Dermoscopic evaluation of nodular melanoma

Importance: Nodular melanoma (NM) is a rapidly progressing potentially lethal skin tumor for which early diagnosis is critical

Audio Journal – Empowering Visually Impaired People to Access Exhibits at the Worcester Museum of Art

In 2022 the Worcester Art Museum (WAM) hosted an exhibition with tactile sculptures for those with visual impairments while also analyzing practices for making the museum more accessible. However, in most cases, traditional exhibits do not support blind or low-vision guests, providing the WAM with an opportunity to explore different methods of supporting these guests besides specialized exhibitions. One potential solution decided upon by the WAM was a mobile app that would be a useful accessibility tool for visually impaired persons (VIPs). To this end, the museum partnered with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to develop a mobile application to enhance the experience at the WAM for all types of VIPs. The Worcester Art Museum App aims to empower visually impaired people to access all art pieces and exhibits in the WAM. One of the main goals is to produce an application for all users, widely accessible to the public, and to accomplish this, the app was developed using React Native. React Native allows for development on dual platforms, Android and iOS, allowing the app to reach a larger audience while also taking advantage of built-in accessibility features. The major features of the app included the ability to have the phone read out UI options present on the screen, read out audio files, use modified touch gestures to navigate the screen, the ability to customize the app color palette, and give the user the option to control the app with their voice. The long-term goal of the WPI team was to work with the museum to add physical alterations to the exhibit to improve accessibility and integration with the app, most notably in the form of NFC tags and QR codes. By providing supplemental information about the museum’s exhibit art pieces through text and audio descriptions, the role of the application is to expand access to exhibits to people with visual impairments

Methods for Studying <i>Magnaporthiopsis maydis</i>, the Maize Late Wilt Causal Agent

Late wilt, a destructive vascular disease of maize caused by the fungus Magnaporthiopsis maydis, is characterized by relatively fast wilting of maize plants closely before the physiological maturity stage. Previously, traditional microbiology-based methods have been used to isolate the pathogen and to characterize its traits. More recently, several molecular methods have been developed, enabling accurate and sensitive examination of the pathogen spread within the host. Here, we review the methods developed in the past 10 years in Israel, which include new or modified microbial and molecular techniques to identify, monitor, and study M. maydis in controlled environments and in the field. The assays inspected are exemplified with new findings and include microbial isolation methods, microscopic and PCR or qPCR identification, spore germination evaluation, root pathogenicity assay, M. maydis hyphae or filtrate effects on grain germination and sprout development, and a field assay. These diagnostic protocols enable rapid and reliable detection and identification of the pathogen in plants and seeds and studying the pathogenesis of M. maydis in susceptible and relatively resistant maize cultivars in a contaminated field. Moreover, these techniques are important for studying the population structure, and for future development of new strategies to restrict the disease&#8217;s outburst and spread

Digital information about renewable energy and clean-tech ventures at the Arava region

The Arava region in Israel provides examples of technological innovations that fit in with the local climate and available resources, in this case an abundance of sunlight, warm winters, and lack of rainfall. The region has undergone a shift towards renewable energy and sustainable technology in the past sixteen years. Our team created resources to communicate sustainable technology innovations in the Arava region to Israel’s cleantech professionals through short, informational videos. We created videos on three topics by filming interviews and demonstrations of technology with local experts. These video topics were: off-grid technology for the developed world, applications of circular economy on a community scale, and renewable energy as an economic pillar for kibbutzim

Hematoxylin and Safranin O Staining of Frozen Sections

Currently the hematoxylin and eosin staining procedure is the most popular among Mohs surgeons for histology. However, safranin O, a cheaper and relatively safer stain which is predominantly used for plant histology, should be considered as it offers similar or improved accuracy in the diagnosis of frozen sections of basal and squamous cell carcinomas

Effective chemical protection against the maize late wilt causal agent, Harpophora maydis, in the field.

