Human serum haptoglobin is toxic to Plasmodium falciparum in vitro

Innate immune responses are important in the control of malaria, particularly in those who have not yet mounted an effective adaptive response. Here we report that the human serum acute phase protein, haptoglobin is toxic to Plasmodium falciparum cultured in vitro. This effect is phenotype-dependent and occurs during the trophozoite phase of the asexual life cycle. We propose that the increased levels of haptoglobin seen in the acute phase response may be protective against malaria in humans

The Behavior of Soluble Salt in Sharkey Clay

Soluble salt problems do exist and are significant in Arkansas. Studies have been conducted on Crowley silt loam (Typic Albaqualfs) which have established the behavior of soluble salt in that soil. The major objective of this study was to quantify the behavior of soluble salt in a second important Mississippi River Delta soil - the Sharkey (Vertic Haplaquepts). To this end, estimation of the downward redistribution of salt and the estimation of various components of the water balance for this soil served as specific objectives. Field studies were designed to monitor the movement of salt in the Sharkey soil and to characterize selected components of the water balance. In total, three tentative conclusions may be drawn from the data. First, the infiltration for the Sharkey soil was approximately three times that of the Crowley silt loam. The average value was 29 cm for the rice season. Second, levee seepage, while significant for small plots, was shown to be small for production-sized fields. Levee seepage remained relatively constant throughout the season and averaged 0.025 nvfym/d. And third, downward redistribution of salt was large and appeared to follow a pattern where a peak occurred at the surface and, possibly, at the lower soil depths

Visual Search for Galaxies near the Northern Crossing of the Supergalactic plane by the Milky Way

We have visually examined twelve Palomar red Plates for galaxies at low Galactic latitude b, where the Supergalactic Plane (SGP) is crossed by the Galactic Plane (GP), at Galactic longitude l ~135 degrees. The catalogue consists of 2575 galaxy candidates, of which 462 have major axis diameters d >= 0.8 arc min (uncorrected for extinction). Galaxy candidates can be identified down to |b| ~ 0 degrees. One of our galaxy candidates (J24 = Dwingeloo 1) has recently been discovered independently in 21cm by Kraan-Korteweg et al. (1994) as a nearby galaxy. Comparisons with the structures seen in the IRAS and UGC catalogues are made. We compare the success rate of identifying galaxies using the IRAS Point Source Catalogue under different colour selection criteria. The criteria that require both the 60 micron and 100 micron fluxes to be of high quality, have the highest probability of selecting a galaxy (with d >= 0.6 arc min), but at the expense of selecting a smaller number of galaxies in total.Comment: uuencoded compressed postscript, without figures. The figures are available at http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/preprint/PrePrint.htm

Food Preservation by Freezing

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Electrically detected magnetic resonance using radio-frequency reflectometry

The authors demonstrate readout of electrically detected magnetic resonance at radio frequencies by means of an LCR tank circuit. Applied to a silicon field-effect transistor at milli-kelvin temperatures, this method shows a 25-fold increased signal-to-noise ratio of the conduction band electron spin resonance and a higher operational bandwidth of > 300 kHz compared to the kHz bandwidth of conventional readout techniques. This increase in temporal resolution provides a method for future direct observations of spin dynamics in the electrical device characteristics.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Computer and internet interventions to optimize listening and learning for people with hearing loss: accessibility, use, and adherence

Purpose: The aim of this research forum article was to examine accessibility, use, and adherence to computerized and online interventions for people with hearing loss. Method: Four intervention studies of people with hearing loss were examined: 2 auditory training studies, 1 working memory training study, and 1 study of multimedia educational support. Results: A small proportion (approximately 15%) of participants had never used a computer, which may be a barrier to the accessibility of computer and Internet based interventions. Computer competence was not a factor in intervention use or adherence. Computer skills and Internet access influenced participant preference for the delivery method of the multimedia educational support program. Conclusions: It is important to be aware of current barriers to computer and Internet-delivered interventions for people with hearing loss. However, there is a clear need to develop and future-proof hearing-related applications for online delivery

Mission-oriented requirements for updating MIL-H-8501. Volume 2: STI background and rationale

A supplement to the structure of a new flying and ground handling qualities specification for military rotorcraft structure is presented in order to explain the background and rationale for the specification structure, the proposed forms of criteria, and the status of the existing data base. Critical gaps in the data base for the new structure are defined, and recommendations are provided for the research required to address the most important of these gaps

The impact of host species and vector control measures on the fitness of African malaria vectors

Many malaria vector mosquitoes in Africa have an extreme preference for feeding on humans. This specialization allows them to sustain much higher levels of transmission than elsewhere, but there is little understanding of the evolutionary forces that drive this behaviour. In Tanzania, we used a semi-field system to test whether the well-documented preferences of the vectors An. arabiensis and An. gambiae s.s. for cattle and humans respectively are predicted by the fitness they obtain from host-seeking on these species relative to other available hosts. Mosquito fitness was contrasted when humans were fully exposed, and when they were protected by a typical bednet. The fitness of both vectors varied between host species. The predicted relationship between host preference and fitness was confirmed in An. arabiensis, but not in An. gambiae s.s. whose fitness was similar on humans and other mammals. Use of typical, imperfect bednets generated only minor reductions in An. gambiae s.s. feeding success and fitness on humans, but was predicted to generate a significant reduction in the lifetime reproductive success of An. arabiensis on human relative to cows. This supports the hypothesis that such human-protective measures could additionally benefit malaria control by increasing selection for zoophily in vectors

The Dust Content of Galaxy Clusters

We report on the detection of reddening toward z ~ 0.2 galaxy clusters. This is measured by correlating the Sloan Digital Sky Survey cluster and quasar catalogs and by comparing the photometric and spectroscopic properties of quasars behind the clusters to those in the field. We find mean E(B-V) values of a few times 10^-3 mag for sight lines passing ~Mpc from the clusters' center. The reddening curve is typical of dust but cannot be used to distinguish between different dust types. The radial dependence of the extinction is shallow near the cluster center suggesting that most of the detected dust lies at the outskirts of the clusters. Gravitational magnification of background z ~ 1.7 sources seen on Mpc (projected) scales around the clusters is found to be of order a few per cent, in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions. Contamination by different spectral properties of the lensed quasar population is unlikely but cannot be excluded.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure