RESEARCHES REGARDING FIGHTING AGAINST EROSION ON NEW FOUNDED CULTIVATED GRASS LANDS IN THE NORTH WEST OF ROMANIA

One of the first order problems which interest through its importance the whole billowy surface of the country is the preventing and fighting against soil erosion. Although there were made antierozional works on significant surfaces, their rhythm is inferior the development rhythm of the soil erosion and even these works didn’t always reach their aim. The experiments made revealed the decidedly part of the vegetal cover in fighting against soil erosion , part amplified also by the high productions of fodder gained in the case of using the biological material on different slope lands. The antierozional measures with biological character must have at their origin a study and detailed researches of the vegetation, for establishing the species and the herb mixtures corresponding to the conditions from the respective region

RESEARCHES REGARDING FIGHTING AGAINST EROSION ON NEW FOUNDED CULTIVATED GRASS LANDS IN THE NORTH WEST OF ROMANIA

One of the first order problems which interest through its importance the whole billowy surface of the country is the preventing and fighting against soil erosion. Although there were made antierozional works on significant surfaces, their rhythm is inferior the development rhythm of the soil erosion and even these works didn’t always reach their aim. The experiments made revealed the decidedly part of the vegetal cover in fighting against soil erosion , part amplified also by the high productions of fodder gained in the case of using the biological material on different slope lands. The antierozional measures with biological character must have at their origin a study and detailed researches of the vegetation, for establishing the species and the herb mixtures corresponding to the conditions from the respective region

THE EFFECT OF TiO2 NANOPARTICLES (DOPED OR NOT WITH Ag, ENCAPSULATED OR NOT IN LYPOSOMES), ON THE SPLEEN ULTRASTRUCTURE IN Mus musculus SPECIES, EXPOSED AT A STRESS FACTOR X-RAYS

The present experiment was performed on young females of Mus musculus, 22-24 g each, intraperitoneal injected with a suspension of titanium dioxide (five injections of 0.5 ml each, one at two days, with 0.01% TiO2 or TiO2-Ag suspension). The TiO2 nanoparticles of anatase crystallization form, 10-20 nm size, wereconjugated or not with 1% Ag, encapsulated or not in lyposome. A day after the third injection, half of theanimals received a sublethal dose of X-rays (2.58 Gy; the stress factor). A day after the last injection, the animals were sacrificed through the section of thecarotid artery. Ultrastructural investigations were performed at the spleen level. The analysis of the ultrastructural features from the spleen level enabledthe following observations: the single action of the TiO2 or TiO2-Ag nanoparticles induced an inflammatory process, but in the presence of X-rays, they manifested a slight protective effect; the TiO2-Ag nanoparticles, encapsulated in liposome, manifested a strong radioprotective effect, but the endocapsulation process is not optimal and has to be improved; the presence of a protective effect at the spleen level can suggest that the TiO2-Ag nanoparticles can be used to enhance the organism resistance in case of carcinogenic treatment (in animal or in homo)

NEDA—NEutron Detector Array

The NEutron Detector Array, NEDA, will form the next generation neutron detection system that has been designed to be operated in conjunction with γ-ray arrays, such as the tracking-array AGATA, to aid nuclear spectroscopy studies. NEDA has been designed to be a versatile device, with high-detection efficiency, excellent neutron-γ discrimination, and high rate capabilities. It will be employed in physics campaigns in order to maximise the scientific output, making use of the different stable and radioactive ion beams available in Europe. The first implementation of the neutron detector array NEDA with AGATA 1π was realised at GANIL. This manuscript reviews the various aspects of NEDA

The new neutron multiplicity filter NEDA and its first physics campaign with AGATA

A new neutron multiplicity filter NEDA, after a decade of design, R&D and construction, was employed in its first physics campaign with the AGATA spectrometer. Properties and performance of the array are discussed

Relationship between molecular pathogen detection and clinical disease in febrile children across Europe: a multicentre, prospective observational study

BackgroundThe PERFORM study aimed to understand causes of febrile childhood illness by comparing molecular pathogen detection with current clinical practice.MethodsFebrile children and controls were recruited on presentation to hospital in 9 European countries 2016-2020. Each child was assigned a standardized diagnostic category based on retrospective review of local clinical and microbiological data. Subsequently, centralised molecular tests (CMTs) for 19 respiratory and 27 blood pathogens were performed.FindingsOf 4611 febrile children, 643 (14%) were classified as definite bacterial infection (DB), 491 (11%) as definite viral infection (DV), and 3477 (75%) had uncertain aetiology. 1061 controls without infection were recruited. CMTs detected blood bacteria more frequently in DB than DV cases for N. meningitidis (OR: 3.37, 95% CI: 1.92-5.99), S. pneumoniae (OR: 3.89, 95% CI: 2.07-7.59), Group A streptococcus (OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.13-6.09) and E. coli (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.02-6.71). Respiratory viruses were more common in febrile children than controls, but only influenza A (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.11-0.46), influenza B (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.02-0.37) and RSV (OR 0.16, 95% CI: 0.06-0.36) were less common in DB than DV cases. Of 16 blood viruses, enterovirus (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.23-0.72) and EBV (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.56-0.90) were detected less often in DB than DV cases. Combined local diagnostics and CMTs respectively detected blood viruses and respiratory viruses in 360 (56%) and 161 (25%) of DB cases, and virus detection ruled-out bacterial infection poorly, with predictive values of 0.64 and 0.68 respectively.InterpretationMost febrile children cannot be conclusively defined as having bacterial or viral infection when molecular tests supplement conventional approaches. Viruses are detected in most patients with bacterial infections, and the clinical value of individual pathogen detection in determining treatment is low. New approaches are needed to help determine which febrile children require antibiotics.FundingEU Horizon 2020 grant 668303

Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children