Tracking the NGS revolution: managing life science research on shared high-performance computing clusters

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

Abstract Background Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has transformed the life sciences, and many research groups are newly dependent upon computer clusters to store and analyze large datasets. This creates challenges for e-infrastructures accustomed to hosting computationally mature research in other sciences. Using data gathered from our own clusters at UPPMAX computing center at Uppsala University, Sweden, where core hour usage of ∼800 NGS and ∼200 non-NGS projects is now similar, we compare and contrast the growth, administrative burden, and cluster usage of NGS projects with projects from other sciences. Results The number of NGS projects has grown rapidly since 2010, with growth driven by entry of new research groups. Storage used by NGS projects has grown more rapidly since 2013 and is now limited by disk capacity. NGS users submit nearly twice as many support tickets per user, and 11 more tools are installed each month for NGS projects than for non-NGS projects. We developed usage and efficiency metrics and show that computing jobs for NGS projects use more RAM than non-NGS projects, are more variable in core usage, and rarely span multiple nodes. NGS jobs use booked resources less efficiently for a variety of reasons. Active monitoring can improve this somewhat. Conclusions Hosting NGS projects imposes a large administrative burden at UPPMAX due to large numbers of inexperienced users and diverse and rapidly evolving research areas. We provide a set of recommendations for e-infrastructures that host NGS research projects. We provide anonymized versions of our storage, job, and efficiency databases. PMID:29659792

Evolution of CANDU vacuum building and pressure relief structures from Pickering NGS A to Darlington NGS A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beg, Z.M.; Ghosh, R.S.

1987-01-01

The vacuum building (VB) and pressure relief structures (PRS) are the unique features of multiple unit CANDU containments. In case of loss-of-coolant accident, the released radionuclides are drawn through the PRS into the subatmospheric VB, doused and contained without being released to the environment. This paper describes the differences in design, configuration and layout of the VB and PRS from Pickering NGS A to Darlington NGS A due to new developments in design concepts and to requirements which have proceeded from the experience gained in both the design and operation of the nuclear stations. (orig.)

Genetic counselors' (GC) knowledge, awareness, understanding of clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) genomic testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Boland, P M; Ruth, K; Matro, J M; Rainey, K L; Fang, C Y; Wong, Y N; Daly, M B; Hall, M J

2015-12-01

Genomic tests are increasingly complex, less expensive, and more widely available with the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS). We assessed knowledge and perceptions among genetic counselors pertaining to NGS genomic testing via an online survey. Associations between selected characteristics and perceptions were examined. Recent education on NGS testing was common, but practical experience limited. Perceived understanding of clinical NGS was modest, specifically concerning tumor testing. Greater perceived understanding of clinical NGS testing correlated with more time spent in cancer-related counseling, exposure to NGS testing, and NGS-focused education. Substantial disagreement about the role of counseling for tumor-based testing was seen. Finally, a majority of counselors agreed with the need for more education about clinical NGS testing, supporting this approach to optimizing implementation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

jviz webcomponents: a foundation js framework for clinical NGS bioinformatics

OpenAIRE

Juanes, Jose; Fuentes, Azahara; Arnau, Vicente; Chaves, Felipe Javier; Garcia-Garcia, Ana Barbara; Marin-Garcia, Pablo

2017-01-01

IntroductionMGviz is a fully integrated NGS QC and data análisis suite that creates automatic NGS clinical reports for clinicians to review. Summarized quality control measures with threshold based from all the previous runs are computed to warm about any kind of bias and check also for sample swap. These are Intuitive and interactive tools that help prioritize and select the variants of interest related to the patients phenotype from our NGS gene panels and commercial exome panels.Materials ...

Genetic counselors’ (GC) knowledge, awareness, and understanding of clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) genomic testing

Science.gov (United States)

Boland, PM; Ruth, K; Matro, JM; Rainey, KL; Fang, CY; Wong, YN; Daly, MB; Hall, MJ

2014-01-01

Genomic tests are increasingly complex, less expensive, and more widely available with the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS). We assessed knowledge and perceptions among genetic counselors pertaining to NGS genomic testing via an online survey. Associations between selected characteristics and perceptions were examined. Recent education on NGS testing was common, but practical experience limited. Perceived understanding of clinical NGS was modest, specifically concerning tumor testing. Greater perceived understanding of clinical NGS testing correlated with more time spent in cancer-related counseling, exposure to NGS testing, and NGS-focused education. Substantial disagreement about the role of counseling for tumor-based testing was seen. Finally, a majority of counselors agreed with the need for more education about clinical NGS testing, supporting this approach to optimizing implementation. PMID:25523111

Euclidean Dynamical Triangulation revisited: is the phase transition really 1st order?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rindlisbacher, Tobias; Forcrand, Philippe de

2015-01-01

The transition between the two phases of 4D Euclidean Dynamical Triangulation (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0370-2693(92)90709-D) was long believed to be of second order until in 1996 first order behavior was found for sufficiently large systems (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0550-3213(96)00214-3, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0370-2693(96)01277-4). However, one may wonder if this finding was affected by the numerical methods used: to control volume fluctuations, in both studies (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0550-3213(96)00214-3, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0370-2693(96)01277-4) an artificial harmonic potential was added to the action and in (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0370-2693(96)01277-4) measurements were taken after a fixed number of accepted instead of attempted moves which introduces an additional error. Finally the simulations suffer from strong critical slowing down which may have been underestimated. In the present work, we address the above weaknesses: we allow the volume to fluctuate freely within a fixed interval; we take measurements after a fixed number of attempted moves; and we overcome critical slowing down by using an optimized parallel tempering algorithm (http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-5468/2010/01/P01020). With these improved methods, on systems of size up to N_4=64k 4-simplices, we confirm that the phase transition is 1"s"t order. In addition, we discuss a local criterion to decide whether parts of a triangulation are in the elongated or crumpled state and describe a new correspondence between EDT and the balls in boxes model. The latter gives rise to a modified partition function with an additional, third coupling. Finally, we propose and motivate a class of modified path-integral measures that might remove the metastability of the Markov chain and turn the phase transition into 2"n"d order.

Bio-Docklets: virtualization containers for single-step execution of NGS pipelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Baekdoo; Ali, Thahmina; Lijeron, Carlos; Afgan, Enis; Krampis, Konstantinos

2017-08-01

Processing of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data requires significant technical skills, involving installation, configuration, and execution of bioinformatics data pipelines, in addition to specialized postanalysis visualization and data mining software. In order to address some of these challenges, developers have leveraged virtualization containers toward seamless deployment of preconfigured bioinformatics software and pipelines on any computational platform. We present an approach for abstracting the complex data operations of multistep, bioinformatics pipelines for NGS data analysis. As examples, we have deployed 2 pipelines for RNA sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, preconfigured within Docker virtualization containers we call Bio-Docklets. Each Bio-Docklet exposes a single data input and output endpoint and from a user perspective, running the pipelines as simply as running a single bioinformatics tool. This is achieved using a "meta-script" that automatically starts the Bio-Docklets and controls the pipeline execution through the BioBlend software library and the Galaxy Application Programming Interface. The pipeline output is postprocessed by integration with the Visual Omics Explorer framework, providing interactive data visualizations that users can access through a web browser. Our goal is to enable easy access to NGS data analysis pipelines for nonbioinformatics experts on any computing environment, whether a laboratory workstation, university computer cluster, or a cloud service provider. Beyond end users, the Bio-Docklets also enables developers to programmatically deploy and run a large number of pipeline instances for concurrent analysis of multiple datasets. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

CRISPR-DAV: CRISPR NGS data analysis and visualization pipeline.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xuning; Tilford, Charles; Neuhaus, Isaac; Mintier, Gabe; Guo, Qi; Feder, John N; Kirov, Stefan

2017-12-01

The simplicity and precision of CRISPR/Cas9 system has brought in a new era of gene editing. Screening for desired clones with CRISPR-mediated genomic edits in a large number of samples is made possible by next generation sequencing (NGS) due to its multiplexing. Here we present CRISPR-DAV (CRISPR Data Analysis and Visualization) pipeline to analyze the CRISPR NGS data in a high throughput manner. In the pipeline, Burrows-Wheeler Aligner and Assembly Based ReAlignment are used for small and large indel detection, and results are presented in a comprehensive set of charts and interactive alignment view. CRISPR-DAV is available at GitHub and Docker Hub repositories: https://github.com/pinetree1/crispr-dav.git and https://hub.docker.com/r/pinetree1/crispr-dav/. xuning.wang@bms.com. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Estimating inbreeding coefficients from NGS data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garrett Vieira, Filipe Jorge; Fumagalli, Matteo; Albrechtsen, Anders

2013-01-01

Most methods for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) data analyses incorporate information regarding allele frequencies using the assumption of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) as a prior. However, many organisms including domesticated, partially selfing or with asexual life cycles show strong...

Estimating IBD tracts from low coverage NGS data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garrett Vieira, Filipe Jorge; Albrechtsen, Anders; Nielsen, Rasmus

2016-01-01

that the new method provides a marked increase in accuracy even at low coverage. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The methods presented in this work were implemented in C/C ++ and are freely available for non-commercial use from https://github.com/fgvieira/ngsF-HMM CONTACT: fgvieira@snm.ku.dk SUPPLEMENTARY...... method for estimating inbreeding IBD tracts from low coverage NGS data. Contrary to other methods that use genotype data, the one presented here uses genotype likelihoods to take the uncertainty of the data into account. We benchmark it under a wide range of biologically relevant conditions and show...

Validation of an NGS mutation detection panel for melanoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Reiman, Anne; Kikuchi, Hugh; Scocchia, Daniela; Smith, Peter; Tsang, Yee Wah; Snead, David; Cree, Ian A

2017-02-22

Knowledge of the genotype of melanoma is important to guide patient management. Identification of mutations in BRAF and c-KIT lead directly to targeted treatment, but it is also helpful to know if there are driver oncogene mutations in NRAS, GNAQ or GNA11 as these patients may benefit from alternative strategies such as immunotherapy. While polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods are often used to detect BRAF mutations, next generation sequencing (NGS) is able to determine all of the necessary information on several genes at once, with potential advantages in turnaround time. We describe here an Ampliseq hotspot panel for melanoma for use with the IonTorrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM) which covers the mutations currently of most clinical interest. We have validated this in 151 cases of skin and uveal melanoma from our files, and correlated the data with PCR based assessment of BRAF status. There was excellent agreement, with few discrepancies, though NGS does have greater coverage and picks up some mutations that would be missed by PCR. However, these are often rare and of unknown significance for treatment. PCR methods are rapid, less time-consuming and less expensive than NGS, and could be used as triage for patients requiring more extensive diagnostic workup. The NGS panel described here is suitable for clinical use with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples.

Promises and pitfalls of NGS technology in Clinic: Experience from Kolkata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atanu Kumar Dutta

2017-12-01

With the help of a series of cases the utility of NGS testing and different flavors of the technology will be outlined. Specifically in the prenatal diagnostic setting dilemma related to testing and not testing will be outlined. The absence of customized CNV assays complimenting the NGS panel will be highlighted.

The ICR96 exon CNV validation series: a resource for orthogonal assessment of exon CNV calling in NGS data [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shazia Mahamdallie

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Detection of deletions and duplications of whole exons (exon CNVs is a key requirement of genetic testing. Accurate detection of this variant type has proved very challenging in targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS data, particularly if only a single exon is involved. Many different NGS exon CNV calling methods have been developed over the last five years. Such methods are usually evaluated using simulated and/or in-house data due to a lack of publicly-available datasets with orthogonally generated results. This hinders tool comparisons, transparency and reproducibility. To provide a community resource for assessment of exon CNV calling methods in targeted NGS data, we here present the ICR96 exon CNV validation series. The dataset includes high-quality sequencing data from a targeted NGS assay (the TruSight Cancer Panel together with Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA results for 96 independent samples. 66 samples contain at least one validated exon CNV and 30 samples have validated negative results for exon CNVs in 26 genes. The dataset includes 46 exon CNVs in BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, EPCAM or PTEN, giving excellent representation of the cancer predisposition genes most frequently tested in clinical practice. Moreover, the validated exon CNVs include 25 single exon CNVs, the most difficult type of exon CNV to detect. The FASTQ files for the ICR96 exon CNV validation series can be accessed through the European-Genome phenome Archive (EGA under the accession number EGAS00001002428.

Pickering NGS-A versus Pickering NGS-B: changes in commissioning techniques and their impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talbot, K.H.

1983-05-01

Modernization of equipment, changes in design codes and standards, and tightening of regulatory requirements have combined to make Pickering NGS-B in many ways different from its predecessor, Pickering 'A'. This paper briefly describes how a few selected commissioning techniques used to place Pickering 'A' into service were further developed to cope with the new requirements for Pickering 'B'. The relative performance of the commissioning programmes between the two stations is also compared

NGS testing for cardiomyopathy: Utility of adding RASopathy-associated genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceyhan-Birsoy, Ozge; Miatkowski, Maya M; Hynes, Elizabeth; Funke, Birgit H; Mason-Suares, Heather

2018-04-25

RASopathies include a group of syndromes caused by pathogenic germline variants in RAS-MAPK pathway genes and typically present with facial dysmorphology, cardiovascular disease, and musculoskeletal anomalies. Recently, variants in RASopathy-associated genes have been reported in individuals with apparently nonsyndromic cardiomyopathy, suggesting that subtle features may be overlooked. To determine the utility and burden of adding RASopathy-associated genes to cardiomyopathy panels, we tested 11 RASopathy-associated genes by next-generation sequencing (NGS), including NGS-based copy number variant assessment, in 1,111 individuals referred for genetic testing for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Disease-causing variants were identified in 0.6% (four of 692) of individuals with HCM, including three missense variants in the PTPN11, SOS1, and BRAF genes. Overall, 36 variants of uncertain significance (VUSs) were identified, averaging ∼3VUSs/100 cases. This study demonstrates that adding a subset of the RASopathy-associated genes to cardiomyopathy panels will increase clinical diagnoses without significantly increasing the number of VUSs/case. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Commissioning quality assurance at Pickering NGS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wieckowski, J.T.

1983-05-01

Ontario Hydro decided in 1978 to implement a formal quality assurance program applicable to commissioning and operation of nuclear generating stations. Pickering NGS is the first station to have the commissioning quality assurance (CQA) program applied to it. This paper outlines the scope, implementation, and evaluation of the CQA program as applied to Pickering Unit 5

lociNGS: a lightweight alternative for assessing suitability of next-generation loci for evolutionary analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah M Hird

Full Text Available Genomic enrichment methods and next-generation sequencing produce uneven coverage for the portions of the genome (the loci they target; this information is essential for ascertaining the suitability of each locus for further analysis. lociNGS is a user-friendly accessory program that takes multi-FASTA formatted loci, next-generation sequence alignments and demographic data as input and collates, displays and outputs information about the data. Summary information includes the parameters coverage per locus, coverage per individual and number of polymorphic sites, among others. The program can output the raw sequences used to call loci from next-generation sequencing data. lociNGS also reformats subsets of loci in three commonly used formats for multi-locus phylogeographic and population genetics analyses - NEXUS, IMa2 and Migrate. lociNGS is available at https://github.com/SHird/lociNGS and is dependent on installation of MongoDB (freely available at http://www.mongodb.org/downloads. lociNGS is written in Python and is supported on MacOSX and Unix; it is distributed under a GNU General Public License.

Next Generation Sequencing Plus (NGS+) with Y-chromosomal Markers for Forensic Pedigree Searches.

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Xiaoqin; Hou, Jiayi; Wang, Zheng; Ye, Yi; Lang, Min; Gao, Tianzhen; Liu, Jing; Hou, Yiping

2017-09-12

There is high demand for forensic pedigree searches with Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) profiling in large-scale crime investigations. However, when two Y-STR haplotypes have a few mismatched loci, it is difficult to determine if they are from the same male lineage because of the high mutation rate of Y-STRs. Here we design a new strategy to handle cases in which none of pedigree samples shares identical Y-STR haplotype. We combine next generation sequencing (NGS), capillary electrophoresis and pyrosequencing under the term 'NGS+' for typing Y-STRs and Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs). The high-resolution Y-SNP haplogroup and Y-STR haplotype can be obtained with NGS+. We further developed a new data-driven decision rule, FSindex, for estimating the likelihood for each retrieved pedigree. Our approach enables positive identification of pedigree from mismatched Y-STR haplotypes. It is envisaged that NGS+ will revolutionize forensic pedigree searches, especially when the person of interest was not recorded in forensic DNA database.

QuickNGS elevates Next-Generation Sequencing data analysis to a new level of automation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagle, Prerana; Nikolić, Miloš; Frommolt, Peter

2015-07-01

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) has emerged as a widely used tool in molecular biology. While time and cost for the sequencing itself are decreasing, the analysis of the massive amounts of data remains challenging. Since multiple algorithmic approaches for the basic data analysis have been developed, there is now an increasing need to efficiently use these tools to obtain results in reasonable time. We have developed QuickNGS, a new workflow system for laboratories with the need to analyze data from multiple NGS projects at a time. QuickNGS takes advantage of parallel computing resources, a comprehensive back-end database, and a careful selection of previously published algorithmic approaches to build fully automated data analysis workflows. We demonstrate the efficiency of our new software by a comprehensive analysis of 10 RNA-Seq samples which we can finish in only a few minutes of hands-on time. The approach we have taken is suitable to process even much larger numbers of samples and multiple projects at a time. Our approach considerably reduces the barriers that still limit the usability of the powerful NGS technology and finally decreases the time to be spent before proceeding to further downstream analysis and interpretation of the data.

ACRR fission product release tests: ST-1 and ST-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, M.D.; Stockman, H.W.; Reil, K.O.; Grimley, A.J.; Camp, W.J.

1988-01-01

Two experiments (ST-1 and ST-2) have been performed in the Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR) at Sandia National Laboratories (SNLA) to obtain time-resolved data on the release of fission products from irradiated fuels under light water reactor (LWR) severe accident conditions. Both experiments were conducted in a highly reducing environment at maximum fuel temperatures of greater than 2400 K. These experiments were designed specifically to investigate the effect of increased total pressure on fission product release; ST-1 was performed at approximately 0.16 MPa and ST-2 was run at 1.9 MPa, whereas other parameters were matched as closely as possible. Release rate data were measured for Cs, I, Ba, Sr, Eu, Te, and U. The release rates were higher than predicted by existing codes for Ba, Sr, Eu, and U. Te release was very low, but Te did not appear to be sequestered by the zircaloy cladding; it was evenly distributed in the fuel. In addition, in posttest analysis a unique fuel morphology (fuel swelling) was observed which may have enhanced fission product release, especially in the high pressure test (ST-2). These data are compared with analytical results from the CORSOR correlation and the VICTORIA computer model

AECB staff annual report of Pickering NGS for the year 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-11-01

The AECB Pickering project staff, in cooperation with AECB staff in Ottawa, monitor the operation of Pickering NGS-A units 1-4 and Pickering NGS-B units 5-8 to ensure that Ontario Hydro operates the station in compliance with the licensing and safety requirements of the Atomic Energy Control Board. This report presents the review of licensing issues and station performance during 1991. Improvement over 1990 station operation occurred in the following areas: availability of special safety systems; reduction of the station external dose; reorganization of station management to improve focus; station chemistry; housekeeping and material condition; fuel handling capability; training of operators and maintenance staff. However, little change occurred and improvement is still needed in the following: compliance with operating licence; system surveillance program; station maintenance; environmental qualification; radiation emergency response; fire and rescue emergency response; limited capability to predict and prevent equipment failures such as the boiler tube failure on unit 5. (L.L.)

Analysis and Visualization of ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq Sequence Alignments Using ngs.plot.

Science.gov (United States)

Loh, Yong-Hwee Eddie; Shen, Li

2016-01-01

The continual maturation and increasing applications of next-generation sequencing technology in scientific research have yielded ever-increasing amounts of data that need to be effectively and efficiently analyzed and innovatively mined for new biological insights. We have developed ngs.plot-a quick and easy-to-use bioinformatics tool that performs visualizations of the spatial relationships between sequencing alignment enrichment and specific genomic features or regions. More importantly, ngs.plot is customizable beyond the use of standard genomic feature databases to allow the analysis and visualization of user-specified regions of interest generated by the user's own hypotheses. In this protocol, we demonstrate and explain the use of ngs.plot using command line executions, as well as a web-based workflow on the Galaxy framework. We replicate the underlying commands used in the analysis of a true biological dataset that we had reported and published earlier and demonstrate how ngs.plot can easily generate publication-ready figures. With ngs.plot, users would be able to efficiently and innovatively mine their own datasets without having to be involved in the technical aspects of sequence coverage calculations and genomic databases.

Hungarian Marfan family with large FBN1 deletion calls attention to copy number variation detection in the current NGS era

Science.gov (United States)

Ágg, Bence; Meienberg, Janine; Kopps, Anna M.; Fattorini, Nathalie; Stengl, Roland; Daradics, Noémi; Pólos, Miklós; Bors, András; Radovits, Tamás; Merkely, Béla; De Backer, Julie; Szabolcs, Zoltán; Mátyás, Gábor

2018-01-01

Copy number variations (CNVs) comprise about 10% of reported disease-causing mutations in Mendelian disorders. Nevertheless, pathogenic CNVs may have been under-detected due to the lack or insufficient use of appropriate detection methods. In this report, on the example of the diagnostic odyssey of a patient with Marfan syndrome (MFS) harboring a hitherto unreported 32-kb FBN1 deletion, we highlight the need for and the feasibility of testing for CNVs (>1 kb) in Mendelian disorders in the current next-generation sequencing (NGS) era. PMID:29850152

Identification and characterization of two novel cytosolic sulfotransferases, SULT1 ST7 and SULT1 ST8, from zebrafish

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, T.-A. [Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606 (United States); Department of Biological Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Bhuiyan, Shakhawat [Division of Arts and Sciences, Jarvis Christian College, Hawkins, TX 75765 (United States); Snow, Rhodora [School of Mathematics and Science, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond, VA 23285 (United States); Yasuda, Shin; Yasuda, Tomoko [Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606 (United States); Yang, Y.-S. [Department of Biological Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Williams, Frederick E.; Liu, M.-Y.; Suiko, Masahito [Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606 (United States); Carter, Glendora [School of Mathematics and Science, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond, VA 23285 (United States); Liu, M.-C. [Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606 (United States)], E-mail: ming.liu@utoledo.edu

2008-08-29

Cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) constitute a family of Phase II detoxification enzymes that are involved in the protection against potentially harmful xenobiotics as well as the regulation and homeostasis of endogenous compounds. Compared with humans and rodents, the zebrafish serves as an excellent model for studying the role of SULTs in the detoxification of environmental pollutants including environmental estrogens. By searching the expressed sequence tag database, two zebrafish cDNAs encoding putative SULTs were identified. Sequence analysis indicated that these two putative zebrafish SULTs belong to the SULT1 gene family. The recombinant form of these two novel zebrafish SULTs, designated SULT1 ST7 and SULT1 ST8, were expressed using the pGEX-2TK glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene fusion system and purified from transformed BL21 (DE3) cells. Purified GST-fusion protein form of SULT1 ST7 and SULT1 ST8 exhibited strong sulfating activities toward environmental estrogens, particularly hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), among various endogenous and xenobiotic compounds tested as substrates. pH-dependence experiments showed that SULT1 ST7 and SULT1 ST8 displayed pH optima at 6.5 and 8.0, respectively. Kinetic parameters of the two enzymes in catalyzing the sulfation of catechin and chlorogenic acid as well as 3-chloro-4-biphenylol were determined. Developmental expression experiments revealed distinct patterns of expression of SULT1 ST7 and SULT1 ST8 during embryonic development and throughout the larval stage onto maturity.

Altools: a user friendly NGS data analyser.

Science.gov (United States)

Camiolo, Salvatore; Sablok, Gaurav; Porceddu, Andrea

2016-02-17

Genotyping by re-sequencing has become a standard approach to estimate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) diversity, haplotype structure and the biodiversity and has been defined as an efficient approach to address geographical population genomics of several model species. To access core SNPs and insertion/deletion polymorphisms (indels), and to infer the phyletic patterns of speciation, most such approaches map short reads to the reference genome. Variant calling is important to establish patterns of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for quantitative trait loci (QTLs), and to determine the population and haplotype structure based on SNPs, thus allowing content-dependent trait and evolutionary analysis. Several tools have been developed to investigate such polymorphisms as well as more complex genomic rearrangements such as copy number variations, presence/absence variations and large deletions. The programs available for this purpose have different strengths (e.g. accuracy, sensitivity and specificity) and weaknesses (e.g. low computation speed, complex installation procedure and absence of a user-friendly interface). Here we introduce Altools, a software package that is easy to install and use, which allows the precise detection of polymorphisms and structural variations. Altools uses the BWA/SAMtools/VarScan pipeline to call SNPs and indels, and the dnaCopy algorithm to achieve genome segmentation according to local coverage differences in order to identify copy number variations. It also uses insert size information from the alignment of paired-end reads and detects potential large deletions. A double mapping approach (BWA/BLASTn) identifies precise breakpoints while ensuring rapid elaboration. Finally, Altools implements several processes that yield deeper insight into the genes affected by the detected polymorphisms. Altools was used to analyse both simulated and real next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and performed satisfactorily in terms of

Three members of Medicago truncatula ST family are ubiquitous during development and modulated by nutritional status (MtST1) and dehydration (MtST2 and MtST3).

Science.gov (United States)

Albornos, Lucía; Martín, Ignacio; Labrador, Emilia; Dopico, Berta

2017-07-10

ShooT specific/Specific Tissue (ST) belong to a protein family of unknown function characterized by the DUF2775 domain and produced in specific taxonomic plant families, mainly Fabaceae and Asteraceae, with the Medicago truncatula ST family being the largest. The putative roles proposed for this family are cell elongation, biotic interactions, abiotic stress and N reserve. The aim of this work was to go deeper into the role of three M. truncatula ST proteins, namely ST1, ST2 and ST3. Our starting hypothesis was that each member of the family could perform a specific role, and hence, each ST gene would be subjected to a different type of regulation. The search for cis-acting regulatory elements (CREs) in silico in pST1, pST2 and pST3 promoters showed prevalence of tissue/organ specific motifs, especially root- and seed-specific ones. Light, hormone, biotic and abiotic related motifs were also present. None of these pSTs showed the same combination of CREs, or presented the same activity pattern. In general, pST activity was associated with the vascular cylinder, mainly in roots. Promoter activation was highly specific and dissimilar during reproductive development. The ST1, ST2 and ST3 transcripts accumulated in most of the organs and developmental stages analysed - decreasing with age - and expression was higher in the roots than in the aerial parts and more abundant in light-grown plants. The effect of the different treatments on transcript accumulation indicated that ST1 behaved differently from ST2 and ST3, mainly in response to several hormones and dehydration treatments (NaCl or mannitol), upon which ST1 transcript levels decreased and ST2 and ST3 levels increased. Finally, the ST1 protein was located in the cell wall whereas ST2 and ST3 were present both in the cytoplasm and in the cell wall. The ST proteins studied are ubiquitous proteins that could perform distinct/complementary roles in plant biology as they are encoded by differentially regulated genes

A simple design rule for 1st order form-closure of underactuated hands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Krut

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The property of form-closure of a grasp, as generally defined in the literature, is based on the assumption that contact points between the hand and the object are fixed in space. However, this assumption is false when considering a grasp exerted by an underactuated hand, since in this case, it is not possible to control the position of each phalanx independently. In spite of researchers' interest in studying form-closure, none of the available published work on this subject takes into consideration the particular kinematics of underactuated hands. Actually, there are few available tools to qualify or quantify the stability of a grasp exerted by an underactuated hand, thus the design of underactuated hands mostly results from an intuitive approach. This paper aims to reduce this gap.

A classification of underactuated hands is proposed, based on the expression of contact forces. This highlights the influence of non-backdrivable mechanisms introduced in the transmission of the closing motion of the hand on the stability of the grasp. The way to extend the original definition of form-closure to underactuated grasps is illustrated. A more general definition is formulated, which checks the stability of the set "object + hand". Using this new definition, a simple rule is proposed for designing a hand capable of achieving 1st order form-closed grasps.

This paper was presented at the IFToMM/ASME International Workshop on Underactuated Grasping (UG2010, 19 August 2010, Montréal, Canada.

Current Opportunities and Challenges of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of DNA; Determining Health and Diseases

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Robert, Vincent Albert Romain Ghislain

2016-01-01

Many publications have demonstrated the huge potential of NGS methods in terms of new species discovery, environment monitoring, ecological studies, etc. [24,35,92,97,103]. Undoubtedly, NGS will become one the major tools for species identification and for routine diagnostic use. While read lengths

A Fast Solution to NGS Library Prep with Low Nanogram DNA Input

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Pingfang; Lohman, Gregory J.S.; Cantor, Eric; Langhorst, Bradley W.; Yigit, Erbay; Apone, Lynne M.; Munafo, Daniela B.; Stewart, Fiona J.; Evans, Thomas C.; Nichols, Nicole; Dimalanta, Eileen T.; Davis, Theodore B.; Sumner, Christine

2013-01-01

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has significantly impacted human genetics, enabling a comprehensive characterization of the human genome as well as a better understanding of many genomic abnormalities. By delivering massive DNA sequences at unprecedented speed and cost, NGS promises to make personalized medicine a reality in the foreseeable future. To date, library construction with clinical samples has been a challenge, primarily due to the limited quantities of sample DNA available. Our objective here was to overcome this challenge by developing NEBNext® Ultra DNA Library Prep Kit, a fast library preparation method. Specifically, we streamlined the workflow utilizing novel NEBNext reagents and adaptors, including a new DNA polymerase that has been optimized to minimize GC bias. As a result of this work, we have developed a simple method for library construction from an amount of DNA as low as 5 ng, which can be used for both intact and fragmented DNA. Moreover, the workflow is compatible with multiple NGS platforms.

Fire fighting capability assessment program Bruce B NGS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-05-01

This is a report on the completion of work relating to the assessment of the capability of Bruce B NGS to cope with a large fire incident. This included an evaluation of an exercise scenario that would simulate a large fire incident and of their fire plans and procedures. Finally the execution of fire plans by Bruce B NGS, as demonstrated by their application of human and material resources during a simulated large fire, was observed. The fire fighting equipment and the personal protective clothing and associated equipment that was in use was all of good quality and in good condition. There had also been notable improvement in communications equipment. Similarly, the human resources that had been assigned to fire fighting and rescue crews and that were available were more than adequate. Use of a logical incident command system, and the adoption of proper policy and procedures for radio communications were equally significant improvements. Practice should correct the breakdowns that occurred in these areas during the exercise. As well, there remains a need for the development of policy on fire fighting and rescue operations with more depth and clarity. In summary, the key point to be recognized is the degree of improvement that has been realized since the previous evaluation in 1990. Clearly the Emergency Response Teams organization of Bruce B NGS is evolving into an effective fire fighting force. Providing that the deficiencies identified in this report are addressed satisfactorily, Fire Cross is confident that the organization will have the capability to provide rescue and fire fighting services that will satisfy the need. 2 figs

Targeted NGS meets expert clinical characterization: Efficient diagnosis of spastic paraplegia type 11

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Castro-Fernández

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Next generation sequencing (NGS is transforming the diagnostic approach for neurological disorders, since it allows simultaneous analysis of hundreds of genes, even based on just a broad, syndromic patient categorization. However, such an approach bears a high risk of incidental and uncertain genetic findings. We report a patient with spastic paraplegia whose comprehensive neurological and imaging examination raised a high clinical suspicion of SPG11. Thus, although our NGS pipeline for this group of disorders includes gene panel and exome sequencing, in this sample only the spatacsin gene region was captured and subsequently searched for mutations. Two probably pathogenic variants were quickly and clearly identified, confirming the diagnosis of SPG11. This case illustrates how combination of expert clinical characterization with highly oriented NGS protocols leads to a fast, cost-efficient diagnosis, minimizing the risk of findings with unclear significance.

1st Roman Young Researchers Meeting Proceedings

CERN Document Server

Cannuccia, E; Pietrobon, D; Stellato, F; Veneziani, M

2009-01-01

During the last few decades scientists have been able to test the bases of the physics paradigms, where the quantum mechanics has to match the cosmological scales. Between the extremes of this scenario, biological phenomena and their complexity take place, challenging the laws we observe in the atomic and sub-atomic world. In order to explore the details of this world, new huge experimental facilities are under construction. These projects involve people coming from several countries and give physicists the opportunity to work together with chemists, biologists and other scientists. The Roman Young Researchers Meeting is a conference, organised by Ph. D. students and young postdocs connected to the Roman area. It is aimed primarily at graduate students and post-docs, working in physics. The 1st conference has been held on the 21st of July 2009 at the University of Roma Tor Vergata. It was organised in three sessions, devoted to Astrophysics and Cosmology, Soft and Condensed Matter Physics and Theoretical and ...

A Web-Hosted R Workflow to Simplify and Automate the Analysis of 16S NGS Data

Science.gov (United States)

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) produces large data sets that include tens-of-thousands of sequence reads per sample. For analysis of bacterial diversity, 16S NGS sequences are typically analyzed in a workflow that containing best-of-breed bioinformatics packages that may levera...

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for assessment of microbial water quality: current progress, challenges, and future opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, BoonFei; Ng, Charmaine; Nshimyimana, Jean Pierre; Loh, Lay Leng; Gin, Karina Y-H; Thompson, Janelle R

2015-01-01

Water quality is an emergent property of a complex system comprised of interacting microbial populations and introduced microbial and chemical contaminants. Studies leveraging next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are providing new insights into the ecology of microbially mediated processes that influence fresh water quality such as algal blooms, contaminant biodegradation, and pathogen dissemination. In addition, sequencing methods targeting small subunit (SSU) rRNA hypervariable regions have allowed identification of signature microbial species that serve as bioindicators for sewage contamination in these environments. Beyond amplicon sequencing, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses of microbial communities in fresh water environments reveal the genetic capabilities and interplay of waterborne microorganisms, shedding light on the mechanisms for production and biodegradation of toxins and other contaminants. This review discusses the challenges and benefits of applying NGS-based methods to water quality research and assessment. We will consider the suitability and biases inherent in the application of NGS as a screening tool for assessment of biological risks and discuss the potential and limitations for direct quantitative interpretation of NGS data. Secondly, we will examine case studies from recent literature where NGS based methods have been applied to topics in water quality assessment, including development of bioindicators for sewage pollution and microbial source tracking, characterizing the distribution of toxin and antibiotic resistance genes in water samples, and investigating mechanisms of biodegradation of harmful pollutants that threaten water quality. Finally, we provide a short review of emerging NGS platforms and their potential applications to the next generation of water quality assessment tools.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS for assessment of microbial water quality: current progress, challenges, and future opportunities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BoonFei eTan

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Water quality is an emergent property of a complex system comprised of interacting microbial populations and introduced microbial and chemical contaminants. Studies leveraging next-generation sequencing (NGS technologies are providing new insights into the ecology of microbially mediated processes that influence fresh water quality such as algal blooms, contaminant biodegradation, and pathogen dissemination. In addition, sequencing methods targeting small subunit (SSU rRNA hypervariable regions have allowed identification of signature microbial species that serve as bioindicators for sewage contamination in these environments. Beyond amplicon sequencing, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses of microbial communities in fresh water environments reveal the genetic capabilities and interplay of waterborne microorganisms, shedding light on the mechanisms for production and biodegradation of toxins and other contaminants. This review discusses the challenges and benefits of applying NGS-based methods to water quality research and assessment. We will consider the suitability and biases inherent in the application of NGS as a screening tool for assessment of biological risks and discuss the potential and limitations for direct quantitative interpretation of NGS data. Secondly, we will examine case studies from recent literature where NGS based methods have been applied to topics in water quality assessment, including development of bioindicators for sewage pollution and microbial source tracking, characterizing the distribution of toxin and antibiotic resistance genes in water samples, and investigating mechanisms of biodegradation of harmful pollutants that threaten water quality. Finally, we provide a short review of emerging NGS platforms and their potential applications to the next generation of water quality assessment tools.

ngs.plot: Quick mining and visualization of next-generation sequencing data by integrating genomic databases.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Li; Shao, Ningyi; Liu, Xiaochuan; Nestler, Eric

2014-04-15

Understanding the relationship between the millions of functional DNA elements and their protein regulators, and how they work in conjunction to manifest diverse phenotypes, is key to advancing our understanding of the mammalian genome. Next-generation sequencing technology is now used widely to probe these protein-DNA interactions and to profile gene expression at a genome-wide scale. As the cost of DNA sequencing continues to fall, the interpretation of the ever increasing amount of data generated represents a considerable challenge. We have developed ngs.plot - a standalone program to visualize enrichment patterns of DNA-interacting proteins at functionally important regions based on next-generation sequencing data. We demonstrate that ngs.plot is not only efficient but also scalable. We use a few examples to demonstrate that ngs.plot is easy to use and yet very powerful to generate figures that are publication ready. We conclude that ngs.plot is a useful tool to help fill the gap between massive datasets and genomic information in this era of big sequencing data.

Idaho National Laboratory Quarterly Performance Analysis - 1st Quarter FY2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitchell, Lisbeth A. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-03-01

This report is published quarterly by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Quality and Performance Management Organization. The Department of Energy (DOE) Occurrence Reporting and Processing System (ORPS), as prescribed in DOE Order 232.2, “Occurrence Reporting and Processing of Operations Information,” requires a quarterly analysis of events, both reportable and not reportable, for the previous 12 months. This report is the analysis of 73 reportable events (27 from the 1St Qtr FY-15 and 46 from the prior three reporting quarters), as well as 38 other issue reports (including nine not reportable events and Significant Category A and B conditions reported during the1st Qtr FY-15) identified at INL during the past 12 months.

BioVLAB-MMIA-NGS: microRNA-mRNA integrated analysis using high-throughput sequencing data.

Science.gov (United States)

Chae, Heejoon; Rhee, Sungmin; Nephew, Kenneth P; Kim, Sun

2015-01-15

It is now well established that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in regulating gene expression in a sequence-specific manner, and genome-wide efforts are underway to predict known and novel miRNA targets. However, the integrated miRNA-mRNA analysis remains a major computational challenge, requiring powerful informatics systems and bioinformatics expertise. The objective of this study was to modify our widely recognized Web server for the integrated mRNA-miRNA analysis (MMIA) and its subsequent deployment on the Amazon cloud (BioVLAB-MMIA) to be compatible with high-throughput platforms, including next-generation sequencing (NGS) data (e.g. RNA-seq). We developed a new version called the BioVLAB-MMIA-NGS, deployed on both Amazon cloud and on a high-performance publicly available server called MAHA. By using NGS data and integrating various bioinformatics tools and databases, BioVLAB-MMIA-NGS offers several advantages. First, sequencing data is more accurate than array-based methods for determining miRNA expression levels. Second, potential novel miRNAs can be detected by using various computational methods for characterizing miRNAs. Third, because miRNA-mediated gene regulation is due to hybridization of an miRNA to its target mRNA, sequencing data can be used to identify many-to-many relationship between miRNAs and target genes with high accuracy. http://epigenomics.snu.ac.kr/biovlab_mmia_ngs/. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

NGS QC Toolkit: a toolkit for quality control of next generation sequencing data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ravi K Patel

Full Text Available Next generation sequencing (NGS technologies provide a high-throughput means to generate large amount of sequence data. However, quality control (QC of sequence data generated from these technologies is extremely important for meaningful downstream analysis. Further, highly efficient and fast processing tools are required to handle the large volume of datasets. Here, we have developed an application, NGS QC Toolkit, for quality check and filtering of high-quality data. This toolkit is a standalone and open source application freely available at http://www.nipgr.res.in/ngsqctoolkit.html. All the tools in the application have been implemented in Perl programming language. The toolkit is comprised of user-friendly tools for QC of sequencing data generated using Roche 454 and Illumina platforms, and additional tools to aid QC (sequence format converter and trimming tools and analysis (statistics tools. A variety of options have been provided to facilitate the QC at user-defined parameters. The toolkit is expected to be very useful for the QC of NGS data to facilitate better downstream analysis.

Proceedings of the 1st conference on nuclear structure data evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Firestone, R.B.; Shirley, V.S.; Dairiki, J.M.

1982-04-01

The 1st Conference on Nuclear Structure Data Evaluation was organized by the Isotopes Project of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in order to encourage the open discussion of the scientific aspects of ENSDF production and usage. Summaries of the roundtable discussion sessions, abstracts of the presented papers, and additional contributed papers are contained in these Proceedings

2015 NOAA NGS Topobathy Lidar DEM: Buzzards Bay Block3 (MA)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These data were collected and derived by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Remote Sensing Division using a Riegl VQ820G...

Evaluation of NGS and RT-PCR Methods for ALK Rearrangement in European NSCLC Patients: Results from the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Letovanec, Igor; Finn, Stephen; Zygoura, Panagiota; Smyth, Paul; Soltermann, Alex; Bubendorf, Lukas; Speel, Ernst-Jan; Marchetti, Antonio; Nonaka, Daisuke; Monkhorst, Kim; Hager, Henrik; Martorell, Miguel; Sejda, Aleksandra; Cheney, Richard; Hernandez-Losa, Javier; Verbeken, Eric; Weder, Walter; Savic, Spasenija; Di Lorito, Alessia; Navarro, Atilio; Felip, Enriqueta; Warth, Arne; Baas, Paul; Meldgaard, Peter; Blackhall, Fiona; Dingemans, Anne-Marie; Dienemann, Hendrik; Dziadziuszko, Rafal; Vansteenkiste, Johan; O'Brien, Cathal; Geiger, Thomas; Sherlock, Jon; Schageman, Jeoffrey; Dafni, Urania; Kammler, Roswitha; Kerr, Keith; Thunnissen, Erik; Stahel, Rolf; Peters, Solange

2018-03-01

The reported prevalence of ALK receptor tyrosine kinase gene (ALK) rearrangement in NSCLC ranges from 2% to 7%. The primary standard diagnostic method is fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Recently, immunohistochemistry (IHC) has also proved to be a reproducible and sensitive technique. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has also been advocated, and most recently, the advent of targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) for ALK and other fusions has become possible. This study compares anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) evaluation with all four techniques in resected NSCLC from the large European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape cohort. A total of 96 cases from the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape iBiobank, with any ALK immunoreactivity were examined by FISH, central RT-PCR, and NGS. An H-score higher than 120 defines IHC positivity. RNA was extracted from the same formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. For RT-PCR, primers covered the most frequent ALK translocations. For NGS, the Oncomine Solid Tumour Fusion Transcript Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA) was used. The concordance was assessed using the Cohen κ coefficient (two-sided α ≤ 5%). NGS provided results for 77 of the 95 cases tested (81.1%), whereas RT-PCR provided results for 77 of 96 (80.2%). Concordance occurred in 55 cases of the 60 cases tested with all four methods (43 ALK negative and 12 ALK positive). Using ALK copositivity for IHC and FISH as the criterion standard, we derived a sensitivity for RT-PCR/NGS of 70.0%/85.0%, with a specificity of 87.1%/79.0%. When either RT-PCR or NGS was combined with IHC, the sensitivity remained the same, whereas the specificity increased to 88.7% and 83.9% respectively. NGS evaluation with the Oncomine Solid Tumour Fusion transcript kit and RT-PCR proved to have high sensitivity and specificity, advocating their use in routine practice. For maximal sensitivity and specificity, ALK status should be

Reconstruction of mitogenomes by NGS and phylogenetic implications for leaf beetles.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Nan; Yin, Xinming; Zhao, Xincheng; Chen, Junhua; Yin, Jian

2017-11-30

Mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences are frequently used to infer phylogenetic relationships of insects at different taxonomic levels. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques are revolutionizing many fields of biology, and allow for acquisition of insect mitogenomes for large number of species simultaneously. In this study, 20 full or partial mitogenomes were sequenced from pooled genomic DNA samples by NGS for leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae). Combined with published mitogenome sequences, a higher level phylogeny of Chrysomelidae was reconstructed under maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference with different models and various data treatments. The results revealed support for a basal position of Bruchinae within Chrysomelidae. In addition, two major subfamily groupings were recovered: one including seven subfamilies, namely Donaciinae, Criocerinae, Spilopyrinae, Cassidinae, Cryptocephalinae, Chlamisinae and Eumolpinae, another containing a non-monophyletic Chrysomelinae and a monophyletic Galerucinae.

Capitalism and the New World Order of the 21st Century Age | Ugwu ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Post-Cold War Capitalists'-based Vision here being called a 'New World Order', especially, in its current practices, as it has been imposed on the rest of the world by the G8 nations and assisted by the World Bank, IMF, United Nations, WTO and NATO, is a 21st Century Imperialist Rule constantly being communicated to ...

Genome-based analysis of Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from German hospital patients, 2008-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Laura; Kaase, Martin; Pfeifer, Yvonne; Fuchs, Stephan; Reuss, Annicka; von Laer, Anja; Sin, Muna Abu; Korte-Berwanger, Miriam; Gatermann, Sören; Werner, Guido

2018-01-01

By using whole genome sequence data we aimed at describing a population snapshot of carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae isolated from hospitalized patients in Germany between 2008 and 2014. We selected a representative subset of 107 carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae clinical isolates possessing the four most prevalent carbapenemase types in Germany (KPC-2, KPC-3, OXA-48, NDM-1). Isolates were processed via illumina NGS. Data were analysed using different SNP-based mapping and de-novo assembly approaches. Relevant information was extracted from NGS data (antibiotic resistance determinants, wzi gene/ cps type, virulence genes). NGS data from the present study were also compared with 238 genome data from two previous international studies on K. pneumoniae. NGS-based analyses revealed a preferred prevalence of KPC-2-producing ST258 and KPC-3-producing ST512 isolates. OXA-48, being the most prevalent carbapenemase type in Germany, was associated with various K. pneumoniae strain types; most of them possessing IncL/M plasmid replicons suggesting a preferred dissemination of bla OXA-48 via this well-known plasmid type. Clusters ST15, ST147, ST258, and ST512 demonstrated an intermingled subset structure consisting of German and other European K. pneumoniae isolates. ST23 being the most frequent MLST type in Asia was found only once in Germany. This latter isolate contained an almost complete set of virulence genes and a K1 capsule suggesting occurrence of a hypervirulent ST23 strain producing OXA-48 in Germany. Our study results suggest prevalence of "classical" K. pneumonaie strain types associated with widely distributed carbapenemase genes such as ST258/KPC-2 or ST512/KPC-3 also in Germany. The finding of a supposed hypervirulent and OXA-48-producing ST23 K. pneumoniae isolates outside Asia is highly worrisome and requires intense molecular surveillance.

Comparison of Pickering NGS performance with world power reactors, 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buhay, S.

Pickering NGS performance is compared, in highly graphic form, with the perfomance of other nuclear power plants around the world. The four Pickering reactors score in the top six, rated by gross capacity factor. Major system suppliers for world power reactors above 500 MW are cataloged. (E.C.B.)

Demographic inferences from large-scale NGS data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Casper-Emil Tingskov

.g. human genetics. In this thesis, the three papers presented demonstrate the advantages of NGS data in the framework of population genetics for elucidating demographic inferences, important for understanding conservation efforts, selection and mutational burdens. In the first whole-genome study...... that the demographic history of the Inuit is the most extreme in terms of population size, of any human population. We identify a slight increase in the number of deleterious alleles because of this demographic history and support our results using simulations. We use this to show that the reduction in population size...

NGS Reveals Molecular Pathways Affected by Obesity and Weight Loss-Related Changes in miRNA Levels in Adipose Tissue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alina Kuryłowicz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Both obesity and weight loss may cause molecular changes in adipose tissue. This study aimed to characterize changes in adipose tissue miRNome in order to identify molecular pathways affected by obesity and weight changes. Next generation sequencing (NGS was applied to identify microRNAs (miRNAs differentially expressed in 47 samples of visceral (VAT and subcutaneous (SAT adipose tissues from normal-weight (N, obese (O and obese after surgery-induced weight loss (PO individuals. Subsequently miRNA expression was validated by real-time PCR in 197 adipose tissues and bioinformatics analysis performed to identify molecular pathways affected by obesity-related changes in miRNA expression. NGS identified 344 miRNAs expressed in adipose tissues with ≥5 reads per million. Using >2 and <−2 fold change as cut-offs we showed that the expression of 54 miRNAs differed significantly between VAT-O and SAT-O. Equally, between SAT-O and SAT-N, the expression of 20 miRNAs differed significantly, between SAT-PO and SAT-N the expression of 79 miRNAs differed significantly, and between SAT-PO and SAT-O, the expression of 61 miRNAs differed significantly. Ontological analyses disclosed several molecular pathways regulated by these miRNAs in adipose tissue. NGS-based miRNome analysis characterized changes of the miRNA profile of adipose tissue, which are associated with changes of weight possibly responsible for a differential regulation of molecular pathways in adipose tissue when the individual is obese and after the individual has lost weight.

tropiTree: An NGS-Based EST-SSR Resource for 24 Tropical Tree Species

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Joanne R.; Hedley, Peter E.; Cardle, Linda; Dancey, Siobhan; Morris, Jenny; Booth, Allan; Odee, David; Mwaura, Lucy; Omondi, William; Angaine, Peter; Machua, Joseph; Muchugi, Alice; Milne, Iain; Kindt, Roeland; Jamnadass, Ramni; Dawson, Ian K.

2014-01-01

The development of genetic tools for non-model organisms has been hampered by cost, but advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) have created new opportunities. In ecological research, this raises the prospect for developing molecular markers to simultaneously study important genetic processes such as gene flow in multiple non-model plant species within complex natural and anthropogenic landscapes. Here, we report the use of bar-coded multiplexed paired-end Illumina NGS for the de novo development of expressed sequence tag-derived simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers at low cost for a range of 24 tree species. Each chosen tree species is important in complex tropical agroforestry systems where little is currently known about many genetic processes. An average of more than 5,000 EST-SSRs was identified for each of the 24 sequenced species, whereas prior to analysis 20 of the species had fewer than 100 nucleotide sequence citations. To make results available to potential users in a suitable format, we have developed an open-access, interactive online database, tropiTree (http://bioinf.hutton.ac.uk/tropiTree), which has a range of visualisation and search facilities, and which is a model for the efficient presentation and application of NGS data. PMID:25025376

Non-Aqueous Titration Method for Determining Suppressor Concentration in the MCU Next Generation Solvent (NGS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor-Pashow, Kathryn M. L.; Jones, Daniel H.

2017-01-01

A non-aqueous titration method has been used for quantifying the suppressor concentration in the MCU solvent hold tank (SHT) monthly samples since the Next Generation Solvent (NGS) was implemented in 2013. The titration method measures the concentration of the NGS suppressor (TiDG) as well as the residual tri-n-octylamine (TOA) that is a carryover from the previous solvent. As the TOA concentration has decreased over time, it has become difficult to resolve the TiDG equivalence point as the TOA equivalence point has moved closer. In recent samples, the TiDG equivalence point could not be resolved, and therefore, the TiDG concentration was determined by subtracting the TOA concentration as measured by semi-volatile organic analysis (SVOA) from the total base concentration as measured by titration. In order to improve the titration method so that the TiDG concentration can be measured directly, without the need for the SVOA data, a new method has been developed that involves spiking of the sample with additional TOA to further separate the two equivalence points in the titration. This method has been demonstrated on four recent SHT samples and comparison to results obtained using the SVOA TOA subtraction method shows good agreement. Therefore, it is recommended that the titration procedure be revised to include the TOA spike addition, and this to become the primary method for quantifying the TiDG.

