Substitution reactions of carbon nanotube template

Substitution reactions between carbon nanotube(CNT) template and SiO with the formation of carbon rich silicon oxide nanowires (SiO–C-NWs) have been investigated using transmission electron microscopy and x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The reaction was carried out by thermal annealing at 1200°C for 1h of a mixture of silicon monoxide (SiO) and iron (II) phthalocyanine, FeC₃₂N₈H₁₆ (FePc) powders. Multiwalled CNTs were produced first via pyrolysis of FePc at a lower temperature (1000°C). SiO vapors reacted with the CNTs at higher temperatures to produce amorphous SiO–C-NWs with a uniform diameter and a length in tens of micrometers. The special bamboolike structure of the CNTs allows the reaction to start from the external surface of the tubes and transform each CNT into a solid nanowire section by section.This project is partially supported by a Discovery Project awarded by Australian Research Council

Solid State NMR Spectroscopy/Imaging in Situ Measuring Devices and Methods for Calibration and Determining One or More Quantitative Properties of a Target Sample

In situ measuring devices, methods of making the same, and methods of using the same are provided herein. The in situ measuring devices can include a capillary tube having a reference material sealed inside the capillary tube, where the capillary tube is positioned inside of a solid state or MAS NMR rotor. A target sample can also be positioned in the interior of the solid state or MAS NMR rotor but is sequestered from the reference material by a capillary tube wall. The in situ measuring devices can be used in solid state MAS NMR spectroscopy to quantify one or more parameters of a target sample, such as the quantity of a sample, chemical identity of a sample, or temperature of a sample

Solid State NMR Spectroscopy/Imaging in Situ Measuring Devices and Methods for Calibration and Determining One or More Quantitative Properties of a Target SampleAbstract

In situ measuring devices, methods of making the same, and methods of using the same are provided herein. The in situ measuring devices can include a capillary tube having a reference material sealed inside the capillary tube, where the capillary tube is positioned inside of a solid state or MAS NMR rotor. A target sample can also be positioned in the interior of the solid state or MAS NMR rotor but is sequestered from the reference material by a capillary tube wall. The in situ measuring devices can be used in solid state MAS NMR spectroscopy to quantify one or more parameters of a target sample, such as the quantity of a sample, chemical identity of a sample, or temperature of a sample

Does Osmotic Stress Affect Natural Product Expression in Fungi?

Acknowledgments: Russell Kerr acknowledges the assistance of Nadia Prigoda-Lee, Marius Grote, Kate McQuillan and Stephanie Duffy, and generous financial support from NSERC, the Canada Research Chair program, the Jeanne and Jean-Louis Lévesque Foundation and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Ka-Lai Pang thanks the president of National Taiwan Ocean University, Ching-Fong Chang, for a special fund to attend the workshop held in Charlottetown, Canada in 2014 where this work was discussed. Rob Capon and Zhuo Shang acknowledge support from the University of Queensland, and the UQ Institute for Molecular Bioscience. Zhuo Shang acknowledges the provision of an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) and a Centennial Scholarship by the University of Queensland. Catherine Roullier acknowledges the assistance of Marie-Claude Boumard and Thibaut Robiou du Pont, and support from Region Pays de la Loire, FrancePeer reviewedPublisher PD

IL28B is associated with outcomes of chronic HBV infection

Purpose The role of IL28B gene variants and expression in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are not well understood. Here, we evaluated whether IL28B gene expression and rs12979860 variations are associated with HBV outcomes. Materials and Methods IL28B genetic variations (rs12979860) were genotyped by pyrosequencing of DNA samples from 137 individuals with chronic HBV infection [50 inactive carriers (IC), 34 chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 27 cirrhosis, 26 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)], and 19 healthy controls. IL28A/B mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was determined by qRT-PCR, and serum IL28B protein was measured by ELISA. Results Patients with IL28B C/C genotype had greater IL28A/B mRNA expression and higher IL28B protein levels than C/T patients. Within the various disease stages, compared to IC and healthy controls, IL28B expression was reduced in the CHB, cirrhosis, and HCC cohorts (CHB vs. IC, p=0.02; cirrhosis vs. IC, p=0.01; HCC vs. IC, p=0.001; CHB vs. controls, p&#60;0.01; cirrhosis vs. controls, p&#60;0.01; HCC vs. controls, p&#60;0.01). When stratified with respect to serum HBV markers in the IC and CHB cohorts, IL28B mRNA and protein levels were higher in HBeAg-positive than negative individuals (p=0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that factors associated with high IL28B protein levels were C/C versus C/T genotype [p=0.016, odds ratio (OR)=0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.08-0.78], high alanine aminotransferase values (p&#60;0.001, OR=8.02, 95% CI=2.64-24.4), and the IC stage of HBV infection (p&#60;0.001). Conclusion Our data suggest that IL28B genetic variations may play an important role in long-term development of disease in chronic HBV infections.</p

