Globule Leukocyte And Mast Cell in Bile Ducts of Cattle Naturally Infected with Liver Flukes

In n previous report dealing with the pathology of bovine fascio-liasis the author described an unknown cell type in the epithelium of bile ducts. The histological and histochemical investigations published in this paper suggest that the cell may be considered a globule leukocyte. Globule leukocytes are rare in uninfected livers but are occurring in abundance in main bile ducts of cattle with spontaneous fascioliasis and also in small perilobular ducts in dicrocoeliasis. Liver fluke infection causes an increase in the population of subepithelial mast cells. Mast cell and globule leukocyte present similarities In their cytochemical properties. However, at low pH toluldinc blue shows a stronger but Alcian blue a weaker affinity for mast cells than for globule leukocytes.     

Simultaneous Display of Multiple Foreign Peptides in the FliD Capping and FliC Filament Proteins of the Escherichia coli Flagellum

The bacterial flagellum is composed of more than 20 different proteins. The filament, which constitutes the major extracellular part of the flagellum, is built up of approximately 20,000 FliC molecules that assemble at the growing distal end of the filament. A capping structure composed of five FliD molecules located at the tip of the filament promotes polymerization of FliC. Lack of FliD leads to release of the subunits into the growth medium. We show here that FliD can be successfully used in bacterial surface display. We tested various insertion sites in the capping protein, and the optimal region for display was at the variable region in FliD. Deletion and/or insertion at other sites resulted in decreased formation of flagella. We further developed the technique into a multihybrid display system in which three foreign peptides are simultaneously expressed within the same flagellum, i.e., D repeats of FnBPA from Staphylococcus aureus at the tip and fragments of YadA from Yersinia enterocolitica as well as SlpA from Lactobacillus crispatus along the filament. This technology can have biotechnological applications, e.g., in simultaneous delivery of several effector molecules.     

Oxide-Based Solid-State Batteries: A Perspective on Composite Cathode Architecture

The garnet-type phase Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) attracts significant attention as an oxide solid electrolyte to enable safe and robust solid-state batteries (SSBs) with potentially high energy density. However, while significant progress has been made in demonstrating compatibility with Li metal, integrating LLZO into composite cathodes remains a challenge. The current perspective focuses on the critical issues that need to be addressed to achieve the ultimate goal of an all-solid-state LLZO-based battery that delivers safety, durability, and pack-level performance characteristics that are unobtainable with state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries. This perspective complements existing reviews of solid/solid interfaces with more emphasis on understanding numerous homo- and heteroionic interfaces in a pure oxide-based SSB and the various phenomena that accompany the evolution of the chemical, electrochemical, structural, morphological, and mechanical properties of those interfaces during processing and operation. Finally, the insights gained from a comprehensive literature survey of LLZO–cathode interfaces are used to guide efforts for the development of LLZO-based SSBs.     

Spectrophotometric titrations of micellar Schiff''s bases prepared from pyridoxal 5′-phosphate

Electron absorption and equilibrium of the Schiffs bases prepared between pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) and dodecylamine (DODA) or some other shorter chain amines have been studied in nonionic and cationic micellar solutions with various pH of the bulk solution. In the presence of the nonionic (Triton X-100) micelles the Schiffs bases formed between PLP and DODA were embedded into the micelles because the absorption occured at 335 nm, indicative of the nonpolar milieu. This absorption was constant at pH 5–10. At pH 3–5, the tautomeric form absorbing at 415 nm appeared. This resembles the titration of glycogen phosphorylate or that of Schiffs bases in methanol. Short chain amines absorbed at 415 nm, which is typical of Schiffs bases in aqueous solutions. Tryptophan also absorbed first at 415 nm but the absorption changed to 325 nm with a half-time of ～20 min. This was interpreted as being due to formation of the cyclic structure catalysed by micelles. The pH-dependent equilibrium constant of the reaction between PLP and DODA in Triton X-100 solution had a maximum at pH9, the value being 3500 M^?1, about ten times greater than the value of ethylamine at the same pH. Spectral properties of PLP-DODA imines in the cationic micelles (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) resembled those in the nonionic micelles, except that at low pH the absorption peak in the 415 nm region did not appear. The equilibrium constant of PLP-DODA had maximum at pH 9, the value being as high as 118000 M^?1. Different properties of nonionic and cationic micelles and the design of micellar model systems of PLP enzymes are discussed.     

