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Sample records for ankara vectors enhances

  1. Vectores recombinantes basados en el virus Vaccinia modificado de Ankara (MVA) como vacunas contra la leishmaniasis

    OpenAIRE

    Pérez Jiménez, Eva; Larraga, Vicente; Esteban, Mariano

    2005-01-01

    Vectores recombinantes basados en el virus vaccinia modificado de Ankara (MVA) como vacunas contra la leishmaniasis. Los vectores de la invención contienen secuencias codificantes de la proteína LACK, preferentemente insertadas en el locus de hemaglutinina del virus y bajo el control de un promotor que permite su expresión a lo largo del ciclo de infección del virus. Son vectores seguros, estables, que dan lugar a una potente respuesta inmune que confiere protección frente a la leishmaniasis,...

  2. Hazard Characterization of Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara Vector: What Are the Knowledge Gaps?

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    Malachy I. Okeke

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA is the vector of choice for human and veterinary applications due to its strong safety profile and immunogenicity in vivo. The use of MVA and MVA-vectored vaccines against human and animal diseases must comply with regulatory requirements as they pertain to environmental risk assessment, particularly the characterization of potential adverse effects to humans, animals and the environment. MVA and recombinant MVA are widely believed to pose low or negligible risk to ecosystem health. However, key aspects of MVA biology require further research in order to provide data needed to evaluate the potential risks that may occur due to the use of MVA and MVA-vectored vaccines. The purpose of this paper is to identify knowledge gaps in the biology of MVA and recombinant MVA that are of relevance to its hazard characterization and discuss ongoing and future experiments aimed at providing data necessary to fill in the knowledge gaps. In addition, we presented arguments for the inclusion of uncertainty analysis and experimental investigation of verifiable worst-case scenarios in the environmental risk assessment of MVA and recombinant MVA. These will contribute to improved risk assessment of MVA and recombinant MVA vaccines.

  3. Diseño y construcción de vectores de transferencia para la obtención de virus vaccinia Ankara modificado (MVA recombinantes Design and construction of transfer vectors in order to obtain recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA

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    M. F. Ferrer

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available El virus vaccinia Ankara modificado (MVA constituye un buen candidato para el desarrollo de vectores virales de expresión no replicativos porque no replica en la mayoría de las células de mamíferos. Para la producción de MVA recombinantes es fundamental disponer de vectores de transferencia que, por recombinación homóloga con el genoma viral, permitan introducir los genes de interés en regiones no esenciales para la replicación in vitro. En este trabajo se diseñaron y obtuvieron los vectores de transferencia denominados VT-MHA y VT-MTK que portan las regiones correspondientes a las posiciones 1-303 y 608-948 del gen MVA165R y 1-244 y 325-534 del gen MVA086R, respectivamente, las que flanquean un sitio de clonado múltiple para la inserción de los genes foráneos. En dichos vectores se clonaron los casetes para la expresión de los genes lac Z o uid A, y la actividad de las enzimas marcadoras b-galactosidasa y b-glucuronidasa se confirmó in situ. Además, utilizando el vector denominado VT-MTK-GUS, se obtuvieron y aislaron MVA recombinantes puros que portan y expresan el gen uid A. Los resultados obtenidos constituyen las herramientas básicas para establecer la metodología de obtención de MVA recombinantes, con el propósito de desarrollar localmente vectores virales no replicativos candidatos a vacunas.Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA constitutes a good candidate for the development of non-replicative expression viral vectors because it does not replicate in most of mammalian cells. It is essential, for the production of recombinant MVA, the availability of transfer vectors which allow the introduction of desired genes into non-essential regions for in vitro viral replication, by homologous recombination with the viral genome. In the present work, the transfer vectors named VT-MHA and VT-MTK were designed and obtained. They carried genomic regions corresponding to 1- 303 and 608-948 positions of the MVA165R gene and 1-244 and

  4. Vectores recombinantes basados en el virus modificado de ankara (MVA) como vacunas preventivas y terapéuticas contra el SIDA

    OpenAIRE

    Heeney, Jonathan L.; Mooij, Petra; Nájera García, José Luis; Jiménez, Victoria; Esteban, Mariano; Gómez, Carmen E.

    2005-01-01

    Vectores Recombinantes basados en el Virus Modificado de Ankara (MVA) como Vacunas Preventivas y Terapéuticas contra el SIDA. Losvirus recombinantes de la invención contienen secuencias que se encuentran insertadas en el mismo sitio de inserción del MVA y permiten la expresión simultánea de varios antígenos, una proteína Env del VIH-I consistente en una proteína gpl20 carente de secuencias correspondientes a la proteína gp41, y una proteína quiméricade fusión de Gag, Pol y Nef. Son virus esta...

  5. MOSQUES AND MASJIDS IN ANKARAANKARA STYLE”

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    Ayşe Ersay YÜKSEL

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The city of Ankara for the first time in the second half of the 11. century the Turkish land, a later period passing into the hands of the Byzantines again, century of 12 remained under the rule of the Anatolian Seljuks, after centruy of 14 remained under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and ıt attained status as the capital of the Republic of Turkey, the highest administrative history. In this process, from the 12th century, the city experienced many important events that occurred in the architectural style of a local tradition can say “Ankara style”.Ankara After the collapse of Seljuks the city under the rule of ahi-order and different principalities in the transition from the Ottoman domination. during this period, has started to create the core of the local architectural Ankara style. 13, 14 and even 15. until the beginning of the century, which was built in the mosques and masjids seen stylistic integrity continued in a subsequent period. Structural elements of mosques and masjids as a form, could not have the monumental apparently and architectural values of the classical Ottoman mosques. Usually elongated rectangular planned, with narthex, inside a flat wooden ceiling, covered with exterior tile roofs, a simple facade, based rubble, adobe or brick walls, the wooden door and window systems, plaster niches, wooden minbar, gathering place for woman, and wooden ceiling has become a tradition in almost every century. As a result, “Ankara style” that can be called has emerged an architectural style.

  6. Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara candidate vaccines delivering West Nile virus envelope antigens

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Volz, Asisa; Lim, Stephanie; Kaserer, Martina; Pijlman, Gorben P.

    2016-01-01

    West Nile virus (WNV) cycles between insects and wild birds, and is transmitted via mosquito vectors to horses and humans, potentially causing severe neuroinvasive disease. Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is an advanced viral vector for developing new recombinant vaccines against infectious

  7. Traditional Sof Weavings of Ankara

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    Feriha Akpınarlı

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The Angora goat is an important goat breed which is specifically raised in Ankara and its surroundings. Mohair, a kind of fiber obtained from the Angora goat, has an important place in the textile industry, due to its length, strength, and brightness. Consumption patterns change every year according to current fashions. Mohair, which is the primary raw material for weaving and knitting, is also a source of income for people living in rural areas of Anatolia. Ankara sof is a type of fabric woven from mohair. Sof is made by spinning the mohair fiber into yarn, weaving the fabric from this yarn and then dyeing it. Sof fabric was preferred by the elite segments of society as a unique handcraft specific to Ankara and the Central Anatolia Region. Unfortunately, this is no longer woven and can now only be seen in museums. In this respect, Ankara sof has become part of the cultural heritage of the region.The literature review indicates that there are two samples of sof fabric in the Ankara Ethnographic Museum while in the Sadberk Hanım Museum there is one. However, a study conducted in the Ankara Ethnographic Museum revealed three more samples of sof fabric in addition to the two in the literature. Considering the above, sof is culturally important and should be protected even though it is no longer woven today. This study intends to analyze the characteristics of Ankara sof by examining the five sof fabric examples in the Ankara Ethnographic Museum in terms of width, height, weft-warp density, and weaving thickness. These characteristics are analyzed, documented and information about the weaving looms is also provided.

  8. Enhancing poxvirus vectors vaccine immunogenicity.

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    García-Arriaza, Juan; Esteban, Mariano

    2014-01-01

    Attenuated recombinant poxvirus vectors expressing heterologous antigens from pathogens are currently at various stages in clinical trials with the aim to establish their efficacy. This is because these vectors have shown excellent safety profiles, significant immunogenicity against foreign expressed antigens and are able to induce protective immune responses. In view of the limited efficacy triggered by some poxvirus strains used in clinical trials (i.e, ALVAC in the RV144 phase III clinical trial for HIV), and of the restrictive replication capacity of the highly attenuated vectors like MVA and NYVAC, there is a consensus that further improvements of these vectors should be pursuit. In this review we considered several strategies that are currently being implemented, as well as new approaches, to improve the immunogenicity of the poxvirus vectors. This includes heterologous prime/boost protocols, use of co-stimulatory molecules, deletion of viral immunomodulatory genes still present in the poxvirus genome, enhancing virus promoter strength, enhancing vector replication capacity, optimizing expression of foreign heterologous sequences, and the combined use of adjuvants. An optimized poxvirus vector triggering long-lasting immunity with a high protective efficacy against a selective disease should be sought.

  9. The Literary Legacy Inherited by Ankara of the Republican Era: Literary Life and Milieux in Ankara until the Republic Era

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    Necati Tonga

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Ankara became one of the most important circles of literary activities after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. In this era, the most prevalent factor for this nourishment was that Ankara was chosen as the capital city and Turkey would be governed from Ankara from then on. Besides this fact, before being the capital, Ankara had a rich background in terms of literature. The city had a strong tradition of Divan and Sufi literature in the ruling periods of Seljuks and Ottomans. Many Divan poets and minstrels lived in Ankara throughout history. In those times, in addition to madrasahs, dervish lodges and mosques, there were taverns, inns, mansions, coffeehouses, vineyards and gardens that were used for gatherings where poems were recited and talks about literature took place. Before the establishment of the Republic, in the years between 1919 and 1922, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk proclaimed Ankara as the headquarters of the national movements. This choice brought out a liveliness to Ankara in terms of literature. In this period until the Republic, many places serving as dervish lodges, coffeehouses, restaurants, gardens, taverns, and shops, and newspaper editorials such as Tâceddin Dergâhı (Taceddin’s Lodge, Kuyulu Kahve (Coffee-shop, Merkez Kıraathanesi (Central coffee-shop, Hakimiyet-i Milliye and Yenigün Newspaper Editorial Offices, Anadolu Lokantası (Anadolu Restaurant, Teceddüt Lokantası (Teceddüt Restaurant, Abdullah Efendi Lokantası (Abdullah Efendi Restaurant, Muallimler Birliği (Teachers Union, Şehir Bahçesi (City Garden, Dayko’nun Tütüncü Dükkânı (Dayko’s Tobacco Shop and Efe Haydar’ın Meyhanesi (Efe Haydar’s Tavern were prominent gathering places that flourished in the literary activities of Ankara.

  10. Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara: History, Value in Basic Research, and Current Perspectives for Vaccine Development.

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    Volz, A; Sutter, G

    2017-01-01

    Safety tested Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is licensed as third-generation vaccine against smallpox and serves as a potent vector system for development of new candidate vaccines against infectious diseases and cancer. Historically, MVA was developed by serial tissue culture passage in primary chicken cells of vaccinia virus strain Ankara, and clinically used to avoid the undesirable side effects of conventional smallpox vaccination. Adapted to growth in avian cells MVA lost the ability to replicate in mammalian hosts and lacks many of the genes orthopoxviruses use to conquer their host (cell) environment. As a biologically well-characterized mutant virus, MVA facilitates fundamental research to elucidate the functions of poxvirus host-interaction factors. As extremely safe viral vectors MVA vaccines have been found immunogenic and protective in various preclinical infection models. Multiple recombinant MVA currently undergo clinical testing for vaccination against human immunodeficiency viruses, Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Plasmodium falciparum. The versatility of the MVA vector vaccine platform is readily demonstrated by the swift development of experimental vaccines for immunization against emerging infections such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Recent advances include promising results from the clinical testing of recombinant MVA-producing antigens of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 or Ebola virus. This review summarizes our current knowledge about MVA as a unique strain of vaccinia virus, and discusses the prospects of exploiting this virus as research tool in poxvirus biology or as safe viral vector vaccine to challenge existing and future bottlenecks in vaccinology. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Turkey: the smog buster is a big hit in Ankara

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bakalor, A.

    1991-01-01

    The completion of Ankara's natural gas distribution system, and the closure of the city's lignite-burning town gas plants are discussed. The significant reduction in air pollution levels and reduced energy costs are noted, and the planned supply of gas to 450,000 dwelling in Ankara and the conversion of Ankara's buses to natural gas are considered. (UK)

  12. Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara Vector Induces Specific Cellular and Humoral Responses in the Female Reproductive Tract, the Main HIV Portal of Entry.

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    Marlin, Romain; Nugeyre, Marie-Thérèse; Tchitchek, Nicolas; Parenti, Matteo; Hocini, Hakim; Benjelloun, Fahd; Cannou, Claude; Dereuddre-Bosquet, Nathalie; Levy, Yves; Barré-Sinoussi, Françoise; Scarlatti, Gabriella; Le Grand, Roger; Menu, Elisabeth

    2017-09-01

    The female reproductive tract (FRT) is one of the major mucosal invasion sites for HIV-1. This site has been neglected in previous HIV-1 vaccine studies. Immune responses in the FRT after systemic vaccination remain to be characterized. Using a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) as a vaccine model, we characterized specific immune responses in all compartments of the FRT of nonhuman primates after systemic vaccination. Memory T cells were preferentially found in the lower tract (vagina and cervix), whereas APCs and innate lymphoid cells were mainly located in the upper tract (uterus and fallopian tubes). This compartmentalization of immune cells in the FRT was supported by transcriptomic analyses and a correlation network. Polyfunctional MVA-specific CD8 + T cells were detected in the blood, lymph nodes, vagina, cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes. Anti-MVA IgG and IgA were detected in cervicovaginal fluid after a second vaccine dose. Thus, systemic vaccination with an MVA vector elicits cellular and Ab responses in the FRT. Copyright © 2017 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

  13. 19th Century Ankara Through Historical Poems

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    Özge Öztekin

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available A city is a place whose meaning is found in the poetry created there. In Kevin Lynch’s words, a city presents the imagination with an unlimited potential for “readability”. If we consider this unlimited readability through poetry, it can be said that attempts to find the zeitgeist of a city at a certain time through literary texts must evaluate the poetry, the city and the time. This is because poetry (or literature in general, just like a city, has an important memory which oscillates through ideas of its past and future. In this sense, divan poetry and one particular example of it—historical “manzume” poems—are memories which richly illustrate the ‘continuity’ and ‘change’ within a period. This work, on 19th century Ankara, aims to evaluate the traces reflected in historical manzume poems of the time they were written. Five historical manzume poems in three texts out of seventy 19th century divan collections scanned for this work were found to be about Ankara. Two of these manzumes are by Cazib, one by Ziver Pasha, and one by Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha. The first of these is on Ankara’s dervish lodge; the second on a barracks being built in Ankara; the third on Vecihi Pasha’s governorship of Ankara; the fourth on the the Mayoral Residence. In addition to these, a manzume on the construction of Hamidiye Caddesi by Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha is discovered with in scope of the work. The aim of this work is to provide a contribution to city history through a commentary on elements of 19th century poetry concerning Ankara.

  14. A Painted House In Ankara: Dedebayrak House

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    Muzaffer Karaaslan

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The conservative family lifestyle in the Ottoman State affected the ways that houses were planned and decorated. Different decorative programs emerged with major differences in each period. New techniques and styles began to be seen in the 18th century thanks to the influence of the West. This article will focus on the decoration of Dedebayrak House in Ankara. Decoration in the architecture found within the boundaries of Ankara consist mostly of geometrical or floral decorations and various inscriptions. The Dedebayrak House not only has these kind of decorations, but also it has these decorations in its architectural descriptions, so it makes this house the only one to have survived in Ankara. Moreover, this building is especially important as the décor included work belonging to Nakkaş Mustafa. However, these decorative features do not remain today. The situation in Turkey is such that architecture is not conserved, which leads to many historically important buildings vanishing. Neither local authorities, nor the owner of these buildings look after these buildings properly, leading their specific historical features to be lost. This situation both damages the urban fabric and harms the historical heritage of the city. Therefore, decorative features in the building will be analysed both on their own and compared to other buildings in Ankara in order to create an overall picture.

  15. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Utilization by Syrian Refugees Residing in Ankara, Turkey.

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    Altıner, Ali Osman; Yeşil, Sıdıka Tekeli

    2018-04-01

    Introduction Many Syrians have left their country and migrated to other countries since March 2011, due to the civil war. As of March 2016, a total of 2,747,946 Syrian refugees had immigrated to Turkey. Some Syrian refugees have been living in camps, while 2,475,134 have been living in metropolitan areas, such as Ankara. Study Objective This study investigated Emergency Medical Service (EMS) utilization among Syrian refugees residing in Ankara. This study was a descriptive, cross-sectional database analysis using data obtained from the Department of EMS of the Ankara Provincial Health Directorate. Five stations in the Altındağ region of Ankara responded to 42% of all calls from Syrian refugees. Prehospital EMS in Ankara have been used mostly by Syrian refugees younger than 18-years-old. Study findings also suggest that medical staff in regions where Syrian refugees are likely to be treated should be supported and provided with the ability to overcome language barriers and cultural differences. Altıner AO , Tekeli Yeşil S . Emergency Medical Service (EMS) utilization by Syrian refugees residing in Ankara, Turkey. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(2):160-164.

  16. Vector-Interaction-Enhanced Bag Model

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    Cierniak, Mateusz; Klähn, Thomas; Fischer, Tobias; Bastian, Niels-Uwe

    2018-02-01

    A commonly applied quark matter model in astrophysics is the thermodynamic bag model (tdBAG). The original MIT bag model approximates the effect of quark confinement, but does not explicitly account for the breaking of chiral symmetry, an important property of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). It further ignores vector repulsion. The vector-interaction-enhanced bag model (vBag) improves the tdBAG approach by accounting for both dynamical chiral symmetry breaking and repulsive vector interactions. The latter is of particular importance to studies of dense matter in beta-equilibriumto explain the two solar mass maximum mass constraint for neutron stars. The model is motivated by analyses of QCD based Dyson-Schwinger equations (DSE), assuming a simple quark-quark contact interaction. Here, we focus on the study of hybrid neutron star properties resulting from the application of vBag and will discuss possible extensions.

  17. Detection of urban heat island in Ankara, Turkey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cicek, I.; Dogan, U.

    2006-01-01

    Ankara is the second largest city in Turkey after Istanbul, and the rate of population increase and urbanization are quite high. In this study, the effects of urbanization on temperature variation due to urbanization in Ankara were investigated. The intensities of urban heat island (UHI) for long and short term were analyzed. Analysis of both long- and short-term data revealed that there is a significant increase in the intensity of UHI (AT(u-r)) in winter during the period analyzed. Analysis of data collected for period of October 2001-September 2002 shows that intensity of maximum UHI is in February. In this month, positive UHI was observed in 26 nights and on all these days wind speed was less than 0.5ms.1. UHI is positive in all seasons and frequency and intensity of UHI in winter are higher than in the other seasons. This characteristic makes Ankara different from other temperate latitude cities

  18. Ankara National Textiles [Turkish] Incorporated Company (1916-1930

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    M. Bülent Varlık

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to provide brief information on the foundation, activities and closing down of Ankara National Textiles Incorporated Company, which was founded by a group of local tradesmen in Ankara within the scope of the “National Economy Policy” implemented by the Union and Progress Association. The aforementioned local tradesmen undertook the first steps to establish a factory in mid-1913, and as a result of these efforts, the aforementioned incorporated Company was founded in 1916. This Company, probably due to a low quality production, was closed down, possibly around the years 1921-1922. In 1925, a reconstruction process was initiated with the intervention of the politics and bureaucracy of Ankara, and the capital of the Company was increased. However, these attempts failed and finally, the Company was closed down in 1928. The factory was acquired by Türkiye İş Bankası in 1930, and after the endeavors, it continued its activities as a new company under the name Yün-İş.

  19. A Photographer From Ankara: Osman Darcan

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    Gülseren Mungan Yavuztürk

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This work introduces Osman Darcan, an important name in the history of Ankara photography studios. Darcan followed in the footsteps of famous Austrian photographer Othmar Pferschy, whom he met in Istanbul, to go on to create his own valuable work. On leaving the Public Press Authority Photo Film Center, where he worked as a newsreel photographer and film operator, in 1943 he began taking photographs at the Tatbikat Theater at the Ankara State Conservatoire, where he continued as the photographer for the State Theater until the end of his life. At the same time, this master photographer took the pictures of a select coterie of Ankara’s leading individuals and well-known performers at a studio he opened on Anafartalar Caddesi. In both these roles, his photographs evoke admiration thanks to Darcan’s professional abilities and level of artistry.

  20. Activation of cross-reactive mucosal T and B cell responses in human nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue in vitro by Modified Vaccinia Ankara-vectored influenza vaccines.

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    Mullin, Jennifer; Ahmed, Muhammed S; Sharma, Ravi; Upile, Navdeep; Beer, Helen; Achar, Priya; Puksuriwong, Suttida; Ferrara, Francesca; Temperton, Nigel; McNamara, Paul; Lambe, Teresa; Gilbert, Sarah C; Zhang, Qibo

    2016-03-29

    Recent efforts have been focused on the development of vaccines that could induce broad immunity against influenza virus, either through T cell responses to conserved internal antigens or B cell response to cross-reactive haemagglutinin (HA). We studied the capacity of Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA)-vectored influenza vaccines to induce cross-reactive immunity to influenza virus in human nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) in vitro. Adenotonsillar cells were isolated and stimulated with MVA vaccines expressing either conserved nucleoprotein (NP) and matrix protein 1 (M1) (MVA-NP-M1) or pandemic H1N1 HA (MVA-pdmH1HA). The MVA vaccine uptake and expression, and T and B cell responses were analyzed. MVA-vectored vaccines were highly efficient infecting NALT and vaccine antigens were highly expressed by B cells. MVA-NP-M1 elicited T cell response with greater numbers of IFNγ-producing CD4+ T cells and tissue-resident memory T cells than controls. MVA-pdmH1HA induced cross-reactive anti-HA antibodies to a number of influenza subtypes, in an age-dependent manner. The cross-reactive antibodies include anti-avian H5N1 and mainly target HA2 domain. MVA vaccines are efficient in infecting NALT and the vaccine antigen is highly expressed by B cells. MVA vaccines expressing conserved influenza antigens induce cross-reactive T and B cell responses in human NALT in vitro, suggesting the potential as mucosal vaccines for broader immunity against influenza. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. An Italian Architect’s First Visit to Ankara: Giulio Mongeri – 1897

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    Sedat Bornovalı

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Giulio Mongeri is an Italian architect credited as behind some of the most important structures all across Turkey, but foremost in Istanbul and Ankara. He served the Ottoman state in the first quarter of the 20th century, and provided a noteworthy contribution to Ankara in the Early Republican era. Mongeri carried out his first visit to Ankara in 1897. His observations of the era are extremely interesting. Mongeri’s notes on this visit were published over a few weeks in the 25th volume of Illustrazione Italiana journal, which rarely sees daylight nowadays and is barely spoken of in the Ankara research literature. As a contribution to Turkish publications about Ankara, this study aims to evaluate this visit and compare it from various perspectives to other publications and the Ankara of today.First of all, new digital imaging was carried out in place of the low-resolution digitalized copies published by the Italian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, then a field examination of Mongeri’s route was carried out, and following study comparing this to historical sources, it was made ready for detailed investigations to be carried out by later researchers. On certain issues, Mongeri was not well informed, but on many others his deep interest in history emerges thanks to the education he had received in Milan. These travel notes may catch the eye as showing from an earlier age the basics of the historicist approach he would take in his professional life as a historian..

  2. An Investigation on Satisfaction of Domestic Tourist from Ankara Shopping Fest under the Tourism of Festival

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    Ahmet TAYFUN

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Concentration of Tourism mostly in coastal of Turkey, in certain centers and in summer season stands out as a major problem. A tourism mobility that, spread over 12 months, and including inner zones is emphasized also in 2023 Tourism Strategy of Turkey. Therefore, increasing the diversity of tourism such as festivals, which started to increase number of events. Hence, investigated in this study, satisfaction levels from Ankara Shopping Fest of domestic tourists, who came to Ankara during "Ankara Shopping Fest" which, organized in Ankara on 8 June to 1 July 2012 period. Descriptive research method used in the study. The aims in this study, determination of the views of local tourists about Ankara Shopping Fest and to investigate the satisfaction from the festival. 336 domestic tourists as visitors during the festival in Ankara were the sample of research. Questionnaire technique was used as a data collection technique. The questionnaire consisted of three parts, the first section was demographic variables. The second section was located expressions for Ankara Shopping Fest. Some statical analysis made to data in the result of research. These analyses were frequecy analysis, t tests and ANOVA tests. As a result of the t-tests and ANOVA tests significant differences were found between gender, age, level of income and civil staus of domestic tourists who came to Ankara during the festival.

  3. Enhancers Are Major Targets for Murine Leukemia Virus Vector Integration

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    De Ravin, Suk See; Su, Ling; Theobald, Narda; Choi, Uimook; Macpherson, Janet L.; Poidinger, Michael; Symonds, Geoff; Pond, Susan M.; Ferris, Andrea L.; Hughes, Stephen H.

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT Retroviral vectors have been used in successful gene therapies. However, in some patients, insertional mutagenesis led to leukemia or myelodysplasia. Both the strong promoter/enhancer elements in the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based vectors and the vector-specific integration site preferences played an important role in these adverse clinical events. MLV integration is known to prefer regions in or near transcription start sites (TSS). Recently, BET family proteins were shown to be the major cellular proteins responsible for targeting MLV integration. Although MLV integration sites are significantly enriched at TSS, only a small fraction of the MLV integration sites (integration map of more than one million integration sites from CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells transduced with a clinically relevant MLV-based vector. The integration sites form ∼60,000 tight clusters. These clusters comprise ∼1.9% of the genome. The vast majority (87%) of the integration sites are located within histone H3K4me1 islands, a hallmark of enhancers. The majority of these clusters also have H3K27ac histone modifications, which mark active enhancers. The enhancers of some oncogenes, including LMO2, are highly preferred targets for integration without in vivo selection. IMPORTANCE We show that active enhancer regions are the major targets for MLV integration; this means that MLV preferentially integrates in regions that are favorable for viral gene expression in a variety of cell types. The results provide insights for MLV integration target site selection and also explain the high risk of insertional mutagenesis that is associated with gene therapy trials using MLV vectors. PMID:24501411

  4. Migrations to Ankara by Railway and Settlement Policy (1890-1910

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    İhsan Seddar Kaynar

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The Anatolian Railway began running between Ankara and Haydarpaşa in Istanbul via İzmit and Eskişehir in early 1893, making transportation from Istanbul to the interior of Anatolia very easy. In late 1892, before the railroad was opened, policymakers prepared official reports on the resettlement of migrants along the rail route from Eskişehir to Ankara; and made regulations accordingly. This studyexamines the route of this migration, which first run to the port of İzmit by sea and then reached Ankara by rail. This article discusses the politics of resettlement and the conditions of migrants settled on the railway route during the twenty-year period between 1890 and 1910, when the Balkan Wars provoked mass migration to Anatolia from the Balkans. It analyzes the locations of the new settlements, the conditions in newly founded villages, and the habitability of the wasteland along the railway route. Daily rations, state aid for housing, types of production, agricultural styles, and the position of artisans will also be considered.

  5. A New Understanding of Ankara Music within the Context of Global Cultural Flow

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    Ömer Can Satır

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to consider a new understanding of the complex and multilayered structure of Ankara music, which is situated between tradition and modernity and has become an important form of popular culture in the region, in the context of local and global relationships.. The theoretical framework of the study is based on Appadurai’s “global cultural flow” model. The ethnoscape, finanscape, mediascape, technoscape and ideoscape of Ankara music is examined in accordance with this approach to reveal the dynamics that make this music different. In the light of these findings, it is concluded that the ethnoscape of Ankara music is based on a broad demographic coalition that has created an independent music industry with a finanscape depending on production, distribution and consumption. While this type of music is represented through a network-based social structure, it gains legitimacy outside its bounds within the media environment. The “Ankara” genre and its quest for authenticity described in this work reveal the ideoscape of the new Ankara music.

  6. Ankara Historic City Centre Restoration Site Conservation Plan, its Characteristics, and Rationales for its Revocation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Tuncer

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This is a comprehensive evaluation of the 1: 5000 Ankara Historic City Centre Restoration Site Conservation Master Development Plan and the 1: 1000 Conservation Implementation Plans, which have become a matter of litigation against the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, filed by various non-governmental organizations, universities, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Architects and Engineers (TMMOB and public institutions; in terms of the environment, transportation and traffic as regards the entirety of the planned location, and the integrity of the plan, based on conservation-reclamation planning essentials and public interest. Thus the Ulus Ankara Historic City Centre Restoration Site Conservation Master Development and Implementation Plan and Plan Notes as ratified by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and Conservation Board, are examined in this context in terms of restoration site, protected site, conservation site, interaction and transition sites and historic and cultural properties.

  7. Modeling of gas demand using degree-day concept: case study for Ankara

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gumrah, F.; Katircioglu, D.; Aykan, Y.; Okumus, S.; Kilincer, N.

    2001-01-01

    The demand for natural gas is rapidly increasing in Turkey, as it is in the rest of the world. However, natural gas reserves and production are rather limited in Turkey.The bulk of the Turkish gas demand is met by imports. Russia currently accounts for 69% of Turkey's gas supplies. Physical shortages might occur; supplies for industrial production and household consumption could temporarily run short. Also, fluctuations in consumption might occur due to climatic reasons or peak daily industrial energy demand. Underground gas storage is a necessity in order to regulate these seasonal, daily, and hourly fluctuations. In order to effectively design and utilize underground gas storage, it is necessary to identify the market requirements. In this study, Ankara was chosen as a pilot region due to its strategical importance of being the capital city of Turkey, and a wide range of marketing surveys for the last seven years was performed. All of the factors influencing the gas consumption and the relationships between these factors were analyzed. How does gas demand behave in extremely cold weather? How does the industrial part of the city act in the consumption behavior? What are the plans of the Municipality of Ankara, responsible for the execution of the natural gas distribution project in Ankara? A model was developed based on degree-day (DD) concept, including the annual number of customers, average DDs, and the usage per customer. A history matching study was performed to verify the results of the model with the measured consumption data for the last seven years. Comparisons showed that the calculated consumption by DD model and measured daily consumption were in good agreement. Finally, by using the developed approach, the gas demand was forecasted for Ankara up to 2005. The results of this study can be used to design underground gas storage facility near Ankara. (author)

  8. Recombination-mediated genetic engineering of a bacterial artificial chromosome clone of modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew G Cottingham

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available The production, manipulation and rescue of a bacterial artificial chromosome clone of Vaccinia virus (VAC-BAC in order to expedite construction of expression vectors and mutagenesis of the genome has been described (Domi & Moss, 2002, PNAS99 12415-20. The genomic BAC clone was 'rescued' back to infectious virus using a Fowlpox virus helper to supply transcriptional machinery. We apply here a similar approach to the attenuated strain Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA, now widely used as a safe non-replicating recombinant vaccine vector in mammals, including humans. Four apparently full-length, rescuable clones were obtained, which had indistinguishable immunogenicity in mice. One clone was shotgun sequenced and found to be identical to the parent. We employed GalK recombination-mediated genetic engineering (recombineering of MVA-BAC to delete five selected viral genes. Deletion of C12L, A44L, A46R or B7R did not significantly affect CD8(+ T cell immunogenicity in BALB/c mice, but deletion of B15R enhanced specific CD8(+ T cell responses to one of two endogenous viral epitopes (from the E2 and F2 proteins, in accordance with published work (Staib et al., 2005, J. Gen. Virol.86, 1997-2006. In addition, we found a higher frequency of triple-positive IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-2 secreting E3-specific CD8+ T-cells 8 weeks after vaccination with MVA lacking B15R. Furthermore, a recombinant vaccine capable of inducing CD8(+ T cells against an epitope from Plasmodium berghei was created using GalK counterselection to insert an antigen expression cassette lacking a tandem marker gene into the traditional thymidine kinase locus of MVA-BAC. MVA continues to feature prominently in clinical trials of recombinant vaccines against diseases such as HIV-AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Here we demonstrate in proof-of-concept experiments that MVA-BAC recombineering is a viable route to more rapid and efficient generation of new candidate mutant and recombinant

  9. Two Engaged Utopias of Young Turkish Republic and Their Transformations; Ankara and Atatürk Experimental Farm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeki Kamil Ülkenli

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Ankara is not only a spatial engineering project but also one of the comprehensive social engineering utopian projects of the early Turkish Republic. The experimental Atatürk Forest Farm (AOÇ on the other hand, is an important urban spatial utopian project in Ankara that cannot be reduced to being a simple urban recreation area. It has been physically shaped together with Ankara from the beginning, then later became an important urban entity in the metropolitan macro-form. This article aims to deal with Ankara and AOÇ as interacting and active urban utopias. And to deal with the causes of spatial changes and changing conceptions of the public interest within Ankara metropolitan area by the help of readings of a private photo archive with oral history records about three main components in AOÇ site; Ateliers, Etimesgut (Ahi Mesud Japanese Rose Oil Plants and “Steering Wheel Pub”. The conclusion aims to start a discussion of the projects’ public identity; whether the concept of AOÇ has transformed into a “urban area for the public—despite of the public?” and about the negative effects blocking and affecting the process of applying the Ankara Plan, which began just after 1938. The main resources are an unpublished private photo achieve, private oral history documentation and institutional publications from the AOÇ dated 1933, 1935 and 1953.

  10. The Problems Detected in Mushroom Cultivation in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mürüvvet Ulusoy Deniz

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Development of the cultivated mushroom farming which began to be produced in the 1960s in Turkey, has been more faster in the Mediterranean region than other regions. The development of mushroom cultivation has began to seen Marmara and İç Anadolu regions in recent years. The mushroom production which is very important for human health and nutrition, has been changing year to year (sometimes increase, sometimes decrease in the province of Ankara. The first private mushrrom cultivation company had been established in1963. Up to date, the number of private enterprises has changed over the years in Ankara. This study was carried out by doing a survey with an active 12 enterprises which the annual production capacity of 10-600 ton. The enterprises were visited and problems were determined during the cultivation. As a result of the study, It was observed that there are problems in production and marketing phases and with surface soil material

  11. Life cycle assessment of municipal solid waste management methods: Ankara case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozeler, D; Yetiş, U; Demirer, G N

    2006-04-01

    Different solid waste management system scenarios were developed and compared for the Municipal Solid Waste Management System of Ankara by using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The solid waste management methods considered in the scenarios were collection and transportation of wastes, source reduction, Material Recovery Facility (MRF)/Transfer Stations (TS), incineration, anaerobic digestion and landfilling. The goal of the study was to determine the most environmentally friendly option of MSWM system for Ankara. The functional unit of the study was the amount of solid waste generated in the system area of concern, which are the districts of Ankara. The life cycle inventory analysis was carried out by IWM Model-1. The inputs and outputs of each management stage were defined and the inventory emissions calculated by the model were classified in to impact categories; non-renewable energy sources exhausting potential, final solid waste as hazardous and non-hazardous, global warming, acidification, eutrophication and human toxicity. The impacts were quantified with the weighing factors of each category to develop the environmental profiles of each scenario. In most of the categories, Source Reduction Scenario was found to be the most feasible management method, except the global warming category. The lowest contribution to GWP was calculated for the anaerobic digestion process. In the interpretation and improvement assessment stage, the results were further evaluated and recommendations were made to improve the current solid waste management system of Ankara.

  12. Recombinant vaccines against T. gondii: comparison between homologous and heterologous vaccination protocols using two viral vectors expressing SAG1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendes, Érica Araújo; Fonseca, Flavio G; Casério, Bárbara M; Colina, Janaína P; Gazzinelli, Ricardo Tostes; Caetano, Braulia C

    2013-01-01

    The use of recombinant viral vectors expressing T. gondii antigens is a safe and efficient approach to induce immune response against the parasite and a valuable tool for vaccine development. We have previously protected mice from toxoplasmosis by immunizing the animals with an adenovirus expressing the protein SAG1 (AdSAG1) of T. gondii. We are now looking for ways to improve the vaccination strategy and enhance protection. One limitation of homologous vaccinations (sequential doses of the same vector) is induction of anti-vector immune response that blocks cell transduction, restricts transgene expression and, consequently, compromises the overall outcome of vaccination. One way to avert the effects of anti-vector response is to use different viruses in prime and boost (heterologous vaccination). Bearing this in mind, we generated a modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara encoding SAG1 (MVASAG1), to be tested as boost agent after prime with AdSAG1. Although minor differences were observed in the magnitude of the anti-SAG1 immune response induced by each vaccination protocol, the heterologous immunization with AdSAG1 followed by MVASAG1 resulted in improved capacity to control brain cyst formation in a model of chronic toxoplasmosis in C57BL/6 mice.

  13. Recombinant vaccines against T. gondii: comparison between homologous and heterologous vaccination protocols using two viral vectors expressing SAG1.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Érica Araújo Mendes

    Full Text Available The use of recombinant viral vectors expressing T. gondii antigens is a safe and efficient approach to induce immune response against the parasite and a valuable tool for vaccine development. We have previously protected mice from toxoplasmosis by immunizing the animals with an adenovirus expressing the protein SAG1 (AdSAG1 of T. gondii. We are now looking for ways to improve the vaccination strategy and enhance protection. One limitation of homologous vaccinations (sequential doses of the same vector is induction of anti-vector immune response that blocks cell transduction, restricts transgene expression and, consequently, compromises the overall outcome of vaccination. One way to avert the effects of anti-vector response is to use different viruses in prime and boost (heterologous vaccination. Bearing this in mind, we generated a modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara encoding SAG1 (MVASAG1, to be tested as boost agent after prime with AdSAG1. Although minor differences were observed in the magnitude of the anti-SAG1 immune response induced by each vaccination protocol, the heterologous immunization with AdSAG1 followed by MVASAG1 resulted in improved capacity to control brain cyst formation in a model of chronic toxoplasmosis in C57BL/6 mice.

  14. Chikungunya Virus Vaccines: Viral Vector-Based Approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramsauer, Katrin; Tangy, Frédéric

    2016-12-15

    In 2013, a major chikungunya virus (CHIKV) epidemic reached the Americas. In the past 2 years, >1.7 million people have been infected. In light of the current epidemic, with millions of people in North and South America at risk, efforts to rapidly develop effective vaccines have increased. Here, we focus on CHIKV vaccines that use viral-vector technologies. This group of vaccine candidates shares an ability to potently induce humoral and cellular immune responses by use of highly attenuated and safe vaccine backbones. So far, well-described vectors such as modified vaccinia virus Ankara, complex adenovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, alphavirus-based chimeras, and measles vaccine Schwarz strain (MV/Schw) have been described as potential vaccines. We summarize here the recent data on these experimental vaccines, with a focus on the preclinical and clinical activities on the MV/Schw-based candidate, which is the first CHIKV-vectored vaccine that has completed a clinical trial. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Social Sustainability of Shopping Streets in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özge YALÇINER ERCOŞKUN

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Shopping streets are integral parts of public spaces in traditional shopping areas of Central Business Districts (CBD. Furthermore, as modern shopping venues, shopping centers offer advantages for modern lifestyles with spacious shopping areas, variety of commercial and social activities, and economic value of their investments. These advantages act in favor of shopping centers and improve the level of shopping street social sustainability and its relevant concepts. The aim of this study is to analyze the main shopping streets of Ankara, using the concepts of social sustainability. In this study, these concepts, such as locality, identity, vitality, viability, sense of place, conviviality, meaning and local characteristics of the shopping streets are investigated. For the first time, the retail unit locations in Ankara, their brands and their business types, are illustrated on thematic land use maps using Geographical Information Systems (GIS software. Next, population activities and consumer spatial behavior are observed and marked on maps that are also referred to as social sustainability maps. The results of the study can be useful in formulating strategies within the framework of social sustainability, which is a relatively new concept.

  16. A Worksheet to Enhance Students’ Conceptual Understanding in Vector Components

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wutchana, Umporn; Emarat, Narumon

    2017-09-01

    With and without physical context, we explored 59 undergraduate students’conceptual and procedural understanding of vector components using both open ended problems and multiple choice items designed based on research instruments used in physics education research. The results showed that a number of students produce errors and revealed alternative conceptions especially when asked to draw graphical form of vector components. It indicated that most of them did not develop a strong foundation of understanding in vector components and could not apply those concepts to such problems with physical context. Based on the findings, we designed a worksheet to enhance the students’ conceptual understanding in vector components. The worksheet is composed of three parts which help students to construct their own understanding of definition, graphical form, and magnitude of vector components. To validate the worksheet, focus group discussions of 3 and 10 graduate students (science in-service teachers) had been conducted. The modified worksheet was then distributed to 41 grade 9 students in a science class. The students spent approximately 50 minutes to complete the worksheet. They sketched and measured vectors and its components and compared with the trigonometry ratio to condense the concepts of vector components. After completing the worksheet, their conceptual model had been verified. 83% of them constructed the correct model of vector components.

  17. The Immunogenicity of the Tumor-Associated Antigen α-Fetoprotein Is Enhanced by a Fusion with a Transmembrane Domain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucile Tran

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To investigate the ability of recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA vector to induce an immune response against a well-tolerated self-antigen. Methods. rMVA vectors expressing different form of α-fetoprotein (AFP were produced and characterized. Naïve mice were vaccinated with MVA vectors expressing the AFP antigen in either a secreted, or a membrane-bound, or an intracellular form. The immune response was monitored by an IFNΓ ELISpot assay and antibody detection. Results. Vaccination with the membrane-associated form of AFP induced a stronger CD8+ T-cell response compared to the ones obtained with the MVA encoding the secreted or the intracellular forms of AFP. Moreover, the vaccination with the membrane-bound AFP elicited the production of AFP-specific antibodies. Conclusions. The AFP transmembrane form is more immunogenic. Expressing a membrane-bound form in the context of an MVA vaccination could enhance the immunogenicity of a self-antigen.

  18. Gene Therapy Vectors with Enhanced Transfection Based on Hydrogels Modified with Affinity Peptides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shepard, Jaclyn A.; Wesson, Paul J.; Wang, Christine E.; Stevans, Alyson C.; Holland, Samantha J.; Shikanov, Ariella; Grzybowski, Bartosz A.; Shea, Lonnie D.

    2011-01-01

    Regenerative strategies for damaged tissue aim to present biochemical cues that recruit and direct progenitor cell migration and differentiation. Hydrogels capable of localized gene delivery are being developed to provide a support for tissue growth, and as a versatile method to induce the expression of inductive proteins; however, the duration, level, and localization of expression isoften insufficient for regeneration. We thus investigated the modification of hydrogels with affinity peptides to enhance vector retention and increase transfection within the matrix. PEG hydrogels were modified with lysine-based repeats (K4, K8), which retained approximately 25% more vector than control peptides. Transfection increased 5- to 15-fold with K8 and K4 respectively, over the RDG control peptide. K8- and K4-modified hydrogels bound similar quantities of vector, yet the vector dissociation rate was reduced for K8, suggesting excessive binding that limited transfection. These hydrogels were subsequently applied to an in vitro co-culture model to induce NGF expression and promote neurite outgrowth. K4-modified hydrogels promoted maximal neurite outgrowth, likely due to retention of both the vector and the NGF. Thus, hydrogels modified with affinity peptides enhanced vector retention and increased gene delivery, and these hydrogels may provide a versatile scaffold for numerous regenerative medicine applications. PMID:21514659

  19. Metrics for vector quantization-based parametric speech enhancement and separation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Mads Græsbøll

    2013-01-01

    Speech enhancement and separation algorithms sometimes employ a two-stage processing scheme, wherein the signal is first mapped to an intermediate low-dimensional parametric description after which the parameters are mapped to vectors in codebooks trained on, for exam- ple, individual noise...

  20. Human bioclimatology analysis of Ankara urban area

    OpenAIRE

    Onur Çalışkan; Necla Türkoğlu

    2011-01-01

    In this study, the Physiological Equivalent Temperatures (PET) of different land patterns in the Ankara urban area has been analyzed. The spatial distribution and temporal variation of the thermal perceptions and the grades of thermal stress caused by the thermal conditions have been determined for 00:00, 03:00, 06:00, 09:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 21:00 hours during the December and July of 2010. The effects of physiographic features such as elevation, aspect, slope, and especially land use...

  1. Transcriptional Enhancers Induce Insertional Gene Deregulation Independently From the Vector Type and Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maruggi, Giulietta; Porcellini, Simona; Facchini, Giulia; Perna, Serena K; Cattoglio, Claudia; Sartori, Daniela; Ambrosi, Alessandro; Schambach, Axel; Baum, Christopher; Bonini, Chiara; Bovolenta, Chiara; Mavilio, Fulvio; Recchia, Alessandra

    2009-01-01

    The integration characteristics of retroviral (RV) vectors increase the probability of interfering with the regulation of cellular genes, and account for a tangible risk of insertional mutagenesis in treated patients. To assess the potential genotoxic risk of conventional or self-inactivating (SIN) γ-RV and lentiviral (LV) vectors independently from the biological consequences of the insertion event, we developed a quantitative assay based on real-time reverse transcriptase—PCR on low-density arrays to evaluate alterations of gene expression in individual primary T-cell clones. We show that the Moloney leukemia virus long terminal repeat (LTR) enhancer has the strongest activity in both a γ-RV and a LV vector context, while an internal cellular promoter induces deregulation of gene expression less frequently, at a shorter range and to a lower extent in both vector types. Downregulation of gene expression was observed only in the context of LV vectors. This study indicates that insertional gene activation is determined by the characteristics of the transcriptional regulatory elements carried by the vector, and is largely independent from the vector type or design. PMID:19293778

  2. [Construction and Function Verification of a Novel Shuttle Vector Containing a Marker Gene Self-deletion System].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lili; Wang, Zhan; Zhou, Yubai; Zhang, Fang; Shen, Sisi; Li, Zelin; Zeng, Yi

    2015-09-01

    For rapid and accurate screening of recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA) that satisfied the quality standards of clinical trials, a novel shuttle vector that can delete the marker gene automatically during virus propagation was construted: pZL-EGFP. To construct the pZL-EGFP, the original shuttle vector pSC11 was modified by replacing the LacZ marker gene with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and then inserting homologous sequences of TKL into the flank regions of EGFP. Baby hamster kidney (BHK)-21 cells were cotransfected with pZL-EGFP and MVA, and underwent ten passages and one plaque screening to obtain the EGFP-free rMVA carrying the exogenous gene. Resulting rMVA was tested by polymerase chain reaction and western blotting to verify pZL-EGFP function. A novel shuttle vector pZL-EGFP containing an EGFP marker gene which could be deleted automatically was constructed. This gene deletion had no effect on the activities of rMVA, and the exogenous gene could be expressed stably. These results suggest that rMVA can be packaged efficiently by homologous recombination between pZL-EGFP and MVA in BHK-21 cells, and that the carried EGFP gene can be removed automatically by intramolecular homologous recombination during virus passage. Meanwhile, the gene deletion had no influence on the activities of rMVA and the expression of exogenous target gene. This study lays a solid foundation for the future research.

  3. Giulio Mongeri, an Architect Efficient in the Building of Capital City Ankara and his Biography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Damla Çinici

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The study is about Giulio Mongeri (1873 – 1951 who was the architect of Ottoman Bank (1926, Ziraat Bank (1926 – 1929, Monopolies Chief Directorate (1928 and Türkiye İş Bank (1929 buildings in Ankara in the first years of the Republic. Giulio Mongeri was one of the architects prominent in architectural activities both in the last years of Ottoman Empire and first years of the Republic and undertook an effective role in the architectural understanding of the next generation by raising the architects of the future as an instructor of the Academy of Fine Arts. In the study, it is aimed to gain especially the sketches and photos obtained from his diary and not published anywhere else to the scientific world as a new contribution to the knowledge in the available publications. Giulio Mongeri himself, his family and environs in which he was raised, his personality and attitude as a trainer have been appraised in the light of new information. The buildings of Mongeri in Ankara have been studied comparatively with the other buildings in Ankara in this period and an attempt is made to assess the differences in his approach.

  4. Fetal muscle gene transfer is not enhanced by an RGD capsid modification to high-capacity adenoviral vectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilbao, R; Reay, D P; Hughes, T; Biermann, V; Volpers, C; Goldberg, L; Bergelson, J; Kochanek, S; Clemens, P R

    2003-10-01

    High levels of alpha(v) integrin expression by fetal muscle suggested that vector re-targeting to integrins could enhance adenoviral vector-mediated transduction, thereby increasing safety and efficacy of muscle gene transfer in utero. High-capacity adenoviral (HC-Ad) vectors modified by an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide motif in the HI loop of the adenoviral fiber (RGD-HC-Ad) have demonstrated efficient gene transfer through binding to alpha(v) integrins. To test integrin targeting of HC-Ad vectors for fetal muscle gene transfer, we compared unmodified and RGD-modified HC-Ad vectors. In vivo, unmodified HC-Ad vector transduced fetal mouse muscle with four-fold higher efficiency compared to RGD-HC-Ad vector. Confirming that the difference was due to muscle cell autonomous factors and not mechanical barriers, transduction of primary myogenic cells isolated from murine fetal muscle in vitro demonstrated a three-fold better transduction by HC-Ad vector than by RGD-HC-Ad vector. We hypothesized that the high expression level of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), demonstrated in fetal muscle cells both in vitro and in vivo, was the crucial variable influencing the relative transduction efficiencies of HC-Ad and RGD-HC-Ad vectors. To explore this further, we studied transduction by HC-Ad and RGD-HC-Ad vectors in paired cell lines that expressed alpha(v) integrins and differed only by the presence or absence of CAR expression. The results increase our understanding of factors that will be important for retargeting HC-Ad vectors to enhance gene transfer to fetal muscle.

  5. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara protects macaques against respiratory challenge with monkeypox virus.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    K.J. Stittelaar (Koert); G. van Amerongen (Geert); I. Kondova (Ivanela); R.F. van Lavieren (Rob); F.H. Pistoor (Frank); H.G.M. Niesters (Bert); G.J.J. van Doornum (Gerard); B.A.M. van der Zeijst (Ben); L. Mateo (Luis); P.J. Chaplin (Paul); A.D.M.E. Osterhaus (Albert); T. Kuiken (Thijs)

    2005-01-01

    textabstractThe use of classical smallpox vaccines based on vaccinia virus (VV) is associated with severe complications in both naive and immune individuals. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), a highly attenuated replication-deficient strain of VV, has been proven to be safe in humans and

  6. A novel structural risk index for primary spontaneous pneumothorax: Ankara Numune Risk Index.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akkas, Yucel; Peri, Neslihan Gulay; Kocer, Bulent; Kaplan, Tevfik; Alhan, Aslihan

    2017-07-01

    In this study, we aimed to reveal a novel risk index as a structural risk marker for primary spontanoeus pneumothorax using body mass index and chest height, structural risk factors for pneumothorax development. Records of 86 cases admitted between February 2014 and January 2015 with or without primary spontaneous pneumothorax were analysed retrospectively. The patients were allocated to two groups as Group I and Group II. The patients were evaluated with regard to age, gender, pneumothorax side, duration of hospital stay, treatment type, recurrence, chest height and transverse diameter on posteroanterior chest graphy and body mass index. Body mass index ratio per cm of chest height was calculated by dividing body mass index with chest height. We named this risk index ratio which is defined first as 'Ankara Numune Risk Index'. Diagnostic value of Ankara Numune Risk Index value for prediction of primary spontaneous pneumothorax development was analysed with Receiver Operating Characteristics curver. Of 86 patients, 69 (80.2%) were male and 17 (19.8%) were female. Each group was composed of 43 (50%) patients. When Receiver Operating Characteristics curve analysis was done for optimal limit value 0.74 of Ankara Numune Risk Index determined for prediction of pneumothorax development risk, area under the curve was 0.925 (95% Cl, 0.872-0.977, p pneumothorax development however it is insufficient for determining recurrence. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

  7. Service Quality of State Universities in Turkey: The Case of Ankara

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eres, Figen

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study is determine the service quality perceptions of students being educated at state universities in Ankara. The sample of the study is composed of final grade students of faculties of Economics and Administrative Sciences. The sample of the study is composed of a total of randomly selected students. There were 416 returned…

  8. Vaccine efficacy against malaria by the combination of porcine parvovirus-like particles and vaccinia virus vectors expressing CS of Plasmodium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez, Dolores; González-Aseguinolaza, Gloria; Rodríguez, Juan R; Vijayan, Aneesh; Gherardi, Magdalena; Rueda, Paloma; Casal, J Ignacio; Esteban, Mariano

    2012-01-01

    With the aim to develop an efficient and cost-effective approach to control malaria, we have generated porcine parvovirus-like particles (PPV-VLPs) carrying the CD8(+) T cell epitope (SYVPSAEQI) of the circumsporozoite (CS) protein from Plasmodium yoelii fused to the PPV VP2 capsid protein (PPV-PYCS), and tested in prime/boost protocols with poxvirus vectors for efficacy in a rodent malaria model. As a proof-of concept, we have characterized the anti-CS CD8(+) T cell response elicited by these hybrid PPV-VLPs in BALB/c mice after immunizations with the protein PPV-PYCS administered alone or in combination with recombinant vaccinia virus (VACV) vectors from the Western Reserve (WR) and modified virus Ankara (MVA) strains expressing the entire P. yoelii CS protein. The results of different immunization protocols showed that the combination of PPV-PYCS prime/poxvirus boost was highly immunogenic, inducing specific CD8+ T cell responses to CS resulting in 95% reduction in liver stage parasites two days following sporozoite challenge. In contrast, neither the administration of PPV-PYCS alone nor the immunization with the vectors given in the order poxvirus/VLPs was as effective. The immune profile induced by VLPs/MVA boost was associated with polyfunctional and effector memory CD8+ T cell responses. These findings highlight the use of recombinant parvovirus PPV-PYCS particles as priming agents and poxvirus vectors, like MVA, as booster to enhance specific CD8+ T cell responses to Plasmodium antigens and to control infection. These observations are relevant in the design of T cell-inducing vaccines against malaria.

  9. Middle School Students' Perceptions of the Quality of School Life in Ankara

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eres, Figen; Bilasa, Pinar

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this research is to measure the perception of middle school students in Ankara regarding the quality of school life. According to the findings obtained, the students have moderate level perceptions about the quality of school life. Their perceptions about sub-dimensions vary. While the students have the highest perceptions about…

  10. Enhanced vaccine-induced CD8+ T cell responses to malaria antigen ME-TRAP by fusion to MHC class ii invariant chain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra J Spencer

    Full Text Available The orthodox role of the invariant chain (CD74; Ii is in antigen presentation to CD4+ T cells, but enhanced CD8+ T cells responses have been reported after vaccination with vectored viral vaccines encoding a fusion of Ii to the antigen of interest. In this study we assessed whether fusion of the malarial antigen, ME-TRAP, to Ii could increase the vaccine-induced CD8+ T cell response. Following single or heterologous prime-boost vaccination of mice with a recombinant chimpanzee adenovirus vector, ChAd63, or recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA, higher frequencies of antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were observed, with the largest increases observed following a ChAd63-MVA heterologous prime-boost regimen. Studies in non-human primates confirmed the ability of Ii-fusion to augment the T cell response, where a 4-fold increase was maintained up to 11 weeks after the MVA boost. Of the numerous different approaches explored to increase vectored vaccine induced immunogenicity over the years, fusion to the invariant chain showed a consistent enhancement in CD8+ T cell responses across different animal species and may therefore find application in the development of vaccines against human malaria and other diseases where high levels of cell-mediated immunity are required.

  11. Prevalence of restless legs syndrome in Ankara, Turkey: an analysis of diagnostic criteria and awareness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yilmaz, Nesrin Helvaci; Akbostanci, Muhittin Cenk; Oto, Aycan; Aykac, Ozlem

    2013-09-01

    The aim of this study was threefold: (1) to investigate the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS), in Ankara, Turkey; (2) to determine the predictive values of diagnostic criteria; and (3) to determine the frequency of physician referrals and the frequency of getting the correct diagnosis. A total of 815 individuals, from randomly selected addresses, above the age of 15, were reached using the questionnaire composed of the four diagnostic criteria. Individuals who responded by answering 'yes' for at least one question were interviewed by neurologists for the diagnosis of RLS. Frequency of physician referrals and frequency of getting the correct diagnosis of RLS were also determined for patients getting the final diagnoses of RLS. Prevalence of RLS in Ankara was 5.52 %; 41.0 % of the individuals diagnosed with RLS had replied 'yes' to either one, two or three questions asked by interviewers. However, only 21.3 % of individuals who replied 'yes' to all four questions received the diagnosis of RLS. Among the patients who had the final diagnosis of RLS, 25.7 % had referred to a physician for the symptoms and 22.2 % got the correct diagnosis. The RLS prevalence in Ankara was somewhere between Western and Far East countries compatible with the geographical location. Diagnostic criteria may not be fully predictive when applied by non-physician pollsters. Physician's probability of correctly diagnosing RLS is still low.

  12. Transparent 3D Visualization of Archaeological Remains in Roman Site in Ankara-Turkey with Ground Penetrating Radar Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadioglu, S.

    2009-04-01

    Transparent 3D Visualization of Archaeological Remains in Roman Site in Ankara-Turkey with Ground Penetrating Radar Method Selma KADIOGLU Ankara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Geophysical Engineering, 06100 Tandogan/ANKARA-TURKEY kadioglu@eng.ankara.edu.tr Anatolia has always been more the point of transit, a bridge between West and East. Anatolia has been a home for ideas moving from all directions. So it is that in the Roman and post-Roman periods the role of Anatolia in general and of Ancyra (the Roman name of Ankara) in particular was of the greatest importance. Now, the visible archaeological remains of Roman period in Ankara are Roman Bath, Gymnasium, the Temple of Augustus of Rome, Street, Theatre, City Defence-Wall. The Caesar Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, conquered Asia Minor in 25 BC. Then a marble temple was built in Ancyra, the administrative capital of province, today the capital of Turkish Republic, Ankara. This monument was consecrated to the Empreror and to the Goddess Rome. This temple is supposed to have built over an earlier temple dedicated to Kybele and Men between 25 -20 BC. After the death of the Augustus in 14AD, a copy of the text of "Res Gestae Divi Augusti" was inscribed on the interior of the pronaos in Latin, whereas a Greek translation is also present on an exterior wall of the cella. In the 5th century, it was converted in to a church by the Byzantines. The aim of this study is to determine old buried archaeological remains in the Augustus temple, Roman Bath and in the governorship agora in Ulus district. These remains were imaged with transparent three dimensional (3D) visualization of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) data. Parallel two dimensional (2D) GPR profile data were acquired in the study areas, and then a 3D data volume were built using parallel 2D GPR data. A simplified amplitude-colour range and appropriate opacity function were constructed and transparent 3D image were obtained to activate buried

  13. Comparative Immunogenicity in Rhesus Monkeys of DNA Plasmid, Recombinant Vaccinia Virus, and Replication-Defective Adenovirus Vectors Expressing a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 gag Gene

    OpenAIRE

    Casimiro, Danilo R.; Chen, Ling; Fu, Tong-Ming; Evans, Robert K.; Caulfield, Michael J.; Davies, Mary-Ellen; Tang, Aimin; Chen, Minchun; Huang, Lingyi; Harris, Virginia; Freed, Daniel C.; Wilson, Keith A.; Dubey, Sheri; Zhu, De-Min; Nawrocki, Denise

    2003-01-01

    Cellular immune responses, particularly those associated with CD3+ CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), play a primary role in controlling viral infection, including persistent infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Accordingly, recent HIV-1 vaccine research efforts have focused on establishing the optimal means of eliciting such antiviral CTL immune responses. We evaluated several DNA vaccine formulations, a modified vaccinia virus Ankara vector, and a replication-defecti...

  14. Enhancement of Mucosal Immunogenicity of Viral Vectored Vaccines by the NKT Cell Agonist Alpha-Galactosylceramide as Adjuvant

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    Shailbala Singh

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Gene-based vaccination strategies, specifically viral vectors encoding vaccine immunogens are effective at priming strong immune responses. Mucosal routes offer practical advantages for vaccination by ease of needle-free administration, and immunogen delivery at readily accessible oral/nasal sites to efficiently induce immunity at distant gut and genital tissues. However, since mucosal tissues are inherently tolerant for induction of immune responses, incorporation of adjuvants for optimal mucosal vaccination strategies is important. We report here the effectiveness of alpha-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer, a synthetic glycolipid agonist of natural killer T (NKT cells, as an adjuvant for enhancing immunogenicity of vaccine antigens delivered using viral vectors by mucosal routes in murine and nonhuman primate models. Significant improvement in adaptive immune responses in systemic and mucosal tissues was observed by including α-GalCer adjuvant for intranasal immunization of mice with vesicular stomatitis virus vector encoding the model antigen ovalbumin and adenoviral vectors expressing HIV env and Gag antigens. Activation of NKT cells in systemic and mucosal tissues along with significant increases in adaptive immune responses were observed in rhesus macaques immunized by intranasal and sublingual routes with protein or adenovirus vectored antigens when combined with α-GalCer adjuvant. These results support the utility of α-GalCer adjuvant for enhancing immunogenicity of mucosal vaccines delivered using viral vectors.

  15. Attenuation and immunogenicity of host-range extended modified vaccinia virus Ankara recombinants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melamed, Sharon; Wyatt, Linda S; Kastenmayer, Robin J; Moss, Bernard

    2013-09-23

    Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is being widely investigated as a safe smallpox vaccine and as an expression vector to produce vaccines against other infectious diseases and cancer. MVA was isolated following more than 500 passages in chick embryo fibroblasts and suffered several major deletions and numerous small mutations resulting in replication defects in human and most other mammalian cells as well as severe attenuation of pathogenicity. Due to the host range restriction, primary chick embryo fibroblasts are routinely used for production of MVA-based vaccines. While a replication defect undoubtedly contributes to safety of MVA, it is worth considering whether host range and attenuation are partially separable properties. Marker rescue transfection experiments resulted in the creation of recombinant MVAs with extended mammalian cell host range. Here, we characterize two host-range extended rMVAs and show that they (i) have acquired the ability to stably replicate in Vero cells, which are frequently used as a cell substrate for vaccine manufacture, (ii) are severely attenuated in immunocompetent and immunodeficient mouse strains following intranasal infection, (iii) are more pathogenic than MVA but less pathogenic than the ACAM2000 vaccine strain at high intracranial doses, (iv) do not form lesions upon tail scratch in mice in contrast to ACAM2000 and (v) induce protective humoral and cell-mediated immune responses similar to MVA. The extended host range of rMVAs may be useful for vaccine production. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  16. Vaccine efficacy against malaria by the combination of porcine parvovirus-like particles and vaccinia virus vectors expressing CS of Plasmodium.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dolores Rodríguez

    Full Text Available With the aim to develop an efficient and cost-effective approach to control malaria, we have generated porcine parvovirus-like particles (PPV-VLPs carrying the CD8(+ T cell epitope (SYVPSAEQI of the circumsporozoite (CS protein from Plasmodium yoelii fused to the PPV VP2 capsid protein (PPV-PYCS, and tested in prime/boost protocols with poxvirus vectors for efficacy in a rodent malaria model. As a proof-of concept, we have characterized the anti-CS CD8(+ T cell response elicited by these hybrid PPV-VLPs in BALB/c mice after immunizations with the protein PPV-PYCS administered alone or in combination with recombinant vaccinia virus (VACV vectors from the Western Reserve (WR and modified virus Ankara (MVA strains expressing the entire P. yoelii CS protein. The results of different immunization protocols showed that the combination of PPV-PYCS prime/poxvirus boost was highly immunogenic, inducing specific CD8+ T cell responses to CS resulting in 95% reduction in liver stage parasites two days following sporozoite challenge. In contrast, neither the administration of PPV-PYCS alone nor the immunization with the vectors given in the order poxvirus/VLPs was as effective. The immune profile induced by VLPs/MVA boost was associated with polyfunctional and effector memory CD8+ T cell responses. These findings highlight the use of recombinant parvovirus PPV-PYCS particles as priming agents and poxvirus vectors, like MVA, as booster to enhance specific CD8+ T cell responses to Plasmodium antigens and to control infection. These observations are relevant in the design of T cell-inducing vaccines against malaria.

  17. Tectonic Evolution of the Çayirhan Neogene Basin (Ankara), Central Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behzad, Bezhan; Koral, Hayrettin; İşb&idot; l, Duygu; Karaaǧa; ç, Serdal

    2016-04-01

    Çayırhan (Ankara) is located at crossroads of the Western Anatolian extensional region, analogous to the Basin and Range Province, and suture zone of the Neotethys-Ocean, which is locus of the North Anatolian Transform since the Late Miocene. To the north of Çayırhan (Ankara), a Neogene sedimentary basin comprises Lower-Middle Miocene and Upper Miocene age formations, characterized by swamp, fluvial and lacustrine settings respectively. This sequence is folded and transected by neotectonic faults. The Sekli thrust fault is older than the Lower-Middle Miocene age formations. The Davutoǧlan fault is younger than the Lower-Middle Miocene formations and is contemporaneous to the Upper Miocene formation. The Çatalkaya fault is younger than the Upper Miocene formation. The sedimentary and tectonic features provide information on mode, timing and evolution of this Neogene age sedimentary basin in Central Turkey. It is concluded that the region underwent a period of uplift and erosion under the influence of contractional tectonics prior to the Early-Middle Miocene, before becoming a semi-closed basin under influence of transtensional tectonics during the Early-Middle Miocene and under influence of predominantly extensional tectonics during the post-Late Miocene times. Keywords: Tectonics, Extension, Transtension, Stratigraphy, Neotectonic features.

  18. Vectores recombinantes basados en el virus modificado de ankara (MVA), con deleción en el gen C6L, como vacunas contra el VIH/SIDA y otras enfermedades

    OpenAIRE

    García-Arriaza, J.; Gómez, Carmen E.; Esteban, Mariano

    2011-01-01

    [ES] La presente invención engloba dentro de los campos de la biología molecular y de la biotecnología. Especificamente se refiere a virus recombinantes basados en el virus modificado de Ankara (MVA) que expresan los antigenos gp120 y Gag-Pol-Nef del virus de la inmunodeficienciahumana (VIH-1) de subtipo B (MVA-B), sobre los que see ha delecionado el gen de vaccinia C6L, y que han sido diseñados para utilizarse como vacunas contra el VIH/SIDA y otras enfermedades.

  19. Vectores recombinantes basados en el virus modificado de Ankara (MVA), con deleción en el gen C6L, como vacunas contra el VIH/SIDA y otras enfermedades

    OpenAIRE

    García-Arriaza, J.; Gómez, Carmen E.; Esteban, Mariano

    2011-01-01

    La presente invención se engloba dentro de los campos de la biología molecular y de la biotecnología. Específicamente se refiere a virus recombinantes basados en el virus modificado de Ankara (MVA) que expresan los antígenos gp120 y Gag-Pol-Nef del virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH-1) de subtipo B (MVA-B), sobre los que se ha delecionado el gen de vaccinia C6L, y que han sido diseñados para utilizarse como vacunas contra el VIH/SIDA y otras enfermedades.

