Book reviews

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

On-chip titration of an anticoagulant argatroban and determination of the clotting time within whole blood or plasma using a plug-based microfluidic system

This paper describes extending plug-based microfluidics to handling complex biological fluids such as blood, solving the problem of injecting additional reagents into plugs, and applying this system to measuring of clotting time in small volumes of whole blood and plasma. Plugs are droplets transported through microchannels by fluorocarbon fluids. A plug-based microfluidic system was developed to titrate an anticoagulant (argatroban) into blood samples and to measure the clotting time using the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) test. To carry out these experiments, the following techniques were developed for a plug-based system: (i) using Teflon AF coating on the microchannel wall to enable formation of plugs containing blood and transport of the solid fibrin clots within plugs, (ii) using a hydrophilic glass capillary to enable reliable merging of a reagent from an aqueous stream into plugs, (iii) using bright-field microscopy to detect the formation of a fibrin clot within plugs and using fluorescent microscopy to detect the production of thrombin using a fluorogenic substrate, and (iv) titration of argatroban (0-1.5 mu g/mL) into plugs and measurement of the resulting APTTs at room temperature (23 degrees C) and physiological temperature (37 degrees C). APTT measurements were conducted with normal pooled plasma (platelet-poor plasma) and with donor's blood samples ( both whole blood and platelet-rich plasma). APTT values and APTT ratios measured by the plug-based microfluidic device were compared to the results from a clinical laboratory at 37 degrees C. APTT obtained from the on-chip assay were about double those from the clinical laboratory but the APTT ratios from these two methods agreed well with each other

Teknik Proteksi Silang Untuk Pengendalian CMV Pada Krisan

. Rahardjo, I.B., E. Diningsih, and Y. Sulyo. 2008. Cross Protection Technique for Controlling CMV on Chrysanthemum. One of viru s attack chry santhemum is CMV. The alternative to control CMV is the use of vacc ine CARNA 5. The objective of the experiment was to test the cr oss protection tech nique for controlling of CMV on several chry santhemum varieties. The experiment was conduc ted in Virology Laboratory of Indonesian Ornamental Plant Research Institute (IOPRI) in Segu nung, Pacet, Cianjur , West Java, from Augu st to December 2004, using a RC BD split-plot design with 3 replications. The main plot was 5 chry santhemum varieties of White Reagent, Town Talk, Dark Fiji, Stroika, and Revert. The subplot was treatments of vacc ine and CMV, i.e. without vacc ine and CMV, CMV only, vacc ine only, and both vacc ine and CMV. The results of the experiment showed that CARNA 5 vacc ine was able to protect chry santhemum varieties of White Reagent, Town Talk, Dark Fiji, Stroika, and Revert from CMV with normal plant growth and produced good flower quality

Legacy of culture heritage building revitalization: place attachment and culture identity

Cultural heritage buildings are revitalized to promote culture instead of being neglected or demolished. For locals, the revitalization of heritage buildings symbolizes a commitment to the community and a taste of collective memory. The study attempts to test the effectiveness of heritage cultural building on visitors’ post-experience behavior through cultural identity and place attachment. “Cultural activities engagement” and “knowledge transfer” serves as moderating attributes. Their moderating the effects on cultural identity and place attachment are examined, respectively. A valid sample size of 348 from four heritage buildings located in Hong Kong: Tai Kwun, Police Married Quarters (PMQ), Mei Ho House and The Mills. A data analysis platform for PLSSEM is chosen for this study. Results demonstrate that the effectiveness of heritage building revitalization on visitors’ local cultural identity and emotions leading to place attachment. In our study, the effectiveness of heritage building encompasses three elements which includes appearance and components; technology and planning as well as contribution. Knowledge transfer positively moderates the effectiveness of heritage building revitalization and cultural identity. However, cultural activity engagement negatively moderates place attachment. Findings also exhibit that place attachment in heritage building revitalization leads to a positive experience extension. For the practical contribution, the study provides insights to policy makers and planners for historic building design such as appearance and components, technology in facilitating local visitors’ local identity

Interphase chromosome positioning in in vitro porcine cells and ex vivo porcine tissues

Copyright @ 2012 The Authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and 85 reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The article was made available through the Brunel University Open Access Publishing Fund.BACKGROUND: In interphase nuclei of a wide range of species chromosomes are organised into their own specific locations termed territories. These chromosome territories are non-randomly positioned in nuclei which is believed to be related to a spatial aspect of regulatory control over gene expression. In this study we have adopted the pig as a model in which to study interphase chromosome positioning and follows on from other studies from our group of using pig cells and tissues to study interphase genome re-positioning during differentiation. The pig is an important model organism both economically and as a closely related species to study human disease models. This is why great efforts have been made to accomplish the full genome sequence in the last decade. RESULTS: This study has positioned most of the porcine chromosomes in in vitro cultured adult and embryonic fibroblasts, early passage stromal derived mesenchymal stem cells and lymphocytes. The study is further expanded to position four chromosomes in ex vivo tissue derived from pig kidney, lung and brain. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that porcine chromosomes are also non-randomly positioned within interphase nuclei with few major differences in chromosome position in interphase nuclei between different cell and tissue types. There were also no differences between preferred nuclear location of chromosomes in in vitro cultured cells as compared to cells in tissue sections. Using a number of analyses to ascertain by what criteria porcine chromosomes were positioned in interphase nuclei; we found a correlation with DNA content.This study is partly supported by Sygen International PLC

Analisis Struktur Daerah Integral dari Himpunan Polinomial Berdasarkan Struktur Polinomial Gelanggang

Himpunan R[x] polinomial dengan koefisien dari gelanggang R juga merupakan sebuah gelanggang dengan berbagai operasi polinomial jumlahan dan perkalian, dan bahwa R merupakan gelanggang bagian dari R[x]. Oleh karena itu akan ditunjukkan bahwa jika D adalah sebuah daerah integral maka demikian juga dengan himpunan polinomial dengan koefisien di dalam D, yaitu D[X]

Dietary Cholesterol Promotes Adipocyte Hypertrophy and Adipose Tissue Inflammation in Visceral, But Not Subcutaneous, Fat in Monkeys

Objective—Excessive caloric intake is associated with obesity and adipose tissue dysfunction. However, the role of dietary cholesterol in this process is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether increasing dietary cholesterol intake alters adipose tissue cholesterol content, adipocyte size, and endocrine function in nonhuman primates. Approach and Results—Age-matched, male African Green monkeys (n=5 per group) were assigned to one of three diets containing 0.002 (Lo), 0.2 (Med) or 0.4 (Hi) mg cholesterol/Kcal. After 10 weeks of diet feeding, animals were euthanized for adipose tissue, liver, and plasma collection. With increasing dietary cholesterol, free cholesterol (FC) content and adipocyte size increased in a step-wise manner in visceral, but not subcutaneous fat, with a significant association between visceral adipocyte size and FC content (r2=0.298; n=15; p=0.035). In visceral fat, dietary cholesterol intake was associated with: 1) increased pro-inflammatory gene expression and macrophage recruitment, 2) decreased expression of genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis and lipoprotein uptake, and 3) increased expression of proteins involved in FC efflux. Conclusions—Increasing dietary cholesterol selectively increases visceral fat adipocyte size, FC and macrophage content, and proinflammatory gene expression in nonhuman primates

Legacy of culture heritage building revitalization: place attachment and culture identity

IntroductionCultural heritage buildings are revitalized to promote culture instead of being neglected or demolished. For locals, the revitalization of heritage buildings symbolizes a commitment to the community and a taste of collective memory. The study attempts to test the effectiveness of heritage cultural building on visitors’ post-experience behavior through cultural identity and place attachment. “Cultural activities engagement” and “knowledge transfer” serves as moderating attributes. Their moderating the effects on cultural identity and place attachment are examined, respectively.MethodA valid sample size of 348 from four heritage buildings located in Hong Kong: Tai Kwun, Police Married Quarters (PMQ), Mei Ho House and The Mills. A data analysis platform for PLSSEM is chosen for this study.ResultsResults demonstrate that the effectiveness of heritage building revitalization on visitors’ local cultural identity and emotions leading to place attachment.DiscussionIn our study, the effectiveness of heritage building encompasses three elements which includes appearance and components; technology and planning as well as contribution. Knowledge transfer positively moderates the effectiveness of heritage building revitalization and cultural identity. However, cultural activity engagement negatively moderates place attachment. Findings also exhibit that place attachment in heritage building revitalization leads to a positive experience extension. For the practical contribution, the study provides insights to policy makers and planners for historic building design such as appearance and components, technology in facilitating local visitors’ local identity

A two-year participatory intervention project with owners to reduce lameness and limb abnormalities in working horses in Jaipur, India

Participatory methods are increasingly used in international human development, but scientific evaluation of their efficacy versus a control group is rare. Working horses support families in impoverished communities. Lameness and limb abnormalities are highly prevalent in these animals and a cause for welfare concern. We aimed to stimulate and evaluate improvements in lameness and limb abnormalities in horses whose owners took part in a 2-year participatory intervention project to reduce lameness (PI) versus a control group (C) in Jaipur, India.In total, 439 owners of 862 horses participated in the study. PI group owners from 21 communities were encouraged to meet regularly to discuss management and work practices influencing lameness and poor welfare and to track their own progress in improving these. Lameness examinations (41 parameters) were conducted at the start of the study (Baseline), and after 1 year and 2 years. Results were compared with control horses from a further 21 communities outside the intervention. Of the 149 horses assessed on all three occasions, PI horses showed significantly (P<0.05) greater improvement than C horses in 20 parameters, most notably overall lameness score, measures of sole pain and range of movement on limb flexion. Control horses showed slight but significantly greater improvements in four parameters, including frog quality in fore and hindlimbs.This participatory intervention succeeded in improving lameness and some limb abnormalities in working horses, by encouraging changes in management and work practices which were feasible within owners’ socioeconomic and environmental constraints. Demonstration of the potentially sustainable improvements achieved here should encourage further development of participatory intervention approaches to benefit humans and animals in other contexts

B cell receptor accessory molecule CD79α : characterisation and expression analysis in a cartilaginous fish, the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewedPublisher PD