Eccrine spiradenoma: an uncommon breast tumour

Eccrine spiradenoma is a benign tumour of the sweat gland. Eccrine glands can be found almost everywhere but are mostly concentrated on the palms, soles and the axillae. Lesions involving the breast are rare. We present a case of a 13-years-old Malay girl with eccrine spiradenoma of the breast. The clinical presentation and histological features are being described

Rapid Ultrasound-Assisted Starch Extraction from Sago Pith Waste (SPW) for the Fabrication of Sustainable Bioplastic Film.

The present study was conducted to optimize the extraction yield of starch from sago (Metroxylon sagu) pith waste (SPW) with the assistance of ultrasound ensued by the transformation of extracted starch into a higher value-added bioplastic film. Sago starch with extraction yield of 71.4% was successfully obtained using the ultrasound-assisted extraction, with the following conditions: particle size <250 µm, solid loading of 10 wt.%, ultrasonic amplitude of 70% and duty cycle of 83% in 5 min. The rapid ultrasound approach was proven to be more effective than the conventional extraction with 60.9% extraction yield in 30 min. Ultrasound-extracted starch was found to exhibit higher starch purity than the control starch as indicated by the presence of lower protein and ash contents. The starch granules were found to have irregular and disrupted surfaces after ultrasonication. The disrupted starch granules reduced the particle size and increased the swelling power of starch which was beneficial in producing a film-forming solution. The ultrasound-extracted sago starch was subsequently used to prepare a bioplastic film via solution casting method. A brownish bioplastic film with tensile strength of 0.9 ± 0.1 MPa, Young's modulus of 22 ± 0.8 MPa, elongation at break of 13.6 ± 2.0% and water vapour permeability (WVP) of 1.11 ± 0.1 × 10-8 g m-1 s-1 Pa-1 was obtained, suggesting its feasibility as bioplastic material. These findings provide a means of utilization for SPW which is in line with the contemporary trend towards greener and sustainable products and processes

Hubble Frontier Field Free-form Mass Mapping of the Massive Multiple-merging Cluster MACSJ0717.5+3745

published_or_final_versio

Hubble Frontier Field Free-form Mass Mapping of the Massive Multiple-merging Cluster MACSJ0717.5+3745

published_or_final_versio

Sexual reproduction and genetic polymorphism within the cosmopolitan marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia pungens.

Different clades belonging to the cosmopolitan marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia pungens appear to be present in different oceanic environments, however, a 'hybrid zone', where populations of different clades interbreed, has also been reported. Many studies have investigated the sexual reproduction of P. pungens, focused on morphology and life cycle, rather than the role of sexual reproduction in mixing the genomes of their parents. We carried out crossing experiments to determine the sexual compatibility/incompatibility between different clades of P. pungens, and examined the genetic polymorphism in the ITS2 region. Sexual reproduction did not occur only between clades II and III under any of experimental temperature conditions. Four offspring strains were established between clade I and III successfully. Strains established from offspring were found interbreed with other offspring strains as well as viable with their parental strains. We confirmed the hybrid sequence patterns between clades I and III and found novel sequence types including polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the offspring strains. Our results implicate that gene exchange and mixing between different clades are still possible, and that sexual reproduction is a significant ecological strategy to maintain the genetic diversity within this diatom species

Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activation is required for proliferation of chicken primordial germ cells in vitro

Here, we investigated the role of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vitro. We confirmed the expression of Wnt signaling pathway-related genes and the localization of β-catenin in the nucleus, revealing that this pathway is potentially activated in chicken PGCs. Then, using the single-cell pick-up assay, we examined the proliferative capacity of cultured PGCs in response to Wnt ligands, a β-catenin-mediated Wnt signaling activator (6-bromoindirubin-3′-oxime [BIO]) or inhibitor (JW74), in the presence or absence of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). WNT1, WNT3A, and BIO promoted the proliferation of chicken PGCs similarly to bFGF, whereas JW74 inhibited this proliferation. Meanwhile, such treatments in combination with bFGF did not show a synergistic effect. bFGF treatment could not rescue PGC proliferation in the presence of JW74. In addition, we confirmed the translocation of β-catenin into the nucleus by the addition of bFGF after JW74 treatment. These results indicate that there is signaling crosstalk between FGF and Wnt, and that β-catenin acts on PGC proliferation downstream of bFGF. In conclusion, our study suggests that Wnt signaling enhances the proliferation of chicken PGCs via the stabilization of β-catenin and activation of its downstream genes