  20. Genetic modification of adeno-associated viral vector type 2 capsid enhances gene transfer efficiency in polarized human airway epithelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, April F; Mazur, Marina; Sorscher, Eric J; Zinn, Kurt R; Ponnazhagan, Selvarangan

    2008-12-01

    Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common genetic disease characterized by defects in the expression of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Gene therapy offers better hope for the treatment of CF. Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors are capable of stable expression with low immunogenicity. Despite their potential in CF gene therapy, gene transfer efficiency by AAV is limited because of pathophysiological barriers in these patients. Although a few AAV serotypes have shown better transduction compared with the AAV2-based vectors, gene transfer efficiency in human airway epithelium has still not reached therapeutic levels. To engineer better AAV vectors for enhanced gene delivery in human airway epithelium, we developed and characterized mutant AAV vectors by genetic capsid modification, modeling the well-characterized AAV2 serotype. We genetically incorporated putative high-affinity peptide ligands to human airway epithelium on the GH loop region of AAV2 capsid protein. Six independent mutant AAV were constructed, containing peptide ligands previously reported to bind with high affinity for known and unknown receptors on human airway epithelial cells. The vectors were tested on nonairway cells and nonpolarized and polarized human airway epithelial cells for enhanced infectivity. One of the mutant vectors, with the peptide sequence THALWHT, not only showed the highest transduction in undifferentiated human airway epithelial cells but also indicated significant transduction in polarized cells. Interestingly, this modified vector was also able to infect cells independently of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan receptor. Incorporation of this ligand on other AAV serotypes, which have shown improved gene transfer efficiency in the human airway epithelium, may enhance the application of AAV vectors in CF gene therapy.

  1. Development of a novel, guinea pig-specific IFN-γ ELISPOT assay and characterization of guinea pig cytomegalovirus GP83-specific cellular immune responses following immunization with a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA)-vectored GP83 vaccine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillis, Peter A; Hernandez-Alvarado, Nelmary; Gnanandarajah, Josephine S; Wussow, Felix; Diamond, Don J; Schleiss, Mark R

    2014-06-30

    The guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) provides a useful animal model for studying the pathogenesis of many infectious diseases, and for preclinical evaluation of vaccines. However, guinea pig models are limited by the lack of immunological reagents required for characterization and quantification of antigen-specific T cell responses. To address this deficiency, an enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay for guinea pig interferon (IFN)-γ was developed to measure antigen/epitope-specific T cell responses to guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) vaccines. Using splenocytes harvested from animals vaccinated with a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vector encoding the GPCMV GP83 (homolog of human CMV pp65 [gpUL83]) protein, we were able to enumerate and map antigen-specific responses, both in vaccinated as well as GPCMV-infected animals, using a panel of GP83-specific peptides. Several potential immunodominant GP83-specific peptides were identified, including one epitope, LGIVHFFDN, that was noted in all guinea pigs that had a detectable CD8+ response to GP83. Development of a guinea pig IFN-γ ELISPOT should be useful in characterization of additional T cell-specific responses to GPCMV, as well as other pathogens. This information in turn can help focus future experimental evaluation of immunization strategies, both for GPCMV as well as for other vaccine-preventable illnesses studied in the guinea pig model. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Cytomegalovirus vector expressing RAE-1γ induces enhanced anti-tumor capacity of murine CD8+ T cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tršan, Tihana; Vuković, Kristina; Filipović, Petra; Brizić, Ana Lesac; Lemmermann, Niels A W; Schober, Kilian; Busch, Dirk H; Britt, William J; Messerle, Martin; Krmpotić, Astrid; Jonjić, Stipan

    2017-08-01

    Designing CD8 + T-cell vaccines, which would provide protection against tumors is still considered a great challenge in immunotherapy. Here we show the robust potential of cytomegalovirus (CMV) vector expressing the NKG2D ligand RAE-1γ as CD8 + T cell-based vaccine against malignant tumors. Immunization with the CMV vector expressing RAE-1γ, delayed tumor growth or even provided complete protection against tumor challenge in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings. Moreover, a potent tumor control in mice vaccinated with this vector can be further enhanced by blocking the immune checkpoints TIGIT and PD-1. CMV vector expressing RAE-1γ potentiated expansion of KLRG1 + CD8 + T cells with enhanced effector properties. This vaccination was even more efficient in neonatal mice, resulting in the expansion and long-term maintenance of epitope-specific CD8 + T cells conferring robust resistance against tumor challenge. Our data show that immunomodulation of CD8 + T-cell responses promoted by herpesvirus expressing a ligand for NKG2D receptor can provide a powerful platform for the prevention and treatment of CD8 + T-cell sensitive tumors. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Internet Use Habits of Students of the Department of Information Management, Hacettepe University, Ankara

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ucak, Nazan Ozenc

    2007-01-01

    The frequency and other characteristics of Internet use of students studying at the Department of Information Management at Hacettep University in Ankara, Turkey, are examined. According to the findings, students prefer electronic media to printed media, they find the easy accessibility of the information more important than the other qualities,…

  4. Plastic Surgery Management of Victims of Terrorist Violence in Ankara, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    İğde, Murat; Kaplan, Ahmet

    2017-12-01

    Terror attacks have been progressively increasing worldwide through the present era. The management of the consequences of terrorism events is under debate in almost every scientific area. The organization and advancement of health services constitute important components of the crisis management. Similar to other specialty areas in medicine, the medical management of terrorist attacks is becoming important in terms of plastic and reconstructive surgery.Ankara, the capital of Turkey, has been subject to 2 terrorist events in public places within a year. The total number of patients involved in both cases was 434. Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital is a tertiary health care institution and one of the most important trauma centers in the region. A total of 178 Patients exposed to these events referred to our hospital. Of the total, 34 patients were completely or partially treated in the plastic and reconstructive surgery clinic. In this study, we tried to discuss the difficulties encountered in the classification of patients and plastic surgery during the treatment period of patients who experienced these attacks.Data were obtained from The National News Agency, hospital, and our own clinic registries. Patient classification was based on the injured parts of the body. Statistical analysis was performed for all data. In conclusion, the role and the importance of plastic surgery department especially in trauma management have been emphasized in the light of our findings.

  5. Soil erosion assessment using geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) study from Ankara-Guvenc Basin, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dengiz, Orhan; Yakupoglu, Tugrul; Baskan, Oguz

    2009-05-01

    The objective of this research was to assess vulnerable soil erosion risk with qualitative approach using GIS in Ankara-Guvenc Basin. The study area is located about 44 km north of Ankara and covers 17.5 km2. The selected theme layers of this model include topographic factor, soil factors (depth, texture, impermeable horizon) and land use. Slope layer and land use-land cover data were prepared by using DEM and Landsat-TM satellite image. According to land use classification, the most common land use type and land cover are rangeland (50.5%) then, rainfed (36.4%), week forest land (3.2%), irrigated land (0.7%) and other various lands (rock out crop and lake) (9.2%). Each land characteristic is also considered as a thematic layer in geographical information systems (GIS) process. After combination of the layers, soil erosion risk map was produced. The results showed that 44.4% of the study area is at high soil erosion risk, whereas 42% of the study area is insignificantly and slightly susceptible to erosion risk. In addition, it was found that only 12.6% of the total area is moderately susceptible to erosion risk. Furthermore, conservation land management measures were also suggested for moderate, high and very high erosion risk areas in Ankara-Guvenc Basin.

  6. Re-use Adaptation Proposal for Hatipoğlu Mansion in Ankara Citadel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aydanur Yenel

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Ulus Citadel region is the most significant urban focus which consitutes the historical core of the capital Ankara and which locates the historical buildings of the old settlement. Although the current position of Kaleiçi has undergone tremendous changes in its configuration; histocial continuity, the marks of the past and physical values continue while, at the same time, they serve to the traditional part of the city. The purpose of this article is to present how Hatipoglu mansion’s could transfer to the future while its traditional speciality is preserved, it is sustainability suited to present conditions by providing comfort conditions with user’s needs to be repaired in accordance with restoration principle in order to continue cultural heritage Hatipoglu mansion’s existence which has been built in the historical city center of Angora (Ankara. Within the scope of Hatipoglu mansion’s preservation and its historic fabric which is preserved its traditional specialties; the street- parcel- structure relationships and building’s architectural specifications have been examined after investigating castle physical texture. Phases that Hatipoglu mansion’s has been experienced was given while evaluating obtained sources and using 1929 cadastral map, all these works have been directed to restitution and restoration decisions of the structure.

  7. Deletion of the LTR enhancer/promoter has no impact on the integration profile of MLV vectors in human hematopoietic progenitors.

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    Arianna Moiani

    Full Text Available Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV-derived gamma-retroviral vectors integrate preferentially near transcriptional regulatory regions in the human genome, and are associated with a significant risk of insertional gene deregulation. Self-inactivating (SIN vectors carry a deletion of the U3 enhancer and promoter in the long terminal repeat (LTR, and show reduced genotoxicity in pre-clinical assays. We report a high-definition analysis of the integration preferences of a SIN MLV vector compared to a wild-type-LTR MLV vector in the genome of CD34(+ human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs. We sequenced 13,011 unique SIN-MLV integration sites and compared them to 32,574 previously generated MLV sites in human HSPCs. The SIN-MLV vector recapitulates the integration pattern observed for MLV, with the characteristic clustering of integrations around enhancer and promoter regions associated to H3K4me3 and H3K4me1 histone modifications, specialized chromatin configurations (presence of the H2A.Z histone variant and binding of RNA Pol II. SIN-MLV and MLV integration clusters and hot spots overlap in most cases and are generated at a comparable frequency, indicating that the reduced genotoxicity of SIN-MLV vectors in hematopoietic cells is not due to a modified integration profile.

  8. Prevalence and Demographics of Exclusive Breastfeeding in Turkish Women in Ankara

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    Neslihan Erkuran

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF is strongly recommended by the World Health Organization during the first six months of life. Breastfeeding should continue up to two years or more for optimal growth, development and health while it is suggested to start supplementary foods beginning from seventh month. The study aimed to determine frequency and examine the affecting factors of EBF in infants who were admitted to a pediatric outpatient clinic in Ankara, Turkey.Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in six months period among 603 breastfeeding mothers, with infants aged 6–24 months, who attended to the well-baby clinic. Mothers’ perceptions about breastfeeding, complementary feeding practices and demographic characteristics were collected by interviewing with mothers.Results: Six months EBF rate was 38%. Median week of EBF was 16 weeks (1-40 weeks. Mothers giving birth at younger (≤19 or older (≥35 ages, and mothers having chronic diseases had shorter median week of EBF (p<0.05. Median duration of breastfeeding was 9 months (0-24 months. When mothers who interrupted EBF were asked why they had introduced supplementary foods early, the most frequent reason was mother’s perceptions of having inadequate breast milk (42.5%.Conclusions: The study indicates that frequency of 6 month EBF (38% and median duration of breastfeeding (16 weeks are low in our region, in Ankara. We must develop a local strategy to overcome mothers’ negative perceptions about EBF.

  9. Evaluation of visitor profiles and motivations at Ankara museums

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    Eda Gürel

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Museums all over the world appear to be targeting their visitors for resources, thanks to diminishing state support. The purpose of this study is to recognize the profiles and motivations of visitors to museums in Ankara, in order to provide for the development of strategies that will help translate these visits to regular active participation. The results of the study conducted at Ankara’s five principal museums show that these museums play a significant part in education for the visitors. Certain internal and external factors – such as advertising and promotion – are essential to boost museum visits. Study results call attention to external factors in particular, as driving forces for recurrent museum visitors.

  10. Infectivity of attenuated poxvirus vaccine vectors and immunogenicity of a raccoonpox vectored rabies vaccine in the Brazilian Free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stading, Benjamin; Osorio, Jorge E.; Velasco-Villa, Andres; Smotherman, Michael; Kingstad-Bakke, Brock; Rocke, Tonie E.

    2016-01-01

    Bats (Order Chiroptera) are an abundant group of mammals with tremendous ecological value as insectivores and plant dispersers, but their role as reservoirs of zoonotic diseases has received more attention in the last decade. With the goal of managing disease in free-ranging bats, we tested modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) and raccoon poxvirus (RCN) as potential vaccine vectors in the Brazilian Free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), using biophotonic in vivo imaging and immunogenicity studies. Animals were administered recombinant poxviral vectors expressing the luciferase gene (MVA-luc, RCN-luc) through oronasal (ON) or intramuscular (IM) routes and subsequently monitored for bioluminescent signal indicative of viral infection. No clinical illness was noted after exposure to any of the vectors, and limited luciferase expression was observed. Higher and longer levels of expression were observed with the RCN-luc construct. When given IM, luciferase expression was limited to the site of injection, while ON exposure led to initial expression in the oral cavity, often followed by secondary replication at another location, likely the gastric mucosa or gastric associated lymphatic tissue. Viral DNA was detected in oral swabs up to 7 and 9 days post infection (dpi) for MVA and RCN, respectively. While no live virus was detected in oral swabs from MVA-infected bats, titers up to 3.88 x 104 PFU/ml were recovered from oral swabs of RCN-infected bats. Viral DNA was also detected in fecal samples from two bats inoculated IM with RCN, but no live virus was recovered. Finally, we examined the immunogenicity of a RCN based rabies vaccine (RCN-G) following ON administration. Significant rabies neutralizing antibody titers were detected in the serum of immunized bats using the rapid fluorescence focus inhibition test (RFFIT). These studies highlight the safety and immunogenicity of attenuated poxviruses and their potential use as vaccine vectors in bats.

  11. Evaluation of the Current States of Older Employees: The Case in Ankara

    OpenAIRE

    Dr.Sc. Ertan Yesari Hastürk; Dr.Sc. Murat Uzel

    2016-01-01

    This study was performed on the older employees who work in small and medium sized enterprises in Ankara in Turkey. This study involved a survey consisting of 16 questions that applied to the employees. 61 females and 103 males within a total 164 employees who were aged over 55 participated in the survey. Current situations which were about the demographic structures, working conditions, problems of workplace and health problems of the employees, were determined by the survey. 63% of the empl...

  12. Lentiviral vector mediated modification of mesenchymal stem cells & enhanced survival in an in vitro model of ischaemia.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    McGinley, Lisa

    2012-01-31

    INTRODUCTION: A combination of gene and cell therapies has the potential to significantly enhance the therapeutic value of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The development of efficient gene delivery methods is essential if MSCs are to be of benefit using such an approach. Achieving high levels of transgene expression for the required period of time, without adversely affecting cell viability and differentiation capacity, is crucial. In the present study, we investigate lentiviral vector-mediated genetic modification of rat bone-marrow derived MSCs and examine any functional effect of such genetic modification in an in vitro model of ischaemia. METHODS: Transduction efficiency and transgene persistence of second and third generation rHIV-1 based lentiviral vectors were tested using reporter gene constructs. Use of the rHIV-pWPT-EF1-alpha-GFP-W vector was optimised in terms of dose, toxicity, cell species, and storage. The in vivo condition of ischaemia was modelled in vitro by separation into its associated constituent parts i.e. hypoxia, serum and glucose deprivation, in which the effect of therapeutic gene over-expression on MSC survival was investigated. RESULTS: The second generation lentiviral vector rHIV-pWPT-EF1-alpha-GFP-W, was the most efficient and provided the most durable transgene expression of the vectors tested. Transduction with this vector did not adversely affect MSC morphology, viability or differentiation potential, and transgene expression levels were unaffected by cryopreservation of transduced cells. Over-expression of HSP70 resulted in enhanced MSC survival and increased resistance to apoptosis in conditions of hypoxia and ischaemia. MSC differentiation capacity was significantly reduced after oxygen deprivation, but was preserved with HSP70 over-expression. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these data validate the use of lentiviral vectors for efficient in vitro gene delivery to MSCs and suggest that lentiviral vector transduction can facilitate

  13. Lentiviral vector mediated modification of mesenchymal stem cells & enhanced survival in an in vitro model of ischaemia

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    McGinley, Lisa

    2011-03-07

    Abstract Introduction A combination of gene and cell therapies has the potential to significantly enhance the therapeutic value of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The development of efficient gene delivery methods is essential if MSCs are to be of benefit using such an approach. Achieving high levels of transgene expression for the required period of time, without adversely affecting cell viability and differentiation capacity, is crucial. In the present study, we investigate lentiviral vector-mediated genetic modification of rat bone-marrow derived MSCs and examine any functional effect of such genetic modification in an in vitro model of ischaemia. Methods Transduction efficiency and transgene persistence of second and third generation rHIV-1 based lentiviral vectors were tested using reporter gene constructs. Use of the rHIV-pWPT-EF1-α-GFP-W vector was optimised in terms of dose, toxicity, cell species, and storage. The in vivo condition of ischaemia was modelled in vitro by separation into its associated constituent parts i.e. hypoxia, serum and glucose deprivation, in which the effect of therapeutic gene over-expression on MSC survival was investigated. Results The second generation lentiviral vector rHIV-pWPT-EF1-α-GFP-W, was the most efficient and provided the most durable transgene expression of the vectors tested. Transduction with this vector did not adversely affect MSC morphology, viability or differentiation potential, and transgene expression levels were unaffected by cryopreservation of transduced cells. Over-expression of HSP70 resulted in enhanced MSC survival and increased resistance to apoptosis in conditions of hypoxia and ischaemia. MSC differentiation capacity was significantly reduced after oxygen deprivation, but was preserved with HSP70 over-expression. Conclusions Collectively, these data validate the use of lentiviral vectors for efficient in vitro gene delivery to MSCs and suggest that lentiviral vector transduction can facilitate

  14. Analysis of trace elements in airborne particulate matters collected in Ankara, Turkey by TXRF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Durukan I.

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The main focus point of the presented study was the assessment of atmospheric burden of particulate matter and toxic trace metals in the atmosphere of Ankara, Turkey. For this purpose, outdoor samplings were accomplished in the capital city, Ankara. The types of filters, sample collection and sample preparation methods were investigated and optimized. Analyses were provided by the total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF spectroscopic technique in Germany. Spatial and temporal variations of air particulate matter (APM levels in the city were examined. In some stations, APM sampled in according to their size distribution such as PM10 and PM2.5. Elemental characterization of size distributed PM were achieved and evaluated. It was detected that the elements mainly originated from soil in Beytepe station, from soil and solid fuel usage in Kayas station and from traffic and a variety of human activities in Sıhhiye station in air samplings. While the elements of natural origin observed in PM10 fraction, the elements from traffic and human activities were in PM2.5. Eventually, enrichment calculations were performed in order to identify the pollution sources.

  15. Retroviral vectors encoding ADA regulatory locus control region provide enhanced T-cell-specific transgene expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trinh, Alice T; Ball, Bret G; Weber, Erin; Gallaher, Timothy K; Gluzman-Poltorak, Zoya; Anderson, French; Basile, Lena A

    2009-12-30

    Murine retroviral vectors have been used in several hundred gene therapy clinical trials, but have fallen out of favor for a number of reasons. One issue is that gene expression from viral or internal promoters is highly variable and essentially unregulated. Moreover, with retroviral vectors, gene expression is usually silenced over time. Mammalian genes, in contrast, are characterized by highly regulated, precise levels of expression in both a temporal and a cell-specific manner. To ascertain if recapitulation of endogenous adenosine deaminase (ADA) expression can be achieved in a vector construct we created a new series of Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV) based retroviral vector that carry human regulatory elements including combinations of the ADA promoter, the ADA locus control region (LCR), ADA introns and human polyadenylation sequences in a self-inactivating vector backbone. A MuLV-based retroviral vector with a self-inactivating (SIN) backbone, the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter (PGK) and the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), as a reporter gene, was generated. Subsequent vectors were constructed from this basic vector by deletion or addition of certain elements. The added elements that were assessed are the human ADA promoter, human ADA locus control region (LCR), introns 7, 8, and 11 from the human ADA gene, and human growth hormone polyadenylation signal. Retroviral vector particles were produced by transient three-plasmid transfection of 293T cells. Retroviral vectors encoding eGFP were titered by transducing 293A cells, and then the proportion of GFP-positive cells was determined using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Non T-cell and T-cell lines were transduced at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.1 and the yield of eGFP transgene expression was evaluated by FACS analysis using mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) detection. Vectors that contained the ADA LCR were preferentially expressed in T-cell lines. Further improvements

  16. Retroviral vectors encoding ADA regulatory locus control region provide enhanced T-cell-specific transgene expression

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    Background Murine retroviral vectors have been used in several hundred gene therapy clinical trials, but have fallen out of favor for a number of reasons. One issue is that gene expression from viral or internal promoters is highly variable and essentially unregulated. Moreover, with retroviral vectors, gene expression is usually silenced over time. Mammalian genes, in contrast, are characterized by highly regulated, precise levels of expression in both a temporal and a cell-specific manner. To ascertain if recapitulation of endogenous adenosine deaminase (ADA) expression can be achieved in a vector construct we created a new series of Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV) based retroviral vector that carry human regulatory elements including combinations of the ADA promoter, the ADA locus control region (LCR), ADA introns and human polyadenylation sequences in a self-inactivating vector backbone. Methods A MuLV-based retroviral vector with a self-inactivating (SIN) backbone, the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter (PGK) and the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), as a reporter gene, was generated. Subsequent vectors were constructed from this basic vector by deletion or addition of certain elements. The added elements that were assessed are the human ADA promoter, human ADA locus control region (LCR), introns 7, 8, and 11 from the human ADA gene, and human growth hormone polyadenylation signal. Retroviral vector particles were produced by transient three-plasmid transfection of 293T cells. Retroviral vectors encoding eGFP were titered by transducing 293A cells, and then the proportion of GFP-positive cells was determined using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Non T-cell and T-cell lines were transduced at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.1 and the yield of eGFP transgene expression was evaluated by FACS analysis using mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) detection. Results Vectors that contained the ADA LCR were preferentially expressed in T

  17. Safety and tolerability of conserved region vaccines vectored by plasmid DNA, simian adenovirus and modified vaccinia virus ankara administered to human immunodeficiency virus type 1-uninfected adults in a randomized, single-blind phase I trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emma-Jo Hayton

    Full Text Available HIV-1 vaccine development has advanced slowly due to viral antigenic diversity, poor immunogenicity and recently, safety concerns associated with human adenovirus serotype-5 vectors. To tackle HIV-1 variation, we designed a unique T-cell immunogen HIVconsv from functionally conserved regions of the HIV-1 proteome, which were presented to the immune system using a heterologous prime-boost combination of plasmid DNA, a non-replicating simian (chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdV-63 and a non-replicating poxvirus, modified vaccinia virus Ankara. A block-randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled phase I trial HIV-CORE 002 administered for the first time candidate HIV-1- vaccines or placebo to 32 healthy HIV-1/2-uninfected adults in Oxford, UK and elicited high frequencies of HIV-1-specific T cells capable of inhibiting HIV-1 replication in vitro. Here, detail safety and tolerability of these vaccines are reported.Local and systemic reactogenicity data were collected using structured interviews and study-specific diary cards. Data on all other adverse events were collected using open questions. Serum neutralizing antibody titres to ChAdV-63 were determined before and after vaccination.Two volunteers withdrew for vaccine-unrelated reasons. No vaccine-related serious adverse events or reactions occurred during 190 person-months of follow-up. Local and systemic events after vaccination occurred in 27/32 individuals and most were mild (severity grade 1 and predominantly transient (<48 hours. Myalgia and flu-like symptoms were more strongly associated with MVA than ChAdV63 or DNA vectors and more common in vaccine recipients than in placebo. There were no intercurrent HIV-1 infections during follow-up. 2/24 volunteers had low ChAdV-63-neutralizing titres at baseline and 7 increased their titres to over 200 with a median (range of 633 (231-1533 post-vaccination, which is of no safety concern.These data demonstrate safety and good tolerability of the pSG2

  18. Ankara Temple (Monumentum Ancyranum/Temple of Augustus and Rome restoration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmet Gökdemir

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Temple of Augustus and Rome, also referred as Monumentum Ancyranum (Ankara Temple, is located near Haci Bayram Mosque in Ulus, Ankara. The temple which was built on behalf of Phrygian God ‘Men’ in 2nd century BC has been destroyed. The temple whose remains are present, on the other hand, was built for Roman Emperor ‘Augustus’ (Gaius Octavius in 25 BC in the name of a commitment sign by King Pilamenes, the son of King Amintos, of Galatia. The positions of the 4 columns in the doorways and 2 columns in the rear sides are recognizable. Currently, only the sidewalls and ornamented door part are remaining. The original testament of Augustus in Temple of Rome, which is written in Latin and Greek and is telling the achievements of Augustus, is imitated in the mosque that is neighboring the wall of Monumentum Ancyranum. Some parts of the patina are spilled because of the climatic parameters (wind, heat, precipitation, and frost. As a result of the petrographic analysis made on the spilled parts of patina, it is concluded that the temple, which has a great importance in the world history, has to be restorated. As a result of the analyses (scanning electron microscope (SEM analysis, EDS, and X-ray diffraction (XRD analysis, inner and outer sides of Naos are being constructed without mortar. In the parts, which are broken from the main body, calcium carbonate (CaCO3 and magnesium carbonate (MgCO3 are detected. Besides, it is observed that the main body of the temple is mainly consisting of calcium mineral. If this temple will be restored in the future, it is important to watch out for the calcium mineral property of the building.

  19. The first Koç Han: Pioneering modern architecture in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oya Atalay Franck

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Koç Holding is the most established conglomerate in Turkey. Th e company’s beginnings date from the mid 1920s, when Ahmet Vehbi Koç, founder of Koç Holding, had his first own company registered with the Ankara Chamber of Commerce. In 1932, Koç moved his business from his father’s store on Anafartalar Street to a new building, the first Koç Han, erected the same year on Çankırı Street Nr.13 in Ulus. Th e building’s designer was Swiss-Austrian architect Ernst Arnold Egli, who had come to Turkey only five years earlier upon invitation by the government to work as chief architect of the Ministry of National Education. During his stay, which lasted from 1927 until 1940, Egli realized about 40 projects and worked on many more. Koç Han is the rare example of a commercial building by Egli. At a time when the urban aspect of the old town center of Ankara consisted mostly of one-or two-storeyed stone-and-wood houses, the first Koç Han represented an altogether new building type for the town, in being a multipurpose edifice with space for shops at street level, with large storage facilities below ground, and providing off ices and housing on the upper fl oors. Th e functional rigor of the plan and the sober modernism of the building’s facades contrasted strongly with the architecture of the time. In this respect, the first Koç Han was a strong statement regarding Ahmet Vehbi Koç’s belief in a modern Turkey and to the contribution of the building’s architect, Ernst Arnold Egli, to this project.

  20. LMethyR-SVM: Predict Human Enhancers Using Low Methylated Regions based on Weighted Support Vector Machines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jingting; Hu, Hong; Dai, Yang

    The identification of enhancers is a challenging task. Various types of epigenetic information including histone modification have been utilized in the construction of enhancer prediction models based on a diverse panel of machine learning schemes. However, DNA methylation profiles generated from the whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) have not been fully explored for their potential in enhancer prediction despite the fact that low methylated regions (LMRs) have been implied to be distal active regulatory regions. In this work, we propose a prediction framework, LMethyR-SVM, using LMRs identified from cell-type-specific WGBS DNA methylation profiles and a weighted support vector machine learning framework. In LMethyR-SVM, the set of cell-type-specific LMRs is further divided into three sets: reliable positive, like positive and likely negative, according to their resemblance to a small set of experimentally validated enhancers in the VISTA database based on an estimated non-parametric density distribution. Then, the prediction model is obtained by solving a weighted support vector machine. We demonstrate the performance of LMethyR-SVM by using the WGBS DNA methylation profiles derived from the human embryonic stem cell type (H1) and the fetal lung fibroblast cell type (IMR90). The predicted enhancers are highly conserved with a reasonable validation rate based on a set of commonly used positive markers including transcription factors, p300 binding and DNase-I hypersensitive sites. In addition, we show evidence that the large fraction of the LMethyR-SVM predicted enhancers are not predicted by ChromHMM in H1 cell type and they are more enriched for the FANTOM5 enhancers. Our work suggests that low methylated regions detected from the WGBS data are useful as complementary resources to histone modification marks in developing models for the prediction of cell-type-specific enhancers.

  1. Strategies to obtain multiple recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara vectors. Applications to influenza vaccines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbieri, Andrea; Panigada, Maddalena; Soprana, Elisa; Di Mario, Giuseppina; Gubinelli, Francesco; Bernasconi, Valentina; Recagni, Marta; Donatelli, Isabella; Castrucci, Maria R; Siccardi, Antonio G

    2018-01-01

    As a vaccination vector, MVA has been widely investigated both in animal models and humans. The construction of recombinant MVA (rMVA) relies on homologous recombination between an acceptor virus and a donor plasmid in infected/transfected permissive cells. Our construction strategy "Red-to-Green gene swapping" - based on the exchange of two fluorescent markers within the flanking regions of MVA deletion ΔIII, coupled to fluorescence activated cell sorting - is here extended to a second insertion site, within the flanking regions of MVA deletion ΔVI. Exploiting this strategy, both double and triple rMVA were constructed, expressing as transgenes the influenza A proteins HA, NP, M1, and PB1. Upon validation of the harbored transgenes co-expression, double and triple recombinants rMVA(ΔIII)-NP-P2A-M1 and rMVA(ΔIII)-NP-P2A-M1-(ΔVI)-PB1 were assayed for in vivo immunogenicity and protection against lethal challenge. In vivo responses were identical to those obtained with the reported combinations of single recombinants, supporting the feasibility and reliability of the present improvement and the extension of Red-to-Green gene swapping to insertion sites other than ΔIII. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Trihalomethanes and associated potential cancer risks in the water supply in Ankara, Turkey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokmak, Burcu; Capar, Goksen; Dilek, F.B.; Yetis, Ulku

    2004-01-01

    The occurrence of trihalomethanes (THMs) in the water supply in the Ankara, Turkey was investigated. Total THMs and total organic carbon measurements were carried seasonally in the samples collected form 22 different districts along with the samples taken from the Ivedik Water Treatment Plant serving 90% of the city. The average summer nonpurgeable organic carbon (NPOC) concentration in the raw water was 4.2 mg/L, and the NPOC removal achieved in the treatment plant was 31%. The concentration of total THMs ranged from 25 to 74 μg/L, from 28 to 73 μg/L, and from 25 to 110 μg/L in winter, spring, and summer, respectively. In all of the samples chloroform existed at the highest concentrations, while bromoform was almost absent. The total THM concentrations were highest in summer for all districts. However, none of the concentrations detected exceeded the USEPA's Stage I limit of 80 μg/L and the EU's limit of 100 μg/L. However, the total THM level in 64% of the districts exceeded the USEPA's Stage II limit of 40 μg/L. The risk estimations carried out indicated that each year 1 of the 5 million Ankara residents could get cancer from the daily intake of water, mainly because of exposure to chloroform through oral ingestion

  3. Reducing and filtering point clouds with enhanced vector quantization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrari, Stefano; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; Piuri, Vincenzo; Borghese, N Alberto

    2007-01-01

    Modern scanners are able to deliver huge quantities of three-dimensional (3-D) data points sampled on an object's surface, in a short time. These data have to be filtered and their cardinality reduced to come up with a mesh manageable at interactive rates. We introduce here a novel procedure to accomplish these two tasks, which is based on an optimized version of soft vector quantization (VQ). The resulting technique has been termed enhanced vector quantization (EVQ) since it introduces several improvements with respect to the classical soft VQ approaches. These are based on computationally expensive iterative optimization; local computation is introduced here, by means of an adequate partitioning of the data space called hyperbox (HB), to reduce the computational time so as to be linear in the number of data points N, saving more than 80% of time in real applications. Moreover, the algorithm can be fully parallelized, thus leading to an implementation that is sublinear in N. The voxel side and the other parameters are automatically determined from data distribution on the basis of the Zador's criterion. This makes the algorithm completely automatic. Because the only parameter to be specified is the compression rate, the procedure is suitable even for nontrained users. Results obtained in reconstructing faces of both humans and puppets as well as artifacts from point clouds publicly available on the web are reported and discussed, in comparison with other methods available in the literature. EVQ has been conceived as a general procedure, suited for VQ applications with large data sets whose data space has relatively low dimensionality.

  4. Middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein delivered by modified vaccinia virus ankara efficiently induces virus-neutralizing antibodies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    F. Song (Fei); R. Fux (Robert); L.B.V. Provacia (Lisette); A. Volz (Asisa); M. Eickmann; S. Becker (Stephan); A.D.M.E. Osterhaus (Albert); B.L. Haagmans (Bart); G. Suttera (Gerd)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractMiddle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has recently emerged as a causative agent of severe respiratory disease in humans. Here, we constructed recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) expressing full-length MERS-CoV spike (S) protein (MVA-MERS-S). The genetic

  5. Location preferences of groups in public leisure spaces: the case of Likya Cafe in Ankara

    OpenAIRE

    Altay, Can

    1999-01-01

    Ankara : Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design and Institute of Economics and Social Sciences, Bilkent Univ., 1999. Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1999. Includes bibliographical references. In this study, public leisure spaces are examined considering the social and spatial behavior of occupant groups. After an introduction to the concepts of leisure, its types, its relations with public life and cultural concepts, the study discusses leisure ...

  6. Improvement of AD Biosynthesis Response to Enhanced Oxygen Transfer by Oxygen Vectors in Mycobacterium neoaurum TCCC 11979.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Liqiu; Shen, Yanbing; Gao, Tian; Luo, Jianmei; Wang, Min

    2017-08-01

    In steroid biotransformation, soybean oil can improve the productivity of steroids by increasing substrate solubility and strengthen the cell membrane permeability. However, little is known of its role as oxygen carrier and its mechanism of promoting the steroid biotransformation. In this work, soybean oil used as oxygen vector for the enhancement of androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (AD) production by Mycobacterium neoaurum TCCC 11979 (MNR) was investigated. Upon the addition of 16% (v/v) soybean oil, the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (K L a) value increased by 44%, and the peak molar yield of AD (55.76%) was achieved. Analysis of intracellular cofactor levels showed high NAD + , ATP level, and a low NADH/NAD + ratio. Meanwhile, the two key enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, namely, isocitrate dehydrogenase and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, were upregulated after incubation with soybean oil. These enhancements induced by the increasing of oxygen supply showed positive effects on phytosterol (PS) bioconversion. Results could contribute to the understanding of effects of soybean oil as oxygen vector on steroid biotransformation and provided a convenient method for enhancing the efficiency of aerobic steroid biocatalysis.

  7. An Assessment for Soft Drink Consumption of Individuals in Centre Town of Ankara Province

    OpenAIRE

    Bilge Gözener; Murat Sayılı

    2015-01-01

    In this study, the Central district of Ankara (Çankaya, Etimesgut, Gölbaşı, Keçiören, Mamak, Polatlı, Sincan and Yenimahalle districts) carbonated drink consumption situation of consumers were examined. The data obtained from questionnaires conducted with 272 families were used in this study. Data were collected in April-May 2012.Between carbonated drink consumption and some demographic characteristics of consumers were tested by chi-square analysis of whether a statistical association. Accor...

  8. Discrimination against teenagers in the mall environment: a case from Ankara, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mugan, Guliz; Erkip, Feyzan

    2009-01-01

    Teenagers spend much of their leisure time at shopping malls which is a result of factors such as parental constraints due to the incivility of the streets, financial dependence, and limited financial resources. Migros, a shopping mall in Ankara was chosen as the site for this research with the main purpose of studying discrimination patterns against teenagers in the mall environment. The research was carried out through observation and in-depth interviews with 104 teenagers. Results indicate that, although they have some complaints, most of the teenagers do not perceive discrimination in the mall, unlike their foreign counterparts.

  9. Use of a simian virus 40-based shuttle vector to analyze enhanced mutagenesis in mitomycin C-treated monkey cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roilides, E.; Munson, P.J.; Levine, A.S.; Dixon, K.

    1988-01-01

    When monkey cells were treated with mitomycin C 24 h before transfection with UV-irradiated pZ189 (a simian virus 40-based shuttle vector), there was a twofold increase in the frequency of mutations in the supF gene of the vector. These results suggest the existence of an enhancible mutagenesis pathway in mammalian cells. However, DNA sequence analysis of the SupF- mutants suggested no dramatic changes in the mechanisms of mutagenesis due to mitomycin C treatment of the cells

  10. Nitrogen utilization of vegetables grown under plastic greenhouse conditions in Ankara using 15N technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Halitligil, M.B.; Kislal, H.; Sirin, H.; Sirin, C.; Kilicaslan, A.

    2004-01-01

    In order to find suitable varieties of tomato, pepper and cucumber for plastic greenhouse conditions in Ankara and eventually to identify the best N fertilizer rate greenhouse experiments were conducted for two years. Yazgi F 1 variety for tomato, Hizir F 1 variety for cucumber and Serademre 8 variety for pepper were chosen to be the suitable varieties to grow in the plastic greenhouse conditions in Ankara. Five N treatments [N 0 =0, N 1 =150, N 2 =300, and N 3 =450 kg/ha; also, soil N application treatment (N soil ) equivalent to the fertigation treatment of 300 kg/ha was included for tomato and pepper, however N rates for cucumber was 131, 266 and 339 kg N/ha; N soil being 266 kg N/ha] were investigated using 15 N labeled urea fertilizer. Significantly higher marketable fresh fruit and total dry matter yields and N uptakes values were obtained from N 3 treatments for tomato and cucumber, but from N 2 treatment for pepper. Also, significantly higher yields, N uptakes and % NUE values were obtained when the same amount of N fertilizer is applied through fertigation compared to the treatment where N fertilizer applied to the soil then drip irrigated. (author)

  11. Modified vaccinia virus ankara recombinants are as potent as vaccinia recombinants in diversified prime and boost vaccine regimens to elicit therapeutic antitumor responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodge, James W; Poole, Diane J; Aarts, Wilhelmina M; Gómez Yafal, Alicia; Gritz, Linda; Schlom, Jeffrey

    2003-11-15

    Cancer vaccine regimens use various strategies to enhance immune responses to specific tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), including the increasing use of recombinant poxviruses [vaccinia (rV) and fowlpox (rF)] for delivery of the TAA to the immune system. However, the use of replication competent vectors with the potential of adverse reactions have made attenuation a priority for next-generation vaccine strategies. Modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) is a replication defective form of vaccinia virus. Here, we investigated the use of MVA encoding a tumor antigen gene, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), in addition to multiple costimulatory molecules (B7-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3 designated TRICOM). Vaccination of mice with MVA-CEA/TRICOM induced potent CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses specific for CEA. MVA-CEA/TRICOM could be administered twice in vaccinia naïve mice and only a single time in vaccinia-immune mice before being inhibited by antivector-immune responses. The use of MVA-CEA/TRICOM in a diversified prime and boost vaccine regimen with rF-CEA/TRICOM, however, induced significantly greater levels of both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses specific for CEA than that seen with rV-CEA/TRICOM prime and rF-CEA/TRICOM boost. In a self-antigen tumor model, the diversified MVA-CEA/TRICOM/rF-CEA/ TRICOM vaccination regimen resulted in a significant therapeutic antitumor response as measured by increased survival, when compared with the diversified prime and boost regimen, rV-CEA/TRICOM/rF-CEA/TRICOM. The studies reported here demonstrate that MVA, when used as a prime in a diversified vaccination, is clearly comparable with the regimen using the recombinant vaccinia in both the induction of cellular immune responses specific for the "self"-TAA transgene and in antitumor activity.

  12. Araştırma Görevlilerinin Bilgi Okuryazarlığı Becerileri ve Eğitim Gereksinimleri: Ankara Üniversitesi Örneği=Information Literacy Skills of Research Assistants and Their Educational Needs: Sample of Ankara University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nevzat Özel

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Bilgi ve iletişim teknolojilerinin sürekli gelişimi, bilgi edinme ve öğrenme ortamlarının, bu ortamlar için kullanılan araçların, uygulamaların ve hizmetlerin yapısını yeniden şekillendirmektedir. Bu durum, yaşam boyu öğrenme kapsamında bireylerin bilgi okuryazarlığı becerilerine sahip olmasını zorunlu kılmaktadır. Belirtilen becerilerin bireylere kazandırılmasında kütüphaneler tarafından düzenlenecek eğitim etkinliklerinin önemli katkıları bulunmaktadır. Bu araştırmada, Ankara Üniversitesi araştırma görevlilerinin kütüphanelerden yararlanma durumları ile bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri bağlamında bilgi okuryazarlığı beceri düzeylerini belirlemek ve bu konulara yönelik olarak eğitim beklentilerini saptamak amaçlanmıştır. Ankara Üniversitesi’nde görev yapan toplam 1028 araştırma görevlisinden çalışmaya katılan 556 kişi üzerinde gerçekleştirilen araştırmada betimleme yöntemi kullanılmış, veri toplama tekniği olarak anketten yararlanılmıştır. Veriler, PASW (Predictive Analytics SoftWare adlı yazılım yardımıyla analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, Ankara Üniversitesi araştırma görevlilerinin araştırma süreçlerinin tüm aşamalarında zorlandıkları ve kütüphaneler tarafından hazırlanacak bilgi okuryazarlığı eğitim etkinliklerine gereksinim duydukları saptanmıştır./The continuous development in information and communication technologies has directly affected the environment for acquisition of information and learning as well as reshaping the structure of this environment. Thus the resources, tools, applications and services applied in this environment have also changed and they have been digitally presented. These innovations have made individuals adapt to the new environments in the context of lifelong learning. In other words, it becomes necessary for people to be equipped with “information literacy skills” including

  13. A model from the First National Architecture Period in Ankara: Hotel Erzurum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan Fevzi Çügen

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available As Ankara became the capital, the emerging problem of accommodation required a change in the function of some dwellings in the city. In the 1930s, the Hotel Erzurum was one of the buildings involved in this change. Hotel Erzurum was located in the Ulus district, right next to the Hotel Europe which was next door to the city’s wholesale produce market. In this study information is given about the construction and architectural features of Hotel Erzurum, which was built in the neo-classical style and was one of the examples with the salient features of the First National Architecture Period structures.

  14. Efficient and Enhanced Diffusion of Vector Field for Active Contour Model

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Guoqi; Sun, Lin; Liu, Shangwang

    2015-01-01

    Gradient vector flow (GVF) is an important external force field for active contour models. Various vector fields based on GVF have been proposed. However, these vector fields are obtained with many iterations and have difficulty in capturing the whole image area. On the other hand, the ability to converge to deep and complex concavity with these vector fields is also needed to improve. In this paper, by analyzing the diffusion equation of GVF, a normalized set is defined and a dynamically nor...

  15. Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Bilgi Okuryazarlığı Becerilerinin Değerlendirilmesi: Ankara Üniversitesi Örneği=Assessing Information Literacy Skills of Undergraduate Students: Sample of Ankara University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nevzat Özel

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Bilgi okuryazarlığı becerileri üniversitelerdeki öğrencilerin teknolojik yeniliklere ve değişime uyum sağlamaları, araştırma süreçlerini etkin bir biçimde yönetebilmeleri ve gelecekte yaşam boyu öğrenen bireyler olabilmeleri açısından oldukça önemlidir. Günümüz bilgi toplumunda bireylerin bilgi okuryazarı olması ve bu kapsamda bilgi gereksinimlerini tanımlayabilme, bilgi kaynaklarına erişebilme, bu kaynakları değerlendirebilme, yeni edinilen bilgiyi var olan bilgiyle bütünleştirebilme, bilgiyi uygun ve etik biçimde kullanabilme ve bilgiyi iletebilme/sunabilme becerilerine sahip olması beklenmektedir. Öğrencilerin bu becerilere sahip olmasında üniversite kütüphaneleri tarafından hazırlanacak bilgi okuryazarlığı eğitim programlarının önemli bir rolü bulunmaktadır. Bu araştırmada, Ankara Üniversitesi lisans öğrencilerinin bilgi arama, erişim, değerlendirme, kullanma, iletme/sunma aşamalarında sahip oldukları becerileri ve bu konuya yönelik olarak onların eğitim alma durumlarını saptamak amaçlanmıştır. Betimleme yönteminin kullanıldığı araştırma, Ankara Üniversitesi’nde öğrenim gören 39.136 kişilik evrenden tabakalı rastgele örnekleme yoluyla seçilen 245 öğrenciden oluşan bir örneklem üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiş ve elde edilen veriler Predictive Analytics SoftWare 18 yazılımı yardımıyla analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda öğrencilerin ileri seviyedeki ve daha detaylı bilgi gerektiren konularda güçlüklerle karşılaştıkları, bilgi okuryazarlığı becerilerine yönelik olarak herhangi bir eğitim almadıkları ve bu konuda düzenlenecek eğitim etkinliklerine gereksinim duydukları saptanmıştır./ Information literacy skills are very important for students in universities in terms of technological innovations and change adaptability, effective management of research processes, and future life-long learning. In today's information

  16. The Usage Analysis of Databases at Ankara University Digital Library

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sacit Arslantekin

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available The development in information and communication technologies has changed and improved resources and services diversity in libraries. These changes continue to develop rapidly throughout the world. As for our country, remarkable developments, especially in university and special libraries, in this field are worth consideration. In order to take benefit of the existing and forthcoming developments in the field of electronic libraries the databases used by clients should be well-demonstrated and followed closely. The providing wide use of electronic databases leads to increasing the productivity of scientific and social information that that is the ultimate goal. The article points out electronic resources management and the effect of consortia developments in the field first, and then evaluates the results of the survey on the use of electronic libraries assessment questionnaires by faculty members at Ankara University.

  17. The Impacts of Gender Discrimination, Socio-Economic Capital & University Enrollment Plans: A Case Study in Ankara Distinct

    OpenAIRE

    Ulusoy, M. Demet

    2017-01-01

    Drawing on a sample of 726 non-clinical adolescents (aged 17-18 years) from high schools in Ankara/ Turkey, this study investigated the interacting relationships between Turkish adolescents’ university plans and personal capital variables such as gender, school achievement, self-esteem, anxiety/depression, goal setting, course attendance and family atmosphere such as parental supporting, parental monitoring, parental separation and socio-economic c...

  18. Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Listeria Spp. Isolated from Ready-to-Eat Foods in Ankara

    OpenAIRE

    ŞİRELİ, Ufuk Tansel; GÜCÜKOĞLU, Ali

    2014-01-01

    In this study the presence of Listeria spp. is tested in 100 ready-to-eat food samples purchased from different stores and traditional food shops in the province of Ankara. The tested materials were 20 each of the following: mayonnaise based salad, kadınbudu köfte (fried meatball), fried liver, rice stuffed mussel, and green salad. Microbiological analyzes showed that 13 of 100 salad samples (13%) were contaminated with Listeria spp. while 10 of 100 salad samples (10%) were contaminated with ...

  19. Analysis of Long-Term Global Solar Radiation, Sunshine Duration and Air Temperature Data of Ankara and Modeling with Curve Fitting Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet YEŞİLBUDAK

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The information about solar parameters is important in the installation of photovoltaic energy systems that are reliable, environmentally friendly and sustainable. In this study, initially, long-term global solar radiation, sunshine duration and air temperature data of Ankara are analyzed on the annual, monthly and daily basis, elaborately. Afterwards, three different empirical methods that are polynomial, Gaussian and Fourier are used for the purpose of modeling long-term monthly total global solar radiation, monthly total sunshine duration and monthly mean air temperature data. The coefficient of determination and the root mean square error are computed as statistical test metrics in order to compare data modeling performance of the mentioned empirical methods. The empirical methods that provide the best results enable to model the solar characteristics of Ankara more accurately and the achieved outcomes constitute the significant resource for other locations with similar climatic conditions.

  20. Mechanical Vectors Enhance Fungal Entomopathogen Reduction of the Grasshopper Pest Camnula pellucida (Orthoptera: Acrididae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kistner, Erica J; Saums, Marielle; Belovsky, Gary E

    2015-02-01

    Mounting scientific evidence indicates that pathogens can regulate insect populations. However, limited dispersal and sensitivity to abiotic conditions often restricts pathogen regulation of host populations. While it is well established that arthropod biological vectors increase pathogen incidence in host populations, few studies have examined whether arthropod mechanical vectors (an organism that transmits pathogens but is not essential to the life cycle of the pathogen) influence host-pathogen dynamics. The importance of mechanical dispersal by ant scavengers, Formica fusca (L.), in a grasshopper-fungal entomopathogen system was investigated. We examined the ability of ants to mechanically disperse and transmit the pathogen, Entomophaga grylli (Fresenius) pathotype 1, to its host, the pest grasshopper Camnula pellucida (Scudder), in a series of laboratory experiments. Fungal spores were dispersed either externally on the ant's body surface or internally through fecal deposition. In addition, a third of all grasshoppers housed with fungal-inoculated ants became infected, indicating that ants can act as mechanical vectors of E. grylli. The effect of ant mechanical vectors on E. grylli incidence was also examined in a field experiment. Ant access to pathogen-exposed experimental grasshopper populations was restricted using organic ant repellent, thereby allowing us to directly compare mechanical and natural transmission. Ants increased grasshopper pathogen mortality by 58%, which led to greater pathogen reductions of grasshopper survival than natural transmission. Taken together, our results indicate that ants enhance E. grylli reduction of grasshopper pest numbers. Therefore, mechanical transmission of pathogens may be an important overlooking component of this grasshopper-fungal pathogen system. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Support vector data description for fusion of multiple health indicators for enhancing gearbox fault diagnosis and prognosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Dong; Tse, Peter W; Guo, Wei; Miao, Qiang

    2011-01-01

    A novel method for enhancing gearbox fault diagnosis and prognosis is developed by fusion of multiple health indicators through support vector data description. First, the Comblet transform is used to identify gear residual error signals from the raw signal. Second, based on the observation of gear residual error signals, a total of 11 gear health indicators are identified, and are categorized into two types of indicators. The first and second types of indicators are for fault diagnosis and prognosis, respectively. The first type has six indicators, which are sensitive to impulsive signals triggered by anomalous impacts. The second type has five indicators, which are suitable for tracking degradation of faults. Third, through the support vector data description, the first six health indicators are fused into type one indicators for fault diagnosis. The remaining five indicators are fused into type two indicators for fault prognosis. Finally, a Gaussian kernel is designed to enhance the performance of type one and two indicators by optimal range of width size. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through experiments. The new method has been proven to be superior to methods that use unfused indicators individually

  2. Neonatal outcomes of Syrian refugees delivered in a tertiary hospital in Ankara, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Büyüktiryaki, Mehmet; Canpolat, Fuat Emre; Alyamaç Dizdar, Evrim; Okur, Nilüfer; Kadıoğlu Şimşek, Gülsüm

    2015-01-01

    We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all Syrian immigrants from the TurkishSyrian border who delivered the Zekai Tahir Burak Maternity and Teaching Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Ankara, Turkey. Between January 2013 and December 2014 a total of 36,346 women gave birth at this center. Of these, 457 women were Syrian immigrants, comprising 1.2 % (457/36,346) of all deliveries. The number of births among Syrian refugees in Turkey appears to be increasing. Further research is needed to understand the relative morbidity of babies born to Syrian refugees compared to the local population, as well as the economic impact on facilities treating these cases.

  3. Sociodemografic and Clinical Characteristics of Suicidal Cases who Attempted to Emergency Services in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selma ERCAN

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the sociodemografic and clinical characteristics of suicide attempted cases who were admitted to the emergency departments of the hospitals in the first six months of 2010 in Ankara. Methods: Data were obtained by examining the suicide attempted registration forms that were filled out in the emergency services of hospitals working for the Ministry of Health retrospectively. Results: The incidence of suicide attempts in women (76.5% is higher than men (23.5%. Suicide attempts are high in 15-24 group of age (59.3 %. The rate of suicide attempts is high in patients who were single (57.9 % and students who were in education level of secondary (44.6 % and high school (40.2 %. The most common hospitals that were applied are Ankara Training and Researsch Hospital (29.8% and Kecioren Training and Research Hospital (12.4%. Also Mamak (19.7% and Kecioren (17.2% are towns that cases were seen mostly. The most applied method of suicide attempted is the usage of drugs and toxic substances with the 96.2%. The increment ratio of the suicide attempts is seen paticularly from January to June. Family (16.0% and psychiatric disorder (15.2% are mainly stressors leading to suicide attempted. Discussion: All attempted suicide patients who applied to Emergency Department should be directed to Crisis Intervention Unit immediately and following-up the cases with psychiatric consultation must become obligatory as well as medical treatments. The findings have been discussed with the literature. [JCBPR 2016; 5(1.000: 5-12

  4. Jurassic-Paleogene intra-oceanic magmatic evolution of the Ankara Mélange, North-Central Anatolia, Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarifakioglu, E.; Dilek, Y.; Sevin, M.

    2013-11-01

    Oceanic rocks in the Ankara Mélange along the Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zone (IAESZ) in North-Central Anatolia include locally coherent ophiolite complexes (~179 Ma and ~80 Ma), seamount or oceanic plateau volcanic units with pelagic and reefal limestones (96.6 ± 1.8 Ma), metamorphic rocks with ages of 187.4 ± 3.7 Ma, 158.4 ± 4.2 Ma, and 83.5 ± 1.2 Ma, and subalkaline to alkaline volcanic and plutonic rocks of an island arc origin (~67-63 Ma). All but the arc rocks occur in a shaly-graywacke and/or serpentinite matrix, and are deformed by south-vergent thrust faults and folds that developed in the Middle to Late Eocene due to continental collisions in the region. Ophiolitic volcanic rocks have mid-ocean ridge (MORB) and island arc tholeiite (IAT) affinities showing moderate to significant LILE enrichment and depletion in Nb, Hf, Ti, Y and Yb, which indicate the influence of subduction-derived fluids in their melt evolution. Seamount/oceanic plateau basalts show ocean island basalt (OIB) affinities. The arc-related volcanic rocks, lamprophyric dikes and syeno-dioritic plutons exhibit high-K shoshonitic to medium-to high-K calc-alkaline compositions with strong enrichment in LILE, REE and Pb, and initial ϵNd values between +1.3 and +1.7. Subalkaline arc volcanic units occur in the northern part of the mélange, whereas the younger alkaline volcanic rocks and intrusions (lamprophyre dikes and syeno-dioritic plutons) in the southern part. The Early to Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous epidote-actinolite, epidote-chlorite and epidote-glaucophane schists represent the metamorphic units formed in a subduction channel in the Northern Neotethys. The Middle to Upper Triassic neritic limestones spatially associated with the seamount volcanic rocks indicate that the Northern Neotethys was an open ocean with its MORB-type oceanic lithosphere by the Early Triassic. The Latest Cretaceous-Early Paleocene island arc volcanic, dike and plutonic rocks with

  5. AAV Vectorization of DSB-mediated Gene Editing Technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moser, Rachel J; Hirsch, Matthew L

    2016-01-01

    Recent work both at the bench and the bedside demonstrate zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), CRISPR/Cas9, and other programmable site-specific endonuclease technologies are being successfully utilized within and alongside AAV vectors to induce therapeutically relevant levels of directed gene editing within the human chromosome. Studies from past decades acknowledge that AAV vector genomes are enhanced substrates for homology-directed repair in the presence or absence of targeted DNA damage within the host genome. Additionally, AAV vectors are currently the most efficient format for in vivo gene delivery with no vector related complications in >100 clinical trials for diverse diseases. At the same time, advancements in the design of custom-engineered site-specific endonucleases and the utilization of elucidated endonuclease formats have resulted in efficient and facile genetic engineering for basic science and for clinical therapies. AAV vectors and gene editing technologies are an obvious marriage, using AAV for the delivery of repair substrate and/or a gene encoding a designer endonuclease; however, while efficient delivery and enhanced gene targeting by vector genomes are advantageous, other attributes of AAV vectors are less desirable for gene editing technologies. This review summarizes the various roles that AAV vectors play in gene editing technologies and provides insight into its trending applications for the treatment of genetic diseases.

  6. Jurassic-Paleogene intraoceanic magmatic evolution of the Ankara Mélange, north-central Anatolia, Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarifakioglu, E.; Dilek, Y.; Sevin, M.

    2014-02-01

    Oceanic rocks in the Ankara Mélange along the Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zone (IAESZ) in north-central Anatolia include locally coherent ophiolite complexes (∼ 179 Ma and ∼ 80 Ma), seamount or oceanic plateau volcanic units with pelagic and reefal limestones (96.6 ± 1.8 Ma), metamorphic rocks with ages of 256.9 ± 8.0 Ma, 187.4 ± 3.7 Ma, 158.4 ± 4.2 Ma, and 83.5 ± 1.2 Ma indicating northern Tethys during the late Paleozoic through Cretaceous, and subalkaline to alkaline volcanic and plutonic rocks of an island arc origin (∼ 67-63 Ma). All but the arc rocks occur in a shale-graywacke and/or serpentinite matrix, and are deformed by south-vergent thrust faults and folds that developed in the middle to late Eocene due to continental collisions in the region. Ophiolitic volcanic rocks have mid-ocean ridge (MORB) and island arc tholeiite (IAT) affinities showing moderate to significant large ion lithophile elements (LILE) enrichment and depletion in Nb, Hf, Ti, Y and Yb, which indicate the influence of subduction-derived fluids in their melt evolution. Seamount/oceanic plateau basalts show ocean island basalt (OIB) affinities. The arc-related volcanic rocks, lamprophyric dikes and syenodioritic plutons exhibit high-K shoshonitic to medium- to high-K calc-alkaline compositions with strong enrichment in LILE, rare earth elements (REE) and Pb, and initial ɛNd values between +1.3 and +1.7. Subalkaline arc volcanic units occur in the northern part of the mélange, whereas the younger alkaline volcanic rocks and intrusions (lamprophyre dikes and syenodioritic plutons) in the southern part. The late Permian, Early to Late Jurassic, and Late Cretaceous amphibole-epidote schist, epidote-actinolite, epidote-chlorite and epidote-glaucophane schists represent the metamorphic units formed in a subduction channel in the northern Neotethys. The Middle to Upper Triassic neritic limestones spatially associated with the seamount volcanic rocks indicate that the northern

  7. Archaeometric exploration at Akköprü in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Akın Akyol

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The archaeometric exploration was conducted by surveying and sampling studies on the stone, and mortar samples from Akköprü in Ankara. Spot salt test and conductometric analysis were applied to get water soluble salt content of stone samples. The aggregate and binder part of the mortars were determined by the analyses of acidic aggregate & binder, aggregate granulometry, thin section optic microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In addition, the physical conditions of the stones were determined by some physical tests. The results of archaeometrical data showed that the constructive stone material was mainly andesite besides ignimbrite and dacite, and the original binder material was lime mortar. The cement content of the binder of mortars reveals the recent interventions on Akköprü. In the light of petrographic studies it was understood that the source of the original constructive raw material reflects the local formation. The high soluble salt content and the bad physical conditions of some stones also showed that they are undergoing a decomposition process of different degrees.

  8. Coprodiagnosis of Echinococcus granulosus infection in dogs from Ankara, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Öge, Hatice; Öge, Semih; Gönenç, Bahadır; Sarımehmetoğlu, Oğuz; Özbakış, Gökben

    2017-08-15

    The present study were undertaken to compare two isolation techniques (centrifugal flotation and sedimentation) for recovering taeniid eggs from faecal samples, to identify E. granulosus DNA from taeniid eggs by PCR, and to determine the prevalence of E. granulosus in dogs in villages. Faecal samples were collected from 100 dogs in Ankara province. Taenia spp. eggs were found in 27% of dogs faeces. Echinococcus granulosus-specific PCR was obtained in 14 (51.85%) of the taeniid eggs-positive samples. As well as finding Taenia eggs in dogs' faeces, we also found eggs of some helminthic parasites; such as Dipylidium caninum, Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Trichuris sp., Capillaria sp., Filaroides sp., Dioctophyme renale, Linguatula serrata, hookworm, Dicrocoelium sp., Fasciola sp. and Ascaridia galli. Significantly, more dogs excreting taeniid eggs were diagnosed with the sedimentation method (n=27) as compared to the flotation method (n=10). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Determining residential energy consumption-based CO2 emissions and examining the factors affecting the variation in Ankara, Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kus, Melike; Akan, Perihan; Aydinalp Koksal, Merih; Gullu, Gulen

    2017-11-01

    Energy demand of Turkey has been showing a remarkable increase in the last two decades due to rapid increase in population and changes in consumption trends. In parallel to the increase in energy demand, the CO2 emissions in Turkey are also increasing dramatically due to high usage of fossil fuels. CO2 emissions from the residential sector covers almost one fourth of the total sectoral emissions. In this study, CO2 emissions from the residential sector are estimated, and the factors affecting the emission levels are determined for the residential sector in Ankara, Turkey. In this study, detailed surveys are conducted to more than 400 households in Ankara. Using the information gathered from the surveys, the CO2 emissions associated with energy consumption of the households are calculated using the methodology outlined at IPCC. The statistical analyses are carried out using household income, dwelling characteristics, and household economic and demographic data to determine the factors causing the variation in emission levels among the households. The results of the study present that the main factors impacting the amount of total energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions are household income, dwelling construction year, age, education level of the household, and net footage of the dwelling.

  10. An introduction to vectors, vector operators and vector analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Joag, Pramod S

    2016-01-01

    Ideal for undergraduate and graduate students of science and engineering, this book covers fundamental concepts of vectors and their applications in a single volume. The first unit deals with basic formulation, both conceptual and theoretical. It discusses applications of algebraic operations, Levi-Civita notation, and curvilinear coordinate systems like spherical polar and parabolic systems and structures, and analytical geometry of curves and surfaces. The second unit delves into the algebra of operators and their types and also explains the equivalence between the algebra of vector operators and the algebra of matrices. Formulation of eigen vectors and eigen values of a linear vector operator are elaborated using vector algebra. The third unit deals with vector analysis, discussing vector valued functions of a scalar variable and functions of vector argument (both scalar valued and vector valued), thus covering both the scalar vector fields and vector integration.

  11. A proton irradiation test facility for space research in Ankara, Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gencer, Ayşenur; Yiǧitoǧlu, Merve; Bilge Demirköz, Melahat; Efthymiopoulos, Ilias

    2016-07-01

    Space radiation often affects the electronic components' performance during the mission duration. In order to ensure reliable performance, the components must be tested to at least the expected dose that will be received in space, before the mission. Accelerator facilities are widely used for such irradiation tests around the world. Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEA) has a 15MeV to 30MeV variable proton cyclotron in Ankara and the facility's main purpose is to produce radioisotopes in three different rooms for different target systems. There is also an R&D room which can be used for research purposes. This paper will detail the design and current state of the construction of a beamline to perform Single Event Effect (SEE) tests in Ankara for the first time. ESA ESCC No.25100 Standard Single Event Effect Test Method and Guidelines is being considered for these SEE tests. The proton beam kinetic energy must be between 20MeV and 200MeV according to the standard. While the proton energy is suitable for SEE tests, the beam size must be 15.40cm x 21.55cm and the flux must be between 10 ^{5} p/cm ^{2}/s to at least 10 ^{8} p/cm ^{2}/s according to the standard. The beam size at the entrance of the R&D room is mm-sized and the current is variable between 10μA and 1.2mA. Therefore, a defocusing beam line has been designed to enlarge the beam size and reduce the flux value. The beam line has quadrupole magnets to enlarge the beam size and the collimators and scattering foils are used for flux reduction. This facility will provide proton fluxes between 10 ^{7} p/cm ^{2}/s and 10 ^{10} p/cm ^{2}/s for the area defined in the standard when completed. Also for testing solar cells developed for space, the proton beam energy will be lowered below 10MeV. This project has been funded by Ministry of Development in Turkey and the beam line construction will finish in two years and SEE tests will be performed for the first time in Turkey.

  12. Microneedle-mediated immunization of an adenovirus-based malaria vaccine enhances antigen-specific antibody immunity and reduces anti-vector responses compared to the intradermal route

    OpenAIRE

    Carey, John B.; Vrdoljak, Anto; O'Mahony, Conor; Hill, Adrian V. S.; Draper, Simon J.; Moore, Anne C.

    2014-01-01

    Substantial effort has been placed in developing efficacious recombinant attenuated adenovirus-based vaccines. However induction of immunity to the vector is a significant obstacle to its repeated use. Here we demonstrate that skin-based delivery of an adenovirus-based malaria vaccine, HAdV5-PyMSP142, to mice using silicon microneedles induces equivalent or enhanced antibody responses to the encoded antigen, however it results in decreased anti-vector responses, compared to intradermal delive...

  13. Ankara’daki Halk Kütüphanelerinde Halkla İlişkiler =Public Relations of Public Libraries in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karadeniz, Şenol

    Full Text Available Bu çalışmada Ankara'daki halk kütüphanelerinin, kullanıcılarını sunulan hizmetler hakkında neden yeterince bilgilendiremedikleri ve kendilerini kullanıcılarına neden yeterince tanıtamadıkları konusu irdelenmiştir. Araştırmanın amacı, halk kütüphanelerinde uygulanabilecek halkla ilişkiler yöntemlerinin neler olduğunu, halk kütüphanelerinin planlı halkla ilişkiler faaliyetlerinde bulunmamalarının nedenlerini ve bu nedenlerin boyutunu, özelliklerini ortaya koymaktır. Araştırmanın evrenini Ankara Büyükşehir Belediyesi sınırları içinde hizmet veren Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı'na bağlı halk ve çocuk kütüphaneleri oluşturmaktadır. Önceden yapılandırılmış görüşme kapsamında halk kütüphanesi yöneticileriyle görüşülmüş, ayrıca araştırma kapsamındaki kütüphanelerde gözlem tekniği uygulanmıştır. Araştırmadan elde edilen bulgular ışığında, halk kütüphanelerinin sistematik halkla ilişkiler programları uygulamamaları nedeniyle, kütüphaneyi tanıtmada ve sunulan hizmetlere ilişkin kullanıcılarda olumlu görüş oluşturmada yetersiz kaldıkları anlaşılmıştır In this study the answers to the question "why the public libraries in Ankara could not inform their users about services off ered properly, and could not introduce themselves to users suffi ciently ?" were explicated. The goal of the study is to fi nd out which public relations methods can be used in libraries, and why libraries could not conduct planned public relations activities. The research universe consists of public libraries being administratively connected to Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which lie within the borders of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. For the collection of data, pre-confi gured talks were applied to the managers who were working for the public libraries, and moreover the fulfi llment of library activities were observed. The fi ndings of the study indicate that, since

  14. Transcriptional Silencing of Retroviral Vectors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lund, Anders Henrik; Duch, M.; Pedersen, F.S.

    1996-01-01

    . Extinction of long-term vector expression has been observed after implantation of transduced hematopoietic cells as well as fibroblasts, myoblasts and hepatocytes. Here we review the influence of vector structure, integration site and cell type on transcriptional silencing. While down-regulation of proviral...... transcription is known from a number of cellular and animal models, major insight has been gained from studies in the germ line and embryonal cells of the mouse. Key elements for the transfer and expression of retroviral vectors, such as the viral transcriptional enhancer and the binding site for the t......RNA primer for reverse transcription may have a major influence on transcriptional silencing. Alterations of these elements of the vector backbone as well as the use of internal promoter elements from housekeeping genes may contribute to reduce transcriptional silencing. The use of cell culture and animal...

  15. Vector-free and transgene-free human iPS cells differentiate into functional neurons and enhance functional recovery after ischemic stroke in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Osama Mohamad

    Full Text Available Stroke is a leading cause of human death and disability in the adult population in the United States and around the world. While stroke treatment is limited, stem cell transplantation has emerged as a promising regenerative therapy to replace or repair damaged tissues and enhance functional recovery after stroke. Recently, the creation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells through reprogramming of somatic cells has revolutionized cell therapy by providing an unlimited source of autologous cells for transplantation. In addition, the creation of vector-free and transgene-free human iPS (hiPS cells provides a new generation of stem cells with a reduced risk of tumor formation that was associated with the random integration of viral vectors seen with previous techniques. However, the potential use of these cells in the treatment of ischemic stroke has not been explored. In the present investigation, we examined the neuronal differentiation of vector-free and transgene-free hiPS cells and the transplantation of hiPS cell-derived neural progenitor cells (hiPS-NPCs in an ischemic stroke model in mice. Vector-free hiPS cells were maintained in feeder-free and serum-free conditions and differentiated into functional neurons in vitro using a newly developed differentiation protocol. Twenty eight days after transplantation in stroke mice, hiPS-NPCs showed mature neuronal markers in vivo. No tumor formation was seen up to 12 months after transplantation. Transplantation of hiPS-NPCs restored neurovascular coupling, increased trophic support and promoted behavioral recovery after stroke. These data suggest that using vector-free and transgene-free hiPS cells in stem cell therapy are safe and efficacious in enhancing recovery after focal ischemic stroke in mice.

