The PHENIX Experiment at RHIC

The physics emphases of the PHENIX collaboration and the design and current status of the PHENIX detector are discussed. The plan of the collaboration for making the most effective use of the available luminosity in the first years of RHIC operation is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Further details of the PHENIX physics program available at http://www.rhic.bnl.gov/phenix

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Increased Pregnancy in Suckled Beef Cows Not Detected in Estrus and Subjected to a Split-Time Artificial Insemination Program

Estrus-synchronization programs allow insemination of all females in a herd at one fixed time on the first day of the breeding season. Inseminating cows after they have expressed estrus increases pregnancy rate (PR) compared with cows that do not display estrus in a timed AI (TAI) program. Identification of estrus status can be facilitated by using estrus-detection patches. Varying AI timing according to estrus status has increased PR in some previous studies. Reducing the number of injections in a TAI program decreases labor requirements, stress on cows, and overall cost of the program. Previous studies have demonstrated that PR is not compromised in cows displaying estrus when the GnRH injection administered at AI is eliminated. A split-time AI program decreases the time between estrus expression and insemination compared with a single fixed-time AI when the first AI occurs before the recommended standard 60- to 66-h fixed time. Previous research has demonstrated that delaying AI results in approxi­mately 50% more cows displaying estrus when compared with a single insemination time. Eliminating the GnRH injection at AI for cows displaying estrus in a split TAI program can reduce the number of GnRH injections required and the program cost. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that GnRH injection concurrent with split TAI program improves PR only in cows not displaying estrus

Evaluation of MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 as tumour-specific markers to detect blood dissemination of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

The members of MAGE gene family are highly expressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we tested the tumour-specific MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 transcripts in the peripheral blood of HCC patients by nested RT–PCR to detect the circulating tumour cells and evaluate their potential clinical implication. Of 30 HCC patients, the positive rate of MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 transcripts was 43.3% (13 out of 30) and 33.3% (10 out of 30) in PBMC samples, whilst the positive rate was 70% (21 out of 30) and 53.3% (16 out of 30) in the resected HCC tissue samples, respectively. The positivity for at least one MAGE gene transcript was 63.3% (19 out of 30) in PBMC samples of HCC patients and 83.3% (25 out of 30) in the resected HCC tissue samples. MAGE-1 and/or MAGE-3 mRNA were not detected in the PBMC of those patients from whom the resected HCC tissues were MAGE-1 or MAGE-3 mRNA negative, nor in the 25 PBMC samples from healthy donors. The detection of MAGE transcripts in PBMC was correlated with the advanced stages and tumour size of the HCC, being 82.4% (14 out of 17) in tumour stages III and IVa, 56.6% (five out of nine) in stage II, and null (nought out of four) in stage I. The serum α-FP in 33.3% (10 out of 30) of HCC patients was normal or slightly elevated (<40 ng ml−1). However, six of these 10 patients (α-FP <40 ng ml−1) were MAGE-1 and /or MAGE-3 mRNA positive in their PBMC. The follow-up survey of MAGE mRNA in PBMC was performed in 12 patients. Seven patients with persistent MAGE-1 and/or MAGE-3 mRNA positive or from negative turned to positive died because of metastasis and/or recurrence. In striking contrast, all four patients with MAGE-1 and/or MAGE-3 mRNA from positive turned to negative and one patient with persistent MAGE-3 transcript negative are alive after last test. Collectively, detection of MAGE transcripts with follow-up survey in PBMC is a feasible and reliable assay for the early prediction of the relapse and prognosis of the HCC patients

Acute neurological signs as the predominant clinical manifestation in four dogs with Angiostrongylus vasorum infections in Denmark

Four dogs with acute neurological signs caused by haemorrhages in the central nervous system were diagnosed with Angiostrongylus vasorum infection as the underlying aetiology. Two dogs presented with brain lesions, one dog with spinal cord lesions and one with lesions in both the brain and spinal cord. Only one dog presented with concurrent signs of classical pulmonary angiostrongylosis (respiratory distress, cough), and only two dogs displayed overt clinical signs of haemorrhages. Results of coagulation assays were inconsistent. Neurological signs reflected the site of pathology and included seizures, various cranial nerve deficits, vestibular signs, proprioceptive deficits, ataxia and paraplegia. One dog died and three were euthanised due to lack of improvement despite medical treatment. This emphasises canine angiostrongylosis as a potential cause of fatal lesions of the central nervous system and the importance of including A. vasorum as a differential diagnosis in young dogs with acute neurological signs in Denmark

Credit Constraints and Productive Entrepreneurship in Africa

Limited access of entrepreneurs to credit constrains the creation and growth of private firms. In Africa, access to credit is particularly limited for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) due to unclear property rights and the lack of assets that can be used as collateral. This paper presents a model where firm creation and growth hinge on matching potential entrepreneurs with productive technologies, while firm growth depends on acquired capital. The shortage of collateral creates a binding credit constraint on borrowing by SMEs and hence private sector growth and employment, even though the banking sectors have ample liquidity, as is the case in many African countries. The model is tested using a sample of 20 African countries over the period 2005-09. The empirical results suggest that policies aimed at easing the binding credit constraints (e.g., the depth of credit information and the strength of legal rights pertaining to collateral and bankruptcy) would stimulate productive entrepreneurship and private sector employment in Africa

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Gallus domesticus in Havana, Cuba

El estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar la seroprevalencia de T. gondii en Gallus domesticus en La Habana, Cuba. Se colectaron 300 muestras de sueros de pollitas White Leghorn L33 en fase de desarrollo en 2015, distribuidas a razón de 100 aves por cada lote incorporado a la unidad avícola desde procedencias diferentes. Las muestras fueron analizadas mediante un ELISA de inhibición y se utilizaron las pruebas Chi-cuadrado y Dócima de Duncan para comparar las proporciones de aves positivas entre los lotes estudiados. Se encontró una relativa baja seroprevalencia de T. gondii (9.6%), similar a otros hallazgos reportados a nivel internacional. Se evidenciaron diferencias significativas (p=0.0001) en la prevalencia de T. gondii entre los tres lotes de aves. Se concluye que la seroprevalencia de T. gondii en Gallus domesticus en La Habana es baja, aunque esta constituye un riesgo de infección para las poblaciones humanas y animales susceptibles.The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii in Gallus domesticus in Havana, Cuba. Three hundred serum samples were collected from White Leghorn pullets L33 in growing stage in 2015. Samples represented 100 birds per batch incorporated into the poultry unit from different origins. Samples were evaluated by an ELISA inhibition test and data was analyzed by the Chi-square and Duncan tests to compare proportions of positive birds among batches. A relatively low seroprevalence of T. gondii was found (9.6%), similar to other findings reported internationally. Significant differences (p=0.0001) in the prevalence of T. gondii among the three bird batches were found. It is concluded that the seroprevalence of T. gondii in Gallus domesticus in Havana is low, though this constitutes a risk of infection for susceptible human and animal populations