Context Several high-quality reference genomes for oat (Avena sativa L. and relatives) have been published, with the prospect of many additional whole-genome assemblies emerging in the near future. Aims This has necessitated an effort by the International Oat Nomenclature Committee (IONC; all co-authors on this paper) to devise a universal system for naming oat genomes and subgenomes, chromosomes, genes, gene models and quantitative trait loci. Methods We evaluated existing naming practices, recent data from oat whole-genome sequencing, and the newly published convention for wheat nomenclature. Key results A framework for these rules has been posted on the GrainGenes database website (https://wheat.pw.usda.gov/GG3/oatnomenclature). The gene naming convention requires adoption of a numerical identifier for each genotype; we propose that these identifiers be assigned by contacting the GrainGenes curators, the curator of the Oat Newsletter, or a member of the IONC (as listed at the GrainGenes link above). Conclusions We encourage oat researchers to refer to these resources, policies, procedures and conventions, adopting them as an international nomenclature standard. Implications Adoption of these standards will facilitate communication and dissemination of oat research and allow programmatic access and data sharing across platforms, and will contribute to oat breeding and research worldwide.

AAC Justice is a white-hulled spring oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivar. It was postulated to carry the crown rust resistance gene Pc91, which was effective against the prevalent crown rust races on the Canadian Prairies at the time of its release. It had very good resistance to loose and covered smut and moderate resistance to most of the prairie stem rust races, and was intermediate in reaction to the barley yellow dwarf virus. AAC Justice has a high test weight, average kernel weight, and average groat percentage and kernel plumpness. AAC Justice exhibited high yield potential in the eastern oat-growing areas of Western Canada. AAC Justice was registered (reg. no. 7439) in Canada on 15 October 2013.

Crown rust, caused by Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae Eriks. (Pca), is among the most important oat diseases resulting in significant yield losses in many growing regions. A gene-for-gene interaction is well established in this pathosystem and has been exploited by oat breeders to control crown rust. Pc39 is a seedling crown rust resistance gene that has been widely deployed in North American oat breeding. DNA markers are desired to accurately predict the specific Pc genes present in breeding germplasm. The objectives of the study were as follows: (i) to map Pc39 in two recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations (AC Assiniboia/MN841801 and AC Medallion/MN841801) and (ii) to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for postulation of Pc39 in oat germplasm. Pc39 was mapped to a linkage group consisting of 16 SNP markers, which placed the gene on linkage group Mrg11 (chromosome 1C) of the oat consensus map. Pc39 cosegregated with SNP marker GMI_ES01_c12570_390 in the AC Assiniboia/MN841801 RIL population and was flanked by the SNP markers avgbs_126086.1.41 and GMI_ES15_c276_702, with genetic distances of 1.7 and 0.3 cM, respectively. In the AC Medallion/MN841801 RIL population, similar results were obtained but the genetic distances of the flanking markers were 0.4 and 0.4 cM, respectively. Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR assays were successfully designed for Pc39-linked SNP loci. Two SNP loci defined a haplotype that accurately predicted Pc39 status in a diverse panel of oat germplasm and will be useful for marker-assisted selection in oat breeding.

SNP loci linked to the crown rust resistance gene Pc98 were identified by linkage analysis and KASP assays were developed for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. Crown rust is among the most damaging diseases of oat and is caused by Puccinia coronata var. avenae f. sp. avenae (Urban and Marková) (Pca). Host resistance is the preferred method to prevent crown rust epidemics. Pc98 is a race-specific, seedling crown rust resistance gene obtained from the wild oat Avena sterilis accession CAV 1979 that is effective at all growth stages of oat. Virulence to Pc98 has been very low in the Pca populations that have been tested. The objectives of this study were to develop SNP markers linked to Pc98 for use in marker-assisted selection and to locate Pc98 on the oat consensus map. The Pc98 gene was mapped using F2:3 populations developed from the crosses Pc98/Bingo and Pc98/Kasztan, where Pc98 is a single-gene line carrying Pc98. Both populations were evaluated in seedling inoculation experiments. Pc98 was mapped relative to Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR SNP markers in both populations, placing Pc98 on the Mrg20 linkage group of the consensus map. Pc98 was bracketed by two SNP markers GMI_ES22_c3052_382_kom399 and GMI_ES14_lrc18344_662_kom398 in the Pc98/Bingo mapping population with genetic distances of 0.9 cM and 0.3 cM, respectively. Pc98 co-segregated with four SNP markers in the Pc98/Kasztan population, and the closest flanking markers were GMI_DS_LB_6017_kom367 and avgbs2_153634.1.59_kom410 with genetic distances of 0.7 cM and 0.3 cM, respectively. Two SNP loci defined a haplotype that accurately predicted Pc98 status in a diverse group of oat germplasm, which will be valuable for marker-assisted selection of Pc98 in breeding of new oat cultivars.

