A Novel Betaproteobacterial Agent of Gill Epitheliocystis in Seawater Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

Epitheliocystis, a disease characterised by cytoplasmic bacterial inclusions (cysts) in the gill and less commonly skin epithelial cells, has been reported in many marine and freshwater fish species and may be associated with mortality. Previously, molecular and ultrastructural analyses have exclusively associated members of the Chlamydiae with such inclusions. Here we investigated a population of farmed Atlantic salmon from the west coast of Norway displaying gill epitheliocystis. Although ‘Candidatus Piscichlamydia salmonis’, previously reported to be present in such cysts, was detected by PCR in most of the gill samples analysed, this bacterium was found to be a rare member of the gill microbiota, and not associated with the observed cysts as demonstrated by fluorescence in situ hybridization assays. The application of a broad range 16 S rRNA targeted PCR assay instead identified a novel betaproteobacterium as an abundant member of the gill microbiota. Fluorescence in situ hybridization demonstrated that this bacterium, tentatively classified as ‘Candidatus Branchiomonas cysticola’, was the cyst-forming agent in these samples. While histology and ultrastructure of ‘Ca. B. cysticola’ cysts revealed forms similar to the reticulate and intermediate bodies described in earlier reports from salmon in seawater, no elementary bodies typical of the chlamydial developmental cycle were observed. In conclusion, this study identified a novel agent of epitheliocystis in sea-farmed Atlantic salmon and demonstrated that these cysts can be caused by bacteria phylogenetically distinct from the Chlamydiae

Trialling Secure Billing with Trusted Third Party Support for UMTS Applications

We present a protocol developed by the ASPeCT project for secure billing that provides the incontestable charging that is required for UMTS. This protocol realises a payment system for value added services. We describe the protocol and in particular the design features that are of particular relevance to the UMTS environment. We also describe the configuration of a field trial of this protocol over the experimental UMTS platform developed by the project EXODUS

Prostate cancer treated with brachytherapy; an exploratory study of dose-dependent biomarkers and quality of life

BACKGROUND: Low-dose-rate permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB) is an attractive treatment option for patients with localised prostate cancer with excellent outcomes. As standard CT-based post-implant dosimetry often correlates poorly with late treatment-related toxicity, this exploratory (proof of concept) study was conducted to investigate correlations between radiation − induced DNA damage biomarker levels, and acute and late bowel, urinary, and sexual toxicity. METHODS: Twelve patients treated with (125)I PPB monotherapy (145Gy) for prostate cancer were included in this prospective study. Post-implant CT based dosimetry assessed the minimum dose encompassing 90% (D(90%)) of the whole prostate volume (global), sub-regions of the prostate (12 sectors) and the near maximum doses (D(0.1cc), D(2cc)) for the rectum and bladder. Six blood samples were collected from each patient; pre-treatment, 1 h (h), 4 h, 24 h post-implant, at 4 weeks (w) and at 3 months (m). DNA double strand breaks were investigated by staining the blood samples with immunofluorescence antibodies to γH2AX and 53BP1 proteins (γH2AX/53BP1). Patient self-scored quality of life from the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) were obtained at baseline, 1 m, 3 m, 6 m, 9 m, 1 year (y), 2y and 3y post-treatment. Spearman’s correlation coefficients were used to evaluate correlations between temporal changes in γH2AX/53BP1, dose and toxicity. RESULTS: The minimum follow up was 2 years. Population mean prostate D(90%) was 144.6 ± 12.1 Gy and rectal near maximum dose D(0.1cc) = 153.0 ± 30.8 Gy and D(2cc) = 62.7 ± 12.1 Gy and for the bladder D(0.1cc) = 123.1 ± 27.0 Gy and D(2cc) = 70.9 ± 11.9 Gy. Changes in EPIC scores from baseline showed high positive correlation between acute toxicity and late toxicity for both urinary and bowel symptoms. Increased production of γH2AX/53BP1 at 24 h relative to baseline positively correlated with late bowel symptoms. Overall, no correlations were observed between dose metrics (prostate global or sector doses) and γH2AX/53BP1 foci counts. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that a prompt increase in γH2AX/53BP1foci at 24 h post-implant relative to baseline may be a useful measure to assess elevated risk of late RT − related toxicities for PPB patients. A subsequent investigation recruiting a larger cohort of patients is warranted to verify our findings. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13014-017-0792-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Thirty Years After Michael E. Porter: What Do We Know About Business Exit?

Although a business exit is an important corporate change initiative, the buyer’s side seems to be more appealing to management researchers than the seller’s because acquisitions imply growth, i.e., success. Yet from an optimistic viewpoint, business exit can effectively create value for the selling company. In this paper we attempt to bring the relevance of the seller’s side back into our consciousness by asking: What do we know about business exit? We start our exploration with Porter (1976), focusing on literature that investigates the antecedents of, barriers to, and outcomes of business exit. We also include studies from related fields such as finance and economics.1 Through this research we determine three clusters of findings: factors promoting business exit, exit barriers, and exit outcomes. Overall, it is the intention of this paper to highlight the importance of business exit for research and practice. Knowing what we know about business exits and their high financial value we should bear in mind that exit need not mean failure but a new beginning for a corporation

Charged pion form factor between Q2Q^2=0.60 and 2.45 GeV2^2. I. Measurements of the cross section for the 1{^1}H(e,e′π+e,e'\pi^+)nn reaction

Cross sections for the reaction ${^1}$H($e,e'\pi^+$)$n$ were measured in Hall C at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) using the CEBAF high-intensity, continous electron beam in order to determine the charged pion form factor. Data were taken for central four-momentum transfers ranging from $Q^2$=0.60 to 2.45 GeV$^2$ at an invariant mass of the virtual photon-nucleon system of $W$=1.95 and 2.22 GeV. The measured cross sections were separated into the four structure functions $\sigma_L$, $\sigma_T$, $\sigma_{LT}$, and $\sigma_{TT}$. The various parts of the experimental setup and the analysis steps are described in detail, including the calibrations and systematic studies, which were needed to obtain high precision results. The different types of systematic uncertainties are also discussed. The results for the separated cross sections as a function of the Mandelstam variable $t$ at the different values of $Q^2$ are presented. Some global features of the data are discussed, and the data are compared with the results of some model calculations for the reaction ${^1}$H($e,e'\pi^+$)$n$.Comment: 26 pages, 23 figure

Charged pion form factor between Q^2=0.60 and 2.45 GeV^2. II. Determination of, and results for, the pion form factor

The charged pion form factor, Fpi(Q^2), is an important quantity which can be used to advance our knowledge of hadronic structure. However, the extraction of Fpi from data requires a model of the 1H(e,e'pi+)n reaction, and thus is inherently model dependent. Therefore, a detailed description of the extraction of the charged pion form factor from electroproduction data obtained recently at Jefferson Lab is presented, with particular focus given to the dominant uncertainties in this procedure. Results for Fpi are presented for Q^2=0.60-2.45 GeV^2. Above Q^2=1.5 GeV^2, the Fpi values are systematically below the monopole parameterization that describes the low Q^2 data used to determine the pion charge radius. The pion form factor can be calculated in a wide variety of theoretical approaches, and the experimental results are compared to a number of calculations. This comparison is helpful in understanding the role of soft versus hard contributions to hadronic structure in the intermediate Q^2 regime.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figure