Fitting quotients of finitely presented abelian-by-nilpotent groups

We show that every finitely generated nilpotent group of class 2 occurs as the quotient of a finitely presented abelian-by-nilpotent group by its largest nilpotent normal subgroup.Comment: This second version takes into account the suggestions by the referee; 11 page

Fitting quotients of finitely presented abelian-by-nilpotent groups

We show that every finitely generated nilpotent group of class 2 occurs as the quotient of a finitely presented abelian-by-nilpotent group by its largest nilpotent normal subgrou

Biophysical, morphological, canopy optical property, and productivity data from the Superior National Forest

Described here are the results of a NASA field experiment conducted in the Superior National Forest near Ely, Minnesota, during the summers of 1983 and 1984. The purpose of the experiment was to examine the use of remote sensing to provide measurements of biophysical parameters in the boreal forests. Leaf area index, biomass, net primary productivity, canopy coverage, overstory and understory species composition data are reported for about 60 sites, representing a range of stand density and age for aspen and spruce. Leaf, needle, and bark high-resolution spectral reflectance and transmittance data are reported for the major boreal forest species. Canopy bidirectional reflectance measurements are provided from a helicopter-mounted Barnes Multiband Modular Radiometer (MMR) and the Thematic Mapper Simulator (TMS) on the NASA C-130 aircraft

Ten year change in forest succession and composition measured by remote sensing

Vegetation dynamics and changes in ecological patterns were measured by remote sensing over a 10 year period (1973 to 1983) for 148,406 landscape elements, covering more than 500 sq km in a protected forested wilderness. Quantitative measurements were made possible by methods to detect ecologically meaningful landscape units; these allowed measurement of ecological transition frequencies and calculation of expected recurrence times. Measured ecological transition frequencies reveal boreal forest wilderness as spatially heterogeneous and highly dynamic, with one-sixth of the area in clearings and early successional stages, consistent with recent postulates about the spatial and temporal patterns of natural ecosystems. Differences between managed forest areas and a protected wilderness allow assessment of different management regimes

The formation of cysteine-linked dimers of BST-2/tetherin is important for inhibition of HIV-1 virus release but not for sensitivity to Vpu

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Human Immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpu protein enhances virus release from infected cells and induces proteasomal degradation of CD4. Recent work identified BST-2/CD317 as a host factor that inhibits HIV-1 virus release in a Vpu sensitive manner. A current working model proposes that BST-2 inhibits virus release by tethering viral particles to the cell surface thereby triggering their subsequent endocytosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we defined structural properties of BST-2 required for inhibition of virus release and for sensitivity to Vpu. We found that BST-2 is modified by N-linked glycosylation at two sites in the extracellular domain. However, N-linked glycosylation was not important for inhibition of HIV-1 virus release nor did it affect surface expression or sensitivity to Vpu. Rodent BST-2 was previously found to form cysteine-linked dimers. Analysis of single, double, or triple cysteine mutants revealed that any one of three cysteine residues present in the BST-2 extracellular domain was sufficient for BST-2 dimerization, for inhibition of virus release, and sensitivity to Vpu. In contrast, BST-2 lacking all three cysteines in its ectodomain was unable to inhibit release of wild type or Vpu-deficient HIV-1 virions. This defect was not caused by a gross defect in BST-2 trafficking as the mutant protein was expressed at the cell surface of transfected 293T cells and was down-modulated by Vpu similar to wild type BST-2.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While BST-2 glycosylation was functionally irrelevant, formation of cysteine-linked dimers appeared to be important for inhibition of virus release. However lack of dimerization did not prevent surface expression or Vpu sensitivity of BST-2, suggesting Vpu sensitivity and inhibition of virus release are separable properties of BST-2.</p

Elemental analysis by neutron time-of-flight spectrometry

Among the more common elements for which neutron activation analysis is not sufficiently sensitive, are carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. These elements are so important that they were selected for study in an attempt to extend the advantages of nuclear methods of analysis to their determination. The physical state of a sample submitted to activation analysis frequently determines whether activation analysis is possible or not. Although most solids can readily be submitted to activation analysis, the same does not apply to liquids or gases. In the case of liquids, their radiolytic decomposition may yield gaseous products which could endanger the irradiation facility whilst gases, with few exceptions, present serious technical difficulties for irradiation with reactor neutrons. Clearly the development of a method suitable for the analysis of gases would serve a useful purpose

