Ocular motor abnormalities in achiasmatic mutant Belgian sheepdogs: Unyoked eye movements in a mammal

AbstractWe studied the eye movements of several members of a family of Belgian sheepdogs that includes achiasmatic mutants. Our aim was to identify the types of nystagmus and other ocular motor abnormalities exhibited by the mutants. We also recorded from several unaffected heterozygous carriers of the genetic mutation and from a normal Irish Setter. Mutant dogs exhibited nystagmus waveforms that were occasionally similar to those of humans with congenital nystagmus (CN). Foveating and braking saccades and foveation periods were seen in some waveforms. More common were pendular oscillations of both eyes that were essentially independent in amplitude and phase. At some times there was a pendular nystagmus with a 180 deg phase shift between the movements of the eyes. Similar to the nystagmus, saccades were often unyoked or uniocular. The eye movements of unaffected relatives did not reveal any saccadic instabilities. However, small saccadic intrusions could have been masked by quantization artifacts. Individual dogs from this family provide an animal model of the ocular motor consequences of the disturbed visual input caused by the absence of an optic chiasm and a novel model of CN. Despite any other ocular motor abnormalities present, the CN may be studied in isolation just as in humans it is studied when strabismus and other types of nystagmus are present. Further studies of ocular motor development and function in achiasmatic dogs have the potential to reveal both the organization of the control systems for each extraocular muscle and the role of yoking of the agonist muscles of the two eyes

A user's guide to the MultiMet Sensor Management and Calibration Facility

The report describes the operating instructions and procedures for the MultiMet Sensor Management and Calibration Facility. This includes a description of the Meteological database ME'IDB, and the Sensor Management database which organises the large number of sensors required by the Multimet System. Calibration procedures and policies are also described for the various types of sensors used

A framework for understanding the factors influencing pair programming success

Pair programming is one of the more controversial aspects of several Agile system development methods, in particular eXtreme Programming (XP). Various studies have assessed factors that either drive the success or suggest advantages (and disadvantages) of pair programming. In this exploratory study the literature on pair programming is examined and factors distilled. These factors are then compared and contrasted with those discovered in our recent Delphi study of pair programming. Gallis et al. (2003) have proposed an initial framework aimed at providing a comprehensive identification of the major factors impacting team programming situations including pair programming. However, this study demonstrates that the framework should be extended to include an additional category of factors that relate to organizational matters. These factors will be further refined, and used to develop and empirically evaluate a conceptual model of pair programming (success)

The congenital and see-saw nystagmus in the prototypical achiasma of canines: comparison to the human achiasmatic prototype

AbstractWe applied new methods for canine eye-movement recording to the study of achiasmatic mutant Belgian Sheepdogs, documenting their nystagmus waveforms and comparing them to humans with either congenital nystagmus (CN) alone or in conjunction with achiasma. A sling apparatus with head restraints and infrared reflection with either earth- or head-mounted sensors were used. Data were digitized for later evaluation. The horizontal nystagmus (1–6 Hz) was similar to that of human CN. Uniocular and disconjugate nystagmus and saccades were recorded. See-saw nystagmus (SSN), not normally seen with human CN, was present in all mutants (0.5–6 Hz) and in the one human achiasmat studied thus far. This pedigree is an animal model of CN and the SSN caused by achiasma or uniocular decussation. Given the finding of SSN in all mutant dogs and in a human, achiasma may be sufficient for the development of congenital SSN and, in human infants, SSN should alert the clinician to the possibility of either achiasma or uniocular decussation. Finally, the interplay of conjugacy and disconjugacy suggests independent ocular motor control of each eye with variable yoking in the dog

Panton-Valentine leukocidin associated staphylococcal disease: a cross-sectional study at a London hospital, England

AbstractRecently, there has been international concern at the rapid emergence of highly pathogenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus associated with a toxin called Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL). In the UK, these strains are considered to be rare and mainly severe. We estimate the proportion of staphylococcal infections that are caused by strains containing the PVL genes, and describe risk factors for these infections. Three hundred and ninety consecutive S. aureus clinical isolates, submitted for routine diagnostic purposes were screened for PVL genes. Risk factors for infection were identified from the patient medical record. 9.7% (95% CI 7.0–13.1%) of clinical isolates and 20.8% of skin and soft tissue specimens contained the genes for PVL. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus with PVL was rare (0.8% of all isolates) but PVL with methicillin-sensitive S. aureus was common (9.0% of all specimens). PVL infection was more frequent in males (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.3–7.0), and in young adults aged 20–39 years (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.3–10.4). Over half of PVL positive S. aureus infections originated in patients based in the community. Community-onset PVL-associated disease is common in the UK and mainly causes skin and soft tissue infections that do not require admission to hospital. Consideration should be given to current infection control strategy, which advocates household contact screening and decolonization on the assumption that PVL-associated disease is rare

