Transcriptional activation of the human papillomavirus type 5 and 16 long control region in cells from cutaneous and mucosal origin

Human papillomavirus type-16 (HPV-16) infects mucosal epithelium and is the most common type found in cervical cancer. HPV-5 infects cornified epithelium and is the most common type found on normal skin and belongs to the types frequently associated with skin cancers of Epidermodysplasia verruciformis patients. One factor by which this anatomical tropism could be determined is the regulation of HPV gene expression in the host cell. The HPV long control region (LCR) contains cis-responsive elements that regulate HPV transcription and the epithelial tropism of HPV is determined by epithelial specific constitutive enhancers in the LCR. Since HPV-16 and other types infecting the mucosa differ in host cell from HPV types infecting skin, it has been hypothesized that it is the combination of ubiquitous transcription factors working in concert in the host cell that determines the cell-type-specific expression. To study if HPV tropism could be determined by differences in transcriptional regulation we have cloned the transcriptional regulating region, LCR, from HPV-16 and HPV-5 and studied the activation of a reporter gene in cell lines with different origin. To analyse promoter activity we transfected the plasmids into four different cell lines; HaCaT, C33A, NIKS and W12E and the efficiency of HPV-5 and HPV-16 LCR in the different cell lines was compared. In HaCaT cells, with a skin origin, the HPV-5 LCR was two-fold more efficient in transcriptional activation compared to the HPV-16 LCR. In cervical W12E cells the HPV-16 LCR was almost 2-fold more effective in activating transcription compared to the HPV-5 LCR. The ability to initiate transcription in the other cell lines was independent on cell origin and HPV-type

Structure liming enhances aggregate stability and gives varying crop responses on clayey soils

It has been suggested that liming can improve soil structure and thereby decrease losses of particles and associated nutrients. In this study, two types of structure lime, slaked lime (Ca(OH)(2)) and a mixed product of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and slaked lime (Ca(OH)(2)), were applied at three different rates in field trials on clayey soils (23%-40% clay). A combination of primary tillage and structure liming was also studied, in a split-plot trial on a clayey soil (25% clay). Aggregate (2-5mm) stability, measured as reduction in turbidity (which is strongly correlated with losses of particulate phosphorus), was significantly increased with the highest application rates of both structure lime products. Aggregate size distribution was also improved with structure lime, creating a finer tilth in the seedbed. Yield response to structure lime was not consistent, with both negative and positive responses over the four-year study period. Positive yield responses can possibly be attributed to the finer tilth preventing evaporation in two dry growing seasons. Negative yield responses were probably an effect of impaired phosphorus availability associated with limited precipitation in May-July in 2011 and 2013. Two years after liming, soil pH levels were significantly elevated in plots with the highest application rate of structure lime, whereas no significant increases were found three years after liming. However, a lingering effect of liming was still detectable, as manganese concentration in barley grain was significantly lower in plots with the highest application rates of both structure lime products in the fourth study year. These results indicate that structure liming can be used as a measure to mitigate phosphorus losses from clayey soils, thereby preventing eutrophication of nearby waters. However, the yield response was varying and unpredictable and thus further investigations are needed to determine the circumstances in which field liming can act efficiently not only to prevent phosphorus losses, but also to ensure consistent yield increases

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Changes in nutrient leaching and groundwater quality during long-term studies of an arable field on the Swedish south-west coast

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term (1977-2004) effects of new agricultural practices and reduced acid rain on drainwater and groundwater chemistry for an intensely cultivated arable field with sandy soil in south-west Sweden. Trends in chemical composition of the drainwater were compared with those of atmospheric deposition and groundwater. A modified crop rotation including catch crops significantly decreased the average concentration of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) in drainwater from 13.0 to 7.2 mg l-l. This rotation was also found to be a very effective measure against high NO3-N concentrations in shallow groundwater (>1.7 m below the soil surface). The degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS) in the subsoil, calculated to be 10% and 9% by two different laboratory methods, corresponded to an average and constant concentration of dissolved reactive phosphate (DRP) in drainwater of 0.006 mg l-l. Generally lower inputs of acid deposition to the soil were confirmed by a decreasing SO4-S trend (by 3% over 24 years) in drainwater. Changes in cropping had reduced the effect of acid load to the soil, while drainwater alkalinity showed a slow but significant positive trend amounting to 0.4% over 24 years

"Utan ångesten kan man ju inte skapa" -

Syfte: Att undersöka hur musikpedagoger/instrumentalpedagoger på gymnasiet hanterar elever med prestationsångest. Huvudfrågor: Vad anser musikpedagoger att en trygg och bra lärandemiljö innebär? Hur arbetar instrumentallärare med prestationsångestprevention? Metod och material:Som metod för vår uppsats har vi använt oss utav kvalitativa intervjuer. Vi har intervjuat 6 instrumentalpedagoger som undervisar på det estetiska programmet med inriktning musik. Vårt huvudsakliga teoretiska fundament är dels pedagogisk psykologi och dels forskning i prestationsångest. Betydelse för läraryrket:Undersökningen handlar om prestationsångest i gymnasiemiljö. Vi anser att den kunskap denna studie ger är till gagn för alla pedagoger och kan bidra till ett mer professionellt förhållningssätt när det gäller att arbeta med prestationsångest bland utsatta elever inom ramarna för verksamheten. Resultat:Genom denna studie har vi kunnat kartlägga en del av de problem, både av psykologisk och social karaktär som inbegriper det problemområde som prestationsångest innefattar. Det handlar dels om lärarens roll men också elevernas beteenden gentemot varandra. Vi har förstått att pedagogerna har olika strategier för att möta elevernas prestationsångest men att de i liten eller ingen utsträckning tar hjälp av kolleger eller skolledning - detta trots att alla lärare ser ett behov av att arbeta mer med probleme

Polarbjörnens uppväxt : en undersökning av Polarvagnens etablering, utveckling och påverkan i Dorotea kommun

Validerat; 20101217 (root