Advances of Squamata astroglia to other reptiles : numerous astrocytes and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-free areas : a preliminary study

Squamata are diapsid reptiles. Testudines were positioned formerly to the most ancient group, Anapsida, but recently they are also classified as diapsid reptiles, although their position within this group is uncertain. The investigated species of this study involved lizards (Timon tanginatus, Lacertidae; Pogona vitticeps, Agamidae; Eublepharis macularis, Gekkota; Chameleo calypratus, Chameleonidae), snakes (Epicrates cenchria maurus, Boidae; Python regius, Pythonidae; Pantherophis guttata and P. obsoletus quadrivittatus, Colubridae), and turtles (Testudo hermanni, Testudinidae; Trachemys scripta and Mauremyssinensis, Emydidae; Pelomedusa subrufa, Pleurodira). They were overanasthetised with Nembutal and transcardially perfused with 4% buffered paraformaldehyde. Coronal sections were processed according to the immunoperoxidase protocol. Monoclonal anti-GFAP and other glial markers were used. The main astroglia were the radial ependymoglia. There were two principal advances in Squamata. First, astrocytes were frequent in several areas, although, nowhere predominated. Furthermore, considerable GFAP-poor areas were found. They were extended in Python, and in Pogona and Chamaeleo GFAP was almost missing throughout the brain. The Squamata share more common astroglial features with birds than the turtles, although, represents a separate branch (Lepidosauria versus Archosauria). In mammals and birds the GFAP-free areas are usually advanced, expanded and plastic ones. Note that Squamata display quite complex behavioural phenomena related to other reptiles

General Theory of the Zitterbewegung

We derive a general and simple expression for the time-dependence of the position operator of a multi-band Hamiltonian with arbitrary matrix elements depending only on the momentum of the quasi-particle. Our result shows that in such systems the Zitterbewegung like term related to a trembling motion of the quasi-particle, always appears in the position operator. Moreover, the Zitterbewegung is, in general, a multi-frequency oscillatory motion of the quasi-particle. We derive a few different expressions for the amplitude of the oscillatory motion including that related to the Berry connection matrix. We present several examples to demonstrate how general and versatile our result is.Comment: 10 pages, no figur

The Genome of the Chicken DT40 Bursal Lymphoma Cell Line

The chicken DT40 cell line is a widely used model system in the study of multiple cellular processes due to the efficiency of homologous gene targeting. The cell line was derived from a bursal lymphoma induced by avian leukosis virus infection. In this study we characterized the genome of the cell line using whole genome shotgun sequencing and single nucleotide polymorphism array hybridization. The results indicate that wild-type DT40 has a relatively normal karyotype, except for whole chromosome copy number gains, and no karyotype variability within stocks. In a comparison to two domestic chicken genomes and the Gallus gallus reference genome, we found no unique mutational processes shaping the DT40 genome except for a mild increase in insertion and deletion events, particularly deletions at tandem repeats. We mapped coding sequence mutations that are unique to the DT40 genome; mutations inactivating the PIK3R1 and ATRX genes likely contributed to the oncogenic transformation. In addition to a known avian leukosis virus integration in the MYC gene, we detected further integration sites that are likely to de-regulate gene expression. The new findings support the hypothesis that DT40 is a typical transformed cell line with a relatively intact genome; therefore, it is well-suited to the role of a model system for DNA repair and related processes. The sequence data generated by this study, including a searchable de novo genome assembly and annotated lists of mutated genes, will support future research using this cell line

Uniform tiling with electrical resistors

The electric resistance between two arbitrary nodes on any infinite lattice structure of resistors that is a periodic tiling of space is obtained. Our general approach is based on the lattice Green's function of the Laplacian matrix associated with the network. We present several non-trivial examples to show how efficient our method is. Deriving explicit resistance formulas it is shown that the Kagom\'e, the diced and the decorated lattice can be mapped to the triangular and square lattice of resistors. Our work can be extended to the random walk problem or to electron dynamics in condensed matter physics.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figure

Modest genetic influence on bronchodilator response: a study in healthy twins.

AIM: To determine the reasons for large standard deviation of bronchodilator response (BDR) and establish whether there is a potential heritable component in healthy subjects. METHODS: 67 monozygotic and 42 dizygotic adult twin pairs were assessed for bronchodilator response (% change in FEV1 after inhaling 400 microg salbutamol). Univariate quantitative genetic modeling was performed. RESULTS: Multiple regression modeling showed a significant association between BDR and sex and baseline FEV1 (P<0.05), while no association was found with smoking habits, body mass index, or age. Within pair correlation in monozygotic twins was modest (0.332), but higher than in dizygotic twins (0.258). Age-, sex-, and baseline FEV1-adjusted genetic effect accounted for 14.9% (95% confidence interval, CI 0%-53.1%) of the variance of BDR, shared environmental effect for 18.4% (95% CI 0%-46.8%), and unshared environmental effect for 66.8% (95% CI 46.8%-88.7%). CONCLUSION: Our twin study showed that individual differences in BDR can be mostly explained by unshared environmental effects. In addition, it is the first study to show low, insignificant hereditary influences, independently from sex, age, and baseline FEV1

Voices of temporary sobriety - a diary study of an alcohol-free month in Hungary

Background: Temporary abstinence from alcohol as a challenge could support self-knowledge, self-care, and health consciousness in several ways. Objectives: The present study explored Dry November participants’ personal experiences and coping strategies during a one-month abstinence period. The research is embedded in the Hungarian context of drinking habits, culture, society, and alcohol policy. Methods: This qualitative study comprised the thematic analysis of 23 participants’ diaries, reported twice a week for 30 days (in November 2017), to identify and understand the common experiences of temporary sobriety. Results: Three main themes emerged from the analysis: challenge, community, and relationship toward alcohol and abstinence. Results showed that there are no categorical differences between successful and non-successful participants. Conclusions: The present research demonstrated that during the challenge, rather than simply saying ‘no’ to alcohol, participants utilized other refusal strategies to avoid social confrontation

The influence of reaction conditions on the oxidation of cyclohexane via the in-situ production of H2O2

The oxidation of cyclohexane via the in-situ production of H2O2 from molecular H2 and O2 offers an attractive route to the current industrial means of producing cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol (KA oil), both key materials in the production of Nylon. Herein we demonstrate that through the in-situ production of H2O2 supported AuPd nanoparticles catalyse the formation of KA oil under conditions where activity is limited when using molecular O2, with no loss in catalytic activity observed upon re-use. The effect of key reaction parameters, including reaction temperature, catalyst mass and H2:O2 ratio are evaluated