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The objectives of this study were to use pineapple residue ash to (i) reduce ammonium and nitrate leaching and (ii) improve essential nutrient availability on a tropical peat soil under pineapple cultivation. Laboratory leaching experiments were carried out to determine the effectiveness of pineapple residue ash in controlling nitrogen loss from a tropical peat soil. Ion exchange resin method was used to determine nitrogen availability. Treatments evaluated were (i) different amounts of pineapple residue ash (25, 50, 70, and 100%) + NPK fertilizer, (ii) NPK fertilizer, and (iii) peat soil alone. Peat soils with pineapple residue ash reduced ammonium and nitrate losses because of adsorption of ammonium and nitrate by hydroxyl and C–O radicals of the pineapple residue ash. There was an improvement in ammonium and nitrate availability because the pineapple residue ash was able to increase the peat soil pH and this facilitated organic nitrogen mineralization and nitrification. The pineapple residue ash also improved nitrogen uptake, pineapple fresh fruit yield, and fruit quality. Ammonium and nitrate varied with soil depth because of high preferential flow of the peat soil water. Combined use of NPK fertilizers and 25% pineapple residue ash improved nitrogen availability whereas amending NPK with 50%, 70%, and 100% pineapple residue ash were more effective in improving nitrogen uptake, fresh fruit yield, and fruit quality of pineapple. Pineapple residue ash can also have significant liming effect.

•Early erythroid progenitors differentiate into erythroblasts within 6 to 7 days of steady-state erythropoiesis.•5-Flurouracil accelerates erythroid differentiation and blocks reticulocyte exit from the bone marrow.

Human γ-globin is predominantly expressed in fetal liver erythroid cells during gestation from 2 nearly identical genes, HBG1 and HBG2, that are both perinatally silenced. Reactivation of these fetal genes in adult red blood cells can ameliorate many symptoms associated with the inherited β-globinopathies, sickle cell disease, and Cooley anemia. Although promising genetic strategies to reactivate the γ-globin genes to treat these diseases have been explored, there are significant barriers to their effective implementation worldwide; alternatively, pharmacological induction of γ-globin synthesis could readily reach the majority of affected individuals. In this study, we generated a CRISPR knockout library that targeted all erythroid genes for which prospective or actual therapeutic compounds already exist. By probing this library for genes that repress fetal hemoglobin (HbF), we identified several novel, potentially druggable, γ-globin repressors, including VHL and PTEN. We demonstrate that deletion of VHL induces HbF through activation of the HIF1α pathway and that deletion of PTEN induces HbF through AKT pathway stimulation. Finally, we show that small-molecule inhibitors of PTEN and EZH induce HbF in both healthy and β-thalassemic human primary erythroid cells.

Self-adapting genetic algorithm has two main factors contributing to its improved performance. The first is the effect of the progress of the evolution process where the fitness of the population improves as the number of generation increases. The second is the improvement due to the choice of the probabilities for the various genetic operators. In this paper, we propose a scheme that isolates the contributions of these two factors through the introduction of two competing populations. These two concurrent populations provide the necessary feedback to either prolong the duration of a good choice of the parameter setting or shorten that of a poor choice. Results from several numerical experiments have shown that the proposed scheme provides favorable performance over existing methods. Keywords: Genetic algorithm; Self-adapting; Variable period

(CHEST 2001; 120:1728-I 731) A 27-year-old man presented with a 2-day history of worsening shortness of breath associated with cough productive of clear, occasionally greenish sputum. He reported an episode [...]