Molecular mapping of crown rust resistance genes is important to effectively utilize these genes and improve breeding efficiency through marker-assisted selection. Pc45 is a major race-specific crown rust resistance gene initially identified in the wild hexaploid oat Avena sterilis in the early 1970s. This gene was transferred to cultivated oat (Avena sativa) and has been used as a differential for identification of crown rust races since 1974. Previous research identified an association between virulence to Pc45 and PcKM, a crown rust resistance gene in the varieties 'Kame' and 'Morton'. This study was undertaken to reveal the relationship between Pc45 and PcKMPc45 was studied in the crosses 'AC Morgan'/Pc45 and 'Kasztan'/Pc45, where Pc45 is the differential line carrying Pc45 F2 progenies and F2:3 families of both populations were inoculated with the crown rust isolate CR258 (race NTGG) and single gene segregation ratios were observed. SNP markers for PcKM were tested on these populations and linkage maps were generated. In addition, 17 newly developed SNP markers identified from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data were mapped in these two populations, plus another three populations segregating for Pc45 or PcKMPc45 and PcKM mapped to the same location of Mrg08 (chromosome 12D) of the oat chromosome-anchored consensus map. These results strongly suggest that Pc45 and PcKM are the same resistance gene, but allelism (i.e., functionally different alleles of the same gene) or tight linkage (i.e., two tightly linked genes) cannot be ruled out based on the present data.

Oat crown rust, caused by f. sp. , is a major constraint to oat ( L.) production in many parts of the world. In this first comprehensive multienvironment genome-wide association map of oat crown rust, we used 2972 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped on 631 oat lines for association mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL). Seedling reaction to crown rust in these lines was assessed as infection type (IT) with each of 10 crown rust isolates. Adult plant reaction was assessed in the field in a total of 10 location-years as percentage severity (SV) and as infection reaction (IR) in a 0-to-1 scale. Overall, 29 SNPs on 12 linkage groups were predictive of crown rust reaction in at least one experiment at a genome-wide level of statistical significance. The QTL identified here include those in regions previously shown to be linked with seedling resistance genes , , , , , and and also with adult-plant resistance and adaptation-related QTL. In addition, QTL on linkage groups Mrg03, Mrg08, and Mrg23 were identified in regions not previously associated with crown rust resistance. Evaluation of marker genotypes in a set of crown rust differential lines supported as the identity of . The SNPs with rare alleles associated with lower disease scores may be suitable for use in marker-assisted selection of oat lines for crown rust resistance.

Background: Crown rust, caused by Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae, is the most important disease of oat worldwide. Adult plant resistance (APR), based upon partial resistance, has proven to be a durable rust management strategy in other cereal rust pathosystems. The crown rust APR in the oat line MN841801 has been effective for more than 30 years. The genetic basis of this APR was studied under field conditions in three recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations: 1) AC Assiniboia/MN841801, 2) AC Medallion/MN841801, and 3) Makuru/MN841801. The populations were evaluated for crown rust resistance with the crown rust isolate CR251 (race BRBB) in multiple environments. The 6 K oat and 90 K wheat Illumina Infinium single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays were used for genotyping the AC Assiniboia/ MN841801 population. KASP assays were designed for selected SNPs and genotyped on the other two populations.Results: This study reports a high density genetic linkage map constructed with oat and wheat SNP markers in the AC Assiniboia/MN841801 RIL population. Most wheat SNPs were monomorphic in the oat population. However the polymorphic wheat SNPs could be scored accurately and integrated well into the linkage map. A major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on oat chromosome 14D, designated QPc.crc-14D, explained up to 76% of the APR phenotypic variance. This QTL is flanked by two SNP markers, GMI_GBS_90753 and GMI_ES14_c1439_83. QPc.crc-14D was validated in the populations AC Medallion/MN841801 and Makuru/MN841801.Conclusions: We report the first APR QTL in oat with a large and consistent effect. QPc.crc-14D was statistically significant in all environments tested in each of the three oat populations. QPc.crc-14D is a suitable candidate for use in marker-assisted breeding and also an excellent target for map-based cloning. This is also the first study to use the 90 K wheat Infinium SNP array on oat for marker development and comparative mapping. The Infinium SNP array is a useful tool for saturating oat maps with markers. Synteny with wheat suggests that QPc.crc-14D is orthologous with the stripe rust APR gene Yr16 in wheat.

