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The article looks at the identification of linguistic means that verbalize the concept of “virtue” in the English proverbial picture of the world. A corpus of 50 proverbial units thematically related to the concept of “virtue” is analyzed. The concept of “virtue” itself refers to the main layer of evaluative concepts verbalized in the English language image of the world and carrying cultural information.

This article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of emotional concepts based on the themes of sentimentality in the literary works by the Irish poet T. Moore. The practical study of emotional concepts based on the linguistic material of a particular language represents an important component of linguistic knowledge overall, providing an opportunity to consider different spheres of the emotional world of a person at a deeper level. Linguocultural analysis of emotional concepts allows us to classify some distinctive components of associative series, as well as the features of the use of concepts in oral and written speech. The research of the emotional concepts in poetry gives the possibility to reveal some linguocultural peculiarities of concepts, conditioned by the author’s individual and cultural properties of the analysed works. In the present study, the analysis of emotional concepts is performed in the linguistic and cognitive paradigm and implies the identification of specific semantic and syntactic valence of emotion nominants in the collection of poems “Irish Melodies” by T. Moore.

This research is devoted to the study of the folklore tradition underlying some symbolic images in the poem “Luceafărul” by M. Eminescu. The purpose of the study is to examine a number of relevant cultural symbols and identify their associative specificity. To achieve the above-mentioned goal, a number of tasks were identified: to consider the main conceptual dominants of the literary world of M. Eminescu; to identify the most significant symbolic images of the poem from the linguocultural point of view and establish the specificity of their origin; to consider various options for linguocultural interpretation of the main artistic images of the poem. As a result of the conducted research, we come to the conclusion that the storyline of the poem was created under the influence of both the European cultural tradition and the folklore tradition of the Romanian people. The poem is replete with symbolic images that reveal the allegorical, dual nature of the characters and reflect the specifics of the philosophy and vision of the world of the author himself.

This research is devoted to the study of the linguo-cognitive specifics of the linguistic nominations of manifestations of love in the poem “La steaua” by M. Eminescu. The study of linguistic representations of the concept of love as multifaceted and ambiguous from the point of view of its emotional nature of feelings on the material of a poetic work is interdisciplinary by its nature, being at the junction of such scientific disciplines as: cognitive linguistics, literature and psycholinguistics. The purpose of the study is to identify and study the verbalized fragments of the image “love” in the poem “La steaua” by M. Eminescu and to establish their associative-figurative potential. To achieve the above-mentioned goal, a number of tasks were outlined: to identify and classify the key conceptual dominants of the poem “La steaua” by M. Eminescu; to establish the structure and semantic content of the image of love in the poem by describing its frame structure; to determine the individual author’s specificity of the interpretation of the artistic image of love on the material of the analyzed poem. As a result of our research, we identify frame structures that are activated by verbal units and convey a specific stereotypical situation. We come to the conclusion that the features of the verbal embodiment of frame structures are directly related to the individual author’s perception of the image of love, his personal and emotional characteristics, as well as culturally determined associations with the concept of love.

Copper-tolerant brown-rot fungi are able to degrade wood treated with copper or copper-based wood preservatives. This research used quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to explore what genes of the brown-rot fungus, Fibroporia radiculosa, were expressed when the fungus was overcoming the wood preservatives and decaying the wood. Aryl alcohol oxidase, catalase, oxalate decarboxylase 2, and copper resistance P-type ATPase pump had higher expression on alkaline copper quat type D treated wood compared with week 1. In addition, two genes had high expression at week 5; glycoside hydrolase 5 and glycoside hydrolase 10 when wood strength loss was around 50%. Glyoxylate dehydrogenase had high expression until week 8. This gene might be involved in the production of oxalate. Laccase, oxalate decarboxylase 1 and isocitrate lyase were not differentially expressed, suggesting that these genes were not involved in the decay process of alkaline copper quat-treated wood. These results are important to understand the genes that are involved in the mechanism of copper tolerance and wood decay in F. radiculosa.

