Haploid Human Stem Cells

First Haploid Human Stem Cells Could Change the Face of Medical Research
Potential for regenerative medicine and cancer research earns doctoral student Ido Sagi a Kaye Innovation Award

June 28, 2017 -- Stem cell research holds huge potential for medicine and human health. In particular, human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), with their ability to turn into any cell in the human body, are essential to the future prevention and treatment of disease.

One set or two? Diploid versus haploid cells

Most of the cells in our body are diploid, which means they carry two sets of chromosomes — one from each parent. Until now, scientists have only succeeded in creating haploid embryonic stem cells — which contain a single set of chromosomes — in non-human mammals such as mice, rats and monkeys. However, scientists have long sought to isolate and replicate these haploid ESCs in humans, which would allow them to work with one set of human chromosomes as opposed to a mixture from both parents.

This milestone was finally reached when Ido Sagi, working as a PhD student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research, led research that yielded the first successful isolation and maintenance of haploid embryonic stem cells in humans. Unlike in mice, these haploid stem cells were able to differentiate into many other cell types, such as brain, heart and pancreas, while retaining a single set of chromosomes.

With Prof. Nissim Benvenisty, Director of the Azrieli Center, Sagi showed that this new human stem cell type will play an important role in human genetic and medical research. It will aid our understanding of human development – for example, why we reproduce sexually instead of from a single parent. It will make genetic screening easier and more precise, by allowing the examination of single sets of chromosomes. And it is already enabling the study of resistance to chemotherapy drugs, with implications for cancer therapy.

Diagnostic kits for personalized medicine

Based on this research, Yissum, the Technology Transfer arm of the Hebrew University, launched the company New Stem, which is developing a diagnostic kit for predicting resistance to chemotherapy treatments. By amassing a broad library of human pluripotent stem cells with different mutations and genetic makeups, NewStem plans to develop diagnostic kits for personalized medication and future therapeutic and reproductive products.

http://new.huji.ac.il/en/article/35066

Binary Black Holes Studied

Astronomers Detect Orbital Motion
in Pair of Supermassive Black Holes
VLBA reveals first-ever black-hole "visual binary"

Using the supersharp radio “vision” of the National Science Foundation’s Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), astronomers have made the first detection of orbital motion in a pair of upermassive black holes in a galaxy some 750 million light-years from Earth.

The two black holes, with a combined mass 15 billion times that of the Sun, are likely separated by only about 24 light-years, extremely close for such a system.

“This is the first pair of black holes to be seen as separate objects that are moving with respect to each other, and thus makes this the first black-hole ‘visual binary,'” said Greg Taylor, of the University of New Mexico (UNM).

Supermassive black holes, with millions or billions of times the mass of the Sun, reside at the cores of most galaxies. The presence of two such monsters at the center of a single galaxy means that the galaxy merged with another some time in the past. In such cases, the two black holes themselves may eventually merge in an event that would produce gravitational waves that ripple across the universe.

“We believe that the two supermassive black holes in this galaxy will merge,” said Karishma Bansal, a graduate student at UNM, adding that the merger will come at least millions of years in the future.

The galaxy, an elliptical galaxy called 0402+379, after its location in the sky, was first observed in 1995. It was studied in 2003 and 2005 with the VLBA. Based on finding two cores in the galaxy, instead of one, Taylor and his collaborators concluded in 2006 that it contained a pair of supermassive black holes.

The latest research, which Taylor and his colleagues are reporting in the Astrophysical Journal, incorporates new VLBA observations from 2009 and 2015, along with re-analysis of the earlier VLBA data. This work revealed motion of the two cores, confirming that the two black holes are orbiting each other. The scientists’ initial calculations indicate that they complete a single orbit in about 30,000 years.

“We need to continue observing this galaxy to improve our understanding of the orbit, and of the masses of the black holes,” Taylor said. “This pair of black holes offers us our first chance to study how such systems interact,” he added.

The astronomers also hope to discover other such systems. The galaxy mergers that bring two supermassive black holes close together are considered to be a common process in the universe, so astronomers expect that such binary pairs should be common.

“Now that we’ve been able to measure orbital motion in one such pair, we’re encouraged to seek other, similar pairs. We may find others that are easier to study,” Bansal said.