Non-Aqueous Titration Method for Determining Suppressor Concentration in the MCU Next Generation Solvent (NGS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor-Pashow, Kathryn M. L. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Jones, Daniel H. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-10-23

A non-aqueous titration method has been used for quantifying the suppressor concentration in the MCU solvent hold tank (SHT) monthly samples since the Next Generation Solvent (NGS) was implemented in 2013. The titration method measures the concentration of the NGS suppressor (TiDG) as well as the residual tri-n-octylamine (TOA) that is a carryover from the previous solvent. As the TOA concentration has decreased over time, it has become difficult to resolve the TiDG equivalence point as the TOA equivalence point has moved closer. In recent samples, the TiDG equivalence point could not be resolved, and therefore, the TiDG concentration was determined by subtracting the TOA concentration as measured by semi-volatile organic analysis (SVOA) from the total base concentration as measured by titration. In order to improve the titration method so that the TiDG concentration can be measured directly, without the need for the SVOA data, a new method has been developed that involves spiking of the sample with additional TOA to further separate the two equivalence points in the titration. This method has been demonstrated on four recent SHT samples and comparison to results obtained using the SVOA TOA subtraction method shows good agreement. Therefore, it is recommended that the titration procedure be revised to include the TOA spike addition, and this to become the primary method for quantifying the TiDG.

Remotely controlled repairs at Douglas Point NGS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broad, Les

In September, 1977, leakage of heavy water at a rate of 125 kg/hr was detected in an area of the Douglas Point NGS reactor vault below the calandria known as the lower labyrinth. Radiation in the area ranges up to 5000 R/hr and the only ready access was through four 75 mm inspection ports that open into the moderator room. Remote-controlled equipment was designed and built to diagnose the problems and carry out repairs. All damaged piping was fixed, supports were replaced as needed, and system vibration was reduced. The work was done with no injuries and little radiation dose

CDC WONDER: Population - Bridged-Race July 1st Estimates

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Population - Bridged-Race July 1st Estimates online databases report bridged-race population estimates of the July 1st resident population of the United States,...

A case study for cloud based high throughput analysis of NGS data using the globus genomics system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krithika Bhuvaneshwar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Next generation sequencing (NGS technologies produce massive amounts of data requiring a powerful computational infrastructure, high quality bioinformatics software, and skilled personnel to operate the tools. We present a case study of a practical solution to this data management and analysis challenge that simplifies terabyte scale data handling and provides advanced tools for NGS data analysis. These capabilities are implemented using the “Globus Genomics” system, which is an enhanced Galaxy workflow system made available as a service that offers users the capability to process and transfer data easily, reliably and quickly to address end-to-endNGS analysis requirements. The Globus Genomics system is built on Amazon's cloud computing infrastructure. The system takes advantage of elastic scaling of compute resources to run multiple workflows in parallel and it also helps meet the scale-out analysis needs of modern translational genomics research.

Draft Genome Sequences of Staphylococcus aureus AMRF1 (ST22) and AMRF2 (ST672), Ocular Methicillin-Resistant Isolates

KAUST Repository

Velusamy, Nithya

2014-03-20

Sequence type 22 (ST22) and ST672 are the two major emerging clones of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in India. ST672 strains were found to cause severe ocular infections. We report the draft genome sequences of two emerging strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus, AMRF1 (ST22) and AMRF2 (ST672), isolated from patients with ocular infections.

Draft Genome Sequences of Staphylococcus aureus AMRF1 (ST22) and AMRF2 (ST672), Ocular Methicillin-Resistant Isolates

KAUST Repository

Velusamy, Nithya; Prakash, Logambiga; Neelamegam, Sivakumar; Antony, Aju; Prajna, Lalitha; Mohankumar, Vidyarani; Devarajan, Bharanidharan

2014-01-01

Sequence type 22 (ST22) and ST672 are the two major emerging clones of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in India. ST672 strains were found to cause severe ocular infections. We report the draft genome sequences of two emerging strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus, AMRF1 (ST22) and AMRF2 (ST672), isolated from patients with ocular infections.

AECB staff annual report on Pickering NGS for the year 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-06-01

This report presents a review of major licensing issues and the operational performance of Pickering NGS-A (Units 1-4) and Pickering NGS-B (Units 5-8) by the staff of the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) during 1989. Operations are monitored to ensure compliance with licensing requirements. This report is limited to those aspects that AECB staff consider to have particular safety significance. The number of infractions of the operating licence and the AECB Regulations doubled in 1989 compared to 1988. Three workers were exposed to radiation doses in excess of the regulatory limits. The AECB also found inadequate procedural compliance and an unacceptable level of housekeeping. Performance also requires improvement in response to AECB Health Physics appraisals; surveillance of systems by the Technical Section; chemical control performance; response to outstanding AECB action items; availability of special safety systems; operating memos, jumper records, call-ups and deficiency reports in effect; and fire fighting capability. Ontario Hydro has initiated a number of programs that are expected to result in improvements in these areas: an in-service station quality improvement plan; a program to improve and give assurance of compliance with the AECB Regulations, the operating licenses and the Operating Policies and Principles; a housekeeping and material condition improvement plan; and an action plan undertaken following radiation over-exposures. Given adequate resources and management support these programs should result in a noticeable improvement in station performance in 1990

RAP: RNA-Seq Analysis Pipeline, a new cloud-based NGS web application.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Antonio, Mattia; D'Onorio De Meo, Paolo; Pallocca, Matteo; Picardi, Ernesto; D'Erchia, Anna Maria; Calogero, Raffaele A; Castrignanò, Tiziana; Pesole, Graziano

2015-01-01

The study of RNA has been dramatically improved by the introduction of Next Generation Sequencing platforms allowing massive and cheap sequencing of selected RNA fractions, also providing information on strand orientation (RNA-Seq). The complexity of transcriptomes and of their regulative pathways make RNA-Seq one of most complex field of NGS applications, addressing several aspects of the expression process (e.g. identification and quantification of expressed genes and transcripts, alternative splicing and polyadenylation, fusion genes and trans-splicing, post-transcriptional events, etc.). In order to provide researchers with an effective and friendly resource for analyzing RNA-Seq data, we present here RAP (RNA-Seq Analysis Pipeline), a cloud computing web application implementing a complete but modular analysis workflow. This pipeline integrates both state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools for RNA-Seq analysis and in-house developed scripts to offer to the user a comprehensive strategy for data analysis. RAP is able to perform quality checks (adopting FastQC and NGS QC Toolkit), identify and quantify expressed genes and transcripts (with Tophat, Cufflinks and HTSeq), detect alternative splicing events (using SpliceTrap) and chimeric transcripts (with ChimeraScan). This pipeline is also able to identify splicing junctions and constitutive or alternative polyadenylation sites (implementing custom analysis modules) and call for statistically significant differences in genes and transcripts expression, splicing pattern and polyadenylation site usage (using Cuffdiff2 and DESeq). Through a user friendly web interface, the RAP workflow can be suitably customized by the user and it is automatically executed on our cloud computing environment. This strategy allows to access to bioinformatics tools and computational resources without specific bioinformatics and IT skills. RAP provides a set of tabular and graphical results that can be helpful to browse, filter and export

Bruce NGS a loss of flow analysis for effectiveness of level 2 defence-in-depth provisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Won, W.; Jiang, Y.; Kwee, M.; Xue, J.

2014-01-01

The concept of defence-in-depth is applied to CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) reactor designs and operations to provide series of levels of defence to prevent accidents progressing and to provide protection for reactor and public safety. The level 2 defence-in-depth provisions are designed to detect and intercept deviation from normal operation in order to prevent anticipated operating occurrences (AOOs) from escalating to accident conditions, and to return the plant to a state of normal operations, according to the Canada Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulatory document RD-337. Historically, safety analysis has focused on the effectiveness of level 3 defence-in-depth provisions in accident conditions, and the effectiveness of level 2 defence-in-depth has not been assessed. In this study, the effectiveness of Level 2 defence-in-depth is assessed for loss of flow (LOF) events for Bruce Nuclear Generating Station (NGS) A reactors. The level 2 defence-in-depth in Bruce NGS A design is identified to be the stepback function of reactor regulating system (RRS). The behavior of RRS stepback following the initiation of loss of flow event is simulated using RFSP/TUF/RRS - em coupled code. The behavior of full system and single channel is simulated and assessed against the acceptance criteria - fitness for service of systems, structures and components (SSCs). (author)

Bruce NGS a loss of flow analysis for effectiveness of level 2 defence-in-depth provisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Won, W. [AMEC NSS, Toronto, ON (Canada); Jiang, Y.; Kwee, M.; Xue, J. [Bruce Power, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2014-07-01

The concept of defence-in-depth is applied to CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) reactor designs and operations to provide series of levels of defence to prevent accidents progressing and to provide protection for reactor and public safety. The level 2 defence-in-depth provisions are designed to detect and intercept deviation from normal operation in order to prevent anticipated operating occurrences (AOOs) from escalating to accident conditions, and to return the plant to a state of normal operations, according to the Canada Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulatory document RD-337. Historically, safety analysis has focused on the effectiveness of level 3 defence-in-depth provisions in accident conditions, and the effectiveness of level 2 defence-in-depth has not been assessed. In this study, the effectiveness of Level 2 defence-in-depth is assessed for loss of flow (LOF) events for Bruce Nuclear Generating Station (NGS) A reactors. The level 2 defence-in-depth in Bruce NGS A design is identified to be the stepback function of reactor regulating system (RRS). The behavior of RRS stepback following the initiation of loss of flow event is simulated using RFSP/TUF/RRS{sub -}em coupled code. The behavior of full system and single channel is simulated and assessed against the acceptance criteria - fitness for service of systems, structures and components (SSCs). (author)

ChimericSeq: An open-source, user-friendly interface for analyzing NGS data to identify and characterize viral-host chimeric sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Shieh, Fwu-Shan; Jongeneel, Patrick; Steffen, Jamin D.; Lin, Selena; Jain, Surbhi; Song, Wei

2017-01-01

Identification of viral integration sites has been important in understanding the pathogenesis and progression of diseases associated with particular viral infections. The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has enabled researchers to understand the impact that viral integration has on the host, such as tumorigenesis. Current computational methods to analyze NGS data of virus-host junction sites have been limited in terms of their accessibility to a broad user base. In this study, we developed a software application (named ChimericSeq), that is the first program of its kind to offer a graphical user interface, compatibility with both Windows and Mac operating systems, and optimized for effectively identifying and annotating virus-host chimeric reads within NGS data. In addition, ChimericSeq’s pipeline implements custom filtering to remove artifacts and detect reads with quantitative analytical reporting to provide functional significance to discovered integration sites. The improved accessibility of ChimericSeq through a GUI interface in both Windows and Mac has potential to expand NGS analytical support to a broader spectrum of the scientific community. PMID:28829778

ChimericSeq: An open-source, user-friendly interface for analyzing NGS data to identify and characterize viral-host chimeric sequences.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fwu-Shan Shieh

Full Text Available Identification of viral integration sites has been important in understanding the pathogenesis and progression of diseases associated with particular viral infections. The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS has enabled researchers to understand the impact that viral integration has on the host, such as tumorigenesis. Current computational methods to analyze NGS data of virus-host junction sites have been limited in terms of their accessibility to a broad user base. In this study, we developed a software application (named ChimericSeq, that is the first program of its kind to offer a graphical user interface, compatibility with both Windows and Mac operating systems, and optimized for effectively identifying and annotating virus-host chimeric reads within NGS data. In addition, ChimericSeq's pipeline implements custom filtering to remove artifacts and detect reads with quantitative analytical reporting to provide functional significance to discovered integration sites. The improved accessibility of ChimericSeq through a GUI interface in both Windows and Mac has potential to expand NGS analytical support to a broader spectrum of the scientific community.

The legitimacy of Orders of St. John : a historical and legal analysis and case study of a para-religious phenomenon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoegen Dijkhof, Hendrik Johannes

2006-01-01

Chapter I (Introduction) starts with an orientation on problems caused by the co-existence of a confusing number of Orders of St. John, all basing their lineage on the original Order, formed around 1050, which would never have ended. The much energy consuming issue of recognised versus false Orders

Leakage rate from LOCA-aged inflatable airlock seals Pickering NGS 'B' personnel doors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fayle, G.W.; Cordingley, D.C.

1985-01-01

In order to demonstrate to the Atomic Energy Control Board that an air-lock inflatable seal will function after a LOCA exposure, an inflatable seal intended for personnel doors at the Pickering NGS 'B' was exposed to the thermal/moisture conditions of the LOCA requirement. While attending to determine the post-LOCA leakage rate it was found that additional leaks developed during each post-LOCA inflation/deflation cycle. The seal had been significantly and irreparably deteriorated by the LOCA exposure. The test has demonstrated that this type of LOCA exposed seal should not be expected to withstand either additional pressure above 207 kPa or additional inflation/deflation cycling. A higher inflation pressure and/or cycling will reduce the likelihood of a post-LOCA seal retaining an inflation pressure sufficient to prevent leakage across the seal

Organ accumulation and subcellular location of Cicer arietinum ST1 protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Albornos, Lucía; Cabrera, Javier; Hernández-Nistal, Josefina; Martín, Ignacio; Labrador, Emilia; Dopico, Berta

2014-07-01

The ST (ShooT Specific) proteins are a new family of proteins characterized by a signal peptide, tandem repeats of 25/26 amino acids, and a domain of unknown function (DUF2775), whose presence is limited to a few families of dicotyledonous plants, mainly Fabaceae and Asteraceae. Their function remains unknown, although involvement in plant growth, fruit morphogenesis or in biotic and abiotic interactions have been suggested. This work is focused on ST1, a Cicer arietinum ST protein. We established the protein accumulation in different tissues and organs of chickpea seedlings and plants and its subcellular localization, which could indicate the possible function of ST1. The raising of specific antibodies against ST1 protein revealed that its accumulation in epicotyls and radicles was related to their elongation rate. Its pattern of tissue location in cotyledons during seed formation and early seed germination, as well as its localization in the perivascular fibres of epicotyls and radicles, indicated a possible involvement in seed germination and seedling growth. ST1 protein appears both inside the cell and in the cell wall. This double subcellular localization was found in every organ in which the ST1 protein was detected: seeds, cotyledons and seedling epicotyls and radicles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using GC-FID to Quantify the Removal of 4-sec-Butylphenol from NGS Solvent by NaOH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sloop, Jr., Frederick V. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Moyer, Bruce A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2014-12-01

A caustic wash of the solvent used in the Next-Generation Caustic-Side Solvent Extraction (NG-CSSX) process was found to remove the modifier breakdown product 4-sec-butylphenol (SBP) with varying efficiency depending on the aqueous NaOH concentration. Recent efforts at ORNL have aimed at characterizing the flowsheet chemistry and reducing the technical uncertainties of the NG-CSSX process. One technical uncertainty has been the efficacy of caustic washing of the solvent for the removal of lipophilic anions, in particular, the efficient removal of SBP, an important degradation product of the solvent modifier, Cs-7SB. In order to make this determination, it was necessary to develop a sensitive and reliable analytical technique for the detection and quantitation of SBP. This report recounts the development of a GC-FID-based (Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detection) technique for analyzing SBP and the utilization of the technique to subsequently confirm the ability of the caustic wash to efficiently remove SBP from the Next Generation Solvent (NGS) used in NG-CSSX. In particular, the developed technique was used to monitor the amount of SBP removed from a simple solvent and the full NGS by contact with sodium hydroxide wash solutions over a range of concentrations. The results show that caustic washing removes SBP with effectively the same efficiency as it did in the original Caustic-Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) process.

A framework for organizing cancer-related variations from existing databases, publications and NGS data using a High-performance Integrated Virtual Environment (HIVE).

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Tsung-Jung; Shamsaddini, Amirhossein; Pan, Yang; Smith, Krista; Crichton, Daniel J; Simonyan, Vahan; Mazumder, Raja

2014-01-01

Years of sequence feature curation by UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, PIR-PSD, NCBI-CDD, RefSeq and other database biocurators has led to a rich repository of information on functional sites of genes and proteins. This information along with variation-related annotation can be used to scan human short sequence reads from next-generation sequencing (NGS) pipelines for presence of non-synonymous single-nucleotide variations (nsSNVs) that affect functional sites. This and similar workflows are becoming more important because thousands of NGS data sets are being made available through projects such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and researchers want to evaluate their biomarkers in genomic data. BioMuta, an integrated sequence feature database, provides a framework for automated and manual curation and integration of cancer-related sequence features so that they can be used in NGS analysis pipelines. Sequence feature information in BioMuta is collected from the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC), ClinVar, UniProtKB and through biocuration of information available from publications. Additionally, nsSNVs identified through automated analysis of NGS data from TCGA are also included in the database. Because of the petabytes of data and information present in NGS primary repositories, a platform HIVE (High-performance Integrated Virtual Environment) for storing, analyzing, computing and curating NGS data and associated metadata has been developed. Using HIVE, 31 979 nsSNVs were identified in TCGA-derived NGS data from breast cancer patients. All variations identified through this process are stored in a Curated Short Read archive, and the nsSNVs from the tumor samples are included in BioMuta. Currently, BioMuta has 26 cancer types with 13 896 small-scale and 308 986 large-scale study-derived variations. Integration of variation data allows identifications of novel or common nsSNVs that can be prioritized in validation studies. Database URL: BioMuta: http

RESTAURANT AND CAFETERIA SERVICES ARRANGEMENTS FOR MAY 1ST, 2001

CERN Multimedia

Restaurant Supervisory Committee

2001-01-01

1. Restaurants As Tuesday, May 1st, is an official CERN holiday, restaurants no 2 (DSR : Bldg. 504 - Meyrin) and no 3 (Avenance : Bldg. 866 - Prévessin) will be closed as from Monday, April 30 at 18h00. They will reopen on Wednesday, May 2nd at 6h30 (rest. no 2) and at 7h00 (rest. no 3). On May 1st, a limited service will be provided by restaurant no. 1 (COOP : Bldg. 501 - Meyrin) from 8h00 to 21h00 with hot meals served from 11h30 to 14h00 and from 18h00 to 19h30. 2. Satellite cafétérias All satellite cafétérias will be closed on May 1st. They will all operate normally on Monday, April 30, except for buildings 17 (Meyrin), 865 and 892 (Prévessin) which will be closed. 3. Newspaper stand The newspaper kiosque in building 501 will be closed on May 1st.

MutAid: Sanger and NGS Based Integrated Pipeline for Mutation Identification, Validation and Annotation in Human Molecular Genetics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ram Vinay Pandey

Full Text Available Traditional Sanger sequencing as well as Next-Generation Sequencing have been used for the identification of disease causing mutations in human molecular research. The majority of currently available tools are developed for research and explorative purposes and often do not provide a complete, efficient, one-stop solution. As the focus of currently developed tools is mainly on NGS data analysis, no integrative solution for the analysis of Sanger data is provided and consequently a one-stop solution to analyze reads from both sequencing platforms is not available. We have therefore developed a new pipeline called MutAid to analyze and interpret raw sequencing data produced by Sanger or several NGS sequencing platforms. It performs format conversion, base calling, quality trimming, filtering, read mapping, variant calling, variant annotation and analysis of Sanger and NGS data under a single platform. It is capable of analyzing reads from multiple patients in a single run to create a list of potential disease causing base substitutions as well as insertions and deletions. MutAid has been developed for expert and non-expert users and supports four sequencing platforms including Sanger, Illumina, 454 and Ion Torrent. Furthermore, for NGS data analysis, five read mappers including BWA, TMAP, Bowtie, Bowtie2 and GSNAP and four variant callers including GATK-HaplotypeCaller, SAMTOOLS, Freebayes and VarScan2 pipelines are supported. MutAid is freely available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/mutaid.

MutAid: Sanger and NGS Based Integrated Pipeline for Mutation Identification, Validation and Annotation in Human Molecular Genetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Ram Vinay; Pabinger, Stephan; Kriegner, Albert; Weinhäusel, Andreas

2016-01-01

Traditional Sanger sequencing as well as Next-Generation Sequencing have been used for the identification of disease causing mutations in human molecular research. The majority of currently available tools are developed for research and explorative purposes and often do not provide a complete, efficient, one-stop solution. As the focus of currently developed tools is mainly on NGS data analysis, no integrative solution for the analysis of Sanger data is provided and consequently a one-stop solution to analyze reads from both sequencing platforms is not available. We have therefore developed a new pipeline called MutAid to analyze and interpret raw sequencing data produced by Sanger or several NGS sequencing platforms. It performs format conversion, base calling, quality trimming, filtering, read mapping, variant calling, variant annotation and analysis of Sanger and NGS data under a single platform. It is capable of analyzing reads from multiple patients in a single run to create a list of potential disease causing base substitutions as well as insertions and deletions. MutAid has been developed for expert and non-expert users and supports four sequencing platforms including Sanger, Illumina, 454 and Ion Torrent. Furthermore, for NGS data analysis, five read mappers including BWA, TMAP, Bowtie, Bowtie2 and GSNAP and four variant callers including GATK-HaplotypeCaller, SAMTOOLS, Freebayes and VarScan2 pipelines are supported. MutAid is freely available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/mutaid.

1st quarterly report 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-06-01

The present report describes the activities carried out in the 1st quarter of 1977 at the Gesellschaft fuer Kernforschung in Karlsruhe or on its behalf in the framework of the fast breeder project (PSB). The problems and main results of the partial projects fuel rod development, materials testing, reactor physics, reactor safety and reactor technology are presented. (RW) [de

Introduction of the Python script STRinNGS for analysis of STR regions in FASTQ or BAM files and expansion of the Danish STR sequence database to 11 STRs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Friis, Susanne L; Buchard, Anders; Rockenbauer, Eszter

2016-01-01

This work introduces the in-house developed Python application STRinNGS for analysis of STR sequence elements in BAM or FASTQ files. STRinNGS identifies sequence reads with STR loci by their flanking sequences, it analyses the STR sequence and the flanking regions, and generates a report with the......This work introduces the in-house developed Python application STRinNGS for analysis of STR sequence elements in BAM or FASTQ files. STRinNGS identifies sequence reads with STR loci by their flanking sequences, it analyses the STR sequence and the flanking regions, and generates a report...

New Challenges in Targeting Signaling Pathways in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia by NGS Approaches: An Update

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Rivas, Jesús María

2018-01-01

The identification and study of genetic alterations involved in various signaling pathways associated with the pathogenesis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and the application of recent next-generation sequencing (NGS) in the identification of these lesions not only broaden our understanding of the involvement of various genetic alterations in the pathogenesis of the disease but also identify new therapeutic targets for future clinical trials. The present review describes the main deletions, amplifications, sequence mutations, epigenetic lesions, and new structural DNA rearrangements detected by NGS in B-ALL and T-ALL and their clinical importance for therapeutic procedures. We reviewed the molecular basis of pathways including transcriptional regulation, lymphoid differentiation and development, TP53 and the cell cycle, RAS signaling, JAK/STAT, NOTCH, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Wnt/β-catenin signaling, chromatin structure modifiers, and epigenetic regulators. The implementation of NGS strategies has enabled important mutated genes in each pathway, their associations with the genetic subtypes of ALL, and their outcomes, which will be described further. We also discuss classic and new cryptic DNA rearrangements in ALL identified by mRNA-seq strategies. Novel cooperative abnormalities in ALL could be key prognostic and/or predictive biomarkers for selecting the best frontline treatment and for developing therapies after the first relapse or refractory disease. PMID:29642462

Cleavage of ST6Gal I by Radiation-Induced BACE1 Inhibits Golgi-Anchored ST6Gal I-Mediated Sialylation of Integrin β1 and Migration in Colon Cancer Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Minyoung; Park, Jung-Jin; Ko, Young-Gyu; Lee, Yun-Sil

2012-01-01

Previously, we found that β-galactoside α2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal I), an enzyme that adds sialic acids to N-linked oligosaccharides of glycoproteins and is frequently overexpressed in cancer cells, is up-regulated by ionizing radiation (IR) and cleaved to a form possessing catalytic activity comparable to that of the Golgi-localized enzyme. Moreover, this soluble form is secreted into the culture media. Induction of ST6Gal I significantly increased the migration of colon cancer cells via sialylation of integrin β1. Here, we further investigated the mechanisms underlying ST6Gal I cleavage, solubilization and release from cells, and addressed its functions, focusing primarily on cancer cell migration. We performed immunoblotting and lectin affinity assay to analyze the expression of ST6 Gal I and level of sialylated integrin β1. After ionizing radiation, migration of cells was measured by in vitro migration assay. α2, 6 sialylation level of cell surface was analyzed by flow cytometry. Cell culture media were concentrated and then analyzed for soluble ST6Gal I levels using an α2, 6 sialyltransferase sandwich ELISA. We found that ST6Gal I was cleaved by BACE1 (β-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme), which was specifically overexpressed in response to IR. The soluble form of ST6Gal I, which also has sialyltransferase enzymatic activity, was cleaved from the Golgi membrane and then released into the culture media. Both non-cleaved and cleaved forms of ST6Gal I significantly increased colon cancer cell migration in a sialylation-dependent manner. The pro-migratory effect of the non-cleaved form of ST6Gal I was dependent on integrin β1 sialylation, whereas that of the cleaved form of ST6Gal I was not, suggesting that other intracellular sialylated molecules apart from cell surface molecules such as integrin β1 might be involved in mediating the pro-migratory effects of the soluble form of ST6Gal I. Moreover, production of soluble form ST6Gal I by

The structural features of the sulfated heteropolysaccharide (ST-1) from Sargassum thunbergii and its neuroprotective activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Weihua; Liu, Bing; Li, Shuai; Chen, Jing; Tang, Hong; Jiang, Di; Zhang, Quanbin; Zhong, Weihong

2018-03-01

Polysaccharide (ST) was prepared from Sargassum thunbergii using hot water. Two fractions (ST-1 and ST-2) were prepared using anion exchange chromatography. One desulfated polysaccharide (ST-1-DS) was also prepared. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) performed on ST-1-DS showed that the desulfated polysaccharides contained methyl glycosides of mono-sulfated and di-sulfated galacto-fucooligosaccharides. This result suggested that ST-1 might contain sulfated galactofucan, which consists of a backbone of alternating (Gal) n and (Fuc) n and sulfated randomly on Gal and mainly on C-2 in Fuc. In addition, ST-1 was degraded in 1M sulfuric acid. The solution was centrifuged, and the supernatant was concentrated and precipitated in ethanol to obtain the precipitate (ST-1-P). ST-1-P was then separated using gel chromatography and anion exchange chromatography to obtain the oligomers. ESI-MS spectra of oligomers indicated that ST-1 mostly contained sulfated glucuronomannan and fucoglucuronan. ESI-MS with collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-CID-MS/MS) suggested that glucuronomannan contained alternating 2-linked Man and 4-linked GlcA, while fucoglucuronan contained 4-linked glucuronan with branched Fuc at C-3. Finally, the neuroprotective activities of ST, ST-1, ST-2 and MIX (a mixture of ST-1 and ST-2) were determined. ST showed the most neuroprotective activity, which indicated that ST might be a good candidate for curing neurodegenerative diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

File list: His.Lar.05.AllAg.1st_instar [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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File list: His.Lar.20.AllAg.1st_instar [Chip-atlas[Archive

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File list: His.Lar.50.AllAg.1st_instar [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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File list: His.Lar.10.AllAg.1st_instar [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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Use of the LUS in sequence allele designations to facilitate probabilistic genotyping of NGS-based STR typing results.

Science.gov (United States)

Just, Rebecca S; Irwin, Jodi A

2018-05-01

Some of the expected advantages of next generation sequencing (NGS) for short tandem repeat (STR) typing include enhanced mixture detection and genotype resolution via sequence variation among non-homologous alleles of the same length. However, at the same time that NGS methods for forensic DNA typing have advanced in recent years, many caseworking laboratories have implemented or are transitioning to probabilistic genotyping to assist the interpretation of complex autosomal STR typing results. Current probabilistic software programs are designed for length-based data, and were not intended to accommodate sequence strings as the product input. Yet to leverage the benefits of NGS for enhanced genotyping and mixture deconvolution, the sequence variation among same-length products must be utilized in some form. Here, we propose use of the longest uninterrupted stretch (LUS) in allele designations as a simple method to represent sequence variation within the STR repeat regions and facilitate - in the nearterm - probabilistic interpretation of NGS-based typing results. An examination of published population data indicated that a reference LUS region is straightforward to define for most autosomal STR loci, and that using repeat unit plus LUS length as the allele designator can represent greater than 80% of the alleles detected by sequencing. A proof of concept study performed using a freely available probabilistic software demonstrated that the LUS length can be used in allele designations when a program does not require alleles to be integers, and that utilizing sequence information improves interpretation of both single-source and mixed contributor STR typing results as compared to using repeat unit information alone. The LUS concept for allele designation maintains the repeat-based allele nomenclature that will permit backward compatibility to extant STR databases, and the LUS lengths themselves will be concordant regardless of the NGS assay or analysis tools

IDENTIFIKASI SURFAKTIN PADA PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS ST1 PENGENDALI EFEKTIF PENYAKIT PUSTUL KEDELAI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suskandini Ratih Dirmawati .

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Identification of surfactin in Pseudomonas fluorescens ST1 which effectively suppres soybean bacterial pustule.   Identification of surfactin in Pseudomonas fluorescens ST1 filtrate was conducted in Plant Pest and Disease Laboratory, Bogor Agriculture University.  The 48 hours cultured suspension of  P. fluorescens ST1 with 108 CFU/ml density was centrifuged to obtain the supernatant.  The supernatant was analyzed for its surfactin content by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Colum ODS-5 and eluen acetonitril and acetat acid.  The result showed  that  surfactin was producted by P. fluorescens ST1 and this bioactive substance could suppres the bacterial pustule on soybean.

Impact of human-associated Escherichia coli clonal groups in Antarctic pinnipeds: presence of ST73, ST95, ST141 and ST131.

Science.gov (United States)

Mora, Azucena; García-Peña, Francisco Javier; Alonso, María Pilar; Pedraza-Diaz, Susana; Ortega-Mora, Luis Miguel; Garcia-Parraga, Daniel; López, Cecilia; Viso, Susana; Dahbi, Ghizlane; Marzoa, Juan; Sergeant, Martin J; García, Vanesa; Blanco, Jorge

2018-03-16

There is growing concern about the spreading of human microorganisms in relatively untouched ecosystems such as the Antarctic region. For this reason, three pinniped species (Leptonychotes weddellii, Mirounga leonina and Arctocephalus gazella) from the west coast of the Antartic Peninsula were analysed for the presence of Escherichia spp. with the recovery of 158 E. coli and three E. albertii isolates. From those, 23 harboured different eae variants (α1, β1, β2, ε1, θ1, κ, ο), including a bfpA-positive isolate (O49:H10-A-ST206, eae-k) classified as typical enteropathogenic E. coli. Noteworthy, 62 of the 158 E. coli isolates (39.2%) exhibited the ExPEC status and 27 (17.1%) belonged to sequence types (ST) frequently occurring among urinary/bacteremia ExPEC clones: ST12, ST73, ST95, ST131 and ST141. We found similarities >85% within the PFGE-macrorrestriction profiles of pinniped and human clinic O2:H6-B2-ST141 and O16:H5/O25b:H4-B2-ST131 isolates. The in silico analysis of ST131 Cplx genomes from the three pinnipeds (five O25:H4-ST131/PST43-fimH22-virotype D; one O16:H5-ST131/PST506-fimH41; one O25:H4-ST6252/PST9-fimH22-virotype D1) identified IncF and IncI1 plasmids and revealed high core-genome similarities between pinniped and human isolates (H22 and H41 subclones). This is the first study to demonstrate the worrisome presence of human-associated E. coli clonal groups, including ST131, in Antarctic pinnipeds.

Trends in IT Innovation to Build a Next Generation Bioinformatics Solution to Manage and Analyse Biological Big Data Produced by NGS Technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

de Brevern, Alexandre G; Meyniel, Jean-Philippe; Fairhead, Cécile; Neuvéglise, Cécile; Malpertuy, Alain

2015-01-01

Sequencing the human genome began in 1994, and 10 years of work were necessary in order to provide a nearly complete sequence. Nowadays, NGS technologies allow sequencing of a whole human genome in a few days. This deluge of data challenges scientists in many ways, as they are faced with data management issues and analysis and visualization drawbacks due to the limitations of current bioinformatics tools. In this paper, we describe how the NGS Big Data revolution changes the way of managing and analysing data. We present how biologists are confronted with abundance of methods, tools, and data formats. To overcome these problems, focus on Big Data Information Technology innovations from web and business intelligence. We underline the interest of NoSQL databases, which are much more efficient than relational databases. Since Big Data leads to the loss of interactivity with data during analysis due to high processing time, we describe solutions from the Business Intelligence that allow one to regain interactivity whatever the volume of data is. We illustrate this point with a focus on the Amadea platform. Finally, we discuss visualization challenges posed by Big Data and present the latest innovations with JavaScript graphic libraries.

AECB staff review of Bruce NGS 'A' operation for the year 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-06-01

The operation of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station 'B' is monitored and licensing requirements are enforced by the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB). This report records the conclusions of the AECB staff assessment of Bruce NGS 'A' during 1989 and the early part of 1990. Overall operation of the station met acceptable safety standards. Despite numerous problems and technical difficulties encountered, station management and supervisory personnel acted with due caution and made decisions in the interests of safety. There was evidence of improvement in a number of key areas, supported by pertinent indicators in the objective measures table. The extensive inspection and maintenance programs carried out during the year revealed the extent of component deterioration due to aging to be larger than expected. Hydrogen embrittlement of pressure tubes, erosion/corrosion of steam and feed water valves, heat exchanger tubes and piping, fouling of boilers and heat exchangers, and environmental damage of electrical equipment are examples. Continued aging of plant equipment and its potential for reducing the margins for safe operation must be taken into account by Ontario Hydro in establishing priorities and target dates for completion of actions to resolve identified problems at Bruce NGS 'A'. (2 tabs.)

DEVELOPMENT OF ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR DETERMINING SUPPRESSOR CONCENTRATION IN THE MCU NEXT GENERATION SOLVENT (NGS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor-Pashow, K.; Fondeur, F.; White, T.; Diprete, D.; Milliken, C.

2013-07-31

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was tasked with identifying and developing at least one, but preferably two methods for quantifying the suppressor in the Next Generation Solvent (NGS) system. The suppressor is a guanidine derivative, N,N',N"-tris(3,7-dimethyloctyl)guanidine (TiDG). A list of 10 possible methods was generated, and screening experiments were performed for 8 of the 10 methods. After completion of the screening experiments, the non-aqueous acid-base titration was determined to be the most promising, and was selected for further development as the primary method. {sup 1}H NMR also showed promising results from the screening experiments, and this method was selected for further development as the secondary method. Other methods, including {sup 36}Cl radiocounting and ion chromatography, also showed promise; however, due to the similarity to the primary method (titration) and the inability to differentiate between TiDG and TOA (tri-n-ocytlamine) in the blended solvent, {sup 1}H NMR was selected over these methods. Analysis of radioactive samples obtained from real waste ESS (extraction, scrub, strip) testing using the titration method showed good results. Based on these results, the titration method was selected as the method of choice for TiDG measurement. {sup 1}H NMR has been selected as the secondary (back-up) method, and additional work is planned to further develop this method and to verify the method using radioactive samples. Procedures for analyzing radioactive samples of both pure NGS and blended solvent were developed and issued for the both methods.

File list: ALL.Lar.10.AllAg.1st_instar [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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File list: ALL.Lar.50.AllAg.1st_instar [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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Inference with viral quasispecies diversity indices: clonal and NGS approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregori, Josep; Salicrú, Miquel; Domingo, Esteban; Sanchez, Alex; Esteban, Juan I; Rodríguez-Frías, Francisco; Quer, Josep

2014-04-15

Given the inherent dynamics of a viral quasispecies, we are often interested in the comparison of diversity indices of sequential samples of a patient, or in the comparison of diversity indices of virus in groups of patients in a treated versus control design. It is then important to make sure that the diversity measures from each sample may be compared with no bias and within a consistent statistical framework. In the present report, we review some indices often used as measures for viral quasispecies complexity and provide means for statistical inference, applying procedures taken from the ecology field. In particular, we examine the Shannon entropy and the mutation frequency, and we discuss the appropriateness of different normalization methods of the Shannon entropy found in the literature. By taking amplicons ultra-deep pyrosequencing (UDPS) raw data as a surrogate of a real hepatitis C virus viral population, we study through in-silico sampling the statistical properties of these indices under two methods of viral quasispecies sampling, classical cloning followed by Sanger sequencing (CCSS) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) such as UDPS. We propose solutions specific to each of the two sampling methods-CCSS and NGS-to guarantee statistically conforming conclusions as free of bias as possible. josep.gregori@gmail.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Evaluation of organic coatings to reduce air leakage through cracks in the Pickering NGS 'A' reactor building 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deans, J.J.; Sato, J.A.; Hampton, J.H.D.; Cullen, R.; Paterson, G.; Chan, P.; Rajagopalan, R.

1994-01-01

Pressure tests conducted in 1992 on the Pickering NGS 'A' Reactor Building 1 showed that the containment leakage rate of the building was close to the licensing limit. The leakage was found to be pressure dependent and was attributed to cracks in the concrete dome. A number of solutions were studied by a task group, and the application of an organic coating to the exterior surface of the dome was identified as the most viable solution under the constraints of schedule and cost. In addition to reducing the air leakage rate, the coating material must be flexible to bridge existing moving cracks, it must have excellent adhesion to the concrete substrate to sustain the design pressure of 41.4 kPa(g) during pressure tests, and it must be durable for an exterior application and service conditions. Five candidate organic coating materials were selected for laboratory testing. As a result of the testing, a single-component elastomeric polyurethane coating was selected to be used on the dome. This paper discusses the selection process, laboratory tests and results, and the application of the polyurethane coating system to the exterior concrete dome surface. However, the main emphasis of the paper is on the laboratory evaluation of the five candidate materials. (author). 2 refs., 3 tabs., 1 fig

Expression of Functional Human Sialyltransferases ST3Gal1 and ST6Gal1 in Escherichia coli.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Elena Ortiz-Soto

Full Text Available Sialyltransferases (STs are disulfide-containing, type II transmembrane glycoproteins that catalyze the transfer of sialic acid to proteins and lipids and participate in the synthesis of the core structure oligosaccharides of human milk. Sialic acids are found at the outermost position of glycostructures, playing a key role in health and disease. Sialylation is also essential for the production of recombinant therapeutic proteins (RTPs. Despite their importance, availability of sialyltransferases is limited due to the low levels of stable, soluble and active protein produced in bacterial expression systems, which hampers biochemical and structural studies on these enzymes and restricts biotechnological applications. We report the successful expression of active human sialyltransferases ST3Gal1 and ST6Gal1 in commercial Escherichia coli strains designed for production of disulfide-containing proteins. Fusion of hST3Gal1 with different solubility enhancers and substitution of exposed hydrophobic amino acids by negatively charged residues (supercharging-like approach were performed to promote solubility and folding. Co-expression of sialyltransferases with the chaperon/foldases sulfhydryl oxidase, protein disulfide isomerase and disulfide isomerase C was explored to improve the formation of native disulfide bonds. Active sialyltransferases fused with maltose binding protein (MBP were obtained in sufficient amounts for biochemical and structural studies when expressed under oxidative conditions and co-expression of folding factors increased the yields of active and properly folded sialyltransferases by 20%. Mutation of exposed hydrophobic amino acids increased recovery of active enzyme by 2.5-fold, yielding about 7 mg of purified protein per liter culture. Functionality of recombinant enzymes was evaluated in the synthesis of sialosides from the β-d-galactoside substrates lactose, N-acetyllactosamine and benzyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-(β-d-galactopyranosyl-α-d-galactopyranoside.

Integrated systems for NGS data management and analysis: open issues and available solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valerio eBianchi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Next-generation sequencing (NGS technologies have deeply changed our understanding of cellular processes by delivering an astonishing amount of data at affordable prices; nowadays, many biology laboratories have already accumulated a large number of sequenced samples. However, managing and analyzing these data poses new challenges, which may easily be underestimated by research groups devoid of IT and quantitative skills. In this perspective, we identify five issues that should be carefully addressed by research groups approaching NGS technologies. In particular, the five key issues to be considered concern: 1 adopting a laboratory management system (LIMS and safeguard the resulting raw data structure in downstream analyses; 2 monitoring the flow of the data and standardizing input and output directories and file names, even when multiple analysis protocols are used on the same data; 3 ensuring complete traceability of the analysis performed; 4 enabling non-experienced users to run analyses through a graphical user interface (GUI acting as a front-end for the pipelines; 5 relying on standard metadata to annotate the datasets, and when possible using controlled vocabularies, ideally derived from biomedical ontologies. Finally, we discuss the currently available tools in the light of these issues, and we introduce HTS-flow, a new workflow management system (WMS conceived to address the concerns we raised. HTS-flow is able to retrieve information from a LIMS database, manages data analyses through a simple GUI, outputs data in standard locations and allows the complete traceability of datasets, accompanying metadata and analysis scripts.

Chemistry control at Bruce NGS 'B' from constructed to commercial operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, J.G.

1987-01-01

Pre-operational storage chemistry and flushing of the secondary side is described. The approach devised for Bruce NGS 'B' Unit 6 was unique for an Ontario Hydro Nuclear Unit. The significance of the improved Construction installation and Quality Assurance procedures, combined with those of Operations is identified. Secondary side chemistry during both commissioning and later operation is reported. It will be shown that the application of ALARA (As Low As is Reasonably Achievable) concept has resulted in tighter chemical specifications being met

TUF assessment of an abnormal load rejection event at Darlington NGS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liauw, W.K.; Liu, W.S.

1997-01-01

The main purpose of reactor system code development is to support plant operation and to assist in safety analysis. To illustrate the operational support activities of the TUF code, the assessment of a simple case of abnormal load rejection event at Darlington NGS is described. The main assessment of this event examines the flow conditions at the steam generators and the possible impact on the turbine. This assessment demonstrates the TUF capability in the operational support analysis for CANDU reactors. (author)

Soybean Salt Tolerance 1 (GmST1) Reduces ROS Production, Enhances ABA Sensitivity, and Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Shuxin; Lyle, Chimera; Jiang, Guo-Liang; Penumala, Abhishek

2016-01-01

Abiotic stresses, including high soil salinity, significantly reduce crop production worldwide. Salt tolerance in plants is a complex trait and is regulated by multiple mechanisms. Understanding the mechanisms and dissecting the components on their regulatory pathways will provide new insights, leading to novel strategies for the improvement of salt tolerance in agricultural and economic crops of importance. Here we report that soybean salt tolerance 1, named GmST1, exhibited strong tolerance to salt stress in the Arabidopsis transgenic lines. The GmST1-overexpressed Arabidopsis also increased sensitivity to ABA and decreased production of reactive oxygen species under salt stress. In addition, GmST1 significantly improved drought tolerance in Arabidopsis transgenic lines. GmST1 belongs to a 3-prime part of Glyma.03g171600 gene in the current version of soybean genome sequence annotation. However, comparative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis around Glyma.03g171600 genomic region confirmed that GmST1 might serve as an intact gene in soybean leaf tissues. Unlike Glyma.03g171600 which was not expressed in leaves, GmST1 was strongly induced by salt treatment in the leaf tissues. By promoter analysis, a TATA box was detected to be positioned close to GmST1 start codon and a putative ABRE and a DRE cis-acting elements were identified at about 1 kb upstream of GmST1 gene. The data also indicated that GmST1-transgenic lines survived under drought stress and showed a significantly lower water loss than non-transgenic lines. In summary, our results suggest that overexpression of GmST1 significantly improves Arabidopsis tolerance to both salt and drought stresses and the gene may be a potential candidate for genetic engineering of salt- and drought-tolerant crops.

Soybean salt tolerance 1 (GmST1 reduces ROS production, enhances ABA sensitivity and abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuxin eRen

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Abiotic stresses, including high soil salinity, significantly reduce crop production worldwide. Salt tolerance in plants is a complex trait and is regulated by multiple mechanisms. Understanding the mechanisms and dissecting the components on their regulatory pathways will provide new insights, leading to novel strategies for the improvement of salt tolerance in agricultural and economic crops of importance. Here we report that soybean salt tolerance 1, named GmST1, exhibited strong tolerance to salt stress in the Arabidopsis transgenic lines. The GmST1-overexpressed Arabidopsis also increased sensitivity to ABA and decreased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS under salt stress. In addition, GmST1 significantly improved drought tolerance in Arabidopsis transgenic lines. GmST1 belongs to a 3-prime part of Glyma.03g171600 gene in the current version of soybean genome sequence annotation. However, comparative RT-PCR analysis around Glyma.03g171600 genomic region confirmed that GmST1 might serve as an intact gene in soybean leaf tissues. Unlike Glyma.03g171600 which was not expressed in leaves, GmST1 was strongly induced by salt treatment in the leaf tissues. By promoter analysis, a TATA box was detected to be positioned close to GmST1 start codon and a putative ABRE and a DRE cis-acting elements were identified at about 1kb upstream of GmST1 gene. The data also indicated that GmST1-transgenic lines survived under drought stress and showed a significantly lower water loss than non-transgenic lines. In summary, our results suggest that overexpression of GmST1 significantly improves Arabidopsis tolerance to both salt and drought stresses and the gene may be a potential candidate for genetic engineering of salt- and drought-tolerant crops.

RESTAURANT and CAFETERIA SERVICES: ARRANGEMENTS for MAY 1st, 2003

CERN Document Server

2003-01-01

1. Restaurants As Thursday, May 1st, is an official CERN holiday, restaurants no. 2 (DSR : Bldg. 504 - Meyrin) and no. 3 (Avenance : Bldg. 866 - Prévessin) will be closed as from Wednesday, April 30 at 18h00. They will reopen on Friday, May 2nd at 6h30 (rest. no. 2) and at 7h00 (rest. no. 3). On May 1st, a limited service will be provided by restaurant no. 1 (COOP : Bldg. 501 - Meyrin) from 8h00 to 21h00 with hot meals served from 11h30 to 14h00 and from 18h00 to 19h30. 2. Newspaper stand The newspaper kiosque run by restaurant no. 1 in building 501 will be closed. 3. Decentralised services No decentralised services (satellite cafétérias etc.) will operate on May 1st, but will resume their normal activites on Friday, May 2nd, except for those dependent on restaurant no. 3 (Prévessin site) which will not reopen until Monday, May 5, 2003.

Genetic Architecture of Milk, Fat, Protein, Mastitis and Fertility Studied using NGS Data in Holstein Cattle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sahana, Goutam; Janss, Luc; Guldbrandtsen, Bernt

The use of genomic information in genetic evaluation has revolutionized dairy cattle breeding. It remains a major challenge to understand the genetic basis of variation for quantitative traits. Here, we study the genetic architecture for milk, fat, protein, mastitis and fertility indices in dairy...... cattle using NGS variants. The analysis was done using a linear mixed model (LMM) and a Bayesian mixture model (BMM). The top 10 QTL identified by LMM analyses explained 22.61, 23.86, 10.88, 18.58 and 14.83% of the total genetic variance for these traits respectively. Trait-specific sets of 4,964 SNPs...... from NGS variants (most ‘associated’ SNP for each 0.5 Mbp bin) explained 81.0, 81.6, 85.0, 60.4 and 70.9% of total genetic variance for milk, fat, protein, mastitis and fertility indices when analyzed simultaneously by BMM...

First- and second-order contrast sensitivity functions reveal disrupted visual processing following mild traumatic brain injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiegel, Daniel P; Reynaud, Alexandre; Ruiz, Tatiana; Laguë-Beauvais, Maude; Hess, Robert; Farivar, Reza

2016-05-01

Vision is disrupted by traumatic brain injury (TBI), with vision-related complaints being amongst the most common in this population. Based on the neural responses of early visual cortical areas, injury to the visual cortex would be predicted to affect both 1(st) order and 2(nd) order contrast sensitivity functions (CSFs)-the height and/or the cut-off of the CSF are expected to be affected by TBI. Previous studies have reported disruptions only in 2(nd) order contrast sensitivity, but using a narrow range of parameters and divergent methodologies-no study has characterized the effect of TBI on the full CSF for both 1(st) and 2(nd) order stimuli. Such information is needed to properly understand the effect of TBI on contrast perception, which underlies all visual processing. Using a unified framework based on the quick contrast sensitivity function, we measured full CSFs for static and dynamic 1(st) and 2(nd) order stimuli. Our results provide a unique dataset showing alterations in sensitivity for both 1(st) and 2(nd) order visual stimuli. In particular, we show that TBI patients have increased sensitivity for 1(st) order motion stimuli and decreased sensitivity to orientation-defined and contrast-defined 2(nd) order stimuli. In addition, our data suggest that TBI patients' sensitivity for both 1(st) order stimuli and 2(nd) order contrast-defined stimuli is shifted towards higher spatial frequencies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Characterization of StABF1, a stress-responsive bZIP transcription factor from Solanum tuberosum L. that is phosphorylated by StCDPK2 in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Muñiz García, María Noelia; Giammaria, Verónica; Grandellis, Carolina; Téllez-Iñón, María Teresa; Ulloa, Rita María; Capiati, Daniela Andrea

2012-04-01

ABF/AREB bZIP transcription factors mediate plant abiotic stress responses by regulating the expression of stress-related genes. These proteins bind to the abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive element (ABRE), which is the major cis-acting regulatory sequence in ABA-dependent gene expression. In an effort to understand the molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress resistance in cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), we have cloned and characterized an ABF/AREB-like transcription factor from potato, named StABF1. The predicted protein shares 45-57% identity with A. thaliana ABFs proteins and 96% identity with the S. lycopersicum SlAREB1 and presents all of the distinctive features of ABF/AREB transcription factors. Furthermore, StABF1 is able to bind to the ABRE in vitro. StABF1 gene is induced in response to ABA, drought, salt stress and cold, suggesting that it might be a key regulator of ABA-dependent stress signaling pathways in cultivated potato. StABF1 is phosphorylated in response to ABA and salt stress in a calcium-dependent manner, and we have identified a potato CDPK isoform (StCDPK2) that phosphorylates StABF1 in vitro. Interestingly, StABF1 expression is increased during tuber development and by tuber-inducing conditions (high sucrose/nitrogen ratio) in leaves. We also found that StABF1 calcium-dependent phosphorylation is stimulated by tuber-inducing conditions and inhibited by gibberellic acid, which inhibits tuberization.