Utilisation of outpatient services at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town

The demand for outpatient services continues to grow at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCCH). To determine current utilisation patterns, we conducted a 2-week survey in the outpatient department (OPD). In addition, we reviewed the RCCH Annual Reports for the period 1961 - 1988. Annual outpatient attendances have increased from around 42000 in 1957 to their highest level ever; nearly 350000 in 1988. This steady rise in outpatient attendance was stemmed during the 1970s by the expansion of health services in the greater Cape Town area, in particular the introduction ofday hospitals. In general, blacks are utilising the OPD as a primary community hospital for the treatment of infectious and environmentally induced diseases. In contrast, the white outpatient profile is more characteristic of a tertiary referral centre, with a higher proportion of specialist clinic attendances. The utilisation patterns for coloured children are intermediate. Analysis of the residential address of patients and their presenting diagnoses indicates an urgent demand for primary health care services in the most recently settled and poorest suburbs of Cape Town, many of which are remote from the hospital

Haemophilus influenzae invasive disease in the United States, 1994-1995: near disappearance of a vaccine-preventable childhood disease.

We analyzed national Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) surveillance data from 1994 and 1995 to describe the epidemiology of Hi invasive disease among persons of all ages. Serotype data were available for 376 (56%) of 669 reported Hi cases among children aged 4 years or younger; 184 (49%) were H. influenzae type b (Hib). Among children aged 4 or younger, incidence (per 100,000) of all Hi invasive disease was 1.8 in 1994 and 1.6 (p < 0.05) in 1995. Children aged 5 months or younger had the highest average annual incidence rate of Hib invasive disease (2.2 per 100,000); children aged 6 to 11 months had the next highest rate (1.2 per 100,000)(p < 0.05). Of 181 children with Hib invasive disease whose age in months was known, 85 (47%) were too young (aged 5 months or younger) to have completed a primary series with an Hib-containing vaccine. Of the 83 children with known vaccination status who were eligible to receive a primary series (aged 6 months or older), 52 (63%) were undervaccinated, and the remaining 31 (37%) had completed a primary series in which vaccine failed. Among persons aged 5 years or older with Hi invasive disease, the lowest average annual incidence was among those 20 to 39 years of age (0.15 per 100,000), and the highest was among those aged 80 years or older (2.26 per 100,000). Among persons aged 5 years or older, serotype data were available for 1,372 (71%) of the 1,940 Hi invasive disease cases; 159 (28%) of the 568 Hi cases with known serotype were due to Hib

FMDV replicons encoding green fluorescent protein are replication competent

The study of replication of viruses that require high bio-secure facilities can be accomplished with less stringent containment using non-infectious 'replicon' systems. The FMDV replicon system (pT7rep) reported by Mclnerney et al. (2000) was modified by the replacement of sequences encoding chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase (CAT) with those encoding a functional L proteinase (Lpro) linked to a bi-functional fluorescent/antibiotic resistance fusion protein (green fluorescent protein/puromycin resistance, [GFP-PAC]). Cells were transfected with replicon-derived transcript RNA and GFP fluorescence quantified. Replication of transcript RNAs was readily detected by fluorescence, whilst the signal from replication-incompetent forms of the genome was >2-fold lower. Surprisingly, a form of the replicon lacking the Lpro showed a significantly stronger fluorescence signal, but appeared with slightly delayed kinetics. Replication can, therefore, be quantified simply by live-cell imaging and image analyses, providing a rapid and facile alternative to RT-qPCR or CAT assays

Spectral networks

We introduce new geometric objects called spectral networks. Spectral networks are networks of trajectories on Riemann surfaces obeying certain local rules. Spectral networks arise naturally in four-dimensional N=2 theories coupled to surface defects, particularly the theories of class S. In these theories spectral networks provide a useful tool for the computation of BPS degeneracies: the network directly determines the degeneracies of solitons living on the surface defect, which in turn determine the degeneracies for particles living in the 4d bulk. Spectral networks also lead to a new map between flat GL(K,C) connections on a two-dimensional surface C and flat abelian connections on an appropriate branched cover Sigma of C. This construction produces natural coordinate systems on moduli spaces of flat GL(K,C) connections on C, which we conjecture are cluster coordinate systems.Comment: 87 pages, 48 figures; v2: typos, correction to general rule for signs of BPS count