Single-nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic risk score and patient age at prostate cancer diagnosis

Importance: Few studies have evaluated the association between a single-nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic risk score (GRS) and patient age at prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis. Objectives: To test the association between a GRS and patient age at PCa diagnosis and to compare the performance of a GRS with that of family history (FH) in PCa risk stratification. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cohort study of 3225 white men was conducted as a secondary analysis of the Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE) chemoprevention trial, a 4-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study conducted from March 2003 to April 2009 to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dutasteride in reducing PCa events. Participants were confirmed to be cancer free by prostate biopsy (6-12 cores) within 6 months prior to the study and underwent 10 core biopsies every 2 years per protocol. The dates for performing data analysis were from July 2016 to October 2019. Interventions: A well-established, population-standardized GRS was calculated for each participant based on 110 known PCa risk-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms, which is a relative risk compared with the general population. Men were classified into 3 GRS risk groups based on predetermined cutoff values: low (\u3c0.50), average (0.50-1.49), and high (≥1.50). Main Outcomes and Measures: Prostate cancer diagnosis-free survival among men of different risk groups. Results: Among 3225 men (median age, 63 years [interquartile range, 58-67 years]) in the study, 683 (21%) were classified as low risk, 1937 (60%) as average risk, and 605 (19%) as high risk based on GRS alone. In comparison, 2789 (86%) were classified as low or average risk and 436 (14%) as high risk based on FH alone. Men in higher GRS risk groups had a PCa diagnosis-free survival rate that was worse than that of those in the lower GRS risk group (χ2 = 53.3; P \u3c .001 for trend) and in participants with a negative FH of PCa (χ2 = 45.5; P \u3c .001 for trend). Combining GRS and FH further stratified overall genetic risk, indicating that 957 men (30%) were at high genetic risk (either high GRS or positive FH), 1667 men (52%) were at average genetic risk (average GRS and negative FH), and 601 men (19%) were at low genetic risk (low GRS and negative FH). The median PCa diagnosis-free survival was 74 years (95% CI, 73-75 years) for men at high genetic risk, 77 years (95% CI, 75 to \u3e80 years) for men at average genetic risk, and more than 80 years (95% CI, \u3e80 to \u3e80 years) for men at low genetic risk. In contrast, the median PCa diagnosis-free survival was 73 years (95% CI, 71-76 years) for men with a positive FH and 77 years (95% CI, 76-79 years) for men with a negative FH. Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that a GRS is significantly associated with patient age at PCa diagnosis. Combining FH and GRS may better stratify inherited risk than FH alone for developing personalized PCa screening strategies

Capillary-Tube Package Devices for the Quantitative Performance Evaluation of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometers and Pulse Sequences

With the increased sensitivity of modern nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers, the minimum amount needed for chemical-shift referencing of NMR spectra has decreased to a point where a few microliters can be sufficient to observe a reference signal. The reduction in the amount of required reference material is the basis for the NMR Capillary-tube Package (CapPack) platform that utilizes capillary tubes with inner diameters smaller than 150 µm as NMR-tube inserts for external reference standards. It is shown how commercially available electrophoresis capillary tubes with outer diameters of 360 µm are filled with reference liquids or solutions and then permanently sealed by the arc discharge plasma of a commercially available fusion splicer normally employed for joining optical fibers. The permanently sealed capillaries can be used as external references for chemical-shift, signal-to-noise, resolution, and concentration calibration. Combining a number of permanently sealed capillaries to form CapPack devices leads to additional applications such as performance evaluation of NMR spectrometers and NMR pulse sequences. A 10-capillary-tube side-by-side Gradient CapPack device is used in combination with one or two constant gradients, produced by room-temperature shim coils, to monitor the excitation profiles of shaped pulses. One example illustrates the performance of hyperbolic secant (sech) pulses in the EXponentially Converging Eradication Pulse Train (EXCEPT) solvent suppression sequence. The excitation profile of the pulse sequence is obtained in a single gradient NMR experiment. A clustered T1 CapPack device is introduced consisting of a coaxial NMR-tube insert that holds seven capillary tubes filled with aqueous solutions of different concentrations of the paramagnetic relaxation agent copper(ii) sulfate (CuSO4). The different CuSO4 concentrations lead to spin-lattice relaxation times in the seven capillary tubes that cover a range which extends to more than an order of magnitude. Clustered T1 CapPack devices are best suited to quantify the effects that relaxation has on magnetizations and coherences during the execution of NMR experiments, which is demonstrated for the order-of-magnitude T1 insensitivity of signal suppression with EXCEPT