Unfavourable environmental conditions for crown rust [Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae] during 2007-2009 resulted in light incidence of crown rust on oat (Avena sativa) in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan. The first appearance of crown rust on 11 August in 2008 and on 15 August in 2009 was the latest ever seen in this region over the past three decades. Using 19 oat crown rust differentials, a large number of races were identified from isolates from wild oat each year, and a large proportion of the races were represented by a single isolate. There were significant differences between isolates from wild oat and cultivated oat in frequency of virulence to several genes in some years. Virulence frequency to Pc48, a gene in 'Triple Crown', was between 8.2-14.1% in isolates from wild oat and between 11.5-18.2% in isolates from cultivated oat during 2007-2009. Frequency of virulence to Pc68 was between 42.3-45.9% and 70.8-81.8% in isolates from wild oat and cultivated oat, respectively. As cultivars with the Pc38, 39, 68-gene combination were still commonly grown during these years, races with virulence to this gene combination were abundant. These cultivars were gradually replaced by new cultivars with different resistance genes. By 2009, 'Leggett' (Pc68, 94) accounted for 17.9% of the total oat hectarage, and 'HiFi' (Pc91) accounted for 3.0%. During 2007-2009, virulence to Pc94 was low ( 1.8%) or not detected, virulence to Pc91 was found in a single isolate, and virulence to gene temp_pc97 or temp_Pc98 was either low or not detected. The huge increase in frequency of virulence to Pc45 in 2008 and 2009 was most likely a result of isolates with this virulence migrating into the prairie region from the USA.

Crown rust of oat (Avena sativa) was generally light (trace to 10% severities) in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan during 2002–2004 and 2006 and was severe in 2005. By 21 July 2005, fields of ‘AC Assiniboia’ and ‘Ronald’ (with resistance genes Pc38, Pc39, and Pc68) near the buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) areas had 40%–80% crown rust severities. In mid-August, severities reaching 60%–100% were commonly observed in oat fields across Manitoba. Using 19 oat crown rust differentials, 59 races were identified in collections of isolates from wild oat (Avena fatua) in the eastern prairie region in 2002, 96 in 2003, 107 in 2004, 105 in 2005, and 76 in 2006. Forty-seven races (66.1% of the isolates) were virulent to Pc68 in 2006 compared with only two (1.2%) in 2002. Increased use of cultivars with Pc68, from 8% of the total area planted to oat in 1998 to >80% in 2006, resulted in a major shift in virulence to Pc68 in the prairie rust population. The frequency of virulence to Pc48 increased from 6.5% in 2002 to 27.0% in 2003. It then decreased to 3.2% in 2006. Isolates with virulence to Pc38 and Pc39 remained prevalent, representing 57.4%–92.7% of the isolates from wild oat during 2002–2006. Virulence to Pc96 ranged from 0.8%–5.7% from 2003–2006. Virulence to Pc91, a gene in ‘HiFi’, was identified in 2002 and 2003 (one isolate each). Differences in frequencies of virulence to several Pc genes were significant between isolates from wild oat and cultivated oat in some years. An isolate (BRBG-94), virulent to genes Pc68 and Pc94 in the newly released cultivar ‘Leggett’, was obtained from a line with Pc94 in a rust nursery near Emerson, Manitoba, in 2006.

The Avena sterilis L. collection in the Plant Gene Resources of Canada (PGRC) consists of 11,235 accessions originating from 27 countries and is an invaluable source of genetic variation for genetic improvement of oats, but it has been inadequately characterized, particularly using molecular techniques. More than 35 accessions have been identified with genes for resistance to oat crown and stem rusts, but little is known about their comparative genetic diversity. This study attempted to characterize a structured sample of 369 accessions representing 26 countries and two specific groups with Puccinia coronata avenae (Pc) and Puccinia graminis avenae (Pg) resistance genes using microsatellite (SSR) markers. Screening of 230 SSR primer pairs developed from other major crop species yielded 26 informative primer pairs for this characterization. These 26 primer pairs were applied to screen all the samples and 125 detected alleles were scored for each accession. Analyses of the SSR data showed the effectiveness of the stratified sampling applied in capturing country-wise SSR variation. The frequencies of polymorphic alleles ranged from 0.01 to 0.99 and averaged 0.28. More than 90% of the SSR variation resided within accessions of a country. Accessions from Greece, Liberia, and Italy were genetically most diverse, while accessions from Egypt, Georgia, Ethiopia, Gibraltar, and Kenya were most distinct. Seven major clusters were identified, each consisting of accessions from multiple countries and specific groups, and these clusters were not well congruent with geographic origins. Accessions with Pc and Pg genes had similar levels of SSR variation, did not appear to cluster together, and were not associated with the other representative accessions. These SSR patterns are significant for understanding the progenitor species of cultivated oat, managing A. sterilis germplasm, and exploring new sources of genes for oat improvement.

