scholarly journals THE STATUS OF PYRUS GERMPLASM IN THE US

HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1142a-1142
Author(s):  
Kim Hummer

Pyrus communis L. germplasm came to North America with early settlers. Pyrus cultivars have markedly declined since the turn of the century when more than 2700 unique Pyrus cultivars and 10,000 cultivar synonyms were noted. In 1956, 844 Pyrus cultivars and selections were widely available. Fireblight, Erwinia amylovora (Burril) Winslow et al. 1923, and lack of cold hardiness were main causes of cultivated germplasm loss. During June through December 1989, I resurveyed 37 State Agricultural Experiment Stations which had pear collections in 1956, to determine the present extent of their collections. Only four had more than 100 cultivars; 12 had 10 to 100 cultivars; 21 had less than 10. Experiment stations have decreased their collections because of funding cuts and program redirection. The National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Corvallis, established in 1981, has a collection of 811 unique cultivars and representatives of 26 Pyrus species. About 194 cultivars published in 1908 are in the NCGR collection. At least 424 of those listed in 1956 still exist. Oriental species and other foreign selections not previously available are actively being acquired. About 80% of the clones in the NCGR collection are virus negative; about 10 % reside in backup in vitro storage. Fireblight damage has not been observed thus far. With continued federal support, Pyrus germplasm availability should remain more stable than the decline seen in the last 90 years.

Author(s):  
J. C. Sharman

This chapter begins by tracing the origins of the anti-kleptocracy cause in the United States, starting with the harsh Cold War environment and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977. It explores the status quo ante of dictators being able to launder their funds in the US financial system with impunity immediately before and after the turn of the century. At this time, there was no law prohibiting American banks and other institutions receiving the proceeds of foreign corruption. The USA Patriot Act closed this legal loophole, yet practice lagged, and laws at first failed to have much of an impact. More recent cases indicate at least partial effectiveness, however, with instances of successful prevention and some looted wealth confiscated and returned.


1975 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Erskine ◽  
L. E. Lopatecki

Under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, a highly virulent strain of Erwinia amylovora coinhabited susceptible host tissues with a yellow saprophytic bacterium, which was invariably isolated from fire blight infected trees, with or without producing symptoms of the disease depending on the status of a number of environmental factors, both climatic and physiological. In particular, variation of temperature and sucrose concentration determined, independently, the equilibrium of a readily reversible alternation of predominance of the two bacteria.It is suggested that E. amylovora may sometimes exist as an avirulent resident on the surface or within healthy host plants when environmental conditions favor growth of the yellow saprophyte rather than the pathogen. Such conditions, which are more likely to be obtained in midsummer and the fall, include temperature fall or rise below or above the optimum for E. amylovora, decreased humidity or diminution of sap flow, and increased sugar content in the host tissues.


Mycotaxon ◽  
10.5248/136.1 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-58
Author(s):  
Ronald H. Petersen

The Morrill Act of 1862 afforded the US states the opportunity to found state colleges with agriculture as part of their mission—the so-called "land-grant colleges." The Hatch Act of 1887 gave the same opportunity for agricultural experiment stations as functions of the land-grant colleges, and the "third Morrill Act" (the Smith-Lever Act) of 1914 added an extension dimension to the experiment stations. Overall, the end of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th was a time for growing appreciation for, and growth of institutional education in the natural sciences, especially botany and its specialties, mycology, and phytopathology. This paper outlines a particular genealogy of mycologists and plant pathologists representative of this era. Professor Albert Nelson Prentiss, first of Michigan State then of Cornell, Professor William Russel Dudley of Cornell and Stanford, Professor Mason Blanchard Thomas of Wabash College, and Professor Herbert Hice Whetzel of Cornell Plant Pathology were major players in the scenario. The supporting cast, the students selected, trained, and guided by these men, was legion, a few of whom are briefly traced here.


1984 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-52
Author(s):  
Mahmud A. Faksh