Sample Results From The Extraction, Scrub, And Strip Test For The Blended NGS Solvent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington, A. L. II [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Peters, T. B. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2014-03-03

This report summarizes the results of the extraction, scrub, and strip testing for the September 2013 sampling of the Next Generation Solvent (NGS) Blended solvent from the Modular Caustic Side-Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) Solvent Hold Tank. MCU is in the process of transitioning from the BOBCalixC6 solvent to the NGS Blend solvent. As part of that transition, MCU has intentionally created a blended solvent to be processed using the Salt Batch program. This sample represents the first sample received from that blended solvent. There were two ESS tests performed where NGS blended solvent performance was assessed using either the Tank 21 material utilized in the Salt Batch 7 analyses or a simulant waste material used in the V-5/V-10 contactor testing. This report tabulates the temperature corrected cesium distribution, or D_Cs values, step recovery percentage, and actual temperatures recorded during the experiment. This report also identifies the sample receipt date, preparation method, and analysis performed in the accumulation of the listed values. The calculated extraction D_Cs values using the Tank 21H material and simulant are 59.4 and 53.8, respectively. The DCs values for two scrub and three strip processes for the Tank 21 material are 4.58, 2.91, 0.00184, 0.0252, and 0.00575, respectively. The D-values for two scrub and three strip processes for the simulant are 3.47, 2.18, 0.00468, 0.00057, and 0.00572, respectively. These values are similar to previous measurements of Salt Batch 7 feed with lab-prepared blended solvent. These numbers are considered compatible to allow simulant testing to be completed in place of actual waste due to the limited availability of feed material.

Sample Results From The Extraction, Scrub, And Strip Test For The Blended NGS Solvent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Washington, A. L. II; Peters, T. B.

2014-01-01

This report summarizes the results of the extraction, scrub, and strip testing for the September 2013 sampling of the Next Generation Solvent (NGS) Blended solvent from the Modular Caustic Side-Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) Solvent Hold Tank. MCU is in the process of transitioning from the BOBCalixC6 solvent to the NGS Blend solvent. As part of that transition, MCU has intentionally created a blended solvent to be processed using the Salt Batch program. This sample represents the first sample received from that blended solvent. There were two ESS tests performed where NGS blended solvent performance was assessed using either the Tank 21 material utilized in the Salt Batch 7 analyses or a simulant waste material used in the V-5/V-10 contactor testing. This report tabulates the temperature corrected cesium distribution, or DCs values, step recovery percentage, and actual temperatures recorded during the experiment. This report also identifies the sample receipt date, preparation method, and analysis performed in the accumulation of the listed values. The calculated extraction DCs values using the Tank 21H material and simulant are 59.4 and 53.8, respectively. The DCs values for two scrub and three strip processes for the Tank 21 material are 4.58, 2.91, 0.00184, 0.0252, and 0.00575, respectively. The D-values for two scrub and three strip processes for the simulant are 3.47, 2.18, 0.00468, 0.00057, and 0.00572, respectively. These values are similar to previous measurements of Salt Batch 7 feed with lab-prepared blended solvent. These numbers are considered compatible to allow simulant testing to be completed in place of actual waste due to the limited availability of feed material

Trends in IT Innovation to Build a Next Generation Bioinformatics Solution to Manage and Analyse Biological Big Data Produced by NGS Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre G. de Brevern

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Sequencing the human genome began in 1994, and 10 years of work were necessary in order to provide a nearly complete sequence. Nowadays, NGS technologies allow sequencing of a whole human genome in a few days. This deluge of data challenges scientists in many ways, as they are faced with data management issues and analysis and visualization drawbacks due to the limitations of current bioinformatics tools. In this paper, we describe how the NGS Big Data revolution changes the way of managing and analysing data. We present how biologists are confronted with abundance of methods, tools, and data formats. To overcome these problems, focus on Big Data Information Technology innovations from web and business intelligence. We underline the interest of NoSQL databases, which are much more efficient than relational databases. Since Big Data leads to the loss of interactivity with data during analysis due to high processing time, we describe solutions from the Business Intelligence that allow one to regain interactivity whatever the volume of data is. We illustrate this point with a focus on the Amadea platform. Finally, we discuss visualization challenges posed by Big Data and present the latest innovations with JavaScript graphic libraries.

Trends in IT Innovation to Build a Next Generation Bioinformatics Solution to Manage and Analyse Biological Big Data Produced by NGS Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

de Brevern, Alexandre G.; Meyniel, Jean-Philippe; Fairhead, Cécile; Neuvéglise, Cécile; Malpertuy, Alain

2015-01-01

Sequencing the human genome began in 1994, and 10 years of work were necessary in order to provide a nearly complete sequence. Nowadays, NGS technologies allow sequencing of a whole human genome in a few days. This deluge of data challenges scientists in many ways, as they are faced with data management issues and analysis and visualization drawbacks due to the limitations of current bioinformatics tools. In this paper, we describe how the NGS Big Data revolution changes the way of managing and analysing data. We present how biologists are confronted with abundance of methods, tools, and data formats. To overcome these problems, focus on Big Data Information Technology innovations from web and business intelligence. We underline the interest of NoSQL databases, which are much more efficient than relational databases. Since Big Data leads to the loss of interactivity with data during analysis due to high processing time, we describe solutions from the Business Intelligence that allow one to regain interactivity whatever the volume of data is. We illustrate this point with a focus on the Amadea platform. Finally, we discuss visualization challenges posed by Big Data and present the latest innovations with JavaScript graphic libraries. PMID:26125026

ngs (Notochord Granular Surface) Gene Encodes a Novel Type of Intermediate Filament Family Protein Essential for Notochord Maintenance in Zebrafish*

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Xiangjun; Xia, Zhidan; Zu, Yao; Telfer, Helena; Hu, Jing; Yu, Jingyi; Liu, Huan; Zhang, Quan; Sodmergen; Lin, Shuo; Zhang, Bo

2013-01-01

The notochord is an important organ involved in embryonic patterning and locomotion. In zebrafish, the mature notochord consists of a single stack of fully differentiated, large vacuolated cells called chordocytes, surrounded by a single layer of less differentiated notochordal epithelial cells called chordoblasts. Through genetic analysis of zebrafish lines carrying pseudo-typed retroviral insertions, a mutant exhibiting a defective notochord with a granular appearance was isolated, and the corresponding gene was identified as ngs (notochord granular surface), which was specifically expressed in the notochord. In the mutants, the notochord started to degenerate from 32 hours post-fertilization, and the chordocytes were then gradually replaced by smaller cells derived from chordoblasts. The granular notochord phenotype was alleviated by anesthetizing the mutant embryos with tricaine to prevent muscle contraction and locomotion. Phylogenetic analysis showed that ngs encodes a new type of intermediate filament (IF) family protein, which we named chordostatin based on its function. Under the transmission electron microcopy, bundles of 10-nm-thick IF-like filaments were enriched in the chordocytes of wild-type zebrafish embryos, whereas the chordocytes in ngs mutants lacked IF-like structures. Furthermore, chordostatin-enhanced GFP (EGFP) fusion protein assembled into a filamentous network specifically in chordocytes. Taken together, our work demonstrates that ngs encodes a novel type of IF protein and functions to maintain notochord integrity for larval development and locomotion. Our work sheds light on the mechanisms of notochord structural maintenance, as well as the evolution and biological function of IF family proteins. PMID:23132861

ngs (notochord granular surface) gene encodes a novel type of intermediate filament family protein essential for notochord maintenance in zebrafish.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Xiangjun; Xia, Zhidan; Zu, Yao; Telfer, Helena; Hu, Jing; Yu, Jingyi; Liu, Huan; Zhang, Quan; Sodmergen; Lin, Shuo; Zhang, Bo

2013-01-25

The notochord is an important organ involved in embryonic patterning and locomotion. In zebrafish, the mature notochord consists of a single stack of fully differentiated, large vacuolated cells called chordocytes, surrounded by a single layer of less differentiated notochordal epithelial cells called chordoblasts. Through genetic analysis of zebrafish lines carrying pseudo-typed retroviral insertions, a mutant exhibiting a defective notochord with a granular appearance was isolated, and the corresponding gene was identified as ngs (notochord granular surface), which was specifically expressed in the notochord. In the mutants, the notochord started to degenerate from 32 hours post-fertilization, and the chordocytes were then gradually replaced by smaller cells derived from chordoblasts. The granular notochord phenotype was alleviated by anesthetizing the mutant embryos with tricaine to prevent muscle contraction and locomotion. Phylogenetic analysis showed that ngs encodes a new type of intermediate filament (IF) family protein, which we named chordostatin based on its function. Under the transmission electron microcopy, bundles of 10-nm-thick IF-like filaments were enriched in the chordocytes of wild-type zebrafish embryos, whereas the chordocytes in ngs mutants lacked IF-like structures. Furthermore, chordostatin-enhanced GFP (EGFP) fusion protein assembled into a filamentous network specifically in chordocytes. Taken together, our work demonstrates that ngs encodes a novel type of IF protein and functions to maintain notochord integrity for larval development and locomotion. Our work sheds light on the mechanisms of notochord structural maintenance, as well as the evolution and biological function of IF family proteins.

The 1st of April 2470 BC Total Solar Eclipse Seen by the Prophet Ibraheem

Science.gov (United States)

Yousef, S. M.

The Holy Quran describes a phenomenon seen by young Abraham that can only fit a solar eclipse. Two criteria were given for this particular eclipse; first only one planet was seen as soon as it got dark and second no corona was seen. In order to justify the first selection rule, examinations of solar and planetary longitudes for total solar eclipses passing over Babel were carried out. Only the eclipse of the 1st of April 2470 BC meets this condition, as it was only Venus that was seen at that eclipse. The second selection rule was also naturally fulfilled, as Babel happened to be on the border of the totality zone hence no corona was seen, however all the time the moon glistened as Baily's beads. There is no doubt that the prophet Abraham witnessed the 1st of April total solar eclipse that passed over Babel. This will put him about 470 years backward than it was previously anticipated.

Validation and comparison of two NGS assays for the detection of EGFR T790M resistance mutation in liquid biopsies of NSCLC patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Vollbrecht, Claudia; Lehmann, Annika; Lenze, Dido; Hummel, Michael

2018-04-06

Analysis of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) derived from peripheral blood ("liquid biopsy") is an attractive alternative to identify non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with the EGFR T790M mutation eligible for 3rd generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. We evaluated two PCR-based next generation sequencing (NGS) approaches, one including unique molecular identifiers (UMI), with focus on highly sensitive EGFR T790M mutation detection. Therefore, we extracted and sequenced cfDNA from synthetic plasma samples spiked with mutated DNA at decreasing allele frequencies and from 21 diagnostic NSCLC patients. Data evaluation was performed to determine the limit of detection (LoD), accuracy, specificity and sensitivity of both assays. Considering all tested reference dilutions and mutations the UMI assay performed best in terms of LoD (1% vs. 5%), sensitivity (95.8% vs. 81.3%), specificity (100% vs. 93.8%) and accuracy (96.9% vs. 84.4%). Comparing mutation status of diagnostic samples with both assays showed 81.3% concordance with primary mutation verifiable in 52% of cases. EGFR T790M was detected concordantly in 6/7 patients with allele frequencies from 0.1% to 27%. In one patient, the T790M mutation was exclusively detectable with the UMI assay. Our data demonstrate that both assays are applicable as multi-biomarker NGS tools enabling the simultaneous detection of primary EGFR driver and resistance mutations. However, for mutations with low allelic frequencies the use of NGS panels with UMI facilitates a more sensitive and reliable detection.

Moral judgment and its relation to second-order theory of mind.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Genyue; Xiao, Wen S; Killen, Melanie; Lee, Kang

2014-08-01

Recent research indicates that moral judgment and 1st-order theory of mind abilities are related. What is not known, however, is how 2nd-order theory of mind is related to moral judgment. In the present study, we extended previous findings by administering a morally relevant theory of mind task (an accidental transgressor) to 4- to 7-year-old Chinese children (N = 79) and analyzing connections with 2nd-order theory of mind understanding. Using hierarchical multiple regression analyses, we found that above and beyond age, children's 1st-order theory of mind and 2nd-order theory of mind each significantly and uniquely contributed to children's moral evaluations of the intention in the accidental transgression. These findings highlight the important roles that 1st- and 2nd-order theory of mind play in leading children to make appropriate moral judgments based on an actor's intention in a social situation. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

1st International Conference on Computational and Experimental Biomedical Sciences

CERN Document Server

Jorge, RM

2015-01-01

This book contains the full papers presented at ICCEBS 2013 – the 1st International Conference on Computational and Experimental Biomedical Sciences, which was organized in Azores, in October 2013. The included papers present and discuss new trends in those fields, using several methods and techniques, including active shape models, constitutive models, isogeometric elements, genetic algorithms, level sets, material models, neural networks, optimization, and the finite element method, in order to address more efficiently different and timely applications involving biofluids, computer simulation, computational biomechanics, image based diagnosis, image processing and analysis, image segmentation, image registration, scaffolds, simulation, and surgical planning. The main audience for this book consists of researchers, Ph.D students, and graduate students with multidisciplinary interests related to the areas of artificial intelligence, bioengineering, biology, biomechanics, computational fluid dynamics, comput...

Idaho National Laboratory Quarterly Occurrence Analysis - 1st Quarter FY 2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitchell, Lisbeth Ann [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2016-03-01

This report is published quarterly by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Quality and Performance Management Organization. The Department of Energy (DOE) Occurrence Reporting and Processing System (ORPS), as prescribed in DOE Order 232.2, “Occurrence Reporting and Processing of Operations Information,” requires a quarterly analysis of events, both reportable and not reportable, for the previous 12 months. This report is the analysis of 74 reportable events (16 from the 1st Qtr FY-16 and 58 from the prior three reporting quarters), as well as 35 other issue reports (including events found to be not reportable and Significant Category A and B conditions) identified at INL during the past 12 months (15 from this quarter and 20 from the prior three quarters).

Proceedings of the 1st LAK Data Challenge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

d'Aquin, Mathieu; Dietze, Stefan; Drachsler, Hendrik; Herder, Eelco; Taibi, Davide

2013-01-01

d'Aquin, M., Dietze, S., Drachsler, H., Herder, E., & Taibi, D. (Eds.) (2013, April). Proceedings of the 1st LAK Data Challenge, held at LAK 2013, the Third Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge. Published by CEUR Workshop Proceedings, 2013, Vol. 974.

Differences in symptoms, first medical contact and pre-hospital delay times between patients with ST- and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Ängerud, Karin H; Sederholm Lawesson, Sofia; Isaksson, Rose-Marie; Thylén, Ingela; Swahn, Eva

2017-11-01

In ST-elevation myocardial infarction, time to reperfusion is crucial for the prognosis. Symptom presentation in myocardial infarction influences pre-hospital delay times but studies about differences in symptoms between patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction are sparse and inconclusive. The aim was to compare symptoms, first medical contact and pre-hospital delay times in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. This multicentre, observational study included 694 myocardial infarction patients from five hospitals. The patients filled in a questionnaire about their pre-hospital experiences within 24 h of hospital admittance. Chest pain was the most common symptom in ST-elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (88.7 vs 87.0%, p=0.56). Patients with cold sweat (odds ratio 3.61, 95% confidence interval 2.29-5.70), jaw pain (odds ratio 2.41, 95% confidence interval 1.04-5.58), and nausea (odds ratio 1.70, 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.87) were more likely to present with ST-elevation myocardial infarction, whereas the opposite was true for symptoms that come and go (odds ratio 0.58, 95% confidence interval 0.38-0.90) or anxiety (odds ratio 0.52, 95% confidence interval 0.29-0.92). Use of emergency medical services was higher among patients admitted with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The pre-hospital delay time from symptom onset to first medical contact was significantly longer in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (2:05 h vs 1:10 h, p=0.001). Patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction differed from those with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction regarding symptom presentation, ambulance utilisation and pre-hospital delay times. This knowledge is important to be aware of for all healthcare personnel and the general public especially in order to recognise symptoms suggestive of ST-elevation myocardial infarction and

Presentations for the 1st muon science experimental facility advisory committee meeting (MuSAC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-03-01

The J-PARC Muon Science Advisory Committee, so called 'MuSAC', is organized under the J-PARC Project Director during construction period, in order to discuss the following items related to the Muon Science Facility at J-PARC and to report to the Project Director and Muon Science Facility construction team. The committee will review and advise the following subjects: 1) Project definition of the experimental facility to be constructed in Materials and Life Science Facility of J-PARC, 2) Content of the 1st phase experimental program. This issue is the collection of the documents presented at the title meeting. (J.P.N.)

EMSL Quarterly Highlights Report: 1st Quarter, FY08

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Showalter, Mary Ann

2008-01-28

The EMSL Quarterly Highlights Report covers the science, staff and user recognition, and publication activities that occurred during the 1st quarter (October 2007 - December 2007) of Fiscal Year 2008.

Implementation and on-sky results of an optimal wavefront controller for the MMT NGS adaptive optics system

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Keith B.; Vaitheeswaran, Vidhya

2010-07-01

The MMT observatory has recently implemented and tested an optimal wavefront controller for the NGS adaptive optics system. Open loop atmospheric data collected at the telescope is used as the input to a MATLAB based analytical model. The model uses nonlinear constrained minimization to determine controller gains and optimize the system performance. The real-time controller performing the adaptive optics close loop operation is implemented on a dedicated high performance PC based quad core server. The controller algorithm is written in C and uses the GNU scientific library for linear algebra. Tests at the MMT confirmed the optimal controller significantly reduced the residual RMS wavefront compared with the previous controller. Significant reductions in image FWHM and increased peak intensities were obtained in J, H and K-bands. The optimal PID controller is now operating as the baseline wavefront controller for the MMT NGS-AO system.

Status of Design and Manufacturing of ITER 1st batch Assembly Tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bae, Jin Ho; Nam, Kyoun Go; Chung, Si Kun; Ha, Min Su [ITER Korea National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Geun Hong [ITER Organization, St Paul lez Durance (France)

2016-05-15

The ITER tokamak assembly tools are purpose-built and specially designed to complete the ITER tokamak machine which includes; Vacuum Vessel (VV), VV Thermal Shield (VVTS), Toroidal Field Coil (TFC) and other components contained in the cryostat. KODA has carried out the preliminary and final design of these assembly tools. This paper shows that the current status, first quarter of the 2016, including manufacturing of ITER 1st batch assembly tools and briefly summarized the design process through design work of Sector Sub-assembly Tool (SSAT) that is most important tool representing ITER 1st batch assembly tools. KODA (Korea Domestic Agency) should provide 128 kinds of the purpose-built assembly tools for ITER Tokamak machine, and the ITER 1st batch assembly tools are split into 3 groups. The FDR for Group A was performed in December 2014, and design of SSAT has been verified by FE analysis and engineering calculation using EN cords. The SSAT is now under manufacturing phase to meet the ITER milestone. After factory acceptance test of SSAT on end of 2016, the 1st SSAT will be delivered and arrived in ITER site on second quarter of the 2017.

Highly sensitive detection of ESR1 mutations in cell-free DNA from patients with metastatic breast cancer using molecular barcode sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Masunaga, Nanae; Kagara, Naofumi; Motooka, Daisuke; Nakamura, Shota; Miyake, Tomohiro; Tanei, Tomonori; Naoi, Yasuto; Shimoda, Masafumi; Shimazu, Kenzo; Kim, Seung Jin; Noguchi, Shinzaburo

2018-01-01

We aimed to develop a highly sensitive method to detect ESR1 mutations in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) using next-generation sequencing with molecular barcode (MB-NGS) targeting the hotspot segment (c.1600-1713). The sensitivity of MB-NGS was tested using serially diluted ESR1 mutant DNA and then cfDNA samples from 34 patients with metastatic breast cancer were analyzed with MB-NGS. The results of MB-NGS were validated in comparison with conventional NGS and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). MB-NGS showed a higher sensitivity (0.1%) than NGS without barcode (1%) by reducing background errors. Of the cfDNA samples from 34 patients with metastatic breast cancer, NGS without barcode revealed seven mutations in six patients (17.6%) and MB-NGS revealed six additional mutations including three mutations not reported in the COSMIC database of breast cancer, resulting in total 13 ESR1 mutations in ten patients (29.4%). Regarding the three hotspot mutations, all the patients with mutations detected by MB-NGS had identical mutations detected by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), and mutant allele frequency correlated very well between both (r = 0.850, p < 0.01). Moreover, all the patients without these mutations by MB-NGS were found to have no mutations by ddPCR. In conclusion, MB-NGS could successfully detect ESR1 mutations in cfDNA with a higher sensitivity of 0.1% than conventional NGS and was considered as clinically useful as ddPCR.

Exogenous attention enhances 2nd-order contrast sensitivity

Science.gov (United States)

Barbot, Antoine; Landy, Michael S.; Carrasco, Marisa

2011-01-01

Natural scenes contain a rich variety of contours that the visual system extracts to segregrate the retinal image into perceptually coherent regions. Covert spatial attention helps extract contours by enhancing contrast sensitivity for 1st-order, luminance-defined patterns at attended locations, while reducing sensitivity at unattended locations, relative to neutral attention allocation. However, humans are also sensitive to 2nd-order patterns such as spatial variations of texture, which are predominant in natural scenes and cannot be detected by linear mechanisms. We assess whether and how exogenous attention—the involuntary and transient capture of spatial attention—affects the contrast sensitivity of channels sensitive to 2nd-order, texture-defined patterns. Using 2nd-order, texture-defined stimuli, we demonstrate that exogenous attention increases 2nd-order contrast sensitivity at the attended location, while decreasing it at unattended locations, relative to a neutral condition. By manipulating both 1st- and 2nd-order spatial frequency, we find that the effects of attention depend both on 2nd-order spatial frequency of the stimulus and the observer’s 2nd-order spatial resolution at the target location. At parafoveal locations, attention enhances 2nd-order contrast sensitivity to high, but not to low 2nd-order spatial frequencies; at peripheral locations attention also enhances sensitivity to low 2nd-order spatial frequencies. Control experiments rule out the possibility that these effects might be due to an increase in contrast sensitivity at the 1st-order stage of visual processing. Thus, exogenous attention affects 2nd-order contrast sensitivity at both attended and unattended locations. PMID:21356228

Roegneria alashanica Keng: a species with the StStStYStY genome constitution.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Richard R-C; Jensen, Kevin B

2017-06-01

The genome constitution of tetraploid Roegneria alashanica Keng has been in question for a long time. Most scientific studies have suggested that R. alashanica had two versions of the St genome, St 1 St 2 , similar to that of Pseudoroegneria elytrigioides (C. Yen & J.L. Yang) B.R. Lu. A study, however, concluded that R. alashanica had the StY genome formula typical for tetraploid species of Roegneria. For the present study, R. alashanica, Elymus longearistatus (Bioss.) Tzvelev (StY genomes), Pseudoroegneria strigosa (M. Bieb.) Á. Löve (St), Pseudoroegneria libanoctica (Hackel) D.R. Dewey (St), and Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) Á. Löve (St) were screened for the Y-genome specific marker B14(F+R) 269 . All E. longearistatus plants expressed intense bands specific to the Y genome. Only 6 of 10 R. alashanica plants exhibited relatively faint bands for the STS marker. Previously, the genome in species of Pseudoroegneria exhibiting such faint Y-genome specific marker was designated as St Y . Based on these results, R. alashanica lacks the Y genome in E. longearistatus but likely possess two remotely related St genomes, St and St Y . According to its genome constitution, R. alashanica should be classified in the genus Pseudoroenera and given the new name Pseudoroegneria alashanica (Keng) R.R.-C. Wang and K.B. Jensen.

panelcn.MOPS: Copy-number detection in targeted NGS panel data for clinical diagnostics.

Science.gov (United States)

Povysil, Gundula; Tzika, Antigoni; Vogt, Julia; Haunschmid, Verena; Messiaen, Ludwine; Zschocke, Johannes; Klambauer, Günter; Hochreiter, Sepp; Wimmer, Katharina

2017-07-01

Targeted next-generation-sequencing (NGS) panels have largely replaced Sanger sequencing in clinical diagnostics. They allow for the detection of copy-number variations (CNVs) in addition to single-nucleotide variants and small insertions/deletions. However, existing computational CNV detection methods have shortcomings regarding accuracy, quality control (QC), incidental findings, and user-friendliness. We developed panelcn.MOPS, a novel pipeline for detecting CNVs in targeted NGS panel data. Using data from 180 samples, we compared panelcn.MOPS with five state-of-the-art methods. With panelcn.MOPS leading the field, most methods achieved comparably high accuracy. panelcn.MOPS reliably detected CNVs ranging in size from part of a region of interest (ROI), to whole genes, which may comprise all ROIs investigated in a given sample. The latter is enabled by analyzing reads from all ROIs of the panel, but presenting results exclusively for user-selected genes, thus avoiding incidental findings. Additionally, panelcn.MOPS offers QC criteria not only for samples, but also for individual ROIs within a sample, which increases the confidence in called CNVs. panelcn.MOPS is freely available both as R package and standalone software with graphical user interface that is easy to use for clinical geneticists without any programming experience. panelcn.MOPS combines high sensitivity and specificity with user-friendliness rendering it highly suitable for routine clinical diagnostics. © 2017 The Authors. Human Mutation published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electronic Health Records Place 1st at Indy 500

Science.gov (United States)

... Navigation Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues EHR Electronic Health Records Place 1st at Indy 500 Past ... last May's Indy 500 had thousands of personal Electronic Health Records on hand for those attending—and ...

A randomized and blinded comparison of qPCR and NGS-based detection of aneuploidy in a cell line mixture model of blastocyst biopsy mosaicism.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodrich, David; Tao, Xin; Bohrer, Chelsea; Lonczak, Agnieszka; Xing, Tongji; Zimmerman, Rebekah; Zhan, Yiping; Scott, Richard T; Treff, Nathan R

2016-11-01

A subset of preimplantation stage embryos may possess mosaicism of chromosomal constitution, representing a possible limitation to the clinical predictive value of comprehensive chromosome screening (CCS) from a single biopsy. However, contemporary methods of CCS may be capable of predicting mosaicism in the blastocyst by detecting intermediate levels of aneuploidy within a trophectoderm biopsy. This study evaluates the sensitivity and specificity of aneuploidy detection by two CCS platforms using a cell line mixture model of a mosaic trophectoderm biopsy. Four cell lines with known karyotypes were obtained and mixed together at specific ratios of six total cells (0:6, 1:5, 2:4, 3:3, 4:2, 5:1, and 6:0). A female euploid and a male trisomy 18 cell line were used for one set, and a male trisomy 13 and a male trisomy 15 cell line were used for another. Replicates of each mixture were prepared, randomized, and blinded for analysis by one of two CCS platforms (quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or VeriSeq next-generation sequencing (NGS)). Sensitivity and specificity of aneuploidy detection at each level of mosaicism was determined and compared between platforms. With the default settings for each platform, the sensitivity of qPCR and NGS were not statistically different, and 100 % specificity was observed (no false positives) at all levels of mosaicism. However, the use of previously published custom criteria for NGS increased sensitivity but also significantly decreased specificity (33 % false-positive prediction of aneuploidy). By demonstrating increased false-positive diagnoses when reducing the stringency of predicting an abnormality, these data illustrate the importance of preclinical evaluation of new testing paradigms before clinical implementation.

Dimerization and endocytosis of the sucrose transporter StSUT1 in mature sieve elements.

Science.gov (United States)

Liesche, Johannes; Schulz, Alexander; Krügel, Undine; Grimm, Bernhard; Kühn, Christina

2008-12-01

The sucrose transporter StSUT1 from Solanum tuberosum was shown to be regulated post-translationally by redox reagents. Its activity is increased at least 10-fold in the presence of oxidizing agents if expressed in yeast. Oxidation has also an effect on plasma membrane targeting and dimerization of the protein. In response to oxidizing agents, StSUT1 is targeted to lipid raft-like microdomains and SUT1 protein is detectable in the detergent resistant membrane fraction of plant plasma membranes. Interestingly, StSUT1 treated with brefeldin A seems to aggregate in endocytic compartments in mature sieve elements.1 Further analysis of SUT1 targeting will certainly provide more information about the putative involvement of lipid raft-like microdomains in endocytic events. We provide here additional information on the dimerization and endocytosis of the SUT1 protein. The oligomerization of overexpressed SoSUT1 from Spinacia oleracea in transgenic potato plants was analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and endocytosis of the StSUT1 protein was confirmed by immunogold labeling.

AM-37 and ST-36 Are Small Molecule Bombesin Receptor Antagonists.

Science.gov (United States)

Moody, Terry W; Tashakkori, Nicole; Mantey, Samuel A; Moreno, Paola; Ramos-Alvarez, Irene; Leopoldo, Marcello; Jensen, Robert T

2017-01-01

While peptide antagonists for the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (BB 2 R), neuromedin B receptor (BB 1 R), and bombesin (BB) receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3) exist, there is a need to develop non-peptide small molecule inhibitors for all three BBR. The BB agonist (BA)1 binds with high affinity to the BB 1 R, BB 2 R, and BRS-3. In this communication, small molecule BBR antagonists were evaluated using human lung cancer cells. AM-37 and ST-36 inhibited binding to human BB 1 R, BB 2 R, and BRS-3 with similar affinity ( K i = 1.4-10.8 µM). AM-13 and AM-14 were approximately an order of magnitude less potent than AM-37 and ST-36. The ability of BA1 to elevate cytosolic Ca 2+ in human lung cancer cells transfected with BB 1 R, BB 2 R, and BRS-3 was antagonized by AM-37 and ST-36. BA1 increased tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGFR and ERK in lung cancer cells, which was blocked by AM-37 and ST-36. AM-37 and ST-36 reduced the growth of lung cancer cells that have BBR. The results indicate that AM-37 and ST-36 function as small molecule BB receptor antagonists.

The role of SCUBE1 in the development of late stent thrombosis presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolayır, Hasan Ata; Kıvrak, Tarık; Güneş, Hakan; Akaslan, Dursun; Şahin, Ömer; Bolayır, Aslı

2018-05-01

There is an important link between platelets and inflammation, thrombosis, and vascular and tissue repair mechanisms. SCUBE1 (signal peptide-CUB-EGF domain-containing protein 1) may function as a novel platelet-endothelial adhesion molecule and play pathological roles in cardiovascular biology. Stent thrombosis (ST) following percutaneous coronary intervention is an uncommon and potentially catastrophic event that can manifest as myocardial infarction and sudden death. High platelet reactivity is a risk factor for thrombotic events, including late ST. For this reason, in the current study, we researched the role of SCUBE1 in the development of late coronary ST. We included 40 patients admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and signs of late ST on a coronary angiogram. For the control group, we recruited 50 healthy gender- and age-matched individuals who were seen for health check-ups. We also randomly included 100 patients with a diagnosis of STEMI without ST. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of baseline and demographic characteristics. The mean SCUBE1 level in patients with STEMI with late ST at admission and the STEMI without ST group was significantly higher than in the control group (pST group was significantly higher than in the STEMI without ST group (p=0.03). In multivariate regression analysis, serum SCUBE1 (odds ratio [OR]: 1.022; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.011-1.033, pST. In addition, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine the optimal SCUBE1 cut-off value for predicting late ST. The area under the curve was 0.972 (95% CI 0.95-0.98). The SCUBE1 cut-off value was 59.2 ng/ml, with a sensitivity of 95.4% and specificity of 82.9%. The present work is the first clinical study to demonstrate that serum SCUBE1 levels are significantly higher in patients with late ST and serum SCUBE1 was an independent predictor for the presence of late ST in our

The Hagedorn spectrum, nuclear level densities and first order phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, Luciano G.; Larsen, A. C.; Guttormsen, M.; Siem, S.

2015-01-01

An exponential mass spectrum, like the Hagedorn spectrum, with slope 1/T H was interpreted as fixing an upper limiting temperature T H that the system can achieve. However, thermodynamically, such spectrum indicates a 1 st order phase transition at a fixed temperature T H . A much lower energy example is the log linear level nuclear density below the neutron binding energy that prevails throughout the nuclear chart. We show that, for non-magic nuclei, such linearity implies a 1 st order phase transition from the pairing superfluid to an ideal gas of quasi particles

Proceedings of the 1st Symposium on Laser Spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-11-01

This proceedings contains articles of the 1st Symposium on Laser Spectroscopy. It was held on Nov 11, 1993 in Taejeon, Korea. The main topics are as follows: Laser Isotope, Laser Spectroscopy, Laser Fusion, Laser Applications and so on. (Yi, J. H.)

EMSL Quarterly Highlights Report: 1st Quarter, Fiscal Year 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Showalter, Mary Ann; Kathmann, Loel E.; Manke, Kristin L.

2009-02-02

The EMSL Quarterly Highlights Report covers the science, staff and user recognition, and publication activities that occurred during the 1st quarter (October 2008 - December 2008) of Fiscal Year 2009.

Comparative genomic analysis shows that avian pathogenic Escherichia coli isolate IMT5155 (O2:K1:H5; ST complex 95, ST140 shares close relationship with ST95 APEC O1:K1 and human ExPEC O18:K1 strains.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangkai Zhu Ge

Full Text Available Avian pathogenic E. coli and human extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli serotypes O1, O2 and O18 strains isolated from different hosts are generally located in phylogroup B2 and ST complex 95, and they share similar genetic characteristics and pathogenicity, with no or minimal host specificity. They are popular objects for the study of ExPEC genetic characteristics and pathogenesis in recent years. Here, we investigated the evolution and genetic blueprint of APEC pathotype by performing phylogenetic and comparative genome analysis of avian pathogenic E. coli strain IMT5155 (O2:K1:H5; ST complex 95, ST140 with other E. coli pathotypes. Phylogeny analyses indicated that IMT5155 has closest evolutionary relationship with APEC O1, IHE3034, and UTI89. Comparative genomic analysis showed that IMT5155 and APEC O1 shared significant genetic overlap/similarities with human ExPEC dominant O18:K1 strains (IHE3034 and UTI89. Furthermore, the unique PAI I5155 (GI-12 was identified and found to be conserved in APEC O2 serotype isolates. GI-7 and GI-16 encoding two typical T6SSs in IMT5155 might be useful markers for the identification of ExPEC dominant serotypes (O1, O2, and O18 strains. IMT5155 contained a ColV plasmid p1ColV5155, which defined the APEC pathotype. The distribution analysis of 10 sequenced ExPEC pan-genome virulence factors among 47 sequenced E. coli strains provided meaningful information for B2 APEC/ExPEC-specific virulence factors, including several adhesins, invasins, toxins, iron acquisition systems, and so on. The pathogenicity tests of IMT5155 and other APEC O1:K1 and O2:K1 serotypes strains (isolated in China through four animal models showed that they were highly virulent for avian colisepticemia and able to cause septicemia and meningitis in neonatal rats, suggesting zoonotic potential of these APEC O1:K1 and O2:K1 isolates.

Assessment of ichthyoplankton entrainment at Pickering 'A' NGS using a pump/net in lake system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinley, R.S.

1985-03-01

Annual entrainment at Pickering 'A' NGS was estimated for alewife as 13.6 X 10 6 larvae and 409 X 10 6 eggs. A substantial portion of eggs and larvae entering the intake were dead due to natural mortality (41%-81%) prior to entrainment. Viable eggs and larvae, immediately following entrainment showed mortalities of 54% and 44% respectively. The latent mortality of entrained eggs was 100% (48 h)

Evaluation of a pilot fish handling system at Bruce NGS 'A'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffiths, J.S.

1985-10-01

A pilot fish recovery system using a Hidrostal fish pump was tested in the Bruce NGS 'A' forebay during June, 1984. Despite low forebay fish concentrations, the system was capable of capturing 97,000 alewife/day (3900 kg) if operated continuously. Post-pumping survival averaged 97%. It is estimated that a single pump could handle alewife runs in the 40,000 to 70,000 kg range, but multiple pumps or a single larger pump would be required to assure station protection from the largest runs (>100,000 kg). Results indicate that tank/trailer return of pumped fish is feasible, but other alternatives for returning fish to Lake Huron are also being considered

AM-37 and ST-36 Are Small Molecule Bombesin Receptor Antagonists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terry W. Moody

2017-07-01

Full Text Available While peptide antagonists for the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (BB2R, neuromedin B receptor (BB1R, and bombesin (BB receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3 exist, there is a need to develop non-peptide small molecule inhibitors for all three BBR. The BB agonist (BA1 binds with high affinity to the BB1R, BB2R, and BRS-3. In this communication, small molecule BBR antagonists were evaluated using human lung cancer cells. AM-37 and ST-36 inhibited binding to human BB1R, BB2R, and BRS-3 with similar affinity (Ki = 1.4–10.8 µM. AM-13 and AM-14 were approximately an order of magnitude less potent than AM-37 and ST-36. The ability of BA1 to elevate cytosolic Ca2+ in human lung cancer cells transfected with BB1R, BB2R, and BRS-3 was antagonized by AM-37 and ST-36. BA1 increased tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGFR and ERK in lung cancer cells, which was blocked by AM-37 and ST-36. AM-37 and ST-36 reduced the growth of lung cancer cells that have BBR. The results indicate that AM-37 and ST-36 function as small molecule BB receptor antagonists.

AM-37 and ST-36 Are Small Molecule Bombesin Receptor Antagonists

Science.gov (United States)

Moody, Terry W.; Tashakkori, Nicole; Mantey, Samuel A.; Moreno, Paola; Ramos-Alvarez, Irene; Leopoldo, Marcello; Jensen, Robert T.

2017-01-01

While peptide antagonists for the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (BB2R), neuromedin B receptor (BB1R), and bombesin (BB) receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3) exist, there is a need to develop non-peptide small molecule inhibitors for all three BBR. The BB agonist (BA)1 binds with high affinity to the BB1R, BB2R, and BRS-3. In this communication, small molecule BBR antagonists were evaluated using human lung cancer cells. AM-37 and ST-36 inhibited binding to human BB1R, BB2R, and BRS-3 with similar affinity (Ki = 1.4–10.8 µM). AM-13 and AM-14 were approximately an order of magnitude less potent than AM-37 and ST-36. The ability of BA1 to elevate cytosolic Ca2+ in human lung cancer cells transfected with BB1R, BB2R, and BRS-3 was antagonized by AM-37 and ST-36. BA1 increased tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGFR and ERK in lung cancer cells, which was blocked by AM-37 and ST-36. AM-37 and ST-36 reduced the growth of lung cancer cells that have BBR. The results indicate that AM-37 and ST-36 function as small molecule BB receptor antagonists. PMID:28785244

A Design of First-Order Delay-Line DPLL in 1.2μm CMOS Technology

OpenAIRE

Seki, Ikuo; Nakashi, Kenichi; Ushida, Mitsuhiko; Taniguchi, Kenji

1996-01-01

This paper describes a CMOS 1st-order delay-line DPLL in l.2μm technology for clock regeneration. We have employed a parallel-architecture PC (Phase Comparator) to improve the speed and a DCO (Digitally Controlled Oscillator) without timing hazard. And we have also laid it out in 1.2μm CMOS, and simulated its performance by SPICE as well as logic simulation. Results show that the DPLL operates up to 60MHz, and that lock-in ranges are +5/-5% for regular" 10" input and +5/-5% for 2^13-1 PRBS (P...

The new Facilities Management contract at CERN from 1st July 2002

CERN Document Server

Mauro Nonis

2002-01-01

Within the ST Division, all the Facilities Management activities have been under the ST/TFM group responsibility until the 30th June 2002, who has performed them using around 20 industrial support contracts. Starting from the 1st July 2002 a new unit, ST/FM, will take over these activities that will be unified into one single contract that has been adjudicated to the company Facilities Management Network SA. This contract will be in charge of the maintenance and minor works on tertiary installations (i.e. all structures and installations that have no direct relation to the running of the accelerators) for the following trades: - Technical: heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, electricity, civil engineering (painting, roofing, glazing, blinds, fencing, masonry etc.), passenger and goods lifts, automatic and powered doors, kitchen equipment, roads, signs, keys and locks, office furniture, - Services: waste collection, security, green areas, cleaning and sanitary supplies, disinfection, rodent cont...

THE NEW FACILITIES MANAGEMENT CONTRACT AT CERN FROM 1st JULY 2002

CERN Multimedia

Mauro Nonis

2002-01-01

Within the ST Division, all the Facilities Management activities have been under the ST/TFM group responsibility until the 30th June 2002, who has performed them using around 20 industrial support contracts. Starting from the 1st July 2002 a new unit, ST/FM, will take over these activities that will be unified into one single contract that has been adjudicated to the company Facilities Management Network SA. This contract will be in charge of the maintenance and minor works on tertiary installations (i.e. all structures and installations that have no direct relation to the running of the accelerators) for the following trades: Technical: heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, electricity, civil engineering (painting, roofing, glazing, blinds, fencing, masonry etc.), passenger and goods lifts, automatic and powered doors, kitchen equipment, roads, signs, keys and locks, office furniture, Services: waste collection, security, green areas, cleaning and sanitary supplies, disinfection, rodent contro...

Comparison of Nasal Epithelial Smoking-Induced Gene Expression on Affymetrix Exon 1.0 and Gene 1.0 ST Arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoling Zhang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We have previously defined the impact of tobacco smoking on nasal epithelium gene expression using Affymetrix Exon 1.0 ST arrays. In this paper, we compared the performance of the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Gene 1.0 ST array with the Human Exon 1.0 ST array for detecting nasal smoking-related gene expression changes. RNA collected from the nasal epithelium of five current smokers and five never smokers was hybridized to both arrays. While the intersample correlation within each array platform was relatively higher in the Gene array than that in the Exon array, the majority of the genes most changed by smoking were tightly correlated between platforms. Although neither array dataset was powered to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs at a false discovery rate (FDR <0.05, we identified more DEGs than expected by chance using the Gene ST array. These findings suggest that while both platforms show a high degree of correlation for detecting smoking-induced differential gene expression changes, the Gene ST array may be a more cost-effective platform in a clinical setting for gene-level genomewide expression profiling and an effective tool for exploring the host response to cigarette smoking and other inhaled toxins.

Biodiversity Monitoring Using NGS Approaches on Unusual Substrates (2013 DOE JGI Genomics of Energy and Environment 8th Annual User Meeting)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilbert, Tom

2013-03-01

Tom Gilbert of the Natural History Museum of Denmark on "Biodiversity monitoring using NGS approaches on unusual substrates" at the 8th Annual Genomics of Energy & Environment Meeting in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for assessment of microbial water quality: current progress, challenges, and future opportunities

OpenAIRE

BoonFei eTan; Charmaine Marie Ng; Jean Pierre Nshimyimana; Jean Pierre Nshimyimana; Lay-Leng eLoh; Lay-Leng eLoh; Karina Yew-Hoong Gin; Janelle Renee Thompson; Janelle Renee Thompson

2015-01-01

Water quality is an emergent property of a complex system comprised of interacting microbial populations and introduced microbial and chemical contaminants. Studies leveraging next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are providing new insights into the ecology of microbially mediated processes that influence fresh water quality such as algal blooms, contaminant biodegradation, and pathogen dissemination. In addition, sequencing methods targeting small subunit (SSU) rRNA hypervariable reg...

The Hagedorn spectrum, nuclear level densities and first order phase transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moretto, Luciano G., E-mail: lgmoretto@lbl.gov [Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Larsen, A. C.; Guttormsen, M.; Siem, S. [Department of Physics, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo (Norway)

2015-10-15

An exponential mass spectrum, like the Hagedorn spectrum, with slope 1/T{sub H} was interpreted as fixing an upper limiting temperature T{sub H} that the system can achieve. However, thermodynamically, such spectrum indicates a 1{sup st} order phase transition at a fixed temperature T{sub H}. A much lower energy example is the log linear level nuclear density below the neutron binding energy that prevails throughout the nuclear chart. We show that, for non-magic nuclei, such linearity implies a 1{sup st} order phase transition from the pairing superfluid to an ideal gas of quasi particles.

Evolution of the Darlington NGS fuel handling computer systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, V.; Crouse, B.

1996-01-01

The ability to improve the capabilities and reliability of digital control systems in nuclear power stations to meet changing plant and personnel requirements is a formidable challenge. Many of these systems have high quality assurance standards that must be met to ensure adequate nuclear safety. Also many of these systems contain obsolete hardware along with software that is not easily transported to newer technology computer equipment. Combining modern technology upgrades into a system of obsolete hardware components is not an easy task. Lastly, as users become more accustomed to using modern technology computer systems in other areas of the station (e.g. information systems), their expectations of the capabilities of the plant systems increase. This paper will present three areas of the Darlington NGS fuel handling computer system that have been or are in the process of being upgraded to current technology components within the framework of an existing fuel handling control system. (author). 3 figs

Evolution of the Darlington NGS fuel handling computer systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leung, V; Crouse, B [Ontario Hydro, Bowmanville (Canada). Darlington Nuclear Generating Station

1997-12-31

The ability to improve the capabilities and reliability of digital control systems in nuclear power stations to meet changing plant and personnel requirements is a formidable challenge. Many of these systems have high quality assurance standards that must be met to ensure adequate nuclear safety. Also many of these systems contain obsolete hardware along with software that is not easily transported to newer technology computer equipment. Combining modern technology upgrades into a system of obsolete hardware components is not an easy task. Lastly, as users become more accustomed to using modern technology computer systems in other areas of the station (e.g. information systems), their expectations of the capabilities of the plant systems increase. This paper will present three areas of the Darlington NGS fuel handling computer system that have been or are in the process of being upgraded to current technology components within the framework of an existing fuel handling control system. (author). 3 figs.

ST peak during percutaneous coronary intervention serves as an early prognostic predictor in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lønborg, Jacob; Kelbæk, Henning; Engstrøm, Thomas

2014-01-01

AIMS: To evaluate the clinical importance of the ST peak phenomenon during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS AND RESULTS: Continuous ST monitoring was performed in 942 STEMI patients from arrival until 90...... minutes after revascularisation. ST peak was defined as ≥1 mm increase in the ST-segment during PCI compared with the ST elevation before intervention. ST peak was observed in 26.9% of patients. During median follow-up of 4.1 years, 20.7% of patients experienced a major adverse cardiac event (MACE). ST...... and ST peak including ST resolution and epicardial flow, ST peak remained significantly associated with MACE: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.95) and 1.41 (95% CI: 1.02-1.96). CONCLUSIONS: In the largest study hitherto evaluating the ST peak phenomenon during primary...

Regulation of StAR by the N-terminal Domain and Coinduction of SIK1 and TIS11b/Znf36l1 in Single Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jinwoo; Tong, Tiegang; Duan, Haichuan; Foong, Yee Hoon; Musaitif, Ibrahim; Yamazaki, Takeshi; Jefcoate, Colin

2016-01-01

The cholesterol transfer function of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) is uniquely integrated into adrenal cells, with mRNA translation and protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation occurring at the mitochondrial outer membrane (OMM). The StAR C-terminal cholesterol-binding domain (CBD) initiates mitochondrial intermembrane contacts to rapidly direct cholesterol to Cyp11a1 in the inner membrane (IMM). The conserved StAR N-terminal regulatory domain (NTD) includes a leader sequence targeting the CBD to OMM complexes that initiate cholesterol transfer. Here, we show how the NTD functions to enhance CBD activity delivers more efficiently from StAR mRNA in adrenal cells, and then how two factors hormonally restrain this process. NTD processing at two conserved sequence sites is selectively affected by StAR PKA phosphorylation. The CBD functions as a receptor to stimulate the OMM/IMM contacts that mediate transfer. The NTD controls the transit time that integrates extramitochondrial StAR effects on cholesterol homeostasis with other mitochondrial functions, including ATP generation, inter-organelle fusion, and the major permeability transition pore in partnership with other OMM proteins. PKA also rapidly induces two additional StAR modulators: salt-inducible kinase 1 (SIK1) and Znf36l1/Tis11b. Induced SIK1 attenuates the activity of CRTC2, a key mediator of StAR transcription and splicing, but only as cAMP levels decline. TIS11b inhibits translation and directs the endonuclease-mediated removal of the 3.5-kb StAR mRNA. Removal of either of these functions individually enhances cAMP-mediated induction of StAR. High-resolution fluorescence in situ hybridization (HR-FISH) of StAR RNA reveals asymmetric transcription at the gene locus and slow RNA splicing that delays mRNA formation, potentially to synchronize with cholesterol import. Adrenal cells may retain slow transcription to integrate with intermembrane NTD activation. HR-FISH resolves individual 3.5-kb St

TGF-β1 downregulates StAR expression and decreases progesterone production through Smad3 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in human granulosa cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Lanlan; Chang, Hsun-Ming; Cheng, Jung-Chien; Leung, Peter C K; Sun, Ying-Pu

2014-11-01

Regulation of progesterone production in granulosa cells is important for normal reproductive functions. Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) is recognized as the key regulatory protein involved in the rate-limiting step of steroidogenesis. TGF-β1 protein is detected in human follicular fluid, and TGF-β1 and its receptors are expressed in human granulosa cells. However, the functional role of TGF-β1 in the regulation of StAR expression and progesterone production in human granulosa cells remains unknown. Our objective was to investigate the effects of TGF-β1 on StAR expression and progesterone production in human granulosa cells. SVOG cells are human granulosa cells that were obtained from women undergoing in vitro fertilization and immortalized with SV40 large T antigen. SVOG cells were used to investigate the effects of TGF-β1 on StAR expression and progesterone production at an academic research center. Levels of mRNA and protein were examined by RT-qPCR and western blotting, respectively. The accumulation levels of progesterone were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). TGF-β1 treatment downregulated StAR expression and decreased progesterone production. The suppressive effects of TGF-β1 on StAR expression and progesterone production were abolished by the inhibition of TGF-β type I receptor. In addition, treatment with TGF-β1 activated the Smad2/3 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. The inhibition of the Smad3 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways attenuated the TGF-β1-induced downregulation of StAR expression and progesterone production. TGF-β1 downregulated StAR expression and decreased progesterone production by activating the Smad3 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in human granulosa cells.

Tritium stripping in a nitrogen glovebox using SAES St 198

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, J.E.; Wermer, J.R.

1994-01-01

SAES metal getter material St 198 was chosen for glovebox stripper tests to evaluate its effectiveness of removing tritium from a nitrogen atmosphere. The St 198 material is unique from a number of other metal hydride-based getter materials in that it is relatively inert to nitrogen and can thus be used in nitrogen glovebox atmospheres. Six tritium stripper experiments which mock-up the use of a SAES St 198 stripper bed for a full-scale (10,500 liter) nitrogen glovebox have been completed. Experiments consisted of a release of small quantity of protium/deuterium spiked with tritium which were scaled to simulate tritium releases of 0.1 g., 1.0 g., and 10 g. into the glovebox. The tritium spike allows detection using tritium ion chambers. The St 198 stripper system produced a reduction in tritium activity of approximately two orders of magnitude in 24 hours (6--8 atmosphere turn-overs) of stripper operation

1st International Symposium and 10th Balkan Conference on Operational Research

CERN Document Server

Sifaleras, Angelo; Georgiadis, Christos; Papathanasiou, Jason; Stiakakis, Emmanuil

2013-01-01

Over the past two decades, the Balkan Conference on Operational Research (BALCOR) has facilitated the exchange of scientific and technical information on the subject of Operations Research and related fields such as Mathematical Programming, Game Theory, Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis, Information Systems, Data Mining, and more, in order to promote international scientific cooperation.  The contributed papers contained in this volume consist of 25 selected research papers based on results presented at the 10th Balkan Conference & 1st International Symposium on Operational Research in Thessalonike, Greece. Subjects include, but do not restrict to, the development of theory and mathematical models for Operations Research, theory and applications of Combinatorial Optimization, Supply Chain Optimization, and Military Operations Research.  These carefully selected papers present important recent developments and modern applications, and will serve as excellent reference for students, researchers, and pr...

