Uncovering the Genetic of Cadmium Accumulation in the Rice 3K Panel.

Because Cadmium (Cd) is harmful to humans, and most non-smokers are exposed to Cd mainly through rice consumption, low-Cd rice breeding is urgently needed. It might not be possible to apply variation created using gene editing technology to breeding directly, so it is important to explore genetic variation in this trait in a natural population. In this study, variation in 4 genes was identified among 3024 accessions from the International Rice Research Institute 3000 Rice Genome Project (IRRI 3K-RGP) and 71 other important varieties, and the relationships between the variants and plant Cd accumulation were validated with hydroponic and pot experiments. Variants in OsNRAMP1, OsNRAMP5, OsLCD, and OsHMA3 were grouped into two, four, three, and two haplotypes, respectively. Fourteen combinations of these haplotypes, which were referred to as Cd-mobile types, were found in the collection. Of these, type 14 was shown to have the greatest potential for low-Cd accumulation, and functional markers for this type were designed. The results of this study provide an important resource for low-Cd rice breeding and highlight an effective strategy for pre-breeding programs.

[Care Process Improvement in Total Knee Arthroplasty Using the Concept of Patient Flow].

BACKGROUND & PROBLEM: Improving the process of care may effectively improve the quality of medical care and increase patient satisfaction. An investigation found that the process of care used in our unit was imperfect, resulting in a low preoperative enrollment rate of case managers, overly long patient waiting times for ward assignment, insufficient pre-operative knowledge, and high cancellation rates for routine operations. PURPOSE: The aim of this project was to review the overall process of care using the concept of patient flow to improve and formulate countermeasures to improve quality of care. RESOLUTION: To improve the process of care, the corresponding countermeasures were formulated. 1. Set criteria for enrollment for orthopedic case managers to increase the preoperative enrollment rate; 2. Set up a specialized arthroplasty care area for central case management to reduce the time patients need to wait for the ward; and 3. Improve patient compliance with preoperative education and reduce the operation cancellation rate by distributing patient education pamphlets, filming videos of pre-operative instructions, facilitating home environment preparation, and providing education on sterilization baths. RESULTS: After implementation of the countermeasures, the preoperative case manager enrollment rate increased from 27.8% to 84.6%; the average ward wait time for patients reduced from 73 to 41 minutes; compliance with patient education increased from 83.0% to 100%; and the operation cancellation rate reduced from 11.1% to 0%. CONCLUSIONS: This project used the concept of patient flow to review the care process used for total knee arthroplasty. This improvement strategy may be used to standardize care processes and improve the quality of medical care provided.

Effects of Copper on Root Morphology, Cations Accumulation, and Oxidative Stress of Grapevine Seedlings.

In the present study, a hydroponic experiment was conducted to investigate the oxidative stress and the copper (Cu) accumulation in grapevines exposed to three Cu levels (0, 5, and 15 µM) for 1, 2, and 3 days. The results showed that the root elongation was stunted at the highest-exposure concentration. The Cu accumulation in the grapevines increased with increasing Cu treatments, while the other nutrient elements (Ca, Mg and K) absorbed by the grapevines decreased. Most of the Cu taken up by the grapevines was accumulated in the roots. Compared to the data for 1 day after treatment, the Cu-addition significantly decreased the Mg and K concentration in the roots and leaves, yet increased the superoxide dismutase activity in the leaves after 3 days of treatment. For the reactive oxygen species, the malondialdehyde increased with increasing Cu levels in the roots and leaves; however, both the Cu-addition and exposure duration reduced the H2O2 level in the root. Additionally, the Cu-induced accumulation of ·O2- and H2O2 in the grapevine leaves can be observed by the histochemical staining of nitroblue tetrazolium and diaminobenzidine, respectively. In conclusion, the present results indicate that excess Cu results in a change of the root morphology and leads to oxidative stress for the grapevine leaves and roots.

Solvent-Induced Shape Recovery of Anisotropic Polymer Particles Prepared by a Modified Thermal Stretching Method.

Anisotropic polymer particles have attracted great attention because of their unique properties and potential applications in various areas, such as microelectronics, drug delivery, and medical imaging. The fabrication and morphology control, especially the shape recovery, of anisotropic polymer particles, however, remains a challenging task. In this work, we develop a novel strategy to fabricate anisotropic polymer particles by thermally stretching poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films embedding polystyrene (PS) microspheres using a weight. Depending on the preannealing condition, anisotropic PS particles with two different shapes, sharp-headed and blunt-headed PS particles, can be obtained. The PVA films can be selectively removed by isopropanol/water, releasing the anisotropic PS particles. By adding tetrahydrofuran (THF), a good solvent for PS, into the PS particle-containing solutions, the anisotropic particles gradually transform back to spheres to reduce the total interfacial energies. The shape recovery rates of the polymer particles can be controlled by the amount of the added THF. This work not only provides a simple and feasible route to fabricate anisotropic polymer particles but also contributes to a deeper understanding in the solvent-induced shape recovery process from anisotropic polymer particles to polymer spheres.

Thermal-Annealing-Induced Self-Stretching: Fabrication of Anisotropic Polymer Particles on Polymer Films.

Designing anisotropic particles of various shapes draws great attention to scientists nowadays. We develop a facile and simple method to fabricate anisotropic polymer particles from spherical polymer particles. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films spin-coated with polystyrene (PS) microspheres are confined on both sides using binder clips and are heated above the glass-transition temperatures of the polymers. During the thermal annealing process, the PS particles sink into the PVA films and transform to anisotropic particles. Depending on the distances to the bound regions, oblate spheroid PS particles or prolate spheroid particles with different aspect ratios can be obtained. The transformation of the particles is mainly driven by the stretching forces and the squeezing forces. The main advantage of this method is that anisotropic particles with different shapes can be fabricated simultaneously on a single film. We expect that this novel method can be helpful to various fields including colloids science, suspension rheology, and drug delivery.

Plateau-Rayleigh Instability Morphology Evolution (PRIME): From Electrospun Core-Shell Polymer Fibers to Polymer Microbowls.

Electrospun core-shell fibers have great potentials in many areas, such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and organic solar cells. Although many core-shell fibers have been prepared and studied, the morphology transformation of core-shell fibers have been rarely studied. In this work, the morphology evolution of electrospun core-shell polymer fibers driven by the Plateau-Rayleigh instability is investigated. Polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS/PMMA) core-shell fibers are first prepared by using blend solutions and a single axial electrospinning setup. After PS/PMMA core-shell fibers are annealed on a PS film, the fibers undulate and sink into the polymer film, forming core-shell hemispheres. The evolution process, which can be observed in situ by optical microscopy, is mainly driven by achieving lower surface and interfacial energies. The morphologies of the transformed structures can be confirmed by a selective removal technique, and polymer microbowls can be obtained.