  16. Secondary standard dosimetry laboratory Saraykoy Nuclear Research and Training Center Ankara, Turkey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okruhlica, P.

    2014-01-01

    Turkish Saraykoy Nuclear Research and Training Center (SANA) was founded in 2005. In 2014 the company PTW Freiburg in cooperation with VF Cerna Hora started the construction of a comprehensive national metrology laboratories of ionizing radiation 'Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory' (SSDL). The laboratory will be located in the area of 'Saraykoy Nuclear Research and Training Center' in Ankara in Turkey. SSDL will be equipped with metrology departments for calibration and measurement of standard required quantities of metrology of ionizing radiation: - Neutron workplace; Gamma workplace (low-energy X-ray, gamma Standard Cs-137 and high dose rate, Co-60); - Beta workplace; - Control system of metrology laboratories and irradiation VF DARS; - Radiation monitoring system VF RMS; - Camera and security system; - Measuring instruments (ionization chambers, electrometers, monitors for environmental measurements ...) with the appropriate phantoms and other systems.

  17. A study in three districts of Ankara of behaviors associated with irrational use of drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mustafa Necmi İlhan

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective:To avoid the irrational use of medicines studies have to be conducted to evaluate the habits related to drug use. This study investigated the characteristics of individuals aged above 18 in using of medicines among in Family Health Care Centers in the city center of Ankara. Methods: This is a descriptive study. A questionnaire was applied to 1990 individuals aged above 18 in several Family Health Care Centers in the city center of Ankara. Results: Less than half of the applicants stated that they attended a health care institution for a health problem; 78.6% stated that they keep medicine at home that 40.3% of those medicines were painkillers. 60.9% of the applicants claimed they read the instructions provided with the medicine; 57.0% of the applicants claimed to use the prescribed medicine exactly as instructed. 68.9% of those aged 55 and above of the applicants, 63.0% of the women, 63.3% of the married women, 71.2% of illiterates, 70.6% of housewives, 68.9% of those having monthly income between 1001-1500 TL, and 68.8% of those who had someone with chronic disease at home claimed that they would ask the doctor to prescribe the medicines they wanted (p<0.05. Conclusion: Almost half of the participants did not apply to a health care institution and a substantial portion of them used home remedies in case of a health problem. In order to reduce irrational drug use, public education for rational use of medicines needs to be implemented.Keywords: Rational use of medicine, prescription, descriptive

  18. The Usage Analysis of Databases at Ankara University Digital Library Ankara Üniversitesi Elektronik Kütüphanesi Veri Tabanlarının Kullanım Analizi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sacit Arslantekin

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available The development in information and communication technologies has changed and improved resources and services diversity in libraries. These changes continue to develop rapidly throughout the world. As for our country,remarkable developments, especially in university and special libraries, in this field are worth consideration. In order to take benefit of the existing and forthcoming developments in the field of electronic libraries the databases used by clients should be well-demonstrated and followed closely. The providing wide use of electronic databases leads to increasing the productivity of scientific and social information that that is the ultimate goal. The article points out electronic resources management and the effect of consortia developments in the field first, and then evaluates the results of the survey on the use of electronic libraries assessment questionnaires by faculty members at Ankara University. Bilgi ve iletişim teknolojilerindeki gelişmeler bilgi kaynakları ile birlikte bilgi merkezlerinin hizmetlerini de çok yönlü olarak değiştirmiş ve geliştirmiştir. Bu gelişmeler dünyada hızlı bir gelişim izlemektedir. Ülkemizde ise başta üniversite ve araştırma kütüphaneleri olmak üzere elektronik kütüphaneler konusunda dikkate değer gelişmeler izlenmektedir. Bu gelişim süreci içinde yerini almaya çalışan elektronik kütüphanelerden istenilen düzeyde yarar sağlayabilmek için kullanılan elektronik bilgi içeren veri tabanlarının iyi tanıtılması ve kullanımının izlenmesi gerekmektedir. İstenilen düzeyde yararlanılan elektronik veri tabanları sonucu üretilen bilimsel bilginin artması da ulaşılmak istenen hedeftir. Bu makalede elektronik kaynak yönetimi ve konsorsiyumların etkisine kısaca değindikten sonra Ankara Üniversitesi öğretim elemanlarına elektronik kütüphane kullanımı konusunda yapılan anket değerlendirilecektir.

  19. Viral vector-based tools advance knowledge of basal ganglia anatomy and physiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sizemore, Rachel J; Seeger-Armbruster, Sonja; Hughes, Stephanie M; Parr-Brownlie, Louise C

    2016-04-01

    Viral vectors were originally developed to deliver genes into host cells for therapeutic potential. However, viral vector use in neuroscience research has increased because they enhance interpretation of the anatomy and physiology of brain circuits compared with conventional tract tracing or electrical stimulation techniques. Viral vectors enable neuronal or glial subpopulations to be labeled or stimulated, which can be spatially restricted to a single target nucleus or pathway. Here we review the use of viral vectors to examine the structure and function of motor and limbic basal ganglia (BG) networks in normal and pathological states. We outline the use of viral vectors, particularly lentivirus and adeno-associated virus, in circuit tracing, optogenetic stimulation, and designer drug stimulation experiments. Key studies that have used viral vectors to trace and image pathways and connectivity at gross or ultrastructural levels are reviewed. We explain how optogenetic stimulation and designer drugs used to modulate a distinct pathway and neuronal subpopulation have enhanced our mechanistic understanding of BG function in health and pathophysiology in disease. Finally, we outline how viral vector technology may be applied to neurological and psychiatric conditions to offer new treatments with enhanced outcomes for patients. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

  20. The 2005 - 2007 Bala (Ankara, central Turkey) earthquakes: a case study for strike-slip fault terminations

    OpenAIRE

    Esat, K.; Çivgin, B.; Kaypak, B.; Isik, V.; Ecevitoglu, B.; Seyitoglu, G.

    2014-01-01

    An intense seismic activity has been observed after the Bala (Ankara, NW central Turkey) earthquakes (30 July 2005: Mw=5.3, 20 December 2007: Mw=5.4, and 26 December 2007: Mw=5.3), continuing up to the present. The epicenters and the focal mechanism solutions of the earthquakes indicate that the right lateral strike-slip Afşar fault, trending N55-60°W, is responsible for the main shocks. The Afşar fault is thought to be the NW continuation of the Tuzgölü fault zone, which is one of the main n...

  1. Prospective surveillance for cardiac adverse events in healthy adults receiving modified vaccinia Ankara vaccines: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elizaga, Marnie L; Vasan, Sandhya; Marovich, Mary A; Sato, Alicia H; Lawrence, Dale N; Chaitman, Bernard R; Frey, Sharon E; Keefer, Michael C

    2013-01-01

    Vaccinia-associated myo/pericarditis was observed during the US smallpox vaccination (DryVax) campaign initiated in 2002. A highly-attenuated vaccinia strain, modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) has been evaluated in clinical trials as a safer alternative to DryVax and as a vector for recombinant vaccines. Due to the lack of prospectively collected cardiac safety data, the US Food and Drug Administration required cardiac screening and surveillance in all clinical trials of MVA since 2004. Here, we report cardiac safety surveillance from 6 phase I trials of MVA vaccines. Four clinical research organizations contributed cardiac safety data using common surveillance methods in trials administering MVA or recombinant MVA vaccines to healthy participants. 'Routine cardiac investigations' (ECGs and cardiac enzymes obtained 2 weeks after injections of MVA or MVA-HIV recombinants, or placebo-controls), and 'Symptom-driven cardiac investigations' are reported. The outcome measure is the number of participants who met the CDC-case definition for vaccinia-related myo/pericarditis or who experienced cardiac adverse events from an MVA vaccine. Four hundred twenty-five study participants had post-vaccination safety data analyzed, 382 received at least one MVA-containing vaccine and 43 received placebo; 717 routine ECGs and 930 cardiac troponin assays were performed. Forty-five MVA recipients (12%) had additional cardiac testing performed; 22 for cardiac symptoms, 19 for ECG/laboratory changes, and 4 for cardiac symptoms with an ECG/laboratory change. No participant had evidence of symptomatic or asymptomatic myo/pericarditis meeting the CDC-case definition and judged to be related to an MVA vaccine. Prospective surveillance of MVA recipients for myo/pericarditis did not detect cardiac adverse reactions in 382 study participants. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00082446 NCT003766090 NCT00252148 NCT00083603 NCT00301184 NCT00428337.

  2. Prospective surveillance for cardiac adverse events in healthy adults receiving modified vaccinia Ankara vaccines: a systematic review.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marnie L Elizaga

    Full Text Available Vaccinia-associated myo/pericarditis was observed during the US smallpox vaccination (DryVax campaign initiated in 2002. A highly-attenuated vaccinia strain, modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA has been evaluated in clinical trials as a safer alternative to DryVax and as a vector for recombinant vaccines. Due to the lack of prospectively collected cardiac safety data, the US Food and Drug Administration required cardiac screening and surveillance in all clinical trials of MVA since 2004. Here, we report cardiac safety surveillance from 6 phase I trials of MVA vaccines.Four clinical research organizations contributed cardiac safety data using common surveillance methods in trials administering MVA or recombinant MVA vaccines to healthy participants. 'Routine cardiac investigations' (ECGs and cardiac enzymes obtained 2 weeks after injections of MVA or MVA-HIV recombinants, or placebo-controls, and 'Symptom-driven cardiac investigations' are reported. The outcome measure is the number of participants who met the CDC-case definition for vaccinia-related myo/pericarditis or who experienced cardiac adverse events from an MVA vaccine.Four hundred twenty-five study participants had post-vaccination safety data analyzed, 382 received at least one MVA-containing vaccine and 43 received placebo; 717 routine ECGs and 930 cardiac troponin assays were performed. Forty-five MVA recipients (12% had additional cardiac testing performed; 22 for cardiac symptoms, 19 for ECG/laboratory changes, and 4 for cardiac symptoms with an ECG/laboratory change. No participant had evidence of symptomatic or asymptomatic myo/pericarditis meeting the CDC-case definition and judged to be related to an MVA vaccine.Prospective surveillance of MVA recipients for myo/pericarditis did not detect cardiac adverse reactions in 382 study participants.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00082446 NCT003766090 NCT00252148 NCT00083603 NCT00301184 NCT00428337.

  3. Preclinical assessment of viral vectored and protein vaccines targeting the Duffy-binding protein region II of Plasmodium vivax

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simone C de Cassan

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Malaria vaccine development has largely focused on Plasmodium falciparum; however a reawakening to the importance of P. vivax has spurred efforts to develop vaccines against this difficult to treat and at times severe form of relapsing malaria, which constitutes a significant proportion of human malaria cases worldwide. The almost complete dependence of P. vivax red blood cell invasion on the interaction of the P. vivax Duffy-binding protein region II (PvDBP_RII with the human Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC, makes this antigen an attractive vaccine candidate against blood-stage P. vivax. Here, we generated both preclinical and clinically-compatible adenoviral and poxviral vectored vaccine candidates expressing the Salvador I allele of PvDBP_RII – including human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV5, chimpanzee adenovirus serotype 63 (ChAd63 and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA vectors. We report on the antibody and T cell immunogenicity of these vaccines in mice or rabbits, either used alone in a viral vectored prime-boost regime, or in ‘mixed-modality’ adenovirus prime – protein-in-adjuvant boost regimes (using a recombinant protein PvDBP_RII protein antigen formulated in Montanide®ISA720 or Abisco®100 adjuvants. Antibodies induced by these regimes were found to bind to native parasite antigen from P. vivax infected Thai patients and were capable of inhibiting the binding of PvDBP_RII to its receptor DARC using an in vitro binding inhibition assay. In recent years, recombinant ChAd63 and MVA vectors have been quickly translated into human clinical trials for numerous antigens from P. falciparum as well as a growing number of other pathogens. The vectors reported here are immunogenic in small animals, elicit antibodies against PvDBP_RII and have recently entered clinical trials which will provide the first assessment of the safety and immunogenicity of the PvDBP_RII antigen in humans.

  4. Consumer Decision - Making Process in E - Commerce: Case of Salzburg - Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmet Gürbüz

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In a globalized world, companies need to track the changes occur in their internal and external stakeholders in order to develop consistent strategies, structures and systems for success in e-commerce. Tracking and researching the existing and potential customers and companies as external stakeholders has become very important. This study aims to reveal a scientific approach about the purchasing decisions of e-commerce companies’ customers, to carry the e-commerce applications in Austria to Turkey, to transfer the e-commerce applications in Turkey to Austria and to contribute for the development of e-commerce. To achieve this, in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 female e-commerce users in Ankara/Turkey and in Salzburg/Austria to reveal the similarities and differences between the purchasing decision processes of different countries’ citizens. Similarities and differences in the purchasing decision process of customers were determined for the dimensions of price compatibility, practicality, accessibility, speed, comfort, convenience and cost and suggestions are offered for the development of e-commerce in Turkey.

  5. Acoustical comfort evaluation in enclosed public spaces with a central atrium : a case study in food court of CEPA Shopping Center, Ankara

    OpenAIRE

    Dökmeci, Papatya Nur

    2009-01-01

    Ankara : The Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design and the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent University, 2009. Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 2009. Includes bibliographical references leaves 79-83. Physical comfort requirements of users as thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort should be considered and studied in detail when designing and planning public spaces. The subjective auditory perception needs to be evaluated parallel...

  6. Vector potential quantization and the photon wave-particle representation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meis, C; Dahoo, P R

    2016-01-01

    The quantization procedure of the vector potential is enhanced at a single photon state revealing the possibility for a simultaneous representation of the wave-particle nature of the photon. Its relationship to the quantum vacuum results naturally. A vector potential amplitude operator is defined showing the parallelism with the Hamiltonian of a massless particle. It is further shown that the quantized vector potential satisfies both the wave propagation equation and a linear time-dependent Schrödinger-like equation. (paper)

  7. FAMILY-WORK CONFLICT AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG WORKERS OF ANKARA YOUTH SERVICES AND PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF SPORTS ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT VARIABLES

    OpenAIRE

    Mustafa Önder; Burhan; Emrah

    2016-01-01

    In this study Work-Family Conflict, Family-Work Conflict and Life Satisfaction were carried out to indicate 329 staff’s relationship between each other, who work in Ankara Youth Services and Sports Province Management, by determining whether work-family conflict, family-work conflict and life satisfaction differientiate or not according to socio-demographic variables. According to obtained results, it was concluded that gender, age, having management position, number of children and duration ...

  8. Vector models and generalized SYK models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peng, Cheng [Department of Physics, Brown University,Providence RI 02912 (United States)

    2017-05-23

    We consider the relation between SYK-like models and vector models by studying a toy model where a tensor field is coupled with a vector field. By integrating out the tensor field, the toy model reduces to the Gross-Neveu model in 1 dimension. On the other hand, a certain perturbation can be turned on and the toy model flows to an SYK-like model at low energy. A chaotic-nonchaotic phase transition occurs as the sign of the perturbation is altered. We further study similar models that possess chaos and enhanced reparameterization symmetries.

  9. Association of Some Environmental Factors with Breath Carbon Monoxide Levels of Some Taxi Drivers in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oguz Baran

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available AIM: Taxi drivers are among the occupational groups with the highest smoking prevalence and exposure to carbon monoxide (CO. This study aimed to measure breath CO levels of some taxi drivers working in Ankara and to find out some associated factors (if any. METHOD: The descriptive study was carried out with 173 taxi drivers from 14 different taxi stations in the center of Ankara. Data was collected by face to face interviews with a standart questionnaire, while breath CO was measured by a Pi-CO Smokerlyser. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data, whereas chi-square, independant samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA were used to compare groups by SPSS 15.0 statistical package programme. RESULTS: In the study, all of the taxi drivers (n=173 were male with a mean age of 39.2±9.6 years. Of the drivers, 58.4% were current smokers, whereas 75.1% were exposed to enviromental tobacco smoke. The frequency of indoor smoking in the taxi stations, taxis and drivers’ homes were 48.0%, 45.1%, and 59.0%, respectively. The mean breath CO level of the drivers was 16.9±12.8 ppm. CO level was positively associated with the current smoking status, total years of smoking, number of cigarettes smoked per day and passive exposure to tobacco smoke, whereas the association was negative with the elapsed time from the last cigarette smoked (p0.05. CONCLUSION: Results of the study provide evidence in support of the previous literature that smoking is one of the most important sources of carbonmonoxide. Interventions such as awareness raising trainings, referral of smokers willing to quit smoking to smoking cessation centers and screening programmes for smoking related diseases are needed to be implemented in collaboration with the relevant drivers’ associations. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2010; 9(6.000: 591-596

  10. Globalisation Reflected onto Architecture: Tall Buildings of Ankara-Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanju Gültekin, Ahmet

    2017-10-01

    Policy switching, radical socioeconomic changes, integration and globalisation were started in 1980s. New urban space developments have been accelerated in 1990s and provided urban space identity policies in 2000s. Luxurious shopping malls, hotels, and ultra-posh residences within the city and gated communities on city peripheries have been formed. Thus, the urban geography, urban silhouette and urban identity are being converted through tall buildings that signify the created prestige, status, and power in competition with the global capital. By the globalisation foresight the cities which have gotten ahead of the nation-state was seen. The buildings that converted into a symbolic (iconic) global product leads to an advantage in the race for attracting global investments and tourism, on behalf of the cities/urban districts. This process, which was initiated haphazardly in Turkey in the 1980s, has been on-going throughout the 1990s and especially in 2000s by means of the re-structuring of the government on a neo-liberal basis. The process is concurrently observable through the tall buildings and/or building blocks which match with urban regeneration projects, urban zoning plan revisions and fragmented zoning plans. In this study, the new global world order is evaluated by their status and architectural properties of selected tall and iconic/ultra-modern buildings in Ankara.

  11. Safety and Immunogenicity of Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic Smallpox Vaccine in Vaccinia-Naive and Experienced Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Individuals: An Open-Label, Controlled Clinical Phase II Trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Overton, Edgar Turner; Stapleton, Jack; Frank, Ian; Hassler, Shawn; Goepfert, Paul A.; Barker, David; Wagner, Eva; von Krempelhuber, Alfred; Virgin, Garth; Meyer, Thomas Peter; Müller, Jutta; Bädeker, Nicole; Grünert, Robert; Young, Philip; Rösch, Siegfried; Maclennan, Jane; Arndtz-Wiedemann, Nathaly; Chaplin, Paul

    2015-01-01

    Background. First- and second-generation smallpox vaccines are contraindicated in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A new smallpox vaccine is needed to protect this population in the context of biodefense preparedness. The focus of this study was to compare the safety and immunogenicity of a replication-deficient, highly attenuated smallpox vaccine modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) in HIV-infected and healthy subjects. Methods. An open-label, controlled Phase II trial was conducted at 36 centers in the United States and Puerto Rico for HIV-infected and healthy subjects. Subjects received 2 doses of MVA administered 4 weeks apart. Safety was evaluated by assessment of adverse events, focused physical exams, electrocardiogram recordings, and safety laboratories. Immune responses were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Results. Five hundred seventy-nine subjects were vaccinated at least once and had data available for analysis. Rates of ELISA seropositivity were comparably high in vaccinia-naive healthy and HIV-infected subjects, whereas PRNT seropositivity rates were higher in healthy compared with HIV-infected subjects. Modified vaccinia Ankara was safe and well tolerated with no adverse impact on viral load or CD4 counts. There were no cases of myo-/pericarditis reported. Conclusions. Modified vaccinia Ankara was safe and immunogenic in subjects infected with HIV and represents a promising smallpox vaccine candidate for use in immunocompromised populations. PMID:26380340

  12. Investigation of Diatomite Properties from Ankara-Kızılcahamam and Çankırı-Çerkeş Regions

    OpenAIRE

    ARUNTAŞ, H. Yılmaz

    1998-01-01

    The physical properties, chemical and mineralogical compositions and microscopic structures of diatomites collected from Ankara-Kızılcahamam and Çankırı-Çerkeş regions were examined in this study. The diatomites were found to be pure, amorphous, usually soft and easily friable with particle size of 5-50 mm. It was determined that the diatomites were highly with a high water absorption capacity and contained plagioclase, smectite, and quartz minerals. The specific gravity was less th...

  13. Ankara Vespidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera) Türleri Üzerine Faunistik Çalışmalar ve Ekolojik Gözlemler

    OpenAIRE

    TÜZÜN, Ayla; KEKİLLİOĞLU, Aysel

    2003-01-01

    Bu araştırma, 1998-2001 yılları arasında Türkiye’nin başkenti Ankara ili civarında yapılan arazi çalışmaları sonucunda elde edilen 683 örneğe dayanmaktadır. Çalışma sonucunda 4 cinse ait (Vespa, Vespula, Dolichovespula, Polistes ) 9 tür ve 1 alt tür; Vespa orientalis Linnaeus, 1771, Vespula (Paravespula) germanica (Fabricius, 1793), Vespula (Paravespula) vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758), Dolichovespula (Metavespula) slyvestris (Scopoli, 1763), Polistes (s.str.) gallicus (Linnaeus, 1767), Polistes (s...

  14. Advanced Design of Dumbbell-shaped Genetic Minimal Vectors Improves Non-coding and Coding RNA Expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Xiaoou; Yu, Han; Teo, Cui Rong; Tan, Genim Siu Xian; Goh, Sok Chin; Patel, Parasvi; Chua, Yiqiang Kevin; Hameed, Nasirah Banu Sahul; Bertoletti, Antonio; Patzel, Volker

    2016-09-01

    Dumbbell-shaped DNA minimal vectors lacking nontherapeutic genes and bacterial sequences are considered a stable, safe alternative to viral, nonviral, and naked plasmid-based gene-transfer systems. We investigated novel molecular features of dumbbell vectors aiming to reduce vector size and to improve the expression of noncoding or coding RNA. We minimized small hairpin RNA (shRNA) or microRNA (miRNA) expressing dumbbell vectors in size down to 130 bp generating the smallest genetic expression vectors reported. This was achieved by using a minimal H1 promoter with integrated transcriptional terminator transcribing the RNA hairpin structure around the dumbbell loop. Such vectors were generated with high conversion yields using a novel protocol. Minimized shRNA-expressing dumbbells showed accelerated kinetics of delivery and transcription leading to enhanced gene silencing in human tissue culture cells. In primary human T cells, minimized miRNA-expressing dumbbells revealed higher stability and triggered stronger target gene suppression as compared with plasmids and miRNA mimics. Dumbbell-driven gene expression was enhanced up to 56- or 160-fold by implementation of an intron and the SV40 enhancer compared with control dumbbells or plasmids. Advanced dumbbell vectors may represent one option to close the gap between durable expression that is achievable with integrating viral vectors and short-term effects triggered by naked RNA.

  15. Measuring emotions in traffic : paper presented at the ESF Congress ‘Towards Safer Road Traffic in Southern Europe’, May 31st-June 2nd 2001, Ankara, Turkey.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mesken, J.

    2002-01-01

    This paper contains the text of a presentation held at the European Science Foundation Congress ‘Towards Safer Road Traffic in Southern Europe’ (May 31st – June 2nd, 2001, Ankara , Turkey). In this paper, methods to measure emotions are reviewed and possible applications for traffic research are

  16. The Vector Space as a Unifying Concept in School Mathematics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riggle, Timothy Andrew

    The purpose of this study was to show how the concept of vector space can serve as a unifying thread for mathematics programs--elementary school to pre-calculus college level mathematics. Indicated are a number of opportunities to demonstrate how emphasis upon the vector space structure can enhance the organization of the mathematics curriculum.…

  17. A pandemic influenza H1N1 live vaccine based on modified vaccinia Ankara is highly immunogenic and protects mice in active and passive immunizations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annett Hessel

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The development of novel influenza vaccines inducing a broad immune response is an important objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate live vaccines which induce both strong humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against the novel human pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, and to show protection in a lethal animal challenge model. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: For this purpose, the hemagglutinin (HA and neuraminidase (NA genes of the influenza A/California/07/2009 (H1N1 strain (CA/07 were inserted into the replication-deficient modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA virus--a safe poxviral live vector--resulting in MVA-H1-Ca and MVA-N1-Ca vectors. These live vaccines, together with an inactivated whole virus vaccine, were assessed in a lung infection model using immune competent Balb/c mice, and in a lethal challenge model using severe combined immunodeficient (SCID mice after passive serum transfer from immunized mice. Balb/c mice vaccinated with the MVA-H1-Ca virus or the inactivated vaccine were fully protected from lung infection after challenge with the influenza H1N1 wild-type strain, while the neuraminidase virus MVA-N1-Ca induced only partial protection. The live vaccines were already protective after a single dose and induced substantial amounts of neutralizing antibodies and of interferon-gamma-secreting (IFN-gamma CD4- and CD8 T-cells in lungs and spleens. In the lungs, a rapid increase of HA-specific CD4- and CD8 T cells was observed in vaccinated mice shortly after challenge with influenza swine flu virus, which probably contributes to the strong inhibition of pulmonary viral replication observed. In addition, passive transfer of antisera raised in MVA-H1-Ca vaccinated immune-competent mice protected SCID mice from lethal challenge with the CA/07 wild-type virus. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The non-replicating MVA-based H1N1 live vaccines induce a broad protective immune response and are promising vaccine candidates for

  18. Generation of arbitrary vector beams with liquid crystal polarization converters and vector-photoaligned q-plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Peng; Ji, Wei; Wei, Bing-Yan; Hu, Wei; Lu, Yan-Qing; Chigrinov, Vladimir

    2015-01-01

    Arbitrary vector beams (VBs) are realized by the designed polarization converters and corresponding vector-photoaligned q-plates. The polarization converter is a specific twisted nematic cell with one substrate homogeneously aligned and the other space-variantly aligned. By combining a polarization-sensitive alignment agent with a dynamic micro-lithography system, various categories of liquid crystal polarization converters are demonstrated. Besides, traditional radially/azimuthally polarized light, high-order and multi-ringed VBs, and a VB array with different orders are generated. The obtained converters are further utilized as polarization masks to implement vector-photoaligning. The technique facilitates both the volume duplication of these converters and the generation of another promising optical element, the q-plate, which is suitable for the generation of VBs for coherent lasers. The combination of proposed polarization converters and correspondingly fabricated q-plates would drastically enhance the capability of polarization control and may bring more possibilities for the design of photonic devices

  19. [Medical manuscripts in the library of the Deontology Department of the Ankara University Medical School].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arda, B

    1998-01-01

    At every academical platform on medical history and its instruction, lack of Turkish medical historiography is mainly emphasized. There are two main factors determining the situation: 1-There isn't any comprehensive Turkish medical history textbook. 2-There are difficulties in reaching the primary sources in this field. Everybody agrees with the importance of reaching medical manuscripts easily and reading and evaluating them in medical history. For this reason, it is important to know where we can find them. In this article, medical manuscripts which are available in the library of the Deontology Department of Ankara University Medical School are introduced. The manuscripts have been listed in alphabetical order of the authors' name. The bibliographic items, such as the size, writing style, and type of paper used, are mentioned.

  20. Role of mammalian immune responses in vector-enhanced orbiviral transmission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culicoides sonorensis biting midges are vectors of several emerging and re-emerging orbiviruses including bluetongue, epizootic hemorrhagic disease, and African horse sickness viruses. They feed primarily on domestic sheep and cattle, but opportunistically feed on a variety of wildlife and on humans...

  1. Getting genetic access to natural adenovirus genomes to explore vector diversity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wenli; Ehrhardt, Anja

    2017-10-01

    Recombinant vectors based on the human adenovirus type 5 (HAdV5) have been developed and extensively used in preclinical and clinical studies for over 30 years. However, certain restrictions of HAdV5-based vectors have limited their clinical applications because they are rather inefficient in specifically transducing cells of therapeutic interest that lack the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR). Moreover, enhanced vector-associated toxicity and widespread preexisting immunity have been shown to significantly hamper the effectiveness of HAdV-5-mediated gene transfer. However, evolution of adenoviruses in the natural host is driving the generation of novel types with altered virulence, enhanced transmission, and altered tissue tropism. As a consequence, an increasing number of alternative adenovirus types were identified, which may represent a valuable resource for the development of novel vector types. Thus, researchers are focusing on the other naturally occurring adenovirus types, which are structurally similar but functionally different from HAdV5. To this end, several strategies have been devised for getting genetic access to adenovirus genomes, resulting in a new panel of adenoviral vectors. Importantly, these vectors were shown to have a host range different from HAdV5 and to escape the anti-HAdV5 immune response, thus underlining the great potential of this approach. In summary, this review provides a state-of-the-art overview of one essential step in adenoviral vector development.

  2. Indoor radon concentrations and radon doses at three districts of Ankara, Turkey and raising public awareness on the issue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehmet Kildir; Inci Goekmen; Ali Goekmen

    2016-01-01

    Indoor radon concentrations at METU, CIGDEM and DOSTLAR in Ankara were measured using electrets. The statistical analysis of the data indicated a lognormal distribution of radon concentrations, with no significant difference between CIGDEM and DOSTLAR with geometric means of GM = 87.5 and 54.5 Bq m -3 , respectively. Radon concentrations did not change seasonally at CIGDEM which contain modern buildings, but at the slum district DOSTLAR, with poor insulation of houses a seasonal variation was observed. Annual effective radon doses were estimated (0.4-8.4 mSv). Public awareness about indoor radon was raised. (author)

  3. Percutaneous Vaccination as an Effective Method of Delivery of MVA and MVA-Vectored Vaccines.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clement A Meseda

    Full Text Available The robustness of immune responses to an antigen could be dictated by the route of vaccine inoculation. Traditional smallpox vaccines, essentially vaccinia virus strains, that were used in the eradication of smallpox were administered by percutaneous inoculation (skin scarification. The modified vaccinia virus Ankara is licensed as a smallpox vaccine in Europe and Canada and currently undergoing clinical development in the United States. MVA is also being investigated as a vector for the delivery of heterologous genes for prophylactic or therapeutic immunization. Since MVA is replication-deficient, MVA and MVA-vectored vaccines are often inoculated through the intramuscular, intradermal or subcutaneous routes. Vaccine inoculation via the intramuscular, intradermal or subcutaneous routes requires the use of injection needles, and an estimated 10 to 20% of the population of the United States has needle phobia. Following an observation in our laboratory that a replication-deficient recombinant vaccinia virus derived from the New York City Board of Health strain elicited protective immune responses in a mouse model upon inoculation by tail scarification, we investigated whether MVA and MVA recombinants can elicit protective responses following percutaneous administration in mouse models. Our data suggest that MVA administered by percutaneous inoculation, elicited vaccinia-specific antibody responses, and protected mice from lethal vaccinia virus challenge, at levels comparable to or better than subcutaneous or intramuscular inoculation. High titers of specific neutralizing antibodies were elicited in mice inoculated with a recombinant MVA expressing the herpes simplex type 2 glycoprotein D after scarification. Similarly, a recombinant MVA expressing the hemagglutinin of attenuated influenza virus rgA/Viet Nam/1203/2004 (H5N1 elicited protective immune responses when administered at low doses by scarification. Taken together, our data suggest that

  4. Percutaneous Vaccination as an Effective Method of Delivery of MVA and MVA-Vectored Vaccines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meseda, Clement A; Atukorale, Vajini; Kuhn, Jordan; Schmeisser, Falko; Weir, Jerry P

    2016-01-01

    The robustness of immune responses to an antigen could be dictated by the route of vaccine inoculation. Traditional smallpox vaccines, essentially vaccinia virus strains, that were used in the eradication of smallpox were administered by percutaneous inoculation (skin scarification). The modified vaccinia virus Ankara is licensed as a smallpox vaccine in Europe and Canada and currently undergoing clinical development in the United States. MVA is also being investigated as a vector for the delivery of heterologous genes for prophylactic or therapeutic immunization. Since MVA is replication-deficient, MVA and MVA-vectored vaccines are often inoculated through the intramuscular, intradermal or subcutaneous routes. Vaccine inoculation via the intramuscular, intradermal or subcutaneous routes requires the use of injection needles, and an estimated 10 to 20% of the population of the United States has needle phobia. Following an observation in our laboratory that a replication-deficient recombinant vaccinia virus derived from the New York City Board of Health strain elicited protective immune responses in a mouse model upon inoculation by tail scarification, we investigated whether MVA and MVA recombinants can elicit protective responses following percutaneous administration in mouse models. Our data suggest that MVA administered by percutaneous inoculation, elicited vaccinia-specific antibody responses, and protected mice from lethal vaccinia virus challenge, at levels comparable to or better than subcutaneous or intramuscular inoculation. High titers of specific neutralizing antibodies were elicited in mice inoculated with a recombinant MVA expressing the herpes simplex type 2 glycoprotein D after scarification. Similarly, a recombinant MVA expressing the hemagglutinin of attenuated influenza virus rgA/Viet Nam/1203/2004 (H5N1) elicited protective immune responses when administered at low doses by scarification. Taken together, our data suggest that MVA and MVA-vectored

  5. Geminivirus vectors for high-level expression of foreign proteins in plant cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mor, Tsafrir S; Moon, Yong-Sun; Palmer, Kenneth E; Mason, Hugh S

    2003-02-20

    Bean yellow dwarf virus (BeYDV) is a monopartite geminivirus that can infect dicotyledonous plants. We have developed a high-level expression system that utilizes elements of the replication machinery of this single-stranded DNA virus. The replication initiator protein (Rep) mediates release and replication of a replicon from a DNA construct ("LSL vector") that contains an expression cassette for a gene of interest flanked by cis-acting elements of the virus. We used tobacco NT1 cells and biolistic delivery of plasmid DNA for evaluation of replication and expression of reporter genes contained within an LSL vector. By codelivery of a GUS reporter-LSL vector and a Rep-supplying vector, we obtained up to 40-fold increase in expression levels compared to delivery of the reporter-LSL vectors alone. High-copy replication of the LSL vector was correlated with enhanced expression of GUS. Rep expression using a whole BeYDV clone, a cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter driving either genomic rep or an intron-deleted rep gene, or 35S-rep contained in the LSL vector all achieved efficient replication and enhancement of GUS expression. We anticipate that this system can be adapted for use in transgenic plants or plant cell cultures with appropriately regulated expression of Rep, with the potential to greatly increase yield of recombinant proteins. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 81: 430-437, 2003.

  6. Insulated piggyBac vectors for insect transgenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Horn Carsten

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Germ-line transformation of insects is now a widely used method for analyzing gene function and for the development of genetically modified strains suitable for pest control programs. The most widely used transposable element for the germ-line transformation of insects is piggyBac. The site of integration of the transgene can influence gene expression due to the effects of nearby transcription enhancers or silent heterochromatic regions. Position effects can be minimized by flanking a transgene with insulator elements. The scs/scs' and gypsy insulators from Drosophila melanogaster as well as the chicken β-globin HS4 insulator function in both Drosophila and mammalian cells. Results To minimize position effects we have created a set of piggyBac transformation vectors that contain either the scs/scs', gypsy or chicken β-globin HS4 insulators. The vectors contain either fluorescent protein or eye color marker genes and have been successfully used for germ-line transformation of Drosophila melanogaster. A set of the scs/scs' vectors contains the coral reef fluorescent protein marker genes AmCyan, ZsGreen and DsRed that have not been optimized for translation in human cells. These marker genes are controlled by a combined GMR-3xP3 enhancer/promoter that gives particularly strong expression in the eyes. This is also the first report of the use of the ZsGreen and AmCyan reef fluorescent proteins as transformation markers in insects. Conclusion The insulated piggyBac vectors should protect transgenes against position effects and thus facilitate fine control of gene expression in a wide spectrum of insect species. These vectors may also be used for transgenesis in other invertebrate species.

  7. HEALTH BEHAVIOURS OF THE PERSONNEL OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ANKARA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serife AK

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available The main purpose of study is to define the health behaviour profile of the personnel of primary schools as well as to define the topics to be given priority in health education activities. The research population consisted of all personnel of 564 primary schools in Ankara province. The study group (30 schools was estimated by cluster sampling method. The Health Behaviours Questionnaire, which consists of 47 items on health behaviours and demographic characteristics, was used for data collection. In the study, 849 school workers (67,5% female were interviewed. Teachers constituted the largest group (82,3% while the cleaning staff (7.0%, school administrators (6.3%, and other personnel (4.4% were sharing the rest in small proportions. Of the study group 41,7 % are cigarette smokers and of them 67.3% smoke every time and 11,9% sometime in school. Very few school personnel (14,8% do physical exercise regularly. Majority of school personnel (71,3% stated that they brush their teeth at least twice a day regularly. However, only 23,7% of school personnel go to have regular dental control. All results were discussed in details considering the effects of health behaviours of school personnel on students, and some recommendations were developed for health education activities in schools. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2006; 5(2.000: 83-93

  8. Twin Support Vector Machine: A review from 2007 to 2014

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Divya Tomar

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Twin Support Vector Machine (TWSVM is an emerging machine learning method suitable for both classification and regression problems. It utilizes the concept of Generalized Eigen-values Proximal Support Vector Machine (GEPSVM and finds two non-parallel planes for each class by solving a pair of Quadratic Programming Problems. It enhances the computational speed as compared to the traditional Support Vector Machine (SVM. TWSVM was initially constructed to solve binary classification problems; later researchers successfully extended it for multi-class problem domain. TWSVM always gives promising empirical results, due to which it has many attractive features which enhance its applicability. This paper presents the research development of TWSVM in recent years. This study is divided into two main broad categories - variant based and multi-class based TWSVM methods. The paper primarily discusses the basic concept of TWSVM and highlights its applications in recent years. A comparative analysis of various research contributions based on TWSVM is also presented. This is helpful for researchers to effectively utilize the TWSVM as an emergent research methodology and encourage them to work further in the performance enhancement of TWSVM.

  9. Targeted Adenoviral Vector Demonstrates Enhanced Efficacy for In Vivo Gene Therapy of Uterine Leiomyoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelaziz, Mohamed; Sherif, Lotfy; ElKhiary, Mostafa; Nair, Sanjeeta; Shalaby, Shahinaz; Mohamed, Sara; Eziba, Noura; El-Lakany, Mohamed; Curiel, David; Ismail, Nahed; Diamond, Michael P; Al-Hendy, Ayman

    2016-04-01

    Gene therapy is a potentially effective non-surgical approach for the treatment of uterine leiomyoma. We demonstrated that targeted adenovirus vector, Ad-SSTR-RGD-TK/GCV, was highly effective in selectively inducing apoptosis and inhibiting proliferation of human leiomyoma cells in vitro while sparing normal myometrial cells. An in-vivo study, to compare efficacy and safety of modified adenovirus vector Ad-SSTR-RGD-TK/GCV versus untargeted vector for treatment of leiomyoma. Female nude mice were implanted with rat leiomyoma cells subcutaneously. Then mice were randomized into three groups. Group 1 received Ad-LacZ (marker gene), Group 2 received untargeted Ad-TK, and Group 3 received the targeted Ad-SSTR-RGD-TK. Tumors were measured weekly for 4 weeks. Then mice were sacrificed and tissue samples were collected. Evaluation of markers of apoptosis, proliferation, extracellular matrix, and angiogenesis was performed using Western Blot & Immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was done using ANOVA. Dissemination of adenovirus was assessed by PCR. In comparison with the untargeted vector, the targeted adenoviral vector significantly shrank leiomyoma size (P leiomyoma lesions with both targeted and untargeted adenovirus. Targeted adenovirus, effectively reduces tumor size in leiomyoma without dissemination to other organs. Further evaluation of this localized targeted strategy for gene therapy is needed in appropriate preclinical humanoid animal models in preparation for a future pilot human trial. © The Author(s) 2016.

  10. Vector Higgs-portal dark matter and the invisible Higgs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebedev, Oleg; Lee, Hyun Min; Mambrini, Yann

    2011-11-01

    The Higgs sector of the Standard Model offers a unique probe of the hidden sector. In this work, we explore the possibility of renormalizable Higgs couplings to the hidden sector vector fields which can constitute dark matter (DM). Abelian gauge sectors with minimal field content, necessary to render the gauge fields massive, have a natural Z 2 parity. This symmetry ensures stability of the vector fields making them viable dark matter candidates, while evading the usual electroweak constraints. We illustrate this idea with the Stueckelberg and Higgs mechanisms. Vector DM is consistent with the WMAP, XENON100, and LHC constraints, while it can affect significantly the invisible Higgs decay. Due to the enhanced branching ratio for the Higgs decay into the longitudinal components of the vector field, the vector Higgs portal provides an efficient way to hide the Higgs at the LHC. This could be the reason why the latest combined ATLAS/CMS data did not bring evidence for the existence of the Higgs boson. (orig.)

  11. Vector Higgs portal dark matter and the invisible Higgs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebedev, Oleg; Lee, Hyun Min; Mambrini, Yann

    2012-01-01

    The Higgs sector of the Standard Model offers a unique probe of the hidden sector. In this work, we explore the possibility of renormalizable Higgs couplings to the hidden sector vector fields which can constitute dark matter (DM). Abelian gauge sectors with minimal field content, necessary to render the gauge fields massive, have a natural Z 2 parity. This symmetry ensures stability of the vector fields making them viable dark matter candidates, while evading the usual electroweak constraints. We illustrate this idea with the Stückelberg and Higgs mechanisms. Vector DM is consistent with the WMAP, XENON100, and LHC constraints, while it can affect significantly the invisible Higgs decay. Due to the enhanced branching ratio for the Higgs decay into the longitudinal components of the vector field, the vector Higgs portal provides an efficient way to hide the Higgs at the LHC. This could be the reason why the latest combined ATLAS/CMS data did not bring evidence for the existence of the Higgs boson.

  12. Vector Higgs-portal dark matter and the invisible Higgs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lebedev, Oleg [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Lee, Hyun Min [European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Mambrini, Yann [Paris-Sud Univ., 91 - Orsay (France). Lab. de Physique Theorique

    2011-11-15

    The Higgs sector of the Standard Model offers a unique probe of the hidden sector. In this work, we explore the possibility of renormalizable Higgs couplings to the hidden sector vector fields which can constitute dark matter (DM). Abelian gauge sectors with minimal field content, necessary to render the gauge fields massive, have a natural Z{sub 2} parity. This symmetry ensures stability of the vector fields making them viable dark matter candidates, while evading the usual electroweak constraints. We illustrate this idea with the Stueckelberg and Higgs mechanisms. Vector DM is consistent with the WMAP, XENON100, and LHC constraints, while it can affect significantly the invisible Higgs decay. Due to the enhanced branching ratio for the Higgs decay into the longitudinal components of the vector field, the vector Higgs portal provides an efficient way to hide the Higgs at the LHC. This could be the reason why the latest combined ATLAS/CMS data did not bring evidence for the existence of the Higgs boson. (orig.)

  13. Polarization Control with Plasmonic Antenna Tips: A Universal Approach to Optical Nanocrystallography and Vector-Field Imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Kyoung-Duck; Raschke, Markus B.

    2018-05-01

    Controlling the propagation and polarization vectors in linear and nonlinear optical spectroscopy enables to probe the anisotropy of optical responses providing structural symmetry selective contrast in optical imaging. Here we present a novel tilted antenna-tip approach to control the optical vector-field by breaking the axial symmetry of the nano-probe in tip-enhanced near-field microscopy. This gives rise to a localized plasmonic antenna effect with significantly enhanced optical field vectors with control of both \\textit{in-plane} and \\textit{out-of-plane} components. We use the resulting vector-field specificity in the symmetry selective nonlinear optical response of second-harmonic generation (SHG) for a generalized approach to optical nano-crystallography and -imaging. In tip-enhanced SHG imaging of monolayer MoS$_2$ films and single-crystalline ferroelectric YMnO$_3$, we reveal nano-crystallographic details of domain boundaries and domain topology with enhanced sensitivity and nanoscale spatial resolution. The approach is applicable to any anisotropic linear and nonlinear optical response, and provides for optical nano-crystallographic imaging of molecular or quantum materials.

  14. On-going research projects at Ankara Nuclear research center in agriculture and animal science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tukenmez, I.

    2004-01-01

    Full text:The research and development activities of Ankara Nuclear Research Center in Agriculture and Animal Science(ANRCAA) are concentrated on the contribution of atomic energy to peace by the use of nuclear and related techniques in food, agriculture and animal science. Nuclear techniques are used in the above fields in two ways: in vitro or in vivo radio tracing the substances and processes of biological importance, and irradiation of biological materials for preservation and quality modification. Research projects are carried out by interdisciplinary studies with well equipped laboratories at the Center. The projects in progress conducted by the Center comprises nuclear-aided researches in soil fertility, plant nutrition, plant protection, improvement of field crops, improvement of horticultural plants and forest trees by mutation breeding, in vitro culture technique with mutagen treatments, use of phosphogypsum in soil amelioration, sterilization of medical supplies, wastewater treatment, animal nutrition, animal health and productivity and accreditation. The on-going projects with the above subjects will be summarized for possible collaborations

  15. On-going research projects at Ankara Nuclear Research Center in Agriculture and Animal Science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tukenmez, I.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: The research and development activities of Ankara Nuclear Research Center in Agriculture and Animal Science(ANRCAA) are concentrated on the contribution of atomic energy to peace by the use of nuclear and related techniques in food, agriculture and animal science. Nuclear techniques are used in the above fields in two ways: in vitro or in vivo radio tracing the substances and processes of biological importance, and irradiation of biological materials for preservation and quality modification. Research projects are carried out by interdisciplinary studies with well equipped laboratories at the Center. The projects in progress conducted by the Center comprises nuclear-aided researches in soil fertility, plant nutrition, plant protection, improvement of field crops, improvement of horticultural plants and forest trees by mutation breeding, in vitro culture technique with mutagen treatments, use of phosphogypsum in soil amelioration, sterilization of medical supplies, wastewater treatment, animal nutrition, animal health and productivity and accreditation. The on-going projects with the above subjects will be summarized for possible collaborations

  16. Environmental and psychosocial factors affecting seat belt use among Turkish front-seat occupants in Ankara: two observation studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simşekoğlu, Ozlem; Lajunen, Timo

    2008-01-01

    Low seat belt use rate among car occupants is one of the main problems contributing to low driver and passenger safety in Turkey, where injury and fatality rates of car occupants are very high in traffic crashes. The present article consists of two observation studies, which were conducted in Ankara. The first study aimed at investigating environmental factors and occupant characteristics affecting seat belt use among front-seat occupants, and the objective of the second study was to investigate the relationship between driver and front-seat passenger seat belt use. In the first study, 4, 227 front-seat occupants (drivers or front seat passengers) were observed on four different road sides and, in the second study 1, 398 front seat occupants were observed in car parks of five different shopping centers in Ankara. In both observations, front-seat occupants' seat bet use (yes, no), sex (male, female), and age ( 50 years) were recorded. The data were analyzed using chi-square statistics and binary logistic regression techniques. Results of the first study showed that seat belt use proportion among observed front seat occupants was very low (25%). Being female and traveling on intercity roads were two main factors positively related to use a seat belt among front-seat occupants. High correlations between seat belt use of the drivers and front-seat passengers were found in the second study. Overall, low seat belt use rate (25%) among the front-seat occupants should be increased urgently for an improved driver and passenger safety in Turkey. Seat belt campaigns especially tailored for male front-seat occupants and for the front-seat occupants traveling on city roads are needed to increase seat belt use rates among them. Also, both drivers and passengers may have an important role in enforcing seat belt use among themselves.

  17. Polycentric Development for Sustainable Cities: An Evaluation for the Ankara Metropolitan Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Aydan Sat

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Urban population growth and the accompanying urban growth and expansion are seen as the main problems of metropolitan cities; this keeps the issues of how to consider the social, economic, spatial and environmental dimensions of cities within the framework of a concept of sustainability, and how to shape cities within this context, on the agenda. In today’s world, cities are accepted as the main hubs of energy consumption and environmental pollution, as centers of capital, culture and innovation, and as the places of residence of millions of people. Expanding and sprawling urban forms are seen as unsustainable in terms of land use, energy and the consumption of environmental resources. Thus, the question ‘How should the urban development model be applied to create sustainable cities?’ is on the agenda of theorists, politicians and practitioners alike. Taking these discussions into consideration, this study searches for an answer to the question of whether the polycentric urban development model can be used as a tool for sustainable cities by taking into account the current literature and practices, and evaluating the case of the Ankara metropolitan area.

  18. Direct numerical simulation of vector-controlled free jets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsujimoto, K; Ao, K; Shakouchi, T; Ando, T

    2011-01-01

    We conduct DNS (direct numerical simulation) of vector controlled free jets. The inflow velocity of jet is periodically oscillated perpendicular to the jet axis. In order to realize the high accurate computation, a discretization in space is performed with hybrid scheme in which Fourier spectral and 6th order compact scheme are adopted. From visualized instantaneous vortex structures, it is found that the flow pattern considerably changes according to the oscillating frequency, i.e., according to the increasing the frequency, wave, bifurcating and flapping modes appear in turn. In order to quantify mixing efficiency under the vector control, as the mixing measure, statistical entropy is investigated. Compared to the uncontrolled jet, the mixing efficiency is improved in order of wavy, flapping and bifurcating modes. Thus the vector control can be expected for the improvement of mixing efficiency. Further to make clear the reason for the mixing enhancement, Snapshot POD and DMD method are applied. The primary flow structures under the vector control are demonstrated.

  19. Improving Dengue Virus Capture Rates in Humans and Vectors in Kamphaeng Phet Province, Thailand, Using an Enhanced Spatiotemporal Surveillance Strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Stephen J.; Aldstadt, Jared; Jarman, Richard G.; Buddhari, Darunee; Yoon, In-Kyu; Richardson, Jason H.; Ponlawat, Alongkot; Iamsirithaworn, Sopon; Scott, Thomas W.; Rothman, Alan L.; Gibbons, Robert V.; Lambrechts, Louis; Endy, Timothy P.

    2015-01-01

    Dengue is of public health importance in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Dengue virus (DENV) transmission dynamics was studied in Kamphaeng Phet Province, Thailand, using an enhanced spatiotemporal surveillance of 93 hospitalized subjects with confirmed dengue (initiates) and associated cluster individuals (associates) with entomologic sampling. A total of 438 associates were enrolled from 208 houses with household members with a history of fever, located within a 200-m radius of an initiate case. Of 409 associates, 86 (21%) had laboratory-confirmed DENV infection. A total of 63 (1.8%) of the 3,565 mosquitoes collected were dengue polymerase chain reaction positive (PCR+). There was a significant relationship between spatial proximity to the initiate case and likelihood of detecting DENV from associate cases and Aedes mosquitoes. The viral detection rate from human hosts and mosquito vectors in this study was higher than previously observed by the study team in the same geographic area using different methodologies. We propose that the sampling strategy used in this study could support surveillance of DENV transmission and vector interactions. PMID:25986580

  20. Water utilization of vegetables grown under plastic greenhouse conditions in Ankara using neutron probe technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Halitligil, M.B.; Kislal, H.; Sirin, H.; Sirin, C.; Kilicaslan, A.

    2004-01-01

    In order to find suitable varieties of tomato, pepper and cucumber for plastic greenhouse conditions in Ankara and ensure both higher yields and lower NO 3 leaching greenhouse experiments were conducted for three years. In the first year (2001) of the experiment four different varieties from each vegetable, namely, Tomato (Ecem F 1 , 9920 F 1 , 2116 F 1 and Yazg1 F 1 ), Cucumber (Hizir F 1 , Rapido, Hana, and Luna) and Pepper (1245 F 1 , 730 F 1 , Serademre 8 and 710 F 1 ) had been grown in the plastic greenhouse using drip irrigation-fertilization system. Yazg1 F 1 variety for tomato, Hizir F 1 variety for cucumber and Serademre 8 variety for pepper were chosen to be suitable varieties to grow in the plastic greenhouse conditions in Ankara. One access tube in each N 3 and N 0 treatment plots of tomato, cucumber and pepper in 2002 and 2003 experiments were installed for the soil moisture determinations at 30, 60 and 90 cm depths. Readings with the neutron probe were taken before planting and after harvest for the water consumption calculations using the water balance approach and the WUE was calculated on the basis of the ratio of dry matter weight to the amount of water consumed. Tensiometer and suction cups were installed at 15, 30, 45 and 60 cm depths only to N 1 , N 2 and N 3 treatments plots of each vegetable in 2002 and 2003. Tensiometer readings were taken just before irrigation. Also, soil solution samples from suction cups were taken at final harvest and NO 3 determinations were done with RQFLEX nitrate test strips. Significantly higher yields and WUE values were obtained when the same amount of N fertilizer is applied through fertigation compared to the treatment where N fertilizer applied to the soil then drip irrigated. The nitrate concentrations of the soil solution increased as the N rates increased and no NO 3 had been found in the soil solution taken from 75 cm soil depth, indicating that no leaching of N fertilizer occurred beyond 75 cm soil depth

  1. Water utilization of vegetables grown under plastic greenhouse conditions in Ankara using neutron probe technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Halitligil, M.B.; Kislal, H.; Sirin, H.; Sirin, C.; Kilicaslan, A.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: In order to find suitable varieties of tomato, pepper and cucumber for plastic greenhouse conditions in Ankara and ensure both higher yields and lower NO 3 leaching greenhouse experiments were conducted for three years. In the first year (2001) of the experiment four different varieties from each vegetable, namely, Tomato (Ecem F 1 , 9920 F 1 , 2116 F 1 and Yazg1 F 1 ), Cucumber (Hizir F 1 , Rapido, Hana, and Luna) and Pepper (1245 F 1 , 730 F 1 , Serademre 8 and 710 F 1 ) had been grown in the plastic greenhouse using drip irrigation-fertiligation system. Yazg1 F 1 variety for tomato, Hizir F 1 variety for cucumber and Serademre 8 variety for pepper were chosen to be suitable varieties to grow in the plastic greenhouse conditions in Ankara. One access tube in each N 3 and N 0 treatment plots of tomato, cucumber and pepper in 2002 and 2003 experiments were installed for the soil moisture determinations at 30, 60 and 90 cm depths. Readings with the neutron probe were taken before planting and after harvest for the water consumption calculations using the water balance approach and the WUE was calculated on the basis of the ratio of dry matter weight to the amount of water consumed. Tensiometer and suction cups were installed at 15, 30, 45 and 60 cm depths only to N 1 , N 2 and N 3 treatments plots of each vegetable in 2002 and 2003. Tensiometer readings were taken just before irrigation. Also, soil solution samples from suction cups were taken at final harvest and NO 3 determinations were done with RQFLEX nitrate test strips. Significantly higher yields and WUE values were obtained when the same amount of N fertilizer is applied through fertigation compared to the treatment where N fertilizer applied to the soil then drip irrigated. The nitrate concentrations of the soil solution increased as the N rates increased and no NO 3 had been found in the soil solution taken from 75 cm soil depth, indicating that no leaching of N fertilizer occurred beyond 75 cm

  2. Emerging Vector-Borne Diseases - Incidence through Vectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savić, Sara; Vidić, Branka; Grgić, Zivoslav; Potkonjak, Aleksandar; Spasojevic, Ljubica

    2014-01-01

    Vector-borne diseases use to be a major public health concern only in tropical and subtropical areas, but today they are an emerging threat for the continental and developed countries also. Nowadays, in intercontinental countries, there is a struggle with emerging diseases, which have found their way to appear through vectors. Vector-borne zoonotic diseases occur when vectors, animal hosts, climate conditions, pathogens, and susceptible human population exist at the same time, at the same place. Global climate change is predicted to lead to an increase in vector-borne infectious diseases and disease outbreaks. It could affect the range and population of pathogens, host and vectors, transmission season, etc. Reliable surveillance for diseases that are most likely to emerge is required. Canine vector-borne diseases represent a complex group of diseases including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, bartonellosis, borreliosis, dirofilariosis, ehrlichiosis, and leishmaniosis. Some of these diseases cause serious clinical symptoms in dogs and some of them have a zoonotic potential with an effect to public health. It is expected from veterinarians in coordination with medical doctors to play a fundamental role at primarily prevention and then treatment of vector-borne diseases in dogs. The One Health concept has to be integrated into the struggle against emerging diseases. During a 4-year period, from 2009 to 2013, a total number of 551 dog samples were analyzed for vector-borne diseases (borreliosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, dirofilariosis, and leishmaniasis) in routine laboratory work. The analysis was done by serological tests - ELISA for borreliosis, dirofilariosis, and leishmaniasis, modified Knott test for dirofilariosis, and blood smear for babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis. This number of samples represented 75% of total number of samples that were sent for analysis for different diseases in dogs. Annually, on average more then half of the samples

  3. Modified montmorillonite as vector for gene delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Feng-Huei; Chen, Chia-Hao; Cheng, Winston T K; Kuo, Tzang-Fu

    2006-06-01

    Currently, gene delivery systems can be divided into two parts: viral or non-viral vectors. In general, viral vectors have a higher efficiency on gene delivery. However, they may sometimes provoke mutagenesis and carcinogenesis once re-activating in human body. Lots of non-viral vectors have been developed that tried to solve the problems happened on viral vectors. Unfortunately, most of non-viral vectors showed relatively lower transfection rate. The aim of this study is to develop a non-viral vector for gene delivery system. Montmorillonite (MMT) is one of clay minerals that consist of hydrated aluminum with Si-O tetrahedrons on the bottom of the layer and Al-O(OH)2 octahedrons on the top. The inter-layer space is about 12 A. The room is not enough to accommodate DNA for gene delivery. In the study, the cationic hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) will be intercalated into the interlayer of MMT as a layer expander to expand the layer space for DNA accommodation. The optimal condition for the preparation of DNA-HDTMA-MMT is as follows: 1 mg of 1.5CEC HDTMA-MMT was prepared under pH value of 10.7 and with soaking time for 2 h. The DNA molecules can be protected from nuclease degradation, which can be proven by the electrophoresis analysis. DNA was successfully transfected into the nucleus of human dermal fibroblast and expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene with green fluorescence emission. The HDTMA-MMT has a great potential as a vector for gene delivery in the future.

  4. Vector analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Newell, Homer E

    2006-01-01

    When employed with skill and understanding, vector analysis can be a practical and powerful tool. This text develops the algebra and calculus of vectors in a manner useful to physicists and engineers. Numerous exercises (with answers) not only provide practice in manipulation but also help establish students' physical and geometric intuition in regard to vectors and vector concepts.Part I, the basic portion of the text, consists of a thorough treatment of vector algebra and the vector calculus. Part II presents the illustrative matter, demonstrating applications to kinematics, mechanics, and e

  5. Microneedle-mediated immunization of an adenovirus-based malaria vaccine enhances antigen-specific antibody immunity and reduces anti-vector responses compared to the intradermal route.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carey, John B; Vrdoljak, Anto; O'Mahony, Conor; Hill, Adrian V S; Draper, Simon J; Moore, Anne C

    2014-08-21

    Substantial effort has been placed in developing efficacious recombinant attenuated adenovirus-based vaccines. However induction of immunity to the vector is a significant obstacle to its repeated use. Here we demonstrate that skin-based delivery of an adenovirus-based malaria vaccine, HAdV5-PyMSP1₄₂, to mice using silicon microneedles induces equivalent or enhanced antibody responses to the encoded antigen, however it results in decreased anti-vector responses, compared to intradermal delivery. Microneedle-mediated vaccine priming and resultant induction of low anti-vector antibody titres permitted repeated use of the same adenovirus vaccine vector. This resulted in significantly increased antigen-specific antibody responses in these mice compared to ID-treated mice. Boosting with a heterologous vaccine; MVA-PyMSP1₄₂ also resulted in significantly greater antibody responses in mice primed with HAdV5-PyMSP1₄₂ using MN compared to the ID route. The highest protection against blood-stage malaria challenge was observed when a heterologous route of immunization (MN/ID) was used. Therefore, microneedle-mediated immunization has potential to both overcome some of the logistic obstacles surrounding needle-and-syringe-based immunization as well as to facilitate the repeated use of the same adenovirus vaccine thereby potentially reducing manufacturing costs of multiple vaccines. This could have important benefits in the clinical ease of use of adenovirus-based immunization strategies.

  6. Microneedle-mediated immunization of an adenovirus-based malaria vaccine enhances antigen-specific antibody immunity and reduces anti-vector responses compared to the intradermal route

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carey, John B.; Vrdoljak, Anto; O'Mahony, Conor; Hill, Adrian V. S.; Draper, Simon J.; Moore, Anne C.

    2014-01-01

    Substantial effort has been placed in developing efficacious recombinant attenuated adenovirus-based vaccines. However induction of immunity to the vector is a significant obstacle to its repeated use. Here we demonstrate that skin-based delivery of an adenovirus-based malaria vaccine, HAdV5-PyMSP142, to mice using silicon microneedles induces equivalent or enhanced antibody responses to the encoded antigen, however it results in decreased anti-vector responses, compared to intradermal delivery. Microneedle-mediated vaccine priming and resultant induction of low anti-vector antibody titres permitted repeated use of the same adenovirus vaccine vector. This resulted in significantly increased antigen-specific antibody responses in these mice compared to ID-treated mice. Boosting with a heterologous vaccine; MVA-PyMSP142 also resulted in significantly greater antibody responses in mice primed with HAdV5-PyMSP142 using MN compared to the ID route. The highest protection against blood-stage malaria challenge was observed when a heterologous route of immunization (MN/ID) was used. Therefore, microneedle-mediated immunization has potential to both overcome some of the logistic obstacles surrounding needle-and-syringe-based immunization as well as to facilitate the repeated use of the same adenovirus vaccine thereby potentially reducing manufacturing costs of multiple vaccines. This could have important benefits in the clinical ease of use of adenovirus-based immunization strategies. PMID:25142082

  7. Vector-Tensor and Vector-Vector Decay Amplitude Analysis of B0→φK*0

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aubert, B.; Bona, M.; Boutigny, D.; Couderc, F.; Karyotakis, Y.; Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Tisserand, V.; Zghiche, A.; Grauges, E.; Palano, A.; Chen, J. C.; Qi, N. D.; Rong, G.; Wang, P.; Zhu, Y. S.; Eigen, G.; Ofte, I.; Stugu, B.; Abrams, G. S.

    2007-01-01

    We perform an amplitude analysis of the decays B 0 →φK 2 * (1430) 0 , φK * (892) 0 , and φ(Kπ) S-wave 0 with a sample of about 384x10 6 BB pairs recorded with the BABAR detector. The fractions of longitudinal polarization f L of the vector-tensor and vector-vector decay modes are measured to be 0.853 -0.069 +0.061 ±0.036 and 0.506±0.040±0.015, respectively. Overall, twelve parameters are measured for the vector-vector decay and seven parameters for the vector-tensor decay, including the branching fractions and parameters sensitive to CP violation

  8. Fault Diagnosis for Distribution Networks Using Enhanced Support Vector Machine Classifier with Classical Multidimensional Scaling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming-Yuan Cho

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a new fault diagnosis techniques based on time domain reflectometry (TDR method with pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS stimulus and support vector machine (SVM classifier has been investigated to recognize the different types of fault in the radial distribution feeders. This novel technique has considered the amplitude of reflected signals and the peaks of cross-correlation (CCR between the reflected and incident wave for generating fault current dataset for SVM. Furthermore, this multi-layer enhanced SVM classifier is combined with classical multidimensional scaling (CMDS feature extraction algorithm and kernel parameter optimization to increase training speed and improve overall classification accuracy. The proposed technique has been tested on a radial distribution feeder to identify ten different types of fault considering 12 input features generated by using Simulink software and MATLAB Toolbox. The success rate of SVM classifier is over 95% which demonstrates the effectiveness and the high accuracy of proposed method.

  9. About vectors

    CERN Document Server

    Hoffmann, Banesh

    1975-01-01

    From his unusual beginning in ""Defining a vector"" to his final comments on ""What then is a vector?"" author Banesh Hoffmann has written a book that is provocative and unconventional. In his emphasis on the unresolved issue of defining a vector, Hoffmann mixes pure and applied mathematics without using calculus. The result is a treatment that can serve as a supplement and corrective to textbooks, as well as collateral reading in all courses that deal with vectors. Major topics include vectors and the parallelogram law; algebraic notation and basic ideas; vector algebra; scalars and scalar p

  10. Vectors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boeriis, Morten; van Leeuwen, Theo

    2017-01-01

    should be taken into account in discussing ‘reactions’, which Kress and van Leeuwen link only to eyeline vectors. Finally, the question can be raised as to whether actions are always realized by vectors. Drawing on a re-reading of Rudolf Arnheim’s account of vectors, these issues are outlined......This article revisits the concept of vectors, which, in Kress and van Leeuwen’s Reading Images (2006), plays a crucial role in distinguishing between ‘narrative’, action-oriented processes and ‘conceptual’, state-oriented processes. The use of this concept in image analysis has usually focused...

  11. Vector regression introduced

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mok Tik

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This study formulates regression of vector data that will enable statistical analysis of various geodetic phenomena such as, polar motion, ocean currents, typhoon/hurricane tracking, crustal deformations, and precursory earthquake signals. The observed vector variable of an event (dependent vector variable is expressed as a function of a number of hypothesized phenomena realized also as vector variables (independent vector variables and/or scalar variables that are likely to impact the dependent vector variable. The proposed representation has the unique property of solving the coefficients of independent vector variables (explanatory variables also as vectors, hence it supersedes multivariate multiple regression models, in which the unknown coefficients are scalar quantities. For the solution, complex numbers are used to rep- resent vector information, and the method of least squares is deployed to estimate the vector model parameters after transforming the complex vector regression model into a real vector regression model through isomorphism. Various operational statistics for testing the predictive significance of the estimated vector parameter coefficients are also derived. A simple numerical example demonstrates the use of the proposed vector regression analysis in modeling typhoon paths.

  12. A Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Vectored by a Stable Chimeric and Replication-Deficient Sendai Virus Protects Mice without Inducing Enhanced Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiegand, Marian Alexander; Gori-Savellini, Gianni; Gandolfo, Claudia; Papa, Guido; Kaufmann, Christine; Felder, Eva; Ginori, Alessandro; Disanto, Maria Giulia; Spina, Donatella; Cusi, Maria Grazia

    2017-05-15

    Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of severe respiratory infections in children and elderly people, and no marketed vaccine exists. In this study, we generated and analyzed a subunit vaccine against RSV based on a novel genome replication-deficient Sendai virus (SeV) vector. We inserted the RSV F protein, known to be a genetically stable antigen, into our vector in a specific way to optimize the vaccine features. By exchanging the ectodomain of the SeV F protein for its counterpart from RSV, we created a chimeric vectored vaccine that contains the RSV F protein as an essential structural component. In this way, the antigen is actively expressed on the surfaces of vaccine particles in its prefusion conformation, and as recently reported for other vectored vaccines, the occurrence of silencing mutations of the transgene in the vaccine genome can be prevented. In addition, its active gene expression contributes to further stimulation of the immune response. In order to understand the best route of immunization, we compared vaccine efficacies after intranasal (i.n.) or intramuscular (i.m.) immunization of BALB/c mice. Via both routes, substantial RSV-specific immune responses were induced, consisting of serum IgG and neutralizing antibodies, as well as cytotoxic T cells. Moreover, i.n. immunization was also able to stimulate specific mucosal IgA in the upper and lower respiratory tract. In virus challenge experiments, animals were protected against RSV infection after both i.n. and i.m. immunization without inducing vaccine-enhanced disease. Above all, the replication-deficient SeV appeared to be safe and well tolerated. IMPORTANCE Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory diseases in young children and elderly people worldwide. There is a great demand for a licensed vaccine. Promising existing vaccine approaches based on live-attenuated vaccines or viral vectors have suffered from unforeseen drawbacks related to immunogenicity

  13. The Use of Alternate Ligno-cellulosic Raw Materials Banana (Musa sapientum) Ankara (Calotropis procera ) and Pineapple (Ananas comosus ) in Handmade Paper & their Blending with Waste Paper.