The VLBA, part of the Long Baseline Observatory, is a continent-wide radio telescope system using ten, 240-ton dish antennas distributed from Hawaii to St. Croix in the Caribbean. All ten antennas work together as a single telescope with the greatest resolving power available to astronomy. That extraordinary resolving power allows scientists to make extremely fine measurements of objects and motions in the sky, such as those done for the research on 0402+379.

https://public.nrao.edu/news/supermassive-black-holes-motion/

Yemen's Cholera Outbreak

In October 2016, an outbreak of cholera began in Yemen. By mid-March 2017, the outbreak was in decline, but it has resurged since 27 April 2017 – reportedly after the sewer system in the capital of Sana'a ceased functioning – and remains ongoing as of June 2017.

Course of the Outbreak

The cholera outbreak began in early October 2016. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers the outbreak to be unusual in its rapid and wide geographical spread. The earliest cases were predominantly in the capital, Sana'a, with some occurring on the northern coast. By the end of October, cases had been reported in the governorates of Al-Bayda, Aden, Al-Hudaydah, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij and Taiz and, by late November, also in Al-Dhale'a and Amran. By mid-December, 135 districts of 15 governorates had reported suspected cases, but nearly two-thirds were confined to Aden, Al-Bayda, Al-Hudaydah and Taiz. By mid-January of the following year, 80% of cases were located in 28 districts of Al-Dhale'a, Al-Hudaydah, Hajjah, Lahij and Taiz.

By the end of February 2017, the rate of spread in most areas had reduced, and by mid-March 2017, the outbreak was in decline. A total of 25,827 suspected cases, including 129 deaths, had been reported by 26 April 2017.

The number of cholera cases resurged after 27 April 2017. During May, 74,311 suspected cases, including 605 deaths, were reported. By 24 June 2017, UNICEF and WHO estimated that the total number of cases in the country since the outbreak began in October had exceeded 200,000, with 1,300 deaths, and that 5,000 new cases a day were occurring. The two agencies stated that it was then "the worst cholera outbreak in the world". Approximately half of the cases, and a quarter of the deaths were among children.

As of 12 June 2017, the case fatality rate for the outbreak is 0.7%, with higher rates in people over 60 years old (3.2%). The serotype of Vibrio cholerae involved is Ougawa. A total of 268 districts from 20 of the country's 23 governorates had reported cases by 21 June 2017; over half are from the governorates of Amanat Al Asimah (the capital Sana'a), Al Hudeideh, Amran and Hajjah, which are all located in the west of the country.

WHO, UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières are among the organisations providing assistance.

Related Factors

UNICEF and WHO attributed the outbreak to malnutrition and collapsing sanitation and clean water systems due to the country's ongoing conflict. An ICRC worker in Yemen noted that April's cholera resurgence began ten days after Sana'a's sewer system stopped working. The impacts of the outbreak have been reported to have been exacerbated by the collapse of the Yemeni health services, where many health workers have remained unpaid for months. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN, have pointed to the Saudi-led naval and aerial blockade and bombing campaign as central causes behind the preventable cholera epidemic.

"With the right medicines, these [diseases] are all completely treatable – but the Saudi Arabia-led coalition is stopping them from getting in."

— Grant Pritchard, Save the Children's interim country director for Yemen, April 2017, Vice News

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016%E2%80%9317_Yemen_cholera_outbreak

Selfish Yet Humane Heroics

Putting Others First Can
Cost Lives in Emergencies

Waterloo, Ontario – June 23, 2017 -- Selfless heroism isn’t the best strategy in life-and-death disaster situations involving groups of people, a new study from the University of Waterloo suggests.

The study, which used computer modeling of a flooded subway station, found overall survival rates were substantially higher when strong people in a 30-member group reached safety themselves before trying to help weaker people.

“Foolhardiness is not a good strategy for rescuing,” said Eishiro Higo, a civil engineering PhD candidate at Waterloo who led the research. “In very critical situations, we have to be kind of selfish, but we can still help others if we have proper equipment and proper strategies.”

In effect, he said, the study showed that when strong members try to help weak members before they are secure themselves, both are dragged down and the group as a whole suffers.

Higo and colleagues built a two-dimensional computer model of an actual three-level underground space in Kyoto, Japan that consists of a subway platform, a parking garage and a shopping mall.

The model simulates severe flooding from a nearby river, with a mix of adults and senior citizens who must reach safety via staircases from the subway platform level to the surface.

Higo repeatedly ran the model using three different evacuation strategies: one in which people only worried about themselves; one in which people immediately worked together as a group; and one in which those capable of saving themselves reached a safe place before trying to save others using a rope.

In most life-and-death scenarios when variables such as the ratio of adults to seniors were adjusted, the rope strategy resulted in the highest overall survival rate.

In a typical scenario that assumed evacuation efforts beginning at a particular point in time, for example, 12 of 30 people survived using the rope strategy, while there were just five survivors using either of the other two strategies.

“We have to identify what is brave and what is reckless,” said Higo. “Helping people from a safe location is still good behaviour and the result is actually much better.”

Crucial to the success of the rope strategy, however, was the availability of simple tools for use by rescuers. Design features including handrails and raised areas on stairs for evacuees to brace themselves or rest also markedly increased the chances of survival.

An extension of work he did for his master’s degree at Kyoto University before coming to Waterloo, his research was motivated in large part by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated east Japan in 2011.

Higo hopes his findings stimulate discussion and lead to the inclusion of relatively inexpensive disaster preparedness features such as ropes and resting areas in public spaces.

Details of the research were recently published in the journal Expert Systems with Applications.

https://uwaterloo.ca/news/news/putting-others-first-can-cost-lives-emergencies

Pakistani Tanker Truck Explosion

On 25 June 2017, a tank truck exploded near Ahmedpur East in Pakistan's Bahawalpur District [south-central Punjab of Pakistan], killing at least 153 people and injuring more than 117 others. The truck overturned when its driver attempted to make a sharp turn on the N-5 National Highway. Once the news of the accident spread to nearby villages, hundreds of residents rushed to the scene to loot the truck of its fuel cargo. The explosion is believed to have been caused when someone lit a cigarette.

Accident

Around 06:00 local time (01:00 GMT), a tank truck carrying 40,000 litres (10,567 gallons) of fuel overturned as its tires burst while trying to make a sharp turn on N-5 National Highway near Ahmedpur East, Bahawalpur District, in Punjab, Pakistan. The truck was travelling from Karachi to Lahore.

The news of the accident quickly spread to the nearby village of Ramzanpur Joya, with villagers being alerted via a loudspeaker on top of a local mosque. A large number of people busy working in mango farms beside the road (one source estimated about 500), including women and children, subsequently gathered at the site to collect leaking petrol. The crowd ignored attempts by police to clear the area. About 10 minutes later, the truck exploded after leaked fuel from its damaged container caught fire killing at least 153 people and injuring more than 117 others. According to some media reports, the explosion occurred about 45 minutes after the initial truck crash.

Preliminary information indicates that the explosion resulted when someone tried to light a cigarette near the overturned tanker. It is also believed that a spark from the numerous cars and motorcycles that rushed to the scene ignited the fuel

Response

The motorway police suspended the traffic and set up two diversions, near Noorpur Nauranga and further ahead of Dera Nawaz. The Rescue 1122 and fire brigade arrived on the site of the incident immediately after the blaze started and rescue operations were initiated. Firefighters fought the blaze for over two hours before extinguishing the fire.

At least 90 of the victims were taken to District Headquarters Hospital and Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur. Pakistan Army helicopters were used to transfer 51 injured people from Bahawalpur to Nishtar Hospital in Multan.

Aftermath

Most bodies were burned beyond recognition, many down to their skeletons. At least six cars and 12 motorcycles were burnt in the explosion. The highway was littered with kitchen utensils, pots, water coolers, jerrycans and buckets of the victims. The driver of the fuel tanker survived the crash and was taken into custody.

Similar Catastrophic Events

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catastrophe_of_Sange

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okobie_road_tanker_explosion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ja%CA%BF%C4%81r_munitions_factory_explosion

Link for the article above regarding the Punjab incident: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Bahawalpur_explosion

Possible Uses for Graphene

Potential graphene applications include lightweight, thin, flexible, yet durable display screens, electric/photonics circuits, solar cells, and various medical, chemical and industrial processes enhanced or enabled by the use of new graphene materials.

In 2008, graphene produced by exfoliation was one of the most expensive materials on Earth, with a sample the area of a cross section of a human hair costing more than $1,000 as of April 2008 (about $100,000,000/cm²). Since then, exfoliation procedures have been scaled up, and now companies sell graphene in large quantities. The price of epitaxial graphene on Silicon carbide is dominated by the substrate price, which was approximately $100/cm² as of 2009. Hong and his team in South Korea pioneered the synthesis of large-scale graphene films using chemical vapour deposition (CVD) on thin nickel layers, which triggered research on practical applications, with wafer sizes up to 30 inches (760 mm) reported.

In 2013, the European Union made a €1 billion grant to be used for research into potential graphene applications. In 2013 the Graphene Flagship consortium formed, including Chalmers University of Technology and seven other European universities and research centers, along with Nokia.

