Vertical transmission of Bartonella schoenbuchensis in Lipoptena cervi.

Background: Lipoptena cervi (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) is a hematophagous ectoparasite of cervids, which is considered to transmit pathogens between animals and occasionally to humans. The principal life stage that is able to parasitize new hosts is a winged ked that just emerged from a pupa. To facilitate efficient transmission of pathogens between hosts, vertical transmission from female deer keds to their offspring is necessary.

Design-support and performance estimation using HYDRUS/CW2D: a horizontal flow constructed wetland for polishing SBR effluent.

The 4,000 PE (700 m(3)/d) wastewater treatment plant at Balf, Hungary was based on sequencing batch reactor technology with phosphorus precipitation as the tertiary step. Its effluent met quality thresholds on average, with above-threshold peaks mainly in winter. The HYDRUS/CW2D model package (PC Progress s.

The high-performance liquid chromatography/multistage electrospray mass spectrometric investigation and extraction optimization of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) bark polyphenols.

The aim of the present work was the high-performance liquid chromatographic separation and multistage mass spectrometric characterization of the polyphenolic compounds of beech bark, as well as the extraction optimization of the identified compounds. Beech is a common and widely used material in the wood industry, yet its bark is regarded as a by-product. Using appropriate extraction methods these compounds could be extracted and utilized in the future.

Tracing the genetic origin of Europe's first farmers reveals insights into their social organization.

Farming was established in Central Europe by the Linearbandkeramik culture (LBK), a well-investigated archaeological horizon, which emerged in the Carpathian Basin, in today's Hungary. However, the genetic background of the LBK genesis is yet unclear. Here we present 9 Y chromosomal and 84 mitochondrial DNA profiles from Mesolithic, Neolithic Starčevo and LBK sites (seventh/sixth millennia BC) from the Carpathian Basin and southeastern Europe.

Two new species in the genus Geritola Libert, 1999 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae, Epitolini).

Two Geritola (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species, closely related to the Central African G. nitidica, have been recognised as new to science. G.

Effects of nucleosides on glia - neuron interactions open up new vistas in the development of more effective antiepileptic drugs.

One-third of epileptic patients are drug refractory due to the limited efficacy of antiepileptic therapy. Thus, there is an immense need to find more effective, safer and well-tolerated antiepileptic drugs. A great deal of results suggests that adenosine (Ado), guanosine (Guo), inosine (Ino) or uridine (Urd) are endogenous antiepileptogenic modulators.

Evaluation of culture media for selective enumeration of bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria.

The purpose of this study was to test the suitability of Transgalactosylated oligosaccharides-mupirocin lithium salt (TOS-MUP) and MRS-clindamycin-ciprofloxacin (MRS-CC) agars, along with several other culture media, for selectively enumerating bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species commonly used to make fermented milks. Pure culture suspensions of a total of 13 dairy bacteria strains, belonging to eight species and five genera, were tested for growth capability under various incubation conditions. TOS-MUP agar was successfully used for the selective enumeration of both Bifidobacterium animalis subsp.

Properties of ultrasound extracted bicomponent lignocellulose thin films.

Agricultural and forest residues obtained after harvesting are promising renewable sources, suitable as a source of pulp for cellulose nanocrystal manufacturing. Cavitation-assisted softening of the lignin-carbohydrate matrix offers sample opportunity for cellulose fibril liberation and degradation of amorphous cellulose. The present work addresses cavitation assisted cellulose fibril and crystal liberation and film forming properties of the supernatant phase of treated agricultural and forest residues.

A photosensitive surface capable of inducing electrophysiological changes in NG108-15 neurons.

Retinal prostheses promise to be a viable therapy for many forms of blindness. Direct stimulation of neurons using an organic light-sensitive, self-assembled monolayer surface offers a simple alternative to conventional semiconductor technology. For this purpose we have derivatized an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate with the photosensitive dye, NK5962, using 3-(aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) as cross-linker.

Chloromethane release from carbonaceous meteorite affords new insight into Mars lander findings.

Controversy continues as to whether chloromethane (CH3Cl) detected during pyrolysis of Martian soils by the Viking and Curiosity Mars landers is indicative of organic matter indigenous to Mars. Here we demonstrate CH3Cl release (up to 8 μg/g) during low temperature (150-400°C) pyrolysis of the carbonaceous chondrite Murchison with chloride or perchlorate as chlorine source and confirm unequivocally by stable isotope analysis the extraterrestrial origin of the methyl group (δ(2)H +800 to +1100‰, δ(13)C -19.2 to +10‰,).

Non-adenosine nucleoside inosine, guanosine and uridine as promising antiepileptic drugs: a summary of current literature.

Adenosine (Ado) and some non-adenosine (non-Ado) nucleosides including inosine (Ino), guanosine (Guo) and uridine (Urd) are modulatory molecules in the central nervous system (CNS), regulating different physiological and pathophysiological processes in the brain such as sleep and epilepsy. Indeed, different drugs effective on adenosinergic system (e.g.

Neurellipes rhoko sp. n. from the Cross River Loop, Eastern Nigeria (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae).

A new species belonging to the recently revised Neurellipes mahota-group has been found in the Cross River Loop, Eastern Nigeria. It resembles the recently described Liberian N. georgiadisi Larsen, 2009, but differs from it by the wing shape and the extent and shape of orange patches on the hindwing, also on the forewing, especially in the discoidal cell.