Histone H3 lysine 4 methylation (H3K4Me) is most often associated with chromatin activation, and removing H3K4 methyl groups has been shown to be coincident with gene repression. H3K4Me demethylase KDM1a/LSD1 is a therapeutic target for multiple diseases, including for the potential treatment of β-globinopathies (sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia), because it is a component of γ-globin repressor complexes, and LSD1 inactivation leads to robust induction of the fetal globin genes. The effects of LSD1 inhibition in definitive erythropoiesis are not well characterized, so we examined the consequences of conditional inactivation of Lsd1 in adult red blood cells using a new Gata1creERT2 bacterial artificial chromosome transgene. Erythroid-specific loss of Lsd1 activity in mice led to a block in erythroid progenitor differentiation and to the expansion of granulocyte-monocyte progenitor–like cells, converting hematopoietic differentiation potential from an erythroid fate to a myeloid fate. The analogous phenotype was also observed in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, coincident with the induction of myeloid transcription factors (eg, PU.1 and CEBPα). Finally, blocking the activity of the transcription factor PU.1 or RUNX1 at the same time as LSD1 inhibition rescued myeloid lineage conversion to an erythroid phenotype. These data show that LSD1 promotes erythropoiesis by repressing myeloid cell fate in adult erythroid progenitors and that inhibition of the myeloid-differentiation pathway reverses the lineage switch induced by LSD1 inactivation.

Carbon incorporated zinc oxide (ZnO:C) nanowires (NWs) are found to be remarkable morphing NWs. We show that the physical properties of ZnO:C NWs are engineered viathe passage of electric current to produce fluorescence differences and negative differential resistance as well as electroluminescence. When a ZnO:C NW is subjected to an applied voltage bias and under ultraviolet (UV) excitation, electron–hole separation due to the voltage biasing suppresses their fluorescence at low voltages. At medium voltages, the NW exhibits metastable chemical changes that translates to tunable and reversible optical alterations akin to metachrosis found in chameleons. Concurrently, the NW displays electrical alterations with negative differential resistance behaviors. At higher voltages, these NWs are permanently modified with distinct heterogeneous chemical stoichiometry, fluorescence, and electronic properties. Such heterogeneity within the NW allows for emergence of junctions capable of electroluminescence.

Conventional colony forming unit assay to measure cell viability is laborious and results in large experimental variability, which prohibits accurate quantification of microbial viability. Here, we present a microscopy-based protocol for the quantification of cells viability for temperature-sensitive S. pombe. We describe steps for growing and treating yeast cells and visualization of individual cells viability based on Phloxine B staining. We then detail procedures for data processing using Nikon NIS Elements AR software.

The effect of chamfered orifice edges on the time-averaged pressure difference and jet velocity of synthetic jet have been numerically investigated. Chamfered orifice edges with exit angle of 15° and 30° are analysed. Moving grid is utilised to define the moving diaphragm of the actuator. The results are validated against experimental data. The time-averaged pressure difference between the location inside the orifice duct and downstream region where the velocity becomes negligible have been numerically predicted for all the cases. The jet velocity is predicted numerically at the downstream location of 1 mm from the orifice exit. The overall results indicated that the changes of chamfered orifice edges give significant impact on the time-averaged pressure difference. The jet velocity is also affected by the variation of the chamfer orifice edges during the expulsion stage. The findings from this study provides a basic design guideline for designing a synthetic jet actuator with lower minor loss and power dissipation.

(CHEST 2001; 119:955-957) A 52-year-old woman was referred to the hospital for management of recurrent hemoptysis. She also reported an episode of hematemesis, which was initially thought to be unrelated [...]

Tuberculosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected children, but is difficult to diagnose. We studied mortality and its determinants in antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naive HIV-infected children presenting with suspected tuberculosis.

In this study, Yu et al. found that nuclear receptor corepressor-1 (NCoR1) is a critical component of the DRED repressor that acts as a scaffold to unite the DNA-binding and epigenetic enzyme components (e.g. DNMT1 and LSD1) that elicit DRED function. They also describe a potent new regulator of γ-globin repression: The deubiquitinase BAP1 is a component of the repressor complex whose activity maintains NCoR1 at sites in the β-globin locus, and BAP1 inhibition in erythroid cells massively induces γ-globin synthesis.

