49,914 results
Search Results
152. A multi-omics study to boost continuous bolaform sophorolipid production
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Lynn Vanhaecke, Sofie De Maeseneire, Lieven Van Meulebroek, Karolien Maes, Sven Dierickx, Sophie Roelants, Wim Soetaert, and Beata Pomian
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PLATFORM ORGANISM ,Microfiltration ,Biomass ,Oleic Acids ,Bioengineering ,Phosphates ,SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE ,Industrial Microbiology ,Surface-Active Agents ,bioreactor ,Bioreactors ,CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID ,Bioreactor ,Metabolomics ,Production (economics) ,CANDIDA-BOMBICOLA ,OXIDATIVE STRESS ,Productivity ,Molecular Biology ,Multi-omics ,GROWTH-RATES ,FERMENTATION ,Guanosine ,Chemistry ,Sophorolipid ,Sophorolipids ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Starmerella bombicola ,General Medicine ,Integrated separation ,DNA ,PERFORMANCE ,Pulp and paper industry ,Environmentally friendly ,metabolomics ,Yeast ,Oxidative Stress ,CELL-DEATH ,8-hydroxyguanosine ,Biosurfactants ,Glycolipids ,Biotechnology - Abstract
Biodegradable and biobased surface active agents are renewable and environmentally friendly alternatives to petroleum derived or oleochemical surfactants. However, they are accompanied by relatively high production costs. In this study, the aim was to reduce the production costs for an innovative type of microbial biosurfactant: bolaform sophorolipids, produced by the yeast Starmerella bombicola ΔsbleΔat. A novel continuous retentostat set-up was performed whereby continuous broth microfiltration retained the biomass in the bioreactor while performing an in situ product separation of bolaform sophorolipids. Although a mean volumetric productivity of 0.56 g L^(−1) h^(−1) was achieved, it was not possible to maintain this productivity, which collapsed to almost 0 g L^(−1) h^(−1). Therefore, two process adaptations were evaluated, a sequential batch strategy and a phosphate limitation alleviation strategy. The sequential batch set-up restored the mean volumetric productivity to 0.66 g L^(−1) h^(−1) for an additional 132 h but was again followed by a productivity decline. A similar result was obtained with the phosphate limitation alleviation strategy where a mean volumetric productivity of 0.54 g L^(−1) h^(−1) was reached, but a productivity decline was also observed. Whole genome variant analysis uncovered no evidence for genomic variations for up to 1306 h of retentostat cultivation. Untargeted metabolomics analysis identified 8-hydroxyguanosine, a biomarker for oxidative RNA damage, as a key metabolite correlating with high bolaform sophorolipid productivity. This study showcases the application of a retentostat to increase bolaform sophorolipid productivity and lays the basis of a multi-omics platform for in depth investigation of microbial biosurfactant production with S. bombicola.
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- 2022
153. Influence of bioprocess parameters on sophorolipid production from bakery waste oil
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Carol Sze Ki Lin, Ming Ho To, Huaimin Wang, Tsz Nok Lam, Sophie Roelants, and Guneet Kaur
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Technology and Engineering ,Circular economy ,General Chemical Engineering ,Lactonic sophorolipids ,Biomass ,Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering ,Bakery waste oil ,DESIGN ,Carbon source ,Environmental Chemistry ,STARMERELLA-BOMBICOLA ,CANDIDA-BOMBICOLA ,Bioprocess ,PURIFICATION ,Chemistry ,Sophorolipid ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Waste oil ,Starmerella bombicola ,General Chemistry ,Biodegradation ,Pulp and paper industry ,Ph regulation ,pH regulation ,Earth and Environmental Sciences ,Fermentation ,Potassium hydroxide ,MICROBIAL-PRODUCTION - Abstract
Secondary/waste streams have previously been used as feedstocks to produce sophorolipids (SLs), a biosurfactant with low eco-toxicity and high biodegradability, in order to reduce production costs and protect the environment. However, limited productivities and titres from these feedstocks remain as important challenges. Thus, the optimisation of fermentation medium using bakery waste oil (BWO) as a hydrophobic carbon source by Starmerella bombicola was investigated. The optimal conditions were determined by multiple linear regression. Inoculum concentration of 2% v v-1 and BWO and glucose concentrations of 60 g L-1 and 100 g L-1, respectively, resulted in an increase of 19.6% in the lactonic SL (67.8 +/- 11.5 g L-1). Further optimisation revealed the profound influence of KOH in pH regulation, i.e., compared with NaOH, KOH led to higher concentrations of biomass (p < 0.05), more BWO consumption, and thus, an increase of 42.2% in SL titre (96.4 +/- 9.1 g L-1) and corresponding volumetric and specific productivities of 0.446 g L- 1h- 1 and 0.027 g g CDW- 1h- 1, respectively. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that pH and the concentration of BWO as the feeding medium were the most influential parameters in fermentative SL production. This study demonstrated that KOH offered additional benefit to improve SLs titre by maintaining high biomass during the bioprocess, displayed the importance of intracellular potassium in cell viability and improved the valorisation of BWO process.
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- 2022
154. Presence and stability of SARS-CoV-2 on environmental currency and money cards in Utah reveals a lack of live virus
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Colleen R. Newey, Abigail T. Olausson, Alyssa Applegate, Ann-Aubrey Reid, Richard A. Robison, and Julianne H. Grose
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RNA viruses ,Paper ,Viral Diseases ,SARS coronavirus ,Coronaviruses ,Economics ,Epidemiology ,Science ,viruses ,Cell Lines ,Social Sciences ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Microbiology ,Medical Conditions ,Diagnostic Medicine ,Utah ,Chlorocebus aethiops ,Animals ,Colorimetric Assays ,Vero Cells ,Pandemics ,Pathology and laboratory medicine ,Virus Testing ,Medicine and health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,Biology and life sciences ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Organisms ,Viral pathogens ,COVID-19 ,Covid 19 ,Medical microbiology ,Microbial pathogens ,Bioassays and Physiological Analysis ,Infectious Diseases ,Public Finance ,Fomites ,Viruses ,Money Supply and Banking ,Medicine ,Biological Cultures ,SARS CoV 2 ,Pathogens ,Biochemical Analysis ,Plastics ,Finance ,Research Article - Abstract
The highly contagious nature of SARS-CoV-2 has led to several studies on the transmission of the virus. A little studied potential fomite of great concern in the community is currency, which has been shown to harbor microbial pathogens in several studies. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses in the United States have limited the use of banknotes in favor of credit cards. However, SARS-CoV-2 has shown greater stability on plastic in several studies. Herein, the stability of SARS-CoV-2 at room temperature on banknotes, money cards and coins was investigated. In vitro studies with live virus suggested SARS-CoV-2 was highly unstable on banknotes, showing an initial rapid reduction in viable virus and no viral detection by 24 hours. In contrast, SARS-CoV-2 displayed increased stability on money cards with live virus detected after 48 hours. Environmental swabbing of currency and money cards on and near the campus of Brigham Young University supported these results, with no detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on banknotes, and a low level on money cards. However, no viable virus was detected on either. These preliminary results suggest that the use of money cards over banknotes in order to slow the spread of this virus may be ill-advised. These findings should be investigated further through larger environmental studies involving more locations.
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- 2022
155. Vicious circles of gender bias, lower positions, and lower performance: Gender differences in scholarly productivity and impact.
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van den Besselaar, Peter and Sandström, Ulf
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GENDER differences (Psychology) ,ANALYSIS of variance ,ENVIRONMENTAL impact analysis ,LABOR economics - Abstract
It is often argued that female researchers publish on average less than male researchers do, but male and female authored papers have an equal impact. In this paper we try to better understand this phenomenon by (i) comparing the share of male and female researchers within different productivity classes, and (ii) by comparing productivity whereas controlling for a series of relevant covariates. The study is based on a disambiguated Swedish author dataset, consisting of 47,000 researchers and their WoS-publications during the period of 2008-2011 with citations until 2015. As the analysis shows, in order to have impact quantity does make a difference for male and female researchers alike—but women are vastly underrepresented in the group of most productive researchers. We discuss and test several possible explanations of this finding, using a data on personal characteristics from several Swedish universities. Gender differences in age, authorship position, and academic rank do explain quite a part of the productivity differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2017
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- View/download PDF
156. Clinimetric properties of lower limb neurological impairment tests for children and young people with a neurological condition: A systematic review.
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Clark, Ramona, Locke, Melissa, Hill, Bridget, Wells, Cherie, and Bialocerkowski, Andrea
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NEUROLOGICAL disorders ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,JUVENILE diseases ,MEDICAL decision making ,TENDON reflex - Abstract
Background: Clinicians and researchers require sound neurological tests to measure changes in neurological impairments necessary for clinical decision-making. Little evidence-based guidance exists for selecting and interpreting an appropriate, paediatric-specific lower limb neurological test aimed at the impairment level. Objective: To determine the clinimetric evidence underpinning neurological impairment tests currently used in paediatric rehabilitation to evaluate muscle strength, tactile sensitivity, and deep tendon reflexes of the lower limb in children and young people with a neurological condition. Methods: Thirteen databases were systematically searched in two phases, from the date of database inception to 16 February 2017. Lower limb neurological impairment tests were first identified which evaluated muscle strength, tactile sensitivity or deep tendon reflexes in children or young people under 18 years of age with a neurological condition. Papers containing clinimetric evidence of these tests were then identified. The methodological quality of each paper was critically appraised using standardised tools and clinimetric evidence synthesised for each test. Results: Thirteen papers were identified, which provided clinimetric evidence on six neurological tests. Muscle strength tests had the greatest volume of clinimetric evidence, however this evidence focused on reliability. Studies were variable in quality with inconsistent results. Clinimetric evidence for tactile sensitivity impairment tests was conflicting and difficult to extrapolate. No clinimetric evidence was found for impairment tests of deep tendon reflexes. Conclusions: Limited high-quality clinimetric evidence exists for lower limb neurological impairment tests in children and young people with a neurological condition. Results of currently used neurological tests, therefore, should be interpreted with caution. Robust clinimetric evidence on these tests is required for clinicians and researchers to effectively select and evaluate rehabilitation interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2017
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157. Whole Proteome Analyses on Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum Show a Modulation of the Cellulolysis Machinery in Response to Cellulosic Materials with Subtle Differences in Chemical and Structural Properties.
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Badalato, Nelly, Guillot, Alain, Sabarly, Victor, Dubois, Marc, Pourette, Nina, Pontoire, Bruno, Robert, Paul, Bridier, Arnaud, Monnet, Véronique, Sousa, Diana Z., Durand, Sylvie, Mazéas, Laurent, Buléon, Alain, Bouchez, Théodore, Mortha, Gérard, and Bize, Ariane
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PROTEOMICS ,CELLULOSE ,SOLID waste ,ANAEROBIC digestion ,CELLULOLYTIC bacteria - Abstract
Lignocellulosic materials from municipal solid waste emerge as attractive resources for anaerobic digestion biorefinery. To increase the knowledge required for establishing efficient bioprocesses, dynamics of batch fermentation by the cellulolytic bacterium Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum were compared using three cellulosic materials, paper handkerchief, cotton discs and Whatman filter paper. Fermentation of paper handkerchief occurred the fastest and resulted in a specific metabolic profile: it resulted in the lowest acetate-to-lactate and acetate-to-ethanol ratios. By shotgun proteomic analyses of paper handkerchief and Whatman paper incubations, 151 proteins with significantly different levels were detected, including 20 of the 65 cellulosomal components, 8 non-cellulosomal CAZymes and 44 distinct extracytoplasmic proteins. Consistent with the specific metabolic profile observed, many enzymes from the central carbon catabolic pathways had higher levels in paper handkerchief incubations. Among the quantified CAZymes and cellulosomal components, 10 endoglucanases mainly from the GH9 families and 7 other cellulosomal subunits had lower levels in paper handkerchief incubations. An in-depth characterization of the materials used showed that the lower levels of endoglucanases in paper handkerchief incubations could hypothetically result from its lower crystallinity index (50%) and degree of polymerization (970). By contrast, the higher hemicellulose rate in paper handkerchief (13.87%) did not result in the enhanced expression of enzyme with xylanase as primary activity, including enzymes from the “xyl-doc” cluster. It suggests the absence, in this material, of molecular structures that specifically lead to xylanase induction. The integrated approach developed in this work shows that subtle differences among cellulosic materials regarding chemical and structural characteristics have significant effects on expressed bacterial functions, in particular the cellulolysis machinery, resulting in different metabolic patterns and degradation dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2017
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158. Conservation of centromeric histone 3 interaction partners in plants
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Burcu Nur Keçeli, Daniël Van Damme, Chunlian Jin, and Danny Geelen
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0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,FLOWERING TIME ,Cell division ,Physiology ,KINETOCHORE FUNCTION ,Centromere ,Plant Science ,Haploidy ,Biology ,H3 VARIANT CSE4 ,01 natural sciences ,CENH3 ,Histones ,Chromosome segregation ,03 medical and health sciences ,Chromosome instability ,Homologous chromosome ,Animals ,chromosome ,protein interaction ,DNA METHYLATION ,Review Papers ,Genetics ,COMPLEX ,AcademicSubjects/SCI01210 ,haploid induction ,Kinetochore ,Biology and Life Sciences ,food and beverages ,Chromosome ,Plants ,ARABIDOPSIS ,030104 developmental biology ,post-translational modification ,centromere ,E3 UBIQUITIN LIGASE ,N-TERMINUS ,Histone fold ,Pollen ,CHROMOSOME SEGREGATION ,CENP-A ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Here we have listed 36 human and yeast CENH3 interaction partners and their corn, rice, and Arabidopsis homologs that are potentially interacting with plant CENH3., The loading and maintenance of centromeric histone 3 (CENH3) at the centromere are critical processes ensuring appropriate kinetochore establishment and equivalent segregation of the homologous chromosomes during cell division. CENH3 loss of function is lethal, whereas mutations in the histone fold domain are tolerated and lead to chromosome instability and chromosome elimination in embryos derived from crosses with wild-type pollen. A wide range of proteins in yeast and animals have been reported to interact with CENH3. The histone fold domain-interacting proteins are potentially alternative targets for the engineering of haploid inducer lines, which may be important when CENH3 mutations are not well supported by a given crop. Here, we provide an overview of the corresponding plant orthologs or functional homologs of CENH3-interacting proteins. We also list putative CENH3 post-translational modifications that are also candidate targets for modulating chromosome stability and inheritance.
- Published
- 2020
159. New opportunities and insights into Papaver self-incompatibility by imaging engineered Arabidopsis pollen
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Vernonica E. Franklin-Tong, Maurice Bosch, Zongcheng Lin, Ludi Wang, J. Carli, Daniël Van Damme, Moritz K. Nowack, Marina Muñoz Triviño, and Deborah J. Eaves
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0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Physiology ,Arabidopsis ,Plant Science ,medicine.disease_cause ,01 natural sciences ,live-cell imaging ,CA2+ ,TPLATE ,TUBES ,Arabidopsis thaliana ,TIP GROWTH ,Pollination ,Plant Proteins ,biology ,pH ,pollen tube growth ,BINDING PROTEINS ,food and beverages ,SOMATIC CYTOKINESIS ,Research Papers ,Cell biology ,Papaver ,Pollen ,Pollen tube ,actin-binding proteins (ABPs) ,self-incompatibility (SI) ,ORGANIZATION ,PROGRAMMED CELL-DEATH ,03 medical and health sciences ,fluorescent probes ,Live cell imaging ,medicine ,endocytosis ,Tip growth ,Actin ,calcium ,AcademicSubjects/SCI01210 ,RHOEAS ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Actin cytoskeleton ,ACTIN-DEPOLYMERIZING FACTOR ,programmed cell death (PCD) ,030104 developmental biology ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Use of genetically encoded fluorescent probes to monitor self-incompatibility (SI)-induced changes in pollen of the heterologous Arabidopsis ‘SI’ system has allowed multiparameter imaging and identified the involvement of clathrin-mediated endocytosis., Pollen tube growth is essential for plant reproduction. Their rapid extension using polarized tip growth provides an exciting system for studying this specialized type of growth. Self-incompatibility (SI) is a genetically controlled mechanism to prevent self-fertilization. Mechanistically, one of the best-studied SI systems is that of Papaver rhoeas (poppy). This utilizes two S-determinants: stigma-expressed PrsS and pollen-expressed PrpS. Interaction of cognate PrpS–PrsS triggers a signalling network, causing rapid growth arrest and programmed cell death (PCD) in incompatible pollen. We previously demonstrated that transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana pollen expressing PrpS–green fluorescent protein (GFP) can respond to Papaver PrsS with remarkably similar responses to those observed in incompatible Papaver pollen. Here we describe recent advances using these transgenic plants combined with genetically encoded fluorescent probes to monitor SI-induced cellular alterations, including cytosolic calcium, pH, the actin cytoskeleton, clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), and the vacuole. This approach has allowed us to study the SI response in depth, using multiparameter live-cell imaging approaches that were not possible in Papaver. This lays the foundations for new opportunities to elucidate key mechanisms involved in SI. Here we establish that CME is disrupted in self-incompatible pollen. Moreover, we reveal new detailed information about F-actin remodelling in pollen tubes after SI.