Potential Applications Under Study

·         Medicine, including tissue engineering, contrast agents and bioimaging, polymerase chain reaction, devices, drug delivery, biomicrorobotics, testing, and toxicity

·         Electronics, including transistors, transparent conducting electrodes, frequency multipliers, optoelectronics, Hall effect sensors, quantum dots, organic electronics, spintronics, and conductive ink

·         Light processing, including optical modular, ultraviolet lens, infrared light detection, and photodetector

• Energy, including generation and storage

 

• Sensors, including pressure sensors, NEMS, molecular adsorbtion, piezoelectric effect, body motion and magnetic

 

• Environmental, including contaminant removal and water filtration

 

• Other, such as plasmonics and metamaterials, lubricant, radio wave absorption, redox, nanoantennas, sound transducers, waterproof coating, coolant additive, reference material, thermal management, structural material, catalyst, and aviation

Detailed discussion at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_applications_of_graphene

The Trumpet and its Masters

A trumpet is a blown musical instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group contains the instruments with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpet-like instruments have historically been used as signaling devices in battle or hunting, with examples dating back to at least 1500 BC; they began to be used as musical instruments only in the late 14th or early 15th century. Trumpets are used in art music styles, for instance in orchestras, concert bands, and jazz ensembles, as well as in popular music. They are played by blowing air through almost-closed lips (called the player's embouchure), producing a "buzzing" sound that starts a standing wave vibration in the air column inside the instrument. Since the late 15th century they have primarily been constructed of brass tubing, usually bent twice into a rounded rectangular shape.

There are many distinct types of trumpet, with the most common being pitched in B♭ (a transposing instrument), having a tubing length of about 1.48 m (4 ft 10 in). Early trumpets did not provide means to change the length of tubing, whereas modern instruments generally have three (or sometimes four) valves in order to change their pitch. Most trumpets have valves of the piston type, while some have the rotary type. The use of rotary-valved trumpets is more common in orchestral settings, although this practice varies by country. Each valve, when engaged, increases the length of tubing, lowering the pitch of the instrument. A musician who plays the trumpet is called a trumpet player or trumpeter.

Masterful Trumpet Players

In early jazz, Louis Armstrong was well known for his virtuosity and his improvisations on the Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings. Miles Davis is widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century—his style was distinctive and widely imitated. Davis' phrasing and sense of space in his solos have been models for generations of jazz musicians. Dizzy Gillespie was a gifted improviser with an extremely high (but musical) range, building on the style of Roy Eldridge but adding new layers of harmonic complexity. Gillespie had an enormous impact on virtually every subsequent trumpeter, both by the example of his playing and as a mentor to younger musicians. Maynard Ferguson came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957. He was noted for being able to play accurately in a remarkably high register.

Some other notable jazz/commercial trumpet players include James Morrison, Roy Eldridge, Nat Adderley, Bud Brisbois, Randy Brecker, Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Chris Botti, Allan Botschinsky, Donald Byrd, Bill Chase, Doc Cheatham, Don Cherry, Kenny Dorham, Dave Douglas, Don Ellis, Ziggy Elman, Jon Faddis, Thomas Gansch, Tim Hagans, Roy Hargrove, Tom Harrell, Erskine Hawkins, Al Hirt, Freddie Hubbard, Roger Ingram, Harry James, Ibrahim Maalouf, Chuck Mangione, Wynton Marsalis, Billy May, Blue Mitchell, Lee Morgan, Fats Navarro, Nicholas Payton, Louis Prima, Uan Rasey, Claudio Roditi, Wallace Roney, Arturo Sandoval, Manfred Schoof, Bobby Shew, Dale Turner, Doc Severinsen, Woody Shaw, Tomasz Stańko, Markus Stockhausen, Clark Terry, Wayne Bergeron, Allen Vizzutti, Cootie Williams, and Snooky Young.

Notable classical trumpeters include Maurice André, Armando Ghitalla, Alison Balsom, Hakan Hardenberger, Tine Thing Helseth, Adolph "Bud" Herseth, Malcolm McNab, Rafael Méndez, Maurice Murphy, Sergei Nakariakov, Uan Rasey, Charles Schlueter, Philip Smith, William Vacchiano, Allen Vizzutti, and Roger Voisin.

Notable natural trumpet players include Valentine Snow, for whom Handel wrote several pieces, and Gottfried Reiche, who was Bach's chief trumpeter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpet