Development of 1,2,3-Triazole-Based Sphingosine Kinase Inhibitors and Their Evaluation as Antiproliferative Agents

Two series of N-(aryl)-1-(hydroxyalkyl)pyrrolidine-2-carboxamides (2a-2g and 3a-3g) and 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles (5a-5h and 8a-8h) were synthesized. All the compounds, containing a lipophilic tail and a polar headgroup, were evaluated as sphingosine kinase (SphK) inhibitors by assessing their ability to interfere with the acetylcholine (Ach) induced relaxation of aortic rings pre-contracted with phenylephrine. Moreover, their antiproliferative activity was tested on several cell lines expressing both SphK1 and SphK2. Compounds 5h and 8f, identified as the most efficient antiproliferative agents, showed a different selectivity profile, with 8f being selective for SphK1

Identification of new 16SrIX subgroups, -F and -G, among ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium’ strains infecting almond, peach and nectarine in Lebanon

Almond witches’-broom is a lethal almond disease associated with ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium’, subgroups 16SrIX-B and -D. In Lebanon, where the disease was first reported, analogous diseases affecting peach and nectarine were recently associated with presence of ‘Ca. P. phoenicium’. In the present study, genetic diversity among 24 ‘Ca. P. phoenicium’ strains infecting almond, peach and nectarine plants in diverse geographic regions of Lebanon was investigated by virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of 16S rDNA nucleotide sequences. Calculation of virtual restriction similarity coefficients revealed the presence of two new subgroups, -F and -G, in group 16SrIX that were confirmed by real RFLP analyses. Obtained results open new opportunities for in-depth studies of the distribution of ‘Ca. P. phoenicium’ strains in plant hosts and insect vector populations from different geographic areas of Lebanon

Neuroimaging in cluster headache and other trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias

The central nervous system mechanisms involved in trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, a group of primary headaches characterized by strictly unilateral head pain that occurs in association with ipsilateral craniofacial autonomic features, are still not comprehensively understood. However, functional imaging methods have revolutionized our understanding of mechanisms involved in these primary headache syndromes. The present review provides a brief overview of the major modern functional neuroimaging techniques used to examine brain structure, biochemistry, metabolic state, and functional capacity. The available functional neuroimaging data in cluster headache and other TACs will thus be summarized. Although the precise brain structures responsible for these primary headache syndromes still remain to be determined, neuroimaging data suggest a major role for posterior hypothalamus activation in initiating and maintaining attacks. Furthermore, pathophysiological involvement of the pain neuromatrix and of the central descending opiatergic pain control system was observed. Given the rapid advances in functional and structural neuroimaging methodologies, it can be expected that these non-invasive techniques will continue to improve our understanding into the nature of the brain dysfunction in cluster headache and other trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias

Search for massive resonances in dijet systems containing jets tagged as W or Z boson decays in pp collisions at √s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

Search for standard model production of four top quarks in the lepton + jets channel in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV

Open Access, Copyright CERN, for the benefit of the CMS Collaboration. Article funded by SCOAP3.Abstract: A search is presented for standard model (SM) production of four top quarks (Formula presented.) in pp collisions in the lepton + jets channel. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 fb−1 recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The expected cross section for SM (Formula presented.) production is (Formula presented.). A combination of kinematic reconstruction and multivariate techniques is used to distinguish between the small signal and large background. The data are consistent with expectations of the SM, and an upper limit of 32 fb is set at a 95% confidence level on the cross section for producing four top quarks in the SM, where a limit of 32 ± 17 fb is expected

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio