Effects of pH on Growth of Salvinia molesta Mitchell

Growth of giant salvinia ( Salvinia molesta Mitchell) under different pH regimes was examined at the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility (LAERF) in Lewisville, Texas.(PDF has 5 pages.

Regeneration of Giant Salvinia from Apical and Axillary Buds following Desiccation or Physical Damage

Can a new giant salvinia infestation occur even if most of the mat is destroyed except for the protected buds? From this study, we are able to conclude that buds can produce new growth under certain stressful conditions. They must be greater than 0.2 cm in length and they must possess greater than 30% moisture content to survive

Readmission for Acute Exacerbation within 30 Days of Discharge Is Associated with a Subsequent Progressive Increase in Mortality Risk in COPD Patients: A Long-Term Observational Study

Background and Objective Twenty per cent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are readmitted for acute exacerbation (AECOPD) within 30 days of discharge. The prognostic significance of early readmission is not fully understood. The objective of our study was to estimate the mortality risk associated with readmission for acute exacerbation within 30 days of discharge in COPD patients. Methods The cohort (n = 378) was divided into patients readmitted (n = 68) and not readmitted (n = 310) within 30 days of discharge. Clinical, laboratory, microbiological, and severity data were evaluated at admission and during hospital stay, and mortality data were recorded at four time points during follow-up: 30 days, 6 months, 1 year and 3 years. Results Patients readmitted within 30 days had poorer lung function, worse dyspnea perception and higher clinical severity. Two or more prior AECOPD (HR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.51-4.05) was the only variable independently associated with 30-day readmission. The mortality risk during the follow-up period showed a progressive increase in patients readmitted within 30 days in comparison to patients not readmitted; moreover, 30-day readmission was an independent risk factor for mortality at 1 year (HR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.10-5.59). In patients readmitted within 30 days, the estimated absolute increase in the mortality risk was 4% at 30 days (number needed to harm NNH, 25), 17% at 6-months (NNH, 6), 19% at 1-year (NNH, 6) and 24% at 3 years (NNH, 5). Conclusion In conclusion a readmission for AECOPD within 30 days is associated with a progressive increased long-term risk of death

Can HRCT be used as a marker of airway remodelling in children with difficult asthma?

BACKGROUND: Whole airway wall thickening on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is reported to parallel thickening of the bronchial epithelial reticular basement membrane (RBM) in adult asthmatics. A similar relationship in children with difficult asthma (DA), in whom RBM thickening is a known feature, may allow the use of HRCT as a non-invasive marker of airway remodelling. We evaluated this relationship in children with DA. METHODS: 27 children (median age 10.5 [range 4.1-16.7] years) with DA, underwent endobronchial biopsy from the right lower lobe and HRCT less than 4 months apart. HRCTs were assessed for bronchial wall thickening (BWT) of the right lower lobe using semi-quantitative and quantitative scoring techniques. The semi-quantitative score (grade 0-4) was an overall assessment of BWT of all clearly identifiable airways in HRCT scans. The quantitative score (BWT %; defined as [airway outer diameter - airway lumen diameter]/airway outer diameter x100) was the average score of all airways visible and calculated using electronic endpoint callipers. RBM thickness in endobronchial biopsies was measured using image analysis. 23/27 subjects performed spirometry and the relationships between RBM thickness and BWT with airflow obstruction evaluated. RESULTS: Median RBM thickness in endobronchial biopsies was 6.7(range 4.6-10.0) microm. Median qualitative score for BWT of the right lower lobe was 1(range 0-1.5) and quantitative score was 54.3 (range 48.2-65.6)%. There was no relationship between RBM thickness and BWT in the right lower lobe using either scoring technique. No relationship was found between FEV1 and BWT or RBM thickness. CONCLUSION: Although a relationship between RBM thickness and BWT on HRCT has been found in adults with asthma, this relationship does not appear to hold true in children with D

Dynamic walking features and improved walking performance in multiple sclerosis patients treated with fampridine (4-aminopyridine)

Background: Impaired walking capacity is a frequent confinement in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Patients are affected by limitations in coordination, walking speed and the distance they may cover. Also abnormal dynamic walking patterns have been reported, involving continuous deceleration over time. Fampridine (4-aminopyridine), a potassium channel blocker, may improve walking in MS. The objective of the current study was to comprehensively examine dynamic walking characteristics and improved walking capacity in MS patients treated with fampridine. Methods: A sample of N = 35 MS patients (EDSS median: 4) underwent an electronic walking examination prior to (Time 1), and during treatment with fampridine (Time 2). Patients walked back and forth a distance of 25 ft for a maximum period of 6 min (6-minute 25-foot-walk). Besides the total distance covered, average speed on the 25-foot distance and on turns was determined separately for each test minute, at Time 1 and Time 2. Results: Prior to fampridine administration, 27/35 patients (77 %) were able to complete the entire 6 min of walking, while following the administration, 34/35 patients (97 %) managed to walk for 6 min. In this context, walking distance considerably increased and treatment was associated with faster walking and turning across all six test minutes (range of effect sizes: partial eta squared = .34-.72). Importantly, previously reported deceleration across test minutes was consistently observable at Time 1 and Time 2. Discussion: Fampridine administration is associated with improved walking speed and endurance. Regardless of a treatment effect of fampridine, the previously identified, abnormal dynamic walking feature, i.e. the linear decline in walking speed, may represent a robust feature. Conclusions: The dynamic walking feature might hence be considered as a candidate for a new outcome measure in clinical studies involving interventions other than symptomatic treatment, such as immune-modulating medication. Trial registration: DRKS00009228 (German Clinical Trials Register). Date obtained: 25.08.2015

