Search

The article examines the aesthetic staging and displaying of non-European art, particularly African art and culture, common at international world’s fairs at the turn of the century. As examples serve the Brussels International Exposition of 1897 and the Paris Colonial Exposition of 1931. The use of ornament, once of Art Nouveau and once of Art Deco, as a design feature, unite both exhibitions. This article examines two interrelated areas. One is the relationship between the aesthetic staging and displaying of African art and the perception and appreciation of non-European art within the burgeoning Arts and Crafts movement. The second is between this aesthetic staging and consumerism from 1900 onwards, which was increasingly marked by exoticism.

Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy is applied to study the micromechanics of cellulosic viscose fibers, one of the commercially most important, man-made biobased fibers. Using an equal angle scattering geometry, we provide a thorough description of the procedure to determine the complete transversely isotropic elastic stiffness tensor. From the stiffness tensor the engineering-relevant material parameters such as Young’s moduli, shear moduli, and Poisson’s ratios in radial and axial fiber direction are evaluated. The investigated fiber type shows that, at ideal conditions, the material exhibits optical waveguide properties resulting in spontaneous Brillouin backscattering which can be used to obtain additional information from the Brillouin spectra, enabling the measurement of two different scattering processes and directions with only one scattering geometry.

Molecular diagnostics in healthcare relies increasingly on genomic and transcriptomic methodologies and requires appropriate tissue specimens from which nucleic acids (NA) of sufficiently high quality can be obtained. Besides the duration of ischemia and fixation type, NA quality depends on a variety of other pre-analytical parameters, such as storage conditions and duration. It has been discussed that the improper dehydration of tissue during processing influences the quality of NAs and the shelf life of fixed tissue. Here, we report on establishing a method for determining the amount of residual water in fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (fixed by neutral buffered formalin or a non-crosslinking fixative) and its correlation to the performance of NAs in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses. The amount of residual water depended primarily on the fixative type and the dehydration protocol and, to a lesser extent, on storage conditions and time. Moreover, we found that these parameters were associated with the qRT-PCR performance of extracted NAs. Besides the cross-linking of NAs and the modification of nucleobases by formalin, the hydrolysis of NAs by residual water was found to contribute to reduced qRT-PCR performance. The negative effects of residual water on NA stability are not only important for the design and interpretation of research but must also be taken into account in clinical diagnostics where the reanalysis of archived tissue from a primary tumor may be required (e.g., after disease recurrence). We conclude that improving the shelf life of fixed tissue requires meticulous dehydration and dry storage to minimize the degradative influence of residual water on NAs.

This paper establishes a criteria-based evaluation model to better understand frugal innovations and the reasons they are either successful or unsuccessful in developed markets. The three criteria for frugal innovation introduced by Weyrauch (2018) form the basis for the evaluation model. In order to analyze products and services while also including user-related factors, certain dimensions and tools were combined with the criteria set defined by Weyrauch, which resulted in the presented evaluation model. Furthermore, this study acknowledges that frugal innovation in developed markets differs from frugal innovation in developing markets, especially concerning usability, quality, and price difference. Therefore, the term “second-degree frugal innovation” is introduced to refer to frugal innovation in developed markets. Three different case studies are analyzed with the adapted evaluation model. The results show that the success and/or failure of frugal innovations, as well as the definition of frugal innovation itself, is highly dependent on the market in which it is launched. This paper can also benefit practitioners as it provides tools such as value analysis to optimize the use of the evaluation model and it contributes to the existing knowledge in the area of frugal products and services in general.

Abstract Background Bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody against soluble VEGFA, is an approved and commonly administered anti-angiogenic drug in patients with metastasized colorectal cancer (mCRC). The survival benefit of anti-VEGF therapy in mCRC patients is limited to a few months, and acquired resistance mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we employed whole-genome sequencing of plasma DNA to evaluate the tumor genome of patients undergoing treatment with bevacizumab to determine novel aberrations associated with resistance. Methods Using longitudinal plasma analyses, we studied the evolution of tumor genomes in a mCRC cohort (n = 150) and conducted analyses of CRC cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (n = 619) to identify associations between genomic aberrations and clinical features. We employed whole-genome sequencing to identify the most frequently occurring focal somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs). Using the TCGA data as a comparative and supporting dataset, we defined the minimally amplified overlapping region and studied the mechanistic consequences of copy number gain of the involved genes in this segment. In addition, we established an in vitro cell model and conducted downstream gene expression and cell viability assays to confirm our findings from the patient dataset. Results We observed a recurrent focal amplification (8.7% of cases) on chromosome 13q12.2. Analysis of CRC cases from the TCGA database suggested that this amplicon is associated with more advanced stages. We confirmed that this 13q12.2 amplicon frequently emerges later during the clinical course of disease. After defining the minimally amplified region, we observed that the amplification and expression of one gene, POLR1D, impacted cell proliferation and resulted in upregulation of VEGFA, an important regulator of angiogenesis which has been implicated in the resistance to bevacizumab treatment. In fact, in several patients, we observed the emergence of this 13q12.2 amplicon under bevacizumab treatment, which was invariably associated with therapy resistance. Conclusions Non-invasive analyses of cell-free DNA from patients undergoing treatment with bevacizumab enabled the tracking of evolving tumor genomes and helped identify a recurrent focal SCNA of clinical relevance. Here, we describe a novel resistance mechanism against a widely applied treatment in patients with mCRC which will impact the clinical management of patients.