Giant Alcohol: A Worthy Opponent for the Children of the Band of Hope

From its foundation in 1847, the temperance organisation the Band of Hope addressed its young members as consumers, victims, and agents. In the first two roles they encountered the effects of drink of necessity, but in the third role they were encouraged to seek it out, attempting to influence individuals and wider society against 'Giant Alcohol'. With an estimated membership of half the school-age population by the early twentieth century, well over three million, the Band of Hope also acted more directly to influence policy, and encouraged young people to consider issues of policy and politics. With its wide range of activities and material to educate, entertain and empower millions of children, and its radical view of the place of the child, the Band of Hope not only mobilised its child members to lobby for legal change, including prohibition, but took an active part in pointing out the cost of alcohol to society, particularly during the 14-18 war. The organisation began to decline post 1918, and this paper focuses on the address made to children by the Band of Hope in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, at a time when its innovative view of children as able to understand and influence policy decisions reflected developments in the construction of childhood. This article draws on the archive of the British National Temperance League, over 50,000 items located in the Livesey Collection, University of Central Lancashire

Distinct gene loci control the host response to influenza H1N1 virus infection in a time-dependent manner

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is strong but mostly circumstantial evidence that genetic factors modulate the severity of influenza infection in humans. Using genetically diverse but fully inbred strains of mice it has been shown that host sequence variants have a strong influence on the severity of influenza A disease progression. In particular, C57BL/6J, the most widely used mouse strain in biomedical research, is comparatively resistant. In contrast, DBA/2J is highly susceptible.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To map regions of the genome responsible for differences in influenza susceptibility, we infected a family of 53 BXD-type lines derived from a cross between C57BL/6J and DBA/2J strains with influenza A virus (PR8, H1N1). We monitored body weight, survival, and mean time to death for 13 days after infection. <it>Qivr5</it> (quantitative trait for influenza virus resistance on chromosome 5) was the largest and most significant QTL for weight loss. The effect of <it>Qivr5</it> was detectable on day 2 post infection, but was most pronounced on days 5 and 6. Survival rate mapped to <it>Qivr5</it>, but additionally revealed a second significant locus on chromosome 19 (<it>Qivr19</it>). Analysis of mean time to death affirmed both <it>Qivr5</it> and <it>Qivr19</it>. In addition, we observed several regions of the genome with suggestive linkage. There are potentially complex combinatorial interactions of the parental alleles among loci. Analysis of multiple gene expression data sets and sequence variants in these strains highlights about 30 strong candidate genes across all loci that may control influenza A susceptibility and resistance.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We have mapped influenza susceptibility loci to chromosomes 2, 5, 16, 17, and 19. Body weight and survival loci have a time-dependent profile that presumably reflects the temporal dynamic of the response to infection. We highlight candidate genes in the respective intervals and review their possible biological function during infection.</p

Synthesis effects on the magnetic and superconducting properties of RuSr2GdCu2O8

A systematic study on the synthesis of the Ru-1212 compound by preparing a series of samples that were annealed at increasing temperatures and then quenched has been performed. It results that the optimal temperature for the annealing lies around 1060-1065 C; a further temperature increase worsens the phase formation. Structural order is very important and the subsequent grinding and annealing improves it. Even if from the structural point of view the samples appear substantially similar, the physical characterization highlight great differences both in the electrical and magnetic properties related to intrinsic properties of the phase as well as to the connection between the grains as inferred from the resistive and the Curie Weiss behaviour at high temperature as well as in the visibility of ZFC anf FC magnetic signals.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures. Proc. Int. Workshop " Ruthenate and rutheno-cuprate materials: theory and experiments", Vietri, October 2001. To be published on LNP Series, Springer Verlag, Berlin, C. Noce, A. Vecchione, M. Cuoco, A. Romano Eds, 200

Amplification of evanescent waves in a lossy left-handed material slab

We carry out finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, with a specially-designed boundary condition, on pure evanescent waves interacting with a lossy left-handed material (LHM) slab. Our results provide the first full-wave numerical evidence for the amplification of evanescent waves inside a LHM slab of finite absorption. The amplification is due to the interactions between the evanescent waves and the coupled surface polaritons at the two surfaces of the LHM slab and the physical process can be described by a simple model.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure