Customized media based on miniaturized screening improve growth rate and cell yield of methane-oxidizing bacteria of the genus Methylomonas

The growth of twelve methanotrophic strains within the genus Methylomonas, including the type strains of Methylomonas methanica and Methylomonas koyamae, was evaluated with 40 different variations of standard diluted nitrate mineral salts medium in 96-well microtiter plates. Unique profiles of growth preference were observed for each strain, showing a strong strain dependency for optimal growth conditions, especially with regards to the preferred concentration and nature of the nitrogen source. Based on the miniaturized screening results, a customized medium was designed for each strain, allowing the improvement of the growth of several strains in a batch setup, either by a reduction of the lag phase or by faster biomass accumulation. As such, the maintenance of fastidious strains could be facilitated while the growth of fast-growing Methylomonas strains could be further improved. Methylomonas sp. R-45378 displayed a 50 % increase in cell dry weight when grown in its customized medium and showed the lowest observed nitrogen and oxygen requirement of all tested strains. We demonstrate that the presented miniaturized approach for medium optimization is a simple tool allowing the quick generation of strain-specific growth preference data that can be applied downstream of an isolation campaign. This approach can also be applied as a first step in the search for strains with biotechnological potential, to facilitate cultivation of fastidious strains or to steer future isolation campaigns.     

Dynamic Lung Tumor Tracking for Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiation Therapy

Physicians considering stereotactic ablative body radiation therapy (SBRT) for the treatment of extracranial cancer targets must be aware of the sizeable risks for normal tissue injury and the hazards of physical tumor miss. A first-of-its-kind SBRT platform achieves high-precision ablative radiation treatment through a combination of versatile real-time imaging solutions and sophisticated tumor tracking capabilities. It uses dual-diagnostic kV x-ray units for stereoscopic open-loop feedback of cancer target intrafraction movement occurring as a consequence of respiratory motions and heartbeat. Image-guided feedback drives a gimbaled radiation accelerator (maximum 15 x 15 cm field size) capable of real-time ±4 cm pan-and-tilt action. Robot-driven ±60° pivots of an integrated ±185° rotational gantry allow for coplanar and non-coplanar accelerator beam set-up angles, ultimately permitting unique treatment degrees of freedom. State-of-the-art software aids real-time six dimensional positioning, ensuring irradiation of cancer targets with sub-millimeter accuracy (0.4 mm at isocenter). Use of these features enables treating physicians to steer radiation dose to cancer tumor targets while simultaneously reducing radiation dose to normal tissues. By adding respiration correlated computed tomography (CT) and 2-[¹⁸F] fluoro-2-deoxy-ᴅ-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) images into the planning system for enhanced tumor target contouring, the likelihood of physical tumor miss becomes substantially less¹. In this article, we describe new radiation plans for the treatment of moving lung tumors.     

The Link between Knowledge,Attitudes and Practices in Relation to Atmospheric Haze Pollution in Peninsular Malaysia

Transboundary haze episodes caused by seasonal forest fires have become a recurrent phenomenon in Southeast Asia, with serious environmental, economic, and public health implications. Here we present a cross-sectional survey conducted among people in Kuala Lumpur and surrounds to assess the links between knowledge, attitudes, and practices in relation to the transboundary haze episodes. Of 305 respondents, 125 were amateur athletes participating in a duathlon event and the remainder were surveyed in an inner-city shopping mall. Across the whole sample, people who possessed more factual information about the haze phenomenon showed significantly higher levels of concern. Duathletes were more knowledgeable than non-duathletes and also more concerned about the negative effects of haze, especially on health. For all people who regularly practice outdoor sports (including people interviewed at the shopping mall), higher levels of knowledge and concerned attitudes translated into a greater likelihood of engaging in protective practices, such as cancelling their outdoor training sessions, while those with greater knowledge were more likely to check the relevant air pollution index on a daily basis. Our results indicate that the provision of accurate and timely information about air quality to residents will translate into beneficial practices, at least among particularly exposed individuals, such as amateur athletes who regularly practice outdoor sports.     

Reappraisal of early Miocene rails (Aves,Rallidae) from central France: diversity and character evolution

In Europe, Miocene rails (Aves, Rallidae) are quite abundant, but their phylogenetic placement in the context of recent forms has remained elusive. Rails from the early Miocene of the Saint‐Gérand‐le‐Puy area in central France were first described in the 19th century, and currently, only two species are recognized, namely Palaeoaramides christyi and Paraortygometra porzanoides. Our examination of the material however suggests the presence of four, likely coeval, species of rail from these deposits. Palaeoaramides eximius, previously synonymized with Palaeoaramides christyi, is here shown to probably be a distinct species, and a previously unrecognized rail, Baselrallus intermedius gen. et sp. nov., is described. To find out how these fossil rails are related to modern Rallidae, we compared them with an extensive sample of extant rails and identified plesiomorphic and derived features for crown group Rallidae. Our assessment does not support a particularly close relationship of either Palaeoaramides to Aramides or Paraortygometra to Crex (Ortygometra), and overall, these fossil rails are more primitive than previously assumed. Based on our observations of the morphology of the previously undescribed humerus of Palaeoaramides, we show this taxon to be outside crown group Rallidae, and perhaps closely related to the early Oligocene taxon Belgirallus. On the other hand, Paraortygometra porzanoides bears a resemblance to recent flufftails (Sarothrura spp.) in some elements, but whether it can be included in a clade together with flufftails is uncertain.     

Cloning and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of a cDNA for swine PIT-1, a gene controlling growth hormone expression*

A partial swine cDNA which encodes the functional domain of PIT-1 was isolated by the polymerse chain reaction (PCR). The swine PIT-1 cDNA clone is 95% identical at the protein level to the rat Pit-1 gene. Thus, Pit-l's known function in control of rat growth hormone and prolactin expression is likely to be conserved in swine. This swine cDNA clone was used to investigate genetic variability at PIT-1 in several American and Chinese breeds. Polymorphic BamIII fragments were found in pure-bred Meishan animals (n= 13), but only monomorphic fragments in five American breeds (n= 36).