Strategies to modulate the exciton dynamics in ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have always been an integral component in the bid towards improved optoelectronics and quantum photonic devices. The capability to non-destructively tune the relaxation dynamics, valley polarization, binding energies, and population ratio of various excitonic species has been well-sought for advanced applications. Through the rationale design of a WS2-ZnO hybrid platform, we present a distinct increment in the trion-to-exciton ratio for WS2emission across a patterned heterostructure. The shift in dominant excitonic species arose due to the efficient charge segregation at the spatially confined interface of the type-II heterostructure. Owing to the charge transfer process, the resultant emission profile presents up to four times amplification in the trion-to-exciton ratio, with temperature variable trion binding energies up to 59 meV. Since trions possess non-zero charge and spin degrees of freedom, the provision of a higher density of trions with increased binding stability would encourage new opportunities for reproducible optoelectronics and quantum emitters.

To the Editor: We read with great interest the article by Kuo et al (February 2000) (1) on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in very young and very old patients. [...]

A graded-index multilayer thin-film stack is optimized to act as a cladding layer on top of a silicon (Si) nanowaveguide and also a collimator for chip coupling where the waveguide ends. The numerical example shows an optimized graded-index profile from 2.35 to 1.45 provides an optical coupling to the standard single-mode fiber with efficiency close to 90% while retaining tight light confinement for the Si nanowaveguide. The corresponding material realization of a graded-index profile with a Si-rich nitride SiN_x/SiON/SiO_2 system is explored using inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition, and a SiN_x cladded Si waveguide is demonstrated.

Inhibition of lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) has been shown to induce fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels in cultured human erythroid cells in vitro. Here we report the in vivo effects of LSD1 inactivation by a selective and more potent inhibitor, RN-1, in a sickle cell disease (SCD) mouse model. Compared with untreated animals, RN-1 administration leads to induced HbF synthesis and to increased frequencies of HbF-positive cells and mature erythrocytes, as well as fewer reticulocytes and sickle cells, in the peripheral blood of treated SCD mice. In keeping with these observations, histologic analyses of the liver and spleen of treated SCD mice verified that they do not exhibit the necrotic lesions that are usually associated with SCD. These data indicate that RN-1 can effectively induce HbF levels in red blood cells and reduce disease pathology in SCD mice, and may therefore offer new therapeutic possibilities for treating SCD.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most serious treatment-related infections resulting in high mortalities and costs. Our hospital has implemented bundle care in the intensive care units (ICUs) with special focus on VAP prevention. This is a retrospective study to evaluate its efficacy.

A new heterogeneously integrated III-V/Si laser structure is reported in this report that consists of a III-V ridge waveguide gain section on silicon, III-V/Si optical vertical interconnect accesses (VIAs), and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nanophotonic waveguide sections. The III-V semiconductor layers are introduced on top of the 300-nm-thick SOI layer through low temperature, plasma-assisted direct wafer-bonding and etched to form a III-V ridge waveguide on silicon as the gain section. The optical VIA is formed by tapering the III-V and the beneath SOI in the same direction with a length of 50 μm for efficient coupling of light down to the 600 nm wide silicon nanophotonic waveguide or vice versa. Fabrication details and specification characterizations of this heterogeneous III-V/Si Fabry–Perot (FP) laser are given. The fabricated FP laser shows a continuous-wave lasing with a threshold current of 65 mA at room temperature, and the slope efficiency from single facet is 144  mW/A. The maximal single facet emitting power is about 4.5 mW at a current of 100 mA, and the side-mode suppression ratio is ∼30  dB. This new heterogeneously integrated III-V/Si laser structure demonstrated enables more complex laser configuration with a sub-system on-chip for various applications.