Dissecting an alternative splicing analysis workflow for GeneChip® Exon 1.0 ST Affymetrix arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Calogero Raffaele A

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A new microarray platform (GeneChip® Exon 1.0 ST has recently been developed by Affymetrix http://www.affymetrix.com. This microarray platform changes the conventional view of transcript analysis since it allows the evaluation of the expression level of a transcript by querying each exon component. The Exon 1.0 ST platform does however raise some issues regarding the approaches to be used in identifying genome-wide alternative splicing events (ASEs. In this study an exon-level data analysis workflow is dissected in order to detect limit and strength of each step, thus modifying the overall workflow and thereby optimizing the detection of ASEs. Results This study was carried out using a semi-synthetic exon-skipping benchmark experiment embedding a total of 268 exon skipping events. Our results point out that summarization methods (RMA, PLIER do not affect the efficacy of statistical tools in detecting ASEs. However, data pre-filtering is mandatory if the detected number of false ASEs are to be reduced. MiDAS and Rank Product methods efficiently detect true ASEs but they suffer from the lack of multiple test error correction. The intersection of MiDAS and Rank Product results efficiently moderates the detection of false ASEs. Conclusion To optimize the detection of ASEs we propose the following workflow: i data pre-filtering, ii statistical selection of ASEs using both MiDAS and Rank Product, iii intersection of results derived from the two statistical analyses in order to moderate family-wise errors (FWER.

Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stead, M.E.

1994-01-01

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in cooperation with Amtrak, undertook the Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail Financial and Implementation Plan study in order to develop a realistic and achievable blueprint for implementation of high speed rail in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor. This report presents a summary of the Price Waterhouse Project Team's analysis and the Financial and Implementation Plan for implementing high speed rail service in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor

Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stead, M.E.

1994-12-31

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in cooperation with Amtrak, undertook the Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail Financial and Implementation Plan study in order to develop a realistic and achievable blueprint for implementation of high speed rail in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor. This report presents a summary of the Price Waterhouse Project Team`s analysis and the Financial and Implementation Plan for implementing high speed rail service in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor.

1ST-ORDER NONADIABATIC COUPLING MATRIX-ELEMENTS FROM MULTICONFIGURATIONAL SELF-CONSISTENT-FIELD RESPONSE THEORY

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bak, Keld L.; Jørgensen, Poul; Jensen, H.J.A.

1992-01-01

A new scheme for obtaining first-order nonadiabatic coupling matrix elements (FO-NACME) for multiconfigurational self-consistent-field (MCSCF) wave functions is presented. The FO-NACME are evaluated from residues of linear response functions. The residues involve the geometrical response of a ref......A new scheme for obtaining first-order nonadiabatic coupling matrix elements (FO-NACME) for multiconfigurational self-consistent-field (MCSCF) wave functions is presented. The FO-NACME are evaluated from residues of linear response functions. The residues involve the geometrical response...... to the full configuration interaction limit. Comparisons are made with state-averaged MCSCF results for MgH2 and finite-difference configuration interaction by perturbation with multiconfigurational zeroth-order wave function reflected by interactive process (CIPSI) results for BH....

Proceedings of the 1st JAERI symposium on HTGR technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-07-01

This report was edited as the Proceedings of the 1st JAERI Symposium on HTGR Technologies, - Design, Licensing Requirements and Supporting Technologies -, collecting the 21 papers presented in the Symposium. The 19 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

Robust species taxonomy assignment algorithm for 16S rRNA NGS reads: application to oral carcinoma samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nezar Noor Al-Hebshi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Usefulness of next-generation sequencing (NGS in assessing bacteria associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC has been undermined by inability to classify reads to the species level. Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a robust algorithm for species-level classification of NGS reads from oral samples and to pilot test it for profiling bacteria within OSCC tissues. Methods: Bacterial 16S V1-V3 libraries were prepared from three OSCC DNA samples and sequenced using 454's FLX chemistry. High-quality, well-aligned, and non-chimeric reads ≥350 bp were classified using a novel, multi-stage algorithm that involves matching reads to reference sequences in revised versions of the Human Oral Microbiome Database (HOMD, HOMD extended (HOMDEXT, and Greengene Gold (GGG at alignment coverage and percentage identity ≥98%, followed by assignment to species level based on top hit reference sequences. Priority was given to hits in HOMD, then HOMDEXT and finally GGG. Unmatched reads were subject to operational taxonomic unit analysis. Results: Nearly, 92.8% of the reads were matched to updated-HOMD 13.2, 1.83% to trusted-HOMDEXT, and 1.36% to modified-GGG. Of all matched reads, 99.6% were classified to species level. A total of 228 species-level taxa were identified, representing 11 phyla; the most abundant were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Thirty-five species-level taxa were detected in all samples. On average, Prevotella oris, Neisseria flava, Neisseria flavescens/subflava, Fusobacterium nucleatum ss polymorphum, Aggregatibacter segnis, Streptococcus mitis, and Fusobacterium periodontium were the most abundant. Bacteroides fragilis, a species rarely isolated from the oral cavity, was detected in two samples. Conclusion: This multi-stage algorithm maximizes the fraction of reads classified to the species level while ensuring reliable classification by giving priority to the

Idaho National Laboratory Quarterly Occurrence Analysis for the 1st Quarter FY2017

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitchell, Lisbeth Ann [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2017-01-01

This report is published quarterly by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Quality and Performance Management Organization. The Department of Energy (DOE) Occurrence Reporting and Processing System (ORPS), as prescribed in DOE Order 232.2, “Occurrence Reporting and Processing of Operations Information,” requires a quarterly analysis of events, both reportable and not reportable, for the previous 12 months. This report is the analysis of 82 reportable events (13 from the 1st quarter (Qtr) of fiscal year (FY) 2017 and 68 from the prior three reporting quarters), as well as 31 other issue reports (including events found to be not reportable and Significant Category A and B conditions) identified at INL during the past 12 months (seven from this quarter and 24 from the prior three quarters).

Use of the Ion PGM and the GeneReader NGS Systems in Daily Routine Practice for Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients: A Practical Point of View Reporting a Comparative Study and Assessment of 90 Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Heeke

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: With the integration of various targeted therapies into the clinical management of patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma, next-generation sequencing (NGS has become the technology of choice and has led to an increase in simultaneously interrogated genes. However, the broader adoption of NGS for routine clinical practice is still hampered by sophisticated workflows, complex bioinformatics analysis and medical interpretation. Therefore, the performance of the novel QIAGEN GeneReader NGS system was compared to an in-house ISO-15189 certified Ion PGM NGS platform. Methods: Clinical samples from 90 patients (60 Retrospectively and 30 Prospectively with lung adenocarcinoma were sequenced with both systems. Mutations were analyzed and EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, NRAS, ALK, PIK3CA and ERBB2 genes were compared and sampling time and suitability for clinical testing were assessed. Results: Both sequencing systems showed perfect concordance for the overlapping genes. Correlation of allele frequency was r2 = 0.93 for the retrospective patients and r2 = 0.81 for the prospective patients. Hands-on time and total run time were shorter using the PGM system, while the GeneReader platform provided good traceability and up-to-date interpretation of the results. Conclusion: We demonstrated the suitability of the GeneReader NGS system in routine practice in a clinical pathology laboratory setting.

Promoter polymorphisms of ST3GAL4 and ST6GAL1 genes and associations with risk of premalignant and malignant lesions of the cervix.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivera-Juarez, Maria de Los Angeles; Rosas-Murrieta, Nora Hilda; Mendieta-Carmona, Victoriano; Hernandez-Pacheco, Raquel Esneidy; Zamora-Ginez, Irma; Rodea-Avila, Carlos; Apresa-Garcia, Teresa; Garay-Villar, Onix; Aguilar-Lemarroy, Adriana; Jave-Suarez, Luis Felipe; Diaz-Orea, Maria Alicia; Milflores-Flores, Lorena; Reyes-Salinas, Juan Salvador; Ceja-Utrera, Francisco Javier; Vazquez-Zamora, Victor Javier; Vargas-Maldonado, Tomas; Reyes-Carmona, Sandra; Sosa-Jurado, Francisca; Santos-Lopez, Gerardo; Reyes-Leyva, Julio; Vallejo-Ruiz, Veronica

2014-01-01

Sialyltransferase gene expression is altered in several cancers, including examples in the cervix. Transcriptional regulation of the responsible genes depends on different promoters. We aimed to determine the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the B3 promoter of the ST3GAL4 gene and the P1 promoter of the ST6GAL1 gene with cervical premalignant lesions or cervical cancer. A blood sample and/or cervical scrapes were obtained from 104 women with normal cytology, 154 with premalignant lesions and 100 with cervical cancer. We also included 119 blood samples of random donors. The polymorphisms were identified by sequencing from PCR products. For the B3 promoter, a fragment of 506 bp (from nucleotide -408 to +98) was analyzed, and for the P1 promoter a 490 bp (-326 to +164) fragment. The polymorphism analysis showed that at SNP rs10893506, genotypes CC and CT of the ST3GAL4 B3 promoter were associated with the presence of premalignant lesions (OR=2.89; 95%CI 1.72-4.85) and cervical cancer (OR=2.23; 95%CI 1.27-3.91). We detected only one allele of each polymorphism in the ST6GAL1 P1 promoter. We did not detect any genetic variability in the P1 promoter region in our study population. Our results suggest that the rs10893506 polymorphism -22C/T may increase susceptibility to premalignant and malignant lesions of the cervix.

Space Technology 5 (ST-5) Observations of the Imbalance of Region 1 and 2 Field-Aligned Currents

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Guan

2010-01-01

Space Technology 5 (ST-5) is a three micro-satellite constellation deployed into a 300 x 4500 km, dawn-dusk, sun-synchronous polar orbit from March 22 to June 21, 2006, for technology validations. In this study, we use the in-situ magnetic field observations from Space Technology 5 mission to quantify the imbalance of Region 1 (R1) and Region 2 (R2) currents. During the three-month duration of the ST5 mission, geomagnetic conditions range from quiet to moderately active. We find that the R1 current intensity is consistently stronger than the R2 current intensity both for the dawnside and the duskside large-scale field-aligned current system. The net currents flowing into (out of) the ionosphere in the dawnside (duskside) are in the order of 5% of the total RI currents. We also find that the net currents flowing into or out of the ionosphere are controlled by the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction in the same way as the field-aligned currents themselves are. Since the net currents due to the imbalance of the R1 and R2 currents require that their closure currents flow across the polar cap from dawn to dusk as Pedersen currents, our results indicate that the total amount of the cross-polar cap Pedersen currents is in the order of approx. 0.1 MA. This study, although with a very limited dataset, is one of the first attempts to quantify the cross-polar cap Pedersen currents. Given the importance of the Joule heating due to Pedersen currents to the high-latitude ionospheric electrodynamics, quantifying the cross-polar cap Pedersen currents and associated Joule heating is needed for developing models of the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.

Effective Analysis of NGS Metagenomic Data with Ultra-Fast Clustering Algorithms (MICW - Metagenomics Informatics Challenges Workshop: 10K Genomes at a Time)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Weizhong

2011-10-12

San Diego Supercomputer Center's Weizhong Li on "Effective Analysis of NGS Metagenomic Data with Ultra-fast Clustering Algorithms" at the Metagenomics Informatics Challenges Workshop held at the DOE JGI on October 12-13, 2011.

78 FR 53247 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; State of Missouri; St. Louis Area...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-29

... include amendments to sections (1) through (4) of rule 10 CSR 10-5.480 St. Louis Area Transportation... approving the State's request to amend 10 CSR 10-5.480 St. Louis Area Transportation Conformity Requirements... action'' subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR...

39 CFR 762.30 - Disbursement postal money orders issued to incompetent payees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... shall be forwarded to the Money Order Division, Postal Data Center, P.O. Box 14963, St. Louis, MO 63182... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Disbursement postal money orders issued to... OBLIGATIONS; DISBURSEMENT POSTAL MONEY ORDERS DISBURSEMENT POSTAL MONEY ORDERS Endorsements, Payment...

39 CFR 762.31 - Disbursement postal money orders issued to deceased payees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... should be returned to the Money Order Division, Postal Data Center, P.O. Box 14963, St. Louis, MO 63182... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Disbursement postal money orders issued to... OBLIGATIONS; DISBURSEMENT POSTAL MONEY ORDERS DISBURSEMENT POSTAL MONEY ORDERS Endorsements, Payment...

A rapid NGS strategy for comprehensive molecular diagnosis of Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome in patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xinxin; Ma, Dehua; Zou, Wei; Ding, Yibing; Zhu, Chengchu; Min, Haiyan; Zhang, Bin; Wang, Wei; Chen, Baofu; Ye, Minhua; Cai, Minghui; Pan, Yanqing; Cao, Lei; Wan, Yueming; Jin, Yu; Gao, Qian; Yi, Long

2016-05-27

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) or pulmonary cysts is one of the manifestations of Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome (BHDS) that is caused by heterozygous mutations in FLCN gene. Most of the mutations are SNVs and small indels, and there are also approximately 10 % large intragenic deletions and duplications of the mutations. These molecular findings are generally obtained by disparate methods including Sanger sequencing and Multiple Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification in the clinical laboratory. In addition, as a genetically heterogeneous disorder, PSP may be caused by mutations in multiple genes include FBN1, COL3A1, CBS, SERPINA1 and TSC1/TSC2 genes. For differential diagnosis, these genes should also be screened which makes the diagnostic procedure more time-consuming and labor-intensive. Forty PSP patients were divided into 2 groups. Nineteen patients with different pathogenic mutations of FLCN previously identified by conventional Sanger sequencing and MLPA were included in test group, 21 random PSP patients without any genetic screening were included in blinded sample group. 7 PSP genes including FLCN, FBN1, COL3A1, CBS, SERPINA1 and TSC1/TSC2 were designed and enriched by Haloplex system, sequenced on a Miseq platform and analyzed in the 40 patients to evaluate the performance of the targeted-NGS method. We demonstrated that the full spectrum of genes associated with pneumothorax including FLCN gene mutations can be identified simultaneously in multiplexed sequence data. Noteworthy, by our in-house copy number analysis of the sequence data, we could not only detect intragenic deletions, but also determine approximate deletion junctions simultaneously. NGS based Haloplex target enrichment technology is proved to be a rapid and cost-effective screening strategy for the comprehensive molecular diagnosis of BHDS in PSP patients, as it can replace Sanger sequencing and MLPA by simultaneously detecting exonic and intronic SNVs, small indels, large intragenic

Increased genetic diversity and prevalence of co-infection with Trypanosoma spp. in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus and their ticks identified using next-generation sequencing (NGS.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda D Barbosa

Full Text Available Infections with Trypanosoma spp. have been associated with poor health and decreased survival of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus, particularly in the presence of concurrent pathogens such as Chlamydia and koala retrovirus. The present study describes the application of a next-generation sequencing (NGS-based assay to characterise the prevalence and genetic diversity of trypanosome communities in koalas and two native species of ticks (Ixodes holocyclus and I. tasmani removed from koala hosts. Among 168 koalas tested, 32.2% (95% CI: 25.2-39.8% were positive for at least one Trypanosoma sp. Previously described Trypanosoma spp. from koalas were identified, including T. irwini (32.1%, 95% CI: 25.2-39.8%, T. gilletti (25%, 95% CI: 18.7-32.3%, T. copemani (27.4%, 95% CI: 20.8-34.8% and T. vegrandis (10.1%, 95% CI: 6.0-15.7%. Trypanosoma noyesi was detected for the first time in koalas, although at a low prevalence (0.6% 95% CI: 0-3.3%, and a novel species (Trypanosoma sp. AB-2017 was identified at a prevalence of 4.8% (95% CI: 2.1-9.2%. Mixed infections with up to five species were present in 27.4% (95% CI: 21-35% of the koalas, which was significantly higher than the prevalence of single infections 4.8% (95% CI: 2-9%. Overall, a considerably higher proportion (79.7% of the Trypanosoma sequences isolated from koala blood samples were identified as T. irwini, suggesting this is the dominant species. Co-infections involving T. gilletti, T. irwini, T. copemani, T. vegrandis and Trypanosoma sp. AB-2017 were also detected in ticks, with T. gilletti and T. copemani being the dominant species within the invertebrate hosts. Direct Sanger sequencing of Trypanosoma 18S rRNA gene amplicons was also performed and results revealed that this method was only able to identify the genotypes with greater amount of reads (according to NGS within koala samples, which highlights the advantages of NGS in detecting mixed infections. The present study provides new insights

Increased genetic diversity and prevalence of co-infection with Trypanosoma spp. in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and their ticks identified using next-generation sequencing (NGS).

Science.gov (United States)

Barbosa, Amanda D; Gofton, Alexander W; Paparini, Andrea; Codello, Annachiara; Greay, Telleasha; Gillett, Amber; Warren, Kristin; Irwin, Peter; Ryan, Una

2017-01-01

Infections with Trypanosoma spp. have been associated with poor health and decreased survival of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), particularly in the presence of concurrent pathogens such as Chlamydia and koala retrovirus. The present study describes the application of a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based assay to characterise the prevalence and genetic diversity of trypanosome communities in koalas and two native species of ticks (Ixodes holocyclus and I. tasmani) removed from koala hosts. Among 168 koalas tested, 32.2% (95% CI: 25.2-39.8%) were positive for at least one Trypanosoma sp. Previously described Trypanosoma spp. from koalas were identified, including T. irwini (32.1%, 95% CI: 25.2-39.8%), T. gilletti (25%, 95% CI: 18.7-32.3%), T. copemani (27.4%, 95% CI: 20.8-34.8%) and T. vegrandis (10.1%, 95% CI: 6.0-15.7%). Trypanosoma noyesi was detected for the first time in koalas, although at a low prevalence (0.6% 95% CI: 0-3.3%), and a novel species (Trypanosoma sp. AB-2017) was identified at a prevalence of 4.8% (95% CI: 2.1-9.2%). Mixed infections with up to five species were present in 27.4% (95% CI: 21-35%) of the koalas, which was significantly higher than the prevalence of single infections 4.8% (95% CI: 2-9%). Overall, a considerably higher proportion (79.7%) of the Trypanosoma sequences isolated from koala blood samples were identified as T. irwini, suggesting this is the dominant species. Co-infections involving T. gilletti, T. irwini, T. copemani, T. vegrandis and Trypanosoma sp. AB-2017 were also detected in ticks, with T. gilletti and T. copemani being the dominant species within the invertebrate hosts. Direct Sanger sequencing of Trypanosoma 18S rRNA gene amplicons was also performed and results revealed that this method was only able to identify the genotypes with greater amount of reads (according to NGS) within koala samples, which highlights the advantages of NGS in detecting mixed infections. The present study provides new insights on the

Single crystal growth and structural evolution across the 1st order valence transition in (Pr1-yYy)1-xCaxCoO3-δ

Science.gov (United States)

Schreiber, N. J.; Zhang, Junjie; Zheng, Hong; Freeland, J. W.; Chen, Yu-Sheng; Mitchell, J. F.; Phelan, D.

2017-10-01

Praseodymium-containing cobalt perovskites, such as (Pr1-yYy)1-xCaxCoO3-δ, have been argued to undergo a first-order charge shift between Pr and hybridized Co-O orbitals that leads to a metal-insulator transition at a temperature, TVT. Magnetization and x-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements on single crystals of (Pr0.85Y0.15)0.7Ca0.3CoO3-δ grown in an IR image furnace under 40-60 bar of oxygen confirm the presence of this valence transition. Single crystal x-ray synchrotron diffraction measurements are consistent with an isomorphic phase transition at TVT. No evidence of charge ordering was revealed by the single crystal diffraction. Dissimilar to analytical transmission electron microscopy measurements performed on a grain from a polycrystalline sample that revealed an oxygen vacancy order-disorder transition at TVT, the present single-crystal measurements did not evidence such a transition, likely reflecting a lower density of oxygen vacancies in the high-pO2 grown single crystals.

Epidemic potential of Escherichia coli ST131 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Dautzenberg, M J D; Haverkate, M R; Bonten, M J M; Bootsma, M C J

2016-01-01

Objectives Observational studies have suggested that Escherichia coli sequence type (ST) 131 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 have hyperendemic properties. This would be obvious from continuously high incidence and/or prevalence of carriage or infection with these bacteria in specific patient populations. Hyperendemicity could result from increased transmissibility, longer duration of infectiousness, and/or higher pathogenic potential as compared with other lineages of the same species. The aim of our research is to quantitatively estimate these critical parameters for E. coli ST131 and K. pneumoniae ST258, in order to investigate whether E. coli ST131 and K. pneumoniae ST258 are truly hyperendemic clones. Primary outcome measures A systematic literature search was performed to assess the evidence of transmissibility, duration of infectiousness, and pathogenicity for E. coli ST131 and K. pneumoniae ST258. Meta-regression was performed to quantify these characteristics. Results The systematic literature search yielded 639 articles, of which 19 data sources provided information on transmissibility (E. coli ST131 n=9; K. pneumoniae ST258 n=10)), 2 on duration of infectiousness (E. coli ST131 n=2), and 324 on pathogenicity (E. coli ST131 n=285; K. pneumoniae ST258 n=39). Available data on duration of carriage and on transmissibility were insufficient for quantitative assessment. In multivariable meta-regression E. coli isolates causing infection were associated with ST131, compared to isolates only causing colonisation, suggesting that E. coli ST131 can be considered more pathogenic than non-ST131 isolates. Date of isolation, location and resistance mechanism also influenced the prevalence of ST131. E. coli ST131 was 3.2 (95% CI 2.0 to 5.0) times more pathogenic than non-ST131. For K. pneumoniae ST258 there were not enough data for meta-regression assessing the influence of colonisation versus infection on ST258 prevalence. Conclusions With the currently available data

Assessment of First- and Second-Order Wave-Excitation Load Models for Cylindrical Substructures: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereyra, Brandon; Wendt, Fabian; Robertson, Amy; Jonkman, Jason

2017-03-09

The hydrodynamic loads on an offshore wind turbine's support structure present unique engineering challenges for offshore wind. Two typical approaches used for modeling these hydrodynamic loads are potential flow (PF) and strip theory (ST), the latter via Morison's equation. This study examines the first- and second-order wave-excitation surge forces on a fixed cylinder in regular waves computed by the PF and ST approaches to (1) verify their numerical implementations in HydroDyn and (2) understand when the ST approach breaks down. The numerical implementation of PF and ST in HydroDyn, a hydrodynamic time-domain solver implemented as a module in the FAST wind turbine engineering tool, was verified by showing the consistency in the first- and second-order force output between the two methods across a range of wave frequencies. ST is known to be invalid at high frequencies, and this study investigates where the ST solution diverges from the PF solution. Regular waves across a range of frequencies were run in HydroDyn for a monopile substructure. As expected, the solutions for the first-order (linear) wave-excitation loads resulting from these regular waves are similar for PF and ST when the diameter of the cylinder is small compared to the length of the waves (generally when the diameter-to-wavelength ratio is less than 0.2). The same finding applies to the solutions for second-order wave-excitation loads, but for much smaller diameter-to-wavelength ratios (based on wavelengths of first-order waves).

Fast admixture analysis and population tree estimation for SNP and NGS data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheng, Jade Yu; Mailund, Thomas; Nielsen, Rasmus

2017-01-01

assumption for identifying ancestry components correctly and for inferring the correct tree. In most cases, ancestry components are inferred correctly, although sample sizes and times since admixture can influence the results. We show that the popular Gaussian approximation tends to perform poorly under......-calling associated with Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data. We also present a new method for estimating population trees from ancestry components using a Gaussian approximation. Using coalescence simulations of diverging populations, we explore the adequacy of the STRUCTURE-style models and the Gaussian...... extreme divergence scenarios e.g. with very long branch lengths, but the topologies of the population trees are accurately inferred in all scenarios explored. The new methods are implemented together with appropriate visualization tools in the software package Ohana....

Variants of ST8SIA1 are associated with risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seema Husain

Full Text Available Multiple sclerosis (MS is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown etiology with both genetic and environmental factors playing a role in susceptibility. To date, the HLA DR15/DQ6 haplotype within the major histocompatibility complex on chromosome 6p, is the strongest genetic risk factor associated with MS susceptibility. Additional alleles of IL7 and IL2 have been identified as risk factors for MS with small effect. Here we present two independent studies supporting an allelic association of MS with polymorphisms in the ST8SIA1 gene, located on chromosome 12p12 and encoding ST8 alpha-N-acetyl-neuraminide alpha-2,8-sialyltransferase 1. The initial association was made in a single three-generation family where a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP rs4762896, was segregating together with HLA DR15/DQ6 in MS patients. A study of 274 family trios (affected child and both unaffected parents from Australia validated the association of ST8SIA1 in individuals with MS, showing transmission disequilibrium of the paternal alleles for three additional SNPs, namely rs704219, rs2041906, and rs1558793, with p = 0.001, p = 0.01 and p = 0.01 respectively. These findings implicate ST8SIA1 as a possible novel susceptibility gene for MS.

Intensi Berwirausaha Pada Pelajar Kelas Ekstrakurikuler Kewirausahaan SMAK St. Louis 1 Di Surabaya [The Entrepreneurship Intentions of Entrepreneurship Students in Extracurricular Classes at SMAK St. Louis 1 in Surabaya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregorius Romaryo Tanubun

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to understand: (1 the influence of family on entrepreneur intention; (2 the impact of entrepreneurial study on entrepreneur intention; and (3 the difference in entrepreneurial intention among an entrepreneurial class of students at SMAK St. Louis 1 in Surabaya. The population of this research is students of an entrepreneurial class at SMAK St. Louis 1 in  Surabaya. The sampling technique used is census with 40 respondents as samples. This research is a quantitative research with multiple regression method and independent samples t-test with SPSS 23 as analysis tool. The findings of this research indicate that: (1 family variable (K reacts significantly negative towards entrepreneurial intention (IB, (2 entrepreneurial education variable (PK reacts significantly towards entrepreneurial intention (IB, and (3 no difference is found between men and women.

FASTQSim: platform-independent data characterization and in silico read generation for NGS datasets.

Science.gov (United States)

Shcherbina, Anna

2014-08-15

High-throughput next generation sequencing technologies have enabled rapid characterization of clinical and environmental samples. Consequently, the largest bottleneck to actionable data has become sample processing and bioinformatics analysis, creating a need for accurate and rapid algorithms to process genetic data. Perfectly characterized in silico datasets are a useful tool for evaluating the performance of such algorithms. Background contaminating organisms are observed in sequenced mixtures of organisms. In silico samples provide exact truth. To create the best value for evaluating algorithms, in silico data should mimic actual sequencer data as closely as possible. FASTQSim is a tool that provides the dual functionality of NGS dataset characterization and metagenomic data generation. FASTQSim is sequencing platform-independent, and computes distributions of read length, quality scores, indel rates, single point mutation rates, indel size, and similar statistics for any sequencing platform. To create training or testing datasets, FASTQSim has the ability to convert target sequences into in silico reads with specific error profiles obtained in the characterization step. FASTQSim enables users to assess the quality of NGS datasets. The tool provides information about read length, read quality, repetitive and non-repetitive indel profiles, and single base pair substitutions. FASTQSim allows the user to simulate individual read datasets that can be used as standardized test scenarios for planning sequencing projects or for benchmarking metagenomic software. In this regard, in silico datasets generated with the FASTQsim tool hold several advantages over natural datasets: they are sequencing platform independent, extremely well characterized, and less expensive to generate. Such datasets are valuable in a number of applications, including the training of assemblers for multiple platforms, benchmarking bioinformatics algorithm performance, and creating challenge

1st Applied Electromagnetic International Conference

CERN Document Server

Othman, Mohd; Aziz, Mohamad; Malek, Mohd

2015-01-01

In this book, experts from academia and industry present the latest advances in scientific theory relating to applied electromagnetics and examine current and emerging applications particularly within the fields of electronics, communications, and computer technology. The book is based on presentations delivered at APPEIC 2014, the 1st Applied Electromagnetic International Conference, held in Bandung, Indonesia in December 2014. The conference provided an ideal platform for researchers and specialists to deliver both theoretically and practically oriented contributions on a wide range of topics relevant to the theme of nurturing applied electromagnetics for human technology. Many novel aspects were addressed, and the contributions selected for this book highlight the relevance of advances in applied electromagnetics to a variety of industrial engineering problems and identify exciting future directions for research.

Calculation of homogenized Pickering NGS stainless steel adjuster rod neutron cross-sections using conservation of reaction rates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robinson, R C [Atlantic Nuclear Services Ltd. (Canada); Tran, F [Ontario Hydro, Pickering, ON (Canada). Pickering Generating Station

1996-12-31

A homogenization methodology for calculation of reactivity device incremental cross-sections has been developed using reaction rate conservation (RRC). A heterogeneous transport calculation of flux was utilised to produce the homogenized cross-sections for a finite difference two group diffusion code. The RRC cross-sections have been shown to improve significantly the prediction of reactivity worth for stainless steel adjuster rods installed in Pickering NGS reactors. (author). 10 refs., 3 tabs., 6 figs.

Biomechanics of the cornea evaluated by spectral analysis of waveforms from ocular response analyzer and Corvis-ST.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sushma Tejwani

Full Text Available In this study, spectral analysis of the deformation signal from Corvis-ST (CoST and reflected light intensity from ocular response analyzer (ORA was performed to evaluate biomechanical concordance with each other.The study was non-interventional, observational, cross-sectional and involved 188 eyes from 94 normal subjects. Three measurements were made on each eye with ORA and CoST each and then averaged for each device. The deformation signal from CoST and reflected light intensity (applanation signal from ORA was compiled for all the eyes. The ORA signal was inverted about a line joining the two applanation peaks. All the signals were analyzed with Fourier series. The area under the signal curves (AUC, root mean square (RMS of all the harmonics, lower order (LO included 1st and 2nd order harmonic, higher order (HO up to 6th harmonic, CoST deformation amplitude (DA, corneal hysteresis (CH and corneal resistance factor (CRF were analyzed.The device variables and those calculated by Fourier transform were statistically significantly different between CoST and ORA. These variables also differed between the eyes of the same subject. There was also statistically significant influence of eyes (left vs. right on the differences in a sub-set of RMS variables only. CH and CRF differed statistically significantly between the eyes of subject (p<0.001 but not DA (p = 0.65.CoST was statistically significantly different from ORA. CoST may be useful in delineating true biomechanical differences between the eyes of a subject as it reports deformation.

Joint Force Quarterly. Issue 64, 1st Quarter 2012

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

ndupress .ndu.edu issue 64, 1 st quarter 2012 / JFQ 43 experienced in cultural relativism belie the great commonality of moral solidarity in...Politics of Civil-Military Relations (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1957), 11. 12 Many people equate cultural relativism and moral relativism ...perhaps reluctantly, his muse was Platonic (the concept of the human for strategy to work in our age, it must possess solid moral and political

AECB staff annual report of Bruce B NGS for the year 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-11-01

In this account of Bruce NGS B station operation during the year 1991 AECB staff have pointed out non-compliances with the operating licence, which have been few in number and minor in degree of seriousness. There were no exposures of workers to radiation in excess of regulatory limits, but there were contraventions of the ALARA principle. Releases of radioactive material to the environment have been well below the target levels. The performance of the four special safety systems has been good, except for the containment system. A review of the significant event reports and the causes of the events has revealed a lack of a system by which operations and maintenance work could be verified to have been carried out as intended. In operations and maintenance the backlog of work to be done to regularize temporary changes to equipment (removal of jumpers), to carry out preventive maintenance (call-ups), and to make repairs (deficiency reports) has increased from that of the previous year. On the other hand, the station has reduced the number of temporary operating instructions (operating memos) to half of what it was last year. The fretting of steam generator tubes reported last year has not become worse. Nevertheless, inspections continue and modifications to the tube supports are underway. Overall plant chemistry has been acceptable. An Ontario Hydro assessment of the station found the station management's expectations for maintaining the margin of safety in the plant had not been properly communicated to all levels of station staff. The station is now attempting to correct this. Infractions of work protection procedures, which were the subject of many significant events, have led to changes in the procedures and resulted in a major training effort. AECB staff believe that Ontario Hydro has continued to operate Bruce NGS B in a safe manner, but have pointed out areas where improvement is required. (Author)

CHST14/D4ST1 deficiency: New form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosho, Tomoki

2016-02-01

Carbohydrate sulfotransferase 14/dermatan 4-O-sulfotransferase-1 (CHST14/D4ST1) deficiency represents a specific form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) caused by recessive loss-of-function mutations in CHST14. The disorder has been independently termed "adducted thumb-clubfoot syndrome", "EDS, Kosho type", and "EDS, musculocontractural type". To date, 31 affected patients from 21 families have been described. Clinically, CHST14/D4ST1 deficiency is characterized by multiple congenital malformations (craniofacial features including large fontanelle, hypertelorism, short and downslanting palpebral fissures, blue sclerae, short nose with hypoplastic columella, low-set and rotated ears, high palate, long philtrum, thin upper lip vermilion, small mouth, and micro-retrognathia; multiple congenital contractures including adduction-flexion contractures and talipes equinovarus as well as other visceral or ophthalmological malformations) and progressive multisystem fragility-related complications (skin hyperextensibility, bruisability, and fragility with atrophic scars; recurrent dislocations; progressive talipes or spinal deformities; pneumothorax or pneumohemothorax; large subcutaneous hematomas; and diverticular perforation). Etiologically, multisystem fragility is presumably caused by impaired assembly of collagen fibrils resulting from loss of dermatan sulfate (DS) in the decorin glycosaminoglycan side chain that promotes electrostatic binding between collagen fibrils. This is the first reported human disorder that specifically affects biosynthesis of DS. Its clinical characteristics indicate that CHST14/D4ST1 and, more fundamentally, DS, play a critical role in fetal development and maintenance of connective tissues in multiple organs. Considering that patients with CHST14/D4ST1 deficiency develop progressive multisystem fragility-related manifestations, establishment of a comprehensive and detailed natural history and health-care guidelines as well as further elucidation

How sustainable are 1{sup st} and 2{sup nd} generation biofuels for transportation?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reinhardt, Guido; Hienz, Gunnar [ifeu-Institut fuer Energie- und Umweltforschung GmbH, Heidelberg (Germany)

2013-06-01

After the successful implementation of 1{sup st} generation biofuels in the transport sector of several countries all over the world, 2{sup nd} generation biofuels are also being produced in the meantime. Recently, there is a distinct increase in publications on the question and the concerns of many stakeholders whether these biofuels are sustainable and public awareness of this issue is prevalent. This paper summarises the state of the art of the debate whether 1{sup st} and 2{sup nd} generation biofuels are a sustainable alternative for fossil fuels for transportation. Results of several life cycle assessments are compared and conclusions are stated. An environmental assessment identifies the potentials for a sustainable development of biofuels for transportation. Conclusions are that 1{sup st} and 2{sup nd} generation biofuels show both environmental advantages and disadvantages. The analyses of energy and greenhouse gas balances show a wide range of results. Lifecycle assessments and environmental impact assessments provide a method to determine whether biofuels are environmentally sustainable. Impacts on sustainable development are exemplified in the categories land use competition, biomass use competition and CO{sub 2} avoidance costs. Not all biofuels are regarded as being advantageous from an environmental perspective. However, 1{sup st} and 2{sup nd} generation biofuels for transportation show a great potential that needs to be harmonised with other needs (e.g. land for food production or biomass use for industry and chemistry towards an overall sustainable approach). (orig.)

Characterization of a novel telomerase-immortalized human endometrial stromal cell line, St-T1b

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Brosens Jan J

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Coordinated differentiation of the endometrial compartments in the second half of the menstrual cycle is a prerequisite for the establishment of pregnancy. Endometrial stromal cells (ESC decidualize under the influence of ovarian progesterone to accommodate implantation of the blastocyst and support establishment of the placenta. Studies into the mechanisms of decidualization are often hampered by the lack of primary ESC. Here we describe a novel immortalized human ESC line. Methods Primary ESC were immortalized by the transduction of telomerase. The resultant cell line, termed St-T1b, was characterized for its morphological and biochemical properties by immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR and immunoblotting. Its progestational response was tested using progesterone and medroxyprogesterone acetate with and without 8-Br-cAMP, an established inducer of decidualization in vitro. Results St-T1b were positive for the fibroblast markers vimentin and CD90 and negative for the epithelial marker cytokeratin-7. They acquired a decidual phenotype indistinguishable from primary ESC in response to cAMP stimulation. The decidual response was characterized by transcriptional activation of marker genes, such as PRL, IGFBP1, and FOXO1, and enhanced protein levels of the tumor suppressor p53 and the metastasis suppressor KAI1 (CD82. Progestins alone had no effect on St-T1b cells, but medroxyprogesterone acetate greatly enhanced the cAMP-stimulated expression of IGFBP-1 after 3 and 7 days. Progesterone, albeit more weakly, also augmented the cAMP-induced IGFBP-1 production but only after 7 days of treatment. The cell line remained stable in continuous culture for more than 150 passages. Conclusion St-T1b express the appropriate phenotypic ESC markers and their decidual response closely mimics that of primary cultures. Decidualization is efficiently induced by cAMP analog and enhanced by medroxyprogesterone acetate, and, to a lesser extent, by natural

Association between birth order and emergency room visits and acute hospital admissions following pediatric vaccination: a self-controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawken, Steven; Kwong, Jeffrey C; Deeks, Shelley L; Crowcroft, Natasha S; Ducharme, Robin; Manuel, Douglas G; Wilson, Kumanan

2013-01-01

We investigated the association between a child's birth order and emergency room (ER) visits and hospital admissions following 2-,4-,6- and 12-month pediatric vaccinations. We included all children born in Ontario between April 1(st), 2006 and March 31(st), 2009 who received a qualifying vaccination. We identified vaccinations, ER visits and admissions using health administrative data housed at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. We used the self-controlled case series design to compare the relative incidence (RI) of events among 1(st)-born and later-born children using relative incidence ratios (RIR). For the 2-month vaccination, the RIR for 1(st)-borns versus later-born children was 1.37 (95% CI: 1.19-1.57), which translates to 112 additional events/100,000 vaccinated. For the 4-month vaccination, the RIR for 1(st)-borns vs. later-borns was 1.70 (95% CI: 1.45-1.99), representing 157 additional events/100,000 vaccinated. At 6 months, the RIR for 1(st) vs. later-borns was 1.27 (95% CI: 1.09-1.48), or 77 excess events/100,000 vaccinated. At the 12-month vaccination, the RIR was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.02-1.21), or 249 excess events/100,000 vaccinated. Birth order is associated with increased incidence of ER visits and hospitalizations following vaccination in infancy. 1(st)-born children had significantly higher relative incidence of events compared to later-born children.

The Hamiltonian formulation of regular rth-order Lagrangian field theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shadwick, W.F.

1982-01-01

A Hamiltonian formulation of regular rth-order Lagrangian field theories over an m-dimensional manifold is presented in terms of the Hamilton-Cartan formalism. It is demonstrated that a uniquely determined Cartan m-form may be associated to an rth-order Lagrangian by imposing conditions of congruence modulo a suitably defined system of contact m-forms. A geometric regularity condition is given and it is shown that, for a regular Lagrangian, the momenta defined by the Hamilton-Cartan formalism, together with the coordinates on the (r-1)st-order jet bundle, are a minimal set of local coordinates needed to express the Euler-Lagrange equations. When r is greater than one, the number of variables required is strictly less than the dimension of the (2r-1)st order jet bundle. It is shown that, in these coordinates, the Euler-Lagrange equations take the first-order Hamiltonian form given by de Donder. It is also shown that the geometrically natural generalization of the Hamilton-Jacobi procedure for finding extremals is equivalent to de Donder's Hamilton-Jacobi equation. (orig.)

33 CFR 100.915 - St. Clair River Classic Offshore Race, St. Clair, MI.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false St. Clair River Classic Offshore Race, St. Clair, MI. 100.915 Section 100.915 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY REGATTAS AND MARINE PARADES SAFETY OF LIFE ON NAVIGABLE WATERS § 100.915 St. Clair River...

SEBIM pilot operated tandems. A new solution for Darlington NGS bleed condenser relief valves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paetzold, H.; Hera, V.; Schaumburg, G.

1996-01-01

Following incidents at Pickering, Wolsung and Bruce NGS, involving instability of bleed condenser relief valves, Darlington station decided to replace the spring loaded RV's by new pilot operated SEBIM tandem valves. This paper is presenting the approach taken, the design and the testing of the new solution, as well as some of the computer modeling work performed in connection with this project. The SEBIM tandems, following successful testing in France, will be installed in Darlington Unit 2, this spring. The new valves can perform with absence of instability and prevent a LOCA incident due to their design, which includes a protection and a redundant valve in series. (author)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Rio de Janeiro hospitals: dissemination of the USA400/ST1 and USA800/ST5 SCCmec type IV and USA100/ST5 SCCmec type II lineages in a public institution and polyclonal presence in a private one.

Science.gov (United States)

Caboclo, Roberta Mello Ferreira; Cavalcante, Fernanda Sampaio; Iorio, Natalia Lopes Pontes; Schuenck, Ricardo Pinto; Olendzki, André Nogueira; Felix, Maria José; Chamon, Raiane Cardoso; dos Santos, Kátia Regina Netto

2013-03-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have changed since certain non-multiresistant MRSA lineages have emerged in hospitals. In this study, 99 MRSA isolates, 77 from a public and 22 from a private hospital, were characterized. Isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, whereas staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) typing and Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes were assessed by polymerase chain reaction. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing analyses were carried out to determine the MRSA lineages. High rates of resistance were found to erythromycin (96%), ciprofloxacin (93%), and clindamycin (90%). The SCCmec types found were as follows: type II (14.2%), III (62.6%), and IV (23.2%). Approximately 85% of type III isolates was related to the Brazilian epidemic clone in both hospitals. For type IV isolates, 94.4% were related to both USA400/ sequence type (ST) 1 and USA800/ST5 lineages in the public hospital, whereas the USA400/ST1, USA800/ST5, USA1100/ST30, and EMRSA (Epidemic MRSA)-15/ST22 lineages were detected in the private hospital. Among the SCCmec II isolates, approximately 85% were related to the USA100/ST5 lineage. Three MRSA isolates were positive to Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes. The study showed that there was an emergence of USA400/ST1, USA800/ST5 SCCmec IV, and USA100/ST5 SCCmec II MRSA lineages in both hospitals. There was a dissemination of them in the public hospital and a polyclonal presence of the MRSA isolates in the private hospital. The spread of these lineages can be facilitated by the characteristics of the health institution. Copyright © 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Association between birth order and emergency room visits and acute hospital admissions following pediatric vaccination: a self-controlled study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven Hawken

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between a child's birth order and emergency room (ER visits and hospital admissions following 2-,4-,6- and 12-month pediatric vaccinations. METHODS: We included all children born in Ontario between April 1(st, 2006 and March 31(st, 2009 who received a qualifying vaccination. We identified vaccinations, ER visits and admissions using health administrative data housed at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. We used the self-controlled case series design to compare the relative incidence (RI of events among 1(st-born and later-born children using relative incidence ratios (RIR. RESULTS: For the 2-month vaccination, the RIR for 1(st-borns versus later-born children was 1.37 (95% CI: 1.19-1.57, which translates to 112 additional events/100,000 vaccinated. For the 4-month vaccination, the RIR for 1(st-borns vs. later-borns was 1.70 (95% CI: 1.45-1.99, representing 157 additional events/100,000 vaccinated. At 6 months, the RIR for 1(st vs. later-borns was 1.27 (95% CI: 1.09-1.48, or 77 excess events/100,000 vaccinated. At the 12-month vaccination, the RIR was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.02-1.21, or 249 excess events/100,000 vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: Birth order is associated with increased incidence of ER visits and hospitalizations following vaccination in infancy. 1(st-born children had significantly higher relative incidence of events compared to later-born children.

Promoting the 21st century scientific literacy skills through innovative chemistry instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Rahayu, Sri

2017-12-01

Students need to be equipped with the 21st century skills/capabilities to ensure their competitiveness in the knowledge era. So, it is imperative that education at school should be changed in order to fulfill the need. However, there is not any specified approach on how to educate young students for the 21st century capabilities. Regardless the impediment for ts exist, we need to construct an innovative instruction that can develop the students' 21st century skills by incorporating the skills needed, based on contemporary theory of learning, necessary context of learning and appropriate assessment in a chemistry subject matter. This paper discuss the feasible skills to be promoted through chemistry course. Those skills/capabilities are scientific literacy, higher order thinking, communicationand collaboration and curiosity. The promoted are called the 21st century scientific literacy skills in which it emphasis on scientific literacy and embedded the other 21st century skills into the innovative chemistry instruction. The elements involve in the instruction such as inquiry and constructivist approach, nature of science, contemporary/socioscientific issues, critical thinking (higher order thinking).

Use of four next-generation sequencing platforms to determine HIV-1 coreceptor tropism.

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, John; Weber, Jan; Henry, Kenneth; Winner, Dane; Gibson, Richard; Lee, Lawrence; Paxinos, Ellen; Arts, Eric J; Robertson, David L; Mimms, Larry; Quiñones-Mateu, Miguel E

2012-01-01

HIV-1 coreceptor tropism assays are required to rule out the presence of CXCR4-tropic (non-R5) viruses prior treatment with CCR5 antagonists. Phenotypic (e.g., Trofile™, Monogram Biosciences) and genotypic (e.g., population sequencing linked to bioinformatic algorithms) assays are the most widely used. Although several next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms are available, to date all published deep sequencing HIV-1 tropism studies have used the 454™ Life Sciences/Roche platform. In this study, HIV-1 co-receptor usage was predicted for twelve patients scheduled to start a maraviroc-based antiretroviral regimen. The V3 region of the HIV-1 env gene was sequenced using four NGS platforms: 454™, PacBio® RS (Pacific Biosciences), Illumina®, and Ion Torrent™ (Life Technologies). Cross-platform variation was evaluated, including number of reads, read length and error rates. HIV-1 tropism was inferred using Geno2Pheno, Web PSSM, and the 11/24/25 rule and compared with Trofile™ and virologic response to antiretroviral therapy. Error rates related to insertions/deletions (indels) and nucleotide substitutions introduced by the four NGS platforms were low compared to the actual HIV-1 sequence variation. Each platform detected all major virus variants within the HIV-1 population with similar frequencies. Identification of non-R5 viruses was comparable among the four platforms, with minor differences attributable to the algorithms used to infer HIV-1 tropism. All NGS platforms showed similar concordance with virologic response to the maraviroc-based regimen (75% to 80% range depending on the algorithm used), compared to Trofile (80%) and population sequencing (70%). In conclusion, all four NGS platforms were able to detect minority non-R5 variants at comparable levels suggesting that any NGS-based method can be used to predict HIV-1 coreceptor usage.

Use of four next-generation sequencing platforms to determine HIV-1 coreceptor tropism.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Archer

Full Text Available HIV-1 coreceptor tropism assays are required to rule out the presence of CXCR4-tropic (non-R5 viruses prior treatment with CCR5 antagonists. Phenotypic (e.g., Trofile™, Monogram Biosciences and genotypic (e.g., population sequencing linked to bioinformatic algorithms assays are the most widely used. Although several next-generation sequencing (NGS platforms are available, to date all published deep sequencing HIV-1 tropism studies have used the 454™ Life Sciences/Roche platform. In this study, HIV-1 co-receptor usage was predicted for twelve patients scheduled to start a maraviroc-based antiretroviral regimen. The V3 region of the HIV-1 env gene was sequenced using four NGS platforms: 454™, PacBio® RS (Pacific Biosciences, Illumina®, and Ion Torrent™ (Life Technologies. Cross-platform variation was evaluated, including number of reads, read length and error rates. HIV-1 tropism was inferred using Geno2Pheno, Web PSSM, and the 11/24/25 rule and compared with Trofile™ and virologic response to antiretroviral therapy. Error rates related to insertions/deletions (indels and nucleotide substitutions introduced by the four NGS platforms were low compared to the actual HIV-1 sequence variation. Each platform detected all major virus variants within the HIV-1 population with similar frequencies. Identification of non-R5 viruses was comparable among the four platforms, with minor differences attributable to the algorithms used to infer HIV-1 tropism. All NGS platforms showed similar concordance with virologic response to the maraviroc-based regimen (75% to 80% range depending on the algorithm used, compared to Trofile (80% and population sequencing (70%. In conclusion, all four NGS platforms were able to detect minority non-R5 variants at comparable levels suggesting that any NGS-based method can be used to predict HIV-1 coreceptor usage.

AECB staff review of Bruce NGS 'B' operation for the year 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-06-01

The operation of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station 'B' is monitored and licensing requirements are enforced by the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB), which observes operation of the reactors, conducts audits, witnesses important activities, reviews station documentation and reports, and issue approvals, where appropriate, in accordance with licence conditions. This report records the conclusions of the AECB staff assessment of Bruce NGS 'B' during 1989. In general, the station operated within acceptable safety standards. Quality improvement initiatives started in 1989 should lead to improved station maintenance and operation in coming years. Ontario Hydro still needs to improve the administration of operating memos, deficiency reports and call-ups. Station management must ensure that shift supervisors and reactor first operators operate the station in a conservative manner at all times and put safety interests first when responding to a unit upset. (2 tabs.)

AECB staff annual report of Bruce NGS 'B' for the year 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-05-01

The operation of the Bruce 'B' Nuclear Generating Station is monitored and licensing requirements are enforced by the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) Bruce project staff, with appropriate support from other AECB personnel. The staff observes operation of the reactors, conducts audits, witnesses important activities, reviews station documentation and reports, and issues approvals where appropriate in accordance with license conditions. As required by a condition of its Operating Licence, Ontario Hydro each year submits Technical Reports which summarize various aspects of the operation of Bruce NGS 'B' during the year. When these reports have been reviewed by AECB staff, a formal Annual Review Meeting is held with the station management to discuss safety-related aspects of the station operation, and to inform Ontario Hydro of AECB staff conclusions with respect to the performance of Ontario Hydro in operating the station during the year

Proceedings of the 1st CIRP Seminar on Micro and Nano Technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Alting, Leo

2003-01-01

The present Proceedings of the 1st International CIRP Seminar on Micro and Nano Technology is the result of a CIRP initiative taken by the Working Group on Micro/Nano Technology established in 2002. The CIRP initiative is a recognition of the large potentials that micro/nano technology has...... in improving/enhancing many of the existing products and in forming the basis of a long range of new next generation of products. Micro and nano technology are common phrases used to describe phenomena, components, products etc. related to small dimensions, usually based on functioning principles...... accessible to a large group of customers. Therefore, product development and manufacture is very essential. Therefore this 1st CIRP Seminar represents an important milestone for design and industrial manufacture of products based on micro and nano technology. The Proceedings cover mostly new, interesting...

