Comparing costs for different conservation strategies of garlic (Allium sativum L.) germplasm in genebanks

The maintenance of plant genetic resources in living plant collections (genebanks) causes costs due to employment of staff, usage of buildings, equipment and consumables. Since this is especially challenging in vegetatively propagated material, studies were performed for the case of garlic, which is one of the major vegetatively maintained crops in the genebank of IPK Gatersleben. Data were recorded to compare various scenarios of the main strategies field maintenance and cryopreservation. A spreadsheet tool was developed to be used for cost assessment and for drawing conclusions concerning the most effective way of maintenance. Field culture is cheaper in the short term, whereas after a break-even point cryopreservation becomes the more efficient storage method in the long term. This break-even point depends on the particular scenario, which is determined by various factors such as field and in vitro multiplication rates of various genotypes, presence of bulbils in a part of the genepool, the sample size of the accessions as well as the number of stored accessions in cryopreservation. The comparative discussion is exemplified for a 1-year field rotation versus cryopreservation using either in vitro plantlets or a combination of bulbils and unripe inflorescence bases as organ sources. For the more expensive use of in vitro plants cryopreservation becomes less costly than field culture only after 13 years, whereas this is the case already after 8-9 years when using a combination of bulbils in winter and inflorescence bases in summer

Dispersively improved vector-meson-dominance approaches to precision observables

To this day, describing the interaction of hadrons poses a challenge. Although quantum chromodynamics is well established by now, its non-perturbative nature at low energies renders it impossible to perform perturbative calculations in this energy regime, as, e.g., feasible in the realm of quantum electrodynamics. Conjectured to be related to this behavior is the observation of confinement, stating that quarks and gluons cannot exist as free particles under ordinary conditions but invariably form hadronic bound states, which thus represent the pertinent degrees of freedom at low and intermediate energies. Together with the weak force, quantum chromo- and electrodynamics provide the framework that describes the non-gravitational interactions of the fundamental building blocks of nature we know of today, as compiled in the standard model of particle physics. Crucially, the standard model is known to be incomplete, reasons for this being, e.g., its incompatibility with gravity, dark matter, and the apparent matter–antimatter asymmetry in the universe. However, the proper extension of the standard model remains to be identified, and to this end, it is necessary to scrutinize this model with the utmost diligence. In this thesis, we discuss various probes of the standard model at the precision frontier. One such test is the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, <span class="math inline">(g − 2)μ, which is the subject of discussion in Part I and its Addendum. Therein, we analyze the transition form factors of axial-vector mesons, which are essential input quantities for an improved evaluation of the axial-vector contributions to hadronic light-by-light scattering. For our analysis, we use the framework of vector-meson dominance, include short-distance constraints from the light-cone expansion, and constrain the free parameters from experiment. Our final result consists of novel parameterizations for the transition form factors of the f1, f1′, and a1, which are eligible for a revised estimate of the axial-vector contributions to <span class="math inline">(g − 2)μ. Another test of the standard model at the precision frontier is provided by rare semileptonic <span class="math inline">η(′) decays, which are investigated in Part II. Due to the strong suppression of these decays within the standard model, they are excellent candidates for searches for physics beyond this theory. For the analysis of the semileptonic η(′) decays, we consider vector-meson-dominance parameterizations and determine the free parameters from phenomenological input. Using the constructed framework, we calculate branching ratios and differential distributions, which can be confronted with experimental measurements. In Part III, we study B → γ* form factors, which entail valuable information on the leading-twist B-meson light-cone distribution amplitude. Our study is based on a set of dispersion relations that link these form factors to their <span class="math inline">B → V analogs. This is accompanied by a parameterization that employs a series expansion in a conformal variable and a vector-meson-dominance ansatz, with the free parameters fixed from input on B → V. The phenomenological analysis is performed in terms of integrated as well as differential branching ratios and forward–backward asymmetries for the four-lepton decay, which can probe our understanding of the standard model when compared with experiment

Identification of genes expressed by immune cells of the colon that are regulated by colorectal cancer-associated variants.

