The chemical characterisation by HPLC–PDA and HPLC–ESI–MS of unaged and aged fibre samples dyed with sawwort (Serratula tinctoria L.)

The acid-hydrolysed extracts of freshly dyed reference fibres of sawwort harvested from several different geographical locations were characterised by the use of high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC–PDA) and coupled with electrospray ionisation mass spectrometric analysis (HPLC–ESI–MS). A related species, Serratula coronata L. was also characterised. The flavonols quercetin, 3-O-methylquercetin and kaempferol, and the flavones luteolin and apigenin were observed in all samples. Accelerated ageing studies confirmed the sensitivity of the flavonol components to photo-oxidative degradation. The poor lightfastness and small relative proportion of these flavonol components found in the extracts of freshly dyed sawwort limits their use as sawwort ‘markers’ in historical samples

The challenge to promote social and economic equality in Namibia through social work

Social work is called upon by the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development to promote a more just society. Social welfare services in Namibia are not aligned with the country’s vision to significantly reduce inequalities by 2030. The absence of a legislative mandate is key to social work’s challenge to shift from a focus on primarily psycho-social service delivery to engaging in social and economic justice issues. It is recommended that the Namibian government formalise its adoption of a developmental social welfare policy in order to create an enabling environment for social work to promote social and economic equality.http://socialwork.journals.ac.za/pubam2017Social Work and Criminolog

Multidimensional poverty in informal settlements in Windhoek, Namibia, and Orange Farm, South Africa

The goal of the study was to explore and compare the multidimensional nature of poverty in informal settlements in Windhoek, Namibia, and Orange Farm, South Africa. The study employed a mixed methods research design that used a collective case study and a cross-sectional survey for the qualitative and quantitative study phases. Findings indicate that poverty in informal settlements is a multilayered phenomenon that has interrelated social, economic, and environmental dimensions. What differs across countries is the level of government commitment through constitutional mandates and policies to mitigate the impact of poverty by rendering basic services and implementing housing schemes and anti-poverty programs such as social grants. Political will is key to finding people-centered solutions. Social and environmental justice campaigns that advocate and lobby governments for accountability in implementing national development plans and social welfare policy commitments are needed.https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/sdihj2023Social Work and Criminolog

RECORD ON SOME CATERPILLARS OF BUTTERFLIES (LEPIDOPTERA: PAPILIONOIDEA) IN EAST JAVA, INDONESIA

Indonesia has a high diversity of butterflies with more than 2,000 species, yet knowledge of their pre-adult stages is very limited. A thorough understanding of the larval stage is necessary to complement the data on butterfly diversity and distribution. This survey, which lasted from 2012 to 2022, aimed to document the butterfly larvae in their last instars that were encountered in East Java. Leaves of the host plants were visually inspected during the day to collect butterfly eggs or larvae. The eggs and larvae were then reared to adulthood and resulted in 136 verified species in total. Of 136 species, the caterpillars of 107 species (78.68%) had previously been documented, and those of 29 species (21.32%) are newly reported here, including the caterpillars of Eurema beatrix and Ixias venilia, which are rare and endemic to Java. This information will serve as a substantial part of developing a field guide to the butterflies of Java, which will include pre-adult stages

Characterising pressure and bruising in apple fruit

A large percentage of apples are wasted each year due to damage such as bruising. The apple journey from orchard to supermarket is very complex and apples are subjected to a variety of static and dynamic loads that could result in this damage occurring. The aim of this work was to use a novel ultrasonic technique to study apple contact areas and stresses under static loading that may occur, for example, in bulk storage bins used during harvesting. These results were used to identify load thresholds above which unacceptable damage occurs. They were also used to validate output from a finite element model, which will ultimately be developed into a packaging design tool to help reduce the likelihood of apple damage occurring

Molecular basis of RNA guanine-7 methyltransferase (RNMT) activation by RAM

Maturation and translation of mRNA in eukaryotes requires the addition of the 7-methylguanosine cap. In vertebrates, the cap methyltransferase, RNA guanine-7 methyltransferase (RNMT), has an activating subunit, RNMT-Activating Miniprotein (RAM). Here we report the first crystal structure of the human RNMT in complex with the activation domain of RAM. A relatively unstructured and negatively charged RAM binds to a positively charged surface groove on RNMT, distal to the active site. This results in stabilisation of a RNMT lobe structure which co-evolved with RAM and is required for RAM binding. Structure-guided mutagenesis and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that RAM stabilises the structure and positioning of the RNMT lobe and the adjacent α-helix hinge, resulting in optimal positioning of helix A which contacts substrates in the active site. Using biophysical and biochemical approaches, we observe that RAM increases the recruitment of the methyl donor, AdoMet (S-adenosyl methionine), to RNMT. Thus we report the mechanism by which RAM allosterically activates RNMT, allowing it to function as a molecular rheostat for mRNA cap methylation

Multicenter phase II study of matured dendritic cells pulsed with melanoma cell line lysates in patients with advanced melanoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several single center studies have provided evidence of immune activation and antitumor activity of therapeutic vaccination with dendritic cells (DC) in patients with metastatic melanoma. The efficacy of this approach in patients with favorable prognosis metastatic melanoma limited to the skin, subcutaneous tissues and lung (stages IIIc, M1a, M1b) was tested in a multicenter two stage phase 2 study with centralized DC manufacturing.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The vaccine (IDD-3) consisted 8 doses of autologous monocyte-derived matured DC generated in serum-free medium with granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-13 (IL-13), pulsed with lysates of three allogeneic melanoma cell lines, and matured with interferon gamma. The primary endpoint was antitumor activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 33 patients who received IDD-3 there was one complete response (CR), two partial responses (PR), and six patients had stable disease (SD) lasting more than eight weeks. The overall prospectively defined tumor growth control rate was 27% (90% confidence interval of 13-46%). IDD-3 administration had minimal toxicity and it resulted in a high frequency of immune activation to immunizing melanoma antigens as assessed by <it>in vitro </it>immune monitoring assays.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The administration of matured DC loaded with tumor lysates has significant immunogenicity and antitumor activity in patients with limited metastatic melanoma.</p> <p>Clinical trial registration</p> <p>NCT00107159.</p

Historical textile dyeing with Genista tinctoria L.:a comprehensive study by UPLC-MS/MS analysis

Polyphenolic components from Genista species have been well characterised because of their potential as antioxidants and as therapeutic leads; however, the identification of dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria L.) in historical textiles has been the subject of only limited studies. This paper presents a comprehensive UPLC-PDA MS/MS study of reference and historical yarns dyed with this species. Several so far unreported dye components that could assist with the identification of this dye source, were characterised by MS/MS. Furthermore, the effect of photo-degradation and textile preparation techniques (such as over-dyeing) on the dye fingerprint was investigated and the results correlated with those obtained from historical samples from the Burrell and Bodleian collections, UK

Epigenome Microarray Platform for Proteome-Wide Dissection of Chromatin-Signaling Networks

Knowledge of protein domains that function as the biological effectors for diverse post-translational modifications of histones is critical for understanding how nuclear and epigenetic programs are established. Indeed, mutations of chromatin effector domains found within several proteins are associated with multiple human pathologies, including cancer and immunodeficiency syndromes. To date, relatively few effector domains have been identified in comparison to the number of modifications present on histone and non-histone proteins. Here we describe the generation and application of human modified peptide microarrays as a platform for high-throughput discovery of chromatin effectors and for epitope-specificity analysis of antibodies commonly utilized in chromatin research. Screening with a library containing a majority of the Royal Family domains present in the human proteome led to the discovery of TDRD7, JMJ2C, and MPP8 as three new modified histone-binding proteins. Thus, we propose that peptide microarray methodologies are a powerful new tool for elucidating molecular interactions at chromatin