1st European Conference on Gas Micro Flows (GasMems 2012)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frijns, A.J.H.; Valougeorgis, D.; Colin, S.; Baldas, L.

2012-01-01

PREFACE The aim of the 1st European Conference on Gas Micro Flows is to advance research in Europe and worldwide in the field of gas micro flows as well as to improve global fundamental knowledge and to enable technological applications. Gas flows in microsystems are of great importance and touch

INFLUENCE OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION ON THE MARCH 1ST MOVEMENT IN KOREA (1917-1919

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Василий Владимирович Лебедев

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article seeks to address the question of how the influence of the October Revolution reached Korea and to what extent it affected the outcome of the March 1st Movement. The author analyzes the documents from the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the articles of the official mouthpiece of the colonial government Maeil Sinbo from 1917 to the mid-1920s. Based on the analysis of the primary sources, the author reveals two main channels of receiving information of the revolutionary events in Russia. The first of them was the official newspaper of the Governor General. The main actions of the government of Soviet Russia covered by this newspaper aroused such great interest among the Korean public that in order to prevent an “incorrect interpretation” of these events, the Governor General had to repeatedly dedicate the front page of the newspaper to the articles directly or indirectly condemning the 1917 October Revolution. The second channel was the Korean labour migrants in Primorye. Coming to Russia in search of a better life, most “unnaturalized” migrants faced difficult economic and social conditions. The February Revolution of 1917 which opened the discussion of the future of the Korean population in the Far East became a prerequisite for the politicization of a large part of the labour migrants who witnessed the revolutionary changes in Russia. The author concludes that the ideas of the 1917 October Revolution found active response in the hearts and minds of the masses in Korea. The political and ethnic oppression intensified the social and political contradictions in the colonial Korea resulting in the nation-wide March 1st Movement of 1919 that became the turning point in the history of the world political anti-colonial movement in Asia. The national-bourgeois idea of “gaining independence through diplomacy” suffered a crushing defeat but it retained the spirit of the March 1st Movement in

ST2 suppresses IL-6 production via the inhibition of IκB degradation induced by the LPS signal in THP-1 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takezako, Naoki; Hayakawa, Morisada; Hayakawa, Hiroko; Aoki, Shinsuke; Yanagisawa, Ken; Endo, Hitoshi; Tominaga, Shin-ichi

2006-01-01

LPS induces the production of inflammatory cytokines via the stimulation of Toll-like receptors. In this study, we demonstrated that a soluble secreted form of the ST2 gene product (ST2), a member of the interleukin-1 receptor family, suppressed the production of IL-6 in an LPS-stimulated human monocytic leukemia cell line, THP-1. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy revealed the binding of ST2 to the surface of the THP-1 cells, in which ST2 led to decreased binding of nuclear factor-κB to the IL-6 promoter. Furthermore, the degradation of IκB in the cytoplasm after LPS stimulation was reduced by pretreatment with ST2. These results demonstrated that ST2 negatively regulates LPS-induced IL-6 production via the inhibition of IκB degradation in THP-1 cells

Decreased Fitness and Virulence in ST10 Escherichia coli Harboring blaNDM-5 and mcr-1 against a ST4981 Strain with blaNDM-5

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yawei Zhang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Although coexistence of blaNDM-5 and mcr-1 in Escherichia coli has been reported, little is known about the fitness and virulence of such strains. Three carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (GZ1, GZ2, and GZ3 successively isolated from one patient in 2015 were investigated for microbiological fitness and virulence. GZ1 and GZ2 were also resistant to colistin. To verify the association between plasmids and fitness, growth kinetics of the transconjugants were performed. We also analyzed genomic sequences of GZ2 and GZ3 using PacBio sequencing. GZ1 and GZ2 (ST10 co-harbored blaNDM-5 and mcr-1, while GZ3 (ST4981 carried only blaNDM-5. GZ3 demonstrated significantly more rapid growth (P < 0.001 and overgrew GZ2 with a competitive index of 1.0157 (4 h and 2.5207 (24 h. Increased resistance to serum killing and mice mortality was also identified in GZ3. While GZ2 had four plasmids (IncI2, IncX3, IncHI2, IncFII, GZ3 possessed one plasmid (IncFII. The genetic contexts of blaNDM-5 in GZ2 and GZ3 were identical but inserted into different backbones, IncX3 (102,512 bp and IncFII (91,451 bp, respectively. The growth was not statistically different between the transconjugants with mcr-1 or blaNDM-5 plasmid and recipient (P = 0.6238. Whole genome sequence analysis revealed that 28 virulence genes were specific to GZ3, potentially contributing to increased virulence of GZ3. Decreased fitness and virulence in a mcr-1 and blaNDM-5 co-harboring ST10 E. coli was found alongside a ST4981 strain with only blaNDM-5. Acquisition of mcr-1 or blaNDM-5 plasmid did not lead to considerable fitness costs, indicating the potential for dissemination of mcr-1 and blaNDM-5 in Enterobacteriaceae.

Chinese Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense Senior Vice Minister CHEN Qiufa visiting ALICE experiment on 1st November 2007 with CERN Director-General R. Aymar and Adviser J.-P. Revol. Thursday, 1st and Friday, 2nd November 2007

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2007-01-01

Chinese Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense Senior Vice Minister CHEN Qiufa visiting ALICE experiment on 1st November 2007 with CERN Director-General R. Aymar and Adviser J.-P. Revol. Thursday, 1st and Friday, 2nd November 2007

Polymorphisms of ST2-IL18R1-IL18RAP gene cluster: a new risk for autoimmune thyroid diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, X; Zhu, Y F; Li, D M; Qin, Q; Wang, Q; Muhali, F S; Jiang, W J; Zhang, J A

2016-02-01

Interleukin 33 (IL33) / ST2 pathway and ST2-interlukin18 receptor1-interlukin18 receptor accessory protein (ST2-IL18R1-IL18RAP) gene cluster have been involved in many autoimmune diseases but few report in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). In this study, we investigated whether polymorphisms of IL33, ST2, IL18R1, and IL18RAP are associated with Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), two major forms of AITD, among a Chinese population. A total of 11 SNPs were explored in a case-control study including 417 patients with GD, 250 HT patients and 301 controls, including rs1929992, rs10975519, rs10208293, rs6543116, rs1041973, rs3732127, rs11465597, rs1035130, rs2293225, rs1035127, rs917997 of IL 33, ST2-IL18R1-IL18RAP gene cluster. Genotyping of these SNPs was performed using matrix-assisted laser desorption / ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF-MS) platform from Sequenom. The frequencies of allele A and AA+AG genotype of rs6543116 (ST2) in HT patients were significantly increased compared with those of the controls (P = 0.029/0.021, OR = 1.31/1.62). And in another SNP rs917997, AA+AG genotype presented an increased frequency in HT subjects compared with controls (P = 0.046, OR = 1.53). Furthermore, the haplotype GAGCCCG from ST2-IL18R1-IL18RAP gene cluster (rs6543116, rs1041973, rs1035130, rs3732127, rs1035127, rs2293225, rs917997) was associated with increased susceptibility to GD with an OR of 2.03 (P = 0.022, 95% CI = 1.07-3.86). Some SNPs of ST2-IL18R1-IL18RAP gene cluster might increase the risk of susceptibility of HT and GD in Chinese Han population. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genomic Analysis of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli from North Carolina Community Hospitals: Ongoing Circulation of CTX-M-Producing ST131-H30Rx and ST131-H30R1 Strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanamori, Hajime; Parobek, Christian M; Juliano, Jonathan J; Johnson, James R; Johnston, Brian D; Johnson, Timothy J; Weber, David J; Rutala, William A; Anderson, Deverick J

2017-08-01

Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) predominates globally among multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli strains. We used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to investigate 63 MDR E. coli isolates from 7 North Carolina community hospitals (2010 to 2015). Of these, 39 (62%) represented ST131, including 37 (95%) from the ST131- H 30R subclone: 10 (27%) from its H 30R1 subset and 27 (69%) from its H 30Rx subset. ST131 core genomes differed by a median of 15 (range, 0 to 490) single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) overall versus only 7 within H 30R1 (range, 3 to 12 SNVs) and 11 within H 30Rx (range, 0 to 21). The four isolates with identical core genomes were all H 30Rx. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics did not vary significantly by strain type, but many patients with MDR E. coli or H 30Rx infection were critically ill and had poor outcomes. H 30Rx isolates characteristically exhibited fluoroquinolone resistance and CTX-M-15 production, had a high prevalence of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance (89%), sul1 (89%), and dfrA17 (85%), and were enriched for specific virulence traits, and all qualified as extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli The high overall prevalence of CTX-M-15 appeared to be possibly attributable to its association with the ST131- H 30Rx subclone and IncF[F2:A1:B-] plasmids. Some phylogenetically clustered non-ST131 MDR E. coli isolates also had distinctive serotypes/ fimH types, fluoroquinolone mutations, CTX-M variants, and IncF types. Thus, WGS analysis of our community hospital source MDR E. coli isolates suggested ongoing circulation and differentiation of E. coli ST131 subclones, with clonal segregation of CTX-M variants, other resistance genes, Inc-type plasmids, and virulence genes. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Higher Order Thinking Skills as Effect of Problem Based Learning in the 21st Century Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leni Widiawati

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This study aims to determine the responses of learners to learning using a scientific approach in Problem Based Learning integrated with the inculcation of critical thinking, communicative, collaboration; and creative (4C skills in 21st century learning. The design of this study is true experiment by using posttest only control design. The sample of the research is vocational school students selected by using cluster random sampling technique in Surakarta, Indonesia. The techniques of collecting data are using tests whose validity, reliability, level of difficulty, and the discrimination index have been tested. The data obtained are then tested using t test. The result of the research shows that higher order thinking skills of experimental class students learning using scientific approach in Problem Based Learning which is integrated with the inculcation of 4C skills are higher than those of the control class that are learning using scientific approach in Think-Pair-Share which is integrated with the inculcation of 4C skills.

Differentiation of initial skills in 1st grade and the relative age effect in 3rd grade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

KRZYSZTOF KONARZEWSKI

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to verify two hypotheses. The first states that the differentiation of initial 1st grade pupil skills is negatively correlated with age at entry to school. This was tested according to findings from the ERI study Six and seven year olds at the start of school. The variation of reading and writing scores of 1164 pupils aged 5.9–7.9 years who were beginning 1st grade decreased in subsequent age quartiles. The second hypothesis – that classroom differentiation of pupils’ initial skills in 1st grade is positively correlated with the birthdate effect in 3rd grade – was tested on data of 4838 pupils from 254 classrooms drawn from the 2011 PIRLS and TIMSS studies in Poland. Skills were evaluated on the basis of parental reports. Hierarchical linear analysis (gender, SES and school location controlled showed that the greater the differentiation of language skills in 1st grade, the greater the birthdate effect in mathematics in 3rd grade. This result suggests that school entry age is of lesser importance than the methods used to reduce differences in children’s school readiness at the onset of education.

Examining the 21st Century Classroom: Developing an Innovation Configuration Map

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Loretta; Green, Tim D.; Mason, Candice

2014-01-01

Despite it being the second decade of the 21st century, there still exists a range of definitions of what a 21st century learning environment is. This can be troublesome for teacher educators as we strive to prepare teachers for environments we can't clearly describe. In order to describe a 21st century learning environment, we developed an IC Map…

St. Thomas and St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands Coastal Digital Elevation Model

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The 1/3 arc-second St. Thomas and St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands Coastal Digital Elevation Model will be used to support NOAA's tsunami forecast system and for...

2003 - 2004 ACADEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMME 1st TERM

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2003-01-01

1st TERM 29 September to 19 December 2003 REGULAR LECTURE PROGRAMME (Renewable) Energy Policy in the EU Members States and the Accession States By D. Reiche, Free University of Berlin, D 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 October LECTURES SERIES FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS Introduction to QCD By B. Webber, CERN-TH 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 October The lectures are open to all those interested, without application. The abstract of the lectures, as well as any change to the above information (title, dates, time, place etc) will be published in the CERN Bulletin, the WWW, and by notices before each term and for each series of lectures.

Web-based NGS data analysis using miRMaster: a large-scale meta-analysis of human miRNAs.

Science.gov (United States)

Fehlmann, Tobias; Backes, Christina; Kahraman, Mustafa; Haas, Jan; Ludwig, Nicole; Posch, Andreas E; Würstle, Maximilian L; Hübenthal, Matthias; Franke, Andre; Meder, Benjamin; Meese, Eckart; Keller, Andreas

2017-09-06

The analysis of small RNA NGS data together with the discovery of new small RNAs is among the foremost challenges in life science. For the analysis of raw high-throughput sequencing data we implemented the fast, accurate and comprehensive web-based tool miRMaster. Our toolbox provides a wide range of modules for quantification of miRNAs and other non-coding RNAs, discovering new miRNAs, isomiRs, mutations, exogenous RNAs and motifs. Use-cases comprising hundreds of samples are processed in less than 5 h with an accuracy of 99.4%. An integrative analysis of small RNAs from 1836 data sets (20 billion reads) indicated that context-specific miRNAs (e.g. miRNAs present only in one or few different tissues / cell types) still remain to be discovered while broadly expressed miRNAs appear to be largely known. In total, our analysis of known and novel miRNAs indicated nearly 22 000 candidates of precursors with one or two mature forms. Based on these, we designed a custom microarray comprising 11 872 potential mature miRNAs to assess the quality of our prediction. MiRMaster is a convenient-to-use tool for the comprehensive and fast analysis of miRNA NGS data. In addition, our predicted miRNA candidates provided as custom array will allow researchers to perform in depth validation of candidates interesting to them. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

AIDS. 1st annual George H. Gallup Memorial Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

1988-06-01

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was selected as the subject for the 1st annual George H Gallup Memorial Survey. This survey, conducted in August 1987-April 1988 in 35 countries, measured the level of awareness of AIDS, the extent of concern about AIDS, knowledge, changes in behavior resulting form the AIDS epidemic, and attitudes toward people with AIDS. Overall, the poll's findings attest to the effectiveness of the health education efforts of governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Awareness that AIDS poses an urgent international health problem was almost universal in the 35 samples. In about half of these countries, AIDS was identified as the most important national health problem; in the remaining countries, AIDS was ranked 2nd to cancer. The proportion of respondents expressing a fear of personally contracting the AIDS virus ranged from lows of under 10% in most of Europe to a high of 45% among South African blacks. A majority of respondents in the US, Colombia, the Philippines, Brazil, Nigeria, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Chile believed that AIDS will soon spread beyond current risk groups to the general population. Despite widespread awareness of the grave threat posed by AIDS, insufficient numbers of respondents reported that they had made specific behavioral changes intended to protect themselves form HIV infection. Overall, about half of those interviewed indicated they are now more cautious in their choice of sexual partners; similarly, about half are using condoms more or for the 1st time.

Bioethanol Production by Calcium Alginate-Immobilised St1 Yeast System: Effects of Size of Beads, Ratio and Concentration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masniroszaime Md Zain

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Immobilized yeast-cell technology posses several advantages in bioethanol production due to its potential to increase the ethanol yield by eliminating unit process used. Thus, process expenses in cell recovery and reutilization can be minimised. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of three parameters (substrate concentrations, size of alginate beads and ratio of volume of beads to volume of medium on local isolated yeast (ST1 which immobilized using calcium alginate fermentation system. The most affected ethanol production by calcium alginate-immobilised ST1 yeast system were ratio of volume of the beads to the volume of substrate and concentration of LBS. Highest theoretical yield, 78% was obtained in ST1-alginate beads with the size of beads 0.5cm, ratio volume of beads to the volume of LBS media 0.4 and 150g/l concentration of LBS.ABSTRAK: Teknologi sel yis pegun memiliki beberapa kelebihan dalam penghasilan bioetanol kerana ia berpotensi meningkatkan pengeluaran etanol dengan menyingkirkan unit proses yang digunakan. Maka, proses pembiayaan dalam perolehan sel dan penggunaan semula boleh dikurangkan. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji pengaruh tiga parameter (kepekatan substrat, saiz manik alginat dan nisbah isipadu manik terhadap isipadu bahantara ke atas sel tempatan terasing (local isolated yeast (ST1 yang dipegun menggunakan sistem penapaian kalsium alginat. Penghasilan etanol yang paling berkesan dengan menggunakan sistem yis ST1 kalsium alginat-pegun adalah dengan kadar nisbah isipadu manik terhadap isipadu substrat dan kepekatan LBS. Kadar hasil teori tertinggi iaitu 78% didapati menerusi manik alginat-ST1 dengan saiz manik 0.5cm, nisbah isipadu 0.4 terhadap perantara LBS dan kepekatan LBS sebanyak 150g/l. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

Final Report for the 1st Surveillance Test of the Reactor Pressure Vessel Material (Capsule 2) of Ulchin Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Kee Ok; Kim, Byoung Chul; Lee, Sam Lai (and others)

2007-04-15

Surveillance testing for reactor vessel materials is performed in order to evaluate the irradiation embrittlement due to neutrons during operation and set the condition of safe operation of nuclear reactor. The 1st surveillance testing was performed completely by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute at Daejon after the capsule was transported from Ulchin site including its removal from reactor. Fast neutron fluences for capsules were calculated and various testing including mechanical and chemistry analysis were performed in order to evaluate the integrity of Ulchin Unit 4 reactor vessel during the operation until life time. The evaluation results are as follows; Fast neutron fluences for capsule 2 is 4.306E+18n/cm{sup 2}. The bias factor, the ratio of calculation/measurement, was 0.918 for the 1st testing and the calculational uncertainty,7.0% satisfied the requirement of USNRC Reg.Guide 1.190, 20%. The best estimated neutron fluence for reactor vessel inside surface was 3.615E+18n/cm{sup 2} based on the end of 6th fuel cycle and it was predicted that the fluences of vessel inside surface at 16 and 32EFPY would reach 8.478E+18 and 1.673E+19n/cm{sup 2} based on the current calculation. The result through this analysis for Ulchin Unit 4 showed that there would be no problem for the pressurized thermal shock(PTS) during the operation until design life.

Final Report for the 1st Surveillance Test of the Reactor Pressure Vessel Material (CAPSULE 2) of Ulchin Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Kee Ok; Kim, Byoung Chul; Lee, Sam Lai (and others)

2006-12-15

Surveillance testing for reactor vessel materials is performed in order to evaluate the irradiation embrittlement due to neutrons during operation and set the condition of safe operation of nuclear reactor. The 1st surveillance testing was performed completely by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute at Taejon after the capsule was transported from Ulchin site including its removal from reactor. Fast neutron fluences for capsules were calculated and various testing including mechanical and chemistry analysis were performed in order to evaluate the integrity of Ulchin unit 3 reactor vessel during the operation until life time. The evaluation results are as follows; Fast neutron fluences for capsule 2 is 4.674E 18n/cm{sup 2}. The bias factor, the ratio of calculation/measurement, was 0.920 for the 1st testing and the calculational uncertainty,7.0% satisfied the requirement of USNRC Reg.Guide 1.190, 20%. The best estimated neutron fluence for reactor vessel inside surface was 3.913E 18n/cm{sup 2} based on the end of 6th fuel cycle and it was predicted that the fluences of vessel inside surface at 16 and 32EFPY would reach 9.249E 18 and 1.834E 19n/cm{sup 2} based on the current calculation. The result through this analysis for Ulchin unit 3 showed that there would be no problem for the pressurized thermal shock(PTS) during the operation until design life.

1st ESMO Consensus Conference in lung cancer; Lugano 2010: small-cell lung cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stahel, R; Thatcher, N; Früh, M

2011-01-01

, the expert panel prepared clinically relevant questions concerning five areas as follows: early and locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), first-line metastatic NSCLC, second-/third-line NSCLC, NSCLC pathology and molecular testing, and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) to be addressed through......The 1st ESMO Consensus Conference on lung cancer was held in Lugano, Switzerland on 21st and 22nd May 2010 with the participation of a multidisciplinary panel of leading professionals in pathology and molecular diagnostics and medical, surgical and radiation oncology. Before the conference...

1st ESMO Consensus Conference in lung cancer; Lugano 2010: small-cell lung cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stahel, R; Thatcher, N; Früh, M

2011-01-01

The 1st ESMO Consensus Conference on lung cancer was held in Lugano, Switzerland on 21st and 22nd May 2010 with the participation of a multidisciplinary panel of leading professionals in pathology and molecular diagnostics and medical, surgical and radiation oncology. Before the conference......, the expert panel prepared clinically relevant questions concerning five areas as follows: early and locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), first-line metastatic NSCLC, second-/third-line NSCLC, NSCLC pathology and molecular testing, and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) to be addressed through...

Next-Generation Sequencing for Typing and Detection of ESBL and MBL E. coli causing UTI

OpenAIRE

Nabakishore Nayak; Mahesh Chanda Sahu

2017-01-01

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has the potential to provide typing results and detect resistance genes in a single assay, thus guiding timely treatment decisions and allowing rapid tracking of transmission of resistant clones. We can be evaluated the performance of a new NGS assay during an outbreak of sequence type 131 (ST131) Escherichia coli infections in a teaching hospital. The assay will be performed on 100 extended-spectrum- beta-lactamase (ESBL) E. coli isolates collected from UTI d...

1st Stage Separation Aerodynamics Of VEGA Launcher

Science.gov (United States)

Genito, M.; Paglia, F.; Mogavero, A.; Barbagallo, D.

2011-05-01

VEGA is an European launch vehicle under development by the Prime Contractor ELV S.p.A. in the frame of an ESA contract. It is constituted by four stages, dedicated to the scientific/commercial market of small satellites (300 ÷ 2500 kg) into Low Earth Orbits, with inclinations ranging from 5.2° up to Sun Synchronous Orbits and with altitude ranging from 300 to 1500 km. Aim of this paper is to present a study of flow field due to retro-rockets impingement during the 1st stage VEGA separation phase. In particular the main goal of the present work is to present the aerodynamic activities performed for the justification of the separation phase.

St. Lucia.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-06-01

The population of St Lucia was 123,000 in 1986, with an annual growth rate of 2%. The infant mortality rate stands at 22.2/1000 live births, and life expectancy is 70.3 years for males and 74.9 years for females. The literacy rate is 78%. St Lucia's labor force is allocated as follows: agriculture, 36.6%; industry and commerce, 20.1%; and services, 18.1%. The gross national product (GNP) was US$146 million in 1985, with an annual growth rate of 3% and a per capita GNP of $1071. St Lucia is a parliamentary democracy modeled on the British Westminster system. The island is divided into 16 parishes and 1 urban area (the capital, Castries). St Lucia is currently a politically stable country, although the high level of youth unemployment is a cause for concern. Ongoing stability may depend on the government's ability to provide services such as jobs and housing. The economy has evolved from a monocrop sugar plantation type to a diversified economy based on agriculture, industry, and tourism. Agriculture, dominated by the banana industry, is characterized by the participation of a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises. Industry is being encouraged through the provision of incentives such as tax rebates. The government is attempting to maintain a sound investment climate through a tripartite dialogue with the private sector and trade unions. Overall economic policy is predicated on the attraction of sound investments, by both local and foreign entities, to accelerate the rate of economic growth, solve the unemployment problem, and generate a solid balance-of-payments position.

2nd-order optical model of the isotopic dependence of heavy ion absorption cross sections for radiation transport studies

Science.gov (United States)

Cucinotta, Francis A.; Yan, Congchong; Saganti, Premkumar B.

2018-01-01

Heavy ion absorption cross sections play an important role in radiation transport codes used in risk assessment and for shielding studies of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) exposures. Due to the GCR primary nuclei composition and nuclear fragmentation leading to secondary nuclei heavy ions of charge number, Z with 3 ≤ Z ≥ 28 and mass numbers, A with 6 ≤ A ≥ 60 representing about 190 isotopes occur in GCR transport calculations. In this report we describe methods for developing a data-base of isotopic dependent heavy ion absorption cross sections for interactions. Calculations of a 2nd-order optical model solution to coupled-channel solutions to the Eikonal form of the nucleus-nucleus scattering amplitude are compared to 1st-order optical model solutions. The 2nd-order model takes into account two-body correlations in the projectile and target ground-states, which are ignored in the 1st-order optical model. Parameter free predictions are described using one-body and two-body ground state form factors for the isotopes considered and the free nucleon-nucleon scattering amplitude. Root mean square (RMS) matter radii for protons and neutrons are taken from electron and muon scattering data and nuclear structure models. We report on extensive comparisons to experimental data for energy-dependent absorption cross sections for over 100 isotopes of elements from Li to Fe interacting with carbon and aluminum targets. Agreement between model and experiments are generally within 10% for the 1st-order optical model and improved to less than 5% in the 2nd-order optical model in the majority of comparisons. Overall the 2nd-order optical model leads to a reduction in absorption compared to the 1st-order optical model for heavy ion interactions, which influences estimates of nuclear matter radii.

Surveys in 1961 on St. Thomas & St. Croix

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, Thorkel; Licht, Kjeld de Fine

Registration of towns and buildings erected during the Danish reign of the Caribbean Isles of St. Thomas, St. Jan and St. Croix 1671-1917 (now belonging to the USA under the name of Virgin Islands)....

Time-order errors and standard-position effects in duration discrimination: An experimental study and an analysis by the sensation-weighting model.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellström, Åke; Rammsayer, Thomas H

2015-10-01

Studies have shown that the discriminability of successive time intervals depends on the presentation order of the standard (St) and the comparison (Co) stimuli. Also, this order affects the point of subjective equality. The first effect is here called the standard-position effect (SPE); the latter is known as the time-order error. In the present study, we investigated how these two effects vary across interval types and standard durations, using Hellström's sensation-weighting model to describe the results and relate them to stimulus comparison mechanisms. In Experiment 1, four modes of interval presentation were used, factorially combining interval type (filled, empty) and sensory modality (auditory, visual). For each mode, two presentation orders (St-Co, Co-St) and two standard durations (100 ms, 1,000 ms) were used; half of the participants received correctness feedback, and half of them did not. The interstimulus interval was 900 ms. The SPEs were negative (i.e., a smaller difference limen for St-Co than for Co-St), except for the filled-auditory and empty-visual 100-ms standards, for which a positive effect was obtained. In Experiment 2, duration discrimination was investigated for filled auditory intervals with four standards between 100 and 1,000 ms, an interstimulus interval of 900 ms, and no feedback. Standard duration interacted with presentation order, here yielding SPEs that were negative for standards of 100 and 1,000 ms, but positive for 215 and 464 ms. Our findings indicate that the SPE can be positive as well as negative, depending on the interval type and standard duration, reflecting the relative weighting of the stimulus information, as is described by the sensation-weighting model.

Moral Judgment and Its Relation to Second-Order Theory of Mind

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Genyue; Xiao, Wen S.; Killen, Melanie; Lee, Kang

2014-01-01

Recent research indicates that moral judgment and 1st-order theory of mind abilities are related. What is not known, however, is how 2nd-order theory of mind is related to moral judgment. In the present study, we extended previous findings by administering a morally relevant theory of mind task (an accidental transgressor) to 4- to 7-year-old…

IL-1β Upregulates StAR and Progesterone Production Through the ERK1/2- and p38-Mediated CREB Signaling Pathways in Human Granulosa-Lutein Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Xuan; Zhu, Qinling; He, Yaqiong; Wang, Yuan; Lu, Yao; Li, Xiaoxue; Qi, Jia; Wu, Hasiximuke; Sun, Yun

2017-10-01

The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) may be involved in several ovulation-associated events, such as protease synthesis, prostaglandin production, and steroidogenesis in granulosa cells. However, the exact effect of IL-1β on progesterone synthesis in granulosa cells and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. By using cultured granulosa-lutein cells collected from women undergoing in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, we found that IL-1β upregulated steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) expression and progesterone synthesis in granulosa-lutein cells, which was comparable with luteinizing hormone effect and could be abolished by an IL-1 receptor antagonist. Moreover, IL-1β activated the phosphorylation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein (CREB), and knockdown of CREB attenuated the induction of StAR expression and progesterone synthesis by IL-1β in granulosa-lutein cells. Furthermore, IL-1β activated the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and p38 pathways and inhibition of the ERK1/2 and p38 pathways attenuated the IL-1β-induced phosphorylation of CREB, StAR expression, and progesterone synthesis in granulosa-lutein cells. In conclusion, IL-1β could upregulate StAR expression and stimulate progesterone biosynthesis through increase in CREB phosphorylation via activating the ERK1/2 and p38 pathways in human granulosa-lutein cells. Copyright © 2017 Endocrine Society.

POD-1/Tcf21 overexpression reduces endogenous SF-1 and StAR expression in rat adrenal cells

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M. M. França

2015-12-01

Full Text Available During gonad and adrenal development, the POD-1/capsulin/TCF21transcription factor negatively regulates SF-1/NR5A1expression, with higher SF-1 levels being associated with increased adrenal cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. In adrenocortical tumor cells, POD-1 binds to the SF-1 E-box promoter region, decreasing SF-1 expression. However, the modulation of SF-1 expression by POD-1 has not previously been described in normal adrenal cells. Here, we analyzed the basal expression of Pod-1 and Sf-1 in primary cultures of glomerulosa (G and fasciculata/reticularis (F/R cells isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats, and investigated whether POD-1 overexpression modulates the expression of endogenous Sf-1 and its target genes in these cells. POD-1 overexpression, following the transfection of pCMVMycPod-1, significantly decreased the endogenous levels of Sf-1 mRNA and protein in F/R cells, but not in G cells, and also decreased the expression of the SF-1 target StAR in F/R cells. In G cells overexpressing POD-1, no modulation of the expression of SF-1 targets, StAR and CYP11B2, was observed. Our data showing that G and F/R cells respond differently to ectopic POD-1 expression emphasize the functional differences between the outer and inner zones of the adrenal cortex, and support the hypothesis that SF-1 is regulated by POD-1/Tcf21 in normal adrenocortical cells lacking the alterations in cellular physiology found in tumor cells.

COMPARISON OF THE THERMAL SHOCK RESlST ANCE IN Alı03-SG AND Zr02-l2°/oSi+AI COATING SYSTEMS

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AHMET ÖZEL

1998-12-01

Full Text Available In this investigation� thennal and structure fınite eleınent analysis has been employed to aııalyse tlıe level of the thennal stresses developed in A1203-SG and Zr02- 12%Si+ Al coatings subjected to them1al loading. Systeıns \\Vith 0.4nıın coating thickness and 4nıın substrate ınaterial thickness were nıodelled. Alumina -Ductile Ca st Iran coatings \\Vith Ni Al, Ni Cr AIY, NiCoCrAIY inte rlayer \\vere also modelled. Noıninal and shear stresses at the cıitical interface regions ( filnı /inter laycr/substrate \\vere obtained and compared. The results showed that the Al203-SG coatings has higher tlıennal shock resistance than Zr02- 12o/oSi+Al coating systeıns. Furthern1ore� tlıe inte rlayer thickness and ınate rial coınbinations have a significant influence on the level of the devcloped tl1ennal stresses. It is also concluded that the finite eleınent technique can be used to optiınise the design and the processing of ceranı ic . coatıngs.

Galleria mellonella infection model demonstrates high lethality of ST69 and ST127 uropathogenic E. coli.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majed F Alghoribi

Full Text Available Galleria mellonella larvae are an alternative in vivo model for investigating bacterial pathogenicity. Here, we examined the pathogenicity of 71 isolates from five leading uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC lineages using G. mellonella larvae. Larvae were challenged with a range of inoculum doses to determine the 50% lethal dose (LD50 and for analysis of survival outcome using Kaplan-Meier plots. Virulence was correlated with carriage of a panel of 29 virulence factors (VF. Larvae inoculated with ST69 and ST127 isolates (10(4 colony-forming units/larvae showed significantly higher mortality rates than those infected with ST73, ST95 and ST131 isolates, killing 50% of the larvae within 24 hours. Interestingly, ST131 isolates were the least virulent. We observed that ST127 isolates are significantly associated with a higher VF-score than isolates of all other STs tested (P≤0.0001, including ST69 (P<0.02, but one ST127 isolate (strain EC18 was avirulent. Comparative genomic analyses with virulent ST127 strains revealed an IS1 mediated deletion in the O-antigen cluster in strain EC18, which is likely to explain the lack of virulence in the larvae infection model. Virulence in the larvae was not correlated with serotype or phylogenetic group. This study illustrates that G. mellonella are an excellent tool for investigation of the virulence of UPEC strains. The findings also support our suggestion that the incidence of ST127 strains should be monitored, as these isolates have not yet been widely reported, but they clearly have a pathogenic potential greater than that of more widely recognised clones, including ST73, ST95 or ST131.

Stereospecificity (ST) of the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alderman, J.; Kato, S.; Lasker, J.; Lieber, C.S.

1987-01-01

The ST of MEOS for the ethanol 1R hydrogen has been variously reported as absolute, partial or absent, with free radical involvement postulated in the latter case. To determine both the ST of MEOS and the participation of free radicals in the reaction, they investigated MEOS ST using 1R[1- 3 H] ethanol as substrate. ST is expressed as the fraction of 3 H labeling in acetaldehyde formed, relative to that in ethanol, and ranges from 0.5 to 0. Partial ST was observed using liver microsomes from both rats and hamsters; it significantly decreased after ethanol feeding. 0.1 mM desferrioxamine (dfx) did not increase ST in any of these microsomal preparations while ferric EDTA decreased it, suggesting that ethanol treatment induces a cytochrome P-450 with lower ST rather than increasing free radical involvement. This is supported by a virtual absence of ST observed in a reconstituted system containing purified hamster P-450/sub ALC/, a liver cytochrome P-450 isozyme induced in hamsters by ethanol treatment. Their results indicate that, unlike other enzymes that oxidize ethanol, MEOS has only partial ST. Thus, ST alone cannot be used as an index of free radical involvement but, when evaluated with the response of ST to dfx, it indicated that MEOS is unlikely to involve free radical attack on ethanol in solution

Phase diagram and quantum order by disorder in the Kitaev K1-K2 honeycomb magnet

Science.gov (United States)

Rousochatzakis, Ioannis; Reuther, Johannes; Thomale, Ronny; Rachel, Stephan; Perkins, Natalia

We show that the topological Kitaev spin liquid on the honeycomb lattice is extremely fragile against the second neighbor Kitaev coupling K2, which has been recently identified as the dominant perturbation away from the nearest neighbor model in iridate Na2IrO3, and may also play a role in α-RuCl3. This coupling explains naturally the zig-zag ordering and the special entanglement between real and spin space observed recently in Na2IrO3. The minimal K1-K2 model that we present here holds in addition the unique property that the classical and quantum phase diagrams and their respective order-by-disorder mechanisms are qualitatively different due to their fundamentally different symmetry structure. Nsf DMR-1511768; Freie Univ. Berlin Excellence Initiative of German Research Foundation; European Research Council, ERC-StG-336012; DFG-SFB 1170; DFG-SFB 1143, DFG-SPP 1666, and Helmholtz association VI-521.

Pickering NGS A reactor building 1 dome refurbishment long-term monitoring of coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deans, J.J.; Chan, P.; Gomme, R.

2006-01-01

'Full text:' To reduce air leakage through the dome of Pickering NGS A Reactor Building 1, in August 1993 a portion of the exterior concrete surface was coated with a single component elastomeric polyurethane material. An internal positive pressure test of the building, conducted between November 5 and 7, 1993, found that the air leakage rates were significantly lower in this test than leakage rates which had been measured during a pressure test conducted in 1992. This reduction in leakage was attributed to the successful performance of the coating. The need for a high-performance, elastomeric surface coating was identified for reduction of air leakage levels through the dome of Reactor Building l of Ontario Power Generation's (formerly Ontario Hydro's) Pickering 'A' Nuclear Generating Station near Toronto. A number of candidate coatings were extensively tested to assess the performance characteristics and identify a material that could withstand the elements and perform effectively for around 20 years. Under normal operating conditions, a licensing limit of 2.7% of contained mass/hour is set for permissible containment leakage whilst the operational working target is less than 1%. The facility's engineers determined that any leakages were pressure-dependent, so in an effort to remain well within their working target, they sought a system that would bridge and seal any hairline cracks in the concrete dome and thereby prevent the passage of gas or vapour through the substrate. On the basis of scheduling and cost, they concluded that a high performance coating was most appropriate for the project, and hired Kinectrics (formerly Ontario Hydro Technologies (OHT)) to select, test, assess and arrange for the application to the RB 1 Dome. In all, nearly 70 separate manufacturers were approached by Kinectrics with a view to obtaining recommendations for treatment. The respective performance data of the respondents' products were compared with a set of specific design

Serum dosage of CPK-MB in dogs with ST deviation by chemiluminescence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André L.F. Santos

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract: Although frequently in humans, hypoxic and ischemic heart diseases are poorly documented in dogs, with only few reports of acute myocardial infarction (AMI in this species. Some electrocardiographic findings might suggest myocardium hypoxia/ischemia, like ST segment elevation or depression, but there are no studies showing whether deviations in ST segment are associated to myocardial injury and serum increase of creatine phosphokinase (CPK-MB. In order to investigate possible myocardial cells injury in poor perfusion conditions, 38 dogs were studied, 20 with normal electrocardiogram and 18 with ST segment elevation or depression, recorded in lead II, at a paper speed of 50 mm/sec and N sensibility (1mV=1cm. Serum measurement of creatine phosphokinase isoenzyme MB (CPK-MB in normal dogs (group 1 determined control values (in ng/mL, which were compared to those obtained from dogs with deviation (group 2, which allowed confirmation or not of myocardial injury. CPK-MB mean values obtained from dogs in groups 1 and 2 were 0.540ng/ml (SD±0.890ng/mL and 0.440ng/mL (SD±1.106, respectively. At a significance level of 5%, the relation of CPK-MB with age, mass and total creatine phosphokinase (CPK-T was not significant in groups 1 and 2. CPK-MB showed no difference, at 5% level, between groups 1 and 2. In conclusion, it is possible to use the human chemiluminescent immunometric assay kit in canine species and that hypoxia/ischemia revealed by ST segment deviation does not mean significant myocardium injury.

Moving towards first science with the St. George recoil separator

Science.gov (United States)

Meisel, Zachary; Berg, G. P. A.; Gilardy, G.; Moran, M.; Schmitt, J.; Seymour, C.; Stech, E.; Couder, M.

2015-10-01

The St. George recoil mass separator has recently been coupled to the 5MV St. Ana accelerator at the University of Notre Dame's Nuclear Science Lab. St. George is a unique tool designed to measure radiative alpha-capture reactions for nuclei up to A = 40 in inverse kinematics in order to directly obtain cross sections required for astrophysical models of stellar and explosive helium burning. Commissioning of St. George is presently taking place with primary beams of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen. In this presentation, results will be shown for the measured energy acceptance of St. George, which compare favorably to COSY results when employing the calculated optimal ion-optical settings. Additionally, future plans will be discussed, such as assessing the angular acceptance of St. George and the re-integration of HiPPO at the separator target position to provide a dense, windowless helium gas-jet target. The material presented in this work is partially supported by the National Science Foundation Grant No. 1419765.

Finding Higher Order Differentials of MISTY1

Science.gov (United States)

Tsunoo, Yukiyasu; Saito, Teruo; Kawabata, Takeshi; Nakagawa, Hirokatsu

MISTY1 is a 64-bit block cipher that has provable security against differential and linear cryptanalysis. MISTY1 is one of the algorithms selected in the European NESSIE project, and it is recommended for Japanese e-Government ciphers by the CRYPTREC project. In this paper, we report on 12th order differentials in 3-round MISTY1 with FL functions and 44th order differentials in 4-round MISTY1 with FL functions both previously unknown. We also report that both data complexity and computational complexity of higher order differential attacks on 6-round MISTY1 with FL functions and 7-round MISTY1 with FL functions using the 46th order differential can be reduced to as much as 1/22 of the previous values by using multiple 44th order differentials simultaneously.

What Is the Best NGS Enrichment Method for the Molecular Diagnosis of Monogenic Diabetes and Obesity?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julien Philippe

Full Text Available Molecular diagnosis of monogenic diabetes and obesity is of paramount importance for both the patient and society, as it can result in personalized medicine associated with a better life and it eventually saves health care spending. Genetic clinical laboratories are currently switching from Sanger sequencing to next-generation sequencing (NGS approaches but choosing the optimal protocols is not easy. Here, we compared the sequencing coverage of 43 genes involved in monogenic forms of diabetes and obesity, and variant detection rates, resulting from four enrichment methods based on the sonication of DNA (Agilent SureSelect, RainDance technologies, or using enzymes for DNA fragmentation (Illumina Nextera, Agilent HaloPlex. We analyzed coding exons and untranslated regions of the 43 genes involved in monogenic diabetes and obesity. We found that none of the methods achieves yet full sequencing of the gene targets. Nonetheless, the RainDance, SureSelect and HaloPlex enrichment methods led to the best sequencing coverage of the targets; while the Nextera method resulted in the poorest sequencing coverage. Although the sequencing coverage was high, we unexpectedly found that the HaloPlex method missed 20% of variants detected by the three other methods and Nextera missed 10%. The question of which NGS technique for genetic diagnosis yields the highest diagnosis rate is frequently discussed in the literature and the response is still unclear. Here, we showed that the RainDance enrichment method as well as SureSelect, which are both based on the sonication of DNA, resulted in a good sequencing quality and variant detection, while the use of enzymes to fragment DNA (HaloPlex or Nextera might not be the best strategy to get an accurate sequencing.

Coal mining situation in the Federal Republic of Germany. The 1st quarter 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

The paper reports on the coal mining in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1st quarter of 2017. Statistical data are presented for mining, exports and imports of hard coal and lignite and for employees.

Coal mining situation in the Federal Republic of Germany. The 1st quarter 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

The paper reports on the coal mining in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1st quarter of 2015. Statistical data are presented for mining, exports and imports of hard coal and lignite and for employees.

Bathymetry 1M GRID of St. John (South Shore - Area 1), US Virgin Islands, 2004, UTM 20 WGS84

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains an ESRI Grid with 1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of the south shore of St. John, US Virgin Islands. Due to the large file size...

Overexpression of StNF-YB3.1 reduces photosynthetic capacity and tuber production, and promotes ABA-mediated stomatal closure in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Xuanyuan, Guochao; Lu, Congming; Zhang, Ruofang; Jiang, Jiming

2017-08-01

Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) is one of the most ubiquitous transcription factors (TFs), comprising NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC subunits, and has been identified and reported in various aspects of development for plants and animals. In this work, StNF-YB3.1, a putative potato NF-YB subunit encoding gene, was isolated from Solanum tuberosum by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Overexpression of StNF-YB3.1 in potato (cv. Atlantic) resulted in accelerated onset of flowering, and significant increase in leaf chlorophyll content in field trials. However, transgenic potato plants overexpressing StNF-YB3.1 (OEYB3.1) showed significant decreases in photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance both at tuber initiation and bulking stages. OEYB3.1 lines were associated with significantly fewer tuber numbers and yield reduction. Guard cell size and stomatal density were not changed in OEYB3.1 plants, whereas ABA-mediated stomatal closure was accelerated compared to that of wild type plants because of the up-regulation of genes for ABA signaling, such as StCPK10-like, StSnRK2.6/OST1-like, StSnRK2.7-like and StSLAC1-like. We speculate that the acceleration of stomatal closure was a possible reason for the significantly decreased stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Italian research on Antarctic atmosphere: 1st workshop. Ricerche italiane sull'atmosfera antartica: 1o workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colacino, M. (ed.); Giovannelli, G. (ed.); Stefanutti, L. (ed.)

1989-01-01

The papers and reports, presented at this 1st workshop on 'Italian research on antarctic atmosphere', deal with several main topics: meteorology and climatology, aerosol and tropospheric clouds, planetary boundary layer, chemical-physic stratospheric property, aeronomy. They define the stage of development of Italian research in this area after 3 years of activity in Antarctica.

Five Ideas for 21st Century Math Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Gasser, Kenneth W.

2011-01-01

This article draws on the 21st Century Skills Movement and the successful teaching practices of Asian schools in order to provide five suggestions that secondary math teachers can incorporate into their classrooms in order to promote the skill set necessary for an ever-changing global economy. Problem-based instruction, student-led solutions, risk…

Proceedings of the 1st symposium on advanced science research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-09-01

The 1st symposium on advanced science research was held in Tokai-mura, Ibaraki-ken, on 23-24 March, 1995, under the auspices of JAERI. Two hundred and sixty scientists attended the symposium; over 40% of the attendants were from universities and laboratories outside JAERI. This proceedings consists of 6 oral presentations of the research activities in the Advanced Science Research Center, 70 poster presentations on the field of basic science from both the inside and outside of JAERI and 2 panel discussions on the actinide physics and biocrystallography. (author)

Asymptomatic ST-depression during exercise testing in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus and autonomic dysfunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmitry Nikitich Laptev

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate cardiac autonomic function as assessed by ST dynamics during and post-exercise in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM. Materials and methods. The study included 71 young patients with T1DM. The patients were aged 9?18 years and had no history of macrovascular disease or renal disease, including microalbuminuria. Cardiac autonomic function was assessed using cardiovascular tests and 24-h ECG monitoring with automatic calculation of QT interval and heart rate variability parameters. Each patient underwent the physical working capacity 170 test. Results. The prevalence of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN was 30.9%. The frequency of asymptomatic ST-segment depression increased during exercise in 10 (45.5% patients with CAN (CAN+ compared with 9 (18.4% patients without CAN (CAN-; p=0.042. During the recovery period, asymptomatic ST-segment depression was present in the first minute in 8 (36.4% CAN+ patients compared with 1 (2% CAN- patient (p=0.0003 and in the second minute in 5 (22.7% CAN+ patients compared with 1 (2% CAN- patient (p=0.0095. Conclusion. Children and adolescents with T1DM and impaired autonomic function have increased prevalence of asymptomatic ST-segment depression during and post-exercise. The presence of cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents with T1DM and CAN may contribute to the increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during adulthood in patients with T1DM.

Asymptomatic ST-depression during exercise testing in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus and autonomic dysfunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmitry Nikitich Laptev

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate cardiac autonomic function as assessed by ST dynamics during and post-exercise in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM.Materials and methods. The study included 71 young patients with T1DM. The patients were aged 9–18 years and had no history of macrovascular disease or renal disease, including microalbuminuria. Cardiac autonomic function was assessed using cardiovascular tests and 24-h ECG monitoring with automatic calculation of QT interval and heart rate variability parameters. Each patient underwent the physical working capacity 170 test.Results. The prevalence of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN was 30.9%. The frequency of asymptomatic ST-segment depression increased during exercise in 10 (45.5% patients with CAN (CAN+ compared with 9 (18.4% patients without CAN (CAN-; p=0.042. During the recovery period, asymptomatic ST-segment depression was present in the first minute in 8 (36.4% CAN+ patients compared with 1 (2% CAN- patient (p=0.0003 and in the second minute in 5 (22.7% CAN+ patients compared with 1 (2% CAN- patient (p=0.0095.Conclusion. Children and adolescents with T1DM and impaired autonomic function have increased prevalence of asymptomatic ST-segment depression during and post-exercise. The presence of cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents with T1DM and CAN may contribute to the increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during adulthood in patients with T1DM.

Effects of Carbopol® 934 proportion on nanoemulsion gel for topical and transdermal drug delivery: a skin permeation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yin; Ouyang, Wu-Qing; Wei, Yun-Peng; Syed, Shahid Faraz; Hao, Chao-Shuang; Wang, Bo-Zhen; Shang, Yan-Hong

Nanoemulsions (NEs) are used as transdermal drug delivery systems for systematic therapeutic purposes. We hypothesized that the skin permeation profile of an NE could be modulated by incorporating it into a hydrogel containing differing proportions of thickening agent. The objectives of this study were as follows: 1) to determine the stability and skin irritability of NE gels (NGs) containing 1%, 2%, and 3% (w/w) Carbopol ® 934 (CP934) (termed NG1, NG2, and NG3, respectively); 2) to compare the skin permeation profiles and drug deposition patterns of the NGs; and 3) to visualize the drug delivery routes of the NGs. Terbinafine and citral were incorporated into the NGs as model drugs. Ex vivo skin permeation tests indicated that the percutaneous flux rates of terbinafine decreased in the order NE (215 μg/cm 2 ) > NG1 (213 μg/cm 2 ) > NG2 (123 μg/cm 2 ) > NG3 (74.3 μg/cm 2 ). The flux rates of citral decreased in the order NE (1,026 μg/cm 2 ) > NG1 (1,021 μg/cm 2 ) > NG2 (541 μg/cm 2 ) > NG3 (353 μg/cm 2 ). The NGs accumulated greater amounts of the drugs in the stratum corneum and less in the epidermis/dermis than did the NE ( P drug delivery routes from skin appendages to intercellular paths. Histological images suggested that perturbations to the skin structure, specifically the size of the epidermal intercellular spaces and the separation distance of dermal collagen bundles, could be significantly minimized by increasing the proportion of CP934. These results suggest that adjustments of the CP934 proportions can be used to modulate the skin permeation profiles of NGs for specific therapeutic purposes.

Assessing the effect of an online HIV/AIDS course on 1st-year ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. More international HIV/AIDS intervention initiatives targeting young adults are needed to help reach targets set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS). Objectives. To determine the effect of an online HIV/AIDS course on 1st-year pharmacy students' knowledge of HIV prevention and ...

Driven similarity renormalization group: Third-order multireference perturbation theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chenyang; Evangelista, Francesco A

2017-03-28

A third-order multireference perturbation theory based on the driven similarity renormalization group (DSRG-MRPT3) approach is presented. The DSRG-MRPT3 method has several appealing features: (a) it is intruder free, (b) it is size consistent, (c) it leads to a non-iterative algorithm with O(N 6 ) scaling, and (d) it includes reference relaxation effects. The DSRG-MRPT3 scheme is benchmarked on the potential energy curves of F 2 , H 2 O 2 , C 2 H 6 , and N 2 along the F-F, O-O, C-C, and N-N bond dissociation coordinates, respectively. The nonparallelism errors of DSRG-MRPT3 are consistent with those of complete active space third-order perturbation theory and multireference configuration interaction with singles and doubles and show significant improvements over those obtained from DSRG second-order multireference perturbation theory. Our efficient implementation of the DSRG-MRPT3 based on factorized electron repulsion integrals enables studies of medium-sized open-shell organic compounds. This point is demonstrated with computations of the singlet-triplet splitting (Δ ST =E T -E S ) of 9,10-anthracyne. At the DSRG-MRPT3 level of theory, our best estimate of the adiabatic Δ ST is 3.9 kcal mol -1 , a value that is within 0.1 kcal mol -1 from multireference coupled cluster results.