Architecture recovery using partitioning clustering technique

LAUREA MAGISTRAL

Cytoskeletal Mechanics and Mobility in the Axons of Sensory Neurons

The axon is a long specialized signaling projection of neurons, whose cytoskeleton is composed of networks of microtubules and actin filaments. The dynamic nature of these networks and the action of their associated motor and cross-linking proteins drives axonal growth. Understanding the mechanisms that control these processes is vitally important to neuroregenerative medicine and in this dissertation, evidence will be presented to support a model of interconnectivity between actin and microtubules in the axons of rat sensory neurons. First, the movement of GFP-actin was evaluated during unimpeded axonal outgrowth and a novel transport mechanism was discovered. Most other cargoes in the axon are actively moved by kinesin and dynein motor proteins along stationary microtubules, or are moved along actin filaments by myosin motor proteins. Actin, however, appears to be collected into short-lived bundles that are either actively carried as cargoes along other actin filaments, or are moved as passive cargoes on short mobile microtubules. Additionally, in response to an applied stretch, the axon does not behave as a uniform visco-elastic solid but rather exhibits local heterogeneity, both in the instantaneous response to stretch and in the remodeling which follows. After stretch, heterogeneity was observed in both the realized strain and long term reorganization along the length of the axon suggesting local variation in the distribution and connectivity of the cytoskeleton. This supports a model of stretch response in which sliding filaments dynamically break and reform connections within and between the actin and microtubule networks. Taken together, these two studies provide evidence for the mechanical and functional connectivity between actin and microtubules in the axonal cytoskeleton and suggest a far more important role for actin in the development of the peripheral nervous system. Moreover this provides a biological framework for the exploration of future regenerative therapies

Analisi biomolecolare di ceppi di Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) in furetti domestici (Mustela putorius furo)

L\u2019agente eziologico del cimurro (CDV) appartiene alla famiglia Paramyxoviridae, genere Morbillivirus ed \ue8 causa di una patologia infettiva e contagiosa in canidi, mustelidi e procionidi. Gli Autori, descrivono un caso clinico di cimurro in due furetti domestici vaccinati con un ceppo Onderstepoort avianizzato. e la caratterizzazione biomolecolare del CDV isolato. I furetti presentavano un quadro clinico caratterizzato da dermatite pruriginosa e squamo-purulenta, alla regione del mento, peri-labiale, peri-vulvare ed al condotto uditivo esterno. I soggetti venivano a morte tre settimane dopo l\u2019esordio dei sintomi. I campioni di croste prelevati sono stati sottoposti ad estrazione degli acidi nucleici ed analizzati mediante RT-PCR per CDV. E\u2019 stata effettuata l\u2019analisi con enzimi di restrizione (RFLP-PCR) di conferma, per discriminare i ceppi vaccinali dai ceppi di campo. I prodotti di amplificazione sono stati purificati e sottoposti a sequenziamento. Le sequenze di 1823 nt del gene H del CDV sono state comparate mediante Clustal X con analoghe sequenze di ceppi di campo e ceppi vaccinali disponibili su GeneBank. Sulla base dei dati ottenuti le sequenze sono risultate appartenenti al lineage Europa, ben segregato dal lineage America-1, che raccoglie i principali ceppi vaccinali avianizzati, e differente dal cluster dei ceppi Rockborn-like. Il sequenziamento ha confermato il risultato ottenuto con la RFLP-PCR e la mancanza di relazione con il ceppo vaccinale inoculato. Le due sequenze ottenute, presentando un\u2019omologia nucleotidica elevata per ceppi isolati da cani in Italia, sono risultate differenti dal lineage Wildlife. Nel furetto l\u2019infezione da cimurro ha un esito fatale quasi nel 100% dei casi e viene controllata attraverso l\u2019uso di vaccini. Questo lavoro rappresenta un contributo alla esigua disponibilit\ue0 bibliografica in merito alle infezioni da CDV nei mustelidi ed implementa i dati disponibili sui ceppi virali circolanti. Il metodo diagnostico descritto rappresenta un sistema rapido e sensibile per la diagnosi dell\u2019infezione da cimurro

Keberhasilan Corporate Turnaround Pada Perusahaan Yang Mengalami Financial Distress di Masa Pandemi COVID-19

This study intended to examine how company turnover was measured in Indonesian stock real estate markets and real estate companies in 2019-2020. The logistic regression analysis of assets retrenchment, expense retrenchment, free assets, and company size was adopted for the study to quantify corporate turnaround. There were 76 firms involved in real estate and property, according to the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Only 56 real estate and property companies out of that total satisfy the requirements or were eligible to be included as the sample. The researcher employed the sampling approach to select a sample that met a set of criteria to determine this sample. The sample taken by the researcher is in the form of financial statements which are a source of quantitative data from the official website. The result of this study proves that free assets and company size have a positive and significant effect on a company’s ability to successfully implement a corporate turnaround as evidenced by a significance value of more than 0.05. Meanwhile, the variables of asset retrenchment and expenses retrenchment have no significant effect on the Company's success in carrying out corporate turnaround as evidenced by a significance value of less than 0.05

S09RS SGB No. 30 (Recycling Bill)

A BILL to allocate a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) from the Senate Contingency Account to implement the Student Recycling Initiative