Chemistry, mineralogy and microbiology of termite mound soil eaten by the chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Western Tanzania

1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 565-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Mahaney ◽  
Jessica Zippin ◽  
Michael W. Milner ◽  
Kandiah Sanmugadas ◽  
R. G. V. Hancock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Termite Mound ◽  
Mahale Mountains ◽  
Mahale Mountains National Park ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi ◽  
And Control ◽  
Very High ◽  
Control Samples

Subsamples of termite mound soil used by chimpanzees for geophagy, and topsoil never ingested by them, from the forest floor in the Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania, were analysed to determine the possible stimulus or stimuli for geophagy. The ingested samples have a dominant clay texture equivalent to a claystone, whereas the control samples are predominantly sandy clay loam or sandy loam, which indicates that particle size plays a significant role in soil selection for this behaviour. One potential function of the clays is to bind and adsorb toxins. Although both termite mound and control samples have similar alkaloid-binding capacities, they are in every case very high, with the majority of the samples being above 80%. The clay size material (<2 μm) contains metahalloysite and halloysite, the latter a hydrated aluminosilicate (Al2Si2O4·nH2O), present in the majority of both the termite mound soil and control soil samples.Metahalloysite, one of the principal ingredients found in the pharmaceutical Kaopectate™, is used to treat minor gastric ailments in humans. The soils commonly ingested could also function as antacids, as over half had pH values between 7.2 and 8.6. The mean concentrations of the majority of elements measured were greater in the termite mound soils than in the control soils. The termite mound soils had more filamentous bacteria, whereas the control soils contained greater numbers of unicellular bacteria and fungi.

Growth table for Corsican pine in Flanders (Belgium)

1991 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Meuleman
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pests ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Volume Increment ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Annual Volume ◽  
Very High

After  its introduction at the start of this century, the Corsican pine has become  an important forest tree in Flanders (Belgium). The total area covered by  Corsican pine is about 11.000 ha. Due to climatological factors it is  virtually absent from the Walloon part of Belgium. Despite the crisis in 1984  - 1986, practical experiences with its vitality and disease resistance are  generally positive. Compared to Scots pine which is native to Belgium, its  productivity and insensitivity for insect pests is large.     To quantify the productivity of Corsican pine, a growth table was  constructed using a method developed by PALM and DAGNELIE. It was based on  data from 321 temporarily and 80 permanent plots distributed over Flanders.  Five yield classes were distinguished according to dominant height at 50  years. For each yield class, a series of tables as a function of treatment  was constructed. Treatments were characterized by the mean annual  circumference increment.     These tables allow to predict the growth of Corsican pines. Such  predictions for the whole range of species are necessary for the development  of a good forestry policy and for timber industries. The tables also provide  information for any given Corsican pine stand that is helpful in practice:  expected productivity, stand density, determination of the felling quantum.      The data show that the productivity of Corsican pine is very high. The very  early culmination of the current annual volume increment and the rather  constant level of the mean annual volume increment after culmination are  interesting new findings. It is also shown that it is possible to work with  long rotation periods. This offers good opportunities for the production of  high quality wood and is also important for the social and ecological role of  the forest.     Productivity is lowest on very dry and sandy soils. A high productivity on  moderately dry sand and loamy sand soils and loamy soils make the Corsican  pine one of the most valuable tree species for the Kempen in Flanders.  Although productivity is very high on well drained sandy loam and loam soils,  plantation of Corsican pine on these locations is not advised.

Proteomic Analysis of Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia (WM) Using Nanoscale Protein Micorarray Techniques.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 504-504
Author(s):  
Yazan Alsayed ◽  
Michael Timm ◽  
Alexey Leontovich ◽  
Daniel Santos ◽  
Allen Ho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Mtor Inhibitors ◽  
Pi3k Pathway ◽  
Protein Quantification ◽  
Minimal Amount ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
Apoptosis Protein ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Control ◽  
Control Samples

