Currently licensed influenza vaccines mainly induce antibodies against highly variable epitopes. Due to antigenic drift, protection is subtype or strain-specific and regular vaccine updates are ...required. In case of antigenic shifts, which have caused several pandemics in the past, completely new vaccines need to be developed. We set out to develop a vaccine that provides protection against a broad range of influenza viruses. Therefore, highly conserved parts of the influenza A virus (IAV) were selected of which we constructed antibody and T cell inducing peptide-based vaccines. The B epitope vaccine consists of the highly conserved HA2 fusion peptide and M2e peptide coupled to a CD4 helper epitope. The T epitope vaccine comprises 25 overlapping synthetic long peptides of 26-34 amino acids, thereby avoiding restriction for a certain MHC haplotype. These peptides are derived from nucleoprotein (NP), polymerase basic protein 1 (PB1) and matrix protein 1 (M1). C57BL/6 mice, BALB/c mice, and ferrets were vaccinated with the B epitopes, 25 SLP or a combination of both. Vaccine-specific antibodies were detected in sera of mice and ferrets and vaccine-specific cellular responses were measured in mice. Following challenge, both mice and ferrets showed a reduction of virus titers in the lungs in response to vaccination. Summarizing, a peptide-based vaccine directed against conserved parts of influenza virus containing B and T cell epitopes shows promising results for further development. Such a vaccine may reduce disease burden and virus transmission during pandemic outbreaks.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Many patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience dissociative symptoms. The question of whether these dissociative symptoms negatively influence the effectiveness of psychotherapy ...for PTSD is unresolved.
To determine the influence of dissociative symptoms on psychotherapy outcome in PTSD.
We conducted a systematic search in Cochrane, Embase, PILOTS, PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science for relevant clinical trials. A random-effects meta-analysis examined the impact of dissociation on psychotherapy outcome in PTSD (pre-registered at Prospero CRD42018086575).
Twenty-one trials (of which nine were randomised controlled trials) with 1714 patients were included. Pre-treatment dissociation was not related to treatment effectiveness in patients with PTSD (Pearson's correlation coefficient 0.04, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.13). Between-study heterogeneity was high but was not explained by moderators such as trauma focus of the psychotherapy or risk of bias score. There was no indication for publication bias.
We found no evidence that dissociation moderates the effectiveness of psychotherapy for PTSD. The quality of some of the included studies was relatively low, emphasising the need for high-quality clinical trials in patients with PTSD. The results suggest that pre-treatment dissociation does not determine psychotherapy outcome in PTSD.
This paper focuses on the long-term electrical degradation of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)/silicon nitride (SiN) thin-film transistors (TFTs). Different from the classical method where the ...electrical degradation of a-Si:H/SiN TFTs is quantified by the shift of the threshold voltage after a period of stress, the authors choose to describe the degradation in terms of drain-current transients that appear during alternative periods of electrical stress. It is shown that the contributions of charge trapping and defect creation to the drain-current degradation can be discriminated based on stress time, stress voltage, and temperature. A numerical model with variable parameters is proposed to fit both short- and long-term transients. This paper shows that the long-term current degradation is related to the changes in the interface trapped charge, whereas the creation of the defects dominates the short-term current degradation
Electrical breakdown induced by systematic electrostatic discharge (ESD) stress of thin-film transistors used as switches in active matrix addressed liquid crystal displays has been studied using ...electrical measurements, electrical simulations, electrothermal simulations, and postbreakdown observations. Breakdown due to very short pulses (up to 1 /spl mu/s) shows a clear dependence on the channel length. A hypothesis that electrical breakdown in the case of short channel TFTs is due to the punch-through is built on this dependence and is proved by means of electrical simulations. Further, the presence of avalanche breakdown in amorphous silicon thin-film transistors is simulated and confirmed. It is finally assumed that the breakdown is a thermal process. Three-dimensional (3-D) electrothermal simulations are performed in the static and transient regime, confirming the location of the breakdown spot within the TFT from the electrical simulations and postbreakdown observations.
This paper has aimed at creating a more complete picture about the instability mechanism responsible for a-Si:H/SiN TFTs degradation. Additional insight about the degradation kinetics in a-Si:H/SiN ...TFTs is obtained by the in-situ monitoring of the source to drain current during alternative periods of stress and relaxation. The results presented in this paper come to the conclusion that the physical mechanism responsible for instability of the device operating at low bias stress, short stress time and different temperatures is a combination of defect creation and the trapping/detrapping of the carriers.
In this paper we present the study of gate-stress induced degradation in a-Si:H/SiN TFTs. The drain current transient during gate bias stress (forward or reverse bias) and subsequent relaxation ...cannot be fitted with the models existent in the literature but it shows to be described by a progressive degradation model (PDM). According to PDM the degradation of the electrical response is a combined effect of a fast interface traps generation and a slow charge trapping at the created defect sites and existing bulk defects in a-SiN:H transitional region.
► Inactivated polio vaccines developed with attenuated strains require new identification tests. ► Development of a real-time PCR procedure for particular poliovirus strains. ► Rapid and accurate ...identification of vaccine-specific poliovirus strains. ► Vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDVPs) recognised by real-time PCR.
In the context of eradication of poliomyelitis the World Health Organization stimulates the development of inactivated polio vaccines based on attenuated virus strains. In addition to vaccine development, tests have to be designed to assess the vaccine quality. An important test is the identification test for poliovirus strains that are used for the vaccine production. A rapid and accurate PCR method with fluorescent probes has been developed to identify unequivocally the vaccine-specific poliovirus strains, such as Mahoney, MEF-1, Saukett H, Sabin type 1, Sabin type 2 and Sabin type 3.
Een slechte formele governance is niet de belangrijkste oorzaak van de incidenten bij grote ondernemingen. Het is bovenal de menselijke factor die bepalend is voor de effectiviteit van het governance ...systeem. Onder nemingen zullen heel bewust en gestructureerd cultuur en ethiek binnen de organisatie moeten sturen. Dit roept nieuwe vragen op voor de toekomst. Hoe kun je integriteit en ethiek effectief sturen? In welke mate betekenen ethiek en cultuur een risico voor de verslaggeving en het handelen van een organisatie? Hoe is eigenlijk de cultuur binnen de onderneming, en welke rol speelt ethiek daarin? Meer grip op het sturen van ethiek en integriteit, betekent echter ook meer ruimte voor regelgevers om weer wat van de meest rigide governance regelgeving los te laten, en zo regels en waarden weer in balans te brengen.
Sinds de brede acceptatie van de Code Tabaksblat en het verdwijnen van beschermingsconstructies als gevolg daarvan is in toenemende mate sprake van confrontaties tussen bestuurders en aandeelhouders. ...In die confrontaties worden de grenzen van aandeelhoudersactivisme verkend. Gevolg is een juridische strijd, die ten koste gaat van de aandacht voor de onderneming en gepaard met grote onzekerheid voor alle stakeholders. Heldere grenzen, al dan niet wettelijk verankerd, zijn daarom van groot belang. Dit artikel beoogt inzicht te geven in die grenzen door een analyse van recente jurisprudentie en het advies van de Monitoring Commissie Corporate Governance Code. Waar dwingende regels ontbreken, blijkt dat de maatstaven van ‘redelijkheid en billijkheid’ de rechter flexibiliteit bieden om in te spelen op gewijzigde omstandigheden en het ‘rechtsgevoel’ van de maatschappij. Zekerheid is er voor partijen dan echter pas als in een procedure uitspraak is gedaan.
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