I.Since the end of World War 11, approximately eighty new states havebeen established. Only two, Pakistan and Cyprus, have undergone theagony of dismemberment when Bangladesh broke off in 1973 and theTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was declared in 1983. The worldmay now be witnessing the possible breakup of yet a third state:Lebanon, whose disintegration has been accelerated since the June 1982Israeli invasion.Shortly after the invasion began, Henry Kissinger assessed itsconsequence for Lebanon’s future, concluding, “It is neither desirablenor possible to return to the status quo ante in Lebanon.” One possibleoutcome was that some Syrian and Israeli forces would remain in thenorthern and southern ends, respectively, and the central government’sauthority would ostensibly cover the rest of the country. Implicit in theKissinger diagnosis is the possibility of eventual partition.Though the gloomy assessment by the “wizard” of US. foreign policyshould by no means be construed as a portent of an official shift awayfrom the publicly stated US. support of “Lebanon’s sovereignty andterritorial integrity,” a shadow was cast on the country’s prospects.Subsequent developments have seemed to indicate that Lebanon’sdemise looms larger than at any time since the beginning of the civil warin 1975-76.For over a year and a half national fragmentation has proceededinexorably. What many people once could imagine only with difficulty,they now acknowledge: in reality, Lebanon is facing possible death. TheSouth (35 percent of the land area) is occupied by Israel; the North andthe Biqa’ (45 percent) are controlled by Syria; Kasrawan (15 percent) iscontrolled by the Christian Maronite forces (the Lebanese Front forces),which are not subject to the government’s authority. The rest of thecountry-beleaguered Beirut and environs-was until the February1984 breakdown under the government’s shaky control supported bysymbolic US., French, Italian, and British units. The Multi-NationalForce (MNF) was subject to increasing attacks by Muslim leftist factions,as witnessed in the October 23 bombing of the quarters of U.S.Marines and French troops. Thus, instead of keeping peace, the MNFbecame ,a partisan force trying to protect itself. The US. and Frenchforces in particular seemed to have outlived their usefulness as“peacekeepers.” Recurrent fighting in southern Beirut and in theadjacent Chouf mountains, that pitted Christian Maronites and armyunits against Shi‘ite and Druse Muslims constantly threatened theexistence of President Amin Gemayel’s government and consequently arenewal of the civil war. This situation culminated in February 1984 inthe resignation of the Shafiq al-Wazzan’s cabinet, the loss ofgovernment’s control of West Beirut to Muslim-leftist militias, and theimminent collapse of Amin Gemayel’s presidency ...


Author(s):  
Rosamond C. Rodman

Expanding beyond the text of the Bible, this chapter explores instead a piece of political scripture, namely the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. Over the last half-decade, the Second Amendment has come to enjoy the status of a kind of scripture-within-scripture. Vaulted to a much more prominent status than it had held in the first 150 years or so of its existence, and having undergone a remarkable shift in what most Americans think it means, the Second Amendment provides an opportunity to examine the linguistic, racial, and gendered modes by which these changes were effected, paying particular attention to the ways in which white children and white women were conscripted into the role of the masculine, frontier-defending US citizen.


Author(s):  
Patrick Sze-lok Leung ◽  
Anthony Carty

Okinawa is now considered as Japanese territory, without challenge from most world powers. However, this is debatable from a historical viewpoint. The Ryukyu Kingdom which dominated the islands was integrated into Japan in 1879. The transformation is seen by Wang Hui as a process of modernization. This chapter argues the issue from an international law perspective. It shows that Ryukyu was an independent State as demonstrated by the 1854 Ryukyu–US Treaty, although it sent regular tributes to China. The Japanese integration by coercion is not justifiable. The people of Ryukyu were willing to continue being a tributary State rather than part of Japan. Britain, as the greatest colonial power, did not object. China and the US attempted to intervene in this affair, but no treaty has so far been concluded. Therefore, the status of Ryukyu/Okinawa remains unresolved and may need to be revisited, while putting the history context into consideration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S203-S203
Author(s):  
Brenda L Tesini ◽  
Meghan Lyman ◽  
Brendan R Jackson ◽  
Anita Gellert ◽  
William Schaffner ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Multidrug resistant Candida is an increasing concern. C. parapsilosis in particular has decreased in vitro susceptibility to echinocandins. As a result, fluconazole had been favored for C. parapsilosis treatment. However, there is growing concern about increasing azole resistance among Candida species. We report on antifungal susceptibility patterns of C. parapsilosis in the US from 2008 through 2018. Methods Active, population-based surveillance for candidemia through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Emerging Infections Program was conducted between 2008–2018, eventually encompassing 9 states (GA, MD,OR, TN, NY, CA, CO, MN, NM). Each incident isolate was sent to the CDC for species confirmation and antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST). Frequency of resistance was calculated and stratified by year and state using SAS 9.4 Results Of the 8,704 incident candidemia isolates identified, 1,471 (15%) were C. parapsilosis; the third most common species after C. albicans and C. glabrata. AFST results were available for 1,340 C. parapsilosis isolates. No resistance was detected to caspofungin (MIC50 0.25) or micafungin (MIC50 1.00) with only one (< 1%) isolate resistant to anidulafungin (MIC50 1.00). In contrast, 84 (6.3%) isolates were resistant to fluconazole and another 44 (3.3%) isolates had dose-dependent susceptibility to fluconazole (MIC50 1.00). Fluconazole resistance increased sharply from an average of 4% during 2008–2014 to a peak of 14% in 2016 with a subsequent decline to 6% in 2018 (see figure). Regional variation is also observed with fluconazole resistance ranging from 0% (CO, MN, NM) to 42% (NY) of isolates by site. Conclusion The recent marked increase in fluconazole resistance among C. parapsilosis highlights this pathogen as an emerging drug resistant pathogen of concern and the need for ongoing antifungal resistance surveillance among Candida species. Our data support the empiric use of echinocandins for C. parapsilosis bloodstream infections and underscore the need to obtain AFST prior to fluconazole treatment. Furthermore, regional variation in fluconazole resistance emphasizes the importance of understanding local Candida susceptibility patterns. Disclosures Lee Harrison, MD, GSK (Consultant)Merck (Consultant)Pfizer (Consultant)Sanofi Pasteur (Consultant)


Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1073
Author(s):  
Juan-Carlos Saiz

West Nile virus (WNV) is a widely distributed enveloped flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes, which main hosts are birds. The virus sporadically infects equids and humans with serious economic and health consequences, as infected individuals can develop a severe neuroinvasive disease that can even lead to death. Nowadays, no WNV-specific therapy is available and vaccines are only licensed for use in horses but not for humans. While several methodologies for WNV vaccine development have been successfully applied and have contributed to significantly reducing its incidence in horses in the US, none have progressed to phase III clinical trials in humans. This review addresses the status of WNV vaccines for horses, birds, and humans, summarizing and discussing the challenges they face for their clinical advance and their introduction to the market.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Changpeng Wang ◽  
Siwei Zhang ◽  
Yuefei Zou ◽  
Hongzhao Ma ◽  
Donglang Jiang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Some neuropsychological diseases are associated with abnormal thiamine metabolism, including Korsakoff–Wernicke syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. However, in vivo detection of the status of brain thiamine metabolism is still unavailable and needs to be developed. Methods A novel PET tracer of 18F-deoxy-thiamine was synthesized using an automated module via a two-step route. The main quality control parameters, such as specific activity and radiochemical purity, were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Radiochemical concentration was determined by radioactivity calibrator. Metabolic kinetics and the level of 18F-deoxy-thiamine in brains of mice and marmosets were studied by micro-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). In vivo stability, renal excretion rate, and biodistribution of 18F-deoxy-thiamine in the mice were assayed using HPLC and γ-counter, respectively. Also, the correlation between the retention of cerebral 18F-deoxy-thiamine in 60 min after injection as represented by the area under the curve (AUC) and blood thiamine levels was investigated. Results The 18F-deoxy-thiamine was stable both in vitro and in vivo. The uptake and clearance of 18F-deoxy-thiamine were quick in the mice. It reached the max standard uptake value (SUVmax) of 4.61 ± 0.53 in the liver within 1 min, 18.67 ± 7.04 in the kidney within half a minute. The SUV dropped to 0.72 ± 0.05 and 0.77 ± 0.35 after 60 min of injection in the liver and kidney, respectively. After injection, kidney, liver, and pancreas exhibited high accumulation level of 18F-deoxy-thiamine, while brain, muscle, fat, and gonad showed low accumulation concentration, consistent with previous reports on thiamine distribution in mice. Within 90 min after injection, the level of 18F-deoxy-thiamine in the brain of C57BL/6 mice with thiamine deficiency (TD) was 1.9 times higher than that in control mice, and was 3.1 times higher in ICR mice with TD than that in control mice. The AUC of the tracer in the brain of marmosets within 60 min was 29.33 ± 5.15 and negatively correlated with blood thiamine diphosphate levels (r = − 0.985, p = 0.015). Conclusion The 18F-deoxy-thiamine meets the requirements for ideal PET tracer for in vivo detecting the status of cerebral thiamine metabolism.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Vivek Khanal ◽  
Harrington Wells ◽  
Akhtar Ali

Field information about viruses infecting crops is fundamental for understanding the severity of the effects they cause in plants. To determine the status of cucurbit viruses, surveys were conducted for three consecutive years (2016–2018) in different agricultural districts of Oklahoma. A total of 1331 leaf samples from >90 fields were randomly collected from both symptomatic and asymptomatic cucurbit plants across 11 counties. All samples were tested with the dot-immunobinding assay (DIBA) against the antisera of 10 known viruses. Samples infected with papaya ringspot virus (PRSV-W), watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), and cucurbit aphid-borne-yellows virus (CABYV) were also tested by RT-PCR. Of the 10 viruses, PRSV-W was the most widespread, with an overall prevalence of 59.1%, present in all 11 counties, followed by ZYMV (27.6%), in 10 counties, and WMV (20.7%), in seven counties, while the remaining viruses were present sporadically with low incidence. Approximately 42% of the infected samples were positive, with more than one virus indicating a high proportion of mixed infections. CABYV was detected for the first time in Oklahoma, and the phylogenetic analysis of the first complete genome sequence of a CABYV isolate (BL-4) from the US showed a close relationship with Asian isolates.


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