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the molecular alterations that occur at the protein level in patients with WM in order to identify novel targets of therapy, determine new markers of prognosis, and begin to delineate the pathogenesis of WM. Five bone marrow samples were obtained after informed consent from patients with symptomatic WM. Two bone marrow samples were obtained from age-matched controls and were pooled. All samples were purified with anti-CD19+ beads with over 90% purity. Protein quantification was performed and 1ug of protein was obtained for each sample and control. The nanoscale protein micorarray technique (BD Clontech, CA) was used to measure changes in the patterns of protein expression between WM samples and control lymphocytes. This is a new technique that detects differences in protein abundance between the tumor and control samples by hybridizing fluorescently labeled (Cy3 and Cy5) protein mixtures onto slides spotted with 512 monoclonal antibodies against human polypeptides. It requires minimal amount of protein. Two microarray slides were used for each experiment and a control experiment of control versus control was performed for normalization of the data. The slides were scanned using the Axon GenePix 4000B scanner. Two ratios were generated from the spot images for each protein target. The mean of the ratios of Cy5/Cy3 of both slides were analyzed using Clontech software and used to calculate an Internally Normalized Ratio (INR = ÷Ratio1/Ratio2, ratios 1 and 2 correspond to slides 1 and 2) for each spot on the array. The INR values were input into GeneSpring 6.0 software (Silicon Genetics, Redwood City CA). The data was normalized to the mean INR of the control samples. Proteins whose expression fold change relative to control was greater than 1.3 fold were determined. All samples were of symptomatic WM. There were 3 females and 2 males. The median age was 61 years (range, 47–83). Four patients were newly diagnosed and one had received prior rituximab, CHOP ad thalidomide therapy. Clustering analysis did not demonstrate a difference between newly diagnosed and treated samples. There were 72 proteins up or downregulated by 1.3 fold in all WM samples as compared to control. These included proteins in the PI3K pathway such as VHR, PTP1B, PI3K (p110alpha) and Rb2. Protein kinases such as PKCi, PKCbeta, PKC gamma, PKC delta, PLCgamma were all upregulated in WM samples. Other proteins included the B-cell specific activator protein PAX-5, the ubiquitin protein UBCH6, the STAT kinase STAT4, the GTPase Rho A-binding kinase ROK alpha, and the apoptosis protein SMAC/DIABLO. We demonstrate that several isoforms of the PKC family of proteins are upregulated in WM. PKC proteins regulate apoptosis, proliferation and migration in many cancer cells. These proteins may be useful targets of therapy in future clinical trials in WM. Other inhibitors that may be useful in WM include ubiqutin/proteosome inhibitors such as bortezomib and PI3K pathway inhibitors such AKT or mTOR inhibitors. Our results also confirm the presence of PAX-5 in WM consistent with previous cytogenetic studies. Supported in part by an ASH scholar award and Research Fund for Waldenstrom.

scholarly journals The Effect of Strategy-Based Instruction on Students’ Speaking Skills atLakidende University

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Irawati . ◽  
Haryanto . ◽  
Syarifuddin Dollah
Keyword(s):  
Control Group ◽  
P Value ◽  
Speaking Test ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
And Control ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Very High

This study aimed at investigating the effect of strategies-based instruction on students’ speaking skill at Lakidende University and the students’ interest in learning English through strategies-based instruction. This research employed Quasi Experimental Method, with non-equivalent control group design. This research assigned experimental group and control group (30 students for each).Speaking test was used to see the effect of strategies-based instruction on students’ speaking skill and questionnaire was used to see students’ interest in learning English through strategies-based instruction. The data obtained through the speaking test were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Meanwhile, the data from questionnaire were analyzed in percentage and descriptive statistics. The students’ speaking skill covered three components: accuracy, fluency, and comprehensibility. The findings showed that there was an improvement on the students’ speaking ability after the treatment. There was a significant difference between the results of post-test of experimental and control group, where the mean score of post-test of experimental group was 70.37, which was higher than the mean score of post-test of control group was 59.63.The value of P-value or sig. (2-tailed) shows that P-value or sig. (2-tailed) is smaller than α (0.00 < 0.05).Furthermore, the data that were collected from questionnaire showed that the students were very high interest toward strategies-based instruction. It is showed by the mean score in scale of 89.6, which was categorized as very high interest. Keywords: effect, strategy-based instruction, speaking skill

scholarly journals Aktivitas Antibakteri Salep Dengan Bahan Aktif Ekstrak Kunyit, Kencur Dan Temugiring Terhadap Bakteri Staphylococcus Aureus

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bambang Yunianto ◽  
Titik Lestari ◽  
Agus Winarso
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Antibacterial Activity ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Activity Test ◽  
Life Problems ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Control ◽  
Static Group ◽  
Very High

Abstract: Antibacterial Activity, Skin ointment, Turmeric, Kaemferia galanga L, Curcuma heyneana. Indonesia is a country with a very high biodiversity. In the high diversity are stored potent plant potentials that can be extracted and utilized further. People are starting to realize the use of chemicals to solve life problems, especially health problems, in addition to expensive, can also cause adverse side effects for humans. Human life is always surrounded by microbes, either pathogenic or nonpathogenic. Many plants that have properties as antibacterial, such as turmeric, Kaemferia galanga L. and Curcuma heyneana. This research use turmeric, Kaemferia galanga L. And Curcuma heyneana extract, as active ingredient of skin ointment. This study aimed to know the extent to which the antibacterial activity of these three ointments against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This type of research was quasi experimental, with the design of Static Group Comparasion. Activity test with wells method with diameter 6,5 mm showed that the mean of clear zone were Kaemferia galanga L. (14,52 mm), turmeric (13,26 mm), Curcuma heyneana (7,89 mm), and control (6.49 mm)

