498 research outputs found
Nested Dynamics of Metropolitan Processes and Policies - MELBOURNE
BACKGROUND PAPERS FOR THE METROPOLITAN STUDY: 1 -- The Project "Nested Dynamics of Metropolitan Processes and Policies" was initiated by the Regional and Urban Development Group in 1983 and work on this collaborative study started in 1983. This series of contributions represent "entry tickets" to the Project, i.e., initial statements by authors from individual metropolitan regions that are participating in the Project's network.
The aim of these papers is threefold. First, to provide some background information describing the processes of change within four principal subsystems: population, housing, economy, and transportation. Second, to identify major trends and crucial policy issues which are to constitute a focus for the subsequent analytical and modeling work. Third, to facilitate comparative studies of development paths among these regions and the dynamic interdependencies between the above subsystems.
The background material contained in this paper pertains to the Melbourne metropolitan region
Epidemiology of African horsesickness: antibodies in free-living elephants (Loxodonta africana) and their response to experimental infection
The presence of low levels of group- and type-specific antibodies against African horsesickness virus
in the serum of some free-living elephants was reconfirmed. Experimental infection resulted in conflicting results. No detectable viraemia nor virus could be demonstrated in the organs of the six elephant
calves and none of them mounted significant levels of neutralizing antibodies against the virus. On the
other hand, all calves showed a slight rise in ELISA titres. This rise, however, was modest when compared
with the rise in experimentally infected zebra. The presence of low levels of group- and type-specific
antibodies in the serum of some free-living elephants is judged to be the result of natural hyperimmunization
due to frequent exposure to infected biting insects. Elephants should therefore, despite
the presence of low levels of antibodies, be regarded as poorly susceptible and unlikely to be a source
of African horsesickness virus.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201
Epidemiology of African horsesickness : duration of viraemia in zebra (Equus burchelli)
The viraemic period of African horsesickness is significantly longer in experimentally infected zebra
than in horses. The virus could be isolated 40 d post-infection from blood and 48 d post-infection from
spleen. The introduction of zebra into African horsesickness-free countries should therefore be considered
carefully, and preferably be restricted to serologically negative zebra.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201
Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, in a kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) from a commercial game farm in the Malelane area of the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, was diagnosed for the first time, in a kudu cow from
a commercial game ranch in the Malelane area of the Mpumalanga Province close to the Kruger
National Park. This diagnosis has important implications for the eradication of the disease in commercial
and communal livestock in the area. Kudus are considered to be a potential maintenance
host and, because of discharging fistulae in the parotid area where the lymph nodes are commonly
infected, they have the potential of disseminating bacteria over wide areas. Cognisance should be
taken of the presence of tuberculosis in a species other than domesticated cattle in this area and its
implications for the control of tuberculosis in cattle.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201
Tuberculosis in kudus (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) in the Kruger National Park
Five kudus ( Tragelaphus strepsiceros), three bulls and two cows, within
the Greater Kruger National Park complex, were diagnosed with
generalized tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis. The lesions
seen in these animals were similar to those previously reported in kudus
and included severe tuberculous lymphadenitis of the nodes of the head
and neck (that resulted in noticeable uni- or bilateral swelling beneath
the ear), thorax, and the mesentery. All the animals also suffered from
severe granulomatous pneumonia. The lesions in the lungs were more
severe cranially and had a miliary distribution elsewhere in the lungs.
