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In an era where cybersecurity threats are evolving at an unprecedented pace, this paper introduces a methodology for near real-time risk assessment of high-profile, high security infrastructures, where data security and operational continuity inherently limits observability. Our approach addresses the challenges of this limited observability and minimized disruption, offering a new perspective on processing and evaluating cybersecurity knowledge. We present an innovative method that leverages attack graphs and attacker behavior analysis to assess risks and vulnerabilities. Our research includes the development of an automated risk assessment mechanism, graphical security modeling, and a Markov chain-based model for attacker behavior. Our methodology utilizes a blend of direct and indirect event sources, incorporating an attacker behavioral model based on a random walk method akin to Google’s PageRank. The proof-of-concept solution calculates potential risk according to the actual threat landscape, providing a more accurate and timely assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In November 2023, the National Reference Laboratory for Enteroviruses (Budapest, Hungary) received stool, pharyngeal swab and cerebrospinal fluid samples from five newborns suspected of having human parechovirus (PEV-A) infection. The neonates were born in the same hospital and presented with fever and sepsis-like symptoms at 8–9 days of age, and three of them showed symptoms consistent with central nervous system involvement. PEV-A positivity was confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Methods: To determine the PEV-A genotype responsible for the infections, fecal samples of four neonates were subjected to metagenomic sequencing. For further analyses, amplicon-based whole genome sequencing was performed directly from the clinical samples. Results: On the basis of whole genome analysis, sequences were allocated to PEV-A genotype 3 (PEV-A3) and consensus sequences were identical. Two ambiguities were identified in the viral protein 1 (VP1) region of all sequences at a frequency of 17.7–53.7%, indicating the simultaneous presence of at least two quasispecies in the clinical samples. The phylogenetic analysis and similarity plotting showed that all sequences clustered without any topological inconsistencies between the P1 capsid and P2, P3 non-capsid regions, suggesting that recombination events during evolution were unlikely. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the apparent cluster of cases were microbiologically related, and the results may also inform future investigations on the evolution and pathogenicity of PEV-A3 infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online activities and problematic online behaviors have recently emerged as important research topics. However, only a few studies have explored the possible associations between these behaviors and morningness-eveningness. The authors examined whether eveningness predicts these distinct problematic online behaviors differently and directly or via mediators. The associations between eveningness and three different problematic online behaviors (problematic Internet use, problematic online gaming, and problematic social media use) were explored among a large sample of Hungarian young adults (N = 1729, 57.2% female, Mage = 22.01, SDage = 1.97) by using a self-report survey. Depression and the time spent engaging in online activities were assessed as possible mediators. The effects of age and sex were controlled for. Using structural equation modeling, the results supported the association between eveningness and the higher risk for all three problematic online behaviors and highlighted that these associations were mediated by depressive mood and time spent on the activities. In addition, eveningness also predicted PIU directly. Eveningness is a risk factor for problematic online behaviors not only because of the higher amount of time spent on the activities but also because of the worse mood associated with eveningness. The results highlight that it is important to examine the different types of online activity separately and explore the role of diverse risk factors, among them morningness-eveningness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zentralblatt fuer Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

By using a constant step-size, the convergence analysis of the gradient projection method on the sphere is presented for a closed spherically convex set. This algorithm is applied to discuss copositivity of operators with respect to cones. This approach can also be used to analyse solvability of nonlinear cone-complementarity problems. To our best knowledge this is the first numerical method related to the copositivity of operators with respect to the positive semidefinite cone. Numerical results concerning the copositivity of operators are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose new short-step interior-point algorithms (IPAs) for solving P ∗ (κ) -linear complementarity problems (LCPs). In order to define the search directions, we use the algebraic equivalent transformation (AET) technique of the system describing the central path. A novelty of the paper is that we introduce a whole, new class of AET functions for which a unified complexity analysis of the IPAs is presented. This class of functions differs from the ones used in the literature for determining search directions, like the class of concave functions determined by Haddou, Migot and Omer, self-regular functions, eligible kernel and self-concordant functions. We prove that the IPAs using any member φ of the new class of AET functions have polynomial iteration complexity in the size of the problem, in starting point's duality gap, in the accuracy parameter and in the parameter κ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new predictor–corrector interior-point algorithm for solving Cartesian symmetric cone horizontal linear complementarity problems, which is not based on a usual barrier function. We generalize the predictor–corrector algorithm introduced in Darvay et al. (SIAM J Optim 30:2628–2658, 2020) to horizontal linear complementarity problems on a Cartesian product of symmetric cones. We apply the algebraically equivalent transformation technique proposed by Darvay (Adv Model Optim 5:51–92, 2003), and we use the difference of the identity and the square root function to determine the new search directions. In each iteration, the proposed algorithm performs one predictor and one corrector step. We prove that the predictor–corrector interior-point algorithm has the same complexity bound as the best known interior-point methods for solving these types of problems. Furthermore, we provide a condition related to the proximity and update parameters for which the introduced predictor-corrector algorithm is well defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant growth and development depend on multiple environmental factors whose alterations can disrupt plant homeostasis and trigger complex molecular and physiological responses. Water defcit is one of the factors which can seriously restrict plant growth and viability. Mitochondria play an important role in cellular metabolism, energy production, and redox homeostasis. During drought and salinity stress, mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to ROS overproduction and oxidative stress, afecting plant growth and survival. Alternative oxidases (AOXs) and stabilization of mitochondrial electron transport chain help mitigate ROS damage. The mitochondrial Pentatricopeptide repeat 40 (PPR40) protein was implicated in stress regulation as ppr40 mutants were found to be hypersensitive to ABA and high salinity during germination. This study investigated the tolerance of the knockout ppr40-1 and knockdown ppr40-2 mutants to water deprivation. Our results show that these mutants display an enhanced tolerance to water defcit. The mutants had higher relative water content, reduced level of oxidative damage, and better photosynthetic parameters in water-limited conditions compared to wild-type plants. ppr40 mutants had considerable diferences in metabolic profles and expression of a number of stress-related genes, suggesting important metabolic reprogramming. Tolerance to water defcit was also manifested in higher survival rates and alleviated growth reduction when watering was suspended. Enhanced sensitivity to ABA and fast stomata closure was suggested to lead to improved capacity for water conservation in such environment. Overall, this study highlights the importance of mitochondrial functions and in particular PPR40 in plant responses to abiotic stress, particularly drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We generalize a primal-dual interior-point algorithm (IPA) proposed recently in (Illés T, Rigó PR, Török R Unified approach of primal-dual interior-point algorithms for a new class of AET functions, 2022) to P ∗ (κ) -horizontal linear complementarity problems (LCPs) over Cartesian product of symmetric cones. The algorithm is based on the algebraic equivalent transformation (AET) technique with a new class of AET functions. The new class is a modification of the class of AET functions proposed in (Illés T, Rigó PR, Török R Unified approach of primal-dual interior-point algorithms for a new class of AET functions, 2022) where only two conditions are used as opposed to three used in (Illés T, Rigó PR, Török R Unified approach of primal-dual interior-point algorithms for a new class of AET functions, 2022). Furthermore, the algorithm is a feasible algorithm that uses full Nesterov-Todd steps, hence, no calculation of step-size is necessary. Nevertheless, we prove that the proposed IPA has the iteration bound that matches the best known iteration bound for IPAs solving these types of problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Living with autoimmune thyroid disease is a longstanding challenge and can seriously affect the quality of life. We aimed to adapt and validate the Hungarian version of the Thyroid-Related Patient-Reported Outcome-39 (ThyPro-39) questionnaire, test its factor structure, and compare two frequent autoimmune thyroid diseases, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and Graves' disease. We tested the factor structure of ThyPro-39 