Species richness and diversity of Phytophthora spp. (water molds) in urban riparian-forest ecosystems, which serve as primary drainage passageways for surface-water runoff, may be attributed to surrounding landscape management, associated vegetation, and environmental conditions. These riparian areas, although generally small, are always flooded during wet seasons and almost completely dry during the hottest parts of each year when there is limited precipitation. Little is known about Phytophthora spp. diversity within these heavily impacted sites. We sampled water, soil, and vegetation (phenology dependent) across 14 dates, over ~2 y at a site containing a drainage ditch that enters Hog Creek, in Rankin County, MS. We cultured all Phytophthora spp. using 4 published protocols to ensure maximum isolation potential. Across all sampling dates, 65 isolations were positive for Phytophthora spp., 12 of which were recovered from vegetation. We employed morphological and internal transcribed sequence (ITS) data to confirm taxa. We determined a total of 11 taxa on the basis of their phylogenetic clustering with known species of Phytophthora in a bayesian analysis. The most common taxa were P. chlamydospora, P. mississippiae, and P. cinnamomi at frequencies of 12.5%, 11.0%, and 10%, respectively. We verified morphologically and by sequence similarity an undescribed species, Phytophthora oaksoil taxon, which has been reported previously in the Western US, as well as other countries, such as Australia. Overall, the bottle-of-bait (BOB) intact-leaf and water-filtration methods had numerically greater frequencies (P ≤ 0.05) than BOB leaf disks, soil-baiting leaf disks, or vegetationsampling protocols. Overall frequency (14%) of Phytophthora spp. was significantly greater (P ≤ 0.05) for the 17 December 2014 sampling date. Even though several taxa identified in this study are reported to be pathogenic to riparian forest trees and vegetation at the Hog Creek site, symptoms on surrounding trees and vegetation was generally limited to foliar lesions, and we observed no visible damage or decline during the study period. It would be judicious to visit different, similar urban habitats to determine if common Phytophthora in this study are present in other central and southern Mississippi riparian habitats.

Wood properties and microbial community characteristics were compared between loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) logs protected or unprotected from termites (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae: Reticulitermes spp.) and other arthropods for two years in seasonally flooded and unflooded forests in the southeastern United States. Significant compositional differences were observed between treatments and between flood patterns for both bacterial and fungal communities. Bacteria were 8–9-fold more abundant in unprotected logs compared to protected logs in both flooded and unflooded forests, with the greatest abundance seen in unprotected and unflooded logs. Wood nitrogen and lignin contents were unaffected by treatment, flood pattern or levels of termite damage visible in unprotected logs. We conclude that termites alter the composition of both bacterial and fungal communities and thus have the potential to indirectly affect wood decomposition and related processes through interactions with the microbial community.

Copper is currently used as the key component in wood preservatives despite the known tolerance of many brown-rot Basidiomycetes. Copper-tolerant fungi, like Fibroporia radiculosa , produce and accumulate high levels of oxalate when exposed to copper. To gain insight into the mechanism of oxalate production, four F . radiculosa isolates decaying untreated and 1.2% ammoniacal copper citrate-treated wood were evaluated for the differential expression of citrate synthase, isocitrate lyase, glyoxylate dehydrogenase, a succinate/fumarate antiporter, and a copper resistance-associated ATPase pump. Samples were analyzed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks for oxalate production and gene expression. ATPase pump expression increased in the presence of copper when initial oxalate concentrations were low, suggesting it functions in helping the fungus adapt to the copper-rich environment by pumping toxic copper ions out of the cell. A connection in expression levels between citrate synthase, the succinate/fumarate antiporter isocitrate lyase, and glyoxylate dehydrogenase for the four isolates was found suggesting the production of oxalate originates in the mitochondrial TCA cycle via citrate synthase, shunts to the glyoxysomal glyoxylate cycle via the succinate/fumarate antiporter, moves through a portion of the glyoxylate cycle (isocitrate lyase), and ultimately is made in the cytoplasm (gyloxylate dehydrogenase).

The major question after a flooding event is whether to remove or remediate the building materials so that potentially harmful mold growth and their by-products cannot cause serious health problems for susceptible individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine the growth of Stachybotrys chartarum and corresponding production of macrocyclic trichothecenes on different components of a residential wall up to 65 days after a simulated flood event. Small-scale residential walls constructed of fiberglass batt insulation, oriented strandboard, gypsum wallboard, and lumber were destructively sampled at four time points. All four building materials contained notable levels of macrocyclic trichothecenes on all collection days. The highest concentrations of macrocyclic trichothecenes were on the paper siding of the gypsum wallboard, followed by the paper siding of the batt insulation and wood lumber. There was a significant increase in trichothecene concentration over time, particularly on the gypsum. The DNA concentrations of the mold were significantly higher on the batt insulation than on the wood products, and the mold concentrations also increased over time on the batt insulation and gypsum, but not on the wood products. It was concluded that if a flooding event should occur, the insulation and gypsum should be removed from the home and the remaining materials should be remediated.

Background While most Direct laryngoscopy leads to dental injury in 25–39% of cases. Dental injury occurs when the forces and impacts applied to the teeth exceed the ability of the structures to dissipate energy and stress. The purpose of this study was to measure strain, (which is the change produced in the length of the tooth by a force applied to the tooth) strain rate, and strain-time integral to the maxillary incisors and determine if they varied by experience, type of blade, or use of an alcohol protective pad (APP). Methods A mannequin head designed to teach and test intubation was instrumented with eight single axis strain gauges placed on the four maxillary incisors: four on the facial or front surface of the incisors and four on the lingual or back, near the insertion of the incisor in the gums to measure bending strain as well as compression. Anesthesiology faculty, residents, and certified registered nurse anesthetists intubated with Macintosh and Miller blades with and without APP. Using strain-time curves, the maximum strain, strain rate, and strain time integral were calculated. Results Across the 92 subjects, strain varied 8–12 fold between the 25th and 75th percentiles for all four techniques, but little by experience, while strain rate and strain integral varied 6–13 fold and 15–26 fold, respectively, for the same percentiles. Intubators who had high strain values with one blade tended to have high strains with the other blade with and without the APP (all pairwise correlation rho = 0.42–0.63). Conclusions Strain varies widely by intubator and that the use of the APP reduces strain rate which may decrease the risk of or the severity of dental injury.

A housing flood unit (FU) and large wall section samples were constructed from conventional building materials and exposed to simulated flooding. Conditions resembling the flooding after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, LA, were mimicked, specifically long-term flooding (3 weeks) and standing periods (3 weeks). The effect of natural drying of the FU, followed by forced drying, on the moisture and mechanical integrity of building elements and components was studied. The results were compared with a similar study where the flood and standing times before drying were considerably shorter (3 and 5 days, respectively). The long-term flood exposure and delayed re-entry resulted in severe delamination and blistering of the gypsum board below water level on almost all the walls of the FU. Natural ventilation by opening windows was not effective in reducing the moisture content of the gypsum board. A combination of dehumidification and air conditioning dried the FU and test samples in about 1 week. Short-term (3 days) flood exposure and re-entry 5 days later caused significantly less visual damage to the walls of the FU in comparison with the long-term exposure. Mechanical testing of the interior wall samples yielded similar results for both the long-term and short-term studies. For both studies, the mechanical strength above and below the water line was similar after the prescribed drying period. This type of data is important in order to utilise most effectively the components of a structure affected by flooding, as well as for development of protocols for the restoration of building components.

Few studies have focused on interactions between subterranean termites and the ophiostomatoid fungal associates of pine bark beetles or root feeding weevils. Field stake tests were employed at four locations throughout Mississippi to determine the feeding preference of subterranean termites for blue-stained, unstained, and partially decayed southern pine sapwood stakes. This study also utilized wood decayed by Gloeophyllum trabeum, a fungus previously shown to elicit a positive subterranean termite feeding response, as a positive control. Stakes inoculated with G. trabeum received significantly more attacks than all other treatments after 16 weeks. Of the stakes attacked by subterranean termites, stakes inoculated with Ophiostoma minus were degraded faster than any other treatment. Subterranean termite preference for stakes treated with either of two Leptographium spp. and the untreated negative controls did not differ; however, each was fed upon less than all other treatments. The feeding rate on stakes inoculated with O. ips and G. trabeum being fed upon by subterranean termites was not significantly different. These results represent the first evidence of wood containing non-structurally degrading fungi (O. ips and O. minus) eliciting a feeding preference from subterranean termites greater than that of decayed wood. The implications of these results are particularly relevant to pine forest ecology, nutrient cycling, subterranean termite control, and the utilization of blue-stained southern pine building products in the southeastern U.S.

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is widely used as a wood preservative for utility poles and other wood products. It has been proposed that a modified PCP carrier system based on a diesel/biodiesel mixture should be used in place of the conventional diesel/KB3 carrier, but questions exist as to whether this modified carrier system can provide the same service life as wood products treated with PCP/diesel/KB3. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the comparative decay resistance of wood treated with carrier formulations containing either diesel/KB3 or diesel/biodiesel. A 2-year efficacy study using an accelerated soil contact decay test was initiated to compare the performance of southern yellow pine wood treated with the conventional diesel/KB3 carrier and a modified diesel/biodiesel carrier, both with and without PCP. The residual hydrocarbon levels, PCP reduction, toxicity, and leaching of PCP of the samples remained approximately at the same level for treatments with similar PCP retentio...

