Combined effects of a parasite, QPX, and the harmful-alga, Prorocentrum minimum on northern quahogs, Mercenaria mercenaria

Northern quahogs, Mercenaria mercenaria (L.), frequently are infected with the parasite Quahog Parasite Unknown (QPX, Labyrintohomorpha, Thraustochytriales), which can cause morbidity and mortality of the quahogs. Possible interactions between this parasitic disease and exposure to the harmful dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum in M. mercenaria were studied experimentally. Quahogs from Massachusetts with variable intensity of QPX infection were exposed, under controlled laboratory conditions, to cultured P. minimum added to the natural plankton at a cell density equivalent to a natural bloom. After 5 days of exposure, individual clams were diagnosed histologically to assess prevalence and intensity of parasitic infection, as well as other pathological conditions. Further, cellular defense status of clams was evaluated by analyzing hemocyte parameters (morphological and functional) using flow-cytometry. Exposure of quahogs to P. minimum resulted in: a lower percentage of phagocytic hemocytes, higher production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), larger hemocyte size, more-numerous hemocytic aggregates, and increased numbers of hemocytes in gills accompanied by vacuolation and hyperplasia of the water-tubular epithelial cells of the gills. Quahogs had a low prevalence of QPX; by chance, the parasite was present only in quahogs exposed to P. minimum. Thus, the effect of QPX alone on the hemocyte parameters of quahogs could not be assessed in this experiment, but it was possible to assess different responses of infected versus non-infected quahogs to P. minimum. QPX-infected quahogs exposed to P. minimum had repressed percentage of phagocytic hemocytes, consistent with immuno-modulating effect of P. minimum upon several molluscan species, as well as smaller hemocytes and increased hemocyte infiltration throughout the soft tissues. This experiment demonstrates the importance of considering interactive effects of different factors on the immunology and histopathology of bivalve shellfish, and highlights the importance of considering the presence of parasites when bivalves are subjected to harmful-algal blooms

Disseminated neoplasia in blue mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, from the Black Sea, Romania

Disseminated neoplasia, also called leukemia or hemic neoplasia, has been detected in 15 species of marine bivalve mollusks worldwide. The disease is characterized by the presence of single anaplastic cells with enlarged nuclei and sometimes frequent mitosis, in hemolymph vessels and sinuses. The neoplastic cells gradually replace normal hemocytes leading to the increased mortality of animals. The neoplasia reaches epizootic prevalences in blue mussels, Mytilus trossulus, in some areas, whereas prevalences in Mytilus edulis are generally very low. Mytilus galloprovincialis was suggested to be resistant to the disease although very low prevalences were documented from Spain in the Atlantic Ocean and Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. A case of disseminated neoplasia was discovered in M. galloprovincialis from among 200 specimens studied from the coast of the Romanian Black Sea. Histological preparation revealed the presence of large anaplastic cells with lobed nuclei. This observation extends the geographic range of marine bivalve mollusks with disseminated neoplasia to include the Black Sea

Usual Tumor at an Unusual Site - A Leiomyoma Masquerading as a Urethral Polyp.

Polyps and papillomas encompass the most common benign tumors of the urethra.Leiomyoma of urethra is a rare clinical entity which can be diagnosed only with histopathological examination and only around 35 such cases have been reported worldwide

The role of ras gene in the development of haemic neoplasia in Mytilus trossulus

Disseminated neoplasia has been reported in mussels (Mytilus spp) from numerous locations worldwide. This condition is progressive and fatal and the aetiology is unknown. In vertebrates, oncogenes such as ras, and tumour suppressor genes such as p53, play important roles in carcinogenesis. We have cloned a Mytilus trossulus homologue of the vertebrate ras gene, which shows conserved sequence in regions of functional importance. Neoplastic hemolymph samples derived from M. trossulus have been investigated for the presence of ras gene mutations and changes in expression

Coordination and control in project-based work: digital objects and infrastructures for delivery

A major infrastructure project is used to investigate the role of digital objects in the coordination of engineering design work. From a practice-based perspective, research emphasizes objects as important in enabling cooperative knowledge work and knowledge sharing. The term ‘boundary object’ has become used in the analysis of mutual and reciprocal knowledge sharing around physical and digital objects. The aim is to extend this work by analysing the introduction of an extranet into the public–private partnership project used to construct a new motorway. Multiple categories of digital objects are mobilized in coordination across heterogeneous, cross-organizational groups. The main findings are that digital objects provide mechanisms for accountability and control, as well as for mutual and reciprocal knowledge sharing; and that different types of objects are nested, forming a digital infrastructure for project delivery. Reconceptualizing boundary objects as a digital infrastructure for delivery has practical implications for management practices on large projects and for the use of digital tools, such as building information models, in construction. It provides a starting point for future research into the changing nature of digitally enabled coordination in project-based work

Sunilan Puistolan ympäristö- ja tyyppitaloselvitys sekä korjausohjeistus

Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli tutustua 1930-luvun lopulla maassamme alkaneeseen tyyppitalorakentamiseen ja paneutua sen pohjalta Kotkan Sunilassa sijaitsevan ja Alvar Aallon suunnitteleman Puistolan tyyppitaloalueen nykytilan kartoittamiseen ja kehittämiseen ominaispiirteet säilyttävällä tavalla. Yksi opinnäytteen päätavoitteista oli luoda Puistolan alueelle korjausohjeistus, joka ohjaisi alueen rakentamista Alvar Aallon luomaa historiallisesti arvokasta rakennusperintöä kunnioittaen, ja joka voitaisiin liittää muuta Sunilan aluetta koskevaan, jo tehtyyn korjausohjeistukseen. Työtapana käytettiin aikakauden tyyppitaloalueiden ja Puistolan alueen kirjallista tutkimista. Saatuja Puistolan lähtötietoja tarkasteltiin ja verrattiin alueella tehtyyn ulkoiseen katselmukseen ja siitä saataviin nykytilan havaintoihin sekä Pro Sunilalta annettuihin aineistoihin. Saatuja tietoja ja havaintoja analysoitiin, ja lopputuloksena syntyi Puistolan tyyppitaloalueen korjausohjeistus koskien alueen ja talojen ulkoista luonnetta ja rakennusajalle ominaisia piirteitä. Analysoinnin tuloksena voidaan todeta, että Puistolan alueella on pääosin säilynyt sen idyllinen tunnelma, mutta monia pieniä, olennaisen tärkeitä yksityiskohtia on tyyppitaloista menetetty. Myös merkittävät materiaalinvaihdokset esimerkiksi vesikatoissa vaikuttavat huomattavasti talojen yleisilmeeseen ja näin ollen myös niiden historialliseen ja edelleen rahalliseen arvoon aikakautensa tuotteena.The aim of this thesis was study the standardized house building, started at the end of the 1930s in our country, and based on that, chart the present situation and draft development of Puistola standardized house area in a manner that conserve the characteristics. The area is situated in Sunila, Kotka, and is designed by Alvar Aalto. One of the main goals of the thesis was to create a repair specification concerning the area of Puistola. The repair specification was made to direct the building of the area to honor the historically valuable built heritage that Alvar Aalto has created. As a method, the literary survey was used to comb through the history of standardized house areas and the area of Puistola. The initial information found was dissected and compared to the information and observations gained from the outward survey and the given data from Pro Sunila. The information received and observations were analyzed and the outcome was the repair specification for the standardized house area of Puistola consisting of the outward character and features typical of the time of construction of and the houses. As a result of the analysis can be said that the idyllic atmosphere has mainly been preserved in the area of Puistola, but many small, yet essentially important details have been lost from the houses. Also, the major material changing, for instance in the roofs, will make a big difference to the general appearance and consequently to their historical and financial value as products of their time

The Literary Elegance of Kurunthokai

Literature focuses on human life. It is a feast for human thought, feeling, and imagination. It is related to human language. It has the power to stir the mind of the learner and blossom in the heart. Literature is an art form that reflects social sentiments. Literature expresses the spiritual feelings and worldly attachments, successes and failures, and likes and dislikes of mankind. Kurunthokai is one of the Ettutthokai texts in the Sangam love genre of songs. It is described as a "good kurunthokai". It is known as Kurunthokai because it is a collection of songs with fewer lines. This book is explained by the beauty of words, the beauty of meaning, the beauty of sentence construction, the beauty of explanation, and the beauty of literary style. There are so many parables that it is said to be a parable repository. They express the thoughts and memories of the people and the moods of the poets. The ideas on the life of the Tamils of the Sangam age, as well as the poets' skills on literary qualities, captivate the minds of the readers. Due to its poetry, Kurunthokai is a book that is quoted by all writers and has the power to confront the realities of life. The simile, the description, the imagination, the theme, the iraichi, the rhyme, and the alliteration draw the reader's heart and entertain the thoughts, revealing the beauty. This research paper also aims to explore the features of such subtle literary techniques in short songs