with a series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs). To examine the validity of ThyPro-39 and to compare the quality of life of the two groups — Hashimoto's thyroiditis (N = 240), Graves' disease (N = 51) — CFA with covariates were used. Results: Our results supported a bifactor model with psychosocial and somatic symptoms as general factors, and 12 symptom-specific factors. Based on the analysis of omega hierarchical indices ranging between 0.22 and 0.66, the specific scales also carry information besides the composite scores and should be used when a more detailed analysis is required. In the multivariate analysis, perceived stress was significantly associated with the general psychosocial factor (β = 0.80), symptom factors (β = 0.34), anxiety (β = 0.43), depressivity (β = 0.37), and emotional susceptibility (β = 0.38) specific factors. Graves' patients reported more eye symptoms (d = 0.45) and cosmetic complaints (d = 0.40), while Hashimoto patients had more cognitive problems (d = 0.36) and more severe hypothyroid symptoms (d = 0.35). These group differences confirm the known-group validity of the questionnaire. Conclusions: The validity of the Hungarian version of ThyPRO-39 is supported. We recommend using two composite scores of psychosocial and somatic symptoms and the specific symptoms scores to measure the quality of life in clinical practice and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic changed people's working conditions worldwide and research suggests increases in work stressors. However, it is not known to what extent these changes differ by gender or parental status. In the present study, we investigate trends in work stressors and whether these differ by gender and parental status. Methods: We used cross-sectional time series data of the European Working Conditions Survey of 2015 and Living, Working and COVID-19 survey of spring 2020 to examine trends in work stressors by gender and parental status. Work stressors were working in leisure time, lack of psychological detachment and work–life conflict. We applied three-way multilevel regressions reporting prevalence ratios and reported predicted probabilities and average marginal effects to show trends and differences in changes in work stressors. Results: Our multilevel regression results showed elevated prevalence ratios during the pandemic for working leisure time (PR: 1.43, 95% CI 1.34–1.53), psychological detachment (PR: 1.70, 95% CI 1.45–1.99) and work–life conflict (PR: 1.29, 95% CI 1.17–1.43) compared to before the pandemic. Except for working in leisure time, the increase was more significant among women and mothers. The proportion of work–life conflict in 2020 was 20.7% (95% CI 18.7–22.9) for men and 25.8% (95% CI 24.0–27.6) for women, equalling a difference of 5.1% (p < 0.001). Conclusions: There is evidence that work stressors increased disproportionately for women and mothers. This needs to be monitored and addressed to prevent widening gender inequalities in the quality of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and closures have influenced all children's health and development (HAD). We aimed to examine whether this differs by social circumstances. We hypothesised that socially disadvantaged children experienced more pronounced deterioration in their HAD compared with better-off children. In our trend study, we included five cohorts of school enrolment medical screening (school entrance 2018–2022) in the city of Dusseldorf, Germany. To compensate for selection bias due to the limited number of examinations in pandemic months, we chose the first 800 examinations of each cohort. We computed predicted prevalences of overweight, coordination and language problems as indicators of HAD. Neighbourhood deprivation, single-parent families and non-German nationality were used as indicators of social disadvantage. All groups of children experienced a deterioration in their HAD. Its magnitude is comparable between children with different social circumstances. For instance, between 2018 and 2021, prevalence of overweight increased from 19.2 to 24.2% in children from deprived neighbourhoods, and from 8.1 to 16.5% in children from well-off neighbourhoods. Prevalence of language problems (prepositions) increased from 49.9 to 72.1% among non-German children, and from 14.4 to 39.1% among German children. Conclusion: Results only partly confirmed our hypothesis. However, since the pre-pandemic prevalences of HAD problems among disadvantaged children were already higher, further deterioration — regardless of its magnitude — has led to their particularly poor situation. For those children, overweight and language development should be priorities of prevention. Generally, important settings for child HAD such as kindergartens or leisure facilities should remain open in future pandemics. What is known: • The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on general child health and development. • Before the pandemic, social inequalities in child health and development were a common phenomenon. What is new: • Children in all social groups experienced a deterioration in their health and development over the course of the pandemic. • Over the