    OpenAIRE

    Atul Kumar

    2013-01-01

    The studies were made to established suitability of lingo-cellulosic raw materials namely leaf fibreBanana (Musa Sapientum), bast fibre Ankara (Calotropis Procera), & leaf fibre Pineapple (Ananas Comosus) for making pulps for handmade paper industry. This should help in providing a cost effective, good quality cellulosic raw material as an alternate to cost prohibitive traditionally used cotton hosiery waste traditionally used for manufacturing good quality handmade paper & it’s products. Th...

  14. Enhancing Attraction of African Malaria Vectors to a Synthetic Odor Blend

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mweresa, Collins K.; Mukabana, Wolfgang R.; Omusula, Philemon; Otieno, Bruno; Loon, van Joop J.A.; Takken, Willem

    2016-01-01

    The deployment of odor-baited tools for sampling and controlling malaria vectors is limited by a lack of potent synthetic mosquito attractants. A synthetic mixture of chemical compounds referred to as “the Mbita blend” (MB) was shown to attract as many host-seeking malaria mosquitoes as attracted

  15. Non-Replicating Adenovirus-Vectored Anthrax Vaccine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Kampen, K. R.; Zhang, J.; Jex, E.; Tang, D. C.

    2007-01-01

    As bioterrorism is emerging as a national threat, it is urgent to develop a new generation of anthrax vaccines that can be rapidly produced and mass administered in an emergency setting. We have demonstrated that protective immunity against anthrax spores could be elicited in mice by intranasal administration of a non-replicating human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5)-derived vector encoding Bacillus anthracis protective antigen (PA) in a single-dose regimen. The potency of an Ad5 vector encoding PA was remarkably enhanced by codon optimization of the PA gene to match the tRNA pool found in human cells. This nasal vaccine can be mass-administered by non-medical personnel during a bioterrorist attack. In addition, replication-competent adenovirus (RCA)-free Ad5-vectored anthrax vaccines can be mass produced in PER.C6 cells in serum-free wave bioreactors and purified by column chromatography to meet a surge in demand. The non-replicating nature of this new generation of anthrax vaccine ensures an excellent safety profile for vaccines and the environment.(author)

  16. Image superresolution using support vector regression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni, Karl S; Nguyen, Truong Q

    2007-06-01

    A thorough investigation of the application of support vector regression (SVR) to the superresolution problem is conducted through various frameworks. Prior to the study, the SVR problem is enhanced by finding the optimal kernel. This is done by formulating the kernel learning problem in SVR form as a convex optimization problem, specifically a semi-definite programming (SDP) problem. An additional constraint is added to reduce the SDP to a quadratically constrained quadratic programming (QCQP) problem. After this optimization, investigation of the relevancy of SVR to superresolution proceeds with the possibility of using a single and general support vector regression for all image content, and the results are impressive for small training sets. This idea is improved upon by observing structural properties in the discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain to aid in learning the regression. Further improvement involves a combination of classification and SVR-based techniques, extending works in resolution synthesis. This method, termed kernel resolution synthesis, uses specific regressors for isolated image content to describe the domain through a partitioned look of the vector space, thereby yielding good results.

  17. Phase I safety and immunogenicity evaluation of MVA-CMDR, a multigenic, recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara-HIV-1 vaccine candidate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Currier, Jeffrey R; Ngauy, Viseth; de Souza, Mark S; Ratto-Kim, Silvia; Cox, Josephine H; Polonis, Victoria R; Earl, Patricia; Moss, Bernard; Peel, Sheila; Slike, Bonnie; Sriplienchan, Somchai; Thongcharoen, Prasert; Paris, Robert M; Robb, Merlin L; Kim, Jerome; Michael, Nelson L; Marovich, Mary A

    2010-11-15

    We conducted a Phase I randomized, dose-escalation, route-comparison trial of MVA-CMDR, a candidate HIV-1 vaccine based on a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara viral vector expressing HIV-1 genes env/gag/pol. The HIV sequences were derived from circulating recombinant form CRF01_AE, which predominates in Thailand. The objective was to evaluate safety and immunogenicity of MVA-CMDR in human volunteers in the US and Thailand. MVA-CMDR or placebo was administered intra-muscularly (IM; 10(7) or 10(8) pfu) or intradermally (ID; 10(6) or 10(7) pfu) at months 0, 1 and 3, to 48 healthy volunteers at low risk for HIV-1 infection. Twelve volunteers in each dosage group were randomized to receive MVA-CMDR or placebo (10∶2). Volunteers were actively monitored for local and systemic reactogenicity and adverse events post vaccination. Cellular immunogenicity was assessed by a validated IFNγ Elispot assay, an intracellular cytokine staining assay, lymphocyte proliferation and a (51)Cr-release assay. Humoral immunogenicity was assessed by ADCC for gp120 and binding antibody ELISAs for gp120 and p24. MVA-CMDR was safe and well tolerated with no vaccine related serious adverse events. Cell-mediated immune responses were: (i) moderate in magnitude (median IFNγ Elispot of 78 SFC/10(6) PBMC at 10(8) pfu IM), but high in response rate (70% (51)Cr-release positive; 90% Elispot positive; 100% ICS positive, at 10(8) pfu IM); (ii) predominantly HIV Env-specific CD4(+) T cells, with a high proliferative capacity and durable for at least 6 months (100% LPA response rate by the IM route); (iv) dose- and route-dependent with 10(8) pfu IM being the most immunogenic treatment. Binding antibodies against gp120 and p24 were detectable in all vaccination groups with ADCC capacity detectable at the highest dose (40% positive at 10(8) pfu IM). MVA-CMDR delivered both intramuscularly and intradermally was safe, well-tolerated and elicited durable cell-mediated and humoral immune responses

  18. Phase I safety and immunogenicity evaluation of MVA-CMDR, a multigenic, recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara-HIV-1 vaccine candidate.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey R Currier

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available We conducted a Phase I randomized, dose-escalation, route-comparison trial of MVA-CMDR, a candidate HIV-1 vaccine based on a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara viral vector expressing HIV-1 genes env/gag/pol. The HIV sequences were derived from circulating recombinant form CRF01_AE, which predominates in Thailand. The objective was to evaluate safety and immunogenicity of MVA-CMDR in human volunteers in the US and Thailand.MVA-CMDR or placebo was administered intra-muscularly (IM; 10(7 or 10(8 pfu or intradermally (ID; 10(6 or 10(7 pfu at months 0, 1 and 3, to 48 healthy volunteers at low risk for HIV-1 infection. Twelve volunteers in each dosage group were randomized to receive MVA-CMDR or placebo (10∶2. Volunteers were actively monitored for local and systemic reactogenicity and adverse events post vaccination. Cellular immunogenicity was assessed by a validated IFNγ Elispot assay, an intracellular cytokine staining assay, lymphocyte proliferation and a (51Cr-release assay. Humoral immunogenicity was assessed by ADCC for gp120 and binding antibody ELISAs for gp120 and p24. MVA-CMDR was safe and well tolerated with no vaccine related serious adverse events. Cell-mediated immune responses were: (i moderate in magnitude (median IFNγ Elispot of 78 SFC/10(6 PBMC at 10(8 pfu IM, but high in response rate (70% (51Cr-release positive; 90% Elispot positive; 100% ICS positive, at 10(8 pfu IM; (ii predominantly HIV Env-specific CD4(+ T cells, with a high proliferative capacity and durable for at least 6 months (100% LPA response rate by the IM route; (iv dose- and route-dependent with 10(8 pfu IM being the most immunogenic treatment. Binding antibodies against gp120 and p24 were detectable in all vaccination groups with ADCC capacity detectable at the highest dose (40% positive at 10(8 pfu IM.MVA-CMDR delivered both intramuscularly and intradermally was safe, well-tolerated and elicited durable cell-mediated and humoral immune responses

  19. A comparative analysis of constitutive promoters located in adeno-associated viral vectors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lkhagvasuren Damdindorj

    Full Text Available The properties of constitutive promoters within adeno-associated viral (AAV vectors have not yet been fully characterized. In this study, AAV vectors, in which enhanced GFP expression was directed by one of the six constitutive promoters (human β-actin, human elongation factor-1α, chicken β-actin combined with cytomegalovirus early enhancer, cytomegalovirus (CMV, simian virus 40, and herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase, were constructed and introduced into the HCT116, DLD-1, HT-1080, and MCF-10A cell lines. Quantification of GFP signals in infected cells demonstrated that the CMV promoter produced the highest GFP expression in the six promoters and maintained relatively high GFP expression for up to eight weeks after infection of HCT116, DLD-1, and HT-1080. Exogenous human CDKN2A gene expression was also introduced into DLD-1 and MCF-10A in a similar pattern by using AAV vectors bearing the human β-actin and the CMV promoters. The six constitutive promoters were subsequently placed upstream of the neomycin resistance gene within AAV vectors, and HCT116, DLD-1, and HT-1080 were infected with the resulting vectors. Of the six promoters, the CMV promoter produced the largest number of G418-resistant colonies in all three cell lines. Because AAV vectors have been frequently used as a platform to construct targeting vectors that permit gene editing in human cell lines, we lastly infected the three cell lines with AAV-based targeting vectors against the human PIGA gene in which one of the six promoters regulate the neomycin resistance gene. This assay revealed that the CMV promoter led to the lowest PIGA gene targeting efficiency in the investigated promoters. These results provide a clue to the identification of constitutive promoters suitable to express exogenous genes with AAV vectors, as well as those helpful to conduct efficient gene targeting using AAV-based targeting vectors in human cell lines.

  20. Kochen-Specker vectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavicic, Mladen; Merlet, Jean-Pierre; McKay, Brendan; Megill, Norman D

    2005-01-01

    We give a constructive and exhaustive definition of Kochen-Specker (KS) vectors in a Hilbert space of any dimension as well as of all the remaining vectors of the space. KS vectors are elements of any set of orthonormal states, i.e., vectors in an n-dimensional Hilbert space, H n , n≥3, to which it is impossible to assign 1s and 0s in such a way that no two mutually orthogonal vectors from the set are both assigned 1 and that not all mutually orthogonal vectors are assigned 0. Our constructive definition of such KS vectors is based on algorithms that generate MMP diagrams corresponding to blocks of orthogonal vectors in R n , on algorithms that single out those diagrams on which algebraic (0)-(1) states cannot be defined, and on algorithms that solve nonlinear equations describing the orthogonalities of the vectors by means of statistically polynomially complex interval analysis and self-teaching programs. The algorithms are limited neither by the number of dimensions nor by the number of vectors. To demonstrate the power of the algorithms, all four-dimensional KS vector systems containing up to 24 vectors were generated and described, all three-dimensional vector systems containing up to 30 vectors were scanned, and several general properties of KS vectors were found

  1. Vector bileptons and the decays h→γγ,Zγ

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yue, Chong-Xing, E-mail: cxyue@lnnu.edu.cn; Shi, Qiu-Yang; Hua, Tian

    2013-11-21

    Taking into account of the constraints on the relevant parameters from the muon anomalous magnetic moment, we consider the contributions of the vector bileptons V{sup ±} and U{sup ±±} predicted by the reduced minimal 331 model to the Higgs decay channels h→γγ and Zγ. Our numerical results show that the vector bileptons can enhance the partial width Γ(h→γγ), while reduce the partial width Γ(h→Zγ), which are anti-correlated. With reasonable values of the relevant free parameters, the vector bileptons can explain the LHC data for the γγ signal. If the CMS data persists, the values of the free parameters λ{sub 2} and λ{sub 3} should be severe constrained.

  2. Elementary vectors

    CERN Document Server

    Wolstenholme, E Œ

    1978-01-01

    Elementary Vectors, Third Edition serves as an introductory course in vector analysis and is intended to present the theoretical and application aspects of vectors. The book covers topics that rigorously explain and provide definitions, principles, equations, and methods in vector analysis. Applications of vector methods to simple kinematical and dynamical problems; central forces and orbits; and solutions to geometrical problems are discussed as well. This edition of the text also provides an appendix, intended for students, which the author hopes to bridge the gap between theory and appl

  3. A static investigation of yaw vectoring concepts on two-dimensional convergent-divergent nozzles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berrier, B. L.; Mason, M. L.

    1983-01-01

    The flow-turning capability and nozzle internal performance of yaw-vectoring nozzle geometries were tested in the NASA Langley 16-ft Transonic wind tunnel. The concept was investigated as a means of enhancing fighter jet performance. Five two-dimensional convergent-divergent nozzles were equipped for yaw-vectoring and examined. The configurations included a translating left sidewall, left and right sidewall flaps downstream of the nozzle throat, left sidewall flaps or port located upstream of the nozzle throat, and a powered rudder. Trials were also run with 20 deg of pitch thrust vectoring added. The feasibility of providing yaw-thrust vectoring was demonstrated, with the largest yaw vector angles being obtained with sidewall flaps downstream of the nozzle primary throat. It was concluded that yaw vector designs that scoop or capture internal nozzle flow provide the largest yaw-vector capability, but decrease the thrust the most.

  4. Identifying Cancer Driver Genes Using Replication-Incompetent Retroviral Vectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victor M. Bii

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Identifying novel genes that drive tumor metastasis and drug resistance has significant potential to improve patient outcomes. High-throughput sequencing approaches have identified cancer genes, but distinguishing driver genes from passengers remains challenging. Insertional mutagenesis screens using replication-incompetent retroviral vectors have emerged as a powerful tool to identify cancer genes. Unlike replicating retroviruses and transposons, replication-incompetent retroviral vectors lack additional mutagenesis events that can complicate the identification of driver mutations from passenger mutations. They can also be used for almost any human cancer due to the broad tropism of the vectors. Replication-incompetent retroviral vectors have the ability to dysregulate nearby cancer genes via several mechanisms including enhancer-mediated activation of gene promoters. The integrated provirus acts as a unique molecular tag for nearby candidate driver genes which can be rapidly identified using well established methods that utilize next generation sequencing and bioinformatics programs. Recently, retroviral vector screens have been used to efficiently identify candidate driver genes in prostate, breast, liver and pancreatic cancers. Validated driver genes can be potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers. In this review, we describe the emergence of retroviral insertional mutagenesis screens using replication-incompetent retroviral vectors as a novel tool to identify cancer driver genes in different cancer types.

  5. Novel recombinant alphaviral and adenoviral vectors for cancer immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osada, Takuya; Morse, Michael A; Hobeika, Amy; Lyerly, H Kim

    2012-06-01

    Although cellular immunotherapy based on autolgous dendritic cells (DCs) targeting antigens expressed by metastatic cancer has demonstrated clinical efficacy, the logistical challenges in generating an individualized cell product create an imperative to develop alternatives to DC-based cancer vaccines. Particularly attractive alternatives include in situ delivery of antigen and activation signals to resident antigen-presenting cells (APCs), which can be achieved by novel fusion molecules targeting the mannose receptor and by recombinant viral vectors expressing the antigen of interest and capable of infecting DCs. A particular challenge in the use of viral vectors is the well-appreciated clinical obstacles to their efficacy, specifically vector-specific neutralizing immune responses. Because heterologous prime and boost strategies have been demonstrated to be particularly potent, we developed two novel recombinant vectors based on alphaviral replicon particles and a next-generation adenovirus encoding an antigen commonly overexpressed in many human cancers, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The rationale for developing these vectors, their unique characteristics, the preclinical studies and early clinical experience with each, and opportunities to enhance their effectiveness will be reviewed. The potential of each of these potent recombinant vectors to efficiently generate clinically active anti-tumor immune response alone, or in combination, will be discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Magnetic concentration of a retroviral vector using magnetite cationic liposomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ito, Akira; Takahashi, Tetsuya; Kameyama, Yujiro; Kawabe, Yoshinori; Kamihira, Masamichi

    2009-03-01

    For tissue engineering purposes, retroviral vectors represent an efficient method of delivering exogenous genes such as growth factors to injured tissues because gene-transduced cells can produce stable and constant levels of the gene product. However, retroviral vector technology suffers from low yields. In the present study, we used magnetite nanoparticles and magnetic force to concentrate the retroviral vectors to enhance the transduction efficiency and to enable their magnetic manipulation. Magnetite nanoparticles modified with cationic liposomes were added to a solution containing a retroviral vector pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein. The magnetic particles that captured the viral vectors were collected using a magnetic force and seeded into mouse neuroblastoma Neuro2a cells. The viral titer was up to 55 times greater (up to 3 x 10(8) infectious units/mL). Additionally, the magnetically labeled retroviral vectors can be directed to the desired regions for infection by applying magnetic fields, and micro-patterns of gene-transduced cell regions could be created on a cellular monolayer using micro-patterned magnetic concentrators. These results suggest that this technique provides a promising approach to capturing and concentrating viral vectors, thus achieving high transduction efficiency and the ability to deliver genes to a specific injured site by applying a magnetic field.

  7. Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Okuma Alışkanlığı: Ankara Üniversitesi Örneği / Reading Habit of University Students: The Model of Ankara University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hüseyin Odabaş, Z. Canan Odabaş ve Coşkun Polat

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available [Turkish abstract]Okuma alışkanlığı, okuma eyleminin sürekli, düzenli ve eleştirel olarak sürdürülmesidir. Okuma alışkanlığının özünde sürdürülebilirlik yaklaşımı bulunmaktadır. Sürdürülebilir okuma alışkanlığı, bireyin yaşamının her döneminde okuma eylemini kalıcı ve düzenli olarak devam ettirmesini ifade eder. Türkiye’de okuma kültürünün gelişmiş ülke ortalamalarının oldukça altında olduğu bilinmektedir. Bu bakımdan çalışmanın temel amacı Türkiye’nin genel yapısında gözlemlenen bu olumsuz tablonun üniversite öğrencileri üzerine ne düzeyde yansıdığına ilişkin durum saptamasıdır. Çalışmada ilk olarak okuma alışkanlığı kavramsal olarak irdelenmekte, daha sonra Türkiye’de okuma alışkanlığının durumu ortaya konmakta ve son olarak da Ankara Üniversitesi lisans öğrencileri üzerinde yapılan anket uygulamasının sonuçları değerlendirilmektedir. Çıkan sonuçlar yüksek öğrenim boyunca öğrencilerin okuma becerisinde gelişme olduğunu, buna karşın yeterli okuma alışkanlığına sahip olmadıklarını göstermektedir. [English abstract] Reading habit is the realization of reading activity in a continuous, systematic and critical way. In the essence of this habit, the marking approach is sustainability. Sustainable reading habit is that an individual continues with his/her reading activity at every of his/her life’s phases, and in a permanent and proper form. It is known that, reading habit as a cultural attitude in Turkey is on the average lower than those being exercised in developed countries. This study aims at examining effects of this negative situation on university students. In the first part of the paper, conceptual analysis of reading habit is made and then, the intensity of the reading habit in Turkey is examined. Finally, the results of survey study conducted among Ankara University students are evaluated. Results reveal that

  8. Lentiviral vectors in cancer immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oldham, Robyn Aa; Berinstein, Elliot M; Medin, Jeffrey A

    2015-01-01

    Basic science advances in cancer immunotherapy have resulted in various treatments that have recently shown success in the clinic. Many of these therapies require the insertion of genes into cells to directly kill them or to redirect the host's cells to induce potent immune responses. Other analogous therapies work by modifying effector cells for improved targeting and enhanced killing of tumor cells. Initial studies done using γ-retroviruses were promising, but safety concerns centered on the potential for insertional mutagenesis have highlighted the desire to develop other options for gene delivery. Lentiviral vectors (LVs) have been identified as potentially more effective and safer alternative delivery vehicles. LVs are now in use in clinical trials for many different types of inherited and acquired disorders, including cancer. This review will discuss current knowledge of LVs and the applications of this viral vector-based delivery vehicle to cancer immunotherapy.

  9. Classifying low-grade and high-grade bladder cancer using label-free serum surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and support vector machine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yanjiao; Lai, Xiaoping; Zeng, Qiuyao; Li, Linfang; Lin, Lin; Li, Shaoxin; Liu, Zhiming; Su, Chengkang; Qi, Minni; Guo, Zhouyi

    2018-03-01

    This study aims to classify low-grade and high-grade bladder cancer (BC) patients using serum surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms. Serum SERS spectra are acquired from 88 serum samples with silver nanoparticles as the SERS-active substrate. Diagnostic accuracies of 96.4% and 95.4% are obtained when differentiating the serum SERS spectra of all BC patients versus normal subjects and low-grade versus high-grade BC patients, respectively, with optimal SVM classifier models. This study demonstrates that the serum SERS technique combined with SVM has great potential to noninvasively detect and classify high-grade and low-grade BC patients.

  10. Heat Shock Protein 70 Enhances Mucosal Immunity against Human Norovirus When Coexpressed from a Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Vector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Yuanmei; Duan, Yue; Wei, Yongwei; Liang, Xueya; Niewiesk, Stefan; Oglesbee, Michael

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT Human norovirus (NoV) accounts for 95% of nonbacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Currently, there is no vaccine available to combat human NoV as it is not cultivable and lacks a small-animal model. Recently, we demonstrated that recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) expressing human NoV capsid protein (rVSV-VP1) induced strong immunities in mice (Y. Ma and J. Li, J. Virol. 85:2942–2952, 2011). To further improve the safety and efficacy of the vaccine candidate, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) was inserted into the rVSV-VP1 backbone vector. A second construct was generated in which the firefly luciferase (Luc) gene was inserted in place of HSP70 as a control for the double insertion. The resultant recombinant viruses (rVSV-HSP70-VP1 and rVSV-Luc-VP1) were significantly more attenuated in cell culture and viral spread in mice than rVSV-VP1. At the inoculation dose of 1.0 × 106 PFU, rVSV-HSP70-VP1 triggered significantly higher vaginal IgA than rVSV-VP1 and significantly higher fecal and vaginal IgA responses than rVSV-Luc-VP1, although serum IgG and T cell responses were similar. At the inoculation dose of 5.0 × 106 PFU, rVSV-HSP70-VP1 stimulated significantly higher T cell, fecal, and vaginal IgA responses than rVSV-VP1. Fecal and vaginal IgA responses were also significantly increased when combined vaccination of rVSV-VP1 and rVSV-HSP70 was used. Collectively, these data indicate that (i) insertion of an additional gene (HSP70 or Luc) into the rVSV-VP1 backbone further attenuates the VSV-based vaccine in vitro and in vivo, thus improving the safety of the vaccine candidate, and (ii) HSP70 enhances the human NoV-specific mucosal and T cell immunities triggered by a VSV-based human NoV vaccine. IMPORTANCE Human norovirus (NoV) is responsible for more than 95% of acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Currently, there is no vaccine for this virus. Development of a live attenuated vaccine for human NoV has not been possible because it is

  11. Genetic manipulation of endosymbionts to control vector and vector borne diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jay Prakash Gupta

    Full Text Available Vector borne diseases (VBD are on the rise because of failure of the existing methods of control of vector and vector borne diseases and the climate change. A steep rise of VBDs are due to several factors like selection of insecticide resistant vector population, drug resistant parasite population and lack of effective vaccines against the VBDs. Environmental pollution, public health hazard and insecticide resistant vector population indicate that the insecticides are no longer a sustainable control method of vector and vector-borne diseases. Amongst the various alternative control strategies, symbiont based approach utilizing endosymbionts of arthropod vectors could be explored to control the vector and vector borne diseases. The endosymbiont population of arthropod vectors could be exploited in different ways viz., as a chemotherapeutic target, vaccine target for the control of vectors. Expression of molecules with antiparasitic activity by genetically transformed symbiotic bacteria of disease-transmitting arthropods may serve as a powerful approach to control certain arthropod-borne diseases. Genetic transformation of symbiotic bacteria of the arthropod vector to alter the vector’s ability to transmit pathogen is an alternative means of blocking the transmission of VBDs. In Indian scenario, where dengue, chikungunya, malaria and filariosis are prevalent, paratransgenic based approach can be used effectively. [Vet World 2012; 5(9.000: 571-576

  12. Emerging vector borne diseases – incidence through vectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara eSavic

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Vector borne diseases use to be a major public health concern only in tropical and subtropical areas, but today they are an emerging threat for the continental and developed countries also. Nowdays, in intercontinetal countries, there is a struggle with emerging diseases which have found their way to appear through vectors. Vector borne zoonotic diseases occur when vectors, animal hosts, climate conditions, pathogens and susceptible human population exist at the same time, at the same place. Global climate change is predicted to lead to an increase in vector borne infectious diseases and disease outbreaks. It could affect the range and popultion of pathogens, host and vectors, transmission season, etc. Reliable surveilance for diseases that are most likely to emerge is required. Canine vector borne diseases represent a complex group of diseases including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, bartonellosis, borreliosis, dirofilariosis, erlichiosis, leishmaniosis. Some of these diseases cause serious clinical symptoms in dogs and some of them have a zoonotic potential with an effect to public health. It is expected from veterinarians in coordination with medical doctors to play a fudamental role at primeraly prevention and then treatment of vector borne diseases in dogs. The One Health concept has to be integrated into the struggle against emerging diseases.During a four year period, from 2009-2013, a total number of 551 dog samples were analysed for vector borne diseases (borreliosis, babesiosis, erlichiosis, anaplasmosis, dirofilariosis and leishmaniasis in routine laboratory work. The analysis were done by serological tests – ELISA for borreliosis, dirofilariosis and leishmaniasis, modified Knott test for dirofilariosis and blood smear for babesiosis, erlichiosis and anaplasmosis. This number of samples represented 75% of total number of samples that were sent for analysis for different diseases in dogs. Annually, on avarege more then half of the samples

  13. Changing Perspectives on the Planning of Ankara (1924-2007 and Lessons for a New Master-Planning Approach to Developing Cities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olgu Çalişkan

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available As one of the newly planned capitals in the 20th century – like Islamabad, Canberra and Brazil –, Ankara represents an original case in planning history: from shaping a new town under the influence of early European urbanism to the control of a dynamic metropolitan form by structural planning approaches. Forming its urban core according to the initial planning perspectives between the beginning of 1930s and the mid-1970s, the city has entered a rapid phase of space production in its extensions for about the last thirty years.In the current period of development, highly fragmented urban peripheral formation has being occurred in Ankara. Since the existing trend on the dispersion of urban form lacking spatial coherence at different scale-levels causes the dominance of the private domain and a loss of urbanity, this trend might at first glance be considered as a break with the European tradition and the emergence of Anglo-Americanization in Turkish planning system in terms of looser development control approach on urban form.Before, coming to such a critical end-point, the paper prefers a closer look into the changing dynamics of master plans of the city. It is aimed to reveal the developmental logic of the city by means of master plan analysis. The comprehensive outlook – called plan matrix – is integrated into each master plan schema by correlating the basic components like main policy directions, depth of control, settlement typology, and city structure and form. Such a framework has a potential to be utilized for any kind of plan analysis at metropolitan scale for different cases. At the end of the analysis, the paper tends to address an alternative master planning approach for the similar types of developing cities striving for keeping its urban character within a fragmented urban body.

  14. Eliminating HIV-1 Packaging Sequences from Lentiviral Vector Proviruses Enhances Safety and Expedites Gene Transfer for Gene Therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vink, Conrad A; Counsell, John R; Perocheau, Dany P; Karda, Rajvinder; Buckley, Suzanne M K; Brugman, Martijn H; Galla, Melanie; Schambach, Axel; McKay, Tristan R; Waddington, Simon N; Howe, Steven J

    2017-08-02

    Lentiviral vector genomic RNA requires sequences that partially overlap wild-type HIV-1 gag and env genes for packaging into vector particles. These HIV-1 packaging sequences constitute 19.6% of the wild-type HIV-1 genome and contain functional cis elements that potentially compromise clinical safety. Here, we describe the development of a novel lentiviral vector (LTR1) with a unique genomic structure designed to prevent transfer of HIV-1 packaging sequences to patient cells, thus reducing the total HIV-1 content to just 4.8% of the wild-type genome. This has been achieved by reconfiguring the vector to mediate reverse-transcription with a single strand transfer, instead of the usual two, and in which HIV-1 packaging sequences are not copied. We show that LTR1 vectors offer improved safety in their resistance to remobilization in HIV-1 particles and reduced frequency of splicing into human genes. Following intravenous luciferase vector administration to neonatal mice, LTR1 sustained a higher level of liver transgene expression than an equivalent dose of a standard lentivirus. LTR1 vectors produce reverse-transcription products earlier and start to express transgenes significantly quicker than standard lentiviruses after transduction. Finally, we show that LTR1 is an effective lentiviral gene therapy vector as demonstrated by correction of a mouse hemophilia B model. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Immunogenicity of heterologous recombinant adenovirus prime-boost vaccine regimens is enhanced by circumventing vector cross-reactivity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Thorner, Anna R.; Lemckert, Angelique A. C.; Goudsmit, Jaap; Lynch, Diana M.; Ewald, Bonnie A.; Denholtz, Matthew; Havenga, Menzo J. E.; Barouch, Dan H.

    2006-01-01

    The high prevalence of preexisting immunity to adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) in human populations has led to the development of recombinant adenovirus (rAd) vectors derived from rare Ad serotypes as vaccine candidates for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and other pathogens. Vaccine vectors have

  16. Vector-vector production in photon-photon interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ronan, M.T.

    1988-01-01

    Measurements of exclusive untagged /rho/ 0 /rho/ 0 , /rho//phi/, K/sup *//bar K//sup */, and /rho/ω production and tagged /rho/ 0 /rho/ 0 production in photon-photon interactions by the TPC/Two-Gamma experiment are reviewed. Comparisons to the results of other experiments and to models of vector-vector production are made. Fits to the data following a four quark model prescription for vector meson pair production are also presented. 10 refs., 9 figs

  17. Venezuelan equine encephalitis emergence: Enhanced vector infection from a single amino acid substitution in the envelope glycoprotein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brault, Aaron C.; Powers, Ann M.; Ortiz, Diana; Estrada-Franco, Jose G.; Navarro-Lopez, Roberto; Weaver, Scott C.

    2004-01-01

    In 1993 and 1996, subtype IE Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus caused epizootics in the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. Previously, only subtype IAB and IC VEE virus strains had been associated with major outbreaks of equine and human disease. The IAB and IC epizootics are believed to emerge via adaptation of enzootic (sylvatic, equine-avirulent) strains for high titer equine viremia that results in efficient infection of mosquito vectors. However, experimental equine infections with subtype IE equine isolates from the Mexican outbreaks demonstrated neuro-virulence but little viremia, inconsistent with typical VEE emergence mechanisms. Therefore, we hypothesized that changes in the mosquito vector host range might have contributed to the Mexican emergence. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the susceptibility of the most abundant mosquito in the deforested Pacific coastal locations of the VEE outbreaks and a proven epizootic vector, Ochlerotatus taeniorhynchus. The Mexican epizootic equine isolates exhibited significantly greater infectivity compared with closely related enzootic strains, supporting the hypothesis that adaptation to an efficient epizootic vector contributed to disease emergence. Reverse genetic studies implicated a Ser → Asn substitution in the E2 envelope glycoprotein as the major determinant of the increased vector infectivity phenotype. Our findings underscore the capacity of RNA viruses to alter their vector host range through minor genetic changes, resulting in the potential for disease emergence. PMID:15277679

  18. Student difficulties regarding symbolic and graphical representations of vector fields

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laurens Bollen

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The ability to switch between various representations is an invaluable problem-solving skill in physics. In addition, research has shown that using multiple representations can greatly enhance a person’s understanding of mathematical and physical concepts. This paper describes a study of student difficulties regarding interpreting, constructing, and switching between representations of vector fields, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. We first identified to what extent students are fluent with the use of field vector plots, field line diagrams, and symbolic expressions of vector fields by conducting individual student interviews and analyzing in-class student activities. Based on those findings, we designed the Vector Field Representations test, a free response assessment tool that has been given to 196 second- and third-year physics, mathematics, and engineering students from four different universities. From the obtained results we gained a comprehensive overview of typical errors that students make when switching between vector field representations. In addition, the study allowed us to determine the relative prevalence of the observed difficulties. Although the results varied greatly between institutions, a general trend revealed that many students struggle with vector addition, fail to recognize the field line density as an indication of the magnitude of the field, confuse characteristics of field lines and equipotential lines, and do not choose the appropriate coordinate system when writing out mathematical expressions of vector fields.

  19. Student difficulties regarding symbolic and graphical representations of vector fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bollen, Laurens; van Kampen, Paul; Baily, Charles; Kelly, Mossy; De Cock, Mieke

    2017-12-01

    The ability to switch between various representations is an invaluable problem-solving skill in physics. In addition, research has shown that using multiple representations can greatly enhance a person's understanding of mathematical and physical concepts. This paper describes a study of student difficulties regarding interpreting, constructing, and switching between representations of vector fields, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. We first identified to what extent students are fluent with the use of field vector plots, field line diagrams, and symbolic expressions of vector fields by conducting individual student interviews and analyzing in-class student activities. Based on those findings, we designed the Vector Field Representations test, a free response assessment tool that has been given to 196 second- and third-year physics, mathematics, and engineering students from four different universities. From the obtained results we gained a comprehensive overview of typical errors that students make when switching between vector field representations. In addition, the study allowed us to determine the relative prevalence of the observed difficulties. Although the results varied greatly between institutions, a general trend revealed that many students struggle with vector addition, fail to recognize the field line density as an indication of the magnitude of the field, confuse characteristics of field lines and equipotential lines, and do not choose the appropriate coordinate system when writing out mathematical expressions of vector fields.

  20. Rare Hadronic B Decays to Vector, Axial-Vector and Tensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Y.Y.

    2011-01-01

    The authors review BABAR measurements of several rare B decays, including vector-axial-vector decays B ± → φK 1 ± (1270), B ± → φ K 1 ± (1400) and B ± → b 1 # -+ρ# ± , vector-vector decays B ± → φK* ± (1410), B 0 → K* 0 (bar K)* 0 , B 0 → K*0K*0 and B 0 → K*+K*-, vector-tensor decays B ± → φK* 2 (1430) ± and φK 2 (1770)/ ± (1820), and vector-scalar decays B ± → φK* 0 (1430) ± . Understanding the observed polarization pattern requires amplitude contributions from an uncertain source.

  1. Pseudotyped Lentiviral Vectors for Retrograde Gene Delivery into Target Brain Regions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenta Kobayashi

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Gene transfer through retrograde axonal transport of viral vectors offers a substantial advantage for analyzing roles of specific neuronal pathways or cell types forming complex neural networks. This genetic approach may also be useful in gene therapy trials by enabling delivery of transgenes into a target brain region distant from the injection site of the vectors. Pseudotyping of a lentiviral vector based on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1 with various fusion envelope glycoproteins composed of different combinations of rabies virus glycoprotein (RV-G and vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV-G enhances the efficiency of retrograde gene transfer in both rodent and nonhuman primate brains. The most recently developed lentiviral vector is a pseudotype with fusion glycoprotein type E (FuG-E, which demonstrates highly efficient retrograde gene transfer in the brain. The FuG-E–pseudotyped vector permits powerful experimental strategies for more precisely investigating the mechanisms underlying various brain functions. It also contributes to the development of new gene therapy approaches for neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, by delivering genes required for survival and protection into specific neuronal populations. In this review article, we report the properties of the FuG-E–pseudotyped vector, and we describe the application of the vector to neural circuit analysis and the potential use of the FuG-E vector in gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease.

  2. Vector analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Brand, Louis

    2006-01-01

    The use of vectors not only simplifies treatments of differential geometry, mechanics, hydrodynamics, and electrodynamics, but also makes mathematical and physical concepts more tangible and easy to grasp. This text for undergraduates was designed as a short introductory course to give students the tools of vector algebra and calculus, as well as a brief glimpse into these subjects' manifold applications. The applications are developed to the extent that the uses of the potential function, both scalar and vector, are fully illustrated. Moreover, the basic postulates of vector analysis are brou

  3. Towards the Development of an Automated Learning Assistant for Vector Calculus: Integration over Planar Regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yaacob, Yuzita; Wester, Michael; Steinberg, Stanly

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents a prototype of a computer learning assistant ILMEV (Interactive Learning-Mathematica Enhanced Vector calculus) package with the purpose of helping students to understand the theory and applications of integration in vector calculus. The main problem for students using Mathematica is to convert a textbook description of a…

  4. Vectors and Rotations in 3-Dimensions: Vector Algebra for the C++ Programmer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    release; distribution is unlimited. 1. Introduction This report describes 2 C++ classes: a Vector class for performing vector algebra in 3-dimensional...ARL-TR-7894•DEC 2016 US Army Research Laboratory Vectors and Rotations in 3-Dimensions:Vector Algebra for the C++ Programmer by Richard Saucier...Army Research Laboratory Vectors and Rotations in 3-Dimensions:Vector Algebra for the C++ Programmer by Richard Saucier Survivability/Lethality

  5. Can antibodies against flies alter malaria transmission in birds by changing vector behavior?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Suma; Waite, Jessica L; Clayton, Dale H; Adler, Frederick R

    2014-10-07

    Transmission of insect-borne diseases is shaped by the interactions among parasites, vectors, and hosts. Any factor that alters movement of infected vectors from infected to uninfeced hosts will in turn alter pathogen spread. In this paper, we study one such pathogen-vector-host system, avian malaria in pigeons transmitted by fly ectoparasites, where both two-way and three-way interactions play a key role in shaping disease spread. Bird immune defenses against flies can decrease malaria prevalence by reducing fly residence time on infected birds or increase disease prevalence by enhancing fly movement and thus infection transmission. We develop a mathematical model that illustrates how these changes in vector behavior influence pathogen transmission and show that malaria prevalence is maximized at an intermediate level of defense avoidance by the flies. Understanding how host immune defenses indirectly alter disease transmission by influencing vector behavior has implications for reducing the transmission of human malaria and other vectored pathogens. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Fuzzy-based multi-kernel spherical support vector machine for ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In the proposed classifier, we design a new multi-kernel function based on the fuzzy triangular membership function. Finally, a newly developed multi-kernel function is incorporated into the spherical support vector machine to enhance the performance significantly. The experimental results are evaluated and performance is ...

  7. Ankara Üniversitesi Uzaktan Eğitim Programına Katılan Öğrencilerin Akademik Başarılarını Yordayan Faktörler

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selma Şenel

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the factors predicting academic achievement of Ankara University Distance Education students. The study group of the research consists of 302 first grade students from Ankara University Distance Education Center (ANKUZEM 2010-2011 associate degree programs. Data were formed in four groups respectively “individual characteristics”, “characteristics related with family and working environment”, “characteristics related with usage of information and communication technologies” and “characteristics related with education”. Data were analyzed by stepwise multiple regression analysis. According to the results, individual characteristics as “age”, “working in a full time job” and “being divorced” were found as predictors of students’ academic achievement. Additionally, characteristics related with family and working place as “number of family members living with”, “mothers’ full time working” and “mothers’ graduation type” were other variables predicting academic achievement of students. The characteristics related with education; graduation from “college” and “vocational high school”, “studying with different methods“, “choosing distance education as a university degree”, “studying for getting a degree” are also predictors of academic achievement of students. The characteristics of students related with usage of information and communication technologies were not predictors of academic achievement of students.

  8. Different levels of immunogenicity of two strains of Fowlpox virus as recombinant vaccine vectors eliciting T-cell responses in heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cottingham, Matthew G; van Maurik, Andre; Zago, Manola; Newton, Angela T; Anderson, Richard J; Howard, M Keith; Schneider, Jörg; Skinner, Michael A

    2006-07-01

    The FP9 strain of F has been described as a more immunogenic recombinant vaccine vector than the Webster FPV-M (FPW) strain (R. J. Anderson et al., J. Immunol. 172:3094-3100, 2004). This study expands the comparison to include two separate recombinant antigens and multiple, rather than single, independent viral clones derived from the two strains. Dual-poxvirus heterologous prime-boost vaccination regimens using individual clones of recombinant FP9 or FPW in combination with recombinant modified V Ankara expressing the same antigen were evaluated for their ability to elicit T-cell responses against recombinant antigens from Plasmodium berghei (circumsporozoite protein) or human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (a Gag-Pol-Nef fusion protein). Gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunospot assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorting assays of the responses to specific epitopes confirmed the approximately twofold-greater cellular immunogenicity of FP9 compared to FPW, when given as the priming or boosting immunization. Equality of transgene expression in mouse cells infected with the two strains in vitro was verified by Western blotting. Directed partial sequence analysis and PCR analysis of FPW and comparison to available whole-genome sequences revealed that many loci that are mutated in the highly attenuated and culture-adapted FP9 strain are wild type in FPW, including the seven multikilobase deletions. These "passage-specific" alterations are hypothesized to be involved in determining the immunogenicity of fowlpox virus as a recombinant vaccine vector.

  9. Enhanced performance hybrid-arq

    KAUST Repository

    Fareed, Muhammad Mehboob

    2016-06-16

    Apparatuses, computer readable media, and methods are provided for enhancing hybrid automatic repeat request (ARQ) performance. In an example method, a communication device transmits a first element of a vector, where the vector is selected using the information bits to be transmitted as an index in a code book. In some embodiments, this code book is constructed using Linear Constellation Precoding (LCP). If a NACK is received, the communication device transmits a second element of the vector. The process of transmitting elements of the vector continues until an ACK is received or the maximum number of transmission attempts is reached. If an ACK is received, the communication device transmits a first element of another vector of the code book that encodes a second set of information bits. This procedure may continue until all information bits have been transmitted successfully.

  10. Enhanced performance hybrid-arq

    KAUST Repository

    Fareed, Muhammad Mehboob; Yang, Hong-Chuan; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2016-01-01

    Apparatuses, computer readable media, and methods are provided for enhancing hybrid automatic repeat request (ARQ) performance. In an example method, a communication device transmits a first element of a vector, where the vector is selected using the information bits to be transmitted as an index in a code book. In some embodiments, this code book is constructed using Linear Constellation Precoding (LCP). If a NACK is received, the communication device transmits a second element of the vector. The process of transmitting elements of the vector continues until an ACK is received or the maximum number of transmission attempts is reached. If an ACK is received, the communication device transmits a first element of another vector of the code book that encodes a second set of information bits. This procedure may continue until all information bits have been transmitted successfully.

  11. Meta-analysis of the effects of insect vector saliva on host immune responses and infection of vector-transmitted pathogens: a focus on leishmaniasis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brittany Ockenfels

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available A meta-analysis of the effects of vector saliva on the immune response and progression of vector-transmitted disease, specifically with regard to pathology, infection level, and host cytokine levels was conducted. Infection in the absence or presence of saliva in naïve mice was compared. In addition, infection in mice pre-exposed to uninfected vector saliva was compared to infection in unexposed mice. To control for differences in vector and pathogen species, mouse strain, and experimental design, a random effects model was used to compare the ratio of the natural log of the experimental to the control means of the studies. Saliva was demonstrated to enhance pathology, infection level, and the production of Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10 in naïve mice. This effect was observed across vector/pathogen pairings, whether natural or unnatural, and with single salivary proteins used as a proxy for whole saliva. Saliva pre-exposure was determined to result in less severe leishmaniasis pathology when compared with unexposed mice infected either in the presence or absence of sand fly saliva. The results of further analyses were not significant, but demonstrated trends toward protection and IFN-γ elevation for pre-exposed mice.

  12. Meta-analysis of the effects of insect vector saliva on host immune responses and infection of vector-transmitted pathogens: a focus on leishmaniasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ockenfels, Brittany; Michael, Edwin; McDowell, Mary Ann

    2014-10-01

    A meta-analysis of the effects of vector saliva on the immune response and progression of vector-transmitted disease, specifically with regard to pathology, infection level, and host cytokine levels was conducted. Infection in the absence or presence of saliva in naïve mice was compared. In addition, infection in mice pre-exposed to uninfected vector saliva was compared to infection in unexposed mice. To control for differences in vector and pathogen species, mouse strain, and experimental design, a random effects model was used to compare the ratio of the natural log of the experimental to the control means of the studies. Saliva was demonstrated to enhance pathology, infection level, and the production of Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) in naïve mice. This effect was observed across vector/pathogen pairings, whether natural or unnatural, and with single salivary proteins used as a proxy for whole saliva. Saliva pre-exposure was determined to result in less severe leishmaniasis pathology when compared with unexposed mice infected either in the presence or absence of sand fly saliva. The results of further analyses were not significant, but demonstrated trends toward protection and IFN-γ elevation for pre-exposed mice.

  13. Measurement of Charmless B to Vector-Vector decays at BaBar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olaiya, Emmanuel

    2011-01-01

    The authors present results of B → vector-vector (VV) and B → vector-axial vector (VA) decays B 0 → φX(X = φ,ρ + or ρ 0 ), B + → φK (*)+ , B 0 → K*K*, B 0 → ρ + b 1 - and B + → K* 0 α 1 + . The largest dataset used for these results is based on 465 x 10 6 Υ(4S) → B(bar B) decays, collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B meson factory located at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Using larger datasets, the BABAR experiment has provided more precise B → VV measurements, further supporting the smaller than expected longitudinal polarization fraction of B → φK*. Additional B meson to vector-vector and vector-axial vector decays have also been studied with a view to shedding light on the polarization anomaly. Taking into account the available errors, we find no disagreement between theory and experiment for these additional decays.

  14. Adeno-associated viral vector transduction of human mesenchymal stem cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stender, Stefan; Murphy, Mary; O'Brien, Tim

    2007-01-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have received considerable attention in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. One aspect of MSC research focuses on genetically modifying the cells with the aim of enhancing their regenerative potential. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) holds promise as a vector...

  15. Vectorization of KENO IV code and an estimate of vector-parallel processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asai, Kiyoshi; Higuchi, Kenji; Katakura, Jun-ichi; Kurita, Yutaka.

    1986-10-01

    The multi-group criticality safety code KENO IV has been vectorized and tested on FACOM VP-100 vector processor. At first the vectorized KENO IV on a scalar processor became slower than the original one by a factor of 1.4 because of the overhead introduced by the vectorization. Making modifications of algorithms and techniques for vectorization, the vectorized version has become faster than the original one by a factor of 1.4 and 3.0 on the vector processor for sample problems of complex and simple geometries, respectively. For further speedup of the code, some improvements on compiler and hardware, especially on addition of Monte Carlo pipelines to the vector processor, are discussed. Finally a pipelined parallel processor system is proposed and its performance is estimated. (author)

  16. A Non-static Data Layout Enhancing Parallelism and Vectorization in Sparse Grid Algorithms

    KAUST Repository

    Buse, Gerrit; Pfluger, Dirk; Murarasu, Alin; Jacob, Riko

    2012-01-01

    performance and facilitate the use of vector registers for our sparse grid benchmark problem hierarchization. Based on the compact data structure proposed for regular sparse grids in [2], we developed a new algorithm that outperforms existing implementations

  17. Potential of cancer screening with serum surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and a support vector machine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, S X; Zhang, Y J; Zeng, Q Y; Li, L F; Guo, Z Y; Liu, Z M; Xiong, H L; Liu, S H

    2014-01-01

    Cancer is the most common disease to threaten human health. The ability to screen individuals with malignant tumours with only a blood sample would be greatly advantageous to early diagnosis and intervention. This study explores the possibility of discriminating between cancer patients and normal subjects with serum surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and a support vector machine (SVM) through a peripheral blood sample. A total of 130 blood samples were obtained from patients with liver cancer, colonic cancer, esophageal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, gastric cancer, as well as 113 blood samples from normal volunteers. Several diagnostic models were built with the serum SERS spectra using SVM and principal component analysis (PCA) techniques. The results show that a diagnostic accuracy of 85.5% is acquired with a PCA algorithm, while a diagnostic accuracy of 95.8% is obtained using radial basis function (RBF), PCA–SVM methods. The results prove that a RBF kernel PCA–SVM technique is superior to PCA and conventional SVM (C-SVM) algorithms in classification serum SERS spectra. The study demonstrates that serum SERS, in combination with SVM techniques, has great potential for screening cancerous patients with any solid malignant tumour through a peripheral blood sample. (letters)

  18. Hierarchical Modulation with Vector Rotation for E-MBMS Transmission in LTE Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Zhao

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Enhanced Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (E-MBMS is considered of key importance for the proliferation of Long-Term Evolution (LTE network in mobile market. Hierarchical modulation (HM, which involves a “base-layer” (BL and an “enhancement-layer” (EL bit streams, is a simple technique for achieving tradeoff between service quality and radio coverage. Therefore, it is appealing for MBMS. Generally, HM suffers from the severe performance degradation of the less protected EL stream. In this paper, HM with vector rotation operation introduced to EL stream is proposed, in order to improve EL's performance. With the proper interleaving in frequency domain, this operation can exploit the inherent diversity gain from the multipath channel. In this way, HM with vector rotation can effectively enhance multimedia broadcasting on quality video and coverage. The simulation results with scalable video coding (SVC as source show the significant benefits in comparison with the conventional HM and alternative schemes.

  19. Episomal Nonviral Gene Therapy Vectors Slow Progression of Atherosclerosis in a Model of Familial Hypercholesterolemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alastair G Kerr

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH is a life-threatening genetic disorder characterized by elevated levels of plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol. Current attempts at gene therapy for FH have been limited by the use of strong heterologous promoters which lack genomic DNA elements essential for regulated expression. Here, we have combined a minigene vector expressing the human LDLR cDNA from a 10 kb native human LDLR locus genomic DNA promoter element, with an efficient miRNA targeting 3-hydroxy-3-methylgutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (Hmgcr, to further enhance LDLR expression. We show that the combined vector suppresses endogenous Hmgcr transcripts in vivo, leading to an increase in LDLR transgene expression. In a diet-induced Ldlr-/- mouse model of FH, we show that administration of the combined vector reduces atherogenic plasma lipids by ≃32%. Finally, we demonstrate that our episomal nonviral vectors are able to reduce atherosclerosis by ≃40% after 12 weeks in vivo. Taken together, the vector system we describe exploits the normal cellular regulation of the LDLR to provide prolonged expression of LDLR through targeted knockdown of Hmgcr. This novel gene therapy system could act alone, or in synergy with current therapies that modulate intracellular cholesterol, such as statins, greatly enhancing its therapeutic application for FH.

  20. Enhanced Protein Production in Escherichia coli by Optimization of Cloning Scars at the Vector-Coding Sequence Junction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mirzadeh, Kiavash; Martinez, Virginia; Toddo, Stephen

    2015-01-01

    are poorly expressed even when they are codon-optimized and expressed from vectors with powerful genetic elements. In this study, we show that poor expression can be caused by certain nucleotide sequences (e.g., cloning scars) at the junction between the vector and the coding sequence. Since these sequences...

  1. Versatile generation of optical vector fields and vector beams using a non-interferometric approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripathi, Santosh; Toussaint, Kimani C

    2012-05-07

    We present a versatile, non-interferometric method for generating vector fields and vector beams which can produce all the states of polarization represented on a higher-order Poincaré sphere. The versatility and non-interferometric nature of this method is expected to enable exploration of various exotic properties of vector fields and vector beams. To illustrate this, we study the propagation properties of some vector fields and find that, in general, propagation alters both their intensity and polarization distribution, and more interestingly, converts some vector fields into vector beams. In the article, we also suggest a modified Jones vector formalism to represent vector fields and vector beams.

  2. Herpes simplex virus vectors overexpressing the glucose transporter gene protect against seizure-induced neuron loss.

    OpenAIRE

    Lawrence, M S; Ho, D Y; Dash, R; Sapolsky, R M

    1995-01-01

    We have generated herpes simplex virus (HSV) vectors vIE1GT and v alpha 4GT bearing the GLUT-1 isoform of the rat brain glucose transporter (GT) under the control of the human cytomegalovirus ie1 and HSV alpha 4 promoters, respectively. We previously reported that such vectors enhance glucose uptake in hippocampal cultures and the hippocampus. In this study we demonstrate that such vectors can maintain neuronal metabolism and reduce the extent of neuron loss in cultures after a period of hypo...

  3. Examining Diverse World Examples in Transit Fare Collection Systems for Bus and a Model System for Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seda Hatipoğlu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The migration from the rural to urban areas since Industrial Revolution up to present has resulted in a global and significant urbanization phenomenon. Transportation, due to the increasing population in the cities, stands out as one of the major problems. Convenient transportation in the cities depends primarily on an efficient and productive public transportation system. Enable to use public transportation system in efficient, pricing varieties and fare payment options/ medias are applied in the transportation are very important. In order public transportation system to be efficient pricing variations and fare payment collection methods should be considered. Pricing varieties increase demands for public transportation and the ease of fare payment increases speed and capacity of public transportation. In this study, bus pricing policies and fare payment options in the cities of Geneva, London, Tokyo and Curitiba which are prominent with successful public transportation policies are examined and practice proposals are presented for the city of Ankara City.

  4. Spontaneous symmetry breaking and vector-meson dominance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caldi, D.G.; Pagels, H.

    1977-01-01

    This article is a continuation of our previous work on the rho-π puzzle. It examines further consequences of the unification of partial conservation of axial-vector current (PCAC) and vector-meson dominance (VMD) in which the pion is a Goldstone state and the rho is a ''dormant'' Goldstone state. Our new picture of the vector mesons does not require an A 1 meson although such a state is not ruled out. The Weinberg sum rules which provide the raison d'etre for the A 1 are reexamined. The first Weinberg sum rule can be accommodated without a narrow A 1 state although some enhancement seems required. Examining the J/sup P C/ = 1 +- nonet we conclude that a new state, the isoscalar octet partner of the B (1235) should exist around 1.7 GeV assuming ideal mixing. Without a detailed assumption on the mixing angle, its mass should be in the range 1.4 to 1.7 GeV. We also discuss the photon-rho interactions. In the standard VMD picture the predicted rate for rho → π + γ fails by five standard deviations, while in our picture this undesired result is averted

  5. Vectorized Monte Carlo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, F.B.

    1981-01-01

    Examination of the global algorithms and local kernels of conventional general-purpose Monte Carlo codes shows that multigroup Monte Carlo methods have sufficient structure to permit efficient vectorization. A structured multigroup Monte Carlo algorithm for vector computers is developed in which many particle events are treated at once on a cell-by-cell basis. Vectorization of kernels for tracking and variance reduction is described, and a new method for discrete sampling is developed to facilitate the vectorization of collision analysis. To demonstrate the potential of the new method, a vectorized Monte Carlo code for multigroup radiation transport analysis was developed. This code incorporates many features of conventional general-purpose production codes, including general geometry, splitting and Russian roulette, survival biasing, variance estimation via batching, a number of cutoffs, and generalized tallies of collision, tracklength, and surface crossing estimators with response functions. Predictions of vectorized performance characteristics for the CYBER-205 were made using emulated coding and a dynamic model of vector instruction timing. Computation rates were examined for a variety of test problems to determine sensitivities to batch size and vector lengths. Significant speedups are predicted for even a few hundred particles per batch, and asymptotic speedups by about 40 over equivalent Amdahl 470V/8 scalar codes arepredicted for a few thousand particles per batch. The principal conclusion is that vectorization of a general-purpose multigroup Monte Carlo code is well worth the significant effort required for stylized coding and major algorithmic changes

  6. Working Paper 2: Enhancing the migration experience: gendering ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    2010-12-13

    Dec 13, 2010 ... ... migrant women dominate certain 'sectors,' which have traditionally been outside ... In an effort to contribute to filling this research gap, this paper aims to ... Highlight: Ankara workshop puts minimum wage on the G-20 radar.

  7. Vector Network Coding

    OpenAIRE

    Ebrahimi, Javad; Fragouli, Christina

    2010-01-01

    We develop new algebraic algorithms for scalar and vector network coding. In vector network coding, the source multicasts information by transmitting vectors of length L, while intermediate nodes process and combine their incoming packets by multiplying them with L X L coding matrices that play a similar role as coding coefficients in scalar coding. Our algorithms for scalar network jointly optimize the employed field size while selecting the coding coefficients. Similarly, for vector co...

  8. Recent Advances in Non-viral Vectors for Gene Delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Xia; Huang, Leaf

    2011-01-01

    CONSPECTUS Non-viral vectors, typically based on cationic lipids or polymers, are preferred due to safety concerns with viral vectors. So far, non-viral vectors can proficiently transfect cells in culture, but obtaining efficient nanomedicines is far from evident. To overcome the hurdles associated with non-viral vectors is significant for improving delivery efficiency and therapeutic effect of nucleic acid. The drawbacks include the strong interaction of cationic delivery vehicles with blood components, uptake by the reticuloendothelial system (RES), toxicity, targeting ability of the carriers to the cells of interest, and so on. PEGylation is the predominant method used to reduce the binding of plasma proteins with non-viral vectors and minimize the clearance by RES after intravenous administration. The nanoparticles that are not rapidly cleared from the circulation accumulate in the tumors due to the enhanced permeability and retention effect, and the targeting ligands attached to the distal end of the PEGylated components allow binding to the receptors on the target cell surface. Neutral or anionic liposomes have been also developed for systemic delivery of nucleic acids in experimental animal model. Designing and synthesizing novel cationic lipids and polymers, and binding nucleic acid with peptides, targeting ligands, polymers, or environmentally sensitive moieties also attract many attentions for resolving the problems encountered by non-viral vectors. The application of inorganic nanoparticles in nucleic acid delivery is an emerging field, too. Recently, different classes of non-viral vectors appear to be converging and the features of different classes of non-viral vectors could be combined in one strategy. More hurdles associated with efficient nucleic acid delivery therefore might be expected to be overcome. In this account, we will focus on these novel non-viral vectors, which are classified into multifunctional hybrid nucleic acid vectors, novel

  9. Vector independent transmission of the vector-borne bluetongue virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Sluijs, Mirjam Tineke Willemijn; de Smit, Abraham J; Moormann, Rob J M

    2016-01-01

    Bluetongue is an economically important disease of ruminants. The causative agent, Bluetongue virus (BTV), is mainly transmitted by insect vectors. This review focuses on vector-free BTV transmission, and its epizootic and economic consequences. Vector-free transmission can either be vertical, from dam to fetus, or horizontal via direct contract. For several BTV-serotypes, vertical (transplacental) transmission has been described, resulting in severe congenital malformations. Transplacental transmission had been mainly associated with live vaccine strains. Yet, the European BTV-8 strain demonstrated a high incidence of transplacental transmission in natural circumstances. The relevance of transplacental transmission for the epizootiology is considered limited, especially in enzootic areas. However, transplacental transmission can have a substantial economic impact due to the loss of progeny. Inactivated vaccines have demonstrated to prevent transplacental transmission. Vector-free horizontal transmission has also been demonstrated. Since direct horizontal transmission requires close contact of animals, it is considered only relevant for within-farm spreading of BTV. The genetic determinants which enable vector-free transmission are present in virus strains circulating in the field. More research into the genetic changes which enable vector-free transmission is essential to better evaluate the risks associated with outbreaks of new BTV serotypes and to design more appropriate control measures.

  10. Reporter gene expression in fish following cutaneous infection with pantropic retroviral vectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, T A; Burns, J C; Shike, H; Getchell, R; Bowser, P R; Whitlock, K E; Casey, J W

    2001-06-01

    A central issue in gene delivery systems is choosing promoters that will direct defined and sustainable levels of gene expression. Pantropic retroviral vectors provide a means to insert genes into either somatic or germline cells. In this study, we focused on somatic cell infection by evaluating the activity of 3 promoters inserted by vectors into fish cell lines and fish skin using pantropic retroviruses. In bluegill and zebrafish cell lines, the highest levels of luciferase expression were observed from the 5' murine leukemia virus long terminal repeat of the retroviral vector. The Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat and cytomegalovirus early promoter, as internal promoters, generated lower levels of luciferase. Luciferase reporter vectors infected zebrafish skin, as measured by the presence of viral DNA, and expressed luciferase. We infected developing walleye dermal sarcomas with retroviral vectors to provide an environment with enhanced cell proliferation, a condition necessary for integration of the provirus into the host genome. We demonstrated a 4-fold to 7-fold increase in luciferase gene expression in tumor tissue over infections in normal walleye skin.

  11. The Effects of Using Geography Information Systems in Social Studies on Students Attitudes about Information Technology: Case of Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nihat ŞİMŞEK

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The motivation and attention of students in the classroom are on the increase of using different methods. Like other lectures, in social studies using computers and information technologies is one of the methods that keeps the interest of students alive and increases participation of them. This study, aiming at measuring attitudes of 6th grade students to information technologies is conducted by using qualitative and quasi-experimental methods. The sample of this study is comprised by students of Cizmeci Elementary School, located in Ankara Kecioren. 33 students were chosen for experimental group and 35 students were chosen for control group, comprising a total of 68 students. As a result of the study, a significant difference between total computer attitude scale points of the pre and post-tests in both experimental and control groups was determined

  12. Development and evaluation of recombinant MVA viruses expressing bohv-1 glycoprotein D

    OpenAIRE

    Ferrer, María Florencia

    2010-01-01

    El virus vaccinia Ankara modificado (MVA) es un virus altamente atenuado que se utiliza eficientemente como vector viral no replicativo para el desarrollo de nuevas vacunas. En este trabajo de Tesis se desarrolló un nuevo inmunógeno basado en MVA que expresa como antígeno de interés la glicoproteína D (versión secretada, gDs) del virus herpes bovino tipo I (BoHV-1), un agente infeccioso ampliamente distribuido en Argentina. Primeramente, se diseñó y construyó el vector de transferencia para o...

  13. VectorBase

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — VectorBase is a Bioinformatics Resource Center for invertebrate vectors. It is one of four Bioinformatics Resource Centers funded by NIAID to provide web-based...

  14. Custodial vector model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Becciolini, Diego; Franzosi, Diogo Buarque; Foadi, Roshan

    2015-01-01

    We analyze the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) phenomenology of heavy vector resonances with a $SU(2)_L\\times SU(2)_R$ spectral global symmetry. This symmetry partially protects the electroweak S-parameter from large contributions of the vector resonances. The resulting custodial vector model spectrum...

  15. Requests for emergency hyperbaric oxygen treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning in Ankara, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özgök-Kangal, Münïre Kübra; Karatop-Cesur, Iclal; Akcali, Gökhan; Yildiz, Senol; Uzun, Günalp

    2016-09-01

    Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is common in Turkey. Our department is the main provider of emergency hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in Ankara and neighboring cities. In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of CO-poisoned patients who were referred by phone to our department for emergency HBOT. We retrospectively reviewed the records of phone consultations with emergency departments regarding the need for treatment of CO-poisoned patients with HBOT between 14 January 2014 and 14 January 2015. The following information was extracted from medical records: age, gender, CO source, exposure duration, carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level, symptoms, electrocardiography (ECG) findings, cardiac enzymes, pregnancy, the distance of referring hospital to our centre, time between admission and consultation and HBOT decision. Over the one-year period, 562 patients with CO poisoning were referred for HBOT. We recommended HBOT for 289 (51%) patients. HBOT was recommended for 58% (n = 194) of the patients with COHb ≥ 25%, 72% (n = 163) of the patients with a history of syncope, 67% (n = 35) of the patients with ECG abnormality, and 67% (n = 14) of pregnant patients. Patients for whom HBOT was not recommended despite having positive signs of severe poisoning were referred significantly later compared to patients for whom HBOT was recommended. We found that the duration from admission to an emergency department to HBOT consultation affected our decision-making.

  16. Experimental demonstration of vector E x vector B plasma divertor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strait, E.J.; Kerst, D.W.; Sprott, J.C.

    1977-01-01

    The vector E x vector B drift due to an applied radial electric field in a tokamak with poloidal divertor can speed the flow of plasma out of the scrape-off region, and provide a means of externally controlling the flow rate and thus the width of the density fall-off. An experiment in the Wisconsin levitated toroidal octupole, using vector E x vector B drifts alone, demonstrates divertor-like behavior, including 70% reduction of plasma density near the wall and 40% reduction of plasma flux to the wall, with no adverse effects on confinement of the main plasma

  17. The Use of Isotope Techniques to Separate of Hydrography Components. Case Study: Ankara-Guvenc Basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tekeli, Y.I.; Sorman, A.U.; Sayin, M.

    2002-01-01

    In this research, a stable environmental isotope study was carried out from analysis of water samples collected from rainfall, runoff (total discharge), springs (subsurface flows), and wells (ground waters)in Ankara-Guevenc basin having a drainage area of about 16.125 km 2 between 1996-2000. The aim of the study was to investigate the rainfall-runoff relationship for the basin. Recorded total ten discharge hydrographs are separated to their components using stable isotopes (Oxygen-18, Deuterium) contents. Among these samples, unit hydrographs from two one-peak storm hydrographs were derived using both isotope and graphical methods, and the derived unit hydrographs values including peaks were compared. Peak values of 10 and 20 minutes unit hydrographs of the basin derived by using isotope method (Q p = 1322 1/s and Q p = 1327 l/s) are compared with those of graphical method (Q p = 1656 1/s, and Q p = 1250 1/s) using Barnes semi-log approach. It was found out that, the contribution of subsurface flow which is component of total discharge hydrograph and originating from various sub layers are important in the total flow of basin using isotope method of approach

  18. Ankara’da ebeveynlerin rotavirüs hakkında bilgi düzeyleri ve çocukların rotavirüs aşılanma oranları

    OpenAIRE

    KÖKSAL, Ali Osman; KÖKSAL, Tülin

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the study was to determine the information level of parents about rotavirus gastroenteritis, rotavirus vaccine, and the incidence of rotavirus vaccination in Ankara. 500 patients with the age of more than 4 months who admitted to our outpatient clinic in 2010 and 2011 were included in this study. We asked parents whether they have any information about rotavirus gastroenteritis and rotavirus vaccine, and their children had the first dose of rotavirus vaccination or not. When the pa...

  19. Rotations with Rodrigues' vector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pina, E

    2011-01-01

    The rotational dynamics was studied from the point of view of Rodrigues' vector. This vector is defined here by its connection with other forms of parametrization of the rotation matrix. The rotation matrix was expressed in terms of this vector. The angular velocity was computed using the components of Rodrigues' vector as coordinates. It appears to be a fundamental matrix that is used to express the components of the angular velocity, the rotation matrix and the angular momentum vector. The Hamiltonian formalism of rotational dynamics in terms of this vector uses the same matrix. The quantization of the rotational dynamics is performed with simple rules if one uses Rodrigues' vector and similar formal expressions for the quantum operators that mimic the Hamiltonian classical dynamics.

  20. Peripheral non-viral MIDGE vector-driven delivery of β-endorphin in inflammatory pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Busch Melanie

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Leukocytes infiltrating inflamed tissue produce and release opioid peptides such as β-endorphin, which activate opioid receptors on peripheral terminals of sensory nerves resulting in analgesia. Gene therapy is an attractive strategy to enhance continuous production of endogenous opioids. However, classical viral and plasmid vectors for gene delivery are hampered by immunogenicity, recombination, oncogene activation, anti-bacterial antibody production or changes in physiological gene expression. Non-viral, non-plasmid minimalistic, immunologically defined gene expression (MIDGE vectors may overcome these problems as they carry only elements needed for gene transfer. Here, we investigated the effects of a nuclear localization sequence (NLS-coupled MIDGE encoding the β-endorphin precursor proopiomelanocortin (POMC on complete Freund's adjuvant-induced inflammatory pain in rats. Results POMC-MIDGE-NLS injected into inflamed paws appeared to be taken up by leukocytes resulting in higher concentrations of β-endorphin in these cells. POMC-MIDGE-NLS treatment reversed enhanced mechanical sensitivity compared with control MIDGE-NLS. However, both effects were moderate, not always statistically significant or directly correlated with each other. Also, the anti-hyperalgesic actions could not be increased by enhancing β-endorphin secretion or by modifying POMC-MIDGE-NLS to code for multiple copies of β-endorphin. Conclusion Although MIDGE vectors circumvent side-effects associated with classical viral and plasmid vectors, the current POMC-MIDGE-NLS did not result in reliable analgesic effectiveness in our pain model. This was possibly associated with insufficient and variable efficacy in transfection and/or β-endorphin production. Our data point at the importance of the reproducibility of gene therapy strategies for the control of chronic pain.

  1. Violation of vector dominance in the vector manifestation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, Chihiro

    2003-01-01

    The vector manifestation (VM) is a new pattern for realizing the chiral symmetry in QCD. In the VM, the massless vector meson becomes the chiral partner of pion at the critical point, in contrast with the restoration based on the linear sigma model. Including the intrinsic temperature dependences of the parameters of the hidden local symmetry (HLS) Lagrangian determined from the underlying QCD through the Wilsonian matching together with the hadronic thermal corrections, we present a new prediction of the VM on the direct photon-π-π coupling which measures the validity of the vector dominance (VD) of the electromagnetic form factor of the pion. We find that the VD is largely violated at the critical temperature, which indicates that the assumption of the VD made in several analysis on the dilepton spectra in hot matter may need to be weakened for consistently including the effect of the dropping mass of the vector meson. (author)

  2. An enhanced method for sequence walking and paralog mining: TOPO® Vector-Ligation PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Davis Thomas M

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although technological advances allow for the economical acquisition of whole genome sequences, many organisms' genomes remain unsequenced, and fully sequenced genomes may contain gaps. Researchers reliant upon partial genomic or heterologous sequence information require methods for obtaining unknown sequences from loci of interest. Various PCR based techniques are available for sequence walking - i.e., the acquisition of unknown DNA sequence adjacent to known sequence. Many such methods require rigid, elaborate protocols and/or impose narrowly confined options in the choice of restriction enzymes for necessary genomic digests. We describe a new method, TOPO® Vector-Ligation PCR (or TVL-PCR that innovatively integrates available tools and familiar concepts to offer advantages as a means of both targeted sequence walking and paralog mining. Findings TVL-PCR exploits the ligation efficiency of the pCR®4-TOPO® (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, California vector system to capture fragments of unknown sequence by creating chimeric molecules containing defined priming sites at both ends. Initially, restriction enzyme-digested genomic DNA is end-repaired to create 3' adenosine overhangs and is then ligated to pCR4-TOPO vectors. The ligation product pool is used directly as a template for nested PCR, using specific primers to target orthologous sequences, or degenerate primers to enable capture of paralogous gene family members. We demonstrated the efficacy of this method by capturing entire coding and partial promoter sequences of several strawberry Superman-like genes. Conclusions TVL-PCR is a convenient and efficient method for DNA sequence walking and paralog mining that is applicable to any organism for which relevant DNA sequence is available as a basis for primer design.

  3. Malaria-induced changes in host odors enhance mosquito attraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Moraes, Consuelo M; Stanczyk, Nina M; Betz, Heike S; Pulido, Hannier; Sim, Derek G; Read, Andrew F; Mescher, Mark C

    2014-07-29

    Vector-borne pathogens may alter traits of their primary hosts in ways that influence the frequency and nature of interactions between hosts and vectors. Previous work has reported enhanced mosquito attraction to host organisms infected with malaria parasites but did not address the mechanisms underlying such effects. Here we document malaria-induced changes in the odor profiles of infected mice (relative to healthy individuals) over the course of infection, as well as effects on the attractiveness of infected hosts to mosquito vectors. We observed enhanced mosquito attraction to infected mice during a key period after the subsidence of acute malaria symptoms, but during which mice remained highly infectious. This attraction corresponded to an overall elevation in the volatile emissions of infected mice observed during this period. Furthermore, data analyses--using discriminant analysis of principal components and random forest approaches--revealed clear differences in the composition of the volatile blends of infected and healthy individuals. Experimental manipulation of individual compounds that exhibited altered emission levels during the period when differential vector attraction was observed also elicited enhanced mosquito attraction, indicating that compounds being influenced by malaria infection status also mediate vector host-seeking behavior. These findings provide important insights into the cues that mediate vector attraction to hosts infected with transmissible stages of malaria parasites, as well as documenting characteristic changes in the odors of infected individuals that may have potential value as diagnostic biomarkers of infection.

  4. Measurement of K/sub NN/, K/sub LL/ in p vector d → n vector X and p vector 9Be → n vector X at 800 MeV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riley, P.J.; Hollas, C.L.; Newsom, C.R.

    1980-01-01

    The spin transfer parameters, K/sub NN/ and K/sub LL/, have been measured in p vector d → n vector X and p vector 9 Be → n vector X at 0 0 and 800 MeV. The rather large values of K/sub LL/ demonstrate that this transfer mechanism will provide a useful source of polarized neutrons at LAMPF energies

  5. Raster images vectorization system

    OpenAIRE

    Genytė, Jurgita

    2006-01-01

    The problem of raster images vectorization was analyzed and researched in this work. Existing vectorization systems are quite expensive, the results are inaccurate, and the manual vectorization of a large number of drafts is impossible. That‘s why our goal was to design and develop a new raster images vectorization system using our suggested automatic vectorization algorithm and the way to record results in a new universal vectorial file format. The work consists of these main parts: analysis...

  6. Vectorization of phase space Monte Carlo code in FACOM vector processor VP-200

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miura, Kenichi

    1986-01-01

    This paper describes the vectorization techniques for Monte Carlo codes in Fujitsu's Vector Processor System. The phase space Monte Carlo code FOWL is selected as a benchmark, and scalar and vector performances are compared. The vectorized kernel Monte Carlo routine which contains heavily nested IF tests runs up to 7.9 times faster in vector mode than in scalar mode. The overall performance improvement of the vectorized FOWL code over the original scalar code reaches 3.3. The results of this study strongly indicate that supercomputer can be a powerful tool for Monte Carlo simulations in high energy physics. (Auth.)

  7. Application of support vector machine model for enhancing the diagnostic value of tumor markers in gastric cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Hui; Huang Gang

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the early diagnostic value of tumor markers for gastric cancer using support vector machine (SVM) model. Methods: Subjects involved in the study consisted of 262 cases with gastric cancer, 156 cases with benign gastric diseases and 149 healthy controls. From those subjects, five tumor markers, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate (CA) 125, CA19-9, alphafetoprotein (AFP) and CA50, were assayed and collected to make the datasets. To modify SVM model to fit the diagnostic classifiers, radial basis function was adopted and kernel function was optimized and validated by grid search and cross validation. For comparative study, methods of combination tests of five markers, Logistic regression, and decision tree were also used. Results: For gastric cancer, the diagnostic accuracy of the combination tests, Logistic regression, decision tree and SVM model were 46.2%, 64.5%, 63.9% and 95.1% respectively. SVM model significantly elevated the diagnostic value comparing with other three methods. Conclusion: The application of SVM model is of high value in enhancing the tumor marker for the diagnosis of gastric cancer. (authors)

  8. Stratigraphy and Folding in the Cenozoic Cover of a Fold-Thrust Belt in the Nallıhan Region (Ankara, Central Turkey)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karaaǧaç, Serdal; Koral, Hayrettin

    2017-04-01

    This study investigates stratigraphy and structural features in the Cenozoic sedimentary sequence of the fold-thrust belt of the Nallıhan-Ankara region, located to the north of the İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan Suture Zone. Permian-Triassic age marble intercalated with schist-phyllites, the upper Jurassic-lower Cretaceous age limestone and the upper Cretaceous age sandstone-shale alternation compose the basement in the study area. These rocks are unconformably overlain by the Cenozoic age terrestrial sedimentary and volcanic units. The Cenozoic stratigraphy begins with the Paleocene-Eocene age coal-bearing, at times, volcanic intercalated conglomerate-sandstone-mudstone alternation of alluvial-fluvial origins (Aksaklar Formation) and the tuff intercalated with lacustrine limestone, bituminous limestone (Kabalar Formation). These units are conformably overlain by the Eocene age basalt-andesite and pyroclastic rocks (Meyildere volcanics). The Paleocene-Eocene aged units are unconformably overlain by the conglomerate-sandstone-mudstone-marl of a lower-middle Miocene lacustrine environment (Hançili Formation). The terrestrial conglomerate-sandstone alternation (Örencik Formation) is the youngest unit in the Cenozoic stratigraphy, and is assumed to be of Pliocene age based its stratigraphic position on older units. Field study shows existence of both folds and faults in the sedimentary cover. Stereographic projections of bedding measured in the field shows N25W/45NW and N60W/4SE-oriented fold axes in the Paleocene-Eocene age units. There are also N76W/12SE and N88E/8NE-oriented folds. The difference in fold-axis orientations suggests that some folds may have been rotated in blocks bound by faults during the post-Paleocene/Eocene period. Whereas, the lower-middle Miocene units manifest N88W/13SE-oriented fold axes. It is thus proposed that the observed difference in the azimuth of fold axes represent two different folding phases, one with NE-SW and the other with N

  9. Ankara Üniversitesi Kriz Merkezine başvuran yas olguları üzerine bir çalışma

    OpenAIRE

    ŞENELMİŞ, Halil

    2006-01-01

    Ankara Üniversitesi Kriz Merkezi'ne BaşvuranYas Olguları Üzerine Bir ÇalışmaSosyal bir varlık olan insan yaşam süreci içerisinde zorlayıcı, yıpratıcı, tehdit edicibirçok olay ve sorunla karşılaşır. Her zaman sorunlar karşısında kullandığı çözüm yollarınınişe yaramadığını gören kişi, kendisini çaresiz hisseder. Bu yaşanan bir kriz durumudur. Krizçeşitli duygusal zorlanmalar sonunda meydana gelen akut ve süresi sınırlı bir dengebozukluğudur.Kişinin yaşamı boyunca karşılaştı...

  10. Vector grammars and PN machines

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    蒋昌俊

    1996-01-01

    The concept of vector grammars under the string semantic is introduced.The dass of vector grammars is given,which is similar to the dass of Chomsky grammars.The regular vector grammar is divided further.The strong and weak relation between the vector grammar and scalar grammar is discussed,so the spectrum system graph of scalar and vector grammars is made.The equivalent relation between the regular vector grammar and Petri nets (also called PN machine) is pointed.The hybrid PN machine is introduced,and its language is proved equivalent to the language of the context-free vector grammar.So the perfect relation structure between vector grammars and PN machines is formed.

  11. Vector velocimeter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2012-01-01

    The present invention relates to a compact, reliable and low-cost vector velocimeter for example for determining velocities of particles suspended in a gas or fluid flow, or for determining velocity, displacement, rotation, or vibration of a solid surface, the vector velocimeter comprising a laser...

  12. Recent advances in genetic modification of adenovirus vectors for cancer treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto, Yuki; Nagasato, Masaki; Yoshida, Teruhiko; Aoki, Kazunori

    2017-05-01

    Adenoviruses are widely used to deliver genes to a variety of cell types and have been used in a number of clinical trials for gene therapy and oncolytic virotherapy. However, several concerns must be addressed for the clinical use of adenovirus vectors. Selective delivery of a therapeutic gene by adenovirus vectors to target cancer is precluded by the widespread distribution of the primary cellular receptors. The systemic administration of adenoviruses results in hepatic tropism independent of the primary receptors. Adenoviruses induce strong innate and acquired immunity in vivo. Furthermore, several modifications to these vectors are necessary to enhance their oncolytic activity and ensure patient safety. As such, the adenovirus genome has been engineered to overcome these problems. The first part of the present review outlines recent progress in the genetic modification of adenovirus vectors for cancer treatment. In addition, several groups have recently developed cancer-targeting adenovirus vectors by using libraries that display random peptides on a fiber knob. Pancreatic cancer-targeting sequences have been isolated, and these oncolytic vectors have been shown by our group to be associated with a higher gene transduction efficiency and more potent oncolytic activity in cell lines, murine models, and surgical specimens of pancreatic cancer. In the second part of this review, we explain that combining cancer-targeting strategies can be a promising approach to increase the clinical usefulness of oncolytic adenovirus vectors. © 2017 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

  13. Cloning vector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guilfoyle, Richard A.; Smith, Lloyd M.

    1994-01-01

    A vector comprising a filamentous phage sequence containing a first copy of filamentous phage gene X and other sequences necessary for the phage to propagate is disclosed. The vector also contains a second copy of filamentous phage gene X downstream from a promoter capable of promoting transcription in a bacterial host. In a preferred form of the present invention, the filamentous phage is M13 and the vector additionally includes a restriction endonuclease site located in such a manner as to substantially inactivate the second gene X when a DNA sequence is inserted into the restriction site.

  14. Cloning vector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guilfoyle, R.A.; Smith, L.M.

    1994-12-27

    A vector comprising a filamentous phage sequence containing a first copy of filamentous phage gene X and other sequences necessary for the phage to propagate is disclosed. The vector also contains a second copy of filamentous phage gene X downstream from a promoter capable of promoting transcription in a bacterial host. In a preferred form of the present invention, the filamentous phage is M13 and the vector additionally includes a restriction endonuclease site located in such a manner as to substantially inactivate the second gene X when a DNA sequence is inserted into the restriction site. 2 figures.

  15. Phytoplasma protein effector SAP11 enhances insect vector reproduction by manipulating plant development and defense hormone biosynthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugio, Akiko; Kingdom, Heather N; MacLean, Allyson M; Grieve, Victoria M; Hogenhout, Saskia A

    2011-11-29

    Phytoplasmas are insect-transmitted phytopathogenic bacteria that can alter plant morphology and the longevity and reproduction rates and behavior of their insect vectors. There are various examples of animal and plant parasites that alter the host phenotype to attract insect vectors, but it is unclear how these parasites accomplish this. We hypothesized that phytoplasmas produce effectors that modulate specific targets in their hosts leading to the changes in plant development and insect performance. Previously, we sequenced and mined the genome of Aster Yellows phytoplasma strain Witches' Broom (AY-WB) and identified 56 candidate effectors. Here, we report that the secreted AY-WB protein 11 (SAP11) effector modulates plant defense responses to the advantage of the AY-WB insect vector Macrosteles quadrilineatus. SAP11 binds and destabilizes Arabidopsis CINCINNATA (CIN)-related TEOSINTE BRANCHED1, CYCLOIDEA, PROLIFERATING CELL FACTORS 1 and 2 (TCP) transcription factors, which control plant development and promote the expression of lipoxygenase (LOX) genes involved in jasmonate (JA) synthesis. Both the Arabidopsis SAP11 lines and AY-WB-infected plants produce less JA on wounding. Furthermore, the AY-WB insect vector produces more offspring on AY-WB-infected plants, SAP11 transgenic lines, and plants impaired in CIN-TCP and JA synthesis. Thus, SAP11-mediated destabilization of CIN-TCPs leads to the down-regulation of LOX2 expression and JA synthesis and an increase in M. quadrilineatus progeny. Phytoplasmas are obligate inhabitants of their plant host and insect vectors, in which the latter transmits AY-WB to a diverse range of plant species. This finding demonstrates that pathogen effectors can reach beyond the pathogen-host interface to modulate a third organism in the biological interaction.

  16. Vector 33: A reduce program for vector algebra and calculus in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harper, David

    1989-06-01

    This paper describes a package with enables REDUCE 3.3 to perform algebra and calculus operations upon vectors. Basic algebraic operations between vectors and between scalars and vectors are provided, including scalar (dot) product and vector (cross) product. The vector differential operators curl, divergence, gradient and Laplacian are also defined, and are valid in any orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system. The package is written in RLISP to allow algebra and calculus to be performed using notation identical to that for operations. Scalars and vectors can be mixed quite freely in the same expression. The package will be of interest to mathematicians, engineers and scientists who need to perform vector calculations in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates.

  17. Probing deformed orbitals with vector A( vector e, e' N)B reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garrido, E.; Caballero, J.A.; Moya de Guerra, E.; Sarriguren, P.; Udias, J.M.

    1995-01-01

    We present results for response functions and asymmetries in the nuclear reactions 37 vector Ar( vector e, e' n) 36 Ar and 37 vector K( vector e,e' p) 36 Ar at quasifree kinematics. We compare PWIA results obtained using deformed HF wave functions with PWIA and DWIA results obtained assuming a spherical mean field. We show that the complex structure of the deformed orbitals can be probed by coincidence measurements with polarized beam and targets. ((orig.))

  18. Natural radioactivity and metal concentrations in soil samples taken along the Izmir - Ankara E-023 highway, Turkey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baba, A.; Bassari, A.; Erees, F; Cam, S.

    2004-01-01

    The specific activity and the gamma-absorbed dose rates of the terrestrial naturally occurring radionuclides ( 238 U, 232 Th, and 40 K) were determined in roadside soil obtained from fifteen sites along Izmir-Ankara Highway, using gamma-ray spectrometry. The soil activity ranged from 42.6 to 47.3 Bqkg -1 for 238 U, 31.8 to 36.3 Bqkg -1 for 232 Th, and 432 to 488 Bqkg -1 for 40 K. The highest mean value of 238 U was found in the soil samples obtained from a site close to the intersection of the roads. The study yielded an annual effective dose equivalent in the range of 58 - 80 μSv. The average value falls within the global range of outdoor radiation exposure given in UNSCEAR-2000 publications. Also Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr and Zr concentrations were determined in roadside soil. Rb, Sr, Zr and Zn concentrations in roadside soil around the intersection of the roads were higher than maximum concentration levels of these heavy metals in normal soil

  19. AAV vector encoding human VEGF165-transduced pectineus muscular flaps increase the formation of new tissue through induction of angiogenesis in an in vivo chamber for tissue engineering: A technique to enhance tissue and vessels in microsurgically engineered tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moimas, Silvia; Manasseri, Benedetto; Cuccia, Giuseppe; Stagno d'Alcontres, Francesco; Geuna, Stefano; Pattarini, Lucia; Zentilin, Lorena; Giacca, Mauro; Colonna, Michele R

    2015-01-01

    In regenerative medicine, new approaches are required for the creation of tissue substitutes, and the interplay between different research areas, such as tissue engineering, microsurgery and gene therapy, is mandatory. In this article, we report a modification of a published model of tissue engineering, based on an arterio-venous loop enveloped in a cross-linked collagen-glycosaminoglycan template, which acts as an isolated chamber for angiogenesis and new tissue formation. In order to foster tissue formation within the chamber, which entails on the development of new vessels, we wondered whether we might combine tissue engineering with a gene therapy approach. Based on the well-described tropism of adeno-associated viral vectors for post-mitotic tissues, a muscular flap was harvested from the pectineus muscle, inserted into the chamber and transduced by either AAV vector encoding human VEGF165 or AAV vector expressing the reporter gene β-galactosidase, as a control. Histological analysis of the specimens showed that muscle transduction by AAV vector encoding human VEGF165 resulted in enhanced tissue formation, with a significant increase in the number of arterioles within the chamber in comparison with the previously published model. Pectineus muscular flap, transduced by adeno-associated viral vectors, acted as a source of the proangiogenic factor vascular endothelial growth factor, thus inducing a consistent enhancement of vessel growth into the newly formed tissue within the chamber. In conclusion, our present findings combine three different research fields such as microsurgery, tissue engineering and gene therapy, suggesting and showing the feasibility of a mixed approach for regenerative medicine.

  20. Phytoplasma protein effector SAP11 enhances insect vector reproduction by manipulating plant development and defense hormone biosynthesis

    OpenAIRE

    Sugio, Akiko; Kingdom, Heather N.; MacLean, Allyson M.; Grieve, Victoria M.; Hogenhout, Saskia A.

    2011-01-01

    Phytoplasmas are insect-transmitted phytopathogenic bacteria that can alter plant morphology and the longevity and reproduction rates and behavior of their insect vectors. There are various examples of animal and plant parasites that alter the host phenotype to attract insect vectors, but it is unclear how these parasites accomplish this. We hypothesized that phytoplasmas produce effectors that modulate specific targets in their hosts leading to the changes in plant development and insect per...

  1. Vector Competence of American Mosquitoes for Three Strains of Zika Virus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Weger-Lucarelli

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In 2015, Zika virus (ZIKV; Flaviviridae; Flavivirus emerged in the Americas, causing millions of infections in dozens of countries. The rapid spread of the virus and the association with disease outcomes such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly make understanding transmission dynamics essential. Currently, there are no reports of vector competence (VC of American mosquitoes for ZIKV isolates from the Americas. Further, it is not clear whether ZIKV strains from other genetic lineages can be transmitted by American Aedes aegypti populations, and whether the scope of the current epidemic is in part facilitated by viral factors such as enhanced replicative fitness or increased vector competence. Therefore, we characterized replication of three ZIKV strains, one from each of the three phylogenetic clades in several cell lines and assessed their abilities to be transmitted by Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Additionally, laboratory colonies of different Culex spp. were infected with an American outbreak strain of ZIKV to assess VC. Replication rates were variable and depended on virus strain, cell line and MOI. African strains used in this study outcompeted the American strain in vitro in both mammalian and mosquito cell culture. West and East African strains of ZIKV tested here were more efficiently transmitted by Ae. aegypti from Mexico than was the currently circulating American strain of the Asian lineage. Long-established laboratory colonies of Culex mosquitoes were not efficient ZIKV vectors. These data demonstrate the capacity for additional ZIKV strains to infect and replicate in American Aedes mosquitoes and suggest that neither enhanced virus replicative fitness nor virus adaptation to local vector mosquitoes seems likely to explain the extent and intensity of ZIKV transmission in the Americas.

  2. Poxvirus-vectored vaccines for rabies--a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weyer, Jacqueline; Rupprecht, Charles E; Nel, Louis H

    2009-11-27

    Oral rabies vaccination of target reservoir species has proved to be one of the pillars of successful rabies elimination programs. The use of live attenuated rabies virus vaccines has been extensive but several limitations hamper its future use. A recombinant vaccinia-rabies vaccine has also been successfully used for the oral vaccination of several species. Nevertheless, its lack of efficacy in certain important rabies reservoirs and concerns on the use of this potent live virus as vaccine carrier (vector) impair the expansion of its use for new target species and new areas. Several attenuated and host-restricted poxvirus alternatives, which supposedly offer enhanced safety, have been investigated. Once again, efficacy in certain target species and innocuity through the oral route remain major limitations of these vaccines. Alternative recombinant vaccines using adenovirus as an antigen delivery vector have been extensively investigated and may provide an important addition to the currently available oral rabies vaccine repertoire, but are not the primary subject of this review.

  3. Recognition of cigarette brand names and logos by primary schoolchildren in Ankara, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emri, S; Bağci, T; Karakoca, Y; Bariş, E

    1998-01-01

    To assess the smoking behaviour of primary schoolchildren and their ability to recognise brand names and logos of widely advertised cigarettes, compared with other commercial products intended for children. Cross-sectional survey in classroom settings using a questionnaire designed to measure attitudes towards smoking and the recognition of brand names and logos for 16 food, beverage, cigarette, and toothpaste products. Ankara, Turkey. 1093 children (54.6% boys, 44.4% girls) aged 7-13 years (mean = 10, SD = 1), from grades 2-5. The student sample was taken from three primary schools--one school in each of three residential districts representing high, middle, and low income populations. Prevalence of ever-smoking, recognition of brand names and logos. Prevalence of ever-smoking was 11.7% overall (13.9% among boys and 9.1% among girls; p Brand recognition rates ranged from 58.1% for Chee-tos (a food product) to 95.2% for Samsun (a Turkish cigarette brand). Recognition rates for cigarette brand names and logos were 95.2% and 80.8%, respectively, for Samsun; 84.0% and 90.5%, respectively, for Camel; and 92.1% and 69.5%, respectively, for Marlboro. The Camel logo and the Samsun and Marlboro brand names were the most highly recognised of all product logos and brand names tested. The high recognition of cigarette brand names and logos is most likely the result of tobacco advertising and promotion. Our results indicate the need to implement comprehensive tobacco control measures in Turkey.

  4. ÇOCUK OYUN ALANLARI ÜZERİNE BİR ARAŞTIRMA İSTANBUL, İSPARTA, ESKİŞEHİR, ERZURUM, KAYSERİ, ANKARA, ZONGULDAK VE TRABZON İLLERİ ÖRNEĞİ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yıldız AKSOY

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Çocukluk dönemi sonraki yaşlardaki kişilik ve zihinsel yeteneklerin gelişmesinin temelinin atıldığı dönemdir. Bu yeteneklerin gelişmesindeki en önemli alan şüphe yok ki özgürce kendilerini ifade ettikleri çocuk oyun alanlarıdır. Türkiye'de 8 ilde (Isparta, Eskişehir, Erzurum, Kayseri, Ankara, İstanbul, Trabzon ve Zonguldak yapılan araştırmaların yer aldığı bu çalışmada çocuk oyun alanlarının yetersizliğinden bahsedilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler sonucunda; Türkiye'de çocuk başına düşen metrekare alanın diğer ülkelere göre daha az olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Isparta, Eskişehir, Erzurum, Kayseri, Ankara, İstanbul illerindeki araştırmalarda çocuklarla birebir anket ve gözlem yapılarak sonuca ulaşılmıştır. Çocukların sosyal, duygusal ve zihinsel yönden gelişimlerinin olumsuz yönde etkilendiği gözlenmiş, gözlem sonucunda elde edilen veriler analiz edilip, öneriler sunulmuştur.

  5. Peridomestic Aedes malayensis and Aedes albopictus are capable vectors of arboviruses in cities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendenhall, Ian H; Manuel, Menchie; Moorthy, Mahesh; Lee, Theodore T M; Low, Dolyce H W; Missé, Dorothée; Gubler, Duane J; Ellis, Brett R; Ooi, Eng Eong; Pompon, Julien

    2017-06-01

    Dengue and chikungunya are global re-emerging mosquito-borne diseases. In Singapore, sustained vector control coupled with household improvements reduced domestic mosquito populations for the past 45 years, particularly the primary vector Aedes aegypti. However, while disease incidence was low for the first 30 years following vector control implementation, outbreaks have re-emerged in the past 15 years. Epidemiological observations point to the importance of peridomestic infection in areas not targeted by control programs. We investigated the role of vectors in peri-domestic areas. We carried out entomological surveys to identify the Aedes species present in vegetated sites in highly populated areas and determine whether mosquitoes were present in open-air areas frequented by people. We compared vector competence of Aedes albopictus and Aedes malayensis with Ae. aegypti after oral infection with sympatric dengue serotype 2 and chikungunya viruses. Mosquito saliva was tested for the presence of infectious virus particles as a surrogate for transmission following oral infection. We identified Aedes albopictus and Aedes malayensis throughout Singapore and quantified their presence in forested and opened grassy areas. Both Ae. albopictus and Ae. malayensis can occupy sylvatic niches and were highly susceptible to both arboviruses. A majority of saliva of infected Ae. malayensis contained infectious particles for both viruses. Our study reveals the prevalence of competent vectors in peri-domestic areas, including Ae. malayensis for which we established the vector status. Epidemics can be driven by infection foci, which are epidemiologically enhanced in the context of low herd immunity, selective pressure on arbovirus transmission and the presence of infectious asymptomatic persons, all these conditions being present in Singapore. Learning from Singapore's vector control success that reduced domestic vector populations, but has not sustainably reduced arboviral incidence

  6. Multi-perspective views of students’ difficulties with one-dimensional vector and two-dimensional vector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fauzi, Ahmad; Ratna Kawuri, Kunthi; Pratiwi, Retno

    2017-01-01

    Researchers of students’ conceptual change usually collects data from written tests and interviews. Moreover, reports of conceptual change often simply refer to changes in concepts, such as on a test, without any identification of the learning processes that have taken place. Research has shown that students have difficulties with vectors in university introductory physics courses and high school physics courses. In this study, we intended to explore students’ understanding of one-dimensional and two-dimensional vector in multi perspective views. In this research, we explore students’ understanding through test perspective and interviews perspective. Our research study adopted the mixed-methodology design. The participants of this research were sixty students of third semester of physics education department. The data of this research were collected by testand interviews. In this study, we divided the students’ understanding of one-dimensional vector and two-dimensional vector in two categories, namely vector skills of the addition of one-dimensionaland two-dimensional vector and the relation between vector skills and conceptual understanding. From the investigation, only 44% of students provided correct answer for vector skills of the addition of one-dimensional and two-dimensional vector and only 27% students provided correct answer for the relation between vector skills and conceptual understanding.

  7. An Autonomous Star Identification Algorithm Based on One-Dimensional Vector Pattern for Star Sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Liyan; Xu, Luping; Zhang, Hua

    2015-07-07

    In order to enhance the robustness and accelerate the recognition speed of star identification, an autonomous star identification algorithm for star sensors is proposed based on the one-dimensional vector pattern (one_DVP). In the proposed algorithm, the space geometry information of the observed stars is used to form the one-dimensional vector pattern of the observed star. The one-dimensional vector pattern of the same observed star remains unchanged when the stellar image rotates, so the problem of star identification is simplified as the comparison of the two feature vectors. The one-dimensional vector pattern is adopted to build the feature vector of the star pattern, which makes it possible to identify the observed stars robustly. The characteristics of the feature vector and the proposed search strategy for the matching pattern make it possible to achieve the recognition result as quickly as possible. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can effectively accelerate the star identification. Moreover, the recognition accuracy and robustness by the proposed algorithm are better than those by the pyramid algorithm, the modified grid algorithm, and the LPT algorithm. The theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other three star identification algorithms.

  8. Custodial vector model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becciolini, Diego; Franzosi, Diogo Buarque; Foadi, Roshan; Frandsen, Mads T.; Hapola, Tuomas; Sannino, Francesco

    2015-07-01

    We analyze the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) phenomenology of heavy vector resonances with a S U (2 )L×S U (2 )R spectral global symmetry. This symmetry partially protects the electroweak S parameter from large contributions of the vector resonances. The resulting custodial vector model spectrum and interactions with the standard model fields lead to distinct signatures at the LHC in the diboson, dilepton, and associated Higgs channels.

  9. Vector Differential Calculus

    OpenAIRE

    HITZER, Eckhard MS

    2002-01-01

    This paper treats the fundamentals of the vector differential calculus part of universal geometric calculus. Geometric calculus simplifies and unifies the structure and notation of mathematics for all of science and engineering, and for technological applications. In order to make the treatment self-contained, I first compile all important geometric algebra relationships,which are necesssary for vector differential calculus. Then differentiation by vectors is introduced and a host of major ve...

  10. Methods of treating Parkinson's disease using viral vectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bankiewicz, Krystof; Cunningham, Janet

    2016-11-15

    Methods of delivering viral vectors, particularly recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) virions, to the central nervous system (CNS) using convection enhanced delivery (CED) are provided. The rAAV virions include a nucleic acid sequence encoding a therapeutic polypeptide. The methods can be used for treating CNS disorders such as for treating Parkinson's Disease.

  11. Mucosal delivery of a vectored RSV vaccine is safe and elicits protective immunity in rodents and nonhuman primates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angiolo Pierantoni

    Full Text Available Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV is a leading cause of severe respiratory disease in infants and the elderly. No vaccine is presently available to address this major unmet medical need. We generated a new genetic vaccine based on chimpanzee Adenovirus (PanAd3-RSV and Modified Vaccinia Ankara RSV (MVA-RSV encoding the F, N, and M2-1 proteins of RSV, for the induction of neutralizing antibodies and broad cellular immunity. Because RSV infection is restricted to the respiratory tract, we compared intranasal (IN and intramuscular (M administration for safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy in different species. A single IN or IM vaccination completely protected BALB/c mice and cotton rats against RSV replication in the lungs. However, only IN administration could prevent infection in the upper respiratory tract. IM vaccination with MVA-RSV also protected cotton rats from lower respiratory tract infection in the absence of detectable neutralizing antibodies. Heterologous prime boost with PanAd3-RSV and MVA-RSV elicited high neutralizing antibody titers and broad T-cell responses in nonhuman primates. In addition, animals primed in the nose developed mucosal IgA against the F protein. In conclusion, we have shown that our vectored RSV vaccine induces potent cellular and humoral responses in a primate model, providing strong support for clinical testing.

  12. Vectorization, parallelization and porting of nuclear codes. Vectorization and parallelization. Progress report fiscal 1999

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adachi, Masaaki; Ogasawara, Shinobu; Kume, Etsuo [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Ishizuki, Shigeru; Nemoto, Toshiyuki; Kawasaki, Nobuo; Kawai, Wataru [Fujitsu Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Yatake, Yo-ichi [Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

    2001-02-01

    Several computer codes in the nuclear field have been vectorized, parallelized and trans-ported on the FUJITSU VPP500 system, the AP3000 system, the SX-4 system and the Paragon system at Center for Promotion of Computational Science and Engineering in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. We dealt with 18 codes in fiscal 1999. These results are reported in 3 parts, i.e., the vectorization and the parallelization part on vector processors, the parallelization part on scalar processors and the porting part. In this report, we describe the vectorization and parallelization on vector processors. In this vectorization and parallelization on vector processors part, the vectorization of Relativistic Molecular Orbital Calculation code RSCAT, a microscopic transport code for high energy nuclear collisions code JAM, three-dimensional non-steady thermal-fluid analysis code STREAM, Relativistic Density Functional Theory code RDFT and High Speed Three-Dimensional Nodal Diffusion code MOSRA-Light on the VPP500 system and the SX-4 system are described. (author)

  13. Elliptic-symmetry vector optical fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Yue; Li, Yongnan; Li, Si-Min; Ren, Zhi-Cheng; Kong, Ling-Jun; Tu, Chenghou; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2014-08-11

    We present in principle and demonstrate experimentally a new kind of vector fields: elliptic-symmetry vector optical fields. This is a significant development in vector fields, as this breaks the cylindrical symmetry and enriches the family of vector fields. Due to the presence of an additional degrees of freedom, which is the interval between the foci in the elliptic coordinate system, the elliptic-symmetry vector fields are more flexible than the cylindrical vector fields for controlling the spatial structure of polarization and for engineering the focusing fields. The elliptic-symmetry vector fields can find many specific applications from optical trapping to optical machining and so on.

  14. Residents’ Awareness of Urban and Social Living Quality: The Example of Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taner Kışlalı Neighborhood in Çayyolu/Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmet Tanju Gültekin

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Since 1980, the dynamics of globalization have directed the processes of social, cultural, and political adjustment as well as those of economic integration and especially capital towards urban development, forming urban space. The wave of globalization in Turkey, within a process of economic change in the context of neo liberal policies, urban space has been turned into the most profitable area of investment in the unearned income (economic rent sector. The residential sector has been included in this process quickly and easily through effective and widespread marketing strategies. Over the last two decades of this development, the Ankara-Çayyolu District has become segregated economically and socially between its upper and upper-middle class residents in the urban context. This segregation is evident in residential areas with high-level physical and spatial quality. On the other hand, in addition to the measurable physical and spatial standards of housing quality, it is also important to find out if the quality of living meets the social and cultural expectations of its residents. Starting from this point of view, we examine residents’ perceptions of their physical and social environment in our chosen sample area in the Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taner Kışlalı Neighborhood, and their demands and awareness of housing quality. The story of this neighborhood, which begins in 1980, at a time when neo liberal policies and the power to form urban space was all-important, is defined here by the residents’ quality of living and awareness of it. Our results obtained are expected to help guide the creation of liveable housing areas in the future.Keywords: Housing Users, Urban Living Quality, Social Living, Awareness, Ankara- Çayyolu-Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taner Kışlalı Neighborhood.

  15. Chikungunya Virus–Vector Interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lark L. Coffey

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Chikungunya virus (CHIKV is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that causes chikungunya fever, a severe, debilitating disease that often produces chronic arthralgia. Since 2004, CHIKV has emerged in Africa, Indian Ocean islands, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, causing millions of human infections. Central to understanding CHIKV emergence is knowledge of the natural ecology of transmission and vector infection dynamics. This review presents current understanding of CHIKV infection dynamics in mosquito vectors and its relationship to human disease emergence. The following topics are reviewed: CHIKV infection and vector life history traits including transmission cycles, genetic origins, distribution, emergence and spread, dispersal, vector competence, vector immunity and microbial interactions, and co-infection by CHIKV and other arboviruses. The genetics of vector susceptibility and host range changes, population heterogeneity and selection for the fittest viral genomes, dual host cycling and its impact on CHIKV adaptation, viral bottlenecks and intrahost diversity, and adaptive constraints on CHIKV evolution are also discussed. The potential for CHIKV re-emergence and expansion into new areas and prospects for prevention via vector control are also briefly reviewed.

  16. Extended vector-tensor theories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kimura, Rampei; Naruko, Atsushi; Yoshida, Daisuke, E-mail: rampei@th.phys.titech.ac.jp, E-mail: naruko@th.phys.titech.ac.jp, E-mail: yoshida@th.phys.titech.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551 (Japan)

    2017-01-01

    Recently, several extensions of massive vector theory in curved space-time have been proposed in many literatures. In this paper, we consider the most general vector-tensor theories that contain up to two derivatives with respect to metric and vector field. By imposing a degeneracy condition of the Lagrangian in the context of ADM decomposition of space-time to eliminate an unwanted mode, we construct a new class of massive vector theories where five degrees of freedom can propagate, corresponding to three for massive vector modes and two for massless tensor modes. We find that the generalized Proca and the beyond generalized Proca theories up to the quartic Lagrangian, which should be included in this formulation, are degenerate theories even in curved space-time. Finally, introducing new metric and vector field transformations, we investigate the properties of thus obtained theories under such transformations.

  17. Hyperbolic-symmetry vector fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Xu-Zhen; Pan, Yue; Cai, Meng-Qiang; Li, Yongnan; Tu, Chenghou; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2015-12-14

    We present and construct a new kind of orthogonal coordinate system, hyperbolic coordinate system. We present and design a new kind of local linearly polarized vector fields, which is defined as the hyperbolic-symmetry vector fields because the points with the same polarization form a series of hyperbolae. We experimentally demonstrate the generation of such a kind of hyperbolic-symmetry vector optical fields. In particular, we also study the modified hyperbolic-symmetry vector optical fields with the twofold and fourfold symmetric states of polarization when introducing the mirror symmetry. The tight focusing behaviors of these vector fields are also investigated. In addition, we also fabricate micro-structures on the K9 glass surfaces by several tightly focused (modified) hyperbolic-symmetry vector fields patterns, which demonstrate that the simulated tightly focused fields are in good agreement with the fabricated micro-structures.

  18. Supergravity inspired vector curvaton

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dimopoulos, Konstantinos

    2007-01-01

    It is investigated whether a massive Abelian vector field, whose gauge kinetic function is growing during inflation, can be responsible for the generation of the curvature perturbation in the Universe. Particle production is studied and it is shown that the vector field can obtain a scale-invariant superhorizon spectrum of perturbations with a reasonable choice of kinetic function. After inflation the vector field begins coherent oscillations, during which it corresponds to pressureless isotropic matter. When the vector field dominates the Universe, its perturbations give rise to the observed curvature perturbation following the curvaton scenario. It is found that this is possible if, after the end of inflation, the mass of the vector field increases at a phase transition at temperature of order 1 TeV or lower. Inhomogeneous reheating, whereby the vector field modulates the decay rate of the inflaton, is also studied

  19. A critical assessment of vector control for dengue prevention.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicole L Achee

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Recently, the Vaccines to Vaccinate (v2V initiative was reconfigured into the Partnership for Dengue Control (PDC, a multi-sponsored and independent initiative. This redirection is consistent with the growing consensus among the dengue-prevention community that no single intervention will be sufficient to control dengue disease. The PDC's expectation is that when an effective dengue virus (DENV vaccine is commercially available, the public health community will continue to rely on vector control because the two strategies complement and enhance one another. Although the concept of integrated intervention for dengue prevention is gaining increasingly broader acceptance, to date, no consensus has been reached regarding the details of how and what combination of approaches can be most effectively implemented to manage disease. To fill that gap, the PDC proposed a three step process: (1 a critical assessment of current vector control tools and those under development, (2 outlining a research agenda for determining, in a definitive way, what existing tools work best, and (3 determining how to combine the best vector control options, which have systematically been defined in this process, with DENV vaccines. To address the first step, the PDC convened a meeting of international experts during November 2013 in Washington, DC, to critically assess existing vector control interventions and tools under development. This report summarizes those deliberations.

  20. Constraining vectors and axial-vectors in walking technicolour by a holographic principle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    D. Dietrich, Dennis; Kouvaris, Christoforos

    2008-01-01

    We use a holographic principle to study the low-energy spectrum of walking technicolour models. In particular, we predict the masses of the axial vectors as well as the decay constants of vectors and axial vectors as functions of the mass of the techni-rho. Given that there are very few...

  1. Peculiarities of accounting for depression morphosculptures during construction of the 'Vector' object

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shestopalov, V.M.; Bublyas', V.M.; Shebets'kij, Yu.O.

    2001-01-01

    The studied area of the object 'Vector' is situated in the near (10-km) zone of the Chornobyl NPP Exclusion zone (CEZ). Analysis of data about local structures and geomorphological structure of the region gives evidence about influence of some structures on present relief. It follows that without taking into account of the specifics of anomalous morphosculptures during construction of the 'Vector' object and its depositories for radioactive wastes, or during their exploitation, a series of negative geological processes may take place, which enhance the risk destruction of these buildings and deterioration of ecological state of adjacent areas

  2. Recommendation on vectors and vector-transmitted diseases

    OpenAIRE

    Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority

    2009-01-01

    In view of their increasing risk of introduction and their possible implications in causing major disease outbreaks, vectors, as well as vector-transmitted diseases like dengue, West Nile disease, Lyme disease and bluetongue need to be recognised as a threat to public and animal health and to the economy, also in the Netherlands. There has been an increase in the incidence of these diseases in the past two to three decades. Climate changes and changes in the use of land, water managemen...

  3. Gauge anomaly with vector and axial-vector fields in 6D curved space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yajima, Satoshi; Eguchi, Kohei; Fukuda, Makoto; Oka, Tomonori

    2018-03-01

    Imposing the conservation equation of the vector current for a fermion of spin 1/2 at the quantum level, a gauge anomaly for the fermion coupling with non-Abelian vector and axial-vector fields in 6D curved space is expressed in tensorial form. The anomaly consists of terms that resemble the chiral U(1) anomaly and the commutator terms that disappear if the axial-vector field is Abelian.

  4. AAV vector encoding human VEGF165–transduced pectineus muscular flaps increase the formation of new tissue through induction of angiogenesis in an in vivo chamber for tissue engineering: A technique to enhance tissue and vessels in microsurgically engineered tissue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Moimas

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In regenerative medicine, new approaches are required for the creation of tissue substitutes, and the interplay between different research areas, such as tissue engineering, microsurgery and gene therapy, is mandatory. In this article, we report a modification of a published model of tissue engineering, based on an arterio-venous loop enveloped in a cross-linked collagen–glycosaminoglycan template, which acts as an isolated chamber for angiogenesis and new tissue formation. In order to foster tissue formation within the chamber, which entails on the development of new vessels, we wondered whether we might combine tissue engineering with a gene therapy approach. Based on the well-described tropism of adeno-associated viral vectors for post-mitotic tissues, a muscular flap was harvested from the pectineus muscle, inserted into the chamber and transduced by either AAV vector encoding human VEGF165 or AAV vector expressing the reporter gene β-galactosidase, as a control. Histological analysis of the specimens showed that muscle transduction by AAV vector encoding human VEGF165 resulted in enhanced tissue formation, with a significant increase in the number of arterioles within the chamber in comparison with the previously published model. Pectineus muscular flap, transduced by adeno-associated viral vectors, acted as a source of the proangiogenic factor vascular endothelial growth factor, thus inducing a consistent enhancement of vessel growth into the newly formed tissue within the chamber. In conclusion, our present findings combine three different research fields such as microsurgery, tissue engineering and gene therapy, suggesting and showing the feasibility of a mixed approach for regenerative medicine.

  5. Production of recombinant AAV vectors encoding insulin-like growth factor I is enhanced by interaction among AAV rep regulatory sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dilley Robert

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Adeno-associated virus (AAV vectors are promising tools for gene therapy. Currently, their potential is limited by difficulties in producing high vector yields with which to generate transgene protein product. AAV vector production depends in part upon the replication (Rep proteins required for viral replication. We tested the hypothesis that mutations in the start codon and upstream regulatory elements of Rep78/68 in AAV helper plasmids can regulate recombinant AAV (rAAV vector production. We further tested whether the resulting rAAV vector preparation augments the production of the potentially therapeutic transgene, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I. Results We constructed a series of AAV helper plasmids containing different Rep78/68 start codon in combination with different gene regulatory sequences. rAAV vectors carrying the human IGF-I gene were prepared with these vectors and the vector preparations used to transduce HT1080 target cells. We found that the substitution of ATG by ACG in the Rep78/68 start codon in an AAV helper plasmid (pAAV-RC eliminated Rep78/68 translation, rAAV and IGF-I production. Replacement of the heterologous sequence upstream of Rep78/68 in pAAV-RC with the AAV2 endogenous p5 promoter restored translational activity to the ACG mutant, and restored rAAV and IGF-I production. Insertion of the AAV2 p19 promoter sequence into pAAV-RC in front of the heterologous sequence also enabled ACG to function as a start codon for Rep78/68 translation. The data further indicate that the function of the AAV helper construct (pAAV-RC, that is in current widespread use for rAAV production, may be improved by replacement of its AAV2 unrelated heterologous sequence with the native AAV2 p5 promoter. Conclusion Taken together, the data demonstrate an interplay between the start codon and upstream regulatory sequences in the regulation of Rep78/68 and indicate that selective mutations in Rep78/68 regulatory elements

  6. Multiple image encryption scheme based on pixel exchange operation and vector decomposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Y.; Quan, C.; Tay, C. J.

    2018-02-01

    We propose a new multiple image encryption scheme based on a pixel exchange operation and a basic vector decomposition in Fourier domain. In this algorithm, original images are imported via a pixel exchange operator, from which scrambled images and pixel position matrices are obtained. Scrambled images encrypted into phase information are imported using the proposed algorithm and phase keys are obtained from the difference between scrambled images and synthesized vectors in a charge-coupled device (CCD) plane. The final synthesized vector is used as an input in a random phase encoding (DRPE) scheme. In the proposed encryption scheme, pixel position matrices and phase keys serve as additional private keys to enhance the security of the cryptosystem which is based on a 4-f system. Numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and robustness of the proposed encryption scheme.

  7. Vector manifestation and violation of vector dominance in hot matter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harada, Masayasu; Sasaki, Chihiro

    2004-01-01

    We show the details of the calculation of the hadronic thermal corrections to the two-point functions in the effective field theory of QCD for pions and vector mesons based on the hidden local symmetry (HLS) in hot matter using the background field gauge. We study the temperature dependence of the pion velocity in the low-temperature region determined from the hadronic thermal corrections, and show that, due to the presence of the dynamical vector meson, the pion velocity is smaller than the speed of the light already at one-loop level, in contrast to the result obtained in the ordinary chiral perturbation theory including only the pion at one-loop. Including the intrinsic temperature dependences of the parameters of the HLS Lagrangian determined from the underlying QCD through the Wilsonian matching, we show how the vector manifestation (VM), in which the massless vector meson becomes the chiral partner of pion, is realized at the critical temperature. We present a new prediction of the VM on the direct photon-π-π coupling which measures the validity of the vector dominance (VD) of the electromagnetic form factor of the pion: we find that the VD is largely violated at the critical temperature, which indicates that the assumption of the VD made in several analyses on the dilepton spectra in hot matter may need to be weakened for consistently including the effect of the dropping mass of the vector meson

  8. Heavy Scalar, Vector, and Axial-Vector Mesons in Hot and Dense Nuclear Medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arvind Kumar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this work we shall investigate the mass modifications of scalar mesons (D0; B0, vector mesons (D*; B*, and axial-vector mesons (D1; B1 at finite density and temperature of the nuclear medium. The above mesons are modified in the nuclear medium through the modification of quark and gluon condensates. We will find the medium modification of quark and gluon condensates within chiral SU(3 model through the medium modification of scalar-isoscalar fields σ and ζ at finite density and temperature. These medium modified quark and gluon condensates will further be used through QCD sum rules for the evaluation of in-medium properties of the above mentioned scalar, vector, and axial vector mesons. We will also discuss the effects of density and temperature of the nuclear medium on the scattering lengths of the above scalar, vector, and axial-vector mesons. The study of the medium modifications of the above mesons may be helpful for understanding their production rates in heavy-ion collision experiments. The results of present investigations of medium modifications of scalar, vector, and axial-vector mesons at finite density and temperature can be verified in the compressed baryonic matter (CBM experiment of FAIR facility at GSI, Germany.

  9. Vector Fields on Product Manifolds

    OpenAIRE

    Kurz, Stefan

    2011-01-01

    This short report establishes some basic properties of smooth vector fields on product manifolds. The main results are: (i) On a product manifold there always exists a direct sum decomposition into horizontal and vertical vector fields. (ii) Horizontal and vertical vector fields are naturally isomorphic to smooth families of vector fields defined on the factors. Vector fields are regarded as derivations of the algebra of smooth functions.

  10. Light scattering of rectangular slot antennas: parallel magnetic vector vs perpendicular electric vector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Dukhyung; Kim, Dai-Sik

    2016-01-01

    We study light scattering off rectangular slot nano antennas on a metal film varying incident polarization and incident angle, to examine which field vector of light is more important: electric vector perpendicular to, versus magnetic vector parallel to the long axis of the rectangle. While vector Babinet’s principle would prefer magnetic field along the long axis for optimizing slot antenna function, convention and intuition most often refer to the electric field perpendicular to it. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that in accordance with vector Babinet’s principle, the incident magnetic vector parallel to the long axis is the dominant component, with the perpendicular incident electric field making a small contribution of the factor of 1/|ε|, the reciprocal of the absolute value of the dielectric constant of the metal, owing to the non-perfectness of metals at optical frequencies.

  11. Generalization of concurrence vectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Changshui; Song Heshan

    2004-01-01

    In this Letter, based on the generalization of concurrence vectors for bipartite pure state with respect to employing tensor product of generators of the corresponding rotation groups, we generalize concurrence vectors to the case of mixed states; a new criterion of separability of multipartite pure states is given out, for which we define a concurrence vector; we generalize the vector to the case of multipartite mixed state and give out a good measure of free entanglement

  12. Vector Network Coding Algorithms

    OpenAIRE

    Ebrahimi, Javad; Fragouli, Christina

    2010-01-01

    We develop new algebraic algorithms for scalar and vector network coding. In vector network coding, the source multicasts information by transmitting vectors of length L, while intermediate nodes process and combine their incoming packets by multiplying them with L x L coding matrices that play a similar role as coding c in scalar coding. Our algorithms for scalar network jointly optimize the employed field size while selecting the coding coefficients. Similarly, for vector coding, our algori...

  13. Phase 1 safety and immunogenicity evaluation of ADMVA, a multigenic, modified vaccinia Ankara-HIV-1 B'/C candidate vaccine.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandhya Vasan

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: We conducted a Phase I dose-escalation trial of ADMVA, a Clade-B'/C-based HIV-1 candidate vaccine expressing env, gag, pol, nef, and tat in a modified vaccinia Ankara viral vector. Sequences were derived from a prevalent circulating HIV-1 recombinant form in Yunnan, China, an area of high HIV incidence. The objective was to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of ADMVA in human volunteers. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: ADMVA or placebo was administered intramuscularly at months 0, 1 and 6 to 50 healthy adult volunteers not at high risk for HIV-1. In each dosage group [1x10(7 (low, 5x10(7 (mid, or 2.5x10(8 pfu (high] volunteers were randomized in a 3:1 ratio to receive ADMVA or placebo in a double-blinded design. Subjects were followed for local and systemic reactogenicity, adverse events including cardiac adverse events, and clinical laboratory parameters. Study follow up was 18 months. Humoral immunogenicity was evaluated by anti-gp120 binding ELISA, immunoflourescent staining, and HIV-1 neutralization. Cellular immunogenicity was assessed by a validated IFNgamma ELISpot assay and intracellular cytokine staining. Anti-vaccinia binding titers were measured by ELISA. ADMVA was generally well-tolerated, with no vaccine-related serious adverse events or cardiac adverse events. Local or systemic reactogenicity events were reported by 77% and 78% of volunteers, respectively. The majority of events were of mild intensity. The IFNgamma ELISpot response rate to any HIV antigen was 0/12 (0% in the placebo group, 3/12 (25% in the low dosage group, 6/12 (50% in the mid dosage group, and 8/13 (62% in the high dosage group. Responses were often multigenic and occasionally persisted up to one year post vaccination. Antibodies to gp120 were detected in 0/12 (0%, 8/13 (62%, 6/12 (50% and 10/13 (77% in the placebo, low, mid, and high dosage groups, respectively. Antibodies persisted up to 12 months after vaccination, with a trend toward agreement

  14. Multifunctional non-viral gene vectors with enhanced stability, improved cellular and nuclear uptake capability, and increased transfection efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Zhe; Jiang, Zhaozhong; Cao, Zhong; Zhang, Chao; Gao, Di; Luo, Xingen; Zhang, Xiaofang; Luo, Huiyan; Jiang, Qing; Liu, Jie

    2014-08-01

    We have developed a new multifunctional, non-viral gene delivery platform consisting of cationic poly(amine-co-ester) (PPMS) for DNA condensation, PEG shell for nanoparticle stabilization, poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) and mTAT (a cell-penetrating peptide) for accelerated cellular uptake, and a nuclear localization signal peptide (NLS) for enhanced intracellular transport of DNA to the nucleus. In vitro study showed that coating of the binary PPMS/DNA polyplex with γ-PGA promotes cellular uptake of the polyplex particles, particularly by γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT)-positive cells through the GGT-mediated endocytosis pathway. Conjugating PEG to the γ-PGA led to the formation of a ternary PPMS/DNA/PGA-g-PEG polyplex with decreased positive charges on the surface of the polyplex particles and substantially higher stability in serum-containing aqueous medium. The cellular uptake rate was further improved by incorporating mTAT into the ternary polyplex system. Addition of the NLS peptide was designed to facilitate intracellular delivery of the plasmid to the nucleus--a rate-limiting step in the gene transfection process. As a result, compared with the binary PPMS/LucDNA polyplex, the new mTAT-quaternary PPMS/LucDNA/NLS/PGA-g-PEG-mTAT system exhibited reduced cytotoxicity, remarkably faster cellular uptake rate, and enhanced transport of DNA to the nucleus. All these advantageous functionalities contribute to the remarkable gene transfection efficiency of the mTAT-quaternary polyplex both in vitro and in vivo, which exceeds that of the binary polyplex and commercial Lipofectamine™ 2000/DNA lipoplex. The multifunctional mTAT-quaternary polyplex system with improved efficiency and reduced cytotoxicity represents a new type of promising non-viral vectors for the delivery of therapeutic genes to treat tumors.We have developed a new multifunctional, non-viral gene delivery platform consisting of cationic poly(amine-co-ester) (PPMS) for DNA condensation, PEG shell

  15. Complex Polynomial Vector Fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dias, Kealey

    vector fields. Since the class of complex polynomial vector fields in the plane is natural to consider, it is remarkable that its study has only begun very recently. There are numerous fundamental questions that are still open, both in the general classification of these vector fields, the decomposition...... of parameter spaces into structurally stable domains, and a description of the bifurcations. For this reason, the talk will focus on these questions for complex polynomial vector fields.......The two branches of dynamical systems, continuous and discrete, correspond to the study of differential equations (vector fields) and iteration of mappings respectively. In holomorphic dynamics, the systems studied are restricted to those described by holomorphic (complex analytic) functions...

  16. Validation of SplitVectors Encoding for Quantitative Visualization of Large-Magnitude-Range Vector Fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henan Zhao; Bryant, Garnett W; Griffin, Wesley; Terrill, Judith E; Jian Chen

    2017-06-01

    We designed and evaluated SplitVectors, a new vector field display approach to help scientists perform new discrimination tasks on large-magnitude-range scientific data shown in three-dimensional (3D) visualization environments. SplitVectors uses scientific notation to display vector magnitude, thus improving legibility. We present an empirical study comparing the SplitVectors approach with three other approaches - direct linear representation, logarithmic, and text display commonly used in scientific visualizations. Twenty participants performed three domain analysis tasks: reading numerical values (a discrimination task), finding the ratio between values (a discrimination task), and finding the larger of two vectors (a pattern detection task). Participants used both mono and stereo conditions. Our results suggest the following: (1) SplitVectors improve accuracy by about 10 times compared to linear mapping and by four times to logarithmic in discrimination tasks; (2) SplitVectors have no significant differences from the textual display approach, but reduce cluttering in the scene; (3) SplitVectors and textual display are less sensitive to data scale than linear and logarithmic approaches; (4) using logarithmic can be problematic as participants' confidence was as high as directly reading from the textual display, but their accuracy was poor; and (5) Stereoscopy improved performance, especially in more challenging discrimination tasks.

  17. PCR-based detection of gene transfer vectors: application to gene doping surveillance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perez, Irene C; Le Guiner, Caroline; Ni, Weiyi; Lyles, Jennifer; Moullier, Philippe; Snyder, Richard O

    2013-12-01

    Athletes who illicitly use drugs to enhance their athletic performance are at risk of being banned from sports competitions. Consequently, some athletes may seek new doping methods that they expect to be capable of circumventing detection. With advances in gene transfer vector design and therapeutic gene transfer, and demonstrations of safety and therapeutic benefit in humans, there is an increased probability of the pursuit of gene doping by athletes. In anticipation of the potential for gene doping, assays have been established to directly detect complementary DNA of genes that are top candidates for use in doping, as well as vector control elements. The development of molecular assays that are capable of exposing gene doping in sports can serve as a deterrent and may also identify athletes who have illicitly used gene transfer for performance enhancement. PCR-based methods to detect foreign DNA with high reliability, sensitivity, and specificity include TaqMan real-time PCR, nested PCR, and internal threshold control PCR.

  18. Vectorization, parallelization and porting of nuclear codes (vectorization and parallelization). Progress report fiscal 1998

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishizuki, Shigeru; Kawai, Wataru; Nemoto, Toshiyuki; Ogasawara, Shinobu; Kume, Etsuo; Adachi, Masaaki; Kawasaki, Nobuo; Yatake, Yo-ichi

    2000-03-01

    Several computer codes in the nuclear field have been vectorized, parallelized and transported on the FUJITSU VPP500 system, the AP3000 system and the Paragon system at Center for Promotion of Computational Science and Engineering in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. We dealt with 12 codes in fiscal 1998. These results are reported in 3 parts, i.e., the vectorization and parallelization on vector processors part, the parallelization on scalar processors part and the porting part. In this report, we describe the vectorization and parallelization on vector processors. In this vectorization and parallelization on vector processors part, the vectorization of General Tokamak Circuit Simulation Program code GTCSP, the vectorization and parallelization of Molecular Dynamics NTV (n-particle, Temperature and Velocity) Simulation code MSP2, Eddy Current Analysis code EDDYCAL, Thermal Analysis Code for Test of Passive Cooling System by HENDEL T2 code THANPACST2 and MHD Equilibrium code SELENEJ on the VPP500 are described. In the parallelization on scalar processors part, the parallelization of Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport code MCNP4B2, Plasma Hydrodynamics code using Cubic Interpolated Propagation Method PHCIP and Vectorized Monte Carlo code (continuous energy model / multi-group model) MVP/GMVP on the Paragon are described. In the porting part, the porting of Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport code MCNP4B2 and Reactor Safety Analysis code RELAP5 on the AP3000 are described. (author)

  19. The Prevalence of Obesity and Associated Factors in a Kindergarten in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nurcan Yabanci

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available AIM: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of obesity among preschool-age children and identify its associated factors. METHOD: This research has two steps, involving 375 preschool-age children ranging from 5 to 6 years-old, registered to a public kindergarten in Kecioren, Ankara. In the first step, measurements of weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were taken, body mass index (BMI and waist-hip ratio were calculated, BMI according to age and gender was classified considering the reference data of WHO-2007, the results were evaluated ≥85-<95. percentile as overweight, and ≥95.percentile as obese. In the second stage, forms prepared by the researchers were given to parents and the data obtained were assessed by statistical methods. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of overweight was 8.3%; the overall prevalence of obesity was 10.1%. The prevalence of overweight was higher in boys than in girls. The circumference of waist and hip of overweight/obese children were higher than other children (p<0.001. Negative and significant correlation was obtained (p<0.05 between the body weight and daily sportive activities of children and also between the period of exclusive breastfeeding. Moreover, positive correlation (p<0.01 was found between the body weight of children and the body weight of their parents. CONCLUSION: Obesity among preschool children is an important health problem. To evaluate obesity of children and encouraging them for having healthy eating behaviors and for doing sportive activities could contribute to prevent them to develop obesity in later ages. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2009; 8(5.000: 397-404

  20. pEPito: a significantly improved non-viral episomal expression vector for mammalian cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ogris Manfred

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The episomal replication of the prototype vector pEPI-1 depends on a transcription unit starting from the constitutively expressed Cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter (CMV-IEP and directed into a 2000 bp long matrix attachment region sequence (MARS derived from the human β-interferon gene. The original pEPI-1 vector contains two mammalian transcription units and a total of 305 CpG islands, which are located predominantly within the vector elements necessary for bacterial propagation and known to be counterproductive for persistent long-term transgene expression. Results Here, we report the development of a novel vector pEPito, which is derived from the pEPI-1 plasmid replicon but has considerably improved efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. The pEPito vector is significantly reduced in size, contains only one transcription unit and 60% less CpG motives in comparison to pEPI-1. It exhibits major advantages compared to the original pEPI-1 plasmid, including higher transgene expression levels and increased colony-forming efficiencies in vitro, as well as more persistent transgene expression profiles in vivo. The performance of pEPito-based vectors was further improved by replacing the CMV-IEP with the human CMV enhancer/human elongation factor 1 alpha promoter (hCMV/EF1P element that is known to be less affected by epigenetic silencing events. Conclusions The novel vector pEPito can be considered suitable as an improved vector for biotechnological applications in vitro and for non-viral gene delivery in vivo.

  1. Hypoxia- and radiation-inducible, breast cell-specific targeting of retroviral vectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lipnik, Karoline; Greco, Olga; Scott, Simon; Knapp, Elzbieta; Mayrhofer, Elisabeth; Rosenfellner, Doris; Guenzburg, Walter H.; Salmons, Brian; Hohenadl, Christine

    2006-01-01

    To facilitate a more efficient radiation and chemotherapy of mammary tumours, synthetic enhancer elements responsive to hypoxia and ionizing radiation were coupled to the mammary-specific minimal promoter of the murine whey acidic protein (WAP) encoding gene. The modified WAP promoter was introduced into a retroviral promoter conversion (ProCon) vector. Expression of a transduced reporter gene in response to hypoxia and radiation was analysed in stably infected mammary cancer cell lines and an up to 9-fold increase in gene expression demonstrated in comparison to the respective basic vector. Expression analyses in vitro, moreover, demonstrated a widely preserved mammary cell-specific promoter activity. For in vivo analyses, xenograft tumours consisting of infected human mammary adenocarcinoma cells were established in SCID/beige mice. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated a hypoxia-specific, markedly increased WAP promoter-driven expression in these tumours. Thus, this retroviral vector will facilitate a targeted gene therapeutic approach exploiting the unique environmental condition in solid tumours

  2. Equivalent Vectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, Robert

    2004-01-01

    The cross-product is a mathematical operation that is performed between two 3-dimensional vectors. The result is a vector that is orthogonal or perpendicular to both of them. Learning about this for the first time while taking Calculus-III, the class was taught that if AxB = AxC, it does not necessarily follow that B = C. This seemed baffling. The…

  3. Speculative dynamic vectorization to assist static vectorization in a HW/SW co-designed environment

    OpenAIRE

    Kumar, R.; Martinez, A.; Gonzalez, A.

    2013-01-01

    Compiler based static vectorization is used widely to extract data level parallelism from computation intensive applications. Static vectorization is very effective in vectorizing traditional array based applications. However, compilers inability to reorder ambiguous memory references severely limits vectorization opportunities, especially in pointer rich applications. HW/SW co-designed processors provide an excellent opportunity to optimize the applications at runtime. The availability of dy...

  4. Impact of intravenous infusion time on AAV8 vector pharmacokinetics, safety, and liver transduction in cynomolgus macaques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenny A Greig

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Systemically delivered adeno-associated viral (AAV vectors are now in early-phase clinical trials for a variety of diseases. While there is a general consensus on inclusion and exclusion criteria for each of these trials, the conditions under which vectors are infused vary significantly. In this study, we evaluated the impact of intravenous infusion rate of AAV8 vector in cynomolgus macaques on transgene expression, vector clearance from the circulation, and potential activation of the innate immune system. The dose of AAV8 vector in terms of genome copies per kilogram body weight and its concentration were fixed, while the rate of infusion varied to deliver the entire dose over different time periods, including 1, 10, or 90 minutes. Analyses during the in-life phase of the experiment included sequential evaluation of whole blood for vector genomes and appearance of proinflammatory cytokines. Liver tissues were analyzed at the time of necropsy for enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP expression and vector genomes. The data were remarkable with a relative absence of any statistically significant effect of infusion time on vector transduction, safety, and clearance. However, some interesting and unexpected trends did emerge.

  5. Chord Recognition Based on Temporal Correlation Support Vector Machine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongyang Rao

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a method called temporal correlation support vector machine (TCSVM for automatic major-minor chord recognition in audio music. We first use robust principal component analysis to separate the singing voice from the music to reduce the influence of the singing voice and consider the temporal correlations of the chord features. Using robust principal component analysis, we expect the low-rank component of the spectrogram matrix to contain the musical accompaniment and the sparse component to contain the vocal signals. Then, we extract a new logarithmic pitch class profile (LPCP feature called enhanced LPCP from the low-rank part. To exploit the temporal correlation among the LPCP features of chords, we propose an improved support vector machine algorithm called TCSVM. We perform this study using the MIREX’09 (Music Information Retrieval Evaluation eXchange Audio Chord Estimation dataset. Furthermore, we conduct comprehensive experiments using different pitch class profile feature vectors to examine the performance of TCSVM. The results of our method are comparable to the state-of-the-art methods that entered the MIREX in 2013 and 2014 for the MIREX’09 Audio Chord Estimation task dataset.

  6. Usability Evaluation of an Augmented Reality System for Teaching Euclidean Vectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin-Gonzalez, Anabel; Chi-Poot, Angel; Uc-Cetina, Victor

    2016-01-01

    Augmented reality (AR) is one of the emerging technologies that has demonstrated to be an efficient technological tool to enhance learning techniques. In this paper, we describe the development and evaluation of an AR system for teaching Euclidean vectors in physics and mathematics. The goal of this pedagogical tool is to facilitate user's…

  7. A simple vector system to improve performance and utilisation of recombinant antibodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincent Karen J

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Isolation of recombinant antibody fragments from antibody libraries is well established using technologies such as phage display. Phage display vectors are ideal for efficient display of antibody fragments on the surface of bacteriophage particles. However, they are often inefficient for expression of soluble antibody fragments, and sub-cloning of selected antibody populations into dedicated soluble antibody fragment expression vectors can enhance expression. Results We have developed a simple vector system for expression, dimerisation and detection of recombinant antibody fragments in the form of single chain Fvs (scFvs. Expression is driven by the T7 RNA polymerase promoter in conjunction with the inducible lysogen strain BL21 (DE3. The system is compatible with a simple auto-induction culture system for scFv production. As an alternative to periplasmic expression, expression directly in the cytoplasm of a mutant strain with a more oxidising cytoplasmic environment (Origami 2™ (DE3 was investigated and found to be inferior to periplasmic expression in BL21 (DE3 cells. The effect on yield and binding activity of fusing scFvs to the N terminus of maltose binding protein (a solubility enhancing partner, bacterial alkaline phosphatase (a naturally dimeric enzymatic reporter molecule, or the addition of a free C-terminal cysteine was determined. Fusion of scFvs to the N-terminus of maltose binding protein increased scFv yield but binding activity of the scFv was compromised. In contrast, fusion to the N-terminus of bacterial alkaline phosphatase led to an improved performance. Alkaline phosphatase provides a convenient tag allowing direct enzymatic detection of scFv fusions within crude extracts without the need for secondary reagents. Alkaline phosphatase also drives dimerisation of the scFv leading to an improvement in performance compared to monovalent constructs. This is illustrated by ELISA, western blot and

  8. Vectorization at the KENO-IV code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asai, K.; Higuchi, K.; Katakura, J.

