DISTINGUISHING NATIVE AND PLANTATION-GROWN MAHOGANY (SWIETENIA MACROPHYLLA) TIMBER USING CHROMATOGRAPHY AND HIGH-RESOLUTION QUADRUPOLE TIME-OF-FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY

Plantation-grown mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) from Fiji has been preferred as a sus- tainable wood source for the craftingof electric guitars because its trade is not restricted by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna andFlora (CITES), unlike S. macrophylla sourced from native forests. Ability to differentiate between the two wood types would deter sale of illegally harvested native-grown S. macrophylla to luthiers and other artisans. The chemical composition of wood is influenced bycambial age and geographical factors, and there are chemical differences between S. macrophylla grown in different regions. Thisstudy tested the ability of high-resolution mass spectrometry to chemotypically dif- ferentiate plantation-grown Fijian S. macrophylla from the same wood species obtained from native forests. Multiple heartwood specimens of both wood types were extracted and chromatographically profiled using gas and liquid chromatography tandem high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight massspectrometry (GC/QToF, LC/QToF). Visual comparison of mass spectral ions, together with modern analytical data-mining techniques,were employed to screen the results. Principal component analysis scatter plots with 95% confidence ellipses showed unambiguousseparation of the two wood types by GC/LC/QToF. We conclude that screening of heartwood extractives using high-resolution massspectrometry offers an effective way of identifying and sepa- rating plantation-grown Fijian S. macrophylla from wood grown in native forests

Enhanced activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus in deaf and dyslexic adults during rhyming

Hearing developmental dyslexics and profoundly deaf individuals both have difficulties processing the internal structure of words (phonological processing) and learning to read. In hearing non-impaired readers, the development of phonological representations depends on audition. In hearing dyslexics, many argue, auditory processes may be impaired. In congenitally profoundly deaf individuals, auditory speech processing is essentially absent. Two separate literatures have previously reported enhanced activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus in both deaf and dyslexic adults when contrasted with hearing non-dyslexics during reading or phonological tasks. Here, we used a rhyme judgement task to compare adults from these two special populations to a hearing non-dyslexic control group. All groups were matched on non-verbal intelligence quotient, reading age and rhyme performance. Picture stimuli were used since this requires participants to generate their own phonological representations, rather than have them partially provided via text. By testing well-matched groups of participants on the same task, we aimed to establish whether previous literatures reporting differences between individuals with and without phonological processing difficulties have identified the same regions of differential activation in these two distinct populations. The data indicate greater activation in the deaf and dyslexic groups than in the hearing non-dyslexic group across a large portion of the left inferior frontal gyrus. This includes the pars triangularis, extending superiorly into the middle frontal gyrus and posteriorly to include the pars opercularis, and the junction with the ventral precentral gyrus. Within the left inferior frontal gyrus, there was variability between the two groups with phonological processing difficulties. The superior posterior tip of the left pars opercularis, extending into the precentral gyrus, was activated to a greater extent by deaf than dyslexic participants, whereas the superior posterior portion of the pars triangularis extending into the ventral pars opercularis, was activated to a greater extent by dyslexic than deaf participants. Whether these regions play differing roles in compensating for poor phonological processing is not clear. However, we argue that our main finding of greater inferior frontal gyrus activation in both groups with phonological processing difficulties in contrast to controls suggests greater reliance on the articulatory component of speech during phonological processing when auditory processes are absent (deaf group) or impaired (dyslexic group). Thus, the brain appears to develop a similar solution to a processing problem that has different antecedents in these two populations

Tunable Growth Factor Delivery from Injectable Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering

Current sustained delivery strategies of protein therapeutics are limited by the fragility of the protein, resulting in minimal quantities of bioactive protein delivered. In order to achieve prolonged release of bioactive protein, an affinity-based approach was designed which exploits the specific binding of the Src homology 3 (SH3) domain with short proline-rich peptides. Specifically, methyl cellulose was modified with SH3-binding peptides (MC-peptide) with either a weak affinity or strong affinity for SH3. The release profile of SH3-rhFGF2 fusion protein from hyaluronan MC-SH3 peptide (HAMC-peptide) hydrogels was investigated and compared to unmodified controls. SH3-rhFGF2 release from HAMC-peptide was extended to 10 days using peptides with different binding affinities compared to the 48 h release from unmodified HAMC. This system is capable of delivering additional proteins with tunable rates of release, while maintaining bioactivity, and thus is broadly applicable

Prevalence and correlates of self-reported state of teeth among schoolchildren in Kerala, India