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- 2020
160. Homogeneously N-glycosylated proteins derived from the GlycoDelete HEK293 cell line enable diffraction-quality crystallogenesis
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Yehudi Bloch, Sandra Kozak, Savvas N. Savvides, Steven De Munck, Aleksandra Mikula, Rob Meijers, and Isabel Bento
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0301 basic medicine ,Glycosylation ,crystallization ,receptors ,Crystallography, X-Ray ,AXON GUIDANCE ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,MAMMALIAN-CELLS ,CSF-1 ,Structural Biology ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,glycoproteins ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,REFINEMENT ,biology ,Research Papers ,Biochemistry ,Protein folding ,STRUCTURAL BASIS ,EXPRESSION ,Glycan ,glycosylation ,DSCAM ,cell‐ ,Protein–protein interaction ,03 medical and health sciences ,Polysaccharides ,Cell surface receptor ,REVEALS ,surface ,Humans ,ddc:530 ,COMPLEX ,RECEPTOR ,Cryoelectron Microscopy ,HEK 293 cells ,Biology and Life Sciences ,GlycoDelete cell line ,Sialic acid ,carbohydrates (lipids) ,cell-surface receptors ,HEK293 Cells ,030104 developmental biology ,chemistry ,biology.protein ,synthetic biology ,Glycoprotein ,Protein Processing, Post-Translational ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Acta crystallographica / Section D 76(12), 1244 - 1255 (2020). doi:10.1107/S2059798320013753, Structural studies of glycoproteins and their complexes provide critical insights into their roles in normal physiology and disease. Most glycoproteins contain N-linked glycosylation, a key post-translation modification that critically affects protein folding and stability and the binding kinetics underlying protein interactions. However, N-linked glycosylation is often an impediment to yielding homogeneous protein preparations for structure determination by X-ray crystallography or other methods. In particular, obtaining diffraction-quality crystals of such proteins and their complexes often requires modification of both the type of glycosylation patterns and their extent. Here, we demonstrate the benefits of producing target glycoproteins in the GlycoDelete human embryonic kidney 293 cell line that has been engineered to produce N-glycans as short glycan stumps comprising N-acetylglucosamine, galactose and sialic acid. Protein fragments of human Down syndrome cell-adhesion molecule and colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor were obtained from the GlycoDelete cell line for crystallization. The ensuing reduction in the extent and complexity of N-glycosylation in both protein molecules compared with alternative glycoengineering approaches enabled their productive deployment in structural studies by X-ray crystallography. Furthermore, a third successful implementation of the GlycoDelete technology focusing on murine IL-12B is shown to lead to N-glycosylation featuring an immature glycan in diffraction-quality crystals. It is proposed that the GlycoDelete cell line could serve as a valuable go-to option for the production of homogeneous glycoproteins and their complexes for structural studies by X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy., Published by Wiley, Bognor Regis
- Published
- 2020
161. Total FLC transcript dynamics from divergent paralogue expression explains flowering diversity in Brassica napus
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Richard J. Morris, Kevin Williams, Shannon Woodhouse, D. Marc Jones, Jo Hepworth, Lars Østergaard, Catherine Chinoy, Eleri H. Tudor, Lorelei Bilham, John H. Doonan, Fiona Corke, Alexander Calderwood, Rachel Wells, Andrew H. Lloyd, and Judith A. Irwin
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0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Rapeseed ,Physiology ,Arabidopsis ,Brassica ,vernalisation ,Plant Science ,NATURAL VARIATION ,01 natural sciences ,phenotypic plasticity ,transcriptomics ,vernalization ,Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ,Flowering Locus C ,Arabidopsis thaliana ,LOCUS-C ,polyploidy ,Genetics ,gene dosage balance ,Full Paper ,biology ,DOSAGE Author Information ,Brassica rapa ,CABBAGE ,Vernalization ,Full Papers ,TIME ,flowering locus C ,VERNALIZATION ,MADS Domain Proteins ,Flowers ,modelling ,03 medical and health sciences ,MADS DOMAIN PROTEIN ,Gene ,Phenotypic plasticity ,Arabidopsis Proteins ,Research ,Brassica napus ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,GENE ,EVOLUTION ,030104 developmental biology ,ARABIDOPSIS-THALIANA ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Summary Flowering time is a key adaptive and agronomic trait. In Arabidopsis, natural variation in expression levels of the floral repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) leads to differences in vernalization. In Brassica napus there are nine copies of FLC. Here, we study how these multiple FLC paralogues determine vernalization requirement as a system.We collected transcriptome time series for Brassica napus spring, winter, semi‐winter, and Siberian kale crop types. Modelling was used to link FLC expression dynamics to floral response following vernalization.We show that relaxed selection pressure has allowed expression of FLC paralogues to diverge, resulting in variation of FLC expression during cold treatment between paralogues and accessions. We find that total FLC expression dynamics best explains differences in cold requirement between cultivars, rather than expression of specific FLC paralogues.The combination of multiple FLC paralogues with different expression dynamics leads to rich behaviour in response to cold and a wide range of vernalization requirements in B. napus. We find evidence for different strategies to determine the response to cold in existing winter rapeseed accessions.
- Published
- 2021
162. Magnetic and electric field accelerate Phytoextraction of copper Lemna minor duckweed
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Natalia Politaeva and Vladimir Badenko
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Leaves ,Applied Microbiology ,Plant Science ,010501 environmental sciences ,Reuse ,Heavy Metals ,Toxicology ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,01 natural sciences ,Physical Chemistry ,Electricity ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Toxins ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,Physics ,Plant Anatomy ,Magnetism ,Pulp and paper industry ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Environmentally friendly ,Pollution ,Chemistry ,Biodegradation, Environmental ,Wastewater ,Electric Field ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Sewage treatment ,Bioremediation ,Research Article ,Biotechnology ,Chemical Elements ,Environmental Engineering ,Science ,Toxic Agents ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Bioengineering ,Microbiology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Environmental Biotechnology ,Copper extraction techniques ,Cations ,Araceae ,030304 developmental biology ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Ions ,Lemna minor ,Magnetic Phenomena ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Water Pollution ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Copper ,Phytoremediation ,Magnetic Fields ,chemistry ,Environmental science ,Water Pollutants, Chemical - Abstract
In accordance with the opinion of the World Health Organization and the World Water Council the development of effective technologies for the treatment of wastewater from heavy metals for their discharge into water bodies or reuse is an urgent task nowadays. Phytoremediation biotechnologies is the most environmentally friendly and cheapest way of the treatment of wastewater, suitable for sustainable development principals. The main disadvantage of the phytoremediation is the slow speed of the process. A method for accelerating the process of phytoremediation by the combined effect of magnetic and weak electric fields is proposed. The purpose of this study is to determine the values of the parameters of the magnetic and weak electric fields that are most suitable for extracting cuprum ions from wastewater using the higher aqua plants (Lemna minor). A corresponding technological process based on the results of the study is proposed. The results have shown that the removal of copper cations from sulfate solutions effectively occurs in the initial period of time (1–5 hours) under the influence of a magnetic field with an intensity of H = 2 kA/m. Under the combined influence of an electrical current with density j = 240 μA/cm2 and a magnetic field (H = 2 kA/m) the highest rate of copper extraction by duckweed leaves is achieved. Under these conditions, the greatest growth and development of plant leaves occurs. The paper presents the results of determining of the parameters of the electrochemical release from the eluate of the spent phytomass of duckweed. It has been determined that the release of metal occurs at E = 0.32 V. An original scheme for wastewater treatment from copper with subsequent separation of copper from the spent phytomass of duckweed is proposed. In general, the presented results are a scientific justification of wastewater treatment technologies and a contribution to resolving the crisis in the field of fresh water supply. An important contribution in the circular economy is a technology recommendation proposed for recovering copper from duckweed after wastewater treatment.
- Published
- 2021
163. Cellular requirements for PIN polar cargo clustering in Arabidopsis thaliana
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Peter Grones, Daniel von Wangenheim, Daniel J Gütl, Jan Dettmer, Jiří Friml, Krzysztof Wabnik, Shutang Tan, Riet De Rycke, Nasser Darwish-Miranda, Meiyu Ke, Ricardo Tejos, Hongjiang Li, Xu Chen, Walter A. Kaufmann, Xixi Zhang, and Satoshi Naramoto
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0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,APICAL-BASAL AXIS ,Physiology ,DEPENDENT AUXIN GRADIENTS ,Morphogenesis ,Arabidopsis ,PROTEIN ,Plant Science ,01 natural sciences ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cluster Analysis ,Arabidopsis thaliana ,SYNTHASE ,polarity ,Cytoskeleton ,Cluster analysis ,PHOSPHORYLATION ,cluster ,Cellular localization ,Indoleacetic Acids ,Full Paper ,biology ,Arabidopsis Proteins ,Chemistry ,Research ,Cell Polarity ,Membrane Transport Proteins ,Biology and Life Sciences ,PIN ,cytoskeleton ,Full Papers ,biology.organism_classification ,TRANSPORT ,030104 developmental biology ,PIP5K ,PLASMA-MEMBRANE ,Biophysics ,INTRACELLULAR TRAFFICKING ,Polar ,cell wall ,COMPLEXES ,auxin ,HELICAL GROWTH ,Function (biology) ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Summary Cell and tissue polarization is fundamental for plant growth and morphogenesis. The polar, cellular localization of Arabidopsis PIN‐FORMED (PIN) proteins is crucial for their function in directional auxin transport. The clustering of PIN polar cargoes within the plasma membrane has been proposed to be important for the maintenance of their polar distribution. However, the more detailed features of PIN clusters and the cellular requirements of cargo clustering remain unclear.Here, we characterized PIN clusters in detail by means of multiple advanced microscopy and quantification methods, such as 3D quantitative imaging or freeze‐fracture replica labeling. The size and aggregation types of PIN clusters were determined by electron microscopy at the nanometer level at different polar domains and at different developmental stages, revealing a strong preference for clustering at the polar domains.Pharmacological and genetic studies revealed that PIN clusters depend on phosphoinositol pathways, cytoskeletal structures and specific cell‐wall components as well as connections between the cell wall and the plasma membrane.This study identifies the role of different cellular processes and structures in polar cargo clustering and provides initial mechanistic insight into the maintenance of polarity in plants and other systems.
- Published
- 2021
164. Fusarium: more than a node or a foot-shaped basal cell
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Crous, null, Lombard, null, Sandoval-Denis, null, Seifert, null, Schroers, null, Chaverri, null, Gené, null, Guarro, null, Hirooka, null, Bensch, null, Kema, null, Lamprecht, null, Cai, null, Rossman, null, Stadler, null, Summerbell, null, Taylor, null, Ploch, null, Visagie, null, Yilmaz, null, Frisvad, null, Abdel-Azeem, null, Abdollahzadeh, null, Abdolrasouli, null, Akulov, null, Alberts, null, Araújo, null, Ariyawansa, null, Bakhshi, null, Bendiksby, null, Ben Hadj Amor, null, Bezerra, null, Boekhout, null, Câmara, null, Carbia, null, Cardinali, null, Castañeda-Ruiz, null, Celis, null, Chaturvedi, null, Collemare, null, Croll, null, Damm, null, Decock, null, de Vries, null, Ezekiel, null, Fan, null, Fernández, null, Gaya, null, González, null, Gramaje, null, Groenewald, null, Grube, null, Guevara-Suarez, null, Gupta, null, Guarnaccia, null, Haddaji, null, Hagen, null, Haelewaters, null, Hansen, null, Hashimoto, null, Hernández-Restrepo, null, Houbraken, null, Hubka, null, Hyde, null, Iturriaga, null, Jeewon, null, Johnston, null, Jurjević, null, Karalti, null, Korsten, null, Kuramae, null, Kušan, null, Labuda, null, Lawrence, null, Lee, null, Lechat, null, Li, null, Litovka, null, Maharachchikumbura, null, Marin-Felix, null, Matio Kemkuignou, null, Matočec, null, McTaggart, null, Mlčoch, null, Mugnai, null, Nakashima, null, Nilsson, null, Noumeur, null, Pavlov, null, Peralta, null, Phillips, null, Pitt, null, Polizzi, null, Quaedvlieg, null, Rajeshkumar, null, Restrepo, null, Rhaiem, null, Robert, null, Rodrigues, null, Salgado-Salazar, null, Samson, null, Santos, null, Shivas, null, Souza-Motta, null, Sun, null, Swart, null, Szoke, null, Tan, null, Tiago, null, Váczy, null, van de Wiele, null, van der Merwe, null, Verkley, null, Vieira, null, Vizzini, null, Weir, null, Wijayawardene, null, Xia, null, Yáñez-Morales, null, Yurkov, null, Zamora, null, Zare, null, Zhang, null, Thines, null, 0000-0002-7284-8671, 0000-0002-5794-7700, 0000-0003-2367-5353, 0000-0002-4396-4630, 0000-0001-8642-1401, 0000-0002-7534-6466, 0000-0002-5560-654X, 0000-0002-4522-7925, 0000-0003-3057-1966, 0000-0001-8152-6642, 0000-0002-2072-380X, 0000-0002-1908-385X, 0000-0002-2113-2948, 0000-0001-6404-4297, 0000-0003-1755-3413, 0000-0002-9474-6246, 0000-0002-0976-6884, 0000-0002-6424-0834, 0000-0001-6701-8668, 0000-0001-8045-4798, 0000-0002-0996-1313, 0000-0002-2508-9764, 0000-0002-7626-5289, 0000-0002-8052-0107, 0000-0001-9016-1040, 0000-0003-0891-4563, 0000-0002-2742-4925, 0000-0003-4158-7453, 0000-0002-1072-5166, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute - Evolutionary Phytopathology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Microbial Ecology (ME), Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute - Yeast Research, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute - Fungal Natural Products, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute - Fungal Physiology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute - Medical Mycology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute - Food and Indoor Mycology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute - Software and Databasing, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute - Collection, Evolutionary and Population Biology (IBED, FNWI), HZI,Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7,38124 Braunschweig, Germany., Sub Molecular Microbiology, Sub Molecular Plant Physiology, Sub Ecology and Biodiversity, Molecular Microbiology, Molecular Plant Physiology, and Ecology and Biodiversity