The orphan nuclear receptors TR2 and TR4 have been shown to play key roles in repressing the embryonic and fetal globin genes in erythroid cells. However, combined germline inactivation of Tr2 and Tr4 leads to periimplantation lethal demise in inbred mice. Hence, we have previously been unable to examine the consequences of their dual loss of function in adult definitive erythroid cells. To circumvent this issue, we generated conditional null mutants in both genes and performed gene inactivation in vitro in adult bone marrow cells. Compound Tr2/Tr4 loss of function led to induced expression of the embryonic εy and βh1 globins (murine counterparts of the human ε- and γ-globin genes). Additionally, TR2/TR4 function is required for terminal erythroid cell maturation. Loss of TR2/TR4 abolished their occupancy on the εy and βh1 gene promoters, and concurrently impaired co-occupancy by interacting corepressors. These data strongly support the hypothesis that the TR2/TR4 core complex is an adult stage-specific, gene-selective repressor of the embryonic globin genes. Detailed mechanistic understanding of the roles of TR2/TR4 and their cofactors in embryonic and fetal globin gene repression may ultimately enhance the discovery of novel therapeutic agents that can effectively inhibit their transcriptional activity and be safely applied to the treatment of β-globinopathies.

The orphan nuclear receptors TR2 and TR4 have been shown to play key roles in repressing the embryonic and fetal globin genes in erythroid cells. However, combined germline inactivation of Tr2and Tr4leads to periimplantation lethal demise in inbred mice. Hence, we have previously been unable to examine the consequences of their dual loss of function in adult definitive erythroid cells. To circumvent this issue, we generated conditional null mutants in both genes and performed gene inactivation in vitro in adult bone marrow cells. Compound Tr2/Tr4loss of function led to induced expression of the embryonic εy and βh1 globins (murine counterparts of the human ε- and γ-globin genes). Additionally, TR2/TR4 function is required for terminal erythroid cell maturation. Loss of TR2/TR4 abolished their occupancy on the εy and βh1 gene promoters, and concurrently impaired co-occupancy by interacting corepressors. These data strongly support the hypothesis that the TR2/TR4 core complex is an adult stage-specific, gene-selective repressor of the embryonic globin genes. Detailed mechanistic understanding of the roles of TR2/TR4 and their cofactors in embryonic and fetal globin gene repression may ultimately enhance the discovery of novel therapeutic agents that can effectively inhibit their transcriptional activity and be safely applied to the treatment of β-globinopathies.

Silicon-rich nitride films are developed and explored using an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition system at low temperature of 250 °C with an ammonia-free gas chemistry. The refractive index of the developed silicon-rich nitride films can increase from 2.2 to 3.08 at 1550 nm wavelength while retaining a near-zero extinction coefficient when the amount of silane increases. Energy dispersive spectrum analysis gives the silicon to nitrogen ratio in the films. Atomic force microscopy shows a very smooth surface, with a surface roughness root-mean-square of 0.27 nm over a 3 μm × 3 μm area of the 300 nm thick film with a refractive index of 3.08. As an application example, the 300 nm thick silicon-rich nitride film is then patterned by electron beam lithography and etched using inductively coupled plasma system to form thin-film micro/nano waveguides, and the waveguide loss is characterized.

This conceptual paper is based on a study that explores differences of board of directors’ attributes and SMEs firm growth based on firm culture types in Malaysia. The objectives are to explore a model for overall SMEs firm growth based on board of directors’ attributes, to examine the relationship between board entrepreneurial and guanxi in relations with SMEs firm growth. This paper also aims to identify differences of board of directors’ attributes and SMEs firm growth based on firm culture types. One of the most significant theoretical implications is the introduction of a conceptual model on SMEs firm growth, board of directors’ attributes and firm culture based on Malaysia context. From the practitioners’ perspectives, this paper suggests improvement of existing approaches to the governance of SMEs.

Drug resistance is a major hurdle to the success of chemotherapy. The permeability glycoprotein (P-gp) is an important factor dictating drug access to the cells, as it controls the efflux of chemotherapeutic agents against the concentration gradient. Pmd1, a P-gp-like protein, was recently isolated as a doxorubicin resistance gene in fission yeast. Although the null mutant of pmd1 (Δpmd1) exhibited sensitivity to doxorubicin, it showed an unexpectedly high resistance to the drug at relatively high concentrations. The data presented here suggest that this is due to the presence of cooperative processes that can complement and counteract drug cytotoxicity in the absence of Pmd1. One such factor, Rav1, is an essential factor in controlling the assembly of the pH-regulating transporter vacuolar-ATPase (V-ATPase) in fission yeast. The simultaneous disruption of Pmd1 and Rav1 resulted in a prominent accumulation of doxorubicin in the cytoplasm of cells, accompanied by a decline in cell viability. With concurrent treatment of pharmacological inhibitors in human cervical cancer cells, P-gp and V-ATPase were further shown to act synergistically to sensitize cells to doxorubicin also in the human cells. Furthermore, a novel Cornichon-like protein SPAC2C4.05 (herein named as Cor1) was demonstrated for the first time to be involved in the interaction with P-gp and V-ATPase to counteract doxorubicin-dependent cytotoxicity. Therefore this study identified a molecular cooperation between multiple membrane transporter proteins that confers chemoresistance to cells against the chemical insult of doxorubicin. Interestingly, this network exhibited differential effects to doxorubicin as compared with its close epimeric analog epirubicin, suggestive of the intricacy of the drug response regulated by this synergistic interaction. A model is discussed on how the versatility of this network can differentiate closely related chemical drug structures yet allow for the robustness to counteract a vast range of drugs.

Heterogeneous III–V/Si integration with a compact optical vertical interconnect access is fabricated and the light coupling efficiency between the III–V/Si waveguide and the silicon nanophotonic waveguide is characterized. The III–V semiconductor material is directly bonded to the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate and etched to form the III–V/Si waveguide for a higher light confinement in the active region. The compact optical vertical interconnect access is formed through tapering a III–V and an SOI layer in the same direction. The measured III–V/Si waveguide has a light coupling efficiency above ∼90% to the silicon photonic layer with the tapering structure. This heterogeneous and light coupling structure can provide an efficient platform for photonic systems on chip, including passive and active devices.

Objectives: To describe the pattern of infant feeding at discharge from care after birth and the characteristics of mothers who are at risk of low rates of breastfeeding. Methods: Data were obtained from the NSW Midwives Data Collection for 2007. Information on infant feeding was obtained for babies who were alive at discharge from care after birth. Of 96 030 births reported, 93 505 (97.4%) were eligible for analysis. A descriptive analysis of factors associated with variations in breastfeeding was carried out. Results: In 2007, 80% of babies were fully breastfed, 7% were partially breastfed, and 13% were not breastfed. Babies born to mothers with the following characteristics had relatively low rates of full breastfeeding: teenage mothers (69%); Aboriginal mothers (64%); mothers born in South-East Asia (71%), North-East Asia (72%) and Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia (74%); mothers who commenced antenatal care later than 20 weeks gestation (74%); mothers who smoked (67%); mothers who received general anaesthetic during delivery (67%); mothers who gave birth by caesarean section (76%); mothers living in the most socially disadvantaged areas (73%); mothers living in remote and very remote areas (73% and 76% respectively); and mothers of preterm infants (70%). Conclusion: There is a need to improve overall rates of breastfeeding initiation in NSW. Particular attention and support needs to be given to the groups of mothers identified in this study as having relatively low rates of full breastfeeding.

Objective:To investigate whether the variables in the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD) provide sufficient information to validly link hospital admission records for the same person so that persons admitted and re‐admissions for a specified disease can be enumerated. Methods:Records of hospital admissions where asthma was the principal diagnosis were extracted from the New South Wales Inpatient Statistics Collection for the period July 2000 to June 2003 and linked using several strategies. The ‘optimal’ strategy applied probabilistic record linkage, using many demographic and administrative variables. A range of restricted strategies, using only those variables that were available with the NHMD (sex, date of birth, and either postcode or statistical local area of residence) and linking them deterministically, were evaluated and their validity for quantifying readmission for asthma within 28 days was assessed relative to the optimal strategy. Results:The optimal and restricted linkage strategies obtained similar estimates of readmissions. Approximately 95% of readmissions within 28 days identified using the optimal strategy were also identified using the restricted strategies. Conclusions:Linking hospital records where asthma was the principal diagnosis using only those variables available in the NHMD enabled reliable identification of hospital readmissions for asthma. Implications:This methodology may have useful applications for monitoring the rate of readmissions for asthma and other chronic diseases nationally.

A novel polymer, poly(4,4′‐oxydiphenylenemethylidynenitrilo‐2,5‐dihexyloxy‐1,4‐phenylenenitrilomethyli‐ dyne) (POPNM), with a azomethine structure, containing long alkoxy side chains, was synthesized by the polycondensation of 2,5‐bis(hexyloxy)terephthalaldehyde with 4,4′‐oxydianiline. It displayed acid‐sensory properties as colorimetric and fluorescent transducers to the strong acid analytes because of the protonation of an imine group in the compound. To examine the sensitivity to the acid, the effect of absorption and fluorescence of the polymer was investigated by simply adding trifluoroacetic acid into a chloroform solution of the polymer, and as a result, the multiple colors of fluorescence were sharply changed. Increasing the amount of the acid, the maximum absorption bands of fluorescence spectra were bathochromically shifted from 470 to 570 nm and, then, treating the pyridine as a base, they were recovered. A polymer film containing both the polymer and a photoacid generator (PAG) was prepared by semi‐interpenetrating network polymerization method. When the polymer film was exposed to UV in the presence of PAG through a photomask, well‐resolved fluorescent image patterns were readily obtained. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1228–1233, 2006

Objective: To investigate the association between oral health status and social, economic and demographic factors in community‐dwelling older people in New South Wales (NSW). Methods: Binary and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between measures of oral health status (edentulous/dentate, and the frequency of toothache or mouth or denture problems in the previous 12 months) and demographic and socio‐economic factors using data from the NSW Older People's Health Survey 1999. Results: After adjusting for other factors, being edentulous was associated with being older, having no private dental insurance, being female, leaving school at less than 15 years of age, not being financially comfortable, not being a homeowner, living in a rural area, and being unable to travel alone. Among both dentate and edentulous people, increasing age and being able to travel independently were associated with decreased reporting of toothache, mouth or denture problems; while not being financially comfor table was associated with increased reporting of toothache or mouth or denture problems. The frequency of mouth or denture problems was not found to be independently associated with having private dental insurance nor with holding a health concession card. Conclusions: Among older people in NSW, oral health is associated with a range of demographic and socio‐economic factors. The results suggest that better oral health among older people is associated with a capacity to pay out‐of‐pocket dental expenses rather than with private dental insurance or having access to public‐funded dental care.

Aliphatic polyketone (PK) contains both non-polar aliphatic units and polar carbonyl groups, which make it an ideal and unique candidate for modifying non-polar polymer systems containing purely alkyl chains,such as polyalkenes. A new polymer blend system based on polypropylene (PP) and aliphatic polyketone has been prepared; PP-PK blends containing 5 and 8 wt-% PK were prepared by the melt blending method. The morphology and structures of the blends were characterised using SEM, DSC, WAXS, FTIR, and TGA. The SEM study indicates that the blends are immiscible in this composition range. They have typical island-sea morphology and the size of the droplets increases as the PK concentration increases. On the fractured surfaces of the blend samples some droplets are partially connected to the matrix, which implies that the interface between the two phases has relatively high strength. The DSC study shows that the blending significantly reduces the crystallinity of both PP and PK. The WAXS result indicates that the crystal size of PP along the baxis is largely reduced in the blends, which implies that a small amount of PK chains may have been incorporated into the matrix,interrupting the growth of the PP crystals. Both FTIR and TGA studies suggest that there are chemical reactions between PP and PK during compounding, which may contribute to the partial miscibility and to the relatively strong interface observed.

