Quadrivalent meningococcal (MenACWY-TT) conjugate vaccine or a fourth dose of H. influenzae-N. meningitidis C/Y conjugate vaccine (HibMenCY-TT) is immunogenic in toddlers who previously received three doses of HibMenCY-TT in infancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonardi, Michael; Latiolais, Thomas; Sarpong, Kwabena; Simon, Michael; Twiggs, Jerry; Lei, Paul; Rinderknecht, Stephen; Blatter, Mark; Bianco, Veronique; Baine, Yaela; Friedland, Leonard R; Miller, Jacqueline M

2015-02-11

Immunogenicity and safety of a single dose of MenACWY-TT or a fourth dose of HibMenCY-TT were evaluated in the second year of life in HibMenCY-TT-primed toddlers. Healthy infants were randomized (5:1) and primed at 2, 4 and 6 months of age with HibMenCY-TT and diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-hepatitis B-inactivated poliovirus (DTaP-HBV-IPV) vaccine; or Hib-TT and DTaP-HBV-IPV (control). Recipients of HibMenCY-TT+DTaP-HBV-IPV were re-randomized (2:2:1) to receive MenACWY-TT at 12-15 months and DTaP at 15-18 months; MenACWY-TT co-administered with DTaP at 15-18 months; or HibMenCY-TT at 12-15 months and DTaP at 15-18 months. Controls received DTaP only at 15-18 months due to Hib conjugate vaccine shortage. Serum bactericidal activity using human complement (hSBA) and safety were assessed one month after meningococcal vaccination. After vaccination with MenACWY-TT at 12-15 months or MenACWY-TT+DTaP at 15-18 months, all subjects previously primed for serogroups C/Y had hSBA ≥1:8 for these serogroups. At least 96.1% also had hSBA ≥1:8 for serogroups A/W. All subjects in the HibMenCY-TT group had hSBA ≥1:8 for serogroups C/Y. All pre-defined statistical criteria for meningococcal immunogenicity were satisfied. All vaccination regimens had acceptable safety profiles. Children primed with three doses of HibMenCY-TT who then received a single dose of MenACWY-TT or a fourth dose of HibMenCY-TT had robust increases in hSBA titers for serogroups C/Y. These data provide support that MenACWY-TT, given with or without the fourth scheduled dose of DTaP could be administered as an alternative to a fourth dose of HibMenCY-TT in the second year of life. This study (110870/110871) is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT00614614. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Optical hierarchical control of the nuclear power plant using the PPA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamagishi, Yasuaki; Tsuji, Masashi; Ogawa, Yuichi

1986-01-01

Optimization of a large-scale system is a very difficult task due to the requirement of an extremely large amount of calculation. One effective way to avoid the difficulty is to divide the system into a number of subsystems and carry out the optimization calculation with each subsystem allowing mutual cooperation among the subsystems to meet the need to optimize the whole system. When an algorithm based on the dividing method is realized in the parallel multi-processor system instead of the conventional computor of series type operation, the efficiency of calculation will be largely improved. In this paper, using the PPA (Parallel Processor Array) located in the ''General Purpose Simulator Facility'' of this school, and utilizing the hierarchical structure which is furnished within the PPA system, we prepare a software for the multilevel optimization system, and confirm the effectiveness of the hierarchical algorithm. We then, using the prepared algorithm, design the optimal control of the primary system of two loop PWR power plant, and confirmed the effectiveness of the designed optimal control. (author)

Synthesis and enhancing electrical properties of PANI and PPA composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Yahia Abed

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Polyaniline (PANI was prepared by chemical method using FeCl3 as oxidizing agent. Emeraldine base (EB was prepared using 0.1 M ammonia solution, and redoped using HCl, (±-10-camphorsulfonic acid (CSA and p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA. The electrical conductivity of EB was increased by doping. Polyphenylacetylene (PPA and its complexes with KI and NaOEt were prepared and their electrical conductivities were studied. FTIR was used for characterizing the structures.

Establishment of a new cell line susceptible to Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) and possible latency of CyHV-3 by temperature shift in the cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Imajoh, M; Fujioka, H; Furusawa, K; Tamura, K; Yamasaki, K; Kurihara, S; Yamane, J; Kawai, K; Oshima, S

2015-06-01

A new cell line named CCF-K104 predominantly consisting of fibroblastic cells showed optimal growth at temperatures from 25 °C to 30 °C. Serial morphological changes in the cells induced by Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) included cytoplasmic vacuolar formation, cell rounding and detachment. Mature virions were purified from CyHV-3-infected CCF-K104 cells by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation and had a typical herpesvirus structure on electron microscopy. Infectious CyHV-3 was produced stably in CCF-K104 cells over 30 viral passages. Our findings showed that CCF-K104 is a useful cell line for isolation and productive replication of CyHV-3. A temperature shift from 25 °C to 15 °C or 35 °C did not allow serial morphological changes as observed at 25 °C for 14 days. Under the same conditions, real-time PCR showed that CyHV-3 was present with low viral DNA loads, suggesting that CyHV-3 may establish latent infection in CCF-K104 cells. Amplification of the left and right terminal repeat sequences of the CyHV-3 genome arranged in a head-to-tail manner was detected by nested PCR following an upshift in temperature from 25 °C to 35 °C. The PCR results suggested that the circular genome may represent a latent form of CyHV-3. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Structure evaluation of cast dispersive AlSi-CrxCy composites

OpenAIRE

M. Cholewa

2008-01-01

In this work author showed the diversification of structure for cast dispersive AlSi-CrxCy composites. Wide possibilities of properties control and optimization were described, through microstructure of the matrix and the transition zone shaping. Utility castings were prepared with use of traditional casting techniques, ceramic and metal moulds. The influence of technological conditions and cooling rate ion the composite structure was studied. The main factor of structural changes was the dif...

Myocardial turnover of P-123I-phenylpentadecanoic acid (I-PPA) in patients with valvular heart and coronary artery disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reske, S.N.; Biersack, H.J.; Knopp, R.; Winkler, C.; Aurich, D.; Simon, H.; Koischwitz, D.

1982-01-01

Myocardial p-I 123 -Phenylpentadecanoic acid (I-PPA) turnover has been evaluated in patients with coronary artery (CAD) and valvular heart disease (VHD) and normal coronaries. After intracoronary I-PPA application myocardial extraction fractions of 25 - 30% of applied radioactivity were observed in patients with VHD, compared to 8 - 35% in patients with CAD. 2 - 3 component myocardial radioactivity clearance with half times of 0.24 - 0.5, 6 - 10 and 40 - 60 min were observed in patients with VHD. Patients with CAD showed monoexponential myocardial radioactivity clearance with half times of 26 - 67 min. After peripheral i.v. tracer application myocardial segments supplied by coronary arteries with 80 - 100% stenosis showed clearly reduced tracer uptake and prolonged elimination half times. Combined evaluation of I-PPA uptake and turnover clearly separated normally perfused myocardial segments from those supplied by coronary arteries with 80 - 100% stenosis. (Author)

Identification and Characterization of Cyprinid Herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3 Encoded MicroRNAs.

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Owen H Donohoe

Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Some viruses encode their own miRNAs and these are increasingly being recognized as important modulators of viral and host gene expression. Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3 is a highly pathogenic agent that causes acute mass mortalities in carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio and koi (Cyprinus carpio koi worldwide. Here, bioinformatic analyses of the CyHV-3 genome suggested the presence of non-conserved precursor miRNA (pre-miRNA genes. Deep sequencing of small RNA fractions prepared from in vitro CyHV-3 infections led to the identification of potential miRNAs and miRNA-offset RNAs (moRNAs derived from some bioinformatically predicted pre-miRNAs. DNA microarray hybridization analysis, Northern blotting and stem-loop RT-qPCR were then used to definitively confirm that CyHV-3 expresses two pre-miRNAs during infection in vitro. The evidence also suggested the presence of an additional four high-probability and two putative viral pre-miRNAs. MiRNAs from the two confirmed pre-miRNAs were also detected in gill tissue from CyHV-3-infected carp. We also present evidence that one confirmed miRNA can regulate the expression of a putative CyHV-3-encoded dUTPase. Candidate homologues of some CyHV-3 pre-miRNAs were identified in CyHV-1 and CyHV-2. This is the first report of miRNA and moRNA genes encoded by members of the Alloherpesviridae family, a group distantly related to the Herpesviridae family. The discovery of these novel CyHV-3 genes may help further our understanding of the biology of this economically important virus and their encoded miRNAs may have potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis of latent CyHV-3.

Identification and Characterization of Cyprinid Herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3) Encoded MicroRNAs

Science.gov (United States)

Donohoe, Owen H.; Henshilwood, Kathy; Way, Keith; Hakimjavadi, Roya; Stone, David M.; Walls, Dermot

2015-01-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Some viruses encode their own miRNAs and these are increasingly being recognized as important modulators of viral and host gene expression. Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) is a highly pathogenic agent that causes acute mass mortalities in carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio) and koi (Cyprinus carpio koi) worldwide. Here, bioinformatic analyses of the CyHV-3 genome suggested the presence of non-conserved precursor miRNA (pre-miRNA) genes. Deep sequencing of small RNA fractions prepared from in vitro CyHV-3 infections led to the identification of potential miRNAs and miRNA–offset RNAs (moRNAs) derived from some bioinformatically predicted pre-miRNAs. DNA microarray hybridization analysis, Northern blotting and stem-loop RT-qPCR were then used to definitively confirm that CyHV-3 expresses two pre-miRNAs during infection in vitro. The evidence also suggested the presence of an additional four high-probability and two putative viral pre-miRNAs. MiRNAs from the two confirmed pre-miRNAs were also detected in gill tissue from CyHV-3-infected carp. We also present evidence that one confirmed miRNA can regulate the expression of a putative CyHV-3-encoded dUTPase. Candidate homologues of some CyHV-3 pre-miRNAs were identified in CyHV-1 and CyHV-2. This is the first report of miRNA and moRNA genes encoded by members of the Alloherpesviridae family, a group distantly related to the Herpesviridae family. The discovery of these novel CyHV-3 genes may help further our understanding of the biology of this economically important virus and their encoded miRNAs may have potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis of latent CyHV-3. PMID:25928140

Limited geographic distribution of the novel cyclovirus CyCV-VN.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Van Tan; de Jong, Menno D; Nguyen, Van Kinh; Nguyen, Vu Trung; Taylor, Walter; Wertheim, Heiman F L; van der Ende, Arie; van der Hoek, Lia; Canuti, Marta; Crusat, Martin; Sona, Soeng; Nguyen, Hanh Uyen; Giri, Abhishek; Nguyen, Thi Thuy Chinh Bkrong; Ho, Dang Trung Nghia; Farrar, Jeremy; Bryant, Juliet E; Tran, Tinh Hien; Nguyen, Van Vinh Chau; van Doorn, H Rogier

2014-02-05

A novel cyclovirus, CyCV-VN, was recently identified in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with central nervous system (CNS) infections in central and southern Vietnam. To explore the geographic distribution of this novel virus, more than 600 CSF specimens from patients with suspected CNS infections in northern Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal and The Netherlands were screened for the presence of CyCV-VN but all were negative. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis between CyCV-VN and another novel cyclovirus recently identified in CSF from Malawian patients indicated that these represent distinct cycloviral species, albeit phylogenetically closely related. The data suggest that CyCV-VN has a limited geographic distribution within southern and central Vietnam. Further research is needed to determine the global distribution and diversity of cycloviruses and importantly their possible association with human disease.

Grammatical production deficits in PPA: Relating narrative and structured task performance

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Elena Barbieri

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction Grammatical production impairments in primary progressive aphasia (PPA have been investigated using structured language tasks and analysis of narrative language samples (for review see Thompson & Mack, 2014; Wilson et al., 2012. However, little research has examined the relationship between them in PPA. Whereas structured tasks often assess production accuracy at different levels of syntactic complexity (e.g., Thompson et al., 2013, narrative measures typically assess overall lexical and grammatical usage (e.g., % grammatical sentences; noun-to-verb ratio, with lesser emphasis on complexity. The present study investigated the relationship between narrative measures of grammatical production and performance on structured language tests in the domains of syntax, verb morphology, and verb-argument structure (VAS. Materials and methods Data from 101 individuals with PPA were included. Participants completed a test battery including the Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences (NAVS, Thompson, 2011, the Northwestern Assessment of Verb Inflection (NAVI, Lee & Thompson, experimental version and the Northwestern Anagram Test (NAT, Thompson, Weintraub, & Mesulam, 2012. Grammatical production deficits were quantified as follows: for syntax, accuracy of non-canonical sentence production on the NAVS Sentence Production Priming Test (SPPT and the NAT; for morphology, the accuracy on finite verbs on the NAVI; for VAS, the accuracy of sentences produced with 2- and 3-argument verbs on the NAVS Argument Structure Production Test (ASPT. Cinderella narrative samples were analyzed using the Northwestern Narrative Language Analysis system (e.g., Thompson et al., 2012. For syntax, complexity was measured by the ratio of syntactically complex to simple sentences produced, whereas accuracy was indexed by computing the proportion of words with a locally grammatical lexical category. Morphological complexity was measured by mean number of verb

Rapid detection of Cyprinid herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3) using a gold nanoparticle-based hybridization assay.

Science.gov (United States)

Saleh, Mona; El-Matbouli, Mansour

2015-06-01

Cyprinid herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3) is a highly infectious pathogen that causes fatal disease in common and koi carp Cyprinus carpio L. CyHV-3 detection is usually based on virus propagation or amplification of the viral DNA using the PCR or LAMP techniques. However, due to the limited susceptibility of cells used for propagation, it is not always possible to successfully isolate CyHV-3 even from tissue samples that have high virus titres. All previously described detection methods including PCR-based assays are time consuming, laborious and require specialized equipment. To overcome these limitations, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been explored for direct and sensitive detection of DNA. In this study, a label-free colorimetric nanodiagnostic method for direct detection of unamplified CyHV-3 DNA using gold nanoparticles is introduced. Under appropriate conditions, DNA probes hybridize with their complementary target sequences in the sample DNA, which results in aggregation of the gold nanoparticles and a concomitant colour change from red to blue, whereas test samples with non complementary DNA sequences remain red. In this study, gold nanoparticles were used to develop and evaluate a specific and sensitive hybridization assay for direct and rapid detection of the highly infectious pathogen termed Cyprinid herpesvirus-3. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Non-Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Options for Financing Solar Deployment at Universities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-10-01

Financing solar using power purchase agreements (PPAs) has facilitated solar deployment of more than 100 megawatts (MW) at universities--as compared to 50 MW facilitated by financing models not using PPAs. This brochure, which overviews existing financing models and funding mechanisms available for solar procurement, focuses on non-PPA financing models. For more information on solar deployment at universities using PPAs, refer to Using Power Purchase Agreements for Solar Deployment at Universities.

Southwestern Power Administration annual site environmental report CY 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

This report provides a synopsis of Southwestern Power Administration's (Southwestern's) effectiveness in managing its operations in an environmentally responsible manner. In CY 1997, the Office of Environmental, Safety, and Health was reorganized and incorporated into the Division of Acquisition and Property. The Division of Acquisition, Property, and Environmental Management maintains responsibility for development, oversight, and implementation of environmental programs. Senior Management at Southwestern has taken actions to increase environmental awareness throughout the organization. During CY 1997, (Southwestern) was not involved in any known programs or activities that had adverse impacts on the environment. The 1997 Environmental Appraisal, a portion of Southwestern's Self-Assessment and Appraisal Program, indicated approximately 90% compliance with Southwestern's written environmental programs. Southwestern continued to function throughout CY 1997 in an operations and maintenance posture with minor substation projects

Cy5 total protein normalization in Western blot analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagner-McWhirter, Åsa; Laurin, Ylva; Larsson, Anita; Bjerneld, Erik J; Rönn, Ola

2015-10-01

Western blotting is a widely used method for analyzing specific target proteins in complex protein samples. Housekeeping proteins are often used for normalization to correct for uneven sample loads, but these require careful validation since expression levels may vary with cell type and treatment. We present a new, more reliable method for normalization using Cy5-prelabeled total protein as a loading control. We used a prelabeling protocol based on Cy5 N-hydroxysuccinimide ester labeling that produces a linear signal response. We obtained a low coefficient of variation (CV) of 7% between the ratio of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) target to Cy5 total protein control signals over the whole loading range from 2.5 to 20.0μg of Chinese hamster ovary cell lysate protein. Corresponding experiments using actin or tubulin as controls for normalization resulted in CVs of 13 and 18%, respectively. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase did not produce a proportional signal and was not suitable for normalization in these cells. A comparison of ERK1/2 signals from labeled and unlabeled samples showed that Cy5 prelabeling did not affect antibody binding. By using total protein normalization we analyzed PP2A and Smad2/3 levels with high confidence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

IRaPPA: information retrieval based integration of biophysical models for protein assembly selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Moal, Iain H; Barradas-Bautista, Didier; Jiménez-García, Brian; Torchala, Mieczyslaw; van der Velde, Arjan; Vreven, Thom; Weng, Zhiping; Bates, Paul A; Fernández-Recio, Juan

2017-06-15

In order to function, proteins frequently bind to one another and form 3D assemblies. Knowledge of the atomic details of these structures helps our understanding of how proteins work together, how mutations can lead to disease, and facilitates the designing of drugs which prevent or mimic the interaction. Atomic modeling of protein-protein interactions requires the selection of near-native structures from a set of docked poses based on their calculable properties. By considering this as an information retrieval problem, we have adapted methods developed for Internet search ranking and electoral voting into IRaPPA, a pipeline integrating biophysical properties. The approach enhances the identification of near-native structures when applied to four docking methods, resulting in a near-native appearing in the top 10 solutions for up to 50% of complexes benchmarked, and up to 70% in the top 100. IRaPPA has been implemented in the SwarmDock server ( http://bmm.crick.ac.uk/∼SwarmDock/ ), pyDock server ( http://life.bsc.es/pid/pydockrescoring/ ) and ZDOCK server ( http://zdock.umassmed.edu/ ), with code available on request. moal@ebi.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Structure evaluation of cast dispersive AlSi-CrxCy composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Cholewa

2008-08-01

Full Text Available In this work author showed the diversification of structure for cast dispersive AlSi-CrxCy composites. Wide possibilities of properties control and optimization were described, through microstructure of the matrix and the transition zone shaping. Utility castings were prepared with use of traditional casting techniques, ceramic and metal moulds. The influence of technological conditions and cooling rate ion the composite structure was studied. The main factor of structural changes was the diffusion at matrix – reinforcement interface. Divers structure was observed in particle close neighborhood. Possibilities of diffusion control were indicated through application of factors assisting the crystallization.

Temperature-dependent conformations of exciton-coupled Cy3 dimers in double-stranded DNA

Science.gov (United States)

Kringle, Loni; Sawaya, Nicolas P. D.; Widom, Julia; Adams, Carson; Raymer, Michael G.; Aspuru-Guzik, Alán; Marcus, Andrew H.

2018-02-01

Understanding the properties of electronically interacting molecular chromophores, which involve internally coupled electronic-vibrational motions, is important to the spectroscopy of many biologically relevant systems. Here we apply linear absorption, circular dichroism, and two-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy to study the polarized collective excitations of excitonically coupled cyanine dimers (Cy3)2 that are rigidly positioned within the opposing sugar-phosphate backbones of the double-stranded region of a double-stranded (ds)-single-stranded (ss) DNA fork construct. We show that the exciton-coupling strength of the (Cy3)2-DNA construct can be systematically varied with temperature below the ds-ss DNA denaturation transition. We interpret spectroscopic measurements in terms of the Holstein vibronic dimer model, from which we obtain information about the local conformation of the (Cy3)2 dimer, as well as the degree of static disorder experienced by the Cy3 monomer and the (Cy3)2 dimer probe locally within their respective DNA duplex environments. The properties of the (Cy3)2-DNA construct we determine suggest that it may be employed as a useful model system to test fundamental concepts of protein-DNA interactions and the role of electronic-vibrational coherence in electronic energy migration within exciton-coupled bio-molecular arrays.

Melatonin attenuates angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through the CyPA/CD147 signaling pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Hongyan; Li, Jingyuan; Chen, Tongshuai; Li, Na; Xiao, Jie; Wang, Shujian; Guo, Xiaobin; Yang, Yi; Bu, Peili

2016-11-01

Melatonin is well known for its cardioprotective effects; however, whether melatonin exerts therapeutic effects on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy remains to be investigated, as do the mechanisms underlying these effects, if they exist. Cyclophilin A (CyPA) and its corresponding receptor, CD147, which exists in a variety of cells, play crucial roles in modulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. In this study, we explored the role of the CyPA/CD147 signaling pathway in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and the protective effects exerted by melatonin against Ang II-induced injury in cultured H9C2 cells. Cyclosporine A, a specific CyPA/CD147 signaling pathway inhibitor, was used to manipulate CyPA/CD147 activity. H9C2 cells were then subjected to Ang II or CyPA treatment in either the absence or presence of melatonin. Our results indicate that Ang II induces cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through the CyPA/CD147 signaling pathway and promotes ROS production, which can be blocked by melatonin pretreatment in a concentration-dependent manner, in cultured H9C2 cells and that CyPA/CD147 signaling pathway inhibition protects against Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. The protective effects of melatonin against Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy depend at least partially on CyPA/CD147 inhibition.

[Construction of lentiviral mediated CyPA siRNA and its functions in non-small cell lung cancer].

Science.gov (United States)

FENG, Yan-ming; WU, Yi-ming; TU, Xin-ming; XU, Zheng-shun; WU, Wei-dong

2010-02-01

To construct a lentiviral-vector-mediated CyPA small interference RNA (siRNA) and study its function in non-small cell lung cancer. First, four target sequences were selected according to CyPA mRNA sequence, the complementary DNA contained both sense and antisense oligonucleotides were designed, synthesized and cloned into the pGCL-GFP vector, which contained U6 promoter and green fluorescent protein (GFP). The resulting lentiviral vector containing CyPA shRNA was named Lv-shCyPA, and it was confirmed by PCR and sequencing. Next, it was cotransfected by Lipofectamine 2000 along with pHelper1.0 and pHelper 2.0 into 293T cells to package lentivirus particles. At the same time, the packed virus infected non-small cell lung cancer cell (A549), the level of CyPA protein at 5 d after infection was detected by Western Blot to screen the target of CyPA. A549 were infected with Lv-shCyPA and grown as xenografts in severe combined immunodeficient mice. Cell cycle and apoptosis were measured by FCM. It was confirmed by PCR and DNA sequencing that lentiviral-vector-mediated CyPA siRNA (Lv-shCyPA) producing CyPA shRNA was constructed successfully. The titer of concentrated virus were 1 x 10(7) TU/ml. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated G2-M phase (11.40% +/- 0.68%) was decreased relatively in A549/LvshCyPA compared with control groups (14.52% +/- 1.19%) (Ppathways may lead to new targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer.

Application to Determination of Scholarship Worthiness Using Simple Multi Attribute Rating Technique and Merkle Hellman Method

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Dicky Nofriansyah

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This research was focused on explaining how the concept of simple multi attribute rating technique method in a decision support system based on desktop programming to solve multi-criteria selection problem, especially Scholarship. The Merkle Hellman method is used for securing the results of choices made by the Smart process. The determination of PPA and BBP-PPA scholarship recipients on STMIK Triguna Dharma becomes a problem because it takes a long time in determining the decision. By adopting the SMART method, the application can make decisions quickly and precisely. The expected result of this research is the application can facilitate in overcoming the problems that occur concerning the determination of PPA and BBP-PPA scholarship recipients as well as assisting Student Affairs STMIK Triguna Dharma in making decisions quickly and accurately

Koi herpesvirus represents a third cyprinid herpesvirus (CyHV-3) in the family Herpesviridae.

Science.gov (United States)

Waltzek, Thomas B; Kelley, Garry O; Stone, David M; Way, Keith; Hanson, Larry; Fukuda, Hideo; Hirono, Ikuo; Aoki, Takashi; Davison, Andrew J; Hedrick, Ronald P

2005-06-01

The sequences of four complete genes were analysed in order to determine the relatedness of koi herpesvirus (KHV) to three fish viruses in the family Herpesviridae: carp pox herpesvirus (Cyprinid herpesvirus 1, CyHV-1), haematopoietic necrosis herpesvirus of goldfish (Cyprinid herpesvirus 2, CyHV-2) and channel catfish virus (Ictalurid herpesvirus 1, IcHV-1). The genes were predicted to encode a helicase, an intercapsomeric triplex protein, the DNA polymerase and the major capsid protein. The results showed that KHV is related closely to CyHV-1 and CyHV-2, and that the three cyprinid viruses are related, albeit more distantly, to IcHV-1. Twelve KHV isolates from four diverse geographical areas yielded identical sequences for a region of the DNA polymerase gene. These findings, with previously published morphological and biological data, indicate that KHV should join the group of related lower-vertebrate viruses in the family Herpesviridae under the formal designation Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3).

Mechanical and morphological study of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)/cyperus odoratus (CY) biocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Faris, N. A.; Noriman, N. Z.; Haron, Adli; Sam, S. T.; Hamzah, R.; Shayfull, Z.; Ghazali, M. F.

2017-09-01

The potential of Cyperus Odoratus (CY) as a filler was studied. The CY, in a powder form, was mixed with Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), prior to being fed into a twin screw extruder and subsequently into an injection moulding machine to produce LLDPY/CY biocomposites. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was utilized and tensile tests were performed on the test specimens to characterize the structure and properties of the composites. The integration of CY powder and LLDPE resulted in an increment of the modulus of elasticity, but a reduction in tensile strength and elongation at break. The morphology characterization of these composites, determined through the SEM, showed poor interfacial adhesion between the filler and the thermoplastic LLDPE matrix.

76 FR 13292 - Medicare Program: Changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and CY 2011...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-11

... Prospective Payment System and CY 2011 Payment Rates; Changes to the Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System..., 2010, entitled ``Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and CY 2011 Payment Rates; Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System and CY 2011 Payment Rates; Payments to Hospitals for...

75 FR 45699 - Medicare Program: Changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and CY 2010...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-03

... Prospective Payment System and CY 2010 Payment Rates; Changes to the Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System...-1414-CN2] RIN 0938-AP41 Medicare Program: Changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and CY 2010 Payment Rates; Changes to the Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System and CY 2010...

Two-photon induced fluorescence of Cy5-DNA in buffer solution and on silver island films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lukomska, Joanna; Gryczynski, Ignacy; Malicka, Joanna; Makowiec, Slawomir; Lakowicz, Joseph R.; Gryczynski, Zygmunt

2005-01-01

We report the observation of a strong two-photon induced fluorescence emission of Cy5-DNA within the tunable range of a Ti:Sapphire laser. The estimated two-photon cross-section for Cy5-DNA of 400 GM is about 3.5-fold higher than it was reported for rhodamine B. The fundamental anisotropies of Cy5-DNA are close to the theoretical limits of 2/5 and 4/7 for one- and two-photon excitation, respectively. We also observed an enhanced two-photon induced fluorescence (TPIF) of Cy5-DNA deposited on silver island films (SIFs). In the presence of SIFs, the TPIF is about 100-fold brighter. The brightness increase of Cy5-DNA TPIF near SIFs is mostly due to enhanced local field

[Expressions of EMMPRIN and its ligand CyPA in gingival crevicular fluid of chronic periodontitis patients].

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yan-ping; Xie, Ming; Jiao, Ting

2016-02-01

To detect the expressions of EMMPRIN and its ligand CyPA in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of chronic periodontitis (CP) patients and explore their possible relation to the status of periodontal inflammation. GCF of CP patients (group CP) and periodontitis-free patients with intact dentition (the control group) were collected and assayed for EMMPRIN and CyPA expressions by ELISA. The clinical periodontal status of these patients were examined. Statistical analysis was performed by use of SPSS 17.0 software package. Spearman's correlation analysis was utilized to determine the relationships between the expressions of EMMPRIN and CyPA in GCF and the clinical parameters. In addition, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparing the difference between group CP and the control group. In group CP, GCF volume was positively correlated with EMMPRIN total amount, CyPA total amount and some clinical periodontal indexes (GI,SBI,AL). EMMPRIN total amount was positively correlated with GCF volume, CyPA total amount and some of clinical periodontal indexes (GI,SBI,AL), but it was negatively correlated with smoking status (PEMMPRIN total amount and some of clinical periodontal indexes (GI,SBI,AL). In the control group,there were significant positive correlations among GCF volume, EMMPRIN total amount and CyPA total amount. The difference of GCF, EMMPRIN and CyPA between the 2 groups were statistically significant (PEMMPRIN and its ligand CyPA in GCF of periodontitis-free patients with intact dentition and CP patients were all detected. As the progress of periodontal inflammation, GCF secretion increases, as well as the expressions of EMMPRIN and CyPA in GCF.

Prevention of H-Aggregates Formation in Cy5 Labeled Macromolecules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Kang

2010-01-01

Full Text Available H-aggregates of the cyanine dye Cy5 are formed during covalent linkage to the cationic macromolecule Poly(allylamine (PAH. The nonfluorescent H-aggregates strongly restrict the usage of the dye for analytical purposes and prevent a quantitative determination of the labeled macromolecules. The behavior of the H-aggregates has been studied by investigation of the absorption and fluorescence spectra of the dye polymer in dependence on solvent, label degree and additional sulfonate groups. H-aggregate formation is caused by an inhomogeneous distribution of the Cy5 molecules on the polymer chain. The H-aggregates can be destroyed by conformational changes of the PAH induced by interactions with polyanions or in organic solvents. It has been found that the polymer labeling process in high content of organic solvents can prevent the formation of H-aggregates. The results offer a better understanding and improvement of the use of the Cy5 dye for labeling purposes in fluorescence detection of macromolecules.

CyVerse Data Commons: lessons learned in cyberinfrastructure management and data hosting from the Life Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Swetnam, T. L.; Walls, R.; Merchant, N.

2017-12-01

CyVerse, is a US National Science Foundation funded initiative "to design, deploy, and expand a national cyberinfrastructure for life sciences research, and to train scientists in its use," supporting and enabling cross disciplinary collaborations across institutions. CyVerse' free, open-source, cyberinfrastructure is being adopted into biogeoscience and space sciences research. CyVerse data-science agnostic platforms provide shared data storage, high performance computing, and cloud computing that allow analysis of very large data sets (including incomplete or work-in-progress data sets). Part of CyVerse success has been in addressing the handling of data through its entire lifecycle, from creation to final publication in a digital data repository to reuse in new analyses. CyVerse developers and user communities have learned many lessons that are germane to Earth and Environmental Science. We present an overview of the tools and services available through CyVerse including: interactive computing with the Discovery Environment (https://de.cyverse.org/), an interactive data science workbench featuring data storage and transfer via the Data Store; cloud computing with Atmosphere (https://atmo.cyverse.org); and access to HPC via Agave API (https://agaveapi.co/). Each CyVerse service emphasizes access to long term data storage, including our own Data Commons (http://datacommons.cyverse.org), as well as external repositories. The Data Commons service manages, organizes, preserves, publishes, allows for discovery and reuse of data. All data published to CyVerse's Curated Data receive a permanent identifier (PID) in the form of a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or ARK (Archival Resource Key). Data that is more fluid can also be published in the Data commons through Community Collaborated data. The Data Commons provides landing pages, permanent DOIs or ARKs, and supports data reuse and citation through features such as open data licenses and downloadable citations. The

A measure of family eating habits: initial psychometric properties using the profile pattern approach (PPA).

Science.gov (United States)

Klempel, Natalie; Kim, Se-Kang; Wilson, Monique; Annunziato, Rachel A

2013-01-01

Although it seems likely that family characteristics and eating habits are a major factor in the development of eating behaviors, there are no self-report measures that examine how individuals view their family's eating habits. Seventy-one women ages 18-22 were recruited from a private university in a large northeastern city and asked to complete a short questionnaire packet consisting of demographic questions, the newly developed Family Eating Habits Questionnaire (FEHQ) and the Eating Inventory (EI). Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the FEHQ was established. Significant associations were found between the FEHQ and the EI, indicating convergent validity for the FEHQ. Further validation was conducted using a novel statistical technique, the profile pattern approach (PPA). The results of the present study are limited by the restricted sample characteristic of a university setting. However, our findings show that the family eating habits' measure appears psychometrically sound. A future aim will be to continue validating this instrument in other samples, particularly to determine its predictive value. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crystal structures and conformers of CyMe4-BTBP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lyczko Krzysztof

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The crystal structure of new conformation of the CyMe4-BTBP ligand (ttc has been presented. The ttt conformer of this compound in a form of THF solvate has been also crystallized. The geometries of six possible conformations (ttt, ttc, tct, tcc, ctc and ccc of the CyMe4-BTBP ligand have been modeled in the gas phase and in solutions (MeOH and H2O by DFT calculations using B3LYP/6-31G(d,p method. According to the calculations, in the three different media the conformers with trans orientation of the N atoms in the bipyridyl moiety are the most stable.

Susceptibility of Japanese Cyprininae fish species to cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2).

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Takafumi; Maeno, Yukio

2014-03-14

Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) is known as the causative agent of herpesviral haematopoietic necrosis (HVHN) of goldfish (Carassius auratus). Recently, the virus has also been detected from Prussian carp (C. gibelio) and crucian carp (C. carassius) from European and Asian countries. To analyze the risk of spreading to new host species, the susceptibility of other fish species to the virus is essential. In this study experimental infections of indigenous Cyprininae species in Japan were performed by immersion in and intraperitoneal injection of a CyHV-2 isolate. Although Edonishiki, a variety of goldfish, immersed with the virus showed a cumulative mortality of 90%, no mortality was observed in ginbuna C. auratus langsdorfii, nagabuna C. auratus buergeri, nigorobuna C. auratus grandoculis and common carp Cyprinus carpio. Cumulative mortality was 100, 20 and 10% in intraperitoneally injected Edonishiki, ginbuna and nagabuna, respectively. Furthermore all Edonishiki immersed with the virus died. However, even after stimuli of sudden temperature changes, the immersed ginbuna and nagabuna did not die. Moreover no mortality was observed in co-reared Ranchu, another variety of goldfish, with immersed ginbuna and nagabuna although all three Ranchu co-reared with immersed Edonishiki died. CyHV-2 DNA was detected and the virus was re-isolated from all dead fish. Moreover CyHV-2 DNA was detected from some of the surviving Carassius spp. These results revealed that susceptibility of Japanese indigenous Cyprininae fish species to CyHV-2 is much lower than for goldfish. In addition, ability of replication of CyHV-2 might be different among Carassius fish species. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Disappearance of a low molecular weight heparin fraction (CY 216) differs from standard heparin in rabbits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boneu, B.; Buchanan, M.R.; Caranobe, C.; Gabaig, A.M.; Dupouy, D.; Sie, P.; Hirsh, J.

1987-01-01

In previous studies, we have reported that standard heparin (SH) was cleared by two mechanisms, a saturable mechanism which predominated at low doses (less than 100 anti-factor Xa U/kg) and a non-saturable mechanism which predominated at higher doses, when the first mechanism became saturated. In this study, we examined the importance of these two mechanisms in the disappearance of a low molecular weight heparin fraction (LMWH) (CY 216), by comparing the pharmacokinetics and the pharmacodynamics of a wide range of doses of SH and CY 216 (1.5 to 500 anti-factor Xa U/kg). Pharmacokinetics was measured as the disappearance of 125 I-radiolabelled SH or CY 216. Pharmacodynamics was measured as the disappearance of the anti-factor Xa activity of SH and CY 216. We found that the saturable mechanism contributed little to the disappearance of CY 216 and that it was cleared predominantly by the non-saturable mechanism at all doses tested. Thus, at low doses (less than 100 anti-factor Xa U/kg), SH was cleared more rapidly than CY 216, whereas at higher doses, CY 216 was cleared more rapidly than SH. We conclude that the mechanism of disappearance of LMWH's differ significantly from those of SH, and that this difference may explain the apparent prolonged anticoagulant activity of LMWH's within the therapeutic range doses

CyARM: Haptic Sensing Device for Spatial Localization on Basis of Exploration by Arms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junichi Akita

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We introduce a new type of perception aid device based on user's exploration action, which is named as CyARM (acronym of “Cyber Arm”. The user holds this device in her/his arm, the extension of the arm is controlled by tension in wires, which are attached to her/his body according to the distance to the object. This user interface has unique characteristics that give users the illusion of an imaginary arm that extends to existing objects. The implementations of CyARM and our two experiments to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of CyARM are described. The results show that we could confirm that CyARM can be used to recognize the presence of an object in front of the user and to measure the relative distance to the object.

Bringing your tools to CyVerse Discovery Environment using Docker.

Science.gov (United States)

Devisetty, Upendra Kumar; Kennedy, Kathleen; Sarando, Paul; Merchant, Nirav; Lyons, Eric

2016-01-01

Docker has become a very popular container-based virtualization platform for software distribution that has revolutionized the way in which scientific software and software dependencies (software stacks) can be packaged, distributed, and deployed. Docker makes the complex and time-consuming installation procedures needed for scientific software a one-time process. Because it enables platform-independent installation, versioning of software environments, and easy redeployment and reproducibility, Docker is an ideal candidate for the deployment of identical software stacks on different compute environments such as XSEDE and Amazon AWS. CyVerse's Discovery Environment also uses Docker for integrating its powerful, community-recommended software tools into CyVerse's production environment for public use. This paper will help users bring their tools into CyVerse Discovery Environment (DE) which will not only allows users to integrate their tools with relative ease compared to the earlier method of tool deployment in DE but will also help users to share their apps with collaborators and release them for public use.

Establishment of a novel and highly permissive cell line for the efficient replication of cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2).

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jie; Jiang, Nan; LaPatra, Scott E; Jin, Ling; Xu, Jin; Fan, Yuding; Zhou, Yong; Zeng, Lingbing

2015-06-12

Haematopoietic necrosis of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) is caused by cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) and has caused huge economic losses in aquaculture worldwide. Currently the isolation and propagation of CyHV-2 in vitro is very difficult due to the lack of permissive cell lines. Studies on the pathogenesis of CyHV-2 have been hampered because the virus has not been extensively characterized. In this study, a novel cell line from the brain of gibel carp, denoted GiCB, has been established and characterized. Sustainable propagation of CyHV-2 in the GiCB cell line has been confirmed by virus infection and titration, PCR, transmission electron microscopy, immunofluorescence assay and fluorescence in situ hybridization. The GiCB cells showed typical cytopathic effect by day 6 post-infection with CyHV-2 including cell shrinkage, rounding, and cell fusion with cytoplasmic vacuolization. The virus titer reached 10(7.5 ± 0.37)TCID₅₀/ml and has been successfully passaged over 50 times in the GiCB cell line. Electron microscopy analysis revealed the complete replication of CyHV-2 in GiCB cells. CyHV-2-infected GiCB cells reacted strongly with polyclonal antibodies against CyHV-2 and CyHV-2 RNA in cells hybridized specifically with the virus RNA probes. Additionally, an experimental infection demonstrated that CyHV-2 produced in GiCB cells caused 100% mortality in gibel carp. All the results provide solid evidence that the GiCB cell line is highly permissive for the isolation and propagation of CyHV-2. This is a significant advancement that will promote additional research on CyHV-2 infection in fish in the future. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of the Taxonomy of Injuries: Analysis of Army Recruit Injuries, CY 2016

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-31

Assessing Fitness for Military Enlistment: Physical , Medical, and Mental Health Standards. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 13. U.S. Army...Public Health Information Paper Application of the Taxonomy of Injuries: Analysis of Army Recruit Injuries, CY 2016 PHIP No. 12-01-0118...Recruit Injuries, CY2016; Public Health Information Paper 12-01-0118 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER n/a 5b. GRANT NUMBER

Gamma radiolysis of the highly selective ligands CyMe_4BTBP and CyMe_4BTPhen: Qualitative and quantitative investigation of radiolysis product

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, H.; Wilden, A.; Modolo, G.; Bosbach, D.; Santiago-Schuebel, B.; Hupert, M.; Svehla, J.; Gruner, B.; Ekberg, C.

2016-01-01

The highly selective nitrogen donor ligands CyMe_4BTBP and CyMe4_BTPhen where γ-irradiated under identical experimental conditions in 1-octanol with and without contact to nitric acid solution. Subsequently, solvent extraction experiments were carried out to evaluate the stability of the extractants against γ-radiation monitoring Am(III) and Eu(III) distribution ratios. Generally, decreasing distribution ratios with increasing absorbed dose were detected for both molecules. Furthermore, qualitative mass spectrometric analyses were performed and ligand concentrations were determined by HPLC-DAD after irradiation to investigate the radiolysis mechanism. An exponential decrease with increasing absorbed dose was observed for both ligands with a faster rate for CyMe_4BTPhen. Main radiolysis products indicated the addition of one or more diluent molecules (1-octanol) to the ligand via prior production of α-hydroxy-octyl radicals from diluent radiolysis. The addition of nitric acid during the irradiation lead to a remarkable stabilization of the system, as the extraction of Am(III) and Eu(III) did not change significantly over the whole examined dose range. Quantification of the remaining ligand concentration on the other hand showed decreasing concentrations with increasing absorbed dose. The stabilization of D values is therefore explained by the formation of 1-octanol addition products which are also able to extract the studied metal ions. (authors)

Radiation influencing of the extraction properties of the CyMe{sub 4}-BTBP and CyMe{sub 4}-BTPhen solvents with FS-13

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Konde, J.; Distler, P.; John, J. [Department of Nuclear Chemistry, Czech Technical University in Prague, BGehova 7, 11519 Prague 1 (Czech Republic); Svehla, J.; Gruner, B.; Belcicka, Z. [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 250 68 Rez near Prague (Czech Republic)

2016-07-01

The radiolytic stability of two ligands, CyMe4-BTBP and CyMe4-BTPhen in system with the FS-13 (phenyl trifluoromethyl sulfone) diluent was investigated under irradiation by accelerated electrons to study impact of the degradation products on the separation process efficiency and safety. Irradiation experiments were carried out up to the absorbed dose of 200 kGy. The irradiated samples were analysed by HPLC for the degree of extractant degradation. In addition, the effect of the presence of HNO{sub 3} during the irradiation was studied. Extraction properties of the irradiated solvents were evaluated and compared with the extraction properties of non-irradiated solvents to assess the impact of the degradation products on extractions properties. The results obtained show that the stabilities of these ligands are higher in FS-13 than in the cyclohexanone-type solvents. The extraction properties are significantly influenced by degradation products contained in these systems. Surprisingly, both the distribution ratios for americium and europium, and the Am/Eu separation factor increase with the absorbed dose for the system withCyMe{sub 4}-BTPhen in FS-13. Obviously, the degradation products of this ligand are efficient extractants too. In the next phase, an attempt will be done to identify the main degradation products, synthesise them and study their extraction properties. (authors)

Diagnostic validation of three test methods for detection of cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3).

Science.gov (United States)

Clouthier, Sharon C; McClure, Carol; Schroeder, Tamara; Desai, Megan; Hawley, Laura; Khatkar, Sunita; Lindsay, Melissa; Lowe, Geoff; Richard, Jon; Anderson, Eric D

2017-03-06

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) is the aetiological agent of koi herpesvirus disease in koi and common carp. The disease is notifiable to the World Organisation for Animal Health. Three tests-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), conventional PCR (cPCR) and virus isolation by cell culture (VI)-were validated to assess their fitness as diagnostic tools for detection of CyHV-3. Test performance metrics of diagnostic accuracy were sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp). Repeatability and reproducibility were measured to assess diagnostic precision. Estimates of test accuracy, in the absence of a gold standard reference test, were generated using latent class models. Test samples originated from wild common carp naturally exposed to CyHV-3 or domesticated koi either virus free or experimentally infected with the virus. Three laboratories in Canada participated in the precision study. Moderate to high repeatability (81 to 99%) and reproducibility (72 to 97%) were observed for the qPCR and cPCR tests. The lack of agreement observed between some of the PCR test pair results was attributed to cross-contamination of samples with CyHV-3 nucleic acid. Accuracy estimates for the PCR tests were 99% for DSe and 93% for DSp. Poor precision was observed for the VI test (4 to 95%). Accuracy estimates for VI/qPCR were 90% for DSe and 88% for DSp. Collectively, the results show that the CyHV-3 qPCR test is a suitable tool for surveillance, presumptive diagnosis and certification of individuals or populations as CyHV-3 free.

Cy5.5 conjugated MnO nanoparticles for magnetic resonance/near-infrared fluorescence dual-modal imaging of brain gliomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ning; Shao, Chen; Li, Shuai; Wang, Zihao; Qu, Yanming; Gu, Wei; Yu, Chunjiang; Ye, Ling

2015-11-01

The fusion of molecular and anatomical modalities facilitates more reliable and accurate detection of tumors. Herein, we prepared the PEG-Cy5.5 conjugated MnO nanoparticles (MnO-PEG-Cy5.5 NPs) with magnetic resonance (MR) and near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging modalities. The applicability of MnO-PEG-Cy5.5 NPs as a dual-modal (MR/NIRF) imaging nanoprobe for the detection of brain gliomas was investigated. In vivo MR contrast enhancement of the MnO-PEG-Cy5.5 nanoprobe in the tumor region was demonstrated. Meanwhile, whole-body NIRF imaging of glioma bearing nude mouse exhibited distinct tumor localization upon injection of MnO-PEG-Cy5.5 NPs. Moreover, ex vivo CLSM imaging of the brain slice hosting glioma indicated the preferential accumulation of MnO-PEG-Cy5.5 NPs in the glioma region. Our results therefore demonstrated the potential of MnO-PEG-Cy5.5 NPs as a dual-modal (MR/NIRF) imaging nanoprobe in improving the diagnostic efficacy by simultaneously providing anatomical information from deep inside the body and more sensitive information at the cellular level. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genomic characteristics of vB_PpaP_PP74, a T7-like Autographivirinae bacteriophage infecting a potato pathogen of the newly proposed species Pectobacterium parmentieri.

Science.gov (United States)

Kabanova, Anastasia; Shneider, Mikhail; Bugaeva, Eugenia; Ha, Vo Thi Ngoc; Miroshnikov, Kirill; Korzhenkov, Aleksei; Kulikov, Eugene; Toschakov, Stepan; Ignatov, Alexander; Miroshnikov, Konstantin

2018-02-08

Bacteriophage vB_PpaP_PP74 (PP74) is a novel virulent phage that infects members of the species Pectobacterium parmentieri, a newly established species of soft-rot-causing bacteria in the family Pectobacteriaceae, derived from potato-specific Pectobacterium wasabiae. vB_PpaP_PP74 was identified as a member of the family Podoviridae by transmission electron microscopy. The phage has a 39,790-bp dsDNA genome containing 50 open reading frames (ORFs). Because of the absence of genes encoding toxins or lysogeny factors, PP74 may be considered a candidate phage for pathogen biocontrol applications. The genome layout is similar to genomes of T7-like phages within the subfamily Autographivirinae, and therefore, functions can be attributed to most of ORFs. However, the closest nucleotide sequence homologs of phage PP74 are unclassified Escherichia phages. Based on phylogenetic analysis, vB_PpaP_PP74 is a sensu lato T7-like phage, but it forms a distant subgenus group together with homologous enterobacterial phages.

Cy-preds: An algorithm and a web service for the analysis and prediction of cysteine reactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Soylu, İnanç; Marino, Stefano M

2016-02-01

Cysteine (Cys) is a critically important amino acid, serving a variety of functions within proteins including structural roles, catalysis, and regulation of function through post-translational modifications. Predicting which Cys residues are likely to be reactive is a very sought after feature. Few methods are currently available for the task, either based on evaluation of physicochemical features (e.g., pKa and exposure) or based on similarity with known instances. In this study, we developed an algorithm (named HAL-Cy) which blends previous work with novel implementations to identify reactive Cys from nonreactive. HAL-Cy present two major components: (i) an energy based part, rooted on the evaluation of H-bond network contributions and (ii) a knowledge based part, composed of different profiling approaches (including a newly developed weighting matrix for sequence profiling). In our evaluations, HAL-Cy provided significantly improved performances, as tested in comparisons with existing approaches. We implemented our algorithm in a web service (Cy-preds), the ultimate product of our work; we provided it with a variety of additional features, tools, and options: Cy-preds is capable of performing fully automated calculations for a thorough analysis of Cys reactivity in proteins, ranging from reactivity predictions (e.g., with HAL-Cy) to functional characterization. We believe it represents an original, effective, and very useful addition to the current array of tools available to scientists involved in redox biology, Cys biochemistry, and structural bioinformatics. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

CyNC - a method for Real Time Analysis of Systems with Cyclic Data Flows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schiøler, Henrik; Nielsen, Jens F. Dalsgaard; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

2005-01-01

The paper addresses a novel method for realtime analysis of systems with cyclic data flows. The presented method is based on Network Calculus principles, where upper and lower flow and service constraint are used to bound data flows and processing resources. In acyclic systems flow constraints ma...... in a prototype tool also denoted CyNC providing a graphical user interface for model specification based on the MATLAB/SimuLink framework....... in a space of constraint functions. In this paper a method denoted CyNC for obtaining a well defined solution to that problem is presented along with a theoretical justification of the method as well as comparative results for CyNC and alternative methods on a relevant example. The method is implemented...

The ICF-CY and Goal Attainment Scaling: benefits of their combined use for pediatric practice.

Science.gov (United States)

McDougall, Janette; Wright, Virginia

2009-01-01

There is much heterogeneity and disconnect in the approaches used by service providers to conduct needs assessments, set goals and evaluate outcomes for clients receiving pediatric rehabilitation services. The purpose of this article is to describe how the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Child and Youth (ICF-CY) can be used in combination with Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), an individualised measure of change, to connect the various phases of the therapeutic process to provide consistent clinical care that is family-centred, collaborative, well directed and accountable. A brief description of both the ICF-CY and GAS as they pertain to pediatric rehabilitation is provided as background. An explanation is given of how the ICF-CY offers a framework through which clients, families and service providers can together identify the areas of clients' needs. In addition, the article discusses how the use of GAS facilitates translation of clients' identified needs into distinct, measurable goals set collaboratively by clients, their families and service providers. Examples of integrated GAS goals set for the various components of the ICF-CY are provided. The utility of GAS as a measure of clinical outcomes for individual clients is also discussed. Used in combination, the ICF-CY and GAS can serve to coordinate, simplify and standardise assessment and outcome evaluation practices for individual clients receiving pediatric rehabilitation services.

CY-1981 effluent monitoring report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honkus, R.J.

1982-05-01

The effluent monitoring programs at ICPP for calendar year 1981 are summarized. During the year, five significant occurrences or unplanned releases occurred. These are briefly described and tabulated. In none of the instances were the applicable Radiation Concentration Guides (RCG's) exceeded. A graphic summary of the total airborne, liquid and solid releases during CY-1981 is presented. Liquid waste activity was higher than anticipated due to various processing factors throughout the year. Solid waste jumped dramatically in December due to shipment of end-prices from the EBR-II fuel which was processed during the Electrolytic campaign

[Review of draft Crystalline Repository Project reports]: Technical progress report, CY 1985-1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

During the period (CY 1985-86) of this report, the Wisconsin Radioactive Waste Review Board provided technical services under the contract with DOE. These included Participation in the development of variables and screening techniques that would be used in identifying those rock bodies in the Area Recommendation Report (ARR); reviewing and commenting on the report and developing a procedure in which local residents could have input into the process; sought resumption of negotiations with DOE on a full Consultation and Cooperation (CandC) agreement; and Participating in workshops and provided comments on two major DOE transportation documents, ''Transportation Business Plan: Strategy Options Document,'' and ''Transportation Institutional Plan.''

Functional characterization of viral tumor necrosis factor receptors encoded by cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV3) genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Yang; Qi, Hemei; Yuan, Jimin; Wang, Rui; Weng, Shaoping; He, Jianguo; Dong, Chuanfu

2015-08-01

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV3) is a large double-stranded DNA virus of Alloherpesviridae family in the order Herpesvirales. It causes significant morbidity and mortality in common carp and its ornamental koi variety, and threatens the aquaculture industries worldwide. Mimicry of cytokines and cytokine receptors is a particular strategy for large DNA viruses in modulating the host immune response. Here, we report the identification and characterization of two novel viral homologues of tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) encoded by CyHV3-ORF4 and -ORF12, respectively. CyHV3-ORF4 was identified as a homologue of HVEM and CyHV3-ORF12 as a homologue of TNFRSF1. Overexpression of ORF4 and ORF12 in zebrafish embryos results in embryonic lethality, morphological defects and increased apoptosis. Although we failed to identify any interaction between the two vTNFRs and their potential ligands in zebrafish TNF superfamily by yeast two-hybrid system, the expression of some genes in TNF superfamily or TNFR superfamily were mis-regulated in ORF4 or ORF12-overexpressing embryos, especially the death receptor zHDR and its cognate ligand DL1b. Further studies showed that the apoptosis induced by the both CyHV3 vTNFRs is mainly activated through the intrinsic apoptotic pathway and requires the crosstalk between the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Additionally, using RT-qPCR and Western blot assays, the expression patterns of the both vTNFRs were also analyzed during CyHV3 productive infection. Collectively, this is the first functional study of two unique vTNFRs encoded by a herpesvirus infecting non-mammalian vertebrates, which may provide novel insights into viral immune regulation mechanism and the pathogenesis of CyHV3 infection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gamma radiolysis of the highly selective ligands CyMe{sub 4}BTBP and CyMe{sub 4}BTPhen: Qualitative and quantitative investigation of radiolysis product

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmidt, H.; Wilden, A.; Modolo, G.; Bosbach, D. [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Institute of Energy and Climate Research IEK-6: Nuclear Waste Management, 52425 Juelich (Germany); Santiago-Schuebel, B.; Hupert, M. [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Central Institute for Engineering, Analytics - ZEA-3, 52425 Juelich (Germany); Svehla, J.; Gruner, B. [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences, Hlavni 1001, 25068 Husinec-Rez (Czech Republic); Ekberg, C. [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Gothenburg (Sweden)

2016-07-01

The highly selective nitrogen donor ligands CyMe{sub 4}BTBP and CyMe4{sub B}TPhen where γ-irradiated under identical experimental conditions in 1-octanol with and without contact to nitric acid solution. Subsequently, solvent extraction experiments were carried out to evaluate the stability of the extractants against γ-radiation monitoring Am(III) and Eu(III) distribution ratios. Generally, decreasing distribution ratios with increasing absorbed dose were detected for both molecules. Furthermore, qualitative mass spectrometric analyses were performed and ligand concentrations were determined by HPLC-DAD after irradiation to investigate the radiolysis mechanism. An exponential decrease with increasing absorbed dose was observed for both ligands with a faster rate for CyMe{sub 4}BTPhen. Main radiolysis products indicated the addition of one or more diluent molecules (1-octanol) to the ligand via prior production of α-hydroxy-octyl radicals from diluent radiolysis. The addition of nitric acid during the irradiation lead to a remarkable stabilization of the system, as the extraction of Am(III) and Eu(III) did not change significantly over the whole examined dose range. Quantification of the remaining ligand concentration on the other hand showed decreasing concentrations with increasing absorbed dose. The stabilization of D values is therefore explained by the formation of 1-octanol addition products which are also able to extract the studied metal ions. (authors)

Pressurized HxCyOz Cells at ca. 250 °C: Potential and Challenges

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, Mogens Bjerg; Chatzichristodoulou, Christodoulos; Allebrod, Frank

2013-01-01

focus on cells that may have a potential of forming or using HxCyOz in electrolysis or fuel cell mode, respectively. Examples of HxCyOz are hydrogen with (x,y,z) = (2,0,0), carbon monoxide with (x,y,z) = (0,1,1), methane with (x,y,z) = (4,1,0), gasoline with approximately (x,y,z) = (18,8,0), methanol......The increasing need for easy and affordable storage of intermittent renewable energy has encouraged us to explore the possibilities of pressurized electrolysis and fuel cells operating in the temperature range of 200 – 300 °C and pressure from a few bar up to 50 bar and above. Most electrochemical...... rate limiting processes are strongly thermal activated. Also, increased pressure may increase the electrode reaction rates. High pressure means increase energy density in gaseous products. Furthermore, as hydrocarbons, alcohols or ethers - in common denoted HxCyOz - are very convenient fuels, we have...

ICF-CY: A Universal Tool for Documentation of Disability

Science.gov (United States)

Simeonsson, Rune J.

2009-01-01

The "International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health--ICF" (ICF-CY) conceptual framework offers a new paradigm and taxonomy of human functioning disability, which can be used to guide holistic and interdisciplinary approaches to assessment and intervention. In settings serving children, youth, or adults with disabilities, the…

A study of parental presence/absence technique for child dental behaviour management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boka, V.; Arapostathis, K.; Charitoudis, G.; Veerkamp, J.; van Loveren, C.; Kotsanos, N.

2017-01-01

Aim: To examine the effectiveness of parental presence/absence (PPA) technique on the dental behaviour management of children. Materials and methods: This randomised control study recruited 61 child dental patients with uncooperative behaviour (Frankl 1 or 2) managed with AAPD-endorsed

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2018 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update and CY 2019 Case-Mix Adjustment Methodology Refinements; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model; and Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-07

This final rule updates the home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) payment rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor, effective for home health episodes of care ending on or after January 1, 2018. This rule also: Updates the HH PPS case-mix weights using the most current, complete data available at the time of rulemaking; implements the third year of a 3-year phase-in of a reduction to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment to account for estimated case-mix growth unrelated to increases in patient acuity (that is, nominal case-mix growth) between calendar year (CY) 2012 and CY 2014; and discusses our efforts to monitor the potential impacts of the rebasing adjustments that were implemented in CY 2014 through CY 2017. In addition, this rule finalizes changes to the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model and to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP). We are not finalizing the implementation of the Home Health Groupings Model (HHGM) in this final rule.

Cyclovirus CyCV-VN species distribution is not limited to Vietnam and extends to Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Garigliany, Mutien-Marie; Hagen, Ralf Matthias; Frickmann, Hagen; May, Jürgen; Schwarz, Norbert Georg; Perse, Amanda; Jöst, Hanna; Börstler, Jessica; Shahhosseini, Nariman; Desmecht, Daniel; Mbunkah, Herbert Afegenwi; Daniel, Achukwi Mbunkah; Kingsley, Manchang Tanyi; Campos, Renata de Mendonca; de Paula, Vanessa Salete; Randriamampionona, Njary; Poppert, Sven; Tannich, Egbert; Rakotozandrindrainy, Raphael; Cadar, Daniel; Schmidt-Chanasit, Jonas

2014-12-18

Cycloviruses, small ssDNA viruses of the Circoviridae family, have been identified in the cerebrospinal fluid from symptomatic human patients. One of these species, cyclovirus-Vietnam (CyCV-VN), was shown to be restricted to central and southern Vietnam. Here we report the detection of CyCV-VN species in stool samples from pigs and humans from Africa, far beyond their supposed limited geographic distribution.

Pharmacokinetics on a microscale: visualizing Cy5-labeled oligonucleotide release from poly(n-butylcyanoacrylate nanocapsules in cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomcin S

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Stephanie Tomcin,1 Grit Baier,1 Katharina Landfester,1 Volker Mailänder1,21Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, 2University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, III Medical Clinic, Mainz, GermanyAbstract: For successful design of a nanoparticulate drug delivery system, the fate of the carrier and cargo need to be followed. In this work, we fluorescently labeled poly(n-butylcyanoacrylate (PBCA nanocapsules as a shell and separately an oligonucleotide (20 mer as a payload. The nanocapsules were formed by interfacial anionic polymerization on aqueous droplets generated by an inverse miniemulsion process. After uptake, the PBCA capsules were shown to be round-shaped, endosomal structures and the payload was successfully released. Cy5-labeled oligonucleotides accumulated at the mitochondrial membrane due to a combination of the high mitochondrial membrane potential and the specific molecular structure of Cy5. The specificity of this accumulation at the mitochondria was shown as the uncoupler dinitrophenol rapidly diminished the accumulation of the Cy5-labeled oligonucleotide. Importantly, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer investigation showed that the dye-labeled cargo (Cy3/Cy5-labeled oligonucleotides reached its target site without degradation during escape from an endosomal compartment to the cytoplasm. The time course of accumulation of fluorescent signals at the mitochondria was determined by evaluating the colocalization of Cy5-labeled oligonucleotides and mitochondrial markers for up to 48 hours. As oligonucleotides are an ideal model system for small interfering RNA PBCA nanocapsules demonstrate to be a versatile delivery platform for small interfering RNA to treat a variety of diseases.Keywords: drug delivery, mitochondria, miniemulsion, colocalization

The Moment of Learning: Quantitative Analysis of Exemplar Gameplay Supports CyGaMEs Approach to Embedded Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Reese, Debbie Denise; Tabachnick, Barbara G.

2010-01-01

In this paper, the authors summarize a quantitative analysis demonstrating that the CyGaMEs toolset for embedded assessment of learning within instructional games measures growth in conceptual knowledge by quantifying player behavior. CyGaMEs stands for Cyberlearning through GaME-based, Metaphor Enhanced Learning Objects. Some scientists of…

CyBy(2): a structure-based data management tool for chemical and biological data.

Science.gov (United States)

Höck, Stefan; Riedl, Rainer

2012-01-01

We report the development of a powerful data management tool for chemical and biological data: CyBy(2). CyBy(2) is a structure-based information management tool used to store and visualize structural data alongside additional information such as project assignment, physical information, spectroscopic data, biological activity, functional data and synthetic procedures. The application consists of a database, an application server, used to query and update the database, and a client application with a rich graphical user interface (GUI) used to interact with the server.

Accurate and precise DNA quantification in the presence of different amplification efficiencies using an improved Cy0 method.

Science.gov (United States)

Guescini, Michele; Sisti, Davide; Rocchi, Marco B L; Panebianco, Renato; Tibollo, Pasquale; Stocchi, Vilberto

2013-01-01

Quantitative real-time PCR represents a highly sensitive and powerful technology for the quantification of DNA. Although real-time PCR is well accepted as the gold standard in nucleic acid quantification, there is a largely unexplored area of experimental conditions that limit the application of the Ct method. As an alternative, our research team has recently proposed the Cy0 method, which can compensate for small amplification variations among the samples being compared. However, when there is a marked decrease in amplification efficiency, the Cy0 is impaired, hence determining reaction efficiency is essential to achieve a reliable quantification. The proposed improvement in Cy0 is based on the use of the kinetic parameters calculated in the curve inflection point to compensate for efficiency variations. Three experimental models were used: inhibition of primer extension, non-optimal primer annealing and a very small biological sample. In all these models, the improved Cy0 method increased quantification accuracy up to about 500% without affecting precision. Furthermore, the stability of this procedure was enhanced integrating it with the SOD method. In short, the improved Cy0 method represents a simple yet powerful approach for reliable DNA quantification even in the presence of marked efficiency variations.

A CD45-based barcoding approach to multiplex mass-cytometry (CyTOF).

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Liyun; Ong, Raymond; Li, Juntao; Albani, Salvatore

2015-04-01

CyTOF enables the study of the immune system with a complexity, depth, and multidimensionality never achieved before. However, the full potential of using CyTOF can be limited by scarce cell samples. Barcoding strategies developed based on direct labeling of cells using maleimido-monoamide-DOTA (m-DOTA) provide a very useful tool. However, using m-DOTA has some inherent problems, mainly associated with signal intensity. This may be a source of uncertainty when samples are multiplexed. As an alternative or complementary approach to m-DOTA, conjugating an antibody, specific for a membrane protein present on most immune cells, with different isotopes could address the issues of stability and signal intensity needed for effective barcoding. We chose for this purpose CD45, and designed experiments to address different types of cultures and the ability to detect extra- and intra-cellular targets. We show here that our approach provides an useful alternative to m-DOTA in terms of sensitivity, specificity, flexibility, and user-friendliness. Our manuscript provides details to effectively barcode immune cells, overcoming limitations in current technology and enabling the use of CyTOF with scarce samples (for instance precious clinical samples). © 2015 The Authors. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cyprinid herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3) disturbs osmotic balance in carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)--A potential cause of mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Negenborn, J; van der Marel, M C; Ganter, M; Steinhagen, D

2015-06-12

Cyprinid herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3) causes a fatal disease in carp (Cyprinus carpio) and its ornamental koi varieties which seriously affects production and trade of this fish species globally. Up to now, the pathophysiology of this disease remains unclear. Affected individuals develop most prominent lesions in gills, skin and kidney, in tissues which are involved in the osmotic regulation of freshwater teleosts. Therefore, here serum and urine electrolyte levels were examined during the course of an experimental infection of carp with CyHV-3. In infected carp an interstitial nephritis with a progressive deterioration of nephric tubules developed, which was paralleled by elevated electrolyte losses, mainly Na(+) in the urine. The urine/plasma ratio for Na(+) increased from 0.03 in uninfected carp to 0.43-0.83 in carp under CyHV-3 infection, while concentration of divalent ions were not significantly changed. These electrolyte losses could not be compensated since plasma osmolality and Na(+) concentration dropped significantly in CyHV-3 infected carp. This was most probably caused by the progressive deterioration of the branchial epithelium, which in teleosts plays a prominent role in osmoregulation, and which was seen concomitantly with decreasing electrolyte levels in the serum of carp under CyHV-3 infection. Immediately after infection with CyHV-3, by day 2 post exposure, affected carp showed severe anaemia and prominent leucocytosis indicating the development of an acute inflammation, which could intensify the observed hydro-mineral imbalances. The data presented here show that an infection with CyHV-3 induces an acute inflammation and a severe dysfunction of osmoregulation in affected carp or koi, which may lead to death in particular in the case of acute disease progression. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laboratory and field evaluation of the Partec CyFlow miniPOC for absolute and relative CD4 T-cell enumeration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Djibril Wade

Full Text Available A new CD4 point-of-care instrument, the CyFlow miniPOC, which provides absolute and percentage CD4 T-cells, used for screening and monitoring of HIV-infected patients in resource-limited settings, was introduced recently. We assessed the performance of this novel instrument in a reference laboratory and in a field setting in Senegal.A total of 321 blood samples were obtained from 297 adults and 24 children, all HIV-patients attending university hospitals in Dakar, or health centers in Ziguinchor. Samples were analyzed in parallel on CyFlow miniPOC, FACSCount CD4 and FACSCalibur to assess CyFlow miniPOC precision and accuracy.At the reference lab, CyFlow miniPOC, compared to FACSCalibur, showed an absolute mean bias of -12.6 cells/mm3 and a corresponding relative mean bias of -2.3% for absolute CD4 counts. For CD4 percentages, the absolute mean bias was -0.1%. Compared to FACSCount CD4, the absolute and relative mean biases were -31.2 cells/mm3 and -4.7%, respectively, for CD4 counts, whereas the absolute mean bias for CD4 percentages was 1.3%. The CyFlow miniPOC was able to classify HIV-patients eligible for ART with a sensitivity of ≥ 95% at the different ART-initiation thresholds (200, 350 and 500 CD4 cells/mm3. In the field lab, the room temperature ranged from 30 to 35°C during the working hours. At those temperatures, the CyFlow miniPOC, compared to FACSCount CD4, had an absolute and relative mean bias of 7.6 cells/mm3 and 2.8%, respectively, for absolute CD4 counts, and an absolute mean bias of 0.4% for CD4 percentages. The CyFlow miniPOC showed sensitivity equal or greater than 94%.The CyFlow miniPOC showed high agreement with FACSCalibur and FACSCount CD4. The CyFlow miniPOC provides both reliable absolute CD4 counts and CD4 percentages even under the field conditions, and is suitable for monitoring HIV-infected patients in resource-limited settings.

Limited geographic distribution of the novel cyclovirus CyCV-VN

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Le, Van Tan; de Jong, Menno D.; Nguyen, Van Kinh; Nguyen, Vu Trung; Taylor, Walter; Wertheim, Heiman F. L.; van der Ende, Arie; van der Hoek, Lia; Canuti, Marta; Crusat, Martin; Sona, Soeng; Nguyen, Hanh Uyen; Giri, Abhishek; Nguyen, Thi Thuy Chinh Bkrong; Ho, Dang Trung Nghia; Farrar, Jeremy; Bryant, Juliet E.; Tran, Tinh Hien; Nguyen, Van Vinh Chau; van Doorn, H. Rogier

2014-01-01

A novel cyclovirus, CyCV-VN, was recently identified in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with central nervous system (CNS) infections in central and southern Vietnam. To explore the geographic distribution of this novel virus, more than 600 CSF specimens from patients with suspected CNS

CyNC: A method for real time analysis of systems with cyclic data flows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jessen, Jan Jacob; Schiøler, Henrik; Nielsen, Jens Frederik Dalsgaard

2006-01-01

The paper addresses a novel method for performance analysis of distributed realtime systems with complex, and especially cyclic data flow graphs. The presented method is based on Network Calculus principles, where flow and service constraint functions are used to bound data flows and processing r...... on a relevant example. The method is implemented in a prototype tool also denoted CyNC providing a graphical user interface for model specification based on the MATLAB/SimuLink framework. Udgivelsesdato: DECEMBER...... constraints implicitely given by a fix point equation in a space of constraint functions. In this paper a method denoted CyNC for obtaining a well defined solution to that problem is presented along with a theoretical justification of the method as well as comparative results for CyNC and alternative methods...

CY205 conversion of the NAMMU program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindewall, L.

1986-02-01

The NAMMU program has been converted from an IBM double precision version to a CY205 single precision version. Due to different dialects among compilers, differences on system levels and machine dependencies some changes to the code have been made. They are documented in this report. A scalar optimized version is delivered. Direct vectorization did not improve performance. Changes in program logic is necessary to take advantage of the the vector capabilities. That and a study of the input-output operations are needed to improve performance. (author)

Pulmonary toxicity and kinetic study of Cy5.5-conjugated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles by optical imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Wan-Seob; Cho, Minjung; Kim, Seoung Ryul; Choi, Mina; Lee, Jeong Yeon; Han, Beom Seok; Park, Sue Nie; Yu, Mi Kyung; Jon, Sangyong; Jeong, Jayoung

2009-01-01

Recent advances in the development of nanotechnology and devices now make it possible to accurately deliver drugs or genes to the lung. Magnetic nanoparticles can be used as contrast agents, thermal therapy for cancer, and be made to concentrate to target sites through an external magnetic field. However, these advantages may also become problematic when taking into account safety and toxicological factors. This study demonstrated the pulmonary toxicity and kinetic profile of anti-biofouling polymer coated, Cy5.5-conjugated thermally cross-linked superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (TCL-SPION) by optical imaging. Negatively charged, 36 nm-sized, Cy5.5-conjugated TCL-SPION was prepared for optical imaging probe. Cy5.5-conjugated TCL-SPION was intratracheally instilled into the lung by a non-surgical method. Cy5.5-conjugated TCL-SPION slightly induced pulmonary inflammation. The instilled nanoparticles were distributed mainly in the lung and excreted in the urine via glomerular filtration. Urinary excretion was peaked at 3 h after instillation. No toxicity was found under the concentration of 1.8 mg/kg and the half-lives of nanoparticles in the lung and urine were estimated to be about 14.4 ± 0.54 h and 24.7 ± 1.02 h, respectively. Although further studies are required, our results showed that Cy5.5-conjugated TCL-SPION can be a good candidate for use in pulmonary delivery vehicles and diagnostic probes.

Importation of CyHV-2-infected goldfish into the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ito, Takafumi; Kurita, Jun; Haenen, Olga L.M.

2017-01-01

Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) is known as the causative agent of herpesviral haematopoietic necrosis in goldfish Carassius auratus auratus. However, the virus has also been detected in Prussian carp C. gibelio and crucian carp C. carassius from European and Asian countries. To prevent spread of

CY15 Livermore Computing Focus Areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Connell, Tom M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Cupps, Kim C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); D' Hooge, Trent E. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Fahey, Tim J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Fox, Dave M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Futral, Scott W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Gary, Mark R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Goldstone, Robin J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Hamilton, Pam G. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Heer, Todd M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Long, Jeff W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Mark, Rich J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Morrone, Chris J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Shoopman, Jerry D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Slavec, Joe A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Smith, David W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Springmeyer, Becky R [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Stearman, Marc D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Watson, Py C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-01-20

The LC team undertook a survey of primary Center drivers for CY15. Identified key drivers included enhancing user experience and productivity, pre-exascale platform preparation, process improvement, data-centric computing paradigms and business expansion. The team organized critical supporting efforts into three cross-cutting focus areas; Improving Service Quality; Monitoring, Automation, Delegation and Center Efficiency; and Next Generation Compute and Data Environments In each area the team detailed high level challenges and identified discrete actions to address these issues during the calendar year. Identifying the Center’s primary drivers, issues, and plans is intended to serve as a lens focusing LC personnel, resources, and priorities throughout the year.

Radiological NESHAP ANNUAL REPORT CY 2016.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evelo, Stacie [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-06-01

This report provides a summary of the radionuclide releases from the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration facilities at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) during Calendar Year (CY) 2016, including the data, calculations, and supporting documentation for demonstrating compliance with 40 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 61, Subpart H--NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR EMISSIONS OF RADIONUCLIDES OTHER THAN RADON FROM DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FACILITIES (Radiological NESHAP). A description is given of the sources and their contributions to the overall dose assessment. In addition, the maximally exposed individual (MEI) radiological dose calculation and the population dose to local and regional residents are discussed.

ICF-CY as a Framework for Understanding Child Engagement in Preschool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margareta Adolfsson

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Engagement in preschool predicts children's development, learning, and wellbeing in later school years. The time children engage in activities and social interactions is conditional for preschool inclusion. Engagement is part of the construct participation, which is determined by attendance and involvement. Two suggested underlying dimensions of engagement had been identified as essential when assessing children's participation in preschool activities. As engagement is a key question in inclusion of all children, and preschool becomes a common context for them, it is increasingly important to understand the concept of engagement in those settings. In Sweden most children attend preschool but children in need of special support tend not to receive enough support for their everyday functioning. This study aimed to conceptualize child engagement in preschool with ICF-CY as a framework to clarify core and developmental engagement dimensions included in Child Engagement Questionnaire (CEQ. The content of CEQ was identified through linking processes based on ICF linking rules with some exceptions. Specific challenges and solutions were acknowledged. To identify engagement dimensions in the ICF-CY, CEQ items related to ICF-CY chapters were integrated in the two-dimensional model of engagement. Findings showed that engagement measured for preschool ages was mostly related to Learning and Applying knowledge belonging to Activities and Participation but the linkage detected missing areas. Broader perspectives of children's everyday functioning require extended assessment with consideration to mutual influences between activities, participation, body functions, and contextual factors. Related to core and developmental engagement, findings highlight the importance for preschool staff to pay attention to how children do things, not only what they do. Activities related to core engagement include basic skills; those related to developmental engagement set

Meningococcal groups C and Y and haemophilus B tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine (HibMenCY-TT; MenHibrix(®)): a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Caroline M

2013-05-01

The meningococcal groups C and Y and Haemophilus b (Hib) tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine (HibMenCY-TT) contains Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C and Y capsular polysaccharide antigens, and Hib capsular polysaccharide [polyribosyl-ribitol-phosphate (PRP)]. The HibMenCY-TT vaccine is available in the USA for use as active immunization to prevent invasive disease caused by N. meningitidis serogroups C (MenC) and Y (MenY), and Hib in children 6 weeks-18 months of age. HibMenCY-TT is the first meningococcal vaccine available for use in the USA that can be administered to infants as young as 6 weeks of age. In a randomized, controlled, phase III clinical trial, the HibMenCY-TT vaccine, administered to infants at 2, 4, 6 and 12-15 months of age, was immunogenic against MenC and MenY, and met the prespecified criteria for immunogenicity. Anti-PRP antibodies, which have been shown to correlate with protection against Hib invasive disease, were also induced in the infants who received the HibMenCY-TT vaccine, with induced levels of this antibody noninferior to those occurring in the control group of infants who received a Hib tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine at 2, 4, and 6 months and a single dose of Hib conjugated to N. meningitidis outer membrane protein at 12-15 months. In several randomized, controlled clinical trials, HibMenCY-TT was coadministered with vaccines that are routinely administered to infants and toddlers in the USA. These vaccines included: diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis adsorbed, hepatitis B (recombinant) and inactivated poliovirus vaccine combined; 7-valent Streptococcus pneumoniae polysaccharide conjugate vaccine; measles, mumps and rubella vaccine; and varicella vaccine. Coadministration of these vaccines did not interfere with the immunogenicity of the HibMenCY-TT vaccine. Similarly, immune responses to the coadministered vaccines were not affected by the HibMenCY-TT vaccine. The tolerability profile of the HibMenCY

Comparing contents of outcome measures in cerebral palsy using the International Classification of Functioning (ICF-CY): a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiariti, Veronica; Klassen, Anne F; Cieza, Alarcos; Sauve, Karen; O'Donnell, Maureen; Armstrong, Robert; Mâsse, Louise C

2014-01-01

The International Classification of Functioning children and youth version (ICF-CY) provides a universal framework for defining and classifying functioning and disability in children worldwide. To facilitate the application of the ICF in practice, ICF based-tools like the "ICF Core Sets" are being developed. In the context of the development of the ICF-CY Core Sets for children with Cerebral Palsy (CP), the aims of this study were as follows: to identify and compare the content of outcome measures used in studies of children with CP using the ICF-CY coding system; and to describe the most frequently addressed areas of functioning in those studies. We searched multiple databases likely to capture studies involving children with CP from January 1998 to March 2012. We included all English language articles that studied children aged 2-18 years and described an interventional or observational study. Constructs of the outcome measures identified in studies were linked to the ICF-CY by two trained professionals. We found 231 articles that described 238 outcome measures. The outcome measures contained 2193 concepts that were linked to the ICF-CY and covered 161 independent ICF-CY categories. Out of the 161 categories, 53 (33.5%) were related to body functions, 75 (46%) were related to activities/participation, 26 (16.1%) were related to environmental factors, and 7 (4.3%) were related to body structures. This systematic review provides information about content of measures that may guide researchers and clinicians in their selection of an outcome measure for use in a study and/or clinical practice with children with CP. Copyright © 2013 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Review Article: Mapping of children's health and development data on population level using the classification system ICF-CY.

Science.gov (United States)

Ståhl, Ylva; Granlund, Mats; Gäre-Andersson, Boel; Enskär, Karin

2011-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate if essential health and development data of all children in Sweden in the Child Health Service (CHS) and School Health Service (SHS) can be linked to the classification system International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health--Children and Youth (ICF-CY). Lists of essential health terms, compiled by professionals from CHS and SHS, expected to be used in the national standardised records form the basis for the analysis in this study. The essential health terms have been linked to the codes of ICF-CY by using linking rules and a verification procedure. After exclusion of terms not directly describing children's health, a majority of the health terms could be linked into the ICF-CY with a high proportion of terms in body functions and a lower proportion in activity/participation and environment respectively. Some health terms had broad description and were linked to several ICF-CY codes. The precision of the health terms was at a medium level of detail. ICF-CY can be useful as a tool for documenting child health. It provides not only a code useful for statistical purposes but also a language useful for the CHS and SHS in their work on individual as well as population levels. It was noted that the health terms used by services mainly focused on health related to body function. This indicates that more focus is needed on health data related to child's functioning in everyday life situations.

Sequim Marine Research Laboratory routine environmental measurements during CY-1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fix, J.J.; Blumer, P.J.

1978-06-01

Beginning in 1976, a routine environmental program was established at the Marine Research Laboratory (MRL) at Sequim, Washington. The program is intended to demonstrate the negligible impact of current MRL operations on the surrounding environs and to provide baseline data through which any cumulative impact could be detected. The sampling frequency is greater during the first 2 years of the program to provide sufficient initial information to allow reliable estimates of observed radionuclide concentrations and to construct a long-term sampling program. The program is designed, primarily, to determine levels of radioactivity present in selected biota in Sequim Bay. The biota were selected because of their presence near the laboratory and their capacity to concentrate trace elements. Other samples were obtained to determine the radionuclides in Sequim Bay and laboratory drinking water, as well as the ambient radiation exposure levels and surface deposition of fallout radionuclides for the laboratory area. Appendix A provides a summary of the analytical methods used. The present document includes data obtained during CY 1977 in addition to CY-1976 data published previously

Bringing your tools to CyVerse Discovery Environment using Docker [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Upendra Kumar Devisetty

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Docker has become a very popular container-based virtualization platform for software distribution that has revolutionized the way in which scientific software and software dependencies (software stacks can be packaged, distributed, and deployed. Docker makes the complex and time-consuming installation procedures needed for scientific software a one-time process. Because it enables platform-independent installation, versioning of software environments, and easy redeployment and reproducibility, Docker is an ideal candidate for the deployment of identical software stacks on different compute environments such as XSEDE and Amazon AWS. CyVerse’s Discovery Environment also uses Docker for integrating its powerful, community-recommended software tools into CyVerse’s production environment for public use. This paper will help users bring their tools into CyVerse Discovery Environment (DE which will not only allows users to integrate their tools with relative ease compared to the earlier method of tool deployment in DE but will also help users to share their apps with collaborators and release them for public use.

Borehole data package for the 100-K area ground water wells, CY 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, B.A.

1994-01-01

Borehole, hydrogeologic and geophysical logs, drilling, as-built diagrams, sampling, and well construction information and data for RCRA compliant groundwater monitoring wells installed in CY 1994 at the 100-K Basins

CyAN satellite-derived Cyanobacteria products in support of Public Health Protection

Science.gov (United States)

The timely distribution of satellite-derived cyanoHAB data is necessary for adaptive water quality management decision-making and for targeted deployment of existing government and non-government water quality monitoring resources. The Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) is a...

Radiological NESHAP Annual Report CY 2015 Sandia National Laboratories New Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evelo, Stacie [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-05-01

This report provides a summary of the radionuclide releases from the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration facilities at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) during Calendar Year (CY) 2015, including the data, calculations, and supporting documentation for demonstrating compliance with 40 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 61.

Families' perception of children / adolescents with language impairment through the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF-CY).

Science.gov (United States)

Ostroschi, Daniele Theodoro; Zanolli, Maria de Lurdes; Chun, Regina Yu Shon

2017-05-22

To investigate the perception of family members regarding linguistic conditions and social participation of children and adolescents with speech and language impairments using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health - Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY). Quali-quantitative approach research, in which a survey of medical records of 24 children/adolescents undergoing speech-language therapy and interviews with their family members was conducted. A descriptive analysis of the participants' profiles was performed, followed by a categorization of responses using the ICF-CY. All family members mentioned various aspects of speech/language categorized by the ICF-CY. Initially, they approached it as an organic issue, categorized under the component of Body Functions and Structures. Most reported different repercussions of the speech-language impairments on the domains, such as dealing with stress and speaking, qualified from mild to severe. Participants reported Environmental Factors categorized as facilitators in the immediate family's attitudes and as barriers in the social attitudes. These findings, according to the use of the ICF-CY, demonstrate that the children/adolescents' speech-language impairments, from the families' perception, are primarily understood in the body dimension. However, guided by a broader approach to health, the findings in the Activities and Participation and Environmental Factors demonstrate a broader understanding of the participants of the speech-language impairments. The results corroborate the importance of using the ICF-CY as a health care analysis tool, by incorporating functionality and participation aspects and providing subsidies for the construction of unique therapeutic projects in a broader approach to the health of the group studied.

Studying the Genetics of Resistance to CyHV-3 Disease Using Introgression from Feral to Cultured Common Carp Strains

Science.gov (United States)

Tadmor-Levi, Roni; Asoulin, Efrat; Hulata, Gideon; David, Lior

2017-01-01

Sustainability and further development of aquaculture production are constantly challenged by outbreaks of fish diseases, which are difficult to prevent or control. Developing fish strains that are genetically resistant to a disease is a cost-effective and a sustainable solution to address this challenge. To do so, heritable genetic variation in disease resistance should be identified and combined together with other desirable production traits. Aquaculture of common carp has suffered substantial losses from the infectious disease caused by the cyprinid herpes virus type 3 (CyHV-3) virus and the global spread of outbreaks indicates that many cultured strains are susceptible. In this research, CyHV-3 resistance from the feral strain “Amur Sassan” was successfully introgressed into two susceptible cultured strains up to the first backcross (BC1) generation. Variation in resistance of families from F1 and BC1 generations was significantly greater compared to that among families of any of the susceptible parental lines, a good starting point for a family selection program. Considerable additive genetic variation was found for CyHV-3 resistance. This phenotype was transferable between generations with contributions to resistance from both the resistant feral and the susceptible cultured strains. Reduced scale coverage (mirror phenotype) is desirable and common in cultured strains, but so far, cultured mirror carp strains were found to be susceptible. Here, using BC1 families ranging from susceptible to resistant, no differences in resistance levels between fully scaled and mirror full-sib groups were found, indicating that CyHV-3 resistance was successfully combined with the desirable mirror phenotype. In addition, the CyHV-3 viral load in tissues throughout the infection of susceptible and resistant fish was followed. Although resistant fish get infected, viral loads in tissues of these fish are significantly lesser than in those of susceptible fish, allowing them

CyLineUp: A Cytoscape app for visualizing data in network small multiples.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Maria Cecília D; Slijkhuis, Thijs; Ligterink, Wilco; Hilhorst, Henk W M; de Ridder, Dick; Nijveen, Harm

2016-01-01

CyLineUp is a Cytoscape 3 app for the projection of high-throughput measurement data from multiple experiments/samples on a network or pathway map using "small multiples". This visualization method allows for easy comparison of different experiments in the context of the network or pathway. The user can import various kinds of measurement data and select any appropriate Cytoscape network or WikiPathways pathway map. CyLineUp creates small multiples by replicating the loaded network as many times as there are experiments/samples (e.g. time points, stress conditions, tissues, etc.). The measurement data for each experiment are then mapped onto the nodes (genes, proteins etc.) of the corresponding network using a color gradient. Each step of creating the visualization can be customized to the user's needs. The results can be exported as a high quality vector image.

Administration of cyclosporine a (CyA) to rats from birth: increased mortality and NK activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clancy, J. Jr.; Tseng, G.; Kodali, S.; Love, S.

1986-01-01

Neonatal DA and LEW rats received 15, 7.5, and 3.75 mg/Kg of CyA or saline subcutaneously 3x each week for 1-12 weeks. In animals receiving 15 and 7.5 mg/Kg a significant (p 51 Cr release from YAC-1 target cells. Also, SPL cells stained with propidium iodide from the 3.75 mg/Kg group demonstrated a 1.5-2x increase in cells within the S phase of their cell cycle by flow cytometry. Thus, prolonged administration of CyA may have selective enhancing effects on certain lymphoid compartments and subpopulations of neonatal rats as well as a selective toxic effects on neonatal rat development

The internal anticipation of sensory action effects: when action induces FFA and PPA activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone Kühn

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Voluntary action – in particular the ability to produce desired effects in the environment – is fundamental to human existence. According to ideomotor theory we can achieve goals in the environment by means of anticipating their outcomes. We aimed at providing neurophysiological evidence for the assumption that performing actions calls for the activation of brain areas associated with the sensory effects usually evoked by the actions. We conducted an fMRI study in which right and left button presses lead to the presentation of face and house pictures. We compared a baseline phase with the same phase after participants experienced the association between button presses and pictures. We found an increase in the parahippocampal place area (PPA for the response that has been associated with house pictures and fusiform face area (FFA for the response that has been coupled with face pictures. This observation constitutes support for ideomotor theory.

Interactions of AsCy3 with cysteine-rich peptides.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Seth C; Schepartz, Alanna

2014-07-18

There is great interest in fluorogenic compounds that tag biomolecules within cells. Biarsenicals are fluorogenic compounds that become fluorescent upon binding four proximal Cys thiols, a tetracysteine (Cys(4)) motif. This work details interactions between the biarsenical AsCy3 and Cys(4) peptides. Maximal affinity was observed when two Cys-Cys pairs were separated by at least 8 amino acids; the highest affinity ligand bound in the nanomolar concentration range (K(app) = 43 nM) and with a significant (3.2-fold) fluorescence enhancement.

Atomic-layer-deposited WNxCy thin films as diffusion barrier for copper metallization

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Soo-Hyun; Oh, Su Suk; Kim, Ki-Bum; Kang, Dae-Hwan; Li, Wei-Min; Haukka, Suvi; Tuominen, Marko

2003-06-01

The properties of WNxCy films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using WF6, NH3, and triethyl boron as source gases were characterized as a diffusion barrier for copper metallization. It is noted that the as-deposited film shows an extremely low resistivity of about 350 μΩ cm with a film density of 15.37 g/cm3. The film composition measured from Rutherford backscattering spectrometry shows W, C, and N of ˜48, 32, and 20 at. %, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy analyses show that the as-deposited film is composed of face-centered-cubic phase with a lattice parameter similar to both β-WC1-x and β-W2N with an equiaxed microstructure. The barrier property of this ALD-WNxCy film at a nominal thickness of 12 nm deposited between Cu and Si fails only after annealing at 700 °C for 30 min.

CY2003 RCRA GROUNDWATER MONITORING WELL SUMMARY REPORT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MARTINEZ, C.R.

2003-01-01

This report describes the calendar year (CY) 2003 field activities associated with the installation of two new groundwater monitoring wells in the A-AX Waste Management Area (WMA) and four groundwater monitoring wells in WMA C in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. All six wells were installed by Fluor Hanford Inc. (FH) for CH2M Hill Hanford Group, Inc. (CHG) in support of Draft Hanford Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) M-24-00 milestones and ''Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976'' (RCRA) groundwater monitoring requirements. Drilling data for the six wells are summarized in Table 1

40 CFR 721.9527 - Bis(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidin-4-ol) ester of cy-clo-ali-phatic spiroketal.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Bis(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidin-4-ol) ester of cy-clo-ali-phatic spiroketal. 721.9527 Section 721.9527 Protection of Environment...-piperidin-4-ol) ester of cy-clo-ali-phatic spiroketal. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses...

[Combination Chemotherapy Including Intraperitoneal(IP)Administration of Paclitaxel(PTX)followed by PTX, CDDP and S-1Triplet Chemotherapy for CY1P0 Gastric Cancer].

Science.gov (United States)

Shinkai, Masayuki; Imano, Motohiro; Hiraki, Yoko; Kato, Hiroaki; Iwama, Mitsuru; Shiraishi, Osamu; Yasuda, Atsushi; Kimura, Yutaka; Imamoto, Haruhiko; Furukawa, Hiroshi; Yasuda, Takushi

2017-11-01

We evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of combination chemotherapy including single intraperitoneal( IP)administration of paclitaxel(PTX), followed by triplet chemotherapy(PTX, cisplatin[CDDP]and S-1: PCS)for CY1P0 gastric cancer. First of all, we performed staging laparoscopy and confirmed CY1P0, and secondary, administrated PTX intraperitoneally. Thirdly, patients received PCS chemotherapy for 2 courses. After antitumor effect had been confirmed, we performed second look laparoscopy. In the case of CY0P0, we performed gastrectomy with D2 lymph nodes dissection. Total 4 patients were enrolled. Grade 3 leukopenia and neutropenia were observed in one patient while intraperitoneal and systemic-chemotherapy. One patients showed PR and 3 patients showed SD. All patients underwent second look laparoscopy. CY0P0 was observed in all patients and gastrectomy with D2 dissection was performed for all patients. Postoperative complications were observed in 2 patients. Two patients were still alive without recurrence, while the remaining 2 had died of liver metastasis and #16 LN metastasis. Combination chemotherapy including single IP PTX followed by PCS systemic-chemotherapy for CY1P0 gastric cancer is feasible and efficient.

Targeted genomic enrichment and sequencing of CyHV-3 from carp tissues confirms low nucleotide diversity and mixed genotype infections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saliha Hammoumi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Koi herpesvirus disease (KHVD is an emerging disease that causes mass mortality in koi and common carp, Cyprinus carpio L. Its causative agent is Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3, also known as koi herpesvirus (KHV. Although data on the pathogenesis of this deadly virus is relatively abundant in the literature, still little is known about its genomic diversity and about the molecular mechanisms that lead to such a high virulence. In this context, we developed a new strategy for sequencing full-length CyHV-3 genomes directly from infected fish tissues. Total genomic DNA extracted from carp gill tissue was specifically enriched with CyHV-3 sequences through hybridization to a set of nearly 2 million overlapping probes designed to cover the entire genome length, using KHV-J sequence (GenBank accession number AP008984 as reference. Applied to 7 CyHV-3 specimens from Poland and Indonesia, this targeted genomic enrichment enabled recovery of the full genomes with >99.9% reference coverage. The enrichment rate was directly correlated to the estimated number of viral copies contained in the DNA extracts used for library preparation, which varied between ∼5000 and ∼2×107. The average sequencing depth was >200 for all samples, thus allowing the search for variants with high confidence. Sequence analyses highlighted a significant proportion of intra-specimen sequence heterogeneity, suggesting the presence of mixed infections in all investigated fish. They also showed that inter-specimen genetic diversity at the genome scale was very low (>99.95% of sequence identity. By enabling full genome comparisons directly from infected fish tissues, this new method will be valuable to trace outbreaks rapidly and at a reasonable cost, and in turn to understand the transmission routes of CyHV-3.

Neuroradiological findings in primary progressive aphasia: CT, MRI and cerebral perfusion SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinnatamby, R.; Antoun, N.A.; Freer, C.E.L.; Miles, K.A.; Hodges, J.R.

1996-01-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is defined as progressive decline in language for 2 or more years with preservation of activities of daily living and general cognitive functions. Whereas the clinical features of this syndrome have been well documented, the neuroradiological findings have not been studied systematically. We studied 13 patients with PPA retrospectively: 10 underwent CT, 12 MRI and 12 cerebral perfusion studies using 99m Tc-HMPAO SPECT. CT and MR images were scored for focal atrophy by two independent assessors. Initial qualitative assessment of SPECT images was confirmed by quantitative analysis. CY was normal in 5 patients. Focal atrophy, affecting predominantly the left temporal lobe, was seen in 4 of 10 patients on CT, and 10 of 12 on MRI. Atrophy was localised primarily to the superior and middle temporal gyri on MRI. All 12 patients who underwent SPECT had unilateral temporal lobe perfusion defects, in 2 patients of whom MRI was normal. CT is relatively insensitive to focal abnormalities in PPA; MRI and SPECT are the imaging modalities of choice. MRI allows accurate, specific localisation of atrophy with the temporal neocortex. SPECT may reveal a functional decrease in cerebral perfusion prior to establishment of structural change. (orig.)

Neuroradiological findings in primary progressive aphasia: CT, MRI and cerebral perfusion SPECT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinnatamby, R. [Dept. of Radiology, Addenbrooke`s Hospital NHS Trust, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Antoun, N.A. [Dept. of Radiology, Addenbrooke`s Hospital NHS Trust, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Freer, C.E.L. [Dept. of Radiology, Addenbrooke`s Hospital NHS Trust, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Miles, K.A. [Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, Addenbrooke`s Hospital NHS Trust, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Hodges, J.R. [Dept. of Neurology, Addenbrooke`s Hospital NHS Trust, Cambridge (United Kingdom)

1996-04-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is defined as progressive decline in language for 2 or more years with preservation of activities of daily living and general cognitive functions. Whereas the clinical features of this syndrome have been well documented, the neuroradiological findings have not been studied systematically. We studied 13 patients with PPA retrospectively: 10 underwent CT, 12 MRI and 12 cerebral perfusion studies using {sup 99m}Tc-HMPAO SPECT. CT and MR images were scored for focal atrophy by two independent assessors. Initial qualitative assessment of SPECT images was confirmed by quantitative analysis. CY was normal in 5 patients. Focal atrophy, affecting predominantly the left temporal lobe, was seen in 4 of 10 patients on CT, and 10 of 12 on MRI. Atrophy was localised primarily to the superior and middle temporal gyri on MRI. All 12 patients who underwent SPECT had unilateral temporal lobe perfusion defects, in 2 patients of whom MRI was normal. CT is relatively insensitive to focal abnormalities in PPA; MRI and SPECT are the imaging modalities of choice. MRI allows accurate, specific localisation of atrophy with the temporal neocortex. SPECT may reveal a functional decrease in cerebral perfusion prior to establishment of structural change. (orig.)

Age-dependent oxidation of extracellular cysteine/cystine redox state (Eh(Cys/CySS)) in mouse lung fibroblasts is mediated by a decline in Slc7a11 expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yuxuan; Ritzenthaler, Jeffrey D; Burke, Tom J; Otero, Javier; Roman, Jesse; Watson, Walter H

2018-04-01

Aging is associated with progressive oxidation of the extracellular environment. The redox state of human plasma, defined by the concentrations of cysteine (Cys) and cystine (CySS), becomes more oxidized as we age. Recently, we showed that fibroblasts isolated from the lungs of young and old mice retain this differential phenotype; old cells produce and maintain a more oxidizing extracellular redox potential (E h (Cys/CySS)) than young cells. Microarray analysis identified down-regulation of Slc7a11, the light subunit of the CySS/glutamate transporter, as a potential mediator of age-related oxidation in these cells. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mechanistic link between Slc7a11 expression and extracellular E h (Cys/CySS). Sulforaphane treatment or overexpression of Slc7a11 was used to increase Slc7a11 in lung fibroblasts from old mice, and sulfasalazine treatment or siRNA-mediated knock down was used to decrease Slc7a11 in young fibroblasts. Slc7a11 mRNA levels were measured by real-time PCR, Slc7a11 activity was determined by measuring the rate of glutamate release, Cys, CySS, glutathione (GSH) and its disulfide (GSSG) were measured by HPLC, and E h (Cys/CySS) was calculated from the Nernst equation. The results showed that both E h (Cys/CySS) and E h (GSH/GSSG) were more oxidized in the conditioned media of old cells than in young cells. Up-regulation of Slc7a11 via overexpression or sulforaphane treatment restored extracellular E h (Cys/CySS) in cultures of old cells, whereas down-regulation reproduced the oxidizing E h (Cys/CySS) in young cells. Only sulforaphane treatment was able to increase total GSH and restore E h (GSH/GSSG), whereas overexpression, knock down and sulfasalazine had no effect on these parameters. In addition, inhibition of GSH synthesis with buthionine sulfoximine had no effect on the ability of cells to restore their extracellular redox potential in response to an oxidative challenge. In conclusion, our study

Gamma radiolytic stability of CyMe4BTBP and effect of nitric acid

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Schmidt, H.; Wilden, A.; Modolo, G.; Švehla, Jaroslav; Grüner, Bohumír; Ekberg, C.

Roč. 60, č. 4 ( 2015 ), s. 879-884 ISSN 0029-5922 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) 7G13003 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 323282 - SACSESS Institutional support: RVO:61388980 Keywords : CyMe4BTBP * Protective effect * Gamma radiolysis * Liquid-liquid extraction * Nitric acid Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 0.546, year: 2015

Feasibility of the Participation and Activity Inventory for Children and Youth (PAI-CY) and Young Adults (PAI-YA) with a visual impairment: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Elsman, Ellen Bernadette Maria; van Nispen, Ruth Marie Antoinette; van Rens, Gerardus Hermanus Maria Bartholomeus

2017-05-11

Having a visual impairment affects quality of life, daily functioning and participation. To assess rehabilitation needs of visually impaired children and young adults, the Participation and Activity Inventory for Children and Youth (PAI-CY) and Young Adults (PAI-YA) were developed. The PAI-CY comprises four questionnaires for different age categories: 0-2 years, 3-6 years, 7-12 years and 13-17 years. This pilot study assesses the feasibility and acceptability of the PAI-CY and PAI-YA, and the relevance of the content of the questionnaires. In addition to the regular admission procedure, the PAI-CY and PAI-YA were completed by 30 participants (six per questionnaire). For the PAI-CY, parents completed the questionnaire online prior to admission. From age 7 years onwards, children completed the questionnaire face-to-face with a rehabilitation professional during the admission procedure. Young adults completed the PAI-YA online. Subsequently, participants and professionals administered an evaluation form. Overall, 85% of the parents rated all aspects of the PAI-CY neutral to positive, whereas 100% of all children and young adults were neutral to positive on all aspects, except for the duration to complete. The main criticism of professionals was that they were unable to identify actual rehabilitation needs using the questionnaires. Minor adjustments were recommended for the content of questions. Parents, children and young adults were mostly satisfied with the questionnaires, however, professionals suggested some changes. The adaptations made should improve satisfaction with content, clarification of questions, and satisfaction with the questionnaires in compiling a rehabilitation plan. Although face and content validity has been optimized, a larger field study is taking place to further develop and evaluate the questionnaires.

The role of humic substances in the anaerobic reductive dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid by Comamonas koreensis strain CY01

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Yibo [College of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Lab of Biotechnology for Plant Development, Guangzhou, 510631 (China)] [Guangdong Institute of Eco-environment and Soil Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650 (China)] [College of Life Science and Chemistry, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui, 741000 (China); Wu Chunyuan [Guangdong Institute of Eco-environment and Soil Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650 (China); Wang Xiaojing, E-mail: wangyb02@163.com [College of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Lab of Biotechnology for Plant Development, Guangzhou, 510631 (China); Zhou Shungui, E-mail: sgzhou@soil.gd.cn [Guangdong Institute of Eco-environment and Soil Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650 (China)

2009-05-30

The role of the humic model compound, anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS), in the anaerobic reductive dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) by the Fe(III)- and humic substances (HS)-reducing bacterium, Comamonas koreensis strain CY01 was investigated. The results taken as a whole indicated that (i) strain CY01 could couple glucose oxidation to 2,4-D reductive dechlorination; (ii) reductive dechlorination of 2,4-D by strain CY01 was greatly stimulated by the addition of AQDS; (iii) the transfer of electrons from biogenic AH{sub 2}QDS to 2,4-D was an abiotic process which can take place in the absence of microorganisms; and (iv) AH{sub 2}QDS was reoxidized during the chemical reaction, AQDS can serve again as electron acceptor for microorganisms, thus acting as electron shuttles. All the results suggested that 2,4-D reductive dechlorination by CY01 strain was a biochemical process that oxidizes the electron donors and transfers the electron to the acceptors through redox mediator, AQDS. We proposed the possible mechanism for the HS dependent reduction of 2,4-D. Our results suggested that microbial reduction of HS and subsequent chemical reduction of organic pollutants represent an important path of electron flow in anoxic natural environments. This work is a necessary preliminary step for better understanding the biodegradation of 2,4-D in subsurface soil.

Nonfluent/Agrammatic PPA with In-Vivo Cortical Amyloidosis and Pick’s Disease Pathology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Caso

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The role of biomarkers in predicting pathological findings in the frontotemporal dementia (FTD clinical spectrum disorders is still being explored. We present comprehensive, prospective longitudinal data for a 66 year old, right-handed female who met current criteria for the nonfluent/agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA. She first presented with a 3-year history of progressive speech and language impairment mainly characterized by severe apraxia of speech. Neuropsychological and general motor functions remained relatively spared throughout the clinical course. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM showed selective cortical atrophy of the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus (IFG and underlying insula that worsened over time, extending along the left premotor strip. Five years after her first evaluation, she developed mild memory impairment and underwent PET-FDG and PiB scans that showed left frontal hypometabolism and cortical amyloidosis. Three years later (11 years from first symptom, post-mortem histopathological evaluation revealed Pick's disease, with severe degeneration of left IFG, mid-insula, and precentral gyrus. Alzheimer’s disease (AD (CERAD frequent/Braak Stage V was also detected. This patient demonstrates that biomarkers indicating brain amyloidosis should not be considered conclusive evidence that AD pathology accounts for a typical FTD clinical/anatomical syndrome.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant CY 2000 Site Environmental Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westinghouse TRU Solutions, LLC; Environmental Science and Research Foundation, Inc.

2001-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office and Westinghouse TRU Solutions, LLC (WTS) are dedicated to maintaining high quality management of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) environmental resources. DOE Order 5400.1, General Environmental Protection Program, and DOE Order 231.1, Environmental, Safety, and Health Reporting, require that the environment at and near DOE facilities be monitored to ensure the safety and health of the public and the environment. This Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 2000 Site Environmental Report summarizes environmental data from calendar year (CY) 2000 that characterize environmental management performance and demonstrate compliance with federal and state regulations. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE Order 5400.1, DOE Order 231.1, the Environmental Regulatory Guide for Radiological Effluent Monitoring and Environmental Surveillance (DOE/EH-0173T), and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Environmental Protect ion Implementation Plan (DOE/WIPP 96-2199). The above orders and guidance documents require that DOE facilities submit an Annual Site Environmental Report to DOE Headquarters, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health. The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive description of operational environmental monitoring activities, to provide an abstract of environmental activities conducted to characterize site environmental management performance to confirm compliance with environmental standards and requirements, and to highlight significant programs and efforts of environmental merit at WIPP during CY 2000. The format of this report follows guidance offered in a June 1, 2001 memo from DOE's Office of Policy and Guidance with the subject ''Guidance for the preparation of Department of Energy (DOE) Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs) for Calendar Year 2000.'' WIPP received its first shipment of waste on March 26, 1999. In 2000, no evidence was found of any adverse

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant CY 2000 Site Environmental Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Westinghouse TRU Solutions, LLC; Environmental Science and Research Foundation, Inc.

2001-12-31

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office and Westinghouse TRU Solutions, LLC (WTS) are dedicated to maintaining high quality management of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) environmental resources. DOE Order 5400.1, General Environmental Protection Program, and DOE Order 231.1, Environmental, Safety, and Health Reporting, require that the environment at and near DOE facilities be monitored to ensure the safety and health of the public and the environment. This Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 2000 Site Environmental Report summarizes environmental data from calendar year (CY) 2000 that characterize environmental management performance and demonstrate compliance with federal and state regulations. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE Order 5400.1, DOE Order 231.1, the Environmental Regulatory Guide for Radiological Effluent Monitoring and Environmental Surveillance (DOE/EH-0173T), and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Environmental Protect ion Implementation Plan (DOE/WIPP 96-2199). The above orders and guidance documents require that DOE facilities submit an Annual Site Environmental Report to DOE Headquarters, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health. The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive description of operational environmental monitoring activities, to provide an abstract of environmental activities conducted to characterize site environmental management performance to confirm compliance with environmental standards and requirements, and to highlight significant programs and efforts of environmental merit at WIPP during CY 2000. The format of this report follows guidance offered in a June 1, 2001 memo from DOE's Office of Policy and Guidance with the subject ''Guidance for the preparation of Department of Energy (DOE) Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs) for Calendar Year 2000.'' WIPP received its first shipment of waste on March 26, 1999. In 2000, no

Effects of hippotherapy on body functions, activities and participation in children with cerebral palsy based on ICF-CY assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Yueh-Ling; Yang, Chen-Chia; Sun, Shih-Heng; Chan, Shu-Ya; Wang, Tze-Hsuan; Luo, Hong-Ji

2017-08-01

To evaluate the effects of hippotherapy on body functions, activities, and participation in children with CP of various functional levels by using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth (ICF-CY) checklist. Fourteen children with cerebral palsy (CP) (3-8 years of age) were recruited for a 36-week study composed of baseline, intervention, and withdrawal phases (12 weeks for each phase, ABA design). Hippotherapy was implemented for 30 min once weekly for 12 consecutive weeks during the intervention phase. Body Functions (b) and Activities and Participation (d) components of the ICF-CY checklist were used as outcome measures at the initial interview and at the end of each phase. Over the 12 weeks of hippotherapy, significant improvements in ICF-CY qualifiers were found in neuromusculoskeletal and movement-related functions (b7), mobility (d4) and major life areas (d8) and, in particular, mobility of joint functions (b710), muscle tone functions (b735), involuntary movement reaction functions (b755), involuntary movement functions (b765), and play (d811) (all p hippotherapy on body functions, activities, and participation in children with CP. Implications for Rehabilitation ICF-CY provides a comprehensive overview of functioning and disability and constitutes a universal language for identifying the benefits of hippotherapy in areas of functioning and disability in children with CP. In children with CP, hippotherapy encourages a more complementary approach that extends beyond their impairments and limitations in body functions, activities, and participation. The effect of hippotherapy was distinct from GMFCS levels and the majority of improvements were present in children with GMFCS levels I-III.

Bringing your tools to CyVerse Discovery Environment using Docker [version 2; referees: 3 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Upendra Kumar Devisetty

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Docker has become a very popular container-based virtualization platform for software distribution that has revolutionized the way in which scientific software and software dependencies (software stacks can be packaged, distributed, and deployed. Docker makes the complex and time-consuming installation procedures needed for scientific software a one-time process. Because it enables platform-independent installation, versioning of software environments, and easy redeployment and reproducibility, Docker is an ideal candidate for the deployment of identical software stacks on different compute environments such as XSEDE and Amazon AWS. Cyverse's Discovery Environment also uses Docker for integrating its powerful, community-recommended software tools into CyVerse's production environment for public use. This paper will help users bring their tools into CyVerse DE which will not only allows users to integrate their tools with relative ease compared to the earlier method of tool deployment in DE but also help users to share their apps with collaborators and also release them for public use.

Bringing your tools to CyVerse Discovery Environment using Docker [version 3; referees: 3 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Upendra Kumar Devisetty

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Docker has become a very popular container-based virtualization platform for software distribution that has revolutionized the way in which scientific software and software dependencies (software stacks can be packaged, distributed, and deployed. Docker makes the complex and time-consuming installation procedures needed for scientific software a one-time process. Because it enables platform-independent installation, versioning of software environments, and easy redeployment and reproducibility, Docker is an ideal candidate for the deployment of identical software stacks on different compute environments such as XSEDE and Amazon AWS. Cyverse's Discovery Environment also uses Docker for integrating its powerful, community-recommended software tools into CyVerse's production environment for public use. This paper will help users bring their tools into CyVerse DE which will not only allows users to integrate their tools with relative ease compared to the earlier method of tool deployment in DE but also help users to share their apps with collaborators and also release them for public use.

Empirical Testing of the CySeMoL Tool for Cyber Security Assessment – Case Study of Linux Server and MySQL

OpenAIRE

Rabbani, Talvia

2016-01-01

In this Master Thesis, several common applications used with MySQL and Linux server are modelled using the Enterprise Architecture Analysis Tool (EAAT) and the Cyber Security Modelling Language (CySeMoL), both developed by the Department of Industrial Information and Control System (ICS) at KTH. The objective of this study is to use the CySeMoL tool to evaluate the feasibility and correctness of the tool by simulating some particular type of attacks on a real life Linux server. A few common a...

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2016 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model; and Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-11-05

This final rule will update Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health agencies (HHAs), effective for episodes ending on or after January 1, 2016. As required by the Affordable Care Act, this rule implements the 3rd year of the 4-year phase-in of the rebasing adjustments to the HH PPS payment rates. This rule updates the HH PPS case-mix weights using the most current, complete data available at the time of rulemaking and provides a clarification regarding the use of the "initial encounter'' seventh character applicable to certain ICD-10-CM code categories. This final rule will also finalize reductions to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rate in CY 2016, CY 2017, and CY 2018 of 0.97 percent in each year to account for estimated case-mix growth unrelated to increases in patient acuity (nominal case-mix growth) between CY 2012 and CY 2014. In addition, this rule implements a HH value-based purchasing (HHVBP) model, beginning January 1, 2016, in which all Medicare-certified HHAs in selected states will be required to participate. Finally, this rule finalizes minor changes to the home health quality reporting program and minor technical regulations text changes.

The Cyber Defense (CyDef) Model for Assessing Countermeasure Capabilities.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kimura, Margot [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); DeVries, Troy Robert [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Gordon, Susanna P. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-06-01

Cybersecurity is essential to maintaining operations, and is now a de facto cost of business. Despite this, there is little consensus on how to systematically make decisions about cyber countermeasures investments. Identifying gaps and determining the expected return on investment (ROI) of adding a new cybersecurity countermeasure is frequently a hand-waving exercise at best. Worse, cybersecurity nomenclature is murky and frequently over-loaded, which further complicates issues by inhibiting clear communication. This paper presents a series of foundational models and nomenclature for discussing cybersecurity countermeasures, and then introduces the Cyber Defense (CyDef) model, which provides a systematic and intuitive way for decision-makers to effectively communicate with operations and device experts.

78 FR 41013 - Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update for CY 2014...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-09

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 42 CFR Parts 431 [CMS-1450-CN] RIN 0938-AR52 Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate... period titled ``Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update for CY...

GRAIN GROWTH IN THE CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS OF THE YOUNG STARS CY Tau AND DoAr 25

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pérez, Laura M.; Chandler, Claire J. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Isella, Andrea [Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 (United States); Carpenter, John M.; Sargent, Anneila I. [California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Andrews, Sean M.; Ricci, Luca [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Calvet, Nuria [University of Michigan, 830 Dennison Building, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Corder, Stuartt A. [Joint ALMA Observatory, Av. Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile); Deller, Adam T. [The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), 7990-AA Dwingeloo (Netherlands); Dullemond, Cornelis P. [Heidelberg University, Center for Astronomy, Albert Ueberle Str 2, Heidelberg (Germany); Greaves, Jane S. [University of St. Andrews, Physics and Astronomy, North Haugh, St. Andrews KY16 9SS (United Kingdom); Harris, Robert J. [University of Illinois, 1002 West Green St., Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Henning, Thomas; Linz, Hendrik [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Kwon, Woojin [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeok-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Lazio, Joseph [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91106 (United States); Mundy, Lee G.; Storm, Shaye [University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Tazzari, Marco [European Southern Observatory, Karl Schwarzschild str. 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany); and others

2015-11-01

We present new results from the Disks@EVLA program for two young stars: CY Tau and DoAr 25. We trace continuum emission arising from their circusmtellar disks from spatially resolved observations, down to tens of AU scales, at λ = 0.9, 2.8, 8.0, 9.8 mm for DoAr 25 and at λ = 1.3, 2.8, 7.1 mm for CY Tau. Additionally, we constrain the amount of emission whose origin is different from thermal dust emission from 5 cm observations. Directly from interferometric data, we find that observations at 7 mm and 1 cm trace emission from a compact disk while millimeter-wave observations trace an extended disk structure. From a physical disk model, where we characterize the disk structure of CY Tau and DoAr 25 at wavelengths shorter than 5 cm, we find that (1) dust continuum emission is optically thin at the observed wavelengths and over the spatial scales studied, (2) a constant value of the dust opacity is not warranted by our observations, and (3) a high-significance radial gradient of the dust opacity spectral index, β, is consistent with the observed dust emission in both disks, with low-β in the inner disk and high-β in the outer disk. Assuming that changes in dust properties arise solely due to changes in the maximum particle size (a{sub max}), we constrain radial variations of a{sub max} in both disks, from cm-sized particles in the inner disk (R < 40 AU) to millimeter sizes in the outer disk (R > 80 AU). These observational constraints agree with theoretical predictions of the radial-drift barrier, however, fragmentation of dust grains could explain our a{sub max}(R) constraints if these disks have lower turbulence and/or if dust can survive high-velocity collisions.

Area monitoring dosimeter program for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Results for CY 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bivins, S.R.; Stoetzel, G.A.

1998-07-01

In January 1993, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) established an area monitoring dosimeter program in accordance with Article 514 of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Radiological Control Manual (RCM). The purpose of the program was to minimize the number of areas requiring issuance of personnel dosimeters and to demonstrate that doses outside Radiological Buffer Areas are negligible. In accordance with 10 CFR Part 835.402 (a) (1)--(3) and Article 511.1 of the RCM, personnel dosimetry shall be provided to (1) radiological workers who are likely to receive at least 100 mrem annually, and (2) declared pregnant workers, minors, and members of the public who are likely to receive at least 50 mrem annually. Program results for calendar years (CY) 1993--1996 confirmed that personnel dosimetry was not needed for individuals located in areas monitored by the program. A total of 93 area thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were placed in PNNL facilities during CY 1997. The TLDs were exchanged and analyzed quarterly. All routine area monitoring TLD results were less than 50 mrem annually after correcting for worker occupancy. The results support the conclusions that personnel dosimeters are not necessary for staff, declared pregnant workers, minors, or members of the public in these monitored areas

Badania społeczne, jako instrument zwiększający efektywność energetyczną budownictwa w obszarach osiedli polskich z budynkami prefabrykowanymi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Ewa Ostańska

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Analizujemy obszary miejskie z prefabrykowanymi budynkami o niskiej jakości energetycznej. Za pomocą ankiety badamy opinie na temat możliwych ulepszeń energetycznych i analizujemy według wieku mieszkańców. Mieszkańcy są zainteresowani zmianami i chętni by brać udział w finansowaniu. Mieszkańcy potrzebują informacji na temat możliwych rozwiązań proekologicznych. Tego rodzaju ankiety zachęcają ludzi do myślenia o korzyściach z ulepszeń energetycznych.

Badania społeczne, jako instrument zwiększający efektywność energetyczną budownictwa w obszarach osiedli polskich z budynkami prefabrykowanymi

OpenAIRE

Anna Ewa Ostańska

2017-01-01

Analizujemy obszary miejskie z prefabrykowanymi budynkami o niskiej jakości energetycznej. Za pomocą ankiety badamy opinie na temat możliwych ulepszeń energetycznych i analizujemy według wieku mieszkańców. Mieszkańcy są zainteresowani zmianami i chętni by brać udział w finansowaniu. Mieszkańcy potrzebują informacji na temat możliwych rozwiązań proekologicznych. Tego rodzaju ankiety zachęcają ludzi do myślenia o korzyściach z ulepszeń energetycznych.

Budget Management Health System Only - SUS im Municipal Context: Analysis of Audit-SUS in PPA of Fortaleza and its Role in Social Control Strengthening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lizziane Souza Queiroz Franco de Oliveira

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The budget planning is the duty of every manager and fundamental for the implementation of key policies such as health. To implement them, it’s necessary to control the provision of these services; hence the importance of the audit. This article intends to, through documentary and bibliographic research, analyzing quantitative and qulitatively budgetary forecasting and execution aimed at audit’s actions - SUS, provideds for PPA/2014-2017 and LOA-2014, both the city of Fortaleza, in order to ascertain whether the municipal management performs its expenditure aimed at encouraging good planning and provide to society an efficient public management and responsive to social control.

Germylenes: structures, electron affinities, and singlet-triplet gaps of the conventional XGeCY(3) (X = H, F, Cl, Br, and I; Y = F and Cl) species and the unexpected cyclic XGeCY(3) (Y = Br and I) systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Bundhun, Ashwini; Abdallah, Hassan H; Ramasami, Ponnadurai; Schaefer, Henry F

2010-12-23

A systematic investigation of the X-Ge-CY(3) (X = H, F, Cl, Br, and I; Y = F, Cl, Br, and I) species is carried out using density functional theory. The basis sets used for all atoms (except iodine) in this work are of double-ζ plus polarization quality with additional s- and p-type diffuse functions, and denoted DZP++. Vibrational frequency analyses are performed to evaluate zero-point energy corrections and to determine the nature of the stationary points located. Predicted are four different forms of neutral-anion separations: adiabatic electron affinity (EA(ad)), zero-point vibrational energy corrected EA(ad(ZPVE)), vertical electron affinity (EA(vert)), and vertical detachment energy (VDE). The electronegativity (χ) reactivity descriptor for the halogens (X = F, Cl, Br, and I) is used as a tool to assess the interrelated properties of these germylenes. The topological position of the halogen atom bound to the divalent germanium center is well correlated with the trend in the electron affinities and singlet-triplet gaps. For the expected XGeCY(3) structures (X = H, F, Cl, Br, and I; Y = F and Cl), the predicted trend in the electron affinities is well correlated with simpler germylene derivatives (J. Phys. Chem. A 2009, 113, 8080). The predicted EA(ad(ZPVE)) values with the BHLYP functional range from 1.66 eV (FGeCCl(3)) to 2.20 eV (IGeCF(3)), while the singlet-triplet splittings range from 1.28 eV (HGeCF(3)) to 2.22 eV (FGeCCl(3)). The XGeCY(3) (Y = Br and I) species are most often characterized by three-membered cyclic systems involving the divalent germanium atom, the carbon atom, and a halogen atom.

ICF-CY as a Tool in Elementary School : An interview study of teacher experiences and perceptions of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth in their Work in Elementary School

OpenAIRE

Tulinius, Halla Kristín

2008-01-01

AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this study was to explore if ICF-CY can support teachers in elementary schools in their work in promoting children’s health, development and learning. A further aim was to bring forward what teachers experience as benefits and disadvantages in using the classification.   METHOD After an introduction to ICF-CY, six elementary school teachers filled in questionnaires based on ICF-CY for 94 children. In conjunction with this, the teachers were interviewed about their ...

Parental acceptance of behaviour-management techniques used in paediatric dentistry and its relation to parental dental anxiety and experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Boka, V; Arapostathis, K; Vretos, N; Kotsanos, N

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was to examine the acceptance by Greek parents of nine behaviour-management techniques and its association with several possible confounding factors. Following ethical approval, 106 parents whose 3- to 12-year-old children had been receiving treatment in a university postgraduate paediatric dental clinic, and 123 parents of children from a private paediatric dental practice agreed to participate. After being shown a video with nine behaviour-management techniques, parents rated the acceptance of each technique on a 0-10 scale. They were then asked to complete a questionnaire about demographics, their previous dental experience and dental anxiety (modified Corah dental anxiety scale). The best accepted technique was tell-show-do (9.76 ± 0.69), followed by parental presence/absence (PPA) technique (7.83 ± 3.06) and nitrous oxide inhalation sedation (7.09 ± 3.02). The least accepted techniques were passive restraint (4.21 ± 3.84) and general anaesthesia (4.21 ± 4.02). No correlations were found between acceptance of any individual management technique and parental age, gender, income, education, dental experience and dental anxiety or the child's age, gender and dental experience. Parents whose children had been treated at the University clinic had lower income and educational levels, and rated passive restraint, oral sedation and general anaesthesia higher than those from the private practice. When the parents were specifically asked to choose between general anaesthesia over any of the active or passive restraint, hand-over-mouth and voice control techniques, 10% preferred general anaesthesia, and these parents reported statistically significant more negative dental experience but not higher dental anxiety. Statistical significance of differences was explored using the Tukey-Kramer method. There was no correlation between parental dental experience and dental anxiety and the acceptance of any specific behaviour-management technique

Participant perceptions of use of CyWee Z as adjunct to rehabilitation of upper-limb function following stroke

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hale, Leigh A.; Satherley, Jessica A.; McMillan, Nicole J.; Milosavljevic, Stephan; Hijmans, Juha M.; King, Marcus J.

2012-01-01

This article reports on the perceptions of 14 adults with chronic stroke who participated in a pilot study to determine the utility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of using an adapted CyWee Z handheld game controller to play a variety of computer games aimed at improving upper-limb function.

Visual and statistical analysis of {sup 18}F-FDG PET in primary progressive aphasia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matias-Guiu, Jordi A.; Moreno-Ramos, Teresa; Garcia-Ramos, Rocio; Fernandez-Matarrubia, Marta; Oreja-Guevara, Celia; Matias-Guiu, Jorge [Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Department of Neurology, Madrid (Spain); Cabrera-Martin, Maria Nieves; Perez-Castejon, Maria Jesus; Rodriguez-Rey, Cristina; Ortega-Candil, Aida; Carreras, Jose Luis [San Carlos Health Research Institute (IdISSC) Complutense University of Madrid, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid (Spain)

2015-05-01

Diagnosing progressive primary aphasia (PPA) and its variants is of great clinical importance, and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) may be a useful diagnostic technique. The purpose of this study was to evaluate interobserver variability in the interpretation of FDG PET images in PPA as well as the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the technique. We also aimed to compare visual and statistical analyses of these images. There were 10 raters who analysed 44 FDG PET scans from 33 PPA patients and 11 controls. Five raters analysed the images visually, while the other five used maps created using Statistical Parametric Mapping software. Two spatial normalization procedures were performed: global mean normalization and cerebellar normalization. Clinical diagnosis was considered the gold standard. Inter-rater concordance was moderate for visual analysis (Fleiss' kappa 0.568) and substantial for statistical analysis (kappa 0.756-0.881). Agreement was good for all three variants of PPA except for the nonfluent/agrammatic variant studied with visual analysis. The sensitivity and specificity of each rater's diagnosis of PPA was high, averaging 87.8 and 89.9 % for visual analysis and 96.9 and 90.9 % for statistical analysis using global mean normalization, respectively. In cerebellar normalization, sensitivity was 88.9 % and specificity 100 %. FDG PET demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of PPA and its variants. Inter-rater concordance was higher for statistical analysis, especially for the nonfluent/agrammatic variant. These data support the use of FDG PET to evaluate patients with PPA and show that statistical analysis methods are particularly useful for identifying the nonfluent/agrammatic variant of PPA. (orig.)

Visual and statistical analysis of 18F-FDG PET in primary progressive aphasia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matias-Guiu, Jordi A.; Moreno-Ramos, Teresa; Garcia-Ramos, Rocio; Fernandez-Matarrubia, Marta; Oreja-Guevara, Celia; Matias-Guiu, Jorge; Cabrera-Martin, Maria Nieves; Perez-Castejon, Maria Jesus; Rodriguez-Rey, Cristina; Ortega-Candil, Aida; Carreras, Jose Luis

2015-01-01

Diagnosing progressive primary aphasia (PPA) and its variants is of great clinical importance, and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) may be a useful diagnostic technique. The purpose of this study was to evaluate interobserver variability in the interpretation of FDG PET images in PPA as well as the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the technique. We also aimed to compare visual and statistical analyses of these images. There were 10 raters who analysed 44 FDG PET scans from 33 PPA patients and 11 controls. Five raters analysed the images visually, while the other five used maps created using Statistical Parametric Mapping software. Two spatial normalization procedures were performed: global mean normalization and cerebellar normalization. Clinical diagnosis was considered the gold standard. Inter-rater concordance was moderate for visual analysis (Fleiss' kappa 0.568) and substantial for statistical analysis (kappa 0.756-0.881). Agreement was good for all three variants of PPA except for the nonfluent/agrammatic variant studied with visual analysis. The sensitivity and specificity of each rater's diagnosis of PPA was high, averaging 87.8 and 89.9 % for visual analysis and 96.9 and 90.9 % for statistical analysis using global mean normalization, respectively. In cerebellar normalization, sensitivity was 88.9 % and specificity 100 %. FDG PET demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of PPA and its variants. Inter-rater concordance was higher for statistical analysis, especially for the nonfluent/agrammatic variant. These data support the use of FDG PET to evaluate patients with PPA and show that statistical analysis methods are particularly useful for identifying the nonfluent/agrammatic variant of PPA. (orig.)

"Cy Twombly: Intérprete de dos mundos" [Un artista entre Estados Unidos y Europa, entre lo clásico y lo contemporáneo

OpenAIRE

Gras Cruz, Irene

2017-01-01

Esta tesis “Cy Twombly: Intérprete de dos mundos” [Un artista entre Estados Unidos y Europa, entre lo clásico y lo contemporáneo] pretende dar a conocer al artista norteamericano Cy Twombly (1928-2011) en nuestro país y destacar la importancia que tiene dentro del panorama artístico como figura clave en un momento de efervescencia —artística y creativa— americana en el que a diferencia de sus coetáneos prefirió emigrar a Europa, concretamente a Italia. Mientras todos se trasladaban a la nueva...

Y-12 Groundwater Protection Program CY 2009 Triennial Report Of The Monitoring Well Inspection And Maintenance Program, Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-06-01

This document is the triennial report for the Well Inspection and Maintenance Program of the Y- 12 Groundwater Protection Program (GWPP), at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). This report formally documents well inspection events conducted on active and inactive wells at Y-12 during calendar years (CY) 2007 through 2009; it documents well maintenance and plugging and abandonment activities completed since the last triennial inspection event (CY 2006); and provides summary tables of well inspection events, well maintenance events, and well plugging and abandonment events during the reference time period.

U.S. Army Deployment Injury Surveillance Summary, CY 2007 1 January 2007 - 31 December 2007

Science.gov (United States)

2007-12-31

percent), football (15 percent), PT (15 percent), and weightlifting (14 percent). 8 Injury Prevention Report No. 12-HF-OAN7A-09, 1 Jan -31 Dec 07...Washington, DC 20310 SUBJECT: Injury Prevention Report No. 12-HF-OAN7A-09, US Army Deployment Injury Surveillance Summary, CY 2007. 1. We are enclosing a...copy of the subject report with an Executive Summary. The ASA(I&E) provided initial funding in 2004 for the USACHPPM to conduct deployment injury

76 FR 40497 - Medicare Program; Changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System for CY 2012...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-08

... problems accessing any of the Addenda to the proposed and final rules that are posted on the CMS Web site.... Statement of Need 3. Overall Impact B. Detailed Economic Analysis 1. CY 2012 End-Stage Renal Disease... transition) period during which ESRD facilities receive a blend of payments under the prior basic case-mix...

The Impact of Speech Impairment in Early Childhood: Investigating Parents' and Speech-Language Pathologists' Perspectives Using the ICF-CY

Science.gov (United States)

McCormack, Jane; McLeod, Sharynne; Harrison, Linda J.; McAllister, Lindy

2010-01-01

Purpose: To explore the application of the Activities and Participation component of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health - Children and Youth (ICF-CY, World Health Organization, 2007) as a framework for investigating the perceived impact of speech impairment in childhood. Method: A 32-item questionnaire based on…

Current Methods of Evaluating Speech-Language Outcomes for Preschoolers with Communication Disorders: A Scoping Review Using the ICF-CY

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, Barbara Jane; Washington, Karla N.; Binns, Amanda; Rolfe, Katelyn; Robertson, Bernadette; Rosenbaum, Peter

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to identify current measures used to evaluate speech-language outcomes for preschoolers with communication disorders within the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY; World Health Organization, 2007). Method: The review…

Participant perceptions of use of CyWee Z as adjunct to rehabilitation of upper-limb function following stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Hale, Leigh A; Satherley, Jessica A; McMillan, Nicole J; Milosavljevic, Stephan; Hijmans, Juha M; King, Marcus J

2012-01-01

This article reports on the perceptions of 14 adults with chronic stroke who participated in a pilot study to determine the utility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of using an adapted CyWee Z handheld game controller to play a variety of computer games aimed at improving upper-limb function. Four qualitative in-depth interviews and two focus groups explored participant perceptions. Data were thematically analyzed with the general inductive approach. Participants enjoyed playing the computer games with the technology. The perceived benefits included improved upper-limb function, concentration, and balance; however, six participants reported shoulder and/or arm pain or discomfort, which presented while they were engaged in play but appeared to ease during rest. Participants suggested changes to the games and provided opinions on the use of computer games in rehabilitation. Using an adapted CyWee Z controller and computer games in upper-limb rehabilitation for people with chronic stroke is an acceptable and potentially beneficial adjunct to rehabilitation. The development of shoulder pain was a negative side effect for some participants and requires further investigation.

Characterization of solvents containing CyMe4-BTPhen in selected cyclohexanone-based diluents after irradiation by accelerated electrons

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Distler, P.; Kondé, J.; John, J.; Hájková, Zuzana; Švehla, Jaroslav; Grüner, Bohumír

2015-01-01

Roč. 60, č. 4 (2015), s. 885-891 ISSN 0029-5922 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) 7G13003 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 323282 - SACSESS Institutional support: RVO:61388980 Keywords : accelerated electrons * CyMe4-BTPhen * irradiation * radiation stability * solvent extraction Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 0.546, year: 2015

78 FR 64951 - Medicare Program; Part A Premiums for CY 2014 for the Uninsured Aged and for Certain Disabled...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-30

...)(A) of the Act specifies that the premium that these individuals will pay for CY 2014 will be equal... OASDI program or the Railroad Retirement Act and certain others do not have to pay premiums for Medicare...-6390. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Section 1818 of the Social Security Act (the Act...

Tonopah Test Range Air Monitoring. CY2014 Meteorological, Radiological, and Airborne Particulate Observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nikoloch, George [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Shadel, Craig [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Chapman, Jenny [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Mizell, Steve A. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); McCurdy, Greg [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Etyemezian, Vicken [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Miller, Julianne J. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2015-10-01

In 1963, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (formerly the Atomic Energy Commission [AEC]), implemented Operation Roller Coaster on the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) and an adjacent area of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) (formerly the Nellis Air Force Range). This test resulted in radionuclide-contaminated soils at Clean Slate I, II, and III. This report documents observations made during ongoing monitoring of radiological, meteorological, and dust conditions at stations installed adjacent to Clean Slate I and Clean Slate III and at the TTR Range Operations Control center. The primary objective of the monitoring effort is to determine if winds blowing across the Clean Slate sites are transporting particles of radionuclide-contaminated soils beyond both the physical and administrative boundaries of the sites. Results for the calendar year (CY) 2014 monitoring are: (1) the gross alpha and gross beta values from the monitoring stations are approximately equivalent to the highest values observed during the CY2014 reporting at the surrounding Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) stations; (2) only naturally occurring radionuclides were identified in the gamma spectral analyses; (3) the ambient gamma radiation measurements indicate that the average annual gamma exposure is similar at all three monitoring stations and periodic intervals of increased gamma values appear to be associated with storm fronts passing through the area; and (4) the concentrations of both resuspended dust and saltated sand particles generally increase with increasing wind speed. Differences in the observed dust concentrations are likely the result of differences in the soil characteristics immediately adjacent to the monitoring stations. Neither the resuspended particulate radiological analyses nor the ambient gamma radiation measurements suggest wind transport of radionuclide-contaminated soils.

Classification and clinicoradiologic features of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and apraxia of speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Botha, Hugo; Duffy, Joseph R; Whitwell, Jennifer L; Strand, Edythe A; Machulda, Mary M; Schwarz, Christopher G; Reid, Robert I; Spychalla, Anthony J; Senjem, Matthew L; Jones, David T; Lowe, Val; Jack, Clifford R; Josephs, Keith A

2015-08-01

The consensus criteria for the diagnosis and classification of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) have served as an important tool in studying this group of disorders. However, a large proportion of patients remain unclassifiable whilst others simultaneously meet criteria for multiple subtypes. We prospectively evaluated a large cohort of patients with degenerative aphasia and/or apraxia of speech using multidisciplinary clinical assessments and multimodal imaging. Blinded diagnoses were made using operational definitions with important differences compared to the consensus criteria. Of the 130 included patients, 40 were diagnosed with progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS), 12 with progressive agrammatic aphasia, 9 with semantic dementia, 52 with logopenic progressive aphasia, and 4 with progressive fluent aphasia, while 13 were unclassified. The PAOS and progressive fluent aphasia groups were least impaired. Performance on repetition and sentence comprehension was especially poor in the logopenic group. The semantic and progressive fluent aphasia groups had prominent anomia, but only semantic subjects had loss of word meaning and object knowledge. Distinct patterns of grey matter loss and white matter changes were found in all groups compared to controls. PAOS subjects had bilateral frontal grey matter loss, including the premotor and supplementary motor areas, and bilateral frontal white matter involvement. The agrammatic group had more widespread, predominantly left sided grey matter loss and white matter abnormalities. Semantic subjects had bitemporal grey matter loss and white matter changes, including the uncinate and inferior occipitofrontal fasciculi, whereas progressive fluent subjects only had left sided temporal involvement. Logopenic subjects had diffuse and bilateral grey matter loss and diffusion tensor abnormalities, maximal in the posterior temporal region. A diagnosis of logopenic aphasia was strongly associated with being amyloid positive (46

Perspectives on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: Child and Youth Version (ICF-CY) and Occupational Therapy Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Cramm, Heidi; Aiken, Alice B.; Stewart, Debra

2012-01-01

Classifying disability for children and youth has typically meant describing a diagnosis or developmental lag. The publication of the "International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Child & Youth" version (ICF-CY) marks a global paradigm shift in the conceptualization and classification of childhood disability. Knowledge and…

77 FR 69859 - Medicare Program; Part A Premiums for CY 2013 for the Uninsured Aged and for Certain Disabled...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-21

...)(A) of the Act specifies that the premium that these individuals will pay for CY 2013 will be equal... program or the Railroad Retirement Act and certain others do not have to pay premiums for Medicare Part A.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Section 1818 of the Social Security Act (the Act) provides for...

76 FR 67570 - Medicare Program; Part A Premiums for CY 2012 for the Uninsured Aged and for Certain Disabled...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-01

... program or the Railroad Retirement Act and certain others do not have to pay premiums for Medicare Part A... will pay for CY 2012 will be equal to the premium for uninsured aged enrollees reduced by 45 percent.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Section 1818 of the Social Security Act (the Act) provides for...

Dlaczego Słowińcy nie chcą rozmawiać? O antropologicznym czytaniu historii

OpenAIRE

Filip, Mariusz

2015-01-01

Celem eseju jest oswojenie czytelnika ze sposobem antropologicznej/etnologicznej lektury przeszłości. Nie będzie to czynione poprzez prezentowanie czy formułowanie jakiego teoretycznego programu, lecz przez spojrzenie, jak wygląda to w praktyce. Przykładem będzie intrygująca grypa Słowińców. Pretekstem dla mojego antropologicznego czytania historii, jest postawienie na pozór banalnego, lecz świadomego i przemyślanego pytania: „Dlaczego Słowińcy nie chcą rozmawiać”? To pytanie stało się najważ...

Comparison of gadolinium Cy2DOTA, a new hepatobiliary agent, and gadolinium HP-DO3A, an extracellular agent, in healthy liver and metastatic disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Runge, V.M.; Wells, J.W.; Williams, N.M.

1995-01-01

A new gadolinium (Gd) chelate with preferential hepatobiliary uptake, Gd Cy 2 DOTA, was compared in two animal species with Gd HP-DO3A (gadoteridol), a clinically approved contrast agent with extracellular distribution. Liver enhancement was evaluated for these two contrast agents using magnetic resonance imaging, whereas an experimental model of metastatic disease was used to evaluate the agents' efficacy for liver-lesion delineation. The two agents were compared in four healthy Rhesus monkeys (eight studies) and five New Zealand White rabbits with implanted VX-2 liver tumors (ten studies). The contrast dose was 0.1 mmol/kg, with the agents given in random order and at least 72 hours between contrast injections. Breathhold T1-weighted spin echo scans were obtained at 1.5 tesla (T) before and after contrast was administered. Postcontrast scans were obtained 1 to 90 minutes after injection in the monkeys and 1 to 240 minutes after injection in the rabbits. Prolonged hepatic enhancement, superior in degree to that with Gd HP-DO3A, was noted to both monkeys and rabbits after injection of Gd Cy 2 DOTA. Two minutes after contrast, liver SI was 1.94 ± 0.05 with Gd Cy 2 DOTA compared with 1.5 ± 0.05 with Gd HP-DO3A in monkeys. Sixty minutes after contrast, liver SI was 1.60 ± 0.09 compared with 1.20 ± 0.02. The difference between agents was significant at all times from 2 to 60 minutes after contrast injection (P 2 DOTA but not with Gd HP-DO3A. The maximum improvement in lesion conspicuity (rabbit) occurred 45 minutes after injection of Gd Cy 2 DOTA and 5 minutes after injection of Gd HP-DO3A. 22 refs., 12 figs

75 FR 68798 - Medicare Program; Part A Premiums for CY 2011 for the Uninsured Aged and for Certain Disabled...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-09

... Retirement Act and certain others do not have to pay premiums for Medicare Part A.) Section 1818A of the Act... specifies that the premium that these individuals will pay for CY 2011 will be equal to the premium for... consequential effect on State, local, or tribal governments or on the private sector. However, States are...

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the soluble domain of PPA0092, a putative nitrite reductase from Propionibacterium acnes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nojiri, Masaki; Shirota, Felicia; Hira, Daisuke; Suzuki, Shinnichiro

2009-01-01

The soluble domain of a putative copper-containing nitrite reductase from P. acnes has been overexpressed, purified and crystallized. The crystal belonged to space group P2 1 3 and diffracted to 2.4 Å resolution. The soluble domain (residues 483–913) of PPA0092, a putative copper-containing nitrite reductase from Propionibacterium acnes KPA171202, has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant protein was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. X-ray diffraction data were collected and processed to a maximum resolution of 2.4 Å. The crystal belonged to space group P2 1 3, with unit-cell parameters a = b = c = 108.63 Å. Preliminary diffraction data show that one molecule is present in the asymmetric unit; this corresponds to a V M of 2.1 Å 3 Da −1

Tonopah Test Range Air Monitoring: CY2013 Meteorological, Radiological, and Airborne Particulate Observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizell, Steve A [DRI; Nikolich, George [DRI; Shadel, Craig [DRI; McCurdy, Greg [DRI; Etyemezian, Vicken [DRI; Miller, Julianne J [DRI

2014-10-01

In 1963, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (formerly the Atomic Energy Commission [AEC]), implemented Operation Roller Coaster on the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) and an adjacent area of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) (formerly the Nellis Air Force Range). This test resulted in radionuclide-contaminated soils at Clean Slate I, II, and III. This report documents observations made during on-going monitoring of radiological, meteorological, and dust conditions at stations installed adjacent to Clean Slate I and Clean Slate III and at the TTR Range Operations Control center. The primary objective of the monitoring effort is to determine if winds blowing across the Clean Slate sites are transporting particles of radionuclide-contaminated soils beyond both the physical and administrative boundaries of the sites. Results for the calendar year (CY) 2013 monitoring include: (1) the gross alpha and gross beta values from the monitoring stations are approximately equivalent to the highest values observed during the CY2012 reporting at the surrounding Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) stations (this was the latest documented data available at the time of this writing); (2) only naturally occurring radionuclides were identified in the gamma spectral analyses; (3) the ambient gamma radiation measurements indicate that the average annual gamma exposure is similar at all three monitoring stations and periodic intervals of increased gamma values appear to be associated with storm fronts passing through the area; and (4) the concentrations of both resuspended dust and saltated sand particles generally increase with increasing wind speed. However, differences in the observed dust concentrations are likely due to differences in the soil characteristics immediately adjacent to the monitoring stations. Neither the resuspended particulate radiological analyses nor the ambient gamma radiation measurements suggest wind transport of radionuclide-contaminated soils.

X-ray Crystallographic, Multifrequency Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, and Density Functional Theory Characterization of the Ni(P(Cy)2N(tBu)2)2(n+) Hydrogen Oxidation Catalyst in the Ni(I) Oxidation State.

Science.gov (United States)

Niklas, Jens; Westwood, Mark; Mardis, Kristy L; Brown, Tiara L; Pitts-McCoy, Anthony M; Hopkins, Michael D; Poluektov, Oleg G

2015-07-06

The Ni(I) hydrogen oxidation catalyst [Ni(P(Cy)2N(tBu)2)2](+) (1(+); P(Cy)2N(tBu)2 = 1,5-di(tert-butyl)-3,7-dicyclohexyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane) has been studied using a combination of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques (X-, Q-, and D-band, electron-nuclear double resonance, hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy), X-ray crystallography, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Crystallographic and DFT studies indicate that the molecular structure of 1(+) is highly symmetrical. EPR spectroscopy has allowed determination of the electronic g tensor and the spin density distribution on the ligands, and revealed that the Ni(I) center does not interact strongly with the potentially coordinating solvents acetonitrile and butyronitrile. The EPR spectra and magnetic parameters of 1(+) are found to be distinctly different from those for the related compound [Ni(P(Ph)2N(Ph)2)2](+) (4(+)). One significant contributor to these differences is that the molecular structure of 4(+) is unsymmetrical, unlike that of 1(+). DFT calculations on derivatives in which the R and R' groups are systematically varied have allowed elucidation of structure/substituent relationships and their corresponding influence on the magnetic resonance parameters.

Structures of an Apo and a Binary Complex of an Evolved Archeal B Family DNA Polymerase Capable of Synthesising Highly Cy-Dye Labelled DNA

Science.gov (United States)

Wynne, Samantha A.; Pinheiro, Vitor B.; Holliger, Philipp; Leslie, Andrew G. W.

2013-01-01

Thermophilic DNA polymerases of the polB family are of great importance in biotechnological applications including high-fidelity PCR. Of particular interest is the relative promiscuity of engineered versions of the exo- form of polymerases from the Thermo- and Pyrococcales families towards non-canonical substrates, which enables key advances in Next-generation sequencing. Despite this there is a paucity of structural information to guide further engineering of this group of polymerases. Here we report two structures, of the apo form and of a binary complex of a previously described variant (E10) of Pyrococcus furiosus (Pfu) polymerase with an ability to fully replace dCTP with Cyanine dye-labeled dCTP (Cy3-dCTP or Cy5-dCTP) in PCR and synthesise highly fluorescent “CyDNA” densely decorated with cyanine dye heterocycles. The apo form of Pfu-E10 closely matches reported apo form structures of wild-type Pfu. In contrast, the binary complex (in the replicative state with a duplex DNA oligonucleotide) reveals a closing movement of the thumb domain, increasing the contact surface with the nascent DNA duplex strand. Modelling based on the binary complex suggests how bulky fluorophores may be accommodated during processive synthesis and has aided the identification of residues important for the synthesis of unnatural nucleic acid polymers. PMID:23940661

Recovery of MA using a CyMe4-BTBP based SANEX solvent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malmbeck, R.; Magnusson, D.; Glatz, J.P. [European Commission, JRC, Institute for Transuranium Elements, Postfach 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe (Germany)

2009-06-15

Efficient recovery of minor actinides from a genuine spent fuel solution has been successfully demonstrated by the CyMe4-BTBP/DMDOHEMA extractant mixture dissolved in octanol. The continuous counter current process, in which actinides(III) were separated from lanthanides(III), was carried out in laboratory centrifugal contactors using an optimised flowsheet involving a total of 16 stages. The process was divided into 9 stages for extraction from a 2 M nitric acid feed solution, 3 stages for lanthanide scrubbing and 4 stages for actinide back-extraction. Excellent feed decontamination factors for Am (7000) and Cm (1000) were obtained and the recoveries of these elements were higher than 99.9 %. More than 99.9 % of the lanthanides were directed to the raffinate except Gd for which 0.32 % was recovered in the product. In addition the the radiolytic degradation of the CyMe4-BTBP based SANEX solvent has been investigated. As the solvent used in the extraction process is designed to separate trivalent actinides from lanthanides, the radiolytic degradation is mainly due to alpha decay of extracted minor actinide isotopes. A calculation of dose-rates was done by estimating the concentration of minor actinides in the solvent by fuel burn-up calculations and assumptions on dilutions in the subsequent reprocessing steps. Several radiolysis experiments were carried out in order to compare the effect of low LET external gamma radiation (0.2 kGy/h) and internal alpha radiation with different dose-rates (0.05, 0.2 and 1.0 kGy/h). Significant radiolytic degradation was shown in the gamma radiolysis and in the alpha radiolysis experiment at a dose-rate of 1 kGy/h. These experiments were continued up to an absorbed dose {approx}1200 kGy and >300 kGy, respectively. Comparing the alpha radiolysis results for 0.2 kGy/h and 1.0 kGy/h, up to an absorbed dose of {approx}120 kGy, no significant difference in the degradation for the different dose rates could be seen. (authors)

Liquid and Gaseous Waste Operations Department annual operating report, CY 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gillespie, M.A.; Maddox, J.J.; Scott, C.B.

1993-03-01

A total of 6.05 x 10{sup 7} gal of liquid waste was decontaminated by the Process Waste Treatment Plant (PWTP) ion exchange system during CY 1992. This averaged to 115 gpm throughout the year. When necessary, a wastewater sidestream of 50--80 gpm was treated through the use of a natural zeolite treatment system. An additional 8.00 x 10{sup 6} gal (average of 15 gpm throughout the year) were treated by the zeolite system. Therefore, the average total flow treated at the PWTP for CY 1992 was 130 gpm. In mid-June, the zeolite system was repiped to allow it the capability to treat the ion exchange system`s discharge due to rising Cs problems in the wastewater. While being used to treat the ion exchange system`s discharge, it cannot treat a sidestream of wastewater. During the year, the regeneration of the cation exchange resins resulted in the generation of 7.83 x 10{sup 3} gal of liquid low-level waste (LLLW) concentrate and 1.15 x 10{sup 4} gal of LLLW evaporator feed. The head-end softening process (precipitation/clarification) generated 604 drums (4.40 x 10{sup 3} ft{sup 3}) of solid low-level waste sludge. The zeolite treatment system generated approximately 8.40 x 10{sup 2} ft{sup 3} of spent zeolite resin, which was turned over to the Solid Waste Operations Department for disposal. See Table 1 for a monthly summary of activities at the PWTP. Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 show a comparison of operations at the PWTP in 1992 with previous years. Figure 5 shows a comparison of annual rainfall at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since 1987. A total of 1.55 x 10{sup 8} gal of liquid waste (average of 294 gpm throughout the year) was treated at the Nonradiological Wastewater Treatment Plant (NRWTP). Of this amount, 1.40 x 10{sup 7} gal were treated by the precipitation/clarification process for removal of heavy metals. Twenty-five boxes (1.60 x 10{sup 3} ft{sup 3}) of solid sludge generated by the precipitation/clarification process were removed from the filter press room.

Liquid and Gaseous Waste Operations Department annual operating report, CY 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gillespie, M.A.; Maddox, J.J.; Scott, C.B.

1993-03-01

A total of 6.05 x 10[sup 7] gal of liquid waste was decontaminated by the Process Waste Treatment Plant (PWTP) ion exchange system during CY 1992. This averaged to 115 gpm throughout the year. When necessary, a wastewater sidestream of 50--80 gpm was treated through the use of a natural zeolite treatment system. An additional 8.00 x 10[sup 6] gal (average of 15 gpm throughout the year) were treated by the zeolite system. Therefore, the average total flow treated at the PWTP for CY 1992 was 130 gpm. In mid-June, the zeolite system was repiped to allow it the capability to treat the ion exchange system's discharge due to rising Cs problems in the wastewater. While being used to treat the ion exchange system's discharge, it cannot treat a sidestream of wastewater. During the year, the regeneration of the cation exchange resins resulted in the generation of 7.83 x 10[sup 3] gal of liquid low-level waste (LLLW) concentrate and 1.15 x 10[sup 4] gal of LLLW evaporator feed. The head-end softening process (precipitation/clarification) generated 604 drums (4.40 x 10[sup 3] ft[sup 3]) of solid low-level waste sludge. The zeolite treatment system generated approximately 8.40 x 10[sup 2] ft[sup 3] of spent zeolite resin, which was turned over to the Solid Waste Operations Department for disposal. See Table 1 for a monthly summary of activities at the PWTP. Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 show a comparison of operations at the PWTP in 1992 with previous years. Figure 5 shows a comparison of annual rainfall at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since 1987. A total of 1.55 x 10[sup 8] gal of liquid waste (average of 294 gpm throughout the year) was treated at the Nonradiological Wastewater Treatment Plant (NRWTP). Of this amount, 1.40 x 10[sup 7] gal were treated by the precipitation/clarification process for removal of heavy metals. Twenty-five boxes (1.60 x 10[sup 3] ft[sup 3]) of solid sludge generated by the precipitation/clarification process were removed from the filter

Liquid and Gaseous Waste Operations Department annual operating report, CY 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gillespie, M.A.; Maddox, J.J.; Scott, C.B.

1993-03-01

A total of 6.05 x 10 7 gal of liquid waste was decontaminated by the Process Waste Treatment Plant (PWTP) ion exchange system during CY 1992. This averaged to 115 gpm throughout the year. When necessary, a wastewater sidestream of 50--80 gpm was treated through the use of a natural zeolite treatment system. An additional 8.00 x 10 6 gal (average of 15 gpm throughout the year) were treated by the zeolite system. Therefore, the average total flow treated at the PWTP for CY 1992 was 130 gpm. In mid-June, the zeolite system was repiped to allow it the capability to treat the ion exchange system's discharge due to rising Cs problems in the wastewater. While being used to treat the ion exchange system's discharge, it cannot treat a sidestream of wastewater. During the year, the regeneration of the cation exchange resins resulted in the generation of 7.83 x 10 3 gal of liquid low-level waste (LLLW) concentrate and 1.15 x 10 4 gal of LLLW evaporator feed. The head-end softening process (precipitation/clarification) generated 604 drums (4.40 x 10 3 ft 3 ) of solid low-level waste sludge. The zeolite treatment system generated approximately 8.40 x 10 2 ft 3 of spent zeolite resin, which was turned over to the Solid Waste Operations Department for disposal. See Table 1 for a monthly summary of activities at the PWTP. Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 show a comparison of operations at the PWTP in 1992 with previous years. Figure 5 shows a comparison of annual rainfall at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since 1987. A total of 1.55 x 10 8 gal of liquid waste (average of 294 gpm throughout the year) was treated at the Nonradiological Wastewater Treatment Plant (NRWTP). Of this amount, 1.40 x 10 7 gal were treated by the precipitation/clarification process for removal of heavy metals. Twenty-five boxes (1.60 x 10 3 ft 3 ) of solid sludge generated by the precipitation/clarification process were removed from the filter press room

Y-12 Groundwater Protection Program CY2012 Triennial Report Of The Monitoring Well Inspection And Maintenance Program Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-09-01

This document is the triennial report for the Well Inspection and Maintenance Program of the Y- 12 Groundwater Protection Program (GWPP), at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). This report formally documents well inspections completed by the GWPP on active and inactive wells at Y-12 during calendar years (CY) 2010 through 2012. In addition, this report also documents well inspections performed under the Y-12 Water Resources Restoration Program, which is administered by URS|CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR). This report documents well maintenance activities completed since the last triennial inspection event (CY 2009); and provides summary tables of well inspections and well maintenance activities during the reference time period.

Deuteration of acetanilides and other substituted aromatics using [Ir(COD)(Cy3P)(Py)]PF6 as catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesk, D.; Das, P.R.; Evans, B.

1995-01-01

Deuterium exchange labelling using [Ir(COD)(Cy 3 P)(Py)]PF 6 as catalyst and deuterium gas was studied on a number of substituted acetanilides. In most cases products containing deuterium ortho to the anilide group were obtained with a high degree of enrichment. With one exception no evidence for meta, para or anilide methyl labelling was seen. The catalyst was also effective in the ortho deuteration of acetophenone, benzophenone and the β-lactam containing compound Sch 48461. (Author)

CyMSatDB: The Globe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus) Microsatellite Database

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Portis, Ezio; Portis, Flavio; Valente, Luisa

2015-01-01

and for the construction of the first microsatellite marker database CyMSatDB (Cynara cardunculusMicroSatellite DataBase). Both perfect and compound SSRs were in-silico mined using the SciRoKo SSR-search module (http://kofler.or.at/bioinformatics/SciRoKo). On the whole, about 295,000 SSR motifs were identified which also...... Kbp), which represent 725 Mb of genomic sequence. Scaffolds were genetically anchored using a low-coverage genotyping by sequencing (GBS) of a mapping population and 17 pseudomolecules reconstructed. Peudomolecules as well as unmapped scaffolds were used for the bulk mining of SSR markers...... in a MySQL database and provides an effective and responsive interface developed in PHP. To cater the customized needs of wet lab, features with a novelty of an automated primer designing tool is added. The feature of user defined primer designing has great advantage in terms of precise selection from...

Tat protein vaccination of cynomolgus macaques influences SHIV-89.6P cy243 epitope variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Ridolfi, Barbara; Genovese, Domenico; Argentini, Claudio; Maggiorella, Maria Teresa; Sernicola, Leonardo; Buttò, Stefano; Titti, Fausto; Borsetti, Alessandra; Ensoli, Barbara

2008-02-01

In a previous study we showed that vaccination with the native Tat protein controlled virus replication in five out of seven monkeys against challenge with the simian human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-89.6P cy243 and that this protection correlated with T helper (Th)-1 response and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity. To address the evolution of the SHIV-89.6P cy243 both in control and vaccinated infected monkeys, the sequence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 Tat protein and the C2-V3 Env region of the proviral-DNA-derived clones were analyzed in both control and vaccinated but unprotected animals. We also performed analysis of the T cell epitope using a predictive epitope model taking into consideration the phylogeny of the variants. Our results suggest that even though the viral evolution observed in both groups of monkeys was directed toward variations in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I epitopes, in the control animals it was associated with mutational escape of such epitopes. On the contrary, it is possible that viral evolution in the vaccinated monkeys was linked to mutations that arose to keep high the viral fitness. In the vaccinated animals the reduction of epitope variability, obtained prompting the immune system by vaccination and inducing a specific immunological response against virus, was able to reduce the emergence of escape mutants. Thus the intervention of host's selective forces in driving CTL escape mutants and in modulating viral fitness appeared to be different in the two groups of monkeys. We concluded that in the vaccinated unprotected animals, vaccination with the Tat protein induced a broad antiviral response, as demonstrated by the reduced ability to develop escape mutants, which is known to help in the control of viral replication.

Determinants of school activity performance in children with cerebral palsy: a multidimensional approach using the ICF-CY as a framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chien-Yu; Tseng, Mei-Hui; Chen, Kuan-Lin; Shieh, Jeng-Yi; Lu, Lu

2013-11-01

This study aimed to identify the determinants of activity performance in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in school by considering factors from the entire scope of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Child and Youth (ICF-CY). A sample of 167 school-aged children with CP and their caregivers were recruited in the study. Activity performance in school settings was assessed with part 3 of the School Functional Assessment - Chinese version, which divides activity performance into performance of physical activities and cognitive/behavioral activities. Possible determinants were collected according to all dimensions of the ICF-CY. Multiple regression analyses showed that the determinants of performance of physical activities were receiving speech therapy in school, diplegia, having a domestic helper, and severity of gross and fine motor impairments, explaining 83% of the total variance; the determinants of performance of cognitive/behavioral activities were intellectual impairment, prosocial behavior, having an assistant in school, educational placement, severity of fine motor impairment, accounting for 73% of the total variance. Results of the study provide clinicians a holistic understanding of factors influencing school activity performance, and enable clinicians to make appropriate evaluations and interventions targeted at the determinants to enhance children's activity performance in school. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nanobeads-based assays. The case of gluten detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venditti, Iole; Fratoddi, Ilaria; Russo, Maria Vittoria; Bellucci, Stefano; Crescenzo, Roberta; Iozzino, Luisa; Staiano, Maria; Aurilia, Vincenzo; Varriale, Antonio; Rossi, Mose; D'Auria, Sabato

2008-01-01

In order to verify if the use of nanobeads of poly[phenylacetylene-(co-acrylic acid)] (PPA/AA) in the ELISA test would affect the immune-activity of the antibodies (Ab) and/or the activity of the enzymes used to label the Ab anti-rabbit IGg, in this work we immobilized the horse liver peroxidase labelled Ab anti-rabbit IGg onto PPA/AA nanobeads. The gluten test was chosen as the model to demonstrate the usefulness of these nanobeads in immunoassays. The synthesis of PPA/AA nanobeads was performed by a modified emulsion polymerization. Self-assembly of nanospheres with mean diameter equal to 200 nm was achieved by casting aqueous suspensions. The materials were characterized by traditional spectroscopic techniques, while the size and dispersion of the particles were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The obtained results show that the immobilization process of the Abs onto PPA/AA did not affect either the immune-response of the Abs or the functional activity of the peroxidase suggesting the usefulness of PPA/AA for the design of advanced nanobeads-based assays for the simultaneous screening of several analytes in complex media.

Anti-Helicobacter pylori metabolites from Rhizoctonia sp. Cy064, an endophytic fungus in Cynodon dactylon.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Y M; Li, Y; Liu, J Y; Song, Y C; Tan, R X

2004-07-01

A new benzophenone, named rhizoctonic acid (1), together with three known compounds monomethylsulochrin (2), ergosterol (3) and 3beta,5alpha,6beta-trihydroxyergosta-7,22-diene (4) were isolated through bioassay-guided fractionations from the culture of Rhizoctonia sp. (Cy064), an endophytic fungus in the leaf of Cynodon dactylon. The structure of the new acid 1 was elucidated to be 5-hydroxy-2-(2-hydroxy-6-methoxy-4-methylbenzoyl)-3-methoxybenzoic acid by a combination of spectral analyses. Furthermore, the structure of monomethylsulochrin 2 was confirmed by 13C-NMR analysis. All four metabolites were subjected to a more detailed in vitro assessment of their antibacterial action against five clinically isolated and one reference (ATCC 43504) Helicobacter pylori strains.

Automation of ReactomeFIViz via CyREST API [version 2; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fred Loney

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Pathway- and network-based approaches project seemingly unrelated genes onto the context of pathways and networks, enhancing the analysis power that cannot be achieved via gene-based approaches. Pathway and network approaches are routinely applied in large-scale data analysis for cancer and other complicated diseases. ReactomeFIViz is a Cytoscape app, providing features for researchers to perform pathway- and network-based data analysis and visualization by leveraging manually curated Reactome pathways and highly reliable Reactome functional interaction network. To facilitate adoption of this app in bioinformatics software pipeline and workflow development, we develop a CyREST API for ReactomeFIViz by exposing some major features in the app. We describe a use case to demonstrate the use of this API in a Python-based notebook, and believe the new API will provide the community a convenient and powerful tool to perform pathway- and network-based data analysis and visualization using our app in an automatic way.

Internet-Based Programs Incorporating Behavior Change Techniques Are Associated With Increased Smoking Cessation in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

McCrabb, Sam; Baker, Amanda L; Attia, John; Skelton, Eliza; Twyman, Laura; Palazzi, Kerrin; McCarter, Kristen; Ku, Dominic; Bonevski, Billie

2018-05-10

This study aims to (i) examine the effectiveness of internet-based smoking cessation programs; (ii) describe the number and type of behavior change techniques (BCTs) employed; and (iii) explore whether BCTs included in internet-based smoking cessation programs are related to program effectiveness. MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL databases were searched. Randomized controlled trials were included if they described the study of a smoking cessation program delivered via the internet; included current adult tobacco smokers from the general population; and were written in English. Random effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions were used to examine program effectiveness (pooled odds ratios, by outcome measure, i.e., 7 day point prevalence abstinence [PPA], 30 day PPA, other abstinence measure) in short- and long-term outcomes, and examine the associations between BCT number and type (individual BCTs and BCT domain) and program effectiveness. Results from 45 studies were included (n = 65,736). Intervention effectiveness was found in the short term for all outcome measures (OR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.12, 1.50, p = .001), for "prolonged abstinence" (OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.09, 1.87, p = .009), and "30 day PPA" (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.13, 2.72, p = .013). Internet-based programs were effective in the long term for all outcome measures (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.35, p = .004) and for "prolonged abstinence" (OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.19, 1.63, p < .001). On average, interventions used more BCTs than comparison groups (6.6 vs. 3.1, p = .0002). The impact of specific individual BCTs and BCT domains on effectiveness was examined and is reported. Internet-based smoking cessation interventions increased the odds of cessation by 29 per cent in the short term and by 19 per cent in the long term. Internet-based smoking cessation intervention development should incorporate BCTs to increase effectiveness. CRD42015014676.

Comparing the detection and agreement of parapapillary atrophy progression using digital optic disk photographs and alternation flicker.

Science.gov (United States)

VanderBeek, Brian L; Smith, Scott D; Radcliffe, Nathan M

2010-09-01

Parapapillary atrophy (PPA) progression has been associated with progressive glaucoma, but has proven to be difficult to assess clinically. We compared inter- and intra-observer agreement using a novel automated alternation flicker technology and side-by-side digital photography inspection for the evaluation of PPA progression. Consecutive patients with serial digital optic nerve photographs at least 1 year apart were included. Two graders (NR, BV) masked to image chronology assessed a set of photographs for progressive PPA using predefined criteria based on reference photographs containing mild, moderate, extensive or no PPA progression. At a separate session, the graders evaluated photographs using alternation flicker (EyeIC, Narberth, PA, USA) applying the same criteria. The order of patients and technique was randomized. Graders then assessed the same set of flickers and photographs a second time with the order of presentation reversed. The main outcome measure was the assessment of progressive PPA as identified by alternation flicker and digital photography inspection. Inter- and intra-observer agreement using each technique was assessed using the kappa statistic. A bootstrap method for comparing correlated kappa coefficients was used to assess statistical significance. Serial photographs from 131 eyes of 68 patients were evaluated. Both graders identified significantly more cases of PPA progression using flicker compared to photography (27-34% vs 8-13%; both pphotographs (kappa=0.52 vs 0.18, p=0.02). Intra-observer agreement was similar for both graders (photos: kappa=0.58 vs 0.57, p=0.97; flicker: kappa=0.61 vs 0.70, p=0.37). When progression was assessed by the number of progressive quadrants identified by each grader using a weighted kappa statistic, flicker inter-observer agreement was still moderate (kappa=0.45) and significantly better (p=0.01) than photography, which showed poor agreement (kappa=0.15). Intra-observer agreement with a weighted kappa for

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory hazardous and radioactive mixed waste identification and characterization report for CY 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimoto, D.D.

1987-05-01

This report provides updated tabulations of the hazardous and radioactive mixed wastes generated and/or handled during CY 1986 at each INEL facility operated by EG and G, or any other operating contractor at the Site. These wastes are described in tabular form, providing information such as composition, generating process, contact person, EPA hazardous waste designation, quantity shipped off site (if applicable), and quantity in storage. Waste generation projections for the next ten years are also included for all INEL facilities. Finally, since many of EG and G's inactive disposal sites may prove to be significant sources of either hazardous or radioactive mixed wastes as remedial action activities under RCRA or CERCLA progress, information on these sites is provided. 2 refs., 1 fig., 8 tabs

Preparation of a Pd-Pt alloy on alumina and its application for a gas chromatography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Minsoo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 150 Deokjin-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of)]. E-mail: minm@kaeri.re.kr; Paek, Seungwoo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 150 Deokjin-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Do-Hee [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 150 Deokjin-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kwang-Rag [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 150 Deokjin-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of); Yim, Sung-Paal [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 150 Deokjin-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Hongsuk [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 150 Deokjin-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of)

2007-08-30

In this study we attempted to obtain a Pd-Pt alloy on alumina (PPA) by using an impregnation and alcohol reduction method for the purpose of a hydrogen isotopes separation, in which {alpha}-alumina powder was impregnated into an ethanol water (1/1, w/w) solution containing PdCl{sub 2}, PtCl{sub 2}, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, MW = 10,000). The sample was dried, reduced by hydrogen, and thermally treated at 1073 K. Thus, two kinds of PPA (Pd content 17 and 29 wt%) were achieved. The produced PPA showed a good crystallinity from the XRD analysis and it exhibited an adequate hydrogen desorption isotherm as a packing material for the separation of hydrogen isotopes. GC columns packed with PPA and Cu powder were used for the separation of a 29.2% D{sub 2}-H{sub 2} gas mixture at 303 and 343 K. The experimental result showed a good separation efficiency of the hydrogen isotopes for the GC process. Consequently, the suggested technique for the production of a Pd-Pt alloy on alumina was proven to be successful.

CyNC - towards a General Tool for Performance Analysis of Complex Distributed Real Time Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schiøler, Henrik; Jessen, Jan Jakob; Nielsen, Jens F. Dalsgaard

2005-01-01

The paper addresses the current state and the ongoing activities of a tool for performance analysis of complex real time systems. The tool named CyNC is based on network calculus allowing for the computation of backlogs and delays in a system from specified lower and upper bounds of external...... workflow and computational resources. The current version of the tool implements an extension to previous work in that it allows for general workflow and resource bounds and provides optimal solutions even to systems with cyclic dependencies. Despite the virtues of the current tool, improvements...... and extensions still remain, which are in focus of ongoing activities. Improvements include accounting for phase information to improve bounds, whereas the tool awaits extension to include flow control models, which both depend on the possibility of accounting for propagation delay. Since the current version...

A CBPR Partnership Increases HIV Testing among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM): Outcome Findings from a Pilot Test of the "CyBER/Testing" Internet Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Scott D.; Vissman, Aaron T.; Stowers, Jason; Miller, Cindy; McCoy, Thomas P.; Hergenrather, Kenneth C.; Wilkin, Aimee M.; Reece, Michael; Bachmann, Laura H.; Ore, Addison; Ross, Michael W.; Hendrix, Ellen; Eng, Eugenia

2011-01-01

The Internet has emerged as an important tool for the delivery of health promotion and disease prevention interventions. Our community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership developed and piloted "CyBER/testing", a culturally congruent intervention designed to promote HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM) within existing…

Characteristics and risk factors of oral mucositis after allogeneic stem cell transplantation with FLU/MEL conditioning regimen in context with BU/CY2.

Science.gov (United States)

Vokurka, S; Steinerova, K; Karas, M; Koza, V

2009-11-01

The fludarabine (FLU)/melphalan (MEL) conditioning regimen containing FLU and high-dose MEL was analyzed in comparison with the BU/CY2 regimen to characterize oral mucositis (OM) and risk factors. OM incidence significantly varied between BU/CY2 and FLU/MEL (100 vs 78%, P=0.004), but the incidence of severe OM grades 3-4 WHO and kinetics of OM were fully comparable. Patients with OM persisting on day +21 had more acute GVHD (68 vs 32%, P=0.005), which tended to occur earlier than among those without such prolonged OM. Multivariate analysis showed significant dependency of acute GVHD on severity and prolonged duration of OM and significant correlation between OM severity and its prolonged duration. Body surface area-based dosing in the FLU/MEL regimen led to a wide range of MEL doses administered per kilogram body weight (2.5-5.2 mg/kg, median 3.5). In multivariate analysis, MEL dose per kilogram of body weight was found to be a significant predictor of OM incidence and severity. Female gender and lower body mass index were less important variables than the fact that the actual dose of MEL administered per kilogram of body weight was relatively high when the dosage was calculated on the basis of body surface area.

PFBC HGCU Test Facility. Technical progress report No. 24, Third quarter, CY 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-10-01

This is the twenty-fourth and final Technical Progress Report submitted to the Department of Energy (DOE) in connection with the cooperative agreement between the DOE and Ohio Power Company for the Tidd PFBC Hot Gas Clean Up Test Facility. This report covers the work completed during the Third Quarter of CY 1995. All activity this quarter was directed toward the completion of the program final report. A draft copy of the final report was forwarded to DOE during this quarter, and DOE submitted their comments on the report to AEPSC. DOE requested that Westinghouse write an appendix to the report covering the performance of the fail-safe regenerator devices during Tad operation, and Westinghouse subsequently prepared the appendix. Additional DOE comments were incorporated into the report, and it will be issued in camera-ready form by the end of October, 1995, which is the program end date. Appendix 1 presents the results of filter candle posttest examination by Westinghouse performed on selected filter candles following final shutdown of the system.

Deep-Layer Microvasculature Dropout by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography and Microstructure of Parapapillary Atrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Min Hee; Zangwill, Linda M; Manalastas, Patricia Isabel C; Belghith, Akram; Yarmohammadi, Adeleh; Akagi, Tadamichi; Diniz-Filho, Alberto; Saunders, Luke; Weinreb, Robert N

2018-04-01

To investigate the association between the microstructure of β-zone parapapillary atrophy (βPPA) and parapapillary deep-layer microvasculature dropout assessed by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A). Thirty-seven eyes with βPPA devoid of the Bruch's membrane (BM) (γPPA) ranging between completely absent and discontinuous BM were matched by severity of the visual field (VF) damage with 37 eyes with fully intact BM (βPPA+BM) based on the spectral-domain (SD) OCT imaging. Parapapillary deep-layer microvasculature dropout was defined as a dropout of the microvasculature within choroid or scleral flange in the βPPA on the OCT-A. The widths of βPPA, γPPA, and βPPA+BM were measured on six radial SD-OCT images. Prevalence of the dropout was compared between eyes with and without γPPA. Logistic regression was performed for evaluating association of the dropout with the width of βPPA, γPPA, and βPPA+BM, and the γPPA presence. Eyes with γPPA had significantly higher prevalence of the dropout than did those without γPPA (75.7% versus 40.8%; P = 0.004). In logistic regression, presence and longer width of the γPPA, worse VF mean deviation, and presence of focal lamina cribrosa defects were significantly associated with the dropout (P 0.10). Parapapillary deep-layer microvasculature dropout was associated with the presence and larger width of γPPA, but not with the βPPA+BM width. Presence and width of the exposed scleral flange, rather than the retinal pigmented epithelium atrophy, may be associated with deep-layer microvasculature dropout.

Master schedule for CY-1979 Hanford environmental surveillance routine program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blumer, P.J.; Houston, J.R.; Eddy, P.A.

1978-12-01

The current schedule of data collection for the routine environmental surveillance program at the Hanford Site, as conducted by the Environmental Evaluation Section of Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratory for the Department of Energy (DOE), is given. Modifications to the schedule are made during the year and special areas of study, usually of short duration, are not scheduled. The environmental surveillance program objectives are to evaluate the levels of radioactive and nonradioactive pollutants in the Hanford environs, and to monitor Hanford operations for compliance with applicable environmental criteria and Washington State Water Quality Standards. Air quality data are obtained in a separate program administered by the Hanford Environmental Health Foundation. The collection schedule for potable water is shown but it is not part of the routine environmental surveillance program. Water quality data for Hanford Site potable water systems are published each year by the Hanford Environmental Health Foundation. The data collected are available in routine reports issued by the Environmental Evaluations staff. Groundwater data and evaluation are reported in the series, ''Radiological Status of the Groundwater Beneath the Hanford Project for...,'' the latest issue being PNL-2624 for CY-1977. Data from locations within the plant boundaries are presented in the annual ''Environmental Status of the Hanford Site for...'' report series, the most recent report being PNL-2677 for 1977. Data from offsite locations are presented in the annual ''Environmental Surveillance at Hanford for...'' series of reports, the latest being PNL-2614 for 1977

EVALUATION OF 360 ° TO GET TO KNOW THE PERFORMANCE OF THE STUDENTS OF THE CyBENP

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Ofelia Arzate-Ortiz

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The skills assessment in institutions of higher education today is a challenge, assess skills from a viewpoint that leads to the improvement and student growth and not just issuing a rating, is the challenge. The methodology of evaluation of 360 allowed for the case of the present investigation to determine the performance of students CyBENP regarding generic skills acquired in the course of a semester to use the educational coaching as a tool for achieving the same, the results allow us to objectively knowing the skills developed by students with a look at the performance review as an opportunity to express themselves and improve, while allowing generate an action plan to enhance the performance of students.

Neuroimaging in the Differential Diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia – Illustrative Case Series in the Light of New Diagnostic Criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sitek, Emilia J.; Narożańska, Ewa; Brockhuis, Bogna; Muraszko-Klaudel, Anna; Lass, Piotr; Harciarek, Michał; Sławek, Jarosław

2014-01-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a progressive language disorder associated with atrophy of the dominant language hemisphere, typically left. Current PPA criteria divide PPA into three variants: non-fluent (nfvPPA), semantic (svPPA) and logopenic (lvPPA). The classification of PPA into one of the three variants may be performed at 3 levels: I) clinical, II) imaging-supported, III) definite pathologic diagnosis. This paper aimed at assessing the feasibility of the imaging-supported diagnostics of PPA variants in the Polish clinical setting with access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) examinations. We present the clinical and neuroimaging data on 6 patients (4 women, 2 men) clinically diagnosed with PPA (3 with nfvPPA and 3 with lvPPA) in whom MRI and SPECT were performed in order to determine if imaging-supported diagnosis could be established in those cases. In 4 individuals (2 with nfvPPA and 2 with lvPPA) clinical diagnosis was supported by neuroimaging (SPECT, albeit not MRI), thus level II of PPA diagnosis could be established in those cases. MRI results were either inconsistent with the clinical diagnosis (Patients 1 and 2) or a mixed pattern of atrophy was observed (Patients 3–6). Imaging-supported diagnosis of PPA variant is more feasible with quantitative analysis of SPECT images than with purely qualitative visual analysis of MRI. Hypoperfusion abnormalities evidenced by SPECT are more variant-specific than patterns of atrophy

Listeria monocytogenes - inactivation by essential oils and high pressure, and contribution of genetic variation to stress resistance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Karatzas, K.A.G.

2002-01-01

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A variety of non-thermal mild preservation techniques have lately been introduced in food production, or are currently being investigated thoroughly for potential use in food processing. Two of these novel preservation techniques are the use of essential oil compounds

Waste reduction program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory during CY 1989

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schultz, R.M.