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Scolecofusarium L. Lombard, Sand.-Den. & Crous ,Fusarium cromyophthoron Sideris ,Fusisporium hordei Wm.G. Sm ,Fusarium arthrosporioides Sherb ,Fusarium echinatum Sand.-Den. & G.J. Marais ,Fusisporium didymum Harting ,Apiognomonia platani (Lév.) L. Lombard ,FUNGUS FUSARIUM ,Fusarium aridum O.A. Pratt ,Neocosmospora obliquiseptata (T. Aoki et al.) L. Lombard & Sand.-Den ,Macroconia phlogioides Sand.-Den. & Crous ,Selenosporium equiseti Corda ,Fusarium tritici Liebman ,Fusisporium elasticae Thüm ,Fusarium arcuatum Berk. & M.A. Curtis ,Biology (General) ,Clade ,Fusarium cactacearum Pasin. & Buzz.-Trav ,Fusarium pusillum Wollenw ,Fusarium viticola Thüm ,Fusisporium episphaericum Cooke & Ellis ,Fusarium willkommii Lindau ,Neocosmospora tuaranensis (T. Aoki et al.) L. Lombard & Sand.-Den ,Multi-gene phylogeny ,Mycotoxins ,Nectriaceae ,Neocosmospora ,Novel taxa ,Pathogen ,Taxonomy ,Fusarium muentzii Delacr ,Fusisporium pandani Corda ,Fusarium genevense Dasz ,Neocosmospora pseudopisi Sand.-Den. & L. Lombard ,Fusarium caudatum Wollenw ,Nothofusarium Crous, Sand.-Den. & L. Lombard ,Fusarium werrikimbe J.L. Walsh, L.W. Burgess, E.C.Y. Liew & B.A. Summerell ,Stylonectria corniculata Gräfenhan, Crous & Sand.-Den ,Atractium ciliatum Link ,Fusarium prunorum McAlpine ,03 medical and health sciences ,Sphaeria sanguinea var. cicatricum Berk ,Fusarium aeruginosum Delacr ,Fusarium tabacivorum Delacr ,Fusarium graminearum Schwabe ,Fusarium xylarioides Steyaert ,Fusarium stercoris Fuckel ,Scolecofusarium ciliatum (Link) L. Lombard, Sand.-Den. & Crous ,FUJIKUROI SPECIES COMPLEX ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Fusarium polymorphum Matr ,Fusarium armeniacum (G.A. Forbes et al.) L.W. Burgess & Summerell ,Fusisporium culmorum Wm.G. Sm ,Botanik ,Laboratorium voor Phytopathologie ,Fusarium cesatii Rabenh ,Fusarium cavispermum Corda ,FLIGHT MASS-SPECTROMETRY ,Fusisporium avenaceum Fr ,Neocosmospora merkxiana Quaedvl. & Sand.-Den ,Fusarium graminum Corda ,Sporotrichum poae Peck ,EPS ,Cosmosporella cavisperma (Corda) Sand.-Den., L. Lombard & Crous ,Fusarium aleyrodis Petch ,Fusarium putrefaciens Osterw ,Atractium pallidum Bonord ,Fusisporium anthophilum A. Braun ,Fusicolla sporellula Sand.-Den. & L. Lombard ,Fusarium asparagi Delacr ,Fusarium heterosporioides Fautrey ,Fusarium zygopetali Delacr ,Fusarium rhizophilum Corda ,STRUCTURE ELUCIDATION ,Fusarium loncheceras Sideris ,Fusarium fissum Peyl ,Fusarium flocciferum Corda ,Fusarium tumidum var. humi Reinking ,Fusarium succisae Schröt. ex Sacc ,Selenosporium sarcochroum Desm ,Fusarium eucheliae Sartory, R. Sartory & J. Mey ,Systeem en Synthetische Biologie ,Fusarium rhodellum McAlpine ,Fusisporium incarnatum Roberge ex Desm ,biology ,Selenosporium urticearum Corda ,Luteonectria albida (Rossman) Sand.-Den. & L. Lombard ,Fusarium lateritium Nees ,Fusarium roesleri Thüm ,Menispora penicillata Harz ,Nothofusarium devonianum L. Lombard, Crous & Sand.-Den ,Fusarium palczewskii Jacz ,Fusarium cacti-maxonii Pasin. & Buzz.-Trav ,Fusarium dimerum var. nectrioides Wollenw ,Biotechnology ,Fusarium albidoviolaceum Dasz ,Neocosmospora epipeda Quaedvl. & Sand.-Den ,Fusarium spinaciae Hungerf ,Fusarium longipes Wollenw. & Reinking ,Fusarium stillatum De Not. ex Sacc ,Fusisporium clypeaster Corda ,DELPHINOIDES STRAIN GPK ,030304 developmental biology ,Organic Chemistry ,Botany ,Dialonectria volutella (Ellis & Everh.) L. Lombard & Sand.-Den ,biology.organism_classification ,Fusarium lyarnte J.L. Walsh, Sangal., L.W. Burgess, E.C.Y. Liew & Summerell ,Fusarium citrulli Taubenh ,Fusarium stilboides Wollenw ,Fusarium lanceolatum O.A. Pratt ,Fusarium rostratum Appel & Wollenw ,Fusarium delacroixii Sacc ,Stylonectria hetmanica Akulov, Crous & Sand.-Den ,Fusarium rubiginosum Appel & Wollenw ,Fusarium oxysporum var. asclerotium Sherb ,Neocosmospora neerlandica Crous & Sand.-Den ,Monophyly ,Fusarium tuberivorum Wilcox & G.K. Link ,Fusarium clavatum Sherb ,Fusarium poolense Taubenh ,Systems and Synthetic Biology ,Consument & Keten ,Fusarium sublunatum Reinking ,0303 health sciences ,Fusarium idahoanum O.A. Pratt ,Selenosporium hippocastani Corda ,Fusarium biforme Sherb ,Fusarium malvacearum Taubenh ,Gibberella phyllostachydicola W. Yamam ,Fusarium cucurbitae Taubenh ,SP-NOV ,Neocomospora ,Species complex ,Fusarium epicoccum McAlpine ,Luteonectria nematophila (Nirenberg & Hagedorn) Sand.-Den. & L. Lombard ,QH301-705.5 ,NECTRIACEAE HYPOCREALES ,Neocosmospora nelsonii Crous & Sand.-Den ,Hymenella aurea (Corda) L. Lombard ,Setofusarium setosum (Samuels & Nirenberg) Sand.-Den. & Crous ,Calloria tremelloides (Grev.) L. Lombard ,CLASSIFICATION ,Fusarium heterosporum Nees & T. Nees ,Phylogenetics ,Cephalosporium sacchari E.J. Butler ,Fusarium amentorum Lacroix ,Biology ,Fusarium redolens Wollenw ,Fusarium ustilaginis Kellerm. & Swingle ,Agronomy ,Evolutionary biology ,Fusisporium lolii Wm.G. Sm ,Laboratory of Phytopathology ,Fusarium scirpi Lambotte & Fautrey ,Fusisporium arundinis Corda ,Fusarium cuneiforme Sherb ,Fusicolla meniscoidea L. Lombard & Sand.-Den ,Fusicolla quarantenae J.D.P. Bezerra, Sand.-Den., Crous & Souza-Motta ,Luteonectria Sand.-Den., L. Lombard, Schroers & Rossman ,Macroconia bulbipes Crous & Sand.-Den ,Fusarium coccinellum Kalchbr ,Fusisporium andropogonis Cooke ex Thüm ,Fusarium martii f. phaseoli Burkh ,DNA barcoding ,DESORPTION IONIZATION-TIME ,Fusarium rubrum Parav ,030308 mycology & parasitology ,Fusarium reticulatum Mont ,taxonomy ,Fusarium prieskaense G.J. Marais & Sand.-Den ,Fusarium rhizochromatistes Sideris ,Phylogenetic tree ,Fusarium secalis Jacz ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Organische Chemie ,Fusarium citriforme Jamal ,Fusisporium flavidum Bonord ,Fusarium cepae Hanzawa ,Fusarium samoense Gehrm ,Gibberella ,Fusarium nigrum O.A. Pratt ,Fusarium citrinum Wollenw ,Neocosmospora rekana (Lynn & Marinc.) L. Lombard & Sand.-Den ,Setofusarium (Nirenberg & Samuels) Crous & Sand.-Den ,Research Paper ,Neocosmospora floridana (T. Aoki et al.) L. Lombard & Sand.-Den ,Fusarium gemmiperda Aderh ,Fusarium juruanum Henn ,Biointeractions and Plant Health ,Hymenella spermogoniopsis (Jul. Müll.) L. Lombard & Sand.-Den ,Fusarium agaricorum Sarrazin ,HEAD BLIGHT PATHOGEN ,Fusarium palustre W.H. Elmer & Marra ,Fusarium trichothecioides Wollenw ,Fusarium batatas Wollenw ,Fusarium buharicum Jacz. ex Babajan & Teterevn.-Babajan ,Cylindrodendrum orthosporum (Sacc. & P. Syd.) L. Lombard ,Fusarium sporotrichioides Sherb ,Fusarium annuum Leonian ,Consumer and Chain ,SUDDEN-DEATH SYNDROME - Abstract
Recent publications have argued that there are potentially serious consequences for researchers in recognising distinct genera in the terminal fusarioid clade of the family Nectriaceae. Thus, an alternate hypothesis, namely a very broad concept of the genus Fusarium was proposed. In doing so, however, a significant body of data that supports distinct genera in Nectriaceae based on morphology, biology, and phylogeny is disregarded. A DNA phylogeny based on 19 orthologous protein-coding genes was presented to support a very broad concept of Fusarium at the F1 node in Nectriaceae. Here, we demonstrate that re-analyses of this dataset show that all 19 genes support the F3 node that represents Fusarium sensu stricto as defined by F. sambucinum (sexual morph synonym Gibberella pulicaris). The backbone of the phylogeny is resolved by the concatenated alignment, but only six of the 19 genes fully support the F1 node, representing the broad circumscription of Fusarium. Furthermore, a re-analysis of the concatenated dataset revealed alternate topologies in different phylogenetic algorithms, highlighting the deep divergence and unresolved placement of various Nectriaceae lineages proposed as members of Fusarium. Species of Fusarium s. str. are characterised by Gibberella sexual morphs, asexual morphs with thin- or thick-walled macroconidia that have variously shaped apical and basal cells, and trichothecene mycotoxin production, which separates them from other fusarioid genera. Here we show that the Wollenweber concept of Fusarium presently accounts for 20 segregate genera with clear-cut synapomorphic traits, and that fusarioid macroconidia represent a character that has been gained or lost multiple times throughout Nectriaceae. Thus, the very broad circumscription of Fusarium is blurry and without apparent synapomorphies, and does not include all genera with fusarium-like macroconidia, which are spread throughout Nectriaceae (e.g., Cosmosporella, Macroconia, Microcera). In this study four new genera are introduced, along with 18 new species and 16 new combinations. These names convey information about relationships, morphology, and ecological preference that would otherwise be lost in a broader definition of Fusarium. To assist users to correctly identify fusarioid genera and species, we introduce a new online identification database, Fusarioid-ID, accessible at www.fusarium.org. The database comprises partial sequences from multiple genes commonly used to identify fusarioid taxa (act1, CaM, his3, rpb1, rpb2, tef1, tub2, ITS, and LSU). In this paper, we also present a nomenclator of names that have been introduced in Fusarium up to January 2021 as well as their current status, types, and diagnostic DNA barcode data. In this study, researchers from 46 countries, representing taxonomists, plant pathologists, medical mycologists, quarantine officials, regulatory agencies, and students, strongly support the application and use of a more precisely delimited Fusarium (= Gibberella) concept to accommodate taxa from the robust monophyletic node F3 on the basis of a well-defined and unique combination of morphological and biochemical features. This F3 node includes, among others, species of the F. fujikuroi, F. incarnatum-equiseti, F. oxysporum, and F. sambucinum species complexes, but not species of Bisifusarium [F. dimerum species complex (SC)], Cyanonectria (F. buxicola SC), Geejayessia (F. staphyleae SC), Neocosmospora (F. solani SC) or Rectifusarium (F. ventricosum SC). The present study represents the first step to generating a new online monograph of Fusarium and allied fusarioid genera (www.fusarium.org).
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- 2021
165. MDSC targeting with Gemtuzumab ozogamicin restores T cell immunity and immunotherapy against cancers
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Gary Middleton, Nagy Rizkalla, Richard Lenton, Margaret H.L. Ng, Carmela De Santo, Livingstone Fultang, Boris Noyvert, Suzanne Graef, Claire Shannon-Lowe, Sarah Booth, Francis Mussai, Paul Collins, and Silvia Panetti
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0301 basic medicine ,Research paper ,Gemtuzumab ozogamicin ,T-Lymphocytes ,medicine.medical_treatment ,T cell ,MDSC ,Cell ,CD33 ,Models, Biological ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Immunophenotyping ,Flow cytometry ,03 medical and health sciences ,Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological ,0302 clinical medicine ,Immunotoxin ,Neoplasms ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,medicine ,Humans ,Cancer ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Gene Expression Profiling ,Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells ,Biology and Life Sciences ,General Medicine ,Immunotherapy ,medicine.disease ,Immunohistochemistry ,Gemtuzumab ,CAR-T ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Cancer research ,Transcriptome ,business ,Biomarkers ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Background: Targeting of MDSCs is a major clinical challenge in the era of immunotherapy. Antibodies which deplete MDSCs in murine models can reactivate T cell responses. In humans such approaches have not developed due to difficulties in identifying targets amenable to clinical translation. Methods: RNA-sequencing of M-MDSCs and G-MDSCs from cancer patients was undertaken. Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry of blood and tumours determined MDSC CD33 expression. MDSCs were treated with Gemtuzumab ozogamicin and internalisation kinetics, and cell death mechanisms determined by flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and electron microscopy. Effects on T cell proliferation and CAR-T cell anti-tumour cytotoxicity were identified in the presence of Gemtuzumab ozogamicin. Findings: RNA-sequencing of human M-MDSCs and G-MDSCs identified transcriptomic differences, but that CD33 is a common surface marker. Flow cytometry indicated CD33 expression is higher on M-MDSCs, and CD33+ MDSCs are found in the blood and tumours regardless of cancer subtype. Treatment of human MDSCs leads to Gemtuzumab ozogamicin internalisation, increased p-ATM, and cell death; restoring T cell proliferation. Anti-GD2-/mesothelin-/EGFRvIII-CAR-T cell activity is enhanced in combination with the anti-MDSC effects of Gemtuzumab ozogamicin. Interpretation: The study identifies that M-MDSCs and G-MDSCs are transcriptomically different but CD33 is a therapeutic target on peripheral and infiltrating MDSCs across cancer subtypes. The immunotoxin Gemtuzumab ozogamicin can deplete MDSCs providing a translational approach to reactivate T cell and CAR-T cell responses against multiple cancers. In the rare conditions of HLH/MAS gemtuzumab ozogamicin provides a novel anti-myeloid strategy. Fund: This work was supported by Cancer Research UK, CCLG, Treating Children with Cancer, and the alumni and donors to the University of Birmingham. (c) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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- 2019
166. Using mHealth to improve tuberculosis case identification and treatment initiation in South Africa: Results from a pilot study.
