Structural characterization of copia-type retrotransposons leads to insights into the marker development in a biofuel crop, Jatropha curcas L.

Alipour, A., Tsuchimoto, S., Sakai, H. et al. Structural characterization of copia-type retrotransposons leads to insights into the marker development in a biofuel crop, Jatropha curcasL.. Biotechnol Biofuels 6, 129 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1754-6834-6-129

Recent Advances in Development of Natural Cellulosic Non-Woven Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

In recent years, tissue engineering researchers have exploited a variety of biomaterials that can potentially mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) for tissue regeneration. Natural cellulose, mainly obtained from bacterial (BC) and plant-based (PC) sources, can serve as a high-potential scaffold material for different regenerative purposes. Natural cellulose has drawn the attention of researchers due to its advantages over synthetic cellulose including its availability, cost effectiveness, perfusability, biocompatibility, negligible toxicity, mild immune response, and imitation of native tissues. In this article, we review recent in vivo and in vitro studies which aimed to assess the potential of natural cellulose for the purpose of soft (skin, heart, vein, nerve, etc.) and hard (bone and tooth) tissue engineering. Based on the current research progress report, it is sensible to conclude that this emerging field of study is yet to satisfy the clinical translation criteria, though reaching that level of application does not seem far-fetched

Crossing Phylums: Butterfly Wing as a Natural Perfusable Three-Dimensional (3D) Bioconstruct for Bone Tissue Engineering

Despite the advent of promising technologies in tissue engineering, finding a biomimetic 3D bio-construct capable of enhancing cell attachment, maintenance, and function is still a challenge in producing tailorable scaffolds for bone regeneration. Here, osteostimulatory effects of the butterfly wings as a naturally porous and non-toxic chitinous scaffold on mesenchymal stromal cells are assessed. The topographical characterization of the butterfly wings implied their ability to mimic bone tissue microenvironment, whereas their regenerative potential was validated after a 14-day cell culture. In vivo analysis showed that the scaffold induced no major inflammatory response in Wistar rats. Topographical features of the bioconstruct upregulated the osteogenic genes, including COL1A1, ALP, BGLAP, SPP1, SP7, and AML3 in differentiated cells compared to the cells cultured in the culture plate. However, butterfly wings were shown to provide a biomimetic microstructure and proper bone regenerative capacity through a unique combination of various structural and material properties. Therefore, this novel platform can be confidently recommended for bone tissue engineering applications

Effects of quercetin on bisphenol A-induced mitochondrial toxicity in rat liver

Objective(s): Recognized as a distinguished environmental and global toxicant, Bisphenol A (BPA) affects the liver, which is a vital body organ, by the induction of oxidative stress. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of quercetin against BPA in hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats and also, the activity of mitochondrial enzymes were evaluated. Materials and Methods: To this end, 32 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (six rats per group), including control, BPA (250 mg/kg), BPA + quercetin (75 mg/kg), and quercetin (75 mg/kg).Results: The BPA-induced alterations were restored in concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) due to the quercetin treatment (75 mg/kg) (all

Genetic Tracing of Jatropha

Jatropha curcas L. (Jatropha), a shrub species of the family Euphorbiaceae, has been recognized as a promising biofuel plant for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, recent attempts at commercial cultivation in Africa and Asia have failed because of low productivity. It is important to elucidate genetic diversity and relationship in worldwide Jatropha genetic resources for breeding of better commercial cultivars. Here, genetic diversity was analyzed by using 246 accessions from Mesoamerica, Africa and Asia, based on 59 simple sequence repeat markers and eight retrotransposon-based insertion polymorphism markers. We found that central Chiapas of Mexico possesses the most diverse genetic resources, and the Chiapas Central Depression could be the center of origin. We identified three genetic groups in Mesoamerica, whose distribution revealed a distinct geographic cline. One of them consists mainly of accessions from central Chiapas. This suggests that it represents the original genetic group. We found two Veracruz accessions in another group, whose ancestors might be shipped from Port of Veracruz to the Old World, to be the source of all African and Asian Jatropha. Our results suggest the human selection that caused low productivity in Africa and Asia, and also breeding strategies to improve African and Asian Jatropha. Cultivars improved in the productivity will contribute to expand mass commercial cultivation of Jatropha in Africa and Asia to increase biofuel production, and finally will support in the battle against the climate change