Developing a TPACK measurement instrument for 21st century pre-service teachers

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Teemu Valtonen

2015-11-01

Full Text Available  Future skills, so-called 21st century skills, emphasise collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and especially ICT skills (Voogt & Roblin, 2012. Teachers have to be able to use various pedagogical approaches and ICT in order to support the development of their students’ 21st century skills (Voogt & Roblin, 2012. These skills, particularly ICT skills, pose challenges for teachers and teacher education. This paper focuses on developing an instrument for measuring pre-service teachers’ knowledge related to ICT in the context of 21st century skills.Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK; Mishra & Kohler, 2006 was used as a theoretical framework for designing the instrument. While the TPACK framework is actively used, the instruments used to measure it have proven challenging. This paper outlines the results of the development process of the TPACK-21 instrument. A new assessment instrument was compiled and tested on pre-service teachers in Study1 (N=94. Based on these results, the instrument was further developed and tested in Study2 (N=267. The data of both studies were analysed using multiple quantitative methods in order to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instruments. The results provide insight into the challenges of the development process itself and also suggest new solutions to overcome these difficulties.

Automatic classification of transient ischaemic and transient non-ischaemic heart-rate related ST segment deviation episodes in ambulatory ECG records

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faganeli, J; Jager, F

2010-01-01

In ambulatory ECG records, besides transient ischaemic ST segment deviation episodes, there are also transient non-ischaemic heart-rate related ST segment deviation episodes present, which appear only due to a change in heart rate and thus complicate automatic detection of true ischaemic episodes. The goal of this work was to automatically classify these two types of episodes. The tested features to classify the ST segment deviation episodes were changes of heart rate, changes of the Mahalanobis distance of the first five Karhunen–Loève transform (KLT) coefficients of the QRS complex, changes of time-domain morphologic parameters of the ST segment and changes of the Legendre orthonormal polynomial coefficients of the ST segment. We chose Legendre basis functions because they best fit typical shapes of the ST segment morphology, thus allowing direct insight into the ST segment morphology changes through the feature space. The classification was performed with the help of decision trees. We tested the classification method using all records of the Long-Term ST Database on all ischaemic and all non-ischaemic heart-rate related deviation episodes according to annotation protocol B. In order to predict the real-world performance of the classification we used second-order aggregate statistics, gross and average statistics, and the bootstrap method. We obtained the best performance when we combined the heart-rate features, the Mahalanobis distance and the Legendre orthonormal polynomial coefficient features, with average sensitivity of 98.1% and average specificity of 85.2%

An Infrared Census of DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer (DUSTiNGS). IV. Discovery of High-redshift AGB Analogs

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Boyer, M. L.; McQuinn, K. B. W.; Groenewegen, M. A. T.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Whitelock, P. A.; van Loon, J. Th.; Sonneborn, G.; Sloan, G. C.; Skillman, E. D.; Meixner, M.; McDonald, I.; Jones, O. C.; Javadi, A.; Gehrz, R. D.; Britavskiy, N.; Bonanos, A. Z.

2017-12-01

The survey for DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer (DUSTiNGS) identified several candidate Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars in nearby dwarf galaxies and showed that dust can form even in very metal-poor systems ({\\boldsymbol{Z}}∼ 0.008 {Z}ȯ ). Here, we present a follow-up survey with WFC3/IR on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), using filters that are capable of distinguishing carbon-rich (C-type) stars from oxygen-rich (M-type) stars: F127M, F139M, and F153M. We include six star-forming DUSTiNGS galaxies (NGC 147, IC 10, Pegasus dIrr, Sextans B, Sextans A, and Sag DIG), all more metal-poor than the Magellanic Clouds and spanning 1 dex in metallicity. We double the number of dusty AGB stars known in these galaxies and find that most are carbon rich. We also find 26 dusty M-type stars, mostly in IC 10. Given the large dust excess and tight spatial distribution of these M-type stars, they are most likely on the upper end of the AGB mass range (stars undergoing Hot Bottom Burning). Theoretical models do not predict significant dust production in metal-poor M-type stars, but we see evidence for dust excess around M-type stars even in the most metal-poor galaxies in our sample (12+{log}({{O}}/{{H}})=7.26{--}7.50). The low metallicities and inferred high stellar masses (up to ∼10 {M}ȯ ) suggest that AGB stars can produce dust very early in the evolution of galaxies (∼30 Myr after they form), and may contribute significantly to the dust reservoirs seen in high-redshift galaxies. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program GO-14073.

Democracy, cognitive skill, and top 1% income share in the 21st century

OpenAIRE

Yamamura, Eiji

2015-01-01

Studies to date have shown that income concentration for the top 1% income share, the super-rich, has increased conspicuously in the 21st century. However, there is insufficient knowledge on how political factors and types of human capital influence income concentration. Using cross-country data from this century, I provide empirical evidence that shows that democracy and cognitive skill are negatively correlated to the top 1% income share.

The Importance of Friends: Friendship and Adjustment among 1st-Year University Students

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Buote, Vanessa M.; Pancer, S. Mark; Pratt, Michael W.; Adams, Gerald; Birnie-Lefcovitch, Shelly; Polivy, Janet; Wintre, Maxine Gallander

2007-01-01

In a study of new friendships and adjustment among 1st-year university students, students at six Canadian universities completed questionnaires that assessed the quality of new friendships and adjustment during their first academic year. In-depth, face-to-face interviews about students' new friendships were conducted with a subsample of these…

1st Latin American Congress on Automation and Robotics

CERN Document Server

Baca, José; Moreno, Héctor; Carrera, Isela; Cardona, Manuel

2017-01-01

This book contains the proceedings of the 1st Latin American Congress on Automation and Robotics held at Panama City, Panama in February 2017. It gathers research work from researchers, scientists, and engineers from academia and private industry, and presents current and exciting research applications and future challenges in Latin American. The scope of this book covers a wide range of themes associated with advances in automation and robotics research encountered in engineering and scientific research and practice. These topics are related to control algorithms, systems automation, perception, mobile robotics, computer vision, educational robotics, robotics modeling and simulation, and robotics and mechanism design. LACAR 2017 has been sponsored by SENACYT (Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Inovacion of Panama).

1st International Conference on Communication and Computer Engineering

CERN Document Server

Othman, Mohd; Othman, Mohd; Rahim, Yahaya; Pee, Naim

2015-01-01

This book covers diverse aspects of advanced computer and communication engineering, focusing specifically on industrial and manufacturing theory and applications of electronics, communications, computing, and information technology. Experts in research, industry, and academia present the latest developments in technology, describe applications involving cutting-edge communication and computer systems, and explore likely future directions. In addition, access is offered to numerous new algorithms that assist in solving computer and communication engineering problems. The book is based on presentations delivered at ICOCOE 2014, the 1st International Conference on Communication and Computer Engineering. It will appeal to a wide range of professionals in the field, including telecommunication engineers, computer engineers and scientists, researchers, academics, and students.

Nondestructive examination of 51 fuel and reflector elements from Fort St. Vrain Core Segment 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, C.M.; Saurwein, J.J.

1980-12-01

Fifty-one fuel and reflector elements irradiated in core segment 1 of the Fort St. Vrain High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) were inspected dimensionally and visually in the Hot Service Facility at Fort St. Vrain in July 1979. Time- and volume-averaged graphite temperatures for the examined fuel elements ranged from approx. 400 0 to 750 0 C. Fast neutron fluences varied from approx. 0.3 x 10 25 n/m 2 to 1.0 x 10 25 n/m 2 (E > 29 fJ)/sub HTGR/. Nearly all of the examined elements shrank in both axial and radial dimensions. The measured data were compared with strain and bow predictions obtained from SURVEY/STRESS, a computer code that employs viscoelastic beam theory to calculate stresses and deformations in HTGR fuel elements

Identification and molecular characterization of Chryseobacterium vrystaatense ST1 isolated from oligomineral water of southeast Serbia

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Kojić M.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The isolation and molecular characterization of bacterial strains isolated from water sources in the Vlasina Mountain in southeast Serbia, confirmed the presence of a new species Chryseobacterium vrystaatense ST1. This Gram- negative species showed an extremely low level of biochemical reactivity in biochemical tests. The gene for 16S rRNA was amplified by PCR using universal primers and sequenced. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequence and phenotypic features indicated that the isolate ST belonged to Chryseobacterium vrystaatense. A BLAST search of sequenced 1088 nucleotides of the 16S rRNA gene with all sequences deposited in the NCBI collection showed the highest similarity (98% with the strain Chryseobacterium vrystaatense sp. nov., designated as strain R-23533. The very high homology of these two strains allowed classification of our strain at the species level, but some differences indicate, and indirectly confirm, that the isolate ST is an authentic representative. On the basis of these results, we could conclude that Chryseobacterium vrystaatense ST was for first time isolated in Serbia, which is particularly important when one bears in mind that there are only three sequences of this species deposited in the NCBI collection.

ST-segment resolution with bivalirudin versus heparin and routine glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors started in the ambulance in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients transported for primary percutaneous coronary intervention: The EUROMAX ST-segment resolution substudy.

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Van't Hof, Arnoud; Giannini, Francesco; Ten Berg, Jurrien; Tolsma, Rudolf; Clemmensen, Peter; Bernstein, Debra; Coste, Pierre; Goldstein, Patrick; Zeymer, Uwe; Hamm, Christian; Deliargyris, Efthymios; Steg, Philippe G

2017-08-01

Myocardial reperfusion after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) can be assessed by the extent of post-procedural ST-segment resolution. The European Ambulance Acute Coronary Syndrome Angiography (EUROMAX) trial compared pre-hospital bivalirudin and pre-hospital heparin or enoxaparin with or without GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPIs) in primary PCI. This nested substudy was performed in centres routinely using pre-hospital GPI in order to compare the impact of randomized treatments on ST-resolution after primary PCI. Residual cumulative ST-segment deviation on the single one hour post-procedure electrocardiogram (ECG) was assessed by an independent core laboratory and was the primary endpoint. It was calculated that 762 evaluable patients were needed to show non-inferiority (85% power, alpha 2.5%) between randomized treatments. A total of 871 participated with electrocardiographic data available in 824 patients (95%). Residual ST-segment deviation one hour after PCI was 3.8±4.9 mm versus 3.9±5.2 mm for bivalirudin and heparin+GPI, respectively ( p=0.0019 for non-inferiority). Overall, there were no differences between randomized treatments in any measures of ST-segment resolution either before or after the index procedure. Pre-hospital treatment with bivalirudin is non-inferior to pre-hospital heparin + GPI with regard to residual ST-segment deviation or ST-segment resolution, reflecting comparable myocardial reperfusion with the two strategies.

Impact of NGS in the medical sciences: Genetic syndromes with an increased risk of developing cancer as an example of the use of new technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Lapunzina, Pablo; López, Rocío Ortiz; Rodríguez-Laguna, Lara; García-Miguel, Purificación; Martínez, Augusto Rojas; Martínez-Glez, Víctor

2014-01-01

The increased speed and decreasing cost of sequencing, along with an understanding of the clinical relevance of emerging information for patient management, has led to an explosion of potential applications in healthcare. Currently, SNP arrays and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies are relatively new techniques used to scan genomes for gains and losses, losses of heterozygosity (LOH), SNPs, and indel variants as well as to perform complete sequencing of a panel of candidate genes, the entire exome (whole exome sequencing) or even the whole genome. As a result, these new high-throughput technologies have facilitated progress in the understanding and diagnosis of genetic syndromes and cancers, two disorders traditionally considered to be separate diseases but that can share causal genetic alterations in a group of developmental disorders associated with congenital malformations and cancer risk. The purpose of this work is to review these syndromes as an example of a group of disorders that has been included in a panel of genes for NGS analysis. We also highlight the relationship between development and cancer and underline the connections between these syndromes. PMID:24764758

U(1) x U(1) x U(1) symmetry of the Kimura 3ST model and phylogenetic branching processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bashford, J D; Jarvis, P D; Sumner, J G; Steel, M A

2004-01-01

An analysis of the Kimura 3ST model of DNA sequence evolution is given on the basis of its continuous Lie symmetries. The rate matrix commutes with a U(1) x U(1) x U(1) phase subgroup of the group GL(4) of 4 x 4 invertible complex matrices acting on a linear space spanned by the four nucleic acid base letters. The diagonal 'branching operator' representing speciation is defined, and shown to intertwine the U(1) x U(1) x U(1) action. Using the intertwining property, a general formula for the probability density on the leaves of a binary tree under the Kimura model is derived, which is shown to be equivalent to established phylogenetic spectral transform methods. (letter to the editor)

Family affluence, socio - economic status and dietary habits of 1st year University students

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Eirini Syligardou

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Low socio-economic status (SES is associated with health risk behaviours contributing to the social inequalities in health. However, the associations of dietary habits with socio-economic status have not been investigated in emerging adulthood in detail yet. Aim: To investigate the associations of dietary habits with socio-economic status in 1st year undergraduate university students. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis draws data from the LATO study, a longitudinal study of all 1st year undergraduate students of TEI Crete during the academic year 2012/13 (Ν=1138, 54% girls, Mean age 18,31 years, response rate 96,7%. The consumption frequencies of fruits, vegetables, soft drinks, breakfast and delivery food were associated with the following socio-economic indicators: Family affluence (FAS II, paternal and maternal educational level and self-reported economic status. The SPSS v21.0 was used to perform logistic regression models after adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Only 24,9%, 12% and 17% of the students were consuming breakfast, fruits and vegetables, respectively, in a daily basis. Soft drinks were consumed daily by 6,1% of the participants but most of them consumed delivery/junk food less than 1/week (73,8%. Higher family affluence was associated with increased odds of consuming breakfast (OR=2,90, 95%CI=1,13-7,44, soft drinks (OR=8,10, 95%CI=1,38-47,68 and delivery/junk food (OR=2,44, 95%CI=1,27-4,70 in boys. High paternal educational level was associated in a protective way with boys’ consumption of delivery food (OR=0,42, 95%CI=0,18-0,95 and soft drinks (OR=0,19, 95%CI=0,05-0,72. Fruits and vegetables consumption was not associated with any SES indicator. Conclusions: The majority of 1st year university students were not following current diet recommendations irrespective of SES. Interventions targeting eating behaviours are needed at higher education institutes.

BIRTH ORDER AMONG NORTHERN INDIAN MEDICAL STUDENTS

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Vinay Agarwal

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Birth order is claimed to be linked with academic achievement. However, many scientists do not accept it. Objective: To assess the association of birth order in North Indian medical students with number of attempts to cross the competition bar. Study design: Cross sectional study. Setting and participation: M.B.B.S. 1st year students of L.L.R.M. Medical College, Meerut. Statistical analysis used: Chi Square test. Methods: Enquiry of Birth order and number of attempts to crack the medical entrance examination from responded 360 medical students among 494 students admitted during 2005 – 2010. Results: The study revealed insignificant relationship between ages of entrance in medical college in both sexes. of 360 students responded 37% students were of first Birth order. Among those admitted in first attempt, 67% students were of first birth order and proportion of success in first attempt reduced with increasing birth order. Conclusion: Birth Order strongly influences academic achievements.

1st Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference: Fuels Management-How to Measure Success

Science.gov (United States)

Patricia L. Andrews

2006-01-01

The 1st Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference: Fuels Management -- How to Measure Success was held in Portland, Oregon, March 28-30, 2006. The International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) initiated a conference on this timely topic primarily in response to the needs of the U.S. National Interagency Fuels Coordinating Group (http://www.nifc.gov/).

Perceptual Narrowing of Linguistic Sign Occurs in the 1st Year of Life

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, Stephanie Baker; Fais, Laurel; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Werker, Janet F.

2012-01-01

Over their 1st year of life, infants' "universal" perception of the sounds of language narrows to encompass only those contrasts made in their native language (J. F. Werker & R. C. Tees, 1984). This research tested 40 infants in an eyetracking paradigm and showed that this pattern also holds for infants exposed to seen language--American Sign…

ST Elevation in aVR with Coexistent Multilead ST Depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin Cooper

2017-01-01

Full Text Available History of present illness: An 80-year-old female with a history of Crohn’s disease presented to the emergency department with chest pain. She had two weeks of exertional chest pain that preceded an episode of chest pain immediately prior to arrival associated with diaphoresis. Her pain nearly completely resolved with sublingual nitroglycerin provided by pre-hospital personnel. She was hemodynamically stable with normal vital signs on arrival. An ECG was immediately obtained. Significant findings: The ECG shows ST-segment depressions in precordial leads V3 through V6, and limb leads I, II, and aVL, and 1 mm of ST-segment elevation in aVR. The initial troponin I was elevated at 1.37 ng/mL (upper limit of normal 0.40. Cardiology decided to delay catheterization until the next day when diffuse coronary disease was discovered (including 90% of the left circumflex stenosis, 60% proximal and 75% mid-left anterior descending stenosis, 75% third diagonal branch stenosis, and 90% posterior descending artery stenosis. The following day, the patient went to the operating room for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG. Discussion: Traditionally, lead aVR has not received attention when interpreting acutely ischemic changes on ECG, leading some to refer to it as “the forgotten lead.”1 Current guidelines acknowledge the significance of multilead ST depression with coexistent ST elevation in aVR, and this pattern has been identified as the strongest predictor of severe left main coronary artery and/or 3-vessel disease (LM/3VD.2-3 When this ECG pattern is recognized in patients with ischemic symptoms, the emergency physician should involve cardiology early. When managing patients with suspected LM/3VD, it is important to withhold dual anti-platelet therapy as CABG is likely to be indicated,1,3 and guidelines recommend discontinuing P2Y12 inhibitors like clopidogrel or ticagrelor at least 24 hours prior to urgent CABG.2

Peter St. John | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

St. John Photo of Peter St. John Peter St. John Researcher III-Chemical Engineering Peter.StJohn @nrel.gov | 303-384-7969 Orcid ID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7928-3722 Education Peter St. John received his engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2015. During his Ph.D., St. John applied

Communication from ST Group

CERN Multimedia

TS Department

2008-01-01

In order to prepare the organization of the Open Days, please note that FM Group will not able to take into account either specific requests for waste collection from 2nd to 6th of April, either removal or PC transport requests between the 31st and the 11th of March. We kindly ask you to plan the collection of any type of waste and the urgent transport of office furniture or PC before the 31st of March. Waste collection requests shall be formulated contacting FM Support at 77777 or at the email address mailto:Fm.Support@cern.ch; removal of office furniture or PC transport requests must be made using the EDH ‘Transport request’ form selecting the "Removals" or the "PC transport" category from the drop-down menu. For any question concerning the waste sorting, please consult the following web address: http://dechets-waste.web.cern.ch/dechets-waste/. Thank you for your understanding and collaboration. TS/FM Group

Bathymetry 1m GRID of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, 2004, UTM 20 WGS84

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains an ESRI Grid with 1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of the south shore of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. NOAA's NOS/NCCOS/CCMA...

Leadership for Social Justice: Preparing 21st Century School Leaders for a New Social Order

Science.gov (United States)

Jean-Marie, Gaetane; Normore, Anthony H.; Brooks, Jeffrey S.

2009-01-01

At the dawn of the 21st century, there has been an increased focus on social justice and educational leadership (Bogotch, Beachum, Blount, Brooks & English, 2008; Marshall & Oliva, 2006; Shoho, Merchang & Lugg, 2005). This paper explores and extends themes in contemporary educational research on leadership preparation in terms of social justice…

ST ECS error handling and detector safety

CERN Document Server

Esperante Pereira, D

2010-01-01

This note describes the automatic operation sequences that the ECS implements in order to operate the ST detector in a safe and reliable way. First, the start-up sequences to set the detector in a well known state are described. In addition the possible ST detector states based on the status of the different detector elements will be defined. The states are of crucial interest for the safe operation of the detector when the LHC beam is ready. Besides, the ECS automatic actions taken in case of abnormal status of any of the detector elements are reported. Next, the operational alarm ranges and the error recovery mechanisms are mentioned.

ST6Gal1, Cox-2 and HB-EGF mRNA Expression in Breast Cancer

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Aliakbar Taherian

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: ST6Gal1, Cox-2 and HB-EGF genes are involved in different tumors and their enhanced expressions often correlate with poor prognosis. In this study we assay the expressions of these genes by reverse transcriptase-PCR in 54 breast cancer samples. Methods: Tissue samples were either formalin-fixed for histopathological examination or frozen for reverse transcriptase-PCR. Image program was used for the densitometry of the image of the gels and the expression of different genes was normalized with beta actin expression. The student's t-test and correlation matrix were used for data analyses. Results: We observed significantly higher expressions of ST6Gal1 (P= 0.040, Cox- 2 (P= 0.001 and HB-EGF (P= 0.009 in the tumor region compared to the margin samples. A significant correlation was found between HB-EGF and Cox-2 expression (P= 0.001. There was a positive correlation between total score, tumor size, histology grade and nuclear grade but there was a reverse correlation between age and tumor size, histology grade and total score. Conclusion: Expressions of ST6Gal1, Cox-2 and HB-EGF in breast tumor samples in this and a number of other studies emphasize their role as important markers in breast cancer. The use of medications to inhibit either their individual expressions or the possible inhibition of all three genes may improve patient survival and prevent metastasis.

Social and moral norm differences among Portuguese 1st and 6th year medical students towards their intention to comply with hand hygiene.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberto, Magda S; Mearns, Kathryn; Silva, Silvia A

2012-01-01

This study examines social and moral norms towards the intention to comply with hand hygiene among Portuguese medical students from 1st and 6th years (N = 175; 121 from the 1st year, 54 from the 6th year). The study extended the theory of planned behaviour theoretical principles and hypothesised that both subjective and moral norms will be the best predictors of 1st and 6th year medical students' intention to comply with hand hygiene; however, these predictors ability to explain intention variance will change according to medical students' school year. Results indicated that the subjective norm, whose referent focuses on professors, is a relevant predictor of 1st year medical students' intention, while the subjective norm that emphasises the relevance of colleagues predicts the intentions of medical students from the 6th year. In terms of the moral norm, 6th year students' intention is better predicted by a norm that interferes with compliance; whereas intentions from 1st year students are better predicted by a norm that favours compliance. Implications of the findings highlight the importance of role models and mentors as key factors in teaching hand hygiene in medical undergraduate curricula.

1st International Conference on Advancements of Medical Electronics

CERN Document Server

Bag, Sandip; Ganguly, Karabi; Sarkar, Indranath; Biswas, Papun

2015-01-01

The book is a collection of peer-reviewed scientific papers submitted by active researchers in the 1st International Conference on Advancements of Medical Electronics (ICAME2015). The conference is organized jointly by the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Electronics and Communication Engineering, JIS College of Engineering, West Bengal, India. The primary objective of the conference is to strengthen interdisciplinary research and its applications for the welfare of humanity. A galaxy of academicians, professionals, scientists, statesman and researchers from different parts of the country and abroad got together and shared their knowledge. The book presents research articles of medical image processing & analysis, biomedical instrumentation & measurements, DSP & clinical applications, embedded systems & its applications in healthcare. The book can be referred as a tool for further research.

A Correction Formula for the ST Segment Measurements for the AC-coupled Electrocardiograms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmid, Ramun; Isaksen, Jonas; Leber, Remo

2017-01-01

Goal: The ST segment of an electrocardiogram (ECG) is very important for the correct diagnosis of an acute myocardial infarction. Most clinical ECGs are recorded using an AC-coupled ECG amplifier. It is well known, that first-order high-pass filters used for the AC coupling can affect the ST...... segment of an ECG. This effect is stronger the higher the filter's cut-off frequency is and the larger the QRS integral is. We present a formula that estimates these changes in the ST segment and therefore allows for correcting ST measurements that are based on an AC-coupled ECG. Methods: The presented...

NOAA TIFF Image - 1m Multibeam Bathymetry, US Virgin Islands - St. John Shelf - Project NF-10-03 - (2010), UTM 20N NAD83

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains a GeoTIFF with 1x1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of St. John Shelf, a selected portion of seafloor south of St. John, USVI,...

If F(ST) does not measure neutral genetic differentiation, then comparing it with Q(ST) is misleading. Or is it?

Science.gov (United States)

Edelaar, Pim; Björklund, Mats

2011-05-01

The comparison between neutral genetic differentiation (F(ST) ) and quantitative genetic differentiation (Q(ST) ) is commonly used to test for signatures of selection in population divergence. However, there is an ongoing discussion about what F(ST) actually measures, even resulting in some alternative metrics to express neutral genetic differentiation. If there is a problem with F(ST) , this could have repercussions for its comparison with Q(ST) as well. We show that as the mutation rate of the neutral marker increases, F(ST) decreases: a higher within-population heterozygosity (He) yields a lower F(ST) value. However, the same is true for Q(ST) : a higher mutation rate for the underlying QTL also results in a lower Q(ST) estimate. The effect of mutation rate is equivalent in Q(ST) and F(ST) . Hence, the comparison between Q(ST) and F(ST) remains valid, if one uses neutral markers whose mutation rates are not too high compared to those of quantitative traits. Usage of highly variable neutral markers such as hypervariable microsatellites can lead to serious biases and the incorrect inference that divergent selection has acted on populations. Much of the discussion on F(ST) seems to stem from the misunderstanding that it measures the differentiation of populations, whereas it actually measures the fixation of alleles. In their capacity as measures of population differentiation, Hedrick's G'(ST) and Jost's D reach their maximum value of 1 when populations do not share alleles even when there remains variation within populations, which invalidates them for comparisons with Q(ST) . © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Perception of 1 st year medical students towards career choices and specialty of psychiatry

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Suneet Kumar Upadhyaya

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Shortage of psychiatrists is a worldwide phenomenon. If the factors that attract or repel students towards a specialty can be identified, it may be possible to encourage them towards it. Choice of specialty as a career depends on the complex interplay of experiences before, during or after exposure to the specialty. Objectives: The aim was to understand perceptions of 1 st year medical students regarding career choices and the specialty of psychiatry through a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Materials and Methods: Perceptions of 137 1 st year medical students from the Government Medical College were recorded using a semi-structured questionnaire. Students provided their opinions about future career choices; perspective of these specialties in terms of financial reward, reputation, work-life balance, challenging aspect, ability to help patients effectively and emotional stability; their preferences in life and interaction with psychiatrist and its impact. Statistical Analysis Used: One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA with post-hoc analysis by Tukey-Kramer test. Results: Surgery was a high priority for 69 (50% while psychiatry was a high priority only for 11 (8%. Surgery was highest for financial reward and reputation, but lowest for work-life balance. Psychiatry had higher emotional stability, however, its the reputation was lower than surgery, medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics. Students preferred reputation (41% over social service opportunities (43%, work-life balance (16%, and high-income (11%. Interaction with psychiatrist increased inclination for psychiatry in 69% (9/13 students. Conclusions: Psychiatry is not a preferred specialty among 1 st year medical students due to its poor reputation.

Pitfalls in genetic testing: the story of missed SCN1A mutations

OpenAIRE

Djémié, T.; Weckhuysen, S.; von Spiczak, S.; Carvill, G. L.; Jaehn, J.; Anttonen, A-K; Brilstra, E.; Caglayan, H. S.; de Kovel, C. G.; Depienne, C.; Gaily, E.; Gennaro, E.; Giraldez, B. G.; Gormley, P.; Guerrero-López, R.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Sanger sequencing, still the standard technique for genetic testing in most diagnostic laboratories and until recently widely used in research, is gradually being complemented by next-generation sequencing (NGS). No single mutation detection technique is however perfect in identifying all mutations. Therefore, we wondered to what extent inconsistencies between Sanger sequencing and NGS affect the molecular diagnosis of patients. Since mutations in SCN1A, the major gene implicated ...

Pitfalls in genetic testing : the story of missed SCN1A mutations

OpenAIRE

Djémié, Tania; Weckhuysen, Sarah; von Spiczak, Sarah; Carvill, Gemma L; Jaehn, Johanna; Anttonen, Anna-Kaisa; Brilstra, Eva; Caglayan, Hande S; de Kovel, Carolien G; Depienne, Christel; Gaily, Eija; Gennaro, Elena; Giraldez, Beatriz G; Gormley, Padhraig; Guerrero-López, Rosa

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Sanger sequencing, still the standard technique for genetic testing in most diagnostic laboratories and until recently widely used in research, is gradually being complemented by next-generation sequencing (NGS). No single mutation detection technique is however perfect in identifying all mutations. Therefore, we wondered to what extent inconsistencies between Sanger sequencing and NGS affect the molecular diagnosis of patients. Since mutations in SCN1A, the major gene implicated ...

Anatomical relationship between traditional acupuncture point ST 36 and Omura's ST 36 (True ST 36) with their therapeutic effects: 1) inhibition of cancer cell division by markedly lowering cancer cell telomere while increasing normal cell telomere, 2) improving circulatory disturbances, with reduction of abnormal increase in high triglyceride, L-homocystein, CRP, or cardiac troponin I & T in blood by the stimulation of Omura's ST 36--Part 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Omura, Yoshiaki; Chen, Yemeng; Lu, Dominic P; Shimotsura, Yasuhiro; Ohki, Motomu; Duvvi, Harsha

2007-01-01

Using Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Resonance Phenomena between 2 identical substances, Omura, Y. succeeded in making the image of the outline of internal organs without use of standard imaging devices since 1982. When he imaged the outline of the stomach on the abdominal wall, a number of the lines came out from upper and lower parts of stomach wall. When the lines were followed, they were very close to the well-known stomach meridians. Subsequently, he found a method of localizing meridians and their corresponding acupuncture points as well as shapes and diameters accurately. At the anatomical location of ST 36 described in traditional textbooks, Omura, Y. found there is no acupuncture point. However, in the close vicinity, there is an acupuncture point which he named as true ST 36 in the mid 1980s, but it is generally known as Omura's ST 36. When the effects of the acupuncture on these 2 locations were compared, Omura's ST 36 (true ST 36) produced very significant well-known acupuncture beneficial effects including improved circulation and blood chemistry, while in the traditional ST 36, the effects were small. In this article, the anatomical relationship between these two acupuncture points, with a short distance of 0.6 approximately 1.5 cm between the centers of these locations, was described. In early 2000, Omura, Y. found Press Needle Stimulation of Omura's ST 36, using "Press-Release" procedure repeated 200 times, 4 times a day to cancer patients reduced high cancer cell telomere of 600-1500ng and high Oncogen C-fos Ab2 and Integrin alpha5beta1 of 100-700ng BDORT units to close to lyg (= 10(-24) g) BDORT units. In addition there was a significant reduction of Asbestos and Hg from cancer cells, while markedly reduced normal cell telomere of lyg was increased to optimally high amounts of 500-530ng BDORTunits. Thus, cancer cells can no longer divide and cancer activity is inhibited. The authors have successfully applied this method for a variety of cancers as well as

Statutory Instrument No 48 of 1992. Radiological Protection Act, 1991 (Establishment day) Order, 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-03-01

This order appoints 1st April 1992 as the day on which the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland is established. From that day the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland will take over the functions of An Bord Fuinnimh Nuicleigh

NOAA ESRI Geotiff- 1m Bathymetry of St. John (South Shore - Area 1), US Virgin Islands, 2004, UTM 20 WGS84

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains an ESRI Geotiff with 1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of the south shore of St. John, US Virgin Islands. Due to the large file...

Stimulation of StAR expression by cAMP is controlled by inhibition of highly inducible SIK1 via CRTC2, a co-activator of CREB.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jinwoo; Tong, Tiegang; Takemori, Hiroshi; Jefcoate, Colin

2015-06-15

In mouse steroidogenic cells the activation of cholesterol metabolism is mediated by steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). Here, we visualized a coordinated regulation of StAR transcription, splicing and post-transcriptional processing, which are synchronized by salt inducible kinase (SIK1) and CREB-regulated transcription coactivator (CRTC2). To detect primary RNA (pRNA), spliced primary RNA (Sp-RNA) and mRNA in single cells, we generated probe sets by using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). These methods allowed us to address the nature of StAR gene expression and to visualize protein-nucleic acid interactions through direct detection. We show that SIK1 represses StAR expression in Y1 adrenal and MA10 testis cells through inhibition of processing mediated by CRTC2. Digital image analysis matches qPCR analyses of the total cell culture. Evidence is presented for spatially separate accumulation of StAR pRNA and Sp-RNA at the gene loci in the nucleus. These findings establish that cAMP, SIK and CRTC mediate StAR expression through activation of individual StAR gene loci. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nonspecific ST-T changes associated with unsatisfactory blood pressure control among adults with hypertension in China: Evidence from the CSPTT study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Huihui; Cai, Huaxiu; Zhao, Yan; Huang, Xiao; Fan, Fangfang; Zhang, Chunyan; Li, Juxiang; Chen, Jing; Hong, Kui; Li, Ping; Wu, Yanqing; Wu, Qinhua; Wang, Binyan; Xu, Xiping; Li, Yigang; Huo, Yong; Cheng, Xiaoshu

2017-03-01

Nonspecific ST-segment and T-wave (ST-T) changes represent one of the most prevalent electrocardiographic abnormalities in hypertensive patients. However, a limited number of studies have investigated the association between nonspecific ST-T changes and unsatisfactory blood pressure (BP) control in adults with hypertension.The study population comprised 15,038 hypertensive patients, who were selected from 20,702 participants in the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial. The subjects were examined with electrocardiogram test at the initial visit in order to monitor baseline heart activity. According to the results of the electrocardiogram (defined by Minnesota coding), the subjects were divided into 2 groups: ST-T abnormal and ST-T normal. Unsatisfactory BP control was defined as systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg following antihypertensive treatment during the 4.5-year follow-up period. Multivariate analysis was used to analyze the association between nonspecific ST-T abnormalities and unsatisfactory BP control.Nonspecific ST-T changes were common in hypertensive adults (approximately 8.5% in the study), and more prevalent in women (10.3%) and diabetic patients (13.9%). The unsatisfactory BP control rate was high in the total population (47.0%), notably in the ST-T abnormal group (55.5%). The nonspecific ST-T abnormal group exhibited a significantly greater rate of unsatisfactory BP control (odds ratio [OR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.06, 1.36], P = 0.005]), independent of traditional risk factors, as demonstrated by multivariate regression analysis. Notable differences were further observed in male subjects (OR 1.51, 95% CI [1.17, 1.94], P = 0.002) and in patients with comorbid diabetes (OR 1.47, 95% CI [1.04, 2.07], P = 0.029).Greater rates of unsatisfactory BP control in hypertensive patients with electrocardiographic nonspecific ST-T abnormalities were observed, notably in the subcategories of the male subjects

Joint Force Quarterly. Issue 76, 1st Quarter 2015

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

should be a humanist approach that emphasizes the importance of meeting the student’s full range of needs: emotional, spiritual, physical, and...always be calibrated against the Soviet Union’s existential threat. In contrast, the 21st century’s strategic context is much harder to define and

Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor member ST2 exhibits higher soluble levels in type 2 diabetes, especially when accompanied with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fousteris Evangelos

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Soluble ST2, a member of the of the Toll/IL-1 superfamily, is a novel biomarker with exceptional predictive value in heart failure and myocardial infarction- related mortality as well as in acute dyspneic states. Soluble ST2 is considered a decoy receptor of IL 33 that blocks the protective effects of the cytokine in atherosclerosis and cardiac remodeling. In the present study we investigated the differences in the levels of soluble ST2, BNP and hs-CRP between healthy controls and patients with type 2 diabetes with and without left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. A secondary aim was to investigate correlations between sST2 and other biomarkers of type 2 diabetes, such as HbA1c. Methods 158 volunteers were recruited and underwent a complete Doppler-echocardiographic evaluation of both systolic & diastolic cardiac function. All subjects with ejection fraction Results Patients with type 2 diabetes with (p Conclusions Patients with type 2 diabetes exhibit higher sST2 levels compared to healthy controls. The presence of LVDD in patients with type 2 diabetes is associated with even higher sST2 levels. A significant correlation between glycemic control and sST2 levels was also revealed.

The cognitive status of stød

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Sara Juul; Kristensen, Line Burholt

2015-01-01

marked. Keeping in mind the cross-distribution between phonetic/phonological markedness and distributional patterns, we investigate here whether stød is also related to accent 1 when it comes to cognitive markedness. We present the results of a psycholinguistic study in which participants attended...... for words with non-stød stems, indicating that the cognitive markedness status of stød corresponds to that of accent 2....

(U) Second-Order Sensitivity Analysis of Uncollided Particle Contributions to Radiation Detector Responses Using Ray-Tracing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Favorite, Jeffrey A. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-11-30

The Second-Level Adjoint Sensitivity System (2nd-LASS) that yields the second-order sensitivities of a response of uncollided particles with respect to isotope densities, cross sections, and source emission rates is derived in Refs. 1 and 2. In Ref. 2, we solved problems for the uncollided leakage from a homogeneous sphere and a multiregion cylinder using the PARTISN multigroup discrete-ordinates code. In this memo, we derive solutions of the 2nd-LASS for the particular case when the response is a flux or partial current density computed at a single point on the boundary, and the inner products are computed using ray-tracing. Both the PARTISN approach and the ray-tracing approach are implemented in a computer code, SENSPG. The next section of this report presents the equations of the 1st- and 2nd-LASS for uncollided particles and the first- and second-order sensitivities that use the solutions of the 1st- and 2nd-LASS. Section III presents solutions of the 1st- and 2nd-LASS equations for the case of ray-tracing from a detector point. Section IV presents specific solutions of the 2nd-LASS and derives the ray-trace form of the inner products needed for second-order sensitivities. Numerical results for the total leakage from a homogeneous sphere are presented in Sec. V and for the leakage from one side of a two-region slab in Sec. VI. Section VII is a summary and conclusions.

St. Canute Lavard around the Baltic Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Nils Holger

2018-01-01

This chapter discusses the Baltic Sea-area manifestations of the cult of the Danish Royal saint, Canute the Duke, in Danish, Knud Lavard, during the Middle Ages. It also applies theories of cultural memory by Jan and Aleida Assmann in order to approach an understanding of how the cult of St. Canu...

76 FR 77563 - Florida Power & Light Company; St. Lucie Plant, Unit No. 1; Exemption

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-13

... level for St. Lucie, Unit 1, from 2700 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 3020 MWt. As part of the LAR, the.... The above LAR referenced a topical report that stated that the proposed methodology for the P-T curves.... ML103560511), which references Combustion Engineering (CE) Owners Group Topical Report CE NPSD-683-A, Revision...

21st Century Security Manager

OpenAIRE

Stelian ARION

2010-01-01

We live in world of uncertainty that generates major paradigms changing that affect security risk management. Modern organization’s security risks management can’t be done without a profound knowlegde and daily practice for security governance, security risk management and resilience. 21st Century security manager need to deal with several areas of konwledge in order to succesfully manage security risks. The document presents the advantages, disadvantages and challenges for security managers ...

New feedstocks for biofuels. Alternative 1st generation of energy crops; Nieuwe Grondstoffen voor Biobrandstoffen. Alternatieve 1e Generatie Energiegewassen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elbersen, W. [Agrotechnology and Food Sciences Group, WUR-AFSG, Wageningen (Netherlands); Oyen, L. [Plant Resources of Tropical Africa, WUR-PROTA, Wageningen (Netherlands)

2009-08-15

A brief overview is provided of a number of alternative crops that can supply feedstocks for 1st generation biofuels and a brief analysis is conducted of the option for renewable biofuel production. [Dutch] Er wordt een kort overzicht gegeven van een aantal alternatieve gewassen die grondstoffen voor 1e generatie biobrandstoffen kunnen leveren en wordt er een korte analyse gegeven van de mogelijkheid voor duurzame biobrandstofproductie.

Fusion power core engineering for the ARIES-ST power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tillack, M.S.; Wang, X.R.; Pulsifer, J.; Malang, S.; Sze, D.K.; Billone, M.; Sviatoslavsky, I.

2003-01-01

ARIES-ST is a 1000 MWe fusion power plant based on a low aspect ratio 'spherical torus' (ST) plasma. The ARIES-ST power core was designed to accommodate the unique features of an ST power plant, to meet the top-level requirements of an attractive fusion energy source, and to minimize extrapolation from the fusion technology database under development throughout the world. The result is an advanced helium-cooled ferritic steel blanket with flowing PbLi breeder and tungsten plasma-interactive components. Design improvements, such as the use of SiC inserts in the blanket to extend the outlet coolant temperature range were explored and the results are reported here. In the final design point, the power and particle loads found in ARIES-ST are relatively similar to other advanced tokamak power plants (e.g. ARIES-RS [Fusion Eng. Des. 38 (1997) 3; Fusion Eng. Des. 38 (1997) 87]) such that exotic technologies were not required in order to satisfy all of the design criteria. Najmabadi and the ARIES Team [Fusion Eng. Des. (this issue)] provide an overview of ARIES-ST design. In this article, the details of the power core design are presented together with analysis of the thermal-hydraulic, thermomechanical and materials behavior of in-vessel components. Detailed engineering analysis of ARIES-ST TF and PF systems, nuclear analysis, and safety are given in the companion papers

Pretreatment with soluble ST2 reduces warm hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin Hui; Huang Baojun; Yang Heng; Huang Yafei; Xiong Ping; Zheng Fang; Chen Xiaoping; Chen Yifa; Gong Feili

2006-01-01

The interleukin-1 receptor-like protein ST2 exists in both membrane-bound (ST2L) and soluble form (sST2). ST2L has been found to play an important regulatory role in Th2-type immune response, but the function of soluble form of ST2 remains to be elucidated. In this study, we report the protective effect of soluble ST2 on warm hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury. We constructed a eukaryotic expression plasmid, psST2-Fc, which expresses functional murine soluble ST2-human IgG1 Fc (sST2-Fc) fusion protein. The liver damage after ischemia/reperfusion was significantly attenuated by the expression of this plasmid in vivo. sST2-Fc remarkably inhibited the activation of Kupffer cells and the production of proinflammatory mediators TNF-α and IL-6. Furthermore, the levels of TLR4 mRNA and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB were also suppressed by pretreatment with sST2-Fc. These results thus identified soluble ST2 as a negative regulator in hepatic I/R injury, possibly via ST2-TLR4 pathway

[Expression, crystallization and crystallographic study of the 1st IgV domain of human CD96].

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Wenjing; Zhang, Shuijun; Yan, Jinghua; Guo, Ning

2013-05-01

CD96 (Tactile) is an adhesion receptor expressed mainly on activated T cells, NK cells. As a family member of the immunoglobulin-like cell receptor, CD96 consists of three immunoglobulin-like domains (V1, V2/C and C) in the extracellular region. Recent studies have shown that the 1st IgV domain of CD96 (CD96V1) plays an essential role in cell adhesion and NK cell-mediated killing. In this study, the 1st IgV domain of human CD96 (hCD96V1) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli (BL21). The soluble protein was obtained by refolding of the hCD96V1 inclusion bodies. From analytical ultracentrifugation, we could predict that CD96 V1 maily exists as dimer with approximate molecular weight of 26.9 kDa. The protein was then successfully crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals diffracted to 1.9 angstrom resolution and belonged to space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 35.1, b = 69.5, c = 49.6A, alpha=gamma=90 degrees, beta=105.4 degrees.

Birth order, family configuration, and verbal achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Breland, H M

1974-12-01

Two samples of National Merit Scholarship participants test in 1962 and the entire population of almost 800,000 participants tested in 1965 were examined. Consistent effects in all 3 groups were observed with respect to both birth order and family size (1st born and those of smaller families scored higher). Control of both socioeconomic variables and maternal age, by analysis of variance as well as by analysis of covariance, failed to alter the relationships. Stepdown analyses suggested that the effects were due to a verbal component and that no differences were attributable to nonverbal factors. Mean test scores were computed for detailed sibship configurations based on birth order, family size, sibling spacing, and sibling sex.

Cancer incidence among 1st generation migrants compared to native Danes--a retrospective cohort study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørredam, Marie Louise; Krasnik, A; Pipper, C

2007-01-01

STUDY AIMS: To investigate the incidence of cancer among 1st generation migrants compared to native Danes, including time trends in the risk of cancer among migrants. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study design. Migrants were matched 1:4 on age and sex with a Danish born reference population....... The time trends of the study are interesting and a relevant topic for further research....

Coal mining situation in the Federal Republic of Germany. The 1st quarter 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

The report on coal mining situation in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1st quarter 2010 contains the statistical data concerning the following issues: (i) black coal mining: part I: production, resources, accomplishments; employees, part II: marketing and foreign trade; (ii) brown coal mining: part I: production, resources, accomplishments; employees, part II: marketing and foreign trade.

One Adaptive Synchronization Approach for Fractional-Order Chaotic System with Fractional-Order 1 < q < 2

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ping; Bai, Rongji

2014-01-01

Based on a new stability result of equilibrium point in nonlinear fractional-order systems for fractional-order lying in 1 < q < 2, one adaptive synchronization approach is established. The adaptive synchronization for the fractional-order Lorenz chaotic system with fractional-order 1 < q < 2 is considered. Numerical simulations show the validity and feasibility of the proposed scheme. PMID:25247207

Comparative Genomic Characterization of the Highly Persistent and Potentially Virulent Cronobacter sakazakii ST83, CC65 Strain H322 and Other ST83 Strains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannah R. Chase

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Cronobacter (C. sakazakii is an opportunistic pathogen and has been associated with serious infections with high mortality rates predominantly in pre-term, low-birth weight and/or immune compromised neonates and infants. Infections have been epidemiologically linked to consumption of intrinsically and extrinsically contaminated lots of reconstituted powdered infant formula (PIF, thus contamination of such products is a challenging task for the PIF producing industry. We present the draft genome of C. sakazakii H322, a highly persistent sequence type (ST 83, clonal complex (CC 65, serotype O:7 strain obtained from a batch of non-released contaminated PIF product. The presence of this strain in the production environment was traced back more than 4 years. Whole genome sequencing (WGS of this strain together with four more ST83 strains (PIF production environment-associated confirmed a high degree of sequence homology among four of the five strains. Phylogenetic analysis using microarray (MA and WGS data showed that the ST83 strains were highly phylogenetically related and MA showed that between 5 and 38 genes differed from one another in these strains. All strains possessed the pESA3-like virulence plasmid and one strain possessed a pESA2-like plasmid. In addition, a pCS1-like plasmid was also found. In order to assess the potential in vivo pathogenicity of the ST83 strains, each strain was subjected to infection studies using the recently developed zebrafish embryo model. Our results showed a high (90–100% zebrafish mortality rate for all of these strains, suggesting a high risk for infections and illness in neonates potentially exposed to PIF contaminated with ST83 C. sakazakii strains. In summary, virulent ST83, CC65, serotype CsakO:7 strains, though rarely found intrinsically in PIF, can persist within a PIF manufacturing facility for years and potentially pose significant quality assurance challenges to the PIF manufacturing industry.

One Adaptive Synchronization Approach for Fractional-Order Chaotic System with Fractional-Order 1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Zhou

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Based on a new stability result of equilibrium point in nonlinear fractional-order systems for fractional-order lying in 1order Lorenz chaotic system with fractional-order 1

The Content Analysis, Material Presentation, and Readability of Curriculum 2013 Science Textbook for 1st Semester of Junior High School 7th Grade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Endik Deni Nugroho

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Based on the early observation by researchers of the two Science textbooks 7thGrade about biological material, 1stand 2ndsemester of curriculum 2013, there were errors in the material presentation and legibility. This study aimed to compare and find the contents suitability of the book based on standard of competence and basic competences, readability, materials presentation and supporting material in the science textbook VII grade, 1st and 2nd semester and measured student legibility. This study used a qualitative descriptive approach by using document analysis. The data resources were obtained by using purposive, the data collection was triangulation, data analysis was inductive/qualitative and the results emphasized the meaning. This research results showed that the Integrated Sciences and Sciences textbook 1st and 2nd semester meet the standards of the core competencies and basic competence on the syllabus curriculum 2013 and also meet the books standart. The results of the analysis conducted in misstatement concept and principles and material llustration in the Integrated Science textbook 1st semester were found 5 misstatement concept, for the presentation of the principles and material illustration was found no error. In the book Integrated Sciences there was no delivery errors concept, principle, and material illustration. Science textbook 1st semester found 8 concepts misstatements and 8 illustration material misstatements. In general, Integrated Sciences and Sciences textbooks 1st and 2nd semester are illegibility so not appropriate for students.

Remote Laboratory NetLab for Effective Teaching of 1st Year Engineering Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Nedic

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Practical skills are important attributes of every engineering graduate. The Internet has provided tertiary education with the opportunity to develop innovative learning environments. The teaching and learning of practical skills has gained a new dimension with the emergence of remote laboratories. The rapidly growing number of remote laboratories (RL worldwide is the evidence that the educational community has recognized their potential to develop into a creative, flexible, engaging, and student-cantered learning environment. Even a brief review of the existing RLs shows a large diversity in their structure, design and implementation. However, not many researchers disclose how their RLs are integrated within their curricula. Therefore, an important question still remains to be answered: how to optimize the design of RLs and their integration in a course curriculum for the best learning outcomes? This problem is particularly important when RLs are used in teaching 1st year students who have limited technical knowledge and practical experience in using real equipment. In this paper we would like to share our experiences with NetLab, an RL developed at the University of South Australia (UniSA for teaching 1st year engineering students and make recommendations for improvements in teaching practices based on it.

Conference report: 1st Medicon Valley Inhalation Symposium.

Science.gov (United States)

Lastow, Orest

2013-02-01

The 1st Medicon Valley Inhalation Symposium was arranged by the Medicon Valley Inhalation Consortium. It was held at the Medicon Village site, which is the former AstraZeneca site in Lund, Sweden. It was a 1-day symposium focused on inhaled drug delivery and inhalation product development. A total of 90 delegates listened to 15 speakers. The program was organized to follow the value chain of an inhalation product development. The benefits and future opportunities of inhaled drug delivery were discussed together with some new disease areas that can be targeted with inhalation. The pros and cons of the two main formulation types; dry powder and liquid formulations, were discussed by a panel. The different requirements of the drug molecules from a pharmacology, chemical and physical perspective were explained. The modeling of the physics inside an inhaler was demonstrated and the potential strategic benefits of device design were highlighted together with the many challenges of formulation manufacturing. Lung deposition mechanisms and the difficulties of the generic bioequivalence concept were discussed. Using an anatomically correct impactor inlet is a valuable tool in lung deposition predictions and the planning of clinical trials. The management of the biological material generated in clinical studies is key to successful studies.

