Preclinical safety assessment of Griffithsin-based vaginal microbicides.

Griffithsin (GRFT) is a protein derived from the red alga Griffithsia sp. off the coast of New Zealand. It binds and inactivates number of enveloped viruses including HIV-1. For a product to be developed as a microbicide, it must be safe and effective after repeated use. For initial in vivo safety testing we exposed mice repeatedly to various vaginal products and found that increased concentration of mouse serum albumin (MSA) in the vaginal lumen is predictive of epithelial damage. Repeated intravaginal administration of GRFT did not result in increased amounts of MSA, but the known epithelial disrupters nonoxynol-9 and benzylkonium chloride caused increased concentrations of MSA that were detectable by ELISA and western blot. We also evaluated the immunogenicity of GRFT following repeated exposure and found that intravaginal administration resulted in higher serum IgG antibody titers, but not local IgA or IgG levels, than did subcutaneous administration. The consequences of the systemic immune response are unknown and require further investigation

The Legacy of Norm Maleng

The story of how Norm Maleng built a prosecutorial career embodying those traits is what brings us together

Fluctuating asymmetry (with emphasis on deer antler asymmetry) as an early warning system : principles, findings and options for implication

Nihajoča asimetrija (FAle-ta predstavlja neusmerjene razlike med levo in desno polovico bilateralnih znakov, ki se zaradi različnih dejavnikov stresa ne morejo razviti v sicer genetsko določeni popolni simetriji) je lahko zelo dober odzivni bioindikator izpostavljenosti populacij različnim vrstam okoljskega oz. genetskega stresa. Kljub velikemu potencialu predstavljajo meritve FA v slovenskem prostoru domala neznano področje okoljskih raziskav. Zato so v prispevku podrobno predstavljeni: (a) najpomembnejši principi, prednosti in slabosti meritev FA(b) novejše ugotovitve o vplivu dejavnikov stresa na velikost FA bilateralnih znakov različnih živalskih in rastlinskih vrst(c) vpliv izpostavljenosti težkim kovinam na velikost FA izbranih znakovživalskih vrst(d) dosedanje ugotovitve o asimetriji rogovja prostoživečih prežvekovalcev. Kot tak je prispevek pomemben za korektno, celovito in z dosedanjimi dognanji podprto predstavitev rezultatov lastnega dela na rogovju srnjakov, še zlasti za razumevanje uporabe FA rogovja kot odličnega pripomočka za bioindikacijo onesnaženosti okolja z anorganskimi onesnažili (spremljajoči prispevek).Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), which reflects non-directional and stress-induced differences between the left and the right side of otherwise perfect symmetrical bilateral traits, may be a useful sensitive bioindicator of stressful conditions in many wildlife species. However, in spite of their great potential, FA analyses present an almost unknown research field in Slovenia. Therefore, the following issues are discussed at greater length in the paper: (a) the most important principles, advantages and drawbacks of FA analyses(b) a review of recent findings on the influence of some stressors on FA of bilateral traits in different wildlife species(c) influence of heavy metals on FA of selected animal traits/organs(d) a review of existing findings on asymmetry of antlers/horns in wildliving ungulates. As such, this review paper is important for a well-grounded presentation of our own work on roe deer antlers, and particularly for understanding the employability of roe deer antlers as an excellent tool for bioindication of environmental pollutionwith inorganic pollutants (companion paper)

Nihajoča asimetrija rogovja srnjakov (Capreolus capreolus L.) kot kazalec onesnaženosti okolja in pripomoček za upraljanje s populacijami

Na 282 rogovjih srnjakov, uplenjenih v obdobju 1961 - 2002 v Šaleški dolini, smo določili nihajočo asimetrijo (FAneusmerjene razlike med levo in desno stranjo) devetih bilateralnih morfoloških znakov. Ugotovili smo: (a) za analize FA je primernih pet znakov (dolžina veje, dolžina prednjega in zadnjega parožka, skupna dolžina veje, premer nastavka), ki ustrezajo potrebnim statističnim pogojem(b) za vse znake obstaja pozitivna soodvisnostmed velikostjo in asimetrijo, zaradi česar FA rogovja ni primeren kazalec kakovosti posameznih osebkov(c) lanščaki (zaradi nedokončanega telesnega razvoja asimetrija njihovega rogovja ni ustrezen kazalec onesnaženosti) imajo značilno večjo FA kot odrasli srnjaki(d) FA je po letu 1980 upadala in je bila po izgradnji razžveplalne naprave na TEŠ manjša kot pred njo(e) na ravni generacij obstaja značilna pozitivna soodvisnost med povprečnimi vsebnostmi Pb v rogovju in povprečno FA, kar kaže, da je onesnaženost okolja eden najpomembnejših dejavnikov stresa, ki vpliva na razvojno stabilnost procesa tvorbe rogovja.Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), which represents non-directional differences between the left and the right side, was measured for nine bilateral traits inthe antlers of 282 roe deer, shot in the period 1961 - 2002 in the Šalek Valley. Our findings were as follows: (a) Five traits (antler length, length of both front and back tine, total beam length, and pedicle diameter) are suitable for FA analyses, since they fulfil the necessary statistical criteria. (b) A significant positive correlation between size and asymmetry exists for all traitstherefore, roe deer antler asymmetry does not reflect the quality of an individual. (c) Yearlings, whose antler asymmetry is not a suitable bioindicator of environmental pollution due to an incomplete ontogenetic development, have significantly higher FA in comparison with adults. (d) In the Šalek Valley, roe deer antler FA has been decreasing since 1980after the construction of the desulphurization device in the Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant it is significantly lower in comparison with the period before construction. (e) On the generation level, there is a significant positive correlation between mean Pb levels in antlers and their mean FA, which identifies environmental pollution as one of the main stressors causing deviation from bilateral symmetry of deer antlers

APPLICATION FOR ANALYSIS OF CONGESTION FORECAST ACCURACY IN ELECTRIC-POWER SYSTEM

Zaradi vse večje porabe električne energije in večanja števila razpršenih virov v omrežju morajo biti napovedi proizvodnje, prenosa in porabe električne energije vedno bolj natančne. Sistemski operaterji prenosnega omrežja zato stremijo k temu, da bi napovedi pretokov moči, ki so zelo pomembni za zanesljivost omrežja, kar se da približali meritvam. V diplomski nalogi je najprej opisano splošno delovanje elektroenergetskega sistema, potem so opisane nekatere napovedi pretokov moči, ki jih uporabljajo sistemski operaterji prenosnega omrežja in rezultati primerjav teh napovedi z meritvami iz omrežja. Kasneje je opisana aplikacija za analizo natančnosti napovedi daljšega obdobja, sledijo navodila za uporabo aplikacije ter rezultati analize za obdobje leta 2015.Due to the steady increase of consumption of electric energy and the increase of distributed generation units in the network, the forecasts of electricity production, transmission and consumption must be increasingly precise. Therefore, the Transmission System Operators strive to make power transmission forecasts, which are very important for network security, as close as possible to the measurements. The project initially describes the general operation of the power system, then some power flow forecasts, used by Transmission System Operators and the results comparing them with measurements from network. Then it describes an analysis application for forecast accuracy, followed by the instructions for the application and the results of the analysis for the period of the year 2015