A Novel Pathogenic Mechanism of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Viruses Involves Hemagglutinin Mediated Resistance to Serum Innate Inhibitors

In this study, the effect of innate serum inhibitors on influenza virus infection was addressed. Seasonal influenza A(H1N1) and A(H3N2), 2009 pandemic A(H1N1) (H1N1pdm) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) viruses were tested with guinea pig sera negative for antibodies against all of these viruses as evaluated by hemagglutination-inhibition and microneutralization assays. In the presence of serum inhibitors, the infection by each virus was inhibited differently as measured by the amount of viral nucleoprotein produced in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. The serum inhibitors inhibited seasonal influenza A(H3N2) virus the most, while the effect was less in seasonal influenza A(H1N1) and H1N1pdm viruses. The suppression by serum inhibitors could be reduced by heat inactivation or treatment with receptor destroying enzyme. In contrast, all H5N1 strains tested were resistant to serum inhibitors. To determine which structure (hemagglutinin (HA) and/or neuraminidase (NA)) on the virus particles that provided the resistance, reverse genetics (rg) was applied to construct chimeric recombinant viruses from A/Puerto Rico/8/1934(H1N1) (PR8) plasmid vectors. rgPR8-H5 HA and rgPR8-H5 HANA were resistant to serum inhibitors while rgPR8-H5 NA and PR8 A(H1N1) parental viruses were sensitive, suggesting that HA of HPAI H5N1 viruses bestowed viral resistance to serum inhibition. These results suggested that the ability to resist serum inhibition might enable the viremic H5N1 viruses to disseminate to distal end organs. The present study also analyzed for correlation between susceptibility to serum inhibitors and number of glycosylation sites present on the globular heads of HA and NA. H3N2 viruses, the subtype with highest susceptibility to serum inhibitors, harbored the highest number of glycosylation sites on the HA globular head. However, this positive correlation cannot be drawn for the other influenza subtypes

The pukl and Chodsko: Aspects of linkage between a bagpipe and an ethnographic region

Accompanied by 2 DVDs which are available through Interloan.The pukl, commonly called dudy, is a bellow-blown bagpipe whose origin and development can be traced to older forms known as grosser Bock and polnischer Bock. The instrument is an important feature in the identity of Chodsko, an ethonographic region of West Bohemia. This thesis shows the significance of the pukl in Chodish tradition through its organology, pedagogy, performance practice, and history. Through the novel Psohlavci, Alois Jirásek offered a footing for reinforcement of Chodish traditions. The thesis argues that a succession of makers, performers, teachers, institutions, and events have woven a web of tradition in which the pukl holds a significant position. Supporting evidence is shown from artworks that are visible to the public as well as decoration on the instrument. Selected from the Chodish canon, the beloved song, ‘Zelený hájové’, illustrates the use of the dialect and ornamentation as being indicative of the region. Two DVDs, The Call of Dudy and Zelený Hájové …, and a glossary of Chodish terms together with a catalogue of field recordings are included

AUDITORY SNAPSHOTS FROM THE EDGES OF EUROPE

ABSTRACTThis article presents thirty ‘auditory snapshots’ from a wide variety of geographical locations and contexts in order to elaborate several points. First, we believe that the study of history cannot be separated from the study of sound, whether in the form of ‘soundscapes’ or pieces of music. Second, we find that considerations of edges, into which we fold such things as provinces, peripheries and frontiers, can be greatly enriched by looking at a broad range of musical phenomena, from the liturgy of Ugandan Jews to reggae-infused Polish mountain songs and from the sounds of Mozart's Black contemporary Saint-Georges toSilent Nighton the Southern Seas. Finally, drawing on certain ideas from James C. Scott'sThe Art of Not Being Governed, we argue that paradoxically, in music, the middle often has unusual properties. In other words, musical structure mimics the ongoing battle between those in positions of authority and those who wish to evade that authority. Beginnings and endings, then, tend to be sites of power and convention, while middles attempt to subvert it. While culturally and geographically we may contrast centres and peripheries, in music the centre is often the edge.</jats:p