    1986-01-01

    The multigroup criticality safety code KENO-IV has been vectorized and tested on the FACOM VP-100 vector processor. At first, the vectorized KENO-IV on a scalar processor was slower than the original one by a factor of 1.4 because of the overhead introduced by vectorization. Making modifications of algorithms and techniques for vectorization, the vectorized version has become faster than the original one by a factor of 1.4 on the vector processor. For further speedup of the code, some improvements on compiler and hardware, especially on addition of Monte Carlo pipelines to the vector processor, are discussed

  9. Quantitative comparison of HTLV-1 and HIV-1 cell-to-cell infection with new replication dependent vectors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dmitriy Mazurov

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available We have developed an efficient method to quantify cell-to-cell infection with single-cycle, replication dependent reporter vectors. This system was used to examine the mechanisms of infection with HTLV-1 and HIV-1 vectors in lymphocyte cell lines. Effector cells transfected with reporter vector, packaging vector, and Env expression plasmid produced virus-like particles that transduced reporter gene activity into cocultured target cells with zero background. Reporter gene expression was detected exclusively in target cells and required an Env-expression plasmid and a viral packaging vector, which provided essential structural and enzymatic proteins for virus replication. Cell-cell fusion did not contribute to infection, as reporter protein was rarely detected in syncytia. Coculture of transfected Jurkat T cells and target Raji/CD4 B cells enhanced HIV-1 infection two fold and HTLV-1 infection ten thousand fold in comparison with cell-free infection of Raji/CD4 cells. Agents that interfere with actin and tubulin polymerization strongly inhibited HTLV-1 and modestly decreased HIV-1 cell-to-cell infection, an indication that cytoskeletal remodeling was more important for HTLV-1 transmission. Time course studies showed that HTLV-1 transmission occurred very rapidly after cell mixing, whereas slower kinetics of HIV-1 coculture infection implies a different mechanism of infectious transmission. HTLV-1 Tax was demonstrated to play an important role in altering cell-cell interactions that enhance virus infection and replication. Interestingly, superantigen-induced synapses between Jurkat cells and Raji/CD4 cells did not enhance infection for either HTLV-1 or HIV-1. In general, the dependence on cell-to-cell infection was determined by the virus, the effector and target cell types, and by the nature of the cell-cell interaction.

  10. Reciprocity relationships in vector acoustics and their application to vector field calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deal, Thomas J; Smith, Kevin B

    2017-08-01

    The reciprocity equation commonly stated in underwater acoustics relates pressure fields and monopole sources. It is often used to predict the pressure measured by a hydrophone for multiple source locations by placing a source at the hydrophone location and calculating the field everywhere for that source. A similar equation that governs the orthogonal components of the particle velocity field is needed to enable this computational method to be used for acoustic vector sensors. This paper derives a general reciprocity equation that accounts for both monopole and dipole sources. This vector-scalar reciprocity equation can be used to calculate individual components of the received vector field by altering the source type used in the propagation calculation. This enables a propagation model to calculate the received vector field components for an arbitrary number of source locations with a single model run for each vector field component instead of requiring one model run for each source location. Application of the vector-scalar reciprocity principle is demonstrated with analytic solutions for a range-independent environment and with numerical solutions for a range-dependent environment using a parabolic equation model.

  11. Immunogenicity in African Green Monkeys of M Protein Mutant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Vectors and Contribution of Vector-Encoded Flagellin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlena M. Westcott

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV is a promising platform for vaccine development. M51R VSV, an attenuated, M protein mutant strain, is an effective inducer of Type I interferon and dendritic cell (DC maturation, which are desirable properties to exploit for vaccine design. We have previously evaluated M51R VSV (M51R and M51R VSV that produces flagellin (M51R-F as vaccine vectors using murine models, and found that flagellin enhanced DC activation and VSV-specific antibody production after low-dose vaccination. In this report, the immunogenicity of M51R vectors and the adjuvant effect of virus-produced flagellin were evaluated in nonhuman primates following high-dose (108 pfu and low-dose (105 pfu vaccination. A single intramuscular vaccination of African green monkeys with M51R or M51R-F induced VSV-specific, dose-dependent humoral immune responses. Flagellin induced a significant increase in antibody production (IgM, IgG and neutralizing antibody at the low vaccination dose. A VSV-specific cellular response was detected at 6 weeks post-vaccination, but was neither dose-dependent nor enhanced by flagellin; similar numbers of VSV-specific, IFNγ-producing cells were detected in lymph node and spleen of all animals. These results indicate that virus-directed, intracellular flagellin production may improve VSV-based vaccines encoding heterologous antigens by lowering the dose required to achieve humoral immunity.

  12. Vectors and their applications

    CERN Document Server

    Pettofrezzo, Anthony J

    2005-01-01

    Geared toward undergraduate students, this text illustrates the use of vectors as a mathematical tool in plane synthetic geometry, plane and spherical trigonometry, and analytic geometry of two- and three-dimensional space. Its rigorous development includes a complete treatment of the algebra of vectors in the first two chapters.Among the text's outstanding features are numbered definitions and theorems in the development of vector algebra, which appear in italics for easy reference. Most of the theorems include proofs, and coordinate position vectors receive an in-depth treatment. Key concept

  13. Changing Cultural Spaces, Transformation of the Traditions: Hıdırellez Celebrations held in Ankara and Hamamönü Hıdırellez Festivals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selcan Gürçayır Teke

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Hıdırellez festival, one of the rituals that hails the start of summer, is celebrated widely across Anatolia. The belief thatwishes for the future will come true if certain actions are performed at Hıdırellez festival, may be seen as the basic motivation behind this ritual and the transmission of this tradition from generation to generation. Many practices at Hıdırellez are related to nature. The space to celebrate Hıdırellez is of the utmost importance due to the context of the ritual. There are many cultural spaces in Anatolia assigned for the celebration of Hıdırellez; these are selected based on the belief that they have been visited by Hızır. The cultural transmission of Hıdırellez celebrations is being hindered among an urbanizing population due to fewnew spaces being planned for them and a lack of protection for the existing spaces. This article focuses on the Hıdırellez festival spaces and the necessity of moving these spaces into cities in order to maintain the tradition. This article evaluates the basic importance of these spaces from the standpoint of sustainability and the formation of the tradition using the Hamamönü Hıdırellez festival, which is celebrated in Ankara. It discusses the variations of the participant profiles at the Sixth Hamamönü Hıdırellez festival, to be held in Ankara this year and the how their expectations have been shaped based on changing spaces. It concludes that besides the dimension of belief in the rituals, the dimension of entertainment is also prominent for participants at the Hamamönü Hıdırellez festival, and that various Hıdırellez traditions have found their way into popular culture.

  14. Convexity and Marginal Vectors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Velzen, S.; Hamers, H.J.M.; Norde, H.W.

    2002-01-01

    In this paper we construct sets of marginal vectors of a TU game with the property that if the marginal vectors from these sets are core elements, then the game is convex.This approach leads to new upperbounds on the number of marginal vectors needed to characterize convexity.An other result is that

  15. Integrating Transgenic Vector Manipulation with Clinical Interventions to Manage Vector-Borne Diseases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenichi W Okamoto

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Many vector-borne diseases lack effective vaccines and medications, and the limitations of traditional vector control have inspired novel approaches based on using genetic engineering to manipulate vector populations and thereby reduce transmission. Yet both the short- and long-term epidemiological effects of these transgenic strategies are highly uncertain. If neither vaccines, medications, nor transgenic strategies can by themselves suffice for managing vector-borne diseases, integrating these approaches becomes key. Here we develop a framework to evaluate how clinical interventions (i.e., vaccination and medication can be integrated with transgenic vector manipulation strategies to prevent disease invasion and reduce disease incidence. We show that the ability of clinical interventions to accelerate disease suppression can depend on the nature of the transgenic manipulation deployed (e.g., whether vector population reduction or replacement is attempted. We find that making a specific, individual strategy highly effective may not be necessary for attaining public-health objectives, provided suitable combinations can be adopted. However, we show how combining only partially effective antimicrobial drugs or vaccination with transgenic vector manipulations that merely temporarily lower vector competence can amplify disease resurgence following transient suppression. Thus, transgenic vector manipulation that cannot be sustained can have adverse consequences-consequences which ineffective clinical interventions can at best only mitigate, and at worst temporarily exacerbate. This result, which arises from differences between the time scale on which the interventions affect disease dynamics and the time scale of host population dynamics, highlights the importance of accounting for the potential delay in the effects of deploying public health strategies on long-term disease incidence. We find that for systems at the disease-endemic equilibrium, even

  16. Complex Polynomial Vector Fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    The two branches of dynamical systems, continuous and discrete, correspond to the study of differential equations (vector fields) and iteration of mappings respectively. In holomorphic dynamics, the systems studied are restricted to those described by holomorphic (complex analytic) functions...... or meromorphic (allowing poles as singularities) functions. There already exists a well-developed theory for iterative holomorphic dynamical systems, and successful relations found between iteration theory and flows of vector fields have been one of the main motivations for the recent interest in holomorphic...... vector fields. Since the class of complex polynomial vector fields in the plane is natural to consider, it is remarkable that its study has only begun very recently. There are numerous fundamental questions that are still open, both in the general classification of these vector fields, the decomposition...

  17. The impact of anti-smoking laws on high school students in Ankara, Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demir, Melike; Karadeniz, Gulistan; Demir, Fikri; Karadeniz, Cem; Kaya, Halide; Yenibertiz, Derya; Taylan, Mahsuk; Yilmaz, Sureyya; Sen, Velat

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors affecting the smoking habits of high school students, their thoughts about changes resulting from anti-smoking laws, and how they are affected by those laws. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 11th-grade students at eight high schools in Ankara, Turkey, were invited to complete a questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 1,199 students completed the questionnaire satisfactorily. The mean age of the respondents was 17.0 ± 0.6 years; 56.1% were female, of whom 15.3% were smokers; and 43.9% were male, of whom 43.7% were smokers (p academic performance. Of the respondents, 74.7% were aware of the content of anti-smoking laws; 81.8% approved of the restrictions and fines; and 8.1% had quit smoking because of those laws. According to the respondents, the interventions that were most effective were the (television) broadcast of films about the hazards of smoking and the ban on cigarette sales to minors. The prevalence of smoking was highest (31.5%) among students attending vocational high schools but lowest (7.5%) among those attending medical vocational high schools. Although 57.1% of the smokers were aware of the existence of a smoking cessation helpline, only 3.7% had called, none of whom had made any attempt to quit smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Although most of the students evaluated were aware of the harmful effects of smoking and approved of the anti-smoking laws, only a minority of those who smoked sought professional help to quit. PMID:26785961

  18. Vector financial rogue waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Zhenya

    2011-01-01

    The coupled nonlinear volatility and option pricing model presented recently by Ivancevic is investigated, which generates a leverage effect, i.e., stock volatility is (negatively) correlated to stock returns, and can be regarded as a coupled nonlinear wave alternative of the Black–Scholes option pricing model. In this Letter, we analytically propose vector financial rogue waves of the coupled nonlinear volatility and option pricing model without an embedded w-learning. Moreover, we exhibit their dynamical behaviors for chosen different parameters. The vector financial rogue wave (rogon) solutions may be used to describe the possible physical mechanisms for the rogue wave phenomena and to further excite the possibility of relative researches and potential applications of vector rogue waves in the financial markets and other related fields. -- Highlights: ► We investigate the coupled nonlinear volatility and option pricing model. ► We analytically present vector financial rogue waves. ► The vector financial rogue waves may be used to describe the extreme events in financial markets. ► This results may excite the relative researches and potential applications of vector rogue waves.

  19. Video Vectorization via Tetrahedral Remeshing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chuan; Zhu, Jie; Guo, Yanwen; Wang, Wenping

    2017-02-09

    We present a video vectorization method that generates a video in vector representation from an input video in raster representation. A vector-based video representation offers the benefits of vector graphics, such as compactness and scalability. The vector video we generate is represented by a simplified tetrahedral control mesh over the spatial-temporal video volume, with color attributes defined at the mesh vertices. We present novel techniques for simplification and subdivision of a tetrahedral mesh to achieve high simplification ratio while preserving features and ensuring color fidelity. From an input raster video, our method is capable of generating a compact video in vector representation that allows a faithful reconstruction with low reconstruction errors.

  20. Selection vector filter framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukac, Rastislav; Plataniotis, Konstantinos N.; Smolka, Bogdan; Venetsanopoulos, Anastasios N.

    2003-10-01

    We provide a unified framework of nonlinear vector techniques outputting the lowest ranked vector. The proposed framework constitutes a generalized filter class for multichannel signal processing. A new class of nonlinear selection filters are based on the robust order-statistic theory and the minimization of the weighted distance function to other input samples. The proposed method can be designed to perform a variety of filtering operations including previously developed filtering techniques such as vector median, basic vector directional filter, directional distance filter, weighted vector median filters and weighted directional filters. A wide range of filtering operations is guaranteed by the filter structure with two independent weight vectors for angular and distance domains of the vector space. In order to adapt the filter parameters to varying signal and noise statistics, we provide also the generalized optimization algorithms taking the advantage of the weighted median filters and the relationship between standard median filter and vector median filter. Thus, we can deal with both statistical and deterministic aspects of the filter design process. It will be shown that the proposed method holds the required properties such as the capability of modelling the underlying system in the application at hand, the robustness with respect to errors in the model of underlying system, the availability of the training procedure and finally, the simplicity of filter representation, analysis, design and implementation. Simulation studies also indicate that the new filters are computationally attractive and have excellent performance in environments corrupted by bit errors and impulsive noise.

  1. Symbolic computer vector analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stoutemyer, D. R.

    1977-01-01

    A MACSYMA program is described which performs symbolic vector algebra and vector calculus. The program can combine and simplify symbolic expressions including dot products and cross products, together with the gradient, divergence, curl, and Laplacian operators. The distribution of these operators over sums or products is under user control, as are various other expansions, including expansion into components in any specific orthogonal coordinate system. There is also a capability for deriving the scalar or vector potential of a vector field. Examples include derivation of the partial differential equations describing fluid flow and magnetohydrodynamics, for 12 different classic orthogonal curvilinear coordinate systems.

  2. Performance investigation of a wind turbine–solar photovoltaic panels–fuel cell hybrid system installed at İncek region – Ankara, Turkey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Devrim, Yılser; Bilir, Levent

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A hybrid system with a wind turbine, photovoltaic panels and a fuel cell was studied. • 3 kW wind turbine, 17.97 m 2 photovoltaics, 1.2 kW fuel cell and 4.7 kW electrolyzer was used. • The system can meet the entire demand of a residential house in Ankara, Turkey. • Only exception is in November, when the energy lack can be compensated from the grid. - Abstract: Renewable energy use in the world increases year by year. However, in many cases it is not possible to cover the electrical energy need of even a single house using only one renewable energy resource due to its intermittent nature. At this point, hybrid systems are applied to overcome this problem. This study focuses on the combination of photovoltaic solar panels, a small scale wind turbine, an electrolyzer and a proton exchange membrane fuel cell hybrid system for electrical power generation for an average house of 150 m 2 located at İncek region of Ankara, Turkey. Solar and wind energies were used as primary sources and a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is used as the backup power. The hybrid system was modeled and the results indicate that the use of the selected wind turbine with a 3 kW capacity along with photovoltaic panels with 17.97 m 2 area is sufficient to provide the required 5 h operation of the electrolyzer, which in turn provides the necessary hydrogen and oxygen to the fuel cell. Since the daily energy needed by the investigated house was taken as 5 kW h, the fuel cell with a net power output of 1 kW supplies all electrical demand with its 5 h operation. The outcomes show that the hybrid system is capable to provide all electrical need of the house all year round, except November. The electrical energy production of the proposed system is considerably higher than the demand in many months and this surplus electricity can be used in order to support the cooling and heating system of the considered house.

  3. Urinary cotinine and breath carbon monoxide levels among bar and restaurant employees in ankara.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caman, Ozge Karadag; Erguder, Berrin I; Ozcebe, Hilal; Bilir, Nazmi

    2013-08-01

    Hospitality sector employees constitute one of the key groups with respect to their secondhand tobacco smoke exposure at work. This study aimed to detect urinary cotinine and breath carbon monoxide (CO) levels among bar and restaurant employees in Ankara, as well as the employees' opinions on the new antitobacco law, changes in smoking behavior, and subjective health status before and after the law entered into force. This before-after study was conducted in 19 premises, with the participation of 65 employees before implementation and 81 employees 3 months after implementation of the new antitobacco law in the hospitality sector. Data in both phases were collected through face-to-face surveys, breath CO measurements, and urinary cotinine analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data, whereas chi-square test, paired and unpaired t tests, and analysis of variance were used to compare groups. Most of the restaurant and bar employees were male and below 35 years old. Before-after comparison showed that health complaints of the hospitality sector employees such as watering and itching in the eyes, difficulty in breathing, and cough (p law. Among the smoking employees, mean number of cigarettes smoked was also found to decrease (p = .012). Majority of the employees (83.8%) were found to support the smoking ban in enclosed public places. Results of this study provide solid evidence on the positive health effects of smoke-free laws and employees' support for smoke-free workplaces.

  4. The main activities and scientific collaboration possibilities at Ankara Nuclear research and training center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yucel, H.; Turhan, S.; Zararsiz, A.; Oksuz, B.S.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: Founded in 1964, Ankara Nuclear Research and Training Center (ANRTC) conducts and facilitates the scientific activities including training (summer practice, MSc and Ph D studies in physics and chemistry, IAEA fellowship programs etc.), research and other studies in nuclear and related fields. As it's a part of main duties, ANRTC has analysis on the variety of samples, and radiation protection services commercially, for radiation workers in state, public and private sectors. Research, development and application projects implemented in this Center have mostly been supported by State Planning Organization (SPO) and Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEA). In addition to the projects there are on going collaborative studies with some national Universities and International Atomic Energy Agency. The main activities carried out in ANRTC can be summarized as: studies on experimental nuclear physics, application of nuclear techniques such as XRF, XRD, Gamma, Alpha, etc. for environmental pollutants, archaeological and geological dating, elemental and crystal structural analyses, studies on the detection of irradiated foodstuff by ESR, development of accident dosimeters to be used in the case of a nuclear or radiological accident, and radiation matter interaction studies. In near future, for young scientists, there will be new collaboration possibilities related to accelerator-based applications, especially the new production methods of radioisotopes and their radiopharmaceuticals by using a cyclotron when our 30 MeV p / 15MeV d cyclotron facility project is underway

  5. Vector continued fractions using a generalized inverse

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haydock, Roger; Nex, C M M; Wexler, Geoffrey

    2004-01-01

    A real vector space combined with an inverse (involution) for vectors is sufficient to define a vector continued fraction whose parameters consist of vector shifts and changes of scale. The choice of sign for different components of the vector inverse permits construction of vector analogues of the Jacobi continued fraction. These vector Jacobi fractions are related to vector and scalar-valued polynomial functions of the vectors, which satisfy recurrence relations similar to those of orthogonal polynomials. The vector Jacobi fraction has strong convergence properties which are demonstrated analytically, and illustrated numerically

  6. The Cross Product of Two Vectors Is Not Just Another Vector--A Major Misconception Being Perpetuated in Calculus and Vector Analysis Textbooks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elk, Seymour B.

    1997-01-01

    Suggests that the cross product of two vectors can be more easily and accurately explained by starting from the perspective of dyadics because then the concept of vector multiplication has a simple geometrical picture that encompasses both the dot and cross products in any number of dimensions in terms of orthogonal unit vector components. (AIM)

  7. Major vectors and vector-borne diseases in small ruminants in Ethiopia: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asmare, Kassahun; Abayneh, Takele; Sibhat, Berhanu; Shiferaw, Dessie; Szonyi, Barbara; Krontveit, Randi I; Skjerve, Eystein; Wieland, Barbara

    2017-06-01

    Vector-borne diseases are among major health constraints of small ruminant in Ethiopia. While various studies on single vector-borne diseases or presence of vectors have been conducted, no summarized evidence is available on the occurrence of these diseases and the related vectors. This systematic literature review provides a comprehensive summary on major vectors and vector-borne diseases in small ruminants in Ethiopia. Search for published and unpublished literature was conducted between 8th of January and 25th of June 2015. The search was both manual and electronic. The databases used in electronic search were PubMed, Web of Science, CAB Direct and AJOL. For most of the vector-borne diseases, the summary was limited to narrative synthesis due to lack of sufficient data. Meta-analysis was computed for trypanosomosis and dermatophilosis while meta-regression and sensitivity analysis was done only for trypanososmosis due to lack of sufficient reports on dermatophilosis. Owing emphasis to their vector role, ticks and flies were summarized narratively at genera/species level. In line with inclusion criteria, out of 106 initially identified research reports 43 peer-reviewed articles passed the quality assessment. Data on 7 vector-borne diseases were extracted at species and region level from each source. Accordingly, the pooled prevalence estimate of trypanosomosis was 3.7% with 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.8, 4.9), while that of dermatophilosis was 3.1% (95% CI: 1.6, 6.0). The in-between study variance noted for trypanosomosis was statistically significant (pparasitic presence in blood was documented for babesiosis (3.7% in goats); and anaplasmosis (3.9% in sheep). Serological evidence was retrieved for bluetongue ranging from 34.1% to 46.67% in sheep, and coxiellosis was 10.4% in goats. There was also molecular evidence on the presence of theileriosis in sheep (93%, n=160) and goats (1.9%, n=265). Regarding vectors of veterinary importance, 14 species of ticks in

  8. Sex and the capital city: the political framing of syphilis and prostitution in early republican Ankara.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evered, Emine Ö; Evered, Kyle T

    2013-04-01

    In its initial years, the nascent Turkish republic established the Ministry of Health and Social Assistance in order to promote public health. Beyond simply facilitating its modernizing agenda for the emergent nation-state as it sought to define itself against an Ottoman past, this institution was also geared toward remedying a self-defined population crisis by prioritizing and confronting particular diseases and health conditions. One of the maladies of utmost concern was syphilis. Based upon an analysis of official primary sources, this article engages with how the developing republic distinguished and consequently politically constructed-or framed-the syphilis problem from the vantage of its new forward capital, Ankara. Integral to this project of confronting this sexually transmitted disease, public health officials projected upon both this ailment and their understanding of the suitable means for its treatment their own views of what constituted appropriate sexual practices and relations. In doing so, certain subgroups of the population, especially prostitutes, were particularized as targets for surveillance and policing through regimes of licensing and compulsory medical examinations. Stemming from the state's framing of the disease-and its definition of appropriate sexual practices-this article also examines the subsequent legislative and public health education projects that followed.

  9. GPU Accelerated Vector Median Filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aras, Rifat; Shen, Yuzhong

    2011-01-01

    Noise reduction is an important step for most image processing tasks. For three channel color images, a widely used technique is vector median filter in which color values of pixels are treated as 3-component vectors. Vector median filters are computationally expensive; for a window size of n x n, each of the n(sup 2) vectors has to be compared with other n(sup 2) - 1 vectors in distances. General purpose computation on graphics processing units (GPUs) is the paradigm of utilizing high-performance many-core GPU architectures for computation tasks that are normally handled by CPUs. In this work. NVIDIA's Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) paradigm is used to accelerate vector median filtering. which has to the best of our knowledge never been done before. The performance of GPU accelerated vector median filter is compared to that of the CPU and MPI-based versions for different image and window sizes, Initial findings of the study showed 100x improvement of performance of vector median filter implementation on GPUs over CPU implementations and further speed-up is expected after more extensive optimizations of the GPU algorithm .

  10. Comparison of Corporate Image a nd Patient Loyalty Perceptions of Outpatients and Inpatients: Example of a Training and Research Hospital in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ömer Rıfkı Önder

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to determine the level of corporate image and patient loyalty of outpatients and inpatients who get services from a hospital and to evaluate the relationship between corporate images’ factors and patient loyalty. Totally 600 patients from a training and research hospitals in Ankara, formed the study sample. As a result, outpatients’ loyalty and image perceptions found medium level; while inpatients’ level found high. In addition, the effect of corporate image factors on patient loyalty was determined that there is a statistically significant , strong and positive correlation and 83% of patient loyalty is explained by corporate image factors. Based on the research findings, making improvements especially in quality and also physical, communication, social responsibility factors can obtain loyal patients. It is suggested to adopt different strategies to outpatients and inpatients while implementing these improvements.

  11. Effects of Climate and Climate Change on Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases: Ticks Are Different.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogden, Nick H; Lindsay, L Robbin

    2016-08-01

    There has been considerable debate as to whether global risk from vector-borne diseases will be impacted by climate change. This has focussed on important mosquito-borne diseases that are transmitted by the vectors from infected to uninfected humans. However, this debate has mostly ignored the biological diversity of vectors and vector-borne diseases. Here, we review how climate and climate change may impact those most divergent of arthropod disease vector groups: multivoltine insects and hard-bodied (ixodid) ticks. We contrast features of the life cycles and behaviour of these arthropods, and how weather, climate, and climate change may have very different impacts on the spatiotemporal occurrence and abundance of vectors, and the pathogens they transmit. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Differentiation of Enhancing Glioma and Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma by Texture-Based Machine Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcaide-Leon, P; Dufort, P; Geraldo, A F; Alshafai, L; Maralani, P J; Spears, J; Bharatha, A

    2017-06-01

    Accurate preoperative differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma and enhancing glioma is essential to avoid unnecessary neurosurgical resection in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a machine-learning algorithm by using texture analysis of contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images for differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma and enhancing glioma. Seventy-one adult patients with enhancing gliomas and 35 adult patients with primary central nervous system lymphomas were included. The tumors were manually contoured on contrast-enhanced T1WI, and the resulting volumes of interest were mined for textural features and subjected to a support vector machine-based machine-learning protocol. Three readers classified the tumors independently on contrast-enhanced T1WI. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were estimated for each reader and for the support vector machine classifier. A noninferiority test for diagnostic accuracy based on paired areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve was performed with a noninferiority margin of 0.15. The mean areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.877 (95% CI, 0.798-0.955) for the support vector machine classifier; 0.878 (95% CI, 0.807-0.949) for reader 1; 0.899 (95% CI, 0.833-0.966) for reader 2; and 0.845 (95% CI, 0.757-0.933) for reader 3. The mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the support vector machine classifier was significantly noninferior to the mean area under the curve of reader 1 ( P = .021), reader 2 ( P = .035), and reader 3 ( P = .007). Support vector machine classification based on textural features of contrast-enhanced T1WI is noninferior to expert human evaluation in the differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma and enhancing glioma. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

  13. Hierarchal scalar and vector tetrahedra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Webb, J.P.; Forghani, B.

    1993-01-01

    A new set of scalar and vector tetrahedral finite elements are presented. The elements are hierarchal, allowing mixing of polynomial orders; scalar orders up to 3 and vector orders up to 2 are defined. The vector elements impose tangential continuity on the field but not normal continuity, making them suitable for representing the vector electric or magnetic field. Further, the scalar and vector elements are such that they can easily be used in the same mesh, a requirement of many quasi-static formulations. Results are presented for two 50 Hz problems: the Bath Cube, and TEAM Problem 7

  14. Low-Dose Gene Therapy for Murine PKU Using Episomal Naked DNA Vectors Expressing PAH from Its Endogenous Liver Promoter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiu Man Grisch-Chan

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Limited duration of transgene expression, insertional mutagenesis, and size limitations for transgene cassettes pose challenges and risk factors for many gene therapy vectors. Here, we report on physiological expression of liver phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH by delivery of naked DNA/minicircle (MC-based vectors for correction of homozygous enu2 mice, a model of human phenylketonuria (PKU. Because MC vectors lack a defined size limit, we constructed a MC vector expressing a codon-optimized murine Pah cDNA that includes a truncated intron and is under the transcriptional control of a 3.6-kb native Pah promoter/enhancer sequence. This vector, delivered via hydrodynamic injection, yielded therapeutic liver PAH activity and sustained correction of blood phenylalanine comparable to viral or synthetic liver promoters. Therapeutic efficacy was seen with vector copy numbers of 95% loss of vector genomes and PAH activity in liver, demonstrating that MC vectors had not integrated into the liver genome. In conclusion, MC vectors, which do not have a defined size-limitation, offer a favorable safety profile for hepatic gene therapy due to their non-integration in combination with native promoters.

  15. Generation of arbitrary vector fields based on a pair of orthogonal elliptically polarized base vectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Danfeng; Gu, Bing; Rui, Guanghao; Zhan, Qiwen; Cui, Yiping

    2016-02-22

    We present an arbitrary vector field with hybrid polarization based on the combination of a pair of orthogonal elliptically polarized base vectors on the Poincaré sphere. It is shown that the created vector field is only dependent on the latitude angle 2χ but is independent on the longitude angle 2ψ on the Poincaré sphere. By adjusting the latitude angle 2χ, which is related to two identical waveplates in a common path interferometric arrangement, one could obtain arbitrary type of vector fields. Experimentally, we demonstrate the generation of such kind of vector fields and confirm the distribution of state of polarization by the measurement of Stokes parameters. Besides, we investigate the tight focusing properties of these vector fields. It is found that the additional degree of freedom 2χ provided by arbitrary vector field with hybrid polarization allows one to control the spatial structure of polarization and to engineer the focusing field.

  16. QSPR studies for predicting polarity parameter of organic compounds in methanol using support vector machine and enhanced replacement method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golmohammadi, H; Dashtbozorgi, Z

    2016-12-01

    In the present work, enhanced replacement method (ERM) and support vector machine (SVM) were used for quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) studies of polarity parameter (p) of various organic compounds in methanol in reversed phase liquid chromatography based on molecular descriptors calculated from the optimized structures. Diverse kinds of molecular descriptors were calculated to encode the molecular structures of compounds, such as geometric, thermodynamic, electrostatic and quantum mechanical descriptors. The variable selection method of ERM was employed to select an optimum subset of descriptors. The five descriptors selected using ERM were used as inputs of SVM to predict the polarity parameter of organic compounds in methanol. The coefficient of determination, r 2 , between experimental and predicted polarity parameters for the prediction set by ERM and SVM were 0.952 and 0.982, respectively. Acceptable results specified that the ERM approach is a very effective method for variable selection and the predictive aptitude of the SVM model is superior to those obtained by ERM. The obtained results demonstrate that SVM can be used as a substitute influential modeling tool for QSPR studies.

  17. Calculus with vectors

    CERN Document Server

    Treiman, Jay S

    2014-01-01

    Calculus with Vectors grew out of a strong need for a beginning calculus textbook for undergraduates who intend to pursue careers in STEM. fields. The approach introduces vector-valued functions from the start, emphasizing the connections between one-variable and multi-variable calculus. The text includes early vectors and early transcendentals and includes a rigorous but informal approach to vectors. Examples and focused applications are well presented along with an abundance of motivating exercises. All three-dimensional graphs have rotatable versions included as extra source materials and may be freely downloaded and manipulated with Maple Player; a free Maple Player App is available for the iPad on iTunes. The approaches taken to topics such as the derivation of the derivatives of sine and cosine, the approach to limits, and the use of "tables" of integration have been modified from the standards seen in other textbooks in order to maximize the ease with which students may comprehend the material. Additio...

  18. Test of understanding of vectors: A reliable multiple-choice vector concept test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barniol, Pablo; Zavala, Genaro

    2014-06-01

    In this article we discuss the findings of our research on students' understanding of vector concepts in problems without physical context. First, we develop a complete taxonomy of the most frequent errors made by university students when learning vector concepts. This study is based on the results of several test administrations of open-ended problems in which a total of 2067 students participated. Using this taxonomy, we then designed a 20-item multiple-choice test [Test of understanding of vectors (TUV)] and administered it in English to 423 students who were completing the required sequence of introductory physics courses at a large private Mexican university. We evaluated the test's content validity, reliability, and discriminatory power. The results indicate that the TUV is a reliable assessment tool. We also conducted a detailed analysis of the students' understanding of the vector concepts evaluated in the test. The TUV is included in the Supplemental Material as a resource for other researchers studying vector learning, as well as instructors teaching the material.

  19. A median filter approach for correcting errors in a vector field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultz, H.

    1985-01-01

    Techniques are presented for detecting and correcting errors in a vector field. These methods employ median filters which are frequently used in image processing to enhance edges and remove noise. A detailed example is given for wind field maps produced by a spaceborne scatterometer. The error detection and replacement algorithm was tested with simulation data from the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) project.

  20. The New Self-Inactivating Lentiviral Vector for Thalassemia Gene Therapy Combining Two HPFH Activating Elements Corrects Human Thalassemic Hematopoietic Stem Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papanikolaou, Eleni; Georgomanoli, Maria; Stamateris, Evangelos; Panetsos, Fottes; Karagiorga, Markisia; Tsaftaridis, Panagiotis; Graphakos, Stelios

    2012-01-01

    Abstract To address how low titer, variable expression, and gene silencing affect gene therapy vectors for hemoglobinopathies, in a previous study we successfully used the HPFH (hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin)-2 enhancer in a series of oncoretroviral vectors. On the basis of these data, we generated a novel insulated self-inactivating (SIN) lentiviral vector, termed GGHI, carrying the Aγ-globin gene with the −117 HPFH point mutation and the HPFH-2 enhancer and exhibiting a pancellular pattern of Aγ-globin gene expression in MEL-585 clones. To assess the eventual clinical feasibility of this vector, GGHI was tested on CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells from nonmobilized peripheral blood or bone marrow from 20 patients with β-thalassemia. Our results show that GGHI increased the production of γ-globin by 32.9% as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (p=0.001), with a mean vector copy number per cell of 1.1 and a mean transduction efficiency of 40.3%. Transduced populations also exhibited a lower rate of apoptosis and resulted in improvement of erythropoiesis with a higher percentage of orthochromatic erythroblasts. This is the first report of a locus control region (LCR)-free SIN insulated lentiviral vector that can be used to efficiently produce the anticipated therapeutic levels of γ-globin protein in the erythroid progeny of primary human thalassemic hematopoietic stem cells in vitro. PMID:21875313

  1. Leishmaniasis vector behaviour in Kenya

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mutinga, M.J.

    1980-01-01

    Leishmaniasis in Kenya exists in two forms: cutaneous and visceral. The vectors of visceral leishmaniasis have been the subject of investigation by various researchers since World War II, when the outbreak of the disease was first noticed. The vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis were first worked on only a decade ago after the discovery of the disease focus in Mt. Elgon. The vector behaviour of these diseases, namely Phlebotomus pedifer, the vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis, and Phlebotomus martini, the vector of visceral leishmaniasis, are discussed in detail. P. pedifer has been found to breed and bite inside caves, whereas P. martini mainly bites inside houses. (author)

  2. Efficient transduction of equine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells by VSV-G pseudotyped lentiviral vectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Gayle F; Hilbert, Bryan; Trope, Gareth; Kalle, Wouter; Strappe, Padraig

    2014-12-01

    Equine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (EADMSC) provide a unique cell-based approach for treatment of a variety of equine musculoskeletal injuries, via regeneration of diseased or damaged tissue, or the secretion of immunomodulatory molecules. These capabilities can be further enhanced by genetic modification using lentiviral vectors, which provide a safe and efficient method of gene delivery. We investigated the suitability of lentiviral vector technology for gene delivery into EADMSC, using GFP expressing lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with the G glycoprotein from the vesicular stomatitis virus (V-GFP) or, for the first time, the baculovirus gp64 envelope protein (G-GFP). In this study, we produced similarly high titre V-GFP and G-GFP lentiviral vectors. Flow cytometric analysis showed efficient transduction using V-GFP; however G-GFP exhibited a poor ability to transduce EADMSC. Transduction resulted in sustained GFP expression over four passages, with minimal effects on cell viability and doubling time, and an unaltered chondrogenic differentiation potential. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. MVA and NYVAC as vaccines against emergent infectious diseases and cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez, Carmen E; Nájera, José L; Krupa, Magdalena; Perdiguero, Beatriz; Esteban, Mariano

    2011-06-01

    Recombinants based on poxviruses have been used extensively as gene delivery systems to study many biological functions of foreign genes and as vaccines against many pathogens, particularly in the veterinary field. Based on safety record, efficient expression and ability to trigger specific immune responses, two of the most promising poxvirus vectors for human use are the attenuated modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) and the Copenhagen derived NYVAC strains. Because of the scientific and clinical interest in these two vectors, here we review their biological characteristics, with emphasis on virus-host cell interactions, viral immunomodulators, gene expression profiling, virus distribution in animals, and application as vaccines against different pathogens and tumors.

  4. Reflection of Information Technologies over the Information Professionals in Terms of Status: A Survey on the Librarians in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Semanur Öztemiz

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available In order not to succumb to technologies that carry out tasks similar to those performed by humans, modern professional understanding makes it essential to adopt reconciliatory approaches. Because it requires less effort, the partnership between manpower and technology allows professional activities to be carried out in a shorter time and results in greater product or service output. In addition, this partnership deeply affects the workforce responsible for professional implementation. Developing technologies have brought about various changes in education and job titles and particularly in the professional specifications for information professionals. This study aims to set forth the reflections of change on the status extent, based on the information professionals ’ experiences. This study is based on descriptive methodology and covers 106 information professionals working in public libraries, university libraries and in the libraries of those institutions attached to the Prime Ministry in the Turkish capital city Ankara. This research finds that changes in information technologies have had meaningful impacts in terms of indicators of social status such as value, respectability, financial income and professional interest.

  5. Light vector meson production at forward rapidity in pp collisions at the LHC with the ALICE detector

    CERN Document Server

    Incani, Elisa; Usai, Gianluca

    Low-mass vector mesons ($\\rho$, $\\omega$ and $\\phi$) give us information on the hot and dense state of strongly interacting matter produced in heavy ion collisions. In fact, in the QGP an enhancement of the strange particle production should be present (strangeness enhancement), which means a N$\\phi$ /N$\\rho+\\omega$ ratio increasing in A-A collisions with respect to pp collisions; pp collisions provide a reference for these studies. Vector meson production in pp collisions is also useful by itself, to study soft Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD) in the LHC energy range, since calculations in this regime are based on QCD inspired phenomenological models that must be tuned to the data. The ALICE experiment at the LHC can access vector mesons produced at forward rapidity through their decays in muon pairs. We will show the ratio $N\\phi$ /N$\\rho+\\omega$ vs pT, the ratios $\\sigma_\\rho/\\sigma_\\omega$ and $\\sigma_\\phi/\\sigma_\\omega$, and the $\\phi$ and $\\omega$ pT and rapidity differential cross sections for the data sam...

  6. Search for a PHI' vector meson in diffractive photoproduction of K+K-π+π-

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atkinson, M.; Davenport, M.; Flower, P.; Hutton, J.S.; Kumar, B.R.; Morris, J.A.G.; Morris, J.V.; Patrick, G.N.; Sharp, P.H.; Bussey, P.J.; Dainton, J.B.; Paterson, C.; Raine, C.; Skillicorn, I.O.; Smith, K.M.; Brodbeck, T.J.; Clegg, A.B.; Flynn, P.J.; Henderson, R.C.W.; Newton, D.; Axon, T.J.; Barberis, D.; Dickinson, B.; Donnachie, A.; Ellison, R.J.; Hughes-Jones, R.E.; Ibbotson, M.; Lafferty, G.D.; Lane, J.B.; Mercer, D.; Thompson, R.J.; Waite, A.P.; Worsell, M.F.; Levy, J.M.; Laberrigue, J.; La Vaissiere, C. de; Yiou, T.P.; Brookes, G.R.; Bunn, J.J.; Galbraith, W.; McClatchey, R.H.

    1986-01-01

    A study of photoproduction of K + K - π + π - shows a broad threshold enhancement, about 30% of which is due to Ksup(*)Kπ production. This Ksup(*)Kπ component shows no dynamical features indicative of the existence of a PHI' vector meson in this channel. (orig.)

  7. Learning with LOGO: Logo and Vectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lough, Tom; Tipps, Steve

    1986-01-01

    This is the first of a two-part series on the general concept of vector space. Provides tool procedures to allow investigation of vector properties, vector addition and subtraction, and X and Y components. Lists several sources of additional vector ideas. (JM)

  8. Strangeness Vector and Axial-Vector Form Factors of the Nucleon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pate Stephen

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available A revised global fit of electroweak ep and vp elastic scattering data has been performed, with the goal of determining the strange quark contribution to the vector and axial-vector form factors of the nucleon in the momentum-transfer range 0 < Q2 < 1 GeV2. The two vector (electric and magnetic form factors GsE(Q2 and GsM(Q2 are strongly constrained by ep elastic scattering data, while the major source of information on the axial-vector form factor GsA(Q2 is vp scattering data. Combining the two kinds of data into a single global fit makes possible additional precision in the determination of these form factors, and provides a unique way to determine the strange quark contribution to the nucleon spin, ΔS , independently of leptonic deep-inelastic scattering. The fit makes use of data from the BNL-E734, SAMPLE, HAPPEx, G0, and PVA4 experiments; we will also compare the result of the fit with recent data from MiniBooNE, and anticipate how this fit can be improved when new data from MicroBooNE become available.

  9. Multi-task Vector Field Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Binbin; Yang, Sen; Zhang, Chiyuan; Ye, Jieping; He, Xiaofei

    2012-01-01

    Multi-task learning (MTL) aims to improve generalization performance by learning multiple related tasks simultaneously and identifying the shared information among tasks. Most of existing MTL methods focus on learning linear models under the supervised setting. We propose a novel semi-supervised and nonlinear approach for MTL using vector fields. A vector field is a smooth mapping from the manifold to the tangent spaces which can be viewed as a directional derivative of functions on the manifold. We argue that vector fields provide a natural way to exploit the geometric structure of data as well as the shared differential structure of tasks, both of which are crucial for semi-supervised multi-task learning. In this paper, we develop multi-task vector field learning (MTVFL) which learns the predictor functions and the vector fields simultaneously. MTVFL has the following key properties. (1) The vector fields MTVFL learns are close to the gradient fields of the predictor functions. (2) Within each task, the vector field is required to be as parallel as possible which is expected to span a low dimensional subspace. (3) The vector fields from all tasks share a low dimensional subspace. We formalize our idea in a regularization framework and also provide a convex relaxation method to solve the original non-convex problem. The experimental results on synthetic and real data demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.

  10. Adeno-associated viral vector transduction of human mesenchymal stem cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stender, Stefan; Murphy, Mary; O'Brien, Tim

    2007-01-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have received considerable attention in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. One aspect of MSC research focuses on genetically modifying the cells with the aim of enhancing their regenerative potential. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) holds promise as a vector...... in human MSCs and to assess whether AAV transduction affects MSC multipotentiality. The results indicated that human MSCs could indeed be transiently transduced in vitro by the AAV2 vector with efficiencies of up to 65%. The percentage of GFP-positive cells peaked at 4 days post-transduction and declined...... rapidly towards 0% after day 8. The level of transgene expression in the GFP-positive population increased 4-fold over a 10,000 fold viral dose increase. This dose-response contrasted with the 200-fold increase observed in similarly transduced 293-cells, indicating a relatively restricted transgene...

  11. Stable piecewise polynomial vector fields

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudio Pessoa

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Let $N={y>0}$ and $S={y<0}$ be the semi-planes of $mathbb{R}^2$ having as common boundary the line $D={y=0}$. Let $X$ and $Y$ be polynomial vector fields defined in $N$ and $S$, respectively, leading to a discontinuous piecewise polynomial vector field $Z=(X,Y$. This work pursues the stability and the transition analysis of solutions of $Z$ between $N$ and $S$, started by Filippov (1988 and Kozlova (1984 and reformulated by Sotomayor-Teixeira (1995 in terms of the regularization method. This method consists in analyzing a one parameter family of continuous vector fields $Z_{epsilon}$, defined by averaging $X$ and $Y$. This family approaches $Z$ when the parameter goes to zero. The results of Sotomayor-Teixeira and Sotomayor-Machado (2002 providing conditions on $(X,Y$ for the regularized vector fields to be structurally stable on planar compact connected regions are extended to discontinuous piecewise polynomial vector fields on $mathbb{R}^2$. Pertinent genericity results for vector fields satisfying the above stability conditions are also extended to the present case. A procedure for the study of discontinuous piecewise vector fields at infinity through a compactification is proposed here.

  12. Transversals of Complex Polynomial Vector Fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dias, Kealey

    Vector fields in the complex plane are defined by assigning the vector determined by the value P(z) to each point z in the complex plane, where P is a polynomial of one complex variable. We consider special families of so-called rotated vector fields that are determined by a polynomial multiplied...... by rotational constants. Transversals are a certain class of curves for such a family of vector fields that represent the bifurcation states for this family of vector fields. More specifically, transversals are curves that coincide with a homoclinic separatrix for some rotation of the vector field. Given...... a concrete polynomial, it seems to take quite a bit of work to prove that it is generic, i.e. structurally stable. This has been done for a special class of degree d polynomial vector fields having simple equilibrium points at the d roots of unity, d odd. In proving that such vector fields are generic...

  13. Analysis of near-field components of a plasmonic optical antenna and their contribution to quantum dot infrared photodetector enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Guiru; Vaillancourt, Jarrod; Lu, Xuejun

    2014-10-20

    In this paper, we analyze near-field vector components of a metallic circular disk array (MCDA) plasmonic optical antenna and their contribution to quantum dot infrared photodetector (QDIP) enhancement. The near-field vector components of the MCDA optical antenna and their distribution in the QD active region are simulated. The near-field overlap integral with the QD active region is calculated at different wavelengths and compared with the QDIP enhancement spectrum. The x-component (E(x)) of the near-field vector shows a larger intensity overlap integral and stronger correlation with the QDIP enhancement than E(z) and thus is determined to be the major near-field component to the QDIP enhancement.

  14. In vivo Assembly in Escherichia coli of Transformation Vectors for Plastid Genome Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuyong Wu

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Plastid transformation for the expression of recombinant proteins and entire metabolic pathways has become a promising tool for plant biotechnology. However, large-scale application of this technology has been hindered by some technical bottlenecks, including lack of routine transformation protocols for agronomically important crop plants like rice or maize. Currently, there are no standard or commercial plastid transformation vectors available for the scientific community. Construction of a plastid transformation vector usually requires tedious and time-consuming cloning steps. In this study, we describe the adoption of an in vivo Escherichia coli cloning (iVEC technology to quickly assemble a plastid transformation vector. The method enables simple and seamless build-up of a complete plastid transformation vector from five DNA fragments in a single step. The vector assembled for demonstration purposes contains an enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP expression cassette, in which the gfp transgene is driven by the tobacco plastid ribosomal RNA operon promoter fused to the 5′ untranslated region (UTR from gene10 of bacteriophage T7 and the transcript-stabilizing 3′UTR from the E. coli ribosomal RNA operon rrnB. Successful transformation of the tobacco plastid genome was verified by Southern blot analysis and seed assays. High-level expression of the GFP reporter in the transplastomic plants was visualized by confocal microscopy and Coomassie staining, and GFP accumulation was ~9% of the total soluble protein. The iVEC method represents a simple and efficient approach for construction of plastid transformation vector, and offers great potential for the assembly of increasingly complex vectors for synthetic biology applications in plastids.

  15. Vector optimization set-valued and variational analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Chen, Guang-ya; Yang, Xiaogi

    2005-01-01

    This book is devoted to vector or multiple criteria approaches in optimization. Topics covered include: vector optimization, vector variational inequalities, vector variational principles, vector minmax inequalities and vector equilibrium problems. In particular, problems with variable ordering relations and set-valued mappings are treated. The nonlinear scalarization method is extensively used throughout the book to deal with various vector-related problems. The results presented are original and should be interesting to researchers and graduates in applied mathematics and operations research

  16. Implicit Real Vector Automata

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean-François Degbomont

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses the symbolic representation of non-convex real polyhedra, i.e., sets of real vectors satisfying arbitrary Boolean combinations of linear constraints. We develop an original data structure for representing such sets, based on an implicit and concise encoding of a known structure, the Real Vector Automaton. The resulting formalism provides a canonical representation of polyhedra, is closed under Boolean operators, and admits an efficient decision procedure for testing the membership of a vector.

  17. A multicolor panel of novel lentiviral "gene ontology" (LeGO) vectors for functional gene analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Kristoffer; Bartsch, Udo; Stocking, Carol; Fehse, Boris

    2008-04-01

    Functional gene analysis requires the possibility of overexpression, as well as downregulation of one, or ideally several, potentially interacting genes. Lentiviral vectors are well suited for this purpose as they ensure stable expression of complementary DNAs (cDNAs), as well as short-hairpin RNAs (shRNAs), and can efficiently transduce a wide spectrum of cell targets when packaged within the coat proteins of other viruses. Here we introduce a multicolor panel of novel lentiviral "gene ontology" (LeGO) vectors designed according to the "building blocks" principle. Using a wide spectrum of different fluorescent markers, including drug-selectable enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)- and dTomato-blasticidin-S resistance fusion proteins, LeGO vectors allow simultaneous analysis of multiple genes and shRNAs of interest within single, easily identifiable cells. Furthermore, each functional module is flanked by unique cloning sites, ensuring flexibility and individual optimization. The efficacy of these vectors for analyzing multiple genes in a single cell was demonstrated in several different cell types, including hematopoietic, endothelial, and neural stem and progenitor cells, as well as hepatocytes. LeGO vectors thus represent a valuable tool for investigating gene networks using conditional ectopic expression and knock-down approaches simultaneously.

  18. Vectoring of parallel synthetic jets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berk, Tim; Ganapathisubramani, Bharathram; Gomit, Guillaume

    2015-11-01

    A pair of parallel synthetic jets can be vectored by applying a phase difference between the two driving signals. The resulting jet can be merged or bifurcated and either vectored towards the actuator leading in phase or the actuator lagging in phase. In the present study, the influence of phase difference and Strouhal number on the vectoring behaviour is examined experimentally. Phase-locked vorticity fields, measured using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), are used to track vortex pairs. The physical mechanisms that explain the diversity in vectoring behaviour are observed based on the vortex trajectories. For a fixed phase difference, the vectoring behaviour is shown to be primarily influenced by pinch-off time of vortex rings generated by the synthetic jets. Beyond a certain formation number, the pinch-off timescale becomes invariant. In this region, the vectoring behaviour is determined by the distance between subsequent vortex rings. We acknowledge the financial support from the European Research Council (ERC grant agreement no. 277472).

  19. Safety and immunogenicity of a modified-vaccinia-virus-Ankara-based influenza A H5N1 vaccine: a randomised, double-blind phase 1/2a clinical trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreijtz, Joost H C M; Goeijenbier, Marco; Moesker, Fleur M; van den Dries, Lennert; Goeijenbier, Simone; De Gruyter, Heidi L M; Lehmann, Michael H; Mutsert, Gerrie de; van de Vijver, David A M C; Volz, Asisa; Fouchier, Ron A M; van Gorp, Eric C M; Rimmelzwaan, Guus F; Sutter, Gerd; Osterhaus, Albert D M E

    2014-12-01

    Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is a promising viral vector platform for the development of an H5N1 influenza vaccine. Preclinical assessment of MVA-based H5N1 vaccines showed their immunogenicity and safety in different animal models. We aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the MVA-haemagglutinin-based H5N1 vaccine MVA-H5-sfMR in healthy individuals. In a single-centre, double-blind phase 1/2a study, young volunteers (aged 18-28 years) were randomly assigned with a computer-generated list in equal numbers to one of eight groups and were given one injection or two injections intramuscularly at an interval of 4 weeks of a standard dose (10(8) plaque forming units [pfu]) or a ten times lower dose (10(7) pfu) of the MVA-H5-sfMR (vector encoding the haemagglutinin gene of influenza A/Vietnam/1194/2004 virus [H5N1 subtype]) or MVA-F6-sfMR (empty vector) vaccine. Volunteers and physicians who examined and administered the vaccine were masked to vaccine assignment. Individuals who received the MVA-H5-sfMR vaccine were eligible for a booster immunisation 1 year after the first immunisation. Primary endpoint was safety. Secondary outcome was immunogenicity. The trial is registered with the Dutch Trial Register, number NTR3401. 79 of 80 individuals who were enrolled completed the study. No serious adverse events were identified. 11 individuals reported severe headache and lightheadedness, erythema nodosum, respiratory illness (accompanied by influenza-like symptoms), sore throat, or injection-site reaction. Most of the volunteers had one or more local (itch, pain, redness, and swelling) and systemic reactions (rise in body temperature, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, chills, malaise, and fatigue) after the first, second, and booster immunisations. Individuals who received the 10(7) dose had fewer systemic reactions. The MVA-H5-sfMR vaccine at 10(8) pfu induced significantly higher antibody responses after one and two immunisations than did 10(7) pfu when

  20. Mesoporous silicon particles as intravascular drug delivery vectors: fabrication, in-vitro, and in-vivo assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiappini, Ciro; Tasciotti, Ennio; Serda, Rita E.; Brousseau, Lou; Liu, Xuewu; Ferrari, M.

    2011-01-01

    Porous silicon is an attractive biomaterial for drug delivery thanks to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, ease of fabrication, tunable nanostructure, and porous network. Herein we briefly present the development of a multi-stage delivery vector that leverages these advantages to enhance delivery of systemically administered therapeutic agents. We illustrate the rational design, objective-oriented fabrication and geometric control of first stage porous silicon microparticles. We describe how geometry affects the biodistribution of first stage vectors and how their porous structure affects the loading and release of second stage theranostic payloads. We describe the mechanism of cellular internalization and intracellular trafficking of particles. Finally we present two multi-stage vector prototypes for the delivery of magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents and small interfering RNA (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  1. Mesoporous silicon particles as intravascular drug delivery vectors: fabrication, in-vitro, and in-vivo assessments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chiappini, Ciro [Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, Austin, TX, 78712 (United States); Tasciotti, Ennio; Serda, Rita E.; Brousseau, Lou; Liu, Xuewu [Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering, Mehtodist Hospital Research Institute, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, TX, 77030 (United States); Ferrari, M. [Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, Austin, TX, 78712 (United States); Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering, Mehtodist Hospital Research Institute, 6565 Fannin Street, Houston, TX, 77030 (United States); Department of Experimental Therapeutics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States); Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX (United States)

    2011-06-15

    Porous silicon is an attractive biomaterial for drug delivery thanks to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, ease of fabrication, tunable nanostructure, and porous network. Herein we briefly present the development of a multi-stage delivery vector that leverages these advantages to enhance delivery of systemically administered therapeutic agents. We illustrate the rational design, objective-oriented fabrication and geometric control of first stage porous silicon microparticles. We describe how geometry affects the biodistribution of first stage vectors and how their porous structure affects the loading and release of second stage theranostic payloads. We describe the mechanism of cellular internalization and intracellular trafficking of particles. Finally we present two multi-stage vector prototypes for the delivery of magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents and small interfering RNA (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  2. Vectorization in quantum chemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saunders, V.R.

    1987-01-01

    It is argued that the optimal vectorization algorithm for many steps (and sub-steps) in a typical ab initio calculation of molecular electronic structure is quite strongly dependent on the target vector machine. Details such as the availability (or lack) of a given vector construct in the hardware, vector startup times and asymptotic rates must all be considered when selecting the optimal algorithm. Illustrations are drawn from: gaussian integral evaluation, fock matrix construction, 4-index transformation of molecular integrals, direct-CI methods, the matrix multiply operation. A cross comparison of practical implementations on the CDC Cyber 205, the Cray-IS and Cray-XMP machines is presented. To achieve portability while remaining optimal on a wide range of machines it is necessary to code all available algorithms in a machine independent manner, and to select the appropriate algorithm using a procedure which is based on machine dependent parameters. Most such parameters concern the timing of certain vector loop kernals, which can usually be derived from a 'bench-marking' routine executed prior to the calculation proper

  3. Properties of vector and axial-vector mesons from a generalized Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernard, V.; Meissner, U.G.; Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge; Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge

    1988-01-01

    We construct a generalized Nambu-Jona-Lasinio lagrangian including scalar, pseudoscalar, vector and axial-vector mesons. We specialize to the two-flavor case. The properties of the structured vacuum as well as meson masses and coupling constants are calculated giving an overall agreement within 20% of the experimental data. We investigate the meson properties at finite density. In contrast to the mass of the scalar σ-meson, which decreases sharply with increasing density, the vector meson masses are almost independent of density. Furthermore, the vector-meson-quark coupling constants are also stable against density changes. We point out that these results imply a softening of the nuclear equation of state at high densities. Furthermore, we discuss the breakdown of the KFSR relation on the quark level as well as other deviations from phenomenological concepts such as universality and vector meson dominance. (orig.)

  4. Vector geometry

    CERN Document Server

    Robinson, Gilbert de B

    2011-01-01

    This brief undergraduate-level text by a prominent Cambridge-educated mathematician explores the relationship between algebra and geometry. An elementary course in plane geometry is the sole requirement for Gilbert de B. Robinson's text, which is the result of several years of teaching and learning the most effective methods from discussions with students. Topics include lines and planes, determinants and linear equations, matrices, groups and linear transformations, and vectors and vector spaces. Additional subjects range from conics and quadrics to homogeneous coordinates and projective geom

  5. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara expressing the hemagglutinin of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus induces cross-protective immunity against Eurasian 'avian-like' H1N1 swine viruses in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castrucci, Maria R; Facchini, Marzia; Di Mario, Giuseppina; Garulli, Bruno; Sciaraffia, Ester; Meola, Monica; Fabiani, Concetta; De Marco, Maria A; Cordioli, Paolo; Siccardi, Antonio; Kawaoka, Yoshihiro; Donatelli, Isabella

    2014-05-01

    To examine cross-reactivity between hemagglutinin (HA) derived from A/California/7/09 (CA/09) virus and that derived from representative Eurasian "avian-like" (EA) H1N1 swine viruses isolated in Italy between 1999 and 2008 during virological surveillance in pigs. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) expressing the HA gene of CA/09 virus (MVA-HA-CA/09) was used as a vaccine to investigate cross-protective immunity against H1N1 swine viruses in mice. Two classical swine H1N1 (CS) viruses and four representative EA-like H1N1 swine viruses previously isolated during outbreaks of respiratory disease in pigs on farms in Northern Italy were used in this study. Female C57BL/6 mice were vaccinated with MVA/HA/CA/09 and then challenged intranasally with H1N1 swine viruses. Cross-reactive antibody responses were determined by hemagglutination- inhibition (HI) and virus microneutralizing (MN) assays of sera from MVA-vaccinated mice. The extent of protective immunity against infection with H1N1 swine viruses was determined by measuring lung viral load on days 2 and 4 post-challenge. Systemic immunization of mice with CA/09-derived HA, vectored by MVA, elicited cross-protective immunity against recent EA-like swine viruses. This immune protection was related to the levels of cross-reactive HI antibodies in the sera of the immunized mice and was dependent on the similarity of the antigenic site Sa of H1 HAs. Our findings suggest that the herd immunity elicited in humans by the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus could limit the transmission of recent EA-like swine HA genes into the influenza A virus gene pool in humans. © 2013 The Authors Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Oncolytic Adenovirus: Strategies and Insights for Vector Design and Immuno-Oncolytic Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanni Uusi-Kerttula

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Adenoviruses (Ad are commonly used both experimentally and clinically, including oncolytic virotherapy applications. In the clinical area, efficacy is frequently hampered by the high rates of neutralizing immunity, estimated as high as 90% in some populations that promote vector clearance and limit bioavailability for tumor targeting following systemic delivery. Active tumor targeting is also hampered by the ubiquitous nature of the Ad5 receptor, hCAR, as well as the lack of highly tumor-selective targeting ligands and suitable targeting strategies. Furthermore, significant off-target interactions between the viral vector and cellular and proteinaceous components of the bloodstream have been documented that promote uptake into non-target cells and determine dose-limiting toxicities. Novel strategies are therefore needed to overcome the obstacles that prevent efficacious Ad deployment for wider clinical applications. The use of less seroprevalent Ad serotypes, non-human serotypes, capsid pseudotyping, chemical shielding and genetic masking by heterologous peptide incorporation are all potential strategies to achieve efficient vector escape from humoral immune recognition. Conversely, selective vector arming with immunostimulatory agents can be utilized to enhance their oncolytic potential by activation of cancer-specific immune responses against the malignant tissues. This review presents recent advantages and pitfalls occurring in the field of adenoviral oncolytic therapies.

  7. Chiral and color-superconducting phase transitions with vector interaction in a simple model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitazawa, Masakiyo; Koide, Tomoi; Kunihiro, Teiji; Nemoto, Yukio

    2002-01-01

    We investigate effects of the vector interaction on chiral and color superconducting (CSC) phase transitions at finite density and temperature in a simple Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. It is shown that the repulsive density-density interaction coming from the vector term, which is present in the effective chiral models but has been omitted, enhances the competition between the chiral symmetry breaking (χSB) and CSC phase transition, and thereby makes the thermodynamic potential have a shallow minimum over a wide range of values of the correlated chiral and CSC order parameters. We find that when the vector coupling is increased, the first order transition between the χSB and CSC phases becomes weaker, and the coexisting phase in which both the chiral and color-gauge symmetry are dynamically broken comes to exist over a wider range of the density and temperature. We also show that there can exist two endpoints, which are tricritical points in the chiral limit, along the critical line of the first order transition in some range of values of the vector coupling. Although our analysis is based on a simple model, the nontrivial interplay between the χSB and CSC phases induced by the vector interaction is expected to be a universal phenomenon and might give a clue to understanding results obtained with two-color QCD on the lattice. (author)

  8. Electroproduction and photoproduction of vector mesons and generalized vector meson dominance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fraas, H.; Kuroda, M.

    1977-05-01

    Using generalized vector meson dominance, electro- and photoproduction of vector mesons is studied. The unnatural parity exchange part of ω(1.2) production is estimated to be about one fourth of that of ω-production. The off diagonal transition model suggests the suppression of diffractive rho(1.2) and ω(1.2) production. (orig.) [de

  9. Viral vector-mediated overexpression of estrogen receptor-alpha in striatum enhances the estradiol-induced motor activity in female rats and estradiol-modulated GABA release.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultz, Kristin N; von Esenwein, Silke A; Hu, Ming; Bennett, Amy L; Kennedy, Robert T; Musatov, Sergei; Toran-Allerand, C Dominique; Kaplitt, Michael G; Young, Larry J; Becker, Jill B

    2009-02-11

    Classical estrogen receptor-signaling mechanisms involve estradiol binding to intracellular nuclear receptors [estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and estrogen receptor-beta (ERbeta)] to promote changes in protein expression. Estradiol can also exert effects within seconds to minutes, however, a timescale incongruent with genomic signaling. In the brain, estradiol rapidly potentiates stimulated dopamine release in the striatum of female rats and enhances spontaneous rotational behavior. Furthermore, estradiol rapidly attenuates the K(+)-evoked increase of GABA in dialysate. We hypothesize that these rapid effects of estradiol in the striatum are mediated by ERalpha located on the membrane of medium spiny GABAergic neurons. This experiment examined whether overexpression of ERalpha in the striatum would enhance the effect of estradiol on rotational behavior and the K(+)-evoked increase in GABA in dialysate. Ovariectomized female rats were tested for rotational behavior or underwent microdialysis experiments after unilateral intrastriatal injections of a recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) containing the human ERalpha cDNA (AAV.ERalpha) into the striatum; controls received either the same vector into areas outside the striatum or an AAV containing the human alkaline phosphatase gene into the striatum (AAV.ALP). Animals that received AAV.ERalpha in the striatum exhibited significantly greater estradiol-induced contralateral rotations compared with controls and exhibited behavioral sensitization of contralateral rotations induced by a low-dose of amphetamine. ERalpha overexpression also enhanced the inhibitory effect of estradiol on K(+)-evoked GABA release suggesting that disinhibition of dopamine release from terminals in the striatum resulted in the enhanced rotational behavior.

  10. Hypoxia-response plasmid vector producing bcl-2 shRNA enhances the apoptotic cell death of mouse rectum carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujioka, Takashi; Matsunaga, Naoya; Okazaki, Hiroyuki; Koyanagi, Satoru; Ohdo, Shigehiro

    2010-01-01

    Hypoxia-induced gene expression frequently occurs in malignant solid tumors because they often have hypoxic areas in which circulation is compromised due to structurally disorganized blood vessels. Hypoxia-response elements (HREs) are responsible for activating gene transcription in response to hypoxia. In this study, we constructed a hypoxia-response plasmid vector producing short hairpin RNA (shRNA) against B-cell leukemia/lymphoma-2 (bcl-2), an anti-apoptotic factor. The hypoxia-response promoter was made by inserting tandem repeats of HREs upstream of cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter (HRE-CMV). HRE-CMV shbcl-2 vector consisted of bcl-2 shRNA under the control of HRE-CMV promoter. In hypoxic mouse rectum carcinoma cells (colon-26), the production of bcl-2 shRNA driven by HRE-CMV promoter was approximately 2-fold greater than that driven by CMV promoter. A single intratumoral (i.t.) injection of 40 microg HRE-CMV shbcl-2 to colon-26 tumor-bearing mice caused apoptotic cell death, and repetitive treatment with HRE-CMV shbcl-2 (40 microg/mouse, i.t.) also significantly suppressed the growth of colon-26 tumor cells implanted in mice. Apoptotic and anti-tumor effects were not observed in tumor-bearing mice treated with CMV shbcl-2. These results reveal the ability of HRE-CMV shbcl-2 vector to suppress the expression of bcl-2 in hypoxic tumor cells and suggest the usefulness of our constructed hypoxia-response plasmid vector to treat malignant tumors. [Supplementary Figures: available only at http://dx.doi.org/10.1254/jphs.10054FP].

  11. Three-Year Durability of Immune Responses Induced by HIV-DNA and HIV-Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara and Effect of a Late HIV-Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara Boost in Tanzanian Volunteers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joachim, Agricola; Munseri, Patricia J; Nilsson, Charlotta; Bakari, Muhammad; Aboud, Said; Lyamuya, Eligius F; Tecleab, Teghesti; Liakina, Valentina; Scarlatti, Gabriella; Robb, Merlin L; Earl, Patricia L; Moss, Bernard; Wahren, Britta; Mhalu, Fred; Ferrari, Guido; Sandstrom, Eric; Biberfeld, Gunnel

    2017-08-01

    We explored the duration of immune responses and the effect of a late third HIV-modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) boost in HIV-DNA primed and HIV-MVA boosted Tanzanian volunteers. Twenty volunteers who had previously received three HIV-DNA and two HIV-MVA immunizations were given a third HIV-MVA immunization 3 years after the second HIV-MVA boost. At the time of the third HIV-MVA, 90% of the vaccinees had antibodies to HIV-1 subtype C gp140 (median titer 200) and 85% to subtype B gp160 (median titer 100). The majority of vaccinees had detectable antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)-mediating antibodies, 70% against CRF01_AE virus-infected cells (median titer 239) and 84% against CRF01_AE gp120-coated cells (median titer 499). A high proportion (74%) of vaccinees had IFN-γ ELISpot responses, 63% to Gag and 42% to Env, 3 years after the second HIV-MVA boost. After the third HIV-MVA, there was an increase in Env-binding antibodies and ADCC-mediating antibodies relative to the response seen at the time of the third HIV-MVA vaccination, p < .0001 and p < .05, respectively. The frequency of IFN-γ ELISpot responses increased to 95% against Gag or Env and 90% to both Gag and Env, p = .064 and p = .002, respectively. In conclusion, the HIV-DNA prime/HIV-MVA boost regimen elicited potent antibody and cellular immune responses with remarkable durability, and a third HIV-MVA immunization significantly boosted both antibody and cellular immune responses relative to the levels detected at the time of the third HIV-MVA, but not to higher levels than after the second HIV-MVA.