1990-05-01

Hazardous, radioactive, and mixed wastes are generated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The State of Tennessee has requested that ORNL organize the waste streams into approximately 30 generic categories for the CY 1989 report so the information is more manageable. The wide diversity of waste complicates both management and compliance with reporting requirements that are designed to apply to production facilities. In recent years, increased effort has been devoted to the minimization of hazardous and radioactive wastes at ORNL. Policy statements supporting such efforts have been issued by both Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., and ORNL management. Motivation is found in federal regulations, DOE policies and guidelines, increased costs and liabilities associated with the management of wastes, and limited disposal options and facility capacities. ORNL's waste minimization efforts have achieved some success. However, because of the diversity and predominantly nonroutine nature of ORNL's containerized wastes, goals for their reduction are difficult to establish. Efforts continue to establish goals that account separately for wastes generated from laboratory cleanouts, to avoid a waste minimization penalty'' for this good housekeeping practice. Generator evaluations to prioritize hazardous waste streams for waste minimization opportunities are planned for FY 1990. These are important first steps to enable the waste reduction program to assign realistic goals. 22 refs., 13 figs., 10 tabs.

Waste reduction program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory during CY 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultz, R.M.

1990-05-01

Hazardous, radioactive, and mixed wastes are generated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The State of Tennessee has requested that ORNL organize the waste streams into approximately 30 generic categories for the CY 1989 report so the information is more manageable. The wide diversity of waste complicates both management and compliance with reporting requirements that are designed to apply to production facilities. In recent years, increased effort has been devoted to the minimization of hazardous and radioactive wastes at ORNL. Policy statements supporting such efforts have been issued by both Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., and ORNL management. Motivation is found in federal regulations, DOE policies and guidelines, increased costs and liabilities associated with the management of wastes, and limited disposal options and facility capacities. ORNL's waste minimization efforts have achieved some success. However, because of the diversity and predominantly nonroutine nature of ORNL's containerized wastes, goals for their reduction are difficult to establish. Efforts continue to establish goals that account separately for wastes generated from laboratory cleanouts, to avoid a waste minimization ''penalty'' for this good housekeeping practice. Generator evaluations to prioritize hazardous waste streams for waste minimization opportunities are planned for FY 1990. These are important first steps to enable the waste reduction program to assign realistic goals. 22 refs., 13 figs., 10 tabs

Impact of quenching failure of Cy dyes in differential gel electrophoresis.

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Weiqun Wang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Differential gel electrophoresis (DIGE is a technology widely used for protein expression analysis. It is based on labelling with fluorescent Cy dyes. In comparative fluorescence gel electrophoresis experiments, however, unspecific labelling using N-hydroxy-succinimide-ester-based labelling protocols was recently detected. Cross-talk was observed due to failure of the quenching process. Here, the impact of this effect for DIGE experiments was investigated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Experiments to test quenching efficiency were performed in replicate using Escherichia coli lysate. Parameters such as the amount of dye and quencher were varied. Labelling and quenching were reversed in one experiment. Differences in protein spot volumes due to limited quenching were determined. For some spots twice the volume was detected underscoring the importance of proper control of silencing of active dye. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: It could be demonstrated that uncontrolled labelling increased protein spot volume, even doubling it in some cases. Moreover, proteins responded differently to the protocol. Such unpredictable and unspecific processes are not acceptable in protein regulation studies so that it is necessary to validate the correct amount of quencher for individual samples before the DIGE experiment is performed. Increase of the concentration of lysine, which is used as quencher, from 10 mM to 2500 mM, was sufficient to silence the dye. Alternatively, active dye molecules can be removed by filtration.

Primary Progressive Aphasia in the Network of French Alzheimer Plan Memory Centers.

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Magnin, Eloi; Démonet, Jean-François; Wallon, David; Dumurgier, Julien; Troussière, Anne-Cécile; Jager, Alain; Duron, Emmanuelle; Gabelle, Audrey; de la Sayette, Vincent; Volpe-Gillot, Lisette; Tio, Gregory; Evain, Sarah; Boutoleau-Bretonnière, Claire; Enderle, Adeline; Mouton-Liger, François; Robert, Philippe; Hannequin, Didier; Pasquier, Florence; Hugon, Jacques; Paquet, Claire

2016-10-18

Few demographical data about primary progressive aphasia (PPA) are available, and most knowledge regarding PPA is based on tertiary centers' results. Our aims were to describe demographical characteristics of the PPA population in a large sample of PPA patients from the network of French Alzheimer plan memory centers (Sample 1), and to describe the stratification of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in two different samples of PPA patients (Samples 2 and 3). All registered PPA patients in the French Alzheimer's disease (AD) databank (Sample 1: n = 2,035) and a subsample (Sample 2: n = 65) derived from a multicentric prospective cohort with CSF biomarker analysis were analyzed. A multicentric retrospective cohort from language expert tertiary centers (Sample 3: n = 97) with CSF biomarker analysis was added. Sample 3 was added to replicate the CSF results of the Sample 2 and to evaluate repartition of AD pathology in the three variant of PPA according to the latest classification. Non-Fluent/Agrammatic, Logopenic, and Unclassifiable PPA patients (NF/A-Logo-Unclass PPA) were older and more frequent than Semantic PPA patients (2.2 versus 0.8/100,000 inhabitants; p < 0.00001). Male predominance occurred after the age of 80 (p < 0.00001). A higher level of education was observed in the PPA population compared to a typical amnesic AD group. No demographical significant difference between PPA due to AD and not due to AD was observed. The Logopenic variant was most frequent with 85% of AD CSF biomarker profiles (35% in NF/A PPA; 20% in Semantic PPA). PPA occurs also in an elderly population, especially in male patients over 80. CSF biomarkers are useful to stratify PPA. The epidemiology of PPA should be further investigated to confirm gender and cognitive reserve role in PPA to better understand the factors and mechanisms leading to this language-predominant deficit during neurodegenerative diseases.

Single-molecule three-color FRET with both negligible spectral overlap and long observation time.

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Sanghwa Lee

Full Text Available Full understanding of complex biological interactions frequently requires multi-color detection capability in doing single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET experiments. Existing single-molecule three-color FRET techniques, however, suffer from severe photobleaching of Alexa 488, or its alternative dyes, and have been limitedly used for kinetics studies. In this work, we developed a single-molecule three-color FRET technique based on the Cy3-Cy5-Cy7 dye trio, thus providing enhanced observation time and improved data quality. Because the absorption spectra of three fluorophores are well separated, real-time monitoring of three FRET efficiencies was possible by incorporating the alternating laser excitation (ALEX technique both in confocal microscopy and in total-internal-reflection fluorescence (TIRF microscopy.

Human Infant Memory B Cell and CD4+ T Cell Responses to HibMenCY-TT Glyco-Conjugate Vaccine.

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Angela Fuery

Full Text Available Carrier-specific T cell and polysaccharide-specific B cell memory responses are not well characterised in infants following glyco-conjugate vaccination. We aimed to determine if the number of Meningococcal (Men C- and Y- specific memory B cells and; number and quality of Tetanus Toxoid (TT carrier-specific memory CD4+ T cells are associated with polysaccharide-specific IgG post HibMenCY-TT vaccination. Healthy infants received HibMenCY-TT vaccine at 2, 4 and 6 months with a booster at 12 months. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and polysaccharide-specific memory B cells enumerated using ELISpot. TT-specific memory CD4+ T cells were detected and phenotyped based on CD154 expression and intracellular TNF-α, IL-2 and IFN-γ expression following stimulation. Functional polysaccharide-specific IgG titres were measured using the serum bactericidal activity (SBA assay. Polysaccharide-specific Men C- but not Men Y- specific memory B cell frequencies pre-boost (12 months were significantly associated with post-boost (13 months SBA titres. Regression analysis showed no association between memory B cell frequencies post-priming (at 6 or 7 months and SBA at 12 months or 13 months. TT-specific CD4+ T cells were detected at frequencies between 0.001 and 0.112 as a percentage of CD3+ T cells, but their numbers were not associated with SBA titres. There were significant negative associations between SBA titres at M13 and cytokine expression at M7 and M12.Induction of persistent polysaccharide-specific memory B cells prior to boosting is an important determinant of secondary IgG responses in infants. However, polysaccharide-specific functional IgG responses appear to be independent of the number and quality of circulating carrier-specific CD4+ T cells after priming.

Molecular MRI of Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis with Simultaneous Delayed Enhancement MRI Distinguishes Apoptotic and Necrotic Myocytes In Vivo: Potential for Midmyocardial Salvage in Acute Ischemia

Science.gov (United States)

Sosnovik, David E.; Garanger, Elisabeth; Aikawa, Elena; Nahrendorf, Matthias; Figuiredo, Jose-Luiz; Dai, Guangping; Reynolds, Fred; Rosenzweig, Anthony; Weissleder, Ralph; Josephson, Lee

2009-01-01

Background A novel dual contrast molecular MRI technique to image both cardiomyocyte (CM) apoptosis and necrosis in-vivo within 4-6 hours of ischemia is presented. The technique utilizes the annexin-based nanoparticle AnxCLIO-Cy5.5 (apoptosis) and simultaneous delayed enhancement (DE) imaging with a novel gadolinium chelate, Gd-DTPA-NBD (necrosis). Methods and Results Mice with transient coronary ligation were injected intravenously at the onset of reperfusion with AnxCLIO-Cy5.5 (n=7) or the control probe Inact_CLIO-Cy5.5 (n=6). T2* weighted MR images (9.4 Tesla) were acquired within 4-6 hours of reperfusion. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between injured and uninjured myocardium was measured. The mice were then injected with Gd-DTPA-NBD and DE imaging was performed within 10-30 minutes. Uptake of AnxCLIO-Cy5.5 was most prominent in the midmyocardium and was significantly greater than that of Inact_CLIO-Cy5.5 (CNR 8.82 +/− 1.5 versus 3.78 +/− 1.1, p DTPA-NBD. Wall thickening was significantly reduced in segments with DE and/or transmural accumulation of AnxCLIO-Cy5.5 (p DTPA-NBD confirmed the presence of large numbers of apoptotic but potentially viable CMs (AnxCLIO-Cy5.5 positive, Gd-DTPA-NBD negative) in the midmyocardium. Conclusions A novel technique to image CM apoptosis and necrosis in-vivo within 4-6 hours of injury is presented, and reveals large areas of apoptotic but viable myocardium in the midmyocardium. Strategies to salvage the numerous apoptotic but potentially viable CMs in the midmyocardium in acute ischemia should be investigated. PMID:19920044

Elevated occipital β-amyloid deposition is associated with widespread cognitive impairment in logopenic progressive aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitwell, Jennifer L; Lowe, Val J; Duffy, Joseph R; Strand, Edythe A; Machulda, Mary M; Kantarci, Kejal; Wille, Samantha M; Senjem, Matthew L; Murphy, Matthew C; Gunter, Jeffrey L; Jack, Clifford R; Josephs, Keith A

2013-12-01

Most subjects with logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) have β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition on Pittsburgh Compound B positron emission tomography (PiB-PET), usually affecting prefrontal and temporoparietal cortices, with less occipital involvement. To assess clinical and imaging features in lvPPA subjects with unusual topographic patterns of Aβ deposition with highest uptake in occipital lobe. Thirty-three lvPPA subjects with Aβ deposition on PiB-PET were included in this case-control study. Line plots of regional PiB uptake were created, including frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital regions, for each subject. Subjects in which the line sloped downwards in occipital lobe (lvPPA-low), representing low uptake, were separated from those where the line sloped upwards in occipital lobe (lvPPA-high), representing unusually high occipital uptake compared to other regions. Clinical variables, atrophy on MRI, hypometabolism on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), and presence and distribution of microbleeds and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) were assessed. Seventeen subjects (52%) were classified as lvPPA-high. Mean occipital PiB uptake in lvPPA-high was higher than all other regions and higher than all regions in lvPPA-low. The lvPPA-high subjects performed more poorly on cognitive testing, including executive and visuospatial testing, but the two groups did not differ in aphasia severity. Proportion of microbleeds and WMH was higher in lvPPA-high than lvPPA-low. Parietal hypometabolism was greater in lvPPA-high than lvPPA-low. Unusually high occipital Aβ deposition is associated with widespread cognitive impairment and different imaging findings in lvPPA. These findings help explain clinical heterogeneity in lvPPA and suggest that Aβ influences severity of overall cognitive impairment but not aphasia.

Anatomic, Clinical, and Neuropsychological Correlates of Spelling Errors in Primary Progressive Aphasia

Science.gov (United States)

Shim, HyungSub; Hurley, Robert S.; Rogalski, Emily; Mesulam, M.-Marsel

2012-01-01

This study evaluates spelling errors in the three subtypes of primary progressive aphasia (PPA): agrammatic (PPA-G), logopenic (PPA-L), and semantic (PPA-S). Forty-one PPA patients and 36 age-matched healthy controls were administered a test of spelling. The total number of errors and types of errors in spelling to dictation of regular words,…

Logopenic and nonfluent variants of primary progressive aphasia are differentiated by acoustic measures of speech production.

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Kirrie J Ballard

Full Text Available Differentiation of logopenic (lvPPA and nonfluent/agrammatic (nfvPPA variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia is important yet remains challenging since it hinges on expert based evaluation of speech and language production. In this study acoustic measures of speech in conjunction with voxel-based morphometry were used to determine the success of the measures as an adjunct to diagnosis and to explore the neural basis of apraxia of speech in nfvPPA. Forty-one patients (21 lvPPA, 20 nfvPPA were recruited from a consecutive sample with suspected frontotemporal dementia. Patients were diagnosed using the current gold-standard of expert perceptual judgment, based on presence/absence of particular speech features during speaking tasks. Seventeen healthy age-matched adults served as controls. MRI scans were available for 11 control and 37 PPA cases; 23 of the PPA cases underwent amyloid ligand PET imaging. Measures, corresponding to perceptual features of apraxia of speech, were periods of silence during reading and relative vowel duration and intensity in polysyllable word repetition. Discriminant function analyses revealed that a measure of relative vowel duration differentiated nfvPPA cases from both control and lvPPA cases (r(2 = 0.47 with 88% agreement with expert judgment of presence of apraxia of speech in nfvPPA cases. VBM analysis showed that relative vowel duration covaried with grey matter intensity in areas critical for speech motor planning and programming: precentral gyrus, supplementary motor area and inferior frontal gyrus bilaterally, only affected in the nfvPPA group. This bilateral involvement of frontal speech networks in nfvPPA potentially affects access to compensatory mechanisms involving right hemisphere homologues. Measures of silences during reading also discriminated the PPA and control groups, but did not increase predictive accuracy. Findings suggest that a measure of relative vowel duration from of a polysyllable word

Emotion detection deficits and changes in personality traits linked to loss of white matter integrity in primary progressive aphasia

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Namita Multani

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Non-cognitive features including personality changes are increasingly recognized in the three PPA variants (semantic-svPPA, non fluent-nfvPPA, and logopenic-lvPPA. However, differences in emotion processing among the PPA variants and its association with white matter tracts are unknown. We compared emotion detection across the three PPA variants and healthy controls (HC, and related them to white matter tract integrity and cortical degeneration. Personality traits in the PPA group were also examined in relation to white matter tracts. Thirty-three patients with svPPA, nfvPPA, lvPPA, and 32 HC underwent neuropsychological assessment, emotion evaluation task (EET, and MRI scan. Patients' study partners were interviewed on the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR and completed an interpersonal traits assessment, the Interpersonal Adjective Scale (IAS. Diffusion tensor imaging of uncinate fasciculus (UF, superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF, and voxel-based morphometry to derive gray matter volumes for orbitofrontal cortex (OFC, anterior temporal lobe (ATL regions were performed. In addition, gray matter volumes of white matter tract-associated regions were also calculated: inferior frontal gyrus (IFG, posterior temporal lobe (PTL, inferior parietal lobe (IPL and occipital lobe (OL. ANCOVA was used to compare EET performance. Partial correlation and multivariate linear regression were conducted to examine association between EET and neuroanatomical regions affected in PPA. All three variants of PPA performed significantly worse than HC on EET, and the svPPA group was least accurate at recognizing emotions. Performance on EET was related to the right UF, SLF, and ILF integrity. Regression analysis revealed EET performance primarily relates to the right UF integrity. The IAS subdomain, cold-hearted, was also associated with right UF integrity. Disease-specific emotion recognition and personality changes occur

FT-IR, NMR spectroscopic and quantum mechanical investigations of two ferrocene derivatives

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Ö. Alver

2017-07-01

Full Text Available New ferrocene derivatives as N-(3-piperidin-1-ylpropylferrocenamide (Fc-3ppa and N-(pyridine-3-ylmethylferrocenamide (Fc-3pica and structural investigations were carried out with 1H, 13C, DEPT 45 or 135, HETCOR, COSY NMR and FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. Characterization of Fc-3ppa (FeC19H26N2O and Fc-3pica (FeC17H16N2O was also supported by density functional theory (DFT used by B3LYP functional and 6-31G(d or 6-311++G(d,p basis sets. From the combination of all the results, it can be clearly seen that syntheses of Fc-3ppa and Fc-3pica have been successfully achieved. Theoretical values are successfully compared against experimental data and B3LYP method is able to provide satisfactory results for predicting NMR properties and vibrational frequencies of the synthesized ferrocene based systems.

Nationwide Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 contamination in natural rivers of Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Minamoto, Toshifumi; Honjo, Mie N; Yamanaka, Hiroki; Uchii, Kimiko; Kawabata, Zen'ichiro

2012-08-01

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) disease is a significant threat for common and koi carp cultivators and for freshwater ecosystems. To determine the prevalence of CyHV-3 in Japanese rivers, a nationwide survey of all national class-A rivers was undertaken in the Summer of 2008. The virus was concentrated from river water samples using the cation-coated filter method. CyHV-3 DNA was detected in 90 rivers, representing 90% of 103 successfully analysed rivers. More than 100,000 copies of CyHV-3 DNA per litre of sample were detected in four rivers, higher than that reported during the Yura River outbreak in 2007. For CyHV-3-positive rivers, the log CyHV-3 density was negatively correlated with the water temperature on the sampling date and positively correlated with the suspended solids and dissolved oxygen, which are annually averaged for each river. Our results demonstrate that virus detection using molecular biology techniques is a powerful tool for monitoring the presence of CyHV-3 in natural environments. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of polyphenylacetylene by radiation-induced polymerization in deoxycholic acid clathrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cataldo, Franco; Strazzulla, Giovanni; Iglesias-Groth, Susana

2009-01-01

Phenylacetylene was polymerized as inclusion compound (clathrate) inside deoxycholic acid (DOCA) crystals. The polymerization was initiated by γ radiation and a total dose of 320 kGy was employed. The resulting polyphenylacetylene (PPA) was isolated by dissolution of deoxycholic acid in boiling ethanol. PPA high polymer was accompanied by a series of phenylacetylene oligomers, which were detected by liquid chromatographic analysis (HPLC). PPA was characterized by electronic absorption spectroscopy and by FT-IR spectroscopy in comparison to a reference PPA prepared by a stereospecific catalyst. The microstructure of PPA from inclusion polymerization was highly trans type, similar to that observed on PPA prepared by bulk radiolysis. No optical activity was detected by polarimetry on PPA prepared by inclusion polymerization. The host-guest complex PPA/DOCA was studied by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and by thermogravimetry (TGA). DTA provided evidences of the host-guest complex formation from the shift of the melting point of DOCA while the TGA confirmed the identity - in terms of thermal behaviour - of the PPA from inclusion polymerization with that from stereospecific polymerization

White matter disease correlates with lexical retrieval deficits in primary progressive aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, John P; McMillan, Corey T; Brun, Caroline C; Yushkevich, Paul A; Zhang, Hui; Gee, James C; Grossman, Murray

2013-01-01

To relate fractional anisotropy (FA) changes associated with the semantic and logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) to measures of lexical retrieval. We collected neuropsychological testing, volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, and diffusion-weighted imaging on semantic variant PPA (svPPA) (n = 11) and logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA) (n = 13) patients diagnosed using published criteria. We also acquired neuroimaging data on a group of demographically comparable healthy seniors (n = 34). FA was calculated and analyzed using a white matter (WM) tract-specific analysis approach. This approach utilizes anatomically guided data reduction to increase sensitivity and localizes results within canonically defined tracts. We used non-parametric, cluster-based statistical analysis to relate language performance to FA and determine regions of reduced FA in patients. We found widespread FA reductions in WM for both variants of PPA. FA was related to both confrontation naming and category naming fluency performance in left uncinate fasciculus and corpus callosum in svPPA and left superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi in lvPPA. SvPPA and lvPPA are associated with distinct disruptions of a large-scale network implicated in lexical retrieval, and the WM disease in each phenotype may contribute to language impairments including lexical retrieval.

The role of apitoxin in alleviating propionic acid-induced neurobehavioral impairments in rat pups: The expression pattern of Reelin gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Daghestani, Maha H; Selim, Manar E; Abd-Elhakim, Yasmina M; Said, Enas N; El-Hameed, Noura E Abd; Khalil, Samah R; El-Tawil, Osama S

2017-09-01

The efficacy of apitoxin (bee venom; BV) in ameliorating propionic acid (PPA) -induced neurobehavioral impacts was studied. Sixty rat pups were enrolled in a split litter design to six groups: a control group, a PPA-treated group, a BV-treated group, a BV/PPA protective group, a PPA/BV therapeutic group, and a BV/PPA/BV protective and therapeutic group. Exploratory, social, locomotor, and repetitive/stereotype-like activities were assessed and prosocial, empathy, and acquired behavior were evaluated. Levels of neurotransmitter including serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were determined and a quantitative analysis of Reelin gene expression was performed. PPA treatment induced several behavioral alterations, as reduced exploratory activity and social behaviors, increased repetitive/stereotypic behaviors, and hyperactivity. In addition, a marked decline of neurotransmitters and down-regulation of Reelin mRNA expression were observed. BV exhibited high efficiency in ameliorating the PPA-induced neurobehavioral alterations, particularly when applied both before and after PPA administration. Overall, the results implied that BV has merit as a candidate therapeutic treatment to alleviate PPA-induced neurobehavioral disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

First-principles analysis of MoS2/Ti2C and MoS2/Ti2CY2 (Y=F and OH) all-2D semiconductor/metal contacts

KAUST Repository

Gan, Liyong

2013-06-13

First-principles calculations are used to explore the geometry, bonding, and electronic properties of MoS2/Ti2C and MoS2/Ti2CY2 (Y = F and OH) semiconductor/metal contacts. The structure of the interfaces is determined. Strong chemical bonds formed at the MoS2/Ti2C interface result in additional states next to the Fermi level, which extend over the three atomic layers of MoS2 and induce a metallic character. The interaction in MoS2/Ti2CY2, on the other hand, is weak and not sensitive to the specific geometry, and the semiconducting nature thus is preserved. The energy level alignment implies weak and strong n-type doping of MoS2 in MoS2/Ti2CF2 and MoS2/Ti2C(OH)2, respectively. The corresponding n-type Schottky barrier heights are 0.85 and 0.26 eV. We show that the MoS2/Ti2CF2 interface is close to the Schottky limit. At the MoS2/Ti2C(OH)2 interface, we find that a strong dipole due to charge rearrangement induces the Schottky barrier. The present interfaces are well suited for application in all-two-dimensional devices.

First-principles analysis of MoS2/Ti2C and MoS2/Ti2CY2 (Y=F and OH) all-2D semiconductor/metal contacts

KAUST Repository

Gan, Liyong; Huang, Dan; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Zhao, Yu-Jun

2013-01-01

First-principles calculations are used to explore the geometry, bonding, and electronic properties of MoS2/Ti2C and MoS2/Ti2CY2 (Y = F and OH) semiconductor/metal contacts. The structure of the interfaces is determined. Strong chemical bonds formed at the MoS2/Ti2C interface result in additional states next to the Fermi level, which extend over the three atomic layers of MoS2 and induce a metallic character. The interaction in MoS2/Ti2CY2, on the other hand, is weak and not sensitive to the specific geometry, and the semiconducting nature thus is preserved. The energy level alignment implies weak and strong n-type doping of MoS2 in MoS2/Ti2CF2 and MoS2/Ti2C(OH)2, respectively. The corresponding n-type Schottky barrier heights are 0.85 and 0.26 eV. We show that the MoS2/Ti2CF2 interface is close to the Schottky limit. At the MoS2/Ti2C(OH)2 interface, we find that a strong dipole due to charge rearrangement induces the Schottky barrier. The present interfaces are well suited for application in all-two-dimensional devices.

Beta-Zone parapapillary atrophy and the velocity of glaucoma progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Christopher C; De Moraes, Carlos Gustavo V; Prata, Tiago S; Tello, Celso; Ritch, Robert; Liebmann, Jeffrey M

2010-05-01

Beta-Zone parapapillary atrophy (PPA) occurs more commonly in eyes with glaucoma. Rates of glaucomatous visual field (VF) progression in eyes with and without beta-zone PPA at the time of baseline assessment were compared. Retrospective, comparative study. Two hundred forty-five patients from the New York Glaucoma Progression Study. Subjects with glaucomatous optic neuropathy and repeatable VF loss were assessed for eligibility. Eyes with a Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II (HRT) examination, at least 5 visual field tests after the HRT in either eye, optic disc photographs, and Zone PPA was defined as a region of chorioretinal atrophy with visible sclera and choroidal vessels adjacent to the optic disc. Global rates of VF progression were determined by automated pointwise linear regression analysis. Univariate analysis included age, gender, ethnicity, central corneal thickness (CCT), refractive error, baseline mean deviation, baseline intraocular pressure (IOP), mean IOP, IOP fluctuation, disc area, rim area, rim area-to-disc area ratio, beta-zone PPA area, beta-zone PPA area-to-disc area ratio, and presence or absence of beta-zone PPA. The relationship between beta-zone PPA and the rate and risk of glaucoma progression. Two hundred forty-five eyes of 245 patients (mean age, 69.6+/-12.3 years) were enrolled. The mean follow-up was 4.9+/-1.4 years and the mean number of VFs after HRT was 9.3+/-2.7. beta-Zone PPA was present in 146 eyes (65%). Eyes with beta-zone PPA progressed more rapidly (-0.84+/-0.8 dB/year) than eyes without it (-0.51+/-0.6 dB/year; Pzone PPA (HR, 2.59; P1.5 dB/year; P = 0.08) global rates of progression occurred more commonly in eyes with beta-zone PPA than in eyes without it. Thinner CCT (zone PPA (kappa = 0.13). Eyes with beta-zone PPA are at increased risk for glaucoma progression and warrant close clinical surveillance. Copyright 2010 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Elektroniczny system wspomagający zarządzanie zasobami w bibliotece Wyższej Szkoły Biznesu – National- -Louis University w Nowym Sączu

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Wanda Sidor

2010-01-01

Full Text Available W artykule przedstawiono kilka aspektów związanych z gromadzeniem zbiorów w bibliotece uczelni wyższej oraz zaprezentowano elektroniczny system wspomagający zarządzanie zasobami informacyjnymi w bibliotece uczelni niepublicznej. Zaprojektowany i wdrożony system nie rozwiązuje wszystkich problemów związanych z gromadzeniem zasobów, ale umożliwia sprawniejsze i efektywniejsze zarządzanie zasobami informacyjnymi oraz racjonalne dopasowanie zbiorów dydaktycznych do potrzeb studentów.

Antibody screening identifies 78 putative host proteins involved in Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 infection or propagation in common carp, Cyprinus carpio L.

Science.gov (United States)

Gotesman, M; Soliman, H; El-Matbouli, M

2014-01-01

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) is the aetiological agent of a serious and notifiable disease afflicting common and koi carp, Cyprinus carpio L., termed koi herpesvirus disease (KHVD). Significant progress has been achieved in the last 15 years, since the initial reports surfaced from Germany, USA and Israel of the CyHV-3 virus, in terms of pathology and detection. However, relatively few studies have been carried out in understanding viral replication and propagation. Antibody-based affinity has been used for detection of CyHV-3 in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and PCR-based techniques, and immunohistological assays have been used to describe a CyHV-3 membrane protein, termed ORF81. In this study, monoclonal antibodies linked to N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-activated spin columns were used to purify CyHV-3 and host proteins from tissue samples originating in either CyHV-3 symptomatic or asymptomatic fish. The samples were next analysed either by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and subsequently by electrospray ionization coupled to mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) or by ESI-MS analysis directly after purification. A total of 78 host proteins and five CyHV-3 proteins were identified in the two analyses. These data can be used to develop novel control methods for CyHV-3, based on pathways or proteins identified in this study. PMID:23347276

[Paroxysmal perceptual alteration in comparison with hallucination--a review of its clinical reports and discussion of its pathophysiological mechanism in the present day, when second generation antipsychotics are widely used].

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Ken

2009-01-01

The syndrome of paroxysmal perceptual alteration (PPA) was first described by Yamaguchi in 1985. Since then, many PPA cases have been reported, and its pathophysiological mechanism has been proposed: a suppressed (blocked) mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic system and sequential compensatory increase of noradrenergic neuronal activity are crucial for the occurrence of PPA. PPA is characterized by hypersensitivity of perception, psychedelic experience (brightening of colors, sharpening of contrast, visual distortion, etc.), and somatic schema disorder (one feels that one is floating, one's extremities are being pulled and elongated, etc.). PPA in chronic schizophrenic patients occurs abruptly like an attack mainly in the evening, often precipitated by fatigue. During the attack, patients also suffer from mood and thought alteration (anxiety, agitation, depressive mood, and inability to distract their thoughts from one thing), but they are aware that symptoms of PPA are not real and apprehensive about them. The attack ceases gradually and spontaneously while the patient rests or sleeps. These clinical features are clearly different from those of schizophrenic hallucinations. It is believed that PPA is closely related to neuroleptic treatment by conventional antipsychotics. I reported the prevalence of PPA as 4.0% in 1991 when high potential D2 blocking agents were prevailing. The occurrence of PPA has been significantly reduced to the present, when second generation (atypical) antipsychotics are prevailing. However, in my inquiry in 2004, the prevalence of PPA was 3.6% in cases treated with risperidone (RIS), while the rates were 0 in cases treated with olanzapine (OLZ), quetiapine (QTP), and perospirone (PRS). Several cases of PPA have been reported in patients who were treated with OLZ and PRS. Until now, no cases of PPA have been reported who were treated with QTP and aripiprazole (APZ). The prevalence of PPA among cases treated with these second generation

Rates of Amyloid Imaging Positivity in Patients With Primary Progressive Aphasia

Science.gov (United States)

Santos-Santos, Miguel A.; Rabinovici, Gil D.; Iaccarino, Leonardo; Ayakta, Nagehan; Tammewar, Gautam; Lobach, Iryna; Henry, Maya L.; Hubbard, Isabel; Mandelli, Maria Luisa; Spinelli, Edoardo; Miller, Zachary A.; Pressman, Peter S.; O’Neil, James P.; Ghosh, Pia; Lazaris, Andreas; Meyer, Marita; Watson, Christa; Yoon, Soo Jin; Rosen, Howard J.; Grinberg, Lea; Seeley, William W.; Miller, Bruce L.; Jagust, William J.; Gorno-Tempini, Maria Luisa

2018-01-01

IMPORTANCE The ability to predict the pathology underlying different neurodegenerative syndromes is of critical importance owing to the advent of molecule-specific therapies. OBJECTIVE To determine the rates of positron emission tomography (PET) amyloid positivity in the main clinical variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This prospective clinical-pathologic case series was conducted at a tertiary research clinic specialized in cognitive disorders. Patients were evaluated as part of a prospective, longitudinal research study between January 2002 and December 2015. Inclusion criteria included clinical diagnosis of PPA; availability of complete speech, language, and cognitive testing; magnetic resonance imaging performed within 6 months of the cognitive evaluation; and PET carbon 11–labeled Pittsburgh Compound-B or florbetapir F 18 brain scan results. Of 109 patients referred for evaluation of language symptoms who underwent amyloid brain imaging, 3 were excluded because of incomplete language evaluations, 5 for absence of significant aphasia, and 12 for presenting with significant initial symptoms outside of the language domain, leaving a cohort of 89 patients with PPA. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Clinical, cognitive, neuroimaging, and pathology results. RESULTS Twenty-eight cases were classified as imaging-supported semantic variant PPA (11 women [39.3%]; mean [SD] age, 64 [7] years), 31 nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA (22 women [71.0%]; mean [SD] age, 68 [7] years), 26 logopenic variant PPA (17 women [65.4%]; mean [SD] age, 63 [8] years), and 4 mixed PPA cases. Twenty-four of 28 patients with semantic variant PPA (86%) and 28 of 31 patients with nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA (90%) had negative amyloid PET scan results, while 25 of 26 patients with logopenic variant PPA (96%) and 3 of 4 mixed PPA cases (75%) had positive scan results. The amyloid positive semantic variant PPA and nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA cases

UV photolysis of 4-iodo-, 4-bromo-, and 4-chlorophenol: Competition between C-Y (Y = halogen) and O-H bond fission

Science.gov (United States)

Sage, Alan G.; Oliver, Thomas A. A.; King, Graeme A.; Murdock, Daniel; Harvey, Jeremy N.; Ashfold, Michael N. R.

2013-04-01

The wavelength dependences of C-Y and O-H bond fission following ultraviolet photoexcitation of 4-halophenols (4-YPhOH) have been investigated using a combination of velocity map imaging, H Rydberg atom photofragment translational spectroscopy, and high level spin-orbit resolved electronic structure calculations, revealing a systematic evolution in fragmentation behaviour across the series Y = I, Br, Cl (and F). All undergo O-H bond fission following excitation at wavelengths λ ≲ 240 nm, on repulsive ((n/π)σ*) potential energy surfaces (PESs), yielding fast H atoms with mean kinetic energies ˜11 000 cm-1. For Y = I and Br, this process occurs in competition with prompt C-I and C-Br bond cleavage on another (n/π)σ* PES, but no Cl/Cl* products unambiguously attributable to one photon induced C-Cl bond fission are observed from 4-ClPhOH. Differences in fragmentation behaviour at longer excitation wavelengths are more marked. Prompt C-I bond fission is observed following excitation of 4-IPhOH at all λ ≤ 330 nm; the wavelength dependent trends in I/I* product branching ratio, kinetic energy release, and recoil anisotropy suggest that (with regard to C-I bond fission) 4-IPhOH behaves like a mildly perturbed iodobenzene. Br atoms are observed when exciting 4-BrPhOH at long wavelengths also, but their velocity distributions suggest that dissociation occurs after internal conversion to the ground state. O-H bond fission, by tunnelling (as in phenol), is observed only in the cases of 4-FPhOH and, more weakly, 4-ClPhOH. These observed differences in behaviour can be understood given due recognition of (i) the differences in the vertical excitation energies of the C-Y centred (n/π)σ* potentials across the series Y = I increased spin-orbit coupling in, particularly, 4-IPhOH. The present results provide (another) reminder of the risks inherent in extrapolating photochemical behaviour measured for one molecule at one wavelength to other (related) molecules and to

Highly sensitive detection of human IgG using a novel bio-barcode assay combined with DNA chip technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Zhenbao [Central South University, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (China); Zhou, Bo, E-mail: zhoubo1771@163.com [The Affiliated Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University, Department of Gerontology (China); Wang, Haiqing; Lu, Feng; Liu, Tianjun; Song, Cunxian; Leng, Xigang, E-mail: lengxigyky@163.com [Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (China)

2013-09-15

A simple and ultrasensitive detection of human IgG based on signal amplification using a novel bio-barcode assay and DNA chip technology was developed. The sensing platform was a sandwich system made up of antibody-modified magnetic microparticles (Ab-MMPs)/human IgG/Cy3-labeled single-stranded DNA and antibody-modified gold nanoparticles (Cy3-ssDNA-Ab-AuNPs). The MMPs (2.5 {mu}m in diameter) modified with mouse anti-human IgG monoclonal-antibodies could capture human IgG and further be separated and enriched via a magnetic field. The AuNPs (13 nm in diameter) conjugated with goat anti-human IgG polyclonal-antibodies and Cy3-ssDNA could further combine with the human IgG/Ab-MMP complex. The Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs was then released by TCEP to hybridize with the DNA chip, thus generating a detectable signal by the fluorescence intensity of Cy3. In order to improve detection sensitivity, a three-level cascaded signal amplification was developed: (1) The MMP enrichment as the first-level; (2) Large quantities of Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs as the second-level; (3) The Cy3-ssDNA conjugate with DNA chip as the third-level. The highly sensitive technique showed an increased response of the fluorescence intensity to the increased concentration of human IgG through a detection range from 1 pg mL{sup -1} to 10 ng mL{sup -1}. This sensing technique could not only improve the detection sensitivity for the low concentration of human IgG but also present a robust and efficient signal amplification model. The detection method has good stability, specificity, and reproducibility and could be applied in the detection of human IgG in the real samples.

Highly sensitive detection of human IgG using a novel bio-barcode assay combined with DNA chip technology

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhenbao; Zhou, Bo; Wang, Haiqing; Lu, Feng; Liu, Tianjun; Song, Cunxian; Leng, Xigang

2013-09-01

A simple and ultrasensitive detection of human IgG based on signal amplification using a novel bio-barcode assay and DNA chip technology was developed. The sensing platform was a sandwich system made up of antibody-modified magnetic microparticles (Ab-MMPs)/human IgG/Cy3-labeled single-stranded DNA and antibody-modified gold nanoparticles (Cy3-ssDNA-Ab-AuNPs). The MMPs (2.5 μm in diameter) modified with mouse anti-human IgG monoclonal-antibodies could capture human IgG and further be separated and enriched via a magnetic field. The AuNPs (13 nm in diameter) conjugated with goat anti-human IgG polyclonal-antibodies and Cy3-ssDNA could further combine with the human IgG/Ab-MMP complex. The Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs was then released by TCEP to hybridize with the DNA chip, thus generating a detectable signal by the fluorescence intensity of Cy3. In order to improve detection sensitivity, a three-level cascaded signal amplification was developed: (1) The MMP enrichment as the first-level; (2) Large quantities of Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs as the second-level; (3) The Cy3-ssDNA conjugate with DNA chip as the third-level. The highly sensitive technique showed an increased response of the fluorescence intensity to the increased concentration of human IgG through a detection range from 1 pg mL-1 to 10 ng mL-1. This sensing technique could not only improve the detection sensitivity for the low concentration of human IgG but also present a robust and efficient signal amplification model. The detection method has good stability, specificity, and reproducibility and could be applied in the detection of human IgG in the real samples.

Highly sensitive detection of human IgG using a novel bio-barcode assay combined with DNA chip technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhenbao; Zhou, Bo; Wang, Haiqing; Lu, Feng; Liu, Tianjun; Song, Cunxian; Leng, Xigang

2013-01-01

A simple and ultrasensitive detection of human IgG based on signal amplification using a novel bio-barcode assay and DNA chip technology was developed. The sensing platform was a sandwich system made up of antibody-modified magnetic microparticles (Ab-MMPs)/human IgG/Cy3-labeled single-stranded DNA and antibody-modified gold nanoparticles (Cy3-ssDNA-Ab-AuNPs). The MMPs (2.5 μm in diameter) modified with mouse anti-human IgG monoclonal-antibodies could capture human IgG and further be separated and enriched via a magnetic field. The AuNPs (13 nm in diameter) conjugated with goat anti-human IgG polyclonal-antibodies and Cy3-ssDNA could further combine with the human IgG/Ab-MMP complex. The Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs was then released by TCEP to hybridize with the DNA chip, thus generating a detectable signal by the fluorescence intensity of Cy3. In order to improve detection sensitivity, a three-level cascaded signal amplification was developed: (1) The MMP enrichment as the first-level; (2) Large quantities of Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs as the second-level; (3) The Cy3-ssDNA conjugate with DNA chip as the third-level. The highly sensitive technique showed an increased response of the fluorescence intensity to the increased concentration of human IgG through a detection range from 1 pg mL −1 to 10 ng mL −1 . This sensing technique could not only improve the detection sensitivity for the low concentration of human IgG but also present a robust and efficient signal amplification model. The detection method has good stability, specificity, and reproducibility and could be applied in the detection of human IgG in the real samples

Proteomic Analysis of Bovine Pregnancy-specific Serum Proteins by 2D Fluorescence Difference Gel Electrophoresis

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae Eun; Lee, Jae Young; Kim, Hong Rye; Shin, Hyun Young; Lin, Tao; Jin, Dong Il

2015-01-01

Two dimensional-fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis (2D DIGE) is an emerging technique for comparative proteomics, which improves the reproducibility and reliability of differential protein expression analysis between samples. The purpose of this study was to investigate bovine pregnancy-specific proteins in the proteome between bovine pregnant and non-pregnant serum using DIGE technique. Serums of 2 pregnant Holstein dairy cattle at day 21 after artificial insemination and those of 2 non-pregnant were used in this study. The pre-electrophoretic labeling of pregnant and non-pregnant serum proteins were mixed with Cy3 and Cy5 fluorescent dyes, respectively, and an internal standard was labeled with Cy2. Labeled proteins with Cy2, Cy3, and Cy5 were separated together in a single gel, and then were detected by fluorescence image analyzer. The 2D DIGE method using fluorescence CyDye DIGE flour had higher sensitivity than conventional 2D gel electrophoresis, and showed reproducible results. Approximately 1,500 protein spots were detected by 2D DIGE. Several proteins showed a more than 1.5-fold up and down regulation between non-pregnant and pregnant serum proteins. The differentially expressed proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer. A total 16 protein spots were detected to regulate differentially in the pregnant serum, among which 7 spots were up-regulated proteins such as conglutinin precursor, modified bovine fibrinogen and IgG1, and 6 spots were down-regulated proteins such as hemoglobin, complement component 3, bovine fibrinogen and IgG2a three spots were not identified. The identified proteins demonstrate that early pregnant bovine serum may have several pregnancy-specific proteins, and these could be a valuable information for the development of pregnancy-diagnostic markers in early pregnancy bovine serum. PMID:25925056

Proteomic Analysis of Bovine Pregnancy-specific Serum Proteins by 2D Fluorescence Difference Gel Electrophoresis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae Eun Lee

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Two dimensional-fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis (2D DIGE is an emerging technique for comparative proteomics, which improves the reproducibility and reliability of differential protein expression analysis between samples. The purpose of this study was to investigate bovine pregnancy-specific proteins in the proteome between bovine pregnant and non-pregnant serum using DIGE technique. Serums of 2 pregnant Holstein dairy cattle at day 21 after artificial insemination and those of 2 non-pregnant were used in this study. The pre-electrophoretic labeling of pregnant and non-pregnant serum proteins were mixed with Cy3 and Cy5 fluorescent dyes, respectively, and an internal standard was labeled with Cy2. Labeled proteins with Cy2, Cy3, and Cy5 were separated together in a single gel, and then were detected by fluorescence image analyzer. The 2D DIGE method using fluorescence CyDye DIGE flour had higher sensitivity than conventional 2D gel electrophoresis, and showed reproducible results. Approximately 1,500 protein spots were detected by 2D DIGE. Several proteins showed a more than 1.5-fold up and down regulation between non-pregnant and pregnant serum proteins. The differentially expressed proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer. A total 16 protein spots were detected to regulate differentially in the pregnant serum, among which 7 spots were up-regulated proteins such as conglutinin precursor, modified bovine fibrinogen and IgG1, and 6 spots were down-regulated proteins such as hemoglobin, complement component 3, bovine fibrinogen and IgG2a three spots were not identified. The identified proteins demonstrate that early pregnant bovine serum may have several pregnancy-specific proteins, and these could be a valuable information for the development of pregnancy-diagnostic markers in early pregnancy bovine serum.

Crystal structure of [Eu(CyMe4-BTBP)2κ2O,O'-(NO3)](NO3)2·n-C8H17OH and its structure in 1-octanol solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundberg, Daniel; Persson, Ingmar; Ekberg, Christian

2013-03-21

The structure of the [Eu(CyMe(4)-BTBP)(2)(NO(3))(n)]((3-n)+) complex in 1-octanol solution and solid state has been determined by EXAFS and X-ray crystallography. The crystal structure shows that 1-octanol binds only to the europium(III)-coordinated BTBP molecules through weak van der Waals forces, making it the first indication of the role of the extraction solvent.

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2017 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model; and Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-03

This final rule updates the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) payment rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor; effective for home health episodes of care ending on or after January 1, 2017. This rule also: Implements the last year of the 4-year phase-in of the rebasing adjustments to the HH PPS payment rates; updates the HH PPS case-mix weights using the most current, complete data available at the time of rulemaking; implements the 2nd-year of a 3-year phase-in of a reduction to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment to account for estimated case-mix growth unrelated to increases in patient acuity (that is, nominal case-mix growth) between CY 2012 and CY 2014; finalizes changes to the methodology used to calculate payments made under the HH PPS for high-cost "outlier" episodes of care; implements changes in payment for furnishing Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) using a disposable device for patients under a home health plan of care; discusses our efforts to monitor the potential impacts of the rebasing adjustments; includes an update on subsequent research and analysis as a result of the findings from the home health study; and finalizes changes to the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model, which was implemented on January 1, 2016; and updates to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP).

Cholinergic depletion and basal forebrain volume in primary progressive aphasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jolien Schaeverbeke

2017-01-01

In the PPA group, only LV cases showed decreases in AChE activity levels compared to controls. Surprisingly, a substantial number of SV cases showed significant AChE activity increases compared to controls. BF volume did not correlate with AChE activity levels in PPA. To conclude, in our sample of PPA patients, LV but not SV was associated with cholinergic depletion. BF atrophy in PPA does not imply cholinergic depletion.

Demonstration of a SANEX Process in Centrifugal Contactors using the CyMe{sub 4}-BTBP Molecule on a Genuine Fuel Solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Magnusson, D.; Christiansen, B.; Glatz, J.P.; Malmbeck, R.; Serrano-Purroy, D. [European Commiss, Joint Res Ctr, Inst Transuranium Elements, D-76125 Karlsruhe, (Germany); Foreman, M.R.S. [Univ Reading, Dept Chem, Reading RG6 6AD, Berks, (United Kingdom); Geist, A. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Inst Nukl Entsorgung, D-76021 Karlsruhe, (Germany); Modolo, G. [Forschungszentrum Julich, Inst Energy Res Safety Res and Reactor Technol, D-52425 Julich, (Germany); Sorel, C. [Commissariat Energie Atom Valrho, CEA, DRCP SCPS, F-30207 Bagnols Sur Ceze, (France)

2009-07-01

Efficient recovery of minor actinides from a genuine spent fuel solution has been successfully demonstrated by the CyMe{sub 4}-BTBP/DMDOHEMA extractant mixture dissolved in octanol. The continuous countercurrent process, in which actinides(III) were separated from lanthanides(III), was carried out in laboratory centrifugal contactors using an optimized flow-sheet involving a total of 16 stages. The process was divided into 9 stages for extraction from a 2 M nitric acid feed solution, 3 stages for lanthanide scrubbing, and 4 stages for actinide back-extraction. Excellent feed decontamination factors for Am (7000) and Cm (1000) were obtained and the recoveries of these elements were higher than 99.9%. More than 99.9% of the lanthanides were directed to the raffinate except Gd for which 0.32% was recovered in the product. (authors)

A novel method to quantify local CpG methylation density by regional methylation elongation assay on microarray

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiao Yingjuan

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background DNA methylation based techniques are important tools in both clinical diagnostics and therapeutics. But most of these methods only analyze a few CpG sites in a target region. Indeed, difference of site-specific methylation may also lead to a change of methylation density in many cases, and it has been found that the density of methylation is more important than methylation of single CpG site for gene silencing. Results We have developed a novel approach for quantitative analysis of CpG methylation density on the basis of microarray-based hybridization and incorporation of Cy5-dCTP into the Cy3 labeled target DNA by using Taq DNA Polymerase on microarray. The quantification is achieved by measuring Cy5/Cy3 signal ratio which is proportional to methylation density. This methylation-sensitive technique, termed RMEAM (regional methylation elongation assay on microarray, provides several advantages over existing methods used for methylation analysis. It can determine an exact methylation density of the given region, and has potential of high throughput. We demonstrate a use of this method in determining the methylation density of the promoter region of the tumor-related gene MLH1, TERT and MGMT in colorectal carcinoma patients. Conclusion This technique allows for quantitative analysis of regional methylation density, which is the representative of all allelic methylation patterns in the sample. The results show that this technique has the characteristics of simplicity, rapidness, specificity and high-throughput.

[Cloning and expressing of cyclophilin B gene from Schistosoma japonnicum and the analysis of immunoprotective effect].

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Jinbiao; Han, Hongxiao; Hong, Yang; Wang, Yan; Guo, Fanji; Shi, Yaojun; Fu, Zhiqiang; Liu, Jinming; Cheng, Guofeng; Lin, Jiaojiao

2010-03-01

The present study was intend to clone and express the cDNA encoding Cyclophilin B (CyPB) of Schistosoma japonicum, its preliminary biological function and further immunoprotective effect against schistosome infection in mice. RT-PCR technique was applied to amplify a full-length cDNA encoding protein Cyclophilin B (Sj CyPB) from schistosomula cDNA. The expression profiles of Sj CyPB were determined by Real-time PCR using the template cDNAs isolated from 7, 13, 18, 23, 32 and 42 days parasites. The cDNA containing the Open Reading Frame of CyPB was then subcloned into a pGEX-6P-1 vector and transformed into competent Escherichia coli BL21 for expressing. The recombinant protein was renaturated, purified and its antigenicity were detected by Western blotting, and the immunoprotective effect induced by recombinant Sj CyPB was evaluated in Balb/C mice. The cDNA containing the ORF of Sj CyPB was cloned with the length of 672 base pairs, encoding 223 amino acids. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that the gene had the highest expression in 18-day schistosomula, suggesting that Sj CyPB was schistosomula differentially expressed gene. The recombinant protein showed a good antigenicity detected by Western blotting. Animal experiment indicated that the vaccination of recombinant CyPB protein in mice led to 31.5% worm and 41.01% liver egg burden reduction, respectively, compared with those of the control. A full-length cDNA differentially expressed in schistosomula was obtained. The recombinant Sj CyPB protein could induce partial protection against schistosome infection.

75 FR 8313 - Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-24

... Psychological Assessment (PPA), Building 5725, Room 279, 319th Training Squadron, 1550 Wurtsmith Street... authority, Personnel Psychological Assessment (PPA) psychologist and squadron commanders to determine an...: Personnel Psychological Assessment (PPA), Building 5725, Room 279, 319th Training Squadron, 1550 Wurtsmith...

Difunctional bacteriophage conjugated with photosensitizers for Candida albicans-targeting photodynamic inactivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Shuai; Shi, Hongxi; Zhang, Xintong; Chen, Xi; Cao, Donghui; Mao, Chuanbin; Gao, Xiang; Wang, Li

2018-01-01

Candida albicans is the most prevalent fungal pathogen of the human microbiota, causing infections ranging from superficial infections of the skin to life-threatening systemic infections. Due to the increasing occurrence of antibiotic-resistant C. albicans strains, new approaches to control this pathogen are needed. Photodynamic inactivation is an emerging alternative to treat infections based on the interactions between visible light and photosensitisers, in which pheophorbide a (PPA) is a chlorophyll-based photosensitizer that could induce cell death after light irradiation. Due to PPA's phototoxicity and low efficiency, the main challenge is to implement photosensitizer cell targeting and attacking. In this study, PPA was conjugated with JM-phage by EDC/NHS crosslinking. UV-Vis spectra was used to determine the optimum conjugation percentages of PPA and JM-phage complex for photodynamic inactivation. After photodynamic inactivation, the efficacy of PPA-JM-phage was assessed by performing in vitro experiments, such as MTS assay, scanning electron microscopy, measurement of dysfunctional mitochondria, ROS accumulation, S cell arrest and apoptotic pathway. A single-chain variable-fragment phage (JM) with high affinity to MP65 was screened from human single-fold single-chain variable-fragment libraries and designed as a binding target for C. albicans cells. Subsequently, PPa was integrated into JM phage to generate a combined nanoscale material, which was called PPA-JM-phage. After photodynamic inactivation, the growth of C. albicans was inhibited by PPA-JM-phage and apoptosis was observed. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed shrinking and rupturing of C. albicans . We also found that depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased and intracellular reactive oxygen species levels were elevated significantly in C. albicans inhibited by PPA-JM-phage. Additionally, PPA-JM-phage also lead to S-phase arrest, and metacaspase activation

Pneumonia caused by Pittsburgh pneumonia agent: radiologic manifestations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muder, R.R.; Reddy, S.C.; Yu, V.L.; Kroboth, F.J.

1984-01-01

Using an objective scoring system, chest radiographs were reviewed in 23 cases of pneumonia due to the Pittsburgh pneumonia agent (PPA, Tatlockia micdadei, Legionella micdadei), including six cases of pneumonia with simultaneous isolation of PPA and L pneumophila (Legionnaires' disease). Infiltrates were typically segmental to lobar; nodular infiltrates were noted in three cases. Spread to additional lobes after presentation occurred in four of 17 PPA infections. Pneumonia caused by both PPA and L pneumophila was unusually severe, with involvement of all lobes occurring in four of six cases, compared with one of 17 cases of PPA infection (p>0.02). Radiographic severity did not correlate with underlying disease, immune status, or outcome. The majority of patients receiving erythromycin demonstrated objective radiologic improvement. In a patients, population that included nonimmunosuppressed patient, nodule formation and rapid radiologic progression were not found to be characteristic of PPA pneumonia

Modulation of Immunological Pathways in Autistic and Neurotypical Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines by the Enteric Microbiome Metabolite Propionic Acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Frye, Richard E; Nankova, Bistra; Bhattacharyya, Sudeepa; Rose, Shannon; Bennuri, Sirish C; MacFabe, Derrick F

2017-01-01

Propionic acid (PPA) is a ubiquitous short-chain fatty acid which is a fermentation product of the enteric microbiome and present or added to many foods. While PPA has beneficial effects, it is also associated with human disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We previously demonstrated that PPA modulates mitochondrial dysfunction differentially in subsets of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) derived from patients with ASD. Specifically, PPA significantly increases mitochondrial function in LCLs that have mitochondrial dysfunction at baseline [individuals with autistic disorder with atypical mitochondrial function (AD-A) LCLs] as compared to ASD LCLs with normal mitochondrial function [individuals with autistic disorder with normal mitochondrial function (AD-N) LCLs] and control (CNT) LCLs. PPA at 1 mM was found to have a minimal effect on expression of immune genes in CNT and AD-N LCLs. However, as hypothesized, Panther analysis demonstrated that 1 mM PPA exposure at 24 or 48 h resulted in significant activation of the immune system genes in AD-A LCLs. When the effect of PPA on ASD LCLs were compared to the CNT LCLs, both ASD groups demonstrated immune pathway activation, although the AD-A LCLs demonstrate a wider activation of immune genes. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis identified several immune-related pathways as key Canonical Pathways that were differentially regulated, specifically human leukocyte antigen expression and immunoglobulin production genes were upregulated. These data demonstrate that the enteric microbiome metabolite PPA can evoke atypical immune activation in LCLs with an underlying abnormal metabolic state. As PPA, as well as enteric bacteria which produce PPA, have been implicated in a wide variety of diseases which have components of immune dysfunction, including ASD, diabetes, obesity, and inflammatory diseases, insight into this metabolic modulator may have wide applications for both health and disease.

Reduction of the pace polarization artefact for capture detection applications by a tri-phasic stimulation pulse.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutton, R; Fröhlig, G; de Voogt, W G; Goethals, M; Hintringer, F; Kennergren, C; Scanu, P; Guilleman, D; Treese, N; Hartung, W M; Stammwitz, E; Muetstege, A

2004-11-01

This study investigated the ability to minimize pace polarization artefacts (PPA) by adjusting the post-stimulus pulse duration of a tri-phasic stimulation pulse. Adjustment of the stimulation pulse was enabled by downloading special study software into an already implanted pacemaker. Tests were performed in a total of 296 atrial leads and 311 ventricular leads. Both chronic and acute leads were included in the study. Statistically significant differences were found in the initial PPA (without any adjustment of the stimulus pulse) between atrial and ventricular leads. In addition, significant differences were observed among various lead models with respect to changes over time in the initial ventricular PPA. Successful PPA reduction was defined as a reduction of the PPA below 0.5 mV for atrial leads and below 1 mV for ventricular leads. Results show a success rate for ventricular and atrial PPA reduction of 97.8% and 98.7%, respectively. Threshold tests showed that after reduction of the PPA loss of ventricular capture can be reliably detected. However, atrial threshold tests showed many false positive evoked response detections. In addition, unexpectedly high evoked response amplitudes were observed in the atrium after reduction of the PPA. Results from additional measurements suggest that these high atrial evoked response amplitudes come from the influence of the input filter of the pacemaker.

Particle Physics & Astrophysics (PPA)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Scientists at SLAC's Particle Physics and Astrophysics develop and utilize unique instruments from underground to outer space to explore the ultimate laws of nature...

Long-term storage of clinical samples in CyMol® medium for PNA- FISH® and culturing from the eSwab™ system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Lone Heimann; Xu, Yijuan; Pedersen, Malene Schibler

Objectives: A steadily growing diversity of bacteria is reported in foreign body infections, and culture-independent methods have been shown to supplement established culture methods. Therefore, sampling and preservation of specimens have become an important issue. We report here experience from...... analytical methods. Methods: Sampling for both culture-dependent and -independent analyses were done over a period of two years. Specimens were transferred directly to the lab, and cultures of tissue biopsies, joint fluid, sonication fluid from the prosthesis components, and eSwab™ (Copan, Italy) were...... performed within 24 h after sampling. The corresponding specimens for culture-independent methods were stored at -80°C until analyzed in batchs. Specimens for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis were stored for app. one year at -80°C in CyMol® (Copan, Italy), an alcohol based media, before...

Total Dose Hardness Assurance. Volume I. Identification of Techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-02-01

Continued) 73. Brotherton, S. D., T. G. Read, D. R. Lamb , and A. F. W. Willoughby. "Surface Charge and Stress in the Si/SiO System," Solid-State...Sands Missile Range 12 cy ATTN: DD Department of the Army ATTN: STEWS -TE-AN, M. Squires Field Conmand ATTN: STEWS -TE-AN, T. Leura Djefense Nluclear

Malignant transformation of a rat fibroma by the treatment with an anti-fibrosing drug: CY-168F (Plastenan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonia G. Andrade

1981-09-01

Full Text Available Fifteen albino (Sprague Dawley rats with subcutaneous transplanted fibromas was used in the present study. The tumour was formed by typical fibroblasts in a dense collagen matrix and was provenient from a fibroma that appeared spontaneously in an albino rat of the same strain. Ultrastructurally collagen disclosed normal periodicity and the fibroblasts showed irregular notched nuclei with irregular distribution of chromatin, that suggests transitional aspects to fibrosarcoma. The 15 animals, from different passage groups, were divided into: 8 animals submitted to treatment with the drug acexamic acid (CY-168F - N acetyl-amino-6-hexanoic acid (plastenan and 7 untreated control animals. Three of the treated animals showed a malignant transformation to fibrosarcoma. transitional histological features from typical fibroma to highly indifferentiated fibrosarcoma could be detected in come animal subjected to repeated biopsies. Ultrastructural study disclosed nuclear alterations and hyperactive ergastoplasm and collagen containing inclusions into the cytoplasm of fibroblasts. In the group of 7 untreated naimals, no malignant transformation could be detected histologically. Two aspects deserve attention: the malignant potential of a typical fibroma and the apparent effect of an antifibrosing drug in inducing malignization of this tumour.Foram utilizados no presente estudo, quinze ratos albinos (Sprague Dawley portadores de fibronas transplantados no tecido subcutâneo da parede abdominal. O tumor era constituído por fibroblastos típicos, em uma densa matriz colagênica e eram provenientes de um fibroma que apareceu espontaneamente em um rato albino da mesma linhagem. Ultraestruturalmente o colágeno mostrava periodicidade normal e os fibroblastos mostravam núcleo irregularmente denteado, com cromatina irregularmente distribuída, sugerindo aspectos transicionais para um fibrossarcoma. Os quinze animais, de diferentes grupos de passagem do tumor, foram

Listeria monocytogenes - inactivation by essential oils and high pressure, and contribution of genetic variation to stress resistance

OpenAIRE

Karatzas, K.A.G.

