Summary
Plant protoplasts are useful for assessing the efficiency of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associated protein 9 (Cas9) mutagenesis. We improved the ...process of protoplast isolation and transfection of several plant species. We also developed a method to isolate and regenerate single mutagenized Nicotianna tabacum protoplasts into mature plants. Following transfection of protoplasts with constructs encoding Cas9 and sgRNAs, target gene DNA could be amplified for further analysis to determine mutagenesis efficiency. We investigated N. tabacum protoplasts and derived regenerated plants for targeted mutagenesis of the phytoene desaturase (NtPDS) gene. Genotyping of albino regenerants indicated that all four NtPDS alleles were mutated in amphidiploid tobacco, and no Cas9 DNA could be detected in most regenerated plants.
Liquid biopsies that analyze cell-free DNA in blood plasma are used for noninvasive prenatal testing, oncology, and monitoring of organ transplant recipients. DNA molecules are released into the ...plasma from various bodily tissues. Physical and molecular features of cell-free DNA fragments and their distribution over the genome bear information about their tissues of origin. Moreover, patterns of DNA methylation of these molecules reflect those of their tissue sources. The nucleosomal organization and nuclease content of the tissue of origin affect the fragmentation profile of plasma DNA molecules, such as fragment size and end motifs. Besides double-stranded linear fragments, other topological forms of cell-free DNA also exist-namely circular and single-stranded molecules. Enhanced by these features, liquid biopsies hold promise for the noninvasive detection of tissue-specific pathologies with a range of clinical applications.
Carboxylated/oxidized diamond nanoparticles (nominal size 100 nm) exhibit exceptionally high affinity for proteins through both hydrophilic and hydrophobic forces. The affinity is so high that ...proteins in dilute solution can be easily captured by diamonds, simply separated by centrifugation, and directly analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). No preseparation of the adsorbed molecules from diamonds is required for the mass spectrometric analysis. Compared to conventional MALDI-TOF-MS, an enhancement in detection sensitivity by more than 2 orders of magnitude is achieved for dilute solution containing cytochrome c, myoglobin, and albumin because of preconcentration of the probed molecules. The lowest concentration detectable is 100 pM for a 1-mL solution. Aside from the enhanced sensitivity, the overall performance of this technique does not show any sign of deterioration for highly contaminated protein solutions, and furthermore, no significant peak broadening and band shift were observed in the mass spectra. The promise of this new method for clinical proteomics research is demonstrated with an application to human blood serum.
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how the consumer values of individualism and collectivism (IC) affect consumer animosity toward foreign brands in emerging Asia.
Design/methodology/approach
...Surveys were conducted with Korean consumers on their animosity toward Japanese brands.
Findings
The study found that the IC value can precede consumer animosity and also moderate the effects of consumer animosity on purchase intentions. When horizontal and vertical dimensions of IC were examined, collectivism and vertical individualism were found to have strong effects on consumer animosity. In addition, both horizontal and vertical individualism negatively moderated the consumer animosity effects.
Research limitations/implications
The findings suggest that future consumers in Asia and perhaps other emerging countries as well may be less affected by consumer animosity in brand choice as they become more Westernized and individualistic.
Originality/value
This study may enhance the understanding on changing consumer animosity and behavior in emerging countries in general.
We present microlensing events in the 2015 Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) data and our procedure for identifying these events. In particular, candidates were detected with a novel ..."completed-event" microlensing event-finder algorithm. The algorithm works by making linear fits to a grid of point-lens microlensing models. This approach is rendered computationally efficient by restricting u0 to just two values (0 and 1), which we show is quite adequate. The implementation presented here is specifically tailored to the commission-year character of the 2015 data, but the algorithm is quite general and has already been applied to a completely different (non-KMTNet) data set. We outline expected improvements for 2016 and future KMTNet data. The light curves of the 660 "clear microlensing" and 182 "possible microlensing" events that were found in 2015 are presented along with our policy for their public release.
PurposeThe study draws primarily on social identity theory and conceptualizes perceived brand localness (PBL) as a signal of in-group membership to local consumers and investigates how it affects ...consumer trust and purchase intentions for foreign brands in developing countries in Asia. In addition, the authors examine boundary conditions for these hypothesized PBL effects.Design/methodology/approachUsing consumer survey data from three countries in Southeast Asia (the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar), the authors empirically validate the positive effects of PBL on consumer trust and purchase intentions for foreign brands in developing countries.FindingsThe findings support the social identity theory conceptualization of PBL for foreign brands, in which it can create identification-based trust (Tanis and Postmes, 2005) and active ownership through a process of self-stereotyping (van Veelen et al., 2015).Originality/valueThe findings suggest that social identity theory can be a promising theoretical framework for conceptualizing PBL and gaining a deeper insight into its mechanization and how it impacts consumers.