course of the pandemic, children from deprived neighbourhoods have demonstrated a particularly high prevalence of overweight. Language problems are particularly prevalent among non-German children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research assessed the psychometric multidimensionality and criterion-related validity the Interpersonal Behaviours Questionnaire using the bifactor-exploratory structural equation modeling framework. Study 1 relied on a sample of 772 participants, and supported the superiority of a bifactor-ESEM representation compared to alternative representations. Ratings of need supportive and thwarting behaviors simultaneously reflected a global overarching need nurturing behaviors construct (rather than two separate need supportive and need thwarting behaviors), which co-existed with six specific dimensions (autonomy, competence, and relatedness need supportive and thwarting behaviors). These results were replicated in a second independent sample of 742 participants and across gender. Our findings supported the criterion-related validity of interpersonal behaviors in relation to positive affect, negative affect, and need fulfillment across samples and genders. We finally discuss the theoretical and practical implications of relying on the bifactor-ESEM framework when investigating need supportive and thwarting interpersonal behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to investigate academic motivation profiles (and their similarity) among distinct samples of high school students. Anchored in recent developments in self-determination theory, these profiles were estimated while considering both the global and specific nature of academic motivation. The role of fixed mindsets and parenting practices in predicting profile membership, as well as the implications of these profiles for several outcomes, were also investigated. Latent profile analysis revealed five profiles (weakly motivated, moderately motivated, self-determined, amotivated, and strongly motivated) differing in global and specific motivation levels. Fixed mindset was weakly related to profile membership, perceived parenting practices showed more widespread associations. Most desirable outcomes were linked to the self-determined and strongly motivated profiles, and then to the moderately motivated, weakly motivated, and amotivated profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passion has been proposed as one of the potential constructs that could contribute to a more fulfilling life as well as to subjective well-being. The importance of the social environment has been underscored in relation to passion; however, less emphasis has been put on the role of perceived parenting practices. The present two-sample investigation posited that the perceived parenting practices of care, autonomy granting, and overprotection experienced in adolescence are predictive of harmonious (HP) and obsessive (OP) passion which are, in turn, differentially related to subjective well-being. A sample of Hungarian high schoolers (N = 474) and a comprehensive sample of Hungarian adults (N = 471) were recruited for this research to test the proposed model and the generalizability of the findings. The measurement models and the regressive paths were invariant across the two samples, showing that care positively predicted HP, while autonomy granting and overprotection positively predicted OP. Subjective well-being was positively related to HP and care, but not the other variables. The present findings highlight that perceived parenting experiences are related to different indicators of functioning among high schoolers and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The rapid transformation of labor markets has been accompanied by the belief of rising stress at work. However, empirical evidence on such trends based on reliable survey data is scarce. This study analyzes long-term trends in well-established measures of work stressors across Europe, as well as potential occupational differences. Methods: We use repeated cross-sectional data of 15 European countries from waves 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 of the European Working Conditions Surveys. We apply three-way multilevel regressions (with employees nested in country-years, which are in turn nested in countries) to analyze trends in work stressors measured according to the demand-control and effort-reward imbalance models. Trends by occupational groups are also assessed. Results: Our findings suggest that work stress generally increased from 1995 to 2015, and that the increase was mostly driven by psychological demands. People working in lower-skilled occupations had generally higher levels of job strain and effort-reward imbalance, as well as they tend to have a steeper increase in job strain than people working in higher-skilled occupations. Most of the change occurred from 1995 to 2005. Conclusion: Our results indicate that work stress has been on rise since 1995, specifically for people working in disadvantageous occupations. This directs the attention to the vulnerable position of the least skilled and also to the use of preventive measures to counteract some of the