On Countable Mixtures of Bivariate Binomial Distributions

A unified treatment is given for mixtures of bivariate binomial distributions with respect to their index parameter(s). The use of probability generating functions is employed and a number of interesting properties including probabilities, factorial moments, factorial cumulants and conditional distributions are derived. Five classes of such mixtures are examined and several well known bivariate discrete distributions are used as illustrative examples. Biological applications are indicated including the fit of three bivariate distributions to an actual set of human family data.     

Assessment of apoptosis by immunohistochemical markers compared to cellular morphology in ex vivo-stressed colonic mucosa.

Apoptosis competence is central to the prevention of cancer. Frequency of apoptotic cells, after a sample of colonic tissue is stressed, can be used to gauge apoptosis competence and, thus, possible susceptibility to colon cancer. The gold standard for assessment of apoptosis is morphological evaluation, but this requires an experienced microscopist. Easier-to-use immunohistochemical markers of apoptosis, applicable in archived paraffin-embedded tissue, have been commercially developed. Potentially useful apoptosis markers include cleaved cytokeratin-18 (c-CK18), cleaved caspase-3 (c-cas-3), cleaved lamin A (c-lam-A), phosphorylated histone H2AX (gammaH2AX), cleaved poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (c-PARP), and translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). When tissue samples from freshly resected colon segments were challenged ex vivo with the bile acid deoxycholate, approximately 50% of goblet cells became apoptotic by morphologic criteria. This high level of morphologic apoptosis allowed quantitative comparison with the usefulness and specificity of immunohistochemical markers of apoptosis. The antibody to c-CK18 was almost as useful and about as specific as morphology for identifying apoptotic colonic epithelial cells. Antibodies to c-cas-3, c-lam-A, and gammaH2AX, though specific for apoptotic cells, were less useful. The antibody to c-PARP, though specific for apoptotic cells, had low usefulness, and the antibody to AIF was relatively nonspecific, under our conditions.     

Changing social awareness of the illegal killing of migratory birds in the Ionian Islands,western Greece

ABSTRACT

The current study aims at monitoring, measuring and evaluating the ‘Safe havens for wild birds’ campaign, implemented within the framework of the LIFE programme, in Greece and more specifically in the Ionian Islands. The study detects attitude changes that occurred in three target groups (pupils, local hunters and residents) on three islands where the phenomenon of illegal spring killing is more intense. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted in two phases, just before the launch (2013) and after the completion of the campaign (2015), to enable a comparison of answers and data. The results show that pupils and to a lesser extent residents, enhanced their knowledge and awareness of poaching, the migration of avifauna and the consequences of illegal killing on migratory birds, while this aspect of attitude change was not observed in the hunting community which still believes that spring poaching should be treated as a legal activity and part of local culture.     

Characterization of β-amylase alleles in 79 barley varieties with pyrosequencing

β-Amylase is involved in the starch degradation process and therefore influences grain quality. Starch degradation efficiency is dependent on the enzyme thermostability during malting and mashing. Four alleles resulting in different enzyme thermostability are known. These alleles are distinguished by coding single nucleotide polymorphism (cSNP). Pyrosequencing was used for cSNP genotyping of β-amylase alleles in 79 spring barley varieties by using analyser PSQ MA96 System (Pyrosequencing, Biotage). A new cSNP was revealed by means of Pyrosequencing analysis of sequence flanking cSNP⁶⁹⁸, thus recognizing a fifth β-amylase allele. Pyrosequencing is a high-throughput, fast, and precise system for barley SNP genotyping.     

Decrease of dehydrogenase activity of cerebral glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in different animal models of Alzheimer's disease

Recently, a relationship between glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and the β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) in relationship with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been suggested. Therefore, we studied the specific activity of GAPDH in the different animal models of AD: transgenic mice (Tg2576) and rats treated with β-amyloid, or thiorphan, or lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and interferon γ (INFγ). We observed that GAPDH activity was significantly decreased in the brain samples from TG mice. The injection of β-amyloid, or thiorphan, an inhibitor of neprilysin involved in β-amyloid catabolism, in rat brains resulted in a pronounced reduction of the enzyme activity. The infusion of LPS and IFNγ, which can influence the progression of the AD, significantly reduced the enzyme activity.