Fungi from coarse woody debris samples containing or lacking termites were isolated, and identified from upland and bottomland hardwoods and pines in northeast Mississippi. Samples yielded 860 unique fungal isolates, with 59% identified to genus level. Four phyla, six classes, 10 orders, 14 families, and 50 genera were recovered. The fungal groups encountered by decreasing taxonomic diversity were Imperfect Fungi, Ascomycota, Zygomycota, Basidiomycota, and unknown fungi. The most frequently encountered fungi were Penicillium (81 occurrences), Nodulisporium (57), Cladosporium (37), Trichoderma (34), Xylaria (29), Talaromyces and Pestalotia (27 each), and Stachylidium (26). The true wood decay fungi only accounted for 0.9% of the fungi isolated. The only statistical interactions associated with termites were the genus Nodulisporium, the class Coelomycetes, and the order Xylariales which all correlated with the absence of termites. Of particular interest is the strong correlation of the Xylariales and absence of termites. These white rot ascomycetes may have inhibitory effects on termites. In addition, the correlation of the genus Nodulisporium may be related as many species of this genus are considered asexual stages of Xylaria and Hypoxylon. There were also a number of significant interactions between wood species, habitat and presence of certain fungi. Most prior research has found an attraction of termites to wood infested with different types of wood-associated fungi. This study, however, found no positive statistical correlations between the presence of termites and any given group of fungi. An increased understanding of these interactions may help locate and isolate biologically active compounds that may influence termite behavior.

The feasibility of short-read sequencing for genomic analysis was demonstrated for Fibroporia radiculosa , a copper-tolerant fungus that causes brown rot decay of wood. The effect of read quality on genomic assembly was assessed by filtering Illumina GAIIx reads from a single run of a paired-end library (75-nucleotide read length and 300-bp fragment size) at three different stringency levels and then assembling each data set with Velvet. A simple approach was devised to determine which filter stringency was “best.” Venn diagrams identified the regions containing reads that were used in an assembly but were of a low-enough quality to be removed by a filter. By plotting base quality histograms of reads in this region, we judged whether a filter was too stringent or not stringent enough. Our best assembly had a genome size of 33.6 Mb, an N50 of 65.8 kb for a k -mer of 51, and a maximum contig length of 347 kb. Using GeneMark, 9,262 genes were predicted. TargetP and SignalP analyses showed that among the 1,213 genes with secreted products, 986 had motifs for signal peptides and 227 had motifs for signal anchors. Blast2GO analysis provided functional annotation for 5,407 genes. We identified 29 genes with putative roles in copper tolerance and 73 genes for lignocellulose degradation. A search for homologs of these 102 genes showed that F. radiculosa exhibited more similarity to Postia placenta than Serpula lacrymans . Notable differences were found, however, and their involvements in copper tolerance and wood decay are discussed.

Structural and ultrastructural changes caused by bioaccumulation of As and Cr in brake fern (Pteris vittata), a known arsenic hyperaccumulator, were investigated. Potted plants of brake fern were exposed to metal treatments of As and Cr for three weeks. Leaf, stem and root samples were collected periodically and fixed for LM (Light Microscopy), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) to evaluate anatomical changes. The fresh weights, dry weights, RWC (Relative Water Content) and plant heights were obtained before the brake fern plants were harvested for metal accumulation analysis. The As accumulated mainly in the shoots while Cr accumulated mainly in the roots of the metal-treated plants. Significant changes in the ferns physical characters, including fresh weight, dry weight, RWC, and plant height were observed for only Cr-treated plants but not for As-treated plants. Microscopic studies reveal the Cr accumulation resulted in dehydration and collapse of internal structure of leaves and cellular breakdown of roots. The As-treated plants showed no significant structural changes in leaves, stems and roots compared to control plants. Clotted depositions were observed in roots and stems of plant groups treated with highest concentration of Cr and As when compared to control (T0) group. Our study indicates that Cr has a profound impact on physiology and structure of fern plants. The accumulation of Cr resulted in decrease in growth rate, total biomass and RWC. We believe that brake fern plants can uptake, translocate and sequester As because it caused no significant structural changes in leaves, stems and roots of the plants.

Steam-pressed scrim lumber (SPSL) involves crushing small diameter trees into mats that are coated with adhesive and pressed into boards. Water from the crushing process contains a high biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total suspended solids (TSS). This water must be remediated before it can be discharged into public water systems. A 6-month study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of co-composting of the process water with wood waste and chicken manure as a method of remediation. Wood waste from the SPSL pilot facility in Shuqualak, Mississippi, was ground into small particles. This material was composted using four treatments: with or without added manure plus deionized (DI) water or process water to adjust moisture content. The compost end products for all treatments were evaluated for relative toxicity, weight loss, maturity, and suitability as a container substrate to grow plants. Additional testing determined the toxicity of compost leachate and evaluated th...

