Magnetic survey over brick kiln remnants at Veldbæk near Esbjerg (Denmark)

Detailed magnetic total field and gradient measurements over remnants of a tile kiln at Veldbæk (55.46°N, 8.50°E) near Esbjerg in SW-Jutland (Denmark) have showed marked magnetic anomalies of up to 200 nT, revealing the rectangular shape of the kiln as well as specifically depicting the heating channels. The bulk susceptibility also showed markedly increased values of the kiln-area as compared to the surrounding unheated smelt-water sands

Brick kiln from SW Jutland: the kiln, historical outline of brick production and farm building in Jutland, magnetic and luminescence dating of the kiln

The paper presents investigations of a brick kiln at Veldbæk east of Esbjerg excavated in connection with construction of a motorway. The kiln, a "farmers kiln", is described and the history of brick kiln construction and farm building in West Jutland is outlined. Magnetic and luminescence dating of the Veldbæk kiln are discussed and dating results presented. The magnetic and luminescence dates are 1790 ± 40 AD and 1795 ± 20 AD, respectively and these are in excellent agreement. A brick from one of the ash pits gave a luminescence date of 1550 ± 40 AD; this indicates that the brick was fired and used elsewhere prior to its use at Veldbæk

Detection and quantification of lupus anticoagulants in plasma from heparin treated patients, using addition of polybrene

BACKGROUND: Lupus anticoagulants prolong clotting times in phospholipid-dependent coagulation tests. Lupus Ratio assays are integrated tests for lupus anticoagulants that may be based on APTT, RVVT or dPT clotting times. If a patient is being treated with unfractionated heparin, however, the heparin prolong clotting times and the diagnosis of lupus anticoagulant is invalidated. Commercial assays may have heparin neutralising agents added to their reagents. However, the type and efficacy of the heparin neutralisation is often not documented. We wanted to test the influence and efficacy of heparin neutralisers in the Lupus Ratio assay. METHODS: Several heparin neutralisers were tested, and polybrene was chosen for further testing. Unfractionated heparin and/or polybrene were added to normal plasma and to plasma from patients with or without lupus anticoagulant and clotting times compared before and after the additions. Lupus anticoagulant-positive patients were given 5000 IU i.v. of unfractionated heparin and plasma was collected just before and five minutes after the injection. Lupus Ratios were calculated after polybrene was added to the postinjection samples. RESULTS: The Lupus Ratio became slightly lower when polybrene was added to plasma without heparin. Plasma heparinised in vitro and plasma from patients that had received heparin, both had Lupus Ratios nearly identical to the Lupus Ratios calculated before any additions. CONCLUSION: By addition of polybrene to a final concentration of 7.9 μg/ml in test plasma, Lupus Ratio may be determined in lupus anticoagulant-negative as well as positive plasmas irrespective of the presence of heparin 0.0 – 1.3 U/ml

Afhænger ledelse af øjnene, der ser? Lederes og medarbejderes vurderinger af ledelse på tværs af individer, organisationer og områder

Ledelse er blevet et væsentligt felt i forvaltningsforskningen, og studier af offentlig serviceproduktion og ledelse måles ofte gennem spørgeskemaundersøgelser af ledere og medarbejdere. Den internationale forskning peger imidlertid på, at opfattelser af ledelse påvirkes af faktorer på i hvert fald tre forskellige niveauer: det individuelle niveau mellem aktører inden for den samme organisation (leder-medarbejdere såvel som mellem medarbejdere), det organisatoriske niveau og sektorområdet. Der findes dog meget lidt empirisk viden om disse niveauers betydning, og vi vil derfor undersøge, i hvilken grad variationer i opfattelser af to centrale ledelsestilgange – transformations- og transaktionsledelse – forekommer på disse tre niveauer. Ved brug af spørgeskemadata fra 541 ledere og deres 8.515 medarbejdere fordelt på otte serviceområder demonstrerer artiklen, at hovedparten af variationen forekommer inden for organisationerne, men at der ligeledes findes væsentlig variation i ledelsesopfattelser mellem organisationer og mellem serviceområder, samt at lederne selv vurderer både transformationsledelse og transaktionsledelse højere, end medarbejderne gør

