Transferrin Binding to Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes Activated by Phytohemagglutinin Involves a Specific Receptor: Ligand Interaction

Immunohistological studies have indicated that membrane sites binding transferrin are present upon activated human peripheral blood lymphocytes. In this study, we have investigated transferrin uptake in human lymphocytes exposed to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), by quantitative radiobinding and immunofluorescence in parallel. In stimulated lymphocytes, binding was maximal after a 30-min incubation, being greatest at 37°C, and greater at 22°C than at 4°C. Although some shedding and endocytosis of transferrin occurred at 22° and 37°C, these factors, and resulting synthesis of new sites, did not affect measurement of binding which was found to be saturable, reversible, and specific for transferrin (Ka 0.5-2.5 x 10^8 M-1). Binding was greater after a 48-h exposure to PHA than after 24 h, and was maximal at 66 h. Sequential Scatchard analysis revealed no significant elevation in affinity of interaction. However, although the total number of receptors increased, the proportion of cells in which binding of ligand was detected immunohistologically increased in parallel, and after appropriate correction, the cellular density of receptors remained relatively constant throughout (60,000-80,000 sites/cell). Increments in binding during the culture period were thus due predominantly to expansion of a population of cells bearing receptors. Similar differences in binding were apparent upon comparison of cells cultured in different doses of PHA, and in unstimulated cells binding was negligible. Transferrin receptors appear, therefore, to be readily detectable only upon lymphocytes that have been activated

The incorporation of polyphony into Russian sacred music

It is a matter of record that while music in the West steadily incorporated polyphony from the ninth century onwards, sacred music in Russia remained largely monophonic until around mid–17th century, when Western–style polyphony (partesny) suddenly appeared and was incorporated. However, the extant literature does not provide any fully satisfactory explanation for the success of this sudden incursion of polyphony, after almost seven centuries of concerted monophony. Accordingly, in this thesis, I examined the period from 1650–1750 in detail, to clarify the factors either promoting, or inhibiting, the abrupt appearance of polyphony. I identified several powerful pre–existing inhibitors, which I conclude had collectively barred polyphony up to mid–17th century. These included religious opposition, geographical isolation, a lack of training facilities and of singers capable of part singing, and musical roadblocks in the traditional Russia monophonic canon. I proposed that the appearance of partesny was directly and temporally related to the softening and eventual disappearance of these inhibitors. In addition, numerous promoters of polyphony long operative in the West, that had previously been largely absent in Russia, emerged gradually as inhibitors waned. I conclude that the array of inhibitors identified played a primary role in successfully holding polyphony at bay until mid–17th century, with an additional lack of promoters playing a secondary role. I further suggest that while the secular music that developed subsequently in the 18th and subsequent centuries could have incorporated polyphony independently of sacred music at several different historical time points, ingress of polyphony into Russian liturgical music may only have been practically possible in the period from 1650–1750. Failing that, it is plausible that Russia’s sacred music could have remained largely monophonic to the present day, as is the case for Greek sacred music

Lymphocyte Culture: Induction of Colonies by Conditioned Medium from Human Lymphoid Cell Lines

It has been shown that macrophage and granulocyte colonies can be induced m semisolid agar (1-3) in the presence of substances termed colony-stimulating factors (CSF), which are released predominantly by monocytes (4). However, attempts to induce formation of lymphoid colonies with CSF have so far proved unsuccessful. In the mouse, B lymphoid colonies are formed in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol (5), and T lymphoid colonies can be induced with the plant lectins phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (6). T lymphoid colonies can also be established from human peripheral blood lymphocytes in the presence of PHA (7-9), whereas with pokeweed mitogen mixed T and B lymphoid colonies are formed (9). Established human lymphoid cell lines multiply spontaneously in the absence of plant lectins or mercaptoethanol, and it seemed possible that such cells might release growth-stimulating substances into the culture medium. We have therefore investigated the ability of conditioned medium (CM) obtained from lymphoid cell lines to induce normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to form lymphoid colonies in agar

Effect of Cupping Therapy on Muscle Tenderness in Collegiate Baseball Players Compared to Sham Treatment: A Randomized, Single-Blinded Trial

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cupping therapy on muscular tenderness in the triceps surae of collegiate baseball players when compared to a control and sham treatment conditions. Methods: 20 collegiate baseball players (age= 22 ± 2 years, height= 186.8 ± 6.9 cm, weight= 88.6 ± 8.5 kg) participated in this study. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the treatment or sham treatment group. A mark was placed 10-cm superior to the musculotendinous junction of the Achilles tendon and the gastrocnemius on both legs. The treatment or sham treatment was then applied over the mark on the right leg for 15-minutes, with the left leg serving as a control. Muscle tenderness was measured in both legs with a handheld algometer at baseline and after treatment. An independent samples t-test was performed to determine differences in changes to muscle tenderness between the cupping therapy and sham cupping therapy groups. Paired samples t-tests were used to determine differences in changes to muscle tenderness between cupping therapy and sham cupping therapy groups and their respective controls. Results: A significant difference in reduction of muscle tenderness was found between the cupping therapy treatment group and the respective control group (treatment = 1.37 ± 0.54, treatment control = 0.5 ± 1.5, p = 0.009). A significant difference in reduction of tenderness was also noted between the cupping therapy treatment group, and the sham cupping therapy treatment group (treatment = 1.37 ± 0.54, sham = -0.37, p \u3c 0.001). Conclusion: A single 15-minute cupping therapy treatment can decrease muscle tenderness at the triceps surae when compared to both a control and sham treatment condition. These findings are in keeping with previous studies, with the added benefit of attempting to control for a placebo effect and bias during statistical analysis. Keywords: Cupping Therapy, Myofascial Decompression, Muscle Tenderness, Algometr