Gene expression studies were conducted on selected decay enzymes during the decay of pine, cedar, and alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ)-treated pine over 18 months. Measurements of modulus of elasticity (MOE), decay rating, and moisture content were also monitored. After 4 months in a soil bed decay test, identification of decay fungi was made to determine gene expression levels. The white rot fungus, Phlebia radiata was identified on all wood stakes. Therefore, P. radiata species specific primers were designed to track the expression of three decay enzyme genes: lignin peroxidase (Lip), manganese peroxidase (Mnp), and laccase (Lcc) on wood samples. The gene expression of Lip and Mnp was similar on pine and on ACQ-treated pine but no Lip or Mnp was expressed on cedar throughout the study. There was significantly more Lcc produced on ACQ-treated pine stakes at 6, 8, 16, and 18 months than pine stakes while no Lcc was expressed on cedar. Basidiomycete decay genes were present on ACQ-treated pine and decay fungi colonized ACQ-treated pine but caused little if any wood decay. Thus, it appears ACQ-treated wood does not stop the expression of the decay genes but does inhibit the effectiveness of the enzymes. No basidiomycete genes were expressed and few basidiomycetes colonized cedar and little or no decay was observed on cedar. The results show that the naturally durable cedar reduced the wood decay community and gene expression in comparison to untreated pine and ACQ-treated pine. To our knowledge, this is the first report that describes decay enzyme gene expressions on chemically and naturally durable woods in forest soils.

Proteins expressed by the brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum were characterized from inoculated southern yellow pine sapwood undergoing decay, from pure cultures of the fungus and from uninoculated pinewood. Analysis was carried out by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF/TOF/MS. No proteins were detected from the clean uncontaminated wood. The inoculated wood undergoing active brown-rot decay produced 76 proteins, including the Fenton-chemistry related enzymes, alcohol oxidase, lipoxygenase, and catalase. One hundred and eleven proteins were detected from the pure culture and most were common metabolic proteins. A majority of proteins in both samples were identified as hypothetical proteins. A surprising result is that there was very little overlap between proteins found in both sets of samples, indicating a very different mechanism in action when the fungus is growing on a cellulose-based nutrient source (wood) versus glucose media. This study also highlights a current limitation of this approach, which is the limited protein and genomic sequence information annotated on the public databases. Of the 187 proteins characterized, only 36 were identified with confidence. To our knowledge, this is the first reported proteomic analysis of pinewood decayed by a brown-rot fungus and provides the initial characterization of proteins involved in this type of wood biodeterioration. Although significant limitations still exist in identifying the proteins, this limitation will diminish as functional proteins are identified and added to the databases.

A six month study evaluated composting affects on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) leaching from hardwood and furniture sawdust amended with 20% and 30% chicken litter. Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) was obtained from substrates. Moisture was provided through precipitation, and the substrate was aerated once or twice per week, depending on the amount of rainfall. Samples were collected at 45 day intervals for analysis. A significant reduction in N and K concentrations occurred for all amended compost by day 180. Hardwood substrate matured quicker than furniture compost based on a radish seed germination test. Toxicity reduction occurred in every treatment by day 180. Chicken litter control showed the best overall weight loss; however, its toxicity levels were still much higher on day 180.

In situ decomposition of above and belowground plant biomass of the native grass species Andropogon glomeratus (Walt.) B.S.P. and exotic Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. (cogongrass) was investigated using litter bags over the course of a 12 month period. The above and belowground biomass of the invasive I. cylindrica always decomposed faster than that of the native A. glomeratus. Also, belowground biomass of both species decomposed at a consistently faster rate when placed within an invaded area consisting of a monotypic stand of I. cylindrica as opposed to within a native plant assemblage. However, there was no similar such trend observed in the aboveground plant material. The microbial communities associated with the invaded sites often differed from those found in the native vegetation and provide a possible causal mechanism by which to explain the observed differences in decomposition rates. The microbial communities differed not only compositionally, as indicated by ordination analyses, but also functionally with respect to enzymatic activity essential to the decomposition process. This study supports the growing consensus that invasive plant species alter normal ecological processes and highlights a possible mechanism (alteration of microbial assemblages) by which I. cylindrica may alter an ecosystem process (decomposition).