Liver Coenzyme a Ester Content: Comparison between Reye's Syndrome and Control Subjects

1982 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 455-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen S. Kang ◽  
Mary T. Capaci ◽  
David N. Korones ◽  
Nilima Tekade
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Coenzyme A ◽  
Relative Increase ◽  
Reye's Syndrome ◽  
Postmortem Change ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Control ◽  
Control Samples

1. The concentrations of the acid soluble and insoluble coenzyme A (CoA) esters were measured in samples of liver obtained at autopsy from Reye's syndrome and control subjects because the long chain fatty CoA compounds which make up the bulk of the acid insoluble CoA esters are known to inhibit a number of mitochondrially located enzymes, several of which may be affected in Reye's syndrome. 2. Concentrations of the acid insoluble esters varied widely in both control and Reye's liver samples. The difference between the mean values was not statistically significant (1·06 ± sem 0·33 nmol/g wet weight in Reye's samples vs 0·88 ± 0·21 in control samples). 3. Concentrations of the acid soluble CoA esters, which include the short chain fatty CoA compounds, were higher in Reye's liver samples than in samples from controls. The mean value for Reye's samples was 104·8 ± sem 29·4 nmol/g of liver compared with 26·4 ± 10·1 nmol/g for control samples (P < 0·05). 4. Studies with rats designed to assess postmortem change indicate that the liver concentration of the acid insoluble CoA compounds does not change during a 4 h period at 4°C. This finding suggests that the observations made in Reye's liver was probably due to a premorbid abnormality. 5. These findings implicate a block in the β-oxidation of fatty acids and could account for the reported relative increase in the concentrations of the short to medium chain fatty acids in the plasma of Reye's syndrome patients.

Effect of Water Activity and Temperature on Staphylococcus aureus Growth and Thermonuclease Production in Smoked Snoek

1980 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 370-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. THERON ◽  
B. A. PRIOR
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Water Activity ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Colony Forming Units ◽  
Incubation Periods ◽  
Different Temperatures ◽  
And Control ◽  
Very High ◽  
Control Samples

Smoked snoek at different water activity (aw) values (0.966, 0.956 and 0.944) were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus at a concentration of approximately log 4.7 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) and incubated at different temperatures (4, 12, 24 and 37 C) for various periods. Samples of inoculated and control snoek were taken at different intervals to determine the microbial populations (S. aureus, total organisms and enterococci), pH and presence of thermonuclease. No growth of S. aureus nor thermonuclease production occurred at 4 C. At 12 C, notwithstanding high S. aureus log counts of 6.75/g, 9.74/g and 9.69/g in the inoculated 0.966, 0.956 and 0.944 aw samples, respectively, thermonuclease was absent after 21 days of incubation. At 24 and 37 C at all three aw levels, very high S. aureus counts were recorded and were accompanied by thermonuclease production before the end of the relative incubation periods (5 and 3 days, respectively). A reduction of the aw of the snoek resulted in a slightly slower S. aureus growth rate at 37 C and also delayed thermonuclease production at 24 and 37 C. The thermonuclease test was an effective means of detecting S. aureus growth except in samples incubated at 12 C. Enterococcus numbers increased in all control samples during storage, but none were found to produce thermonuclease.

Proteomic Analysis of Post Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders (PTLD) Using Nanoscale Protein Microarray Techniques.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 286-286
Author(s):  
Yazan Alsayed ◽  
Alexey Leontovich ◽  
Michael Timm ◽  
Mona Melhem ◽  
Michael Nalesnik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lymph Nodes ◽  
Protein Microarray ◽  
Organ Transplant ◽  
Pi3k Pathway ◽  
Protein Quantification ◽  
Solid Organ ◽  
Frozen Sections ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Control ◽  
Control Samples

