Hematopoietic progenitors express embryonic stem cell and germ layer genes

Cell therapy for tissue regeneration requires cells with high self-renewal potential and with the capacity to differentiate into multiple differentiated cell lineages, like embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and adult somatic cells induced to pluripotency (iPSCs) by genetic manipulation. Here we report that normal adult mammalian bone marrow contains cells, expressing the cell surface antigen CD34, that naturally express the genes that are characteristic of ESCs and that are required to generate iPSCs. In addition, these CD34+ cells spontaneously express, without genetic manipulation, genes characteristic of the three embryonic germ layers ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. In addition to the neural lineage genes we previously reported in these CD34+ cells, we found that they express genes of the mesodermal cardiac muscle lineage and of the endodermal pancreatic lineage as well as intestinal lineage genes. Thus, these normal cells in the adult spontaneously exhibit the characteristics of embryonic-like stem cells

Evaluation des effets des doses de mycorhizes sur les paramètres de croissance et de la production de trois variétés de Voandzou dans la localité de Dschang, Ouest Cameroun

Cette étude a pour objectif d’évaluer l’effet des doses d’un biofertilisant sur la croissance et la production du Voandzou à l’Ouest Cameroun. Elle a été menée à la Ferme d’Application et de la Recherche (FAR) et au Laboratoire de Phytopathologie et de Zoologie Appliquée de la FASA (Dschang) de Décembre 2017 à Juillet 2018. Pour cette étude trois variétés de Voandzou ont été utilisées, une variété locale de Dschang (VL) et deux autres variétés du Nord Cameroun (Mendéo V1M et Mendéo V2M). Deux doses de mycorhizes (D1 = 10g et D2 = 20g) ont été inoculées et comparées au témoin (D0 = 0 g) dans un dispositif en split-plot combinant deux facteurs (doses et variétés) avec 3 répétitions. Après avoir évalué le taux de germination des graines des différentes variétés, nous avons évalué les paramètres de croissance, la précocité variétale et la productivité en gousse des différentes variétés. Nos résultats ont montré que les variétés Mendéo 1 et 2 du Nord sont précoces avec une floraison débutant à partir de 40e JAS et une maturité dès le 122e JAS. La variété VL est tardive avec une floraison dès le 58e JAS et une maturité à 160e JAS. En général, les deux doses de mycorhize inoculées augmentent la croissance des plants de voandzou. Cependant la dose D2 (20g) semble être efficace pour les variétés Mendéo V1M et Mendéo V2M, par apport à la variété local VL qui préfère la dose D1 (10g). Le nombre de feuilles des trois variétés de Voandzou a été plus prononcé pour les plantes inoculées par rapport à celles non inoculées. La dose D2 (20g) d’inoculum a eu un effet positif sur la densité du feuillage des plantes des variétés V1M et V2M. Par contre, la variété locale (VL) de l’Ouest Cameroun parait plus favorable aux deux différentes doses (D1 et D2) de mycorhizes. Cette étude a montré que l’inoculation directe des CMA pendant le semis entraine une augmentation du rendement en gousse de la VL et améliore la production de la variété introduite V1M. L’étude permet de conclure que la variété améliorée V1M et locale VL sont potentiellement aptes dans la zone à dose 20 g.   Aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of bio-fertilizers on growth and production of Bambara groundnut in West Cameroon. The study was carried in the Experimental and Research Farm and in the Phytopathology Laboratory and Applied Zoology of FAAS. For this study, 3 varieties of Bambara groundnuts have been used, the Local varieties of Dschang (VL) and two varieties of North Cameroon (Mendéo V1M et Mendéo V2M). Two doses of mycorrhiza at 10 and 20 g were compared with the control (0 g) in a splitplot design combining two factors (doses and varieties) with 3 repetitions. After determination of germination rate of seeds for each different variety, we had determined agronomic performances such as the growth of plants, precocity and yield pods. The results were proved that the two varieties of North Cameroon are early varieties with an average flowering of 40 DAS and a maturity of 122 DAS. The local variety VL is a late variety with a flowering of 58 DAS and a maturity of 160 DAS. The two doses of mycorrhiza at 10 (D1) and 20 g (D2) increases plants growth of Bambara groundnuts. However, the doses of mycorrhiza at 20 g appear favorable for the two varieties of North (Mendéo V1M and Mendéo V2M) compared to the variety of West which is favorable at the dose of 10 g. The number of leaves from the three varieties of Bambara groundnuts had been improved from inoculated plants compared to non inoculated plants. The dose of 20 g has a positive effect on leaves density of varieties V1M and V2M. In contrast, the Local variety of West Cameroon appear favorable both two different doses (D1 and D2) of mycorrhiza. This study had showed that the direct inoculation with Fungi Arbuscular Mycorrhiza increase yield pods of Local variety (VL) of West Cameroon and improve the production of variety V1M of Nord Cameroon. Study permits to conclude that the variety V2M of North and V1L of West Cameroon are able potentially on the study zone at 20 g

