Data to the bryoflora of Mount Kenya, Kenya

194 species of bryophytes, belonging to 61 families are reported from Mount Kenya, of which 38 species are new for Mount Kenya and 30 records are new for the whole country, marked by * and ** respectively. The montane forests between 1600 and 3300m. asl., contain the greatest diversity of life forms and species. This is due to the abundant rainfall providing adequate humidity at relatively low temperature and altitude, coupled with frequent cloud cover. All vegetation belts above the montane forests experience large diurnal fluctuations in temperatures, intense solar radiation, added by the fact that the rainfall is relatively low and erratic or at times fall in the form of hail or snow resulting in a low diversity of species and life forms except in very sheltered habitats such as rock crevices in rocky outcrops. Solifluctions soil conditions occuring between 3850 and 4450m. asl. exhibit moss balls growth forms. The summits of Batian (5199m.), Nelion (5188m.) and Lenana (4985m.) harbour small cushions of Grimmia affinis and Andreaea cucullata. The greatest number of species are found in the wetter southern, south-western and south-eastern slopes unlike the drier northern, north-western and north-eastern slopes of the mountain. Species commonly found in the wetter areas are Bryum preussii, Bryum keniae, Prionodon ciliatus, Hypopterygium viridissimum, Plagiochila barteri, Plagiochila squamulosa, Radula recurvifolia, Porella hoehnelii, Dumortiera hirsuta while Pterogonium gracile, Leptodon smithii and Hedwigia ciliata are characteristic of the drier areas

Contributions toward a bryoflora of the Aberdare Range, Kenya

124 species of bryophytes, belonging to 46 families are reported for the Aberdare Mountains, of which 58 species are new for the Aberdares and 6 records are new for Kenya, indicated by * and ** respectively. The wetter, more humid southern and south-eastern parts of the range contain the greatest diversity of species, particularly in the montane forests while the drier northern part is poor in species

Contribution to the bryoflora of Kenya

109 species of bryophytes are presented from various localities in Kenya, among which are thirteen new records (marked with **) for the country

Taxonomic results of the Bryotrop expedition to Zaire and Rwanda : 32., Bryaceae

16 species of Bryaceae collected during the Bryotrop expedition to Rwanda and Zaire were examined resulting in 7 new records for Central Africa

Bryophytes from Saiwa Swamp National Park, Kenya

57 species of bryophytes belonging to 30 families are reported from Saiwa Swamp National Park, of which 57 species are new for Saiwa Swamp National Park and 10 records are new for Kenya, indicated by * and ** respectively. Although small in surface area (15.5 sq.km.) the park represents an undercollected area in Kenya with a good diversity of bryophytes

A preliminary checklist of the bryoflora of the Taita Hills, Kenya

A checklist of the bryoflora of the Taita Hills (Kenya) containing 168 taxa in 40 families is presented. Whilst previously only 22 mosses and 39 liverworts were recorded for the area, this study extended our knowledge to 85 and 83 respectively. Twenty taxa are newly recorded for Kenya

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2CC due to NEFH variants causes a progressive, non-length-dependent, motor-predominant phenotype

Objective: Neurofilaments are the major scaffolding proteins for the neuronal cytoskeleton, and variants in NEFH have recently been described to cause axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2CC (CMT2CC). Methods: In this large observational study, we present phenotype–genotype correlations on 30 affected and 3 asymptomatic mutation carriers from eight families. Results: The majority of patients presented in adulthood with motor-predominant and lower limb-predominant symptoms and the average age of onset was 31.0±15.1 years. A prominent feature was the development of proximal weakness early in the course of the disease. The disease progressed rapidly, unlike other Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) subtypes, and half of the patients (53%) needed to use a wheelchair on average 24.1 years after symptom onset. Furthermore, 40% of patients had evidence of early ankle plantarflexion weakness, a feature which is observed in only a handful of CMT subtypes. Neurophysiological studies and MRI of the lower limbs confirmed the presence of a non-length-dependent neuropathy in the majority of patients. All families harboured heterozygous frameshift variants in the last exon of NEFH, resulting in a reading frameshift to an alternate open reading frame and the translation of approximately 42 additional amino acids from the 3' untranslated region (3′-UTR). Conclusions: This phenotype–genotype study highlights the unusual phenotype of CMT2CC, which is more akin to spinal muscular atrophy rather than classic CMT. Furthermore, the study will enable more informative discussions on the natural history of the disease and will aid in NEFH variant interpretation in the context of the disease’s unique molecular genetics

Membrane Protein Location-Dependent Regulation by PI3K (III) and Rabenosyn-5 in Drosophila Wing Cells

The class III phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K (III)) regulates intracellular vesicular transport at multiple steps through the production of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI(3)P). While the localization of proteins at distinct membrane domains are likely regulated in different ways, the roles of PI3K (III) and its effectors have not been extensively investigated in a polarized cell during tissue development. In this study, we examined in vivo functions of PI3K (III) and its effector candidate Rabenosyn-5 (Rbsn-5) in Drosophila wing primordial cells, which are polarized along the apical-basal axis. Knockdown of the PI3K (III) subunit Vps15 resulted in an accumulation of the apical junctional proteins DE-cadherin and Flamingo and also the basal membrane protein β-integrin in intracellular vesicles. By contrast, knockdown of PI3K (III) increased lateral membrane-localized Fasciclin III (Fas III). Importantly, loss-of-function mutation of Rbsn-5 recapitulated the aberrant localization phenotypes of β-integrin and Fas III, but not those of DE-cadherin and Flamingo. These results suggest that PI3K (III) differentially regulates localization of proteins at distinct membrane domains and that Rbsn-5 mediates only a part of the PI3K (III)-dependent processes

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Exogenous Addition of a C-Xylopyranoside Derivative Stimulates Keratinocyte Dermatan Sulfate Synthesis and Promotes Migration

As C-Xyloside has been suggested to be an initiator of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis, and GAGs such as Dermatan sulfate (DS) are potent enhancers of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) - 10 action, we investigated if a C-Xylopyranoside derivative, (C-β-D-xylopyranoside-2-hydroxy-propane, C-Xyloside), could promote DS production by cultured normal human keratinocytes, how this occurs and if C-Xyloside could also stimulate FGF-dependent cell migration and proliferation. C-Xyloside-treated keratinocytes greatly increased secretion of total sulfated GAGs. Majority of the induced GAG was chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS) of which the major secreted GAG was DS. Cells lacking xylosyltransferase enzymatic activity demonstrated that C-Xyloside was able to stimulate GAG synthesis without addition to core proteins. Consistent with the observed increase in DS, keratinocytes treated with C-Xyloside showed enhanced migration in response to FGF-10 and secreted into their culture media GAGs that promoted FGF-10-dependent cellular proliferation. These results indicate that C-Xyloside may enhance epithelial repair by serving as an initiator of DS synthesis