BACKGROUND: Oral health status in India is traditionally evaluated using clinical indices. There is growing interest to know how subjective measures relate to outcomes of oral health. The aims of the study were to assess the prevalence and correlates of self-reported state of teeth in 12-year-old schoolchildren in Kerala, India. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey data were used. The sample consisted of 838 12-year-old schoolchildren. Data was collected using clinical examination and questionnaire. The clinical oral health status was recorded using Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) and Oral Hygiene Index – Simplified (OHI-S). The questionnaire included questions on sociodemographics, self reports of behaviour, knowledge and oral problems and a single-item measuring self-reported state and satisfaction with appearance of teeth. The Kappa values for test-retest of the questionnaire ranged from 0.55 to 0.97. RESULTS: Twenty-three per cent of the schoolchildren reported the state of teeth as bad. Multivariate logistic regression showed significant associations between schoolchildren who reported to have bad teeth and poor school performance (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.5), having bad breath (OR = 2.4), food impaction (OR = 1.7) dental visits (OR = 1.6), being dissatisfied with appearance of teeth (OR = 4.2) and caries experience (OR = 1.7). The explained variance was highest when the variables dental visits, bleeding gums, bad breath, food impaction and satisfaction with appearance were introduced into the model (19%). CONCLUSION: A quarter of 12-year-olds reported having bad teeth. The self-reported bad state of teeth was associated with poor school performance, having bad breath and food impaction, having visited a dentist, being dissatisfied with teeth appearance and having caries experience. Information from self-reports of children might help in planning effective strategies to promote oral health

Development of a measurement tool to assess public awareness of cancer

<p>Objective: We aimed to develop and validate a measurement tool to assess cancer awareness in the general population: the cancer awareness measure (CAM).</p> <p>Methods: Items assessing awareness of cancer warning signs, risk factors, incidence, screening programmes and attitudes towards help seeking were extracted from the literature or generated by expert groups. To determine reliability, the CAM was administered to a university participant panel (n=148), with a sub-sample (n=94) completing it again 2 weeks later. To establish construct validity, CAM scores of cancer experts (n=12) were compared with those of non-medical academics (n=21). Finally, university students (n=49) were randomly assigned to read either a cancer information leaflet or a leaflet with control information before completing the measure, to ensure the CAM was sensitive to change.</p> <p>Results: Cognitive interviewing indicated that the CAM was being interpreted as intended. Internal reliability (Cronbach's α=0.77) and test–retest reliability (r=0.81) were high. Scores for cancer experts were significantly higher than those for non-medical academics (t(31)=6.8, P<0.001). CAM scores were higher among students who received an intervention leaflet than the control leaflet (t(47)=4.8, P<0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions: These studies show the psychometric properties of the CAM and support its validity as a measure of cancer awareness in the general population.</p&gt

Percepção de estudantes de psicologia sobre a informática em sua formação profissional

Neste artigo analisa-se uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, cujo objetivo era explorar a percepção de 45 alunos de psicologia de diferentes universidades da cidade de Santiago do Chile, sobre a incorporação da informática como apoio para a aprendizagem em sua formação profissional. A informação foi coletada através de entrevistas semiestruturadas e analisou-se mediante o processo de codificação da Teoría Fundamentada. Os resultados mostram como categorias principais, o conhecimento da informática, a valoração da informática, e os fatores que obstaculizam o uso desta. Da codificação seletiva se desprende uma alta valoração da informática como ferramenta econômica e cômoda, mas também se observa uma alta reticência dos alunos diante de sua utilização no trabalho profissional tradicional do psicólogo. Encontraram-se fatores pessoais e institucionais nos que se baseia a valoração, a motivação e o nível de conhecimento dos estudantes diante do uso de ferramentas informáticas.This paper analyses a qualitative research aimed to exploring the perception of 45 psychology students from different universities in Santiago de Chile, about incorporating information systems to support learning in their professional training. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and their analysis was based on Grounded Theory's coding process. Results show that the major categories are computer knowledge, appreciation of computers and factors that hinder their use. From the selective coding a positive evaluation emerges of information systems as an economic and useful tool. However, there is also a high reluctance on the part of the students regarding the use of such tools in the psychologist' traditional professional work. Personal and organizational factors were found as bases for students' assessment, motivation and level of knowledge facing the use of these tools.En este artículo se analiza una investigación de naturaleza cualitativa, cuyo objetivo era explorar la percepción de 45 alumnos de psicología de diferentes universidades de la ciudad de Santiago de Chile, sobre la incorporación de la informática como apoyo para el aprendizaje en su formación profesional. La información se recolectó a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas y se analizó mediante el proceso de codificación de la Teoría Fundamentada. Los resultados muestran como categorías principales, el conocimiento de la informática, la valoración de la informática, y los factores que obstaculizan el uso de ésta. De la codificación selectiva se desprende una alta valoración de la informática como herramienta económica y cómoda, pero también se observa una alta reticencia de los alumnos frente a su utilización en el trabajo profesional tradicional del psicólogo. Se encontraron factores personales e institucionales en los cuales se fundamenta la valoración, la motivación y el nivel de conocimiento de los estudiantes frente al uso de herramientas informáticas

