20 research outputs found
Publisher Correction: Truncated FGFR2 is a clinically actionable oncogene in multiple cancers.
This paper was originally published under a standard Springer Nature license
Scaling readiness: Learnings from applying a novel approach to support scaling of food system innovations
Scaling of innovations is a key requirement for addressing societal challenges in sectors such as agriculture, but research for development programs strug gles to make innovations go to scale. There is a gap between new complexity-aware scientifc theories and perspectives on innovation and practical approaches that can improve strategic and operational decision-making in research for development interventions that aim to scale innovations. To bridge this gap, Scaling Readiness was developed. Scaling Readiness is an approach that encourages critical refection on how ready innovations are for scaling in a particular context for achieving a par ticular goal and what appropriate actions could accelerate or enhance scaling to realize development outcomes. Scaling Readiness provides decision support for (1) characterizing the innovation and innovation system; (2) diagnosing the current readiness and use of innovations; (3) developing strategies to overcome bottlenecks for scaling; (4) facilitating multi-stakeholder negotiation and agreement; and (5) navigating the implementation process. This chapter explains how Scaling Readiness was used in the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB) and describes how Scaling Readiness informed the design and management of the RTB Scaling Fund, an instrument for identifying and nurturing scaling-ready inno vations. We introduce the key principles and concepts of Scaling Readiness and provide a case study of how Scaling Readiness was applied for scaling a cassava fash dryer innovation in different countries in Africa and Central America. The chapter concludes with a refection and recommendations for the further improvement and use of Scaling Readiness
Compatibility of Staining Protocols for Bone Tissue with Raman Imaging
We report the use of Raman microscopy to image mouse calvaria stained with hematoxylin, eosin and toluidine blue. Raman imaging of stained specimens allows for direct correlation of histological and spectral information. A line-focus 785 nm laser imaging system with specialized near-infrared (NIR) microscope objectives and CCD detector were used to collect approximately 100 × 450 µm Raman images. Principal components analysis, a multivariate analysis technique, was used to determine whether the histological stains cause spectral interference (band shifts or intensity changes) or result in thermal damage to the examined tissue. Image analysis revealed factors for tissue components and the embedding medium, glycol methacrylate, only. Thus, Raman imaging proved to be compatible with histological stains such as hematoxylin, eosin and toluidine blue.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48009/1/223_2003_Article_38.pd
Ecological aspects of marine Vibrio bacteria - Exploring relationships to other organisms and a changing environment
Heterotrophic bacteria of the genus Vibrio are indigenous in the marine
environment although environmental cues regulate their growth and distribution. The
attention brought to this genus is due to its many species/strains that are pathogenic to
humans and other organisms. Vibrio abundances are strongly coupled to water
temperature and salinity but abundance dynamics occur even where these
hydrographical parameters are stable. In this thesis, I have studied Vibrio dynamics in
relation to other organisms such as phytoplankton (papers I, II and III) and a bivalve
host-organism (paper IV) in a changing environment where increasing temperature
(paper III) and ocean acidification (paper IV) may influence survival and proliferation
of these bacteria. In particular paper I showed that in a tropical coastal area, where the
water temperature and salinity were stable across seasons, abundances of Vibrio were
tightly coupled to phytoplankton biomass and community composition. A diatom
bloom during December seemed to support high numbers of vibrios in waters with
otherwise low levels of dissolved organic carbon. Paper II further supports that some
phytoplankton can favor Vibrio growth while others seem to have a negative influence
on Vibrio abundances. For instance, Skeletonema tropicum, a common diatom in
Indian coastal waters, easily eradicated Vibrio parahaemolyticus from sea water in
our experiments. In temperate marine areas culturable Vibrio predominantly occurs in
the water column during the warmer months. Sediments are suggested to be potential
reservoirs when conditions in the water-column are harsh. Accordingly, in paper III
we showed that cold-water sediments from geographically separate areas in a boreal
region of Scandinavia all contained relative high abundances of total Vibrio spp. and
that all sediments also included culturable Vibrio. In agreement with paper I, the fresh
input of organic material from phytoplankton blooms, for which chlorophyll a was
used as a proxy, seemed to positively influence Vibrio abundances also in the
sediments (paper III). Therefore, the pelagic-benthic coupling which can supply the
sediments with biomass from the primary production could influence the abundance
of Vibrio spp. Increasing temperature had variable influence on sediment-associated
Vibrio abundance, with a significant increase in abundances in sediments originating
from one area when the temperature reached over 21°C and a generally negative
influence of increasing temperature on abundances in sediments originating from
another area (paper III). This suggests that the sediments contained different Vibrio
communities with varying temperature tolerance traits. Rising levels of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere does not only lead to higher water temperature through the
green house effect, but also to acidification of the oceans. Paper IV illustrated how a
common bivalve pathogen, Vibrio tubiashii, can be favored in the interaction with a
calcifying bivalve host, Mytilus edulis, when this host-pathogen combination was
exposed to levels of ocean acidification projected to occur by the end of the 21st
century. Thus, global environmental changes may enhance the probability of Vibrio
infections in higher organisms