Genetic tracing of Jatropha curcas L. From its mesoamerican origin to the world

Jatropha curcas L. (Jatropha), a shrub species of the family Euphorbiaceae, has been recognized as a promising biofuel plant for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, recent attempts at commercial cultivation in Africa and Asia have failed because of low productivity. It is important to elucidate genetic diversity and relationship in worldwide Jatropha genetic resources for breeding of better commercial cultivars. Here, genetic diversity was analyzed by using 246 accessions from Mesoamerica, Africa and Asia, based on 59 simple sequence repeat markers and eight retrotransposonbased insertion polymorphism markers. We found that central Chiapas of Mexico possesses the most diverse genetic resources, and the Chiapas Central Depression could be the center of origin. We identified three genetic groups in Mesoamerica, whose distribution revealed a distinct geographic cline. One of them consists mainly of accessions from central Chiapas. This suggests that it represents the original genetic group. We found two Veracruz accessions in another group, whose ancestors might be shipped from Port of Veracruz to the Old World, to be the source of all African and Asian Jatropha. Our results suggest the human selection that caused low productivity in Africa and Asia, and also breeding strategies to improve African and Asian Jatropha. Cultivars improved in the productivity will contribute to expand mass commercial cultivation of Jatropha in Africa and Asia to increase biofuel production, and finally will support in the battle against the climate change.Li H, Tsuchimoto S, Harada K, Yamasaki M, Sakai H, Wada N, Alipour A, Sasai T, Tsunekawa A,Tsujimoto H, Ando T, Tomemori H, Sato S, Hirakawa H, Quintero VP, Zamarripa A, Santos P, Hegazy A, Ali AM and Fukui K (2017) GeneticTracing of Jatropha curcas L. from Its Mesoamerican Origin to the World. Front. Plant Sci. 8:1539.doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01539

Crystal plasticity and grain boundaries on small scales : modeling and numerical implementation

Metals are used for a wide range of applications in the industry due to their durability, strength and ductility. Since dislocations are the fundamental reasons for plastic deformation in metals, the movement of dislocations, their interactions with each other as well as with the grain boundaries (GBs) have been investigated by numerous authors for some decades. In this regard, the current dissertation represents a compilation of published articles of the author (and her coauthors). This thesis addresses geometrically nonlinear plastic deformation of face centered cubic (fcc) materials on the large and small scales using continuum approaches. In large-scale applications, classical plasticity (size-independent) models are mostly used which are in agreement with experimental data while inhomogeneous plastic deformation of materials on the microscale is investigated with strain-gradient theories by introducing an internal length scale into the models. In the study of large-scale crystalline materials, the main problem is to deal with the numerical issues when geometrically nonlinear plasticity approaches are implemented, e.g., locking phenomenon. Moreover, single crystal simulations at room temperature often necessitate a power-law-type flow rule with high rate sensitivity exponent to capture the actual behavior of the material deformation, which leads to a complicated convergence of nonlinear equations. To solve such issues, a regularization method for the power law with high value of the sensitivity exponent in combination with a new concept for hybrid discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods-control points- is presented in geometrically nonlinear crystal plasticity framework, leading to a numerically efficient, robust and locking-free model (article 1). On the micro-scale, the presence of grain boundaries results in pile-ups of dislocations and strengthening of the material (Hall-Petch effect). Therefore, a grain boundary model in the concept of geometrically nonlinear viscoplasticity is presented to improve single crystal models(article 2). This model is based on the dislocation density tensor and plastic surface deformation which leads to a grain boundary yield criterion with isotropic and kinematic hardening. The grain boundary hardening effects are shown in cyclic shear deformation of bicrystals. In this model, the grain boundary strength is assumed to be a function of grain misorientation. Subsequently, the grain boundary model in article 2 is extended by evaluating the grain boundary strength with regard to the grain misorientation using a geometrical transmissibility parameter (article 3). To investigate the effect of mismatch between adjacent grains on the grain boundary strength and dislocation transmission at the grain boundaries, randomly oriented polycrystals are compared with textured polycrystals

The effects of education on nurses' ability to recognize elder abuse induced by family members

Background: Nurses' lack of knowledge about domestic elder abuse and their limited ability to recognize it can result in negative consequences. Education has the potential to improve nurses' ability to recognize elder abuse. Yet, there is no conclusive result about its effectiveness. Objectives: The main objective of the present study was to assess the effects of education on nurses' ability to recognize elder abuse. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in two public hospitals in Ramsar and Tonekabon, Iran. Participants were 120 nurses who were randomly recruited and allocated to an intervention (n= 60) and a control (n= 60) group. The study intervention was an educational program implemented in two successive 2-h sessions in 1 day. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and The Nurses' Recognition of Elder Abuse by Family Caregiver Questionnaire. The possible total score of the latter questionnaire was 67-335. The data were analyzed using the Chi-square, the Fisher's exact, and the paired- and the independent-samples t-tests as well as the one-way and the repeated-measures analyses of variance. Results: The mean score of elder abuse recognition ability significantly increased in the intervention group (P < 0.001), while it did not significantly change in the control group (P = 0.85). Participants had a good ability to recognize physical elder abuse and limited ability to recognize sexual abuse. Conclusion: In-service education about elder abuse for nurses not only improves their elder abuse recognition ability but also can help them take appropriate measures for its management