906 research outputs found
<i>Fusarium casha</i> sp. nov. and <i>F. curculicola</i> sp. nov. in the <i>Fusarium</i> <i>fujikuroi</i> Species Complex Isolated from <i>Amaranthus</i><i>cruentus</i> and Three Weevil Species in South Africa
No full textTrials are currently being conducted in South Africa to establish Amaranthus cruentus as a new pseudocereal crop. During recent surveys, Fusarium species were associated with weevil damage in A. cruentus fields. Preliminary studies showed that some of these Fusarium species grouped into two distinct clades within the F. fujikuroi species complex. The aim of this study was to characterize these isolates based on the morphology and phylogeny of the translation elongation factor 1α (TEF1α) gene region, ß-tubulin 2 (ßT) gene region and RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2), and to determine if these isolates are pathogenic to A. cruentus. Phylogenetic and morphological studies showed that these two clades represent two novel species described here as F. casha and F. curculicola. Both species were shown to have the potential to be pathogenic to A. cruentus during routine greenhouse inoculation tests. While isolations indicate a possible association between these two species and weevils, further research is needed to understand this association and the role of weevils in disease development involving F. casha and F. curculicola in A. cruentus
Author Correction: A detailed map of Higgs boson interactions by the ATLAS experiment ten years after the discovery
No full textIn the version of this article initially published, the ATLAS Collaboration
author names, affiliations and acknowledgements were omitted and
have now been included in the HTML and PDF versions of the article
Characteristics of Children Hospitalized for Acute COVID-19 in France From February 2020 to December 2023.
No full textWe describe the characteristics of children hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 in France with a focus on the post-BA.1 Omicron period (February 2022-December 2023). We identified 3 main groups of children: those ≤90 days old (44.8%), older children with comorbidities (22.1%) and children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (5.2%). Low vaccination coverage in these groups suggests that this burden could be alleviated with immunization
Are percutaneous coronary interventions changing our coronary surgery practice?
No full textAim: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the impact of a growing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) program on our coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) practice. Method: The data were collected from 300 consecutive surgical patients from January 2000 (early series) and from a similar number from July 2008 (recent series). Results: Our recent series presented an increased risk (mean Parsonnet scores rose from 5.5 to 7.3, mean euroSCORE rose from 2.4 to 3.1). The mean age increased from 60.3 to 63.8 years, with the percentage of patients over 70 rising from 14.3 to 29.1%. The proportion of females increased from 15.1 to 18.6%. Mean number of vessels grafted diminished from 3.24 to 3.02 per case. Fewer coronary arteries over 3mm diameter were grafted and more advanced atheroma was encountered at the site of grafting in the recent series. Conclusion: The rise in PCI was associated with a smaller surgical population presenting an increased risk and challenge to the cardiac surgical team.peer-reviewe
Fusarium and Sarocladium Species Associated with Rice Sheath Rot Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa
No full textSarocladium and Fusarium species are commonly identified as causal agents of rice sheath rot disease worldwide. However, limited knowledge exists about their genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, where an increasing incidence of this disease has been observed. In this study, seventy fungal isolates were obtained from rice plants displaying disease symptoms in rice research programs and farmer fields in Mali, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Thus, an extensive comparative analysis was conducted to assess their genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity. The Fusarium spp. were characterized using the translation elongation factor (EF-1a) region, while a concatenation of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and Actin-encoding regions were used to resolve Sarocladium species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed four Fusarium
species complexes. The dominant complex in Nigeria was the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), comprising F. hainanense, F. sulawesiense, F. pernambucatum, and F. tanahbumbuense, while F. incarnatum was found in Rwanda. The Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) was
predominant in Rwanda and Mali, with species such as F. andiyazi, F. madaense, and F. casha in Rwanda and F. annulatum and F. nygamai in Mali. F. marum was found in Nigeria. Furthermore, Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) members, F. callistephi and F. triseptatum, were found in Rwanda and Mali, respectively. Two isolates of F. acasiae-mearnsii, belonging to the Fusarium sambucinum
species complex (FSAMSC), were obtained in Rwanda. Isolates of Sarocladium, which were previously classified into three phylogenetic groups, were resolved into three species, which are attenuatum, oryzae, and sparsum. S. attenuatum was dominant in Rwanda, while S. oryzae and S. sparsum were
found in Nigeria. Also, the susceptibility of FARO44, a rice cultivar released by Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), was tested against isolates from the four Fusarium species complexes and the three Sarocladium species. All isolates evaluated could induce typical sheath rot symptoms, albeit with varying disease development levels. In addition, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to determine variation in the in vitro mycotoxins of the Fusarium species. Regional differences were observed in the in vitro mycotoxins profiling. Out of the forty-six isolates
tested, nineteen were able to produce one to four mycotoxins. Notably, very high zearalenone (ZEN) production was specific to the two F. hainanense isolates from Ibadan, Nigeria, while Fusarium nygamai isolates from Mali produced high amounts of fumonisins. To the best of our knowledge, it seems that this study is the first to elucidate the genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity of Fusarium species
associated with the rice sheath rot disease complex in selected countries in SSA
Fusarium and Sarocladium species associated with rice sheath rot disease in sub-saharan Africa
No full textSarocladium and Fusarium species are commonly identified as causal agents of rice sheath rot disease worldwide. However, limited knowledge exists about their genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, where an increasing incidence of this disease has been observed. In this study, seventy fungal isolates were obtained from rice plants displaying disease symptoms in rice research programs and farmer fields in Mali, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Thus, an extensive comparative analysis was conducted to assess their genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity. The Fusarium spp. were characterized using the translation elongation factor (EF-1 alpha) region, while a concatenation of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and Actin-encoding regions were used to resolve Sarocladium species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed four Fusarium species complexes. The dominant complex in Nigeria was the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), comprising F. hainanense, F. sulawesiense, F. pernambucatum, and F. tanahbumbuense, while F. incarnatum was found in Rwanda. The Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) was predominant in Rwanda and Mali, with species such as F. andiyazi, F. madaense, and F. casha in Rwanda and F. annulatum and F. nygamai in Mali. F. marum was found in Nigeria. Furthermore, Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) members, F. callistephi and F. triseptatum, were found in Rwanda and Mali, respectively. Two isolates of F. acasiae-mearnsii, belonging to the Fusarium sambucinum species complex (FSAMSC), were obtained in Rwanda. Isolates of Sarocladium, which were previously classified into three phylogenetic groups, were resolved into three species, which are attenuatum, oryzae, and sparsum. S. attenuatum was dominant in Rwanda, while S. oryzae and S. sparsum were found in Nigeria. Also, the susceptibility of FARO44, a rice cultivar released by Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), was tested against isolates from the four Fusarium species complexes and the three Sarocladium species. All isolates evaluated could induce typical sheath rot symptoms, albeit with varying disease development levels. In addition, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to determine variation in the in vitro mycotoxins of the Fusarium species. Regional differences were observed in the in vitro mycotoxins profiling. Out of the forty-six isolates tested, nineteen were able to produce one to four mycotoxins. Notably, very high zearalenone (ZEN) production was specific to the two F. hainanense isolates from Ibadan, Nigeria, while Fusarium nygamai isolates from Mali produced high amounts of fumonisins. To the best of our knowledge, it seems that this study is the first to elucidate the genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity of Fusarium species associated with the rice sheath rot disease complex in selected countries in SSA.Sarocladium and Fusarium species are commonly identified as causal agents of rice sheath rot disease worldwide. However, limited knowledge exists about their genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, where an increasing incidence of this disease has been observed. In this study, seventy fungal isolates were obtained from rice plants displaying disease symptoms in rice research programs and farmer fields in Mali, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Thus, an extensive comparative analysis was conducted to assess their genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity. The Fusarium spp. were characterized using the translation elongation factor (EF-1 alpha) region, while a concatenation of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and Actin-encoding regions were used to resolve Sarocladium species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed four Fusarium species complexes. The dominant complex in Nigeria was the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), comprising F. hainanense, F. sulawesiense, F. pernambucatum, and F. tanahbumbuense, while F. incarnatum was found in Rwanda. The Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) was predominant in Rwanda and Mali, with species such as F. andiyazi, F. madaense, and F. casha in Rwanda and F. annulatum and F. nygamai in Mali. F. marum was found in Nigeria. Furthermore, Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) members, F. callistephi and F. triseptatum, were found in Rwanda and Mali, respectively. Two isolates of