2002-01-01

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A variety of non-thermal mild preservation techniques have lately been introduced in food production, or are currently being investigated thoroughly for potential use in food processing. Two of these novel preservation techniques are the use of essential oil compounds isolated from plants and of High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) treatment. Applications of these preservation methods, alone or combined, have shown to reduce the viable numbers of microorganisms occurri...

Identification of pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridin-4-amine compounds as a new class of entry inhibitors against influenza viruses in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, So Young; Cruz, Deu John M.; Ko, Yoonae; Min, Ji-Young

2016-01-01

Various influenza virus entry inhibitors are being developed as therapeutic antiviral agents in ongoing preparation for emerging influenza viruses, particularly those that may possess drug resistance to the current FDA-approved neuraminidase inhibitors. In this study, small molecules having the pyrrolopyridinamine (PPA), aminothiadiazole (ATD), dihydrofuropyridine carboxamide (HPC), or imidazopyridinamine (IPA) moiety were selected from a target-focused chemical library for their inhibitory activity against influenza A virus by high-throughput screening using the PR8GFP assay. Activity was evaluated by measuring changes the proportion of GFP-expressing cells as a reflection of influenza virus infection. Among them, PPA showed broad-spectrum activity against multiple influenza A viruses and influenza B virus. PPA was found to block the early stages of influenza virus infection using a time-of-addition assay. Using additional phenotypic assays that dissect the virus entry process, it appears that the antiviral activity of PPA against influenza virus can be attributed to interference of the post-fusion process: namely, virus uncoating and nuclear import of viral nucleoprotein complexes. Based on these results, PPA is an attractive chemical moiety that can be used to develop new antiviral drug candidates against influenza viruses. - Highlights: • Four chemical classes are identified from target-focused chemical library by HTS. • PPA inhibits the infection of various influenza A viruses and influenza B virus. • PPA is identified to inhibit the early stages of influenza virus infection. • PPA compound disrupts virus uncoating and nuclear import of viral ribonucleoprotein.

Iodine-123 phenylpentadecanoic acid: detection of acute myocardial infarction and injury in dogs using an iodinated fatty acid and single-photon emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rellas, J.S.; Corbett, J.R.; Kulkarni, P.

1983-01-01

The ability of an iodinated fatty acid, iodine-123 phenylpentadecanoic acid (1-123 PPA), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to detect myocardium injured by temporary or permanent coronary arterial occlusion was evaluated. In 5 control dogs, 11 dogs that underwent 90 to 120 minutes of fixed left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion, and 8 dogs that underwent 90 minutes of temporary LAD occlusion and up to 90 minutes of reflow, 2 to 6 mCi of I-123 PPA were injected and the dogs were imaged with SPECT. Control dogs showed relatively uniform uptake and clearance of I-123 PPA in similar left ventricular (LV) regions. Dogs with permanent LAD occlusion were identified by computer algorithm as having regions of decreased I-123 PPA uptake in the infarct-related area and a reduced rate of I-123 PPA clearance (-9.4% in infarct sectors [washin], +3.7% in sectors adjacent to the area of infarction, and +15.4% in control LV sectors [p less than 0.01]). Dogs with temporary LAD occlusion and reperfusion had decreased clearance of I-123 PPA from the regions with infarction; I-123 PPA clearance was -5.2 +/- 16.4% in infarct sectors, 12.7 +/- 7.4% in periinfarct zones, and 30.4 +/- 12% in control LV regions. These data demonstrate that tomographic analysis of I-123 PPA uptake and clearance permits the relatively noninvasive detection of LV myocardium injured by permanent or temporary LAD occlusion and reperfusion

UV photolysis of 4-iodo-, 4-bromo-, and 4-chlorophenol: competition between C-Y (Y = halogen) and O-H bond fission.

Science.gov (United States)

Sage, Alan G; Oliver, Thomas A A; King, Graeme A; Murdock, Daniel; Harvey, Jeremy N; Ashfold, Michael N R

2013-04-28

The wavelength dependences of C-Y and O-H bond fission following ultraviolet photoexcitation of 4-halophenols (4-YPhOH) have been investigated using a combination of velocity map imaging, H Rydberg atom photofragment translational spectroscopy, and high level spin-orbit resolved electronic structure calculations, revealing a systematic evolution in fragmentation behaviour across the series Y = I, Br, Cl (and F). All undergo O-H bond fission following excitation at wavelengths λ ≲ 240 nm, on repulsive ((n∕π)σ∗) potential energy surfaces (PESs), yielding fast H atoms with mean kinetic energies ∼11,000 cm(-1). For Y = I and Br, this process occurs in competition with prompt C-I and C-Br bond cleavage on another (n∕π)σ∗ PES, but no Cl∕Cl∗ products unambiguously attributable to one photon induced C-Cl bond fission are observed from 4-ClPhOH. Differences in fragmentation behaviour at longer excitation wavelengths are more marked. Prompt C-I bond fission is observed following excitation of 4-IPhOH at all λ ≤ 330 nm; the wavelength dependent trends in I∕I∗ product branching ratio, kinetic energy release, and recoil anisotropy suggest that (with regard to C-I bond fission) 4-IPhOH behaves like a mildly perturbed iodobenzene. Br atoms are observed when exciting 4-BrPhOH at long wavelengths also, but their velocity distributions suggest that dissociation occurs after internal conversion to the ground state. O-H bond fission, by tunnelling (as in phenol), is observed only in the cases of 4-FPhOH and, more weakly, 4-ClPhOH. These observed differences in behaviour can be understood given due recognition of (i) the differences in the vertical excitation energies of the C-Y centred (n∕π)σ∗ potentials across the series Y = I bond strength, cf. that of the rival O-H bond, and (ii) the much increased spin-orbit coupling in, particularly, 4-IPhOH. The present results provide (another) reminder of the risks inherent in extrapolating photochemical

Moessbauer spectroscopy-nuclear hyperfine technique for studying dynamic chemical states of iron complexes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, Y.

2005-01-01

A brief introduction of Moessbauer spectroscopy will be presented, followed by a discussion of the Moessbauer parameters, isomer shifts, quadrupole splittings, and spectral shapes of complexes in the presence of relaxation of the electronic states of the iron atoms. The usefulness of Moessbauer spectroscopy to demonstrate the dynamic phenomena of electronic states will be discussed in this lecture. (1) The Moessbauer spectra of mixed valence dinuclear and trinuclear iron complexes will be discussed in connection with the chemical structure of the complexes: The values of the quadrupole splittings and isomer shifts of [Fe II Fe III (bpmp) (ppa) 2 ](BF 4 ) 2 increase on raising the temperature, where Hbpmp represents 2,6-bis[bis(2- pyridylmethyl)aminoethyl]-4-methylphenol and ppa is 3-n-phenylpropionic acid. The spectra can be accounted for by postulating intramolecular electron exchange between two energetically inequivalent vibronic states Fe A 2+ Fe B 3+ and Fe A 3+ Fe B 2+ : The apparent time averaged valence states of the iron atoms are 2.2 and 2.8 on the Moessbauer time scale at 293 K. (2) The Moessbauer spectra of iron(III) spin-crossover complexes will be discussed in connection with the spin-transition rate and chemical structure of the complexes. The Moessbauer spectra of spin-crossover iron(III) complexes with LIESST (Light Induced Electronic Spin-State Transition) and of metallomesogens will be discussed to illustrate the extension of this research area by the use of Moessbauer spectroscopy.

Apraxia of Speech and Phonological Errors in the Diagnosis of Nonfluent/Agrammatic and Logopenic Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia

Science.gov (United States)

Croot, Karen; Ballard, Kirrie; Leyton, Cristian E.; Hodges, John R.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The International Consensus Criteria for the diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA; Gorno-Tempini et al., 2011) propose apraxia of speech (AOS) as 1 of 2 core features of nonfluent/agrammatic PPA and propose phonological errors or absence of motor speech disorder as features of logopenic PPA. We investigated the sensitivity and…

Phosphorus-modified poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene)–PAMAM chelating resin for the adsorption of uranium(VI) in aqueous

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cao, Qiong [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); Liu, Yaochi, E-mail: liuyaochi72@163.com [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); Wang, Chunzhi [Baling Company, China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (China); Cheng, Jiashun [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China)

2013-12-15

Highlights: • A series of phosphorus-modified poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene)–PAMAM chelating resins were synthesized. • The materials were commercially available and economic. • The new resins were high effective and selective adsorbents. • U(VI) adsorption is fitted with pseudo-second-order equation and Langmuir model. • The new resins can be regenerated. -- Abstract: Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) modified poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) absorbents carrying phosphorus functional groups (PS-PAMAM-PPA) were prepared and used as adsorbents for the adsorption of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution. Different generations of PAMAM were used for obtaining different chelating resins, PS-PPA, PS-1.0G PAMAM-PPA, PS-2.0G PAMAM-PPA, PS-3.0G PAMAM-PPA and PS-4.0G PAMAM-PPA. The synthesized resins were characterized by FTIR and XPS. The effects of many physio-chemical properties on metal ion adsorption to adsorbent phase, such as solution pH, kinetic studies, initial uranium concentration, temperature, were investigated using batch method. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity (99.89 mg/g) was observed at the pH 5.0 and 25 °C with initial U(VI) concentration 100 mg/L and adsorbent dose 1 g/L. PS-1.0G PAMAM-PPA had the largest adsorption capacity for U(VI) compared with other prepared adsorbents. The adsorption kinetics of U(VI) onto PS-1.0G PAMAM-PPA followed the mechanism of the pseudo-second-order equation, indicating that the chemical adsorption was a rate-limiting step. The calculated thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH, ΔS) stated that the adsorption of U(VI) onto PS-1.0G PAMAM-PPA were spontaneous, endothermic and feasible. The adsorption isotherms obeyed the Langmuir isotherm models. The desorption studies showed that PS-1.0G PAMAM-PPA could be used repeatedly and adsorption and desorption percentage did not have any noticeable loss after 27 cycles in a fixed bed.

DIGE Analysis of Animal Tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Luca, Alessio; Hamill, Ruth; Mullen, Anne Maria; Elia, Giuliano

2018-01-01

Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) is an acrylamide gel electrophoresis-based technique for protein separation and quantification in complex mixtures. The technique addresses some of the drawbacks of conventional 2D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE), offering improved sensitivity, more limited experimental variation and accurate within-gel matching. DIGE is based on direct labeling of proteins with isobaric fluorescent dyes (known as CyDyes: Cy2, Cy3, and Cy5) prior to isoelectric focusing (IEF). Here, up to two samples and a reference pool (internal standard) can be mixed and loaded onto IEF for first dimension prior to SDS-PAGE separation in the second dimension. After the electrophoretic run, the gel is imaged at the specific excitation wavelength for each dye, in sequence, and gel scans are recorded separately. For each individual protein spot, intensities recorded at the different wavelengths are integrated and the ratio between volumes normalized to that of the internal standard. This provides an immediate appreciation of protein amount variations under the different conditions tested. In addition, proteins of interest can still be excised and identified with conventional mass spectrometry techniques and further analyzed by other biochemical methods. In this chapter, we describe the application of this methodology to separation and quantitation of proteins mixtures from porcine muscle exudate, collected following centrifugation of muscle specimens (centrifugal drip) for the characterization of quality parameters of importance in the meat industry.

Tonopah Test Range Air Monitoring: CY2012 Meteorological, Radiological, and Airborne Particulate Observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizell, Steve A; Nikolich, George; Shadel, Craig; McCurdy, Greg; Miller, Julianne J

2013-07-01

In 1963, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), predecessor to the US Department of Energy (DOE), implemented Operation Roller Coaster on the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) and an adjacent area of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) (formerly the Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR)). Operation Roller Coaster consisted of four tests in which chemical explosions were detonated in the presence of nuclear devices to assess the dispersal of radionuclides and evaluate the effectiveness of storage structures to contain the ejected radionuclides. These tests resulted in dispersal of plutonium over the ground surface downwind of the test ground zero. Three tests, Clean Slate 1, 2, and 3, were conducted on the TTR in Cactus Flat; the fourth, Double Tracks, was conducted in Stonewall Flat on the NTTR. DOE is working to clean up and close all four sites. Substantial cleaned up has been accomplished at Double Tracks and Clean Slate 1. Cleanup of Clean Slate 2 and 3 is on the DOE planning horizon for some time in the next several years. The Desert Research Institute installed two monitoring stations, number 400 at the Sandia National Laboratories Range Operations Center and number 401 at Clean Slate 3, in 2008 and a third monitoring station, number 402 at Clean Slate 1, in 2011 to measure radiological, meteorological, and dust conditions. The primary objectives of the data collection and analysis effort are to (1) monitor the concentration of radiological parameters in dust particles suspended in air, (2) determine whether winds are re-distributing radionuclides or contaminated soil material, (3) evaluate the controlling meteorological conditions if wind transport is occurring, and (4) measure ancillary radiological, meteorological, and environmental parameters that might provide insight to the above assessments. The following observations are based on data collected during CY2012. The mean annual concentration of gross alpha and gross beta is highest at Station 400 and lowest at Station

In vivo signatures of nonfluent/agrammatic primary progressive aphasia caused by FTLD pathology

Science.gov (United States)

Caso, Francesca; Mandelli, Maria Luisa; Henry, Maya; Gesierich, Benno; Bettcher, Brianne M.; Ogar, Jennifer; Filippi, Massimo; Comi, Giancarlo; Magnani, Giuseppe; Sidhu, Manu; Trojanowski, John Q.; Huang, Eric J.; Grinberg, Lea T.; Miller, Bruce L.; Dronkers, Nina; Seeley, William W.

2014-01-01

Objective: To identify early cognitive and neuroimaging features of sporadic nonfluent/agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) caused by frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) subtypes. Methods: We prospectively collected clinical, neuroimaging, and neuropathologic data in 11 patients with sporadic nfvPPA with FTLD-tau (nfvPPA-tau, n = 9) or FTLD–transactive response DNA binding protein pathology of 43 kD type A (nfvPPA-TDP, n = 2). We analyzed patterns of cognitive and gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) atrophy at presentation in the whole group and in each pathologic subtype separately. We also considered longitudinal clinical data. Results: At first evaluation, regardless of pathologic FTLD subtype, apraxia of speech (AOS) was the most common cognitive feature and atrophy involved the left posterior frontal lobe. Each pathologic subtype showed few distinctive features. At presentation, patients with nfvPPA-tau presented with mild to moderate AOS, mixed dysarthria with prominent hypokinetic features, clear agrammatism, and atrophy in the GM of the left posterior frontal regions and in left frontal WM. While speech and language deficits were prominent early, within 3 years of symptom onset, all patients with nfvPPA-tau developed significant extrapyramidal motor signs. At presentation, patients with nfvPPA-TDP had severe AOS, dysarthria with spastic features, mild agrammatism, and atrophy in left posterior frontal GM only. Selective mutism occurred early, when general neurologic examination only showed mild decrease in finger dexterity in the right hand. Conclusions: Clinical features in sporadic nfvPPA caused by FTLD subtypes relate to neurodegeneration of GM and WM in frontal motor speech and language networks. We propose that early WM atrophy in nfvPPA is suggestive of FTLD-tau pathology while early selective GM loss might be indicative of FTLD-TDP. PMID:24353332

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) protein adduct concentrations during therapeutic dosing.

Science.gov (United States)

Heard, Kennon; Green, Jody L; Anderson, Victoria; Bucher-Bartelson, Becki; Dart, Richard C

2016-03-01

Paracetamol protein adducts (PPA) are a biomarker of paracetamol exposure. PPA are quantified as paracetamol-cysteine (APAP-CYS), and concentrations above 1.1 μmol l(-1) have been suggested as a marker of paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity. However, there is little information on the range of concentrations observed during prolonged therapeutic dosing. The aim of the present study was to describe the concentration of PPA in the serum of subjects taking therapeutic doses of paracetamol for at least 16 days. Preplanned secondary aim of a prospective randomized controlled (placebo vs. 4g day(-1) paracetamol) trial. We measured subjects' serum PPA concentrations every 3 days for a minimum of 16 days. We also measured concentrations on study days 1-3 and 16-25 in subsets of patients. PPA were quantified as APAP-CYS after gel filtration and protein digestion using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Ninety per cent of subjects had detectable PPA after five doses. Median APAP-CYS concentrations in paracetamol-treated subjects increased to a plateau of 0.1 μmol l(-1) on day 7, where they remained. The highest concentration measured was 1.1 μmol l(-1) and two subjects never had detectable PPA levels. PPA were detected in the serum of 78% of subjects 9 days after their final dose. PPA are detectable in the vast majority of subjects taking therapeutic doses of paracetamol. While most have concentrations well below the threshold associated with hepatotoxicity, concentrations may approach 1.1 μmol l(-1) in rare cases. Adducts are detectable after a few doses and can persist for over a week after dosing is stopped. © 2015 The British Pharmacological Society.

Degenerative Jargon Aphasia: Unusual Progression of Logopenic/Phonological Progressive Aphasia?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Caffarra

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Primary progressive aphasia (PPA corresponds to the gradual degeneration of language which can occur as nonfluent/agrammatic PPA, semantic variant PPA or logopenic variant PPA. We describe the clinical evolution of a patient with PPA presenting jargon aphasia as a late feature. At the onset of the disease (ten years ago the patient showed anomia and executive deficits, followed later on by phonemic paraphasias and neologisms, deficits in verbal short-term memory, naming, verbal and semantic fluency. At recent follow-up the patient developed an unintelligible jargon with both semantic and neologistic errors, as well as with severe deficit of comprehension which precluded any further neuropsychological assessment. Compared to healthy controls, FDG-PET showed a hypometabolism in the left angular and middle temporal gyri, precuneus, caudate, posterior cingulate, middle frontal gyrus, and bilaterally in the superior temporal and inferior frontal gyri. The clinical and neuroimaging profile seems to support the hypothesis that the patient developed a late feature of logopenic variant PPA characterized by jargonaphasia and associated with superior temporal and parietal dysfunction.

Metabolism of 15(p123I iodophenyl-)pentadecanoic acid in heart muscle and noncardiac tissues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reske, S.N.; Sauer, W.; Winkler, C.; Machulla, H.J.; Knust, J.

1985-01-01

The uptake and turnover of W(p 123 I iodophenyl-)pentadecanoic acid (I-PPA), a radioiodinated free-fatty-acid analog, was examined in the heart, lung, liver, kidneys, spleen, and skeletal muscle of rats. At 2 min post injection, a high cardiac uptake of 4.4% dose per gram had already been achieved; this was followed by a rapid, two-component, tracer clearance. The kinetics of tissue concentrations of labeled hydrophilic catabolites indicated a rapid oxidation of I-PPA and the subsequent washout of I-PPA catabolites from heart-muscle tissue. The fractional distribution of the labeled cardiac lipids compared favorably with previously reported values for 3 H-oleic- or 14 C-palmitic-acid-labeled myocardial lipids. Typical patterns of I-PPA metabolism were observed in tissues; dedpending on primary fatty-acid oxidation, lipid metabolism regulation, or I-PPA-catabolite excretion. The tissue concentrations and kinetics of I-PPA and its metabolites in the heart muscle indicated that general pathways of cardiac-lipid metabolism are traced by this new γ-emitting isotope-labeled radiopharmaceutical. (orig.)

Data-driven classification of patients with primary progressive aphasia.

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Hoffman, Paul; Sajjadi, Seyed Ahmad; Patterson, Karalyn; Nestor, Peter J

2017-11-01

Current diagnostic criteria classify primary progressive aphasia into three variants-semantic (sv), nonfluent (nfv) and logopenic (lv) PPA-though the adequacy of this scheme is debated. This study took a data-driven approach, applying k-means clustering to data from 43 PPA patients. The algorithm grouped patients based on similarities in language, semantic and non-linguistic cognitive scores. The optimum solution consisted of three groups. One group, almost exclusively those diagnosed as svPPA, displayed a selective semantic impairment. A second cluster, with impairments to speech production, repetition and syntactic processing, contained a majority of patients with nfvPPA but also some lvPPA patients. The final group exhibited more severe deficits to speech, repetition and syntax as well as semantic and other cognitive deficits. These results suggest that, amongst cases of non-semantic PPA, differentiation mainly reflects overall degree of language/cognitive impairment. The observed patterns were scarcely affected by inclusion/exclusion of non-linguistic cognitive scores. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of liquid-phase oxidation for the destruction of potential chemical terrorism agents

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Thouin, G.; Harrison, S.; Li, K.; Kuang, W.; Volchek, K.; Fingas, M. [Environment Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Emergencies Science Div; Potaraju, S.; Velicogna, D.; Obenauf, A. [SAIC Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

2005-07-01

Although pesticides are designed to protect crops and livestock against insects, fungi or nuisance plants, the toxicity of these compounds is not limited to target species. Organophosphorus, organochlorine and carbamate pesticides all target the nervous systems of insects. This paper assessed the effectiveness of an enhanced oxidation process using peroxycarboxylic acids for the liquid-phase destruction of toxic industrial chemicals, considered to be potential agents of chemical terrorism. Peroxyacetic acid (PAA) and peroxypropionic acid (PPA) were tested as decontamination agents on organophosphorus, organochlorine and carbamate pesticides. The processes were reviewed in relation to the terms of percent agent destruction over time, with a target of 90 per cent destruction within 30 minutes. Effectiveness was also assessed on the accumulation of toxic by-products. A background of the pesticides was presented, as well as details of their various applications. The molecular structures of the compounds were also provided. Oxidation extraction procedures, materials and methods were also presented, as well as analytical techniques, method detection limits and issues concerning reproducibility. The pH profile of PAA and PPA as a function of the concentration in acid was studied in order to determine which was more likely to be corrosive. It was concluded that peroxycarboxylic acids are effective decontamination agents for organophosphorous and carbamate pesticides. PAA and PPA are equally effective in degrading the examined pesticides, however, greater amounts of toxic by-products are found with PPA than with PAA. Neither PAA nor PPA were able to degrade lindane, and more lindane was found in the treated samples than in the controls. It was noted that time profiles for lower concentrations of peroxycarboxylic acids and pH profiles are currently being developed. It was suggested that further research in this area included degradation experiments on various types of

Novel polybenzimidazole derivatives for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell applications

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Xiao, Lixiang

sulfonated aromatic polymers. 31P-NMR technique was also used together with the titration and conductivity measurements to study the hydrolysis processes of PBI polymers with different structures and to further understand the effect of the polymer structure, PPA solution parameters and process conditions on the resulting membrane properties. The PA doped PBI membranes from the PPA process generally exhibited high acid doping levels from approximately 10--50 moles of PA per PBI repeat unit, which contributed to their unprecedented high proton conductivity values in the range of 0.1--0.3 S/cm. Owing to the high molecular weight of the PBI polymers and the unique gel structures resulting from the PPA process, these membranes exhibited high mechanical properties at high acid doping levels. It has been shown that the PBIs with more para linkages generally gave membranes with higher PA doping levels, higher mechanical properties and higher proton conductivities. Preliminary fuel cell performance evaluations on selected PBI polymer compositions together with a ˜1200 hours' long-term fuel cell test demonstrated the feasibility of the novel PBI derivative polymer electrolyte membranes from the PPA process for operating a fuel cell at temperatures in excess of 120°C without any external humidification or pressure requirements.

Prevalence of Mathematical and Visuospatial Learning Disabilities in Patients With Posterior Cortical Atrophy.

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Miller, Zachary A; Rosenberg, Lynne; Santos-Santos, Miguel A; Stephens, Melanie; Allen, Isabel E; Hubbard, H Isabel; Cantwell, Averill; Mandelli, Maria Luisa; Grinberg, Lea T; Seeley, William W; Miller, Bruce L; Rabinovici, Gil D; Gorno-Tempini, Maria Luisa

2018-04-09

Increased prevalence of language-based learning disabilities (LDs) has been previously reported in patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). This study hypothesized that patients with focal neurodegenerative syndromes outside the language network, such as posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), would have a higher rate of nonlanguage LDs, congruent with their mainly visuospatial presentation. To investigate the prevalence and type of LD (language and/or mathematical and visuospatial) in a large cohort of patients with PCA compared with patients with logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA) and amnestic Alzheimer disease (AD). This case-control study reviewed 279 medical records from a university-based clinic and research center for patients with neurodegenerative diseases for LD history, including patients with PCA (n = 95), patients with lvPPA (n = 84), and a matched cohort with amnestic AD (n = 100). No records were excluded. The study compared cognitive and neuroimaging features of patients with PCA with and without LDs. A review of the records of patients presenting from March 1, 1999, to August 31, 2014, revealed 95 PCA cases and 84 lvPPA cases. Then 100 patients with amnestic AD from this same period were chosen for comparison, matching against the groups for age, sex, and disease severity. Data analysis was performed from September 8, 2013, to November 6, 2017. Prevalence of total LD history and prevalence of language and mathematical or visuospatial LD history across all cohorts. A total of 179 atypical AD cases (95 with PCA and 84 with lvPPA) and 100 disease control cases (amnestic AD) were included in the study. The groups were not statistically different for mean (SD) age at first visit (PCA, 61.9 [7.0] years; lvPPA, 65.1 [8.7] years; amnestic AD, 64.0 [12.6] years; P = .08), mean (SD) age at first symptom (PCA, 57.5 [7.0] years; lvPPA, 61.1 [9.0] years; amnestic AD, 59.6 [13.7] years; P = .06), or sex (PCA, 66.3% female; lvPPA, 56.0% female

GR@PPA 2.8: Initial-state jet matching for weak-boson production processes at hadron collisions

Science.gov (United States)

Odaka, Shigeru; Kurihara, Yoshimasa

2012-04-01

The initial-state jet matching method introduced in our previous studies has been applied to the event generation of single W and Z production processes and diboson (WW, WZ and ZZ) production processes at hadron collisions in the framework of the GR@PPA event generator. The generated events reproduce the transverse momentum spectra of weak bosons continuously in the entire kinematical region. The matrix elements (ME) for hard interactions are still at the tree level. As in previous versions, the decays of weak bosons are included in the matrix elements. Therefore, spin correlations and phase-space effects in the decay of weak bosons are exact at the tree level. The program package includes custom-made parton shower programs as well as ME-based hard interaction generators in order to achieve self-consistent jet matching. The generated events can be passed to general-purpose event generators to make the simulation proceed down to the hadron level. Catalogue identifier: ADRH_v3_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADRH_v3_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 112 146 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 596 667 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Fortran; with some included libraries coded in C and C++ Computer: All Operating system: Any UNIX-like system RAM: 1.6 Mega bytes at minimum Classification: 11.2 Catalogue identifier of previous version: ADRH_v2_0 Journal reference of previous version: Comput. Phys. Comm. 175 (2006) 665 External routines: Bash and Perl for the setup, and CERNLIB, ROOT, LHAPDF, PYTHIA according to the user's choice. Does the new version supersede the previous version?: No, this version supports only a part of the processes included in the previous versions. Nature of problem: We

Neural Correlates of Verbal Episodic Memory and Lexical Retrieval in Logopenic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia.

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Win, Khaing T; Pluta, John; Yushkevich, Paul; Irwin, David J; McMillan, Corey T; Rascovsky, Katya; Wolk, David; Grossman, Murray

2017-01-01

Objective: Logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) is commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. But lvPPA patients display different cognitive and anatomical profile from the common clinical AD patients, whose verbal episodic memory is primarily affected. Reports of verbal episodic memory difficulty in lvPPA are inconsistent, and we hypothesized that their lexical retrieval impairment contributes to verbal episodic memory performance and is associated with left middle temporal gyrus atrophy. Methods: We evaluated patients with lvPPA ( n = 12) displaying prominent word-finding and repetition difficulties, and a demographically-matched cohort of clinical Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 26), and healthy seniors ( n = 16). We assessed lexical retrieval with confrontation naming and verbal episodic memory with delayed free recall. Whole-brain regressions related naming and delayed free recall to gray matter atrophy. Medial temporal lobe (MTL) subfields were examined using high in-plane resolution imaging. Results: lvPPA patients had naming and delayed free recall impairments, but intact recognition memory. In lvPPA, delayed free recall was related to naming; both were associated with left middle temporal gyrus atrophy but not MTL atrophy. Despite cerebrospinal fluid evidence consistent with AD pathology, examination of MTL subfields revealed no atrophy in lvPPA. While AD patients displayed impaired delayed free recall, this deficit did not correlate with naming. Regression analyses related delayed free recall deficits in clinical AD patients to MTL subfield atrophy, and naming to left middle temporal gyrus atrophy. Conclusion: Unlike amnestic AD patients, MTL subfields were not affected in lvPPA patients. Verbal episodic memory deficit observed in lvPPA was unlikely to be due to a hippocampal-mediated mechanism but appeared to be due to poor lexical retrieval. Relative sparing of MTL volume and intact recognition memory are consistent with

Behavioural and neuroanatomical correlates of auditory speech analysis in primary progressive aphasias.

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Hardy, Chris J D; Agustus, Jennifer L; Marshall, Charles R; Clark, Camilla N; Russell, Lucy L; Bond, Rebecca L; Brotherhood, Emilie V; Thomas, David L; Crutch, Sebastian J; Rohrer, Jonathan D; Warren, Jason D

2017-07-27

Non-verbal auditory impairment is increasingly recognised in the primary progressive aphasias (PPAs) but its relationship to speech processing and brain substrates has not been defined. Here we addressed these issues in patients representing the non-fluent variant (nfvPPA) and semantic variant (svPPA) syndromes of PPA. We studied 19 patients with PPA in relation to 19 healthy older individuals. We manipulated three key auditory parameters-temporal regularity, phonemic spectral structure and prosodic predictability (an index of fundamental information content, or entropy)-in sequences of spoken syllables. The ability of participants to process these parameters was assessed using two-alternative, forced-choice tasks and neuroanatomical associations of task performance were assessed using voxel-based morphometry of patients' brain magnetic resonance images. Relative to healthy controls, both the nfvPPA and svPPA groups had impaired processing of phonemic spectral structure and signal predictability while the nfvPPA group additionally had impaired processing of temporal regularity in speech signals. Task performance correlated with standard disease severity and neurolinguistic measures. Across the patient cohort, performance on the temporal regularity task was associated with grey matter in the left supplementary motor area and right caudate, performance on the phoneme processing task was associated with grey matter in the left supramarginal gyrus, and performance on the prosodic predictability task was associated with grey matter in the right putamen. Our findings suggest that PPA syndromes may be underpinned by more generic deficits of auditory signal analysis, with a distributed cortico-subcortical neuraoanatomical substrate extending beyond the canonical language network. This has implications for syndrome classification and biomarker development.

Expression of Pinellia pedatisecta Lectin Gene in Transgenic Wheat Enhances Resistance to Wheat Aphids

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Xiaoliang Duan

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Wheat aphids are major pests during the seed filling stage of wheat. Plant lectins are toxic to sap-sucking pests such as wheat aphids. In this study, Pinellia pedatisecta agglutinin (ppa, a gene encoding mannose binding lectin, was cloned, and it shared 92.69% nucleotide similarity and 94% amino acid similarity with Pinellia ternata agglutinin (pta. The ppa gene, driven by the constitutive and phloem-specific ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit gene (rbcs promoter in pBAC-rbcs-ppa expression vector, was transferred into the wheat cultivar Baofeng104 (BF104 by particle bombardment transformation. Fifty-four T0 transgenic plants were generated. The inheritance and expression of the ppa gene were confirmed by PCR and RT-PCR analysis respectively, and seven homozygous transgenic lines were obtained. An aphid bioassay on detached leaf segments revealed that seven ppa transgenic wheat lines had lower aphid growth rates and higher inhibition rates than BF104. Furthermore, two-year aphid bioassays in isolated fields showed that aphid numbers per tiller of transgenic lines were significantly decreased, compared with wild type BF104. Therefore, ppa could be a strong biotechnological candidate to produce aphid-resistant wheat.

Primary progressive aphasia patients evaluated using diffusion tensor imaging and voxel based volumetry-preliminary results

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Fábio Pascotto de Oliveira

2011-06-01

Full Text Available There are individuals who have a progressive language deficit without presenting cognitive deficits in other areas. One of the diseases related to this presentation is primary progressive aphasia (PPA. OBJECTIVE: Identify by means of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI and measurements of cortical volume, brain areas that lead to dysphasia when presenting signs of impaired connectivity or reduced volume. METHOD: Four patients with PPA were evaluated using DTI, and measurements of cortical volumes in temporal areas. These patients were compared with two normal volunteers. RESULTS: There is a trend to a difference in the number and volume of related fibers between control group and patients with PPA. Comparing cortical volumes in temporal areas between groups yielded a trend to a smaller volume in PPA patients. CONCLUSION: Patients with PPA have a trend to impairment in cortical and subcortical levels regarding relevant areas.

Gold nanoparticle/nickel oxide/poly(pyrrole-N-propionic acid hybrid multilayer film: Electrochemical study and its application in biosensing

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T. Karazehir

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The present study describes the fabrication of Indium Tin Oxide /gold nanoparticles/nickel oxide/poly(Pyrrole-N-propionic acid (ITO/GNPs/NiO/poly(PPA multilayered film, and its modification with Tyrosinase (Ty. The ITO/GNPs/NiO/poly(PPA electrode was fabricated by sequential electrochemical assembly onto ITO substrate which electrochemical deposition provides a facile, inexpensive technique for synthesis of multilayered film within the adherent morphology with controllable film thickness. Cyclic voltammetry (CV, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR, scanning electron microcopy (SEM, and atomic force microcopy (AFM were used to characterize the film assembly processes. The properties of a semiconductor/electrolyte interface were investigated based on the Mott–Schottky (M-S approach for the modified electrodes, with the flat band potential (EFB according to the potential intercept and the carrier density (ND according to the linear slopes. The ND and EFB of ITO/GNPs/NiO/poly(PPA were obtained as 2.48·1021 cm–3 and 0.26 V, respectively. Tyrosinase was immobilized using carbodiimide coupling reaction. The bioelectrode was characterized by FTIR-ATR, SEM, AFM, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS. A Randles equivalent circuit was introduced for modeling the performance of impedimetric biosensing for the detection of the dopamine (DP and the interface of bioelectrode/electrolyte. The EIS of the ITO/GNPs/NiO/poly(PPA-Ty exhibited significant changes in the charge transfer resistance (RCT value toward the detection of dopamine over a linear range of 80 µM to 0.2 mM with a limit of detection (LOD of 5.46 µM.

Synthesis of methyl ((chloro-2 ethyl)-3 nitroso-3 Ureido)-3 Didesoxy-2,3. alpha. -D-Arabino-hexopyrannoside labelled with carbon-14 or carbon-13 (CY 233 - SR 90008). Synthese du methyl ((chloro-2 ethyl)-3 nitroso-3 Ureido)-3 Didesoxy-2,3. alpha. -D-Arabino-hexopyrannoside marque au carbone-14 ou carbone-13 (CY 233 - SR 90008)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sion, R.; Schumer, A.; Durme, E. van (Sanofi Recherche, Brussels (Belgium)); Gouyette, A. (Centre de Lutte Contre le Cancer Gustave-Roussy, 94 - Villejuif (France)); Geslin, M.; Fournier, J.P.; Roger, P. (Sanofi Recherche, Montrouge (France). Inst. Choay); Berger, Y. (Sanofi Recherche, Montpellier (France))

1990-06-01

CY 233 (Ecomustine or SR 90098) is a new antitumour nitrosourea: it is characterized by a 2-chloroethylnitrosourea substituent on a dideoxycarbohydrate. It has been labelled with {sup 14}C on (a) the carbonyl group of the urea in four stages starting with {sup 14}COCl{sub 2}, (b) the second carbon of the chloroethyl group in four stages starting with ({sup 14}C) ethanolamine, and (c) on the methyl group on the anomeric centre of the carbohydrate in three stages starting with {sup 14}CH{sub 3}OH. The final position was also labelled with {sup 13}C starting with {sup 13}CH{sub 3}OH. These differently labelled compounds are suitable for mechanistic studies of antitumour activity. (author).

Relationship Between Physiological and Perceived Fall Risk in People With Multiple Sclerosis: Implications for Assessment and Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunn, Hilary; Cameron, Michelle; Hoang, Phu; Lord, Stephen; Shaw, Steve; Freeman, Jennifer

2018-04-24

This study evaluated the relationship between physiological and perceived fall risk in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Secondary analysis of data from prospective cohort studies undertaken in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Community. Ambulatory people with MS (N=416) (age 51.5±12.0 years; 73% female; 62% relapsing-remitting MS; 13.7±9.9 years disease duration). Not applicable. All participants completed measures of physiological (Physiological Profile Assessment [PPA]) and perceived (Falls Efficacy Scale-international [FESi]) fall risk and prospectively recorded falls for 3 months. 155 (37%) of the participants were recurrent fallers (≥2 falls). Mean PPA and FESi scores were high (PPA 2.14±1.87, FESi 34.27±11.18). The PPA and the FESi independently predicted faller classification in logistic regression, which indicated that the odds of being classified as a recurrent faller significantly increased with increasing scores (PPA odds ratio [OR] 1.30 [95% CI 1.17-1.46], FESi OR 1.05 [95% CI 1.03-1.07]). Classification and regression tree analysis divided the sample into four groups based on cutoff values for the PPA: (1) low physiological/low perceived risk (PPA 27.5), (3) high physiological/low perceived risk (PPA >2.83, FESi 35.5). Over 50% of participants had a disparity between perceived and physiological fall risk; most were in group 2. It is possible that physiological risk factors not detected by the PPA may also be influential. This study highlights the importance of considering both physiological and perceived fall risk in MS and the need for further research to explore the complex interrelationships of perceptual and physiological risk factors in this population. This study also supports the importance of developing behavioral and physical interventions that can be tailored to the individual's needs. Copyright © 2018 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vascular imaging with spiral CT. The way to CY angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prokop, M.; Schaefer, C.; Kalender, W.A.; Polacin, A.; Galanski, M.

1993-01-01

Spiral CT is a technique that allows for high-quality two-dimensional angiographic projections and 3D imaging of vascular structures. The authors present the technical and methodological principles of the technique, including scan parameters and parameters of contrast application for various clinical imaging tasks. They present their experience with over 150 clinical cases using spiral CT angiography. Suitable applications of this technique include cogenital anomalies, aneurysms, dissections, stenoses, thrombi and vascular tumor involvement. Given a problem-adapted examination technique, pathologic changes in vessels of as little as 2 mm can be visualized. In some cases with complex vascular anatomy, spiral CT angiography can be superior to arterial angiography. (orig.) [de

Atrophy and structural covariance of the cholinergic basal forebrain in primary progressive aphasia.

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Teipel, Stefan; Raiser, Theresa; Riedl, Lina; Riederer, Isabelle; Schroeter, Matthias L; Bisenius, Sandrine; Schneider, Anja; Kornhuber, Johannes; Fliessbach, Klaus; Spottke, Annika; Grothe, Michel J; Prudlo, Johannes; Kassubek, Jan; Ludolph, Albert; Landwehrmeyer, Bernhard; Straub, Sarah; Otto, Markus; Danek, Adrian

2016-10-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is characterized by profound destruction of cortical language areas. Anatomical studies suggest an involvement of cholinergic basal forebrain (BF) in PPA syndromes, particularly in the area of the nucleus subputaminalis (NSP). Here we aimed to determine the pattern of atrophy and structural covariance as a proxy of structural connectivity of BF nuclei in PPA variants. We studied 62 prospectively recruited cases with the clinical diagnosis of PPA and 31 healthy older control participants from the cohort study of the German consortium for frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). We determined cortical and BF atrophy based on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Patterns of structural covariance of BF with cortical regions were determined using voxel-based partial least square analysis. We found significant atrophy of total BF and BF subregions in PPA patients compared with controls [F(1, 82) = 20.2, p covariance analysis in healthy controls revealed associations of the BF nuclei, particularly the NSP, with left hemispheric predominant prefrontal, lateral temporal, and parietal cortical areas, including Broca's speech area (p covariance of the BF nuclei mostly with right but not with left hemispheric cortical areas (p covariance of the BF with left hemispheric cortical areas in healthy aging towards right hemispheric cortical areas in PPA, possibly reflecting a consequence of the profound and early destruction of cortical language areas in PPA. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Metastable Packaging For Transient Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

26  Figure 27. Raman Spectra of PPA Thermal Degradation Products, PPA, oPA and Coating ....... 27  List of Tables Table Page... magnesium (Mg) resistors onto the PPA/PAG substrates. Using Mg resistors as a model system, two different PAGs were investigated, triphenylsulfonium...during casting. 3.1.3 Effect of Polymer on Mg Circuit Traces To demonstrate the effect of polymer on the chemical stability of magnesium (Mg) circuits

Isolation and characterization of a "phiKMV-like" bacteriophage and its therapeutic effect on mink hemorrhagic pneumonia.

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Zhenhui Cao

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of using phages as a therapy against hemorrhagic pneumonia in mink both in vitro and in vivo. Five Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from lungs of mink with suspected hemorrhagic pneumonia and their identity was confirmed by morphological observation and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Compared to P. aeruginosa strains isolated from mink with hemorrhagic pneumonia in 2002, these isolates were more resistant to antibiotics selected. A lytic phage vB_PaeP_PPA-ABTNL (PPA-ABTNL of the Podoviridae family was isolated from hospital sewage using a P. aeruginosa isolate as host, showing broad host range against P. aeruginosa. A one-step growth curve analysis of PPA-ABTNL revealed eclipse and latent periods of 20 and 35 min, respectively, with a burst size of about 110 PFU per infected cell. Phage PPA-ABTNL significantly reduced the growth of P. aeruginosa isolates in vitro. The genome of PPA-ABTNL was 43,227 bp (62.4% G+C containing 54 open reading frames and lacked regions encoding known virulence factors, integration-related proteins and antibiotic resistance determinants. Genome architecture analysis showed that PPA-ABTNL belonged to the "phiKMV-like Viruses" group. A repeated dose inhalational toxicity study using PPA-ABTNL crude preparation was conducted in mice and no significantly abnormal histological changes, morbidity or mortality were observed. There was no indication of any potential risk associated with using PPA-ABTNL as a therapeutic agent. The results of a curative treatment experiment demonstrated that atomization by ultrasonic treatment could efficiently deliver phage to the lungs of mink and a dose of 10 multiplicity of infection was optimal for treating mink hemorrhagic pneumonia. Our work demonstrated the potential for phage to fight P. aeruginosa involved in mink lung infections when administered by means of ultrasonic nebulization.

Simultaneous determination of cetirizine, phenyl propanolamine and nimesulide using third derivative spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography in pharmaceutical preparations.

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Aly, Fatma Ahmed; El-Enany, Nahed; Elmansi, Heba; Nabil, Amany

2017-10-05

The combination between cetirizine (CET), phenylpropanolamine (PPA) and nimesulide (NMS) under trade name Nemeriv Cp tablet is prescribed for nasal congestion, cold, sneezing, and allergy. Among all published methods for the three drugs; there is no reported method concerning estimation of CTZ, PPA and NMS simultaneously and this motivates us to develop new and simple methods for their assay in pure form and tablet preparations. Two new methodologies were described for the simultaneous quantification of cetirizine (CTZ), PPA and NMS. Spectrophotometric procedures relies on measuring the amplitudes of the third derivative curves at 238 nm for CTZ, 218 nm for PPA and 305 nm for NMS. The calibration graphs were rectilinear over the ranges of 8-90 µg/mL for CTZ, 20-100 µg/mL for PPA and 20-200 µg/mL for NMS respectively. Regarding the HPLC method; monolithic column (100 mm × 4.6 mm i.d) was used for the separation. The used mobile phase composed of 0.1 M phosphate buffer and methanol in the ratio of 40:60, v/v at pH 7.0. The analysis was performed using UV detector at 215 nm. Calibration curves showed the linearity over concentration ranges of 5-40, 10-100 and 10-120 µg/mL for CTZ, PPA and NMS. Application of the proposed methods to the laboratory prepared tablets was carried out successfully. The results were compared with those obtained from previously published methods and they were satisfactory. Graphical abstract Graphical abstract represents the chemical structures, representative chromatogram for the HPLC separation of a PPA, b NMS and c CTZ and third derivative absorption spectra of a PPA, b NMS and c CTZ for the spectrophotometric method.

Assessment of β-zone peripapillary atrophy by optical coherence tomography and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy imaging in glaucoma patients

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Seidensticker F

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Florian Seidensticker,1,* Lukas Reznicek,2,* Thomas Mann,2 Irene Hübert,2 Anselm Kampik,2 Michael Ulbig,2 Christoph Hirneiss,2 Aljoscha S Neubauer,2 Marcus Kernt2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany  *These authors have contributed equally to this work Purpose: To assess β-zone peripapillary atrophy (β-PPA using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT, scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO, and fundus autofluorescence (FAF imaging in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma with advanced glaucomatous visual field defects. Methods: A consecutive, prospective series of 82 study eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma were included in this study. All study participants underwent a full ophthalmic examination followed by SD-OCT, wide-field SLO, and FAF imaging of the optic nerve head and the peripapillary region. Results: Eighty-four glaucomatous eyes were included in our prospective study. Correlation analyses for horizontally and vertically obtained β-PPA for all three imaging modalities (color SLO, FAF, and SD-OCT revealed highest correlations between FAF and color SLO (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.904 [P<0.001] for horizontal β-PPA and 0.786 [P<0.001] for vertical β-PPA. Bland–Altman plotting revealed highest agreements between color SLO and FAF, with −2.1 pixels ±1.96 standard deviation (SD for horizontal β-PPA, SD: 10.5 pixels and 2.4 pixels ±1.96 SD for vertical β-PPA. Conclusion: β-PPA can be assessed using en-face SLO and cross-sectional SD-OCT imaging. Correlation analyses revealed highest correlations between color SLO and FAF imaging, while correlations between SLO and SD-OCT were weak. A more precise structural definition of β-PPA is needed. Keywords: fundus autofluorescence, FAF, OCT, SD-OCT, SLO, glaucomatous optic neuropathy

Difunctional bacteriophage conjugated with photosensitizers for Candida albicans-targeting photodynamic inactivation

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Dong S

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Shuai Dong,1,2 Hongxi Shi,1 Xintong Zhang,1,2 Xi Chen,1 Donghui Cao,2 Chuanbin Mao,3,4 Xiang Gao,1 Li Wang1 1Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Genetics and Cytology, Northeast Normal University, 2First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 3School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; 4Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Science Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA Background: Candida albicans is the most prevalent fungal pathogen of the human microbiota, causing infections ranging from superficial infections of the skin to life-threatening systemic infections. Due to the increasing occurrence of antibiotic-resistant C. albicans strains, new approaches to control this pathogen are needed. Photodynamic inactivation is an emerging alternative to treat infections based on the interactions between visible light and photosensitisers, in which pheophorbide a (PPA is a chlorophyll-based photosensitizer that could induce cell death after light irradiation. Due to PPA’s phototoxicity and low efficiency, the main challenge is to implement photosensitizer cell targeting and attacking. Methods: In this study, PPA was conjugated with JM-phage by EDC/NHS crosslinking. UV-Vis spectra was used to determine the optimum conjugation percentages of PPA and JM-phage complex for photodynamic inactivation. After photodynamic inactivation, the efficacy of PPA-JM-phage was assessed by performing in vitro experiments, such as MTS assay, scanning electron microscopy, measurement of dysfunctional mitochondria, ROS accumulation, S cell arrest and apoptotic pathway.Results: A single-chain variable-fragment phage (JM with high affinity to MP65 was screened from human single-fold single-chain variable-fragment libraries and designed as a binding target for C. albicans cells. Subsequently, PPa was integrated into JM phage to generate

Synthesis of methyl [(chloro-2 ethyl)-3 nitroso-3 Ureido]-3 Didesoxy-2,3 α-D-Arabino-hexopyrannoside labelled with carbon-14 or carbon-13 (CY 233 - SR 90008)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sion, R.; Schumer, A.; Durme, E. van; Gouyette, A.; Geslin, M.; Fournier, J.P.; Roger, P.

1990-01-01

CY 233 (Ecomustine or SR 90098) is a new antitumour nitrosourea: it is characterized by a 2-chloroethylnitrosourea substituent on a dideoxycarbohydrate. It has been labelled with 14 C on a) the carbonyl group of the urea in four stages starting with 14 COCl 2 , b) the second carbon of the chloroethyl group in four stages starting with [ 14 C] ethanolamine, and c) on the methyl group on the anomeric centre of the carbohydrate in three stages starting with 14 CH 3 OH. The final position was also labelled with 13 C starting with 13 CH 3 OH. These differently labelled compounds are suitable for mechanistic studies of antitumour activity. (author)

Option Generation Techniques for Command and Control.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-01-01

x > 0 f (x) is an increasing A = x< 0 function X = relative importance of attribute i (normalized to 1) c(y) - confidence for outcome y being true ...y(u(w),w,), (w) where c(w) is the confidence in w being true , and c(w)=c(y(u(w),w). Given a nominal course of action to be taken, we see that the... horoscope 13. dancing 14. antibody 15. proud ~D18 BRAINSTORM QUESTIONS One way of creating a new view of the problem is to ask yourself thought

The energetic cost of gait retraining: A pilot study of the acute effect.

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Townshend, Andrew D; Franettovich Smith, Melinda M; Creaby, Mark W

2017-01-01

To investigate the acute effect of gait retraining aimed at reducing tibial peak positive acceleration (PPA) on energetic cost (VO 2 ). Intervention with a pre/post-test design. University biomechanics laboratory. 12 healthy male runners (23.4 ± 5.3 years, 179.7 ± 4.3 cm, 75.6 ± 9.2 kg). Tibial PPA and oxygen consumption (VO 2 ) were measured after a five minute baseline run and at the end of a gait retraining session aimed at minimizing tibial PPA. Tibial PPA significantly decreased between baseline and after gait retraining (32.6%, p = 0.007). VO 2 significantly increased between the two time periods (9.3%, p = 0.008). There was no correlation between change in tibial PPA and change in VO 2 (p = 0.956, r = 0.018). Practitioners who aim to reduce injury risk by minimizing tibial PPA in runners need to consider the possible acute effect on performance as a result of changes in VO 2 . Further investigation is warranted to understand the energetic cost of different kinematic strategies used by individuals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of orthoses, footwear, and walking aids on the walking ability of children and adolescents with spina bifida: A systematic review using International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) as a reference framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanyi, Barbara; Schoenmakers, Marja; van Veen, Natasja; Maathuis, Karel; Nollet, Frans; Nederhand, Marc

2015-12-01

To date no review has been published that analyzes the efficacy of assistive devices on the walking ability of ambulant children and adolescents with spina bifida and, differentiates between the effects of treatment on gait parameters, walking capacity, and walking performance. To review the literature for evidence of the efficacy of orthotic management, footwear, and walking aids on gait and walking outcomes in ambulant children and adolescents with spina bifida. Systematic literature review. A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies that evaluated the effect of any type of lower limb orthoses, orthopedic footwear, or walking aids in ambulant children (≤18 years old) with spina bifida. Outcome measures and treatment results for gait parameters, walking capacity, and walking performance were identified using International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) as the reference framework. Six case-crossover studies met the criteria and were included in this systematic review. Four studies provided indications of the efficacy of the ankle-foot orthosis in improving a number of kinematic and kinetic properties of gait, stride characteristics, and the oxygen cost of walking. Two studies indicated that walking with forearm crutches may have a favorable effect on gait. The evidence level of these studies was low, and none of the studies assessed the efficacy of the intervention on walking capacity and walking performance. Some data support the efficacy of using ankle-foot orthosis and crutches for gait and walking outcomes at the body functions and structures level of the ICF-CY. Potential benefits at the activities and participation level have not been investigated. This is the first evidence-based systematic review of the efficacy of assistive devices for gait and walking outcomes for children with spina bifida. The ICF-CY is used as a reference framework to differentiate the effects of treatment

High Performance Computing Facility Operational Assessment, CY 2011 Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baker, Ann E [ORNL; Barker, Ashley D [ORNL; Bland, Arthur S Buddy [ORNL; Boudwin, Kathlyn J. [ORNL; Hack, James J [ORNL; Kendall, Ricky A [ORNL; Messer, Bronson [ORNL; Rogers, James H [ORNL; Shipman, Galen M [ORNL; Wells, Jack C [ORNL; White, Julia C [ORNL; Hudson, Douglas L [ORNL

2012-02-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) continues to deliver the most powerful resources in the U.S. for open science. At 2.33 petaflops peak performance, the Cray XT Jaguar delivered more than 1.4 billion core hours in calendar year (CY) 2011 to researchers around the world for computational simulations relevant to national and energy security; advancing the frontiers of knowledge in physical sciences and areas of biological, medical, environmental, and computer sciences; and providing world-class research facilities for the nation's science enterprise. Users reported more than 670 publications this year arising from their use of OLCF resources. Of these we report the 300 in this review that are consistent with guidance provided. Scientific achievements by OLCF users cut across all range scales from atomic to molecular to large-scale structures. At the atomic scale, researchers discovered that the anomalously long half-life of Carbon-14 can be explained by calculating, for the first time, the very complex three-body interactions between all the neutrons and protons in the nucleus. At the molecular scale, researchers combined experimental results from LBL's light source and simulations on Jaguar to discover how DNA replication continues past a damaged site so a mutation can be repaired later. Other researchers combined experimental results from ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source and simulations on Jaguar to reveal the molecular structure of ligno-cellulosic material used in bioethanol production. This year, Jaguar has been used to do billion-cell CFD calculations to develop shock wave compression turbo machinery as a means to meet DOE goals for reducing carbon sequestration costs. General Electric used Jaguar to calculate the unsteady flow through turbo machinery to learn what efficiencies the traditional steady flow assumption is hiding from designers. Even a 1% improvement in turbine design can save the nation

The (null impact of pseudohomophones in lexical decision: No phonological activation in semantic dementia?

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Maximiliano A. Wilson

2014-04-01

The results in controls reproduce those found in literature (Braun et al., 2009. The general impairment and the lack of lexicality effect are also in line with current literature on svPPA and are likely explained by semantic impairment (Rogers et al., 2004. Interestingly, the novel result here is the absence of PsH effect in svPPA. This suggests that phonology is not correctly activated and that O-P mappings are also impaired in svPPA.

Selective verbal recognition memory impairments are associated with atrophy of the language network in non-semantic variants of primary progressive aphasia.

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Nilakantan, Aneesha S; Voss, Joel L; Weintraub, Sandra; Mesulam, M-Marsel; Rogalski, Emily J

2017-06-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is clinically defined by an initial loss of language function and preservation of other cognitive abilities, including episodic memory. While PPA primarily affects the left-lateralized perisylvian language network, some clinical neuropsychological tests suggest concurrent initial memory loss. The goal of this study was to test recognition memory of objects and words in the visual and auditory modality to separate language-processing impairments from retentive memory in PPA. Individuals with non-semantic PPA had longer reaction times and higher false alarms for auditory word stimuli compared to visual object stimuli. Moreover, false alarms for auditory word recognition memory were related to cortical thickness within the left inferior frontal gyrus and left temporal pole, while false alarms for visual object recognition memory was related to cortical thickness within the right-temporal pole. This pattern of results suggests that specific vulnerability in processing verbal stimuli can hinder episodic memory in PPA, and provides evidence for differential contributions of the left and right temporal poles in word and object recognition memory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Treatment for Apraxia of Speech in Nonfluent Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia

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M. L. Henry

2013-01-01

Full Text Available There is a growing body of literature examining the utility of behavioral treatment in primary progressive aphasia (PPA. There are, however, no studies exploring treatment approaches to improve speech production in individuals with apraxia of speech (AOS associated with the nonfluent variant of PPA. The purpose of this study was to examine a novel approach to treatment of AOS in nonfluent PPA. We implemented a treatment method using structured oral reading as a tool for improving production of multisyllabic words in an individual with mild AOS and nonfluent variant PPA. Our participant showed a reduction in speech errors during reading of novel text that was maintained at one year post-treatment. Generalization of improved speech production was observed on repetition of words and sentences and the participant showed stability of speech production over time in connected speech. Results suggest that oral reading treatment may offer an efficient and effective means of addressing multisyllabic word production in AOS associated with nonfluent PPA, with lasting and generalized treatment effects.

[A case report of the combination therapy with S-1 plus CDDP intraperitoneal chemotherapy for CY positive cancer patient].

Science.gov (United States)

Ishii, Yasushi; Iwasaki, Yoshiki; Ohashi, Manabu; Iwanaga, Tomohiro; Ohinata, Ryouki; Takahashi, Keiichi; Matsumoto, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Tatsurou; Nakano, Daisuke

2011-11-01

A male patient in his 50s underwent distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. In operation, there was no peritoneal dissemination. But peritoneal lavage cytology revealed positive peritoneal dissemination. Thus, we set an intraperitoneal infuser port to this patient. On specimen, a type-3 tumor was located in the gastric lesser of antrum to angle. Microscopic examination of specimens revealed a signet ring cell carcinoma and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma under serosa, and positive of lymph node metastasis. The diagnosis was pT4N2M1P0CY1H0, Stage IV( Japanese classification of gastric carcinoma The 14 Edition). CDDP was administered through the infuser port (on day 7, a first dose of 60 mg/m2 and 30 mg/m2 for second) combined with oral administration of S-1 (100 mg/body) for two weeks, with one week of drug withdrawal. This chemotherapy was repeated for 11 courses. After that, peritoneal lavage cytology became negative. S-1 oral administration was continued for four years, and this patient has been well for five years and six months after the surgery. Therefore, it is suggested that intraperitoneal chemotherapy with cisplatin is an effective treatment for microscopical peritoneal dissemination.