Spectral analysis of the beat-to-beat variability of arterial compliance

Arterial compliance is an important parameter influencing ventricular-arterial coupling, depending on structural and functional mechanics of arteries. In this study, the spontaneous beat-to-beat variability of arterial compliance was investigated in time and frequency domains in thirty-nine young and healthy subjects monitored in the supine resting state and during head-up tilt. Spectral decomposition was applied to retrieve the spectral content of the time series associated to low (LF) and high frequency (HF) oscillatory components. Our results highlight: (i) a decrease of arterial compliance with tilt, in agreement with previous studies; (ii) an increase of the LF power content concurrent with a decrease of the HF power, potentially reflecting changes in vasomotor tone, blood pressure and heart rate variability associated with higher sympathetic activity and vagal withdrawal occurring with tilt

In my hours of need, I was robbed of my family, friends, beliefs and education. A mother’s narrative on her 14-year-old daughter's nine-month journey from ill health to death.

The study utilised a highly qualitative, narrative and free associative (Hollway and Jefferson, 2008) methodological approach to give a mother’s perspective of her teenage daughter’s 9-month journey from diagnosis of cancer to her death. Cancer is a unique chronic illness that impacts both physically and psychologically. The key findings of this study show that medical treatment alone is not enough and that professionals must understand the impact that cancer and the treatment has on the quality of life (QoL) for the child and how the phrase ‘surviving cancer’ has different meanings. It highlights the importance that family, friends, beliefs and education have on supporting a teenager and the consequences of denying that access to all stakeholders

Downs, Stokes and the Dynamics of Electoral Choice

A six-wave 2005–09 national panel survey conducted in conjunction with the British Election Study provided data for an investigation of sources of stability and change in voters’ party preferences. The authors test competing spatial and valence theories of party choice and investigate the hypothesis that spatial calculations provide cues for making valence judgements. Analyses reveal that valence mechanisms – heuristics based on party leader images, party performance evaluations and mutable partisan attachments – outperform a spatial model in terms of strength of direct effects on party choice. However, spatial effects still have sizeable indirect effects on the vote via their influence on valence judgements. The results of exogeneity tests bolster claims about the flow of influence from spatial calculations to valence judgments to electoral choice.</jats:p

Tailored CO2-philic Anionic Poly(ionic liquid) Composite Membranes: Synthesis, Characterization and Gas Transport Properties