Growth characteristics and productivity of tall fescue new variety ‘Purumi’ in South Korea

A new tall fescue variety (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) named ‘Purumi’ was developed by the National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, South Korea from 1999 to 2007. For synthetic seed  production of this new variety, 5 superior clones: EFa9108, EFa0010, EFa0020, EFa0108 and EFa0202 were selected and polycrossed. The agronomic growth characteristics and forage production capability of the seeds were studied at Cheonan from 2004 to 2005, and regional trials were conducted in Cheonan, Pyungchang, Jeju and Jinju from 2008 to 2010. Purumi showed enhanced winter hardiness, disease resistance, and regrowth ability as compared to Fawn. The dry matter yield of Purumi was about 5.6% (16.821 kg/ha) higher than that of Fawn. However, the  nutritive value of both varieties was similar. Since this new variety of tall fescue, Purumi has been developed and distributed with its most  remarkable adaptability for Korean climates and superior value as a livestock feed, it is expected to play an important role in restoration of the pasture industry in Korea.Key words: Tall fescue, Purumi, variety, forage, grassland

Potential impact of a maternal vaccine for RSV: a mathematical modelling study

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory morbidity and one of the main causes of hospitalisation in young children. While there is currently no licensed vaccine for RSV, a vaccine candidate for pregnant women is undergoing phase 3 trials. We developed a compartmental age-structured model for RSV transmission, validated using linked laboratory-confirmed RSV hospitalisation records for metropolitan Western Australia. We adapted the model to incorporate a maternal RSV vaccine, and estimated the expected reduction in RSV hospitalisations arising from such a program. The introduction of a vaccine was estimated to reduce RSV hospitalisations in Western Australia by 6-37% for 0-2month old children, and 30-46% for 3-5month old children, for a range of vaccine effectiveness levels. Our model shows that, provided a vaccine is demonstrated to extend protection against RSV disease beyond the first three months of life, a policy using a maternal RSV vaccine could be effective in reducing RSV hospitalisations in children up to six months of age, meeting the objective of a maternal vaccine in delaying an infant's first RSV infection to an age at which severe disease is less likely

Collaborative research and development (R&D) for climate technology transfer and uptake in developing countries: Towards a needs driven approach

While international cooperation to facilitate the transfer and uptake of climate technologies in developing countries is an ongoing part of climate policy conversations, international collaborative R&D has received comparatively little attention. Collaborative R&D, however, could be a potentially important contributor to facilitating the transfer and uptake of climate technologies in developing countries. But the complexities of international collaborative R&D options and their distributional consequences have been given little attention to date. This paper develops a systematic approach to informing future empirical research and policy analysis on this topic. Building on insights from relevant literature and analysis of empirical data based on a sample of existing international climate technology R&D initiatives, three contributions are made. First, the paper analyses the coverage of existing collaborative R&D efforts in relation to climate technologies, highlighting some important concerns, such as a lack of coverage of lower-income countries or adaptation technologies. Second, it provides a starting point for further systematic research and policy thinking via the development of a taxonomic approach for analysing collaborative designs. Finally, it matches characteristics of R&D collaborations against developing countries’ climate technology needs to provide policymakers with guidance on how to Configure R&D collaborations to meet these needs

Synergistic interaction and biochar improvement over co-torrefaction of intermediate waste epoxy resins and fir

This study investigated the synergistic effect of co-torrefaction with intermediate waste epoxy resins and fir in a batch-type reactor towards biochar improvement. The synergistic effect ratio was used to judge the interaction between the two materials assisted by statistical tools. The main interaction between the feedstocks was the catalytic reaction and blocking effect. Sodium presented in the intermediate waste had a pronounced catalytic effect on the liquid products during torrefaction. It successfully enhanced the volatile matter emissions and exhibited an antagonistic effect on the solid yield. Different from the catalytic reaction that occurred during short retention time, the blocking effect was more noticeable with a longer duration, showing a synergistic effect on the solid yield. Alternatively, a significantly antagonistic effect was exerted on oxygen content, while the carbon content displayed a converse trend. This gave rise to a major antagonistic effect on the O/C ratio which was closer to coal for pure materials torrefaction. The other spotlight in this study was to reuse the tar as a heating value additive. After coating it onto the biochar, the higher heating value could be increased by up to 5.4%. Although tar is considered as an unwanted byproduct of torrefaction treatment, the presented data show its high potential to be recycled into useful calorific value enhancer. It also fulfills the scope of waste-to-energy in this study