  12. Vector (two-dimensional) magnetic phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Enokizono, Masato

    2002-01-01

    In this paper, some interesting phenomena were described from the viewpoint of two-dimensional magnetic property, which is reworded with the vector magnetic property. It shows imperfection of conventional magnetic property and some interested phenomena were discovered, too. We found magnetic materials had the strong nonlinearity both magnitude and spatial phase due to the relationship between the magnetic field strength H-vector and the magnetic flux density B-vector. Therefore, magnetic properties should be defined as the vector relationship. Furthermore, the new Barukhausen signal was observed under rotating flux. (Author)

  13. The establishment of Saccharomyces boulardii surface display system using a single expression vector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tiantian; Sun, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Liu, Qing; Wang, Longjiang; Chen, Peipei; Wang, Fangkun; Li, Hongmei; Xiao, Yihong; Zhao, Xiaomin

    2014-03-01

    In the present study, an a-agglutinin-based Saccharomyces boulardii surface display system was successfully established using a single expression vector. Based on the two protein co-expression vector pSP-G1 built by Partow et al., a S. boulardii surface display vector-pSDSb containing all the display elements was constructed. The display results of heterologous proteins were confirmed by successfully displaying enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and chicken Eimeria tenella Microneme-2 proteins (EtMic2) on the S. boulardii cell surface. The DNA sequence of AGA1 gene from S. boulardii (SbAGA1) was determined and used as the cell wall anchor partner. This is the first time heterologous proteins have been displayed on the cell surface of S. boulardii. Because S. boulardii is probiotic and eukaryotic, its surface display system would be very valuable, particularly in the development of a live vaccine against various pathogenic organisms especially eukaryotic pathogens such as protistan parasites. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Toxic metals in breast milk samples from Ankara, Turkey: assessment of lead, cadmium, nickel, and arsenic levels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gürbay, Aylin; Charehsaz, Mohammad; Eken, Ayşe; Sayal, Ahmet; Girgin, Gözde; Yurdakök, Murat; Yiğit, Şule; Erol, Dilek Demir; Şahin, Gönül; Aydın, Ahmet

    2012-10-01

    Toxic metals are one of the significant groups of chemical contaminants that humans are exposed to by oral, inhalation, and dermal routes. Exposure to these chemicals begins with intrauterine life and continues during lactation period at the first years of life. Breastfeeding has a much more special place than other nutrition options for infants. However, when possibility of contaminant transfer by breast milk is considered, its safety and quality is essential. Regarding infant and mother health and limited number of information on this field in Turkey, measuring contamination levels in breast milk is important. Therefore, in the present study, lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As) levels were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry in 64 breast milk samples obtained from mothers from Ankara, Turkey. Pb and Ni levels in breast milk samples were found to be 391.45±269.01 μg/l and 43.94±33.82 μg/l (mean ± SD), respectively. Cd was found only in one of 64 samples, and the level was 4.62 μg/l. As level was below the limit of quantification (LOQ, 7.6 μg/l) in all samples. These findings will accurately direct strategies and solutions of protection against contaminants in order to reduce their levels in biological fluids.

  15. Quark-gluon plasma tomography by vector mesons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lovas, I.; Schram, Zs.; Csernai, L.P.; Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest; Nyiri, A.

    2001-01-01

    The fireball formed in a heavy ion collision is characterized by the impact parameter vector b-vector, which can be determined from the multiplicity and the angular distribution of the reaction products. By appropriate rotations the b-vector vectors of each collision can be aligned into a fixed direction. Using the measured values of the momentum distributions independent integral equations can be formulated for the unknown emission densities (E M (r-vector)) and for the unknown absorption densities (Δμ(r-vector)) of the different vector mesons. (author)

  16. Lithium-ion battery remaining useful life prediction based on grey support vector machines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaogang Li

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this article, an improved grey prediction model is proposed to address low-accuracy prediction issue of grey forecasting model. The first step is using a trigonometric function to transform the original data sequence to smooth the data, which is called smoothness of grey prediction model, and then a grey support vector machine model by integrating the improved grey model with support vector machine is introduced. At the initial stage of the model, trigonometric functions and accumulation generation operation can be used to preprocess the data, which enhances the smoothness of the data and reduces the associated randomness. In addition, support vector machine is implemented to establish a prediction model for the pre-processed data and select the optimal model parameters via genetic algorithms. Finally, the data are restored through the ‘regressive generate’ operation to obtain the forecasting data. To prove that the grey support vector machine model is superior to the other models, the battery life data from the Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering are selected, and the presented model is used to predict the remaining useful life of the battery. The predicted result is compared to that of grey model and support vector machines. For a more intuitive comparison of the three models, this article quantifies the root mean square errors for these three different models in the case of different ratio of training samples and prediction samples. The results show that the effect of grey support vector machine model is optimal, and the corresponding root mean square error is only 3.18%.

  17. Vector superconductivity in cosmic strings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dvali, G.R.; Mahajan, S.M.

    1992-03-01

    We argue that in most realistic cases, the usual Witten-type bosonic superconductivity of the cosmic string is automatically (independent of the existence of superconducting currents) accompanied by the condensation of charged gauge vector bosons in the core giving rise to a new vector type superconductivity. The value of the charged vector condensate is related with the charged scalar expectation value, and vanishes only if the latter goes to zero. The mechanism for the proposed vector superconductivity, differing fundamentally from those in the literature, is delineated using the simplest realistic example of the two Higgs doublet standard model interacting with the extra cosmic string. It is shown that for a wide range of parameters, for which the string becomes scalarly superconducting, W boson condensates (the sources of vector superconductivity) are necessarily excited. (author). 14 refs

  18. Brane vector phenomenology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clark, T.E.; Love, S.T.; Nitta, Muneto; Veldhuis, T. ter; Xiong, C.

    2009-01-01

    Local oscillations of the brane world are manifested as massive vector fields. Their coupling to the Standard Model can be obtained using the method of nonlinear realizations of the spontaneously broken higher-dimensional space-time symmetries, and to an extent, are model independent. Phenomenological limits on these vector field parameters are obtained using LEP collider data and dark matter constraints

  19. Distribution of Brugia malayi larvae and DNA in vector and non-vector mosquitoes: implications for molecular diagnostics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christensen Bruce M

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to extend prior studies of molecular detection of Brugia malayi DNA in vector (Aedes aegypti- Liverpool and non-vector (Culex pipiens mosquitoes at different times after ingestion of infected blood. Results Parasite DNA was detected over a two week time course in 96% of pooled thoraces of vector mosquitoes. In contrast, parasite DNA was detected in only 24% of thorax pools from non-vectors; parasite DNA was detected in 56% of midgut pools and 47% of abdomen pools from non-vectors. Parasite DNA was detected in vectors in the head immediately after the blood meal and after 14 days. Parasite DNA was also detected in feces and excreta of the vector and non-vector mosquitoes which could potentially confound results obtained with field samples. However, co-housing experiments failed to demonstrate transfer of parasite DNA from infected to non-infected mosquitoes. Parasites were also visualized in mosquito tissues by immunohistololgy using an antibody to the recombinant filarial antigen Bm14. Parasite larvae were detected consistently after mf ingestion in Ae. aegypti- Liverpool. Infectious L3s were seen in the head, thorax and abdomen of vector mosquitoes 14 days after Mf ingestion. In contrast, parasites were only detected by histology shortly after the blood meal in Cx. pipiens, and these were not labeled by the antibody. Conclusion This study provides new information on the distribution of filarial parasites and parasite DNA in vector and non-vector mosquitoes. This information should be useful for those involved in designing and interpreting molecular xenomonitoring studies.

  20. Insecticide resistance in disease vectors from Mayotte: an opportunity for integrated vector management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pocquet, Nicolas; Darriet, Frédéric; Zumbo, Betty; Milesi, Pascal; Thiria, Julien; Bernard, Vincent; Toty, Céline; Labbé, Pierrick; Chandre, Fabrice

    2014-07-01

    Mayotte, a small island in the Indian Ocean, has been affected for many years by vector-borne diseases. Malaria, Bancroftian filariasis, dengue, chikungunya and Rift Valley fever have circulated or still circulate on the island. They are all transmitted by Culicidae mosquitoes. To limit the impact of these diseases on human health, vector control has been implemented for more than 60 years on Mayotte. In this study, we assessed the resistance levels of four major vector species (Anopheles gambiae, Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) to two types of insecticides: i) the locally currently-used insecticides (organophosphates, pyrethroids) and ii) alternative molecules that are promising for vector control and come from different insecticide families (bacterial toxins or insect growth regulators). When some resistance was found to one of these insecticides, we characterized the mechanisms involved. Larval and adult bioassays were used to evaluate the level of resistance. When resistance was found, we tested for the presence of metabolic resistance through detoxifying enzyme activity assays, or for target-site mutations through molecular identification of known resistance alleles. Resistance to currently-used insecticides varied greatly between the four vector species. While no resistance to any insecticides was found in the two Aedes species, bioassays confirmed multiple resistance in Cx. p. quinquefasciatus (temephos: ~ 20 fold and deltamethrin: only 10% mortality after 24 hours). In An. gambiae, resistance was scarce: only a moderate resistance to temephos was found (~5 fold). This resistance appears to be due only to carboxyl-esterase overexpression and not to target modification. Finally, and comfortingly, none of the four species showed resistance to any of the new insecticides. The low resistance observed in Mayotte's main disease vectors is particularly interesting, because it leaves a range of tools useable by vector control

  1. A comparison of foamy and lentiviral vector genotoxicity in SCID-repopulating cells shows foamy vectors are less prone to clonal dominance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth M Everson

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC gene therapy using retroviral vectors has immense potential, but vector-mediated genotoxicity limits use in the clinic. Lentiviral vectors are less genotoxic than gammaretroviral vectors and have become the vector of choice in clinical trials. Foamy retroviral vectors have a promising integration profile and are less prone to read-through transcription than gammaretroviral or lentiviral vectors. Here, we directly compared the safety and efficacy of foamy vectors to lentiviral vectors in human CD34+ repopulating cells in immunodeficient mice. To increase their genotoxic potential, foamy and lentiviral vectors with identical transgene cassettes with a known genotoxic spleen focus forming virus promoter were used. Both vectors resulted in efficient marking in vivo and a total of 825 foamy and 460 lentiviral vector unique integration sites were recovered in repopulating cells 19 weeks after transplantation. Foamy vector proviruses were observed less often near RefSeq gene and proto-oncogene transcription start sites than lentiviral vectors. The foamy vector group were also more polyclonal with fewer dominant clones (two out of six mice than the lentiviral vector group (eight out of eight mice, and only lentiviral vectors had integrants near known proto-oncogenes in dominant clones. Our data further support the relative safety of foamy vectors for HSC gene therapy.

  2. Debye series analysis of internal and near-surface fields for a homogeneous sphere illuminated by an axicon-generated vector Bessel beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin, Shitong; Li, Renxian; Yang, Ruiping; Ding, Chunying

    2017-01-01

    The interaction of an axicon-generated vector Bessel beam (AGVBB) with a homogeneous sphere is investigated in the framework of generalized Lorenz-Mie theory (GLMT). An analytical expression of beam shape coefficients (BSCs) is derived using angular spectrum decomposition method (ASDM), and the scattering coefficients are expanded using Debye series (DSE) in order to isolate the contribution of single scattering process. The internal and near-surface electric fields are numerically analyzed, and the effect of beam location, polarization, order of beam, half-cone angle, and scattering process (namely Debye mode p) are mainly discussed. Numerical results show that a curve formed by extreme peaks can be observed, and the electric fields can be locally enhanced after the interaction of AGVBBs with the particle. Internal and near-surface fields, especially its local enhancement, are very sensitive to the beam parameters, including polarization, order, half-cone angle, etc. The internal fields can also be enhanced by various scattering process (or Debye mode p). Such results have important applications in various fields, including particle sizing, optical tweezers, etc. - Highlights: • Debye series is employed to the analysis of internal and near-surface fields for a sphere illuminated by a vector Bessel beam. • Analytical expressions of BSCs for vector Bessel beams with selected polarizations are derived using ASDM. • The local enhancement of internal and near-surface fields is investigated. • The polarization, order, half-cone angle of the beam affect the local enhancement. • The local enhancement of internal fields is sensitive to the scattering process.

  3. Tensor Calculus: Unlearning Vector Calculus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Wha-Suck; Engelbrecht, Johann; Moller, Rita

    2018-01-01

    Tensor calculus is critical in the study of the vector calculus of the surface of a body. Indeed, tensor calculus is a natural step-up for vector calculus. This paper presents some pitfalls of a traditional course in vector calculus in transitioning to tensor calculus. We show how a deeper emphasis on traditional topics such as the Jacobian can…

  4. Pharmacologic Effects in vivo in Brain by Vector-Mediated Peptide Drug Delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bickel, Ulrich; Yoshikawa, Takayoshi; Landaw, Elliot M.; Faull, Kym F.; Pardridge, William M.

    1993-04-01

    Pharmacologic effects in brain caused by systemic administration of neuropeptides are prevented by poor transport of the peptide through the brain vascular endothelium, which comprises the blood-brain barrier in vivo. In the present study, successful application of a chimeric peptide approach to enhance drug delivery through the blood-brain barrier for the purpose of achieving a central nervous system pharmacologic effect is described. The chimeric peptide was formed by linkage of a potent vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) analogue, which had been monobiotinylated, to a drug transport vector. The vector consisted of a covalent conjugate of avidin and the OX26 monoclonal antibody to the transferrin receptor. Owing to the high concentration of transferrin receptors on brain capillary endothelia, OX26 targets brain and undergoes receptor-mediated transcytosis through the blood-brain barrier. Systemic infusion of low doses (12 μg/kg) of the VIP chimeric peptide in rats resulted in an in vivo central nervous system pharmacologic effect: a 65% increase in cerebral blood flow. Biotinylated VIP analogue without the brain transport vector was ineffective.

  5. Vector mesons on the light front

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naito, K.; Maedan, S.; Itakura, K.

    2004-01-01

    We apply the light-front quantization to the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with the vector interaction, and compute vector meson's mass and light-cone wavefunction in the large N limit. Following the same procedure as in the previous analyses for scalar and pseudo-scalar mesons, we derive the bound-state equations of a qq-bar system in the vector channel. We include the lowest order effects of the vector interaction. The resulting transverse and longitudinal components of the bound-state equation look different from each other. But eventually after imposing an appropriate cutoff, one finds these two are identical, giving the same mass and the same (spin-independent) light-cone wavefunction. Mass of the vector meson decreases as one increases the strength of the vector interaction

  6. Application of Hybrid Quantum Tabu Search with Support Vector Regression (SVR for Load Forecasting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-Wen Lee

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Hybridizing chaotic evolutionary algorithms with support vector regression (SVR to improve forecasting accuracy is a hot topic in electricity load forecasting. Trapping at local optima and premature convergence are critical shortcomings of the tabu search (TS algorithm. This paper investigates potential improvements of the TS algorithm by applying quantum computing mechanics to enhance the search information sharing mechanism (tabu memory to improve the forecasting accuracy. This article presents an SVR-based load forecasting model that integrates quantum behaviors and the TS algorithm with the support vector regression model (namely SVRQTS to obtain a more satisfactory forecasting accuracy. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms the alternatives.

  7. Progress toward a universal H5N1 vaccine: a recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara-expressing trivalent hemagglutinin vaccine.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mookkan Prabakaran

    Full Text Available The rapid evolution of new sublineages of H5N1 influenza poses the greatest challenge in control of H5N1 infection by currently existing vaccines. To overcome this, an MVAtor vector expressing three H5HA antigens A/Vietnam/1203/04, A/Indonesia/669/06 and A/Anhui/01/05 (MVAtor-tri-HA vector was developed to elicit broad cross-protection against diverse clades by covering amino acid variations in the major neutralizing epitopes of HA among H5N1 subtypes.BALB/c mice and guinea pigs were immunized i.m. with 8×107 TCID50/animal of MVAtor-tri-HA vector. The immunogenicity and cross-protective immunity of the MVAtor-tri-HA vector was evaluated against diverse clades of H5N1 strains.The results showed that mice immunized with MVAtor-tri-HA vector induced robust cross-neutralizing immunity to diverse H5N1 clades. In addition, the MVAtor-tri-HA vector completely protected against 10 MLD50 of a divergent clade of H5N1 infection (clade 7. Importantly, the serological surveillance of post-vaccinated guinea pig sera demonstrated that MVAtor-tri-HA vector was able to elicit strong cross-clade neutralizing immunity against twenty different H5N1 strains from six clades that emerged between 1997 and 2012.The present findings revealed that incorporation of carefully selected HA genes from divergent H5N1 strains within a single vector could be an effective approach in developing a vaccine with broad coverage to prevent infection during a pandemic situation.

  8. Adenovirus serotype 5 vectors with Tat-PTD modified hexon and serotype 35 fiber show greatly enhanced transduction capacity of primary cell cultures.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Di Yu

    Full Text Available Recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5 vectors represent one of the most efficient gene delivery vectors in life sciences. However, Ad5 is dependent on expression of the coxsackievirus-adenovirus-receptor (CAR on the surface of target cell for efficient transduction, which limits it's utility for certain cell types. Herein we present a new vector, Ad5PTDf35, which is an Ad5 vector having serotype 35 fiber-specificity and Tat-PTD hexon-modification. This vector shows dramatically increased transduction capacity of primary human cell cultures including T cells, monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, pancreatic islets and exocrine cells, mesenchymal stem cells and tumor initiating cells. Biodistribution in mice following systemic administration (tail-vein injection show significantly reduced uptake in the liver and spleen of Ad5PTDf35 compared to unmodified Ad5. Therefore, replication-competent viruses with these modifications may be further developed as oncolytic agents for cancer therapy. User-friendly backbone plasmids containing these modifications were developed for compatibility to the AdEasy-system to facilitate the development of surface-modified adenoviruses for gene delivery to difficult-to-transduce cells in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research.

  9. Intranasal boosting with an adenovirus-vectored vaccine markedly enhances protection by parenteral Mycobacterium bovis BCG immunization against pulmonary tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santosuosso, Michael; McCormick, Sarah; Zhang, Xizhong; Zganiacz, Anna; Xing, Zhou

    2006-08-01

    Parenterally administered Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccine confers only limited immune protection from pulmonary tuberculosis in humans. There is a need for developing effective boosting vaccination strategies. We examined a heterologous prime-boost regimen utilizing BCG as a prime vaccine and our recently described adenoviral vector expressing Ag85A (AdAg85A) as a boost vaccine. Since we recently demonstrated that a single intranasal but not intramuscular immunization with AdAg85A was able to induce potent protection from pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis challenge in a mouse model, we compared the protective effects of parenteral and mucosal booster immunizations following subcutaneous BCG priming. Protection by BCG prime immunization was not effectively boosted by subcutaneous BCG or intramuscular AdAg85A. In contrast, protection by BCG priming was remarkably boosted by intranasal AdAg85A. Such enhanced protection by intranasal AdAg85A was correlated to the numbers of gamma interferon-positive CD4 and CD8 T cells residing in the airway lumen of the lung. Our study demonstrates that intranasal administration of AdAg85A represents an effective way to boost immune protection by parenteral BCG vaccination.

  10. Does the delta quench Gamow-Teller strength in (p,n)- and (p vector,p vector')-reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osterfeld, F.; Schulte, A.; Udagawa, T.; Yabe, M.

    1986-01-01

    Microscopic analyses of complete forward angle intermediate energy (p,n)-, ( 3 He,t)- and (p vector,p vector')-spin-flip spectra are presented for the reactions 90 Zr(p,n), 90 Zr( 3 He,t) and 90 Zr(p vector,p vector'). It is shown that the whole spectra up to high excitation energies (E X ∝50 MeV) are the result of correlated one-particle-one-hole (1p1h) spin-isospin transitions only. The spectra reflect, therefore, the linear spin-isospin response of the target nucleus to the probing external hadronic fields. Our results suggest that the measured (p,n)-, ( 3 He,t)- and (p vector,p vector')-cross sections are compatible with the transition strength predictions as obtained from random phase approximation (RPA) calculations. This means that the Δ isobar quenching mechanism is likely to be rather small. (orig.)

  11. The impact of anti-smoking laws on high school students in Ankara, Turkey

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    Melike Demir

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors affecting the smoking habits of high school students, their thoughts about changes resulting from anti-smoking laws, and how they are affected by those laws. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 11th-grade students at eight high schools in Ankara, Turkey, were invited to complete a questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 1,199 students completed the questionnaire satisfactorily. The mean age of the respondents was 17.0 0.6 years; 56.1% were female, of whom 15.3% were smokers; and 43.9% were male, of whom 43.7% were smokers (p < 0.001. The independent risk factors for smoking were male gender, attending a vocational school, having a sibling who smokes, having a friend who smokes, and poor academic performance. Of the respondents, 74.7% were aware of the content of anti-smoking laws; 81.8% approved of the restrictions and fines; and 8.1% had quit smoking because of those laws. According to the respondents, the interventions that were most effective were the (television broadcast of films about the hazards of smoking and the ban on cigarette sales to minors. The prevalence of smoking was highest (31.5% among students attending vocational high schools but lowest (7.5% among those attending medical vocational high schools. Although 57.1% of the smokers were aware of the existence of a smoking cessation helpline, only 3.7% had called, none of whom had made any attempt to quit smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Although most of the students evaluated were aware of the harmful effects of smoking and approved of the anti-smoking laws, only a minority of those who smoked sought professional help to quit.

  12. Laser material processing with tightly focused cylindrical vector beams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Drevinskas, Rokas, E-mail: rd1c12@soton.ac.uk; Zhang, Jingyu; Beresna, Martynas; Gecevičius, Mindaugas; Kazansky, Peter G. [Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom); Kazanskii, Andrey G. [Physics Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Svirko, Yuri P. [Physics Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Institute of Photonics, University of Eastern Finland, P.O.BOX 111, FI-80101 Joensuu (Finland)

    2016-05-30

    We demonstrate a comprehensive modification study of silica glass, crystalline silicon, and amorphous silicon film, irradiated by tightly focused cylindrical vector beams with azimuthal and radial polarizations. The evidence of the longitudinal field associated with radial polarization is revealed by second harmonic generation in z-cut lithium niobate crystal. Despite the lower threshold of ring-shaped modification of silicon materials, the modification in the center of single pulse radially polarized beam is not observed. The phenomenon is interpreted in terms of the enhanced reflection of longitudinal component at the interface with high-index contrast, demonstrating that the longitudinal component is inefficient for the flat surface modification. Enhanced interaction of the longitudinal light field with silicon nanopillar structures produced by the first pulse of double-pulse irradiation is also demonstrated.

  13. On the Vectorization of FIR Filterbanks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbedo Jayme Garcia Arnal

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a vectorization technique to implement FIR filterbanks. The word vectorization, in the context of this work, refers to a strategy in which all iterative operations are replaced by equivalent vector and matrix operations. This approach allows that the increasing parallelism of the most recent computer processors and systems be properly explored. The vectorization techniques are applied to two kinds of FIR filterbanks (conventional and recursi ve, and are presented in such a way that they can be easily extended to any kind of FIR filterbanks. The vectorization approach is compared to other kinds of implementation that do not explore the parallelism, and also to a previous FIR filter vectorization approach. The tests were performed in Matlab and , in order to explore different aspects of the proposed technique.

  14. On the Vectorization of FIR Filterbanks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amauri Lopes

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a vectorization technique to implement FIR filterbanks. The word vectorization, in the context of this work, refers to a strategy in which all iterative operations are replaced by equivalent vector and matrix operations. This approach allows that the increasing parallelism of the most recent computer processors and systems be properly explored. The vectorization techniques are applied to two kinds of FIR filterbanks (conventional and recursi ve, and are presented in such a way that they can be easily extended to any kind of FIR filterbanks. The vectorization approach is compared to other kinds of implementation that do not explore the parallelism, and also to a previous FIR filter vectorization approach. The tests were performed in Matlab and C, in order to explore different aspects of the proposed technique.

  15. A Nearest Neighbor Classifier Employing Critical Boundary Vectors for Efficient On-Chip Template Reduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Wenjun; Mita, Yoshio; Shibata, Tadashi

    2016-05-01

    Aiming at efficient data condensation and improving accuracy, this paper presents a hardware-friendly template reduction (TR) method for the nearest neighbor (NN) classifiers by introducing the concept of critical boundary vectors. A hardware system is also implemented to demonstrate the feasibility of using an field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to accelerate the proposed method. Initially, k -means centers are used as substitutes for the entire template set. Then, to enhance the classification performance, critical boundary vectors are selected by a novel learning algorithm, which is completed within a single iteration. Moreover, to remove noisy boundary vectors that can mislead the classification in a generalized manner, a global categorization scheme has been explored and applied to the algorithm. The global characterization automatically categorizes each classification problem and rapidly selects the boundary vectors according to the nature of the problem. Finally, only critical boundary vectors and k -means centers are used as the new template set for classification. Experimental results for 24 data sets show that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the number of template vectors for classification with a high learning speed. At the same time, it improves the accuracy by an average of 2.17% compared with the traditional NN classifiers and also shows greater accuracy than seven other TR methods. We have shown the feasibility of using a proof-of-concept FPGA system of 256 64-D vectors to accelerate the proposed method on hardware. At a 50-MHz clock frequency, the proposed system achieves a 3.86 times higher learning speed than on a 3.4-GHz PC, while consuming only 1% of the power of that used by the PC.

  16. Two-hadron saturation for the pseudoscalar-vector-vector correlator and phenomenological applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Husek, Tomas [Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics, Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Leupold, Stefan [Uppsala Universitet, Institutionen foer Fysik och Astronomi, Box 516, Uppsala (Sweden)

    2015-12-15

    The pseudoscalar-vector-vector correlator is constructed using two meson multiplets in the vector and two in the pseudoscalar channel. The parameters are constrained by the operator product expansion at leading order where two or all three momenta are considered as large. Demanding in addition the Brodsky-Lepage limit one obtains (in the chiral limit) pion-vector-vector (πVV) correlator with only one free parameter. The singly virtual pion transition form factor F{sub π{sup 0}γγ*} and the decay width of ω → π{sup 0}γ are independent of this parameter and can serve as cross-checks of the results. The free parameter is determined from a fit of the ω-π transition form factor F{sub π{sup 0}ωγ*}. The resulting πVV correlator is used to calculate the decay widths ω → π{sup 0}e{sup +}e{sup -} and ω → π{sup 0}μ{sup +}μ{sup -} and finally the widths of the rare decay π{sup 0} → e{sup +}e{sup -} and of the Dalitz decay π{sup 0} → e{sup +}e{sup -}γ. Incorporating radiative QED corrections the calculations of π{sup 0} decays are compared to the KTeV results. We find a deviation of 2 σ or less for the rare pion decay. (orig.)

  17. DEET microencapsulation: a slow-release formulation enhancing the residual efficacy of bed nets against malaria vectors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    N'Guessan, R.; Knols, B.G.J.; Pennetier, C.; Rowland, M.

    2008-01-01

    Textile materials treated with synthetic repellents have the potential to provide protection against insect disease vectors but lack the residual activity necessary to achieve a prolonged effect or to be cost-effective. DEET MC is a formulation of DEET (N,N diethyl-m-toluamide) in which the

  18. Mucosal immunization with PLGA-microencapsulated DNA primes a SIV-specific CTL response revealed by boosting with cognate recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharpe, Sally; Hanke, Tomas; Tinsley-Bown, Anne; Dennis, Mike; Dowall, Stuart; McMichael, Andrew; Cranage, Martin

    2003-01-01

    Systemically administered DNA encoding a recombinant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) derived immunogen effectively primes a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response in macaques. In this further pilot study we have evaluated mucosal delivery of DNA as an alternative priming strategy. Plasmid DNA, pTH.HW, encoding a multi-CTL epitope gene, was incorporated into poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) microparticles of less than 10 μm in diameter. Five intrarectal immunizations failed to stimulate a circulating vaccine-specific CTL response in 2 Mamu-A*01 + rhesus macaques. However, 1 week after intradermal immunization with a cognate modified vaccinia virus Ankara vaccine MVA.HW, CTL responses were detected in both animals that persisted until analysis postmortem, 12 weeks after the final boost. In contrast, a weaker and less durable response was seen in an animal vaccinated with the MVA construct alone. Analysis of lymphoid tissues revealed a disseminated CTL response in peripheral and regional lymph nodes but not the spleen of both mucosally primed animals

  19. Vector borne diseases

    OpenAIRE

    Melillo Fenech, Tanya

    2010-01-01

    A vector-borne disease is one in which the pathogenic microorganism is transmitted from an infected individual to another individual by an arthropod or other agent. The transmission depends upon the attributes and requirements of at least three different Iiving organisms : the pathologic agent which is either a virus, protozoa, bacteria or helminth (worm); the vector, which is commonly an arthropod such as ticks or mosquitoes; and the human host.

  20. Scanning vector Hall probe microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cambel, V.; Gregusova, D.; Fedor, J.; Kudela, R.; Bending, S.J.

    2004-01-01

    We have developed a scanning vector Hall probe microscope for mapping magnetic field vector over magnetic samples. The microscope is based on a micromachined Hall sensor and the cryostat with scanning system. The vector Hall sensor active area is ∼5x5 μm 2 . It is realized by patterning three Hall probes on the tilted faces of GaAs pyramids. Data from these 'tilted' Hall probes are used to reconstruct the full magnetic field vector. The scanning area of the microscope is 5x5 mm 2 , space resolution 2.5 μm, field resolution ∼1 μT Hz -1/2 at temperatures 10-300 K

  1. Achievement of needle-like focus by engineering radial-variant vector fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Bing; Wu, Jia-Lu; Pan, Yang; Cui, Yiping

    2013-12-16

    We present and demonstrate a novel method for engineering the radial-variant polarization on the incident field to achieve a needle of transversally polarized field without any pupil filters. We generate a new kind of localized linearly-polarized vector fields with distributions of states of polarization (SoPs) describing by the radius to the power p and explore its tight focusing, nonparaxial focusing, and paraxial focusing properties. By tuning the power p, we obtain the needle-like focal field with hybrid SoPs and give the formula for describing the length of the needle. Experimentally, we systematically investigate both the intensity distributions and the polarization evolution of the optical needle by paraxial focusing the generated vector field. Such an optical needle, which enhances the light-matter interaction, has intriguing applications in optical microma-chining and nonlinear optics.

  2. Introduction of optical reporter gene into cancer and immune cells using lentiviral vector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Min, Jung Joon; Le, Uyenchi N.; Moon, Sung Min; Heo, Young Jun; Song, Ho Chun; Bom, Hee Seung; Kim, Yeon Soo

    2004-01-01

    For some applications such as gene therapy or reporter gene imaging, a gene has to be introduced into the organism of interest. Adenoviral vectors are capable of transducing both replicating and non-dividing cells. The adenoviral vectors do not integrate their DNA into host DNA, but do lead to an immune response. Lentiviruses belong to the retrovirus family and are capable of infecting both dividing and non-dividing cells. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an example of a lentavirus. A disabled HIV virus has been developed and could be used for in vivo gene delivery. A portion of the viral genome which encodes for accessory proteins canbe deleted without affecting production of the vector and efficiency of infection. Lentiviral delivery into various rodent tissues shows sustained expression of the transgene of up to six months. Furthermore, there seems to be little or no immune response with these vectors. These lentiviral vectors hold significant promise for in vivo gene delivery. We constructed lentiviral vector encoding firefly luciferase (Fluc) and eGFP. Fluc-eGFP fusion gene was inserted into multiple cloning sites of pLentiM1.3 vector. Reporter gene (Fluc-eGFP) was designed to be driven by murine CMV promoter with enhanced efficacy of transgene expression as compared to human CMV promoter. We transfected pLenti1.3-Fluc into human cervix cancer cell line (HeLa) and murine T lymphocytes. We also constructed adenovirus encoding Fluc and transfected to HeLa and T cells. This LentiM1.3-Fluc was transfected into HeLa cells and murine T lymphocytes in vitro, showing consistent expression of eGFP under the fluorescence microscopy from the 2nd day of transfection. Firefly luciferase reporter gene was not expressed in immune cells when it is mediated by adenovirus. Lentivirus was validated as a useful vector for both immune and cancer cells

  3. Non-coaxial superposition of vector vortex beams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aadhi, A; Vaity, Pravin; Chithrabhanu, P; Reddy, Salla Gangi; Prabakar, Shashi; Singh, R P

    2016-02-10

    Vector vortex beams are classified into four types depending upon spatial variation in their polarization vector. We have generated all four of these types of vector vortex beams by using a modified polarization Sagnac interferometer with a vortex lens. Further, we have studied the non-coaxial superposition of two vector vortex beams. It is observed that the superposition of two vector vortex beams with same polarization singularity leads to a beam with another kind of polarization singularity in their interaction region. The results may be of importance in ultrahigh security of the polarization-encrypted data that utilizes vector vortex beams and multiple optical trapping with non-coaxial superposition of vector vortex beams. We verified our experimental results with theory.

  4. Fractal vector optical fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Yue; Gao, Xu-Zhen; Cai, Meng-Qiang; Zhang, Guan-Lin; Li, Yongnan; Tu, Chenghou; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2016-07-15

    We introduce the concept of a fractal, which provides an alternative approach for flexibly engineering the optical fields and their focal fields. We propose, design, and create a new family of optical fields-fractal vector optical fields, which build a bridge between the fractal and vector optical fields. The fractal vector optical fields have polarization states exhibiting fractal geometry, and may also involve the phase and/or amplitude simultaneously. The results reveal that the focal fields exhibit self-similarity, and the hierarchy of the fractal has the "weeding" role. The fractal can be used to engineer the focal field.

  5. Clifford Fourier transform on vector fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebling, Julia; Scheuermann, Gerik

    2005-01-01

    Image processing and computer vision have robust methods for feature extraction and the computation of derivatives of scalar fields. Furthermore, interpolation and the effects of applying a filter can be analyzed in detail and can be advantages when applying these methods to vector fields to obtain a solid theoretical basis for feature extraction. We recently introduced the Clifford convolution, which is an extension of the classical convolution on scalar fields and provides a unified notation for the convolution of scalar and vector fields. It has attractive geometric properties that allow pattern matching on vector fields. In image processing, the convolution and the Fourier transform operators are closely related by the convolution theorem and, in this paper, we extend the Fourier transform to include general elements of Clifford Algebra, called multivectors, including scalars and vectors. The resulting convolution and derivative theorems are extensions of those for convolution and the Fourier transform on scalar fields. The Clifford Fourier transform allows a frequency analysis of vector fields and the behavior of vector-valued filters. In frequency space, vectors are transformed into general multivectors of the Clifford Algebra. Many basic vector-valued patterns, such as source, sink, saddle points, and potential vortices, can be described by a few multivectors in frequency space.

  6. Vector-like quarks: t’ and partners

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    PANIZZI, L.

    2014-01-01

    Vector-like quarks are predicted in various scenarios of new physics, and their peculiar signatures from both pair and single production have been already investigated in detail. However no signals of vector-like quarks have been detected so far, pushing limits on their masses above 600–700GeV, depending on assumptions on their couplings. Experimental searches consider specific final states to pose bounds on the mass of a vector-like quark, usually assuming it is the only particle that contributes to the signal of new physics in that specific final state. However, realistic scenarios predict the existence of multiple vector-like quarks, possibly with similar masses. The reinterpretation of mass bounds from experimental searches is therefore not always straightforward. In this analysis I briefly summarise the constraints on vector-like quarks and their possible signatures at the LHC, focusing in particular on a model-independent description of single production processes for vector-like quark that mix with all generations and on the development of a framework to study scenarios with multiple vector-like quarks.

  7. Correlated Topic Vector for Scene Classification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Pengxu; Qin, Fei; Wan, Fang; Zhu, Yi; Jiao, Jianbin; Ye, Qixiang

    2017-07-01

    Scene images usually involve semantic correlations, particularly when considering large-scale image data sets. This paper proposes a novel generative image representation, correlated topic vector, to model such semantic correlations. Oriented from the correlated topic model, correlated topic vector intends to naturally utilize the correlations among topics, which are seldom considered in the conventional feature encoding, e.g., Fisher vector, but do exist in scene images. It is expected that the involvement of correlations can increase the discriminative capability of the learned generative model and consequently improve the recognition accuracy. Incorporated with the Fisher kernel method, correlated topic vector inherits the advantages of Fisher vector. The contributions to the topics of visual words have been further employed by incorporating the Fisher kernel framework to indicate the differences among scenes. Combined with the deep convolutional neural network (CNN) features and Gibbs sampling solution, correlated topic vector shows great potential when processing large-scale and complex scene image data sets. Experiments on two scene image data sets demonstrate that correlated topic vector improves significantly the deep CNN features, and outperforms existing Fisher kernel-based features.

  8. Charmless Hadronic B Decays into Vector, Axial Vector and Tensor Final States at BaBar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gandini, Paolo

    2012-01-01

    We present experimental measurements of branching fraction and longitudinal polarization fraction in charmless hadronic B decays into vector, axial vector and tensor final states with the final dataset of BABAR. Measurements of such kind of decays are a powerful tool both to test the Standard Model and search possible sources of new physics. In this document we present a short review of the last experimental results at BABAR concerning charmless quasi two-body decays in final states containing particles with spin 1 or spin 2 and different parities. This kind of decays has received considerable theoretical interest in the last few years and this particular attention has led to interesting experimental results at the current b-factories. In fact, the study of longitudinal polarization fraction f L in charmless B decays to vector vector (VV), vector axial-vector (VA) and axial-vector axial-vector (AA) mesons provides information on the underlying helicity structure of the decay mechanism. Naive helicity conservation arguments predict a dominant longitudinal polarization fraction f L ∼ 1 for both tree and penguin dominated decays and this pattern seems to be confirmed by tree-dominated B → ρρ and B + → (Omega)ρ + decays. Other penguin dominated decays, instead, show a different behavior: the measured value of f L ∼ 0.5 in B → φK* decays is in contrast with naive Standard Model (SM) calculations. Several solutions have been proposed such as the introduction of non-factorizable terms and penguin-annihilation amplitudes, while other explanations invoke new physics. New modes have been investigated to shed more light on the problem.

  9. Viral Vector Mediated Over-Expression of Estrogen Receptor–α in Striatum Enhances the Estradiol-induced Motor Activity in Female Rats and Estradiol Modulated GABA Release

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultz, Kristin N.; von Esenwein, Silke A.; Hu, Ming; Bennett, Amy L.; Kennedy, Robert T.; Musatov, Sergei; Toran-Allerand, C. Dominique; Kaplitt, Michael G.; Young, Larry J.; Becker, Jill B.

    2009-01-01

    Classical estrogen receptor signaling mechanisms involve estradiol binding to intracellular nuclear receptors (estrogen receptor-α (ERα) and estrogen receptor-β (ERβ)) to promote changes in protein expression. Estradiol can also exert effects within seconds to minutes, however, a timescale incongruent with genomic signaling. In the brain, estradiol rapidly potentiates stimulated dopamine release in the striatum of female rats and enhances spontaneous rotational behavior. Furthermore, estradiol rapidly attenuates the K+- evoked increase of GABA in dialysate. We hypothesize that these rapid effects of estradiol in the striatum are mediated by ERα located on the membrane of medium spiny GABAergic neurons. This experiment examined whether over-expression of ERα in the striatum would enhance the effect of estradiol on rotational behavior and the K+- evoked increase in GABA in dialysate. Ovariectomized female rats were tested for rotational behavior or underwent microdialysis experiments after unilateral intrastriatal injections of a recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) containing the human ERα cDNA (AAV.ERα) into the striatum; controls received either the same vector into areas outside the striatum or an AAV containing the human alkaline phosphatase gene into the striatum (AAV.ALP). Animals that received AAV.ERα in the striatum exhibited significantly greater estradiol-induced contralateral rotations compared to controls and exhibited behavioral sensitization of contralateral rotations induced by a low dose of amphetamine. ERα over-expression also enhanced the inhibitory effect of estradiol on K+- evoked GABA release suggesting that disinhibition of dopamine release from terminals in the striatum resulted in the enhanced rotational behavior. PMID:19211896

  10. Test of Understanding of Vectors: A Reliable Multiple-Choice Vector Concept Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barniol, Pablo; Zavala, Genaro

    2014-01-01

    In this article we discuss the findings of our research on students' understanding of vector concepts in problems without physical context. First, we develop a complete taxonomy of the most frequent errors made by university students when learning vector concepts. This study is based on the results of several test administrations of open-ended…

  11. Determining the agent factors related with time management of responsible doctors and nurses in clinics at Ankara University hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acuner, Ahmet Munir; Nilgun, Sarp; Cifteli, F Gulay

    2006-01-01

    This research has been planned and conducted as a descriptive scanning model field study in order to determine the agent factors related with time management of doctors and nurses in positions of responsibility at Ankara University hospitals. As data collection instruments; the "Personal Information Form" which has been developed to determine the socio-demographical characteristics of the research group, the questionnaire of "Determining the Time Management Attitudes and Behaviour of Managers, Time Management Opportunities of the Managers, Prodcutive Working Times of the Managers and the Factors Causing Them to Lose Time", developed by Erdem has been used. It has been determined that the time management attitudes and behaviour of doctors, nurses and nurse assistants responsible for clinics are all different. It was found that nurse assistants graduated from pre-undergraduate or high schools are the least conscious of time management. In particular, nurse assistants of 36 years old and over with 21 years of work experience and 11 years of management experience show little awareness of time management. The time losing factors of the research group were found to be unnecessary visitors, lack of materials and the excessive amount of time spent on obtaining the necessary equipment.

  12. A glycolipid adjuvant, 7DW8-5, enhances CD8+ T cell responses induced by an adenovirus-vectored malaria vaccine in non-human primates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Padte, Neal N; Boente-Carrera, Mar; Andrews, Chasity D; McManus, Jenny; Grasperge, Brooke F; Gettie, Agegnehu; Coelho-dos-Reis, Jordana G; Li, Xiangming; Wu, Douglass; Bruder, Joseph T; Sedegah, Martha; Patterson, Noelle; Richie, Thomas L; Wong, Chi-Huey; Ho, David D; Vasan, Sandhya; Tsuji, Moriya

    2013-01-01

    A key strategy to a successful vaccine against malaria is to identify and develop new adjuvants that can enhance T-cell responses and improve protective immunity. Upon co-administration with a rodent malaria vaccine in mice, 7DW8-5, a recently identified novel analog of α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), enhances the level of malaria-specific protective immune responses more strongly than the parent compound. In this study, we sought to determine whether 7DW8-5 could provide a similar potent adjuvant effect on a candidate human malaria vaccine in the more relevant non-human primate (NHP) model, prior to committing to clinical development. The candidate human malaria vaccine, AdPfCA (NMRC-M3V-Ad-PfCA), consists of two non-replicating recombinant adenoviral (Ad) vectors, one expressing the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and another expressing the apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA1) of Plasmodium falciparum. In several phase 1 clinical trials, AdPfCA was well tolerated and demonstrated immunogenicity for both humoral and cell-mediated responses. In the study described herein, 25 rhesus macaques received prime and boost intramuscular (IM) immunizations of AdPfCA alone or with an ascending dose of 7DW8-5. Our results indicate that 7DW8-5 is safe and well-tolerated and provides a significant enhancement (up to 9-fold) in malaria-specific CD8+ T-cell responses after both priming and boosting phases, supporting further clinical development.

  13. A glycolipid adjuvant, 7DW8-5, enhances CD8+ T cell responses induced by an adenovirus-vectored malaria vaccine in non-human primates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neal N Padte

    Full Text Available A key strategy to a successful vaccine against malaria is to identify and develop new adjuvants that can enhance T-cell responses and improve protective immunity. Upon co-administration with a rodent malaria vaccine in mice, 7DW8-5, a recently identified novel analog of α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer, enhances the level of malaria-specific protective immune responses more strongly than the parent compound. In this study, we sought to determine whether 7DW8-5 could provide a similar potent adjuvant effect on a candidate human malaria vaccine in the more relevant non-human primate (NHP model, prior to committing to clinical development. The candidate human malaria vaccine, AdPfCA (NMRC-M3V-Ad-PfCA, consists of two non-replicating recombinant adenoviral (Ad vectors, one expressing the circumsporozoite protein (CSP and another expressing the apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA1 of Plasmodium falciparum. In several phase 1 clinical trials, AdPfCA was well tolerated and demonstrated immunogenicity for both humoral and cell-mediated responses. In the study described herein, 25 rhesus macaques received prime and boost intramuscular (IM immunizations of AdPfCA alone or with an ascending dose of 7DW8-5. Our results indicate that 7DW8-5 is safe and well-tolerated and provides a significant enhancement (up to 9-fold in malaria-specific CD8+ T-cell responses after both priming and boosting phases, supporting further clinical development.

  14. Improved vaccine protection against retrovirus infection after co-administration of adenoviral vectors encoding viral antigens and type I interferon subtypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Groitl Peter

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Type I interferons (IFNs exhibit direct antiviral effects, but also distinct immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we analyzed type I IFN subtypes for their effect on prophylactic adenovirus-based anti-retroviral vaccination of mice against Friend retrovirus (FV or HIV. Results Mice were vaccinated with adenoviral vectors encoding FV Env and Gag proteins alone or in combination with vectors encoding IFNα1, IFNα2, IFNα4, IFNα5, IFNα6, IFNα9 or IFNβ. Only the co-administration of adenoviral vectors encoding IFNα2, IFNα4, IFNα6 and IFNα9 resulted in strongly improved immune protection of vaccinated mice from subsequent FV challenge infection with high control over FV-induced splenomegaly and reduced viral loads. The level of protection correlated with augmented virus-specific CD4+ T cell responses and enhanced antibody titers. Similar results were obtained when mice were vaccinated against HIV with adenoviral vectors encoding HIV Env and Gag-Pol in combination with various type I IFN encoding vectors. Here mainly CD4+ T cell responses were enhanced by IFNα subtypes. Conclusions Our results indicate that certain IFNα subtypes have the potential to improve the protective effect of adenovirus-based vaccines against retroviruses. This correlated with augmented virus-specific CD4+ T cell and antibody responses. Thus, co-expression of select type I IFNs may be a valuable tool for the development of anti-retroviral vaccines.

  15. Local Patch Vectors Encoded by Fisher Vectors for Image Classification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuangshuang Chen

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work is image classification, whose purpose is to group images into corresponding semantic categories. Four contributions are made as follows: (i For computational simplicity and efficiency, we directly adopt raw image patch vectors as local descriptors encoded by Fisher vector (FV subsequently; (ii For obtaining representative local features within the FV encoding framework, we compare and analyze three typical sampling strategies: random sampling, saliency-based sampling and dense sampling; (iii In order to embed both global and local spatial information into local features, we construct an improved spatial geometry structure which shows good performance; (iv For reducing the storage and CPU costs of high dimensional vectors, we adopt a new feature selection method based on supervised mutual information (MI, which chooses features by an importance sorting algorithm. We report experimental results on dataset STL-10. It shows very promising performance with this simple and efficient framework compared to conventional methods.

  16. Vector-Vector Scattering on the Lattice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero-López, Fernando; Urbach, Carsten; Rusetsky, Akaki

    2018-03-01

    In this work we present an extension of the LüScher formalism to include the interaction of particles with spin, focusing on the scattering of two vector particles. The derived formalism will be applied to Scalar QED in the Higgs Phase, where the U(1) gauge boson acquires mass.

  17. Conformal Killing vectors in Robertson-Walker spacetimes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maartens, R.; Maharaj, S.d.

    1986-01-01

    It is well known that Robertson-Walker spacetimes admit a conformal Killingl vector normal to the spacelike homogeneous hypersurfaces. Because these spacetimes are conformally flat, there are a further eight conformal Killing vectors, which are neither normal nor tangent to the homogeneous hypersurfaces. The authors find these further conformal Killing vectors and the Lie algebra of the full G 15 of conformal motions. Conditions on the metric scale factor are determined which reduce some of the conformal Killing vectors to homothetic Killing vectors or Killing vectors, allowing one to regain in a unified way the known special geometries. The non-normal conformal Killing vectors provide a counter-example to show that conformal motions do not, in general, map a fluid flow conformally. These non-normal vectors are also used to find the general solution of the null geodesic equation and photon Liouville equation. (author)

  18. Sensory interactions between six common aroma vectors explain four main red wine aroma nuances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreira, Vicente; Sáenz-Navajas, María-Pilar; Campo, Eva; Herrero, Paula; de la Fuente, Arancha; Fernández-Zurbano, Purificación

    2016-05-15

    This work aims at assessing the aromatic sensory dimensions linked to 6 common wine aroma vectors (N, norisoprenoids; A, branched acids; F, enolones; E, branched ethyl esters; L, fusel alcohols, M, wood compounds) varying in their natural range of occurrence. Wine models were built by adding the vectors at two levels (fractional factorial design 2(VI)) to a de-aromatised aged red wine. Twenty other different models were evaluated by descriptive analysis. Red, black and dried fruits and woody notes were satisfactorily reproduced. Individual vectors explained just 15% of the sensory space, mostly dependent on perceptual interactions. N influences dried and black fruits and suppresses red fruits. A suppresses black fruits and enhances red and dried fruits. F exerts a major role on red fruits. E suppresses dried fruits and modulates black fruits. L is revealed as a strong suppressor of red fruits and particularly of woody notes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Vector meson production in the dimuon channel in the ALICE experiment at the LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Massacrier, L.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of the ALICE experiment at the LHC is the study of the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP) formed in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, a state of matter in which quarks and gluons are deconfined. The properties of this state of strongly-interacting matter can be accessed through the study of light vector mesons ($\\rho$, $\\omega$ and $\\phi$). Indeed, the strange quark content ($s\\bar{s}$) of the $\\phi$ meson makes its study interesting in connection with the strangeness enhancement observed in heavy-ion collisions. Moreover, $\\rho$ and $\\omega$ spectral function studies give information on chiral symmetry restoration. Vector meson production in pp collisions is important as a baseline for heavy-ion studies and for constraining hadronic models. We present results on light vector meson production obtained with the muon spectrometer of the ALICE experiment in pp collisions at $\\sqrt{s}$=7 TeV. Production ratios, integrated and differential cross sections for $\\phi$ and $\\omega$ are presented. Those result...

  20. A generalized nonlocal vector calculus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alali, Bacim; Liu, Kuo; Gunzburger, Max

    2015-10-01

    A nonlocal vector calculus was introduced in Du et al. (Math Model Meth Appl Sci 23:493-540, 2013) that has proved useful for the analysis of the peridynamics model of nonlocal mechanics and nonlocal diffusion models. A formulation is developed that provides a more general setting for the nonlocal vector calculus that is independent of particular nonlocal models. It is shown that general nonlocal calculus operators are integral operators with specific integral kernels. General nonlocal calculus properties are developed, including nonlocal integration by parts formula and Green's identities. The nonlocal vector calculus introduced in Du et al. (Math Model Meth Appl Sci 23:493-540, 2013) is shown to be recoverable from the general formulation as a special example. This special nonlocal vector calculus is used to reformulate the peridynamics equation of motion in terms of the nonlocal gradient operator and its adjoint. A new example of nonlocal vector calculus operators is introduced, which shows the potential use of the general formulation for general nonlocal models.

  1. A survey of violence against staff working in the emergency department in ankara, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talas, Melek Serpil; Kocaöz, Semra; Akgüç, Selma

    2011-12-01

    Workplace violence in the emergency department is a significant problem world wide. The aims of this study were to identify the proportion of staff subjected to the types of violence, its sources, factors affecting violence experiences, reporting the incidence and the emotions of the victims after violence. This descriptive study was conducted between March and August 2009 in the the emergency department of six hospitals in Ankara, Turkey. Data were collected from 270 staff working in various emergency settings. The instrument was a 36-item questionnaire on types of violence, its sources, feelings, and ways to cope with violent behaviors. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for data analysis. The results showed 85.2% of participants had been subjected to at least one kind of violence: 41.1% to physical assault, 79.6% to verbal abuse, 55.5% to verbal threats and 15.9% to sexual harassment. Patients' companions (90.9%) were identified as the primary perpetrators of violence. The rates of violence types were highest towards security officers and housekeepers. The most common reactions to violence were sadness and anger. "Did nothing and keeping silent" was the coping method used most commonly by the staff. Participants exposed to physical assaults and verbal threat did not report the incidence of violence to managers were at 43.3% and 65.3% respectively. Based on results of the study, it is suggested that every hospital institute reliable reporting procedures that staff members feel comfortable using, and also provide a comprehensive program of support services for staff that has been assaulted. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Broad patterns in domestic vector-borne Trypanosoma cruzi transmission dynamics: synanthropic animals and vector control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Jennifer K; Bartsch, Sarah M; Lee, Bruce Y; Dobson, Andrew P

    2015-10-22

    Chagas disease (caused by Trypanosoma cruzi) is the most important neglected tropical disease (NTD) in Latin America, infecting an estimated 5.7 million people in the 21 countries where it is endemic. It is one of the NTDs targeted for control and elimination by the 2020 London Declaration goals, with the first goal being to interrupt intra-domiciliary vector-borne T. cruzi transmission. A key question in domestic T. cruzi transmission is the role that synanthropic animals play in T. cruzi transmission to humans. Here, we ask, (1) do synanthropic animals need to be targeted in Chagas disease prevention policies?, and (2) how does the presence of animals affect the efficacy of vector control? We developed a simple mathematical model to simulate domestic vector-borne T. cruzi transmission and to specifically examine the interaction between the presence of synanthropic animals and effects of vector control. We used the model to explore how the interactions between triatomine bugs, humans and animals impact the number and proportion of T. cruzi-infected bugs and humans. We then examined how T. cruzi dynamics change when control measures targeting vector abundance are introduced into the system. We found that the presence of synanthropic animals slows the speed of T. cruzi transmission to humans, and increases the sensitivity of T. cruzi transmission dynamics to vector control measures at comparable triatomine carrying capacities. However, T. cruzi transmission is amplified when triatomine carrying capacity increases with the abundance of syntathoropic hosts. Our results suggest that in domestic T. cruzi transmission scenarios where no vector control measures are in place, a reduction in synanthropic animals may slow T. cruzi transmission to humans, but it would not completely eliminate transmission. To reach the 2020 goal of interrupting intra-domiciliary T. cruzi transmission, it is critical to target vector populations. Additionally, where vector control measures

  3. Spin information from vector-meson decay in photoproduction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kloet, W.M.; Chiang, W.; Tabakin, F.

    1998-01-01

    For the photoproduction of vector mesons, all single and double spin observables involving vector-meson two-body decays are defined consistently in the γN center-of-mass frame. These definitions yield a procedure for extracting physically meaningful single and double spin observables that are subject to known rules concerning their angle and energy evolution. As part of this analysis, we show that measuring the two-meson decay of a photo produced ρ or φ does not determine the vector meson's vector polarization, but only its tensor polarization. The vector meson decay into lepton pairs is also insensitive to the vector meson's vector polarization, unless one measures the spin of one of the leptons. Similar results are found for all double spin observables which involve observation of vector-meson decay. To access the vector meson's vector polarization, one therefore needs to either measure the spin of the decay leptons, make an analysis of the background interference effects, or relate the vector meson's vector polarization to other accessible spin observables. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society

  4. [Effects of plant viruses on vector and non-vector herbivorous arthropods and their natural enemies: a mini review].

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xiao-Chan; Xu, Hong-Xing; Zhou, Xiao-Jun; Zheng, Xu-Song; Sun, Yu-Jian; Yang, Ya-Jun; Tian, Jun-Ce; Lü, Zhong-Xian

    2014-05-01

    Plant viruses transmitted by arthropods, as an important biotic factor, may not only directly affect the yield and quality of host plants, and development, physiological characteristics and ecological performances of their vector arthropods, but also directly or indirectly affect the non-vector herbivorous arthropods and their natural enemies in the same ecosystem, thereby causing influences to the whole agro-ecosystem. This paper reviewed the progress on the effects of plant viruses on herbivorous arthropods, including vector and non-vector, and their natural enemies, and on their ecological mechanisms to provide a reference for optimizing the management of vector and non-vector arthropod populations and sustainable control of plant viruses in agro-ecosystem.

  5. Construction and applications of exon-trapping gene-targeting vectors with a novel strategy for negative selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Shinta; Ura, Kiyoe; Kodama, Miho; Adachi, Noritaka

    2015-06-30

    Targeted gene modification by homologous recombination provides a powerful tool for studying gene function in cells and animals. In higher eukaryotes, non-homologous integration of targeting vectors occurs several orders of magnitude more frequently than does targeted integration, making the gene-targeting technology highly inefficient. For this reason, negative-selection strategies have been employed to reduce the number of drug-resistant clones associated with non-homologous vector integration, particularly when artificial nucleases to introduce a DNA break at the target site are unavailable or undesirable. As such, an exon-trap strategy using a promoterless drug-resistance marker gene provides an effective way to counterselect non-homologous integrants. However, constructing exon-trapping targeting vectors has been a time-consuming and complicated process. By virtue of highly efficient att-mediated recombination, we successfully developed a simple and rapid method to construct plasmid-based vectors that allow for exon-trapping gene targeting. These exon-trap vectors were useful in obtaining correctly targeted clones in mouse embryonic stem cells and human HT1080 cells. Most importantly, with the use of a conditionally cytotoxic gene, we further developed a novel strategy for negative selection, thereby enhancing the efficiency of counterselection for non-homologous integration of exon-trap vectors. Our methods will greatly facilitate exon-trapping gene-targeting technologies in mammalian cells, particularly when combined with the novel negative selection strategy.

  6. Virus-Vectored Influenza Virus Vaccines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripp, Ralph A.; Tompkins, S. Mark

    2014-01-01

    Despite the availability of an inactivated vaccine that has been licensed for >50 years, the influenza virus continues to cause morbidity and mortality worldwide. Constant evolution of circulating influenza virus strains and the emergence of new strains diminishes the effectiveness of annual vaccines that rely on a match with circulating influenza strains. Thus, there is a continued need for new, efficacious vaccines conferring cross-clade protection to avoid the need for biannual reformulation of seasonal influenza vaccines. Recombinant virus-vectored vaccines are an appealing alternative to classical inactivated vaccines because virus vectors enable native expression of influenza antigens, even from virulent influenza viruses, while expressed in the context of the vector that can improve immunogenicity. In addition, a vectored vaccine often enables delivery of the vaccine to sites of inductive immunity such as the respiratory tract enabling protection from influenza virus infection. Moreover, the ability to readily manipulate virus vectors to produce novel influenza vaccines may provide the quickest path toward a universal vaccine protecting against all influenza viruses. This review will discuss experimental virus-vectored vaccines for use in humans, comparing them to licensed vaccines and the hurdles faced for licensure of these next-generation influenza virus vaccines. PMID:25105278

  7. Vector Boson Scattering at High Mass

    CERN Document Server

    The ATLAS collaboration

    2009-01-01

    In the absence of a light Higgs boson, the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking will be best studied in processes of vector boson scattering at high mass. Various models predict resonances in this channel. Here, we investigate $WW $scalar and vector resonances, $WZ$ vector resonances and a $ZZ$ scalar resonance over a range of diboson centre-of-mass energies. Particular attention is paid to the application of forward jet tagging and to the reconstruction of dijet pairs with low opening angle resulting from the decay of highly boosted vector bosons. The performances of different jet algorithms are compared. We find that resonances in vector boson scattering can be discovered with a few tens of inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity.

  8. A Significant Increase of RNAi Efficiency in Human Cells by the CMV Enhancer with a tRNAlys Promoter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ma Weiwei

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available RNA interference (RNAi is the process of mRNA degradation induced by double-stranded RNA in a sequence-specific manner. Different types of promoters, such as U6, H1, tRNA, and CMV, have been used to control the inhibitory effect of RNAi expression vectors. In the present study, we constructed two shRNA expression vectors, respectively, controlled by tRNAlys and CMV enhancer-tRNAlys promoters. Compared to the vectors with tRNAlys or U6 promoter, the vector with a CMV enhancer-tRNAlys promoter silenced pokemon more efficiently on both the mRNA and the protein levels. Meanwhile, the silencing of pokemon inhibited the proliferation of MCF7 cells, but the induction of apoptosis of MCF7 cells was not observed. We conclude that the CMV enhancer-tRNAlys promoter may be a powerful tool in driving intracellular expression of shRNA which can efficiently silence targeted gene.

  9. A Significant Increase of RNAi Efficiency in Human Cells by the CMV Enhancer with a tRNAlys Promoter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiwei, Ma; Zhenhua, Xie; Feng, Liu; Hang, Ning; Yuyang, Jiang

    2009-01-01

    RNA interference (RNAi) is the process of mRNA degradation induced by double-stranded RNA in a sequence-specific manner. Different types of promoters, such as U6, H1, tRNA, and CMV, have been used to control the inhibitory effect of RNAi expression vectors. In the present study, we constructed two shRNA expression vectors, respectively, controlled by tRNAlys and CMV enhancer-tRNAlys promoters. Compared to the vectors with tRNAlys or U6 promoter, the vector with a CMV enhancer-tRNAlys promoter silenced pokemon more efficiently on both the mRNA and the protein levels. Meanwhile, the silencing of pokemon inhibited the proliferation of MCF7 cells, but the induction of apoptosis of MCF7 cells was not observed. We conclude that the CMV enhancer-tRNAlys promoter may be a powerful tool in driving intracellular expression of shRNA which can efficiently silence targeted gene. PMID:19859553

  10. Ankara Piyasasından Temin Edilen Sofralık Siyah Zeytin Salamuralarının Mikrobiyolojik Analizi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rabia Sarıkaya

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Bu çalışmada Ankara piyasasından temin edilen sofralık siyah zeytin salamuralarının mikrobiyolojik analizi yapıldı. Toplam 16 farklı semt pazarından sağlanan salamura örnekleri steril kavanozlara alındı, etiketlendi ve laboratuvara getirildi. Zeytin sularının desimal dilüsyonları uygun besiyerlerine ekildi ve inkübasyona bırakıldı. İnkübasyon sonrasında elde edilen koloni sayımlarına göre örneklerdeki laktik asit bakteri sayısı 8.1 x 101 - 9.1 x 105 kob/ml; toplam aerobik mezofilik bakteri sayısı 4.3 x 101 - 5.1 x 105 kob/ml; maya-küf sayısı 3.3 x 101 - 1.6 x 105 kob/ml arasında bulundu. Koliform bakteri üremesine incelenen örneklerin sadece bir tanesinde rastlandı (2.9 x 101 kob/ml. Örneklerdeki pH, tuz konsantrasyonu (% ve laktik asit değerleri (mol/L sırasıyla 3.12 - 5.15; 5.3 - 17; 0.27 - 1.36 arasında ölçüldü.

  11. Symmetric vectors and algebraic classification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leibowitz, E.

    1980-01-01

    The concept of symmetric vector field in Riemannian manifolds, which arises in the study of relativistic cosmological models, is analyzed. Symmetric vectors are tied up with the algebraic properties of the manifold curvature. A procedure for generating a congruence of symmetric fields out of a given pair is outlined. The case of a three-dimensional manifold of constant curvature (''isotropic universe'') is studied in detail, with all its symmetric vector fields being explicitly constructed

  12. Determining the effect of solid and liquid vectors on the gaseous interfacial area and oxygen transfer rates in two-phase partitioning bioreactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quijano, Guillermo [Departmento de Ingenieria Quimica y Tecnologia del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo del Prado de la Magdalena, s/n, 47005 Valladolid (Spain); Departamento de Biotecnologia y Bioingenieria, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios, Avanzados del IPN (Cinvestav), Apdo. Postal 14-740, 07360 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Rocha-Rios, Jose [Departmento de Ingenieria Quimica y Tecnologia del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo del Prado de la Magdalena, s/n, 47005 Valladolid (Spain); Departamento de Ingenieria de Procesos e Hidraulica (IPH), Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco No. 186, 09340 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Hernandez, Maria; Villaverde, Santiago [Departmento de Ingenieria Quimica y Tecnologia del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo del Prado de la Magdalena, s/n, 47005 Valladolid (Spain); Revah, Sergio [Departamento de Procesos y Tecnologia, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa, c/o IPH, UAM-Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco No. 186, 09340 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Munoz, Raul, E-mail: mutora@iq.uva.es [Departmento de Ingenieria Quimica y Tecnologia del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo del Prado de la Magdalena, s/n, 47005 Valladolid (Spain); Thalasso, Frederic [Departamento de Biotecnologia y Bioingenieria, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios, Avanzados del IPN (Cinvestav), Apdo. Postal 14-740, 07360 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2010-03-15

    The effect of liquid and solid transfer vectors (silicone oil and Desmopan, respectively) on the gaseous interfacial area (a{sub g}) was evaluated in a two-phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB) using fresh mineral salt medium and the cultivation broth of a toluene degradation culture (Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E cultures continuously cultivated with and without silicone oil at low toluene loading rates). Higher values of a{sub g} were recorded in the presence of both silicone oil and Desmopan compared to the values obtained in the absence of a vector, regardless of the aqueous medium tested (1.6 and 3 times higher, respectively, using fresh mineral salt medium). These improvements in a{sub g} were well correlated to the oxygen mass transfer enhancements supported by the vectors (1.3 and 2.5 for liquid and solid vectors, respectively, using fresh medium). In this context, oxygen transfer rates of 2.5 g O{sub 2} L{sup -1} h{sup -1} and 1.3 g O{sub 2} L{sup -1} h{sup -1} were recorded in the presence of Desmopan and silicone oil, respectively, which are in agreement with previously reported values in literature. These results suggest that mass transfer enhancements in TPPBs might correspond to an increase in a{sub g} rather than to the establishment of a high-performance gas/vector/water transfer pathway.

  13. Determining the effect of solid and liquid vectors on the gaseous interfacial area and oxygen transfer rates in two-phase partitioning bioreactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quijano, Guillermo; Rocha-Rios, Jose; Hernandez, Maria; Villaverde, Santiago; Revah, Sergio; Munoz, Raul; Thalasso, Frederic

    2010-01-01

    The effect of liquid and solid transfer vectors (silicone oil and Desmopan, respectively) on the gaseous interfacial area (a g ) was evaluated in a two-phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB) using fresh mineral salt medium and the cultivation broth of a toluene degradation culture (Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E cultures continuously cultivated with and without silicone oil at low toluene loading rates). Higher values of a g were recorded in the presence of both silicone oil and Desmopan compared to the values obtained in the absence of a vector, regardless of the aqueous medium tested (1.6 and 3 times higher, respectively, using fresh mineral salt medium). These improvements in a g were well correlated to the oxygen mass transfer enhancements supported by the vectors (1.3 and 2.5 for liquid and solid vectors, respectively, using fresh medium). In this context, oxygen transfer rates of 2.5 g O 2 L -1 h -1 and 1.3 g O 2 L -1 h -1 were recorded in the presence of Desmopan and silicone oil, respectively, which are in agreement with previously reported values in literature. These results suggest that mass transfer enhancements in TPPBs might correspond to an increase in a g rather than to the establishment of a high-performance gas/vector/water transfer pathway.

  14. [New strategy for RNA vectorization in mammalian cells. Use of a peptide vector].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidal, P; Morris, M C; Chaloin, L; Heitz, F; Divita, G

    1997-04-01

    A major barrier for gene delivery is the low permeability of nucleic acids to cellular membranes. The development of antisenses and gene therapy has focused mainly on improving methods of oligonucleotide or gene delivery to the cell. In this report we described a new strategy for RNA cell delivery, based on a short single peptide. This peptide vector is derived from both the fusion domain of the gp41 protein of HIV and the nuclear localization sequence of the SV40 large T antigen. This peptide vector localizes rapidly to the cytoplasm then to the nucleus of human fibroblasts (HS-68) within a few minutes and exhibits a high affinity for a single-stranded mRNA encoding the p66 subunit of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (in a 100 nM range). The peptide/RNA complex formation involves mainly electrostatic interactions between the basic residues of the peptide and the charges on the phosphate group of the RNA. In the presence of the peptide-vector fluorescently-labelled mRNA is delivered into the cytoplasm of mammalian cells (HS68 human fibroblasts) in less than 1 h with a relatively high efficiency (80%). This new concept based on a peptide-derived vector offers several advantages compared to other compounds commonly used in gene delivery. This vector is highly soluble and exhibits no cytotoxicity at the concentrations used for optimal gene delivery. This result clearly supports the fact that this peptide vector is a powerful tool and that it can be used widely, as much for laboratory research as for new applications and development in gene and/or antisense therapy.

