And the first shall be the last

This study analyzes the puzzle of Hungarian economic drifting in a long run perspective. The underlying puzzle for the investigation is why bad policies are invariably popular and good policies unpopular, thus why political and economic rationality never overlap. The first part of the article summarizes in eight points the basic features of the postwar period. Then six lessons are offered, which might be useful for other countries in transition or for students of comparative economics and politics, lessons that can be generalized on the basis of the individual country experience

INVESTIGATION OF CYANO-METHYLATION REACTION BY CYANO-HYDRINE AND ITS DETERMINATION IN TOBACCO-SMOKE. ( STRECKER-REACTIONS )

The results of our research work [1-7] of several years aimed at the binding of the unhealthy components of tobacco smoke directed our attention to the analysis and identification of the unknown peak observed during the high sensitivity radiochromatographic analysis of tobacco smoke condensates.It was a fruitless effort to remove the formaldehyde, the ac- etaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide present in tobacco smoke, or even to try to eliminate them separately, during the analysis the new, unknown peak appeared again and again on the radiochromatogram. During our research work we stated, that we were facing the Strecker reaction [8-9], known since 1850, that is, with the formation of cyanohydrine of the aldehydes and hydrogen cyanide present in tobacco smoke, corresponding to the new peak. Cyanohydrines to react quickly and energetically with basic aminoacids, during which reaction cyanomethyl derivatives are being formed. This reaction is proceeding also under physiological circumstances with the basic amino groups of proteins, contributing to the development of respiratory and cardiovascular insufficiencies. By means of model reactions and using solutions of tobacco smoke gases the process of the reaction was proved in a primary way, also its circumstances having been cleared. By radiochromatographic measurements it was proved that the labelled L-lysine-6 H is being cyanomethylated by formaldehyde-cyanohydrin at an extraordinary speed and cyanomethylation is complete within a very short time (5 min). The tests carried out on formaldehyde- C, cyanide- C and inactive L-lysine led to similar results, with a yield 93.9 percent within 5 min in all these cases. It was proved also by 13C NMR, 13C NMR DEPT and 1H NMR spectroscopic measurements that inactive L-lysine is cyanomethylated by cyanohydrine in an extraordi- narily energetic and quick reaction, according to the reaction mechanism supposed by us. Our results obtained during the radiochromatographic analysis of tobacco smoke conden- sate agreed in all respects with the model test results. That is, the cyanohydrine formation is proceeding very quickly in the tobacco smoke too (by the reaction of aldehydes with hydrogen cyanide contained by tobacco smoke) which can be unequivocally traced back to the Strecker-reaction recognized 140 years ago. The mechanism of the reaction was described by LAPWORTH in 1903. [10)

Az Iris orientalis Mill. Magyarországon és kiegészítések idegenhonos fajok hazai elterjedéséhez

A tanulmány 44 neofiton faj 272 új elterjedési adatát tartalmazza Magyarország területéről az elmúlt néhány évből. Először sikerült kimutatni Magyarországról az Iris orientalis-t, melynek meghonosodott populációját találtuk kiszáradt, sztyeppesedő mocsárréten. A közelmúltban megtelepedett, de vélhetően vasút mentén gyorsan terjedő faj lesz a Lepidium oblongum. Kerti szökevényként a Buddleja davidii és a Broussonetia papyrifera természetközeli élőhelyeken napjainkban válik átalakító fajjá és zavart cserjésben, erdőben a Vinca major lokális invázióját is megfigyeltük. Ruderális élőhelyeken az Euphorbia prostrata, Kochia scoparia subsp. densiflora és a Lepidium virginicum gyorsuló terjedésére hívjuk fel a figyelmet. Szintén gyors és tömeges terjedését figyelhetjük meg számos korábban meghonosodott fajnak, melyek egyre gyakrabban telepednek meg urbánus területeken kívül, természetközeli növényzetben is (Eleusine indica, Euphorbia maculata, Chorisposa tenella, Galinsoga ciliata, Lepidium densiflorum, Phytolacca esculenta, Tragus racemosus, Viola sororia). Bemutatunk lassabban, de kitartóan terjedő, régebb óta jelen lévő meghonosodott fajokat (Aster novae-angliae, Erechtites hieracifolia, Humulus scandens, Oenothera depressa, Oe. suaveolens, Oxybaphus nyctagineus, Sedum rupestre, S. spurium) és korábban elterjedt, majd visszaszorult, napjainkban újra terjedő fajokat is (Amaranthus crispus, Taeniatherum caput-medusae). A városi flórában közönséges Commelina communis vasúti sínek mentén is terjedésnek indult. Talán alkalmi behurcolással érkezhetett egy Tisza melletti nyírt gyepbe az Ecballium elaterium. Mezőgazdasági kultúrából maradt parlagi túlélő a Trigonella caerulea. Vélhetően kerti szökevény a karsztbokorerdőben, cserjésben megjelenő Cotoneaster zabelii. Erdei utak mentén figyeltük meg az Euphorbia marginata terjedését. Ezen felül bemutatunk számos alkalmi kivadulást (Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum, Nassella tenuissima, Oenothera glazioviana, Ophiopogon japonicus, Papaver dubium subsp. lecoqii cv. ’Beth’s Poppy’), melyek között kiemelt helyet foglalnak el az alkalmi hulladéklerakók (Antirrhinum majus, Eschscholzia californica, Euphorbia lathyris, Galanthus plicatus, Hordeum jubatum, Yucca filamentosa). Végül bemutatunk 2 taxonómiai nehézségek miatt adathiányos taxont is (Amaranthus blitum subsp. emarginatus, Azolla filiculoides)