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Maraba, Noriah, Hoffmann, Christopher J., Chihota, Violet N., Chang, Larry W., Ismail, Nazir, Candy, Sue, Madibogo, Edwin, Katzwinkel, Marc, Churchyard, Gavin J., and McCarthy, Kerrigan
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MOBILE health ,TUBERCULOSIS treatment ,MEDICAL personnel ,PILOT projects - Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) incidence in South Africa is among the highest globally. Initial loss to follow-up (ILFU), defined as not starting on TB treatment within 28 days of testing positive, is undermining control efforts. We assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and potential of a mHealth application to reduce ILFU. Methods: An mHealth application was developed to capture patients TB investigation data, provide results and monitor treatment initiation. This was implemented in two primary health clinics (PHC) in inner-city Johannesburg. Feasibility was assessed by comparing documentation of personal details, specimen results for same individuals during implementation period (paper register and Mhealth application). Effectiveness was assessed by comparing proportion of patients with results within 48 hours, and proportion started on treatment within 28 days of testing TB positive during pre- implementation (paper register) and implementation (mHealth application) periods. In-depth interviews with patients and providers were conducted to assess acceptability of application. Results: Pre-implementation, 457 patients were recorded in paper registers [195 (42.7%) male, median age 34 years (interquartile range IQR (28–40), 45 (10.5%) sputum Xpert positive]. During implementation, 319 patients were recorded in paper register and the mHealth application [131 (41.1%) male, median age 32 years (IQR 27–38), 33 (10.3%) sputum Xpert positive]. The proportion with complete personal details: [mHealth 95.0% versus paper register 94.0%, (p = 0.54)] and proportion with documented results: [mHealth 97.4% versus paper register 97.8%, (p = 0.79)] were not different in the two methods. The proportion of results available within 48 hours: [mHealth 96.8% versus paper register 68.6%), (p <0.001)], and the proportion on treatment within 28 days [mHealth 28/33 (84.8%) versus paper register 30/44 (68.2%), (p = 0.08)] increased during implementation but was not statistically significant. In-depth interviews showed that providers easily integrated the mHealth application into routine TB investigation and patients positively received the delivery of results via text message. Time from sputum collection to TB treatment initiation decreased from 4 days (pre-implementation) to 3 days but was not statistically significant. Conclusions: We demonstrated that implementation of the mHealth application was feasible, acceptable to health care providers and patients, and has potential to reduce the time to TB treatment initiation and ILFU in PHC settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2018
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167. Research on drinking water purification technologies for household use by reducing total dissolved solids (TDS)
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Bill B.L. Wang
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Hot Temperature ,Social Sciences ,law.invention ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,law ,Natural Resources ,Water Quality ,Electrochemistry ,Psychology ,Magnesium ,Magnesium ion ,Multidisciplinary ,Vaporization ,Physics ,Bottled water ,Pulp and paper industry ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Chemistry ,Taste ,Physical Sciences ,Water Resources ,Medicine ,Boiling ,Sensory Perception ,Phase Transitions ,Research Article ,Chemical Elements ,Environmental Monitoring ,Science ,Portable water purification ,Electrolysis ,Water Purification ,Tap water ,Sodium bicarbonate ,Nitrates ,Drinking Water ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Cognitive Psychology ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Total dissolved solids ,Bicarbonates ,chemistry ,Environmental science ,Cognitive Science ,Perception ,Water quality ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Neuroscience - Abstract
This study, based in San Bernardino County, Southern California, collected and examined tap water samples within the area to explore the feasibility of adopting non-industrial equipment and methods to reduce water hardness and total dissolved solids(TDS). We investigated how water quality could be improved by utilizing water boiling, activated carbon and sodium bicarbonate additives, as well as electrolysis methods. The results show that heating is effective at lower temperatures rather than long boils, as none of the boiling tests were lower than the original value. Activated carbon is unable to lower TDS, because it is unable to bind to any impurities present in the water. This resulted in an overall TDS increase of 3.5%. However, adding small amounts of sodium bicarbonate(NaHCO3) will further eliminate water hardness by reacting with magnesium ions and improve taste, while increasing the pH. When added to room temperature tap water, there is a continuous increase in TDS of 24.8% at the 30 mg/L mark. The new findings presented in this study showed that electrolysis was the most successful method in eliminating TDS, showing an inverse proportion where an increasing electrical current and duration of electrical lowers more amounts of solids. This method created a maximum decrease in TDS by a maximum of 22.7%, with 3 tests resulting in 15.3–16.6% decreases. Furthermore, when water is heated to a temperature around 50°C (122°F), a decrease in TDS of around 16% was also shown. The reduction of these solids will help lower water hardness and improve the taste of tap water. These results will help direct residents to drink more tap water rather than bottled water with similar taste and health benefits for a cheaper price as well as a reduction on plastic usage.
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- 2021
168. A Pectin-Rich, Baobab Fruit Pulp Powder Exerts Prebiotic Potential on the Human Gut Microbiome In Vitro
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Martin Foltz, Pieter Van den Abbeele, Massimo Marzorati, Alicia Christin Zahradnik, and Jonas Ghyselinck
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Microbiology (medical) ,food.ingredient ,Pectin ,Firmicutes ,QH301-705.5 ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Inulin ,engineering.material ,Gut flora ,METABOLITES ,Microbiology ,Article ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,food ,ADANSONIA-DIGITATA ,interindividual variation ,Virology ,medicine ,TOLERANCE ,Food science ,Biology (General) ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,pectin ,biology ,gut microbiota ,Prebiotic ,Pulp (paper) ,Biology and Life Sciences ,PATHWAYS ,in vitro ,baobab fruit pulp powder ,biology.organism_classification ,PROBIOTICS ,PROPIONATE ,chemistry ,PHENOL ,prebiotic ,Propionate ,engineering ,dialysis ,Fermentation - Abstract
Increasing insight into the impact of the gut microbiota on human health has sustained the development of novel prebiotic ingredients. This exploratory study evaluated the prebiotic potential of baobab fruit pulp powder, which consists of pectic polysaccharides with unique composition as compared to other dietary sources, given that it is rich in low methoxylated homogalacturonan (HG). After applying dialysis procedures to remove simple sugars from the product (simulating their absorption along the upper gastrointestinal tract), 48 h fecal batch incubations were performed. Baobab fruit pulp powder boosted colonic acidification across three simulated human adult donors due to the significant stimulation of health-related metabolites acetate (+18.4 mM at 48 h), propionate (+5.5 mM at 48 h), and to a lesser extent butyrate (0.9 mM at 48 h). Further, there was a trend of increased lactate levels (+2.7 mM at 6h) and reduced branched chain fatty acid (bCFA) levels (−0.4 mM at 48 h). While Bacteroidetes levels increased for all donors, donor-dependent increases in Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, and Firmicutes were observed, stressing the potential interindividual differences in microbial composition modulation upon Baobab fruit pulp powder treatment. Overall, Baobab fruit pulp powder fermentation displayed features of selective utilization by host microorganisms and, thus, has promising prebiotic potential (also in comparison with the ‘gold standard’ prebiotic inulin). Further research will be required to better characterize this prebiotic potential, accounting for the interindividual differences, while aiming to unravel the potential resulting health benefits.
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- 2021
169. Scientometric study of the effects of exposure to non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on fertility: A contribution to understanding the reasons of partial failure.
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Bernabò, Nicola, Ciccarelli, Rosa, Greco, Luana, Ordinelli, Alessandra, Mattioli, Mauro, and Barboni, Barbara
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SCIENTOMETRICS ,NONIONIZING radiation ,ELECTROMAGNETIC fields ,HUMAN fertility ,INFORMATION sharing - Abstract
The exposure to Non-Ionizing-Electromagnetic Fields (NI-EMFs) is often indicated as a cofactor responsible for the fertility reduction, which has been described in recent years. Despite the great interest in this topic and the research effort in exploring it, to date, there are no reliable data. Therefore, we carried out a scientometric analysis of the scientific literature published in peer reviewed Journals concerning this topic to better understand the reasons of this partial failure. To this aim, we identified and analysed 104 papers, published in last 26 years in peer-reviewed Journals, present in ISI Web of Knowledge Core Collection. Then, we analysed the impact of the Journals in which the papers were published as well as that of the single papers, the paper citation dynamics, the keywords citation busts, the geographical localization of citations and the co-authorship dynamics of the Authors. As a result, we found that different animal models (rodent, rabbit, guinea pig, and swine) and different experimental approaches (epidemiological vs. experimental studies) have the same impact, highlighting the lack of universally adopted standard in research activity. The analysis of the temporal trend in keywords and the high differences in citations between the different countries (also in those belonging to the same geographical and socio-economical area) pointed out the difficulties in approaching this branch of study. Lastly, it was evident that the Authors did not behave as a connected community, but as unconnected clusters of very small size. In conclusion, based on the results of our analysis, we think that important efforts must be undertaken to adopt more standardized models and to improve the research quality and the information exchange within the scientific community, with the aim of improving the reliability and usefulness of the results of research regarding the effect of NI-EMFs on fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2017
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170. Feasibility of a dried blood spot strategy for serological screening and surveillance to monitor elimination of Human African Trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Paul Verlé, Philippe Büscher, Epco Hasker, Delphin Mavinga Phanzu, Marleen Boelaert, Oscar N’lemvo Kiabanzawoko, Anja De Weggheleire, Raquel Inocêncio da Luz, and Eric Miaka
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Male ,Veterinary medicine ,Physiology ,Epidemiology ,RC955-962 ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,Serology ,Medical Conditions ,Filter Paper ,Zoonoses ,Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Ethnicities ,Medicine ,African trypanosomiasis ,Enzyme-Linked Immunoassays ,Child ,Protozoans ,Aged, 80 and over ,Eukaryota ,Middle Aged ,Trypanocidal Agents ,Body Fluids ,Dried blood spot ,Laboratory Equipment ,Blood ,Infectious Diseases ,Child, Preschool ,Population Surveillance ,Democratic Republic of the Congo ,Engineering and Technology ,Female ,Anatomy ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,Research Article ,Neglected Tropical Diseases ,Adult ,Trypanosoma ,Adolescent ,Screening test ,Equipment ,Kongo People ,Research and Analysis Methods ,African Trypanosomiasis ,Young Adult ,Trypanosomiasis ,Parasitic Diseases ,Humans ,Serologic Tests ,Disease Eradication ,Immunoassays ,Aged ,African People ,Protozoan Infections ,business.industry ,Organisms ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Infant ,Reproducibility of Results ,Tropical Diseases ,medicine.disease ,Parasitic Protozoans ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Trypanosomiasis, African ,Medical Risk Factors ,People and Places ,Immunologic Techniques ,Feasibility Studies ,Population Groupings ,Dried Blood Spot Testing ,business - Abstract
In recent years, the number of reported Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) cases caused by Trypanosoma brucei (T.b.) gambiense has been markedly declining, and the goal of ‘elimination as a public health problem’ is within reach. For the next stage, i.e. interruption of HAT transmission by 2030, intensive screening and surveillance will need to be maintained, but with tools and strategies more efficiently tailored to the very low prevalence. We assessed the sequential use of ELISA and Immune Trypanolysis (ITL) on dried blood spot (DBS) samples as an alternative to the traditional HAT field testing and confirmation approach. A cross-sectional study was conducted in HAT endemic and previously endemic zones in Kongo Central province, and a non-endemic zone in Haut Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Door-to-door visits were performed to collect dried blood spot (DBS) samples on filter paper. ELISA/T.b. gambiense was conducted followed by ITL for those testing positive by ELISA and in a subset of ELISA negatives. In total, 11,642 participants were enrolled. Of these, 11,535 DBS were collected and stored in appropriate condition for ELISA testing. Ninety-seven DBS samples tested positive on ELISA. In the endemic zone, ELISA positivity was 1.34% (95%CI: 1.04–1.64). In the previously endemic zone and non-endemic zone, ELISA positivity was 0.34% (95% CI: 0.13–0.55) and 0.37% (95% CI: 0.15–0.60) respectively. Among the ELISA positives, only two samples had a positive ITL result, both from the endemic zone. One of those was from a former HAT patient treated in 2008 and the other from an individual who unfortunately had deceased prior to the follow-up visit. Our study showed that a surveillance strategy, based on DBS samples and centralized testing with retracing of patients if needed, is feasible in DRC. ELISA seems well suited as initial test with a similar positivity rate as traditional screening tests, but ITL remains complex. Alternatives for the latter, also analyzable on DBS, should be further explored., Author summary Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness is a parasitic disease, transmitted by tsetse flies, that is usually fatal if untreated. The number of cases have been rapidly declining over the past years indicating that elimination of the disease as a public health problem is within reach. To achieve the next stage, i.e. interruption of HAT transmission by 2030, intensive screening and surveillance will need to be maintained, but with tools and strategies more efficiently tailored to the very low prevalence. In contrast to the traditional approach of sending laboratory expertise to the field, we assessed an alternative approach based on the collection of dried blood samples on filter paper that were tested in a regional laboratory. Samples were taken in endemic, previously endemic and non-endemic villages and tested by ELISA and Immune Trypanolysis. The ELISA positivity rates were similar to those of other screening techniques currently used and Immune Trypanolysis was highly specific. Hence for surveillance in HAT endemic areas, collecting dried blood samples followed by centralized testing could become an alternative to the current strategy of active screening by mobile teams with on the spot confirmation. It has also potential for post-elimination surveillance to monitor resurgence and for exploratory surveillance in historic foci. Though highly specific, Immune Trypanolysis remains too complex for use in intermediate level laboratories, to further expand this strategy an alternative second step test is required.
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- 2021
171. Pharmacoinformatic Investigation of Medicinal Plants from East Africa
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Stefan Günther, Wolfgang Sippl, Ammar Qaseem, Kiran K. Telukunta, Conrad V. Simoben, Aurélien F. A. Moumbock, and Fidele Ntie-Kang
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natural products (NPs) ,SCAFFOLDS ,01 natural sciences ,Structural Biology ,Medicinal plants ,database ,0303 health sciences ,biology ,Traditional medicine ,Full Paper ,Negombata magnifica ,Drug discovery ,HISTONE ,Full Papers ,Africa, Eastern ,Computer Science Applications ,Chemistry ,BIOACTIVE NATURAL-PRODUCTS ,TARGET ,Diversity analysis ,Databases as Topic ,Molecular Medicine ,Thiazolidines ,PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS ,Eastern Africa ,EVOLVING ROLE ,drug discovery ,03 medical and health sciences ,RESOURCE ,Toxicity Tests ,East africa ,Podospongiidae ,DEACETYLASE ,natural ,030304 developmental biology ,DRUG-RESISTANCE ,Biological Products ,Plants, Medicinal ,Organic Chemistry ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Hydrogen Bonding ,biology.organism_classification ,Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic ,0104 chemical sciences ,Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors ,Molecular Weight ,010404 medicinal & biomolecular chemistry ,products (NPs) ,DISCOVERY ,INHIBITORS ,medicinal plants - Abstract
Medicinal plants have widely been used in the traditional treatment of ailments and have been proven effective. Their contribution still holds an important place in modern drug discovery due to their chemical, and biological diversities. However, the poor documentation of traditional medicine, in developing African countries for instance, can lead to the loss of knowledge related to such practices. In this study, we present the Eastern Africa Natural Products Database (EANPDB) containing the structural and bioactivity information of 1870 unique molecules isolated from about 300 source species from the Eastern African region. This represents the largest collection of natural products (NPs) from this geographical region, covering literature data of the period from 1962 to 2019. The computed physicochemical properties and toxicity profiles of each compound have been included. A comparative analysis of some physico-chemical properties like molecular weight, H-bond donor/acceptor, logP(o/w), etc. as well scaffold diversity analysis has been carried out with other published NP databases. EANPDB was combined with the previously published Northern African Natural Products Database (NANPDB), to form a merger African Natural Products Database (ANPDB), containing similar to 6500 unique molecules isolated from about 1000 source species (freely available at http://african-compounds.org). As a case study, latrunculins A and B isolated from the spongeNegombata magnifica(Podospongiidae) with previously reported antitumour activities, were identified via substructure searching as molecules to be explored as putative binders of histone deacetylases (HDACs).
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- 2020
172. A standardized citation metrics author database annotated for scientific field.
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Ioannidis, John P. A., Baas, Jeroen, Klavans, Richard, and Boyack, Kevin W.
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SCIENCE databases ,BIBLIOGRAPHIC databases ,SCIENTISTS ,SCIENCE & state ,CITATION analysis - Abstract
Citation metrics are widely used and misused. We have created a publicly available database of 100,000 top scientists that provides standardized information on citations, h-index, coauthorship-adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions, and a composite indicator. Separate data are shown for career-long and single-year impact. Metrics with and without self-citations and ratio of citations to citing papers are given. Scientists are classified into 22 scientific fields and 176 subfields. Field- and subfield-specific percentiles are also provided for all scientists who have published at least five papers. Career-long data are updated to end of 2017 and to end of 2018 for comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2019
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173. Challenges and recommendations to improve the installability and archival stability of omics computational tools.
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Mangul, Serghei, Mosqueiro, Thiago, Abdill, Richard J., Duong, Dat, Mitchell, Keith, Sarwal, Varuni, Hill, Brian, Brito, Jaqueline, Littman, Russell Jared, Statz, Benjamin, Lam, Angela Ka-Mei, Dayama, Gargi, Grieneisen, Laura, Martin, Lana S., Flint, Jonathan, Eskin, Eleazar, and Blekhman, Ran
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SOFTWARE development tools ,COMPUTATIONAL biology ,BIOINFORMATICS software ,SOFTWARE engineering ,COMPUTER networks ,UNIFORM Resource Locators ,BIOLOGICAL databases - Abstract
Developing new software tools for analysis of large-scale biological data is a key component of advancing modern biomedical research. Scientific reproduction of published findings requires running computational tools on data generated by such studies, yet little attention is presently allocated to the installability and archival stability of computational software tools. Scientific journals require data and code sharing, but none currently require authors to guarantee the continuing functionality of newly published tools. We have estimated the archival stability of computational biology software tools by performing an empirical analysis of the internet presence for 36,702 omics software resources published from 2005 to 2017. We found that almost 28% of all resources are currently not accessible through uniform resource locators (URLs) published in the paper they first appeared in. Among the 98 software tools selected for our installability test, 51% were deemed “easy to install,” and 28% of the tools failed to be installed at all because of problems in the implementation. Moreover, for papers introducing new software, we found that the number of citations significantly increased when authors provided an easy installation process. We propose for incorporation into journal policy several practical solutions for increasing the widespread installability and archival stability of published bioinformatics software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2019
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174. Domestic laundry and microfiber pollution: Exploring fiber shedding from consumer apparel textiles
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Mathew Watkins, Ekaterina Vassilenko, Stephen Chastain, Anna M. Posacka, Shreyas Patankar, Joel Mertens, and Peter S. Ross
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business.product_category ,Textile ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Laundry ,Physiology ,Polymers ,Microplastics ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences ,Cotton ,010501 environmental sciences ,Molting ,Wastewater ,01 natural sciences ,Fiber ,Materials ,Flowering Plants ,Multidisciplinary ,Textiles ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Polyester ,Fibers ,Chemistry ,Macromolecules ,Wool ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Plastics ,Research Article ,Science ,Polyesters ,Materials Science ,Crops ,Microfiber ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Laundering ,business.industry ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Fiber Crops ,Aquatic Environments ,Polymer Chemistry ,Nylons ,Synthetic fiber ,Earth Sciences ,Environmental science ,business ,Physiological Processes ,Crop Science - Abstract
Synthetic fibers are increasingly seen to dominate microplastic pollution profiles in aquatic environments, with evidence pointing to textiles as a potentially important source. However, the loss of microfibers from textiles during laundry is poorly understood. We evaluated microfiber release from a variety of synthetic and natural consumer apparel textile samples (n = 37), with different material types, constructions, and treatments during five consecutive domestic laundry cycles. Microfiber loss ranged from 9.6 mg to 1,240 mg kg-1 of textile per wash, or an estimated 8,809 to > 6,877,000 microfibers. Mechanically-treated polyester samples, dominated by fleeces and jerseys, released six times more microfibers (161 ± 173 mg kg-1 per wash) than did nylon samples with woven construction and filamentous yarns (27 ± 14 mg kg-1 per wash). Fiber shedding was positively correlated with fabric thickness for nylon and polyester. Interestingly, cotton and wool textiles also shed large amounts of microfibers (165 ± 44 mg kg-1 per wash). The similarity between the average width of textile fibers here (12.4 ± 4.5 μm) and those found in ocean samples provides support for the notion that home laundry is an important source of microfiber pollution. Evaluation of two marketed laundry lint traps provided insight into intervention options for the home, with retention of up to 90% for polyester fibers and 46% for nylon fibers. Our observation of a > 850-fold difference in the number of microfibers lost between low and high shedding textiles illustrates the strong potential for intervention, including more sustainable clothing design.
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- 2021
175. A differential privacy protecting K-means clustering algorithm based on contour coefficients.
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Zhang, Yaling, Liu, Na, and Wang, Shangping
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K-means clustering ,INFORMATION storage & retrieval systems ,MACHINE learning ,COMPUTER algorithms ,DATA analysis - Abstract
This paper, based on differential privacy protecting K-means clustering algorithm, realizes privacy protection by adding data-disturbing Laplace noise to cluster center point. In order to solve the problem of Laplace noise randomness which causes the center point to deviate, especially when poor availability of clustering results appears because of small privacy budget parameters, an improved differential privacy protecting K-means clustering algorithm was raised in this paper. The improved algorithm uses the contour coefficients to quantitatively evaluate the clustering effect of each iteration and add different noise to different clusters. In order to be adapted to the huge number of data, this paper provides an algorithm design in MapReduce Framework. Experimental finding shows that the new algorithm improves the availability of the algorithm clustering results under the condition of ensuring individual privacy without significantly increasing its operating time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2018
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176. Application-aware deadline constraint job scheduling mechanism on large-scale computational grid.
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Tang, Xiaoyong and Liao, Xiaoyi
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PRODUCTION scheduling ,GRID computing ,COMPUTATIONAL fluid dynamics ,ANT algorithms ,GENETIC algorithms - Abstract
Recently, computational Grids have proven to be a good solution for processing large-scale, computation intensive problems. However, the heterogeneity, dynamics of resources and diversity of applications requirements have always been important factors affecting their performance. In response to these challenges, this work first builds a Grid job scheduling architecture that can dynamically monitor Grid computing center resources and make corresponding scheduling decisions. Second, a Grid job model is proposed to describe the application requirements. Third, this paper studies the characteristics of commercial interconnection networks used in Grids and forecast job transmission time. Fourth, this paper proposes an application-aware job scheduling mechanism (AJSM) that includes periodic scheduling flow and a heuristic application-aware deadline constraint job scheduling algorithm. The rigorous performance evaluation results clearly demonstrate that the proposed application-aware job scheduling mechanism can successful schedule more Grid jobs than the existing algorithms. For successful scheduled jobs, our proposed AJSM method is the best algorithm for job average processing time and makespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2018
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177. Penetration and scattering—Two optical phenomena to consider when applying proximal remote sensing technologies to object classifications.
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Nansen, Christian
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OBJECT recognition (Computer vision) ,SCATTERING (Physics) ,REMOTE sensing ,TISSUE physiology ,SPECTRUM analysis ,ROBUST control - Abstract
Proximal remote sensing is being used across a very wide range of research fields and by scientists, who are often without deep theoretical knowledge optical physics; the author of this article falls squarely in that category! This article highlights two optical phenomena, which may greatly influence the quality and robustness of proximal remote sensing: penetration and scattering. Penetration implies that acquired reflectance signals are associated with both physical and chemical properties of target objects from both the surface and internal tissues/structures. Scattering implies that reflectance signals acquired from one point or object are influenced by scattered radiometric energy from neighboring points or objects. Based on a series of laboratory experiments, penetration and scattering were discussed in the context of “robustness” (repeatability) of hyperspectral reflectance data. High robustness implies that it is possible to control imaging conditions and therefore: 1) obtain very similar radiometric signals from inert objects (objects that do not change) over time, and 2) be able to consistently distinguish objects that are otherwise highly similar in appearance (size, shape, and color) and in terms of biochemical composition. It was demonstrated that robustness of hyperspectral reflectance data (40 spectral bands from 385 to 1024 nm) were significantly influenced by penetration and scattering of radiometric energy. In addition, it was demonstrated that the influence of penetration and scattering varied across the examined spectrum. Characterization of how optical phenomena may affect the robustness of reflectance data is important when using proximal remote sensing technologies as tools used to classify engineering and biological objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2018
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178. Diagnostic performance of a Recombinant Polymerase Amplification Test—Lateral Flow (RPA-LF) for cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic setting of Colombia
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María del Mar Castro, Thomas R. Shelite, Jimena Jojoa, Bruno L. Travi, Alexandra Cossio, Lyda Osorio, Ruth Mabel Castillo, Nancy Gore Saravia, and Peter C. Melby
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Male ,RC955-962 ,Recombinase Polymerase Amplification ,Artificial Gene Amplification and Extension ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,Chromatography, Affinity ,law.invention ,Medical Conditions ,0302 clinical medicine ,Filter Paper ,law ,Zoonoses ,Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Sampling (medicine) ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Child ,Leishmaniasis ,Polymerase chain reaction ,Protozoans ,Leishmania ,Aged, 80 and over ,DNA, Kinetoplast ,Eukaryota ,Middle Aged ,Laboratory Equipment ,Infectious Diseases ,Molecular Diagnostic Techniques ,Child, Preschool ,Engineering and Technology ,Female ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ,Research Article ,Neglected Tropical Diseases ,Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,030231 tropical medicine ,Histopathology ,Equipment ,Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous ,Colombia ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Young Adult ,03 medical and health sciences ,Signs and Symptoms ,Cutaneous leishmaniasis ,Diagnostic Medicine ,Internal medicine ,Parasitic Diseases ,medicine ,Humans ,Molecular Biology Techniques ,Molecular Biology ,Aged ,DNA Primers ,Protozoan Infections ,business.industry ,Public health ,Organisms ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Gold standard (test) ,DNA, Protozoan ,Tropical Diseases ,medicine.disease ,DNA extraction ,Parasitic Protozoans ,Health Care ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Anatomical Pathology ,Health Care Facilities ,Lesions ,Clinical Medicine ,business - Abstract
Background Control of cutaneous leishmaniasis by public health systems in the Americas relies on case identification and treatment. Point-of-care diagnostics that can be performed by health workers within or near affected communities could effectively bring the health system to the resource-limited sites providing early diagnosis and treatment, reducing morbidity and the burden of disease. Methodology/principal findings A cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic test performance of Isothermal Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) targeting Leishmania kinetoplast DNA, coupled with a lateral flow (LF) immunochromatographic strip, in a field setting and a laboratory reference center. Minimally invasive swab and FTA filter paper samples were obtained by community health workers and highly trained technicians from ulcerated lesions of > 2 weeks’ evolution from 118 patients’ ≥ 2 years of age in the municipality of Tumaco, Nariño. Extracted DNA was processed by RPA-LF at a reference center or in a primary health facility in the field. Evaluation was based on a composite “gold standard” that included microscopy, culture, biopsy and real-time polymerase chain reaction detection of Leishmania 18S rDNA. Standard of care routine diagnostic tests were explored as comparators. Sensitivity and specificity of RPA-LF in the reference lab scenario were 87% (95%CI 74–94) and 86% (95%CI 74–97), respectively. In the field scenario, the sensitivity was 75% (95%CI 65–84) and specificity 89% (95%CI 78–99). Positive likelihood ratios in both scenarios were higher than 6 while negative likelihood ratios ranged to 0.2–0.3 supporting the usefulness of RPA-LF to rule-in and potentially to rule-out infection. Conclusions/significance The low complexity requirements of RPA-LF combined with non-invasive sampling support the feasibility of its utilization by community health workers with the goal of strengthening the diagnostic capacity for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04500873., Author summary Limited access to diagnosis is a critical determinant of the “neglect” that defines the so-called Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) including cutaneous leishmaniasis. Diagnostic tests that can be performed close to and involve the participation of the affected communities would improve access to treatment as well as diagnosis. Using non-invasive swab and filter paper samples obtained by Community Health Workers, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of an innovative and technically simple molecular test: Isothermal Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) to detect Leishmania DNA, coupled with a lateral flow (LF) strip to read the results with the naked eye. The RPA-LF test demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity and capacity to rule in or rule out a diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in both an endemic field setting and reference laboratory. The findings encourage the further optimization of the test format for Point-of-Care diagnosis by health personnel and rural health workers in endemic settings.
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- 2021
179. Misconduct, Marginality and Editorial Practices in Management, Business and Economics Journals.
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Karabag, Solmaz Filiz and Berggren, Christian
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BUSINESS periodicals ,ECONOMIC periodicals ,SOCIAL sciences ,SCIENCE & state ,DATA analysis - Abstract
Objectives: The paper presents data on the two problems of misconduct and marginality in management, business and economics (MBE) journals and their practices to combat these problems. Design: Data was collected in three phases. First, all publicly retracted papers in MBE journals were identified through keywords searches in 7 major databases (n = 1329 journals). Second, a focused survey was distributed to editors involved in such retractions (n = 64; response rate = 28%). Finally, a survey was administered to all active journals in the seven databases to collect data on editors’ perceptions and practices related to the two problems (n = 937, response rate = 31.8%). Frequency analyses, cross tabulations, and qualitative analyses of open answers were used to examine the data. Results: 184 retracted papers in MBE journals were identified in 2005–2015 (no retraction was found before 2005). From 2005–2007 to 2012–2015, the number of retractions increased by a factor ten with an all-time high in 2015. The survey to journals with reported retractions illustrates how already a few cases of suspected misconduct put a strain on the editorial workload. The survey to all active journals revealed that 42% of the respondents had started to use software to screen all submitted papers, and that a majority recognized the problem of marginality, as indicated by salami-style submissions. According to some editors, reviewers easily spot such submissions whereas others argued that authors may submit thinly sliced papers in parallel to several journals, which means that this practice is only discovered post-publication. The survey question on ways to support creative contributions stimulated a rich response of ideas regarding editorial vision, engaged boards and developmental approaches. The study uses data from three specialized fields, but its findings may be highly relevant to many journals in the social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2016
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180. Experimental Evolution of Trichoderma citrinoviride for Faster Deconstruction of Cellulose.
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Lin, Hui, Travisano, Michael, and Kazlauskas, Romas J.
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TRICHODERMA ,CELLULOSE ,GLUCOSIDASES ,ENZYMOLOGY ,CELLULOSE 1,4-beta-cellobiosidase ,POLYMERASE chain reaction - Abstract
Engineering faster cellulose deconstruction is difficult because it is a complex, cooperative, multi-enzyme process. Here we use experimental evolution to select for populations of Trichoderma citrinoviride that deconstruct up to five-fold more cellulose. Ten replicate populations of T. citrinoviride were selected for growth on filter paper by serial culture. After 125 periods of growth and transfer to fresh media, the filter paper deconstruction increased an average of 2.5 fold. Two populations were examined in more detail. The activity of the secreted cellulase mixtures increased more than two-fold relative to the ancestor and the largest increase was in the extracellular β-glucosidase activity. qPCR showed at least 16-fold more transcribed RNA for egl4 (endoglucanase IV gene), cbh1 (cellobiohydrolase I gene) and bgl1 (extracellular β-glucosidase I gene) in selected populations as compared to the ancestor, and earlier peak expressions of these genes. Deep sequencing shows that the regulatory strategies used to alter cellulase secretion differ in the two strains. The improvements in cellulose deconstruction come from earlier expression of all cellulases and increased relative amount of β-glucosidase, but with small increases in the total secreted protein and therefore little increase in metabolic cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2016
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181. Lignin Engineering in Forest Trees
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Alexandra Chanoca, Lisanne de Vries, and Wout Boerjan
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0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,DOWN-REGULATION ,Mini Review ,lignin ,Plant Science ,lcsh:Plant culture ,PHENYLPROPANOID METABOLISM ,engineering.material ,01 natural sciences ,complex mixtures ,Cell wall ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,BIOMASS RECALCITRANCE ,field trial ,TRANSGENIC POPLARS ,HYBRID POPLAR ,CINNAMYL ALCOHOL-DEHYDROGENASE ,Lignin ,lcsh:SB1-1110 ,A O-METHYLTRANSFERASE ,Hemicellulose ,MUTANT PINE DEFICIENT ,GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION ,Cellulose ,genetic engineering ,Pulp (paper) ,fungi ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,Biology and Life Sciences ,food and beverages ,LIGNOCELLULOSE FRACTIONATION ,15. Life on land ,Pulp and paper industry ,Biorefinery ,030104 developmental biology ,chemistry ,CRISPR ,engineering ,Environmental science ,Tree breeding ,forest trees ,010606 plant biology & botany ,Renewable resource - Abstract
Wood is a renewable resource that is mainly composed of lignin and cell wall polysaccharides. The polysaccharide fraction is valuable as it can be converted into pulp and paper, or into fermentable sugars. On the other hand, the lignin fraction is increasingly being considered a valuable source of aromatic building blocks for the chemical industry. The presence of lignin in wood is one of the major recalcitrance factors in woody biomass processing, necessitating the need for harsh chemical treatments to degrade and extract it prior to the valorization of the cell wall polysaccharides, cellulose and hemicellulose. Over the past years, large research efforts have been devoted to engineering lignin amount and composition to reduce biomass recalcitrance toward chemical processing. We review the efforts made in forest trees, and compare results from greenhouse and field trials. Furthermore, we address the value and potential of CRISPR-based gene editing in lignin engineering and its integration in tree breeding programs.
- Published
- 2019
182. Pyriproxyfen treated surface exposure exhibits reproductive disruption in dengue vector Aedes aegypti
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Rama Rao Ghorpade, D. Sukumaran, Kavita Yadav, Sunil Dhiman, and B. N. Acharya
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0301 basic medicine ,Veterinary medicine ,Insecticides ,Viral Diseases ,Pyridines ,Zygote ,Physiology ,RC955-962 ,Disease Vectors ,Mosquitoes ,Dengue fever ,Dengue Fever ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,Aedes ,Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ,media_common ,Liquid Chromatography ,biology ,Reproduction ,Chromatographic Techniques ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Fecundity ,Body Fluids ,Insects ,Ovaries ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Infectious Diseases ,Blood ,Female ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,Anatomy ,Agrochemicals ,Research Article ,Neglected Tropical Diseases ,Paper ,Arthropoda ,Surface Properties ,media_common.quotation_subject ,030231 tropical medicine ,Fertility ,Ovary ,Aedes aegypti ,Mosquito Vectors ,Research and Analysis Methods ,03 medical and health sciences ,Population Metrics ,Insect growth regulator ,medicine ,Animals ,Population Biology ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Organisms ,Reproductive System ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Blood meal ,medicine.disease ,Tropical Diseases ,Invertebrates ,High Performance Liquid Chromatography ,Insect Vectors ,Species Interactions ,030104 developmental biology ,chemistry ,Pyriproxyfen - Abstract
Background Reduced susceptibility of mosquito vectors to currently used insecticides hampers control interventions. Recently pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator has been demonstrated to effectively reduce the reproductive potential in vector mosquitoes. Methods Pyriproxyfen (PPF), in different concentrations (0.75%, 0.075%, 0.0075%, and 0.00075%) was applied on papers and Indian wild type Aedes aegypti female mosquitoes (N ≥ 20 for each treatment) were exposed onto it as per WHO guidelines, to study the reproductive disruption. PPF concentration on treated papers was quantitatively cross-determined using HPLC method. Reduction in fecundity, fertility and adult emergence in exposed female Ae. aegypti was determined. Abnormal development in ovary and eggs of exposed females was studied microscopically after different time intervals. Results Eggs laid, eggs hatched, pupae formed and adults emerged per female exposed in both before blood meal and after blood meal groups declined significantly from lowest to highest concentration of PPF (F ≥ 5.2; p < 0.02). Adult emergence inhibition in females exposed to PPF before and after blood meal groups ranged from 58.8% [OR = 0.18 (95% CI = 0.09–0.36)] to 79.2% [OR = 0.04 (95% CI = 0.02–0.10)] and 64.4% [OR = 0.12 (95% CI = 0.05–0.28)] to 77.1% [OR = 0.05 (95% CI = 0.02–0.14)] respectively in different concentrations. The probit model used suggested that FI50 (50% fertility inhibition) and EI50 (50% emergence inhibition) were 0.002% (p = 0.82) and 0.0001% (p = 0.99) for females exposed before blood meal, while 0.01% (p = 0.63) and, Author summary Development of resistance against insecticides has challenged mosquito control programmes globally and prompted the research of alternative options that can complement insecticides. An insect growth regulator, pyriproxyfen (PPF) usage against mosquitoes can effectively reduce the vector population. PPF mainly inhibits the metamorphosis of mosquito larvae into pupae and prevent the adult emergence, therefore it is generally applied in mosquito breeding habitats. PPF has been shown to exhibit delayed residual effect that may impair the reproductive capacity by affecting the survival, fecundity and fertility of adult mosquito exposed through tarsal contact. Presently, the effectiveness of different concentrations of PPF intended to be delivered through contact have been evaluated against dengue vector Ae. aegypti. Results suggested that very low PPF concentration treated surfaces drastically reduce the fecundity, fertility and adult emergence in mosquitoes. Study suggests that control interventions based on PPF-treated surfaces could provide an additional route to target mosquito vector control by overall population density reduction.
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- 2019
183. COVIPENDIUM: information available to support the development of medical countermeasures and interventions against COVID-19
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Martine Denis, Valerie Vandeweerd, Rein Verbeeke, Anne Laudisoit, Tristan Reid, Emma Hobbs, Laure Wynants, and Diane Van der Vliet
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animal health ,SARS-CoV-2 ,public health ,review ,Biology and Life Sciences ,COVID-19 ,CORONAVIRUS ,vaccines ,living paper ,clinical ,animal models ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,therapeutics ,diagnostics ,epidemiology - Abstract
The COVIPENDIUM was conceived asaliving paper on the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Itprovides a structured compilation of scientific data about the virus, the disease and its control.Its objective is to help scientists identify the most relevant publications on COVID-19 in the wealth of information that appears every day. It is also expected to foster a global understanding of disease control and stimulate transdisciplinary initiatives. This version dated October 20 is the final version of the document. It is a publication of the journal Transciplinary Insights.
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- 2020
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184. Microfiber release from real soiled consumer laundry and the impact of fabric care products and washing conditions
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Kelly J. Sheridan, Neil Joseph Lant, Madusha M D Peththawadu, John R. Dean, and Adam S. Hayward
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business.product_category ,Polymers ,Laundry ,Surfactants ,Microplastics ,Wastewater ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Geographical Locations ,Filter Paper ,Animal Products ,Wash load ,Fiber ,Organic Chemicals ,Polarized Light Microscopy ,Materials ,Microscopy ,Family Characteristics ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,Chemistry ,Wool ,Textiles ,Light Microscopy ,Agriculture ,C700 ,Pulp and paper industry ,Fibers ,Laboratory Equipment ,Europe ,Lower incidence ,Macromolecules ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Plastics ,Research Article ,Polyesters ,Science ,Materials Science ,Detergents ,Equipment ,Research and Analysis Methods ,03 medical and health sciences ,Microfiber ,Laundering ,030304 developmental biology ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Filter paper ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Water ,Polymer Chemistry ,People and Places ,North America ,business ,Water Pollutants, Chemical - Abstract
Fiber release during domestic textile washing is a cause of marine microplastic pollution, but better understanding of the magnitude of the issue and role of fabric care products, appliances and washing cycles is needed. Soiled consumer wash loads from U.K. households were found to release a mean of 114 ± 66.8 ppm (mg microfiber per kg fabric) (n = 79) fibers during typical washing conditions and these were mainly composed of natural fibers. Microfiber release decreased with increasing wash load size and hence decreasing water to fabric ratio, with mean microfiber release from wash loads in the mass range 1.0-3.5 kg (n = 57) found to be 132.4 ± 68.6 ppm, significantly (p = 3.3 x 10-8) higher than the 66.3 ± 27.0 ppm of those in the 3.5-6.0 kg range (n = 22). In further tests with similar soiled consumer wash loads, moving to colder and quicker washing cycles (i.e. 15°C for 30 mins, as opposed to 40°C for 85 mins) significantly reduced microfiber generation by 30% (p = 0.036) and reduced whiteness loss by 42% (p = 0.000) through reduced dye transfer and soil re-deposition, compared to conventional 40°C cycles. In multicycle technical testing, detergent pods were selected for investigation and found to have no impact on microfiber release compared to washing in water alone. Fabric softeners were also found to have no direct impact on microfiber release in testing under both European and North American washing conditions. Extended testing of polyester fleece garments up to a 48-wash cycle history under European conditions found that microfiber release significantly reduced to a consistent low level of 28.7 ± 10.9 ppm from eight through 64 washes. Emerging North American High-Efficiency top-loading washing machines generated significantly lower microfiber release than traditional top-loading machines, likely due to their lower water fill volumes and hence lower water to fabric ratio, with a 69.7% reduction observed for polyester fleece (n = 32, p = 7.9 x 10-6) and 37.4% reduction for polyester T-shirt (n = 32, p = 0.0032). These results conclude that consumers can directly reduce the levels of microfibers generated per wash during domestic textile washing by using colder and quicker wash cycles, washing complete (but not overfilled) loads, and (in North America) converting to High-Efficiency washing machines. Moving to colder and quicker cycles will also indirectly reduce microfiber release by extending the lifetime of clothing, leading to fewer new garments being purchased and hence lower incidence of the high microfiber release occurring during the first few washes of a new item.
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- 2020
185. LifeWatch observatory data: phytoplankton observations in the Belgian Part of the North Sea
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J. Mortelmans, E. Debusschere, Luz Amadei Martínez, Klaas Deneudt, and Nick Dillen
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0106 biological sciences ,Algae ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Traceability ,LONG-TERM ,IMPACT ,Biodiversity & Conservation ,Western Europe ,01 natural sciences ,Convolutional neural network ,COMMUNITY COMPOSITION ,Belgium ,Observatory ,Phytoplankton ,14. Life underwater ,Protozoa ,Plantae ,FlowCAM ,lcsh:QH301-705.5 ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Bacillariophyceae ,Ecology ,Data curation ,Contextual image classification ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Sampling (statistics) ,marine ,LifeWatch Belgium ,Data Paper (Biosciences) ,Dinophyta ,Europe ,Metadata ,image recognition ,lcsh:Biology (General) ,HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS ,phytoplankton ,PLANKTON ,Environmental science ,Cartography - Abstract
This paper describes a phytoplankton data series generated through systematic observations in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS). Phytoplankton samples were collected during multidisciplinary sampling campaigns, visiting nine nearshore stations with monthly frequency and an additional eight offshore stations on a seasonal basis. The data series contain taxon-specific phytoplankton densities determined by analysis with the Flow Cytometer And Microscope (FlowCAM®) and associated image-based classification. The classification is performed by two separate semi-automated classification systems, followed by manual validation by taxonomic experts. To date, 637,819 biological particles have been collected and identified, yielding a large dataset of validated phytoplankton images. The collection and processing of the 2017–2018 dataset are described, along with its data curation, quality control and data storage. In addition, the classification of images using image classification algorithms, based on convolutional neural networks (CNN) from 2019 onwards, is also described. Data are published in a standardised format together with environmental parameters, accompanied by extensive metadata descriptions and finally labelled with digital identifiers for traceability. The data are published under a CC‐BY 4.0 licence, allowing the use of the data under the condition of providing the reference to the source.
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- 2020
186. Oral delivery of water-soluble compounds to the phytoseiid mite Neoseiulus californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae)
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Takeshi Suzuki and Noureldin Abuelfadl Ghazy
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0106 biological sciences ,Life Cycles ,Biological pest control ,01 natural sciences ,Biochemistry ,Predation ,Toxicology ,Larvae ,RNA interference ,Filter Paper ,immune system diseases ,Group-Specific Staining ,Acari ,Staining ,Larva ,Mites ,Fluids ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,integumentary system ,Physics ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Laboratory Equipment ,Nucleic acids ,Genetic interference ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Engineering and Technology ,Epigenetics ,Female ,Research Article ,Phytoseiidae ,States of Matter ,Arthropoda ,Science ,Equipment ,Tracer Dye Staining ,Research and Analysis Methods ,010603 evolutionary biology ,Xenobiotics ,Gene Delivery ,parasitic diseases ,Mite ,Genetics ,Gene Expression and Vector Techniques ,Animals ,Pesticides ,Molecular Biology Techniques ,Pest Control, Biological ,Molecular Biology ,Acaridae ,Molecular Biology Assays and Analysis Techniques ,business.industry ,Pest control ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Liquids ,Pesticide ,biology.organism_classification ,Invertebrates ,respiratory tract diseases ,High-Throughput Screening Assays ,010602 entomology ,Solubility ,Specimen Preparation and Treatment ,Predatory Behavior ,RNA ,Gene expression ,Pest Control ,business ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Phytoseiids are predatory mites that prey on other mites and small arthropods, and several species are used in commercial agriculture for biological control of pests. To optimize phytoseiid mites' use in biocontrol, an efficient method for oral delivery of test compounds is required to assess their sensitivities to pesticides, RNAi for gene functional analysis and artificial diets. Here we developed four methods for oral delivery of a solution of xenobiotics to different life stages of the commercially available generalist predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus: (i) soaking mites in the solution, or allowing them to feed on (ii) spider mites soaked in the solution, (iii) a solution droplet, or (iv) solution-saturated filter paper. As measured by ingestion of a tracer dye, the droplet-based feeding system was most efficient; the dye was observed in the alimentary canal of >90% test mites of all life stages, with no mortality. The droplet-based feeding system was also effective for the commercially available specialist predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis, with >80% delivery efficiency. This study paves the way for development of methods for high-throughput RNAi and for toxicological or nutritional assays in phytoseiid mites.
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- 2019
187. Efficacy of indoor residual spraying with broflanilide (TENEBENAL), a novel meta-diamide insecticide, against pyrethroid-resistant anopheline vectors in northern Tanzania: An experimental hut trial
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Graham J. Small, Ezekia Kisengwa, Mark Rowland, Baltazari Manunda, Janneke Snetselaar, Franklin W. Mosha, Matthew J. Kirby, and David Malone
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Insecticides ,Mosquito Control ,Physiology ,Indoor residual spraying ,Disease Vectors ,Mosquitoes ,Tanzania ,Toxicology ,Insecticide Resistance ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Medical Conditions ,Filter Paper ,Pyrethrins ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Mud ,Multidisciplinary ,Pyrethroid ,biology ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Mineralogy ,Body Fluids ,Insects ,Laboratory Equipment ,Infectious Diseases ,Blood ,qx_510 ,Benzamides ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Anatomy ,Agrochemicals ,Research Article ,Arthropoda ,Death Rates ,Science ,Equipment ,wa_395 ,Mosquito Vectors ,Population Metrics ,Anopheles ,parasitic diseases ,qx_600 ,medicine ,Anopheles arabiensis ,Parasitic Diseases ,Animals ,Prototypes ,Humans ,Cross-resistance ,Population Biology ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,wa_240 ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Tropical Diseases ,Invertebrates ,Insect Vectors ,Malaria ,wc_750 ,Species Interactions ,Technology Development ,chemistry ,Insecticide resistance ,Earth Sciences ,Broflanilide ,Zoology ,Entomology - Abstract
Novel chemistry for vector control is urgently needed to counter insecticide resistance in mosquitoes. Here a new meta-diamide insecticide, broflanilide (TENEBENALTM), was evaluated in East African experimental huts in Moshi, northern Tanzania. Two consecutive experimental hut trials with broflanilide 50WP were conducted; the first evaluating the efficacy of three concentrations, 50 mg/m2, 100 mg/m2, and 200 mg/m2 using a prototype formulation, and the second trial evaluating an improved formulation. The IRS treatments were applied on both mud and concrete surfaces and efficacy was monitored over time. The mortality, blood-feeding inhibition and exiting behaviour of free-flying wild mosquitoes was compared between treatment arms. Additionally, cone assays with pyrethroid-susceptible and resistant mosquito strains were conducted in the huts to determine residual efficacy. The first trial showed a dosage-mortality response of the prototype formulation and 3–8 months of residual activity, with longer activity on concrete than mud. The second trial with an improved formulation showed prolonged residual efficacy of the 100 mg/m2 concentration to 5–6 months on mud, and mosquito mortality on the concrete surface ranged between 94–100% for the full duration of the trial. In both trials, results with free-flying, wild Anopheles arabiensis echoed the mortality trend shown in cone assays, with the highest dose inducing the highest mortality and the improved formulation showing increased mortality rates. No blood-feeding inhibition or insecticide-induced exiting effects were observed with broflanilide. Broflanilide 50WP was effective against both susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant mosquito strains, demonstrating an absence of cross resistance between broflanilide and pyrethroids. The improved formulation, which has now been branded VECTRONTM T500, resulted in a prolonged residual efficacy. These results indicate the potential of this insecticide as an addition to the arsenal of IRS products needed to maintain both control of malaria and resistance management of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.