Summary Quantitative neuroimaging techniques have become emerging technologies within clinical practice. In this paper, we survey a few clinical applications where quantification methods have received increasing attention, namely in the area of brain atrophy, lesion load computation and quantification of diffusion processes. We focus on the reliability and reproducibility of such methods and will use the example of quantitative diffusion tensor imaging to discuss methodological details. There, we show possible avenues for evaluating correctness and reliability. On the one hand, we show results from our novel hardware phantom experiments, where axonal fibres are emulated by synthetic industry fibres. On the other hand, we present a new framework for constructing software phantoms which can be used to evaluate, for example, the impact of partial volume effects in case of axonal loss as to be found in multiple sclerosis. Advantages and disadvantages as well as pitfalls of quantification and evaluation techniques are illustrated throughout the paper.

The course of disease in 119 HIV-infected patients (117 men, 2 women; median age 38.5 years) with malignant tumours other than Kaposi's sarcoma was analyzed in a multi-centre retrospective study. This was conducted to obtain initial information concerning the incidence, clinical features and results of therapy in HIV-associated neoplasms, especially malignant lymphomas. The most frequent tumour was malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (98 patients, 82.5%), seven patients had Hodgkin's disease, five had solid tumours, four a polyclonal lymphoproliferative syndrome, three an acute lymphocytic leukaemia, and two had other lymphoproliferative diseases. 58% of the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas occurred in patients with marked immunodeficiency, 85% were high grade malignancies and 47% had primary extranodal disease. 56% of primary nodal lymphomas also had visceral spread (Stage IV). Lymphoblastic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was more common in patients with favourable immunological status, presented less frequently with primary extranodal disease, was diagnosed earlier than other non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and appeared to carry a better prognosis. 78 out of the 98 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma had been treated, 66 with cytotoxics. The median survival time was 6 months. Longer remission periods, of at least 12 months, were seen in ten of the 78 patients (13%). Despite the overall poor prognosis and the pre-existing immune defect, palliative (chemo-)therapeutic measures are both justified and promising, and may also result in life-prolonging remissions.

History and clinical findings Three young men became ill one after the other with fever, headaches, vomiting, arthralgias and muscle pain. One day after beginning of symptoms all three patients developed a haemorrhagic rash with petechial and ecchymotic lesions most intense on distal extremities. 24 hours later patient no. 1 and 3 were in septic shock. Investigations Laboratory tests showed signs of systemic infection, disseminated intravascular coagulation and renal failure. On the day of admission to the hospital blood cultures showed Neisseria meningitidis in patient no. 1 and 3. In patient no. 2 blood cultures were negative. Treatment and course Intravenous antibiotic therapy was started immediately after admission. In patient no. 1 and 3 purpura fulminans with multiple organ failure demanded intensive care treatment. Patient no. 1 recovered. Necrotic toes made amputations necessary. Patient no. 2 was never critically ill. Patient no. 3, whose course was complicated by a long lasting disseminated intravascular coagulation, died from massive cerebral bleeding 6 days after admission. Patient no. 2, who was treated with ciprofloxacin after symptoms began was never critically ill. Conclusion Neisseria meningitidis sepsis has a high mortality rate. Rapid admission to the hospital and beginning of an antibiotic therapy with penicillin G or a third-generation cephalosporin is a priority when meningococcal disease is suspected. Chemoprophylaxis should be offered to close contacts of patients.

A combination of amoxicillin with clavulanic acid (a beta-lactamase inhibitor) and the aminoglycoside amikacin proved effective in the treatment of advanced pulmonary nocardiosis in a 49-year-old man. The result accorded with preceding in-vitro and animal experiments and justifies this combination of drugs in the treatment of nocardiosis, especially if the causative organism is N. farcinica (N. asteroides, biovariety B).

The onset of reproduction is an important event in tree development and adaptation. Reproductive onset is controlled by the FT1 locus in poplar ( Populus sp .). However, sequence variation in this locus is not well understood. To enable large-scale polymorphism studies, the aim of this research was to identify sequence variation in the FT1 locus in a small population of Populus deltoides with varying reproductive onset. Gene specific primers were designed to amplify four exons and three introns of FT1 , from 14 genotypes. The sequence analysis showed 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms and 4 insertion-deletion sites located in introns of FT1 . Transcript expression analysis in two groups with different reproductive onset phenotypes showed FT1 transcript expressed higher in the early flowering genotypes than late flowering genotype. This information expands the understanding of the genetic basis of phenotypic variation in reproductive onset in Populus deltoides .

The objectives of this study were (i) to investigate the feasibility of using spectral reflectance for monitoring As and Cr accumulation in Chinese brake fern (Pteris vitatta), and (ii) to search for spectral indices sensitive to structural changes caused by metal accumulation during the process of phytoremediation. Potted Chinese brake fern plants were exposed to As (100 and 300 ppm) and Cr (300 and 600 ppm) treatments for 22 days. The plants were then harvested and analysed for metal accumulation. Diffuse reflectance spectra (350-2500 nm) of the plant canopies were collected regularly throughout the metal treatment period using a portable spectroradiometer. Leaf reflectance is governed by leaf surface properties, internal structure, and foliar pigments and biochemical components. Leaf samples were collected and analysed for structural changes through microscopic observations. Our microscopic studies on changes of leaf structure provide insight into the physical changes that are remotely detected as changes in reflectance, and may permit extrapolation of these results to other plant species. Cr accumulation resulted in a decrease in biomass, relative water content (RWC), and changes in the internal structure of the leaf. The structural and spectral results show significant changes in Cr-treated plants while the changes were minimal in As-treated plants compared to untreated plants. Our spectral analysis revealed that a unique ratio index R 1110/R 810 can be used to monitor structural changes in plants due to accumulation of Cr. This index distinguished Cr-treated plants from untreated and As-treated plants. The Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) distinguished stressed plants, but NDVI cannot distinguish Cr-stressed plants from As-stressed plants. Our results show that brake fern can accumulate significant amounts of Cr in shoots (2108 mg kg-1 dry weight), but it is not a hyperaccumulator for Cr because much higher Cr accumulation was found in roots (7686 mg kg-1 dry weight). This study suggests that the infrared reflectance spectrum (800-1300 nm) of plant canopy may provide a non-intrusive monitoring method to access the physiological status of plants grown in heavy metal-contaminated soil.

The focus of our research is to seek spectral signatures that indicate the impact and content of heavy metals in the leaves and canopies of living plants during the process of phytoremediation. Potted plants of barley (Hordeum vulgare) were grown for 5-6 weeks before being subjected to metal treatments of Zn and Cd. Diffuse reflectance spectra (350-2500 nm) of the plant canopies were collected daily using a portable spectroradiometer throughout the treatment period. Foliar structural changes of Zn-treated plants included a decrease in intercellular space, palisade and epidermal cell size while Cd-treated plants displayed fewer structural changes in leaf. Spectral analysis revealed that the band ratios at 1110 nm to that at 810 nm might be used as an indicator of the accumulation of certain metals in plant shoots. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and leaf-water-content indices examined as part of our spectral analysis were not able to distinguish plants treated with different metals. Our ratio index R1110/R810, on the other hand, correlates closely with the magnitude of leaf structural changes. This study suggests that the infrared reflectance spectrum (800-1300 nm) of plant canopy might provide a non-intrusive monitoring method for the physiological status of plants grown on heavy metal contaminated soil.

The objectives of this study are: (1) Evaluate the capacity of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) for uptake and accumulation of Cs and Sr natural isotopes. (2) Identify foliar structural and other physiological changes (biomass, relative water content etc.) resulted from the accumulation of these two elements. (3) Monitor the Cs and Sr uptake and bioaccumulation process by spectral reflectance. Potted Indian mustard plants were exposed to different concentrations of Cs (50 and 600 ppm) and Sr (50 and 300 ppm) natural isotopes in solution form for 23 days. Bioaccumulation of Cs and Sr were found in the order of leaves > stems > roots for both Cs- and Sr-treated plants. The highest leaf and root Sr accumulations are observed to be 2,708, and 1,194 mg kg−1, respectively; and the highest leaf and root Cs accumulations are 12,251, and 6,794 mg kg−1, respectively. High translocation efficiency for both elements is documented by shoot/root concentration ratios greater than one. Biomass decreases were observed for plants treated with higher concentration of Cs or Sr. Cs accumulation affected the pigment concentration and internal structure of the leaf and the spectral characteristics of plants. Within the applied concentration range, Sr accumulation resulted in no significant changes in relative water content (RWC), leaf structural and spectral characteristics of mustard plants. Cs shoot concentration showed significant negative correlation with relative water content (RWC; r = −0.88*) and normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) value (r = −0.68*) of plant shoots. The canopy spectral reflectance and NDVI analysis clearly revealed (p < 0.05) the stress caused by Cs accumulation.