Abnormal language-related oscillatory responses in primary progressive aphasia

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A. Kielar

Full Text Available Patients with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA may react to linguistic stimuli differently than healthy controls, reflecting degeneration of language networks and engagement of compensatory mechanisms. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG to evaluate oscillatory neural responses in sentence comprehension, in patients with PPA and age-matched controls. Participants viewed sentences containing semantically and syntactically anomalous words that evoke distinct oscillatory responses. For age-matched controls, semantic anomalies elicited left-lateralized 8–30 Hz power decreases distributed along ventral brain regions, whereas syntactic anomalies elicited bilateral power decreases in both ventral and dorsal regions. In comparison to controls, patients with PPA showed altered patterns of induced oscillations, characterized by delayed latencies and attenuated amplitude, which were correlated with linguistic impairment measured offline. The recruitment of right hemisphere temporo-parietal areas (also found in controls was correlated with preserved semantic processing abilities, indicating that preserved neural activity in these regions was able to support successful semantic processing. In contrast, syntactic processing was more consistently impaired in PPA, regardless of neural activity patterns, suggesting that this domain of language is particularly vulnerable to the neuronal loss. In addition, we found that delayed peak latencies of oscillatory responses were associated with lower accuracy for detecting semantic anomalies, suggesting that language deficits observed in PPA may be linked to delayed or slowed information processing. Keywords: MEG oscillations, Primary progressive aphasia (PPA, Sentence comprehension

Primary progressive aphasia: from syndrome to disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Matías-Guiu, J A; García-Ramos, R

2013-01-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical syndrome characterised by a progressive decline in language and speech of neurodegenerative origin. Major breakthroughs made in recent years have lent us a better understanding of this syndrome, which may be the first manifestation of any of a number of neurodegenerative diseases. We reviewed the main aspects of PPA epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, aetiology and treatment. Most cases manifest sporadically and the typical age of onset is between 50 and 70 years. Three clinically distinct variants have been described: nonfluent or agrammatic PPA, semantic PPA and logopenic PPA. Each of these variants tends to be associated with specific histopathological findings, but clinical diagnostic methods are imperfect predictors of underlying pathology. Anatomical and functional neuroimaging can provide useful biomarkers. Several treatments have been proposed, and while no clear benefits have been demonstrated, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors may be useful, especially in the logopenic variant. PPA is an emerging syndrome which may be more prevalent than we might expect. It was previously listed as part of the frontotemporal dementia spectrum, and it is also related to Alzheimer disease. Clinical diagnosis, complemented by a biomarker evaluation, may predict the underlying pathology, which in turn will improve treatment possibilities. Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Primary progressive aphasia and the evolving neurology of the language network.

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Mesulam, M-Marsel; Rogalski, Emily J; Wieneke, Christina; Hurley, Robert S; Geula, Changiz; Bigio, Eileen H; Thompson, Cynthia K; Weintraub, Sandra

2014-10-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is caused by selective neurodegeneration of the language-dominant cerebral hemisphere; a language deficit initially arises as the only consequential impairment and remains predominant throughout most of the course of the disease. Agrammatic, logopenic and semantic subtypes, each reflecting a characteristic pattern of language impairment and corresponding anatomical distribution of cortical atrophy, represent the most frequent presentations of PPA. Such associations between clinical features and the sites of atrophy have provided new insights into the neurology of fluency, grammar, word retrieval, and word comprehension, and have necessitated modification of concepts related to the functions of the anterior temporal lobe and Wernicke's area. The underlying neuropathology of PPA is, most commonly, frontotemporal lobar degeneration in the agrammatic and semantic forms, and Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology in the logopenic form; the AD pathology often displays atypical and asymmetrical anatomical features consistent with the aphasic phenotype. The PPA syndrome reflects complex interactions between disease-specific neuropathological features and patient-specific vulnerability. A better understanding of these interactions might help us to elucidate the biology of the language network and the principles of selective vulnerability in neurodegenerative diseases. We review these aspects of PPA, focusing on advances in our understanding of the clinical features and neuropathology of PPA and what they have taught us about the neural substrates of the language network.

Control of impact loading during distracted running before and after gait retraining in runners.

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Cheung, Roy T H; An, Winko W; Au, Ivan P H; Zhang, Janet H; Chan, Zoe Y S; MacPhail, Aislinn J

2018-07-01

Gait retraining using visual biofeedback has been reported to reduce impact loading in runners. However, most of the previous studies did not adequately examine the level of motor learning after training, as the modified gait pattern was not tested in a dual-task condition. Hence, this study sought to compare the landing peak positive acceleration (PPA) and vertical loading rates during distracted running before and after gait retraining. Sixteen recreational runners underwent a two-week visual biofeedback gait retraining program for impact loading reduction, with feedback on the PPA measured at heel. In the evaluation of PPA and vertical loading rates before and after the retraining, the participants performed a cognitive and verbal counting task while running. Repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant interaction between feedback and training on PPA (F = 4.642; P = 0.048) but not vertical loading rates (F > 1.953; P > 0.067). Pairwise comparisons indicated a significantly lower PPA and vertical loading rates after gait retraining (P  0.68). Visual feedback after gait retraining reduced PPA and vertical loading rates during distracted running (P  0.36). Gait retraining is effective in lowering impact loading even when the runners are distracted. In dual-task situation, visual biofeedback provided beneficial influence on kinetics control after gait retraining.

The ALADIN System and its canonical model configurations AROME CY41T1 and ALARO CY40T1

Science.gov (United States)

Termonia, Piet; Fischer, Claude; Bazile, Eric; Bouyssel, François; Brožková, Radmila; Bénard, Pierre; Bochenek, Bogdan; Degrauwe, Daan; Derková, Mariá; El Khatib, Ryad; Hamdi, Rafiq; Mašek, Ján; Pottier, Patricia; Pristov, Neva; Seity, Yann; Smolíková, Petra; Španiel, Oldřich; Tudor, Martina; Wang, Yong; Wittmann, Christoph; Joly, Alain

2018-01-01

The ALADIN System is a numerical weather prediction (NWP) system developed by the international ALADIN consortium for operational weather forecasting and research purposes. It is based on a code that is shared with the global model IFS of the ECMWF and the ARPEGE model of Météo-France. Today, this system can be used to provide a multitude of high-resolution limited-area model (LAM) configurations. A few configurations are thoroughly validated and prepared to be used for the operational weather forecasting in the 16 partner institutes of this consortium. These configurations are called the ALADIN canonical model configurations (CMCs). There are currently three CMCs: the ALADIN baseline CMC, the AROME CMC and the ALARO CMC. Other configurations are possible for research, such as process studies and climate simulations. The purpose of this paper is (i) to define the ALADIN System in relation to the global counterparts IFS and ARPEGE, (ii) to explain the notion of the CMCs, (iii) to document their most recent versions, and (iv) to illustrate the process of the validation and the porting of these configurations to the operational forecast suites of the partner institutes of the ALADIN consortium. This paper is restricted to the forecast model only; data assimilation techniques and postprocessing techniques are part of the ALADIN System but they are not discussed here.

Longitudinal effects of dysfunctional perfectionism and avoidant personality style on postpartum mental disorders: Pathways through antepartum depression and anxiety.

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Oddo-Sommerfeld, Silvia; Hain, Sarah; Louwen, Frank; Schermelleh-Engel, Karin

2016-02-01

There is first evidence that some personality characteristics raise the risk of postpartum depression (PPD). The present longitudinal study investigates whether dysfunctional perfectionism and avoidant personality style predict PPD, postpartum anxiety (PPA) and bonding impairment (BI) directly or indirectly through antepartum anxiety (APA) and antepartum depression (APD). Pregnant women were recruited in two obstetric departments in Germany. The assessment occurred at two measurement time points: In the third trimester of pregnancy (N=297) and twelve weeks postpartum (N=266). Six questionnaires were administered during pregnancy: perfectionism, personality styles, anxiety, and depression. Postpartum, data on PPA, PPD and BI were collected. We conducted two path analyses in order to examine direct and indirect effects of the two personality characteristics on postpartum disorders. Testing for direct effects of dysfunctional perfectionism and avoidant personality style on PPD, PPA, and BI did not yield significant results. Instead, significant indirect effects were found: PPD, PPA, and BI were influenced indirectly by dysfunctional perfectionism and avoidant personality style via APD and APA. This model explained high portions of the variance of PPD, PPA, and impaired bonding. Each of the two personality characteristics explained a unique part of the outcome measures. The influence on BI was mediated by PPD. APD affected PPD and PPA more strongly than APA. Path models with manifest (observed) variables may lead to measurement errors. Self-rating questionnaires may raise the problem of social desirability. Dysfunctional perfectionism and avoidant personality style are significant risk factors for PPD, PPA, and BI. Screenings of both variables, as well as of APA and APD, which mediated the effect of personality traits on postpartum syndromes, are necessary. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of synthetic ceramide analogues on gastritis and esophagitis in rats.

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Kim, Sung Hyo; Um, Seung In; Nam, Yoonjin; Park, Sun Young; Dong, Je Hyun; Ko, Sung Kwon; Sohn, Uy Dong; Lee, Sang Joon

2016-09-01

The effects of ceremide analogues on esophagitis and gastritis in rats were examined. Gastritis induced by indomethacin was significantly reduced after CY3325 and CY3723 treatment, whereas other analogues had no effect. The amount of malondialdehyde in gastritis was significantly reduced by CY3325 or CY 3723. CY3325 or CY 3723 decreased the glutathione levels in gastritis. The myeloperoxidase level in gastritis is increased, and its increment was decreased by CY3325 and CY3723. In reflux esophagitis, the ulceration was decreased by CY3325, CY3723. The gastric volume and acid output are reduced, whereas the pH value is increased by CY3325 or CY3723 after esophagitis. These results suggest that ceramide analogues, CY3325 and CY3723, can prevent the development of gastritis and reflux esophagitis in rats.

Multi-functional electrospun antibacterial core-shell nanofibrous membranes for prolonged prevention of post-surgical tendon adhesion and inflammation.

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Shalumon, K T; Sheu, Chialin; Chen, Chih-Hao; Chen, Shih-Heng; Jose, Gils; Kuo, Chang-Yi; Chen, Jyh-Ping

2018-05-01

The possibility of endowing an electrospun anti-adhesive barrier membrane with multi-functionality, such as lubrication, prevention of fibroblast attachment and anti-infection and anti-inflammation properties, is highly desirable for the management of post-surgical tendon adhesion. To this end, we fabricated core-shell nanofibrous membranes (CSNMs) with embedded silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/poly(caprolactone) (PCL) shell and hyaluronic acid (HA)/ibuprofen in the core. HA imparted a lubrication effect for smooth tendon gliding and reduced fibroblast attachment, while Ag NPs and ibuprofen functioned as anti-infection and anti-inflammation agents, respectively. CSNMs with a PEG/PCL/Ag shell (PPA) and HA core containing 0% (H/PPA), 10% (HI10/PPA), 30% (HI30/PPA) and 50% (HI50/PPA) ibuprofen were fabricated through co-axial electrospinning and assessed through microscopic, spectroscopic, thermal, mechanical and drug release analyses. Considering nutrient passage through the barrier, the microporous CSNMs exerted the same barrier effect but drastically increased the mass transfer coefficients of bovine serum albumin compared with the commercial anti-adhesive membrane SurgiWrap®. Cell attachment/focal adhesion formation of fibroblasts revealed effective reduction of initial cell attachment on the CSNM surface with minimum cytotoxicity (except HI50/PPA). The anti-bacterial effect against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria was verified to be due to the Ag NPs in the membranes. In vivo studies using H/PPA and HI30/PPA CSNMs and SurgiWrap® in a rabbit flexor tendon rupture model demonstrated the improved efficacy of HI30/PPA CSNMs in reducing inflammation and tendon adhesion formation based on gross observation, histological analysis and functional assays. We conclude that HI30/PPA CSNMs can act as a multifunctional barrier membrane to prevent peritendinous adhesion after tendon surgery. A multi-functional anti-adhesion barrier

Does thinking and doing the same thing amount to involved participation? Empirical explorations for finding a measure of intensity for a third ICF-CY qualifier.

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, Gregor; Augustine, Lilly; Granlund, Mats

2012-01-01

Participation as involvement in a situation includes two dimensions; doing the activity and the experience of involvement. The ICF-CY only measures doing using the capacity and performance qualifiers, a dimension measuring the experience is needed; a third qualifier. The experienced involvement of pupils in school activities is higher when thinking and doing coincided. By comparing self-reported experiences of involvement of children, data about what children were thinking and doing during activities were gathered from 21 children with and 19 without disabilities in inclusive classrooms. A relationship exists between an index of the subjective experience of involvement and whether children were thinking and doing the same things. This index can be constructed using measures of concentration, control, involvement, and motivation. Choice is influential, as knowledge about why an activity is undertaken affects involvement. Additionally, increased subjective experience of involvement gives better psychological health and well-being.

Spectrophotometric determination of phenylpropanolamine in dosage forms using dimethylaminobenzaldehyde as a derivatizing reagent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rind, F.M.A.; Khushawar, M.Y.

2000-01-01

Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) was extracted from slightly alkaline medium in chloroform, derivatized with dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DAB) and determined by spectrophotometry at 377 nm. Beer's law was obeyed for 4.5-13.5 mu g. After the extraction of PPA in organic phase, paracetamole remaining in the aqueous phase could also be determined by spectrophotometry at 291 nm. The method was applied for the determination of PPA and paracetamole in the pharmaceutical preparations. Tavagyl-D, sinulab and Panadol labels with RSD within 0.4-0.8%. (author)

Development of a novel ozone- and photo-stable HyPer5 red fluorescent dye for array CGH and microarray gene expression analysis with consistent performance irrespective of environmental conditions

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Kille Peter

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (CGH and gene expression profiling have become vital techniques for identifying molecular defects underlying genetic diseases. Regardless of the microarray platform, cyanine dyes (Cy3 and Cy5 are one of the most widely used fluorescent dye pairs for microarray analysis owing to their brightness and ease of incorporation, enabling high level of assay sensitivity. However, combining both dyes on arrays can become problematic during summer months when ozone levels rise to near 25 parts per billion (ppb. Under such conditions, Cy5 is known to rapidly degrade leading to loss of signal from either "homebrew" or commercial arrays. Cy5 can also suffer disproportionately from dye photobleaching resulting in distortion of (Cy5/Cy3 ratios used in copy number analysis. Our laboratory has been active in fluorescent dye research to find a suitable alternative to Cy5 that is stable to ozone and resistant to photo-bleaching. Here, we report on the development of such a dye, called HyPer5, and describe its' exceptional ozone and photostable properties on microarrays. Results Our results show HyPer5 signal to be stable to high ozone levels. Repeated exposure of mouse arrays hybridized with HyPer5-labeled cDNA to 300 ppb ozone at 5, 10 and 15 minute intervals resulted in no signal loss from the dye. In comparison, Cy5 arrays showed a dramatic 80% decrease in total signal during the same interval. Photobleaching experiments show HyPer5 to be resistant to light induced damage with 3- fold improvement in dye stability over Cy5. In high resolution array CGH experiments, HyPer5 is demonstrated to detect chromosomal aberrations at loci 2p21-16.3 and 15q26.3-26.2 from three patient sample using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC arrays. The photostability of HyPer5 is further documented by repeat array scanning without loss of detection. Additionally, HyPer5 arrays are shown to preserve sensitivity and

Short-chain fatty acid fermentation products of the gut microbiome: implications in autism spectrum disorders

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MacFabe, Derrick F.

2012-01-01

Recent evidence suggests potential, but unproven, links between dietary, metabolic, infective, and gastrointestinal factors and the behavioral exacerbations and remissions of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Propionic acid (PPA) and its related short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are fermentation products of ASD-associated bacteria (Clostridia, Bacteriodetes, Desulfovibrio). SCFAs represent a group of compounds derived from the host microbiome that are plausibly linked to ASDs and can induce widespread effects on gut, brain, and behavior. Intraventricular administration of PPA and SCFAs in rats induces abnormal motor movements, repetitive interests, electrographic changes, cognitive deficits, perseveration, and impaired social interactions. The brain tissue of PPA-treated rats shows a number of ASD-linked neurochemical changes, including innate neuroinflammation, increased oxidative stress, glutathione depletion, and altered phospholipid/acylcarnitine profiles. These directly or indirectly contribute to acquired mitochondrial dysfunction via impairment in carnitine-dependent pathways, consistent with findings in patients with ASDs. Of note, common antibiotics may impair carnitine-dependent processes by altering gut flora favoring PPA-producing bacteria and by directly inhibiting carnitine transport across the gut. Human populations that are partial metabolizers of PPA are more common than previously thought. PPA has further bioactive effects on neurotransmitter systems, intracellular acidification/calcium release, fatty acid metabolism, gap junction gating, immune function, and alteration of gene expression that warrant further exploration. These findings are consistent with the symptoms and proposed underlying mechanisms of ASDs and support the use of PPA infusions in rats as a valid animal model of the condition. Collectively, this offers further support that gut-derived factors, such as dietary or enteric bacterially produced SCFAs, may be plausible environmental

Short-chain fatty acid fermentation products of the gut microbiome: implications in autism spectrum disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Derrick F. MacFabe

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Recent evidence suggests potential, but unproven, links between dietary, metabolic, infective, and gastrointestinal factors and the behavioral exacerbations and remissions of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs. Propionic acid (PPA and its related short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs are fermentation products of ASD-associated bacteria (Clostridia, Bacteriodetes, Desulfovibrio. SCFAs represent a group of compounds derived from the host microbiome that are plausibly linked to ASDs and can induce widespread effects on gut, brain, and behavior. Intraventricular administration of PPA and SCFAs in rats induces abnormal motor movements, repetitive interests, electrographic changes, cognitive deficits, perseveration, and impaired social interactions. The brain tissue of PPA-treated rats shows a number of ASD-linked neurochemical changes, including innate neuroinflammation, increased oxidative stress, glutathione depletion, and altered phospholipid/acylcarnitine profiles. These directly or indirectly contribute to acquired mitochondrial dysfunction via impairment in carnitine-dependent pathways, consistent with findings in patients with ASDs. Of note, common antibiotics may impair carnitine-dependent processes by altering gut flora favoring PPA-producing bacteria and by directly inhibiting carnitine transport across the gut. Human populations that are partial metabolizers of PPA are more common than previously thought. PPA has further bioactive effects on neurotransmitter systems, intracellular acidification/calcium release, fatty acid metabolism, gap junction gating, immune function, and alteration of gene expression that warrant further exploration. These findings are consistent with the symptoms and proposed underlying mechanisms of ASDs and support the use of PPA infusions in rats as a valid animal model of the condition. Collectively, this offers further support that gut-derived factors, such as dietary or enteric bacterially produced SCFAs, may be plausible

Structural characterization of more potent alternatives to HAMLET, a tumoricidal complex of α-lactalbumin and oleic acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Nemashkalova, Ekaterina L; Kazakov, Alexei S; Khasanova, Leysan M; Permyakov, Eugene A; Permyakov, Sergei E

2013-09-10

HAMLET is a complex of human α-lactalbumin (hLA) with oleic acid (OA) that kills various tumor cells and strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae. More potent protein-OA complexes were previously reported for bovine α-lactalbumin (bLA) and β-lactoglobulin (bLG), and pike parvalbumin (pPA), and here we explore their structural features. The concentration dependencies of the tryptophan fluorescence of hLA, bLA, and bLG complexes with OA reveal their disintegration at protein concentrations below the micromolar level. Chemical cross-linking experiments provide evidence that association with OA shifts the distribution of oligomeric forms of hLA, bLA, bLG, and pPA toward higher-order oligomers. This effect is confirmed for bLA and bLG using the dynamic light scattering method, while pPA is shown to associate with OA vesicles. Like hLA binding, OA binding increases the affinity of bLG for small unilamellar dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles, while pPA efficiently binds to the vesicles irrespective of OA binding. The association of OA with bLG and pPA increases their α-helix and cross-β-sheet content and resistance to enzymatic proteolysis, which is indicative of OA-induced protein structuring. The lack of excess heat sorption during melting of bLG and pPA in complex with OA and the presence of a cooperative thermal transition at the level of their secondary structure suggest that the OA-bound forms of bLG and pPA lack a fixed tertiary structure but exhibit a continuous thermal transition. Overall, despite marked differences, the HAMLET-like complexes that were studied exhibit a common feature: a tendency toward protein oligomerization. Because OA-induced oligomerization has been reported for other proteins, this phenomenon is inherent to many proteins.

Myocardial uptake of iodinated free fatty acids and 201Tl in experimental ischemia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westera, G.; Wall, E.E. van der; Visser, F.C.; Scholtalbers, A.S.; Eenige, M.J. van; Roos, J.P.

1984-01-01

In an experimental study, we evaluated the uptake of ( 131 I)-17-iodo heptadecanoic acid ( 131 I-HDA), ( 125 I)-15-4 (4-iodophenyl) pentadecanoic acid ( 125 I-PPA) and thallium-201 ( 201 Tl) in the dog heart. Twenty dogs were studied and divided into 3 groups: in group A, 10 dogs (4 normal, 6 with coronary artery occlusion) were studied with 131 I-HDA and 201 Tl; in group B, 5 dogs (with occlusion) received 125 I-PPA and 201 Tl; and in group C, 5 dogs (with occlusion) were studied with 125 I-PPA and 131 I-HDA. Two min after administration of the compounds the hearts were excised and stored in formaldehyde. After sectioning of the left ventricle, total uptake was counted and expressed in percentage of injected dose. Uptake in the normal myocardium (group A) was 4.2+-0.6% for 131 I-HDA and 4.6+-0.7% for 201 Tl; in the occluded dog hearts (group A) we measured values of 2.6+-0.4% for 131 I-HDA (p 201 Tl (p 131 I-HDA, 125 I-PPA and 201 Tl in groups B and C was not significantly different: group B, 125 I-PPA 2.8+-0.8% and 201 Tl 2.5+-0.5%; group C, 125 I-PPA 1.9+-0.7% and 131 I-HDA 1.6+-0.6%. Moreover, regional distribution of both iodinated fatty acids was quite comparable with the distribution of 201 Tl. We conclude that 131 I-HDA and 125 I-PPA show similar uptake as 201 Tl and are distributed according to coronary artery perfusion, which underscores their value as myocardial imaging agents. (orig.) [de

NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-CPOR-01-1994 [SEVENS

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available CBRC-CPOR-01-1994 ref|YP_056717.1| hypothetical protein PPA2046 [Propionibacterium acne...s KPA171202] gb|AAT83759.1| hypothetical protein PPA2046 [Propionibacterium acnes KPA171202] YP_056717.1 1.5 37% ...

Lack of Frank Agrammatism in the Nonfluent Agrammatic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naida L. Graham

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: Frank agrammatism, defined as the omission and/or substitution of grammatical morphemes with associated grammatical errors, is variably reported in patients with nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfPPA. This study addressed whether frank agrammatism is typical in agrammatic nfPPA patients when this feature is not required for diagnosis. Method: We assessed grammatical production in 9 patients who satisfied current diagnostic criteria. Although the focus was agrammatism, motor speech skills were also evaluated to determine whether dysfluency arose primarily from apraxia of speech (AOS, instead of, or in addition to, agrammatism. Volumetric MRI analyses provided impartial imaging-supported diagnosis. Results: The majority of cases exhibited neither frank agrammatism nor AOS. Conclusion: There are nfPPA patients with imaging-supported diagnosis and preserved motor speech skills who do not exhibit frank agrammatism, and this may persist beyond the earliest stages of the illness. Because absence of frank agrammatism is a subsidiary diagnostic feature in the logopenic variant of PPA, this result has implications for differentiation of the nonfluent and logopenic variants, and indicates that PPA patients with nonfluent speech in the absence of frank agrammatism or AOS do not necessarily have the logopenic variant.

Longitudinal assessment of short-term memory deterioration in a logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia with post-mortem confirmed Alzheimer's Disease pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Tree, Jeremy; Kay, Janice

2015-09-01

In the field of dementia research, there are reports of neurodegenerative cases with a focal loss of language, termed primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Currently, this condition has been further sub-classified, with the most recent sub-type dubbed logopenic variant (PPA-LV). As yet, there remains somewhat limited evaluation of the characteristics of this condition, with no studies providing longitudinal assessment accompanied by post-mortem examination. Moreover, a key characteristic of the PPA-LV case is a deterioration of phonological short-term memory, but again little work has scrutinized the nature of this impairment over time. The current study seeks to redress these oversights and presents detailed longitudinal examination of language and memory function in a case of PPA-LV, with special focus on tests linked to components of phonological short-term memory function. Our findings are then considered with reference to a contemporary model of the neuropsychology of phonological short-term memory. Additionally, post-mortem examinations indicated Alzheimer's disease type pathology, providing further evidence that the PPA-LV presentation may reflect an atypical presentation of this condition. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Preparation of minor ginsenosides C-Mc, C-Y, F2, and C-K from American ginseng PPD-ginsenoside using special ginsenosidase type-I from Aspergillus niger g.848.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chun-Ying; Zhou, Rui-Xin; Sun, Chang-Kai; Jin, Ying-Hua; Yu, Hong-Shan; Zhang, Tian-Yang; Xu, Long-Quan; Jin, Feng-Xie

2015-07-01

Minor ginsenosides, those having low content in ginseng, have higher pharmacological activities. To obtain minor ginsenosides, the biotransformation of American ginseng protopanaxadiol (PPD)-ginsenoside was studied using special ginsenosidase type-I from Aspergillus niger g.848. DEAE (diethylaminoethyl)-cellulose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were used in enzyme purification, thin-layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used in enzyme hydrolysis and kinetics; crude enzyme was used in minor ginsenoside preparation from PPD-ginsenoside; the products were separated with silica-gel-column, and recognized by HPLC and NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance). The enzyme molecular weight was 75 kDa; the enzyme firstly hydrolyzed the C-20 position 20-O-β-D-Glc of ginsenoside Rb1, then the C-3 position 3-O-β-D-Glc with the pathway Rb1→Rd→F2→C-K. However, the enzyme firstly hydrolyzed C-3 position 3-O-β-D-Glc of ginsenoside Rb2 and Rc, finally hydrolyzed 20-O-L-Ara with the pathway Rb2→C-O→C-Y→C-K, and Rc→C-Mc1→C-Mc→C-K. According to enzyme kinetics, K m and V max of Michaelis-Menten equation, the enzyme reaction velocities on ginsenosides were Rb1 > Rb2 > Rc > Rd. However, the pure enzyme yield was only 3.1%, so crude enzyme was used for minor ginsenoside preparation. When the crude enzyme was reacted in 3% American ginseng PPD-ginsenoside (containing Rb1, Rb2, Rc, and Rd) at 45°C and pH 5.0 for 18 h, the main products were minor ginsenosides C-Mc, C-Y, F2, and C-K; average molar yields were 43.7% for C-Mc from Rc, 42.4% for C-Y from Rb2, and 69.5% for F2 and C-K from Rb1 and Rd. Four monomer minor ginsenosides were successfully produced (at low-cost) from the PPD-ginsenosides using crude enzyme.

MRI Compatibility of Robot Actuation Techniques – A Comparative Study

OpenAIRE

Fischer, Gregory S.; Krieger, Axel; Iordachita, Iulian; Csoma, Csaba; Whitcomb, Louis L.; Fichtinger, Gabor

2008-01-01

This paper reports an experimental evaluation of the following three different MRI-compatible actuators: a Shinsei ultrasonic motor, a Nanomotion ultrasonic motor and a pneumatic cylinder actuator. We report the results of a study comparing the effect of these actuators on the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of MRI images under a variety of experimental conditions. Evaluation was performed with the controller inside and outside the scanner room and with both 1.5T and 3T MRI scanners. Pneumatic cy...

Aspergillus fumigatus CY018, an endophytic fungus in Cynodon dactylon as a versatile producer of new and bioactive metabolites.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, J Y; Song, Y C; Zhang, Z; Wang, L; Guo, Z J; Zou, W X; Tan, R X

2004-11-09

Aspergillus fumigatus CY018 was recognized as an endophytic fungus for the first time in the leaf of Cynodon dactylon. By bioassay-guided fractionation, the EtOAc extract of a solid-matrix steady culture of this fungus afforded two new metabolites, named asperfumoid (1) and asperfumin (2), together with six known bioactive compounds including monomethylsulochrin, fumigaclavine C, fumitremorgin C, physcion, helvolic acid and 5alpha,8alpha-epidioxy-ergosta-6,22-diene-3beta-ol as well as other four known compounds ergosta-4,22-diene-3beta-ol, ergosterol, cyclo(Ala-Leu) and cyclo(Ala-Ile). Through detailed spectroscopic analyses including HRESI-MS, homo- and hetero-nuclear correlation NMR experiments (HMQC, COSY, NOESY and HMBC), the structures of asperfumoid and asperfumin were established to be spiro-(3-hydroxyl-2,6-dimethoxyl-2,5-diene-4-cyclohexone-(1,3')-5'-methoxyl-7'-methyl-(1'H, 2'H, 4'H)-quinoline-2',4'-dione) and 5-hydroxyl-2-(6-hydroxyl-2-methoxyl-4-methylbenzoyl)-3,6-dimethoxyl-benzoic methyl ester, respectively. All of the 12 isolates were subjected to in vitro bioactive assays against three human pathogenic fungi Candida albicans, Tricophyton rubrum and Aspergillus niger. As a result, asperfumoid, fumigaclavine C, fumitremorgin C, physcion and helvolic acid were shown to inhibit C. albicans with MICs of 75.0, 31.5, 62.5, 125.0 and 31.5 microg/mL, respectively.

Application of Addenbrooke's cognitive examination to diagnosis and monitoring of progressive primary aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Leyton, Cristian E; Hornberger, Michael; Mioshi, Eneida; Hodges, John R

2010-01-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) comprises 2 main variants: semantic dementia (SD) and progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA). Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) has become widely used for the diagnosis of dementias. Less information, however, is available about its ability to detect and monitor changes in cognition in PPA. We aimed to analyse the sensitivity and longitudinal changes of ACE scores in 2 subforms of PPA. We included 63 SD and 45 PNFA cases, all of whom had at least 2 assessments. Sensitivity levels, annualised rates of change and difference in scores over time on repeated ACE measurements were calculated. A cut-off of 88 points detected 95% of the PNFA and SD cases. Longitudinal analysis showed an average annual decline of 10 points per year, with no significant difference between groups. The ACE is a useful tool for detecting and tracking the evolution of PPA. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Comparable survival using a CMV-matched or a mismatched donor for CMV+ patients undergoing T-replete haplo-HSCT with PT-Cy for acute leukemia: a study of behalf of the infectious diseases and acute leukemia working parties of the EBMT.

Science.gov (United States)

Cesaro, Simone; Crocchiolo, Roberto; Tridello, Gloria; Knelange, Nina; Van Lint, Maria Teresa; Koc, Yener; Ciceri, Fabio; Gülbas, Zafer; Tischer, Johanna; Afanasyev, Boris; Bruno, Benedetto; Castagna, Luca; Blaise, Didier; Mohty, Mohamad; Irrera, Giuseppe; Diez-Martin, J L; Pierelli, Luca; Pioltelli, Pietro; Arat, Mutlu; Delia, Mario; Fagioli, Franca; Ehninger, Gerhard; Aljurf, Mahmoud; Carella, Angelo Michele; Ozdogu, Hakan; Mikulska, Malgorzata; Ljungman, Per; Nagler, Arnon; Styczynski, Jan

2018-04-01

The role of donor CMV serostatus in the setting of non T-cell depleted haplo-HSCT with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) has not been specifically addressed so far. Here we analyzed the impact of the donor CMV serological status on the outcome of 983 CMV seropositive (CMV+), acute leukemia patients receiving a first, non T-cell depleted haplo-HSCT registered in the EBMT database. The 1-year NRM was 21.3% (95% CI: 18.4-24.8) and 18.8% (95% CI: 13.8-25.5) in the CMV D+/R+ and D-/R+ pairs, respectively (p = 0.40). Similarly, 1-year OS was 55.1% (95% CI: 50.1-58.0) and 55.7% (95% CI: 48.0-62.8) in the same groups (p = 0.50). The other main outcomes were comparable. No difference in NRM nor OS was observed after stratification for the intensity of conditioning and multivariate anaysis confirmed the lack of significant association with NRM or OS. In conclusion, the choice of a CMV-seronegative donor did not impair early survival of CMV-seropositive patients with acute leukemia after a first, non T-cell depleted haploidentical HSCT and PT-Cy among this series of 983 consecutive patients. Future research may focus on the assessment of the hierarchy of all the donor variables.

Whole-genome sequence of a novel Chinese cyprinid herpesvirus 3 isolate reveals the existence of a distinct European genotype in East Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wei; Lee, Xuezhu; Weng, Shaoping; He, Jianguo; Dong, Chuanfu

2015-02-25

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV3), also known as koi herpesvirus (KHV), can be subdivided primarily into European and Asian genotypes, which are represented by CyHV3-U or CyHV3-I and CyHV3-J, respectively. In this study, the whole genome sequence of a novel Chinese CyHV3 isolate (GZ11) was determined and annotated. CyHV3-GZ11 genome was found to contain 295,119 nucleotides with 52.9% G/C content, which is highly similar to those of published CyHV3-U, CyHV3-I, and CyHV3-J strains. With reference to CyHV3-U, CyHV3-I, and CyHV3-J, CyHV3-GZ11 was also classified into 164 open reading frames (ORF), which include eight repeated ORFs. On the basis of the 12 alloherpeviruses core genes, results from phylogenetic analysis showed that CyHV3-GZ11 had closer evolutionary relationships with CyHV3-U and CyHV3-I than with CyHV3/KHV-J, which were also supported by genome wide-based single nucleotide substitution analysis and the use of a series of developed molecular markers. This study was the first to reveal the presence of a distinct European CyHV3 genotype in East and Southeast Asia at a whole genome level, which will evoke new insights on exploring the origin, evolution, and epidemiology of the virus. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification of the inorganic pyrophosphate metabolizing, ATP substituting pathway in mammalian spermatozoa.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Young-Joo; Sutovsky, Miriam; Kennedy, Chelsey; Sutovsky, Peter

2012-01-01

Inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) is generated by ATP hydrolysis in the cells and also present in extracellular matrix, cartilage and bodily fluids. Fueling an alternative pathway for energy production in cells, PPi is hydrolyzed by inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPA1) in a highly exergonic reaction that can under certain conditions substitute for ATP-derived energy. Recombinant PPA1 is used for energy-regeneration in the cell-free systems used to study the zymology of ATP-dependent ubiquitin-proteasome system, including the role of sperm-borne proteasomes in mammalian fertilization. Inspired by an observation of reduced in vitro fertilization (IVF) rates in the presence of external, recombinant PPA1, this study reveals, for the first time, the presence of PPi, PPA1 and PPi transporter, progressive ankylosis protein ANKH in mammalian spermatozoa. Addition of PPi during porcine IVF increased fertilization rates significantly and in a dose-dependent manner. Fluorometric assay detected high levels of PPi in porcine seminal plasma, oviductal fluid and spermatozoa. Immunofluorescence detected PPA1 in the postacrosomal sheath (PAS) and connecting piece of boar spermatozoa; ANKH was present in the sperm head PAS and equatorial segment. Both ANKH and PPA1 were also detected in human and mouse spermatozoa, and in porcine spermatids. Higher proteasomal-proteolytic activity, indispensable for fertilization, was measured in spermatozoa preserved with PPi. The identification of an alternative, PPi dependent pathway for ATP production in spermatozoa elevates our understanding of sperm physiology and sets the stage for the improvement of semen extenders, storage media and IVF media for animal biotechnology and human assisted reproductive therapies.

Identification of the inorganic pyrophosphate metabolizing, ATP substituting pathway in mammalian spermatozoa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young-Joo Yi

Full Text Available Inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi is generated by ATP hydrolysis in the cells and also present in extracellular matrix, cartilage and bodily fluids. Fueling an alternative pathway for energy production in cells, PPi is hydrolyzed by inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPA1 in a highly exergonic reaction that can under certain conditions substitute for ATP-derived energy. Recombinant PPA1 is used for energy-regeneration in the cell-free systems used to study the zymology of ATP-dependent ubiquitin-proteasome system, including the role of sperm-borne proteasomes in mammalian fertilization. Inspired by an observation of reduced in vitro fertilization (IVF rates in the presence of external, recombinant PPA1, this study reveals, for the first time, the presence of PPi, PPA1 and PPi transporter, progressive ankylosis protein ANKH in mammalian spermatozoa. Addition of PPi during porcine IVF increased fertilization rates significantly and in a dose-dependent manner. Fluorometric assay detected high levels of PPi in porcine seminal plasma, oviductal fluid and spermatozoa. Immunofluorescence detected PPA1 in the postacrosomal sheath (PAS and connecting piece of boar spermatozoa; ANKH was present in the sperm head PAS and equatorial segment. Both ANKH and PPA1 were also detected in human and mouse spermatozoa, and in porcine spermatids. Higher proteasomal-proteolytic activity, indispensable for fertilization, was measured in spermatozoa preserved with PPi. The identification of an alternative, PPi dependent pathway for ATP production in spermatozoa elevates our understanding of sperm physiology and sets the stage for the improvement of semen extenders, storage media and IVF media for animal biotechnology and human assisted reproductive therapies.

Journal of Chemical Sciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Green and efficient synthesis of aryl/alkylbis(indolyl)methanes using Expanded Perlite-PPA as a heterogeneous solid acid catalyst in aqueous media · MARZIEH ESMAIELPOUR BATOOL AKHLAGHINIA ROYA JAHANSHAHI · More Details Abstract Fulltext PDF. Expanded Perlite-Polyphosphoric acid (EP-PPA) as a novel, ...

77 FR 15752 - Notice of Proposed Prospective Purchaser Agreement Amendment Pursuant to the Comprehensive...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-16

... modify or withdraw its consent to the PPA Amendment if comments received disclose facts or considerations... statutes, against the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority (``PEDA''). In lieu of financial consideration, in exchange for EPA's covenant not to sue, the PPA Amendment would require PEDA to acquire...

Decontamination/decommissioning of the Princeton Pennsylvania Accelerator Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bair, W.A.

1990-01-01

The Princeton Pennsylvania Accelerator Facility was a 3 GeV proton synchrotron operated jointly by Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania from 1962 to 1972 on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus. During synchrotron operations, certain portions of the PPA central accelerator chamber and structural members became neutron activated. Upon termination of accelerator operations due to funding problems, Princeton desired to utilize the PPA site for other purposes, and commissioned a study to investigate Decommissioning and Decontamination options and methodologies. The study investigated several methods for in-place, surgically removing the neutron activated from the uncontaminated concrete. Since each technique produced different volumes of removed concrete all methods investigated were studied from the total economics of the problem and the cost of limiting and clean-up of secondary contamination. The decontamination method selected used a diamond wire cutting technique to sever in-place, the activated concrete from the uncontaminated. Large, intact, activated structural segments were cut and removed from the central accelerator chamber's floor, outer walls, internal columns and ceiling. Nonactivated portions of the structure, and the remainder of the central chamber were subsequently razed by conventional demolition methods. The paper describes the decontamination methodology, its effectiveness, disposal economics and radiological safety problems related thereto

Comprehension of derivational morphemes in words and pseudo-words in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noémie Auclair-Ouellet

2014-04-01

The results of the word condition alone cannot rule out the possibility that errors in the svPPA group were caused by difficulty in understanding words rather than in processing derivational morphemes. However, the lexical context provided in this condition did not speed-up the performance of svPPA individuals as it did in the control group. Most importantly, results from the pseudo-word condition showed that in the svPPA group, the association between the morpheme and its meaning was not performed as readily and reliably as in the control group. These results support the involvement of semantic memory in morphological processing.

Nonlinear analysis of fetal heart rate dynamics in fetuses compromised by asymptomatic partial placental abruption.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Won-Young; Hoh, Jeong-Kyu

2015-12-01

We analyzed fetal heart rate (FHR) parameters, dynamics, and outcomes in pregnancies with asymptomatic partial placental abruption (PPA) compared with those in normal pregnancies. We examined nonstress test (NST) data acquired from 2003 to 2012 at our institution. Normal pregnancies (N = 170) and PPA cases (N = 17) were matched for gestational age, fetal sex, and mean FHR. NSTs were performed at 33-42 weeks of gestation. FHR parameters obtained from the NST and perinatal outcomes were analyzed using linear methods. Nonlinear indices, including approximate entropy (ApEn), sample entropy (SampEn), short-term and long-term scaling exponents (α1 and α2), and correlation dimension (CD), were used to interpret FHR dynamics and system complexity. The area under a receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the nonlinear indices. There were no significant differences in general characteristics and FHR parameters between the PPA and control groups. However, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, 5-min Apgar scores, ApEn, SampEn, and CD were significantly lower in the PPA group than in the control group (P Nonlinear dynamic indices of FHR in asymptomatic PPA were qualitatively different from those in normal pregnancies, whereas the conventional FHR parameters were not significantly different. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Use of Personal Projects Analysis to Enhance Occupational Therapy Goal Identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary Egan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Client-centered occupational therapy begins with the identification of personally-relevant patient goals. This study aimed to determine whether the elicitation module of Personal Projects Analysis (PPA could help patients in an acquired brain injury day hospital program identify more meaningful goals than those identified using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM alone. Method: Ten patients completed the COPM. They rated the importance of each goal and their confidence that they could attain each goal. During the next session, using the elicitation module of PPA, they identified personal projects just prior to their brain injuries, current personal projects, and future desired personal projects. They were then invited to revise their COPM goals and re-rate them for importance and confidence. Results: Following completion of the elicitation module of PPA, seven participants changed at least one goal. Of the goals that were changed, half were revised to include the mention of another person. There were no significant changes in average goal importance or perceived attainability. Occupational therapists reported that the elicitation module of PPA helped them get to know their patients better and identify potential therapeutic occupations. Discussion: The elicitation module of PPA may help people develop goals that are more embedded in their social contexts.

Interaction with glycosaminoglycans is required for cyclophilin B to trigger integrin-mediated adhesion of peripheral blood T lymphocytes to extracellular matrix.

Science.gov (United States)

Allain, Fabrice; Vanpouille, Christophe; Carpentier, Mathieu; Slomianny, Marie-Christine; Durieux, Sandrine; Spik, Geneviève

2002-03-05

Cyclophilins A and B (CyPA and CyPB) are cyclosporin A-binding proteins that are involved in inflammatory events. We have reported that CyPB interacts with two types of cell-surface-binding sites. The first site corresponds to a functional receptor and requires interaction with the central core of CyPB. This region is highly conserved in cyclophilins, suggesting that CyPA and CyPB might share biological activities mediated by interaction with this receptor. The second site is identified with glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), the binding region located in the N terminus of CyPB. The difference in the N-terminal extensions of CyPA and CyPB suggests that a unique interaction with GAGs might account for selective activity of CyPB. To explore this hypothesis, we analyzed the lymphocyte responses triggered by CyPA, CyPB, and CyPB(KKK-), a mutant unable to interact with GAGs. The three ligands seemed capable enough to elicit calcium signal and chemotaxis by binding to the same signaling receptor. In contrast, only CyPB enhanced firm adhesion of T cells to the extracellular matrix. This activity depended on the interactions with GAGs and signaling receptor. CyPB-mediated adhesion required CD147 presumably because it was a costimulatory molecule and was related to an activation of alpha4beta1 and alpha4beta7 integrins. Finally, we showed that CyPB was capable mainly to enhance T cell adhesion of the CD4+CD45RO+ subset. The present data indicate that CyPB rather than CyPA is a proinflammatory factor for T lymphocytes and highlight the crucial role of CyPB-GAG interaction in the chemokine-like activity of this protein.

Comparative Genomics of Carp Herpesviruses

Science.gov (United States)

Kurobe, Tomofumi; Gatherer, Derek; Cunningham, Charles; Korf, Ian; Fukuda, Hideo; Hedrick, Ronald P.; Waltzek, Thomas B.

2013-01-01

Three alloherpesviruses are known to cause disease in cyprinid fish: cyprinid herpesviruses 1 and 3 (CyHV1 and CyHV3) in common carp and koi and cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV2) in goldfish. We have determined the genome sequences of CyHV1 and CyHV2 and compared them with the published CyHV3 sequence. The CyHV1 and CyHV2 genomes are 291,144 and 290,304 bp, respectively, in size, and thus the CyHV3 genome, at 295,146 bp, remains the largest recorded among the herpesviruses. Each of the three genomes consists of a unique region flanked at each terminus by a sizeable direct repeat. The CyHV1, CyHV2, and CyHV3 genomes are predicted to contain 137, 150, and 155 unique, functional protein-coding genes, respectively, of which six, four, and eight, respectively, are duplicated in the terminal repeat. The three viruses share 120 orthologous genes in a largely colinear arrangement, of which up to 55 are also conserved in the other member of the genus Cyprinivirus, anguillid herpesvirus 1. Twelve genes are conserved convincingly in all sequenced alloherpesviruses, and two others are conserved marginally. The reference CyHV3 strain has been reported to contain five fragmented genes that are presumably nonfunctional. The CyHV2 strain has two fragmented genes, and the CyHV1 strain has none. CyHV1, CyHV2, and CyHV3 have five, six, and five families of paralogous genes, respectively. One family unique to CyHV1 is related to cellular JUNB, which encodes a transcription factor involved in oncogenesis. To our knowledge, this is the first time that JUNB-related sequences have been reported in a herpesvirus. PMID:23269803

A CBPR partnership increases HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM): outcome findings from a pilot test of the CyBER/testing internet intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Scott D; Vissman, Aaron T; Stowers, Jason; Miller, Cindy; McCoy, Thomas P; Hergenrather, Kenneth C; Wilkin, Aimee M; Reece, Michael; Bachmann, Laura H; Ore, Addison; Ross, Michael W; Hendrix, Ellen; Eng, Eugenia

2011-06-01

The Internet has emerged as an important tool for the delivery of health promotion and disease prevention interventions. Our community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership developed and piloted CyBER/testing, a culturally congruent intervention designed to promote HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM) within existing Internet chat rooms. Using a quasi-experimental, single-group study design, cross-sectional data were collected from chat room participants, known as "chatters," at pretest (n = 346) and posttest (n = 315). Extant profile data also were collected to describe the demographics of the online population. The intervention significantly increased self-reported HIV testing among chatters overall, increasing rates from 44.5% at pretest to nearly 60% at posttest (p testing at posttest. Findings suggest that chat room-based HIV testing intervention may increase testing among MSM who may be difficult to reach in traditional physical spaces.

Bone marrow transplantation: Effects of conditioning and cyclosporin prophylaxis on microvascular permeability to a small solute (technetium 99m diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid)

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Peters, A.M. (Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London (UK). Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology); Vassilarou, D.S.; Hows, J.M. (Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London (UK). Dept. of Haematology); Ballardie, F.W. (Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London (UK). Dept. of Medicine)

1991-03-01

Microvascular permeability to small diffusible solutes has rarely been measured at a clinical level. We have developed a simple non-invasive technique for measuring the permeability surface area (PS) product, which is suitable for clinical use. We illustrate its potential value in six subjects who underwent bone marrow transplantation for chronic myeloid leukaemia. These patients received high-dose cyclosporin A (CyA) for prevention of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and sustained an easily measurable increase in microvascular permeability to technetium 99m diethyl triamine penta-acetic acid ({sup 99m}Tc-DTPA). This was measured as the PS product, which increased from 1.1 (SD 0.3) to 2.2 (0.4) ml/min per 100 ml tissue between baseline and treatment with CyA for prevention of GVHD (P < 0.01). The increase broadly correlated with nephrotoxicity which was measured, from the plasma DTPA clearance, as global glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This decreased from 106 (11.1) to 49 (6.7) ml/min (P < 0.001). These abnormalities, both in PS product and GFR, were sustained for several months, after which they tended to return towards baseline levels. We conclude firstly that this technique has a potential clinical role and secondly that endothelial abnormalities due to CyA deserve further study. (orig.).

Comprehension of concrete and abstract words in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia and Alzheimer's disease: A behavioral and neuroimaging study.

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Joubert, Sven; Vallet, Guillaume T; Montembeault, Maxime; Boukadi, Mariem; Wilson, Maximiliano A; Laforce, Robert Jr; Rouleau, Isabelle; Brambati, Simona M

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the comprehension of concrete, abstract and abstract emotional words in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and healthy elderly adults (HE) Three groups of participants (9 svPPA, 12 AD, 11 HE) underwent a general neuropsychological assessment, a similarity judgment task, and structural brain MRI. The three types of words were processed similarly in the group of AD participants. In contrast, patients in the svPPA group were significantly more impaired at processing concrete words than abstract words, while comprehension of abstract emotional words was in between. VBM analyses showed that comprehension of concrete words relative to abstract words was significantly correlated with atrophy in the left anterior temporal lobe. These results support the view that concrete words are disproportionately impaired in svPPA, and that concrete and abstract words may rely upon partly dissociable brain regions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlative studies of structural and functional imaging in primary progressive aphasia.

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Panegyres, P K; McCarthy, M; Campbell, A; Lenzo, N; Fallon, M; Thompson, J

2008-01-01

To compare and contrast structural and functional imaging in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). A cohort of 8 patients diagnosed with PPA presenting with nonfluency were prospectively evaluated. All patients had structural imaging in the form of MRI and in 1 patient CAT scanning on account of a cardiac pacemaker. All patients had single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. SPECT and PET imaging had 100% correlation. Anatomical imaging was abnormal in only 6 of the 8 patients. Wernicke's area showed greater peak Z score reduction and extent of area affected than Broca's area (McNemar paired test: P = .008 for Z score reduction; P = .0003 for extent). PET scanning revealed significant involvement of the anterior cingulum. Functional imaging in PPA: (a) identified more patients correctly than anatomic imaging highlighting the importance of SPECT and PET in the diagnosis; and (b) demonstrated the heterogeneous involvement of disordered linguistic networks in PPA suggesting its syndromic nature.

Thermo-responsive, UV-active poly(phenyl acrylate-b-poly(diethyl acrylamide block copolymers

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M. Maric

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The homopolymerization of phenyl acrylate (PA was investigated for the first time by nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP with the succinimidyl form of the SG1-based unimolecular initiator 2-[N-tert-butyl-2,2-(dimethylpropyl-aminooxy]propionic acid (BlocBuilder MA. The control of PPA homopolymerization was improved by the use of 15 mol% additional free nitroxide SG1 ([tert-butyl[1-(diethoxyphosphoryl-2,2-dimethylpropyl]amino]oxidanyl and dispersities, Mw/Mn, of around 1.2 were achieved. A PPA homopolymer was then successfully chain-extended with diethyl acrylamide (DEAAm to form a block copolymer of PPA-b-PDEAAm where the PDEAAm segment is thermo-responsive, while the PPA block is potentially UV-active. The thermo-responsive behavior of the block copolymer in 0.5 wt% aqueous solution was studied by UV-Vis spectrometry and dynamic light scattering (DLS, indicating cloud point temperatures of 26–30°C, close to that reported for PDEAAm homopolymers.

Mitochondrial variability in the D-loop of four equine breeds shown by PCR-SSCP analysis

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Mirol Patricia M.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available A fragment of 466 base pairs from a highly variable peripheral region of the mitochondrial D-loop of horses was amplified and analyzed by single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP. Fourteen distinct SSCP variants were detected in 100 horses belonging to four breeds (Arabian, ARB; Thoroughbred, TB; Argentinian Creole, ARC; and Peruvian Paso from Argentina, PPA. Each breed showed four to eight SSCP variants, many of which were shared between two or three of the studied breeds. Arabian horses were the most variable (eigth variants, with three variants unique to the breed. PPA and ARC showed two and one characteristic SSCP variants, respectively, while TB shared all its variants with at least one of the other breeds. An analysis based on the presence/absence of the variants revealed a closer relationship between PPA and TB, which was not completely unexpected considering the mixed ancestry of the PPA mares. The results also confirm the efficiency of SSCP to detect variability in horse mitochondrial DNA.

The behaviour of organic solvents containing C5-BTBP and CyMe4-BTBP at low irradiation doses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Retegan, T.; Fermvik, A.; Skarnemark, G.; Foreman, M.R.S.

2007-01-01

Low doses of gamma radiation were given to four different solvents containing C5-BTBP and CyMe 4 -BTBP, each molecule dissolved both in cyclohexanone and hexanol. Four corresponding solvents were kept unirradiated and used as references for the extraction experiments. Multiple samples were taken from both the irradiated solutions and the reference solutions at certain time intervals. The samples were used in extraction experiments with the radionuclides 241 Am and 152 Eu. The protection against radiolysis of the extracting molecules by the diluent used for dissolution without adding a scavenger molecule was checked. The interplay between the diluent and the side group of the extracting molecule for protection against radiolysis was also studied by keeping the same type of core molecule for binding to the metal ions and varying the diluent and side group. The results were unexpected. The presence of a cyclic molecule as both a side group or diluent seems to keep the extraction of europium almost unaffected by radiolysis, while americium behaves differently from solvent to solvent. The diluent alone does not protect the extracting molecule. In some of the studied systems there is a distinct change in the extraction behaviour of Am between the irradiated and reference solutions, an effect that is however only present at the beginning of the experimental series. At later times the difference in distribution ratios between the irradiated and reference solution is constant. This phenomenon is found only when the side group and diluent are structurally dissimilar. (orig.)

75 FR 71799 - Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and CY 2011 Payment Rates...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-24

...The final rule with comment period in this document revises the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) to implement applicable statutory requirements and changes arising from our continuing experience with this system and to implement certain provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Affordable Care Act). In this final rule with comment period, we describe the changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the payment rates for Medicare hospital outpatient services paid under the prospective payment system. These changes are applicable to services furnished on or after January 1, 2011. In addition, this final rule with comment period updates the revised Medicare ambulatory surgical center (ASC) payment system to implement applicable statutory requirements and changes arising from our continuing experience with this system and to implement certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act. In this final rule with comment period, we set forth the applicable relative payment weights and amounts for services furnished in ASCs, specific HCPCS codes to which these changes apply, and other pertinent ratesetting information for the CY 2011 ASC payment system. These changes are applicable to services furnished on or after January 1, 2011. In this document, we also are including two final rules that implement provisions of the Affordable Care Act relating to payments to hospitals for direct graduate medical education (GME) and indirect medical education (IME) costs; and new limitations on certain physician referrals to hospitals in which they have an ownership or investment interest. In the interim final rule with comment period that is included in this document, we are changing the effective date for otherwise eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals that have been reclassified from urban to rural under section 1886(d)(8)(E) of the Social Security

Spousal Recollections of Early Signs of Primary Progressive Aphasia

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Pozzebon, Margaret; Douglas, Jacinta; Ames, David

2018-01-01

Background: Although primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is characterized by progressive loss of language and communication skills, knowledge about the earliest emerging signs announcing the onset of this condition is limited. Aims: To explore spousal recollections regarding the earliest signs of PPA and to compare the nature of the earliest…

Simultaneous Determination of Cyclosporine A, Tacrolimus, Sirolimus, and Everolimus in Whole-Blood Samples by LC-MS/MS

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Mustafa Karapirli

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. Cyclosporine A (CyA, tacrolimus (TRL, sirolimus (SIR, and everolimus (RAD are immunosuppressive drugs frequently used in organ transplantation. Our aim was to confirm a robust sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS method for determination of CyA, TRL, SIR, and RAD in whole-blood samples. Materials and Methods. We used an integrated online solid-phase extraction-LC-MS/MS system and atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry (API-MS/MS in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM detection mode. CyA, TRL, SIR, and RAD were simultaneously analyzed in whole blood treated with precipitation reagent taken from transplant patients. Results. System performance parameters were suitable for using this method as a high-throughput technique in clinical practice. The high concentration of one analyte in the sample did not affect the concentration of other analytes. Total analytical time was 2.5 min, and retention times of all analytes were shorter than 2 minutes. Conclusion. This LC-MS/MS method can be preferable for therapeutic drug monitoring of these immunosuppressive drugs (CyA, TRL, SRL, and RAD in whole blood. Sample preparation was too short and simple in this method, and it permits robust, rapid, sensitive, selective, and simultaneous determination of these drugs.

Distribution of cyclophilin B-binding sites in the subsets of human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

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Denys, A; Allain, F; Foxwell, B; Spik, G

1997-08-01

Cyclophilin B (CyPB) is a cyclosporin A (CsA)-binding protein, mainly associated with the secretory pathway and released in biological fluids. We have recently demonstrated that both free CyPB and CyPB-CsA complex specifically bind to peripheral blood T lymphocytes and are internalized. These results suggest that CyPB might promote the targeting of the drug into sensitive cells. Peripheral blood lymphocytes are subdivided in several populations according to their biological functions and sensitivity to CsA. We have investigated the binding of CyPB to these different subsets using a CyPB derivatized by fluorescein through its single cysteine which retains its binding properties. We have confirmed that only T cells were involved in the interaction with CyPB. The ligand binding was found to be heterogeneously distributed on the different T-cell subsets and surface-bound CyPB was mainly associated with the CD4-positive cells. No significant difference was noted between the CD45RA and CD45RO subsets, demonstrating that CyPB-binding sites were equally distributed between native and memory T cells. CD3 stimulation of T lymphocytes led to a decrease in the CyPB-binding capacity, that may be explained by a down-regulation of the CyPB-receptor expression upon T-cell activation. Finally, we demonstrated that CyPB-receptor-positive cells, isolated on CyPB sulphydryl-coupled affinity matrices, are more sensitive to CyPB-complexed CsA than mixed peripheral blood lymphocytes, suggesting that CyPB potentiates CsA activity through the binding of the complex. Taken together, our results demonstrate that CyPB-binding sites are mainly associated with resting cells of the helper T lymphocyte, and that CyPB might modulate the distribution of CsA through the drug targeting to sensitive cells.

Different mechanisms of hepatitis C virus RNA polymerase activation by cyclophilin A and B in vitro.

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Weng, Leiyun; Tian, Xiao; Gao, Yayi; Watashi, Koichi; Shimotohno, Kunitada; Wakita, Takaji; Kohara, Michinori; Toyoda, Tetsuya

2012-12-01

Cyclophilins (CyPs) are cellular proteins that are essential to hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication. Since cyclosporine A was discovered to inhibit HCV infection, the CyP pathway contributing to HCV replication is a potential attractive stratagem for controlling HCV infection. Among them, CyPA is accepted to interact with HCV nonstructural protein (NS) 5A, although interaction of CyPB and NS5B, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), was proposed first. CyPA, CyPB, and HCV RdRp were expressed in bacteria and purified using combination column chromatography. HCV RdRp activity was analyzed in vitro with purified CyPA and CyPB. CyPA at a high concentration (50× higher than that of RdRp) but not at low concentration activated HCV RdRp. CyPB had an allosteric effect on genotype 1b RdRp activation. CyPB showed genotype specificity and activated genotype 1b and J6CF (2a) RdRps but not genotype 1a or JFH1 (2a) RdRps. CyPA activated RdRps of genotypes 1a, 1b, and 2a. CyPB may also support HCV genotype 1b replication within the infected cells, although its knockdown effect on HCV 1b replicon activity was controversial in earlier reports. CyPA activated HCV RdRp at the early stages of transcription, including template RNA binding. CyPB also activated genotype 1b RdRp. However, their activation mechanisms are different. These data suggest that both CyPA and CyPB are excellent targets for the treatment of HCV 1b, which shows the greatest resistance to interferon and ribavirin combination therapy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Health Risk Perceptions and Exercise in Older Adulthood: An Application of Protection Motivation Theory.

