225 research outputs found
Progress in Understanding and Sequencing the Genome of Brassica rapa
Brassica rapa, which is closely related to
Arabidopsis thaliana, is an important crop and a
model plant for studying genome evolution via
polyploidization. We report the current understanding of the
genome structure of B. rapa and efforts for the
whole-genome sequencing of the species. The tribe
Brassicaceae, which comprises ca. 240 species,
descended from a common hexaploid ancestor with a basic genome
similar to that of Arabidopsis. Chromosome
rearrangements, including fusions and/or fissions, resulted in
the present-day “diploid” Brassica
species with variation in chromosome number and phenotype.
Triplicated genomic segments of B. rapa are
collinear to those of A. thaliana with InDels.
The genome triplication has led to an approximately 1.7-fold
increase in the B. rapa gene number compared to
that of A. thaliana. Repetitive DNA of B.
rapa has also been extensively amplified and has
diverged from that of A. thaliana. For its
whole-genome sequencing, the Brassica rapa Genome
Sequencing Project (BrGSP) consortium has developed suitable
genomic resources and constructed genetic and physical maps.
Ten chromosomes of B. rapa are being allocated to
BrGSP consortium participants, and each chromosome will be
sequenced by a BAC-by-BAC approach. Genome sequencing of
B. rapa will offer a new perspective for plant
biology and evolution in the context of polyploidization
Trends in the incidence of cryptorchidism and hypospadias of registry-based data in Korea: a comparison between industrialized areas of petrochemical estates and a non-industrialized area
This study aimed to represent the recent trends in the nationwide incidence of cryptorchidism and hypospadias in Korea, and to determine whether there is evidence of spatial heterogeneity in the incidence. The incidence was calculated as the number of newly diagnosed patients (males) during the first 4 years after a live birth in a population, nationally and regionally (a non-industrialized area (Chuncheon) and petrochemical estates (Yeocheon and Ulsan)), between 2000 and 2005. The data (numerator) for new patients were acquired from the National Health Insurance Review Agency, and the data (denominator) for the resident registration population were from the National Statistical Office. Between 2000 and 2005, the national incidence of cryptorchidism and hypospadias had an increased tendency from 5.01 to 17.43 per 10 000 persons and from 1.40 to 3.28 per 10 000 persons, respectively. The incidence of cryptorchidism was significantly higher in Yeocheon (throughout the study period) and in Ulsan (2001Ulsan ( , 2002Ulsan ( , 2004Ulsan ( and 2005 than the national incidence, whereas the incidence in Chuncheon was significantly lower in 2001 and 2002. It was difficult to compare the rates of hypospadias yearly and regionally because of the small number of cases. In conclusion, the incidence of cryptorchidism has recently increased in Korea. The petrochemical estates, Yeocheon and Ulsan, had a significantly higher incidence of cyptorchidism than the national incidence, which suggests that further study is needed to obtain a more precise estimation of the trends in the incidence of the anomalies and to confirm the association between petrochemicals and the anomalies
Percutaneous placement of self-expandable metallic stents in patients with obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of patients undergoing percutaneous placements of a biliary stent for obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients (mean age, 62.4 years; range, 27-86 years) who underwent percutaneous placements of a biliary stent for obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy were included. The technical success rate, clinical success rate, complication rate, stent patency, patient survival and factors associated with stent patency were being evaluated. RESULTS: The median interval between the gastrectomy and stent placement was 23.1 months (range, 3.9-94.6 months). The 50 patients received a total of 65 stents without any major procedure-related complications. Technical success was achieved in all patients. The mean total serum bilirubin level, which had been 7.19 mg/dL ± 6.8 before stent insertion, decreased to 4.58 mg/dL ± 5.4 during the first week of follow-up (p < 0.001). Clinical success was achieved in 42 patients (84%). Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage catheters were removed from 45 patients (90%). Infectious complications were noted in two patients (4%), and stent malfunction occurred in seven patients (14%). The median stent patency was 233 ± 99 days, and the median patient survival was 179 ± 83 days. Total serum bilirubin level after stenting was an independent factor for stent patency (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous transhepatic placement of a biliary stent for obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy is a technically feasible and clinically effective palliative procedure
Transparent actuator made with few layer graphene electrode and dielectric elastomer, for variable focus lens
A transparent dielectric elastomer actuator driven by few-layer-graphene (FLG) electrode was experimentally investigated. The electrodes were made of graphene, which was dispersed inN-methyl-pyrrolidone. The transparent actuator was fabricated from developed FLG electrodes.The FLG electrode with its sheet resistance of 0.45 kΩ/sq (80 nm thick) was implemented to mask silicone elastomer. The developed FLG-driven actuator exhibited an optical transparency of over 57% at a wavenumber of 600 nm and produced bending displacement performance ranging from 29 to 946 μm as functions of frequency and voltage. The focus variation was clearly demonstrated under actuation to study its application-feasibility in variable focus lens and various opto-electro-mechanical devices
Metaheuristic Optimization Techniques for an Electromagnetic Multilayer Radome Design
In this study, an effective method for designing an electromagnetic multilayer radome is introduced. This method is achieved by using ant colony optimization for a continuous domain in the transmission coefficient maximization with stability for a wide angle of incidence in both perpendicular and parallel polarizations in specific X- and Ku-bands. To obtain the optimized parameter for a C-sandwich radome, particle swarm optimization algorithm is operated to give a clear comparison on the effectiveness of ant colony optimization for a continuous domain. The qualification of an optimized multilayer radome is also compared with an effective solid radome type in transmitted power stability and presented in this research
Identification of the early and late responder genes during the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from mouse fibroblasts
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Robust and Reproducible Generation of Induced Neural Stem Cells from Human Somatic Cells by Defined Factors
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