- Published
- 2021
188. Evaluation of conventional and four real-time PCR methods for the detection of Leishmania on field-collected samples in Ethiopia
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Myrthe Pareyn, Johan van Griensven, Herwig Leirs, Dagimawie Tadesse, Lieselotte Cnops, Nigatu Eligo, Mekibib Kassa, Behailu Merdekios, Bart Jacobs, Guy Caljon, and Jean-Pierre Van Geertruyden
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RC955-962 ,Artificial Gene Amplification and Extension ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Parasite Load ,18S ribosomal RNA ,law.invention ,Geographical Locations ,Medical Conditions ,Filter Paper ,law ,Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Zoonoses ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Leishmaniasis ,DNA extraction ,Polymerase chain reaction ,Skin ,Leishmania ,Protozoans ,biology ,DNA, Kinetoplast ,Eukaryota ,Laboratory Equipment ,Infectious Diseases ,Real-time polymerase chain reaction ,Engineering and Technology ,RNA extraction ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,Cellular Structures and Organelles ,Algorithms ,Research Article ,Neglected Tropical Diseases ,Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous ,Equipment ,Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Specimen Handling ,Signs and Symptoms ,Extraction techniques ,Leishmania aethiopica ,Cutaneous leishmaniasis ,parasitic diseases ,Parasitic Diseases ,medicine ,Molecular Biology Techniques ,Molecular Biology ,Protozoan Infections ,Organisms ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Biology and Life Sciences ,RNA ,Cell Biology ,DNA, Protozoan ,Tropical Diseases ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Virology ,Parasitic Protozoans ,Kinetoplasts ,People and Places ,Africa ,Lesions ,Ethiopia ,Human medicine ,Clinical Medicine - Abstract
In most low-resource settings, microscopy still is the standard method for diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis, despite its limited sensitivity. In Ethiopia, the more sensitive molecular methods are not yet routinely used. This study compared five PCR methods with microscopy on two sample types collected from patients with a suspected lesion to advise on optimal diagnosis of Leishmania aethiopica. Between May and July 2018, skin scrapings (SS) and blood exudate from the lesion spotted on filter paper (dry blood spot, DBS) were collected for PCR from 111 patients of four zones in Southern Ethiopia. DNA and RNA were simultaneously extracted from both sample types. DNA was evaluated by a conventional PCR targeting ITS-1 and three probe-based real-time PCRs: one targeting the SSU 18S rRNA and two targeting the kDNA minicircle sequence (the ‘Mary kDNA PCR’ and a newly designed ‘LC kDNA PCR’ for improved L. aethiopica detection). RNAs were tested with a SYBR Green-based RT-PCR targeting spliced leader (SL) RNA. Giemsa-stained SS smears were examined by microscopy. Of the 111 SS, 100 were positive with at least two methods. Sensitivity of microscopy, ITS PCR, SSU PCR, Mary kDNA PCR, LC kDNA PCR and SL RNA PCR were respectively 52%, 22%, 64%, 99%, 100% and 94%. Microscopy-based parasite load correlated well with real-time PCR Ct-values. Despite suboptimal sample storage for RNA detection, the SL RNA PCR resulted in congruent results with low Ct-values. DBS collected from the same lesion showed lower PCR positivity rates compared to SS. The kDNA PCRs showed excellent performance for diagnosis of L. aethiopica on SS. Lower-cost SL RNA detection can be a complementary high-throughput tool. DBS can be used for PCR in case microscopy is negative, the SS sample can be sent to the referral health facility where kDNA PCR method is available., Author summary Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease and causing a public health problem in Ethiopia. Microscopy is still the standard method for detection of the parasite in Ethiopia, and also in many other low resource settings. A more sensitive method is needed for timely diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we compared five molecular methods on samples collected from patients with a skin lesion suspected of cutaneous leishmaniasis to advice on optimal diagnosis of L. aethiopica. We collected two sample types from the same lesion (skin scrapings and lesion fluid on filter paper) and isolated both DNA and RNA of them. Majority (90.1%) of the samples from skin scrapings were positive in two or more methods and the molecular methods had a higher sensitivity than the conventional methods. Interestingly, we evaluated for the first time a new molecular method designed to improve L. aethiopica detection. Also, we showed that RNA detection performed well for samples that were collected under difficult field conditions. Samples collected on filter paper showed less positive results than skin scraped samples, but could still be the method of choice for easy sampling and transport in resource-limited settings as it performed better than microscopy.
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- 2021
189. The effects of sleep loss on young drivers’ performance: A systematic review.
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Shekari Soleimanloo, Shamsi, White, Melanie J., Garcia-Hansen, Veronica, and Smith, Simon S.
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SLEEP ,DECISION making ,HEALTH outcome assessment ,CHRONOBIOLOGY ,NEUROLOGY ,ACCIDENTS - Abstract
Young drivers (18–24 years) are over-represented in sleep-related crashes (comprising one in five fatal crashes in developed countries) primarily due to decreased sleep opportunity, lower tolerance for sleep loss, and ongoing maturation of brain areas associated with driving-related decision making. Impaired driving performance is the proximal reason for most car crashes. There is still a limited body of evidence examining the effects of sleep loss on young drivers’ performance, with discrepancies in the methodologies used, and in the definition of outcomes. This study aimed to identify the direction and magnitude of the effects of sleep loss on young drivers’ performance, and to appraise the quality of current evidence via a systematic review. Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses (PRISMA) approach, 16 eligible studies were selected for review, and their findings summarised. Next, critical elements of these studies were identified, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines augmented to rate those elements. Using those criteria, the quality of individual papers was calculated and the overall body of evidence for each driving outcome were assigned a quality ranking (from ‘very low’ to ‘high-quality’). Two metrics, the standard deviation of lateral position and number of line crossings, were commonly reported outcomes (although in an overall ‘low-quality’ body of evidence), with significant impairments after sleep loss identified in 50% of studies. While speed-related outcomes and crash events (also with very low- quality evidence) both increased under chronic sleep loss, discrepant findings were reported under conditions of acute total sleep deprivation. It is crucial to obtain more reliable data about the effects of sleep loss on young drivers’ performance by using higher quality experimental designs, adopting common protocols, and the use of consistent metrics and reporting of findings based on GRADE criteria and the PRISMA statement. Key words: Young drivers, sleep loss, driving performance, PRISMA, the GRADE, systematic review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2017
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- View/download PDF
190. Relative Citation Ratio (RCR): A New Metric That Uses Citation Rates to Measure Influence at the Article Level.
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Hutchins, B. Ian, Yuan, Xin, Anderson, James M., and Santangelo, George M.
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CITATION indexes ,CITATION networks ,PUBLISHED articles ,IMPACT factor (Citation analysis) ,JOURNAL productivity - Abstract
Despite their recognized limitations, bibliometric assessments of scientific productivity have been widely adopted. We describe here an improved method to quantify the influence of a research article by making novel use of its co-citation network to field-normalize the number of citations it has received. Article citation rates are divided by an expected citation rate that is derived from performance of articles in the same field and benchmarked to a peer comparison group. The resulting Relative Citation Ratio is article level and field independent and provides an alternative to the invalid practice of using journal impact factors to identify influential papers. To illustrate one application of our method, we analyzed 88,835 articles published between 2003 and 2010 and found that the National Institutes of Health awardees who authored those papers occupy relatively stable positions of influence across all disciplines. We demonstrate that the values generated by this method strongly correlate with the opinions of subject matter experts in biomedical research and suggest that the same approach should be generally applicable to articles published in all areas of science. A beta version of iCite, our web tool for calculating Relative Citation Ratios of articles listed in PubMed, is available at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2016
- Full Text
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191. A comparison of haematopoietic stem cells from umbilical cord blood and peripheral blood for platelet production in a microfluidic device
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Veerle Compernolle, Rosalie Devloo, Dominique Baruch, Katrijn R. Six, Géraldine Sicot, and Hendrik B. Feys
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HUMAN MEGAKARYOCYTES ,Receptor expression ,Antigens, CD34 ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,CD49b ,Blood Component Collection and Production ,0302 clinical medicine ,Refrigeration ,Lab-On-A-Chip Devices ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Platelet ,Microscopy ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Chemistry ,Integrin beta3 ,Cell Differentiation ,Hematology ,General Medicine ,Fetal Blood ,Flow Cytometry ,CD34(+) CELLS ,Actin Cytoskeleton ,Haematopoiesis ,Phenotype ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Platelet Glycoprotein GPIb-IX Complex ,tissue engineering ,platelets ,Stem cell ,Megakaryocytes ,megakaryopoiesis ,Blood Platelets ,Platelet Membrane Glycoprotein IIb ,BONE-MARROW ,Cell Line ,Flow cytometry ,03 medical and health sciences ,stem cells ,medicine ,Humans ,Cell Proliferation ,Original Paper ,Biology and Life Sciences ,IN-VITRO ,haematopoiesis ,Hematopoietic Stem Cells ,Actin cytoskeleton ,Molecular biology ,Bone marrow ,GENERATION ,030215 immunology - Abstract
Background and objectives: Several sources of haematopoietic stem cells have been used for static culture of megakaryocytes to produce platelets in vitro. This study compares and characterizes platelets produced in shear flow using precursor cells from either umbilical (UCB) or adult peripheral blood (PB). Materials and methods: The efficiency of platelet production of the cultured cells was studied after perfusion in custom-built von Willebrand factor-coated microfluidic flow chambers. Platelet receptor expression and morphology were investigated by flow cytometry and microscopy, respectively. Results: Proliferation of stem cells isolated out of UCB was significantly higher (P < 0 center dot 0001) compared to PB. Differentiation of these cells towards megakaryocytes was significantly lower from PB compared to UCB where the fraction of CD42b/CD41 double positive events was 44 +/- 9% versus 76 +/- 11%, respectively (P < 0 center dot 0001). However, in vitro platelet production under hydrodynamic conditions was more efficient with 7 center dot 4 platelet-like particles per input cell from PB compared to 4 center dot 2 from UCB (P = 0 center dot 02). The percentage of events positive for CD42b, CD41 and CD61 was comparable between both stem cell sources. The mean number of receptors per platelet from UCB and PB was similar to that on blood bank platelets with on average 28 000 CD42b, 57 000 CD61 and 5500 CD49b receptors. Microscopy revealed platelets appearing similar to blood bank platelets in morphology, size and actin cytoskeleton, alongside smaller fragments and source megakaryocytes. Conclusion: This characterization study suggests that platelets produced in vitro under flow either from UCB or from PB share receptor expression and morphology with donor platelets stored in the blood bank.
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- 2019
192. Deciphering myeloid-derived suppressor cells: isolation and markers in humans, mice and non-human primates
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Marco A. Cassatella, Anna Bujko, Espen S. Baekkevold, Sven Brandau, Ang Lin, Gosse J. Adema, Patrizia Scapini, Carsten Krieg, Karin Loré, Olivia Marini, Mikael Roussel, Anca Dorhoi, Viktor Umansky, Jeffrey W. Pollard, Luca Cassetta, University of Edinburgh, University of Oslo (UiO), Universitätsklinikum Essen [Universität Duisburg-Essen] (Uniklinik Essen), Università degli studi di Verona = University of Verona (UNIVR), Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (MPIIB), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, Medical University of South Carolina [Charleston] (MUSC), Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm], Microenvironment, Cell Differentiation, Immunology and Cancer (MICMAC), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Structure Fédérative de Recherche en Biologie et Santé de Rennes ( Biosit : Biologie - Santé - Innovation Technologique ), Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim, German Cancer Research Center - Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum [Heidelberg] (DKFZ), Radboud University Medical Center [Nijmegen], Wellcome Trust [101067/Z/13/Z], Medical Research Council [MR/N022556/1], Dutch cancer Society [KUN2013-6111, 11266], COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), COST Action [BM1404], Villa Joep, de STOPHT stichting, China Scholarship Council, Karolinska Institutet, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) [IG20339], Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Universita e della Ricerca [PRIN 2015YYKPNN], Jonchère, Laurent, University of Verona (UNIVR), Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), and Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Structure Fédérative de Recherche en Biologie et Santé de Rennes ( Biosit : Biologie - Santé - Innovation Technologique )
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Cancer Research ,Myeloid ,Mouse ,Neutrophils ,Cancer development and immune defence Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences [Radboudumc 2] ,Human ,Mye-EUNITER ,Myeloid-derived suppressor cells ,Non-human primates ,Medizin ,DONORS ,Cell Separation ,Disease ,Symposium-in-Writing Paper ,ARGINASE ,Mice ,0302 clinical medicine ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Immunology and Allergy ,biology ,HUMAN NEUTROPHILS ,EXPANSION ,CANCER ,3. Good health ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Oncology ,Antibody ,medicine.symptom ,EXPRESSION ,Primates ,BONE-MARROW ,Immunology ,[SDV.CAN]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Cancer ,Inflammation ,Context (language use) ,Immunophenotyping ,03 medical and health sciences ,All institutes and research themes of the Radboud University Medical Center ,Immune system ,[SDV.CAN] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Cancer ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Mass cytometry ,ACCUMULATION ,Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells ,IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE ACTIVITY ,Biology and Life Sciences ,T-CELLS ,biology.protein ,Myeloid-derived Suppressor Cell ,Biomarkers ,030215 immunology - Abstract
International audience; In cancer, infection and inflammation, the immune system's function can be dysregulated. Instead of fighting disease, immune cells may increase pathology and suppress host-protective immune responses. Myeloid cells show high plasticity and adapt to changing conditions and pathological challenges. Despite their relevance in disease pathophysiology, the identity, heterogeneity and biology of myeloid cells is still poorly understood. We will focus on phenotypical and functional markers of one of the key myeloid regulatory subtypes, the myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), in humans, mice and non-human primates. Technical issues regarding the isolation of the cells from tissues and blood, timing and sample handling of MDSC will be detailed. Localization of MDSC in a tissue context is of crucial importance and immunohistochemistry approaches for this purpose are discussed. A minimal antibody panel for MDSC research is provided as part of the Mye-EUNITER COST action. Strategies for the identification of additional markers applying state of the art technologies such as mass cytometry will be highlighted. Such marker sets can be used to study MDSC phenotypes across tissues, diseases as well as species and will be crucial to accelerate MDSC research in health and disease.
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- 2019
193. Method for coregistration of optical measurements of breast tissue with histopathology: the importance of accounting for tissue deformations
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Esther Kho, Theo J.M. Ruers, Leon C. ter Beek, Lisanne L. de Boer, Koen Van de Vijver, Henricus J. C. M. Sterenborg, Jasper Nijkamp, CCA - Imaging and biomarkers, Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Technical Medicine, and Nanobiophysics
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Computer science ,H&E stain ,01 natural sciences ,Atomic and Molecular Physics ,REPRODUCIBILITY ,Validation ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ,Breast ,validation ,Breast tissue ,Optical Imaging ,Gold standard ,gold standard ,registration algorithm ,diffuse reflectance ,CANCER ,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,VARIABILITY ,Registration algorithm ,histopathology ,Diffuse reflectance ,Female ,Tomography ,Algorithms ,MRI ,Paper ,MARGIN ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Optical measurements ,Biomedical Engineering ,Image registration ,Histopathology ,Breast Neoplasms ,Accounting ,010309 optics ,Biomaterials ,0103 physical sciences ,Electronic ,medicine ,Humans ,Optical and Magnetic Materials ,Optical techniques ,General ,Histocytological Preparation Techniques ,business.industry ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Reproducibility of Results ,Optics ,Tissue characterization ,Gold standard (test) ,SPECIMENS ,PATHOLOGY ,business ,optical techniques - Abstract
For the validation of optical diagnostic technologies, experimental results need to be benchmarked against the gold standard. Currently, the gold standard for tissue characterization is assessment of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained sections by a pathologist. When processing tissue into H&E sections, the shape of the tissue deforms with respect to the initial shape when it was optically measured. We demonstrate the importance of accounting for these tissue deformations when correlating optical measurement with routinely acquired histopathology. We propose a method to register the tissue in the H&E sections to the optical measurements, which corrects for these tissue deformations. We compare the registered H&E sections to H&E sections that were registered with an algorithm that does not account for tissue deformations by evaluating both the shape and the composition of the tissue and using microcomputer tomography data as an independent measure. The proposed method, which did account for tissue deformations, was more accurate than the method that did not account for tissue deformations. These results emphasize the need for a registration method that accounts for tissue deformations, such as the method presented in this study, which can aid in validating optical techniques for clinical use. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License.