A locus on human chromosome 11q23 tagged by marker rs3802842 was associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) in a genome-wide association study; this finding has been replicated in case-control studies worldwide. In order to identify biologic factors at this locus that are related to the etiopathology of CRC, we used microarray-based target selection methods, coupled to next-generation sequencing, to study 103 kb at the 11q23 locus. We genotyped 369 putative variants from 1,030 patients with CRC (cases) and 1,061 individuals without CRC (controls) from the Ontario Familial Colorectal Cancer Registry. Two previously uncharacterized genes, COLCA1 and COLCA2, were found to be co-regulated genes that are transcribed from opposite strands. Expression levels of COLCA1 and COLCA2 transcripts correlate with rs3802842 genotypes. In colon tissues, COLCA1 co-localizes with crystalloid granules of eosinophils and granular organelles of mast cells, neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells and differentiated myeloid-derived cell lines. COLCA2 is present in the cytoplasm of normal epithelial, immune and other cell lineages, as well as tumor cells. Tissue microarray analysis demonstrates the association of rs3802842 with lymphocyte density in the lamina propria (p = 0.014) and levels of COLCA1 in the lamina propria (p = 0.00016) and COLCA2 (tumor cells, p = 0.0041 and lamina propria, p = 6 × 10(-5)). In conclusion, genetic, expression and immunohistochemical data implicate COLCA1 and COLCA2 in the pathogenesis of colon cancer. Histologic analyses indicate the involvement of immune pathways

On the transition form factors of the axial-vector resonance f1(1285)f_1(1285) and its decay into e+e−e^+e^-

Estimating the contribution from axial-vector intermediate states to hadronic light-by-light scattering requires input on their transition form factors (TFFs). Due to the Landau-Yang theorem, any experiment sensitive to these TFFs needs to involve at least one virtual photon, which complicates their measurement. Phenomenologically, the situation is best for the $f_1(1285)$ resonance, for which information is available from $e^+e^-\to e^+e^- f_1$, $f_1\to 4\pi$, $f_1\to \rho \gamma$, $f_1\to \phi \gamma$, and $f_1\to e^+e^-$. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the $f_1$ TFFs in the framework of vector meson dominance, including short-distance constraints, to determine to which extent the three independent TFFs can be constrained from the available experimental input, a prerequisite for improved calculations of the axial-vector contribution to hadronic light-by-light scattering. In particular, we focus on the process $f_1\to e^+e^-$, evidence for which has been reported recently by SND for the first time, and discuss the impact that future improved measurements will have on the determination of the $f_1$ TFFs.Comment: 60 pages, 14 figures; v2: Appendix D on alternative $f_1 \to 4\pi$ mechanism added, references updated, version published in JHE

Axial-vector transition form factors and e+e−→f1π+π−e^+ e^- \to f_1 \pi^+ \pi^-

We study the transition form factors (TFFs) of axial-vector mesons in the context of currently available experimental data, including new constraints from $e^+ e^- \to f_1(1285) \pi^+ \pi^-$ that imply stringent limits on the high-energy behavior and, for the first time, allow us to provide an unambiguous determination of the couplings corresponding to the two antisymmetric TFFs. We discuss how these constraints can be implemented in a vector-meson-dominance picture, and, in combination with contributions from the light-cone expansion, construct TFFs as input for the evaluation of axial-vector contributions to hadronic light-by-light scattering in the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures; journal versio

Clinical Focus on Lung Cancer: A snapshot of lung cancer for Ontario health care providers and managers

This monograph on lung cancer has been prepared to provide information on patterns of practice to those directly involved in the provision of care to lung cancer patients. As well, it should be helpful to those who are responsible for managing aspects of the cancer system that impact on the care that lung cancer patients receive across the province of Ontario. The practice patterns are shown against the backdrop of the evidence-based guidelines developed by the Lung Disease Site Group of Cancer Care Ontario’s Program in Evidence based Care. In addition to information on patterns of practice, this monograph provides information on the timeliness of access to care, as well as a brief overview of the incidence and mortality of lung cancer, and the trends in the main risk factor for developing lung cancer, namely smoking. In brief, it provides a snapshot of the quality of care for lung cancer patients in the province of Ontario. It is hoped that this monograph will assist those responsible for care delivery to achieve the best possible results for patients with a diagnosis of lung cancer

3D turbulent flow field at square pier in a gravel scour hole

River hydrodynamicsInteraction with structure