Vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein is necessary for H-2-restricted lysis of infected cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) elicited cytotoxic thymus-derived lymphocytes (CTLs) in mice of the BALB/c and three congenic strains (BALB.b, BALB.k, BALB.HTG). CTL lysis of VSV-infected fibroblasts from the four strains was restricted by the target cells' major histocompatibility complex (H-2). Target cells were also infected with two temperature-sensitive mutants of VSV, tsM and tsG in which, respectively, the viral matrix protein and glycoprotein are not expressed at 39 degrees (restrictive temperature) on the infected cell's surface membrane. At the restrictive temperature, cells infected with wild-type VSV or tsM were lysed by CTLs, but cells infected with tsG were not. The requirement for the glycoprotein on the target cell was also evident from the ability of antisera to the glycoprotein to block completely CTL lysis of VSV-infected cells

Modeling of strain in multifilamentary wires deformed by thermal contraction and transverse forces

A previously published analytical model that describes a simplified wire geometry with three stacked cylinders is compared with finite element model calculations. The thermal strain from the matrix on the superconducting filaments is considered first. It appears that the analytical model is able to describe the strain that occurs in the filaments relatively accurate. Especially the radial dependence of the strain if a central core of normal material is present, is described quit well by the analytical model. The strain inside a wire surrounded by epoxy and subjected to a transverse load is almost uniform and can be approximated with an analytical model too. When yielding is involved to simulate a more localised transverse load inside a multifilamentary wire it is necessary to consider a numerical model

Applying economic evaluation to public health interventions: The case of interventions to promote physical activity

Copyright @ 2012 The Authors. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.BACKGROUND: This paper explores the application of alternative approaches to economic evaluation of public health interventions, using a worked example of exercise referral schemes (ERSs). METHODS: Cost-utility (CUA) and cost-consequence analyses (CCA) were used to assess the cost-effectiveness of ERSs. For the CUA, evidence was synthesized using a decision analytic model that adopts a lifetime horizon and NHS/Personal Social Services perspective. Outcomes were expressed as incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). CCA was conducted from a partial-societal perspective, including health and non-healthcare costs and benefits. Outcomes were reported in natural units, such as cases of strokes or CHD avoided. RESULTS: Compared with usual care, the incremental cost per QALY of ERS is £20 876. Based on a cohort of 100 000 individuals, CCA estimates cost of ERS at £22 million to the healthcare provider and £12 million to participants. The benefits of ERS include additional 3900 people becoming physically active, 51 cases of CHD avoided, 16 cases of stroke avoided, 86 cases of diabetes avoided and a gain of ∼800 QALYs. CONCLUSIONS: CCA might provide greater transparency than CUA in reporting the outcomes of public health interventions and have greater resonance with stakeholders involved in commissioning these interventions.This work was supported by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme (project number 08/72/01). This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund

Deregulation of the Maize Marketing System of Swaziland and Implications for Food Security

Recent shortfalls in the supply of maize in the Kingdom of Swaziland have exacerbated the country's growing food insecurity and led to fresh calls for full deregulation of the maize marketing system. The proponents of deregulation believe that it eliminates inefficient production and service units by transferring resources to their best alternative uses. While the theoretical foundations for that position are not questionable, no studies have to date explicitly investigated the effects of the current arrangements and the potential effects of full deregulation. This paper reports on a study that examined the welfare effects of the regulation of the country's maize industry and considered the likely impacts of full deregulation of the industry. Using a partial equilibrium model, the study established that the current market arrangements for the maize industry are distortionary and make the maize marketing system of Swaziland highly uncompetitive. The results show that high efficiency losses result from the misallocation of productive resources and that these have been rising over the years. Consumption deadweight losses were also shown to be equally serious and put at risk the attainment of food security for the generality of the Swazi population. The paper sees deregulation as an important practical step to improve the competitiveness of the maize industry and enhance food security through creating the basis for more effective management of the internal maize distribution channel in Swaziland.Crop Production/Industries, Food Security and Poverty, D6, F13, I3, L5, Q18,

Synthetic phospholipid vesicles containing a purified viral antigen and cell membrane proteins stimulate the development of cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Synthetic phospholipid vesicles (liposomes) containing the purified glycoprotein (G) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and solubilized membrane proteins from cells of the appropriate H-2 haplotype elicited H-2-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) that lysed VSV-infected target cells. The CTL were elicited by intact liposomes, not by released components. Thus, when spleen cells from VSV-primed H-2d X H- 2b hybrid mice were stimulated with liposomes having G protein + membrane proteins from cells with one of the parental H-2 haplotypes, the resulting CTL lysed only VSV-infected target cells with that parent's H-2 type. This result argues against the view that T cells in general recognize only processed antigenic fragments on macrophages. Moreover, liposomes were only effective when G protein and cell membrane proteins were included in the same vesicles. This result suggests that for effective interaction with CTL precursors the antigen (G protein) and products of the H-2 complex must be closer to each other than 600-1,000 angstrom, the diameter of the lipid vesicles used in this study

Peningkatan Aktivitas Belajar Peserta Didikdengan Menggunakan Metode Role Playingdalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan

This study aims to improve the learning activities of students in civics class V SD Negeri 41 Pontianak. The method used is descriptive method. This study uses measures of classroom action research, with research subjects in class V 30 participants didik.Simpulan from this study is there improvement after using the method of role playing in teaching civics it can be seen in physical activity from baseline 40.67% increase by 20.66% to 61.33% in cycle 1 and cycle 2 increased by 45.99%. On the mental activity has increased in cycle 1 from baseline 25.56 increased by 12.22% and in cycle 2 from baseline 25.56 increased by 52.22%. While the activity Emotional learners increases, in the first cycle of 23.33% baseline increase of 20.83% .In the second cycle of 23.33% Base line increased by 50% .From the data obtained show that the use of the method of role playing Civics in learning can enhance the activity of learners

Isolation and Identification of Antibiotic Resistance in Bacterial Samples from Lake Ontario

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an increasing public health concern and recently the Food and Drug administration has been pressured to withdraw approval of the use of subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics in livestock. In upstate New York, sewage and agricultural run-off may contain microbes that are selected for by antibiotics excreted in humans and livestock waste. Monthly water samples were collected from six different locations in Lake Ontario over the summer of 2011 to isolate and characterize antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Samples were taken from near a treated sewage outflow pipe and the mouth of the Genesee River. Water temperature and clarity were measured for each sample location. Water samples were filtered to collect bacteria and the resulting filtrate was grown on R2A medium. Gram character and resistance to five clinically relevant antibiotics (gentamicin, ampicillin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim) was assessed