Late wilt, a disease severely affecting maize fields throughout Israel, is characterized by relatively rapid wilting of maize plants before tasseling and until shortly before maturity. The disease's causal agent is the fungus Harpophora maydis, a soil-borne and seed-borne pathogen, which is currently controlled using reduced sensitivity maize cultivars. In a former study, we showed that Azoxystrobin (AS) injected into a drip irrigation line assigned for each row can suppress H. maydis in the field and that AS seed coating can provide an additional layer of protection. In the present study, we examine a more cost-effective protective treatment using this fungicide with Difenoconazole mixture (AS+DC), or Fluazinam, or Fluopyram and Trifloxystrobin mixture, or Prothioconazole and Tebuconazole mixture in combined treatment of seed coating and a drip irrigation line for two coupling rows. A recently developed Real-Time PCR method revealed that protecting the plants using AS+DC seed coating alone managed to delay pathogen DNA spread in the maize tissues, in the early stages of the growth season (up to the age of 50 days from sowing), but was less effective in protecting the crops later. AS+DC seed coating combined with drip irrigation using AS+DC was the most successful treatment, and in the double-row cultivation, it reduced fungal DNA in the host tissues to near zero levels. This treatment minimized the development of wilt symptoms by 41% and recovered cob yield by a factor of 1.6 (to the level common in healthy fields). Moreover, the yield classified as A class (cob weight of more than 250 g) increased from 58% to 75% in this treatment. This successful treatment against H. maydis in Israel can now be applied in vast areas to protect sensitive maize cultivars against maize late wilt disease

The intranasal vaccination of pregnant dams with Intimin and EspB confers protection in neonatal mice from Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157: H7 infection

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is responsible for intestinal disease and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious systemic complication which particularly affects children. In this study, we evaluated whether passive immunization protects from EHEC O157:H7 colonization and renal damage, by using a weaned BALB/c mouse model of infection. Recombinant proteins EspB and the carboxyl-terminal fragment of 280 amino acids of -intimin (-Int C280) were used in combination with a macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 (MALP) adjuvant to immunize pregnant mice by the intranasal route. Neonatal mice were allowed to suckle vaccinated or sham-vaccinated dams until weaning when they were challenged by the oral route with a suspension of an E. coli O157:H7 Stx2+ strain. The excretion ofthe inoculated strain was followed for 72 h. All vaccinated dams exhibited elevated serum IgG response against both -Int C280 and EspB. Passive immunization of newborn mice resulted in a significantincrease in serum IgG titers against -Int C280 and a slight increase in EspB-specific antibodies. The neonates from vaccinated dams showed a significant reduction in EHEC O157:H7 colonization 48 h post challenge. In addition, the level of plasma urea concentration, a marker of renal failure, was significantly higher in offsprings of sham-vaccinated mice. In conclusion, vaccination of pregnant dams with -Int C280 and EspB could reduce colonization and systemic toxicity of EHEC O157:H7 in their suckling offsprings.Fil: Rabinovitz, Bettina Carol. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Larzabal, Mariano. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vilte, Daniel Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Patobiología; ArgentinaFil: Cataldi, Ángel Adrián. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Mercado, Elsa Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

The intranasal vaccination of pregnant dams with Intimin and EspBconfers protection in neonatal mice from Escherichia coli (EHEC)O157:H7 infection

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is responsible for intestinal disease and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious systemic complication which particularly affects children. In this study, we evaluated whether passive immunization protects from EHEC O157:H7 colonization and renal damage, by using a weaned BALB/c mouse model of infection. Recombinant proteins EspB and the carboxyl-terminal fragment of 280 amino acids of γ-intimin (γ-Int C280) were used in combination with a macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 (MALP) adjuvant to immunize pregnant mice by the intranasal route. Neonatal mice were allowed to suckle vaccinated or sham-vaccinated dams until weaning when they were challenged by the oral route with a suspension of an E. coli O157:H7 Stx2+ strain. The excretion of the inoculated strain was followed for 72 h. All vaccinated dams exhibited elevated serum IgG response against both γ-Int C280 and EspB. Passive immunization of newborn mice resulted in a significant increase in serum IgG titers against γ-Int C280 and a slight increase in EspB-specific antibodies. The neonates from vaccinated dams showed a significant reduction in EHEC O157:H7 colonization 48 h post challenge. In addition, the level of plasma urea concentration, a marker of renal failure, was significantly higher in offsprings of sham-vaccinated mice. In conclusion, vaccination of pregnant dams with γ-Int C280 and EspB could reduce colonization and systemic toxicity of EHEC O157:H7 in their suckling offsprings.Fil: Rabinovitz, Bettina Carol. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología; ArgentinaFil: Larzabal, Mariano. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Vilte, Daniel Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología; ArgentinaFil: Cataldi, Angel Adrian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Mercado, Elsa Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología; Argentin