Control of potato late blight by caraway oil in organic farming

Caraway (Carum carvi) seeds contain biologically active essential oils, which have shown potential in controlling Phytophthora infestans (P.i.). An attempt is being made to develop a P.i. control strategy for organic farming based on caraway oil

Tests of cosmic ray radiography for power industry applications

In this report, we assess muon multiple scattering tomography as a non-destructive inspection technique in several typical areas of interest to the nuclear power industry, including monitoring concrete degradation, gate valve conditions, and pipe wall thickness. This work is motivated by the need for radiographic methods that do not require the licensing, training, and safety controls of x-rays, and by the need to be able to penetrate considerable overburden to examine internal details of components that are otherwise inaccessible, with minimum impact on industrial operations. In some scenarios, we find that muon tomography may be an attractive alternative to more typical measurements.Comment: LA-UR-15-2212

Detection of Splenic Tissue Using Tc-99m-Labelled Denatured Red Blood Cells Scintigraphy-A Quantitative Single Center Analysis

Background: Red blood cells (RBC) scintigraphy can be used not only for detection of bleeding sites, but also of spleen tissue. However, there is no established quantitative readout. Therefore, we investigated uptake in suspected splenic lesions in direct quantitative correlation to sites of physiologic uptake in order to objectify the readout. Methods: 20 patients with Tc-99m-labelled RBC scintigraphy and SPECT/low-dose CT for assessment of suspected splenic tissue were included. Lesions were rated as vital splenic or non-splenic tissue, and uptake and physiologic uptake of bone marrow, pancreas, and spleen were then quantified using a volume-of-interest based approach. Hepatic uptake served as a reference. Results: The median uptake ratio was significantly higher in splenic (2.82 (range, 0.58-24.10), n = 47) compared to other lesions (0.49 (0.01-0.83), n = 7), p < 0.001, and 5 lesions were newly discovered. The median pancreatic uptake was 0.09 (range 0.03-0.67), bone marrow 0.17 (0.03-0.45), and orthotopic spleen 14.45 (3.04-29.82). Compared to orthotopic spleens, the pancreas showed lowest uptake (0.09 vs. 14.45, p = 0.004). Based on pancreatic uptake we defined a cutoff (0.75) to distinguish splenic from other tissues. Conclusion: As the uptake in extra-splenic regions is invariably low compared to splenules, it can be used as comparator for evaluating suspected splenic tissues

Cable-driven parallel robot for curtain wall module installation

A cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR) was developed for the installation of curtain wall modules (CWM). The research addressed the question of whether the CDPR was capable installing CWMs with sufficient accuracy while being competitive compared to conventional manual methods. In order to develop and test such a system, a conceptual framework that consisted of three sub-systems was defined. The tests, carried out in two close-to-real demonstration buildings, revealed an absolute accuracy of the CWM installation of 4 to 23 mm. The working time for installing a CWM was reduced to 0.51 h. The results also show that the system is competitive for a workspace greater than 96 m2 compared to conventional manual methods. However, improvements such as reducing the hours for setting up the CDPR on the one hand and achieving a faster and more robust MEE on the other hand will be still necessary in the future.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 73251

ALADIN is Required for the Production of Fertile Mouse Oocytes

Asymmetric cell divisions depend on the precise placement of the spindle apparatus. In mammalian oocytes, spindles assemble close to the cell's center, but chromosome segregation takes place at the cell periphery where half of the chromosomes are expelled into small, nondeveloping polar bodies at anaphase. By dividing so asymmetrically, most of the cytoplasmic content within the oocyte is preserved, which is critical for successful fertilization and early development. Recently we determined that the nucleoporin ALADIN participates in spindle assembly in somatic cells, and we have also shown that female mice homozygously null for ALADIN are sterile. In this study we show that this protein is involved in specific meiotic stages, including meiotic resumption, spindle assembly, and spindle positioning. In the absence of ALADIN, polar body extrusion is compromised due to problems in spindle orientation and anchoring at the first meiotic anaphase. ALADIN null oocytes that mature far enough to be fertilized in vitro are unable to support embryonic development beyond the two-cell stage. Overall, we find that ALADIN is critical for oocyte maturation and appears to be far more essential for this process than for somatic cell divisions

Regulation of Asymmetrical Cytokinesis by cAMP during Meiosis I in Mouse Oocytes

Mammalian oocytes undergo an asymmetrical first meiotic division, extruding half of their chromosomes in a small polar body to preserve maternal resources for embryonic development. To divide asymmetrically, mammalian oocytes relocate chromosomes from the center of the cell to the cortex, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Here, we show that upon the elevation of intracellular cAMP level, mouse oocytes produced two daughter cells with similar sizes. This symmetrical cell division could be rescued by the inhibition of PKA, a cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Live cell imaging revealed that a symmetrically localized cleavage furrow resulted in symmetrical cell division. Detailed analyses demonstrated that symmetrically localized cleavage furrows were caused by the inappropriate central positioning of chromosome clusters at anaphase onset, indicating that chromosome cluster migration was impaired. Notably, high intracellular cAMP reduced myosin II activity, and the microinjection of phospho-myosin II antibody into the oocytes impeded chromosome migration and promoted symmetrical cell division. Our results support the hypothesis that cAMP plays a role in regulating asymmetrical cell division by modulating myosin II activity during mouse oocyte meiosis I, providing a novel insight into the regulation of female gamete formation in mammals

Biotechnological production of γ-decalactone, a peach like aroma, by Yarrowia lipolytica

The request for new flavourings increases every year. Consumer perception that everything natural is better is causing an increase demand for natural aroma additives. Biotechnology has become a way to get natural products. γ-Decalactone is a peach-like aroma widely used in dairy products, beverages and others food industries. In more recent years, more and more studies and industrial processes were endorsed to cost-effect this compound production. One of the best-known methods to produce -decalactone is from ricinoleic acid catalyzed by Yarrowia lipolytica, a generally regarded as safe status yeast. As yet, several factors affecting -decalactone production remain to be fully understood and optimized. In this review, we focus on the aromatic compound -decalactone and its production by Y. lipolytica. The metabolic pathway of lactone production and degradation are addressed. Critical analysis of novel strategies of bioprocess engineering, metabolic and genetic engineering and other strategies for the enhancement of the aroma productivity are presented.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684)

A new tool to assess Clinical Diversity In Meta‐analyses (CDIM) of interventions

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate Clinical Diversity In Meta-analyses (CDIM), a new tool for assessing clinical diversity between trials in meta-analyses of interventions.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The development of CDIM was based on consensus work informed by empirical literature and expertise. We drafted the CDIM tool, refined it, and validated CDIM for interrater scale reliability and agreement in three groups.RESULTS: CDIM measures clinical diversity on a scale that includes four domains with 11 items overall: setting (time of conduct/country development status/units type); population (age, sex, patient inclusion criteria/baseline disease severity, comorbidities); interventions (intervention intensity/strength/duration of intervention, timing, control intervention, cointerventions); and outcome (definition of outcome, timing of outcome assessment). The CDIM is completed in two steps: first two authors independently assess clinical diversity in the four domains. Second, after agreeing upon scores of individual items a consensus score is achieved. Interrater scale reliability and agreement ranged from moderate to almost perfect depending on the type of raters.CONCLUSION: CDIM is the first tool developed for assessing clinical diversity in meta-analyses of interventions. We found CDIM to be a reliable tool for assessing clinical diversity among trials in meta-analysis.</p