Presence and Diversity of Different Enteric Viruses in Wild Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Abstract: Rodents are common reservoirs for numerous zoonotic pathogens, but knowledge about diversity of pathogens in rodents is still limited. Here, we investigated the occurrence and genetic diversity of enteric viruses in 51 Norway rats collected in three different countries in Europe. RNA of at least one virus was detected in the intestine of 49 of 51 animals. Astrovirus RNA was detected in 46 animals, mostly of rat astroviruses. Human astrovirus (HAstV-8) RNA was detected in one, rotavirus group A (RVA) RNA was identified in eleven animals. One RVA RNA could be typed as rat G3 type. Rat hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA was detected in five animals. Two entire genome sequences of ratHEV were determined. Human norovirus RNA was detected in four animals with the genotypes GI.P4-GI.4, GII.P33-GII.1, and GII.P21. In one animal, a replication competent coxsackievirus A20 strain was detected. Additionally, RNA of an enterovirus species A strain was detected in the same animal, albeit in a different tissue. The results show a high detection rate and diversity of enteric viruses in Norway rats in Europe and indicate their significance as vectors for zoonotic transmission of enteric viruses. The detailed role of Norway rats and transmission pathways of enteric viruses needs to be investigated in further studies.Peer Reviewe

Nucleofection: A New Method for Cutaneous Gene Transfer?

Background. Transfection efficacy after nonviral gene transfer in primary epithelial cells is limited. The aim of this study was to compare transfection efficacy of the recently available method of nucleofection with the established transfection reagent FuGENE6. Methods. Primary human keratinocytes (HKC), primary human fibroblasts (HFB), and a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) were transfected with reporter gene construct by FuGENE6 or Amaxa Nucleofector device. At corresponding time points, β-galactosidase expression, cell proliferation (MTT-Test), transduction efficiency (X-gal staining), cell morphology, and cytotoxicity (CASY) were determined. Results. Transgene expression after nucleofection was significantly higher in HKC and HFB and detected earlier (3 h vs. 24 h) than in FuGENE6. After lipofection 80%–90% of the cells remained proliferative without any influence on cell morphology. In contrast, nucleofection led to a decrease in keratinocyte cell size, with only 20%–42% proliferative cells. Conclusion. Related to the method-dependent increase of cytotoxicity, transgene expression after nucleofection was earlier and higher than after lipofection

Evaluation of signal transduction pathways after transient cutaneous adenoviral gene delivery

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adenoviral vectors have provided effective methods for <it>in vivo </it>gene delivery in therapeutic applications. However, these vectors can induce immune responses that may severely affect the ability of vector re-application. There is limited information about the mechanisms and signal transduction pathways involved in adenoviral recognition. For optimization of cutaneous gene therapy it is necessary to investigate molecular mechanisms of virus recognition in epidermal cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the signal transduction of the innate immunity after adenoviral DNA internalization in keratinocytes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p><it>In vitro</it>, keratinocytes were transfected with DNA, in the presence and absence of inhibitors for signalling molecules. <it>In vivo</it>, immunocompetent and athymic mice (n = 3 per group) were twice transduced with an Ad-vector.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results show an acute induction of type-I-interferon after <it>in vitro </it>transfection. Inhibition of PI3K, p38 MAPK, JNK and NFkappaB resulted in a decreased expression of type-I-interferon. In contrast to immunocompetent mice, athymic mice demonstrated a constant transgene expression and reduced inflammatory response <it>in vivo</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results suggest an induction of the innate immunity triggered by cytoplasm localised DNA which is mediated by PI3K-, p38 MAPK-, JNK-, NFkappaB-, JAK/STAT- and ERK1/2-dependent pathways. A stable transgene expression and a reduced inflammatory response in immunodeficient mice have been observed. These results provide potential for an effective adenoviral gene delivery into immunosupressed skin.</p