In Situ NMR Parameter Monitoring Systems and Methods for Measuring PH and Temperature

Devices and methods are provided for measuring temperatures and pHs of a sample in situ using NMR spectroscopy, and for sealing one or more ends of a capillary tube after a reference material has been added to the capillary tube, which is used in an in situ NMR temperature measurement device. A method for measuring a pH of a sample in situ using NMR spectroscopy includes providing an in situ NMR pH measurement device. This device includes a sample housing member configured to house a target sample, at least one pH sensor configured to exhibit an NMR spectral change due to a change in pH value of the target sample, and a pH sensor containment member configured to house the at least one pH sensor. The target sample is added to the sample housing member. NMR spectra are obtained to then determine the pH of the target sample

Solid-state fermentation of Pleurotus ostreatus to improve the nutritional profile of mechanically-fractionated canola meal

acceptedVersio

Genomic conservation of cattle microsatellite loci in wild gaur (Bos gaurus) and current genetic status of this species in Vietnam

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The wild gaur (<it>Bos gaurus</it>) is an endangered wild cattle species. In Vietnam, the total number of wild gaurs is estimated at a maximum of 500 individuals. Inbreeding and genetic drift are current relevant threats to this small population size. Therefore, information about the genetic status of the Vietnamese wild gaur population is essential to develop strategies for conservation and effective long-term management for this species. In the present study, we performed cross-species amplification of 130 bovine microsatellite markers, in order to evaluate the applicability and conservation of cattle microsatellite loci in the wild gaur genome. The genetic diversity of Vietnamese wild gaur was also investigated, based on data collected from the 117 successfully amplified loci.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One hundred-thirty cattle microsatellite markers were tested on a panel of 11 animals. Efficient amplifications were observed for 117 markers (90%) with a total of 264 alleles, and of these, 68 (58.1%) gave polymorphic band patterns. The number of alleles per locus among the polymorphic markers ranged from two to six. Thirteen loci (<it>BM1314</it>, <it>BM2304</it>, <it>BM6017</it>, <it>BMC2228</it>, <it>BMS332</it>, <it>BMS911</it>, <it>CSSM023</it>, <it>ETH123</it>, <it>HAUT14</it>, <it>HEL11</it>, <it>HEL5</it>, <it>ILSTS005 </it>and <it>INRA189</it>) distributed on nine different cattle chromosomes failed to amplify wild gaur genomic DNA. Three cattle Y-chromosome specific microsatellite markers (<it>INRA124</it>, <it>INRA126 </it>and <it>BM861</it>) were also highly specific in wild gaur, only displaying an amplification product in the males. Genotype data collected from the 117 successfully amplified microsatellites were used to assess the genetic diversity of this species in Vietnam. Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) values varied between 0.083 and 0.767 with a mean of 0.252 while observed heterozygosities (<it>H</it>_<it>o</it>) ranged from 0.091 to 0.909 (mean of 0.269). Nei's unbiased mean heterozygosity and the mean allele number across loci were 0.298 and 2.2, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Extensive conservation of cattle microsatellite loci in the wild gaur genome, as shown by our results, indicated a high applicability of bovine microsatellites for genetic characterization and population genetic studies of this species. Moreover, the low genetic diversity observed in Vietnamese wild gaur further underlines the necessity of specific strategies and appropriate management plans to preserve this endangered species from extinction.</p