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Ruthig, Joelle C

2016-09-01

Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) was applied to explore the relationship between perceived risk of acute health crises and intent to exercise. Interviews of 351 community-living older adults assessed prior physical activity (PPA), all PMT components, and exercise intent. A multi-group structural equation model revealed gender differences in PMT predictors of exercise intent. PPA, age, self-efficacy, and response efficacy directly predicted men's intent. Women's PPA and age predicted PMT components of self-efficacy and response costs, which predicted intent. Findings have implications for devising interventions to enhance physical activity in later life by targeting different PMT components for older men and women. © The Author(s) 2014.

Optic Disc Change during Childhood Myopic Shift: Comparison between Eyes with an Enlarged Cup-To-Disc Ratio and Childhood Glaucoma Compared to Normal Myopic Eyes.

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Hae-Young Lopilly Park

Full Text Available Progressive disc tilting and the development or enlargement of peripapillary atrophy (PPA are observed during a myopic shift in children. This could be related to the changes around the optic nerve head during eyeball elongation. If the biomechanical properties at or around the optic nerve head are changed after exposure to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP in glaucoma eyes, different response of the disc tilting and PPA changes could take place during eyeball elongation by myopic shift. On the basis of this background, the aim of this study was to compare the morphological changes in the optic disc induced by a myopic shift during childhood between normal control eyes, eyes from disc suspects with an enlarged cup-to-disc ratio (CDR, and eyes with childhood glaucoma.Total of 82 eyes from 82 subjects younger than 14 years of age were included in the study. Serial disc photographs were classified into one of two groups: eyes with an optic nerve head (ONH or peripapillary atrophy (PPA change or without an ONH/PPA change. Using ImageJ software, the outlines of the optic disc and PPA were plotted, and the vertical disc diameter (VDD, horizontal disc diameter (HDD, and maximum PPA width (PPW were measured. The changes in the ratios of these parameters and the relationships between the degree of myopic shift or the ONH/PPA change were analyzed.Twenty-five eyes with normal optic disc appearance, 36 eyes with enlarged cup-to-disc ratio, and 21 eyes of glaucoma patients were analyzed. The initial intraocular pressure (IOP at diagnosis was significantly different among the groups (P<0.001. The degree of myopic shift during follow-up period was not significantly different among the groups (P=0.612. However, the changes in the HDD/VDD and PPW/VDD ratios were significantly greater in the disc suspect group and significantly smaller in the glaucoma group. Among the 42 eyes with an ONH/PPA change, 16 (38.1% were from the normal control group, 24 (57.1% were

First characterization of three cyclophilin family proteins in the oyster, Crassostrea ariakensis Gould.

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Xu, Ting; Xie, Jiasong; Yang, Shoubao; Ye, Shigen; Luo, Ming; Wu, Xinzhong

2016-08-01

Cyclophilins (CyPs) are a family of proteins that bind the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporin A (CsA) with high-affinity and belong to one of the three superfamilies of peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases (PPIase). In this report, three cyclophilin genes (Ca-CyPs), including Ca-CyPA, Ca-CyPB and Ca-PPIL3, were identified from oyster, Crassostrea ariakensis Gould in which Ca-CyPA encodes a protein with 165 amino acid sequences, Ca-CyPB encodes a protein with 217 amino acid sequences and Ca-PPIL3 encodes a protein with 162 amino acid sequences. All of the three Ca-CyPs genes contain a typical CyP-PPIase domain with its signature sequences and Ca-CyPB contains an N-signal peptide sequences. Tissue distribution study revealed that Ca-CyPs were ubiquitously expressed in all examined tissues and the highest levels were observed in hemocytes. RLO incubation upregulated the mRNA expression levels of Ca-CyPs, indicating that three Ca-CyPs might be involved in oyster immune response against RLO infection. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of DNA strand breaks in mammalian cells using the radioresistant bacterium PprA protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satoh, Katsuya; Wada, Seiichi; Narumi, Issay; Kikuchi, Masahiro; Funayama, Tomoo; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko

2003-01-01

We have previously found that the PprA protein from Deinococcus radiodurans possesses ability to recognize DNA carrying strand breaks. In the present study, we attempted to visualize radiation-induced DNA strand breaks with PprA protein using immunofluorescence technique to elucidate the DNA damage response mechanism in mammalian cultured cells. As a result, colocalization of Cy2 and DAPI fluorescent signals was observed. This observation suggests that DNA strand breaks in the nucleus of CHO-K1 cells were effectively detected using the PprA protein. The amount of DNA strand breaks (integrated density of Cy2 fluorescent signals) was increased with the increase in the radiation dose. (author)

Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated cardo poly(arylene ether sulfone)s for fuel cell proton exchange membrane application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Islam, M.M.; Jang, H.H.; Lim, Y.D.; Seo, D.W.; Kim, W.G. [Department of Applied Chemistry, Konkuk University, Chungju, Chungbuk (Korea, Republic of); Kim, T.H.; Hong, Y.T. [Energy Material Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, D.M. [Material Engineering and Science, Hongik Univ, Jochiwon-eup, Yeongi-gun, Chungnam (Korea, Republic of)

2012-12-15

Sulfonated cardo poly(arylene ether sulfone)s (SPPA-PES) with various degrees of sulfonation (DS) were prepared by post-sulfonation of synthesized phenolphthalein anilide (PPA; N-phenyl-3,3'-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-isobenzopyrolidone) poly(arylene ether sulfone)s (PPA-PES) by using concentrated sulfuric acid. PPA-PES copolymers were synthesized by direct polycondensation of PPA with bis-(4-fluorophenyl)-sulfone and 4,4'-sulfonyldiphenol. The DS was varied with different mole ratios of PPA (24, 30, 40, 50 mol.%) in the polymer. The structure of the resulting SPPA-PES copolymers and the different contents of the sulfonated unit were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, {sup 1}H NMR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Sorption experiments were conducted to observe the interaction of sulfonated polymer with water. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) and proton conductivity of SPPA-PES were evaluated according to the increase of DS. The water uptake (WU) of the resulting SPPA-PES membranes was in the range of 20-72%, compared with 28% for Nafion 211 registered. The SPPA-PES membranes showed proton conductivities of 23-82 mS cm{sup -1}, compared with 194 mS cm{sup -1} for Nafion 211 registered, under 100% relative humidity (RH) at 80 C. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A deterministic, dynamic systems model of cow-calf production: The effects of breeding replacement heifers before mature cows over a 10-year horizon.

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Shane, D D; Larson, R L; Sanderson, M W; Miesner, M; White, B J

2017-10-01

Some cattle production experts believe that cow-calf producers should breed replacement heifers (nulliparous cows) before cows (primiparous and multiparous cows), sometimes referred to as providing a heifer lead time (tHL). Our objective was to model the effects different durations of tHL may have on measures of herd productivity, including the percent of the herd cycling before the end of the first 21 d of the breeding season (%C21), the percent of the herd pregnant at pregnancy diagnosis (%PPD), the distribution of pregnancy by 21-d breeding intervals, the kilograms of calf weaned per cow exposed (KPC), and the replacement percentage (%RH), using a deterministic, dynamic systems model of cow-calf production over a 10-yr horizon. We also wished to examine differences in the effect of tHL related to the primiparous duration of postpartum anestrus (dPPA). The study model examined 6 different dPPA for primiparous cows (60, 70, 80, 90, 100, or 110 d). The multiparous cow duration of postpartum anestrus was set to 60 d. The breeding season length for nulliparous cows was 63 d, as was the breeding season length for primiparous and multiparous cows. Nulliparous cows were modeled with a tHL of 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, or 42 d. Results are reported for the final breeding season of the 10-yr horizon. Increasing tHL resulted in a greater %C21 for the herd and for primiparous cows. Length of tHL had minimal impact on the %PPD unless the dPPA was 80 d or greater. For a dPPA of 110 d, a 0 d tHL resulted in the herd having 88.1 %PPD. When tHL was 21 d, the %PPD increased to 93.0%. The KPC was 161.2 kg when the dPPA was 110 d and tHL was 0 d and improved to 183.2 kg when tHL was increased to 42 d. The %RH did not vary much unless the dPPA was 90 d or greater, but increasing tHL resulted in decreased %RH. Based on the model results, increasing tHL improves the production outcomes included in the analysis, but herds with dPPA of 90 d or greater had the greatest degree of improvement

[Pharmaceutical application of cyclodextrins as multi-functional drug carriers].

Science.gov (United States)

Uekama, Kaneto

2004-12-01

Owing to the increasingly globalized nature of the cyclodextrin (CyD)-related science and technology, development of the CyD-based pharmaceutical formulation is rapidly progressing. The pharmaceutically useful CyDs are classified into hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and ionic derivatives. Because of the multi-functional characteristics and bioadaptability, these CyDs are capable of alleviating the undesirable properties of drug molecules through the formation of inclusion complexes or the form of CyD/drug conjugates. This review outlines the current application of CyDs in drug delivery and pharmaceutical formulation, focusing on the following evidences. 1) The hydrophilic CyDs enhance the rate and extent of bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. 2) The amorphous CyDs such as 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-CyD are useful for inhibition of polymorphic transition and crystallization rates of drugs during storage. 3) The delayed release formulation can be obtained by the use of enteric type CyDs such as O-carboxymethyl-O-ethyl-beta-CyD. 4) The hydrophobic CyDs are useful for modification of the release site and/or time profile of water-soluble drugs with prolonged therapeutic effects. 5) The branched CyDs are particularly effective in inhibiting the adsorption to hydrophobic surface of containers and aggregation of polypeptide and protein drugs. 6) The combined use of different CyDs and/or pharmaceutical additives can serve as more functional drug carriers, improving efficacy and reducing side effects. 7) The CyD/drug conjugates may provide a versatile means for the constructions of not only colonic delivery system but also site-specific drug release system, including gene delivery. On the basis of the above-mentioned knowledge, the advantages and limitations of CyDs in the design of advanced dosage forms will be discussed.

Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Cyclosporine in a Cohort of Steroid-Refractory Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis Patients from the ENEIDA Registry (1989-2013): A Nationwide Multicenter Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ordás, I; Domènech, E; Mañosa, M; García-Sánchez, V; Iglesias-Flores, E; Peñalva, M; Cañas-Ventura, A; Merino, O; Fernández-Bañares, F; Gomollón, F; Vera, M; Gutiérrez, A; Garcia-Planella, E; Chaparro, M; Aguas, M; Gento, E; Muñoz, F; Aguirresarobe, M; Muñoz, C; Fernández, L; Calvet, X; Jiménez, C E; Montoro, M A; Mir, A; De Castro, M L; García-Sepulcre, M F; Bermejo, F; Panés, J; Esteve, M

2017-11-01

To determine the efficacy and safety of cyclosporine (CyA) in a large national registry-based population of patients with steroid-refractory (SR) acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) and to establish predictors of efficacy and adverse events. Multicenter study of SR-ASUC treated with CyA, based on data from the ENEIDA registry. SR-ASUC patients treated with infliximab (IFX) or sequential rescue therapy (CyA-IFX or IFX-CyA) were used as comparators. Of 740 SR-ASUC patients, 377 received CyA, 131 IFX and 63 sequential rescue therapy. The cumulative colectomy rate was higher in the CyA (24.1%) and sequential therapy (32.7%) than in the IFX group (14.5%; P=0.01) at 3 months and 5 years. There were no differences in early and late colectomy between CyA and IFX in patients treated after 2005. 62% of patients receiving CyA remained colectomy-free in the long term (median 71 months). There were no differences in mortality between CyA (2.4%), IFX (1.5%) and sequential therapy (0%; P=0.771). The proportion of patients with serious adverse events (SAEs) was lower in CyA (15.4%) than in IFX treated patients (26.5%) or sequential therapy (33.4%; P<0.001). This difference in favor of CyA was maintained when only patients treated after 2005 were analyzed. Treatment with CyA showed a lower rate of SAE and a similar efficacy to that of IFX thereby supporting the use of either CyA or IFX in SR-ASUC. In addition, the risk-benefit of sequential CyA-IFX for CyA non-responders is acceptable.

Syntactic and Morphosyntactic Processing in Stroke-Induced and Primary Progressive Aphasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cynthia K. Thompson

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The paper reports findings derived from three experiments examining syntactic and morphosyntactic processing in individuals with agrammatic and logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA-G and PPA-L, respectively and stroke-induced agrammatic and anomic aphasia (StrAg and StrAn, respectively. We examined comprehension and production of canonical and noncanonical sentence structures and production of tensed and nontensed verb forms using constrained tasks in experiments 1 and 2, using the Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences (NAVS [57] and the Northwestern Assessment of Verb Inflection (NAVI, Thompson and Lee, experimental version test batteries, respectively. Experiment 3 examined free narrative samples, focusing on syntactic and morphosyntactic measures, i.e. production of grammatical sentences, noun to verb ratio, open-class to closed-class word production ratio, and the production of correctly inflected verbs. Results indicate that the two agrammatic groups (i.e., PPA-G and StrAg pattern alike on syntactic and morphosyntactic measures, showing more impaired noncanonical compared to canonical sentence comprehension and production and greater difficulties producing tensed compared to nontensed verb forms. Their spontaneous speech also contained significantly fewer grammatical sentences and correctly inflected verbs, and they produced a greater proportion of nouns compared to verbs, than healthy speakers. In contrast, PPA-L and StrAn individuals did not display these deficits, and performed significantly better than the agrammatic groups on these measures. The findings suggest that agrammatism, whether induced by degenerative disease or stroke, is associated with characteristic deficits in syntactic and morphosyntactic processing. We therefore recommend that linguistically sophisticated tests and narrative analysis procedures be used to systematically evaluate the linguistic ability of individuals with PPA, contributing to

Production of phenylpyruvic acid from L-phenylalanine using an L-amino acid deaminase from Proteus mirabilis: comparison of enzymatic and whole-cell biotransformation approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Ying; Hossain, Gazi Sakir; Li, Jianghua; Shin, Hyun-Dong; Liu, Long; Du, Guocheng

2015-10-01

Phenylpyruvic acid (PPA) is an important organic acid that has a wide range of applications. In this study, the membrane-bound L-amino acid deaminase (L-AAD) gene from Proteus mirabilis KCTC 2566 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and then the L-AAD was purified. After that, we used the purified enzyme and the recombinant E. coli whole-cell biocatalyst to produce PPA via a one-step biotransformation from L-phenylalanine. L-AAD was solubilized from the membrane and purified 52-fold with an overall yield of 13 %, which corresponded to a specific activity of 0.94 ± 0.01 μmol PPA min(-1)·mg(-1). Then, the biotransformation conditions for the pure enzyme and the whole-cell biocatalyst were optimized. The maximal production was 2.6 ± 0.1 g·L(-1) (specific activity of 1.02 ± 0.02 μmol PPA min(-1)·mg(-1) protein, 86.7 ± 5 % mass conversion rate, and 1.04 g·L(-1)·h(-1) productivity) and 3.3 ± 0.2 g L(-1) (specific activity of 0.013 ± 0.003 μmol PPA min(-1)·mg(-1) protein, 82.5 ± 4 % mass conversion rate, and 0.55 g·L(-1)·h(-1) productivity) for the pure enzyme and whole-cell biocatalyst, respectively. Comparative studies of the enzymatic and whole-cell biotransformation were performed in terms of specific activity, production, conversion, productivity, stability, need of external cofactors, and recycling. We have developed two eco-friendly and efficient approaches for PPA production. The strategy described herein may aid the biotransformational synthesis of other α-keto acids from their corresponding amino acids.

Crystal structure and characterization of a novel layered copper-lithium phosphonate with antiferromagnetic intrachain Cu(II)···Cu(II) interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdelbaky, Mohammed S.M. [Departments of Physical and Analytical Chemistry and Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, University of Oviedo-CINN, 33006 Oviedo (Spain); Amghouz, Zakariae [Scientific and Technical Services, University of Oviedo-CINN, 33006 Oviedo (Spain); Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Oviedo, Campus Universitario, 33203 Gijón (Spain); Blanco, David Martínez [Scientific and Technical Services, University of Oviedo-CINN, 33006 Oviedo (Spain); García-Granda, Santiago; García, José R. [Departments of Physical and Analytical Chemistry and Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, University of Oviedo-CINN, 33006 Oviedo (Spain)

2017-04-15

Novel metal phosphonate [CuLi(PPA)] [H{sub 3}PPA=3-phosphonopropionic acid] was synthesized hydrothermally and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. It crystallizes in the space group C2/c, with cell parameters a=21.617(2) Å, b=4.9269(2) Å, c=14.342(1) Å, β=132.3(2)°, and Z=8. Its framework is built up from a main trimer, acting as a secondary building unit (SBU), which is formed by vertex-shared between two (LiO{sub 4}) and one (Cu(1)O{sub 4}) polyhedra. These units repeat along b-axis forming infinite inorganic chains, these chains are in turn cross-linked by corner sharing with (Cu(2)O{sub 4}) polyhedra to produce inorganic layers lying in the bc-plane. The neighboring layers are connected through the PPA ligand, leading to a 3D pillared-layered structure. The topological analysis reveals that the compound exhibits 3,4,10-c net. Finally, magnetic susceptibility measurement of this compound over the temperature range of 2–300 K reveals the occurrence of weak antiferromagnetic intrachain interactions. - Graphical abstract: Hydrothermal synthesis and structural characterization of a novel lithium-copper phosphonate, formulated as [CuLi(PPA)] (H{sub 3}PPA=3-phosphonopropionic acid), have been reported. This compound has a 3D pillared-layered structure with 3,4,10-c net topology. The magnetic susceptibility data over the temperature range of 2–300 K reveals the occurrence of weak antiferromagnetic interactions. - Highlights: • Novel metal phosphonate, [CuLi(PPA)] (1), has been synthesized and characterized. • Compound 1 has a 3D pillared-layered structure with 3,4,10-c net topology. • Magnetic susceptibility data reveals the occurrence of weak antiferromagnetic interactions.

Measurements of the parapapillary atrophy zones in en face optical coherence tomography images.

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Atsuya Miki

Full Text Available To measure the parapapillary atrophy (PPA area in en face images obtained with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT, and to evaluate its relationship to glaucoma, myopia, and age in non-highly myopic subjects.Retrospective, cross-sectional study.Fifty eyes of 30 subjects with open-angle glaucoma (G group and forty-three eyes of 26 healthy control subjects (C group. Eyes with high myopia (spherical equivalent refractive error ≤ -8 diopters or axial length ≥ 26.5 mm were excluded.Mean age ± standard deviation was 59.9 ± 12.4 years. The beta zone and the gamma zone PPA areas were measured in en face images reconstructed from three-dimensional SS-OCT images. Relationship between the PPA areas and patient characteristics such as glaucoma, axial length, and age was statistically evaluated using multivariate mixed-effects models.Areas of the beta zone and the gamma zone PPA measured on en face OCT images.Average ± standard deviation area of the beta and the gamma zone was 0.64 ± 0.79 and 0.16 ± 0.30 mm2, respectively. In multivariate models, the gamma zone significantly correlated with axial length (P = 0.001 but not with glaucoma (P = 0.944. In contrast, the beta zone significantly correlated with age (P = 0.0249 and glaucoma (P = 0.014.En face images reconstructed from 3D SS-OCT data facilitated measurements of the beta and the gamma PPA zones even in eyes with optic disc distortion. The OCT-defined beta zone is associated with glaucoma and age, whereas the gamma zone correlated with myopia but not with glaucoma. This study confirmed the clinical usefulness of OCT-based classification of the PPA zones in distinguishing glaucomatous damage of the optic nerve from myopic damage in non-highly myopic eyes.

Characterization and identification of novel antidiabetic and anti-obesity peptides from camel milk protein hydrolysates.

Science.gov (United States)

Mudgil, Priti; Kamal, Hina; Yuen, Gan Chee; Maqsood, Sajid

2018-09-01

In-vitro inhibitory properties of peptides released from camel milk proteins against dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV), porcine pancreatic α-amylase (PPA), and porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) were studied. Results revealed that upon hydrolysis by different enzymes, camel milk proteins displayed dramatic increase in inhibition of DPP-IV and PPL, but slight improvement in PPA inhibition was noticed. Peptide sequencing revealed a total of 20 and 3 peptides for A9 and B9 hydrolysates respectively, obtained the score of 0.8 or more on peptide ranker and were categorized as potential DPP-IV inhibitory peptides. KDLWDDFKGL in A9 and MPSKPPLL in B9 were identified as most potent PPA inhibitory peptide. For PPL inhibition only 7 and 2 peptides qualified as PPL inhibitory peptides from hydrolysates A9 and B9, respectively. The present study report for the first time PPA and PPL inhibitory and only second for DPP-IV inhibitory potential of protein hydrolysates from camel milk. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Charge and energy transports via poly-phenylacetylene based dendrimers

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Shin, Yongwoo; Li, Minghai; Lin, Xi

2010-03-01

Poly-Phenylacetylene (PPA) is widely used in photoconductivity, photoluminescence, and light harvesting applications. In this work, we investigate the charge and exciton transport energetics and mechanisms in the PPA-based dendrimers using our recently developed adapted Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model Hamiltonians and ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations. We found both doping and photo-excitation lead to the formation of optical phonon dressed pi electron states, namely the self-localized polarons, in the energy gap. Independent from their origins, these polarons can be self-trapped at multiple lattice locations along the PPA chain, and migrate from one to the next with an activation barrier of ˜0.006 eV, slightly higher than the corresponding barrier found in trans-polyacetylene. The PPA-based dendrimers can be constructed via the meta-positions of phenyl rings. In this case, we found the dendrimer junctions form attractive potential wells for both polarons and excitons, and the width and height of these junction potential wells can be controlled by the geometry of the dendrimers.

Efficient conversion of phenylpyruvic acid to phenyllactic acid by using whole cells of Bacillus coagulans SDM.

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Zheng, Zhaojuan; Ma, Cuiqing; Gao, Chao; Li, Fengsong; Qin, Jiayang; Zhang, Haiwei; Wang, Kai; Xu, Ping

2011-04-20

Phenyllactic acid (PLA), a novel antimicrobial compound with broad and effective antimicrobial activity against both bacteria and fungi, can be produced by many microorganisms, especially lactic acid bacteria. However, the concentration and productivity of PLA have been low in previous studies. The enzymes responsible for conversion of phenylpyruvic acid (PPA) into PLA are equivocal. A novel thermophilic strain, Bacillus coagulans SDM, was isolated for production of PLA. When the solubility and dissolution rate of PPA were enhanced at a high temperature, whole cells of B. coagulans SDM could effectively convert PPA into PLA at a high concentration (37.3 g l(-1)) and high productivity (2.3 g l(-1) h(-1)) under optimal conditions. Enzyme activity staining and kinetic studies identified NAD-dependent lactate dehydrogenases as the key enzymes that reduced PPA to PLA. Taking advantage of the thermophilic character of B. coagulans SDM, a high yield and productivity of PLA were obtained. The enzymes involved in PLA production were identified and characterized, which makes possible the rational design and construction of microorganisms suitable for PLA production with metabolic engineering.

[Establishment of myocardial targeted nanoparticles and preliminary evaluation of its effects on prevention and treatment of myocardial injury].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Y Y; Wang, C; Luo, P F; Xia, Z F

2017-11-20

Objective: To establish 3-{4-[2-hydroxyl-(1-methylethylamino) propoxy] phenyl} propionic acid cetylesters (PAC) modified nanoparticles, and preliminarily explore its cardiomyocyte-targeting function and protection effects on myocardium. Methods: (1) HL-1 myocardial cells were divided into cyanidin-3 (Cy3) marked non-targeted small interference RNA (Cy3-siNC) group and Cy3 marked small interference RNA designed for the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)-p65 gene (Cy3-si435) group according to the random number table, with 3 wells in each group. Cells in Cy3-siNC group were transfected with Cy3-siNC, while cells in Cy3-si435 group were transfected with Cy3-si435. At transfection hour 24, the mRNA expression of NF-κB-p65 of cells was determined by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction. (2) Multiple emulsificating solvent evaporating method was adopted to prepare PAC modified nanoparticles carried with Cy3-siNC (Cy3-siNC-PAC) and PAC modified nanoparticles carried with Cy3-si435 (Cy3-si435-PAC). The morphology of Cy3-si435-PAC nanoparticles was observed with scanning electron microscope, and the size and potential of Cy3-si435-PAC nanoparticles were detected by nanometer particle size and zeta potential analyzer. The entrapment efficiency and drug loadings of Cy3-si435-PAC nanoparticle were determined with ultraviolet spectrophotometer. The release of Cy3-si435 of Cy3-si435-PAC nanoparticles was determined by dialysis method. (3) Another batch of HL-1 cells were divided into 4 groups according to the random number table, with 9 wells in each group. Cells in negative control group were added with 5 μL phosphate buffer. Cells in 25, 50, and 100 mg/mL Cy3-si435-PAC nanoparticles groups were added with 5 μL 25, 50, and 100 mg/mL Cy3-si435-PAC nanoparticles, respectively. At transfection hour 6, 12, and 24, proliferation activity of cells in 3 wells of each group was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium method, respectively. (4) Another batch of

Evidence that human milk isolated cyclophilin B corresponds to a truncated form.

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Mariller, C; Allain, F; Kouach, M; Spik, G

1996-03-07

Cyclophilin B (CyPB) is a member of the cyclophilin family (cyclosporin A-binding proteins) with specific N- and C-terminal extensions. In contrast to cyclophilin A, CyPB owns a signal sequence leading to its translocation in the endoplasmic reticulum. CyPB was reported to be present in human blood and milk, suggesting it is secreted. For this purpose, CyPB was purified to homogeneity from human milk and compared to recombinant CyPB expressed in E. coli. Ion spray mass spectrometry revealed that CyPB secreted in human milk exhibits a lower molecular mass than the one expected. Identification of phenylalanine as the C-terminus amino-acid residue of human milk CyPB indicates that the difference in molecular mass may be explained by the absence of the five C-terminal amino-acid residues AIAKE. These results suggest that in the sequence VEKPFAIAKE known to be responsible for retention of CyPB in the endoplasmic reticulum, the sequence AIAKE is more particularly necessary. Our findings raise the possibility that the CyPB may be processed to promote its release. As recombinant CyPB was shown to bind specifically to Jurkat cells, a lymphoblastic T-cell line, we then wanted to investigate the binding of human milk CyPB to these cells. Despite lacking the five C-terminal amino-acid residues, human milk CyPB is able to inhibit the binding of recombinant CyPB to Jurkat T cells.

Cholesterol lowering effects of mono-lactose-appended β-cyclodextrin in Niemann–Pick type C disease-like HepG2 cells

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Keiichi Motoyama

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The Niemann–Pick type C disease (NPC is one of inherited lysosomal storage disorders, emerges the accumulation of unesterified cholesterol in endolysosomes. Currently, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CyD has been applied for the treatment of NPC. HP-β-CyD improved hepatosplenomegaly in NPC patients, however, a high dose of HP-β-CyD was necessary. Therefore, the decrease in dose by actively targeted-β-CyD to hepatocytes is expected. In the present study, to deliver β-CyD selectively to hepatocytes, we newly fabricated mono-lactose-appended β-CyD (Lac-β-CyD and evaluated its cholesterol lowering effects in NPC-like HepG2 cells, cholesterol accumulated HepG2 cells induced by treatment with U18666A. Lac-β-CyD (degree of substitution of lactose (DSL 1 significantly decreased the intracellular cholesterol content in a concentration-dependent manner. TRITC-Lac-β-CyD was associated with NPC-like HepG2 cells higher than TRITC-β-CyD. In addition, TRITC-Lac-β-CyD was partially localized with endolysosomes after endocytosis. Thus, Lac-β-CyD entered NPC-like HepG2 cells via asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR-mediated endocytosis and decreased the accumulation of intracellular cholesterol in NPC-like HepG2 cells. These results suggest that Lac-β-CyD may have the potential as a drug for the treatment of hepatosplenomegaly in NPC disease.

Comparison of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome between monomicrobial and polymicrobial Pseudomonas aeruginosa nosocomial bloodstream infections

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Wenzel Richard P

2005-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Some studies of nosocomial bloodstream infection (nBSI have demonstrated a higher mortality for polymicrobial bacteremia when compared to monomicrobial nBSI. The purpose of this study was to compare differences in systemic inflammatory response and mortality between monomicrobial and polymicrobial nBSI with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methods We performed a historical cohort study on 98 adults with P. aeruginosa (Pa nBSI. SIRS scores were determined 2 days prior to the first positive blood culture through 14 days afterwards. Monomicrobial (n = 77 and polymicrobial BSIs (n = 21 were compared. Results 78.6% of BSIs were caused by monomicrobial P. aeruginosa infection (MPa and 21.4% by polymicrobial P. aeruginosa infection (PPa. Median APACHE II score on the day of BSI was 22 for MPa and 23 for PPa BSIs. Septic shock occurred in 33.3% of PPa and in 39.0% of MPa (p = 0.64. Progression to septic shock was associated with death more frequently in PPa (OR 38.5, CI95 2.9–508.5 than MPa (OR 4.5, CI95 1.7–12.1. Maximal SIR (severe sepsis, septic shock or death was seen on day 0 for PPa BSI vs. day 1 for MPa. No significant difference was noted in the incidence of organ failure, 7-day or overall mortality between the two groups. Univariate analysis revealed that APACHE II score ≥20 at BSI onset, Charlson weighted comorbidity index ≥3, burn injury and respiratory, cardiovascular, renal and hematologic failure were associated with death, while age, malignant disease, diabetes mellitus, hepatic failure, gastrointestinal complications, inappropriate antimicrobial therapy, infection with imipenem resistant P. aeruginosa and polymicrobial nBSI were not. Multivariate analysis revealed that hematologic failure (p Conclusion In this historical cohort study of nBSI with P. aeruginosa, the incidence of septic shock and organ failure was high in both groups. Additionally, patients with PPa BSI were not more acutely ill, as judged by APACHE II

Experimental, molecular docking investigations and bioavailability study on the inclusion complexes of finasteride and cyclodextrins

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Mady FM

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Fatma M Mady,1,2 Usama Farghaly Aly2 1Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Minia University, Minia, Egypt Abstract: Finasteride (FIN is a Class II candidate of the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS. The lipophilic cavity of cyclodextrins (CyDs enables it to construct a non-covalent inclusion complex with different insoluble drugs. Only β-cyclodextrin (β-CyD and hydroxypropyl-β-CyD (HP-β-CyD have been previously examined with FIN. This study aimed to investigate the consistence of FIN with different kinds of β-CyDs, including dimethyl-β-cyclodextrin (DM-β-CyD, carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CyD, HP-β-CyD, sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CyD, and β-CyD, by the coprecipitation method. The resultant inclusion systems were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and dissolution studies. Moreover, molecular docking for the selected inclusion systems was carried out to explore the suitable arrangements of FIN in the cavity of β-CyD or its derivatives. The results suggested that the DM-β-CyD inclusion system gave the higher complexation efficiency for improvement in solubility of FIN and hence enhancement of its bioavailability. Pharmacokinetic parameters displayed a higher absorption rate and higher area under the curve of the FIN/DM-β-CyD inclusion complex when compared with the drug alone, which indicates an improvement in the absorption and bioavailability of FIN in the DM-β-CyD inclusion system. Keywords: finasteride, cyclodextrins, molecular docking, pharmacokinetics, bioavailability

Interaction with glycosaminoglycans is required for cyclophilin B to trigger integrin-mediated adhesion of peripheral blood T lymphocytes to extracellular matrix

OpenAIRE

Allain, Fabrice; Vanpouille, Christophe; Carpentier, Mathieu; Slomianny, Marie-Christine; Durieux, Sandrine; Spik, Geneviève

2002-01-01

Cyclophilins A and B (CyPA and CyPB) are cyclosporin A-binding proteins that are involved in inflammatory events. We have reported that CyPB interacts with two types of cell-surface-binding sites. The first site corresponds to a functional receptor and requires interaction with the central core of CyPB. This region is highly conserved in cyclophilins, suggesting that CyPA and CyPB might share biological activities mediated by interaction with this receptor. The second site is identified with ...

Ibuprofen-in-cyclodextrin-in-W/O/W emulsion - Improving the initial and long-term encapsulation efficiency of a model active ingredient.

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Hattrem, Magnus N; Kristiansen, Kåre A; Aachmann, Finn L; Dille, Morten J; Draget, Kurt I

2015-06-20

A challenge in formulating water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsions is the uncontrolled release of the encapsulated compound prior to application. Pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals usually have amphipathic nature, which may contribute to leakage of the active ingredient. In the present study, cyclodextrins (CyDs) were used to impart a change in the relative polarity and size of a model compound (ibuprofen) by the formation of inclusion complexes. Various inclusion complexes (2-hydroxypropyl (HP)-β-CyD-, α-CyD- and γ-CyD-ibuprofen) were prepared and presented within W/O/W emulsions, and the initial and long-term encapsulation efficiency was investigated. HP-β-CyD-ibuprofen provided the highest encapsulation of ibuprofen in comparison to a W/O/W emulsion with unassociated ibuprofen confined within the inner water phase, with a four-fold increase in the encapsulation efficiency. An improved, although lower, encapsulation efficiency was obtained for the inclusion complex γ-CyD-ibuprofen in comparison to HP-β-CyD-ibuprofen, whereas α-CyD-ibuprofen had a similar encapsulation efficiency to that of unassociated ibuprofen. The lower encapsulation efficiency of ibuprofen in combination with α-CyD and γ-CyD was attributed to a lower association constant for the γ-CyD-ibuprofen inclusion complex and the ability of α-CyD to form inclusion complexes with fatty acids. For the W/O/W emulsion prepared with HP-β-CyD-ibuprofen, the highest encapsulation of ibuprofen was obtained at hyper- and iso-osmotic conditions and by using an excess molar ratio of CyD to ibuprofen. In the last part of the study, it was suggested that the chemical modification of the HP-β-CyD molecule did not influence the encapsulation of ibuprofen, as a similar encapsulation efficiency was obtained for an inclusion complex prepared with mono-1-glucose-β-CyD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gray matter density of auditory association cortex relates to knowledge of sound concepts in primary progressive aphasia.

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Bonner, Michael F; Grossman, Murray

2012-06-06

Long-term memory integrates the multimodal information acquired through perception into unified concepts, supporting object recognition, thought, and language. While some theories of human cognition have considered concepts to be abstract symbols, recent functional neuroimaging evidence has supported an alternative theory: that concepts are multimodal representations associated with the sensory and motor systems through which they are acquired. However, few studies have examined the effects of cortical lesions on the sensory and motor associations of concepts. We tested the hypothesis that individuals with disease in auditory association cortex would have difficulty processing concepts with strong sound associations (e.g., thunder). Human participants with the logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) performed a recognition task on words with strong associations in three modalities: Sound, Sight, and Manipulation. LvPPA participants had selective difficulty on Sound words relative to other modalities. Structural MRI analysis in lvPPA revealed gray matter atrophy in auditory association cortex, as defined functionally in a separate BOLD fMRI study of healthy adults. Moreover, lvPPA showed reduced gray matter density in the region of auditory association cortex that healthy participants activated when processing the same Sound words in a separate BOLD fMRI experiment. Finally, reduced gray matter density in this region in lvPPA directly correlated with impaired performance on Sound words. These findings support the hypothesis that conceptual memories are represented in the sensory and motor association cortices through which they are acquired.

[The phonological variant of primary progressive aphasia, a single case study].

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Diesfeldt, H F A

2011-04-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative syndrome characterized by an insidious onset and gradual progression of deficits that can involve any aspect of language, including word finding, object naming, fluency, syntax, phonology and word comprehension. The initial symptoms occur in the absence of major deficits in other cognitive domains, including episodic memory, visuospatial abilities and visuoconstruction. According to recent diagnostic guidelines, PPA is typically divided into three variants: nonfluent variant PPA (also termed progressive nonfluent aphasia), semantic variant PPA (also termed semantic dementia) and logopenic/phonological variant PPA (also termed logopenic progressive aphasia). The paper describes a 79-yr old man, who presented with normal motor speech and production rate, impaired single word retrieval and phonemic errors in spontaneous speech and confrontational naming. Confrontation naming was strongly affected by lexical frequency. He was impaired on repetition of sentences and phrases. Reading was intact for regularly spelled words but not for irregular words (surface dyslexia). Comprehension was spared at the single word level, but impaired for complex sentences. He performed within the normal range on the Dutch equivalent of the Pyramids and Palm Trees (PPT) Pictures Test, indicating that semantic processing was preserved. There was, however, a slight deficiency on the PPT Words Test, which appeals to semantic knowledge of verbal associations. His core deficit was interpreted as an inability to retrieve stored lexical-phonological information for spoken word production in spontaneous speech, confrontation naming, repetition and reading aloud.

Pharmacological management of interstitial cystitis /bladder pain syndrome and the role cyclosporine and other immunomodulating drugs play.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogawa, Teruyuki; Ishizuka, Osamu; Ueda, Tomohiro; Tyagi, Pradeep; Chancellor, Michael B; Yoshimura, Naoki

2018-04-09

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a symptomatic disorder characterized by pelvic pain and urinary frequency. Immunological responses are considered as one of the possible etiologies of IC/BPS. In this review, we focused on emerging targets, especially on those modulating immunological mechanisms for the treatments of IC/BPS. Area covered: This review was based on the literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, for which key words following bladder pain syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and/or cyclosporine A (CyA) were used. We discussed current treatments and the drugs targeting the immune responses including CyA and other drugs with different mechanisms including NGF antibodies and P2X3 antagonists. Expert commentary: IC/BPS is often difficult to treat by current treatments. Immunosuppression agents, especially CyA are considered as effective treatments for IC/BPS with Hunner's lesion because these drugs suppress the inflammatory responses in the bladder underlying urinary symptoms of the disease. Base on the previous literatures, we should use CyA for the refractory IC/BPS, especially that with Hunner's lesion due to its side effects. New drugs targeting other mechanisms such as urothelial or afferent nerve dysfunction or new delivery systems such as sustained drug releasing devices or gene therapy techniques may be promising for the future treatments of IC/BPS.

Rapid analysis of NSAIDs binding to β-cyclodextrin using the simultaneous measurement of absorption and circular dichroism with a novel multi-cell low-volume device.

Science.gov (United States)

Aboel Dahab, Ali; El-Hag, Dhia

2012-10-01

One of the relatively recent and most widely used approaches to reduce side effects associated with the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is the complexation of NSAIDs with Cyclodextrins (CyD). So far, CyD interaction with drugs is not well understood. There have been many reports along these lines; however, rarely do these studies exploit the full potential of optical techniques. The purpose of this work is to produce a versatile, compact, low-volume, routine apparatus for the simultaneous measurements of absorbance and circular dichroism (CD) which allows for the concurrent use of three different pathlengths for binding studies of NSAIDs/CyD as a function of pH. A new rotating multi-cell holder which holds four cells was designed and manufactured. The work was achieved using an effective novel method for binding titration employing four separate flow cells connected in series in a flow system involving a titration flask and a pump. The pK(a), binding constants, stoichiometry and structural co-conformations of NSAIDs/β-CyD complexes were elucidated and determined with accuracy. The system proved to be efficient and the analysis time was reduced to less than or equal to one fourth of total analysis time used in one-cell systems, with possible automation for high-throughput analysis.

Slovakia : Country Procurement Assessment Report

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2001-01-01

This update of the 1995 CPAR is based on the September 1999 PPA and the findings of the Bank CPAR mission to Slovakia in November 1999. The 1999 Public Procurement Act (PPA) is an improvement upon the previous PPAs in some respects, including the creation of an OPP, more detailed and clear procurement procedures, accreditation of procurement professionals, introduction of the Public Procu...

An Approach for Hydrogen Recycling in a Closed-loop Life Support Architecture to Increase Oxygen Recovery Beyond State-of-the-Art

Science.gov (United States)

Abney, Morgan B.; Miller, Lee; Greenwood, Zachary; Alvarez, Giraldo

2014-01-01

State-of-the-art atmosphere revitalization life support technology on the International Space Station is theoretically capable of recovering 50% of the oxygen from metabolic carbon dioxide via the Carbon Dioxide Reduction Assembly (CRA). When coupled with a Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA), oxygen recovery increases dramatically, thus drastically reducing the logistical challenges associated with oxygen resupply. The PPA decomposes methane to predominantly form hydrogen and acetylene. Because of the unstable nature of acetylene, a down-stream separation system is required to remove acetylene from the hydrogen stream before it is recycled to the CRA. A new closed-loop architecture that includes a PPA and downstream Hydrogen Purification Assembly (HyPA) is proposed and discussed. Additionally, initial results of separation material testing are reported.

Generating Billion-Edge Scale-Free Networks in Seconds: Performance Study of a Novel GPU-based Preferential Attachment Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perumalla, Kalyan S. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Alam, Maksudul [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-10-01

A novel parallel algorithm is presented for generating random scale-free networks using the preferential-attachment model. The algorithm, named cuPPA, is custom-designed for single instruction multiple data (SIMD) style of parallel processing supported by modern processors such as graphical processing units (GPUs). To the best of our knowledge, our algorithm is the first to exploit GPUs, and also the fastest implementation available today, to generate scale free networks using the preferential attachment model. A detailed performance study is presented to understand the scalability and runtime characteristics of the cuPPA algorithm. In one of the best cases, when executed on an NVidia GeForce 1080 GPU, cuPPA generates a scale free network of a billion edges in less than 2 seconds.

Human cyclophilin B: A second cyclophilin gene encodes a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase with a signal sequence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, E.R.; Zydowsky, L.D.; Jin, Mingjie; Baker, C.H.; McKeon, F.D.; Walsh, C.T.

1991-01-01

The authors report the cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a second human cyclosporin A-binding protein (hCyPB). Homology analyses reveal that hCyPB is a member of the cyclophilin B (CyPB) family, which includes yeast CyPB, Drosophila nina A, and rat cyclophilin-like protein. This family is distinguished from the cyclophilin A (CyPA) family by the presence of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-directed signal sequences. hCyPB has a hydrophobic leader sequence not found in hCyPA, and its first 25 amino acids are removed upon expression in Escherichia coli. Moreover, they show that hCyPB is a peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase which can be inhibited by cyclosporin A. These observations suggest that other members of the CyPB family will have similar enzymatic properties. Sequence comparisons of the CyPB proteins show a central, 165-amino acid peptidyl-prolyl isomerase and cyclosprorin A-binding domain, flanked by variable N-terminal and C-terminal domains. These two variable regions may impart compartmental specificity and regulation to this family of cyclophilin proteins containing the conserved core domain. Northern blot analyses show that hCyPB mRNA is expressed in the Jurkat T-cell line, consistent with its possible target role in cyclosporin A-mediated immunosuppression

Vapor Measurement System of Essential Oil Based on MOS Gas Sensors Driven with Advanced Temperature Modulation Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Sudarmaji, A.; Margiwiyatno, A.; Ediati, R.; Mustofa, A.

2018-05-01

The aroma/vapor of essential oils is complex compound which depends on the content of the gases and volatiles generated from essential oil. This paper describes a design of quick, simple, and low-cost static measurement system to acquire vapor profile of essential oil. The gases and volatiles are captured in a chamber by means of 9 MOS gas sensors which driven with advance temperature modulation technique. A PSoC CY8C28445-24PVXI based-interface unit is built to generate the modulation signal and acquire all sensor output into computer wirelessly via radio frequency serial communication using Digi International Inc., XBee (IEEE 802.15.4) through developed software under Visual.Net. The system was tested to measure 2 kinds of essential oil (Patchouli and Clove Oils) in 4 temperature modulations (without, 0.25 Hz, 1 Hz, and 4 Hz). A cycle measurement consists of reference and sample measurement sequentially which is set during 2 minutes in every 1 second respectively. It is found that the suitable modulation is 0,25Hz; 75%, and the results of Principle Component Analysis show that the system is able to distinguish clearly between Patchouli Oil and Clove Oil.

Differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative dementias with nuclear medicine methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kluge, R.

2015-01-01

Full text: Neurodegenerative dementias (NDD) are characterized by insidious onset and gradual progression of cognitive dysfunction, initially relatively focal with respect to cognitive domains and brain regions involved. Nuclear medicine techniques help to clarify differential diagnoses of syndromes such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DlB), posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), logopenic primary progressive aphasia (PPA), agrammatic PPA, semantic dementia (SD), behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome (PSPS). The process of pathologic changes in the brain may start decades before first clinical symptoms become evident. An early diagnosis already in the pre-clinical phase of the diseases will be of immense importance when expected effective therapeutic options have been introduced. NDDs are histopathologically characterized by accumulation of pathological proteins in the brain like beta amyloid or protein tau. While radiotracers for labeling of protein tau are in preclinical evaluation, different radiotracers labeling amyloid plaques ([11C]PIB, [18F]Florbetapir (Amyvid, Fa. EliLilly), [18F]Florbetaben (Neuraceq, Fa. Piramal), [18F]Flutemetamol (vVzamyl, Fa. Ge) have already been established in clinical use during the last years. In AD these tracers are intensively accumulated in the whole cortical brain. Even an early disease can be excluded in case of a negative amyloid PET. The method is, however, not highly specific since amyloid plaques may also be present in DlB (70 – 80%), FTD (30%) orlogopenicPPA (100%). Neuronal dysfunction goes along with decreased glucose consumption. Different diseases are characterized by different topographical zones of reduced [18F]FDG uptake. In AD the posterior cingular, temporopariatal and (later) frontal cortex are affected, in DlB the pattern is similar, including the occipital cortex, in FTD the frontal cortex is affected, in nonfluent PPA the

Efficient conversion of phenylpyruvic acid to phenyllactic acid by using whole cells of Bacillus coagulans SDM.

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Zhaojuan Zheng

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Phenyllactic acid (PLA, a novel antimicrobial compound with broad and effective antimicrobial activity against both bacteria and fungi, can be produced by many microorganisms, especially lactic acid bacteria. However, the concentration and productivity of PLA have been low in previous studies. The enzymes responsible for conversion of phenylpyruvic acid (PPA into PLA are equivocal.A novel thermophilic strain, Bacillus coagulans SDM, was isolated for production of PLA. When the solubility and dissolution rate of PPA were enhanced at a high temperature, whole cells of B. coagulans SDM could effectively convert PPA into PLA at a high concentration (37.3 g l(-1 and high productivity (2.3 g l(-1 h(-1 under optimal conditions. Enzyme activity staining and kinetic studies identified NAD-dependent lactate dehydrogenases as the key enzymes that reduced PPA to PLA.Taking advantage of the thermophilic character of B. coagulans SDM, a high yield and productivity of PLA were obtained. The enzymes involved in PLA production were identified and characterized, which makes possible the rational design and construction of microorganisms suitable for PLA production with metabolic engineering.

CD147 is a signaling receptor for cyclophilin B.

Science.gov (United States)

Yurchenko, V; O'Connor, M; Dai, W W; Guo, H; Toole, B; Sherry, B; Bukrinsky, M

2001-11-09

Cyclophilins A and B (CyPA and CyPB) are cyclosporin A binding proteins that can be secreted in response to inflammatory stimuli. We recently identified CD147 as a cell-surface receptor for CyPA and demonstrated that CD147 is an essential component in the CyPA-initiated signaling cascade that culminates in ERK activation and chemotaxis. Here we demonstrate that CD147 also serves as a receptor for CyPB. CyPB induced Ca(2+) flux and chemotaxis of CD147-transfected, but not control, CHO cells, and the chemotactic response of primary human neutrophils to CyPB was blocked by antibodies to CD147. These results suggest that CD147 serves as a receptor for extracellular cyclophilins. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Impact of cyclophosphamide dose of conditioning on the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for aplastic anemia from human leukocyte antigen-identical sibling.

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, Takehiko; Koh, Hideo; Onishi, Yasushi; Kako, Shinichi; Onizuka, Makoto; Kanamori, Heiwa; Ozawa, Yukiyasu; Kato, Chiaki; Iida, Hiroatsu; Suzuki, Ritsuro; Ichinohe, Tatsuo; Kanda, Yoshinobu; Maeda, Tetsuo; Nakao, Shinji; Yamazaki, Hirohito

2016-04-01

The standard conditioning regimen in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for aplastic anemia from a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling has been high-dose cyclophosphamide (CY 200 mg/kg). In the present study, results for 203 patients with aplastic anemia aged 16 years or older who underwent allogeneic HSCT from HLA-identical siblings were retrospectively analyzed using the registry database of Japan Society for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. Conditioning regimens were defined as a (1) high-dose CY (200 mg/kg or greater)-based (n = 117); (2) reduced-dose CY (100 mg/kg or greater, but less than 200 mg/kg)-based (n = 38); and (3) low-dose CY (less than 100 mg/kg)-based (n = 48) regimen. Patient age and the proportion of patients receiving fludarabine were significantly higher in the reduced- and low-dose CY groups than the high-dose CY group. Engraftment was comparable among the groups. Five-year overall survival (OS) tended to be higher in the low-dose CY group [93.0 % (95 % CI 85.1-100.0 %)] than the high-dose CY [84.2 % (95 % CI 77.1-91.3 %)] or reduced-dose CY groups [83.8 % (95 % CI 71.8-95.8 %); P = 0.214]. Age-adjusted OS was higher in the low-dose CY group than the high- and reduced-dose CY groups with borderline significance (P = 0.067). These results suggest that CY dose can safely be reduced without increasing graft rejection by adding fludarabine in allogeneic HSCT for aplastic anemia from an HLA-identical sibling.

Mic genot region cropro types a n ampli opagat and ev ificatio mark ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SAM

2003-09-07

Sep 7, 2003 ... collaborate with oxidative stability to biodiesel (Argollo. Marques et al. ... be overcome using in vitro micrografting techniques .... The histograms were analyzed using CyView software ..... engineering as our team have done currently (data yet ... curcas L. is stimulated by phloroglucinol and by red LED light.

Ensaios MSCR segundo as normas ASTM D7405-10a e AASHTO T350-14: um estudo de caso envolvendo ligantes asfálticos modificados

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Matheus David Inocente Domingos

2016-12-01

especially the AC+rubber and the AC+rubber+PPA. The AC+PPA showed low stress sensitivity and the best results for the parameters R and Jnr at 3,200 Pa either in the ASTM or the AASHTO protocols, which justifies its choice as the best formulation. The data from the modified asphalt binders suggest that the change from the ASTM protocol to the AASHTO one is recommended.

Effects of cyclophosphamide on in vitro human lymphocyte culture and mitogenic stimulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, B.S.

1983-01-01

Cyclophosphamide (CY) has been reported to be inactive in vitro under certain conditions. In the present study, CY was tested for its ability to inhibit human lymphocyte proliferation and to modulate lymphocyte response to mitogens in vitro. The inhibition of or the increase in 3 H-thymidine incorporation in mitogen-stimulated and unstimulated lymphocytes by CY was used as a measure of CY activity in vitro. The results demonstrate that lymphocytes from 10 different persons had a mean decrease of 74% in 3 H-thymidine incorporation in the presence of CY (P less than 0.005). The effect was maximal at a concentration of 160 micrograms/ml. A mean inhibition of 35 and 55% was caused by 10 and 40 micrograms/ml concentrations of CY, respectively. CY also was able to reduce the number of viable cells during 5 days in culture and had a profound effect on mitogen stimulation of lymphocytes. In all cases, CY modulated the stimulation of lymphocytes by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) either by augmenting or suppressing the responses. At low concentrations (10 micrograms/ml) it augmented mitogenic stimulation by 46 to 281%. At higher concentrations (20 to 160 micrograms/ml), CY had a suppressive effect with a maximum suppression of 99%. The CY-induced immunomodulation is perhaps caused by its action on the regulatory T cells. When tested in vitro, CY had inhibitory activity on T cells

On the protective effect of omega-3 against propionic acid-induced neurotoxicity in rat pups

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El-Gezeery Amina R

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Backgrounds The investigation of the environmental contribution for developmental neurotoxicity is very important. Many environmental chemical exposures are now thought to contribute to the development of neurological disorders, especially in children. Results from animal studies may guide investigations of human populations toward identifying environmental contaminants and drugs that produce or protect from neurotoxicity and may help in the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Objective To study the protective effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on brain intoxication induced by propionic acid (PPA in rats. Methods 24 young male Western Albino rats were enrolled in the present study. They were grouped into three equal groups; oral buffered PPA-treated group given a nuerotoxic dose of 250 mg/Kg body weight/day for 3 days; omega-3 - protected group given a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight/day omega-3 orally daily for 5 days followed by PPA for 3 days, and a third group as control given only phosphate buffered saline. Tumor necrosis factor-α, caspase-3, interlukin-6, gamma amino-buteric acid (GABA, serotonin, dopamine and phospholipids were then assayed in the rats brain's tissue of different groups. Results The obtained data showed that PPA caused multiple signs of brain toxicity as measured by depletion of gamaaminobyteric acid (GABA, serotonin (5HT and dopamine (DA as three important neurotransmitters that reflect brain function. A high significant increase of interlukin-6 (Il-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α as excellent markers of proinflammation and caspase-3 as a proapotic marker were remarkably elevated in the intoxicated group of rats. Moreover, brain phospholipid profile was impaired in PPA-treated young rats recording lower levels of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, phosphatidylserine (PS and phosphatidylcholine (PC. Conclusions Omega-3 fatty acids showed a protective effects on PPA - induced changes in rats as

Heritability of the morphology of optic nerve head and surrounding structures: The Healthy Twin Study.

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Jong Chul Han

Full Text Available Optic nerve head (ONH and surrounding structures such as β-zone peripapillary atrophy (PPA are important structures in glaucomatous pathogenesis. Thus, for understanding genetic components in glaucoma pathogenesis, it is necessary to evaluate the heritability of ONH and surrounding structures. The present study investigated the genetic influences on ONH and surrounding structures such as β-zone PPA and retinal vessels.A total of 1,205 adult twins and their family members (362 monozygotic (MZ twin subjects (181 pairs, 64 dizygotic (DZ twin subjects (32 pairs, and 779 singletons from 261 families, were part of the Korean Healthy Twin Study. ONH parameters including the vertical cup-to-disc ratio, the presence, the area and the location of β-zone PPA and the angular location of retinal vein were measured. The genetic influences on the structures were evaluated using variance-component methods.The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC values of axial length were highest among the parameters. The ICCs of the area and location of PPA were similar to those of vertical cup-to-disc ratio. However, retinal vessel angular locations showed low ICC values even in MZ twins. After age and sex adjustment, for axial length, vertical cup-to-disc ratio, the presence, area and location of PPA, the estimated narrow-sense heritability was 0.85, 0.48, 0.76, 0.50 and 0.65 in the right eye and 0.84, 0.47, 0.72, 0.46 and 0.72 in the left eye, respectively. The estimated narrow-sense heritability of angular location of the superior and inferior vein was 0.17 and 0.12 in the right eye and 0.13 and 0.05 in the left eye, respectively.ONH and surrounding structures such as vertical cup-to-disc ratio and the presence, the area and the location of β-zone PPA seemed to be determined by the substantial genetic influence, whereas the venous angular location did not.

Methane Post-Processing for Oxygen Loop Closure

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwood, Zachary W.; Abney, Morgan B.; Miller, Lee

2016-01-01

State-of-the-art United States Atmospheric Revitalization carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction is based on the Sabatier reaction process, which recovers approximately 50% of the oxygen (O2) from crew metabolic CO2. Oxygen recovery from carbon dioxide is constrained by the limited availability of reactant hydrogen. Post-processing of methane to recover hydrogen with the Umpqua Research Company Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA) has the potential to further close the Atmospheric Revitalization oxygen loop. The PPA decomposes methane into hydrogen and hydrocarbons, predominantly acetylene, and a small amount of solid carbon. The hydrogen must then be purified before it can be recycled for additional oxygen recovery. Long duration testing and evaluation of a four crew-member sized PPA and a discussion of hydrogen recycling system architectures are presented.

Pelembagaan Participatory Poverty Assessment Sebagai Strategi Pengentasan Kemiskinan di Samigaluh Kabupaten Kulonprogo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Awang Darumurti

2011-02-01

Full Text Available This article try to analysis strategy for reducing poverty in Samigaluh Municapy, Kulonprogo Region by using Participatory Poverty Assessment (PPA strategy. PPA known as strategy to reduce poverty by including poor people to find solution of their poverty problem. In Other word, this strategy use bottom up method to reduce poverty. In Samigaluh, Poverty condition clearly seen as so many people live in near poor condition. This research use qualitative approach and data collect technic use interview and observation. From the research is gotten data that poor condition in Samigaluh caused by economic aspect, uncapability, isolation condition. PPA strategy, which is including poor people in solution making, give result that we must do some activities. The Activities are women empowernment, Informal institution empowernment, Increase Education, Training, and so on.

Pulmonary capillary recruitment in response to hypoxia in healthy humans: a possible role for hypoxic pulmonary venoconstriction?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taylor, Bryan J; Kjaergaard, Jesper; Snyder, Eric M

2011-01-01

We examined mechanisms by which hypoxia may elicit pulmonary capillary recruitment in humans. On separate occasions, twenty-five healthy adults underwent exposure to intravenous saline infusion (30 ml/kg ∼ 15 min) or 17-h normobaric hypoxia ( [FIO2 = 12.5%). Cardiac output (Q) and pulmonary...... capillary blood volume (Vc) were measured before and after saline infusion and hypoxic-exposure by a rebreathing method. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (sPpa) and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function were assessed before and after hypoxic-exposure via echocardiography. Saline infusion increased Q......Ppa and LV diastolic function. In conclusion, hypoxia-induced pulmonary capillary recruitment in humans is only partly accounted for by changes in Q, sPpa and LV diastolic function. We speculate that hypoxic pulmonary venoconstriction may play a role in such recruitment....

Development of Cy5.5-Labeled Hydrophobically Modified Glycol Chitosan Nanoparticles for Protein Delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, Amanda

, Cy5.5, was used to label the glycol chitosan nanoparticles to enable the noninvasive imaging of living cells. A model protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA) was encapsulated within the glycol chitosan nanoparticles, and its loading efficiency was calculated to be 88%. Release profile of the BSA showed that only 4% (cumulative mass) was achieved by day 7. Minimal cytotoxicity was observed after delivery of the chitosan vehicle alone. To test degradation kinetics, the BSA-loaded nanoparticles were incubated with lysozyme for up to 3 hours and were applied in SDS-PAGE to determine if enzyme-catalyzed degradation triggered premature release of the encapsulated protein. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to visualize the spatiotemporal distribution of FITC-BSA-loaded glycol chitosan nanoparticles after delivery to the rat osteosarcoma (ROS17/2.8) and mouse calvaria-derived (MC3T3-E1) cells.