disadvantages experienced by this occupational group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new large-step primal-dual second-order corrector interior-point method for linear optimization. At each iteration, our method uses the new wide neighborhood introduced by Darvay and Takács (Cent Eur J Oper Res 26(3):551–563, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-018-0524-0). In this paper we would like to improve the directions proposed by Darvay and Takács by adding a second-order corrector direction. The corrector step is multiplied by the square of the step length in the expression of the new iterate. To our best knowledge, this is the first primal-dual second-order corrector interior-point algorithm based on Darvay–Takács's new wide neighborhood, which has the same complexity as the best short-step algorithms for linear optimization. Finally, numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm is efficient and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a feasible corrector–predictor interior-point algorithm (CP IPA) for solving linear optimization problems which is based on a new search direction. The search directions are obtained by using the algebraic equivalent transformation (AET) of the Newton system which defines the central path. The AET of the Newton system is based on the map that is a difference of the identity function and square root function. We prove global convergence of the method and derive the iteration bound that matches best iteration bounds known for these types of methods. Furthermore, we prove the practical efficiency of the new algorithm by presenting numerical results. This is the first CP IPA which is based on the above mentioned search direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-determination theory proposes that the fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness is important for optimal functioning. While support for this proposition have been well-documented, little attention has been paid to how these needs interact within individuals and whether having equally low, medium or high level of need fulfillment (i.e., balanced need satisfaction) has additional effects over and above the aggregated need fulfillment itself. The present study addresses these questions by examining the importance of having balanced versus imbalanced need fulfillment by adopting latent profile analysis, making it possible to distinguish quantitative and qualitative need-related differences. This research also documents the relations of these need profiles in relation to theoretically-relevant profile predictors (perceived interpersonal behaviors) and outcomes (affect and passion). A total of 1094 adults (female = 746, Mage = 26.00, SDage = 7.69) participated in this study. A four-profile solution appeared to be the most optimal: (1) balanced, all needs are highly satisfied, (2) imbalanced, only relatedness is highly satisfied, (3) balanced, all needs are average, and (4) balanced, all needs are frustrated. Interestingly, these profiles differed from one another in terms of obsessive passion, negative affect, and, to a smaller extent, positive affect, but not harmonious passion. Finally, profile membership was predicted by the perceived need nurturing global factor as well as by some of the specific factors. These results support the hypothesis that, apart from need fulfillment, need balance is also important for wellbeing and optimal functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While the Dualistic Model of Passion posits that passion can fluctuate over time, the investigation of this notion still remains understudied and is mostly assessed indirectly. This study directly examined the ongoing development of passion in a sample of young adults (N = 205) over a period of 4 months. The contribution of individual (need fulfillment) and social (perceived parental styles) determinants to the growth trajectories were also considered. Via latent growth modeling, the results showed that harmonious passion, obsessive passion, and the passion criteria had elevated levels at the initial measurement, and that passion remained high and stable over the course of 4 months. As for the predictors, parental autonomy-support predicted all three trajectories, while parental overprotection predicted obsessive passion, and psychological need fulfillment predicted harmonious passion. These findings provide a deeper insight into the temporal dynamics of passion as well as highlight key variables for fostering passion in general or harmonious passion as well as for taming obsessive passion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study re-investigated whether need satisfaction and frustration are better represented as two opposite ends of the same continuum or two distinct constructs through the application of the bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (bifactor-ESEM) framework. Also, the criterion-related validity of the final representation was tested in relation to indicators of wellbeing. Using a sample of 774 participants (501 females, Mage = 27.86, SDage = 9.52), several alternative models were contrasted. The results supported the multidimensional bifactor-ESEM