Since the early 1990s, there has been a growing acceptance in Australia of the efficacy of breast-conserving surgery (as defined as excision of the primary tumour and adjacent breast tissue, axillary node dissection and radiotherapy of the remaining breast) for the treatment of early breast cancer. This article describes changes in the patterns of the surgical treatment of breast cancer in NSW in the period 1991 to 1995. It follows on from an earlier study by Adelson et al, which described the proportion of NSW women diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991 and 1992 who had breast-conserving therapy (BCT).

GATA-1 germline mutation in mice results in embryonic lethality due to defective erythroid cell maturation, and thus other hematopoietic GATA factors do not compensate for the loss of GATA-1. To determine whether the obligate presence of GATA-1 in erythroid cells is due to its distinct biochemical properties or spatiotemporal patterning, we attempted to rescue GATA-1 mutant mice with hematopoietic GATA factor complementary DNAs (cDNAs) placed under the transcriptional control of the GATA-1gene. We found that transgenic expression of a GATA-1 cDNA fully abrogated the GATA-1–deficient phenotype. Surprisingly, GATA-2 and GATA-3 factors expressed from the same regulatory cassette also rescued the embryonic lethal phenotype of the GATA-1 mutation. However, adult mice rescued with the latter transgenes developed anemia, while GATA-1 transgenic mice did not. These results demonstrate that the transcriptional control dictating proper GATA-1 accumulation is the most critical determinant of GATA-1 activity during erythropoiesis. The results also show that there are biochemical distinctions among the hematopoietic GATA proteins and that during adult hematopoiesis the hematopoietic GATA factors are not functionally equivalent.

This article describes a study that used capture?recapture methods to assess the quality of information on Aboriginality reported to the NSW Midwives Data Collection (MDC).

ABSTRACTWe found previously that neither a 6-kbp promoter fragment nor even a 120-kbp yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) containing the whole GATA-3 gene was sufficient to recapitulate its full transcription pattern during embryonic development in transgenic mice. In an attempt to further identify tissue-specific regulatory elements modulating the dynamic embryonic pattern of the GATA-3 gene, we have examined the expression of two much larger (540- and 625-kbp) GATA-3 YACs in transgenic animals. A lacZreporter gene was first inserted into both large GATA-3 YACs. The transgenic YAC patterns were then compared to those of embryos bearing the identical lacZinsertion in the chromosomal GATA-3 locus (creating GATA-3/lacZ“knock-ins”). We found that most of the YAC expression sites and tissues are directly reflective of the endogenous pattern, and detailed examination of the integrated YAC transgenes allowed the general localization of a number of very distant transcriptional regulatory elements (putative central nervous system-, endocardium-, and urogenital system-specific enhancers). Remarkably, even the 625-kbp GATA-3 YAC, containing approximately 450 kbp and 150 kbp of 5' and 3' flanking sequences, respectively, does not contain the full transcriptional regulatory potential of the endogenous locus and is clearly missing regulatory elements that confer tissue-specific expression to GATA-3 in a subset of neural crest-derived cell lineages.

Summary A strain ofMyrothecium verrucaria that showed a high capacity for rapid decolorization of textile dye solutions was isolated from soil. As much as 70%, 86%, and 95% of Orange II, 10B (blue) and RS (red) dyes (color index no. 15510, 20470, 23635), respectively, were adsorbed from solutions of approximately 0.2 g dye per liter in 5 h by approximately 4.5 g dry weight of cells per liter of dye solution. Intact cells showed a higher adsorption capacity than disrupted cells for Orange II and RS but not for 10B. Dye bound to cells was recoverable by extraction with methanol and methanol-treated cells were able to be recycled, albeit with a slightly diminished dye-binding capacity. The Tween detergents were shown to reduce dye adsorption. Dyes strongly bound to the fungal biomass required sonication in dH2O or in Triton X-100 or extraction with methanol for their removal. These results suggest that hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions are important in dye binding.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine existing data on women diagnosed with breast cancer in New South Wales in 1991 and 1992 and to describe surgical treatments received on an inpatient basis.

