Fine mapping of stem rust resistance derived from soft red winter wheat cultivar AGS2000 to an NLR gene cluster on chromosome 6D.

The Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) Ug99-emerging virulent races present a major challenge to global wheat production.

Bearded or smooth? Awns improve yield when wheat experiences heat stress during grain fill in the southeastern United States.

The presence or absence of awns-whether wheat heads are 'bearded' or 'smooth' - is the most visible phenotype distinguishing wheat cultivars. Previous studies suggest that awns may improve yields in heat or water-stressed environments, but the exact contribution of awns to yield differences remains unclear. Here we leverage historical phenotypic, genotypic, and climate data for wheat (Triticum aestivum) to estimate the yield effects of awns under different environmental conditions over a 12-year period in the southeastern USA.

A network modeling approach provides insights into the environment-specific yield architecture of wheat.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) yield is impacted by a diversity of developmental processes which interact with the environment during plant growth. This complex genetic architecture complicates identifying quantitative trait loci that can be used to improve yield. Trait data collected on individual processes or components of yield have simpler genetic bases and can be used to model how quantitative trait loci generate yield variation.

Characterizing the oligogenic architecture of plant growth phenotypes informs genomic selection approaches in a common wheat population.

Background: Genetic variation in growth over the course of the season is a major source of grain yield variation in wheat, and for this reason variants controlling heading date and plant height are among the best-characterized in wheat genetics. While the major variants for these traits have been cloned, the importance of these variants in contributing to genetic variation for plant growth over time is not fully understood. Here we develop a biparental population segregating for major variants for both plant height and flowering time to characterize the genetic architecture of the traits and identify additional novel QTL.

Application of the Concepts of Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and Ethics to Healthcare Organizations.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept that has varied through history, with evolving definitions that aim to determine the interconnections between corporations and community. Currently, in addition to ethics, this concept of social responsibility is increasingly considered in the context of healthcare delivery suggesting a new paradigm in hospital management. Sustainability is another emerging strategic goal for healthcare systems and organizations.

Attitudes, Knowledge, and Social Perceptions toward Organ Donation and Transplantation in Eastern Morocco.

The study is aimed to assess attitudes, knowledge, and social perceptions toward organ donation and transplantation in Eastern Morocco and therefore understand what sets back this activity's expansion and progression. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving three groups of persons that are theoretically involved in the process of organ donation (medical students, law students, and nurses). Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire related to the cultural, religious, medical, and legal aspects of organ donation and transplantation.

Sequence-based mapping identifies a candidate transcription repressor underlying awn suppression at the B1 locus in wheat.

Awns are stiff, hair-like structures which grow from the lemmas of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and other grasses that contribute to photosynthesis and play a role in seed dispersal. Variation in awn length in domesticated wheat is controlled primarily by three major genes, most commonly the dominant awn suppressor Tipped1 (B1). This study identifies a transcription repressor responsible for awn inhibition at the B1 locus.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in a regulatory site of VRN-A1 first intron are associated with differences in vernalization requirement in winter wheat.

Winter wheats require a long exposure to cold temperatures (vernalization) to accelerate flowering. However, varieties differ in the length of the period of cold required to saturate the vernalization response. Here we show that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at the binding site of the GRP2 protein in the VRN-A1 first intron (henceforth, RIP3) are associated with significant differences in heading time after a partial vernalization treatment.

Heading Date QTL in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Coincide with Major Developmental Genes VERNALIZATION1 and PHOTOPERIOD1.

In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), time from planting to spike emergence is influenced by genes controlling vernalization requirement and photoperiod response. Characterizing the available genetic diversity of known and novel alleles of VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1) and PHOTOPERIOD1 (PPD1) in winter wheat can inform approaches for breeding climate resilient cultivars.

Molecular characterization of a new powdery mildew resistance gene Pm54 in soft red winter wheat.

A new powdery mildew resistance gene Pm54 was identified on chromosome 6BL in soft red winter wheat. Powdery mildew is causing increasing damage to wheat production in the southeastern USA. To combat the disease, a continuing need exists to discover new genes for powdery mildew resistance and to incorporate those genes into breeding programs.

[Cowden syndrome].

Introduction: Cowden syndrome is rare; oral symptoms are not always diagnosed. This case of Cowden syndrome was revealed by gingival hypertrophy.

Observation: A 21-year-old female patient consulted for gingival hypertrophy and multiple papules in the mouth.

Influence of steatosis on progression of fibrosis and virological response in chronic hepatitis C cases.

Background And Study Aims: Hepatic steatosis seems to be frequently found histopathologically in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of steatosis on HCV disease severity (fibrosis) and to evaluate its impact on sustained virological response (SVR) to antiviral therapy.

Patients And Methods: From April 2008 to April 2010, 148 consecutive adults (87 females (59%) and 61 males (41%); mean age: 55.

Thyroid disorders during interferon alpha therapy in 625 patients with chronic hepatitis C: a prospective cohort study.

Aim: to report the prevalence, risk factors, management and long-term outcome of thyroid disorders caused by INFalpha in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Patients And Methods: From January 1991 to December 2004, 625 patients with chronic hepatitis C underwent INFalpha therapy. TSH assay was normal and antithyroperoxidase antibodies (anti-TPO) was performed before onset antiviral treatment; then TSH was performed every 2 months in all patients during therapy, and every 3 months after treatment.

Pain in severe dementia: self-assessment or observational scales?

Objectives: To assess the performance of self-assessment scales in severely demented hospitalized patients and to compare it with observational data.

Design: Prospective clinical study.

Setting: Geriatrics hospital and a geriatric psychiatry service.

[Hepatitis C and diabetes mellitus: effect of diabetes on the course of the liver disease].

Unlabelled: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is higher in chronic hepatitis C than in hepatitis B, even without cirrhosis.

Objective: To study the host, specific viral factors associated with diabetes mellitus and the influence of diabetes mellitus on the intensity of steatosis and the severity of fibrosis.

Material And Methods: The following data were collected in a cohort of 1249 patients with chronic hepatitis C established between December 1991 and June 2004: age, gender, body mass index (BMI).

Relationship of indoleacetic acid and tryptophan to dormancy and preharvest sprouting of wheat.

Preharvest sprouting of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) involves several plant hormones, but a role for indoleacetic acid (IAA) and its precursor, tryptophan, has not been demonstrated. Our objectives were to determine the roles of IAA, tryptophan, and related compounds in germination of cultivars that differed in susceptibility to preharvest sprouting.

Accumulation of starch in wheat grain under different shoot/root temperatures during maturation.

The impact of high temperatures on accumulation of starch in the grain of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is usually attributed to direct effects of the stress on the enzymes involved. However, roots are extremely sensitive to temperatures that can be as high as those experienced by the shoots, and their role in whole-plant responses should be considered.