Unformatted post printPolymeric membranes either containing, or built from, ionic liquids (ILs) are of great interest for enhanced CO2/light gas separation due to the stronger affinity of ILs toward quadrupolar CO2 molecules, and hence, high CO2 solubility selectivity. Herein, we report the development of a series of four novel anionic poly(IL)-IL composite membranes via a photopolymerization method for effective CO2 separation. Interestingly, these are the first examples of anionic poly(IL)-IL composite systems, in which the poly(IL) component has delocalized sulfonimide anions pendant from the polymer backbone with imidazolium cations as “free” counterions. Two types of photopolymerizable methacryloxy-based IL monomers (MILs) with highly delocalized anions (–SO2–N(-)–SO2–CF3 and –SO2–N(-)–SO2–C7H7) and mobile imidazolium ([C2mim]+) counter cations were successfully synthesized and photopolymerized with two distinct amounts of free IL containing the same structural cation ([C2mim][Tf2N]) and 20 wt% PEGDA crosslinker, to serve as a composite matrix. The structure-property relationships of the four newly developed anionic poly(IL)-IL composite membranes were extensively characterized by TGA, DSC, and XRD analysis. All of the newly developed anionic poly(IL)-IL composite membranes exhibited superior CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 selectivities together with moderate CO2/H2 selectivity and reasonable CO2 permeabilities. The membrane with an optimal composition and polymer architecture (MIL-C7H7/PEGDA(20%)/IL(1eq.)) reaches the 2008 Robeson upper bound limit of CO2/CH4, due to the simultaneous improvement in permeability and selectivity (CO2 permeability ~ 20 barrer and αCO2/CH4 ~119). This study provides a promising strategy to explore the benefits of anionic poly(IL)-IL composites to separate CO2 from flue gas, natural gas, and syngas streams and open up new possibilities in the polymer membrane design with strong candidate materials for practical applications.Partial support for this work provided by the United States Department of Energy (DE-SC0020282) and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (80NSSC19K1314), is gratefully acknowledged. Liliana C. Tomé has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 745734

Circular dichroism spectroscopy identifies the β-adrenoceptor agonist salbutamol as a direct inhibitor of tau filament formation in vitro.

Potential drug treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be found by identifying compounds that block the assembly of the microtubule-associated protein tau into neurofibrillar tangles associated with neuron destabilisation and cell death. Here, a small library of structurally diverse compounds was screened in vitro for the ability to inhibit tau aggregation, using high-throughput synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (HT-SRCD) as a novel tool to monitor the structural changes in the protein as it assembles into filaments. The catecholamine epinephrine was found to be the most effective tau aggregation inhibitor of all 88 compounds screened. Subsequently, we tested chemically-similar phenolamine drugs from the β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) agonist class, using conventional circular dichroism spectroscopy, thioflavin T fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. Two compounds, salbutamol and dobutamine, used widely in the treatment of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, impede the aggregation of tau in vitro. Dobutamine reduces both the rate and yield of tau filament formation over 24 hours, although it has little effect on the structural transition of tau into β-sheet structures over 24 hours. Salbutamol also reduces the yield and rate of filament formation, and additionally inhibits tau’s structural change into β-sheet rich aggregates. Salbutamol has a good safety profile and a half-life that facilitates permeation through the blood brain barrier and could represent an expediated approach to developing AD therapeutics. These results provide the motivation for in vivo evaluation of pre-existing β-adrenergic receptor agonists as a potential therapy for AD through the reduction of tau deposition in AD

A multi-sensory interactive reading experience for visually impaired children; a user evaluation

© 2018 Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature The children’s experience of reading is enhanced by visual displays, and through picture book experiences, young children expose themselves to develop socially, personally, intellectually, and culturally. While a sighted person’s mental imagining is constructed mostly through visual experiences, a visually impaired person’s mental images are a product of haptic, taste, smell, and sounds. In this paper, we are introducing a picture book with multi-sensory interactions for the visually impaired children. The key novelty in our concept is the integration of multi-sensory interactions (touch, sound, and smell) to create a new reading experience for visually impaired. Also, this concept is highlighting the lack of appropriately designed sensory reading experiences for visually impaired children. We have conducted a user study with 10 educators, and 25 children from a special school for visually impaired in Malaysia, and our evaluation revealed that this book is engaging and a novel experience of multi-sensory interactions to both children and educators