Deregulation of transcription factors is frequently observed in cancer. Here, the authors develop a blood-based approach to map transcription factor binding, revealing both patient-specific and tumour-specific aberrations

In immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), antibodies reacting with platelet membrane glycoproteins (GP) mediate premature platelet cleavage, resulting in thrombocytopenia and therefore a risk of bleeding. These antibodies may induce complement activation, thus mediating complement-induced platelet destruction. In this study, we investigated the possibility of an additional complement-related pathogenic mechanism, where antibodies against the complement-regulatory factors CD55 and CD59 may directly interfere with normal complement function. CD55 downregulates both the classic and the alternative activation pathways, while CD59 blocks the formation of the membrane attack complex; both proteins are present on platelets and may therefore be targets of autoantibodies. Using the simultaneous analysis of specific platelet antibodies (SASPA) assay, we found that in some cases of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, anti-CD55 and -CD59 antibodies are detectable in patients’ sera and/or on their autologous platelets in combination with antibodies against platelet-specific GP. Although antibodies against CD55 and CD59 seem to be a rare phenomenon, this finding may have clinical relevance due to the availability of highly effective therapeutics targeting the complement system.

Due to stress concentration at the edges, fiber-fiber bonds under load are known to fail gradually inwards from the edges. In this paper, we propose a failure mechanism for fiber-fiber joints under load, based on the peak stresses occurring at the bond edges. We have modeled the mechanical testing of individual fiber-fiber joints using a finite element method (FEM) framework. The model is based on experimental results of fiber-fiber joint strength tests designed to induce each of the three modes in fracture mechanics: opening, sliding, and tearing. A parametric study of the peak load at the edges of the fibers was carried out in order to identify a failure mechanism. The peak stresses were not directly taken from the FEM models, as these values are highly discretization-dependent. Instead, the peak stresses were estimated from resultant forces and moments in the bond and an idealized geometry of the bonding region. The literature has, up to now, focused on shear load as a failure mechanism for fiber-fiber bonds. However, our findings indicate that pulp fiber joints are sensitive to normal stresses and insensitive to shear stresses. Hence, we suggest utilizing failure criteria related to normal stress in future work.

The genomic features of metastatic prostate cancer are beginning to be understood. Here, the authors performed whole genome sequencing of plasma samples from these patients and found a high plasticity of the cancer genomes with newly occurring focal amplifications as a driving force in progression.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

There is growing evidence that commonly applied chemotherapy regimens can be improved by introducingnew, specific, active and low side-effect drugs, or by combining substances to obtain the required clinicaleffect. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of imperatorin and cisplatin, applied separatelyor in combination, on apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy induction in the human cervical carcinoma cell line(HeLa). Imperatorin appeared to be a potent autophagy inducer, rather than a necrotic or apoptotic one. Incontrast, cisplatin induced mainly apoptosis and necrosis after 6 h and 24 h, while longer incubation resultedonly in necrosis induction. When HeLa cells were incubated with both drugs, autophagy appeared most frequently,although to a smaller extent than that observed after imperatorin administered alone. At the molecularlevel, autophagy was correlated with the presence of the cleaved form of microtubule-associated protein 1 lightchain LC3 — LC3II. It was also accompanied by the inhibition of heat shock proteins Hsp27 and Hsp72 expression.Our results indicate that imperatorin alone, or in combination with cisplatin, is mainly an autopahgy inducerin HeLa cells.There is growing evidence that commonly applied chemotherapy regimens can be improved by introducingnew, specific, active and low side-effect drugs, or by combining substances to obtain the required clinicaleffect. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of imperatorin and cisplatin, applied separatelyor in combination, on apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy induction in the human cervical carcinoma cell line(HeLa). Imperatorin appeared to be a potent autophagy inducer, rather than a necrotic or apoptotic one. Incontrast, cisplatin induced mainly apoptosis and necrosis after 6 h and 24 h, while longer incubation resultedonly in necrosis induction. When HeLa cells were incubated with both drugs, autophagy appeared most frequently,although to a smaller extent than that observed after imperatorin administered alone. At the molecularlevel, autophagy was correlated with the presence of the cleaved form of microtubule-associated protein 1 lightchain LC3 — LC3II. It was also accompanied by the inhibition of heat shock proteins Hsp27 and Hsp72 expression.Our results indicate that imperatorin alone, or in combination with cisplatin, is mainly an autopahgy inducerin HeLa cells.

Monoclonal antibodies targeting the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), such as cetuximab and panitumumab, have evolved to important therapeutic options in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). However, almost all patients with clinical response to anti-EGFR therapies show disease progression within a few months and little is known about mechanism and timing of resistance evolution. Here we analyzed plasma DNA from ten patients treated with anti-EGFR therapy by whole genome sequencing (plasma-Seq) and ultra-sensitive deep sequencing of genes associated with resistance to anti-EGFR treatment such as KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, and EGFR. Surprisingly, we observed that the development of resistance to anti-EGFR therapies was associated with acquired gains of KRAS in four patients (40%), which occurred either as novel focal amplifications (n = 3) or as high level polysomy of 12p (n = 1). In addition, we observed focal amplifications of other genes recently shown to be involved in acquired resistance to anti-EGFR therapies, such as MET (n = 2) and ERBB2 (n = 1). Overrepresentation of the EGFR gene was associated with a good initial anti-EGFR efficacy. Overall, we identified predictive biomarkers associated with anti-EGFR efficacy in seven patients (70%), which correlated well with treatment response. In contrast, ultra-sensitive deep sequencing of KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, and EGFR did not reveal the occurrence of novel, acquired mutations. Thus, plasma-Seq enables the identification of novel mutant clones and may therefore facilitate early adjustments of therapies that may delay or prevent disease progression.