Correlation of Group C Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine Response with B- and T-Lymphocyte Activity

Despite the success of conjugate vaccination against meningococcal group C (MenC) disease, post-vaccination, some individuals still exhibit rapid waning of initially protective bactericidal antibody levels. The mechanism of this relative loss of humoral protection remains undetermined. In this report we have investigated the relationship between T- and B-cell activation and co-stimulation and the loss of protective antibody titers. We have found that healthy volunteers who lose protective MenC antibody levels one year after receipt of glycoconjugate vaccine exhibit no detectable cellular defect in polyclonal B- or T-cell activation, proliferation or the B-memory pool. This suggests that the processes underlying the more rapid loss of antibody levels are independent of defects in either initial T- or B-cell activation

Action potential variability in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes obtained from healthy donors

Human pluripotent stem cells (PSC) have been used for disease modelling, after differentiation into the desired cell type. Electrophysiologic properties of cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells are extensively used to model cardiac arrhythmias, in cardiomyopathies and channelopathies. This requires strict control of the multiple variables that can influence the electrical properties of these cells. In this article, we report the action potential variability of 780 cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells obtained from six healthy donors. We analyze the overall distribution of action potential (AP) data, the distribution of action potential data per cell line, per differentiation protocol and batch. This analysis indicates that even using the same cell line and differentiation protocol, the differentiation batch still affects the results. This variability has important implications in modeling arrhythmias and imputing pathogenicity to variants encountered in patients with arrhythmic diseases. We conclude that even when using isogenic cell lines to ascertain pathogenicity to variants associated to arrythmias one should use cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells using the same differentiation protocol and batch and pace the cells or use only cells that have very similar spontaneous beat rates. Otherwise, one may find phenotypic variability that is not attributable to pathogenic variants

Preparative isolation, fractionation and chemical characterization of dissolved organics from natural and industrially derived bitumen-influenced groundwaters from the Athabasca River watershed

Recent analytical advances have provided evidence that groundwater affected by oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) is reaching the Athabasca River at one location. To understand and discriminate the toxicological risks posed by OSPW-influenced groundwater relative to groundwaters associated with natural oil sands deposits, these highly complex mixtures of soluble organics were subjected to toxicological characterization through effects directed analysis. A recently-developed preparative fractionation methodology was applied to bitumen-influenced groundwaters and successfully isolated dissolved organics from both industrial and natural sources into three chemically distinct fractions (F1, F2, F3), enabling multiple toxicological assessments. Analytical techniques included electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS), liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QToF/MS), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) methods, which did not reveal obvious differences between sources. Comparisons between fractions within each source consistently demonstrated that F3 contained compounds with greater polarity than F2, which in turn was more polar than F1. The abundance of O2 species was confined to F1, including naphthenic acids often cited for being the primary toxicants within bitumen-influenced waters. This result is consistent with earlier work on aged OSPW, as well as with other extraction methods, suggesting that additional factors other than molecular weight and the presence of acid functionalities play a prominent role in defining compound polarities and toxicities within complex bitumen-derived organic mixtures. The similarities in organic abundances, chemical speciation, aromaticity, and double bond equivalents, concomitant with inorganic mixture similarities, demonstrate the resemblances of bitumen-influenced groundwaters regardless of the source, and reinforce the need for more advanced targeted analyses for source differentiation.This work was funded under the Oil Sands Monitoring Program, and is a contribution to the Program, but does not necessarily reflect the position of the Program. Internal resources from Environment and Climate Change Canada were also used to fund this research

Elongation, rooting and acclimatization of micropropagated shoots from mature material of hybrid larch

Factors were defined for elongation, rooting and acclimatization of micropropagated shoots of Larix x eurolepis Henry initiated from short shoot buds of plagiotropic stecklings serially propagated for 9 years from an 8-year-old tree. Initiation and multiplication were on Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH) medium supplemented with 5 μM 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 1 μM indole-butyric acid (IBA). Stem elongation was obtained in 36% of the shoots on SH medium containing 0.5 μM BA and 63% of the remaining non-elongated shoots initiated stem elongation after transfer on SH medium devoid of growth regulators. Rooting involved 2 steps: root induction on Campbell and Durzan mineral salts and Murashige and Skoog organic elements, both half-strength (CD-MS/2), supplemented with 1 μM of both naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and IBA, and root elongation following transfer to CD-MS/2 medium devoid of growth regulators. Repeating this 2-step sequence yielded up to 67% rooted shoots. Acclimatization of plantlets ranged from 83% to 100%. Over 300 plants were transferred to the greenhouse; some showed plagiotropic growth