Correlation Between Vase Life and Biochemical Parameters in Ornamental Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Affected by Spraying Chemical Materials During the Growth Stages

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - The study was conducted to investigate the correlation between vase life and biochemical parameters in sunflower. The experiment was arranged in a randomized...     

Early changes of lung function and structure in an elastase model of emphysema--a hyperpolarized 3He MRI study.

Early changes of lung function and structure were studied in the presence of an elastase-induced model of emphysema in 35 Sprague-Dawley rats at mild (5 U/100 g) and moderate (10 U/100 g) severities. Lung ventilation was measured on a regional basis (at a planar resolution of 3.2 mm) by hyperpolarized 3He MRI at 5 and 10 wk after model induction. Subsequent to imaging, average alveolar diameter was measured from histological slices taken from the centers of each lobe. Changes of mean fractional ventilation, mean linear intercept, and intrasubject heterogeneity of ventilation were studied during disease progression. Mean fractional ventilation was significantly different between healthy controls (0.23 +/- 0.04) and emphysematous animals at both time points in the 10-unit group (0.06 +/- 0.02 and 0.12 +/- 0.05, respectively). Changes in average alveolar diameter were not statistically observable until the 10th wk between healthy (37 +/- 10 microm) and emphysematous rats (73 +/- 25 and 95 +/- 31 microm, for 5 and 10 units, respectively). Assessment of function-structure correlation suggested that the majority of the decline in fractional ventilation occurred in the first 5 wk, while enlargement of alveolar diameters appeared primarily between the 5th and 10th wk. A thresholding metric, based on the 20th percentile of fractional ventilation over the entire lung, was utilized to detect the onset of the disease with confidence, independent of whether the regional ventilation measurements were normalized with respect to the delivered tidal volume and estimated functional residual capacity of each individual rat.     

Nano‐based methods for novel coronavirus 2019 (2019‐nCoV) diagnosis: A review

Today, tremendous attention has been devoted to a new coronavirus, SARS‐CoV‐2 (2019‐nCoV), due to severe effects on the global public in all over the world. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of 2019‐nCoV are important for early treatment and cutting off epidemic transmission. In this regard, laboratory detection protocols, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and computed tomography (CT) examination, have been utilized broadly for 2019‐nCoV detection. Recently, nano‐based methods for 2019‐nCoV diagnoses are rapidly expanding and declaring comparable results with PCR and CT. In this review, recent advances in nano‐based techniques have been highlighted and compared briefly with PCR and CT as well‐known methods for 2019‐nCoV detection.     

Embryogenesis and early larval development in wild-caught Levantine scraper,Capoeta damascina (Valenciennes, 1842)

Levantine scraper, Capoeta damascina is a candidate species for future stock assessments, conservation studies, and hatchery efforts. Herein, we documented embryonic and early larval development, from egg activation to the exogenous feeding period, using morphological and histological landmarks. Embryos were obtained by in vitro fertilization from hormonally induced wild-caught broodstock, and subsequent development was monitored at temperatures coinciding with native conditions. Embryonic development from fertilization to hatch lasted ~105–110 hr. Larvae emerged with unpigmented eyes and body morphology, as well as an undifferentiated digestive tract. The mouth was closed at hatch by the oropharyngeal membrane and opened by the early endogenous feeding period. Trabeculae cartilage, quadrate bone, and Meckel's cartilage of the endoskeleton were present during the endogenous feeding period. During this period, the larvae underwent considerable changes in craniofacial morphology, locomotion, and organogenesis of the digestive tract. The cartilaginous floor of the neurocranium developed and the first four ceratobranchials appeared simultaneously at the end of endogenous feeding period. The digestive tract was differentiated into buccopharynx, esophagus, and small intestine during the endogenous feeding period. The intestinal valve and numerous longitudinal folds at the posterior region of the intestine formed together by the endo–exogenous feeding period. Major developmental events in retinogenesis occurred during the endogenous feeding period. When larvae entered exogenous feeding the mouth was fully-functional. Additionally, liver size and eye diameter increased. Our analysis of embryonic and early larval development in Levantine scraper aligned with other freshwater fishes.     

Effect of sterol structure on the bending rigidity of lipid membranes: A H NMR transverse relaxation study

The effect of incorporation of 3-43 mol% sterol on the lipid order and bilayer rigidity has been investigated for model membranes of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. ²H NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation rates were measured for macroscopically aligned bilayers. The characteristics of spectra obtained at temperatures between 0-60 °C are interpreted in terms of a two-phase coexistence of the liquid disordered and the liquid ordered phases and the data is found to be in agreement with the phase diagram published by Vist and Davis (Biochemistry 29 (1990), pp. 451-464). The bending modulus of the bilayers was calculated from plots of relaxation rate vs. the square of the order parameter at 44 °C. Clear differences were obtained in the efficiency of the sterols to increase the stiffness of the bilayers. These differences are correlated to the ability of the sterols to induce the liquid ordered phase in binary as well as in ternary systems; the only exception being ergosterol, which was found to be unable to induce l_o phases and also had a relatively weak effect on the bilayer stiffness in contrast to earlier reports.     

Tips for improving the quality and quantity of the extracted DNA from exhaled breath condensate samples

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the tracking of genetic and epigenetic alterations in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples. The effects of different procedures on the quality and quantity of DNA in EBC were studied. The results demonstrated that sodium acetate precipitation and oligo (dT) improved the quality of the extracted DNA significantly (p?<?0.01). Also, sodium acetate precipitation, using oligo (dT), incubation at 70?°C and SDS treatment increased the quantity of DNA significantly (p?<?0.01). These results showed the advantages of the chemical and physical manipulations for improving the quality and quantity of the extracted DNA from EBC samples.