Manipulating structure, defects and composition of a material at the atomic scale for enhancing its physical or mechanical properties is referred to as nanostructuring. Here, by combining advanced ...microscopy techniques, we unveil how formation of highly regular nano-arrays of nanoparticles doubles the strength of an Fe-based alloy, doped with Ti, Mo, and V, from 500 MPa to 1 GPa, upon prolonged heat treatment. The nanoparticles form at moving heterophase interfaces during cooling from the high-temperature face-centered cubic austenite to the body-centered cubic ferrite phase. We observe MoC and TiC nanoparticles at early precipitation stages as well as core-shell nanoparticles with a Ti-C rich core and a Mo-V rich shell at later precipitation stages. The core-shell structure hampers particle coarsening, enhancing the material's strength. Designing such highly organized metallic core-shell nanoparticle arrays provides a new pathway for developing a wide range of stable nano-architectured engineering metallic alloys with drastically enhanced properties.
Vascular diseases are becoming an epidemic with an increasing aging population and increases in obesity and type II diabetes. Point-of-care (POC) diagnosis and monitoring of vascular diseases is an ...unmet medical need. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) provides label-free multiparametric information of deep vasculature based on strong absorption of light photons by hemoglobin molecules. However, conventional PAI systems use bulky nanosecond lasers which hinders POC applications. Recently, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have emerged as cost-effective and portable optical sources for the PAI of living subjects. However, state-of-art LED arrays carry significantly lower optical energy (<0.5 mJ/pulse) and high pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) (4 KHz) compared to the high-power laser sources (100 mJ/pulse) with low PRFs of 10 Hz. Given these tradeoffs between portability, cost, optical energy and frame rate, this work systematically studies the deep tissue PAI performance of LED and laser illuminations to help select a suitable source for a given biomedical application. To draw a fair comparison, we developed a fiberoptic array that delivers laser illumination similar to the LED array and uses the same ultrasound transducer and data acquisition platform for PAI with these two illuminations. Several controlled studies on tissue phantoms demonstrated that portable LED arrays with high frame averaging show higher signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of up to 30 mm depth, and the high-energy laser source was found to be more effective for imaging depths greater than 30 mm at similar frame rates. Label-free in vivo imaging of human hand vasculature studies further confirmed that the vascular contrast from LED-PAI is similar to laser-PAI for up to 2 cm depths. Therefore, LED-PAI systems have strong potential to be a mobile health care technology for diagnosing vascular diseases such as peripheral arterial disease and stroke in POC and resource poor settings.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how consumer ethnocentrism (CET) and cosmopolitanism (COS) may affect Asian consumers’ perceptions of out-group countries and their products, doing so ...by examining similar vs dissimilar countries across countries of origin. Given the strong inter-country rivalries that exist among Asian countries, the authors propose two alternative hypotheses, drawing from social identity theory and realistic group conflict theory.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the hypotheses, the authors examine consumer perceptions of both Western countries (dissimilar out-groups) and Asian countries (similar out-groups) within China (Study 1). In addition, the authors investigate how CET and COS affect consumer perceptions of Asian countries in Japan and in non-Asian dissimilar countries, and compare the effects between the two regions (Study 2).
Findings
The findings indicate that CET shows greater negative effects on perceptions of a country and its products, when the country is from a similar out-group than when it is from a dissimilar one. On the other hand, COS showed equally strong positive effects among consumers for both similar and dissimilar out-group countries.
Research limitations/implications
The results suggest that Asian consumers feel a sense of intergroup rivalry with other Asian countries, and, as a result, exhibit a greater degree of ethnocentric biases toward these countries and their products than they do toward Western countries and products. Also, the results suggest that COS may transcend national differences and inter-country rivalries in consumer consumption tendencies.
Originality/value
The study examines inter-country similarities as a moderator of CET and COS effects, which has not been extensively researched in the past. In addition, the study discusses the concept of intergroup rivalry among neighboring countries and examines how it affects consumer perceptions of out-group countries and their products in Asia, where strong inter-country rivalries exist.
Childhood obesity Han, Joan C, MD; Lawlor, Debbie A, Prof; Kimm, Sue YS, Dr
Lancet,
05/2010, Letnik:
375, Številka:
9727
Journal Article, Book Review
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Summary Worldwide prevalence of childhood obesity has increased greatly during the past three decades. The increasing occurrence in children of disorders such as type 2 diabetes is believed to be a ...consequence of this obesity epidemic. Much progress has been made in understanding of the genetics and physiology of appetite control and from these advances, elucidation of the causes of some rare obesity syndromes. However, these rare disorders have so far taught us few lessons about prevention or reversal of obesity in most children. Calorie intake and activity recommendations need reassessment and improved quantification at a population level because of sedentary lifestyles of children nowadays. For individual treatment, currently recommended calorie prescriptions might be too conservative in view of evolving insight into the so-called energy gap. Although quality of research into both prevention and treatment has improved, high-quality multicentre trials with long-term follow-up are needed. Meanwhile, prevention and treatment approaches to increase energy expenditure and decrease intake should continue. Recent data suggest that the spiralling increase in childhood obesity prevalence might be abating; increased efforts should be made on all fronts to continue this potentially exciting trend.
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