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the molecular alterations that occur at the protein level in patients with PTLD in order to identify novel targets of therapy, determine new markers of prognosis, and begin to delineate the pathogenesis of PTLD. Six tumor samples were obtained after informed consent from adult patients with PTLD post solid organ transplant. Four benign lymph nodes were obtained from age-matched controls. Three of the samples and their two controls were obtained from frozen tissue and the other three with two matching controls were obtained form paraffin embedded tissue. Immunohistochemistry using anti-CD19+ antibodies was performed and laser microdissection or slide scraping was used to obtain the tissue. Deparaffinization was performed using xylene and ethanol serial dilutions. Protein quantification was performed and 1ug of protein was obtained for each sample and its control. The nanoscale protein micorarray technique (BD Clontech, CA) was used to measure changes in the patterns of protein expression between PTLD samples and control lymphocytes. This is a new technique that detects differences in protein abundance between the disease and control samples by hybridizing fluorescently labeled (Cy3 and Cy5) protein mixtures onto slides spotted with 512 human monoclonal antibodies. It requires minute amounts of proteins. Two microarray slides were used for each experiment and a control experiment of control versus control was performed for normalization of the data. The slides were scanned using the Axon GenePix 4000B scanner. Two ratios were generated from the spot images for each protein target. The mean of the ratios of Cy5/Cy3 of both slides were analyzed using Clontech software and used to calculate an Internally Normalized Ratio (INR = Ratio1/Ratio2) for each spot on the array. The INR values were input into GeneSpring 6.0 software (Silicon Genetics, Redwood City CA). The data were normalized to the mean INR of the control samples. Proteins whose expression fold change relative to control was greater than 1.3 fold were determined. All cases represented monomorphic PTLD. Five were confirmed EBV positive (EBNA positive). The tissues were obtained from multiple organs including liver, gastric, cerebral, renal and lymph nodes. There were 22 proteins upregulated in the frozen sections as compared to the control and 157 proteins upregulated by 1.3 fold in the paraffin embedded sections as compared to control. Most of these proteins were common between the paraffin embedded and frozen sections. Proteins that were dysregulated included: proteins in the PI3K pathway and cell cycle regulation such as p70S6K, VHR, the AKT substrate GSK-3, cyclin C, MCM6, eIF-4E, CDK1, CDK7, eE-F-2 kinase; kinases such as JNKK1, PKC-lambda, RhoA kinase ROKalpha, ERK1, PKAc, PKArIIa and PKCbeta; apoptosis related proteins such as caspase 8, NF-kB, and MDM2; TGF signaling protein p300, and the heat shock protein HSP90. These results provide insight into pathways that are dysregulated in PTLD and can be targeted in future clinical trials with specific inhibitors such as PI3K, PKC, NF-kB or HSP90 inhibitors.

Monoamine Oxidase and Other Mitochondrial Enzymes in Density Subpopulations of Human Platelets

1988 ◽  
Vol 59 (01) ◽  
pp. 029-033 ◽  
Author(s):  
K G Chamberlain ◽  
D G Penington
Keyword(s):  
Monoamine Oxidase ◽  
Protein Concentration ◽  
Close Correlation ◽  
Human Platelets ◽  
Mitochondrial Enzymes ◽  
Density Fractions ◽  
Percoll Gradients ◽  
Normal Human ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Very High

SummaryNormal human platelets have been separated according to density on continuous Percoll gradients and the platelet distribution divided into five fractions containing approximately equal numbers of platelets. The mean volumes and protein contents of the platelets in each fraction were found to correlate positively with density while the protein concentration did not differ significantly between the fractions. Four mitochondrial enzymes (monoamine oxidase, glutamate dehydrogenase, cytochrome oxidase and NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase) were assayed and their activities per unit volume were found to increase in a very similar monotonie fashion with platelet density. When MAO and GDH were assayed on the same set of density fractions the correlation between the two activities was very high (r = 0.94–1.00, p <0.001) and a similar close correlation was found between MAO and ICDH. The results support the hypothesis that high density platelets either have a higher concentration of mitochondria or have larger mitochondria than low density platelets.

Prothrombin Time Standardization: Report of the Expert Panel on Oral Anticoagulant Control

1979 ◽  
Vol 42 (04) ◽  
pp. 1073-1114 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Prothrombin Time ◽  
Expert Panel ◽  
The Other ◽  
Rabbit Brain ◽  
Calibration Constant ◽  
Freeze Dried ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Point Of Intersection ◽  
And Control ◽  
Standardization Report

SummaryIn collaborative experiments in 199 laboratories, nine commercial thromboplastins, four thromboplastins held by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBS & C), London and the British Comparative Thromboplastin were tested on fresh normal and coumarin plasmas, and on three series of freeze-dried plasmas. One of these was made from coumarin plasmas and the other two were prepared from normal plasmas; in each series, one plasma was normal and the other two represented different degrees of coumarin defect.Each thromboplastin was calibrated against NIBS&C rabbit brain 70/178, from the slope of the line joining the origin to the point of intersection of the mean ratios of coumarin/normal prothrombin times when the ratios obtained with the two thromboplastins on the same fresh plasmas were plotted against each other. From previous evidence, the slopes were calculated which would have been obtained against the NIBS&C “research standard” thromboplastin 67/40, and termed the “calibration constant” of each thromboplastin. Values obtained from the freeze-dried coumarin plasmas gave generally similar results to those from fresh plasmas for all thromboplastins, whereas values from the artificial plasmas agreed with those from fresh plasmas only when similar thromboplastins were being compared.Taking into account the slopes of the calibration lines and the variation between laboratories, precision in obtaining a patient’s prothrombin time was similar for all thromboplastins.

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