A detailed stratigraphic and facies reconstruction of a bentonitized acid-tuff succession, deposited within the transgressive systems tract of the Upper Miocene-Sarmatian Ser-3 eustatic cycle, at Sajóbábony, northern Hungary, was performed via petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical analyses. The purpose of the work was to analyze the degree of alteration of the volcanogenic sediments, as an indicator of the relative volcanic sedimentation rate. This may have an important role in indicating volcanic periods synchronous with sedimentation or reconstructing the volcanosedimentary paleoconditions. Sample pairs were collected from each bentonite and tuff layer, and, to facilitiate microstratigraphic relations, samples were collected every 10 cm within bentonite layers. Mineralogical analyses were performed by X-ray diffraction and geochemical analyses by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy.

The CaO/K2O and Eu/La ratios correlate with each other and with a montmorillonite/X-ray-amorphous phase ratio, reflecting Ca and Eu incorporation associated with devitrification and smectite formation. In accordance with the current literature, these mineralogical and geochemical proxies can be related primarily to the weathering processes. Considering vertical distributions in a sequence-stratigraphic context, the Ca content and Eu/La values show that local peaks and Eu anomalies characteristic of acid tuffs show minima at flooding surfaces (FS). Within a bentonite layer, representing a single transgressive period, the repeated events of dust-tuff accumulations have been determined by K2O/CaO and La/Eu peaks, confirmed also by the Eu anomalies in the rare earth element (REE) patterns, thus leading to the conclusion that the level of alteration is closely correlated with the elimination of terrigenous input and a minimum in volcanic sedimentation rate allowing more intensive alteration of the deposited volcanic material. In the case of fine tuff beds, Eu anomalies on REE patterns reflect limited alteration at the bottom and more intensive alteration in the upper parts of the beds, reflecting the effect of infiltration of sea water into the pores.

Heat stress reduction in hutch-reared dairy calves is overlooked on most dairy farms. We hypothesised that during summer, the microclimate within hutches is directly affected by compass direction as a result of differences in exposure to solar radiation. On a bright, mid-August day a number of behavioural and physiological heat stress response measures (respiratory rate, body posture, being in the shade or sun) were recorded in 20-min intervals from 0720-1900h on calves housed in hutches with entrances facing all four points of the compass. In conjunction with this, dry bulb (ambient) and black globe temperatures, and wind speed were recorded both inside the plastic hutches and at one sunny site at the exterior. Data were compared in terms of distinct periods of the day (0720-1100, 1120-1500, 1520-1900h). Dry bulb temperatures were higher inside hutches compared to outside while for black globe temperatures the opposite was true. Daily average temperatures and respiratory rates did not differ between hutches facing different compass points. In the morning and afternoon, hutch temperature and calf respiratory rate differed relative to compass point. Calves in east- and north-facing hutches were seen more in the shade than those in south- and west-facing ones. Our conclusion was that in a continental region having hutch entrances face towards the east or north confers some advantages in mitigating severe solar heat load in summer.

Neurodegenerative diseases are a pathologically, clinically and genetically diverse group of disorders without effective disease-modifying therapies. Pathologically, these disorders are characterised by disease-specific protein aggregates in neurons and/or glia and referred to as proteinopathies. Many neurodegenerative diseases show pathological overlap with the same abnormally deposited protein occurring in anatomically distinct regions, which give rise to specific patterns of cognitive and motor clinical phenotypes. Sequential distribution patterns of protein inclusions throughout the brain have been described. Rather than occurring in isolation, it is increasingly recognised that combinations of one or more proteinopathies with or without cerebrovascular disease frequently occur in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, complex constellations of ageing-related and incidental pathologies associated with tau, TDP-43, Aβ, α-synuclein deposition have been commonly reported in longitudinal ageing studies. This review provides an overview of current classification of neurodegenerative and age-related pathologies and presents the spectrum and complexity of mixed pathologies in community-based, longitudinal ageing studies, in major proteinopathies, and genetic conditions. Mixed pathologies are commonly reported in individuals >65 years with and without cognitive impairment; however, they are increasingly recognised in younger individuals (<65 years). Mixed pathologies are thought to lower the threshold for developing cognitive impairment and dementia. Hereditary neurodegenerative diseases also show a diverse range of mixed pathologies beyond the proteinopathy primarily linked to the genetic abnormality. Cases with mixed pathologies might show a different clinical course, which has prognostic relevance and obvious implications for biomarker and therapy development, and stratifying patients for clinical trials.

We estimate the column density of the Galactic foreground interstellar medium (GFISM) in the direction of extragalactic sources. All-sky AKARI FIS infrared sky survey data might be used to trace the GFISM with a resolution of 2 arcminutes. The AKARI based GFISM hydrogen column density estimates are compared with similar quantities based on HI 21cm measurements of various resolution and of Planck results. High spatial resolution observations of the GFISM may be important recalculating the physical parameters of gamma-ray burst (GRB) host galaxies using the updated foreground parameters.

Valvular heart disease is a multifactorial disorder. Twin studies may help to better understand both genetic and environmental determinants contributing to the development of valve lesions. We describe the case of a 45-year-old female asymptomatic triplet with multiple valvular heart lesions, with a somewhat different pattern between the dizygotic twin pairs compared with the monozygotic twin pair. After thorough assessment of medical history and physical examination, the triplet underwent two- and three-dimensional transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic examinations to assess the pathomechanism and severity of their heart valve lesions. The monozygotic twin pair (second-born twin B and third-born twin C) showed the same pattern of valvular lesions: mild mitral, tricuspidal, and aortic regurgitation of the same pathomechanism (posterior mitral valve cleft and aortosclerosis). Interestingly, the examination of first-born twin (twin A), who was dizygotic to twins B and C, revealed mild protosystolic mitral and mild tricuspidal regurgitation, but neither aortic insufficiency nor mitral cleft or indentation could be detected. Beyond the genetic effect, we presume that the intrauterine twinning process might also play a role in the development of congenital valvular heart disease. In order to verify this, further investigation should be performed on larger twin populations. Nevertheless, when one twin is affected, the other asymptomatic twin should also be examined for valvular heart disease.