  15. Evaluation of Sun Protection Habits and Melanocytic Nevi of Population Screened in a Shopping Mall in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Banu Öztürk

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and Design: The evaluation of sun protection habits, numbers and types of nevi in our community. Material and Method: A stand was built in a big mall in Ankara where 764 patients were screened for the presence of nevi in three working day periods during the month of May of 2005 and 2006. Lesions were evaluated with the help of digital dermatoscopy. In the study, sun protective practices, sunscreen using habits, dermatoscopic diagnosis of the lesions, numbers and the localization of the lesions were also recorded. Results: The study population consisted of 764 patients (438 female, 326 male with age ranging from 1 to 80 (33.7±13.7 years. 55.6% of them had skin type III, 47.3% had sunburn history. Most of the patients (44.1% were not using sunscreens. Hats and umbrellas (40.3% were the most common accessories used for protection. 904 lesions of 764 patients examined by dermatoscopy revealed that the most common diagnosis was nevi. Two patients were diagnosed with having cutaneous melanoma or basal cell carcinoma. Conclusion: Our findings have shown that the general population is not aware of the risks of sun exposure or the appropriate ways for sun protection and that there is a necessity for educational programmes or campaigns about sun protection and nevi in our general population.

  16. A novel non-toxic combined CTA1-DD and ISCOMS adjuvant vector for effective mucosal immunization against influenza virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eliasson, Dubravka Grdic; Helgeby, Anja; Schön, Karin; Nygren, Caroline; El-Bakkouri, Karim; Fiers, Walter; Saelens, Xavier; Lövgren, Karin Bengtsson; Nyström, Ida; Lycke, Nils Y

    2011-05-23

    Here we demonstrate that by using non-toxic fractions of saponin combined with CTA1-DD we can achieve a safe and above all highly efficacious mucosal adjuvant vector. We optimized the construction, tested the requirements for function and evaluated proof-of-concept in an influenza A virus challenge model. We demonstrated that the CTA1-3M2e-DD/ISCOMS vector provided 100% protection against mortality and greatly reduced morbidity in the mouse model. The immunogenicity of the vector was superior to other vaccine formulations using the ISCOM or CTA1-DD adjuvants alone. The versatility of the vector was best exemplified by the many options to insert, incorporate or admix vaccine antigens with the vector. Furthermore, the CTA1-3M2e-DD/ISCOMS could be kept 1 year at 4°C or as a freeze-dried powder without affecting immunogenicity or adjuvanticity of the vector. Strong serum IgG and mucosal IgA responses were elicited and CD4 T cell responses were greatly enhanced after intranasal administration of the combined vector. Together these findings hold promise for the combined vector as a mucosal vaccine against influenza virus infections including pandemic influenza. The CTA1-DD/ISCOMS technology represents a breakthrough in mucosal vaccine vector design which successfully combines immunomodulation and targeting in a safe and stable particulate formation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Attenuated Vector Tomography -- An Approach to Image Flow Vector Fields with Doppler Ultrasonic Imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Qiu; Peng, Qiyu; Huang, Bin; Cheryauka, Arvi; Gullberg, Grant T.

    2008-01-01

    The measurement of flow obtained using continuous wave Doppler ultrasound is formulated as a directional projection of a flow vector field. When a continuous ultrasound wave bounces against a flowing particle, a signal is backscattered. This signal obtains a Doppler frequency shift proportional to the speed of the particle along the ultrasound beam. This occurs for each particle along the beam, giving rise to a Doppler velocity spectrum. The first moment of the spectrum provides the directional projection of the flow along the ultrasound beam. Signals reflected from points further away from the detector will have lower amplitude than signals reflected from points closer to the detector. The effect is very much akin to that modeled by the attenuated Radon transform in emission computed tomography.A least-squares method was adopted to reconstruct a 2D vector field from directional projection measurements. Attenuated projections of only the longitudinal projections of the vector field were simulated. The components of the vector field were reconstructed using the gradient algorithm to minimize a least-squares criterion. This result was compared with the reconstruction of longitudinal projections of the vector field without attenuation. If attenuation is known, the algorithm was able to accurately reconstruct both components of the full vector field from only one set of directional projection measurements. A better reconstruction was obtained with attenuation than without attenuation implying that attenuation provides important information for the reconstruction of flow vector fields.This confirms previous work where we showed that knowledge of the attenuation distribution helps in the reconstruction of MRI diffusion tensor fields from fewer than the required measurements. In the application of ultrasound the attenuation distribution is obtained with pulse wave transmission computed tomography and flow information is obtained with continuous wave Doppler

  18. ANKARA’DA ERKEN BİZANS DÖNEMİ MEZAR ALANI KAZISI / EARLY BYZANTINE CEMETERY EXCAVATION IN ANKARA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmut AYDIN

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Roma Dönemi’nde Galatia Eyaleti’nin başkentliğini yapan Ankyra kentinin anıtsal yapıları ve diğer çarpıcı kalıntıları ile olası nekropol alanları genellikle Ankara’nın Erken Cumhuriyet Dönemi imar faaliyetleri sırasında gerçekleşen hafriyat çalışmaları ile açığa çıkarılmıştır. Ankara Celal Bayar Bulvarı üzerindeki Gazi Üniversitesi Sıhhiye Kampüsünde inşa edilen Mühendislik ve Mimarlık Fakültesindeki yapılaşma faaliyetleri sırasında ortaya çıkarılan Maltepe Erken Bizans Dönemi Mezar Alanı olasılıkla Ankyra kentinin daha önce bir bölümü tespit edilen güney nekropolü’nün devamı niteliğindedir. Gerçekleştirilen kurtarma kazısı sonucunda bu alanda tahrip edilmiş olası bir kilisenin küçük bir kısmı ve kilise cemaatine ait olması muhtemel beşik tonozlu bir mezar yapısı ortaya çıkarılmıştır.

  19. Estimating the Soil Erosion Risk Around Ankara-Bağlum Kösrelik Pond Using CORINE Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emel YALÇIN

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the Rural Recreation Area of Kösrelik Pond in the Keçiören district of Ankara was studied. The maps of potential and actual soil erosion risk of about 65 ha of the environment surrounding the pond, which was planned as a rural recreation area, were investigated using CORINE methodology. Accordingly, the necessary physical and chemical soil analyses were performed on 10 surface samples and soil samples from 4 profiles additionally opened on the field, and the maps were created by CORINE methodology using GIS technologies. According to the results of the potential soil erosion risk map obtained in this study, no potential erosion risk was found in 10% whereas, low risk of potential erosion was determined in 9%. In addition medium risk of potential erosion was found in 66%, and high risk of potential erosion was found in 15% of the total area. Nevertheless, according to the results of the actual soil erosion risk map, no actual erosion risk was found in 10% whereas, low risk was found in 2%, medium risk was found in 24%. Moreover, high risk of actual erosion was found in 64% of the total area. It has been observed that the natural vegetation within the study area has substantially prevented erosion. The amount of erosion substantially increases due to the destruction of natural vegetation and soil cultivation of agricultural land

  20. 40 CFR 503.33 - Vector attraction reduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Vector attraction reduction. 503.33... STANDARDS FOR THE USE OR DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE SLUDGE Pathogens and Vector Attraction Reduction § 503.33 Vector attraction reduction. (a)(1) One of the vector attraction reduction requirements in § 503.33 (b)(1) through...

  1. Vector Boson Scattering at High Mass

    CERN Document Server

    Sherwood, P

    2009-01-01

    In the absence of a light Higgs boson, the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking will be best studied in processes of vector boson scattering at high mass. Various models predict resonances in this channel. Here, we investigate W W scalar and vector resonances, W Z vector resonances and a Z Z scalar resonance over a range of diboson centre-of-mass energies. Particular attention is paid to the application reconstruction of dijet pairs with low opening angle resulting from the decay of highly boosted vector bosons.

  2. Optimality Conditions in Vector Optimization

    CERN Document Server

    Jiménez, Manuel Arana; Lizana, Antonio Rufián

    2011-01-01

    Vector optimization is continuously needed in several science fields, particularly in economy, business, engineering, physics and mathematics. The evolution of these fields depends, in part, on the improvements in vector optimization in mathematical programming. The aim of this Ebook is to present the latest developments in vector optimization. The contributions have been written by some of the most eminent researchers in this field of mathematical programming. The Ebook is considered essential for researchers and students in this field.

  3. Search for single production of a vector-like T quark decaying into a top quark and a Higgs boson

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzalez, Daniel; Marchesini, Ivan; Nowatschin, Dominik; Schmidt, Alexander; Schumann, Svenja; Tholen, Heiner; Usai, Emanuele [Universitaet Hamburg (Germany). Institut fuer Experimentalphysik

    2016-07-01

    We search for singly produced vector-like top quark partners (T) in pp-collisions at √(s)=13 TeV with the CMS experiment. Several BSM models, such as composite Higgs and extra dimensions, predict vector-like quarks to be accessible at the LHC. At 13 TeV, single production of vector-like quarks might be enhanced over pair production, depending on the coupling parameters for the individual interactions. In this analysis, we target the decay of the vector-like heavy T quark into a Higgs boson and a top quark, where the top quark decay includes a lepton. Higgs-boson candidates are reconstructed using new methods to resolve the substructure of boosted jets and top-quark candidates are formed by combining leptons, missing transverse energy and jets. With the top-quark and Higgs-boson candidates, we aim for the complete reconstruction of the four-vector of the new particle in question. The largest fraction of the background is contributed through the top-quark pair production process. First results on the search for single vector-like top partners at 13 TeV are presented.

  4. Multineuronal vectorization is more efficient than time-segmental vectorization for information extraction from neuronal activities in the inferior temporal cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaneko, Hidekazu; Tamura, Hiroshi; Tate, Shunta; Kawashima, Takahiro; Suzuki, Shinya S; Fujita, Ichiro

    2010-08-01

    In order for patients with disabilities to control assistive devices with their own neural activity, multineuronal spike trains must be efficiently decoded because only limited computational resources can be used to generate prosthetic control signals in portable real-time applications. In this study, we compare the abilities of two vectorizing procedures (multineuronal and time-segmental) to extract information from spike trains during the same total neuron-seconds. In the multineuronal vectorizing procedure, we defined a response vector whose components represented the spike counts of one to five neurons. In the time-segmental vectorizing procedure, a response vector consisted of components representing a neuron's spike counts for one to five time-segment(s) of a response period of 1 s. Spike trains were recorded from neurons in the inferior temporal cortex of monkeys presented with visual stimuli. We examined whether the amount of information of the visual stimuli carried by these neurons differed between the two vectorizing procedures. The amount of information calculated with the multineuronal vectorizing procedure, but not the time-segmental vectorizing procedure, significantly increased with the dimensions of the response vector. We conclude that the multineuronal vectorizing procedure is superior to the time-segmental vectorizing procedure in efficiently extracting information from neuronal signals. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Adenoviral vector immunity: its implications and circumvention strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahi, Yadvinder S; Bangari, Dinesh S; Mittal, Suresh K

    2011-08-01

    Adenoviral (Ad) vectors have emerged as a promising gene delivery platform for a variety of therapeutic and vaccine purposes during last two decades. However, the presence of preexisting Ad immunity and the rapid development of Ad vector immunity still pose significant challenges to the clinical use of these vectors. Innate inflammatory response following Ad vector administration may lead to systemic toxicity, drastically limit vector transduction efficiency and significantly abbreviate the duration of transgene expression. Currently, a number of approaches are being extensively pursued to overcome these drawbacks by strategies that target either the host or the Ad vector. In addition, significant progress has been made in the development of novel Ad vectors based on less prevalent human Ad serotypes and nonhuman Ad. This review provides an update on our current understanding of immune responses to Ad vectors and delineates various approaches for eluding Ad vector immunity. Approaches targeting the host and those targeting the vector are discussed in light of their promises and limitations.

  6. A Subdivision-Based Representation for Vector Image Editing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Zicheng; Hoppe, Hugues; Forsyth, David; Yu, Yizhou

    2012-11-01

    Vector graphics has been employed in a wide variety of applications due to its scalability and editability. Editability is a high priority for artists and designers who wish to produce vector-based graphical content with user interaction. In this paper, we introduce a new vector image representation based on piecewise smooth subdivision surfaces, which is a simple, unified and flexible framework that supports a variety of operations, including shape editing, color editing, image stylization, and vector image processing. These operations effectively create novel vector graphics by reusing and altering existing image vectorization results. Because image vectorization yields an abstraction of the original raster image, controlling the level of detail of this abstraction is highly desirable. To this end, we design a feature-oriented vector image pyramid that offers multiple levels of abstraction simultaneously. Our new vector image representation can be rasterized efficiently using GPU-accelerated subdivision. Experiments indicate that our vector image representation achieves high visual quality and better supports editing operations than existing representations.

  7. Strategies to improve road safety : how to learn from Dutch experiences? Lecture held at the Seminar on Road Safety "Stategies to improve road safety: How to learn from Dutch experiences?", Ankara/Istanbul, Turkey, 6-7 November 2012. [a.k.a. as: Improving road safety : experiences from The Netherlands.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hagenzieker, M.P.

    2016-01-01

    On the occasion of the visit of the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to Turkey, The Netherlands embassy in Ankara and the consulate-general in Istanbul are organising a half-day seminar on the successful road safety strategy of the Netherlands on 6 and 7 November 2012. During these events road safety

  8. Generalized Selection Weighted Vector Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rastislav Lukac

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a class of nonlinear multichannel filters capable of removing impulsive noise in color images. The here-proposed generalized selection weighted vector filter class constitutes a powerful filtering framework for multichannel signal processing. Previously defined multichannel filters such as vector median filter, basic vector directional filter, directional-distance filter, weighted vector median filters, and weighted vector directional filters are treated from a global viewpoint using the proposed framework. Robust order-statistic concepts and increased degree of freedom in filter design make the proposed method attractive for a variety of applications. Introduced multichannel sigmoidal adaptation of the filter parameters and its modifications allow to accommodate the filter parameters to varying signal and noise statistics. Simulation studies reported in this paper indicate that the proposed filter class is computationally attractive, yields excellent performance, and is able to preserve fine details and color information while efficiently suppressing impulsive noise. This paper is an extended version of the paper by Lukac et al. presented at the 2003 IEEE-EURASIP Workshop on Nonlinear Signal and Image Processing (NSIP '03 in Grado, Italy.

  9. Tripartite polyionic complex (PIC) micelles as non-viral vectors for mesenchymal stem cell siRNA transfection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raisin, Sophie; Morille, Marie; Bony, Claire; Noël, Danièle; Devoisselle, Jean-Marie; Belamie, Emmanuel

    2017-08-22

    In the context of regenerative medicine, the use of RNA interference mechanisms has already proven its efficiency in targeting specific gene expression with the aim of enhancing, accelerating or, more generally, directing stem cell differentiation. However, achievement of good transfection levels requires the use of a gene vector. For in vivo applications, synthetic vectors are an interesting option to avoid possible issues associated with viral vectors (safety, production costs, etc.). Herein, we report on the design of tripartite polyionic complex micelles as original non-viral polymeric vectors suited for mesenchymal stem cell transfection with siRNA. Three micelle formulations were designed to exhibit pH-triggered disassembly in an acidic pH range comparable to that of endosomes. One formulation was selected as the most promising with the highest siRNA loading capacity while clearly maintaining pH-triggered disassembly properties. A thorough investigation of the internalization pathway of micelles into cells with tagged siRNA was made before showing an efficient inhibition of Runx2 expression in primary bone marrow-derived stem cells. This work evidenced PIC micelles as promising synthetic vectors that allow efficient MSC transfection and control over their behavior, from the perspective of their clinical use.

  10. Improving Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guèrin as a vaccine delivery vector for viral antigens by incorporation of glycolipid activators of NKT cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkataswamy, Manjunatha M; Ng, Tony W; Kharkwal, Shalu S; Carreño, Leandro J; Johnson, Alison J; Kunnath-Velayudhan, Shajo; Liu, Zheng; Bittman, Robert; Jervis, Peter J; Cox, Liam R; Besra, Gurdyal S; Wen, Xiangshu; Yuan, Weiming; Tsuji, Moriya; Li, Xiangming; Ho, David D; Chan, John; Lee, Sunhee; Frothingham, Richard; Haynes, Barton F; Panas, Michael W; Gillard, Geoffrey O; Sixsmith, Jaimie D; Korioth-Schmitz, Birgit; Schmitz, Joern E; Larsen, Michelle H; Jacobs, William R; Porcelli, Steven A

    2014-01-01

    Recombinant Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guèrin (rBCG) has been explored as a vector for vaccines against HIV because of its ability to induce long lasting humoral and cell mediated immune responses. To maximize the potential for rBCG vaccines to induce effective immunity against HIV, various strategies are being employed to improve its ability to prime CD8+ T cells, which play an important role in the control of HIV infections. In this study we adopted a previously described approach of incorporating glycolipids that activate CD1d-restricted natural killer T (NKT) cells to enhance priming of CD8+ T cells by rBCG strains expressing an SIV Gag antigen (rBCG-SIV gag). We found that the incorporation of the synthetic NKT activating glycolipid α-galactosylceramide (α-GC) into rBCG-SIV gag significantly enhanced CD8+ T cell responses against an immunodominant Gag epitope, compared to responses primed by unmodified rBCG-SIV gag. The abilities of structural analogues of α-GC to enhance CD8+ T cell responses to rBCG were compared in both wild type and partially humanized mice that express human CD1d molecules in place of mouse CD1d. These studies identified an α-GC analogue known as 7DW8-5, which has previously been used successfully as an adjuvant in non-human primates, as a promising compound for enhancing immunogenicity of antigens delivered by rBCG.vectors. Our findings support the incorporation of synthetic glycolipid activators of NKT cells as a novel approach to enhance the immunogenicity of rBCG-vectored antigens for induction of CD8+ T cell responses. The glycolipid adjuvant 7DW8-5 may be a promising candidate for advancing to non-human primate and human clinical studies for the development of HIV vaccines based on rBCG vectors.

  11. Improving Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guèrin as a vaccine delivery vector for viral antigens by incorporation of glycolipid activators of NKT cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manjunatha M Venkataswamy

    Full Text Available Recombinant Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guèrin (rBCG has been explored as a vector for vaccines against HIV because of its ability to induce long lasting humoral and cell mediated immune responses. To maximize the potential for rBCG vaccines to induce effective immunity against HIV, various strategies are being employed to improve its ability to prime CD8+ T cells, which play an important role in the control of HIV infections. In this study we adopted a previously described approach of incorporating glycolipids that activate CD1d-restricted natural killer T (NKT cells to enhance priming of CD8+ T cells by rBCG strains expressing an SIV Gag antigen (rBCG-SIV gag. We found that the incorporation of the synthetic NKT activating glycolipid α-galactosylceramide (α-GC into rBCG-SIV gag significantly enhanced CD8+ T cell responses against an immunodominant Gag epitope, compared to responses primed by unmodified rBCG-SIV gag. The abilities of structural analogues of α-GC to enhance CD8+ T cell responses to rBCG were compared in both wild type and partially humanized mice that express human CD1d molecules in place of mouse CD1d. These studies identified an α-GC analogue known as 7DW8-5, which has previously been used successfully as an adjuvant in non-human primates, as a promising compound for enhancing immunogenicity of antigens delivered by rBCG.vectors. Our findings support the incorporation of synthetic glycolipid activators of NKT cells as a novel approach to enhance the immunogenicity of rBCG-vectored antigens for induction of CD8+ T cell responses. The glycolipid adjuvant 7DW8-5 may be a promising candidate for advancing to non-human primate and human clinical studies for the development of HIV vaccines based on rBCG vectors.

  12. Production of lentiviral vectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Otto-Wilhelm Merten

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Lentiviral vectors (LV have seen considerably increase in use as gene therapy vectors for the treatment of acquired and inherited diseases. This review presents the state of the art of the production of these vectors with particular emphasis on their large-scale production for clinical purposes. In contrast to oncoretroviral vectors, which are produced using stable producer cell lines, clinical-grade LV are in most of the cases produced by transient transfection of 293 or 293T cells grown in cell factories. However, more recent developments, also, tend to use hollow fiber reactor, suspension culture processes, and the implementation of stable producer cell lines. As is customary for the biotech industry, rather sophisticated downstream processing protocols have been established to remove any undesirable process-derived contaminant, such as plasmid or host cell DNA or host cell proteins. This review compares published large-scale production and purification processes of LV and presents their process performances. Furthermore, developments in the domain of stable cell lines and their way to the use of production vehicles of clinical material will be presented.

  13. Autodissemination of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae amongst adults of the malaria vector anopheles gambiae s.s.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Scholte, E.J.; Knols, B.G.J.; Takken, W.

    2004-01-01

    Background - The entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae is being considered as a biocontrol agent for adult African malaria vectors. In the laboratory, work was carried out to assess whether horizontal transmission of the pathogen can take place during copulation, as this would enhance the

  14. Inverse Operation of Four-dimensional Vector Matrix

    OpenAIRE

    H J Bao; A J Sang; H X Chen

    2011-01-01

    This is a new series of study to define and prove multidimensional vector matrix mathematics, which includes four-dimensional vector matrix determinant, four-dimensional vector matrix inverse and related properties. There are innovative concepts of multi-dimensional vector matrix mathematics created by authors with numerous applications in engineering, math, video conferencing, 3D TV, and other fields.

  15. Heterologous Two-Dose Vaccination with Simian Adenovirus and Poxvirus Vectors Elicits Long-Lasting Cellular Immunity to Influenza Virus A in Healthy Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Coughlan

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: T-cell responses against highly conserved influenza antigens have been previously associated with protection. However, these immune responses are poorly maintained following recovery from influenza infection and are not boosted by inactivated influenza vaccines. We have previously demonstrated the safety and immunogenicity of two viral vectored vaccines, modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA and the chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1 expressing conserved influenza virus antigens, nucleoprotein (NP and matrix protein-1 (M1. We now report on the safety and long-term immunogenicity of multiple combination regimes of these vaccines in young and older adults. Methods: We conducted a Phase I open-label, randomized, multi-center study in 49 subjects aged 18–46 years and 24 subjects aged 50 years or over. Following vaccination, adverse events were recorded and the kinetics of the T cell response determined at multiple time points for up to 18 months. Findings: Both vaccines were well tolerated. A two dose heterologous vaccination regimen significantly increased the magnitude of pre-existing T-cell responses to NP and M1 after both doses in young and older adults. The fold-increase and peak immune responses after a single MVA-NP + M1 vaccination was significantly higher compared to ChAdOx1 NP + M1. In a mixed regression model, T-cell responses over 18 months were significantly higher following the two dose vaccination regimen of MVA/ChAdOx1 NP + M1. Interpretation: A two dose heterologous vaccination regimen of MVA/ChAdOx1 NP + M1 was safe and immunogenic in young and older adults, offering a promising vaccination strategy for inducing long-term broadly cross-reactive protection against influenza A. Funding Source: Medical Research Council UK, NIHR BMRC Oxford. Keywords: Influenza, T-cell responses, Influenza vaccines, Viral vectors, Adults, Older adults

  16. Optimized support vector regression for drilling rate of penetration estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodaghi, Asadollah; Ansari, Hamid Reza; Gholami, Mahsa

    2015-12-01

    In the petroleum industry, drilling optimization involves the selection of operating conditions for achieving the desired depth with the minimum expenditure while requirements of personal safety, environment protection, adequate information of penetrated formations and productivity are fulfilled. Since drilling optimization is highly dependent on the rate of penetration (ROP), estimation of this parameter is of great importance during well planning. In this research, a novel approach called `optimized support vector regression' is employed for making a formulation between input variables and ROP. Algorithms used for optimizing the support vector regression are the genetic algorithm (GA) and the cuckoo search algorithm (CS). Optimization implementation improved the support vector regression performance by virtue of selecting proper values for its parameters. In order to evaluate the ability of optimization algorithms in enhancing SVR performance, their results were compared to the hybrid of pattern search and grid search (HPG) which is conventionally employed for optimizing SVR. The results demonstrated that the CS algorithm achieved further improvement on prediction accuracy of SVR compared to the GA and HPG as well. Moreover, the predictive model derived from back propagation neural network (BPNN), which is the traditional approach for estimating ROP, is selected for comparisons with CSSVR. The comparative results revealed the superiority of CSSVR. This study inferred that CSSVR is a viable option for precise estimation of ROP.

  17. Multiscale vector fields for image pattern recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Low, Kah-Chan; Coggins, James M.

    1990-01-01

    A uniform processing framework for low-level vision computing in which a bank of spatial filters maps the image intensity structure at each pixel into an abstract feature space is proposed. Some properties of the filters and the feature space are described. Local orientation is measured by a vector sum in the feature space as follows: each filter's preferred orientation along with the strength of the filter's output determine the orientation and the length of a vector in the feature space; the vectors for all filters are summed to yield a resultant vector for a particular pixel and scale. The orientation of the resultant vector indicates the local orientation, and the magnitude of the vector indicates the strength of the local orientation preference. Limitations of the vector sum method are discussed. Investigations show that the processing framework provides a useful, redundant representation of image structure across orientation and scale.

  18. Vector control of induction machines

    CERN Document Server

    Robyns, Benoit

    2012-01-01

    After a brief introduction to the main law of physics and fundamental concepts inherent in electromechanical conversion, ""Vector Control of Induction Machines"" introduces the standard mathematical models for induction machines - whichever rotor technology is used - as well as several squirrel-cage induction machine vector-control strategies. The use of causal ordering graphs allows systematization of the design stage, as well as standardization of the structure of control devices. ""Vector Control of Induction Machines"" suggests a unique approach aimed at reducing parameter sensitivity for

  19. Glycoprotein is enough for sindbis virus-derived DNA vector to express heterogenous genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fu Juanjuan

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract To investigate the necessity and potential application of structural genes for expressing heterogenous genes from Sindbis virus-derived vector, the DNA-based expression vector pVaXJ was constructed by placing the recombinant genome of sindbis-like virus XJ-160 under the control of the human cytomegalovirus (CMV promoter of the plasmid pVAX1, in which viral structural genes were replaced by a polylinker cassette to allow for insertion of heterologous genes. The defect helper plasmids pVaE or pVaC were developed by cloning the gene of glycoprotein E3E26KE1 or capsid protein of XJ-160 virus into pVAX1, respectively. The report gene cassette pVaXJ-EGFP or pV-Gluc expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP or Gaussia luciferase (G.luc were constructed by cloning EGFP or G.luc gene into pVaXJ. EGFP or G.luc was expressed in the BHK-21 cells co-transfected with report gene cassettes and pVaE at levels that were comparable to those produced by report gene cassettes, pVaC and pVaE and were much higher than the levels produced by report gene cassette and pVaC, suggesting that glycoprotein is enough for Sindbis virus-derived DNA vector to express heterogenous genes in host cells. The method of gene expression from Sindbis virus-based DNA vector only co-transfected with envelop E gene increase the conveniency and the utility of alphavirus-based vector systems in general.

  20. Spatial analysis of vector-borne infectious diseases and ecological indicators using GIS and remote sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anh, N. K.; Liou, Y. A.

    2017-12-01

    Ecological and climate indicators play a vital role in defining patterns of human activities and behaviors, such as seasonal features, migration, winter-summer lifestyles, which in turn might be associated with vector-borne disease habitats and transmission risks. Remote sensing has been instrumental in deriving environmental variables and indicators. GIS is shown to be a powerful tool in spatiotemporal visualization and distribution of vector-borne diseases and for analysis of associations between environmental conditions and characteristics of vector-borne habitats. Vietnam is in the sub-tropical climate zone with high humidity and abundant precipitation, while the distribution of precipitation is uneven leading to frequently annual occurrence of drought and flood disasters. Moreover, urban heat island effect is significantly enhanced in urbanized areas in recent years. The increase in the frequency and magnitude of severity of weather extremes that are potentially linked to climate change and anthropogenic processes have highlighted the demand of research into health risk assessment and adaptive capacity. This research focuses on the analysis of physical features of environmental indicators and its association with vector-borne diseases as well as adaptive capacity. The study illustrates how remotely sensed data has been utilized in geohealth applications, surveillance, and health risk mapping. In addition, promising possibilities of allowing disease early-warning systems with citizen participation platform will be proposed. Keywords: Vector-borne diseases; environmental indicators; remote sensing; GIS; Vietnam.

  1. Surveillance of vector-borne pathogens under imperfect detection: lessons from Chagas disease risk (mis)measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minuzzi-Souza, Thaís Tâmara Castro; Nitz, Nadjar; Cuba, César Augusto Cuba; Hagström, Luciana; Hecht, Mariana Machado; Santana, Camila; Ribeiro, Marcelle; Vital, Tamires Emanuele; Santalucia, Marcelo; Knox, Monique; Obara, Marcos Takashi; Abad-Franch, Fernando; Gurgel-Gonçalves, Rodrigo

    2018-01-09

    Vector-borne pathogens threaten human health worldwide. Despite their critical role in disease prevention, routine surveillance systems often rely on low-complexity pathogen detection tests of uncertain accuracy. In Chagas disease surveillance, optical microscopy (OM) is routinely used for detecting Trypanosoma cruzi in its vectors. Here, we use replicate T. cruzi detection data and hierarchical site-occupancy models to assess the reliability of OM-based T. cruzi surveillance while explicitly accounting for false-negative and false-positive results. We investigated 841 triatomines with OM slides (1194 fresh, 1192 Giemsa-stained) plus conventional (cPCR, 841 assays) and quantitative PCR (qPCR, 1682 assays). Detections were considered unambiguous only when parasitologists unmistakably identified T. cruzi in Giemsa-stained slides. qPCR was >99% sensitive and specific, whereas cPCR was ~100% specific but only ~55% sensitive. In routine surveillance, examination of a single OM slide per vector missed ~50-75% of infections and wrongly scored as infected ~7% of the bugs. qPCR-based and model-based infection frequency estimates were nearly three times higher, on average, than OM-based indices. We conclude that the risk of vector-borne Chagas disease may be substantially higher than routine surveillance data suggest. The hierarchical modelling approach we illustrate can help enhance vector-borne disease surveillance systems when pathogen detection is imperfect.

  2. A vector machine formulation with application to the computer-aided diagnosis of breast cancer from DCE-MRI screening examinations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levman, Jacob E D; Warner, Ellen; Causer, Petrina; Martel, Anne L

    2014-02-01

    This study investigates the use of a proposed vector machine formulation with application to dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging examinations in the context of the computer-aided diagnosis of breast cancer. This paper describes a method for generating feature measurements that characterize a lesion's vascular heterogeneity as well as a supervised learning formulation that represents an improvement over the conventional support vector machine in this application. Spatially varying signal-intensity measures were extracted from the examinations using principal components analysis and the machine learning technique known as the support vector machine (SVM) was used to classify the results. An alternative vector machine formulation was found to improve on the results produced by the established SVM in randomized bootstrap validation trials, yielding a receiver-operating characteristic curve area of 0.82 which represents a statistically significant improvement over the SVM technique in this application.

  3. Viral vector-based influenza vaccines

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vries, Rory D.; Rimmelzwaan, Guus F.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Antigenic drift of seasonal influenza viruses and the occasional introduction of influenza viruses of novel subtypes into the human population complicate the timely production of effective vaccines that antigenically match the virus strains that cause epidemic or pandemic outbreaks. The development of game-changing vaccines that induce broadly protective immunity against a wide variety of influenza viruses is an unmet need, in which recombinant viral vectors may provide. Use of viral vectors allows the delivery of any influenza virus antigen, or derivative thereof, to the immune system, resulting in the optimal induction of virus-specific B- and T-cell responses against this antigen of choice. This systematic review discusses results obtained with vectored influenza virus vaccines and advantages and disadvantages of the currently available viral vectors. PMID:27455345

  4. Integrated optic vector-matrix multiplier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watts, Michael R [Albuquerque, NM

    2011-09-27

    A vector-matrix multiplier is disclosed which uses N different wavelengths of light that are modulated with amplitudes representing elements of an N.times.1 vector and combined to form an input wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) light stream. The input WDM light stream is split into N streamlets from which each wavelength of the light is individually coupled out and modulated for a second time using an input signal representing elements of an M.times.N matrix, and is then coupled into an output waveguide for each streamlet to form an output WDM light stream which is detected to generate a product of the vector and matrix. The vector-matrix multiplier can be formed as an integrated optical circuit using either waveguide amplitude modulators or ring resonator amplitude modulators.

  5. 3D vector flow imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pihl, Michael Johannes

    The main purpose of this PhD project is to develop an ultrasonic method for 3D vector flow imaging. The motivation is to advance the field of velocity estimation in ultrasound, which plays an important role in the clinic. The velocity of blood has components in all three spatial dimensions, yet...... are (vx, vy, vz) = (-0.03, 95, 1.0) ± (9, 6, 1) cm/s compared with the expected (0, 96, 0) cm/s. Afterwards, 3D vector flow images from a cross-sectional plane of the vessel are presented. The out of plane velocities exhibit the expected 2D circular-symmetric parabolic shape. The experimental results...... verify that the 3D TO method estimates the complete 3D velocity vectors, and that the method is suitable for 3D vector flow imaging....

  6. Problems and worked solutions in vector analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Shorter, LR

    2014-01-01

    ""A handy book like this,"" noted The Mathematical Gazette, ""will fill a great want."" Devoted to fully worked out examples, this unique text constitutes a self-contained introductory course in vector analysis for undergraduate and graduate students of applied mathematics.Opening chapters define vector addition and subtraction, show how to resolve and determine the direction of two or more vectors, and explain systems of coordinates, vector equations of a plane and straight line, relative velocity and acceleration, and infinitely small vectors. The following chapters deal with scalar and vect

  7. [Immunization with Bifidobacterium bifidum-vectored OprI vaccine of Pseudomonas aeruginosa enhances inhibitory effect on P. aeruginosa in mice].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiao; Li, Wengui

    2017-08-01

    Objective To study the pulmonary bacterial loads, splenocyte proliferation, distributions of T cell subsets and cell apoptosis in mice immunized with Bifidobacterium bifidum-vectored OprI (Bb-OprI) vaccine of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and challenged with P. aeruginosa PA01 strain. Methods BALB/c mice were immunized with 5×10 9 CFUs of vaccine by intragastric administration, 3 times a week for 3 weeks, and challenged intranasally with 5×10 6 CFUs of PA01 strain at the fourth week after the first immunization. At the second week after the challenge, all mice were sacrificed to separate their lungs and spleens, and the pulmonary bacterial loads were counted. The proliferation of the splenocytes was determined by MTT assay. The splenic CD4 + , CD8 + T cell subsets and the apoptotic rate of splenocytes were detected by flow cytometry. Results The number of pulmonary bacterial colonies in the mice immunized with the vaccine and challenged with PA01 strain decreased, while the proliferation of splenocytes and the proportion of CD4 + T cells markedly increased, and the apoptosis of splenocytes was notably reduced. Conclusion The intragastric vaccination of recombinant Bb-OprI vaccine can increase the proportion of CD4 + T cells and enhance the inhibitory effect on P. aeruginosa.

  8. An adeno-associated viral vector transduces the rat hypothalamus and amygdala more efficient than a lentiviral vector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vreugdenhil Erno

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This study compared the transduction efficiencies of an adeno-associated viral (AAV vector, which was pseudotyped with an AAV1 capsid and encoded the green fluorescent protein (GFP, with a lentiviral (LV vector, which was pseudotyped with a VSV-G envelop and encoded the discosoma red fluorescent protein (dsRed, to investigate which viral vector transduced the lateral hypothalamus or the amygdala more efficiently. The LV-dsRed and AAV1-GFP vector were mixed and injected into the lateral hypothalamus or into the amygdala of adult rats. The titers that were injected were 1 × 108 or 1 × 109 genomic copies of AAV1-GFP and 1 × 105 transducing units of LV-dsRed. Results Immunostaining for GFP and dsRed showed that AAV1-GFP transduced significantly more cells than LV-dsRed in both the lateral hypothalamus and the amygdala. In addition, the number of LV particles that were injected can not easily be increased, while the number of AAV1 particles can be increased easily with a factor 100 to 1000. Both viral vectors appear to predominantly transduce neurons. Conclusions This study showed that AAV1 vectors are better tools to overexpress or knockdown genes in the lateral hypothalamus and amygdala of adult rats, since more cells can be transduced with AAV1 than with LV vectors and the titer of AAV1 vectors can easily be increased to transduce the area of interest.

  9. Gauge structure of neutral-vector field theory. [Massive vector fields, massless limits

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kubo, R; Yokoyama, [Hiroshima univ., Takehara (Japan). Research Inst. for Theoretical Physics

    1975-03-01

    General aspects of gauge structure of neutral-vector field theory are investigated from an extended standpoint, where massive vector fields are treated in a form corresponding to the electromagnetic fields in a general gauge formalism reported previously. All results obtained are shown to have unique massless limits. It is shown that a generalized q-number gauge transformation for fields makes the theory invariant in cooperation with a simultaneous transformation for relevant gauge parameters. A method of differentiation with respect to a gauge variable is found to clarify some essential features of the gauge structure. Two possible types of gauge structure also emerge correspondingly to the massless case. A neutral-vector field theory proposed in a preceding paper is included in the present framework as the most preferable case.

  10. Vector dark energy and high-z massive clusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlesi, Edoardo; Knebe, Alexander; Yepes, Gustavo; Gottlöber, Stefan; Jiménez, Jose Beltrán.; Maroto, Antonio L.

    2011-12-01

    The detection of extremely massive clusters at z > 1 such as SPT-CL J0546-5345, SPT-CL J2106-5844 and XMMU J2235.3-2557 has been considered by some authors as a challenge to the standard Λ cold dark matter cosmology. In fact, assuming Gaussian initial conditions, the theoretical expectation of detecting such objects is as low as ≤1 per cent. In this paper we discuss the probability of the existence of such objects in the light of the vector dark energy paradigm, showing by means of a series of N-body simulations that chances of detection are substantially enhanced in this non-standard framework.

  11. Stokes vector based interpolation method to improve the efficiency of bio-inspired polarization-difference imaging in turbid media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Jinge; Ren, Wei; Cheng, Yaoyu

    2018-04-01

    We demonstrate an efficient polarization-difference imaging system in turbid conditions by using the Stokes vector of light. The interaction of scattered light with the polarizer is analyzed by the Stokes-Mueller formalism. An interpolation method is proposed to replace the mechanical rotation of the polarization axis of the analyzer theoretically, and its performance is verified by the experiment at different turbidity levels. We show that compared with direct imaging, the Stokes vector based imaging method can effectively reduce the effect of light scattering and enhance the image contrast.

  12. Matrix vector analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Eisenman, Richard L

    2005-01-01

    This outstanding text and reference applies matrix ideas to vector methods, using physical ideas to illustrate and motivate mathematical concepts but employing a mathematical continuity of development rather than a physical approach. The author, who taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy, dispenses with the artificial barrier between vectors and matrices--and more generally, between pure and applied mathematics.Motivated examples introduce each idea, with interpretations of physical, algebraic, and geometric contexts, in addition to generalizations to theorems that reflect the essential structur

  13. Declining Prevalence of Disease Vectors Under Climate Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Escobar, Luis E.; Romero-Alvarez, Daniel; Leon, Renato; Lepe-Lopez, Manuel A.; Craft, Meggan E.; Borbor-Cordova, Mercy J.; Svenning, Jens-Christian

    2016-12-01

    More than half of the world population is at risk of vector-borne diseases including dengue fever, chikungunya, zika, yellow fever, leishmaniasis, chagas disease, and malaria, with highest incidences in tropical regions. In Ecuador, vector-borne diseases are present from coastal and Amazonian regions to the Andes Mountains; however, a detailed characterization of the distribution of their vectors has never been carried out. We estimate the distribution of 14 vectors of the above vector-borne diseases under present-day and future climates. Our results consistently suggest that climate warming is likely threatening some vector species with extinction, locally or completely. These results suggest that climate change could reduce the burden of specific vector species. Other vector species are likely to shift and constrain their geographic range to the highlands in Ecuador potentially affecting novel areas and populations. These forecasts show the need for development of early prevention strategies for vector species currently absent in areas projected as suitable under future climate conditions. Informed interventions could reduce the risk of human exposure to vector species with distributional shifts, in response to current and future climate changes. Based on the mixed effects of future climate on human exposure to disease vectors, we argue that research on vector-borne diseases should be cross-scale and include climatic, demographic, and landscape factors, as well as forces facilitating disease transmission at fine scales.

  14. Control of Malaria Vector Mosquitoes by Insecticide-Treated Combinations of Window Screens and Eave Baffles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Killeen, Gerry F; Masalu, John P; Chinula, Dingani; Fotakis, Emmanouil A; Kavishe, Deogratius R; Malone, David; Okumu, Fredros

    2017-05-01

    We assessed window screens and eave baffles (WSEBs), which enable mosquitoes to enter but not exit houses, as an alternative to indoor residual spraying (IRS) for malaria vector control. WSEBs treated with water, the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin, or the organophosphate pirimiphos-methyl, with and without a binding agent for increasing insecticide persistence on netting, were compared with IRS in experimental huts. Compared with IRS containing the same insecticide, WSEBs killed similar proportions of Anopheles funestus mosquitoes that were resistant to pyrethroids, carbamates and organochlorines and greater proportions of pyrethroid-resistant, early exiting An. arabiensis mosquitoes. WSEBs with pirimiphos-methyl killed greater proportions of both vectors than lambda-cyhalothrin or lambda-cyhalothrin plus pirimiphos-methyl and were equally efficacious when combined with binding agent. WSEBs required far less insecticide than IRS, and binding agents might enhance durability. WSEBs might enable affordable deployment of insecticide combinations to mitigate against physiologic insecticide resistance and improve control of behaviorally resistant, early exiting vectors.

  15. A temporal subtraction method for thoracic CT images based on generalized gradient vector flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyake, Noriaki; Kim, H.; Maeda, Shinya; Itai, Yoshinori; Tan, J.K.; Ishikawa, Seiji; Katsuragawa, Shigehiko

    2010-01-01

    A temporal subtraction image, which is obtained by subtraction of a previous image from a current one, can be used for enhancing interval changes (such as formation of new lesions and changes in existing abnormalities) on medical images by removing most of the normal structures. If image registration is incorrect, not only the interval changes but also the normal structures would be appeared as some artifacts on the temporal subtraction image. In a temporal subtraction technique for 2-D X-ray image, the effectiveness is shown through a lot of clinical evaluation experiments, and practical use is advancing. Moreover, the MDCT (Multi-Detector row Computed Tomography) can easily introduced on medical field, the development of a temporal subtraction for thoracic CT Images is expected. In our study, a temporal subtraction technique for thoracic CT Images is developed. As the technique, the vector fields are described by use of GGVF (Generalized Gradient Vector Flow) from the previous and current CT images. Afterwards, VOI (Volume of Interest) are set up on the previous and current CT image pairs. The shift vectors are calculated by using nearest neighbor matching of the vector fields in these VOIs. The search kernel on previous CT image is set up from the obtained shift vector. The previous CT voxel which resemble standard the current voxel is detected by voxel value and vector of the GGVF in the kernel. And, the previous CT image is transformed to the same coordinate of standard voxel. Finally, temporal subtraction image is made by subtraction of a warping image from a current one. To verify the proposal method, the result of application to 7 cases and the effectiveness are described. (author)

  16. Vector boson scattering at CLIC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kilian, Wolfgang; Fleper, Christian [Department Physik, Universitaet Siegen, 57068 Siegen (Germany); Reuter, Juergen [DESY Theory Group, 22603 Hamburg (Germany); Sekulla, Marco [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany)

    2016-07-01

    Linear colliders operating in a range of multiple TeV are able to investigate the details of vector boson scattering and electroweak symmetry breaking. We calculate cross sections with the Monte Carlo generator WHIZARD for vector boson scattering processes at the future linear e{sup +} e{sup -} collider CLIC. By finding suitable cuts, the vector boson scattering signal processes are isolated from the background. Finally, we are able to determine exclusion sensitivities on the non-Standard Model parameters of the relevant dimension eight operators.

  17. Decays of the vector glueball

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giacosa, Francesco; Sammet, Julia; Janowski, Stanislaus

    2017-06-01

    We calculate two- and three-body decays of the (lightest) vector glueball into (pseudo)scalar, (axial-)vector, as well as pseudovector and excited vector mesons in the framework of a model of QCD. While absolute values of widths cannot be predicted because the corresponding coupling constants are unknown, some interesting branching ratios can be evaluated by setting the mass of the yet hypothetical vector glueball to 3.8 GeV as predicted by quenched lattice QCD. We find that the decay mode ω π π should be one of the largest (both through the decay chain O →b1π →ω π π and through the direct coupling O →ω π π ). Similarly, the (direct and indirect) decay into π K K*(892 ) is sizable. Moreover, the decays into ρ π and K*(892 )K are, although subleading, possible and could play a role in explaining the ρ π puzzle of the charmonium state ψ (2 S ) thanks to a (small) mixing with the vector glueball. The vector glueball can be directly formed at the ongoing BESIII experiment as well as at the future PANDA experiment at the FAIR facility. If the width is sufficiently small (≲100 MeV ) it should not escape future detection. It should be stressed that the employed model is based on some inputs and simplifying assumptions: the value of glueball mass (at present, the quenched lattice value is used), the lack of mixing of the glueball with other quarkonium states, and the use of few interaction terms. It then represents a first step toward the identification of the main decay channels of the vector glueball, but shall be improved when corresponding experimental candidates and/or new lattice results will be available.

  18. The human ankyrin 1 promoter insulator sustains gene expression in a β-globin lentiviral vector in hematopoietic stem cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zulema Romero

    Full Text Available Lentiviral vectors designed for the treatment of the hemoglobinopathies require the inclusion of regulatory and strong enhancer elements to achieve sufficient expression of the β-globin transgene. Despite the inclusion of these elements, the efficacy of these vectors may be limited by transgene silencing due to the genomic environment surrounding the integration site. Barrier insulators can be used to give more consistent expression and resist silencing even with lower vector copies. Here, the barrier activity of an insulator element from the human ankyrin-1 gene was analyzed in a lentiviral vector carrying an antisickling human β-globin gene. Inclusion of a single copy of the Ankyrin insulator did not affect viral titer, and improved the consistency of expression from the vector in murine erythroleukemia cells. The presence of the Ankyrin insulator element did not change transgene expression in human hematopoietic cells in short-term erythroid culture or in vivo in primary murine transplants. However, analysis in secondary recipients showed that the lentiviral vector with the Ankyrin element preserved transgene expression, whereas expression from the vector lacking the Ankyrin insulator decreased in secondary recipients. These studies demonstrate that the Ankyrin insulator may improve long-term β-globin expression in hematopoietic stem cells for gene therapy of hemoglobinopathies.

  19. Virtual-vector-based space vector pulse width modulation of the DC-AC multilevel-clamped multilevel converter (MLC2)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodriguez, Pedro; Busquets-Monge, Sergio; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2011-01-01

    This work presents the development of the space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) of a new multi-level converter topology. First, the proposed converter and its natural space vector diagram are presented. Secondly, a modified space vector diagram based on the virtual-vectors technique is show...

  20. Image Coding Based on Address Vector Quantization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Yushu

    Image coding is finding increased application in teleconferencing, archiving, and remote sensing. This thesis investigates the potential of Vector Quantization (VQ), a relatively new source coding technique, for compression of monochromatic and color images. Extensions of the Vector Quantization technique to the Address Vector Quantization method have been investigated. In Vector Quantization, the image data to be encoded are first processed to yield a set of vectors. A codeword from the codebook which best matches the input image vector is then selected. Compression is achieved by replacing the image vector with the index of the code-word which produced the best match, the index is sent to the channel. Reconstruction of the image is done by using a table lookup technique, where the label is simply used as an address for a table containing the representative vectors. A code-book of representative vectors (codewords) is generated using an iterative clustering algorithm such as K-means, or the generalized Lloyd algorithm. A review of different Vector Quantization techniques are given in chapter 1. Chapter 2 gives an overview of codebook design methods including the Kohonen neural network to design codebook. During the encoding process, the correlation of the address is considered and Address Vector Quantization is developed for color image and monochrome image coding. Address VQ which includes static and dynamic processes is introduced in chapter 3. In order to overcome the problems in Hierarchical VQ, Multi-layer Address Vector Quantization is proposed in chapter 4. This approach gives the same performance as that of the normal VQ scheme but the bit rate is about 1/2 to 1/3 as that of the normal VQ method. In chapter 5, a Dynamic Finite State VQ based on a probability transition matrix to select the best subcodebook to encode the image is developed. In chapter 6, a new adaptive vector quantization scheme, suitable for color video coding, called "A Self -Organizing

  1. Estimation of pure autoregressive vector models for revenue series ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper aims at applying multivariate approach to Box and Jenkins univariate time series modeling to three vector series. General Autoregressive Vector Models with time varying coefficients are estimated. The first vector is a response vector, while others are predictor vectors. By matrix expansion each vector, whether ...

  2. On the Witt vector Frobenius

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Davis, Christopher James; Kedlaya, Kiran

    2014-01-01

    We study the kernel and cokernel of the Frobenius map on the p-typical Witt vectors of a commutative ring, not necessarily of characteristic p. We give many equivalent conditions to surjectivity of the Frobenius map on both finite and infinite length Witt vectors. In particular, surjectivity...... on finite Witt vectors turns out to be stable under certain integral extensions; this provides a clean formulation of a strong generalization of Faltings’s almost purity theorem from p-adic Hodge theory, incorporating recent improvements by Kedlaya–Liu and by Scholze....

  3. Installation of a new Fortran compiler and effective programming method on the vector supercomputer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nemoto, Toshiyuki; Suzuki, Koichiro; Watanabe, Kenji; Machida, Masahiko; Osanai, Seiji; Isobe, Nobuo; Harada, Hiroo; Yokokawa, Mitsuo

    1992-07-01

    The Fortran compiler, version 10 has been replaced with the new one, version 12 (V12) on the Fujitsu Computer system at JAERI since May, 1992. The benchmark test for the performance of the V12 compiler is carried out with 16 representative nuclear codes in advance of the installation of the compiler. The performance of the compiler is achieved by the factor of 1.13 in average. The effect of the enhanced functions of the compiler and the compatibility to the nuclear codes are also examined. The assistant tool for vectorization TOP10EX is developed. In this report, the results of the evaluation of the V12 compiler and the usage of the tools for vectorization are presented. (author)

  4. Design and Potential of Non-Integrating Lentiviral Vectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aaron Shaw

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Lentiviral vectors have demonstrated promising results in clinical trials that target cells of the hematopoietic system. For these applications, they are the vectors of choice since they provide stable integration into cells that will undergo extensive expansion in vivo. Unfortunately, integration can have unintended consequences including dysregulated cell growth. Therefore, lentiviral vectors that do not integrate are predicted to have a safer profile compared to integrating vectors and should be considered for applications where transient expression is required or for sustained episomal expression such as in quiescent cells. In this review, the system for generating lentiviral vectors will be described and used to illustrate how alterations in the viral integrase or vector Long Terminal Repeats have been used to generate vectors that lack the ability to integrate. In addition to their safety advantages, these non-integrating lentiviral vectors can be used when persistent expression would have adverse consequences. Vectors are currently in development for use in vaccinations, cancer therapy, site-directed gene insertions, gene disruption strategies, and cell reprogramming. Preclinical work will be described that illustrates the potential of this unique vector system in human gene therapy.

  5. A novel multi-antigen virally vectored vaccine against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim J Bull

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis causes systemic infection and chronic intestinal inflammation in many species including primates. Humans are exposed through milk and from sources of environmental contamination. Hitherto, the only vaccines available against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis have been limited to veterinary use and comprised attenuated or killed organisms. METHODS: We developed a vaccine comprising a fusion construct designated HAV, containing components of two secreted and two cell surface Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis proteins. HAV was transformed into DNA, human Adenovirus 5 (Ad5 and Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA delivery vectors. Full length expression of the predicted 95 kDa fusion protein was confirmed. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Vaccination of naïve and Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infected C57BL/6 mice using DNA-prime/MVA-boost or Ad5-prime/MVA-boost protocols was highly immunogenic resulting in significant IFN-gamma ELISPOT responses by splenocytes against recombinant vaccine antigens and a range of HAV specific peptides. This included strong recognition of a T-cell epitope GFAEINPIA located near the C-terminus of the fusion protein. Antibody responses to recombinant vaccine antigens and HAV specific peptides but not GFAEINPIA, also occurred. No immune recognition of vaccine antigens occurred in any sham vaccinated Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infected mice. Vaccination using either protocol significantly attenuated pre-existing Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection measured by qPCR in spleen and liver and the Ad5-prime/MVA-boost protocol also conferred some protection against subsequent challenge. No adverse effects of vaccination occurred in any of the mice. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A range of modern veterinary and clinical vaccines for the treatment and prevention of disease caused by Mycobacterium avium

  6. A novel multi-antigen virally vectored vaccine against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bull, Tim J; Gilbert, Sarah C; Sridhar, Saranya; Linedale, Richard; Dierkes, Nicola; Sidi-Boumedine, Karim; Hermon-Taylor, John

    2007-11-28

    Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis causes systemic infection and chronic intestinal inflammation in many species including primates. Humans are exposed through milk and from sources of environmental contamination. Hitherto, the only vaccines available against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis have been limited to veterinary use and comprised attenuated or killed organisms. We developed a vaccine comprising a fusion construct designated HAV, containing components of two secreted and two cell surface Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis proteins. HAV was transformed into DNA, human Adenovirus 5 (Ad5) and Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) delivery vectors. Full length expression of the predicted 95 kDa fusion protein was confirmed. Vaccination of naïve and Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infected C57BL/6 mice using DNA-prime/MVA-boost or Ad5-prime/MVA-boost protocols was highly immunogenic resulting in significant IFN-gamma ELISPOT responses by splenocytes against recombinant vaccine antigens and a range of HAV specific peptides. This included strong recognition of a T-cell epitope GFAEINPIA located near the C-terminus of the fusion protein. Antibody responses to recombinant vaccine antigens and HAV specific peptides but not GFAEINPIA, also occurred. No immune recognition of vaccine antigens occurred in any sham vaccinated Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infected mice. Vaccination using either protocol significantly attenuated pre-existing Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection measured by qPCR in spleen and liver and the Ad5-prime/MVA-boost protocol also conferred some protection against subsequent challenge. No adverse effects of vaccination occurred in any of the mice. A range of modern veterinary and clinical vaccines for the treatment and prevention of disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis are needed. The present vaccine proved to be highly

  7. Archimedeanization of ordered vector spaces

    OpenAIRE

    Emelyanov, Eduard Yu.

    2014-01-01

    In the case of an ordered vector space with an order unit, the Archimedeanization method has been developed recently by V.I Paulsen and M. Tomforde. We present a general version of the Archimedeanization which covers arbitrary ordered vector spaces.

  8. Prediction of hourly PM2.5 using a space-time support vector regression model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wentao; Deng, Min; Xu, Feng; Wang, Hang

    2018-05-01

    Real-time air quality prediction has been an active field of research in atmospheric environmental science. The existing methods of machine learning are widely used to predict pollutant concentrations because of their enhanced ability to handle complex non-linear relationships. However, because pollutant concentration data, as typical geospatial data, also exhibit spatial heterogeneity and spatial dependence, they may violate the assumptions of independent and identically distributed random variables in most of the machine learning methods. As a result, a space-time support vector regression model is proposed to predict hourly PM2.5 concentrations. First, to address spatial heterogeneity, spatial clustering is executed to divide the study area into several homogeneous or quasi-homogeneous subareas. To handle spatial dependence, a Gauss vector weight function is then developed to determine spatial autocorrelation variables as part of the input features. Finally, a local support vector regression model with spatial autocorrelation variables is established for each subarea. Experimental data on PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing are used to verify whether the results of the proposed model are superior to those of other methods.

  9. How random is a random vector?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eliazar, Iddo

    2015-01-01

    Over 80 years ago Samuel Wilks proposed that the “generalized variance” of a random vector is the determinant of its covariance matrix. To date, the notion and use of the generalized variance is confined only to very specific niches in statistics. In this paper we establish that the “Wilks standard deviation” –the square root of the generalized variance–is indeed the standard deviation of a random vector. We further establish that the “uncorrelation index” –a derivative of the Wilks standard deviation–is a measure of the overall correlation between the components of a random vector. Both the Wilks standard deviation and the uncorrelation index are, respectively, special cases of two general notions that we introduce: “randomness measures” and “independence indices” of random vectors. In turn, these general notions give rise to “randomness diagrams”—tangible planar visualizations that answer the question: How random is a random vector? The notion of “independence indices” yields a novel measure of correlation for Lévy laws. In general, the concepts and results presented in this paper are applicable to any field of science and engineering with random-vectors empirical data.

  10. How random is a random vector?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eliazar, Iddo

    2015-12-01

    Over 80 years ago Samuel Wilks proposed that the "generalized variance" of a random vector is the determinant of its covariance matrix. To date, the notion and use of the generalized variance is confined only to very specific niches in statistics. In this paper we establish that the "Wilks standard deviation" -the square root of the generalized variance-is indeed the standard deviation of a random vector. We further establish that the "uncorrelation index" -a derivative of the Wilks standard deviation-is a measure of the overall correlation between the components of a random vector. Both the Wilks standard deviation and the uncorrelation index are, respectively, special cases of two general notions that we introduce: "randomness measures" and "independence indices" of random vectors. In turn, these general notions give rise to "randomness diagrams"-tangible planar visualizations that answer the question: How random is a random vector? The notion of "independence indices" yields a novel measure of correlation for Lévy laws. In general, the concepts and results presented in this paper are applicable to any field of science and engineering with random-vectors empirical data.

  11. Ankara Merkez İlçeleri ve Köylerinde Ev Konserveciliği Teknikleri ve Konservelerin Bazı Organoleptik ve Mikrobiyolojik Özellikleri

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Necla Yazıcı

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Bu çalışmada, Ankara İlinin merkez ilçelerine bağlı köylerde yapılmakta olan ev konserveciliği uygulamalarına ait tekniklerin saptanması ve yapılan konservelerin organoleptik ve mikrobiyolojik analizlere dayanarak, bazı kalite özelliklerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada Ankara İlinin merkez ilçelerine bağlı, 13 köyde, 154 deneğe anket uygulanmış ve ayrıca deneklerden toplanan 50 konserve örneği organoleptik ve mikrobiyolojik testlere tabi tutulmuştur. Araştırma bulgularına göre deneklerin %97.40’ı sebze konservesi kavanozlarını açık kazanda kaynatmaktadırlar. Deneklerin %48.00’i kavanozları boşluk bırakmadan, %30’u ise yarısına kadar doldurmaktadırlar. Kavanozların havasını alan deneklerin oranı %80.50’dir. Kaynatma işleminde süre tutan denekler %85.71 oranındadır. Bu deneklerin de %71.42’si kaynatma işlemi için yeterli süre uygulamaktadırlar. Konservelerde kaynatmadan sonra bozulma gören denekler %70.13, saklama sırasında bozulma görenler %40.91 oranındadır. Kaynatmadan sonra meydana gelen bozulmaların başında %73.14 oranı ile kapak atması gelmektedir. Toplam 50 konserve örneğinin organoleptik analizi sonucunda örneklerin %18’i renk, %30’u koku, %18’i genel görünüş bakımından kötü olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Mikrobiyolojik analizler sonucunda ise toplam 50 konserve örneğinin %20’sinde üreme görülmüştür. Alınan örneklerin, aerob koşullarda %14’ünde 35 oC de; %16’sında 55 oC’de; anaerob koşullarda ise %12’sinde 35 oC’de; %16’sında 55 oC’de üreme görülmüştür.

  12. Projection correlation between two random vectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Liping; Xu, Kai; Li, Runze; Zhong, Wei

    2017-12-01

    We propose the use of projection correlation to characterize dependence between two random vectors. Projection correlation has several appealing properties. It equals zero if and only if the two random vectors are independent, it is not sensitive to the dimensions of the two random vectors, it is invariant with respect to the group of orthogonal transformations, and its estimation is free of tuning parameters and does not require moment conditions on the random vectors. We show that the sample estimate of the projection correction is [Formula: see text]-consistent if the two random vectors are independent and root-[Formula: see text]-consistent otherwise. Monte Carlo simulation studies indicate that the projection correlation has higher power than the distance correlation and the ranks of distances in tests of independence, especially when the dimensions are relatively large or the moment conditions required by the distance correlation are violated.

  13. Simplified Representation of Vector Fields

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Telea, Alexandru; Wijk, Jarke J. van

    1999-01-01

    Vector field visualization remains a difficult task. Although many local and global visualization methods for vector fields such as flow data exist, they usually require extensive user experience on setting the visualization parameters in order to produce images communicating the desired insight. We

  14. An Example of a Gentrification: Unintended Consequences of an in Situ Rehabilitation Project in Ankara

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reyhan Varlı Görk

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This article is about an early example of gentrification processes in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. A unique form of the gentrification process is examined using a case study of a small inner-city neighborhood on Koza Street through the monitoring of the area between 1998 and 2016, and giving voice to both the gentrifiers and gentrified. Almost ninety percent of the population in the area was displaced despite the inclusionary principles of an in situ Rehabilitation Project which has led to a large scale transformation of the physical space of the street. The study includes four field studies conducted at different time intervals (1998, 2001, 2004, 2009 and a follow-up visit (2016 to the neighborhood, to critically assess the progression of gentrification in Turkey through its phases. Even though gentrification usually refers to the middle class invasion of urban land originally inhabited by the less privileged, our case reveals the effects of successive modes of a gentrification process which starts as an in situ rehabilitation project of a squatter prevention area initiated by a social democratic municipality with the “participation of local groups”, and turns into “gentrification by choice” in the successive years in the shadow of “Third Way” values. What is currently happening could be regarded as “gentrification by force” following urban renewal. In our case, however, the line between the two major components of gentrification, i.e., the “gentrifier” and the “gentrified”, seems to have become ambiguous, which calls for a further analysis of Turkey’s unique political and spatial dynamics.

  15. Performance enhancement for a GPS vector-tracking loop utilizing an adaptive iterated extended Kalman filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiyuan; Wang, Xiying; Xu, Yuan

    2014-12-09

    This paper deals with the problem of state estimation for the vector-tracking loop of a software-defined Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. For a nonlinear system that has the model error and white Gaussian noise, a noise statistics estimator is used to estimate the model error, and based on this, a modified iterated extended Kalman filter (IEKF) named adaptive iterated Kalman filter (AIEKF) is proposed. A vector-tracking GPS receiver utilizing AIEKF is implemented to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Through road tests, it is shown that the proposed method has an obvious accuracy advantage over the IEKF and Adaptive Extended Kalman filter (AEKF) in position determination. The results show that the proposed method is effective to reduce the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of position (including longitude, latitude and altitude). Comparing with EKF, the position RMSE values of AIEKF are reduced by about 45.1%, 40.9% and 54.6% in the east, north and up directions, respectively. Comparing with IEKF, the position RMSE values of AIEKF are reduced by about 25.7%, 19.3% and 35.7% in the east, north and up directions, respectively. Compared with AEKF, the position RMSE values of AIEKF are reduced by about 21.6%, 15.5% and 30.7% in the east, north and up directions, respectively.

  16. Problems of vector Lagrangians in field theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krivsky, I.Yu.; Simulik, V.M.

    1997-01-01

    A vector Lagrange approach to the Dirac spinor field and the relationship between the vector Lagrangians for the spinor and electromagnetic fields are considered. A vector Lagrange approach for the system of interacting electromagnetic B=(B μ υ)=(E-bar,H-bar) and spinor Ψ fields is constructed. New Lagrangians (scalar and vector) for electromagnetic field in terms of field strengths are found. The foundations of two new QED models are formulated

  17. Harmonic curvatures and generalized helices in En

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Camci, Cetin; Ilarslan, Kazim; Kula, Levent; Hacisalihoglu, H. Hilmi

    2009-01-01

    In n-dimensional Euclidean space E n , harmonic curvatures of a non-degenerate curve defined by Ozdamar and Hacisalihoglu [Ozdamar E, Hacisalihoglu HH. A characterization of Inclined curves in Euclidean n-space. Comm Fac Sci Univ Ankara, Ser A1 1975;24:15-23]. In this paper, we give some characterizations for a non-degenerate curve α to be a generalized helix by using its harmonic curvatures. Also we define the generalized Darboux vector D of a non-degenerate curve α in n-dimensional Euclidean space E n and we show that the generalized Darboux vector D lies in the kernel of Frenet matrix M(s) if and only if the curve α is a generalized helix in the sense of Hayden.

  18. Study on spectral parameters and the support vector machine in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy of serum for the detection of colon cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Xiaozhou; Yang, Tianyue; Yao, Jun; Wang, Deli; Li, Siqi; Song, Youtao; Ding, Jianhua

    2015-01-01

    Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been recognized as an effective tool for the analysis of tissue samples and biofluids. In this work, a total of 27 spectral parameters were chosen and compared using SERS. Four parameters with the highest prediction ability were selected for further support vector machine (SVM) analysis. As a comparison, principal component analysis (PCA) was used on the same dataset for feature extraction. SVM was used with the above two data reduction methods separately to differentiate colon cancer and the control groups. Serum taken from 52 colon cancer patients and 60 healthy volunteers were collected and tested by SERS. The accuracy for Parameter-SVM was 95.0%, the sensitivity was 96.2%, and the specificity was 95.5%, which was much higher than the results using only one parameter, while for PCA-SVM, the results are 93.3%, 92.3%, and 92.9%, respectively. These results demonstrate that the SERS analysis method can be used to identify serum differences between colon cancer patients and normal people. (letter)

  19. Vector movement underlies avian malaria at upper elevation in Hawaii: implications for transmission of human malaria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freed, Leonard A; Cann, Rebecca L

    2013-11-01

    With climate warming, malaria in humans and birds at upper elevations is an emerging infectious disease because development of the parasite in the mosquito vector and vector life history are both temperature dependent. An enhanced-mosquito-movement model from climate warming predicts increased transmission of malaria at upper elevation sites that are too cool for parasite development in the mosquito vector. We evaluate this model with avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) at 1,900-m elevation on the Island of Hawaii, with air temperatures too low for sporogony in the vector (Culex quinquefasciatus). On a well-defined site over a 14-year period, 10 of 14 species of native and introduced birds became infected, several epizootics occurred, and the increase in prevalence was driven more by resident species than by mobile species that could have acquired their infections at lower elevations. Greater movement of infectious mosquitoes from lower elevations now permits avian malaria to spread at 1,900 m in Hawaii, in advance of climate warming at that elevation. The increase in malaria at upper elevations due to dispersal of infectious mosquitoes is a real alternative to temperature for the increased incidence of human malaria in tropical highlands.

  20. Effective SIMD Vectorization for Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessors

    OpenAIRE

    Tian, Xinmin; Saito, Hideki; Preis, Serguei V.; Garcia, Eric N.; Kozhukhov, Sergey S.; Masten, Matt; Cherkasov, Aleksei G.; Panchenko, Nikolay

    2015-01-01

    Efficiently exploiting SIMD vector units is one of the most important aspects in achieving high performance of the application code running on Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors. In this paper, we present several effective SIMD vectorization techniques such as less-than-full-vector loop vectorization, Intel MIC specific alignment optimization, and small matrix transpose/multiplication 2D vectorization implemented in the Intel C/C++ and Fortran production compilers for Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors. A ...