representation including one global factor of need fulfillment and the six specific factors being the combination of satisfaction and frustration with autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Most items tapped into meaningful specificity once the global factor was accounted for. Finally, the global factor was substantially and positively related to positive affect and negatively to negative affect. Competence satisfaction further predicted positive affect, while competence and relatedness frustration predicted negative affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new primal-dual infeasible interior-point method for symmetric optimization by using Euclidean Jordan algebras. Different kinds of interior-point methods can be obtained by using search directions based on kernel functions. Some search directions can be also determined by applying an algebraic equivalent transformation on the centering equation of the central path. Using this method we introduce a new search direction, which can not be derived from a usual kernel function. For this reason, we use the new notion of positive-asymptotic kernel function which induces the class of corresponding barriers. In general, the main iterations of the infeasible interior-point methods are composed of one feasibility and several centering steps. We prove that in our algorithm it is enough to take only one centering step in a main iteration in order to obtain a well-defined algorithm. Moreover, we conclude that the algorithm finds solution in polynomial time and has the same complexity as the currently best known infeasible interior-point methods. Finally, we give some numerical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stone cantilever staircases are present in case of both new constructions and reconstructions. The aim of the present paper is to understand the mechanical behaviour of these staircases with the help of discrete element simulations, and to compare the calculated behaviour to the estimations given by the existing manual calculation methods. First a literature review is presented on the statical calculation of cantilevered staircases: manual calculation methods suggested in the 1990s for straight and spiral staircases are introduced, focusing on Heyman’s theory and its improved counterparts. Then the discrete element method is used as a tool to perform virtual experiments, in order to evaluate the mechanical behaviour of the straight and spiral staircases for selfweight, live loads and support movement. The results obtained (internal forces, stresses, deflections) are then compared with the manual calculation results. The most important conclusions are: (1) the term “cantilever stair” is misleading: significant torsion moments occur in the treads, while the bending moments are much smaller than in a free cantilever; (2) the type of the connection between wall and treads (i.e. the end of the tread is simply supported by the wall against translation and torsion, or it is also partly clamped) has a fundamental influence on the internal forces and stress distributions; (3) for simply supported treads the existing manual methods are conservative for straight stairs, but for spiral stairs they dangerously underestimate the torsional moments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have analyzed the appearance of extracapsular spread (ECS) in salvage neck dissections carried out after regional recurrence of the disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the frequency of ECS in patients with an isolated regional recurrence treated with a salvage neck dissection, and to assess the influence of ECS on prognosis. We conducted a retrospective study of 123 patients treated with a salvage neck dissection. Eighty-two patients (66.7 %) had nodes with ECS. Five-year salvage-specific survival for patients without ECS was 77.2 %, whereas for patients with ECS it was 32.0 % ( P = 0.0001). According to the results of a multivariate analysis, the presence of ECS in the salvage neck dissection was the only variable significantly related to the salvage-specific survival. Sixty-six percent of the patients with nodes with ECS had adjuvant treatment with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Five-year salvage-specific survival for patients with ECS who had not received adjuvant treatment ( n = 26) was 15.2 %, whereas for patients treated with adjuvant radiotherapy ( n = 39) or chemotherapy ( n = 17), 5-year salvage-specific survival was 36.4 and 47.1 %, respectively. Patients with ECS could benefit from adjuvant treatment with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the prevalence and life cycle of apicomplexan parasites, small mammals were live-trapped with modified Sherman traps in Southern Hungary between 2010 and 2012. Altogether, 528 rodents ( Apodemus flavicollis Melchior, 1834, Apodemus agrarius Pallas, 1771, Myodes glareolus Schreber, 1780, Microtus agrestis Linnaeus, 1761, Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 and Micromys minutus Pallas, 1771) were collected and four shrews ( Sorex spp.) were by-catched. Captured animals belonging to non-protected species were euthanized, and spleen samples were