a center with expertise in AAT deficiency were associated with a shortened diagnostic delay interval. CONCLUSIONS: Although these results show some improvement in the mean diagnostic delay in the 9-year period separating the two studies, under-recognition of AAT deficiency persists. Diagnostic delay of AAT deficiency is longer in women and in older individuals. Educational efforts are underway to enhance clinicians' diagnostic suspicion of AAT deficiency and permit earlier diagnosis and attendant benefits.

Genetic testing for alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency.

PURPOSE: The Alpha Coded Testing Study investigated the risks, benefits, and psychological impact of home genetic testing for alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency. METHODS: In the study, 996 adult individuals requested and returned a home-administered, confidential, fingerstick blood test. RESULTS: Individuals highly rated the benefits of establishing a diagnosis (82%), helping family members (86%), and anticipating peace of mind (79%). 78% of 239 current smokers reported a high likelihood of smoking cessation if diagnosed with AATD. After testing, more than 60% indicated that they would share the results with family and physicians but < 30% would share results with insurance companies. CONCLUSIONS: Confidential home testing for genetic disorders requires a comprehensive program of participant support.