Cancer causes a high economic burden. The purpose of this study is to determine and compare the direct, indirect and societal costs of illness for Hodgkin's Disease (HD), Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL), Plasmocytoma and Chronic Lymphatic Lymphoma (CLL). We used a database of 1.9 million individuals enrolled in a statutory sickness fund in Germany to identify 4,172 patients treated for malignant lymphoma in 2000. Direct, indirect and societal costs were calculated using a case-control design and the human capital approach. Direct cost (in Euro) for patients with HD was 3604, for NHL patients 6,149, for Plasmocytoma 8,400, and for CLL patients 3,226. Total indirect cost for HD was 69 million, for NHL patients 404 million, for Plasmocytoma 144 million, and for CLL patients 52 million. Totalling 1.7 billion Euro in economic cost for Germany in 2000, with 44,000 productive years lost, malignant lymphomas are a relatively costly disease group. As life expectancy increases, costs for malignant lymphoma are likely to rise due to the high prevalence among the elderly. Further research employing disaggregated, incidence-based cost is needed.

Since co-addition of the antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) increased the efficacy of organic biocides in protecting wood in laboratory and outdoor exposure tests, and it was suggested that the antioxidant might also help protect organic biocides against microbial degradation, the latter hypothesis was tested. Stakes were examined that had been treated with different levels of the organic biocide chlorothalonil, with and without two levels of the antioxidant BHT co-added, and exposed for 54 months in ground contact at two locations with high or severe deterioration hazard. Three replicate stakes were removed from each treatment set/location, and chlorothalonil and BHT depletion was measured at three positions in each stake. Biocide depletion was generally lower in the ground-contact sections of stakes that were treated with the two higher chlorothalonil levels and BHT than for matched stakes without co-added BHT, possibly due to BHT protecting the biocide against bacterial and/or fungal degradation. However, a protective effect was only observed in one-half of the ground-contact portion of stakes treated with the lowest chlorothalonil level and in approximately one-half of the above-ground section of the stakes at all three biocide treatment levels. Further studies are needed to definitively determine if BHT can reduce depletion of different organic biocides in above-ground or ground-contact wood. BHT depletion generally ranged from approximately 30–50% after exposure for 54 months. The termite and fungal decay efficacy of the remaining stakes after exposure for 67 months showed that stakes co-treated with BHT and chlorothalonil generally had better fungal and termite ratings than stakes treated with only the biocide.

Anatomical and physiological changes in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) plants due to uptake and accumulation of Zn and Cd were investigated. Potted plants were exposed to metal treatments of Zn and Cd for 15 and 16 days, respectively. Leaves, stems and roots were harvested for studying anatomy and analyzing metal accumulation. Anatomical changes were documented using light microscopy, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. Accumulation of Zn and Cd in all parts of the plant increased significantly with an increase in applied metal concentration. Microscopic studies revealed clotted depositions in roots and stems, break down of parenchyma cells, and a decrease in starch content in leaves of plants treated with high concentrations of Zn. Physiological and morphological changes of Zn-treated plants included a significant decrease in relative water content, dry weight and plant height. Cd at higher concentrations resulted in structural changes only in stems and roots. Mustard plants accumulated significant amounts of Zn and Cd without exhibiting symptoms of phytotoxicity. However, higher Zn (ZnT3 and ZnT4) and Cd (CdT4) concentrations resulted in structural changes in roots, stems and leaves and altered physiological and morphological characteristics. Our results systematically illustrate the physiological implications of structural alterations caused by Zn and Cd at higher concentrations.

This review presents a short overview of 25-years of clinical trials by the GHSG for the treatment of primary Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The trials HD1-HD12 that have been conducted between 1978-2002 are reviewed and major results are discussed. Furthermore, the development of the strategies concerning chemo- and radiotherapy for the treatment of Hodgkin's Lymphoma is characterized.

Background: We designed a dose- and time-intensified high-dose sequential chemotherapy regimen for patients with relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HD). Patients and methods: Eligibility criteria included age 18 – 65 years, histologically proven primary progressive (PD) or relapsed HD. Treatment consisted of two cycles DHAP (dexamethasone, highdose cytarabine, cisplatinum); patients with chemosensitive disease received cyclophosphamide followed by peripheral blood stem cell harvest; methotrexate plus vincristine, etoposide and BEAM plus peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). Results: A total of 102 patients (median age 34 years, range 18– 64) were enrolled. The response rate was 80% (72% complete response, 8% partial response). With a median follow-up of 30 months (range 3 – 61 months), freedom from second failure (FF2F) and overall survival (OS) were 59% and 78% for all patients, respectively. FF2F and OS for patients with early relapse were 62% and 81%, for late relapse 65% and 81%; for PD 41% and 48%, and for multiple relapse 39% and 48%, respectively. In multivariate analysis response after DHAP (P