preserved for histological and molecular analyses. During the examination of spleen smears, Hepatozoon parasites were observed in eight out of 48 bank voles ( M. glareolus). DNA was isolated from altogether 221 spleen samples, and 18S rDNA was amplified using two different PCR protocols. The eight bank vole samples were positive with PCR, but none of the other M. glareolus spleen samples or any of the tissue samples from other species were found to be infected. Sequenced amplicons were very similar to Hepatozoon spp. detected in M. glareolus in Spain and Poland. Ectoparasites were collected from the small mammal carcasses and from the vegetation. Hepatozoon DNA was not found in the 181 ticks removed from the small mammals or in the 162 ticks collected with flagging, but was detected in all three flea species (4/43 Megabothris turbidus Rothschild, 1909, 3/10 Ctenophthalmus assimilis Taschenberg, 1880 and 7/78 Ctenophthalmus agyrtes Heller, 1896). Based on gamont morphology, vertebrate and arthropod host species and DNA sequences, the parasites in our study can be identified as Hepatozoon erhardovae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tick-borne rickettsioses belong to the important emerging infectious diseases worldwide. We investigated the potential human exposure to rickettsiae by determining their presence in questing ticks collected in an urban park of Budapest and a popular hunting and recreational forest area in southern Hungary. Differences were found in the infectious risk between the two habitats. Rickettsia monacensis and Rickettsia helvetica were identified with sequencing in questing Ixodes ricinus, the only ticks species collected in the city park. Female I. ricinus had a particularly high prevalence of R. helvetica (45 %). Tick community was more diverse in the rural habitat with Dermacentor reticulatus ticks having especially high percentage (58 %) of Rickettsia raoultii infection. We conclude that despite the distinct eco-epidemiological traits, the risk (hazard and exposure) of acquiring human pathogenic rickettsial infections in both the urban and the rural study sites exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep problems are one of the most common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). The Parkinson's disease Sleep Scale 2nd version (PDSS-2) was published in 2011 showing satisfactory clinimetric results. We performed an independent testing of the scale adding further information on its clinimetric properties. In this nationwide study 537 PD patients were enrolled. Besides PDSS-2, we assessed Patient's Global Impression-Severity (PGI) scale on sleep disturbances, Non-motor Symptoms Scale and MDS-UPDRS. Following the Classical Theory of Tests we performed descriptive data analysis, factor analysis, reliability, validity and precision measurements. Subsequently, we evaluated cut-off value for detecting clinically meaningful sleep problems based on receiver operating characteristics analysis. Based on the PGI scale, 161 patients (30.0 %) did not reported any sleep problems. Factor analysis revealed almost the same factor structure described by the original PDSS-2 validation study. Cronbach's alpha was 0.863 and all item had good item-total correlation. PDSS-2 demonstrated high convergent validity with Non-Motor Symptoms Scale and Clinical Global Impression-Severity and non-motor part of MDS-UPDRS, and divergent validity with age, gender, education level, disease-duration and Hoehn-Yahr Stages. Presence of sleep problems was identified by scores >10.5 points on PDSS-2 (sensitivity 85.3 %, specificity 60.8 %, diagnostic accuracy 78.1 %); whereas scores >19.5 points indicated marked sleep-related problems (specificity 68.5 %, sensitivity 78.0 %, diagnostic accuracy 74.3 %). Independent and cross-cultural validation of patient reported outcomes is essential to confirm or reject the findings obtained by the developers of the scale. Our results demonstrate that fundamental clinimetric properties of the PDSS-2 are satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tick-borne encephalitis virus focus was identified in a former goat pasture that had been associated with a milk-borne encephalitis outbreak in 2007. Ticks and rodents were sampled monthly from April 2010 to October 2013 on two separate 0.5 ha sampling sites. At site 1, three tick-borne encephalitis virus strains were isolated from a total of 7,247 sampled ticks; 28 of the 539 tested sera (5.19%) were seropositive. At site 2, from the 2,369 sampled ticks, virus was not isolated, tests of 284 rodent sera resulted in 14 positives (4.93%). For survival, the virus needs a territory with continuously dense rodent and tick population, although observed TBEV prevalence was low both in ticks and in rodents. Sampling points of positive ticks and rodents did not coincided exactly, at a certain time only some m territory is dangerous, these hot spots change unpredictably as positive ticks die or move on with their hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Problem  Pregnancy-associated immunologic alterations may improve the course of asthma. Severe maternal asthma with an exacerbation impairs fetal growth. Method of study  Lymphocyte