Based on the DNA patterns of the M. bovis isolates, at least some of
these kudus were infected with strains commonly present in tuberculous
buffaloes, lions, cheetahs, and baboons in the Park whereas other
strains from these kudus were quite different and may reflect another
source of infection. The presence of tuberculous kudus in the Park is
expected to complicate control measures that may be instituted to
contain or eradicate the disease in the Park.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201
The rise and fall of tuberculosis in a free-ranging chacma baboon troop in the Kruger National Park
A single troop of free-ranging chacma baboons ( Papio ursinus) was found
to be infected with tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis. It is
assumed that some members of the troop originally became infected when
feeding on a tuberculous carcass in the veld or on tuberculous material
scavenged at a nearby post mortem facility. Subsequently, apparent
aerosol transmission took place while sleeping in an unused room. Oral
transmission probably also occurred due to continuous contamination of
the floor of this room and the common, narrow access (a train bridge
crossing the Sabi River) to it with faeces and urine. A macroscopic
prevalence of 50% was found and the disease was noted to progress
rapidly in infected baboons. A variety of organs had typical tuberculous
lesions, of which the spleen, lungs and mesenteric lymph nodes were
consistently, grossly affected. Using Restriction Fragment Length
Polymorphism analysis, all but one of the baboon isolates were found to
be identical to the most common African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer)
isolate (genotype 1) in this Park. The opportunistic sleeping facility
was made inaccessible to the troop, which was forced to revert to
sleeping in trees. A follow-up survey six months after closure,
demonstrated that the disease had disappeared from the troop, and that
no spillover infection had occurred into neighbouring troops.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201
Avian influenza a virus in wild birds in highly urbanized areas
Avian influenza virus (AIV) surveillance studies in wild birds are usually conducted in rural areas and nature reserves. Less is known of avian influenza virus prevalence in wild birds located in densely populated urban areas, while these birds are more likely to be in close contact with humans. Influenza virus prevalence was investigated in 6059 wild birds sampled in cities in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2009, and compared with parallel AIV surveillance data from low urbanized areas in the Netherlands. Viral prevalence varied with the level of urbanization, with highest prevalence in low urbanized areas. Within cities virus was detected in 0.5% of birds, while seroprevalence exceeded 50%. Ring recoveries of urban wild birds sampled for virus detection demonstrated that most birds were sighted within the same city, while few were sighted in other cities or migrated up to 2659 km away from the sample location in the Netherlands. Here we show that urban birds were infected with AIVs and that urban birds were not separated completely from populations of long-distance migrants. The latter suggests that wild birds in cities may play a role in the introduction of AIVs into cities. Thus, urban bird populations should not be excluded as a human-animal interface for influenza viruses
Incidence of Feline lmmunodeficiency virus reactive antibodies in free-ranging lions of the Kruger National Park and the Etosha National Park in southern Africa detected by recombinant FIV p24 antigen
Lion sera from the Kruger National Park (KNP) dating back to 1977 and from the Etosha National Park (ENP), obtained from 1989 to 1991 , have been analysed by ELISA and Western blot analyses using a genetically engineered antigen representing the p24 structural protein of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). It was concluded that some 83% of 98 KNP lion sera reacted with the p24 antigen, while none of 28 ENP lion sera reacted. A few other KNP felids (cheetahs and genets) gave samples
that did not react with the FIV p24 antigen. For the KNP lions, apart from a lower prevalence in cubs (50%), no particular trends were demonstrated in terms of age, sex, date or origins of the samples. In Western blot and radio-immunoprecipitation analyses the lion sera reacted with the engineered p24 antigen, as well as with the p15 and p24 gag proteins and the p50 gag precursor protein from FIV, indicating that the agent is probably a lentivirus related to FIV. The ELISA with the engineered p24 antigen required less serum and appears to be more sensitive at detecting FlY-reactive antibodies than assays with available commercial kits.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.Virbac Laboratories, France.mn201
NF-κB and IκBα are found in the mitochondria. Evidence for regulation of mitochondrial gene expression by NF-κB
The transcription factor NF-κB has been shown to be predominantly cytoplasmically localized in the absence of an inductive signal. Stimulation of cells with inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α or interleukin-1 induces the degradation of IκB, the inhibitor of NF-κB, allowing nuclear accumulation of NF-κB and regulation of specific gene expression. The degradation of IκB is controlled initially by phosphorylation induced by the IκB kinase, which leads to ubiquitination and subsequent proteolysis of the inhibitor by the proteasome. We report here that NF-κB and IκBα (but not IκBβ) are also localized in the mitochondria. Stimulation of cells with tumor necrosis factor α leads to the phosphorylation of mitochondrial IκBα and its subsequent degradation by a nonproteasome-dependent pathway. Interestingly, expression of the mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase III and cytochrome b mRNAs were reduced by cytokine treatment of cells. Inhibition of activation of mitochondrial NF-κB by expression of the superrepressor form of IκBα inhibited the loss of expression of both cytochrome c oxidase III and cytochrome b mRNA. These data indicate that the NF-κB regulatory pathway exists in mitochondria and that NF-κB can negatively regulate mitochondrial mRNA expression
Probing neutrino properties with charged scalar lepton decays
Supersymmetry with bilinear R-parity violation provides a predictive
framework for neutrino masses and mixings in agreement with current neutrino
oscillation data. The model leads to striking signals at future colliders
through the R-parity violating decays of the lightest supersymmetric particle.
Here we study charged scalar lepton decays and demonstrate that if the scalar
tau is the LSP (i) it will decay within the detector, despite the smallness of
the neutrino masses, (ii) the relative ratio of branching ratios Br({tilde
tau}_1 --> e sum nu_i)/ Br({tilde tau}_1 --> mu sum nu_i) is predicted from the
measured solar neutrino angle, and (iii) scalar muon and scalar electron decays
will allow to test the consistency of the model. Thus, bilinear R-parity
breaking SUSY will be testable at future colliders also in the case where the
LSP is not the neutralino.Comment: 24 pages, 8 ps figs Report-no.: IFIC/02-33 and ZU-TH 11/0
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