The DNA motif WGATAR has been identified within transcriptional regulatory domains of globin and other erythroid-specific genes and the activator proteins that bind to this regulatory element, the GATA factors, belong to a multi-gene family that is expressed in chicken erythroid cells. Here we show that, as in chickens, multiple members of the GATA factor family are expressed in human and murine erythroid cells. During the early stages of chicken embryogenesis (well before blood island formation), each of the GATA family members is transcribed with a unique temporal and spatial pattern. In the primitive erythroid lineage, tran-scription of the embryonic -globin gene parallels GATA-1 expression while the switch to -globin transcription in definitive erythroid cells is directly preceded by a pronounced increase in GATA-3 accumulation. The timing and pattern of expression of these different mRNAs during avian erythroid development and differentiation suggests that temporally regulated changes in GATA factor expression are required for vertebrate hematopoiesis.

The tissue-specific transcription factor GATA-1 is a key regulator of red blood cell differentiation. One seemingly contradictory aspect of GATA-1 function is that, while it is abundant in erythroid progenitor cells prior to the onset of overt differentiation, it does not significantly activate known GATA-1 target genes in those cells. To investigate the mechanisms underlying GATA-1 function during the transition from early to late erythropoiesis, we have examined its expression and activity in normal avian erythroid progenitor cells before and after induction of differentiation. In these primary progenitor cells, GATA-1 protein was predominantly located in the cytoplasm, while induction of differentiation caused its rapid relocalization to the nucleus, suggesting that nuclear translocation constitutes an important regulatory step in GATA-1 activation. As an alternative way of addressing the same question, we also ectopically expressed a GATA-1/estrogen receptor fusion protein (GATA-1/ER) in red blood cell progenitors, where nuclear translocation of, and transcriptional activation by, this hybrid factor are conditionally controlled by estrogen. We found that hormone-activated GATA-1/ER protein accelerated red blood cell differentiation, and concomitantly suppressed cell proliferation. These phenotypic effects were accompanied by a simultaneous suppression of c-myb and GATA-2 transcription, two genes thought to be involved in the proliferative capacity of hematopoietic progenitor cells. Thus, GATA-1 appears to promote differentiation in committed erythroid progenitor cells both by inducing differentiation-specific genes and by simultaneously suppressing genes involved in cell proliferation.

Science demonstrations are a good way of promoting, teaching and learning science. This is provided that there exists carefully crafted “software” and communication methods to go along with the hardware. During the past few years, we have developed a Science Demonstration Laboratory at NUS aiming to play an active role in science outreach, science communication and science education. Our approach has evolved from an initial “show-and-tell” model to a more engaging “minds-on” approach where participants are consistently required to make predictions of the outcomes of scientific phenomena before witnessing the demonstrations. We also learnt that the education and development of talented science educators and communicators are crucial to ensure and project the effectiveness of a “hands-on”, “minds-on” approach to science education.

The article focuses on issuing of three reports related to Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA). It mentions that according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report, TPAA will provide benefits to the textiles, automotive, and plastics products and wood products sectors. It also reveals that TPAA will have negative impact on oil and gas sector.

The article offers information on the impact of external macro environment on Malaysian economy such as increased oil prices, and implementation of goods and service tax (GST) and discusses need of managing it for solving upcoming problems. Topics include falling of budget deficit which affected the gross domestic product (GDP), and meeting of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) in December 2015.

The article focuses on visit of Penang's state in Malaysia chief minister Lim Guan Eng at the Great Britain and France as a state delegation. Topics discussed include association of Eng in delivering a lecture titled "Penang: A High Income Model for Malaysia through Inclusive Growth" at the Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government; meeting of Eng with officials of the UNESCO; and development of the Management Collaboration Agreement with Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) by Eng.