COMPARISON OF IN SITU PHOTOSYNTHETIC ACTIVITY OF EPIPHYTIC,EPIPELIC AND PLANKTONIC ALGAL COMMUNITIES IN AN OLIGOTROPHIC LAKE,SOUTHERN FINLAND1

The photosynthetic activity of different algal communities at the outer edge of an Equisetum fluviatile L. stand in an oligotrophic lake (Pääjärvi, in southern Finland) was investigated. Production by the algal communities was measured simultaneously using a modified ¹⁴C-method, and the results were related to the volume of algae and the available irradiance. The relative production rate (P/B quotient) of phytoplankton was ca. 3 × that of epiphyton and ca. 20 × that of epipelon. Epiphyton productivity remained almost constant although the algal volume varied greatly, suggesting that the surface layer of the algal community was mainly responsible for the photosynthetic activity. In the littoral area (at 1 m depth) primary production/m² of lake surface by phytoplankton, epiphyton and epipelon was similar but in the littoriprofundal area (2–4 m) phytoplankton production was twice that of epipelon. Primary productivity of epiphyton and epipelon/m² of substratum was about equal to phytoplankton productivity/m³ of water at the same irradiance. This relation provided a means of estimating the relative contributions of the different algal communities to the total algal production in the lake.     

Immunoreactivity for substance P in the gasserian ganglion, ophthalmic nerve and anterior segment of the rabbit eye

Summary The distribution of substance P (SP) immunofluorescence was investigated in the Gasserian ganglion, ophthalmic nerve and in the anterior segment of the rabbit eye. About one third of the nerve cell bodies in the Gasserian ganglion exhibited SP immunofluorescence, which was also observed in some nerve fibres of the ophthalmic nerve. In the cornea, some SP-positive iris contained numerous nerve fibres with SP immunofluorescence. In the sphincter area such fibres were circular, while the orientation of the SP fibres was radial in the dilator muscle. Both in the iris and in the ciliary body, the largest vessels were surrounded by nerves exhibiting SP immunofluorescence. A few nerve fibres also appeared in the stroma of the ciliary processes.     

Adults' awareness of faces follows newborns' looking preferences

From the first days of life, humans preferentially orient towards upright faces, likely reflecting innate subcortical mechanisms. Here, we show that binocular rivalry can reveal face detection mechanisms in adults that are surprisingly similar to inborn face detection mechanism. We used continuous flash suppression (CFS), a variant of binocular rivalry, to render stimuli invisible at the beginning of each trial and measured the time upright and inverted stimuli needed to overcome such interocular suppression. Critically, specific stimulus properties previously shown to modulate looking preferences in neonates similarly modulated adults' awareness of faces presented during CFS. First, the advantage of upright faces in overcoming CFS was strongly modulated by contrast polarity and direction of illumination. Second, schematic patterns consisting of three dark blobs were suppressed for shorter durations when the arrangement of these blobs respected the face-like configuration of the eyes and the mouth, and this effect was modulated by contrast polarity. No such effects were obtained in a binocular control experiment not involving CFS, suggesting a crucial role for face-sensitive mechanisms operating outside of conscious awareness. These findings indicate that visual awareness of faces in adults is governed by perceptual mechanisms that are sensitive to similar stimulus properties as those modulating newborns' face preferences.     

Seedling establishment in relation to microhabitat variation in a windthrow gap in a boreal Pinus sylvestris forest

Abstract. The characteristics of microhabitats of established Pinus sylvestris and Betula seedlings were studied in a small windthrow gap in a mature P. sylvestris-dominated forest in the Petkeljärvi National Park in eastern Finland. Seedlings were strongly clustered in disturbed microhabitats, particularly uprooting pits and mounds, formed by tree falls. They covered 3% of the 0.3.ha study area consisting of the gap and some of the forest edge. Although Betula occurred only as scattered individuals in the dominant canopy layer of the forest, it accounted for 30% of the seedlings found in the study area. Betula regeneration was almost completely restricted to pits and mounds, where 91% of the seedlings were found. Uprooting spots were also the most important regeneration microhabitats for Pinus, where 60% of the seedlings grew, even though the seedlings were found in other substrates as well, particularly on sufficiently decomposed coarse wood. Undisturbed field- and bottom-layer vegetation had effectively hindered tree seedling establishment, which emphasises the role of soil disturbance for regeneration. While the establishment of seedlings was found to be clearly determined by the availability of favourable regeneration microhabitats, the early growth of seedlings was affected by a complex interaction of environmental variables, including the type of microhabitat, radiation environment and interferences caused by competing seedlings and adjacent trees. In the most important regeneration microhabitats, i.e. in uprooting pits and on mounds, the distributions of the local elevations of Pinus and Betula seedlings were different. Pinus seedlings occurred closer to ground level, i.e. on the fringes of pits and lower on mounds, while Betula seedlings grew deeper in pits and higher on mounds. The position of the Betula seedlings indicate that they may have a competitive advantage over Pinus seedlings in the dense seedling groups occurring in uprooting spots. We suggest that this initial difference in Pinus and Betula establishment may affect the subsequent within-gap tree species succession and can, in part, explain the general occurrence of Betula in conifer-dominated boreal forests.