The Northwest Tropical Atlantic Station (NTAS) : NTAS-1 mooring deployment cruise report

A surface mooring outfitted for meteorological and oceanographic measurement was deployed near 14°50'N, 51°00'W in the northwest tropical Atlantic on 30 March 2001. This was the initial deployment of the Northwest Tropical Atlantic Station (NTAS) project for air–sea flux measurement. These observations will be used to investigate air–sea interaction processes related to climate variability. The deployment was done on R/V Oceanus Cruise 365, Leg 5 by the Upper Ocean Processes Group (UOP) of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The 3-meter discus buoy was outfitted with two Air–Sea Interaction Meteorology (ASIMET) systems. Each system measures, records, and transmits via Argos satellite the surface meteorological variables necessary to compute air–sea fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum. The upper 120 m of the mooring line was outfitted with oceanographic sensors for the measurement of temperature and velocity. This report describes the initial deployment of the NTAS mooring (NTAS-1), including some of the pre-cruise buoy preparations and post cruise data comparisons.Funding was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research (CICOR) under Grant No. NA87RJ0445

Taxonomic voucher specimens for study of bee communities in intensively managed Douglas-fir forests in the Oregon Coast Range

Understanding how pollinators respond to anthropogenic land use is key to conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, but few studies have addressed this topic in coniferous forests, particularly those managed intensively for wood production. This study reports on voucher material generated as part of Zitomer et al. (2023), that assessed changes in wild bee communities with time since harvest in 60 intensively managed Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) stands in the Oregon Coast Range across a gradient in stand age spanning a typical harvest rotation (0-37 years post-harvest). We additionally assessed relationships of bee diversity and community composition to relevant habitat features, including availability of floral resources and nest sites, understory vegetation characteristics, and composition of the surrounding landscape. Specimens were collected using a combination of passive sampling methods-blue vane traps and white, blue, and yellow bowl traps- and hand-netting and were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level by A.R. Moldenke and L.R. Best. Four hundred and ten taxonomic voucher specimens were deposited into the Oregon State Arthropod Collection (Accession# OSAC_AC_2023_01_09-001-01) to serve as a reference for future research

The Marine light - mixed layer experiment cruise and data report, R/V Endeavor : cruise EN-224, mooring deployment, 27 April-1 May 1991, cruise EN-227, mooring recovery, 5-23 September 1991

The Marine Light - Mixed Layer experiment took place in the sub-Arctic North Atlantic ocean, approximately 275 miles south of Reykjavik, Iceland. The field program included a central surface mooring to document the temporal evolution of physical, biological and optical properties. The surface mooring was deployed at approximately 59°N, 21°W on 29 April 1991 and recovered on 6 September 1991. The Upper Ocean Processes Group of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was responsible for design, preparation, deployment, and recovery of the mooring. The Group's contrbution to the field measurements included four different types of sensors: a meteorological observation package on the surface buoy, a string of 15 temperature sensors along the mooring line, an acoustic Doppler current profiler, and four instruments for measuring mooring tension and accelerations. The observations obtained from the mooring are sufficient to describe the air-sea fluxes and the local physical response to surface forcing. The objective in the analysis phase will be to determine the factors controlling this physical response and to work towards an understanding of the links among physical, biological, and optical processes. This report describes the deployment and recovery of the mooring, the meteorological data, and the subsurface temperature and current data.Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under Contract N00014-89-J-1683

Sharing a household with children and risk of COVID-19: a study of over 300 000 adults living in healthcare worker households in Scotland

Objective: Children are relatively protected from COVID-19, due to a range of potential mechanisms. We investigated if contact with children also affords adults a degree of protection from COVID-19. Design: Cohort study based on linked administrative data. Setting: Scotland. Study population: All National Health Service Scotland healthcare workers and their household contacts as of March 2020. Main exposure: Number of young children (0–11 years) living in the participant’s household. Main outcomes: COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation, and any COVID-19 (any positive test for SARS-CoV-2) in adults aged ≥18 years between 1 March and 12 October 2020. Results: 241 266, 41 198, 23 783 and 3850 adults shared a household with 0, 1, 2 and 3 or more young children, respectively. Over the study period, the risk of COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation was reduced progressively with increasing numbers of household children—fully adjusted HR (aHR) 0.93 per child (95% CI 0.79 to 1.10). The risk of any COVID-19 was similarly reduced, with the association being statistically significant (aHR per child 0.93; 95% CI 0.88 to 0.98). After schools reopened to all children in August 2020, no association was seen between exposure to young children and risk of any COVID-19 (aHR per child 1.03; 95% CI 0.92 to 1.14). Conclusion: Between March and October 2020, living with young children was associated with an attenuated risk of any COVID-19 and COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation among adults living in healthcare worker households. There was no evidence that living with young children increased adults’ risk of COVID-19, including during the period after schools reopened

Parallel tracks towards a global treaty on carbon pricing

We argue that a global carbon price is the only way to effectively tackle free riding in international climate policy, required to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We briefly review the main reasons behind the essential role of carbon pricing, address common misunderstandings and scepticism, and identify key complementary policy instruments. Negotiating global carbon pricing is argued to be much easier than negotiating binding country-level targets, especially if it includes equitable revenue recycling. Moreover, a global carbon price can be more readily adapted to new data and insights of climate science. We propose a political strategy towards a global carbon price that consists of two tracks. The first entails assembly of a carbon-pricing club, a specific case of a climate club, to gradually move towards a full participatory agreement on carbon pricing. The second track involves putting time and energy into re-focusing UNFCCC negotiations on a carbon-pricing agreement. The two tracks reinforce one another, increasing the likelihood of a successful outcome