Mars Mariner 4 - Identification of some Martian surface features

Martian surface features identified from photographs by Mariner 4 space prob

Follow-up services for improving long-term outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: Our main objective is to assess the effectiveness of follow-up services for ICU survivors that aim to identify and address unmet health needs related to the ICU period. We aim to assess the effectiveness in relation to health-related quality of life, mortality, depression and anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, physical function, cognitive function, ability to return to work or education and adverse events. Our secondary objectives are, in general, to examine both the various ways that follow-up services are provided and any major influencing factors. Specifically, we aim to explore: the effectiveness of service organisation (physician versus nurse led, face to face versus remote, timing of follow-up service); possible differences in services related to country (developed versus developing country); and whether participants had delirium within the ICU setting

Toxoplasma gondii major surface antigen (SAG1): in vitro analysis of host cell binding

Previous studies have indicated that SAG1, the major surface molecule of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is an important attachment ligand for the host cell. However, the research data that supports this claim comes largely from studies investigating tachyzoite binding, and not SAG1 binding per se. In this study we successfully developed an in vitro attachment assay to directly evaluate the mechanism of SAG1-host cell binding. Competition experiments were then performed using SAG1 that had been pre-treated with the neoglycoprotein BSA-glucosamide or with antibody. Soluble BSA-glucosamide blocked SAG1 attachment to MDBK cells in a dose-dependent manner, implying that SAG1 binding is mediated, in part, via attachment to host cell surface glucosamine. Interestingly, pre-incubation of SAG1 in polyclonal sera from chronically infected mice failed to block binding. This challenges the assumption that anti-SAG1 antibodies block parasite attachment through the masking of SAG1 host cell binding domains. Taken together, this evidence presents new strategies for understanding SAG1-mediated attachment

Enamel maturation: a brief background with implications for some enamel dysplasias

The maturation stage of enamel development begins once the final tissue thickness has been laid down. Maturation includes an initial transitional pre-stage during which morphology and function of the enamel organ cells change. When this is complete, maturation proper begins. Fully functional maturation stage cells are concerned with final proteolytic degradation and removal of secretory matrix components which are replaced by tissue fluid. Crystals, initiated during the secretory stage, then grow replacing the tissue fluid. Crystals grow in both width and thickness until crystals abut each other occupying most of the tissue volume i.e. full maturation. If this is not complete at eruption, a further post eruptive maturation can occur via mineral ions from the saliva. During maturation calcium and phosphate enter the tissue to facilitate crystal growth. Whether transport is entirely active or not is unclear. Ion transport is also not unidirectional and phosphate, for example, can diffuse out again especially during transition and early maturation. Fluoride and magnesium, selectively taken up at this stage can also diffuse both in an out of the tissue. Crystal growth can be compromised by excessive fluoride and by ingress of other exogenous molecules such as albumin and tetracycline. This may be exacerbated by the relatively long duration of this stage, 10 days or so in a rat incisor and up to several years in human teeth rendering this stage particularly vulnerable to ingress of foreign materials, incompletely mature enamel being the result

An Embarrassment of Riches or a Profusion of Confusion? An Evaluation of the Continued Existence of the Civil Union Act of 2006 in the Light of Prospective Domestic Partnerships Legislation in South Africa

As it stands, South African family law currently holds that the Marriage Act 25 of 1961 applies exclusively to the solemnisation of heterosexual civil marriages while same-sex couples have no choice but to formalise their relationships in terms of the Civil Union Act 17 of 2006. In addition, the legal position is complicated by the fact that the latter Act not only allows both heterosexual and homosexual couples to conclude a civil union, but also provides that a civil union may take the form of either a marriage or a civil partnership, both of which enjoy the same legal recognition as, and give rise to the same legal consequences, as a civil marriage under the Marriage Act.In January 2008, a draft Domestic Partnerships Bill saw the light of day, the potential enactment of which casts significant doubt as to whether the prevailing framework should be retained. With this potential development in mind, this paper considers the desirability of maintaining the "separate but equal" status quo by: (a) comparing the South African Law Reform Commission's pre-Civil Union Act proposals with the approach eventually adopted by the legislature; (b) comparing and contrasting the post-Civil Union Act position in South Africa with that of an established and well-ordered jurisdiction such as the Netherlands and, in the light hereof, considering the cases for and against repealing the Civil Union Act; and (c) by considering the desirability and practicality of the civil partnership's potential co-existence with the Domestic Partnerships Bill (as modified in accordance with a recent study). A proposal is made that could provide a less complex and better streamlined family law dispensation in South Africa

Episodic Post-Shock Dust Formation in the Colliding Winds of Eta Carinae

Eta Carinae shows broad peaks in near-infrared (IR) JHKL photometry, roughly correlated with times of periastron passage in the eccentric binary system. After correcting for secular changes attributed to reduced extinction from the thinning Homunculus Nebula, these peaks have IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) consistent with emission from hot dust at 1400-1700 K. The excess SEDs are clearly inconsistent, however, with the excess being entirely due to free-free wind or photospheric emission. One must conclude, therefore, that the broad near-IR peaks associated with Eta Carinae's 5.5 yr variability are due to thermal emission from hot dust. I propose that this transient hot dust results from episodic formation of grains within compressed post-shock zones of the colliding winds, analogous to the episodic dust formation in Wolf-Rayet binary systems like WR140 or the post-shock dust formation seen in some supernovae like SN2006jc. This dust formation in Eta Carinae seems to occur preferentially near and after periastron passage; near-IR excess emission then fades as the new dust disperses and cools. With the high grain temperatures and Eta Car's C-poor abundances, the grains are probably composed of corundum or similar species that condense at high temperatures, rather than silicates or graphite. Episodic dust formation in Eta Car's colliding winds significantly impacts our understanding of the system, and several observable consequences are discussed.Comment: MNRAS accepted; 8 pages, 5 figs, 2 color fig

Protective vaccination in the horse against _Streptococcus equi_ with recombinant antigens

_Streptococcus equi_ subspecies _equi_ (_S. equi_) is a clonal, equine host-adapted pathogen of global importance that causes a highly contagious suppurative lymphodendopathy of the head and neck, more commonly known as Strangles. The disease is highly prevalent, can be severe and spread easily by visibly infected animals or by carrier animals that show no clinical signs of disease. Antibiotic treatment is usually ineffective. However, the majority of horses develop immunity to re-infection, suggesting that vaccination should be a feasible way to prevent the infection. Live attenuated vaccine strains of _S. equi_ are available but adverse reactions have been reported and they suffer from a short duration of immunity. Thus, a safe and effective vaccine against _S. equi_ is highly desirable. In this report, Welsh mountain ponies vaccinated with a combination of seven recombinant _S. equi_ proteins, were significantly protected from experimental infection by _S. equi_, resembling the spontaneous disease. The protective antigens consisted of five surface localized proteins and two IgG endopeptidases. The results from a second vaccination trial indicate that the endopeptidases were important for good protection. The similarity of _S. equi_ to other pyogenic streptococci suggests that our findings have broader implications for the prevention of streptococcal infections