Urine proteomic studies in preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystem disorder of pregnancy that develops after 20 wk of gestation in previously normotensive women and complicates 5–8% of pregnancies. This rapidly progressive syndrome is usually diagnosed when the mother develops hypertension and proteinuria. The only effective treatment is delivery of the baby although early low-dose aspirin has been shown to significantly reduce the risk for PE. Recent advances in proteomic methods of protein separation, identification, and quantitation may allow for the identification of proteins and peptides that could facilitate early detection of disease, improve assessment of prognosis, and allow closer monitoring of women at risk for PE. This review summarizes all currently available markers for prediction and diagnosis of PE and presents urine proteomic studies performed for the identification of novel biomarkers.     

A Method of Examining in Detail Electric Arc Furnace Performance

A method of data acquisition and analysis is described that has been developed to assess in detail the performance of electric arc furnaces. The method has been implemented on a small single user minicomputer (a PDP 11/40) and on a large mainframe (an IBM 3033). The method was specifically developed in order to determine reliable statistical parameters that can be used to characterize arc furnace performance. The method is outlined, and its use is illustrated using data recorded on magnetic tape at the new Iron and Steel Company of Trinidad and Tobago (ISCOTT) plant. Results are presented that illustrate the operation of the ISCOTT furnace for scrap and pellet feed.     

Fibro/chondrogenic differentiation of dental stem cells into chitosan/alginate scaffolds towards temporomandibular joint disc regeneration

Tissue engineering (TE) may provide effective alternative treatment for challenging temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathologies associated with disc malpositioning or degeneration and leading to severe masticatory dysfunction. Aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of chitosan/alginate (Ch/Alg) scaffolds to promote fibro/chondrogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and production of fibrocartilage tissue, serving as a replacement of the natural TMJ disc. Ch/Alg scaffolds were fabricated by crosslinking with CaCl2 combined or not with glutaraldehyde, resulting in two scaffold types that were physicochemically characterized, seeded with DPSCs or human nucleus pulposus cells (hNPCs) used as control and evaluated for cell attachment, viability, and proliferation. The DPSCs/scaffold constructs were incubated for up to 8 weeks and assessed for extracellular matrix production by means of histology, immunofluorescence, and thermomechanical analysis. Both Ch/Alg scaffold types with a mass ratio of 1:1 presented a gel-like structure with interconnected pores. Scaffolds supported cell adhesion and long-term viability/proliferation of DPSCs and hNPCs. DPSCs cultured into Ch/Alg scaffolds demonstrated a significant increase of gene expression of fibrocartilaginous markers (COLI, COL X, SOX9, COM, ACAN) after up to 3 weeks in culture. Dynamic thermomechanical analysis revealed that scaffolds loaded with DPSCs significantly increased storage modulus and elastic response compared to cell-free scaffolds, obtaining values similar to those of native TMJ disc. Histological data and immunochemical staining for aggrecan after 4 to 8 weeks indicated that the scaffolds support abundant fibrocartilaginous tissue formation, thus providing a promising strategy for TMJ disc TE-based replacement.

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A multiplex PCR assay for the identification of five commercially important Portunid crabs: Portunus pelagicus,P. gladiator,P. sanguinolentus,Charybdis natator,and C. feriatus

Portunid crabs of the genus Portunus: P. pelagicus, P. gladiator and P. sanguinolentus and the genus Charybdis: C. natator and C. feriatus are economically important species for many tropical countries. An ongoing problem in the crab industry is involved with food labelling or food fraud in which many food manufacturers may have substituted the cheaper crabmeat for the more expensive ones due to the difficulty of species identification after many steps of food processing. To solve this problem, a convenient and accurate multiplex PCR assay using a species-specific primer set KUGEN_PORTspec was developed based on the nucleotide variation of cytochrome b and 28S ribosomal RNA. The primer set specifically amplified fragments of 286, 348, 418, 124 and 481 bp in P. pelagicus, P. gladiator, P. sanguinolentus, C. natator and C. feriatus, respectively, as well as a 220 bp positive control fragment. Specificity and sensitivity tests showed consistency in product sizes and absence of cross-species amplification with 0.1 ng DNA template limit of detection. Validation of the multiplex PCR assay on crabmeat prepared by steaming, mixing, freezing and canning was done and visualized by either agarose gel electrophoresis or automated capillary electrophoresis. The results indicated that the multiplex PCR assay using KUGEN_PORTspec is an effective tool for portunid species identification from both high- and low-quality DNA obtained from processed food. This newly developed primer set is an effective tool for crabmeat species identification to be used in future food industry and consumer protection programs.     

Effect of Flank Wear on the Topography of Machined Surfaces

The effect of flank wear on the topography of machined surfaces is investigated by studying its effect on the shape of the tool nose. For this purpose, turning experiments were performed to produce surfaces corresponding to different levels of flank wear. The distribution of flank wear at the tool nose during these experiments caused the nose radius to decrease, which when replicated on the machined surface resulted in narrower and deeper feedmarks. This change in the geometry of feedmarks was represented by the increase in the arithmetic average roughness of the surface profile heights.     

Tasting the Periphery: Bangkok's Agri- and Aquacultural Fringe

Brian McGrath and Danai Thaitakoo survey the ecosystem of Bangkok, ‘an amphibious city’ situated on a silted tidal delta. Influenced by Western planning ideas, the major roadways and infrastructure projects constructed since the Second World War remain out of kilter with local conditions. It is as if a consumer society, networked to global media and transport links, has been ‘superimposed on a wet rice-cultivating landscape’.     

Development of Deep Learning Models for Predicting the Effects of Exposure to Engineered Nanomaterials on Daphnia magna

This study presents the results of applying deep learning methodologies within the ecotoxicology field, with the objective of training predictive models that can support hazard assessment and eventually the design of safer engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). A workflow applying two different deep learning architectures on microscopic images of Daphnia magna is proposed that can automatically detect possible malformations, such as effects on the length of the tail, and the overall size, and uncommon lipid concentrations and lipid deposit shapes, which are due to direct or parental exposure to ENMs. Next, classification models assign specific objects (heart, abdomen/claw) to classes that depend on lipid densities and compare the results with controls. The models are statistically validated in terms of their prediction accuracy on external D. magna images and illustrate that deep learning technologies can be useful in the nanoinformatics field, because they can automate time‐consuming manual procedures, accelerate the investigation of adverse effects of ENMs, and facilitate the process of designing safer nanostructures. It may even be possible in the future to predict impacts on subsequent generations from images of parental exposure, reducing the time and cost involved in long‐term reproductive toxicity assays over multiple generations.