Turning dilemmas into opportunities: a UNU/SCN capacity development network in public nutrition in Central and Eastern Europe

Capacity development in nutrition is a process whereby individuals, groups, institutions, organizations and societies enhance their abilities to identify and meet challenges in a sustainable manner. To address these issues, in 2001 the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN) established a Working Group on Capacity Development under die joint coordination of the United Nations University (UNU) and the International Union of Nutritional Sciences. Several regional professional networks have developed under this working group, the latest for the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Countries. Ten CEE Countries formed a network in 2006 and identified major nutritional challenges in the region, which included: irregular meal patterns; low consumption of fruits/vegetables, milk products and fish; low intake of some micronutrients; and high intakes of fat, Sugar and salt. Public policies in nutrition were either weak or absent. Some countries had recently developed nutrition plans. Higher education in nutrition was seen as very important for public nutrition work by professionals in the region, who considered it a prerequisite for reversing the negative trend of the nutrition transition. The network will continue to work on issues that are still not covered adequately. Its activities to date and prospects for the future are assessed against ten principles for good capacity development suggested by the United Nations Development Programme

Rapid Cytoreduction by Plateletapheresis in the Treatment of Thrombocythemia

The objective of this chapter is to provide a systematic overview of current knowledge regarding therapeutic apheresis—primarily therapeutic plateletapheresis (TP)—and to summarize evidence-based practical approaches related to cytapheresis treatment of “hyperthrombocytosis” or “extreme thrombocytosis” (ETC). Our results of platelet (Plt) quantitative/qualitative analyses and evaluation of efficacy of apheresis systems/devices—on the basis of Plt removal and in vivo Plt depletion—will be presented. Our preclinical researches confirmed that in Plt concentrates, the initial ratio of discoid shapes was 70%, spherical 20%, and less valuable (dendritic/balloonized) shapes 10%—with morphological score of platelets (MSP = 300–400). After storage, the ratio of discoid and spherical shapes was decreased, while the less valuable ones progressively increased (MSP = 200). Electron microscopy has shown discoid shapes with typical ultrastructural properties. Spherical shapes with reduced electron density and peripheral location of granules/organelles were detected. Also, dendritic shapes with cytoskeletal “rearrangement,” membrane system integrity damages, and pseudopodia formations were documented. Our clinical study demonstrated that TP was useful in ETC treatment and should help prevention of “thrombo-hemorrhagic” events—until chemotherapy, antiplatelet drugs, and other medication take effect. During TP treatment, Plt count and morphology/ultrastructure were examined. Plt functions by multiplate analyzer were evaluated. We concluded that intensive TP was an effective, safe, and rapid cytoreductive treatment for ET

Uticaj naučno-tehnološke i industrijske revolucije na rani razvoj poljoprivredne tehnike

Although the early applications of the agricultural mechanization can be dated in the I century b.c., the intensive use of the machines in agriculture started in the XIX century, as a result of the scientific and tecnical development. Taking this into account in this article the influence of scientific revolution and industrialisation on agricultural engineering has been presented.Počeci primene sredstava poljoprivredne mehanizacije sežu još u I vek nove ere, ali tek u XIX veku zahvaljujući naglom razvoju nauke i tehnike dolazi do značajnije primene mašina u poljoprivredi. Imajući to u vidu, u ovome radu sagledan je uticaj naučne revolucije i industrijalizacije na rani razvoj poljoprivredne tehnike

Antioxidant Capacities and Phenolic Levels of Different Varieties of Serbian White Wines

The biologically active compounds in wine, especially phenolics, are responsible for reduced risk of developing chronic diseases (cardiovascular disrease, cancer, diabetes, etc.), due to their antioxidant activities. We determined the contents of total phenolics (TP) and total flavonoids (TF) in selected Serbian white wines by colorimetric methods. Total antioxidant activity (TAA) of the white wines was analyzed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity assay. Međaš beli had the highest content of TP, TF and TAA. The radical scavenging capacity (RSC) and total antioxidant activity (TAA) of white wines were 15.30% and 1.055 mM Trolox equivalent, respectively. Total phenolic (TP) and total flavonoid (TF) contents in white wines ranged from 238.3 to 420.6 mg gallic acid equivalent per L of wines and 42.64 to 81.32 mg catechin equivalent per L of wines, respectively. A high and significant correlation between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content was determined in wines (R2 = 0.968, p < 0.01). For the individual polyphenols determination we used a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detection (DAD) technique. The majority of white wine polyphenols was represent by four hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs)

A Novel Method for Real-Time, Continuous, Fluorescence-Based Analysis of Anti-DNA Abzyme Activity in Systemic Lupus

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the production of antibodies against a variety of self-antigens including nucleic acids. These antibodies are cytotoxic, catalytic (hydrolyzing DNA, RNA, and protein), and nephritogenic. Current methods for investigating catalytic activities of natural abzymes produced by individuals suffering from autoimmunity are mostly discontinuous and often employ hazardous reagents. Here we demonstrate the utility of dual-labeled, fluorogenic DNA hydrolysis probes in highly specific, sensitive, continuous, fluorescence-based measurement of DNA hydrolytic activity of anti-ssDNA abzymes purified from the serum of patients suffering from SLE. An assay for the presence and levels of antibodies exhibiting hydrolytic activity could facilitate disease diagnosis, prediction of flares, monitoring of disease state, and response to therapy. The assay may allow indirect identification of additional targets of anti-DNA antibodies and the discovery of molecules that inhibit their activity. Combined, these approaches may provide new insights into molecular mechanisms of lupus pathogenesis

Data-driven Neuroscience: Enabling Breakthroughs Via Innovative Data Management

Scientists in all disciplines increasingly rely on simulations to develop a better understanding of the subject they are studying. For example the neuroscientists we collaborate with in the Blue Brain project have started to simulate the brain on a supercomputer. The level of detail of their models is unprecedented as they model details on the subcellular level (e.g., the neurotransmitter). This level of detail, however, also leads to a true data deluge and the neuroscientists have only few tools to efficiently analyze the data. This demonstration showcases three innovative spatial management solutions that have substantial impact on computational neuroscience and other disciplines in that they allow to build, analyze and simulate bigger and more detailed models. More particularly, we visualize the novel query execution strategy of FLAT, an index for the scalable and efficient execution of range queries on increasingly detailed spatial models. FLAT is used to build and analyze models of the brain. We furthermore demonstrate how SCOUT uses previous query results to prefetch spatial data with high accuracy and therefore speeds up the analysis of spatial models. We finally also demonstrate TOUCH, a novel in-memory spatial join, that speeds up the model building process

The Proper Motion of the Globular Cluster NGC 6553 and of Bulge Stars with HST

WFPC2 images obtained with the Hubble Space telescope 4.16 years apart have allowed us to measure the proper motion of the metal rich globular cluster NGC 6553 with respect to the background bulge stars. With a space velocity of (${\Pi}, {\Theta}, W$) = (-3.5, 230, -3) km s$^{-1}$, NGC 6553 follows the mean rotation of both disk and bulge stars at a Galactocentric distance of 2.7 kpc. While the kinematics of the cluster is consistent with either a bulge or a disk membership, the virtual identity of its stellar population with that of the bulge cluster NGC6528 makes its bulge membership more likely. The astrometric accuracy is high enough for providing a measure of the bulge proper motion dispersion and confirming its rotation. A selection of stars based on the proper motions produced an extremely well defined cluster color-magnitude diagram (CMD), essencially free of bulge stars. The improved turnoff definition in the decontaminated CMD confirms an old age for the cluster (~13 Gyr) indicating that the bulge underwent a rapid chemical enrichment while being built up at in the early Universe. An additional interesting feature of the cluster color-magnitude diagram is a significant number of blue stragglers stars, whose membership in the cluster is firmly established from their proper motions.Comment: version with full-page figure