Characterization of the Sterol 24-C-Methyltransferase Genes Reveals a Network of Alternative Sterol Biosynthetic Pathways in Mucor lusitanicus

The fungal membrane contains ergosterol instead of cholesterol, which offers a specific point of attack for the defense against pathogenic fungi. Indeed, most antifungal agents target ergosterol or its biosynthesis

Correlative Fluorescence and Raman Microscopy to Define Mitotic Stages at the Single-Cell Level: Opportunities and Limitations in the AI Era

Nowadays, morphology and molecular analyses at the single-cell level have a fundamental role in understanding biology better. These methods are utilized for cell phenotyping and in-depth studies of cellular processes, such as mitosis. Fluorescence microscopy and optical spectroscopy techniques, including Raman micro-spectroscopy, allow researchers to examine biological samples at the single-cell level in a non-destructive manner. Fluorescence microscopy can give detailed morphological information about the localization of stained molecules, while Raman microscopy can produce label-free images at the subcellular level; thus, it can reveal the spatial distribution of molecular fingerprints, even in live samples. Accordingly, the combination of correlative fluorescence and Raman microscopy (CFRM) offers a unique approach for studying cellular stages at the singlecell level. However, subcellular spectral maps are complex and challenging to interpret. Artificial intelligence (AI) may serve as a valuable solution to characterize the molecular backgrounds of phenotypes and biological processes by finding the characteristic patterns in spectral maps. The major contributions of the manuscript are: (I) it gives a comprehensive review of the literature focusing on AI techniques in Raman-based cellular phenotyping; (II) via the presentation of a case study, a new neural network-based approach is described, and the opportunities and limitations of AI, specifically deep learning, are discussed regarding the analysis of Raman spectroscopy data to classify mitotic cellular stages based on their spectral maps

Uniformly curated signaling pathways reveal tissue-specific cross-talks and support drug target discovery

Motivation: Signaling pathways control a large variety of cellular processes. However, currently, even within the same database signaling pathways are often curated at different levels of detail. This makes comparative and cross-talk analyses difficult. Results: We present SignaLink, a database containing 8 major signaling pathways from Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and humans. Based on 170 review and approx. 800 research articles, we have compiled pathways with semi-automatic searches and uniform, well-documented curation rules. We found that in humans any two of the 8 pathways can cross-talk. We quantified the possible tissue- and cancer-specific activity of cross-talks and found pathway-specific expression profiles. In addition, we identified 327 proteins relevant for drug target discovery. Conclusions: We provide a novel resource for comparative and cross-talk analyses of signaling pathways. The identified multi-pathway and tissue-specific cross-talks contribute to the understanding of the signaling complexity in health and disease and underscore its importance in network-based drug target selection. Availability: http://SignaLink.orgComment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables and a supplementary info with 5 Figures and 13 Table

Apró közlemények / Short communications

1. Közönséges kígyónyelv (Ophioglossum vulgatum) meglepő új előfordulása a Tiszafüred–Kunhegyesi síkon / Occurrence of Ophioglossum vulgatum in a dry loess grassland in the Tiszafüred–Kunhegyes plain (Great Hungarian Plain) 2. Útépítési nyersanyaggal behurcolt dolomitsziklagyep-fajok tömeges megjelenése Kecskeméten / Dolomite rocky grassland species introduced by raw materials of a road construction (Kecskemét, Great Hungarian Plain) 3. Geranium divaricatum a Hevesi-síkon, Füzesabony mellett / Geranium divaricatum on the Hevesi-sík, next to Füzesabony (Great Hungarian Plain) 4. A pókbangó (Ophrys sphegodes) új előfordulása a vasi flórajárás területén / Ophrys sphegodes in the Castriferreicum (W Hungary) 5. A Cephalanthera longifolia rosea első kimutatása Magyarországon / First occurrence of Cephalanthera longifolia var. rosea in Hungary 6. Spiraea crenata a Keleti-Bakonyban / Spiraea crenata in the Eastern Bakony Mts (Transdanubian Range, Hungary