A procedure is described for developing single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers linked to Pc68, a gene conferring resistance to crown rust [Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae] in many oat (Avena sativa) cultivars currently grown in Canada. Three restriction-fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers, located close to the resistance gene Pg9 to stem rust [Puccinia graminis f. sp. avenae] through comparative mapping, were used as sources of DNA-sequence information for SNP identification, since Pc68 is tightly linked or allelic to Pg9. Specific primers designed from the RFLP-marker sequences were used to amplify the target genomic region from recombinant inbred lines with and without Pc68. Putative SNP sites were identified by means of comparative sequence alignment of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fragments and were validated by the single-base extension method, a non-gel-based assay for genotyping SNPs. The 774-bp PCR fragment amplified by primers derived from the RFLP marker cdo309 was a sequence-tagged site (STS) marker linked to Pc68, and only the SNPs derived from a region within the STS were linked to Pc68. These SNPs and STS cosegregated in two genetic populations. The map distance between these markers and Pc68 was 4.2 and 6.7 cM (centimorgans), depending on population. The SNP markers identified in the present study can distinguish plants homozygous for Pc68 from heterozygotes, a useful feature for eliminating heterozygous plants in early generations. As SNP markers for other resistance genes or other important traits become available, breeders can benefit from using the technology with high-throughput, automation, and multiplexing capabilities, such as single-base extension assay, in breeding applications, including resistance gene pyramiding.

Molecular markers for the crown rust resistance genes Pc38, Pc39, and Pc48 in cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) were identified using near-isogenic lines and bulked segregant analysis. Six markers for Pc48, the closest being 6 cM away, were found in a 'Pendek-39' × 'Pendek-48' (Pendek3948) population, but none was found in a 'Pendek-48' × 'Pendek-38' (Pendek4838) population. Three markers for Pc39 were found in the Pendek3948 population, one of which cosegregated with the gene. This same marker was found to be 6 cM away from the gene in an 'OT328' × 'Dumont' (OT328Du) population. Nine markers for Pc38 were found in the Pendek4838 population, eight of which are within 2 cM of the gene. One other marker for Pc38 was found in the OT328Du population; however, comparative mapping suggests that the Pc38 region in OT328Du is in a different location than that in Pendek4838. A number of markers unlinked to the genes under study formed linkage groups in both the Pendek3948 and Pendek4838 populations. Four of these show homology or homoeology to each other and to the Pc39 region in Pendek3948. Two RFLP clones closely linked to Pc38 code for a putative leucine-rich repeat transmembrane protein kinase and a cre3 resistance gene analogue. This study provides information to support molecular breeding in oat, and contributes to ongoing research into genomic regions associated with fungal pathogen resistance.

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a single acute bout of maximal eccentric work upon the strength gains during 9 subsequent weeks of strength training. Eccentric work causes acute muscle damage that may initiate compensatory hypertrophy and enhance training-induced gains in strength.METHODS:Twenty-six healthy adults (21 +/- 1 yr, 7 women) trained the elbow flexors 3 d per week for 9 wk. One arm (C) performed purely conventional isotonic training, i.e., lifting and lowering. The other arm (E) began with a single bout of maximal eccentric work but thereafter undertook identical isotonic training. Every week dynamic lifting strength (1 RM) and isometric strength were measured.RESULTS:The results indicated that an acute bout of eccentric muscle damage does not accentuate training-induced gains in strength. Isometric strength of arm E fell by 15 +/- 2% (mean +/- SEM) 2 d after the bout of eccentric work, and, 4 d afterward, plasma creatine kinase levels were 1502 +/- 397 IU.L-1. Although arm E displayed rapid gains in strength from 2 d after the bout of eccentric work, these were not sustained, and for several weeks arm E showed significantly smaller gains in strength than arm C (isometric strength, 2 wk; dynamic lifting strength, 5 wk).CONCLUSIONS:After 9 wk of training, the gains in both isometric and dynamic lifting strength were similar for the two arms. A single bout of damaging eccentric work did not enhance the response to conventional strength training and significantly compromised strength gains for several weeks.

Charles Schwab and Co, Inc. is a major web trader generating a large proportion of its revenue from the Web. That revenue is based on both having a site with lots of useful facilities and also the speed of execution, ability to cope with peaks in demand volumes, and the reliability of the site and its underlying services. James Chong, VP Architecture and Planning at Schwab, will talk about the fundamental infrastructure that supports the Web trading, and his plans for its evolution.

Abstract: Pancreatitis induced by ERCP ha been associated with numerous pathogenic factors such as a previous history of pancreatitis, acinarization, mechanical and thermal injury, medications, and lastly the type of contrast agent used. Conventional contrast agents are characterized by both ionicity and high osmolality. These traditional agents have demonstrated deleterious effects upon multiple organ systems. Newer contrast agents have been developed with properties of low osmolality and non‐ionicity in efforts to their decrease potential toxic effects, This review analyzes the current literature regarding the role of different contrast agents in the incidence of ERCP related pancreatitis.Nine randomized, double‐blind, prospective studies have been published comparing low and high osmolality contrast agents for ERCP. Although five studies have shown lower degrees of amylase/lipase elevation after ERCP for the low osmolality agents, only three studies demonstrated a statistically significant advantage for the reduction of clinical pancreatitis among the low osmolality agent groups. In addition, these studies also varied in terms of specific contrast agents used, inclusion and exclusion criteria, rates of acinarization, and definition of clinical pancreatitis. However, after combining all of the data from these studies, there was a statistically significant advantage in reducing ERCP induced pancreatitis for non‐ionic, low osmolality agents (1.44%) compared with the ionic, high osmolality agents (7.39%) [p = 0.007] and the ionic, low osmolality agents (9.67%) [p = 0.0001]. There was no statistical difference between the ionic, high osmolality agents and the ionic, low osmolaltiy agents [p = 0.5481. This data seem to suggest that ionicity rather than osmolality may play a more significant role in the incidence of ERCP induced pancreatitis. The major disadvantage of the use of low osmolality, non‐ionic agents is their relatively high cost. Overall, controversy remains about whether these newer agents should be utilized in all patients or be selectively used in only high risk patients. Presently, we utilize these agents routinely.

The appressorium, seen after penetration of the apple leaf cuticle, has a two-layered wall, an electron-dense outer layer, and an electron-transparent inner layer. The pore of the appressoriumis bordered by the electron-dense outer layer, which tapers at the margin of the pore. The penetration hypha is derived from the infection sac, a structure or organelle within the appressorium.

The fine structure of zoospores of Entophlyctis confervae-glomeratae, Rhizophydium patellarium, and Catenaria anguillulae has been described and compared. The zoospores of E. confervae-glomeratae contain many posteriorly located mitochondria in a petal-like arrangement. On the inner (proximal) side of a kinetosome are two electron-dense, slightly curved bands with the convex side directed inward towards the eccentrically located nucleus. Microtubules radiate from the convex side of the bands. Two or three lipid bodies are seen usually in the anterior region of the zoospore with microbodies often associated with them. Ribosomes are scattered throughout the cytoplasm. The zoospores of R. patellarium contain a single, bowl-shaped mitochondrion in the posterior region and a centrally located nucleus. Ribosomes are mainly clustered between the mitochondrion and the nucleus and are partially enclosed by a double-membrane envelope. No microtubules are seen associating with the kinetosome and the non-functional centriole lies parallel to the kinetosome. In the anterior region there is a single lipid body as well as two types of microbodies: very electron-dense microbodies un-associated with any other organelle, and a finely granular microbody associated closely with the lipid body. The zoospores of C. anguillulae contain a single basal mitochondrion with the associated side-body complex. From the proximal region of the kinetosome, a set of 27 microtubules radiate anteriorly and surround the base of the cone-shaped nucleus. Ribosomes are enclosed within a distinct nuclear cap. Gamma bodies are present in the cytoplasm. Taxonomic implications resulting from this study are discussed.

The fine structures of Phlyctochytrium arcticum zoospores, from early differentiation in the sporangium until they encyst and germinate, are described. Cytoplasm cleavage and flagellum formation have been studied. A complex rhizoplast–kinetosome structure is present. The Stüben body associating with a nucleus in a differentiating zoospore apparently divides into a number of similar bodies which are observed in the subsequent stages. Mitochondria, which are scattered about in the cytoplasm of maturing zoospores, are clustered at the posterior end of the motile zoospore, surrounding the kinetosome and the rhizoplast. On encystment, the flagellum is retracted, the rhizoplast disappears, the mitochondria again become scattered in the cytoplasm, and a wall is rapidly laid down. The morphology of the P. arcticum zoospore is compared with other chytridiaceous zoospore types.