Lidase treatment of spinal cord transected rats

Russian investigators have recently reported clinical recovery of enzyme treated, spinal cord transected rats. Using the exact protocols outlined by Matinian and Andreasian, we repeated a portion of their experiment using a Lidase preparation manufactured in the USSR. Animals were evaluated for return of bladder function, clinical evidence of hind limb motor function, cortical evoked response after sciatic nerve stimulation, and axonal transport of cortically injected tritiated proline by regenerated corticospinal axons. The only difference between treated and control animals was that the mean total body weight of the treated animals increased more than that of controls ( p < 0.05). No animal walked, had return of voluntary motor activity, showed cortical evoked response, or had evidence for transport of tritiated proline over regenerated corticospinal axons.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50295/1/410060121_ftp.pd

Spin Singlet Quantum Hall Effect and nonabelian Landau-Ginzburg theory

In this paper we present a theory of Singlet Quantum Hall Effect (SQHE). We show that the Halperin-Haldane SQHE wave function can be written in the form of a product of a wave function for charged semions in a magnetic field and a wave function for the Chiral Spin Liquid of neutral spin-{1/2} semions. We introduce field-theoretic model in which the electron operators are factorized in terms of charged spinless semions (holons) and neutral spin-{1/2} semions (spinons). Broken time reversal symmetry and short ranged spin correlations lead to Su(2){sub {kappa}=1} Chern-Simons term in Landau-Ginzburg action for SQHE phase. We construct appropriate coherent states for SQHE phase and show the existence of SU(2) valued gauge potential. This potential appears as a result of spin rigidity'' of the ground state against any displacements of nodes of wave function from positions of the particles and reflects the nontrivial monodromy in the presence of these displacenmants. We argue that topological structure of Su(2){sub {kappa}=1} Chern-Simons theory unambiguously dictates semion statistics of spinons. 19 refs

Laser-based flow cytometric analysis of genotoxicity of humans exposed to ionizing radiation during the Chernobyl accident

An analytical technique has been developed that allows laser-based flow cytometric measurement of the frequency of red blood cells that have lost allele-specific expression of a cell surface antigen due to genetic toxicity in bone marrow precursor cells. Previous studies demonstrated a correlation of such effects with the exposure of each individual to mutagenic phenomena, such as ionizing radiation, and the effects can persist for the lifetime of each individual. During the emergency response to the nuclear power plant accident at Chernobyl, Ukraine, USSR, a number of people were exposed to whole body doses of ionizing radiation. Some of these individuals were tested with this laser-based assay and found to express a dose-dependent increase in the frequency of variant red blood cells that appears to be a persistent biological effect. All data indicate that this assay might well be used as a biodosimeter to estimate radiation dose and also as an element to be used for estimating the risk of each individual to develop cancer due to radiation exposure. 17 refs., 5 figs

Keeping up with revolutions: evolution of higher education in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's higher education system has undergone some dramatic changes in the past century, evolving from largely traditional religious colleges to fully state-funded communist-atheist institutions. Since the end of the communist administration and subsequent market-oriented reforms, the institutions of higher education (IHE) in Uzbekistan have had to reinvent and reform themselves again, as the demand for different kind of education increased. This paper puts the current changes and trends in IHEs into an historical perspective and highlights some important effects of the market reforms on the educational scene

On Identifying the Appropriate Boundary Conditions&apos;at a Moving Contact Line: An Experimental Investigation

and is slightly tapered as it merges with the adsorbed film. However, in employing this method, attention must be paid to the discontinuity in the interfacial curvature, which can be made negligible by properly selecting the matching point between an interline and thin film solutions

The measurements of parity violation in resonant neutron-capture reactions

The study of parity violation in total (n,{gamma}) cross sections on {sup 139}La and {sup 117}Sn targets was performed at the LANSCE pulsed neutron source using longitudinally polarized neutrons and a BaF{sub 2} detector. The effect of parity nonconservation in the {sup 139}La(n,{gamma}) reaction for the resonance at E{sub n}=0.73 eV was confirmed. New results for p-wave resonances in the {sup 117}Sn(n, {gamma}) reaction were obtained. A comparison between the capture and transmission techniques is presented. 12 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

Community governance in primary health care: towards an international ideal type.

Against a global background of increased resource management responsibilities for primary health care agencies, general medical practices, in particular, are increasingly being required to demonstrate the legitimacy of their decision making in market oriented environments. In this context a scoping review explores the potential utility for health managers in primary health care of community governance as a policy concept.\ud The review of recent research suggests that applied learning from international health systems with enhanced approaches to public and patient involvement may contribute to meeting this requirement. Such approaches often characterise local health systems in Latin America and North West Europe where innovative models are beginning to respond effectively to the growing demands on general practice. The study design draws on documentary and secondary data analyses to identify common components of community governance from the countries in these regions, supplemented by other relevant international studies and sources where appropriate. Within a comprehensive framework of collaborative governance the components are aggregated in an Ideal Type format to provide a point of reference for possible adaptation and transferable learning across market oriented health systems. Each component is illustrated with international exemplars from recent organisational practices in primary health care. The application of community governance is considered for the particular contexts of GP led Clinical Commissioning Groups in England and Primary Health Networks in Australia. \ud Some components of the Ideal Type possess potentially powerful negative as well as positive motivational effects, with PPI at practice levels sometimes hindering the development of effective local governance. This highlights the importance of careful and competent management of the growing resources attributed to primary health care agencies, which possess an increasingly diverse range of non-governmental status. Future policy and research priorities are outlined

Geological and geomorphological evolution of a sedimentary periglacial landscape in Northeast Siberia during the Late Quaternary

A wide variety of environmental records is necessary for analysing and understanding the complex Late Quaternary dynamics of permafrost-dominated Arctic landscapes. A NE Siberian periglacial key region was studied in detail using sediment records, remote sensing data, and terrain modelling, all incorporated in a geographical information system (GIS). The study area consists of the Bykovsky Peninsula and the adjacent Khorogor Valley in the Kharaulakh Ridge situated a few kilometres southeast of the LenaDelta. In this study a comprehensive cryolithological database containing information from 176 sites was compiled. The information from these sites is based on the review of previously published borehole data, outcrop profiles, surface samples, and our own field data. These archives cover depositional records of three periods: from Pliocene to Early Pleistocene, the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. The main sediment sequences on the Bykovsky Peninsula consist of up to 50 m thick ice-rich permafrost deposits (Ice Complex) that were accumulated during the Late Pleistocene. They were formed as a result of nival processes around extensive snowfields in the Kharaulakh Ridge, slope processes (in relatively steep areas such as the Khorogor Valley), and alluvial/proluvial sedimentation in a flat accumulation plain dominated by polygonal tundra in the mountain foreland (Bykovsky Peninsula). During the early to middle Holocene warming, a general landscape transformation occurred from an extensive Late Pleistocene accumulation plain to a strongly thermokarst-dominated relief dissected by numerous depressions. Thermokarst subsidence had an enormous influence on the periglacial hydrological patterns, the sediment deposition, and on the composition and distribution of habitats. Climate deterioration, lake drainage, and talik refreezing occurred during the middle to late Holocene. The investigated region was reached by the post-glacial sea level rise during the middle Holocene, triggering thermo-abrasion of ice-rich coasts and the marine inundation of thermokarst depressions