Inhibitory effects in the detection of 1 cpd jo targets superimposed to angular frequency stimuli or sinewave gratings

Independence among channels processing different aspects of spatial information, including orthogonal stimuli, has been generally assumed in the literature. We tested independence between the processing of jo targets and the processing of either vertical sinusoidal gratings or angular frequency stimuli with suprathreshold summation. We found the detection of a jo target at 1 cpd to be affected in an inhibitory fashion by either background angular frequencies in the range of 3-96 cycles or sinewave gratings in the range of 0.8-3.0 cpd. These results demonstrate interactions both among orthogonal stimuli and among channels processing vertical sinewave gratings and jo target stimuli. Our discussion focuses on the hypothesis of frequency decomposition in polar coordinates

Substâncias húmicas: sistema de fracionamento sequencial por ultrafiltração com base no tamanho molecular

A sequential system for fractionation by ultrafiltration (SSFU) equipped with advanced membranes filters (molecular size cut-off: 5, 10, 30, 50 and 100 kDalton) of the polyethersulfone type was developed for analytical fractionation of humic substances (HS) extracted from aquatic systems or soils. The device consists of five membrane filters (Sartocon® Micro) operated by a multi-channel peristaltic pump, enabling an easy handling, working in a closed system and with simple collection of the six obtained fractions (F1>100; F2: 100-50; F3: 50-30; F4:30-10; F5: 10-5 and F6 <5 kDalton). Then, the HS sample (250 mL solution 1.0 mg/mL, pH 5.0 to 6.0) to be fractionated is pumped by pump through the series of membrane filters with a tangential flow of 85 mL/min, initial pressure 0.2 to 0.3 bar and permeation flux through the membranes of 0.8 to 1.4 mL/min. The overall time for fractionation and cleaning of the device is about 10 h and 25 mL of each fraction is obtained.

Multi-level governance and social cohesion in the European Union: the assessment of local agents, a study case inside Galicia

Implementing multi-level governance has been a key priority in EU cohesion policy. This study assesses the perceived achievements and shortcomings in implementing European Social Fund by analyzing the deficits and weaknesses as well as the poor participation of local agents who are in direct contact with the beneficiaries in order to design and implement this fund, which is the main financial instrument of EU social policy.

Effects of tissue handling and processing steps on PCR for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples

Development and standardization of reliable methods for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples is an important goal in laboratories throughout the world. In this work, lung and spleen fragments from a patient who died with the diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis were used to evaluate the influence of the type of fixative as well as the fixation and paraffin inclusion protocols on PCR performance in paraffin embedded specimens. Tissue fragments were fixed for four h to 48 h, using either 10% non-buffered or 10% buffered formalin, and embedded in pure paraffin or paraffin mixed with bee wax. Specimens were submitted to PCR for amplification of the human beta-actin gene and separately for amplification of the insertion sequence IS6110, specific from the M. tuberculosis complex. Amplification of the beta-actin gene was positive in all samples. No amplicons were generated by PCR-IS6110 when lung tissue fragments were fixed using 10% non-buffered formalin and were embedded in paraffin containing bee wax. In conclusion, combined inhibitory factors interfere in the detection of M. tuberculosis in stored material. It is important to control these inhibitory factors in order to implement molecular diagnosis in pathology laboratories.