Influence of lowland forests on subsurface salt accumulation in shallow groundwater areas.

In flat sedimentary plains in areas with a sub-humid climate, tree planting on grasslands and arable lands creates strong hydrological shifts. As a result of deep rooting and high water uptake of trees, groundwater levels drop and subsurface salt accumulation increases. Tree planting has expanded globally and in Hungary it reached rates of 15 000 ha year(-1), being focused mainly in the Great Hungarian Plain where forests replace grasslands and crops in a region with widespread shallow groundwater.

Relationship Between Medication Adherence and Health-Related Quality of Life in Subjects With COPD: A Systematic Review.

Background: Various aspects of medication adherence and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have been studied in subjects with COPD. Nevertheless, little is known about the association between these factors. The aim of this study was to undertake a systematic review of the published literature focusing on the relationship between medication adherence and HRQOL in COPD.

Short communication: Viability of culture organisms in honey-enriched acidophilus-bifidus-thermophilus (ABT)-type fermented camel milk.

The aim of this research was to monitor the survival during refrigerated storage of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 (A), Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB-12 (B), and Streptococcus thermophilus CHCC 742/2130 (T) in cultured dairy foods made from camel and, for comparison, cow milks supplemented with black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) honey and fermented by an acidophilus-bifidus-thermophilus (ABT)-type culture.

Early solar system. Stellar origin of the ¹⁸²Hf cosmochronometer and the presolar history of solar system matter.

Among the short-lived radioactive nuclei inferred to be present in the early solar system via meteoritic analyses, there are several heavier than iron whose stellar origin has been poorly understood. In particular, the abundances inferred for (182)Hf (half-life = 8.9 million years) and (129)I (half-life = 15.

Modeling of action potential generation in NG108-15 cells.

In order to explore the possibility of identifying toxins based on their effect on the shape of action potentials, we created a computer model of the action potential generation in NG108-15 cells (a neuroblastoma/glioma hybrid cell line). To generate the experimental data for model validation, voltage-dependent sodium, potassium and high-threshold calcium currents, as well as action potentials, were recorded from NG108-15 cells with conventional whole-cell patch-clamp methods. Based on the classic Hodgkin-Huxley formalism and the linear thermodynamic description of the rate constants, ion-channel parameters were estimated using an automatic fitting method.

Refining rare weed trait syndromes along arable intensification gradients.

Question: How does the conservation (rarity) value of arable weed communities differ along intensification gradients? Which functional traits best distinguish the weed communities of more and less extensively managed fields? Can the same traits predict the rarity of individual weed species?

Location: Hungary.

Methods: Using relevé data from 60 cereal and 70 stubble fields, together with weed trait data, we characterized community responses to arable intensification using functional trait analyses based on trait-convergence and trait-divergence assembly patterns. We also examined how well the broad-scale rarity status of species predicts their occurrence along intensification gradients, and how it maps onto our functional classifications describing intensification responses.

Monitoring of thermophilic adaptation of mesophilic anaerobe fermentation of sugar beet pressed pulp.

Anaerobe fermentation of sugar beet pressed pulp was investigated in pilot-scale digesters. Thermophilic adaptation of mesophilic culture was monitored using chemical analysis and metagenomic characterization of the sludge. Temperature adaptation was achieved by increasing the temperature gradually (2 °C day(-1)) and by greatly decreasing the OLR.

Modeling the shear rate and pressure drop in a hydrodynamic cavitation reactor with experimental validation based on KI decomposition studies.

A mathematical model describing the shear rate and pressure variation in a complex flow field created in a hydrodynamic cavitation reactor (stator and rotor assembly) has been depicted in the present study. The design of the reactor is such that the rotor is provided with surface indentations and cavitational events are expected to occur on the surface of the rotor as well as within the indentations. The flow characteristics of the fluid have been investigated on the basis of high accuracy compact difference schemes and Navier-Stokes method.

ZnO-modified cellulose fiber sheets for antibody immobilization.

Cellulose fiber sheets impregnated with saccharide capped-ZnO nanoparticles were used as bioactive materials for antibody immobilization. First, ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized in the presence of glucose (monosaccharide), sucrose (disaccharide) as well as alginic acid and starch (polysaccharides). The pine cellulose fibers were then modified by the obtained saccharide capped nanoparticles and further incorporated into the sheets.

Measurement of photodegradation-caused roughness of wood using a new optical method.

The aim of this study was to clarify the intensity of the surface roughening of wood caused by light radiation using a fast optical method. The samples were irradiated by mercury lamp and the roughness change was monitored traditionally using a perthometer. The infrared (IR) diffuse reflectance spectrum was measured and the baseline shift was found to be a proper parameter to monitor the roughening effect of photodegradation.

Lipopolysaccharide induced increase in seizure activity in two animal models of absence epilepsy WAG/Rij and GAERS rats and Long Evans rats.

We showed previously that the number and time of spike-wave discharges (SWDs) were increased after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an effect, which was completely abolished by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor indomethacin (IND) pretreatment in Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk (WAG/Rij) rats.

Effect of light on growth and endogenous hormones in Chlorella minutissima (Trebouxiophyceae).

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) play an important role in mediating growth and stress responses in plants. Light influences PGRs concentrations in vascular plants. The effect of light on growth and endogenous PGR concentrations in microalgae was investigated in the present study.