Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is widely recognized as a highly promising biomass energy crop with particular potential to complement sugarcane production in diversified cropping systems. Agronomic assessments have led to identification of four cultivars well suited for such sugarcane‐based production systems in southern Louisiana. Sweet sorghum biofuel production systems are currently being developed, and research producing large sample numbers requiring ethanol yield assessment is anticipated. Fiber analysis approaches developed for forage evaluation appear to be useful for screening such large numbers of samples for relative ethanol yield. Chemical composition, forage fiber characteristics, digestibility, and ethanol production of sweet sorghum bagasse from the four cultivars were assessed. Measures of detergent fiber, lignin, and digestibility were highly correlated with ethanol production (P < 0.01). The best linear regression models accounted for about 80% of the variation among cultivars in ethanol production. Bagasse from the cultivar Dale produced more ethanol per gram of material than any of the other cultivars. This superior ethanol production was apparently associated with less lignin in stems of Dale. Forage evaluation measures including detergent fiber analyses, in vitro digestibility, and an in vitro gas production technique successfully identified the cultivar superior in ethanol yield indicating their usefulness for screening sweet sorghum samples for potential ethanol production in research programs generating large sample numbers from evaluations of germ plasm or agronomic treatments. These screening procedures reduce time and expense of alternatives such as hexose sugar assessment for calculating theoretical ethanol yield. 相似文献
Background: Participation in screening tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) is generally low in Ontario, Canada. In addition, inequities in participation exist including lower participation among low-income individuals, males and individuals living in rural areas. In April 2008, Colon Cancer Check (CCC) program, the province-wide CRC screening program, was launched in Ontario. This study describes the trends and inequities in CRC screening participation three years before and three years after the CCC, and assesses the effect of the program on CRC screening participation, overall and among certain population groups. Methods: We used administrative data to identify cohorts of individuals eligible for CRC screening in fiscal years 2005–2011. We calculated the age-standardized percent of Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) participation, large bowel endoscopy participation, and being ‘up-to-date’ with CRC screening tests. Results: From 2005 to 2011, FOBT participation increased from 7.6% to 14.8%, large bowel endoscopy participation from 3.4% to 5.7%, and ‘up-to-date’ with CRC screening from 27.2% to 41.3%. Before the launch of the CCC program, the quarterly increase in FOBT participation was 0.07% (p = 0.19), increased immediately after the launch (1.8%, p < 0.01), followed by a decline (?0.08%, p = 0.08), returning to its pre-program increase rate. We noted a significant decrease in FOBT participation every summer (?0.44%, p < 0.01). The CCC program had minimal effect on large bowel endoscopy participation. Before the launch of the CCC program, the quarterly increase in ‘up-to-date’ with CRC screening was 0.9% (p < 0.01), increased immediately after the launch (2.5%, p = 0.05), followed by a modest decline thereafter (?0.59%, p < 0.02). From 2005 to 2011, recent residents living in low-income neighborhoods were consistently and significantly less likely to have a FOBT and be ‘up-to-date’ with CRC screening than long-term residents living in high-income neighborhoods (2.9–4.5%; 14.7–17.3% respectively). Pre-CCC inequities in CRC participation persisted after the launch of the program. Conclusion: CRC testing was increasing in Ontario from 2005. An immediate increase in CRC testing, FOBT in particular, occurred after the launch of the CCC program, followed by a return to its pre-CCC increase rate thereafter. Future efforts are needed to improve screening participation and address inequities. 相似文献
Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), which are unipotent stem cells in the testes that give rise to sperm, can be converted into germline-derived pluripotent stem (gPS) by self-induction. The androgenetic imprinting pattern of SSCs is maintained even after their reprogramming into gPS cells. In this study, we used an in vitro neural differentiation model to investigate whether the imprinting patterns are maintained or altered during differentiation. The androgenetic patterns of H19, Snrpn, and Mest were maintained even after differentiation of gPS cells into NSCs (gPS-NSCs), whereas the fully unmethylated status of Ndn in SSCs was altered to somatic patterns in gPS cells and gPS-NSCs. Thus, our study demonstrates epigenetic alteration of genomic imprinting during the induction of pluripotency in SSCs and neural differentiation, suggesting that gPS-NSCs can be a useful model to study the roles of imprinted genes in brain development and human neurodevelopmental disorders. 相似文献
In vivo microscopy has recently become a gold standard in lung immunology studies involving small animals, largely benefiting from the democratization of multiphoton microscopy allowing for deep tissue imaging. This technology represents currently our only way of exploring the lungs and inferring what happens in human respiratory medicine. The interest of lung in vivo microscopy essentially relies upon its relevance as a study model, fulfilling physiological requirements in comparison with in vitro and ex vivo experiments. However, strategies developed in order to overcome movements of the thorax caused by breathing and heartbeats remain the chief drawback of the technique and a major source of invasiveness. In this context, minimizing invasiveness is an unavoidable prerequisite for any improvement of lung in vivo microscopy. This review puts into perspective the main techniques enabling lung in vivo microscopy, providing pros and cons regarding invasiveness.
A wearable scanning photoacoustic imaging (wPAI) system is presented for noninvasive brain study in behaving rats. This miniaturized wPAI system consists of four pico linear servos and a single transducer‐based PAI probe. It has a dimension of 50 mm × 35 mm × 40 mm, and a weight of 26 g excluding cablings. Phantom evaluation shows that wPAI achieves a lateral resolution of ~0.5 mm and an axial resolution of ~0.1 mm at a depth of up to 11 mm. Its imaging ability is also tested in a behaving rat, and the results indicate that wPAI is able to image blood vessels at a depth of up to 5 mm with intact scalp and skull. With its noninvasive, deep penetration, and functional imaging ability in behaving animals, wPAI can be used for behavior, cognition, and preclinical brain disease studies.
With the aim to adapt high‐yield adherent cell lines to suspension growth, Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) suspension cells were developed recently that achieved comparable influenza virus yields despite an early induction of apoptosis compared to the parental adherent cell line. For both cell lines, a comprehensive study under comparable infection conditions is performed comprising information on: time course of viral infection, antiviral state of cells, virus‐induced apoptosis, and virus‐induced cellular protein expression for early and late infection with influenza A/PuertoRico/8/34 H1N1. The proteomic analysis is performed with 2D differential gel electrophoreses followed by mass spectrometry. Based on flow cytometric data and on the differential expression of various stress and apoptosis‐related proteins, the earlier onset of virus‐induced apoptosis is confirmed for suspension cells. Surprisingly, the data indicated an increased virus release rate for suspension cells. These observations correlate with an increased expression of the apical marker protein ezrin, known to play a role in influenza‐induced cytoskeletal rearrangement, and the differential expression of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins, known to bind actively influenza viral proteins and play a central role in regulating gene expression. Based on these findings, additional studies towards the design of MDCK suspension cells with further increase in influenza virus yields will be performed. 相似文献
Measuring blood flow speed in the optical diffusive regime in humans has been a long standing challenge for photoacoustic tomography. In this work, we proposed a cuffing‐based method to quantify blood flow speed in humans with a handheld photoacoustic probe. By cuffing and releasing the blood vessel, we can measure the blood flow speed downstream. In phantom experiments, we demonstrated that the minimum and maximum measurable flow speeds were 0.035 mm/s and 42 mm/s, respectively. In human experiments, flow speeds were measured in three different blood vessels: a radial artery in the right forearm, a radial artery in the index finger of the right hand, and a radial vein in the right forearm. Taking advantage of the handheld probe, our method can potentially be used to monitor blood flow speed in the clinic and at the bedside.
Understanding temporal variation in selection in natural populations is necessary to accurately estimate rates of divergence and macroevolutionary processes. Temporal variation in the strength and direction of selection on sex‐specific traits can also explain stasis in male and female phenotype and sexual dimorphism. I investigated changes in strength and form of viability selection (via predation by wasps) in a natural population of male and female tree crickets over 4 years. I found that although the source of viability stayed the same, viability selection affected males and females differently, and the strength, direction and form of selection varied considerably from year to year. In general, males experienced significant linear selection and significant selection differentials more frequently than females, and different male traits experienced significant linear selection each year. This yearly variation resulted in overall weak but significant convex selection on a composite male trait that mostly represented leg size and wing width. Significant selection on female phenotype was uncommon, but when it was detected, it was invariably nonlinear. Significant concave selection on traits representing female body size was observed in some years, as the largest and smallest females were preyed on less (the largest may have been too heavy for flying wasps to carry). Viability selection was significantly different between males and females in 2 of 4 years. Although viability selection via predation has the potential to drive phenotypic change and sexual dimorphism, temporal variation in selection may maintain stasis. 相似文献