Methods for identifying plant materials in Māori and Pacific textiles

Investigating the range of plant species used in Māori and Pacific textiles can help to understand the diversity and relationships among whatu and raranga techniques and art forms. Although the style and construction of Māori and Pacific textile artefacts often give clues as to the plant species used, positive species identification is not always possible from visual inspection. This may be due to the age and condition of the artefact, or effects of leaf processing such as splitting, softening, stripping or dying. A range of laboratory methods and published resources are however available to help with the identification process. Understanding the internal and surface anatomy of raw leaf material (e.g. Carr and Cruthers 2007; Carr et. al. 2009), the effects of leaf preparation for weaving on leaf anatomy (e.g. King 2003) and the expected condition of specimens sampled from artefacts can aid the interpretation of data collected in the laboratory. The most appropriate method of specimen preparation is another important consideration. This paper provides a review of microscopy and tomography techniques and online resources, which have been trialled and implemented in the Clothing and Textile Sciences Department at the University of Otago for the identification of plant species of interest in New Zealand and the Pacific. The advantages and disadvantages of these techniques and resources for identifying plant materials in artefacts will be discussed

Consolidation of black-dyed Maori textile artefacts: Evaluating the efficacy of sodium alginate

Black-dyed artefacts are found in museums worldwide, many produced using an iron-tannate compound. Deterioration of iron-tannate dyed artefacts is an international preservation issue: in New Zealand the deterioration of paru (iron-tannate) dyed Māori textiles is widespread. This article reports experimental work testing the efficacy of sodium alginate, a consolidant developed for deteriorated paru-dyed muka (fibre from harakeke; Phormium tenax). The colour stability, strength retention, and acidity of paru-dyed muka consolidated with sodium alginate (0.25, 0.5, and 1% w/v in water) was tested pre- and post-artificial light ageing. This study found that sodium alginate had no negative effect on paru-dyed muka and in some cases provided benefit. Interestingly, the colour of paru-dyed muka is substantially more stable in UV-filtered light than previously recognised. Also microfading results were in agreement with visual assessments of colour change at 1 Mlux hour exposure, providing confidence in this relatively new technique to assess colour change

Relating colour, chemical and physical characteristics of artificially light-aged New Zealand plant fibres

Light ageing of naturally-dyed plant fibres can cause colour change, alteration of molecular bonds within the fibre structure and loss of mechanical integrity. Lighting guidelines seek to protect artefacts by limiting light exposure, for example by estimating the lux hours likely to cause colour change of “one just noticeable fade” (1JNF). However the extent of associated molecular or mechanical damage is rarely simultaneously assessed. This paper reports a pilot study investigating the effects of accelerated light ageing on muka (fibre extracted from the leaves of Phormium tenax), the most common fibre used in Māori textiles. Non-dyed and dyed muka were artificially light-aged and micro-faded to ascertain exposure resulting in 1JNF. Raman microscopy and tensile testing of individual fibres from the same samples were used to explore correlations among fading, molecular change and mechanical properties.Peer Reviewe

Human effects on ecological connectivity in aquatic ecosystems: Integrating scientific approaches to support management and mitigation

Understanding the drivers and implications of anthropogenic disturbance of ecological connectivity is a key concern for the conservation of biodiversity and 50 ecosystem processes. Here, we review human activities that affect the movements and dispersal of aquatic organisms, including damming of rivers, river regulation, habitat loss and alteration, human-assisted dispersal of organisms and climate change. Using a series of case studies, we show that the insight needed to understand the nature and implications of connectivity, and to underpin conservation and 55 management, is best achieved via data synthesis from multiple analytical approaches. We identify four key knowledge requirements for progressing our understanding of the effects of anthropogenic impacts on ecological connectivity: autecology; population structure; movement characteristics; and environmental tolerance/phenotypic plasticity. Structuring empirical research around these four 60 broad data requirements, and using this information to parameterise appropriate models and develop management approaches, will allow for mitigation of the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on ecological connectivity in aquatic ecosystems.Keywords: Fragmentation, Climate change, Migration, Meta-population, Dispersal, Source-sin

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

The evaluation of accelerated ageing tests for high temperature carbon fibre composites

Abstract not available

Methods for identifying plant materials in Māori and Pacific textiles

Investigating the range of plant species used in Māori and Pacific textiles can help to understand the diversity and relationships among whatu and raranga techniques and art forms. Although the style and construction of Māori and Pacific textile artefacts often give clues as to the plant species used, positive species identification is not always possible from visual inspection. This may be due to the age and condition of the artefact, or effects of leaf processing such as splitting, softening, stripping or dying. A range of laboratory methods and published resources are however available to help with the identification process. Understanding the internal and surface anatomy of raw leaf material (e.g. Carr and Cruthers 2007; Carr et. al. 2009), the effects of leaf preparation for weaving on leaf anatomy (e.g. King 2003) and the expected condition of specimens sampled from artefacts can aid the interpretation of data collected in the laboratory. The most appropriate method of specimen preparation is another important consideration. This paper provides a review of microscopy and tomography techniques and online resources, which have been trialled and implemented in the Clothing and Textile Sciences Department at the University of Otago for the identification of plant species of interest in New Zealand and the Pacific. The advantages and disadvantages of these techniques and resources for identifying plant materials in artefacts will be discussed

El defensor de Córdoba : diario católico: Año VI Número 1390 - 1904 mayo 24

Copia digital. Madrid : Ministerio de Cultura. Subdirección General de Coordinación Bibliotecaria, 200

Identification of historical plant material using micro-computed tomography

This is a pre-printThis work investigates the use of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT, µCT) for identification of New Zealand plant leaf material from artefacts. Micro-computed tomography was explored as a result of difficulties in preparing transverse sections from aged plant material from artefacts to compare with reference slides for microscopic identification of plant species. The three plants investigated (harakeke1, New Zealand flax, Phormium tenax, J.R.Forst. & G.Forst; tī kōuka, cabbage tree, Cordyline australis, (Forst.f.) Endl,; kiekie, Frecinetia banksii A.Cunn.) were/are commonly used by Maori for the manufacture of objects often found in cultural institutions. Contemporary and historical specimens (from artefacts) of plant leaf material were investigated. Contemporary specimens were viewed using micro-CT and showed identifiable features compared with micrographs of transverse sections from reference material. Diagnostic features of each plant species were then named and measured, providing the basis for development of an identification key using both visual and objective criteria. Positive identification of historical specimens using this key varied across plant species and according to level of ageing and processing. Despite this, micro-CT had several advantages over traditional transverse sections: samples were not prepared for, or altered by, analysis, and numerous cross-sections across the entire sample could be easily viewed to locate identifiable characteristics. While measurable criteria supplied apply only to the three named New Zealand plant species, this paper provides methods that could be applied to the identification of other aged plant leaf material. Knowledge of plant anatomy at the level of major cell and tissue types (for e.g. parenchyma, sclerenchyma and epidermis) is sufficient for the level of analysis carried out in this study.Peer Reviewe