As an economic crop, pepper satisfies people's spicy taste and has medicinal uses worldwide. To gain a better understanding of Capsicum evolution, domestication, and specialization, we present here the genome sequence of the cultivated pepper Zunla-1 (C. annuum L.) and its wild progenitor Chiltepin (C. annuum var. glabriusculum). We estimate that the pepper genome expanded ∼0.3 Mya (with respect to the genome of other Solanaceae) by a rapid amplification of retrotransposons elements, resulting in a genome comprised of ∼81% repetitive sequences. Approximately 79% of 3.48-Gb scaffolds containing 34,476 protein-coding genes were anchored to chromosomes by a high-density genetic map. Comparison of cultivated and wild pepper genomes with 20 resequencing accessions revealed molecular footprints of artificial selection, providing us with a list of candidate domestication genes. We also found that dosage compensation effect of tandem duplication genes probably contributed to the pungent diversification in pepper. The Capsicum reference genome provides crucial information for the study of not only the evolution of the pepper genome but also, the Solanaceae family, and it will facilitate the establishment of more effective pepper breeding programs.de novo genome sequence | genome expansion | Solanaceae evolution

Objective.To project future total hip and knee joint arthroplasty (THA, TKA) use in the United States to 2040.Methods.We used the 2000–2014 US National Inpatient Sample (NIS) combined with Census Bureau data to develop projections for primary THA and TKA from 2020 to 2040 using polynomial regression to account for the nonlinearity and interactions between the variables, assuming the underlying distribution of the number of THA/TKA to be Poisson distributed. We performed sensitivity analyses using a negative binomial regression to account for overdispersion.Results.Predicted total annual counts (95% prediction intervals) for THA in the United States by 2020, 2025, 2030, and 2040 are (in thousands): 498 (475, 523), 652 (610, 696), 850 (781, 925), and 1429 (1265, 1615), respectively. For primary TKA, predicted total annual counts for 2020, 2025, 2030, and 2040 are (in thousands): 1065 (937, 1211), 1272 (1200, 1710), 1921 (1530, 2410), and 3416 (2459, 4745), respectively. Compared to the available 2014 NIS numbers, the percent increases in projected total annual US use for primary THA and TKA in 2020, 2025, 2030, and 2040 are as follows: primary THA, by 34%, 75%, 129%, and 284%; and primary TKA, 56%, 110%, 182%, and 401%, respectively. Primary THA and TKA use is projected to increase for both females and males, in all age groups.Conclusion.Significant increases in use of THA and TKA are expected in the United States in the future, if the current trend continues. The increased use is evident across age groups in both females and males. A policy change may be needed to meet increased demand.

The quest for a solid state universal memory with high-storage density, high read/write speed, random access and non-volatility has triggered intense research into new materials and novel device architectures. Though the non-volatile memory market is dominated by flash memory now, it has very low operation speed with ~10 μs programming and ~10 ms erasing time. Furthermore, it can only withstand ~105 rewriting cycles, which prevents it from becoming the universal memory. Here we demonstrate that the significant photovoltaic effect of a ferroelectric material, such as BiFeO3 with a band gap in the visible range, can be used to sense the polarization direction non-destructively in a ferroelectric memory. A prototype 16-cell memory based on the cross-bar architecture has been prepared and tested, demonstrating the feasibility of this technique.

Context Although tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) antagonists are increasingly used in place of non-biologic comparator medications, their safety profile remains incomplete. Objectives To determine whether initiation of TNF-α antagonists compared with non-biologic comparators is associated with an increased risk of serious infections. Design, setting and patients Within a US multi-institutional collaboration, we assembled retrospective cohorts (1998–2007) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis (PsO-PsA-AS) combining data from Kaiser Permanente Northern California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical Assistance programs, Tennessee Medicaid and National Medicaid/Medicare. TNF-α antagonists and non-biologic regimens were compared in disease specific-propensity score (PS) matched cohorts using Cox regression models with non-biologics as reference. Baseline glucocorticoid use was evaluated as a separate covariate. Main outcome measure Infections requiring hospitalization (serious infections) during the first 12 months after initiation of TNF-α antagonists or non-biologic regimens. Results Study cohorts included 10484 RA, 2323 IBD and 3213 PsO-PsA-AS PS-matched pairs using TNF-α antagonists and comparator medications. Overall, we identified 1171 serious infections, most of which (53%) were pneumonia and skin and soft tissue infections. Among RA patients, serious infection hospitalization rates were 8.16 (TNF-α antagonists) and 7.78 (comparator regimens) per 100 person-years (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.07 (95% CI: 0.93–1.23)). Among IBD patients, rates were 10.91 and 9.60 per 100 person-years (aHR: 1.13, (0.85–1.50)). Among PsO-PsA-AS patients, rates were 5.41 and 5.19 per 100 person-years (aHR: 1.10, (0.80–1.53)). Among RA patients, infliximab was associated with a significant increase in serious infections compared with etanercept and adalimumab (aHRs: 1.27 (1.08–1.49) and 1.23 (1.02–1.48)). Baseline glucocorticoid use was associated with a dose-dependent increase in infections. Conclusions Among patients with autoimmune diseases, compared to treatment with non-biologic regimens, initiation of TNF-α antagonists was not associated with an increased risk of hospitalizations for serious infections.