Organelle inheritance and genome architecture variation in isogamous brown algae

Among the brown algal lineages, Ectocarpales species have isogamous fertilization in which male and female gametes are morphologically similar. In contrast, female gametes are much larger than male gametes in the oogamous species found in many other brown algal lineages. It has been reported that the plastids of isogamous species are biparentally inherited whereas the plastids of oogamous species are maternally inherited. In contrast, in both isogamous and oogamous species, the mitochondria are usually inherited maternally. To investigate whether there is any relationship between the modes of inheritance and organellar genome architecture, we sequenced six plastid genomes (ptDNA) and two mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) of isogamous species from the Ectocarpales and compared them with previously sequenced organellar genomes. We found that the biparentally inherited ptDNAs of isogamous species presented distinctive structural rearrangements whereas maternally inherited ptDNAs of oogamous species showed no rearrangements. Our analysis permits the hypothesis that structural rearrangements in ptDNAs may be a consequence of the mode of inheritance

An Infantile Case of Sturge-Weber Syndrome in Association with Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome and Phakomatosis Pigmentovascularis

Sturge-Weber syndrome can be associated with facial port-wine stains and intracranial calcification, and concurrent Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome has been reported. Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome is a rare congenital mesodermal phakomatosis characterized by cutaneous hemangiomas, venous varicosities and soft tissue or bone hypertrophy of the affected extremities. This report is presented a rare case of the Sturge-Weber syndrome in combination with the Klippel-Trennaunay syndrome and phakomatosis pigmentovascularis in a 4-month-old infant. He showed nevus flameus on the right leg and both part of the face and back, leptomeningeal angiomatosis on right hemisphere, hypertrophy of the right leg, hemiconvulsion on the left and also evidences of congenital glaucoma and nevus of Ota. Very rare case combined with these three kinds of phakomatosis has been reported

Microstructure and Glass Phase of Inorganic Binder Coated on Mold for Thin Casting

A new dual dipping process has been introduced for the increase in the fracture strength of casting mold through the effective glassification of inorganic binder precursors. Two different dipping processes have been employed to investigate the reactivity of the precursors. Process I is that the substrate was coated with a sodium oxide (Na2O) precursor through dipping in the solution, and then a silicon dioxide (SiO2) precursor was coated onto the substrate coated with the Na2O precursor. Process II is the inverse coating sequence for process I. In the case of the mold prepared by process I, the glass phase converted from the precursors is uniformly observed at the surface of the particle and the interface between particles, compared with that by process II, inducing that the fracture strength of the mold prepared by process I is significantly improved. In addition, when the PDMS without a sol-gel reaction was used as the SiO2 precursor, especially in process II, the glass phase is not absolutely observed at the surface of the particle owing to the evaporation of PDMS and Na ion during the heat treatment, resulting in the collapse of the mold sample after the heat treatment

Experiments and failure analysis of SHCC and reinforced concrete composite slabs

For all types of concrete structures, controlling of cracking, as well as the enhancement of serviceability and ultimate flexural capacity are important issues for deck slabs. This study presents an experimental campaign and accompanying nonlinear analysis of a series of Strain Hardening Cementitious Composite (SHCC) and reinforced concrete slab systems, simply-supported and subjected to four-point loading. In order to improve flexural performance both at the service and ultimate limit states, an SHCC layer with thickness of 150–400 mm was placed on the soffit of the composite slab; the SHCC was manufactured using two different processes, namely cast-in-situ SHCCs and extruded precast SHCC panel. Nonlinear analysis of SHCC and reinforced concrete slabs was also carried out to predict moment and curvature as well as deflections of the slab systems. The developed slab systems were found to have enhanced performance with regard to both at serviceability and flexural capacity, compared to the conventional reinforced concrete slab

Measurement of 129 I Radioactivity in Groundwater of Radioactive Waste Disposal Site

The investigation of the environmental radioactivity around the radioactive waste disposal site in Gyeongju is being carried out. The radioactivity of 129 I in groundwater and seaweed are to be measured. The analytical method to measure the radioactivity of 129 I in aqueous media was established. This method contains oxidation-reduction reaction, anion-exchange separation and palladium precipitation. The 129 I radioactivity in the PdI 2 precipitates was measured by using low-energy gamma spectrometer. The counts of peak at 39.6 keV of gamma energy were used for determination of 129 I radioactivity. The chemical recovery was determined by the weights of PdI 2 precipitates. The deionized water and groundwater spiked with 129 I tracer were tested. In the case of deionized water, the relative deviations of measured concentration from spiked one are from 1.1 to 10.7%. The relative deviations of measured radioactivity from spiked one in the groundwater experiments are 2.9 and 3.7%. The measured concentration is in good agreement with spiked one. The groundwater sampled from radioactive waste disposal site was tested. The concentrations of 129 I in the groundwater are below minimum detectable activities of 36.7 and 36.6 mBq/L

A Case of Successful Treatment of Stomal Variceal Bleeding with Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt and Coil Embolization

Variceal bleeding from enterostomy site is an unusual complication of portal hypertension. The bleeding, however, is often recurrent and may be fatal. The hemorrhage can be managed with local measures in most patients, but when these fail, surgical interventions or portosystemic shunt may be required. Herein, we report a case in which recurrent bleeding from stomal varices, developed after a colectomy for rectal cancer, was successfully treated by placement of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) with coil embolization. Although several treatment options are available for this entity, we consider that TIPS with coil embolization offers minimally invasive and definitive treatment

Characteristics of primary and immortalized fibroblast cells derived from the miniature and domestic pigs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The pig, <it>Sus scrofa domestica </it>includes both the miniature and commercial domestic breed. These animals have influenced the human life and economies and have been studied throughout history. Although the miniature breeds are more recent and have increasingly been used in a variety of biomedical studies, their cell lines have rarely been established. Therefore, we sought to establish primary and immortal cell lines derived from both the miniature and domestic pig to better enable insight into possible <it>in vivo </it>growth differences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The <it>in vitro </it>lifespan of primary domestic pig fibroblast (PF) and miniature pig fibroblast (MPF) cells using a standard 3T3 protocol was determined. Both of the primary PF and MPF cells were shown to have a two-step replicative senescence barrier. Primary MPF cells exhibited a relatively shorter lifespan and slower proliferation rate compared to those of primary PF cells. Beyond senescence barriers, lifespan-extended PF and MPF cells were eventually established and indicated spontaneous cellular immortalization. In contrast to the immortalized PF cells, immortal MPF cells showed a transformed phenotype and possessed more frequent chromosomal abnormalities and loss of p53 regulatory function. The lifespan of primary MPF and PF cells was extended by inactivation of the p53 function using transduction by SV40LT without any detectable senescent phenotype.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that p53 signaling might be a major determinant for the replicative senescence in the MPF cells that have the shorter lifespan and slower growth rate compared to PF cells <it>in vitro</it>.</p