The significance of early post-exercise ST segment normalization.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Rudy; Fordyce, Christopher B; Gao, Min; Chan, Sammy; Gin, Kenneth; Bennett, Matthew

2015-01-01

The persistence of ST segment depression in recovery signifies a strongly positive exercise treadmill test (ETT). However, it is unclear if early recovery of ST segments portends a similar prognosis. We sought to determine if persistence of ST depression into recovery correlates with ischemic burden based on myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). This was a retrospective analysis of 853 consecutive patients referred for exercise MPI at a tertiary academic center over a 24-month period. Patients were stratified into three groups based on the results of the ETT: normal (negative ETT), persistence (positive ETT with >1mm ST segment depression at 1minute in recovery) and early normalization (positive ETT with normalization, while 105 patients met criteria for persistence. The persistence group had a significantly greater SSS (8.48±7.77) than both the early normalization (4.34±4.98, pnormal (4.47±5.31, pnormalization and normal groups were not statistically different and met the prespecified non-inferiority margin (mean difference 0.12, -0.66=lower 95% CI, pnormal and 7.4% of early normalization groups. Among patients with an electrically positive ETT, recovery of ST segment depression within 1minute was associated with a lower SSS than patients with persistence of ST depression beyond 1minute. Furthermore, early ST segment recovery conferred a similar SSS to patients with a negative ETT. These results suggest that among patients evaluated for chest pain with a positive ETT, early recovery of the ST segment during recovery is associated with a significantly less ischemic burden on subsequent MPI and thus may represent a false positive finding in exercise treadmill testing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stāstu stāstīšanas izmantošana lasīšanas veicināšanas pasākumos

OpenAIRE

Mežjāne, Signe

2014-01-01

Bakalaura darba mērķis ir noskaidrot, vai stāstu stāstīšana ir efektīvs lasīšanas veicināšanas paņēmiens bērniem. Pētījuma problēma ir mūsdienu bērnu nevēlēšanās lasīt, lasīšanu varētu veicināt stāstu stāstīšana bibliotēkās. Darbā tiek analizēts stāstu stāstīšanas process atbilstoši bērnu vecumposmam, izmantojot dažādus runas stilus. Teorētiskā bāze ir balstīta uz Lasītāja reakcijas kritikas teoriju un Runas darbības teoriju. Galvenie pētījuma uzdevumi ir noskaidrot, vai Latvijas bibliotē...

75 FR 51945 - Safety Zone; Potomac River, St. Mary's River, St. Inigoes, MD

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-24

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Potomac River, St. Mary's River, St. Inigoes, MD AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION... of the St. Mary's River, a tributary of the Potomac River. This action is necessary to provide for.... Navy helicopter located near St. Inigoes, Maryland. This safety zone is intended to protect the...

DECODING OF ACADEMIC CONTENT BY THE 1st GRADE STUDENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamil Błaszczyński

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In the paper a comparative study conducted on the 1st grade students of sociology and pedagogy is discussed. The study was focused on the language skills of students. The most important skills tested were the abilities to decode academic content. The study shows that the students have very poor language skills in decoding the academic content on every level of its complexity. They also have noticeable problems with the definition of basic academic terms. The significance of the obtained results are high because of the innovative topic and character of the study, which was the first such study conducted on students of a Polish university. Results are also valuable for academic teachers who are interested in such problems as effective communication with students.

Influence of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd harmonic magnetic field in mini-cyclotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu xiangshun; Chen Maobai; Li Deming; Xu Senlin

1996-01-01

The influence of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd harmonic magnetic field on particle's movement in the mini-cyclotron has been studied. The permitted upper limits for each harmonic part are calculated. These data provide a theoretical reference for magnetic trimming

St 2-22 - Another Symbiotic Star with High-Velocity Bipolar Jets

Science.gov (United States)

Tomov, T.; Zamanov, R.; Gałan, C.; Pietrukowicz, P.

2017-09-01

We report the detection of high-velocity components in the wings of Hα emission line in spectra of symbiotic binary star St 2-22 obtained in 2005. This finding encouraged us to start the present investigation in order to show that this poorly-studied object is a jet-producing system. We have used high-resolution optical and low-resolution near-infrared spectra, as well as available optical and infrared photometry, to evaluate some physical parameters of the St 2-22 components and characteristics of the jets. We confirm that St 2-22 is a S-type symbiotic star. Our results demonstrate that an unnoticed outburst, similar to those in classical symbiotic systems, occurred in the first half of 2005. During the outburst, collimated bipolar jets were ejected by the hot component of St 2-22 with an average velocity of about 1700 km/s.

NGS Analysis of Human Embryo Culture Media Reveals miRNAs of Extra Embryonic Origin.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Ribas, Immaculada; Diaz-Gimeno, Patricia; Quiñonero, Alicia; Ojeda, María; Larreategui, Zaloa; Ballesteros, Agustín; Domínguez, Francisco

2018-01-01

Our objective in this work was to isolate, identify, and compare micro-RNAs (miRNAs) found in spent culture media of euploid and aneuploid in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos. Seventy-two embryos from 62 patients were collected, and their spent media were retained. A total of 108 spent conditioned media samples were analyzed (n = 36 day 3 euploid embryos, n = 36 day 3 aneuploid embryos, and n = 36 matched control media). Fifty hed-control media embryos were analyzed using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. We detected 53 known human miRNAs present in the spent conditioned media of euploid and aneuploid IVF embryos. miR-181b-5p and miR-191-5p were found the most represented. We validated our results by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), but no significant results were obtained between the groups. In conclusion, we obtained the list of miRNAs present in the spent conditioned media from euploid and aneuploid IVF embryos, but our data suggest that these miRNAs could have a nonembryonic origin.

Academic software development tools and techniques (Report on the 1st Workshop WASDeTT at ECOOP 2008)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wuyts, R.; Kienle, H.M.; Mens, K.; Brand, van den M.G.J.; Kuhn, A.; Eugster, P.

2009-01-01

The objective of the 1st International Workshop on Advanced Software Development Tools and Techniques (WASDeTT-1) was to provide interested researchers with a forum to share their tool building experiences and to explore how tools can be built more effectively and efficiently. The theme for this

SIMULTANEOUS ABSORPTION AND DESORPTION WITH REVERSIBLE 1ST-ORDER CHEMICAL-REACTION - ANALYTICAL SOLUTION AND NEGATIVE ENHANCEMENT FACTORS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

WINKELMAN, JGM; BEENACKERS, AACM

The problem of ps absorption accompanied by a first-order reversible reaction, producing a volatile reaction product, is considered. A general analytical solution is developed for the film model, resulting in explicit relations for the concentration profiles in the film and for the mass transfer

Applicability and Efficiency of NGS in Routine Diagnosis: In-Depth Performance Analysis of a Complete Workflow for CFTR Mutation Analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrien Pagin

Full Text Available Actually, about 2000 sequence variations have been documented in the CFTR gene requiring extensive and multi-step genetic testing in the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis and CFTR-related disorders. We present a two phases study, with validation and performance monitoring, of a single experiment methodology based on multiplex PCR and high throughput sequencing that allows detection of all variants, including large rearrangements, affecting the coding regions plus three deep intronic loci.A total of 340 samples, including 257 patients and 83 previously characterized control samples, were sequenced in 17 MiSeq runs and analyzed with two bioinformatic pipelines in routine diagnostic conditions. We obtained 100% coverage for all the target regions in every tested sample.We correctly identified all the 87 known variants in the control samples and successfully confirmed the 62 variants identified among the patients without observing false positive results. Large rearrangements were identified in 18/18 control samples. Only 17 patient samples showed false positive signals (6.6%, 12 of which showed a borderline result for a single amplicon. We also demonstrated the ability of the assay to detect allele specific dropout of amplicons when a sequence variation occurs at a primer binding site thus limiting the risk for false negative results.We described here the first NGS workflow for CFTR routine analysis that demonstrated equivalent diagnostic performances compared to Sanger sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. This study illustrates the advantages of NGS in term of scalability, workload reduction and cost-effectiveness in combination with an improvement of the overall data quality due to the simultaneous detection of SNVs and large rearrangements.

Search for the first-order liquid-to-liquid phase transition in low-temperature confined water by neutron scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sow-Hsin; Wang, Zhe; Kolesnikov, Alexander I.; Zhang, Yang; Liu, Kao-Hsiang

2013-02-01

It has been conjectured that a 1st order liquid-to-liquid (L-L) phase transition (LLPT) between high density liquid (HDL) and low density liquid (LDL) in supercooled water may exist, as a thermodynamic extension to the liquid phase of the 1st order transition established between the two bulk solid phases of amorphous ice, the high density amorphous ice (HDA) and the low density amorphous ice (LDA). In this paper, we first recall our previous attempts to establish the existence of the 1st order L-L phase transition through the use of two neutron scattering techniques: a constant Q elastic diffraction study of isobaric temperature scan of the D2O density, namely, the equation of state (EOS) measurements. A pronounced density hysteresis phenomenon in the temperature scan of the density above P = 1500 bar is observed which gives a plausible evidence of crossing the 1st order L-L phase transition line above this pressure; an incoherent quasi-elastic scattering measurements of temperature-dependence of the α-relaxation time of H2O at a series of pressures, namely, the study of the Fragile-to-Strong dynamic crossover (FSC) phenomenon as a function of pressure which we interpreted as the results of crossing the Widom line in the one-phase region. In this new experiment, we used incoherent inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to measure the density of states (DOS) of H atoms in H2O molecules in confined water as function of temperature and pressure, through which we may be able to follow the emergence of the LDL and HDL phases at supercooled temperature and high pressures. We here report for the first time the differences of librational and translational DOSs between the hypothetical HDL and LDL phases, which are similar to the corresponding differences between the well-established HDA and LDA ices. This is plausible evidence that the HDL and LDL phases are the thermodynamic extensions of the corresponding amorphous solid water HDA and LDA ices.

78 FR 51189 - Filing Dates for the Alabama Special Elections in the 1st Congressional District

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-20

... 1st Congressional District AGENCY: Federal Election Commission. ACTION: Notice of filing dates for... Congressional District vacated by Representative Jo Bonner. There are three possible special elections, but only... Election, the top two vote-getters will participate in a Special Runoff Election. General Election...

Bathymetry 1M Grid of St. Croix (Buck Island), US Virgin Islands 2005, UTM 20 NAD83

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains an ESRI Grid with 1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of the north shore of St. Croix (Buck Island), US Virgin Islands. NOAA's...

Bathymetry 1M GRID of St. Croix (Buck Island), US Virgin Islands, 2004, UTM 20 WGS84

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains an ESRI Grid with 1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of the north shore of Buck Island St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. NOAA's...

Superconducting poloidal field magnet engineering for the ARIES-ST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bromberg, Leslie; Pourrahimi, S.; Schultz, J.H.; Titus, P.; Jardin, S.; Kessel, C.; Reiersen, W.

2003-01-01

The critical issues of the poloidal systems for the ARIES-ST design have been presented in this paper. Because of the large plasma current and the need of highly shaped plasmas, the poloidal field (PF) coils should be located inside the toroidal field in order to reduce their current. Even then, the divertor coils carry large currents. The ARIES-ST PF coils are superconducting using the internally cooled cable-in-conduit conductor. The peak self field in the divertor coils is about 15 T and the highest field in the non-divertor coils is about 6 T. The PF magnets have built-in margins that are sufficient to survive disruptions without quenching. The costing study indicates that the specific cost of the PF system is $80/kg. Detailed design and trade-off studies of ARIES-ST are presented and remaining R and D issues are identified

Semirelativity in semiconductors: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Zawadzki, Wlodek

2017-09-01

An analogy between behavior of electrons in narrow-gap semiconductors (NGS) and relativistic electrons in vacuum is reviewed. Energy band structures \\varepsilon ≤ft(\\mathbf{k}\\right) are considered for various NGS materials and their correspondence to the energy-momentum relation in special relativity is emphasized. It is indicated that special relativity for vacuum is analogous to a two-band \\mathbf{k}\\centerdot \\mathbf{p} description for NGS. The maximum electron velocity in NGS is u≃ 1× {{10}8}~\\text{cm}~{{\\text{s}}-1} , which corresponds to the light velocity in vacuum. An effective mass of charge carriers in semiconductors is introduced, relating their velocity to quasimomentum and it is shown that this mass depends on electron energy (or velocity) in a way similar to the mass of free relativistic electrons. In \\text{H}{{\\text{g}}1-x}\\text{C}{{\\text{d}}x}\\text{Te} alloys one can reach vanishing energy gap at which electrons and light holes become three-dimensional massless Dirac fermions. A wavelength {λz} is defined for NGS, in analogy to the Compton wavelength in relativistic quantum mechanics. It is estimated that {λz} is on the order of tens of Angstroms in typical semiconducting materials which is experimentally confirmed in tunneling experiments on energy dispersion in the forbidden gap. Statistical properties of the electron gas in NGS are calculated and their similarity is demonstrated to those of the Juttner gas of relativistic particles. Interband electron tunneling in NGS is described and shown to be in close analogy to the predicted but unobserved tunneling between negative and positive energies resulting from the Dirac equation for free electrons. It is demonstrated that the relativistic analogy holds for orbital and spin properties of electrons in the presence of an external magnetic field. In particular, it is shown that the spin magnetic moment of both NGS electrons and relativistic electrons approaches zero with increasing

NOAA ESRI Geotiff- 1m Bathymetry of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, 2004, UTM 20 WGS84

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains an ESRI Geotiff with 1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of the south shore of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.NOAA's NOS/NCCOS/CCMA...

Intraclonal Genome Stability of the Metallo-β-lactamase SPM-1-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa ST277, an Endemic Clone Disseminated in Brazilian Hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Nascimento, Ana P B; Ortiz, Mauro F; Martins, Willames M B S; Morais, Guilherme L; Fehlberg, Lorena C C; Almeida, Luiz G P; Ciapina, Luciane P; Gales, Ana C; Vasconcelos, Ana T R

2016-01-01

Carbapenems represent the mainstay therapy for the treatment of serious P. aeruginosa infections. However, the emergence of carbapenem resistance has jeopardized the clinical use of this important class of compounds. The production of SPM-1 metallo-β-lactamase has been the most common mechanism of carbapenem resistance identified in P. aeruginosa isolated from Brazilian medical centers. Interestingly, a single SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa clone belonging to the ST277 has been widely spread within the Brazilian territory. In the current study, we performed a next-generation sequencing of six SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa ST277 isolates. The core genome contains 5899 coding genes relative to the reference strain P. aeruginos a PAO1. A total of 26 genomic islands were detected in these isolates. We identified remarkable elements inside these genomic islands, such as copies of the bla SPM-1 gene conferring resistance to carbapenems and a type I-C CRISPR-Cas system, which is involved in protection of the chromosome against foreign DNA. In addition, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms causing amino acid changes in antimicrobial resistance and virulence-related genes. Together, these factors could contribute to the marked resistance and persistence of the SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa ST277 clone. A comparison of the SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa ST277 genomes showed that their core genome has a high level nucleotide similarity and synteny conservation. The variability observed was mainly due to acquisition of genomic islands carrying several antibiotic resistance genes.

Oxygen ordering in Nb(1 1 0) films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hellwig, O.; Zabel, H.

2003-01-01

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) during the atmospheric oxidation of epitaxial Nb(1 1 0) films at elevated temperature reveals the formation of highly ordered oxygen phases within the Nb lattice. The oxygen is stored on interstitial lattice sites without destroying the basic BCC structure of the Nb host lattice. However the lattice exhibits an out-of-plane lattice expansion of up to 4.3%. During oxidation we observe the formation of a non-ordered lattice gas phase succeeded by a well-defined sequence of oxygen superstructures until finally the whole film is consumed by the formation of amorphous Nb 2 O 5 . We show that XRD is an excellent tool to monitor the exact evolution of the different oxygen phases. In addition we demonstrate that UHV post-annealing of partially oxidized films can be used to rearrange the oxygen within the sample while keeping the overall amount of oxygen constant

NOAA TIFF Image - 1m Multibeam Bathymetry, US Virgin Islands - St. John Shelf - Project NF-10-03 - (2010), UTM 20N NAD83 (NCEI Accession 0131854)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains a GeoTIFF with 1x1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of St. John Shelf, a selected portion of seafloor south of St. John, USVI,...

1st Advanced Marine Renewable Energy Instrumentation Experts Workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2011-10-01

The U.S. marine energy industry is actively pursuing development of offshore wind and marine hydrokinetic (MHK) energy systems. Experience in the wind energy sector demonstrates that new technology development requires thorough measurement and characterization of the environmental conditions prevalent at installation sites and of technology operating in the field. Presently, there are no turn-key instrumentation system solutions that meet the measurement needs of the marine energy industry. The 1st Advanced Marine Renewable Energy Instrumentation Experts Workshop brought together technical experts from government laboratories, academia, and industry representatives from marine energy, wind, offshore oil and gas, and instrumentation developers to present and discuss the instrumentation needs of the marine energy industry. The goals of the meeting were to: 1. Share the latest relevant knowledge among technical experts; 2. Review relevant state-of-the-art field measurement technologies and methods; 3. Review lessons learned from recent field deployments; 4. Identify synergies across different industries; 5. Identify gaps between existing and needed instrumentation capabilities; 6. Understand who are the leading experts; 7. Provide a forum where stakeholders from the marine energy industry could provide substantive input in the development of new marine energy field deployable instrumentation packages.

Spolia from the Church of St. Nicholas in Nikoljac

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Pejić Svetlana

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Two, so far unknown, spolia with carved interlace ornaments, built into the wall of the Church of St. Nicholas in Nikoljac are analyzed. These spolia are a part of the collection of fragments discovered earlier in the Church of St. Peter in Bijelo Polje. A comparative analysis was performed on a multitude of pre-Romanic material, in order to determine the time when they were made and whether they originated from any specific circle of stonemasons, and also to identify the initial position of the fragments in the liturgical church furniture for which they had been carved. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177036

Bimetal cup hydroforming of Al/St and Cu/St composites: Adaptive finite element analysis and experimental study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashemi, Abbas; Gollo, Mohammad Hoseinpour [Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Seyedkashi, S. M. [University of Birjand, Birjand (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-05-15

An adaptive Finite element analysis (FEA) was proposed in this paper for the industrial design of bimetal conical-cylindrical cup hydroforming. Forming circumstances for the perfect and imperfect parts were concluded through adaptive FEA using the ANSYS parametric design language. Effective parameters, including pressure loading path, layer placement order, and thickness ratio, were investigated for hydroforming of Al/St and Cu/St composite sheets. Experimental tests were implemented to validate adaptive finite element results. Rupture failure upon the pressure path occurred on the contact area between the blank and punch tip radius at low pressures and on the transition area of the conical-cylindrical portion at high pressures. The proposed method is applicable for any cylindrical, conical, or cylindrical/conical shapes with different materials and dimensions. Therefore, this method is beneficial as a practical design tool for engineers and researchers working in the process design of hydroformed shell products.

Repeatability and Reproducibility of Intraocular Pressure and Dynamic Corneal Response Parameters Assessed by the Corvis ST

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernardo T. Lopes

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To assess the repeatability and reproducibility of dynamic corneal response parameters measured by the Corvis ST (Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany. Methods. One eye randomly selected from 32 healthy volunteers was examined by the Corvis ST. Three different devices were used in an alternated random order for taking three measurements at each device in each subject. Standard intraocular pressure (IOP, the biomechanical-compensated IOP (bIOP, and DCR parameters were evaluated. The within-subject standard deviation (ζw and coefficient of variation (CV were assessed. Results. Regarding pressure indices, the ζw was below 1 mmHg for repeatability (0.98 for IOP and 0.89 for bIOP and the CV was 6.6% for IOP and 6.1% for bIOP. For reproducibility, the ζw was around 1 mmHg (1.12 for IOP and 1.05 for bIOP and the CV was 7.6% for IOP and 7.1% for bIOP. Most of DCR indices presented CV for repeatability below 4%. For reproducibility, the CV of most of the indices were below 6%. The deformation amplitude (DA ratio in 1 mm and integrated radius were below 4% (1.2% and 3.8%, resp.. Conclusions. The Corvis ST showed good precision (repeatability and reproducibility for IOP measurements and for DCR in healthy eyes.

Parametric decadal climate forecast recalibration (DeFoReSt 1.0

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Pasternack

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Near-term climate predictions such as decadal climate forecasts are increasingly being used to guide adaptation measures. For near-term probabilistic predictions to be useful, systematic errors of the forecasting systems have to be corrected. While methods for the calibration of probabilistic forecasts are readily available, these have to be adapted to the specifics of decadal climate forecasts including the long time horizon of decadal climate forecasts, lead-time-dependent systematic errors (drift and the errors in the representation of long-term changes and variability. These features are compounded by small ensemble sizes to describe forecast uncertainty and a relatively short period for which typically pairs of reforecasts and observations are available to estimate calibration parameters. We introduce the Decadal Climate Forecast Recalibration Strategy (DeFoReSt, a parametric approach to recalibrate decadal ensemble forecasts that takes the above specifics into account. DeFoReSt optimizes forecast quality as measured by the continuous ranked probability score (CRPS. Using a toy model to generate synthetic forecast observation pairs, we demonstrate the positive effect on forecast quality in situations with pronounced and limited predictability. Finally, we apply DeFoReSt to decadal surface temperature forecasts from the MiKlip prototype system and find consistent, and sometimes considerable, improvements in forecast quality compared with a simple calibration of the lead-time-dependent systematic errors.

Parametric decadal climate forecast recalibration (DeFoReSt 1.0)

Science.gov (United States)

Pasternack, Alexander; Bhend, Jonas; Liniger, Mark A.; Rust, Henning W.; Müller, Wolfgang A.; Ulbrich, Uwe

2018-01-01

Near-term climate predictions such as decadal climate forecasts are increasingly being used to guide adaptation measures. For near-term probabilistic predictions to be useful, systematic errors of the forecasting systems have to be corrected. While methods for the calibration of probabilistic forecasts are readily available, these have to be adapted to the specifics of decadal climate forecasts including the long time horizon of decadal climate forecasts, lead-time-dependent systematic errors (drift) and the errors in the representation of long-term changes and variability. These features are compounded by small ensemble sizes to describe forecast uncertainty and a relatively short period for which typically pairs of reforecasts and observations are available to estimate calibration parameters. We introduce the Decadal Climate Forecast Recalibration Strategy (DeFoReSt), a parametric approach to recalibrate decadal ensemble forecasts that takes the above specifics into account. DeFoReSt optimizes forecast quality as measured by the continuous ranked probability score (CRPS). Using a toy model to generate synthetic forecast observation pairs, we demonstrate the positive effect on forecast quality in situations with pronounced and limited predictability. Finally, we apply DeFoReSt to decadal surface temperature forecasts from the MiKlip prototype system and find consistent, and sometimes considerable, improvements in forecast quality compared with a simple calibration of the lead-time-dependent systematic errors.

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 from Human Patients, Upper Austria

Science.gov (United States)

Metz-Gercek, Sigrid; Mittermayer, Helmut

2009-01-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal type ST398 is usually associated with animals. We examined 1,098 confirmed MRSA samples from human patients and found that 21 were MRSA ST398. Most (16) patients were farmers. Increasing prevalence from 1.3% (2006) to 2.5% (2008) shows emergence of MRSA ST398 in humans in Austria. PMID:19402964

75 FR 12544 - Filing Dates for the Hawaii Special Election In the 1st Congressional District

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-16

... 1st Congressional District AGENCY: Federal Election Commission. ACTION: Notice of filing dates for special election. SUMMARY: Hawaii has scheduled a Special General Election on May 22, 2010, to fill the U.... Committees required to file reports in connection with the Special General Election on May 22, 2010, shall...

Doing science in order to communicate about science from 1st course of ESO: learning to think, to read, to make, to communicate and to write science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María del Pilar Menoyo Díaz

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This  article  presents  the  project  \\Doing  science  in  order  to  communicate  about  science  from  1st  course of ESO : learning to think, to read, to make to communicate and to write science", awarded with “Ethics and Science for schools" second price in 2015 by the Foundation Victor Grífols i Lucas. The project's aim is twofold: the first one is that students gradually achieve during the whole ESO's itinerary a high-quality scientific alphabetization from all the areas and thus acquiring scientific and linguistic competencies that qualify  them  to  ask  themselves  questions  that  can  be  answered  through  by  research.  Its  second  goal  is  to encourage  students  to  ethically  process  sources  of  information  and  data  gathering  as  well  as  to  make  a sustainable use of the available resources. Communication and external dissemination of the process and results of the research is encouraged in two main ways. The first one, is achieved by using Juan Manuel Zafra  high-school's  website  as  teaching-learning  tool:  both  in  the  private  area  (Moodle  and  the  public area (with an on-line magazine, news, tweets and blogs. Moreover, students are encouraged to participate in  young  researchers  meetings,  as  Exporecerca  Jove,  Jóvenes  Investigadores,  Galiciencia  among  others research seminars. This article propounds a progression of the scientific and linguistic competences along the  four  courses  of  ESO  as  well  as  proposing  frames  in  which  the  student  body  can  be  initiated  in  the research process.

Tracking legacy radionuclides in St. Louis, Missouri, via unsupported "2"1"0Pb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaltofen, Marco P.J.; Alvarez, Robert; Hixson, Lucas

2016-01-01

Analysis of 287 soil, sediment and house dust samples collected in a 200 km"2-zone in northern St. Louis County, Missouri, establish that offsite migration of radiological contaminants from Manhattan Project-era uranium processing wastes has occurred in this populated area. Specifically, 48% of samples (111 of a subset of 229 soils and sediments tested) had "2"1"0Pb concentrations above the risk-based soil cleanup limits for residential farming established by the US Department of Energy at the Fernald, OH, uranium plant, which handled and stored the same concentrated Manhattan Project-era wastes; the geographical distribution of the exceedances are consistent with water and radon gas releases from a landfill and related sites used to store and dispose of legacy uranium wastes; and offsite soil and house dust samples proximal to the landfill showed distinctive secular disequilibrium among uranium and its progeny indicative of uranium ore processing wastes. The secular disequilibrium of uranium progeny in the environment provides an important method for distinguishing natural uranium from industrial uranium wastes. In this study, the detection of unsupported "2"1"0Pb beyond expected atmospheric deposition rates is examined as a possible indicator of excessive radon emissions from buried uranium and radium-containing wastes. - Highlights: • We sampled and analyzed 287 urban soils and sediments for uranium processing wastes. • Radium and unsupported "2"1"0Pb were the primary tracers for wastes. • The goal was to track Manhattan Project wastes around St. Louis, MO. • Activity levels in the environment peaked around land disposal sites. • Unsupported "2"1"0Pb and isotopic uranium & thorium were also found in house dusts.

Charge/orbital ordering structure in ordered perovskite Sm sub 1 sub / sub 2 Ba sub 1 sub / sub 2 MnO sub 3

CERN Document Server

Uchida, M; Akahoshi, D; Kumai, R; Tomioka, Y; Tokura, Y; Arima, T H

2002-01-01

In an A-site ordered perovskite manganite Sm sub 1 sub / sub 2 Ba sub 1 sub / sub 2 MnO sub 3 , a new charge/orbital ordering pattern was found at room temperature. Electron diffraction studies revealed a series of superlattice reflections with modulation vectors at q sub 2 =(1/2, 1/2, 1/2) as well as at q sub 1 =(1/4, 1/4, 0) in the tetragonal setting (a sub p x a sub p x 2a sub p , a sub p being the cubic perovskite lattice parameter). Together with the results of the resonant X-ray scattering and the charge-transport and magnetization measurements, a new model for the three-dimensional charge/orbital ordering in the ordered perovskite is proposed. (author)

Uncertainty Requirement Analysis for the Orbit, Attitude, and Burn Performance of the 1st Lunar Orbit Insertion Maneuver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young-Joo Song

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, the uncertainty requirements for orbit, attitude, and burn performance were estimated and analyzed for the execution of the 1st lunar orbit insertion (LOI maneuver of the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO mission. During the early design phase of the system, associate analysis is an essential design factor as the 1st LOI maneuver is the largest burn that utilizes the onboard propulsion system; the success of the lunar capture is directly affected by the performance achieved. For the analysis, the spacecraft is assumed to have already approached the periselene with a hyperbolic arrival trajectory around the moon. In addition, diverse arrival conditions and mission constraints were considered, such as varying periselene approach velocity, altitude, and orbital period of the capture orbit after execution of the 1st LOI maneuver. The current analysis assumed an impulsive LOI maneuver, and two-body equations of motion were adapted to simplify the problem for a preliminary analysis. Monte Carlo simulations were performed for the statistical analysis to analyze diverse uncertainties that might arise at the moment when the maneuver is executed. As a result, three major requirements were analyzed and estimated for the early design phase. First, the minimum requirements were estimated for the burn performance to be captured around the moon. Second, the requirements for orbit, attitude, and maneuver burn performances were simultaneously estimated and analyzed to maintain the 1st elliptical orbit achieved around the moon within the specified orbital period. Finally, the dispersion requirements on the B-plane aiming at target points to meet the target insertion goal were analyzed and can be utilized as reference target guidelines for a mid-course correction (MCC maneuver during the transfer. More detailed system requirements for the KPLO mission, particularly for the spacecraft bus itself and for the flight dynamics subsystem at the ground

76 FR 51366 - Filing Dates for the Oregon Special Election in the 1st Congressional District

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-18

... 1st Congressional District AGENCY: Federal Election Commission. ACTION: Notice of filing dates for... Special Primary and Special General Election on January 31, 2012, shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report... Primary and Special General Elections shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report on October 27, 2011; a...

Effects of Carbopol® 934 proportion on nanoemulsion gel for topical and transdermal drug delivery: a skin permeation study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng Y

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Yin Zheng,1 Wu-Qing Ouyang,1 Yun-Peng Wei,1 Shahid Faraz Syed,2,3 Chao-Shuang Hao,1 Bo-Zhen Wang,4 Yan-Hong Shang1,5 1Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, 2Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi; 3Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lasbella University of Agriculture Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal Baluchistan, Pakistan; 4College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, 5College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China Abstract: Nanoemulsions (NEs are used as transdermal drug delivery systems for systematic therapeutic purposes. We hypothesized that the skin permeation profile of an NE could be modulated by incorporating it into a hydrogel containing differing proportions of thickening agent. The objectives of this study were as follows: 1 to determine the stability and skin irritability of NE gels (NGs containing 1%, 2%, and 3% (w/w Carbopol® 934 (CP934 (termed NG1, NG2, and NG3, respectively; 2 to compare the skin permeation profiles and drug deposition patterns of the NGs; and 3 to visualize the drug delivery routes of the NGs. Terbinafine and citral were incorporated into the NGs as model drugs. Ex vivo skin permeation tests indicated that the percutaneous flux rates of terbinafine decreased in the order NE (215 µg/cm2 > NG1 (213 µg/cm2 > NG2 (123 µg/cm2 > NG3 (74.3 µg/cm2. The flux rates of citral decreased in the order NE (1,026 µg/cm2 > NG1 (1,021 µg/cm2 > NG2 (541 µg/cm2 > NG3 (353 µg/cm2. The NGs accumulated greater amounts of the drugs in the stratum corneum and less in the epidermis/dermis than did the NE (P<0.05 over a period of 12 h. Laser scanning confocal microscopy indicated that the NGs altered the main drug delivery routes from skin appendages to intercellular paths. Histological images suggested

Teachers' Spatial Anxiety Relates to 1st-and 2nd-Graders' Spatial Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Gunderson, Elizabeth A.; Ramirez, Gerardo; Beilock, Sian L.; Levine, Susan C.

2013-01-01

Teachers' anxiety about an academic domain, such as math, can impact students' learning in that domain. We asked whether this relation held in the domain of spatial skill, given the importance of spatial skill for success in math and science and its malleability at a young age. We measured 1st-and 2nd-grade teachers' spatial anxiety…

Minor Electrocardiographic ST-T Change and Risk of Stroke in the General Japanese Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishikawa, Joji; Hirose, Hideo; Schwartz, Joseph E; Ishikawa, Shizukiyo

2018-06-25

Minor ST-T changes are frequently observed on the electrocardiogram (ECG), but the risk of stroke associated with such changes is unclear.Methods and Results:In 10,642 subjects from the Japanese general population, we evaluated minor and major ST-T changes (major ST depression ≥0.1 mV) on ECGs obtained at annual health examinations. At baseline, minor ST-T changes were found in 10.7% of the subjects and 0.5% had major ST-T changes. Minor ST-T changes were associated with older age, female gender, higher systolic blood pressure, presence of hyperlipidemia, and use of antihypertensive medication. There were 375 stroke events during the follow-up period (128.7±28.1 months). In all subjects, minor ST-T changes (HR, 2.10; 95% CI: 1.57-2.81) and major ST-T changes (HR, 8.64; 95% CI: 4.44-16.82) were associated with an increased risk of stroke, but the stroke risk associated with minor ST-T changes had borderline significance after adjustment for conventional risk factors (P=0.055). In subgroup analysis, the risk of stroke was significantly associated with minor ST-T changes in subjects who had hyperlipidemia (HR, 1.75; 95% CI: 1.15-2.67) compared to those without hyperlipidemia (HR, 1.01; 95% CI: 0.64-1.59; P for interaction=0.016), even after adjustment for ECG-diagnosed left ventricular hypertrophy. Minor ST-T changes were particularly associated with a higher risk of stroke in subjects with hyperlipidemia and this association was independent of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy.

Intraclonal Genome Stability of the Metallo-β-lactamase SPM-1-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa ST277, an Endemic Clone Disseminated in Brazilian Hospitals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Paula Barbosa Nascimento

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Carbapenems represent the mainstay therapy for the treatment of serious P. aeruginosa infections. However, the emergence of carbapenem resistance has jeopardized the clinical use of this important class of compounds. The production of SPM-1 metallo-β-lactamase has been the most common mechanism of carbapenem resistance identified in P. aeruginosa isolated from Brazilian medical centres. Interestingly, a single SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa clone belonging to the ST277 has been widely spread within the Brazilian territory. In the current study, we performed a next-generation sequencing of six SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa ST277 isolates. The core genome contains 5 899 coding genes relative to the reference strain P. aeruginosa PAO1. A total of 26 genomic islands were detected in these isolates. We identified remarkable elements inside these genomic islands, such as copies of the blaSPM-1 gene conferring resistance to carbapenems and a type I-C CRISPR-Cas system, which is involved in protection of the chromosome against foreign DNA. In addition, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms causing amino acid changes in antimicrobial resistance and virulence-related genes. Together, these factors could contribute to the marked resistance and persistence of the SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa ST277 clone. A comparison of the SPM-1-producing P. aeruginosa ST277 genomes showed that their core genome has a high level nucleotide similarity and synteny conservation. The variability observed was mainly due to acquisition of genomic islands carrying several antibiotic resistance genes.

St. James marine terminal facility description

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-10-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) currently owns and operates a marine terminal on the west bank of the Mississippi River at St. James, Louisiana. The St. James facility was constructed by the Department to provide marine services associated with the fill and drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) crude oil storage facilities located at Bayou Choctaw and Weeks Island, Louisiana. Although strategic to the mission of the SPR in the event of a national emergency, the St. James terminal is situated such that it has a high potential to also serve the commercial industry`s needs for crude oil terminalling and storage. The St. James terminal is located approximately 45 miles west of New Orleans and 30 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, and approximately 160 miles upstream from the mouth of the Mississippi River. Construction of the St. James terminal was initiated in 1978 and was completed in 1980. Since then, the terminal has received and transferred over 125 million barrels of crude oil to the SPR sites for storage. For crude oil distribution, the St. James terminal was connected to the neighboring LOCAP terminal by a 0.1 mile 36-inch pipeline in 1981 and to the Capline terminal by a 0.5 mile 30-inch pipeline in 1988. The terminal also has a 30-inch pipeline connection to the Koch oil terminal which was used for initial fill purposes; however, this pipeline has been disconnected and is currently inactive. A complete description of the St. James terminal facilities, operational capabilities, operational certifications, and future Government requirements are presented in Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively.

1st Cavalry Division’s Effectiveness In Conducting Airmobile Operations During Operation Pegasus

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-26

HQ Provisional Corps Vietnam, 1968), 30. 4 Story created by Author, derived from events found in 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), Combat Operations...not available. However, a limitation of this was that aerial fire support had limited capability in restrictive weather conditions, such as low clouds ...Cavalry Division (Airmobile) Tactical SOP, Annex O. 88 Robert, Cushman to John Tolson, January 28, 1968, MSG, HQ III MAF 25 1428z JAN 68 Subject

Experimental First Order Pairing Phase Transition in Atomic Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, L G; Larsen, A C; Giacoppo, F; Guttormsen, M; Siem, S

2015-01-01

The natural log of experimental nuclear level densities at low energy is linear with energy. This can be interpreted in terms of a nearly 1st order phase transition from a superfluid to an ideal gas of quasi particles. The transition temperature coincides with the BCS critical temperature and yields gap parameters in good agreement with the values extracted from even- odd mass differences from rotational states. This converging evidence supports the relevance of the BCS theory to atomic nuclei

PREFACE: 1st European Conference on Gas Micro Flows (GasMems 2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Frijns, Arjan; Valougeorgis, Dimitris; Colin, Stéphane; Baldas, Lucien

2012-05-01

The aim of the 1st European Conference on Gas Micro Flows is to advance research in Europe and worldwide in the field of gas micro flows as well as to improve global fundamental knowledge and to enable technological applications. Gas flows in microsystems are of great importance and touch almost every industrial field (e.g. fluidic microactuators for active control of aerodynamic flows, vacuum generators for extracting biological samples, mass flow and temperature micro-sensors, pressure gauges, micro heat-exchangers for the cooling of electronic components or for chemical applications, and micro gas analyzers or separators). The main characteristic of gas microflows is their rarefaction, which for device design often requires modelling and simulation both by continuous and molecular approaches. In such flows various non-equilibrium transport phenomena appear, while the role played by the interaction between the gas and the solid device surfaces becomes essential. The proposed models of boundary conditions often need an empirical adjustment strongly dependent on the micro manufacturing technique. The 1st European Conference on Gas Micro Flows is organized under the umbrella of the recently established GASMEMS network (www.gasmems.eu/) consisting of 13 participants and six associate members. The main objectives of the network are to structure research and train researchers in the fields of micro gas dynamics, measurement techniques for gaseous flows in micro experimental setups, microstructure design and micro manufacturing with applications in lab and industry. The conference takes place on June 6-8 2012, at the Skiathos Palace Hotel, on the beautiful island of Skiathos, Greece. The conference has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement ITN GASMEMS no. 215504. It owes its success to many people. We would like to acknowledge the support of all members of the Scientific Committee and of all

Cloning and characterization of a potato StAN11 gene involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wang; Wang, Bing; Wang, Man; Chen, Min; Yin, Jing-Ming; Kaleri, Ghullam Murtaza; Zhang, Rui-Jie; Zuo, Tie-Niu; You, Xiong; Yang, Qing

2014-04-01

Anthocyanins are a class of products of plant secondary metabolism and are responsible for tubers color in potato. The biosynthesis of anthocyanins is a complex biological process, in which multiple genes are involved including structural genes and regulatory genes. In this study, StAN11, a WD40-repeat gene, was cloned from potato cultivar Chieftain (Solanum tuberosum L.). StAN11 (HQ599506) contained no intron and its open reading frame (ORF) was 1,029 bp long, encoding a putative protein of 342 amino acids. In order to verify its role in anthocyanin biosynthesis, StAN11 was inserted behind the CaMV-35S promoter of pCMBIA1304 and the recombination vector was introduced into the potato cultivar Désirée plants by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The color of transgenic tuber skin was significantly deepened, compared to the wild-type control, which was highly consistent with the accumulation of anthocyanin and expression of StAN11 in transgenic lines tuber skin. Further analysis on the expression of Flavonone-3-hydroxylase (F3H), Dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR), Anthocyanidin synthase (ANS), and Flavonoid 3-O-glucosyl transferase (3GT) in transgenic plants revealed that only DFR was upregulated. This result suggested that StAN11 regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis in potato by controlling DFR expression and accumulation of anthocyanin could be increased through overexpression of StAN11 in the tubers with the genetic background of anthocyanin biosynthesis. © 2013 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

78 FR 19632 - Special Local Regulations; St. Thomas Carnival Watersport Activities, Charlotte Amalie Harbor; St...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-02

...-AA08 Special Local Regulations; St. Thomas Carnival Watersport Activities, Charlotte Amalie Harbor; St... proposes to establish a special local regulation on the waters of Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St Thomas, USVI during the St. Thomas Carnival Watersport Activities, a high speed boat race. The event is...

A multiplex, internally controlled real-time PCR assay for detection of toxigenic Clostridium difficile and identification of hypervirulent strain 027/ST-1

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoegh, A M; Nielsen, J B; Lester, A

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to validate a multiplex real-time PCR assay capable of detecting toxigenic Clostridium difficile and simultaneously identifying C. difficile ribotype 027/ST-1 by targeting the toxin genes tcdA, tcdB and cdtA in one reaction and in a separate reaction identifying the Δ...... to confirm the correct identification of the Δ117 deletion in tcdC and C. difficile ribotype 027/ST-1, respectively. The PCR assay displayed a sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of 99.0%, 97.4%, 87.4% and 99.8%, respectively, compared to toxigenic culture on 665 samples evaluable both by PCR and culture....... Sequencing of tcdC, ribotyping and MLST of cultured isolates validated the genotyping assay and confirmed the ability of the assay to correctly identify C. difficile ribotype 027/ST-1 in our current epidemiological setting. We describe the use of a combination of two separate PCR assays for sensitive...

Statutory Instrument no. 1230, The National Radiological Protection Board (Extension of Functions) Order 1974

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1974-01-01

This Order, which came into operation of 1st August 1974, extends the functions and powers of the National Radiological Protection Board, which was established by the Radiological Protection Act 1970 so as to cover research and the giving of advice on the dangers of radiation which is electromagnetic but not ionizing. (NEA) [fr

The examination of the ruptured Zircaloy-2 pressure tube from Pickering NGS Unit 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheadle, B.A.; Smith, A.D.; Baskin, C.C.

1985-07-01

On 1983 August 01 a Zircaloy-2 pressure tube in Pickering NGS Unit 2 ruptured. All the fuel channel components, the fuel bundles, pressure tube, end fittings, garter springs and calandria tubes were shipped to Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories for examination to determine the cause of the rupture. The examination showed that the rupture initiated at a series of hydride blisters on the outside surface of the pressure tube. The blisters formed because of the garter spring spacers between the pressure tube and calandria tube was about one metre out of position. This allowed the horizontal pressure tube to sag by creep and touch the cool calandria tube. The resulting thermal gradients in the pressure tube concentrated the hydrogen and deuterium at the cool zones and blisters of solid hydride formed. Cracks initiated at several of the blisters and linked together to form a partial through wall critical crack which initiated the final rupture. The video presentation shows how the examination of the fuel channel components was conducted in underwater bays and shielded cells and explains the sequence of events that caused the rupture

Proficiency Testing for Bacterial Whole Genome Sequencing: An End-User Survey of Current Capabilities, Requirements and Priorities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moran-Gilad, Jacob; Sintchenko, Vitali; Karlsmose Pedersen, Susanne

2015-01-01

The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionised public health microbiology. Given the potential impact of NGS, it is paramount to ensure standardisation of ‘wet’ laboratory and bioinformatic protocols and promote comparability of methods employed by different laboratories...... and their outputs. Therefore, one of the ambitious goals of the Global Microbial Identifier (GMI) initiative (http://​www.​globalmicrobiali​dentifier.​org/​) has been to establish a mechanism for inter-laboratory NGS proficiency testing (PT). This report presents findings from the survey recently conducted...... by Working Group 4 among GMI members in order to ascertain NGS end-use requirements and attitudes towards NGS PT. The survey identified the high professional diversity of laboratories engaged in NGS-based public health projects and the wide range of capabilities within institutions, at a notable range...

Proficiency testing for bacterial whole genome sequencing: an end-user survey of current capabilities, requirements and priorities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moran-Gilad, Jacob; Sintchenko, Vitali; Karlsmose Pedersen, Susanne

2015-01-01

The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionised public health microbiology. Given the potential impact of NGS, it is paramount to ensure standardisation of 'wet' laboratory and bioinformatic protocols and promote comparability of methods employed by different laboratories...... and their outputs. Therefore, one of the ambitious goals of the Global Microbial Identifier (GMI) initiative (http://www.globalmicrobialidentifier.org/) has been to establish a mechanism for inter-laboratory NGS proficiency testing (PT). This report presents findings from the survey recently conducted by Working...... Group 4 among GMI members in order to ascertain NGS end-use requirements and attitudes towards NGS PT. The survey identified the high professional diversity of laboratories engaged in NGS-based public health projects and the wide range of capabilities within institutions, at a notable range of costs...

Right bundle branch block and anterior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Trofin, Monica; Israel, Carsten W; Barold, S Serge

2017-09-01

We report the case of an acute anterior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction with new left anterior fascicular block and pre-existing right bundle branch block. Due to a wide right bundle branch block, no ST segment elevation was visible in lead V1. The left anterior fascicular block was caused by proximal occlusion of the left artery descending and disappeared after acute revascularization. However, also the R' of the right bundle branch block became significantly shorter after revascularization, dismanteling a minor ST segment elevation. The ST elevation in lead V1 in anterior wall infarction and right bundle branch block may merge with the R' and cause a further QRS widening as an "equivalent" to the ST elevation.

46 CFR 7.85 - St. Simons Island, GA to Little Talbot Island, FL.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false St. Simons Island, GA to Little Talbot Island, FL. 7.85... BOUNDARY LINES Atlantic Coast § 7.85 St. Simons Island, GA to Little Talbot Island, FL. (a) A line drawn from latitude 31°04.1′ N. longitude 81°16.7′ W. (St. Simons Lighted Whistle Buoy “ST S”) to latitude 30...

Next-generation sequencing meets genetic diagnostics: development of a comprehensive workflow for the analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes

Science.gov (United States)

Feliubadaló, Lídia; Lopez-Doriga, Adriana; Castellsagué, Ester; del Valle, Jesús; Menéndez, Mireia; Tornero, Eva; Montes, Eva; Cuesta, Raquel; Gómez, Carolina; Campos, Olga; Pineda, Marta; González, Sara; Moreno, Victor; Brunet, Joan; Blanco, Ignacio; Serra, Eduard; Capellá, Gabriel; Lázaro, Conxi

2013-01-01

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is changing genetic diagnosis due to its huge sequencing capacity and cost-effectiveness. The aim of this study was to develop an NGS-based workflow for routine diagnostics for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOCS), to improve genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2. A NGS-based workflow was designed using BRCA MASTR kit amplicon libraries followed by GS Junior pyrosequencing. Data analysis combined Variant Identification Pipeline freely available software and ad hoc R scripts, including a cascade of filters to generate coverage and variant calling reports. A BRCA homopolymer assay was performed in parallel. A research scheme was designed in two parts. A Training Set of 28 DNA samples containing 23 unique pathogenic mutations and 213 other variants (33 unique) was used. The workflow was validated in a set of 14 samples from HBOCS families in parallel with the current diagnostic workflow (Validation Set). The NGS-based workflow developed permitted the identification of all pathogenic mutations and genetic variants, including those located in or close to homopolymers. The use of NGS for detecting copy-number alterations was also investigated. The workflow meets the sensitivity and specificity requirements for the genetic diagnosis of HBOCS and improves on the cost-effectiveness of current approaches. PMID:23249957

Topical application of ST266 reduces UV-induced skin damage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guan L

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Linna Guan,1 Amanda Suggs,1 Emily Galan,1 Minh Lam,1 Elma D Baron1,2 1Department of Dermatology, Case Western Reserve University, 2Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA Abstract: Ultraviolet radiation (UVR has a significant impact on human skin and is the major environmental factor for skin cancer formation. It is also believed that 80% of the signs of skin aging are attributed to UVR. UVR induces inflammatory changes in the skin via the increase in oxidative stress, DNA damage vascular permeability, and fluctuation in a myriad of cytokines. Acutely, UVR causes skin inflammation and DNA damage, which manifest as sunburn (erythema. ST266 is the secretome of proprietary amnion-derived cells that have been shown to reduce inflammation and accelerate healing of various wounds by promoting migration of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in preclinical animal studies. We hypothesized that ST266 has anti-inflammatory effects that can be used to reduce ultraviolet (UV erythema and markers of inflammation. In this study, we examined the in vivo effects of ST266 on post UV-irradiated skin by measuring erythema, level of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD, and expression level of xeroderma pigmentosum, complementation group A (XPA. We demonstrated that ST266 has the potential to reduce the acute effects of UV-induced skin damage when applied immediately after the initial exposure. In addition, ST266 is shown to reduce erythema, increase XPA DNA repair protein, and decrease damaged DNA. Keywords: ST266, photoaging, erythema, CPD, XPA, UV-induced DNA damage

77 FR 22574 - Filing Dates for the Washington Special Election In the 1st Congressional District

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-16

... the 1st Congressional District AGENCY: Federal Election Commission. ACTION: Notice of filing dates for... Special Primary and Special General Election on November 6, 2012, shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report... Elections shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report on July 26, 2012; a 12-day Pre-General Report on October 25...

16 CFR 1.62 - Ancillary court orders pending review.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Ancillary court orders pending review. 1.62 Section 1.62 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ORGANIZATION, PROCEDURES AND RULES OF PRACTICE GENERAL PROCEDURES Injunctive and Condemnation Proceedings § 1.62 Ancillary court orders pending review...

Proceedings of the 1st International Operational Modal Analysis Conference, April 26-27, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

These proceedings contain approximately 100 papers presented at the 1st International Operational Modal Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, April 26 - 27, 2005. The conference is jointly organised by Structural Vibration Systems (SVS), Aalborg, Brüel & Kjær Sound and Vibration Measurement A/S and th......These proceedings contain approximately 100 papers presented at the 1st International Operational Modal Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, April 26 - 27, 2005. The conference is jointly organised by Structural Vibration Systems (SVS), Aalborg, Brüel & Kjær Sound and Vibration Measurement A....../S and the Department of Building Technology and Structural Engineering at Aalborg University. It is the first conference ever to focus solely on experimental modal analysis for cases where only the responses are measured. It was decided to hold the conference to generate interest in operational modal analysis (also...... effort and higher versatility. However, because the mathematical background was initially weak, computer power was insufficient and the equipment not sensitive enough for this kind of testing, the technology has only become popular during the last 3 - 4 years. For this reason, the first conference...

1st and 2nd Trimester Headsize in Fetuses with Congenital Heart Disease: A Cohort Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Mette Høj; Petersen, Olav Bjørn; Vestergaard, Else Marie

2014-01-01

and screening for fetal malformations is carried out. Our cohort includes all fetuses in Western Denmark (2.9 million inhabitants) screened in between January 1st 2012 and December 31st 2013, diagnosed with any structural, non-syndromic congenital heart disease either during pregnancy or up to 6 months after......Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is associated with neuro-developmental disorders. The influence of CHD on the brain may be present in the fetus. We hypothesize that fetal cerebral growth is impaired as early as 2nd trimester. Aim: To investigate if fetal cerebral growth is associated...... birth. Results 276 fetuses with CHD were identified. 114 (41%) were genetically screened primarily by chromosomal microarray analysis (n=82). Fetuses with identified chromosomal abnormalities were excluded as were multiple gestation fetuses and fetuses with major extra cardiac malformations. Data from...

Environmental Inventory Report. East St. Louis and Vicinity, Cahokia Canal Drainage Area, Madison and St. Clair Counties, Illinois. Volume 4.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-05-01

by the King. In order to solidify this right they destroyed the major portion of the French land records at Kaskaskia, creating great confusion...parties, dances, and festivals, dressed in costume, preserved Old World cuisine , established book stores, and published newspapers. Some groups were...successive waves of Indian, French , British, and Americans to what is now Madison and St. Clair Counties. This section of the Cahokia Canal

PREFACE: 1st International Conference on Rheology and Modeling of Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Gömze, László A.

2015-04-01

Understanding the rheological properties of materials and their rheological behaviors during their manufacturing processes and in their applications in many cases can help to increase the efficiency and competitiveness not only of the finished goods and products but the organizations and societies also. The more scientific supported and prepared organizations develop more competitive products with better thermal, mechanical, physical, chemical and biological properties and the leading companies apply more competitive knowledge, materials, equipment and technology processes. The idea to organize in Hungary the 1st International Conference on Rheology and Modeling of Materials we have received from prospective scientists, physicists, chemists, mathematicians and engineers from Asia, Europe, North and South America including India, Korea, Russia, Turkey, Estonia, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Chile, Mexico and USA. The goals of ic-rmm1 the 1st International Conference on Rheology and Modeling of Materials are the following: • Promote new methods and results of scientific research in the fields of modeling and measurements of rheological properties and behavior of materials under processing and applications. • Change information between the theoretical and applied sciences as well as technical and technological implantations. • Promote the communication between the scientists of different disciplines, nations, countries and continents. The international conference ic-rmm1 provides a platform among the leading international scientists, researchers, PhD students and engineers for discussing recent achievements in measurement, modeling and application of rheology in materials technology and materials science of liquids, melts, solids, crystals and amorphous structures. Among the major fields of interest are the influences of material structures, mechanical stresses temperature and deformation speeds on rheological and physical properties, phase transformation of

The androgen receptor controls expression of the cancer-associated sTn antigen and cell adhesion through induction of ST6GalNAc1 in prostate cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Munkley, Jennifer; Oltean, Sebastian; Vodák, Daniel; Wilson, Brian T.; Livermore, Karen E.; Zhou, Yan; Star, Eleanor; Floros, Vasileios I.; Johannessen, Bjarne; Knight, Bridget; McCullagh, Paul; McGrath, John; Crundwell, Malcolm; Skotheim, Rolf I.; Robson, Craig N.; Leung, Hing Y.; Harries, Lorna W.; Rajan, Prabhakar; Mills, Ian G.; Elliott, David J.

2015-01-01

Patterns of glycosylation are important in cancer, but the molecular mechanisms that drive changes are often poorly understood. The androgen receptor drives prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression to lethal metastatic castration-resistant disease. Here we used RNA-Seq coupled with bioinformatic analyses of androgen-receptor (AR) binding sites and clinical PCa expression array data to identify ST6GalNAc1 as a direct and rapidly activated target gene of the AR in PCa cells. ST6GalNAc1 encodes a sialytransferase that catalyses formation of the cancer-associated sialyl-Tn antigen (sTn), which we find is also induced by androgen exposure. Androgens induce expression of a novel splice variant of the ST6GalNAc1 protein in PCa cells. This splice variant encodes a shorter protein isoform that is still fully functional as a sialyltransferase and able to induce expression of the sTn-antigen. Surprisingly, given its high expression in tumours, stable expression of ST6GalNAc1 in PCa cells reduced formation of stable tumours in mice, reduced cell adhesion and induced a switch towards a more mesenchymal-like cell phenotype in vitro. ST6GalNAc1 has a dynamic expression pattern in clinical datasets, being significantly up-regulated in primary prostate carcinoma but relatively down-regulated in established metastatic tissue. ST6GalNAc1 is frequently upregulated concurrently with another important glycosylation enzyme GCNT1 previously associated with prostate cancer progression and implicated in Sialyl Lewis X antigen synthesis. Together our data establishes an androgen-dependent mechanism for sTn antigen expression in PCa, and are consistent with a general role for the androgen receptor in driving important coordinate changes to the glycoproteome during PCa progression. PMID:26452038

The glycan-specific sulfotransferase (R77W)GalNAc-4-ST1 putatively responsible for peeling skin syndrome has normal properties consistent with a simple sequence polymorphisim.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiete, Dorothy; Mi, Yiling; Beranek, Mary; Baenziger, Nancy L; Baenziger, Jacques U

2017-05-01

Expanded access to DNA sequencing now fosters ready detection of site-specific human genome alterations whose actual significance requires in-depth functional study to rule in or out disease-causing mutations. This is a particular concern for genomic sequence differences in glycosyltransferases, whose implications are often difficult to assess. A recent whole-exome sequencing study identifies (c.229 C > T) in the GalNAc-4-ST1 glycosyltransferase (CHST8) as a disease-causing missense R77W mutation yielding the genodermatosis peeling skin syndrome (PSS) when homozygous. Cabral et al. (Genomics. 2012;99:202-208) cite this sequence change as reducing keratinocyte GalNAc-4-ST1 activity, thus decreasing glycosaminoglycan sulfation, as the mechanism for this blistering disorder. Such an identification could point toward potential clinical and/or prenatal diagnosis of a harmful medical condition. However, GalNAc-4-ST1 has minimal activity toward glycosaminoglycans, instead modifying terminal β1,4-linked GalNAc on N- and O-linked oligosaccharides on specific glycoproteins. We find expression, processing and catalytic activity of GalNAc-4-ST1 completely equivalent between wild type and (R77W) sulfotransferases. Moreover, keratinocytes have little or no GalNAc-4-ST1 mRNA, indicating that they do not express GalNAc-4-ST1. In addition, loss-of-function of GalNAc-4-ST1 primarily presents as reproductive system aberrations rather than skin effects. These findings, an allele frequency of 0.004357, and a 10-fold difference in prevalence of CHST8 (c.299 C > T, R77W) across different ethnic groups, suggest that this sequence represents a "passenger" distributed polymorphism, a simple sequence variant form of the enzyme having normal activity, rather than a "driver" disease-causing mutation that accounts for PSS. This study presents an example for guiding biomedical research initiatives, as well as medical and personal/family perspectives, regarding newly-identified genomic sequence

Coal mining situation in the Federal Republic of Germany. The 1st quarter 2016; Zur Lage des Kohlenbergbaus in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. 1. Vierteljahr 2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2016-06-06

The paper reports on the coal mining in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1st quarter of 2016. Statistical data are presented for mining, exports and imports of hard coal and lignite and for employees.

Coal mining situation in the Federal Republic of Germany. The 1st quarter 2017; Zur Lage des Kohlenbergbaus in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. 1. Vierteljahr 2017

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2017-06-14

The paper reports on the coal mining in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1st quarter of 2017. Statistical data are presented for mining, exports and imports of hard coal and lignite and for employees.

Coal mining situation in the Federal Republic of Germany. The 1st quarter 2015; Zur Lage des Kohlenbergbaus in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. 1. Vierteljahr 2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2015-07-07

The paper reports on the coal mining in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1st quarter of 2015. Statistical data are presented for mining, exports and imports of hard coal and lignite and for employees.

St2-80: a new FISH marker for St genome and genome analysis in Triticeae.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Long; Shi, Qinghua; Su, Handong; Wang, Yi; Sha, Lina; Fan, Xing; Kang, Houyang; Zhang, Haiqin; Zhou, Yonghong

2017-07-01

The St genome is one of the most fundamental genomes in Triticeae. Repetitive sequences are widely used to distinguish different genomes or species. The primary objectives of this study were to (i) screen a new sequence that could easily distinguish the chromosome of the St genome from those of other genomes by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and (ii) investigate the genome constitution of some species that remain uncertain and controversial. We used degenerated oligonucleotide primer PCR (Dop-PCR), Dot-blot, and FISH to screen for a new marker of the St genome and to test the efficiency of this marker in the detection of the St chromosome at different ploidy levels. Signals produced by a new FISH marker (denoted St 2 -80) were present on the entire arm of chromosomes of the St genome, except in the centromeric region. On the contrary, St 2 -80 signals were present in the terminal region of chromosomes of the E, H, P, and Y genomes. No signal was detected in the A and B genomes, and only weak signals were detected in the terminal region of chromosomes of the D genome. St 2 -80 signals were obvious and stable in chromosomes of different genomes, whether diploid or polyploid. Therefore, St 2 -80 is a potential and useful FISH marker that can be used to distinguish the St genome from those of other genomes in Triticeae.

1st International Conference on Calcined Clays for Sustainable Concrete

CERN Document Server

Favier, Aurélie

2015-01-01

This volume focuses on research and practical issues linked to Calcined Clays for Sustainable Concrete. The main subjects are geology of clays, hydration and performance of blended systems with calcined clays, alkali activated binders, economic and environmental impacts of the use of calcined clays in cement based materials. Topics addressed in this book include the influence of processing on reactivity of calcined clays, influence of clay mineralogy on reactivity, geology of clay deposits, Portland-calcined clay systems, hydration, durability, performance, Portland-calcined clay-limestone systems, hydration, durability, performance, calcined clay-alkali systems, life cycle analysis, economics and environmental impact of use of calcined clays in cement and concrete, and field applications. This book compiles the different contributions of the 1st International Conference on Calcined Clays for Sustainable Concrete, which took place in Lausanne, Switzerland, June, 23-25, 2015.The papers present the latest  res...

1st European-Middle Asian Conference on Computer Modelling 2015

CERN Document Server

Kolosov, Dmitrii; Snášel, Václav; Karakeyev, Taalaybek; Abraham, Ajith

2016-01-01

This volume of Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing contains papers presented at the 1st European-Middle Asian Conference on Computer Modelling, EMACOM 2015. This international conference was conceived as a brand new scientific and social event of mutual collaboration between the VSB - Technical University of Ostrava (Ostrava, Czech Republic) and the Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn (Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic). The aim of EMACOM 2015 was to present the latest development in the field of computer-aided modelling as an essential aspect of research and development of innovative systems and their applications. The conference showed that together with simulations, various modeling techniques, enabled and encouraged by the rapid development of high-performance computing platforms, are crucial for cost-efficient design, verification, and prototyping of solutions in many diverse industrial fields spanning the whole range from manufacturing, mining, machinery, and automotive industries to in...

1st International Conference on Robot Intelligence Technology and Applications

CERN Document Server

Matson, Eric; Myung, Hyun; Xu, Peter

2013-01-01

In recent years, robots have been built based on cognitive architecture which has been developed to model human cognitive ability. The cognitive architecture can be a basis for intelligence technology to generate robot intelligence. In this edited book the robot intelligence is classified into six categories: cognitive intelligence, social intelligence, behavioral intelligence, ambient intelligence, collective intelligence and genetic intelligence. This classification categorizes the intelligence of robots based on the different aspects of awareness and the ability to act deliberately as a result of such awareness. This book aims at serving researchers and practitioners with a timely dissemination of the recent progress on robot intelligence technology and its applications, based on a collection of papers presented at the 1st International Conference on Robot Intelligence Technology and Applications (RiTA), held in Gwangju, Korea, December 16-18, 2012. For a better readability, this edition has the total 101 ...

78 FR 7781 - Filing Dates for the South Carolina Special Elections in the 1st Congressional District

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-04

... in the 1st Congressional District AGENCY: Federal Election Commission. ACTION: Notice of filing dates... Primary Election, the top two vote-getters will participate in a Special Runoff Election. General Election... participating in the South Carolina Special Primary and Special General Elections shall file a 12-day Pre...

Die Musik in der St. Nikolauskirche auf der Prager Kleinseite in der ersten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kapsa, Václav

2014-01-01

Roč. 49, č. 1 (2014), s. 189-209 ISSN 1212-0391 R&D Projects: GA ČR GPP409/12/P953 Institutional support: RVO:68378076 Keywords : church music * Jesuit order * 18th century * Lesser Town of Prague * St. Nicolas Church * 18th century Subject RIV: AL - Art, Architecture, Cultural Heritage http://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/130212

Multidimensional Space-Time Methodology for Development of Planetary and Space Sciences, S-T Data Management and S-T Computational Tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Andonov, Zdravko

This R&D represent innovative multidimensional 6D-N(6n)D Space-Time (S-T) Methodology, 6D-6nD Coordinate Systems, 6D Equations, new 6D strategy and technology for development of Planetary Space Sciences, S-T Data Management and S-T Computational To-mography. . . The Methodology is actual for brain new RS Microwaves' Satellites and Compu-tational Tomography Systems development, aimed to defense sustainable Earth, Moon, & Sun System evolution. Especially, extremely important are innovations for monitoring and protec-tion of strategic threelateral system H-OH-H2O Hydrogen, Hydroxyl and Water), correspond-ing to RS VHRS (Very High Resolution Systems) of 1.420-1.657-22.089GHz microwaves. . . One of the Greatest Paradox and Challenge of World Science is the "transformation" of J. L. Lagrange 4D Space-Time (S-T) System to H. Minkovski 4D S-T System (O-X,Y,Z,icT) for Einstein's "Theory of Relativity". As a global result: -In contemporary Advanced Space Sciences there is not real adequate 4D-6D Space-Time Coordinate System and 6D Advanced Cosmos Strategy & Methodology for Multidimensional and Multitemporal Space-Time Data Management and Tomography. . . That's one of the top actual S-T Problems. Simple and optimal nD S-T Methodology discovery is extremely important for all Universities' Space Sci-ences' Education Programs, for advances in space research and especially -for all young Space Scientists R&D!... The top ten 21-Century Challenges ahead of Planetary and Space Sciences, Space Data Management and Computational Space Tomography, important for successfully de-velopment of Young Scientist Generations, are following: 1. R&D of W. R. Hamilton General Idea for transformation all Space Sciences to Time Sciences, beginning with 6D Eukonal for 6D anisotropic mediums & velocities. Development of IERS Earth & Space Systems (VLBI; LLR; GPS; SLR; DORIS Etc.) for Planetary-Space Data Management & Computational Planetary & Space Tomography. 2. R&D of S. W. Hawking Paradigm for 2D

Serum soluble ST2 is associated with ER-positive breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Da-peng; Zhou, Xiang-yu; Yao, Lu-tian; Liu, Cai-gang; Ma, Wei; Jin, Feng; Wu, Yun-fei

2014-01-01

ST2, a member of the interleukin (IL)-1receptor family, regulates Th1/Th2 immune responses in autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. However, the role of ST2 signaling in tumor growth and metastasis of breast cancers has not been investigated. This study investigated the possible role of soluble ST2 (sST2) in breast cancer. The serum levels of IL-33, sST2, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in 150 breast cancer patients and 90 healthy women were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Estrogen receptor(ER), progesterone receptor, human epithelial receptor (HER)-2, and cell cycle regulated protein Ki-67 were measured. Clinical stage, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and histological type were also recorded. The serum levels of sST2, IL-33, and VEGF were significantly higher in breast cancer patients than in the control group (P < 0.05, each). Serum sST2 levels in ER-positive breast cancer patients were significantly associated with age, histological type, clinical stage, tumor size, and Ki-67 status (P < 0.05, each). Moreover, the serum levels of IL-33 and sST2 in breast cancers significantly correlated with VEGF levels (IL-33: r = 0.375, P < 0.0001; sST2: r = 0.164, P = 0.045). Serum levels of sST2, IL-33, and VEGF decreased after modified radical mastectomy in ER-positive breast cancers. Serum levels of IL-33, sST2, and VEGF and clinicopathological factors were not significantly correlated with disease-free survival and overall survival of ER-positive breast cancer women during follow-up. Serum sST2 levels in ER-positive breast cancer patients are significantly associated with factors that indicate poor prognosis

76 FR 44531 - Safety Zone; Fourth Annual Chillounge Night St. Petersburg Fireworks Display, Tampa Bay, St...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-26

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Fourth Annual Chillounge Night St. Petersburg Fireworks Display, Tampa Bay, St... proposes to establish a temporary safety zone on the waters of Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Florida during the Fourth Annual Chillounge Night St. Petersburg Fireworks Display on Saturday, November 19, 2011...

76 FR 68098 - Safety Zone; Fourth Annual Chillounge Night St. Petersburg Fireworks Display, Tampa Bay, St...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-03

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Fourth Annual Chillounge Night St. Petersburg Fireworks Display, Tampa Bay, St... Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the waters of Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Florida during the Fourth Annual Chillounge Night St. Petersburg Fireworks Display on Saturday, November 19, 2011...

ARIES-ST STUDIES REPORT FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 1, 1998 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

V.S. CHAN; L.L. LAO; Y.R. LIN-LIU; R.L. MILLER; T.W. PETRIE; P.A. POLITZER; R. PRATER; M.J. SCHAFFER; G.M. STAEBLER; R.D. STAMBAUGH; A.D. TURNBULL; W.P.WEST

1999-01-01

During 1998, the General Atomics (GA) ARIES-Spherical Torus (ST) team examined several critical issues related to the physics performance of the ARIES-ST design, and a number of suggestions were made concerning possible improvements in performance. These included specification of a reference plasma equilibrium, optimization about the reference equilibrium to achieve higher beta limits, examination of three possible schemes for plasma initiation, development of a detailed scenario for ramp-up of the plasma current and pressure to its full, final operating values, an assessment of the requirement for electron confinement, and several suggestions for divertor heat flux reduction. The reference equilibrium was generated using the TOQ code, with the specification of a 100%, self-consistent bootstrap current. The equilibrium has β = 51%, 10% below the stability limit (a margin specified by the ARIES-ST study). In addition, a series of intermediate equilibria were defined, corresponding to the ramp-up scenario discussed. A study of the influence of shaping on ARIES-ST performance indicates that significant improvement in both kink and ballooning stability can be obtained by modest changes in the squareness of the plasma. In test equilibria the ballooning beta limit is increased from 58% to 67%. Also the maximum allowable plasma-wall separation for kink stability can be increased by 30%. Three schemes were examined for noninductive plasma initiation. These are helicity injection (HICD), electron cyclotron heating (ECH)-assisted startup, and inductive startup using only the external equilibrium coils. HICD startup experiments have been done on the HIT and CDX devices. ECH-assisted startup has been demonstrated on CDX-U and DIII-D. External coil initiation is based on calculations for a proposed DIII-D experiment. In all cases, plasma initiation and preparation of an approximately 0.3 MA plasma for ARIES-ST appears entirely feasible

Harnessing NGS and Big Data Optimally: Comparison of miRNA Prediction from Assembled versus Non-assembled Sequencing Data--The Case of the Grass Aegilops tauschii Complex Genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Budak, Hikmet; Kantar, Melda

2015-07-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenous, non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. As high-throughput next generation sequencing (NGS) and Big Data rapidly accumulate for various species, efforts for in silico identification of miRNAs intensify. Surprisingly, the effect of the input genomics sequence on the robustness of miRNA prediction was not evaluated in detail to date. In the present study, we performed a homology-based miRNA and isomiRNA prediction of the 5D chromosome of bread wheat progenitor, Aegilops tauschii, using two distinct sequence data sets as input: (1) raw sequence reads obtained from 454-GS FLX Titanium sequencing platform and (2) an assembly constructed from these reads. We also compared this method with a number of available plant sequence datasets. We report here the identification of 62 and 22 miRNAs from raw reads and the assembly, respectively, of which 16 were predicted with high confidence from both datasets. While raw reads promoted sensitivity with the high number of miRNAs predicted, 55% (12 out of 22) of the assembly-based predictions were supported by previous observations, bringing specificity forward compared to the read-based predictions, of which only 37% were supported. Importantly, raw reads could identify several repeat-related miRNAs that could not be detected with the assembly. However, raw reads could not capture 6 miRNAs, for which the stem-loops could only be covered by the relatively longer sequences from the assembly. In summary, the comparison of miRNA datasets obtained by these two strategies revealed that utilization of raw reads, as well as assemblies for in silico prediction, have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Consideration of these important nuances can benefit future miRNA identification efforts in the current age of NGS and Big Data driven life sciences innovation.

Structural Transition and Electrical Properties of (1 - x)(Na0.4K0.1Bi0.5)TiO3- xSrTiO3 Lead-Free Piezoceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xing; Zhai, Jiwei; Shen, Bo; Li, Feng; Li, Peng

2017-10-01

(1 - x)(Na0.4K0.1Bi0.5)TiO3- xSrTiO3 (NKBT- xST) ceramics with x = 0 mol.%, 3 mol.%, and 5 mol.% (0ST, 3ST, and 5ST) have been prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction method and their ferroelectric, electrostrictive, and pyroelectric properties investigated. Addition of ST considerably disrupted the long-range ferroelectric order of NKBT- xST ceramics, and the 5ST ceramic exhibited ergodic relaxor phase structure. T FR shifted to near or below room temperature for 5ST ceramic, accompanied by a significant decline of ferroelectricity and enhanced strain. As the temperature approached T FR, the NKBT- xST ceramics exhibited predominantly electrostrictive effect, and the 5ST ceramic presented relatively high electrostrictive coefficient Q 33 of 0.0193 m4/C2. High pyroelectric response was observed for 0ST, 3ST, and 5ST ceramics in the vicinity of T FR due to the large polarization release during the ferroelectric-relaxor structural transition. The 5ST ceramic exhibited high and frequency-insensitive (100 Hz to 10 kHz) room-temperature pyroelectric properties with pyroelectric coefficient p of 656 μC m-2 K-1 and figures of merit F i, F v, and F d reaching 233 pm/V, 0.013 m2/C, and 7.61 μPa-1/2, respectively, indicating that 5ST ceramic is a promising candidate to replace PZT-based ceramics.

Histoimmunogenetics Markup Language 1.0: Reporting next generation sequencing-based HLA and KIR genotyping.

Science.gov (United States)

Milius, Robert P; Heuer, Michael; Valiga, Daniel; Doroschak, Kathryn J; Kennedy, Caleb J; Bolon, Yung-Tsi; Schneider, Joel; Pollack, Jane; Kim, Hwa Ran; Cereb, Nezih; Hollenbach, Jill A; Mack, Steven J; Maiers, Martin

2015-12-01

We present an electronic format for exchanging data for HLA and KIR genotyping with extensions for next-generation sequencing (NGS). This format addresses NGS data exchange by refining the Histoimmunogenetics Markup Language (HML) to conform to the proposed Minimum Information for Reporting Immunogenomic NGS Genotyping (MIRING) reporting guidelines (miring.immunogenomics.org). Our refinements of HML include two major additions. First, NGS is supported by new XML structures to capture additional NGS data and metadata required to produce a genotyping result, including analysis-dependent (dynamic) and method-dependent (static) components. A full genotype, consensus sequence, and the surrounding metadata are included directly, while the raw sequence reads and platform documentation are externally referenced. Second, genotype ambiguity is fully represented by integrating Genotype List Strings, which use a hierarchical set of delimiters to represent allele and genotype ambiguity in a complete and accurate fashion. HML also continues to enable the transmission of legacy methods (e.g. site-specific oligonucleotide, sequence-specific priming, and Sequence Based Typing (SBT)), adding features such as allowing multiple group-specific sequencing primers, and fully leveraging techniques that combine multiple methods to obtain a single result, such as SBT integrated with NGS. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploration of the Drosophila buzzatii transposable element content suggests underestimation of repeats in Drosophila genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Rius, Nuria; Guillén, Yolanda; Delprat, Alejandra; Kapusta, Aurélie; Feschotte, Cédric; Ruiz, Alfredo

2016-05-10

Many new Drosophila genomes have been sequenced in recent years using new-generation sequencing platforms and assembly methods. Transposable elements (TEs), being repetitive sequences, are often misassembled, especially in the genomes sequenced with short reads. Consequently, the mobile fraction of many of the new genomes has not been analyzed in detail or compared with that of other genomes sequenced with different methods, which could shed light into the understanding of genome and TE evolution. Here we compare the TE content of three genomes: D. buzzatii st-1, j-19, and D. mojavensis. We have sequenced a new D. buzzatii genome (j-19) that complements the D. buzzatii reference genome (st-1) already published, and compared their TE contents with that of D. mojavensis. We found an underestimation of TE sequences in Drosophila genus NGS-genomes when compared to Sanger-genomes. To be able to compare genomes sequenced with different technologies, we developed a coverage-based method and applied it to the D. buzzatii st-1 and j-19 genome. Between 10.85 and 11.16 % of the D. buzzatii st-1 genome is made up of TEs, between 7 and 7,5 % of D. buzzatii j-19 genome, while TEs represent 15.35 % of the D. mojavensis genome. Helitrons are the most abundant order in the three genomes. TEs in D. buzzatii are less abundant than in D. mojavensis, as expected according to the genome size and TE content positive correlation. However, TEs alone do not explain the genome size difference. TEs accumulate in the dot chromosomes and proximal regions of D. buzzatii and D. mojavensis chromosomes. We also report a significantly higher TE density in D. buzzatii and D. mojavensis X chromosomes, which is not expected under the current models. Our easy-to-use correction method allowed us to identify recently active families in D. buzzatii st-1 belonging to the LTR-retrotransposon superfamily Gypsy.

26 CFR 1.996-2 - Ordering rules for losses.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 10 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Ordering rules for losses. 1.996-2 Section 1.996-2 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Domestic International Sales Corporations § 1.996-2 Ordering rules for losses. (a...

Environmental engineering education - summary report of the 1st European Seminar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alha, K; Holliger, C.; Larsen, Bo Skjold

2000-01-01

This paper summarizes the discussions of the 1st European Seminar on Environmental Engineering Education (E3), which was held at EAWAG, Zurich, Switzerland in August 1999. Although the emerging discipline of environmental engineering, which was once viewed as being a sub-set of civil or chemical...... engineering, has established a status in its own right, a definition of environmental engineering is still not agreed among European engineering educators. This report discusses the variation between European countries and the way in which higher education institutions in these countries address...... the educational needs of environmental engineers. A review of the acceptance of this new discipline by employers and the status of environmental engineering as a profession throughout Europe is presented. The question of how to achieve greater compatibility and comparability of the systems of environmental...

Design of a new research reactor : 1st year conceptual design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Cheol; Lee, B. C.; Chae, H. T.

2004-01-01

A new research reactor model satisfying the strengthened regulatory environments and the changed circumstances around nuclear society should be prepared for the domestic and international demand of research reactor. This can also lead to the improvement of technologies and fostering manpower obtained during the construction and the operation of HANARO. In this aspect, this study has been launched and the 1st year conceptual design has been carried out in 2003. The major tasks performed at the first year of conceptual design stage are as follows; Establishments of general design requirements of research reactors and experimental facilities, Establishment of fuel and reactor core concepts, Preliminary analysis of reactor physics and thermal-hydraulics for conceptual core, Conceptual design of reactor structure and major systems, International cooperation to establish foundations for exporting

Dataset of the first transcriptome assembly of the tree crop “yerba mate” (Ilex paraguariensis and systematic characterization of protein coding genes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia M. Aguilera

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This contribution contains data associated to the research article entitled “Exploring the genes of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil. by NGS and de novo transcriptome assembly” (Debat et al., 2014 [1]. By means of a bioinformatic approach involving extensive NGS data analyses, we provide a resource encompassing the full transcriptome assembly of yerba mate, the first available reference for the Ilex L. genus. This dataset (Supplementary files 1 and 2 consolidates the transcriptome-wide assembled sequences of I. paraguariensis with further comprehensive annotation of the protein coding genes of yerba mate via the integration of Arabidopsis thaliana databases. The generated data is pivotal for the characterization of agronomical relevant genes in the tree crop yerba mate -a non-model species- and related taxa in Ilex. The raw sequencing data dissected here is available at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank (NCBI Resource Coordinators, 2016 [2] Sequence Read Archive (SRA under the accession SRP043293 and the assembled sequences have been deposited at the Transcriptome Shotgun Assembly Sequence Database (TSA under the accession GFHV00000000.

Axial Fatigue Tests at Zero Mean Stress of 24S-T and 75S-T Aluminum-alloy Strips with a Central Circular Hole

Science.gov (United States)

Brueggeman, W C; Mayer, M JR

1948-01-01

Axial fatigue tests at zero mean stress have been made on 0.032- and 0.064-inch 24S-T and 0.032-inch 75S-T sheet-metal specimens 1/4, 1/2, 1, and 2 inches wide without a hole and with central holes giving a range of hole diameter D to specimen width W from 0.01 to 0.95. No systematic difference was noted between the results for the 0.032-inch and the 0.064-inch specimens although the latter seemed the more consistent. In general the fatigue strength based on the minimum section dropped sharply as the ration D/W was increased from zero to about 0.25. The plain specimens showed quite a pronounced decrease in fatigue strength with increasing width. The holed specimens showed only slight and rather inconclusive evidence of this size effect. The fatigue stress-concentration factor was higher for 75S-T than for 24S-T alloy. Evidence was found that a very small hole would not cause any reduction in fatigue strength.

Treatment of reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate by the combined Fe/Cu/air and Fenton process (1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air).

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Yi; Yuan, Yue; Lai, Bo; Zhou, Yuexi; Wang, Juling

2016-01-25

To decompose or transform the toxic and refractory reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate and improve the biodegradability, 1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air were developed to treat RO concentrate obtained from an amino acid production plant in northern China. First, their operating conditions were optimized thoroughly. Furthermore, 5 control experiments were setup to confirm the superiority of 1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air and synergistic reaction between Fe/Cu/air and Fenton. The results suggest that the developed method could obtain high COD removal (65.1%) and BOD5/COD ratio (0.26) due to the synergistic reaction between Fe/Cu/air and Fenton. Under the optimal conditions, the influent and effluent of 1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air and 5 control experiments were analyzed by using UV, FTIR, EEM and LC, which confirm the superiority of 1stFe/Cu/air-Fenton-2ndFe/Cu/air. Therefore, the developed method in this study is a promising process for treatment of RO concentrate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Incidence and Significance of Spontaneous ST Segment Re-elevation After Reperfused Anterior Acute Myocardial Infarction　- Relationship With Infarct Size, Adverse Remodeling, and Events at 1 Year.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuenin, Léo; Lamoureux, Sophie; Schaaf, Mathieu; Bochaton, Thomas; Monassier, Jean-Pierre; Claeys, Marc J; Rioufol, Gilles; Finet, Gérard; Garcia-Dorado, David; Angoulvant, Denis; Elbaz, Meyer; Delarche, Nicolas; Coste, Pierre; Metge, Marc; Perret, Thibault; Motreff, Pascal; Bonnefoy-Cudraz, Eric; Vanzetto, Gérald; Morel, Olivier; Boussaha, Inesse; Ovize, Michel; Mewton, Nathan

2018-04-25

Up to 25% of patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have ST segment re-elevation after initial regression post-reperfusion and there are few data regarding its prognostic significance.Methods and Results:A standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded in 662 patients with anterior STEMI referred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). ECGs were recorded 60-90 min after PPCI and at discharge. ST segment re-elevation was defined as a ≥0.1-mV increase in STMax between the post-PPCI and discharge ECGs. Infarct size (assessed as creatine kinase [CK] peak), echocardiography at baseline and follow-up, and all-cause death and heart failure events at 1 year were assessed. In all, 128 patients (19%) had ST segment re-elevation. There was no difference between patients with and without re-elevation in infarct size (CK peak [mean±SD] 4,231±2,656 vs. 3,993±2,819 IU/L; P=0.402), left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (50.7±11.6% vs. 52.2±10.8%; P=0.186), LV adverse remodeling (20.1±38.9% vs. 18.3±30.9%; P=0.631), or all-cause mortality and heart failure events (22 [19.8%] vs. 106 [19.2%]; P=0.887) at 1 year. Among anterior STEMI patients treated by PPCI, ST segment re-elevation was present in 19% and was not associated with increased infarct size or major adverse events at 1 year.

NOAA ESRI Geotiff- 1m Bathymetry of St. Croix (Buck Island), US Virgin Islands, 2004, UTM 20 WGS84

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains an ESRI Geotiff with 1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of the north shore of Buck Island St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.NOAA's...

Life extension of the St. Lucie unit 1 reactor vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowan, G.A.; Sun, J.B.; Mott, S.L.

1991-01-01

In late 1989, Florida Power and Light Company (FP and L) established the policy that St. Lucie unit 1 should not be prevented from achieving a 60-yr operating life by reactor vessel embrittlement. A 60-yr operating life means that the plant would be allowed to operate until the year 2036, which is 20 years beyond the current license expiration date of 2016. Since modifications to the reactor vessel and its components are projected to be expensive, the desire of FP and L management was to achieve this lifetime extension through the use of fuel management and proven technology. The following limitations were placed on any acceptable method for achieving this lifetime extension capability: low fuel cycle cost; low impact on safety parameters; very little or no operations impact; and use of normal reactor materials. A task team was formed along with the Advanced Nuclear Fuels Company (ANF) to develop a vessel-life extension program

Coronal MR imaging of the normal 3rd, 4th, and 5th lumbar and 1st sacral nerve roots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hald, J.K.; Nakstad, P.H.; Hauglum, B.E.

1991-01-01

Seven healthy volunteers underwent coronal MR imaging at 1.5 tesla of the normal 3rd, 4th, and 5th lumbar, and 1st sacral nerve roots. Coronal slices, 3-mm-thick with a 0.3-mm gap between the slices were obtained (TR/TE 600/22) through the lumbar spinal canal. All the nerve roots were visible on at least one image. One can routinely expect to demonstrate the 3rd, 4th, and 5th lumbar, and 1st sacral nerve roots on T1-weighted, 3-mm-thick coronal MR scans. We found no correlation between the degree of lumbar lordosis and the lengths of the visible nerve roots. Five patients with one of the following spinal problems: anomaly, tumor, disk herniation, and failed back surgery syndrome were examined according to our protocol. In all these cases coronal MR imaging gave the correct diagnosis. (orig.)

Coronal MR imaging of the normal 3rd, 4th, and 5th lumbar and 1st sacral nerve roots

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hald, J K; Nakstad, P H; Hauglum, B E [National Hospital, Oslo (Norway). Dept. of Radiology

1991-05-01

Seven healthy volunteers underwent coronal MR imaging at 1.5 tesla of the normal 3rd, 4th, and 5th lumbar, and 1st sacral nerve roots. Coronal slices, 3-mm-thick with a 0.3-mm gap between the slices were obtained (TR/TE 600/22) through the lumbar spinal canal. All the nerve roots were visible on at least one image. One can routinely expect to demonstrate the 3rd, 4th, and 5th lumbar, and 1st sacral nerve roots on T1-weighted, 3-mm-thick coronal MR scans. We found no correlation between the degree of lumbar lordosis and the lengths of the visible nerve roots. Five patients with one of the following spinal problems: anomaly, tumor, disk herniation, and failed back surgery syndrome were examined according to our protocol. In all these cases coronal MR imaging gave the correct diagnosis. (orig.).

Orthogonal Higher Order Structure and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the French Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III)

Science.gov (United States)

Golay, Philippe; Lecerf, Thierry

2011-01-01

According to the most widely accepted Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence measurement, each subtest score of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults (3rd ed.; WAIS-III) should reflect both 1st- and 2nd-order factors (i.e., 4 or 5 broad abilities and 1 general factor). To disentangle the contribution of each factor, we applied a…

Lives Saved Tool (LiST) costing: a module to examine costs and prioritize interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bollinger, Lori A; Sanders, Rachel; Winfrey, William; Adesina, Adebiyi

2017-11-07

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require careful allocation of resources in order to achieve the highest impact. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) has been used widely to calculate the impact of maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) interventions for program planning and multi-country estimation in several Lancet Series commissions. As use of the LiST model increases, many have expressed a desire to cost interventions within the model, in order to support budgeting and prioritization of interventions by countries. A limited LiST costing module was introduced several years ago, but with gaps in cost types. Updates to inputs have now been added to make the module fully functional for a range of uses. This paper builds on previous work that developed an initial version of the LiST costing module to provide costs for MNCH interventions using an ingredients-based costing approach. Here, we update in 2016 the previous econometric estimates from 2013 with newly-available data and also include above-facility level costs such as program management. The updated econometric estimates inform percentages of intervention-level costs for some direct costs and indirect costs. These estimates add to existing values for direct cost requirements for items such as drugs and supplies and required provider time which were already available in LiST Costing. Results generated by the LiST costing module include costs for each intervention, as well as disaggregated costs by intervention including drug and supply costs, labor costs, other recurrent costs, capital costs, and above-service delivery costs. These results can be combined with mortality estimates to support prioritization of interventions by countries. The LiST costing module provides an option for countries to identify resource requirements for scaling up a maternal, neonatal, and child health program, and to examine the financial impact of different resource allocation strategies. It can be a useful tool for

Lives Saved Tool (LiST costing: a module to examine costs and prioritize interventions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lori A. Bollinger

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require careful allocation of resources in order to achieve the highest impact. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST has been used widely to calculate the impact of maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH interventions for program planning and multi-country estimation in several Lancet Series commissions. As use of the LiST model increases, many have expressed a desire to cost interventions within the model, in order to support budgeting and prioritization of interventions by countries. A limited LiST costing module was introduced several years ago, but with gaps in cost types. Updates to inputs have now been added to make the module fully functional for a range of uses. Methods This paper builds on previous work that developed an initial version of the LiST costing module to provide costs for MNCH interventions using an ingredients-based costing approach. Here, we update in 2016 the previous econometric estimates from 2013 with newly-available data and also include above-facility level costs such as program management. The updated econometric estimates inform percentages of intervention-level costs for some direct costs and indirect costs. These estimates add to existing values for direct cost requirements for items such as drugs and supplies and required provider time which were already available in LiST Costing. Results Results generated by the LiST costing module include costs for each intervention, as well as disaggregated costs by intervention including drug and supply costs, labor costs, other recurrent costs, capital costs, and above-service delivery costs. These results can be combined with mortality estimates to support prioritization of interventions by countries. Conclusions The LiST costing module provides an option for countries to identify resource requirements for scaling up a maternal, neonatal, and child health program, and to examine the financial impact of different

Pre-Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Process-oriented Information Systems in Healthcare (ProHealth'07)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reichert, M.U.; Peleg, M.; Lenz, R.

These pre-proceedings contain the presentations given at the 1st Int'l Workshop on Process-oriented Information Systems in Healthcare (ProHealth'07). Formal proceedings will be published in Springer's LNCS series. Process-oriented information systems have been demanded for more than 20 years and

From 21st century skills to 21st century human being

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjøllund, Niels-Peder Osmundsen; Jørgensen, Tobias Heiberg

2017-01-01

In Denmark, in Scandinavia and in all of Europe there is a lot of talk about the skills of the future. But if we want our students to aim for and gain a different learning outcome, we must set new and different standards for the way we teach – and start to walk the talk. The focus of the presenta...... CLD and we must take the next step, where we stop thinking about skills and competencies and start thinking and acting on the fundamental existential implication of the 21st century. What we need now is not more 21st century skills, but 21st century human beings....

"Det man siger er man selv..."

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Næsby, Torben; Nørgaard, Britta; Uddholm, Mats

forhold, der er hermeneutisk, strukturelt og relationelt bestemt. Praksisviden kan ikke være objektiv i gængs forstand, men det behøver ikke at diskvalificere denne viden. Forståelse er altid knyttet til den sag og bundet til den situation man står overfor og i som professionel og som menneske....

Invasive pneumococcal disease in healthy adults: increase of empyema associated with the clonal-type Sweden(1-ST306.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imma Grau

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Adult invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD occurs mainly in the elderly and patients with co-morbidities. Little is known about the clinical characteristics, serotypes and genotypes causing IPD in healthy adults. METHODS: We studied 745 culture-proven cases of IPD in adult patients aged 18-64 years (1996-2010. Patients were included in two groups: 1. adults with co-morbidities, and 2. healthy adults, who had no prior or coincident diagnosis of a chronic or immunosuppressive underlying disease. Microbiological studies included pneumococcal serotyping and genotyping. RESULTS: Of 745 IPD episodes, 525 (70% occurred in patients with co-morbidities and 220 (30% in healthy adults. The healthy adults with IPD were often smokers (56% or alcohol abusers (18%. As compared to patients with co-morbidities, the healthy adults had (P<0.05: younger age (43.5+/-13.1 vs. 48.7+/-11.3 years; higher proportions of women (45% vs. 24%, pneumonia with empyema (15% vs. 7% and infection with non-PCV7 serotypes including serotypes 1 (25% vs. 5%, 7F (13% vs. 4%, and 5 (7% vs. 2%; and lower mortality (5% vs. 20%. Empyema was more frequently caused by serotype 1. No death occurred among 79 patients with serotype 1 IPD. There was an emergence of virulent clonal-types Sweden(1-ST306 and Netherlands(7F-ST191. The vaccine serotype coverage with the PCV13 was higher in healthy adults than in patients with co-morbidities: 82% and 56%, respectively, P<0.001. CONCLUSION: In this clinical study, one-third of adults with IPD had no underlying chronic or immunosuppressive diseases (healthy adults. They were often smokers and alcohol abusers, and frequently presents with pneumonia and empyema caused by virulent clones of non-PCV7 serotypes such as the Sweden(1-ST306. Thus, implementing tobacco and alcohol abuse-cessation measures and a proper pneumococcal vaccination, such as PCV13 policy, in active smokers and alcohol abusers may diminish the burden of IPD in adults.

Church of St. Peter and Paul in the village under Kopaonik

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raičević Slobodan

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In the border of the municipality towards Kosovo, Kuršumlija preserved the St. Cemetery's church of Peter and Paul in village Lukovo near the famous rehabilitation center Lukovo's spa. Church is one nave with a semicircular apse at the east vaults with semicircular arch reinforced with cross sec­tion curve, which relies on a few strong pilasters placed inside long walls. According to folk tradition the church was built in the middle ages and served to diggers and foundries of lead ores of King Milutin. Upon termination of exploitation ore the church neglected and in the 19th century it suffered its first renewal 1871st and another 1895th year. Saved epigraphic inscription with carved year of renewal (1895th, icons and wall decor of the church provide information about reliably judging its recent history and artistic value. Soon after the bricklaying work 1895th Church has received from the altar wall of icons, and after that, and mural painting small artistic value. The crown of the vault is painted Pantocrator, about whose performances are painted scenes of the Transfiguration, Ascension of Christ, Vavedenje and Entry into Jerusalem. On the western wall are shown the Dormition of the Mother of God and in the first zone are shown standing figures of Sts. Constantine and Helena, St. Simon Mir refills and St. Prince Lazar - kefaloforos. On the triumphal arch are Old. Testament scenes of hospitality and sacrifice of Abraham and in the apse bust of God Savaot. In the zone of standing figures are shown Sts. Druid, St. Czar Uroš and St. King Stephen, St. Sunday, St. Petka, St. Procopius, and St. George. From the figures standing at the altar of bishops are shown St. John Chrysostom, St. Sava Serbian, St. Basil the Great and St. Athanasius. There was saved the altar compartments with icons. At the czar's gate are shown Blagovesti and in the order of main icons: Christ Almighty, Mother of God with Christ, St. John the Forerunner, icons of patron St

Detection of ST772 Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Bengal Bay clone and ST22 S. aureus isolates with a genetic variant of elastin binding protein in Nepal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.H. Pokhrel

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Genetic characteristics were analysed for recent clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and MSSA respectively in Kathmandu, Nepal. MRSA isolates harbouring Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL genes were classified into ST1, ST22 and ST88 with SCCmec-IV and ST772 with SCCmec-V (Bengal Bay clone, while PVL-positive MSSA into ST22, ST30 and ST772. ST22 isolates (PVL-positive MRSA and MSSA, PVL-negative MRSA possessed a variant of elastin binding protein gene (ebpS with an internal deletion of 180 bp, which was similar to that reported for ST121 S. aureus previously outside Nepal. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the ebpS variant in ST22 might have occurred independently of ST121 strains. This is the first report of ST772 PVL-positive MRSA in Nepal and detection of the deletion variant of ebpS in ST22 S. aureus.

Kalkgraslandvegetaties van de St. Pietersberg ten zuiden van Maastricht

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Willems, J.H.; Blanckenborg, F.G.

1975-01-01

In this publication the authors describe the grassland communities rich in species especially those which occur on basic soils. The investigation was done in the Belgian part as well as in the Dutch part of St. Pietersberg situated south of the Dutch town of Maastricht. See map – fig. 1. St.

76 FR 55158 - Approval of Noise Compatibility Program for Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, St. Louis, MO

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-06

... Program for Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, St. Louis, MO AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration... noise compatibility program submitted by the St. Louis Airport Authority under the provisions of 49 U.S...''). On April 5, 2011, the FAA determined that the noise exposure maps submitted by the St. Louis Airport...

1st International Symposium on Stress-Associated RNA Granules in Human Disease and Viral Infection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruce W. Banfield

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In recent years, important linkages have been made between RNA granules and human disease processes. On June 8-10 of this year, we hosted a new symposium, dubbed the 1st International Symposium on Stress-Associated RNA Granules in Human Disease and Viral Infection. This symposium brought together experts from diverse research disciplines ranging from cancer and neuroscience to infectious disease. This report summarizes speaker presentations and highlights current challenges in the field.

Molecular Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Outpatients in Northern Japan: Increasing Tendency of ST5/ST764 MRSA-IIa with Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element.

Science.gov (United States)

Aung, Meiji Soe; Kawaguchiya, Mitsuyo; Urushibara, Noriko; Sumi, Ayako; Ito, Masahiko; Kudo, Kenji; Morimoto, Shigeo; Hosoya, Shino; Kobayashi, Nobumichi

2017-07-01

Arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) is a genomic island of staphylococcus and is considered to confer enhanced ability to survive and growth on host bacterial cells. ACME has been typically identified in Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL)-positive ST8 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with SCCmec type IVa (USA300 clone), and it is also found in other lineages at low frequency. Prevalence and molecular characteristics of PVL + and/or ACME + MRSA were investigated for 624 clinical isolates collected from outpatients in northern Japan from 2013 to 2014. Both PVL genes and ACME type I were detected in nine isolates (1.4%), which were ST8-MRSA-SCCmec IVa/spa type t008/agr-I; whereas solely PVL genes were positive in two isolates, ST30-MRSA-SCCmec IV and ST59-MRSA-SCCmec V. ACME type II' (previously referred to as ACME ΔII) was detected in 36 isolates (5.8%) with SCCmec II and V (32 and 4 isolates, respectively), exhibiting an increased rate within SCCmec II-MRSA (7.1%) compared with our previous studies (0.86-4.5%, 2008-2011). ACME II'-positive MRSA strains were classified into ST5-SCCmec IIa/V or ST764-SCCmec IIa belonging to five different spa types, with t002 being dominant. They harbored mostly enterotoxin gene clusters (seg-sei-sem-sen-seo-seu) and some more enterotoxin genes (seb1, seb2, sec3, sel, sep), showing resistance to more antimicrobials than ST8-MRSA-SCCmec IVa. ACME-SCCmec composite island (CI) of the 36 ACME II'-positive MRSA was classified into five types (ii)-(vi), among which type (ii) (orfX-ΨSCC ΔJ1 SCCmec I -ACME II'-SCCmec II) was dominant and subdivided into the A3 variant and the less common A2 variant. CI types (v) and (vi) were considered novel genetic organizations having speG (acetyltransferase genes for polyamines) in inserted SCC4610/SCC266-like genetic elements. The present study revealed increased prevalence and genetic diversity of the ST5/ST764-MRSA-SCCmec II with ACME II' in northern Japan.

The 1st symposium of Research Center for Charged Particle Therapy on fundamental development of the charged particle therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soga, Fuminori

2002-06-01

This issue is the collection of the paper presented at the 1st Symposium of Research Center for Charged Particle Therapy on fundamental development of the charged particle therapy. The 31 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

MHD simulation of relaxation to a flipped ST configuration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kagei, Y [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, Himeji Institute of Technology, Himeji, Hyogo (Japan); Nagata, M [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, Himeji Institute of Technology, Himeji, Hyogo (Japan); Suzuki, Y [Center for Promotion of Computational Science and Engineering, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taito-ku, Tokyo (Japan); Kishimoto, Y [Naka Fusion Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Naka-machi, Ibaraki (Japan); Hayashi, T [National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki, Gifu (Japan); Uyama, T [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, Himeji Institute of Technology, Himeji, Hyogo (Japan)

2003-02-01

The dynamics of spherical torus (ST) plasmas, when the external toroidal magnetic field is decreased to zero and then increased in the opposite direction, has been investigated using three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical simulations. It has been found that the flipped ST configuration is self-organized after the ST configuration collapses because of the growth of the n = 1 mode in the open flux region and a following magnetic reconnection event. During the transition between these configurations, not only the paramagnetic toroidal field but also the poloidal field reverses polarity spontaneously. (letter to the editor)

Webquest 2.0: Best Practices for the 21st Century

Science.gov (United States)

Levin-Goldberg, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Over the last decade, WebQuests have grown in popularity in educational environments. In order to effectively implement a WebQuest in the classroom, best pedagogical practices must be employed; however, these best WebQuest practices should reflect the exigent 21st century skills students need to be successful, productive members of the global…

The spread of KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Spain: WGS analysis of the emerging high-risk clones of Klebsiella pneumoniae ST11/KPC-2, ST101/KPC-2 and ST512/KPC-3.

Science.gov (United States)

Oteo, Jesús; Pérez-Vázquez, María; Bautista, Verónica; Ortega, Adriana; Zamarrón, Pilar; Saez, David; Fernández-Romero, Sara; Lara, Noelia; Ramiro, Raquel; Aracil, Belén; Campos, José

2016-12-01

We analysed the microbiological traits and population structure of KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates collected in Spain between 2012 and 2014. We also performed a comparative WGS analysis of the three major KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae clones detected. Carbapenemase and ESBL genes were sequenced. The Institut Pasteur MLST scheme was used. WGS data were used to construct phylogenetic trees, to identify the determinants of resistance and to de novo assemble the genome of one representative isolate of each of the three major K. pneumoniae clones. Of the 2443 carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates identified during the study period, 111 (4.5%) produced KPC. Of these, 81 (73.0%) were K. pneumoniae and 13 (11.7%) were Enterobacter cloacae. Three major epidemic clones of K. pneumoniae were identified: ST11/KPC-2, ST101/KPC-2 and ST512/KPC-3. ST11/KPC-2 differed from ST101/KPC-2 and ST512/KPC-3 by 27 819 and 6924 SNPs, respectively. ST101/KPC-2 differed from ST512/KPC-3 by 28 345 SNPs. Nine acquired resistance genes were found in ST11/KPC-2, 11 in ST512/KPC-3 and 13 in ST101/KPC-2. ST101/KPC-2 had the highest number of virulence genes (20). An 11 bp deletion at the end of the mgrB sequence was the cause of colistin resistance in ST512/KPC-3. KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae are increasing in Spain. Most KPC-producing K. pneumoniae isolates belonged to only five clones: ST11 and ST512 caused interregional spread, ST101 caused regional spread and ST1961 and ST678 produced independent hospital outbreaks. ST101/KPC-2 had the highest number of resistance and virulence genes. ST101/KPC-2 and ST512/KPC-3 were recently implicated in the spread of KPC in Italy. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.