F. acasiae-mearnsii, belonging to the Fusarium sambucinum species complex (FSAMSC), were obtained in Rwanda. Isolates of Sarocladium, which were previously classified into three phylogenetic groups, were resolved into three species, which are attenuatum, oryzae, and sparsum. S. attenuatum was dominant in Rwanda, while S. oryzae and S. sparsum were found in Nigeria. Also, the susceptibility of FARO44, a rice cultivar released by Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), was tested against isolates from the four Fusarium species complexes and the three Sarocladium species. All isolates evaluated could induce typical sheath rot symptoms, albeit with varying disease development levels. In addition, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to determine variation in the in vitro mycotoxins of the Fusarium species. Regional differences were observed in the in vitro mycotoxins profiling. Out of the forty-six isolates tested, nineteen were able to produce one to four mycotoxins. Notably, very high zearalenone (ZEN) production was specific to the two F. hainanense isolates from Ibadan, Nigeria, while Fusarium nygamai isolates from Mali produced high amounts of fumonisins. To the best of our knowledge, it seems that this study is the first to elucidate the genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity of Fusarium species associated with the rice sheath rot disease complex in selected countries in SSA.A
Author Correction: A detailed map of Higgs boson interactions by the ATLAS experiment ten years after the discovery
No full textAn affordance-based requirements approach for developing therapeutic artefacts - a case study of speech and language toys
No full textAn effort to solve real-world problems through the creation of new or improved products, such as rehabilitation or therapeutic devices, requires a human-centred design approach. Lack of domain knowledge about the use context and accessibility to key experts or end users pose significant challenges to the designer during the task clarification stage in understanding the end-user requirements. This article presents a computer-based design support tool, ACQUAINT-SALTT, based on a prescriptive computer architecture that allows the generation of affordance-based requirements (ABRs) for an emerging family of products known as speech and language therapeutic toys (SALTTs). Considering affordances, the end-user requirements can be detailed as a relationship between the product and the user within a context while keeping the problem as abstract as possible without restricting creativity. A prototype therapeutic toy, Olly Speaks, was developed and evaluated through usability studies carried out with clinicians, caregivers, and pre-schoolers to assess its therapeutic impact both within and outside the clinic.peer-reviewe
Electrical characterization of surface properties of the ATLAS17LS sensors after neutron, proton and gamma irradiation
No full textThe high luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider, foreseen for 2027, requires the replacement of the ATLAS Inner Detector with a new all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk). The expected total integrated luminosity of 4000 fb(-1) means that the strip part of the ITk detector will be exposed to a large radiation fluence of up to phi(eq) = 1.6 x 10(15) 1 MeV n(eq)/cm and an ionizing dose of 0.66 MGy, including a safety factor of 1.5. Radiation-hard le -in-p micro-strip sensors for use in the ITk have been developed by the ATLAS ITk Strip Sensor collaboration and produced by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. In this paper, the results obtained from the electrical characterization of the latest barrel ATLAS17LS sensor prototype, before and after irradiation, are shown. Surface properties of the long-strip barrel, full-sized and miniature sensors have been studied before and after proton, neutron and gamma irradiation up to the maximal fluences and radiation doses specified for the ITk Strip tracker. Sensors have been irradiated by protons at CYRIC, Tohoku University (Japan), the Proton Irradiation Facility at CERN, Karlsruhe Inst. Tech. (Germany) and at the University of Birmingham (UK), by neutrons from the Ljubljana TAIGA reactor (Slovenia) and by gamma rays from the Co-60 source in UJP Praha (Czech Republic). It has been verified that the surface radiation damage does not influence the sensor functionality. The breakdown voltage is well above the maximum operational voltage. All the tested surface parameters, such as the inter-strip resistance and capacitance, coupling capacitance and bias resistance satisfy the ATLAS ITk specifications for strip sensors
Observation of the associated production of a top quark and a Z boson in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
No full textAbstract: Single top-quark production in association with a Z boson, where the Z boson decays to a pair of charged leptons, is measured in the trilepton channel. The proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment from 2015 to 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1. Events containing three isolated charged leptons (electrons or muons) and two or three jets, one of which is identified as containing a b-hadron, are selected. The main backgrounds are from tt¯Z and diboson production. Neural networks are used to improve the background rejection and extract the signal. The measured cross-section for tℓ+ℓ−q production, including non-resonant dilepton pairs with mℓ+ℓ−> 30 GeV, is 97 ± 13 (stat.) ± 7 (syst.) fb, consistent with the Standard Model prediction
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