Evidence of hybridization between Galatella villosa and G. linosyris, and a taxonomic reappraisal of the hybrid G. xsubvillosa

At the westernmost distribution of the steppe herbaceous plant, Galatella villosa, in Hungary, Serbia and Ukraine, we recently observed intermediate specimens between this species and its close relative, G. linosyris. We were able to demonstrate the hybrid origin of these individuals by sequencing the biparentally inherited nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) region and checking additive polymorphism in the hybrids. In addition, examination of the maternally inherited plastid regions (trnH-psbA and trnL-trnF intergenic spacers) revealed that G. villosa is likely to be the maternal parent in the Hungarian and Ukrainian populations and G. linosyris in the Serbian population. The intermediate forms produced only sterile seeds. The alleged hybrid between the above two species has already been described as G. xsubvillosa based on a very brief diagnosis. Still, the analysis of the morphological characters using linear discriminant analyses clearly separated the holotype of G. xsubvillosa from individuals of G. linosyris x G. villosa. The latter appeared to be morphologically intermediate between populations of G. villosa and G. linosyris. Contrary to the originally stated hybrid origin of the type plants of G. xsubvillosa, morphological evidence indicates the involvement of G. divaricata not G. linosyris. The hybrid G. linosyris x G. villosa is thus described here, as a new nothospecies G. xfeketegaborii. This study highlights the power of easily available molecular phylogenetic tools for demonstrating the hybrid origin of plants and illustrates how additive polymorphism can be distinguished from other types of intraindividual polymorphism in nuclear DNA sequences.Peer reviewe

Specific detection and quantitation of bovine IgG in bioreactor derived mouse mAb preparations

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Toward harmonization of interpretive commenting of common laboratory tests

Interpretive commenting (IC) is an integral part of postanalytical activities of laboratories when the clinical interpretation of laboratory results in the context of the clinical situation of a patient is provided. Harmonizing practices in IC can be an approach to ensure high-quality comments, which if followed by adequate clinical actions has a great potential in improving patient outcomes. This paper reviews basic work prior to harmonization of IC of common laboratory test results. Practices in IC are considerably diverse both within and between countries. The quality of comments is diverse and often clinically misleading in studies that characterize and estimate error prevalence in IC. Systems that can initiate, monitor, and maintain harmonization in IC are in an evolving state. Despite international initiatives, harmonized, implementable performance indicators and goals in IC are not yet available. External quality assurance (EQA) schemes are accessible mainly in English-speaking countries. A proposal for the standard structure of EQA schemes for interpretive comments in clinical chemistry and best practice recommendations for IC are available. Few studies that demonstrate evidence on the clinical utility of IC are available in the literature. To set a strategy on further steps toward harmonization in IC, well-controlled clinical studies need to be conducted, in collaboration with laboratories and their users on the clinical usefulness of IC. Until enough evidence on the value of IC in patient outcomes accumulates, standards of qualification and training for performing IC and more EQA schemes in native languages of the users are required to improve the quality of IC

Influence of TOR kinase on lifespan in C. elegans

The group of enzymes known as TOR (for 'target of rapamycin') kinases regulates cell growth and proliferation in response to nutrients and hormone-dependent mitogenic signals1, 2. Here we show that TOR deficiency in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans more than doubles its natural lifespan. This new function for TOR signalling in ageing control may represent a link between nutrition, metabolism and longevity

In the service of reintegration: educators in Hungarian correctional institutions

Research has demonstrated that giving inmates adequate education during their custodial sentences can reduce recidivism Gerber and Fritsch, 1993; Ripley, 1993; Vacca, 2004). There is a relative lack of research, however, on the impact of prisons on their own staff, with little systematic examination of the professional community who are tasked with assisting the social adaptation of inmates. Even less attention is generally paid to examining and surveying the prison teachers who design and deliver the prison programs which aim to reduce recidivism. Staff should perform high-quality work to be able to participate in the preparation of inmates for reintegration, but they may be prevented from doing so effectively through restraints, for example, those related to overcrowding and staffing shortages. Presenting both quantitative and qualitative data, this article discusses the main problems constraining the work of corrections educators based in both prisons and colleges in Hungary. The data presented are drawn from an investigation conducted by the three Hungarian lead authors between January 2017 and April 2017. The data collection approach included questionnaires and interviews conducted with corrections educators and staff inside two Hungarian correctional centres and four ‘outside’ educational institutions or colleges

State Correction after Re-Routing with Reduced State Resource Reservation Protocols

Recently, a new working group -- NSIS -- was established within the IETF to develop a general signalling protocol primarily to support QoS resource reservation. Two main operation modes have been clarified, stateful and reduced state. The first mode relies on per flow-state information in all interior nodes while the other uses aggregated states. Stateful operation is based on RSVP, reduced state on RMD. With the use of aggregated states instead of per-flow granularity one looses fine control over resources but derives a scalable and more efficient protocol. However, some problems need new handling mechanisms. In this paper we discuss the problem of re-routing from the aspect of reduced state resource reservation. We show how quickly and easily RSVP handles such situations but reduced state solutions like RMD require new mechanisms for a quick reaction. We propose and analyse several solutions

The applicability of CFD to simulate and study the mixing process and the thermo-hydraulic consequences of a main steam line break in PWR model

This paper focuses on the validation and applicability of CFD to simulate and analyze the thermo-hydraulic consequences of a main steam line break. Extensive validation data come from experiments performed using the Rossendorf coolant mixing model facility. For the calculation, the range of 9 to 12 million hexahe¬dral cells was constructed to capture all details in the interrogation domain in the system. The analysis was performed by running a time-dependent calculation, Detailed analyses were made at different cross-sections in the system to evaluate not only the value of the maximum and minimum temperature, but also the loca¬tion and the time at which it occurs during the transient which is considered to be indicator for the quality of mixing in the system. CFD and experimental results were qualitatively compared; mixing in the cold legs with emergency core cooling systems was overestimated. This could be explained by the sensitivity to the bound¬ary conditions. In the downcomer, the experiments displayed higher mixing: by our assumption this related to the dense measurement grid (they were not modelled). The temperature distribution in the core inlet plane agreed with the measurement results. Minor deviations were seen in the quantitative comparisons: the maximum temperature difference was 2ºC