activation was estimated by flow cytometry analysis of surface markers in non-pregnant healthy and mild or moderate persistent asthmatic women and healthy as well as mild or moderate persistent asthmatic, third trimester pregnant women. Results  Compared with non-pregnant healthy subjects (n = 12) activated pools within CD4 and CD8 T cells were larger and the number of NK T cells were increased both in non-pregnant asthmatic (n = 12) and in healthy pregnant (n = 13) subjects (all p n = 21) compared either with non-pregnant asthmatic, or pregnant healthy women. Average birth weight of newborns was lower (p  Conclusion  Pregnancy is a state of wide-spread lymphocyte activation but it may blunt lymphocyte activation which characterizes bronchial asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to investigate the association between serum heat-shock protein (Hsp) 70 concentration and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. One hundred and forty-two pregnant women with hypertensive disorders (93 with preeclampsia, 29 with transient hypertension of pregnancy and 20 with superimposed preeclampsia) and 127 normotensive, healthy pregnant women were included in the study. Serum Hsp70 concentration was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The serum Hsp70 concentration was significantly higher in patients with transient hypertension of pregnancy, in preeclamptic patients and in patients with superimposed preeclampsia than in the control group (median (25–75 percentile): 0.66 (0.52–0.84), 0.55 (0.42–0.80), 0.61 (0.42–0.91) ng/ml vs 0.31 (0.27–0.39) ng/ml, respectively; P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed independent association of elevated serum Hsp70 level with transient hypertension of pregnancy, preeclampsia and superimposed preeclampsia. The difference in serum Hsp70 concentration between preeclamptic patients and the control group was statistically significant in each gestational age category. In the groups of preeclamptic and superimposed preeclamptic patients, there was no significant difference in serum Hsp70 concentration between mild and severe preeclamptic patients, between patients with late and early onset of the disease, as well as between preeclamptic patients without and with foetal growth restriction. In conclusion, serum Hsp70 concentration is elevated in transient hypertension of pregnancy, in preeclampsia and in superimposed preeclampsia. Circulating Hsp70 may not only be a marker for these conditions, but might also play a role in their pathogenesis. However, further studies are needed to explore its role in the pathogenesis of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.Journal of Human Hypertension (2006) 20, 780–786. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1002060; published online 8 June 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osmotic stress-induced accumulation of proline, an important protective osmolyte in higher plants, is dependent on the expression of Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase (P5CS) and proline dehydrogenase (PDH) enzymes that catalyze the rate-limiting steps of proline biosynthesis and degradation, respectively. Proline metabolism is modulated by differential regulation of organ specific expression of PDH and duplicated P5CS genes in Arabidopsis. Stimulation of proline synthesis by abscisic acid (ABA) and salt stress correlates with a striking activation of P5CS1 expression. By contrast, P5CS2 is only weakly induced, whereas PDH is inhibited to different extent by ABA and salt stress in shoots and roots of light-grown plants. Proline accumulation and light-dependent induction of P5CS1 by ABA and salt stress is inhibited in dark-adapted plants. During dark adaptation P5CS2 is also down-regulated, whereas PDH expression is significantly enhanced in shoots. The inhibitory effect of dark adaptation on P5CS1 is mimicked by the steroid hormone brassinolide. However, brassinolide fails to stimulate PDH, and inhibits P5CS2 only in shoots. Proline accumulation and induction of P5CS1 transcription are simultaneously enhanced in the ABA-hypersensitive prl1 and brassinosteroid-deficient det2 mutants, whereas P5CS2 shows enhanced induction by ABA and salt only in the det2 mutant. In comparison, the prl1 mutation reduces the basal level of PDH expression, whereas the det2 mutation enhances the inhibition of PDH by ABA. Regulation of P5CS1 expression thus appears to play a principal role in controlling proline accumulation stimulated by ABA and salt stress in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Natural hydrogel alginate was investigated by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to gain microscale information on the morphological and rheological properties of the biopolymer network cross-linked by various cations. Local theological properties of the gels measured by force spectroscopy gave correlation between increasing ion selectivity and increasing polymer elasticity. Adhesive forces acting between the surface of the gel and the probe, and also the intrinsic rheological properties of bulk polymers affect the microscopical image formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]