Characterization and inheritance of the Anthocyanin fruit (Aft) tomato

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) accession LA1996 with the Anthocyanin fruit (Aft) gene has dark green foliage, elevated anthocyanin expression in the hypocotyls of seedlings, and anthocyanin in the skin and outer pericarp tissues of the fruit. Interest in the health benefits and antioxidant capacity of anthocyanins led to this study of the genetic potential for increased levels of this important class of phytonutrients in tomato fruit. In order to conform to tomato gene nomenclature rules, we propose changing the symbol Af for Anthocyanin fruit to Aft. Segregation ratios of anthocyanin expression in F(2) and BC(1) populations of a cross between the processing tomato UC82B and LA1996 were consistent with a single dominant gene hypothesis. Anthocyanin expression was reduced in backcross populations compared to F(2 )populations. Anthocyanin concentration, as measured by the pH differential method, of pigment-rich pericarp and skin tissues from LA1996 was estimated to be 20.6 mg/100 g and 66.5 mg/100 g, respectively. Anthocyanidin composition was characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Fruit of accession LA1996 contained predominantly petunidin, followed by malvidin and delphinidinin. Lycopene, beta-carotene, phytoene, and phytofluene levels were similar to those of normal tomatoes and lower than those found in high pigment tomatoes.     

A simple, robust and semi-automated parasite egg isolation protocol

Large-scale parasite quantification is required for improving our understanding of the epidemiology and genetics of host-parasite interactions. We describe a protocol that uses a low-density salt solution for flotation and centrifugation of nematode eggs. Subsequently, sucrose flotation and precipitation are used to obtain clear egg preparations. Most traditional quantification protocols such as the McMaster technique are unsuited for the standardized processing of large numbers of samples and the analysis of large amounts of feces per sample. Consequently, they are suited only for small-scale surveys. Our protocol, which can be used to analyze up to 6 g of feces, results in clear egg preparations that are concentrated in wells of a microtiter plate and that are suited for digital recording and automated counting. Starting from a fecal suspension in the first flotation solution to a digital recording requires approximately 40 min per 24 samples.     

Angiostrongylus costaricensis egg antigen for the immunodiagnosis of abdominal angiostrongyliasis

Angiostrongylus costaricensis is the aetiological agent of human abdominal angiostrongyliasis, a parasitic disease reported from the United States to Argentina, with a widespread occurrence of the nematode throughout Central and South America. This study assesses the performance of A. costaricensis eggs as antigen in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), for the determination of parasite-specific IgG1 antibodies. The specificity and the sensitivity of the method were 87% and 90.5%, respectively. Through this test it was possible to demonstrate a sharp and early decline in IgG1 antibody in serum samples taken from patients with histopathological diagnosis of abdominal angiostrongyliasis at different time points after surgical treatment. The present work demonstrated the usefulness of the egg antigen in the development of a specific diagnostic test for abdominal angiostrongylosis.     

In vitro modification of Candida albicans invasiveness

Candida albicans produces germ-tubes (GT) when it is incubated in animal or human serum. This dimorphism is responsible for its invasive ability.The purpose of the present paper is (1) to evaluate the ability of rat peritoneal macrophages to inhibit GT production of ingested Candida albicans, obtained from immunized rats and then activated in vitro with Candida-induced lymphokines; (2) to determinate any possible alteration of phagocytic and candidacidal activities.The phagocytes were obtained from rats immunized with viable C. albicans. Some of them were exposed to Candida-induced lymphokines in order to activate the macrophages in vitro. The monolayers of activated, immune and normal macrophages were infected with a C. albicans suspension during 4 hr.Activated macrophages presented not only the highest phagocytic and candidacidal activities but a noticeable inhibition of GT formation and incremented candidacidal activity.     

Multi-hop driver-parcel matching problem with time windows

Crowdsourced shipping can result in significant economic and social benefits. For a shipping company, it has a potential cost advantage and creates opportunities for faster deliveries. For the society, it can provide desirable results by reducing congestion and air pollution. Despite the great potential, crowdsourced shipping is not well studied. With the aim of using the spare capacities along the existing transportation flows of the crowd to deliver small-to-medium freight volumes, this paper defines the multi-driver multi-parcel matching problem and proposes a general ILP formulation, which incorporates drivers’ maximum detour, capacity limits, and the option of transferring parcels between drivers. Due to the high computational complexity, we develop two heuristics to solve the problem. The numerical study shows that crowdsourced shipping can be an economic viable and sustainable option, depending on the spatial characteristics of the network and drivers’ schedules. Furthermore, the added benefits increase with an increasing number of participating drivers and parcels.     

Patient admission planning using Approximate Dynamic Programming

Tactical planning in hospitals involves elective patient admission planning and the allocation of hospital resource capacities. We propose a method to develop a tactical resource allocation and patient admission plan that takes stochastic elements into consideration, thereby providing robust plans. Our method is developed in an Approximate Dynamic Programming (ADP) framework and copes with multiple resources, multiple time periods and multiple patient groups with uncertain treatment paths and an uncertain number of arrivals in each time period. As such, the method enables integrated decision making for a network of hospital departments and resources. Computational results indicate that the ADP approach provides an accurate approximation of the value functions, and that it is suitable for large problem instances at hospitals, in which the ADP approach performs significantly better than two other heuristic approaches. Our ADP algorithm is generic, as various cost functions and basis functions can be used in various hospital settings.     

Management of the chest-wall deformity in male patients with Poland's syndrome

The chest-wall deformity associated with Poland's syndrome was reconstructed in eight male patients 16 to 38 years old (average age 20 years). Follow-up ranged from 1 to 10 years. Two patients had custom silicone implants placed subcutaneously. In one of these patients, the edge of the implant could be seen. Three patients had transfer of an ipsilateral pedicled latissimus dorsi muscle flap with intact thoracodorsal nerve. All these patients had noticeable atrophy of the flap, and one underwent subsequent implantation of a custom silicone implant beneath the flap. Three other patients had a custom silicone implant covered immediately by a latissimus dorsi muscle flap. All four patients who had a combination of silicone implant and latissimus dorsi muscle flap had satisfactory correction of their deformity.