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- 2019
194. Overcoming challenges in variant calling: exploring sequence diversity in candidate genes for plant development in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)
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Hilde Muylle, Stephen Byrne, Elisabeth Veeckman, Frederik van Parijs, Sabine Van Glabeke, Tom Ruttink, Antje Rohde, Klaas Vandepoele, Isabel Roldán-Ruiz, Annelies Haegeman, Bruno Studer, and Torben Asp
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0106 biological sciences ,Germplasm ,Candidate gene ,LINKAGE DISEQUILIBRIUM ,FLOWERING TIME ,Outbreeding depression ,Sequence assembly ,Locus (genetics) ,Biology ,Genes, Plant ,01 natural sciences ,Genetic analysis ,allele reconstruction ,genomic diversity ,Nucleotide diversity ,03 medical and health sciences ,Lolium ,LOCUS ,Genetics ,natural variation ,NUCLEOTIDE DIVERSITY ,PHYLOGENIES ,Molecular Biology ,Alleles ,030304 developmental biology ,Genetic association ,0303 health sciences ,Polymorphism, Genetic ,variant calling ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,targeted resequencing ,General Medicine ,Full Papers ,GENOME ,Plant Breeding ,ALIGNMENT ,Evolutionary biology ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Revealing DNA sequence variation within the Lolium perenne genepool is important for genetic analysis and development of breeding applications. We reviewed current literature on plant development to select candidate genes in pathways that control agronomic traits, and identified 503 orthologues in L. perenne. Using targeted resequencing, we constructed a comprehensive catalogue of genomic variation for a L. perenne germplasm collection of 736 genotypes derived from current cultivars, breeding material and wild accessions. To overcome challenges of variant calling in heterogeneous outbreeding species, we used two complementary strategies to explore sequence diversity. First, four variant calling pipelines were integrated with the VariantMetaCaller to reach maximal sensitivity. Additional multiplex amplicon sequencing was used to empirically estimate an appropriate precision threshold. Second, a de novo assembly strategy was used to reconstruct divergent alleles for each gene. The advantage of this approach was illustrated by discovery of 28 novel alleles of LpSDUF247, a polymorphic gene co-segregating with the S-locus of the grass self-incompatibility system. Our approach is applicable to other genetically diverse outbreeding species. The resulting collection of functionally annotated variants can be mined for variants causing phenotypic variation, either through genetic association studies, or by selecting carriers of rare defective alleles for physiological analyses.
- Published
- 2018
195. The GpIA7 effector from the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida targets potato EBP1 and interferes with the plant cell cycle programme
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Catherine J. Lilley, Peter Thorpe, Kathryn M. Wright, Sophie Mantelin, Peter E. Urwin, Mirela C Coke, John T. Jones, Adams Chande, Daniel S. Shaw, Murray, James, University of St Andrews. School of Biology, University of St Andrews. Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, and University of St Andrews. St Andrews Bioinformatics Unit
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EXPRESSION ,Physiology ,nematode ,ERBB-3 BINDING-PROTEIN ,NDAS ,Potato cyst nematode ,ENDOREPLICATION ,QH426 Genetics ,Plant Science ,Cell cycle ,endoreduplication ,ENDOREDUPLICATION ,Epidermal growth factor ,SB Plant culture ,Endoreduplication ,Globodera pallida ,TRANSCRIPTOME ,QH426 ,SB ,Potato RBR1 ,RBR1 ,cyclin D3 ,biology ,Effector ,AcademicSubjects/SCI01210 ,fungi ,PROLIFERATION ,food and beverages ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Research Papers ,TRANSFORMATION ,Cell biology ,GLOBAL ANALYSIS ,Nematode ,DIFFERENTIATION ,Plant—Environment Interactions ,EBP1 ,REPLICATION ,potato ,Ectopic expression - Abstract
The potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida acquires all of its nutrients from an elaborate feeding site that it establishes in a host plant root. Normal development of the root cells is re-programmed in a process coordinated by secreted nematode effector proteins. The biological function of the G. pallida GpIA7 effector was investigated in this study. GpIA7 is specifically expressed in the subventral pharyngeal glands of pre-parasitic stage nematodes. Ectopic expression of GpIA7 in potato plants affected plant growth and development, suggesting a potential role for this effector in feeding site establishment. Potato plants overexpressing GpIA7 were shorter, with reduced tuber weight and delayed flowering. We provide evidence that GpIA7 associates with the plant growth regulator StEBP1 (ErbB-3 epidermal growth factor receptor-binding protein 1). GpIA7 modulates the regulatory function of StEBP1, altering the expression level of downstream target genes, including ribonucleotide reductase 2, cyclin D3;1, and retinoblastoma related 1, which are down-regulated in plants overexpressing GpIA7. We provide an insight into the molecular mechanism used by the nematode to manipulate the host cell cycle and demonstrate that this may rely, at least in part, on hindering the function of host EBP1., We report the first secreted nematode effector protein that can alter the expression of key host cell cycle components by modulating the regulatory function of a plant growth regulator.
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- 2021
196. Comparison of different preparation techniques of dried blood spot quality controls in newborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia
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Nóra Grecsó, Ákos Baráth, Péter Monostori, Gábor Rácz, Zsolt Galla, Anita Zádori, and Csaba Bereczki
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Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia ,Physiology ,Systems Engineering ,Biochemistry ,Mass Spectrometry ,Cortisol ,Analytical Chemistry ,Medical Conditions ,Spectrum Analysis Techniques ,Filter Paper ,Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry ,Tandem Mass Spectrometry ,Animal Cells ,Red Blood Cells ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,03.02. Klinikai orvostan ,Lipid Hormones ,Dried blood ,Liquid Chromatography ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone ,Chromatographic Techniques ,Dried blood spot ,Body Fluids ,Laboratory Equipment ,Chemistry ,Blood ,Genetic Diseases ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Engineering and Technology ,Steroids ,Anatomy ,Cellular Types ,Research Article ,Analyte ,Science ,Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ,Cortodoxone ,Equipment ,Steroid biosynthesis ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Neonatal Screening ,Autosomal Recessive Diseases ,medicine ,Humans ,Congenital adrenal hyperplasia ,Clinical Genetics ,Reproducibility ,Newborn screening ,Steroid Hormones ,Chromatography ,Blood Cells ,Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital ,business.industry ,Organic Chemistry ,Androstenedione ,Infant, Newborn ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Cell Biology ,medicine.disease ,Hormones ,Dried Blood Spot Testing ,business ,Quality Assurance - Abstract
In newborn screening, samples suspected for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a potentially lethal inborn error of steroid biosynthesis, need to be confirmed using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Daily quality controls (QCs) for the 2nd-tier CAH assay are not commercially available and are therefore generally prepared within the laboratory. For the first time, we aimed to compare five different QC preparation approaches used in routine diagnostics for CAH on the concentrations of cortisol, 21-deoxycortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, 4-androstenedione and 17-hydroxyprogesterone in dried blood spots. The techniques from Prep1 to Prep5 were tested at two analyte concentrations by spiking aliquots of a steroid-depleted blood, derived from washed erythrocyte suspension and steroid-depleted serum. The preparation processes differed in the sequence of the preparation steps and whether freeze-thaw cycles were used to facilitate blood homogeneity. The five types of dried blood spot QCs were assayed and quantitated in duplicate on five different days using a single calibration row per day. Inter-assay variations less than 15% and concentrations within ±15% of the nominal values were considered acceptable. Results obtained by means of the four dried blood spot QC preparation techniques (Prep1, Prep2, Prep4 and Prep5) were statistically similar and remained within the ±15% ranges in terms of both reproducibility and nominal values. However, concentration results for Prep3 (spiking prior to three freeze-thaw cycles) were significantly lower than the nominal values in this setting, with differences exceeding the ±15% range in many cases despite acceptable inter-assay variations. These findings have implications for the in-house preparation of QC samples in laboratory developed tests for CAH, including 2nd-tier assays in newborn screening.
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- 2021
197. Analysing organic micropollutant accumulation in closed loop FO-RO systems : a pilot plant study
- Author
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Emile Cornelissen, Arnout D'Haese, Arne Verliefde, Juan Carlos Ortega Bravo, Lynn Vanhaecke, David Jeison, and D.J.H. Harmsen
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Closed loop ,PHARMACEUTICALS ,Forward osmosis ,Filtration and Separation ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,MEMBRANES ,01 natural sciences ,Biochemistry ,Transport modelling ,Tap water ,DRINKING ,CONTAMINANTS ,General Materials Science ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Reverse osmosis ,Concentration polarization ,Chemistry ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Permeation ,PERFORMANCE ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Pulp and paper industry ,OSMOSIS ,DIFFUSION ,TRANSPORT ,0104 chemical sciences ,Pilot plant ,Membrane ,REJECTION ,0210 nano-technology ,COEFFICIENTS - Abstract
Long-term operation of a forward osmosis – reverse osmosis (FO–RO) closed loop pilot plant is presented. The system was fed with a single batch of clean tap water into which organic micropollutants were spiked; RO permeate was recirculated to the FO feed. The system was operated in two different runs, with NaCl and MgCl2 as draw solutes. Over the course of the pilot plant trials, the organic micropollutants migrated into the draw solution closed-loop, reaching an equilibrium with the FO feed. This implies that there was strong accumulation of the organic micropollutants in the draw solution, up to a factor of 50 relative to the FO feed. FO rejection was variable between 55 and 91% for the different micropollutants, while RO rejection was high in all cases: in excess of 99% for all but one organic micropollutant. The extent of micropollutant accumulation in the draw solution was related to high RO selectivity and internal concentration polarization within the FO membrane’s support layer. In turn, FO permeability and the extent of accumulation were found to correlate negatively: well-rejected compounds accumulated slower in the draw solution loop, but to a higher extent. The FO membrane’s structural parameter, as obtained from clean water flux tests using mineral salt draw solutes, was a poor predictor of organic micropollutant internal concentration polarization.
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- 2021
198. Removal of cyanobacteria from a water supply reservoir by sedimentation using flocculants and suspended solids as ballast : Case of Legedadi Reservoir (Ethiopia)
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Hanna Habtemariam, Seyoum Leta, Maíra Mucci, Demeke Kifle, Miquel Lürling, and Aquatic Ecology (AqE)
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Cyanobacteria ,Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management ,Sedimentation (water treatment) ,Physiology ,Turbidity ,Materials Physics ,Natural Resources ,Moringa oleifera ,Suspended solids ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Physics ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,international ,Physical Sciences ,Seeds ,Water Resources ,Medicine ,Plan_S-Compliant_OA ,Research Article ,Chemical Elements ,Flocculation ,Lysis (Medicine) ,Science ,Materials Science ,Portable water purification ,Water Purification ,Settling ,Chlorides ,Surface Water ,Water Supply ,Tissue Repair ,Life Science ,Chitosan ,WIMEK ,Bacteria ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Aquatische Ecologie en Waterkwaliteitsbeheer ,biology.organism_classification ,Anabaena ,Lakes ,Earth Sciences ,Environmental science ,Ethiopia ,Hydrology ,Physiological Processes ,Surface water ,Aluminum - Abstract
The massive growth of potentially toxic cyanobacteria in water supply reservoirs, such as Legedadi Reservoir (Ethiopia), poses a huge burden to water purification units and represents a serious threat to public health. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of the flocculants/coagulants chitosan, Moringa oleifera seed (MOS), and poly-aluminium chloride (PAC) in settling cyanobacterial species present in the Legedadi Reservoir. We also tested whether coagulant-treated reservoir water promotes cyanobacteria growth. Our data showed that suspended solids in the turbid reservoir acted as ballast, thereby enhancing settling and hence the removal of cyanobacterial species coagulated with chitosan, Moringa oleifera seed, or their combination. Compared to other coagulants, MOS of 30 mg/L concentration, with the removal efficiency of 93.6%, was the most effective in removing cyanobacterial species without causing cell lysis. Contrary to our expectation, PAC was the least effective coagulant. Moreover, reservoir water treated with MOS alone or MOS combined with chitosan did not support any growth of cyanobacteria during the first two weeks of the experiment. Our data indicate that the efficacy of a flocculant/coagulant in the removal of cyanobacteria is influenced by the uniqueness of individual lakes/reservoirs, implying that mitigation methods should consider the unique characteristic of the lake/reservoir.
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- 2021
199. Multi-targeted properties of the probiotic saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3856 against enterotoxigenic escherichia coli (ETEC) H10407 pathogenesis across human gut models
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Kim De Paepe, Jana De Bodt, Sylvain Denis, Sandrine Chalancon, Pascal Vandekerkove, Tom Van de Wiele, Nathalie Ballet, Stéphanie Blanquet-Diot, Charlène Roussel, Françoise Leriche, Wessam Galia, Microbiologie Environnement Digestif Santé (MEDIS), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA), Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne - UMR 5557 (LEM), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon (ENVL)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Unité Mixte de Recherche sur le Fromage (UMRF), VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA), and Ministere de la Recherche (France) - Lesaffre Company (Marcq-en-Baroeul, France)
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IRRITABLE-BOWEL-SYNDROME ,RC799-869 ,Enterotoxin ,Gut flora ,medicine.disease_cause ,Probiotic ,law.invention ,COLONIZATION ,Foodborne Diseases ,law ,Lactobacillus ,Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli ,INFECTION ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Escherichia coli Infections ,Bifidobacterium ,2. Zero hunger ,0303 health sciences ,FERMENTATION ,biology ,Gastroenterology ,Diseases of the digestive system. Gastroenterology ,MICROBIOTA ,3. Good health ,[SDV.MP]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology ,Infectious Diseases ,Research Article ,Research Paper ,Microbiology (medical) ,foodborne pathogen ,ETEC ,virulence ,Virulence ,Saccharomyces cerevisiae ,antagonism effect ,Microbiology ,digestive system ,03 medical and health sciences ,ETHANOL ,medicine ,Humans ,030304 developmental biology ,ASCOMYCETOUS YEASTS ,gut microbiota ,IDENTIFICATION ,030306 microbiology ,Probiotics ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,PREVENTION ,Gastrointestinal Microbiome ,Bacterial adhesin ,enterotoxin ,RESISTANCE - Abstract
International audience; Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is one of the most common causes of acute traveler's diarrhea. Adhesins and enterotoxins constitute the major ETEC virulence traits. With the dramatic increase in antibiotic resistance, probiotics are considered a wholesome alternative to prevent or treat ETEC infections. Here, we examined the antimicrobial properties of the probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3856 against ETEC H10407 pathogenesis upon co-administration in the TNO gastrointestinal Model (TIM-1), simulating the physicochemical and enzymatic conditions of the human upper digestive tract and preventive treatment in the Mucosal Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (M-SHIME), integrating microbial populations of the ileum and ascending colon. Interindividual variability was assessed by separate M-SHIME experiments with microbiota from six human individuals. The probiotic did not affect ETEC survival along the digestive tract. However, ETEC pathogenicity was significantly reduced: enterotoxin encoding virulence genes were repressed, especially in the TIM-1 system, and a lower enterotoxin production was noted. M-SHIME experiments revealed that 18-days probiotic treatment stimulate the growth of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in different gut regions (mucosal and luminal, ileum and ascending colon) while a stronger metabolic activity was noted in terms of short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) and ethanol production. Moreover, the probiotic pre-treated microbiota displayed a higher robustness in composition following ETEC challenge compared to the control condition. We thus demonstrated the multi-inhibitory properties of the probiotic S. cerevisiae CNCM I-3856 against ETEC in the overall simulated human digestive tract, regardless of the inherent variability across individuals in the M-SHIME.
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- 2021
200. Application of biochar from crop straw in asphalt modification
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Xinli Gan and Wenli Zhang
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Fossil Fuels ,Hot Temperature ,Softening point ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Physical Chemistry ,Soil ,Materials Physics ,Plant Products ,Biochar ,Electron Microscopy ,Charcoal ,Materials ,Microscopy ,Multidisciplinary ,Viscosity ,Physics ,Straw ,Agriculture ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,Coal ,Optical Equipment ,visual_art ,Physical Sciences ,visual_art.visual_art_medium ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Scanning Electron Microscopy ,Powders ,Organic Materials ,Research Article ,Crops, Agricultural ,Materials science ,Science ,Materials Science ,Equipment ,Crops ,Fuels ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Specific surface area ,Binders ,021108 energy ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Lasers ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Apparent viscosity ,Hydrocarbons ,Agronomy ,Energy and Power ,Chemical Properties ,Asphalt ,Particle size ,Crop Science - Abstract
The objective of this study is to verify the feasibility of using biochar made from crop straw as a bitumen additive to improve some properties of bitumen. The differences between crop straw biochar prepared in a laboratory and commercial charcoal were investigated through scanning electron microscopy and laser particle size analyses. Furthermore, biochar-modified asphalt was prepared using the high-speed shear method, and the penetration, softening point, ductility at 15°C, and apparent viscosity of the asphalt binder with 6% biochar were measured at 120, 135, 150, 160, and 175°C. It was found that both the crop straw biochar and the commercial charcoal consist mainly of C, O, Si, and K, but the C content of crop straw biochar is slightly higher than that of commercial charcoal. The particle size of biochar is smaller than that of commercial charcoal, while the specific surface area is larger. It was determined that the addition of crop straw biochar significantly improved the high-temperature performance of asphalt, and that biochar and commercial charcoal have a similar influence on the high temperature performance of asphalt.
- Published
- 2021
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