Listeria in plants: an experimental study of its colonization, numbers and variability

The possibility for Listeria monocytogenes to penetrate into plants from the soil via the root system was experimentally proved. Listeria were shown to continuously persist for 30 days (the term of observation) in the vegetative organs of wheat (roots, stems and leaves). The concentration of Listeria was 10(9) CFU/g in the environment (soil extract) and the roots of wheat, 10(6)-10(7) CFU/g in stems, 10(8)-10(9) CFU/g in leaves. Six days later the dissociation of colonies in the S-form into small (up to 1 mm) and large (3-4 mm) was observed; in contrast to Listeria in large colonies, those in small colonies had high catalase activity and pronounced cytopathogenic action. The problem of the possible role of plants as the natural reservoir of bacteria, pathogenic for humans and animals, is discussed.     

A monopole antenna loaded by a hemispherical dielectric resonator

The input conductance, radiation pattern, and radar cross section (RCS) of a monopole loaded by a hemispherical dielectric resonator (DR) are studied. The effects of the DR on the monopole characteristics are investigated. Measurements were carried out to verify the theory. It is found that the input conductance, radiation patterns, and RCS are strongly affected by the DR.     

A bronchoscopic aid in the therapy of bronchial asthma patients with a severe course

The body's immunological responses were examined in thyroid damage caused by the incorporation of varying 131I doses. The in-take of 131I in doses of 37, 74, and 148 KBc/g body weight caused reductions in the murine blood concentrations of thyroxin following 30, 60, and 180 days. The blood levels of triiodothyronine decreased 180 days after administration of 131I in a dose of 74 KBc/g body weight and 30, 60, and 180 days after incorporation of the radioisotope in a dose of 148 KBk/g body weight. Decreased concentrations of the both hormones were followed by the suppression of a humoral immune response to sheep red blood cells, diminished cell-mediated immunity in the mixed culture of lymphocytes. The inhibition of immune responses was correlated with the changes in the level of triiodothyronine.     

Hardware Generation of Arbitrary Random Number Distributions From Uniform Distributions Via the Inversion Method

We present an automated methodology for producing hardware-based random number generator (RNG) designs for arbitrary distributions using the inverse cumulative distribution function (ICDF). The ICDF is evaluated via piecewise polynomial approximation with a hierarchical segmentation scheme that involves uniform segments and segments with size varying by powers of two which can adapt to local function nonlinearities. Analytical error analysis is used to guarantee accuracy to one unit in the last place (ulp). Compact and efficient RNGs that can reach arbitrary multiples of the standard deviation sigma can be generated. For instance, a Gaussian RNG based on our approach for a Xilinx Virtex-4 XC4VLX100-12 field-programmable gate array produces 16-bit random samples up to 8.2 sigma. It occupies 487 slices, 2 block-RAMs, and 2 DSP-blocks. The design is capable of running at 371 MHz and generates one sample every clock cycle.