Pannon White (n = 12) male rabbits (weight: 4050 to 4500 g, age: 9 months) received 2 ml of a suspension containing purified T-2 toxin by gavage for 3 days. The daily toxin intake was 4 mg/animal (0.78 to 0.99 mg/kg body weight (BW)). Control animals (n = 12) received toxin-free suspension for 3 days. Since a feed-refusal effect was observed on the second day after T-2 administration, a group of bucks (n = 10) were kept as controls (no toxin treatment) but on a restricted feeding schedule, that is, the same amount of feed was provided to them as was consumed by the exposed animals. On day 51 of the experiment (i.e. 48 days after the 3-day toxin treatment), semen was collected, and pH, concentration, motility and morphology of the spermatozoa, as well as concentration of citric acid, zinc and fructose in the seminal plasma, were measured. After gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue treatment, the testosterone level was examined. One day of T-2 toxin treatment dramatically decreased voluntary feed intake (by 27% compared to control, P < 0.05) and remained lower (P < 0.05) during the first 2 weeks after the withdrawal of the toxin. BW of the contaminated rabbits decreased by 88% on days 17 and 29 compared to controls (P < 0.05). No effect of toxin treatment was detected on pH and quantity of the semen or concentration of spermatozoa. The ratio of spermatozoa showing progressive forward motility decreased from 65% to 53% in the semen samples of toxin-treated animals compared to controls (P > 0.05). The ratio of spermatozoa with abnormal morphology increased (P < 0.05) in the ejaculates collected from the toxin-treated animals. T-2 toxin applied in high doses decreased the concentration of citric acid in seminal plasma (P < 0.05). No effect of T-2 toxin on the concentrations of the other seminal plasma parameters (fructose and zinc) was observed. T-2 toxin decreased the basic testosterone level by 45% compared to control (P < 0.01) and resulted in lower (P < 0.05) GnRH-induced testosterone concentration. Feed restriction, that is, less nutrient intake, resulted in more morphologically abnormal spermatozoa in the semen, but it did not cause significant loss in BW, motility of the spermatozoa, composition of the seminal plasma or testosterone concentration – its effect needs further examination.

We describe the design and current status of the Degree Angular Scale Interferometer (DASI), a compact cm-wave interferometer operating at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole research station. With 20-cm diameter primary antenna elements operating over the frequency range 26 − 36 GHz, DASI is optimized to measure the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) over the multipole range 140 − 920, (corresponding to scales of 25′ − 2°.6), as well as make high-sensitivity maps of the microwave sky. The telescope was built at the University of Chicago and deployed at the South Pole during the 1999-2000 austral summer.

Let p be a prime, a field of pn elements, and G a finite p-group. It is shown here that if G has a quotient whose commutator subgroup is of order p and whose centre has index pk, then the group of normalized units in the group algebra has a conjugacy class of pnk elements. This was first proved by A. Bovdi and C. Polcino Milies for the case k = 2; their argument is now generalized and simplified. It remains an intriguing question whether the cardinality of the smallest noncentral conjugacy class can always be recognized from this test.

Let $L(V)$ be the free Lie algebra on a finite-dimensional vector space $V$ over a field $K$, with homogeneous components $L^n(V)$ for $n \geq 1$. If $G$ is a group and $V$ is a $KG$-module, the action of $G$ extends naturally to $L(V)$, and the $L^n(V)$ become finite-dimensional $KG$-modules, called the Lie powers of $V$. In the decomposition problem, the aim is to identify the isomorphism types of indecomposable $KG$-modules, with their multiplicities, in unrefinable direct decompositions of the Lie powers. This paper is concerned with the case where $G$ has prime order $p$, and $K$ has characteristic $p$. As is well known, there are $p$ indecomposables, denoted here by $J_1,\dots,J_p$, where $J_r$ has dimension $r$. A theory is developed which provides information about the overall module structure of $L(V)$ and gives a recursive method for finding the multiplicities of $J_1,\dots,J_p$ in the Lie powers $L^n(V)$. For example, the theory yields decompositions of $L(V)$ as a direct sum of modules isomorphic either to $J_1$ or to an infinite sum of the form $J_r \oplus J_{p-1} \oplus J_{p-1} \oplus \ldots $ with $r \geq 2$. Closed formulae are obtained for the multiplicities of $J_1,\dots,J_p$ in $L^n(J_p)$ and $L^n(J_{p-1})$. For $r < p-1$, the indecomposables which occur with non-zero multiplicity in $L^n(J_r)$ are identified for all sufficiently large $n$.

2000 Mathematical Subject Classification:17B01, 20C20.

The minimal faithful permutation degree μ(G) of a finite group G is the least positive integer n such that G is isomorphic to a subgroup of the symmetric group Sn. Let N be a normal subgroup of a finite group G. We prove that μ(G/N) ≤ μ(G) if G/N has no nontrivial Abelian normal subgroup. There is an as yet unproved conjecture that the same conclusion holds if G/N is Abelian. We investigate the structure of a (hypothetical) minimal counterexample to this conjecture.