Glutathione S-transferase P protects against cyclophosphamide-induced cardiotoxicity in mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conklin, Daniel J., E-mail: dj.conklin@louisville.edu [Diabetes and Obesity Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Institute of Molecular Cardiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Haberzettl, Petra; Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Baba, Shahid [Diabetes and Obesity Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Institute of Molecular Cardiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Merchant, Michael L. [Diabetes and Obesity Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Prough, Russell A. [Diabetes and Obesity Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Williams, Jessica D. [University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267 (United States); Prabhu, Sumanth D. [Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 (United States); Bhatnagar, Aruni [Diabetes and Obesity Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Institute of Molecular Cardiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States); Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States)

2015-06-01

High-dose chemotherapy regimens using cyclophosphamide (CY) are frequently associated with cardiotoxicity that could lead to myocyte damage and congestive heart failure. However, the mechanisms regulating the cardiotoxic effects of CY remain unclear. Because CY is converted to an unsaturated aldehyde acrolein, a toxic, reactive CY metabolite that induces extensive protein modification and myocardial injury, we examined the role of glutathione S-transferase P (GSTP), an acrolein-metabolizing enzyme, in CY cardiotoxicity in wild-type (WT) and GSTP-null mice. Treatment with CY (100–300 mg/kg) increased plasma levels of creatine kinase-MB isoform (CK·MB) and heart-to-body weight ratio to a significantly greater extent in GSTP-null than WT mice. In addition to modest yet significant echocardiographic changes following acute CY-treatment, GSTP insufficiency was associated with greater phosphorylation of c-Jun and p38 as well as greater accumulation of albumin and protein–acrolein adducts in the heart. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed likely prominent modification of albumin, kallikrein-1-related peptidase, myoglobin and transgelin-2 by acrolein in the hearts of CY-treated mice. Treatment with acrolein (low dose, 1–5 mg/kg) also led to increased heart-to-body weight ratio and myocardial contractility changes. Acrolein induced similar hypotension in GSTP-null and WT mice. GSTP-null mice also were more susceptible than WT mice to mortality associated with high-dose acrolein (10–20 mg/kg). Collectively, these results suggest that CY cardiotoxicity is regulated, in part, by GSTP, which prevents CY toxicity by detoxifying acrolein. Thus, humans with low cardiac GSTP levels or polymorphic forms of GSTP with low acrolein-metabolizing capacity may be more sensitive to CY toxicity. - Graphical abstract: Cyclophosphamide (CY) treatment results in P450-mediated metabolic formation of phosphoramide mustard and acrolein (3-propenal). Acrolein is either metabolized and

Glutathione S-transferase P protects against cyclophosphamide-induced cardiotoxicity in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conklin, Daniel J.; Haberzettl, Petra; Jagatheesan, Ganapathy; Baba, Shahid; Merchant, Michael L.; Prough, Russell A.; Williams, Jessica D.; Prabhu, Sumanth D.; Bhatnagar, Aruni

2015-01-01

High-dose chemotherapy regimens using cyclophosphamide (CY) are frequently associated with cardiotoxicity that could lead to myocyte damage and congestive heart failure. However, the mechanisms regulating the cardiotoxic effects of CY remain unclear. Because CY is converted to an unsaturated aldehyde acrolein, a toxic, reactive CY metabolite that induces extensive protein modification and myocardial injury, we examined the role of glutathione S-transferase P (GSTP), an acrolein-metabolizing enzyme, in CY cardiotoxicity in wild-type (WT) and GSTP-null mice. Treatment with CY (100–300 mg/kg) increased plasma levels of creatine kinase-MB isoform (CK·MB) and heart-to-body weight ratio to a significantly greater extent in GSTP-null than WT mice. In addition to modest yet significant echocardiographic changes following acute CY-treatment, GSTP insufficiency was associated with greater phosphorylation of c-Jun and p38 as well as greater accumulation of albumin and protein–acrolein adducts in the heart. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed likely prominent modification of albumin, kallikrein-1-related peptidase, myoglobin and transgelin-2 by acrolein in the hearts of CY-treated mice. Treatment with acrolein (low dose, 1–5 mg/kg) also led to increased heart-to-body weight ratio and myocardial contractility changes. Acrolein induced similar hypotension in GSTP-null and WT mice. GSTP-null mice also were more susceptible than WT mice to mortality associated with high-dose acrolein (10–20 mg/kg). Collectively, these results suggest that CY cardiotoxicity is regulated, in part, by GSTP, which prevents CY toxicity by detoxifying acrolein. Thus, humans with low cardiac GSTP levels or polymorphic forms of GSTP with low acrolein-metabolizing capacity may be more sensitive to CY toxicity. - Graphical abstract: Cyclophosphamide (CY) treatment results in P450-mediated metabolic formation of phosphoramide mustard and acrolein (3-propenal). Acrolein is either metabolized and

[In vivo study on influence of a discrete nano-hydroxyapatite on leukemia P388 tissue in BALB/C mice].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ge; Huang, Jian-ming; Aoki, Hideki; Li, Yan; Zhang, Rong; Deng, Bi-fang

2007-09-01

To study the influence of a discrete nano-hydroxyapatite crystal (nano-HAp) on lymphatic leukemia P388 behavior by in vivo techniques. A nano-HAp was prepared by a neutralization reaction of 0.1 mol calcium hydroxide suspension and 0.06 mol phosphoric acid solutions at room temperature over pH7. The various doses of the nano-HAp only and the nano-HAp mixture with cyclophosphamide (CY) were injected into mice inoculated with solid tumor lymphatic leukemia P388 and dispersed into PRMI 1640 media harvested the leukemia P388 cells. Sixty P388 BALB/C mice were randomly grouped; 36 of them were used as nano-HAp treated groups and 24 mice as the control groups. The leukemia growth in the mice was examined morphologically, histopathologically and under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The nano-HAp was identified as a hydroxyapatite by an X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The morphology and sizes were observed under a TEM. The tissue growth inhibition ratio (weight%) of solid lymphatic leukemia P388 bearing mice treated with nano-HAp at doses 35 mg/kg, 53 mg/kg and nano-HAp (53 mg/kg) combined with CY (35 mg/kg) in 3 consecutive days via intraperitineal injections were 14.95%, 32.67% and 60.45% respectively. Apoptosis of P388 cell cocultured with nano-HAp was confirmed by TEM. The tissue growth restriction of solid tumor lymphatic leukemia P388 was greater after an injection of nano-HAp only or nano-HAp mixed with CY than that obtained after injection with physiological saline solution as a control (P < 0.01), and the tissue growth restriction of solid tumor after an injection of nano-HAp combined with CY was greater than that obtained after nano-HAp or CY injection only (P < 0.01).

75 FR 26349 - Medicare Program; Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-11

... Table 44 concerning the CY 2010 CF budget neutrality adjustment and CY 2010 CF to reflect the net impact... PFS CF CY 2010 CF Budget Neutrality 0.0347 percent Adjustment. (1.000347). CY 2010 Conversion Factor... PFS final rule with comment period (74 FR 61955). We are also correcting the budget neutrality factor...

Comparison of Cyclophosphamide Combined with Total Body Irradiation, Oral Busulfan, or Intravenous Busulfan for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitsuhashi, Kenjiro; Kako, Shinichi; Shigematsu, Akio; Atsuta, Yoshiko; Doki, Noriko; Fukuda, Takahiro; Kanamori, Heiwa; Onizuka, Makoto; Takahashi, Satoshi; Ozawa, Yukiyasu; Kurokawa, Mineo; Inoue, Yoshiko; Nagamura-Inoue, Tokiko; Morishima, Yasuo; Mizuta, Shuichi; Tanaka, Junji

2016-12-01

We conducted a retrospective analysis to compare outcomes in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) with conditioning regimens containing cyclophosphamide (CY) in combination with total body irradiation (TBI), oral busulfan (p.o. BU), or intravenous busulfan (i.v. BU). We used data for January 2000 to December 2012 from the Transplant Registry Unified Management Program of the Japan Society of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. We identified 2130 patients treated with TBI/CY (n = 2028), p.o. BU/CY (n = 60), or i.v. BU/CY (n = 42). Two-year overall survival (OS) and 2-year relapse-free survival rates were 69.0% and 62.1%, respectively, in the TBI/CY group, 55.9% and 54.2% in the p.o. BU/CY group, and 71.0% and 46.8% in the i.v. BU/CY group. In multivariate analysis, compared with TBI/CY, p.o. BU/CY, but not i.v. BU/CY, was associated with lower OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.46; P = .047) and a higher incidence of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HR, 3.36; P = .030). No between-group differences were seen in the incidence of nonrelapse mortality, relapse, acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), or chronic GVHD. We suggest that i.v. BU/CY might be a possible alternative allo-HCT conditioning regimen for adults with ALL who are not suitable for TBI. Copyright © 2016 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cyclophilin B mediates cyclosporin A incorporation in human blood T-lymphocytes through the specific binding of complexed drug to the cell surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Allain, F; Denys, A; Spik, G

1996-07-15

Cyclophilin B (CyPB) is a cyclosporin A (CsA)-binding protein located within intracellular vesicles and released in biological fluids. We recently reported the specific binding of this protein to T-cell surface receptor which is internalized even in the presence of CsA. These results suggest that CyPB might target the drug to lymphocytes and consequently modify its activity. To verify this hypothesis, we have first investigated the binding capacity and internalization of the CsA-CyPB complex in human peripheral blood T-lymphocytes and secondly compared the inhibitory effect of both free and CyPB-complexed CsA on the CD3-induced activation and proliferation of T-cells. Here, we present evidence that both the CsA-CyPB complex and free CyPB bind to the T-lymphocyte surface, with similar values of Kd and number of sites. At 37 degrees C, the complex is internalized but, in contrast to the protein, the drug is accumulated within the cell. Moreover, CyPB receptors are internalized together with the ligand and rapidly recycled to the cell surface. Finally, we demonstrate that CyPB-complexed CsA remains as efficient as uncomplexed CsA and that CyPB enhances the immunosuppressive activity of the drug. Taken together, our results support the hypothesis that surface CyPB receptors may be related to the selective and variable action of CsA, through specific binding and targeting of the CyPB-CsA complex to peripheral blood T-lymphocytes.

Vinorelbine-Cyclophosphamide compared to cyclophosphamide in peripheral blood stem cell mobilization for multiple myeloma.

Science.gov (United States)

de Mel, Sanjay; Chen, Yunxin; Lin, Adeline; Soh, Teck Guan; Ooi, Melissa; Yap, Eng Soo; Donato, Lara Kristina Sioco; Halim, Nurul Aidah Abdul; Mah, Joanna; Lim, Karen; Poon, Li Mei; Tan, Belinda; Yelly; Lim, Hui Li; Koh, Liang Piu; Tai, Bee Choo; Chen, Zhaojin; Chng, Wee Joo; Gopalakrishnan, Satish Kumar; Tan, Lip Kun

2018-04-23

High dose Cyclophosphamide (Cy) and Vinorelbine Cyclophosphamide (Vino-Cy) are stem cell (SC) mobilisation options for patients with multiple myeloma (MM). We present a comparison of mobilisation outcomes using these regimens. Vino-Cy patients received Vinorelbine 25 mg/m 2 on day 1, cyclophosphamide 1500 mg/m 2 on day 2, and pegylated GCSF on day 4 or GCSF 10 mcg/kg/day from day 4 onwards. Cy patients were given cyclophosphamide 4000 mg/m 2 on day 1 and GCSF10 mcg/kg/day from day 5 onwards. The target CD34 + SC collection was 5 × 10 6  per kg/BW. 149 patients were included. SC collection was lower in the Vino-Cy group (8.20 × 10 6 /Kg BW) compared to the Cy group (11.43 × 10 6 /Kg BW), with adjusted geometric mean ratio of 0.59 (95% CI 0.41 to 0.86, p = 0.006). Time taken to achieve an adequate PB SC count was shorter for Vino-Cy (9 ± 1 day compared to 12 ± 2 days for Cy, adjusted absolute mean difference -3.95, 95% CI -4.85 to -3.06, P < .001). Mobilisation related toxicities (in particular, neutropaenic fever) were greater for Cy. Vino-Cy is a potential alternative to Cy given the need for effective mobilisation protocols with acceptable toxicity. Copyright © 2018 King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Manufacturing Methods & Technology Project Execution Report. Second Half CY 1980

Science.gov (United States)

1981-03-01

TO PURSUE DIETHYLENE GLYCOL PROCESS. 5 76 4114 P27 SOLID WASTE SOIL Dl FOSAL TECHNIQUES EYPERIMENTAL WORK AT CRANE IND PROVED THAT NO AIRBORNE TNT OR...DERIVATIVES RELEASED DURING COMPOSTING OPERATION. ALSO NO TOXIC PRODUCTS PRODUCED* FINAL COMFOSTED PRODUCT MAY BE RETURNED TO THE LAND AS A SOIL ...AND CONSIDERABLY MORE EFFICIENT THAN COMPETING METHODS, A NOZZLE OSN AND OPN COND WERE ESTAB WHICH WILL BE USL ) AS THE FIRST TRIAL DURING THE PILOT

Cyclophilin B attenuates the expression of TNF-α in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages through the induction of B cell lymphoma-3.

Science.gov (United States)

Marcant, Adeline; Denys, Agnès; Melchior, Aurélie; Martinez, Pierre; Deligny, Audrey; Carpentier, Mathieu; Allain, Fabrice

2012-08-15

Extracellular cyclophilin A (CyPA) and CyPB have been well described as chemotactic factors for various leukocyte subsets, suggesting their contribution to inflammatory responses. Unlike CyPA, CyPB accumulates in extracellular matrixes, from which it is released by inflammatory proteases. Hence, we hypothesized that it could participate in tissue inflammation by regulating the activity of macrophages. In the current study, we confirmed that CyPB initiated in vitro migration of macrophages, but it did not induce production of proinflammatory cytokines. In contrast, pretreatment of macrophages with CyPB attenuated the expression of inflammatory mediators induced by LPS stimulation. The expression of TNF-α mRNA was strongly reduced after exposure to CyPB, but it was not accompanied by significant modification in LPS-induced activation of MAPK and NF-κB pathways. LPS activation of a reporter gene under the control of TNF-α gene promoter was also markedly decreased in cells treated with CyPB, suggesting a transcriptional mechanism of inhibition. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that CyPB induced the expression of B cell lymphoma-3 (Bcl-3), which was accompanied by a decrease in the binding of NF-κB p65 to the TNF-α promoter. As expected, interfering with the expression of Bcl-3 restored cell responsiveness to LPS, thus confirming that CyPB acted by inhibiting initiation of TNF-α gene transcription. Finally, we found that CyPA was not efficient in attenuating the production of TNF-α from LPS-stimulated macrophages, which seemed to be due to a modest induction of Bcl-3 expression. Collectively, these findings suggest an unexpected role for CyPB in attenuation of the responses of proinflammatory macrophages.

Effects of low-dose cyclophosphamide with piroxicam on tumour neovascularization in a canine oral malignant melanoma-xenografted mouse model.

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Choisunirachon, N; Jaroensong, T; Yoshida, K; Saeki, K; Mochizuki, M; Nishimura, R; Sasaki, N; Nakagawa, T

2015-12-01

Low-dose cyclophosphamide (CyLD) has shown promise in the treatment of several cancers; however, the effect of CyLD on canine oral malignant melanoma has never been explored. In this study, we investigated the effects of CyLD with or without piroxicam (Px) on tumour neovascularization and vascular normalization in a canine oral malignant melanoma-xenografted mice model. After treatment with CyLD, Px or a combination of both (CyPx), the growth of the tumour in the treatment groups was significantly suppressed compared to the control group at 30 days of treatment. Proliferation index was also significantly reduced by all treatments, only CyPx significantly lowered microvessel density and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels. Additionally, CyLD significantly reduced the proportion of normal vessels and caused an imbalance between VEGF and thrombospondin-1. These results suggested that CyPx has potent anti-angiogenic effects in terms of both the number and quality of blood vessels in xenografted canine oral malignant melanoma. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Treating hepatitis C: can you teach old dogs new tricks?

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Rice, Charles M; You, Shihyun

2005-12-01

Viruses depend on host-derived factors for their efficient genome replication. Here, we demonstrate that a cellular peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase), cyclophilin B (CyPB), is critical for the efficient replication of the hepatitis C virus genome. CyPB interacted with the HCV RNA polymerase NS5B to directly stimulate its RNA binding activity. Both the RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated reduction of endogenous CyPB expression and the induced loss of NS5B binding to CyPB decreased the levels of HCV replication. Thus, CyPB functions as a stimulatory regulator of NS5B in HCV replication machinery. This regulation mechanism for viral replication identifies CyPB as a target for antiviral therapeutic strategies.

Investigation of latent infections caused by cyprinid herpesvirus 3 in koi ( Cyprinus carpio) in southern China.

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Zheng, Shucheng; Wang, Qing; Bergmann, Sven M; Li, Yingying; Zeng, Weiwei; Wang, Yingying; Liu, Chun; Shi, Cunbin

2017-05-01

Although herpesviruses such as cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) can establish lifelong latent infections, little is known about latency conditions in farmed koi populations in China. We used nested polymerase chain reaction targeting the TK gene and an indirect antibody ELISA to screen asymptomatic fish obtained from southern China for evidence of CyHV-3 infection. CyHV-3 DNA could be detected either in peripheral blood leukocytes or from gills of asymptomatic koi. Most koi sera did not contain anti-CyHV-3 antibodies; however, 5 samples were ELISA positive, providing evidence of prior CyHV-3 infections. These findings suggest that koi may survive CyHV-3 infections and become virus carriers.

Diagnostic Algorithm in the Management of Acute Febrile Abdomen in Patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

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Neuville, Marie; Hustinx, Roland; Jacques, Jessica; Krzesinski, Jean-Marie; Jouret, François

2016-01-01

Acute febrile abdomen represents a diagnostic challenge in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Although criteria have been proposed for cyst infection (CyI) and hemorrhage (CyH), there is a lack of comparative assessments. Furthermore, distinguishing cystic from non-cystic complications remains problematic. ADPKD patients presenting with abdominal pain and/or fever between 01/2005 and 06/2015 were retrospectively identified in a systematic computerized billing database. CyH was defined as spontaneous intracystic density above 50 Hounsfield units on computed tomography (CT). CyI was definite if confirmed by cyst puncture, and probable if 4 criteria were met: 3-day fever, loin/liver tenderness, C-reactive protein (CRP) plasma levels >50mg/L and no CT evidence for CyH. Other episodes were grouped as inflammation of unknown origin (IUO). Among a cohort of 173 ADPKD patients, 101 presented with 205 episodes of abdominal pain (n = 172) and/or fever (n = 33). 20 patients experienced 30 CyH, whereas 16 presented 23 episodes of definite (n = 11) or probable (n = 12) CyI. 35 IUO were observed in 31 patients. Clinically, fever was observed in 7% vs. 100% vs. 66% of CyH, CyI and IUO, respectively. Biologically, CRP cut-off at 70 mg/dl showed 92% sensitivity and 81% specificity in CyI diagnosis. Urine or blood cultures remained sterile in >90% of CyH, but were contributive in 53.4% of CyI and IUO, with a 74.2% prevalence for E. coli. Radiologically, ultrasounds, CT and magnetic resonance diagnosed CyI in 2.6%, 20% and 16.7% of cases, respectively. 18F-FDG positron-emission tomography (PET)/CT was done within a median period of 7 days post antibiotics, and significantly changed patient management in 71.4%. This retrospective single-center series underscores the usefulness of clinical-fever-and biological-CRP-parameters, but emphasizes the limitations of bacteriological and radiological investigations in cases of acute febrile abdomen in ADPKD

Target cell cyclophilins facilitate human papillomavirus type 16 infection.

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Bienkowska-Haba, Malgorzata; Patel, Hetalkumar D; Sapp, Martin

2009-07-01

Following attachment to primary receptor heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG), human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) particles undergo conformational changes affecting the major and minor capsid proteins, L1 and L2, respectively. This results in exposure of the L2 N-terminus, transfer to uptake receptors, and infectious internalization. Here, we report that target cell cyclophilins, peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerases, are required for efficient HPV16 infection. Cell surface cyclophilin B (CyPB) facilitates conformational changes in capsid proteins, resulting in exposure of the L2 N-terminus. Inhibition of CyPB blocked HPV16 infection by inducing noninfectious internalization. Mutation of a putative CyP binding site present in HPV16 L2 yielded exposed L2 N-terminus in the absence of active CyP and bypassed the need for cell surface CyPB. However, this mutant was still sensitive to CyP inhibition and required CyP for completion of infection, probably after internalization. Taken together, these data suggest that CyP is required during two distinct steps of HPV16 infection. Identification of cell surface CyPB will facilitate the study of the complex events preceding internalization and adds a putative drug target for prevention of HPV-induced diseases.

Target cell cyclophilins facilitate human papillomavirus type 16 infection.

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Malgorzata Bienkowska-Haba

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Following attachment to primary receptor heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG, human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16 particles undergo conformational changes affecting the major and minor capsid proteins, L1 and L2, respectively. This results in exposure of the L2 N-terminus, transfer to uptake receptors, and infectious internalization. Here, we report that target cell cyclophilins, peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerases, are required for efficient HPV16 infection. Cell surface cyclophilin B (CyPB facilitates conformational changes in capsid proteins, resulting in exposure of the L2 N-terminus. Inhibition of CyPB blocked HPV16 infection by inducing noninfectious internalization. Mutation of a putative CyP binding site present in HPV16 L2 yielded exposed L2 N-terminus in the absence of active CyP and bypassed the need for cell surface CyPB. However, this mutant was still sensitive to CyP inhibition and required CyP for completion of infection, probably after internalization. Taken together, these data suggest that CyP is required during two distinct steps of HPV16 infection. Identification of cell surface CyPB will facilitate the study of the complex events preceding internalization and adds a putative drug target for prevention of HPV-induced diseases.

Transcriptome Analysis of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Roots during Development of the Prepenetration Apparatus1[W

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Siciliano, Valeria; Genre, Andrea; Balestrini, Raffaella; Cappellazzo, Gilda; deWit, Pierre J.G.M.; Bonfante, Paola

2007-01-01

Information on changes in the plant transcriptome during early interaction with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is still limited since infections are usually not synchronized and plant markers for early stages of colonization are not yet available. A prepenetration apparatus (PPA), organized in epidermal cells during appressorium development, has been reported to be responsible for assembling a trans-cellular tunnel to accommodate the invading fungus. Here, we used PPAs as markers for cell responsiveness to fungal contact to investigate gene expression at this early stage of infection with minimal transcript dilution. PPAs were identified by confocal microscopy in transformed roots of Medicago truncatula expressing green fluorescent protein-HDEL, colonized by the AM fungus Gigaspora margarita. A PPA-targeted suppressive-subtractive cDNA library was built, the cDNAs were cloned and sequenced, and, consequently, 107 putative interaction-specific genes were identified. The expression of a subset of 15 genes, selected by reverse northern dot blot screening, and five additional genes, potentially involved in PPA formation, was analyzed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and compared with an infection stage, 48 h after the onset of the PPA. Comparison of the expression profile of G. margarita-inoculated wild type and the mycorrhiza-defective dmi3-1 mutant of M. truncatula revealed that an expansin-like gene, expressed in wild-type epidermis during PPA development, can be regarded as an early host marker for successful mycorrhization. A putative Avr9/Cf-9 rapidly elicited gene, found to be up-regulated in the mutant, suggests novel regulatory roles for the DMI3 protein in the early mycorrhization process. PMID:17468219

Fall risk in Chinese community-dwelling older adults: A physiological profile assessment study.

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Siong, Kar-Ho; Kwan, Marcella Mun-San; Lord, Stephen R; Lam, Andrew Kwok-Cheung; Tsang, William Wai-Nam; Cheong, Allen Ming-Yan

2016-02-01

The short-form Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA) is increasingly used in clinical practice for assessing fall risk in older people. However, a normative database is only available for Caucasian populations. The purpose of the present study was to develop a normative database for Hong Kong Chinese older people and examine the fall risk profile of this population. A total of 622 participants aged 60-95 years were recruited. Participants underwent the PPA (containing tests of contrast sensitivity, proprioception, quadriceps strength, reaction time and sway), and composite fall risk scores were computed. Participants were then followed up for falls for 1 year. Quadriceps strength and lower limb proprioception scores were comparable with those reported for Caucasian populations. However, contrast sensitivity, simple reaction time and postural sway scores were relatively poor. The average composite fall risk score was 1.7 ± 1.5, showing a "moderate" fall risk when compared with the Caucasian norms. Despite the relatively poor physical performances and moderately high fall risk scores, the incidence of one plus falls in the 1-year follow-up period was just 16.4%, with just 2.6% reporting two plus falls. The area under the curve for composite fall risk scores in discriminating fallers from non-fallers was 0.53 (95% CI 0.45-0.60). Despite poorer performance in PPA tests, the incidence of prospective falls in a Hong Kong Chinese population was low. In consequence, the PPA could not discriminate well between fallers and non-fallers. The present study provided normality data for short-form PPA measures for older Chinese people as a reference for further studies. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Prominent microglial activation in cortical white matter is selectively associated with cortical atrophy in primary progressive aphasia.

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Ohm, Daniel T; Kim, Garam; Gefen, Tamar; Rademaker, Alfred; Weintraub, Sandra; Bigio, Eileen; Mesulam, M-Marsel; Rogalski, Emily; Geula, Changiz

2018-04-21

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical syndrome characterized by selective language impairments associated with focal cortical atrophy favouring the language dominant hemisphere. PPA is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and significant accumulation of activated microglia. Activated microglia can initiate an inflammatory cascade that may contribute to neurodegeneration, but their quantitative distribution in cortical white matter and their relationship with cortical atrophy are unknown. We investigated white matter activated microglia and their association with grey matter atrophy in 10 PPA cases with either AD or FTLD-TDP pathology. Activated microglia were quantified with optical density measures of HLA-DR immunoreactivity in two regions with peak cortical atrophy, and one non-atrophied region within the language dominant hemisphere of each PPA case. Non-atrophied contralateral homologues of the language dominant regions were examined for hemispheric asymmetry. Qualitatively, greater densities of activated microglia were observed in cortical white matter when compared to grey matter. Quantitative analyses revealed significantly greater densities of activated microglia in the white matter of atrophied regions compared to non-atrophied regions in the language dominant hemisphere (p<0.05). Atrophied regions of the language dominant hemisphere also showed significantly more activated microglia compared to contralateral homologues (p<0.05). White matter activated microglia accumulate more in atrophied regions in the language dominant hemisphere of PPA. While microglial activation may constitute a response to neurodegenerative processes in white matter, the resultant inflammatory processes may also exacerbate disease progression and contribute to cortical atrophy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

New species of Cylindrocladiella from plantation soils in South-East Asia

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Nam Q. Pham

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Cylindrocladiella spp. are widely distributed especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions, where they are mainly known as saprobes although some species are plant pathogens. Very little is known about these fungi in South-East Asia. The aim of this study was to identify a collection of Cylindrocladiella isolates from soils collected in forest nurseries and plantations in Vietnam and Malaysia. This was achieved using DNA sequence comparisons and morphological observations. The study revealed two previously described species, Cy. lageniformis and Cy. peruviana as well as five novel taxa, described here as Cy. arbusta sp. nov., Cy. malesiana sp. nov., Cy. obpyriformis sp. nov., Cy. parvispora sp. nov. and Cy. solicola sp. nov. A relatively small collection of isolates from a limited geographic sampling revealed an unexpectedly high level of Cylindrocladiella diversity suggesting that many more species in this genus await discovery in South-East Asia.

Perceptual decision-making difficulty modulates feedforward effective connectivity to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

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Bidhan eLamichhane

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Diverse cortical structures are known to coordinate activity as a network in relaying and processing of visual information to discriminate visual objects. However, how this discrimination is achieved is still largely unknown. To contribute to answering this question, we used face-house categorization tasks with three levels of noise in face and house images in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI experiments involving thirty-three participants. The behavioral performance error and response time (RT were correlated with noise in face-house images. We then built dynamical causal models (DCM of fMRI blood-oxygenation level dependent (BOLD signals from the face and house category-specific regions in ventral temporal cortex, the fusiform face area (FFA and parahippocampal place area (PPA, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC. We found a strong feed-forward intrinsic connectivity pattern from FFA and PPA to dlPFC. Importantly, the feed-forward connectivity to dlPFC was significantly modulated by the perception of both faces and houses. The dlPFC-BOLD activity, the connectivity from FFA and PPA to the dlPFC all increased with noise level. These results suggest that the FFA-PPA-dlPFC network plays an important role for relaying and integrating competing sensory information to arrive at perceptual decisions.

Influence of Oxygenated Compounds on Reaction Products in a Microwave Plasma Methane Pyrolysis Assembly for Post-Processing of Sabatier Methane

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Mansell, J. Matthew; Abney, Morgan B.

2012-01-01

The state-of-the-art Carbon Dioxide Reduction Assembly (CRA) was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) in April 2010. The system is designed to accept carbon dioxide from the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly and hydrogen from the Oxygen Generation Assembly. The two gases are reacted in the CRA in a Sabatier reactor to produce water and methane. Venting of methane results in an oxygen resupply requirement of about 378 lbs per crew member per year. If the oxygen is supplied as water, the total weight for resupply is about 476 lb per crew member per year. For long-term missions beyond low Earth orbit, during which resupply capabilities will be further limited, recovery of hydrogen from methane is highly desirable. For this purpose, NASA is pursuing development of a Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA) capable of recovering hydrogen from methane. Under certain conditions, water vapor and carbon dioxide (nominally intended to be separated from the CRA outlet stream) may be present in the PPA feed stream. Thus, testing was conducted in 2010 to determine the effect of these oxygenated compounds on PPA performance, particularly the effect of inlet carbon dioxide and water variations on the PPA product stream. This paper discusses the test set-up, analysis, and results of this testing.

Deconstructing visual scenes in cortex: gradients of object and spatial layout information.

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Harel, Assaf; Kravitz, Dwight J; Baker, Chris I

2013-04-01

Real-world visual scenes are complex cluttered, and heterogeneous stimuli engaging scene- and object-selective cortical regions including parahippocampal place area (PPA), retrosplenial complex (RSC), and lateral occipital complex (LOC). To understand the unique contribution of each region to distributed scene representations, we generated predictions based on a neuroanatomical framework adapted from monkey and tested them using minimal scenes in which we independently manipulated both spatial layout (open, closed, and gradient) and object content (furniture, e.g., bed, dresser). Commensurate with its strong connectivity with posterior parietal cortex, RSC evidenced strong spatial layout information but no object information, and its response was not even modulated by object presence. In contrast, LOC, which lies within the ventral visual pathway, contained strong object information but no background information. Finally, PPA, which is connected with both the dorsal and the ventral visual pathway, showed information about both objects and spatial backgrounds and was sensitive to the presence or absence of either. These results suggest that 1) LOC, PPA, and RSC have distinct representations, emphasizing different aspects of scenes, 2) the specific representations in each region are predictable from their patterns of connectivity, and 3) PPA combines both spatial layout and object information as predicted by connectivity.

A hybrid heterojunction with reverse rectifying characteristics fabricated by magnetron sputtered TiOx and plasma polymerized aniline structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarma, Bimal K; Pal, Arup R; Bailung, Heremba; Chutia, Joyanti

2012-01-01

A TiO x film produced by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering without substrate heating or post-deposition annealing and a plasma polymerized aniline (PPA) structure deposited in the same reactor by a radio-frequency glow discharge without the assistance of a carrier gas are used for the fabrication of a heterojunction. The gas phase discharge is investigated by a Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy. The individual layers and the heterojunction are characterized for structural and optoelectronic properties. PPA has polymer-like structure and texture and is characterized by saturated-unsaturated, branched and crosslinked networks. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a slightly reduced TiO x surface, which exhibits near band edge luminescence. The free radicals trapped in PPA readily react with oxygen when exposed to atmosphere. The heterojunction shows reverse rectifying characteristics under dark and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The energy levels of TiO x and PPA might exhibit reverse band bending and electrons and holes are accumulated on both sides of the heterojunction. The charge accumulation phenomena at the interface may play a key role in the device performance of a hybrid heterojunction. The current-voltage characteristic of the heterojunction is sensitive to UV light, so the structure may be used for photo-sensing applications. (paper)

Pharmaceutical micelles featured with singlet oxygen-responsive cargo release and mitochondrial targeting for enhanced photodynamic therapy

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Zhang, Xin; Yan, Qi; Naer Mulatihan, Di; Zhu, Jundong; Fan, Aiping; Wang, Zheng; Zhao, Yanjun

2018-06-01

The efficacy of nanoparticulate photodynamic therapy is often compromised by the short life time and limited diffusion radius of singlet oxygen as well as uncontrolled intracellular distribution of photosensitizer. It was hypothesized that rapid photosensitizer release upon nanoparticle internalization and its preferred accumulation in mitochondria would address the above problems. Hence, the aim of this study was to engineer a multifunctional micellar nanosystem featured with singlet oxygen-responsive cargo release and mitochondria-targeting. An imidazole-bearing amphiphilic copolymer was employed as the micelle building block to encapsulate triphenylphosphonium-pyropheophorbide a (TPP-PPa) conjugate or PPa. Upon laser irradiation, the singlet oxygen produced by TPP-PPa/PPa oxidized the imidazole moiety to produce hydrophilic urea, leading to micelle disassembly and rapid cargo release. The co-localization analysis showed that the TPP moiety significantly enhanced the photosensitizer uptake by mitochondria, improved mitochondria depolarization upon irradiation, and hence boosted the cytotoxicity in 4T1 cells. The targeting strategy also dramatically reduced the intracellular ATP concentration as a consequence of mitochondria injury. The mitochondria damage was accompanied with the activation of the apoptosis signals (caspase 3 and caspase 9), whose level was directly correlated to the apoptosis extent. The current work provides a facile and robust means to enhance the efficacy of photodynamic therapy.

The occipital place area represents the local elements of scenes.

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Kamps, Frederik S; Julian, Joshua B; Kubilius, Jonas; Kanwisher, Nancy; Dilks, Daniel D

2016-05-15

Neuroimaging studies have identified three scene-selective regions in human cortex: parahippocampal place area (PPA), retrosplenial complex (RSC), and occipital place area (OPA). However, precisely what scene information each region represents is not clear, especially for the least studied, more posterior OPA. Here we hypothesized that OPA represents local elements of scenes within two independent, yet complementary scene descriptors: spatial boundary (i.e., the layout of external surfaces) and scene content (e.g., internal objects). If OPA processes the local elements of spatial boundary information, then it should respond to these local elements (e.g., walls) themselves, regardless of their spatial arrangement. Indeed, we found that OPA, but not PPA or RSC, responded similarly to images of intact rooms and these same rooms in which the surfaces were fractured and rearranged, disrupting the spatial boundary. Next, if OPA represents the local elements of scene content information, then it should respond more when more such local elements (e.g., furniture) are present. Indeed, we found that OPA, but not PPA or RSC, responded more to multiple than single pieces of furniture. Taken together, these findings reveal that OPA analyzes local scene elements - both in spatial boundary and scene content representation - while PPA and RSC represent global scene properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fluorescence spectra of bithiophene and terthiophene single crystals and of their isolated molecules in cyclodextrin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gombojav, Bold; Namsrai, Nasanbat; Yoshinari, Takehisa; Nagasaka, Shin-ichiro; Itoh, Hiroki; Koyama, Kiyohito

2004-01-01

In order to examine the effect of subsumption space of β- and γ-cyclodextrin (CyD) on the photophysics of oligothiophenes, 2, 2'-bithiophene (BT) and 2, 2': 5', 2''-terthiophene (TT), the fluorescence spectra were compared with those of the single crystals (SC) at 15, 77 K and room temperature (RT). Both the numbers of BT included in β- and γ-CyD are twin (BT 2 ). The numbers of TT included in β- and γ-CyD are unit (TT 1 ) and twin (TT 2 ), respectively. Electronic excitation of BT encapsulated in β- and γ-CyD gives similar fluorescence spectra, showing bathochromic shift compared with that of BT single crystal, (BT) SC . The observation that the fluorescence spectra of encapsulated BT 2 are similar to the spectra of its THF solution suggests the configuration of BT 2 in β- and γ-CyD should be face-to-face configuration (BT 2 ) parrallel . On the contrary, TT in β- and in γ-CyD afford quite different fluorescence spectra. Encapsulated TT in β-CyD exhibits the hypsochromic shift of fluorescence maxima compared to that of TT single crystal, (TT) SC . While the bathochromically shifted fluorescence spectra of TT 2 in γ-CyD is also ascribed to the face-to-face configuration (TT 2 ) parallel as in the case of BT 2 in γ-CyD. Fluorescence spectra show the excited ground state complex of BT 2 and TT 2 in γ-CyD

Regularization of the Fourier series of discontinuous functions by various summation methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmad, S.S.; Beghi, L. (Padua Univ. (Italy). Seminario Matematico)

1983-07-01

In this paper the regularization by various summation methods of the Fourier series of functions containing discontinuities of the first and second kind are studied and the results of the numerical analyses referring to some typical periodic functions are presented. In addition to the Cesaro and Lanczos weightings, a new (i.e. cosine) weighting for accelerating the convergence rate is proposed. A comparison with the results obtained by Garibotti and Massaro with the punctual Pade approximants (PPA) technique in case of a periodic step function is also carried out.

2-Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin Acts as a Novel Anticancer Agent.

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Masako Yokoo

Full Text Available 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CyD is a cyclic oligosaccharide that is widely used as an enabling excipient in pharmaceutical formulations, but also as a cholesterol modifier. HP-β-CyD has recently been approved for the treatment of Niemann-Pick Type C disease, a lysosomal lipid storage disorder, and is used in clinical practice. Since cholesterol accumulation and/or dysregulated cholesterol metabolism has been described in various malignancies, including leukemia, we hypothesized that HP-β-CyD itself might have anticancer effects. This study provides evidence that HP-β-CyD inhibits leukemic cell proliferation at physiologically available doses. First, we identified the potency of HP-β-CyD in vitro against various leukemic cell lines derived from acute myeloid leukemia (AML, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML. HP-β-CyD treatment reduced intracellular cholesterol resulting in significant leukemic cell growth inhibition through G2/M cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Intraperitoneal injection of HP-β-CyD significantly improved survival in leukemia mouse models. Importantly, HP-β-CyD also showed anticancer effects against CML cells expressing a T315I BCR-ABL mutation (that confers resistance to most ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and hypoxia-adapted CML cells that have characteristics of leukemic stem cells. In addition, colony forming ability of human primary AML and CML cells was inhibited by HP-β-CyD. Systemic administration of HP-β-CyD to mice had no significant adverse effects. These data suggest that HP-β-CyD is a promising anticancer agent regardless of disease or cellular characteristics.

Enhancement of curcumin wound healing ability by complexation with 2-hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin in sacran hydrogel film.

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Wathoni, Nasrul; Motoyama, Keiichi; Higashi, Taishi; Okajima, Maiko; Kaneko, Tatsuo; Arima, Hidetoshi

2017-05-01

Curcumin is one of promising agents to accelerate the wound-healing process. However, the efficacy of curcumin is limited due to its poor water solubility and stability. To enhance the properties of curcumin, 2-hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (HP-γ-CyD) can be used through complexation. Recently, we revealed that sacran has the potential to form a hydrogel film (HGF) as a wound dressing material. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the wound healing ability of curcumin/HP-γ-CyD (Cur/HP-γ-CyD) complex in sacran-based HGF (Sac-HGF). We prepared the Cur/HP-γ-CyD complex in Sac-HGF without surface roughness. Additionally, the amorphous form in the Cur/HP-γ-CyD complex in Sac-HGF were observed. In contrast, the curcumin in Sac-HGF and curcumin/HP-γ-CyD physical mixture in Sac-HGF formed inhomogeneous films due to crystallization of curcumin. Furthermore, HP-γ-CyD played an important role to increase the elastic modulus of the Sac-HGF with high re-swelling ability. The Cur/HP-γ-CyD complex in Sac-HGF maintained antioxidant properties of curcumin. Curcumin was gradually released from the HP-γ-CyD complex in Sac-HGF. Notably, the Cur/HP-γ-CyD complex in Sac-HGF provided the highest wound healing ability in hairless mice. These results suggest that the Cur/HP-γ-CyD complex in Sac-HGF has the potential for use as a new transdermal therapeutic system to promote the wound-healing process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regiospecific synthesis of 15-(4-[123I]iodophenyl)pentadecanoic acid-IPPA via methyl 15-(4-trimethylstannylphenyl)pentadecanoate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Culbert, P.A.; Jianming Lu; Adam, M.J.

1997-01-01

The synthesis of methyl 15-(4-trimethylstannylphenyl)pentadecanoate (p-SnPPA), a precursor for the regiospecific production of 15-(4-[ 123 I]-iodophenyl)pentadecanoic acid, is described. The stannylated precursor is synthesized in six steps from 4-bromophenylacetylene in an overall yield of 16%. p-SnPPA reacts with N.C.A. [ 123 I]NaI in the presence of peracetic acid to yield IPPA in 62% radiochemical yield following hydrolysis. (author)

Essential Oil Content and Constituents of Black Zira (Bunium persicum [Boiss.] B. Fedtsch.) from Iran During Field Cultivation (Domestication)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Azizi, Majid; Davareenejad, Gholamhossain; Bos, Rein; Woerdenbag, Herman J.; Kayser, Oliver

2009-01-01

Bunium persisum fruit oils from wild type MM, first (CY1) and second year (CY2) cultivars; (fourth and fifth year plants) were analyzed by GC and GUMS. The essential oil content of the WT (9.1% v/w) was higher than the oil content of the CY1 (6.2% v/w) and CY2 (5.1% v/w). No significant differences

Cyclophilin B is a functional regulator of hepatitis C virus RNA polymerase.

Science.gov (United States)

Watashi, Koichi; Ishii, Naoto; Hijikata, Makoto; Inoue, Daisuke; Murata, Takayuki; Miyanari, Yusuke; Shimotohno, Kunitada

2005-07-01

Viruses depend on host-derived factors for their efficient genome replication. Here, we demonstrate that a cellular peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase), cyclophilin B (CyPB), is critical for the efficient replication of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome. CyPB interacted with the HCV RNA polymerase NS5B to directly stimulate its RNA binding activity. Both the RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated reduction of endogenous CyPB expression and the induced loss of NS5B binding to CyPB decreased the levels of HCV replication. Thus, CyPB functions as a stimulatory regulator of NS5B in HCV replication machinery. This regulation mechanism for viral replication identifies CyPB as a target for antiviral therapeutic strategies.

Effect of low-molecular-weight beta-cyclodextrin polymer on release of drugs from mucoadhesive buccal film dosage forms.

Science.gov (United States)

Arakawa, Yotaro; Kawakami, Shigeru; Yamashita, Fumiyoshi; Hashida, Mitsuru

2005-09-01

We investigated the effect of low-molecular-weight beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CyD) polymer on in vitro release of two drugs with different lipophilicities (i.e., lidocaine and ketoprofen) from mucoadhesive buccal film dosage forms. When beta-CyD polymer was added to hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) or polyvinylalcohol (PVA) film dosage forms, the release of lidocaine into artificial saliva (pH 5.7) was reduced by 40% of the control. In contrast, the release of ketoprofen from the polymer film was enhanced by addition of beta-CyD polymer to the vehicle. When lidocaine and ketoprofen was incubated with beta-CyD polymer in the artificial saliva, concentration of free lidocaine molecules decreased in a beta-CyD polymer concentration-dependent manner. The association constant with beta-CyD polymer was 6.9+/-0.6 and 520+/-90 M(-1) for lidocaine and ketoprofen, respectively. Retarded release of the hydrophilic lidocaine by beta-CyD polymer might be due to the decrease in thermodynamic activity by inclusion complex formation, whereas enhanced release of the lipophilic ketoprofen by the beta-CyD polymer might be due to prevention of recrystallization occurring after contacting the film with aqueous solution. Thus, effects of low-molecular-weight beta-CyD polymer to the drug release rate from film dosage forms would vary according to the strength of interaction with and the solubility of active ingredient.

Crosstalk between Smad and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases for the Regulation of Apoptosis in Cyclosporine A- Induced Renal Tubular Injury

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Hideyuki Iwayama

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: It remains elusive whether there is a crosstalk between Smad and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs and whether it regulates cyclosporine A (CyA-induced apoptosis in renal proximal tubular cells (RPTCs. Methods: The effect of CyA on nuclear translocation of Smad2/3 and MAPKs (measured by Western blotting or immunofluorescence and apoptosis (determined by Hoechst 33258 staining was examined in HK-2 cells. Results: CyA induced apoptosis at 24 h and nuclear translocation of phosphorylated (p-Smad2/3 at 3 h, which was continued till 24 h. CyA enhanced the expression of p-ERK at 1 h, which was continued till 24 h, and of p-p38MAPK at 1–6 h, which returned to control level at 12 h. CyA did not affect JNK. An inhibitor of ERK, PD98059, prevented CyA-induced nuclear translocation of Smad2/3 and apoptosis. An inhibitor of p38MAPK, SB202190, deteriorated CyA-induced nuclear translocation of p-Smad2/3. Epidermal growth factor (EGF activated ERK and p38MAPK but not JNK. EGF-induced activation of MAPKs ameliorated CyA-induced nuclear translocation of p-Smad2/3 and apoptosis. Inhibition of p38MAPK but not of ERK abolished the protective effect of EGF on CyA-induced nuclear translocation of p-Smad2/3 and apoptosis. Conclusion: Crosstalk between R-Smad and p38MAPK/ERK, but not JNK differentially regulates apoptosis in CyA-induced RPTC injury.

Delineation of the calcineurin-interacting region of cyclophilin B.

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Carpentier, M; Allain, F; Haendler, B; Slomianny, M C; Spik, G

2000-12-01

The immunosuppressant drug cyclosporin A (CsA) inhibits T-cell function by blocking the phosphatase activity of calcineurin. This effect is mediated by formation of a complex between the drug and cyclophilin (CyP), which creates a composite surface able to make high-affinity contacts with calcineurin. In vitro, the CyPB/CsA complex is more effective in inhibiting calcineurin than the CyPA/CsA and CyPC/CsA complexes, pointing to fine structural differences in the calcineurin-binding region. To delineate the calcineurin-binding region of CyPB, we mutated several amino acids, located in two loops corresponding to CyPA regions known to be involved, as follows: R76A, G77H, D155R, and D158R. Compared to wild-type CyPB, the G77H, D155R, and D158R mutants had intact isomerase and CsA-binding activities, indicating that no major conformational changes had taken place. When complexed to CsA, they all displayed only reduced affinity for calcineurin and much decreased inhibition of calcineurin phosphatase activity. These results strongly suggest that the three amino acids G77, D155, and D158 are directly involved in the interaction of CyPB/CsA with calcineurin, in agreement with their exposed position. The G77, D155, and D158 residues are not maintained in CyPA and might therefore account for the higher affinity of the CyPB/CsA complex for calcineurin.

The atrophy pattern in the subtypes of frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer disease by structural MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Bing; Zhang Xin; Li Ming; Chen Fei; Xu Jun; Wang Huiting; Qian Lai; Zhao Hui; Xu Yun; Zhu Bin

2012-01-01

Objective: To analyze the patterns of cortical atrophy of the two subtypes of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA). And to compare them with that of Alzheimer disease (AD) to provide an objective basis for early diagnosis and differential diagnosis. Methods: A total of 83 patients were enrolled in this study and there were 30 patients with cognitively normal controls (CN), 30 with AD and 23 with FTLD (10 with bvFTD, 13 with PPA). Philips 3.0 T TX scanner and 8 channel head coil was employed. Three dimensional turbo fast echo (3D-TFE) T 1 WI sequence with high resolution was used to collect the volume data of gray matter. 3D-TFE T 1 WI images were normalized and segmented into gray matter map for statistical analysis by SPM 8 and VBM 8. The false discovery rate (FDR) was adopted in P value adjustment, P<0.001, and the cluster size was set at 5. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) was set at 4 mm for the smoothing. Paired t test was used for statistics. Results: In bvFTD, PPA and AD groups,there were diffuse regions with reduced volume in cerebral cortex and subcortical structures (such as the hippocampus, the amygdala, the caudate nuclei, et al). The most obvious atrophic region in bvFTD and PPA group was found in the frontotemporal. Compared with AD, gray matter atrophy in bvFTD was found in brain regions including bilateral temporal lobes, bilateral superior temporal pole gyri, bilateral middle temporal pole gyri, right fusiform gyrus and bilateral frontal lobes. Among them, temporal and frontal lobes atrophy had obvious right partial lateralizing, with 14 301 voxels in right temporal lobe and 5105 in left (t=-5.03, P<0.05). The number of atrophy voxels in right and left frontal lobe were 1344 and 125 (t=3.45, P<0.05). The left temporooccipital lobe atrophy was more obvious than the right in PPA,with 15 637 voxels in left and 10 723 in right (t=-2.65, P<0

Development of cyclosporine A microemulsion for parenteral delivery.

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Yuan, Yue; Che, Xin; Zhao, Mingyi; Wang, Yan; Liu, Yajun; Schwendeman, Anna; Li, Sanming

2015-01-01

The goal of this study was to develop a parenteral microemulsion formulation of cyclosporine A (CyA). The CyA solubility in caprylic capric triglyceride (GTCC), ethyl oleate and soybean oil were determined. The pseudo-ternary diagrams of oil (GTCC), surfactant (Solutol® HS-15), cosurfactants (ethanol/polyethylene glycol 400 [PEG 400] mixture) and water were constructed to identify boundaries for microemulsion existence. The CyA was added at 3, 6 and 9% w/w to the optimal microemulsion composition. Microemulsion particle size, solution viscosity and conductivity were examined. The microemulsion stability and haemolytic potential were examined after dilution in 5% dextrose solution for injection to 1 mg/mL CyA. Microemulsion stability was examined after a three-month storage at 4 and 25 °C. The GTCC was selected as an oil phase for CyA microemulsion based on solubility results. The optimum CyA microemulsion formulation consisted of 2.5% CyA, 9% GTCC, 24% Solutol® HS 15, 8% PEG 400, 4% ethanol and 52.5% water based on weight percent. The average particle sizes of the optimized blank and drug-loaded microemulsions were 68.7 nm and 71.6 nm, respectively and remained unchanged upon 25-fold dextrose dilution. The results of microemulsion physical and CyA chemical were confirmed by a three-month stability study at 4 and 25 °C. In vitro haemolysis studies indicated that CyA microemulsions were well tolerated by erythrocytes. The novel microemulsion formulation of CyA was developed that is suitable for parenteral administration. This new formulation could potentially have less vehicle-associated side effects that current commercial formulation of CyA based on Cremophor® EL and ethanol solution.

Octasaccharide is the minimal length unit required for efficient binding of cyclophilin B to heparin and cell surface heparan sulphate.

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Vanpouille, Christophe; Denys, Agnès; Carpentier, Mathieu; Pakula, Rachel; Mazurier, Joël; Allain, Fabrice

2004-09-01

Cyclophilin B (CyPB) is a heparin-binding protein first identified as a receptor for cyclosporin A. In previous studies, we reported that CyPB triggers chemotaxis and integrin-mediated adhesion of T-lymphocytes by way of interaction with two types of binding sites. The first site corresponds to a signalling receptor; the second site has been identified as heparan sulphate (HS) and appears crucial to induce cell adhesion. Characterization of the HS-binding unit is critical to understand the requirement of HS in pro-adhesive activity of CyPB. By using a strategy based on gel mobility shift assays with fluorophore-labelled oligosaccharides, we demonstrated that the minimal heparin unit required for efficient binding of CyPB is an octasaccharide. The mutants CyPB(KKK-) [where KKK- refers to the substitutions K3A(Lys3-->Ala)/K4A/K5A] and CyPB(DeltaYFD) (where Tyr14-Phe-Asp16 has been deleted) failed to interact with octasaccharides, confirming that the Y14FD16 and K3KK5 clusters are required for CyPB binding. Molecular modelling revealed that both clusters are spatially arranged so that they may act synergistically to form a binding site for the octasaccharide. We then demonstrated that heparin-derived octasaccharides and higher degree of polymerization oligosaccharides inhibited the interaction between CyPB and fluorophore-labelled HS chains purified from T-lymphocytes, and strongly reduced the HS-dependent pro-adhesive activity of CyPB. However, oligosaccharides or heparin were unable to restore adhesion of heparinase-treated T-lymphocytes, indicating that HS has to be present on the cell membrane to support the pro-adhesive activity of CyPB. Altogether, these results demonstrate that the octasaccharide is likely to be the minimal length unit required for efficient binding of CyPB to cell surface HS and consequent HS-dependent cell responses.

Enhancing the effect of secreted cyclophilin B on immunosuppressive activity of cyclosporine.

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Denys, A; Allain, F; Masy, E; Dessaint, J P; Spik, G

1998-04-27

Cyclophilin B (CyPB) is a cyclosporine (CsA)-binding protein, located within intracellular vesicles and secreted in biological fluids. In previous works, we reported that CyPB specifically interacts with the T-cell membrane and potentiates the ability of CsA to inhibit CD3-induced proliferation of T lymphocytes. CyPB levels were measured in plasma from healthy donors and transplant patients. The role of extracellular CyPB on the distribution and activity of CsA was investigated first by studies on the uptake of free and CyPB-complexed drug by blood cells, and second by studies on the inhibitory effects of these two compounds on the CD3-induced proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. A significant increase in plasma CyPB level was observed for CsA-treated patients (13+/-6.4 nM, n=42) in comparison with untreated donors (4.3+/-2.1 nM, n=34). In vitro, extracellular CyPB dose dependently modified CsA distribution between plasma, erythrocyte, and lymphocyte contents, by both retaining the complexed drug extracellularly and promoting its specific accumulation within peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Moreover, the enhanced ability of CyPB-complexed CsA to suppress CD3-induced T-cell proliferation was preserved in the presence of other blood cells, implying specific targeting of the drug to sensitive cells. Furthermore, although a large interindividual variability of sensitivity to the drug was confirmed for 18 individuals, we found that CyPB potentiated the activity of CsA in restoring a high sensitivity to the immunosuppressant. These results suggest that plasma CyPB may contribute to the acceptance and the good maintenance of organ transplantation by enhancing the immunosuppressive activity of CsA through a receptor-mediated incorporation of CyPB-complexed CsA within peripheral blood lymphocytes.

The State-Led Large Scale Public Private Partnership ‘Chiranjeevi Program’ to Increase Access to Institutional Delivery among Poor Women in Gujarat, India: How Has It Done? What Can We Learn?

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De Costa, Ayesha; Vora, Kranti S.; Ryan, Kayleigh; Sankara Raman, Parvathy; Santacatterina, Michele; Mavalankar, Dileep

2014-01-01

Background Many low-middle income countries have focused on improving access to and quality of obstetric care, as part of promoting a facility based intra-partum care strategy to reduce maternal mortality. The state of Gujarat in India, implements a facility based intra-partum care program through its large for-profit private obstetric sector, under a state-led public-private-partnership, the Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY), under which the state pays accredited private obstetricians to perform deliveries for poor/tribal women. We examine CY performance, its contribution to overall trends in institutional deliveries in Gujarat over the last decade and its effect on private and public sector deliveries there. Methods District level institutional delivery data (public, private, CY), national surveys, poverty estimates, census data were used. Institutional delivery trends in Gujarat 2000–2010 are presented; including contributions of different sectors and CY. Piece-wise regression was used to study the influence of the CY program on public and private sector institutional delivery. Results Institutional delivery rose from 40.7% (2001) to 89.3% (2010), driven by sharp increases in private sector deliveries. Public sector and CY contributed 25–29% and 13–16% respectively of all deliveries each year. In 2007, 860 of 2000 private obstetricians participated in CY. Since 2007, >600,000 CY deliveries occurred i.e. one-third of births in the target population. Caesareans under CY were 6%, higher than the 2% reported among poor women by the DLHS survey just before CY. CY did not influence the already rising proportion of private sector deliveries in Gujarat. Conclusion This paper reports a state-led, fully state-funded, large-scale public-private partnership to improve poor women’s access to institutional delivery - there have been >600,000 beneficiaries. While caesarean proportions are higher under CY than before, it is uncertain if all beneficiaries who require sections

The state-led large scale public private partnership 'Chiranjeevi Program' to increase access to institutional delivery among poor women in Gujarat, India: How has it done? What can we learn?

Science.gov (United States)

De Costa, Ayesha; Vora, Kranti S; Ryan, Kayleigh; Sankara Raman, Parvathy; Santacatterina, Michele; Mavalankar, Dileep

2014-01-01

Many low-middle income countries have focused on improving access to and quality of obstetric care, as part of promoting a facility based intra-partum care strategy to reduce maternal mortality. The state of Gujarat in India, implements a facility based intra-partum care program through its large for-profit private obstetric sector, under a state-led public-private-partnership, the Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY), under which the state pays accredited private obstetricians to perform deliveries for poor/tribal women. We examine CY performance, its contribution to overall trends in institutional deliveries in Gujarat over the last decade and its effect on private and public sector deliveries there. District level institutional delivery data (public, private, CY), national surveys, poverty estimates, census data were used. Institutional delivery trends in Gujarat 2000-2010 are presented; including contributions of different sectors and CY. Piece-wise regression was used to study the influence of the CY program on public and private sector institutional delivery. Institutional delivery rose from 40.7% (2001) to 89.3% (2010), driven by sharp increases in private sector deliveries. Public sector and CY contributed 25-29% and 13-16% respectively of all deliveries each year. In 2007, 860 of 2000 private obstetricians participated in CY. Since 2007, >600,000 CY deliveries occurred i.e. one-third of births in the target population. Caesareans under CY were 6%, higher than the 2% reported among poor women by the DLHS survey just before CY. CY did not influence the already rising proportion of private sector deliveries in Gujarat. This paper reports a state-led, fully state-funded, large-scale public-private partnership to improve poor women's access to institutional delivery - there have been >600,000 beneficiaries. While caesarean proportions are higher under CY than before, it is uncertain if all beneficiaries who require sections receive these. Other issues to explore include

The state-led large scale public private partnership 'Chiranjeevi Program' to increase access to institutional delivery among poor women in Gujarat, India: How has it done? What can we learn?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayesha De Costa

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Many low-middle income countries have focused on improving access to and quality of obstetric care, as part of promoting a facility based intra-partum care strategy to reduce maternal mortality. The state of Gujarat in India, implements a facility based intra-partum care program through its large for-profit private obstetric sector, under a state-led public-private-partnership, the Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY, under which the state pays accredited private obstetricians to perform deliveries for poor/tribal women. We examine CY performance, its contribution to overall trends in institutional deliveries in Gujarat over the last decade and its effect on private and public sector deliveries there. METHODS: District level institutional delivery data (public, private, CY, national surveys, poverty estimates, census data were used. Institutional delivery trends in Gujarat 2000-2010 are presented; including contributions of different sectors and CY. Piece-wise regression was used to study the influence of the CY program on public and private sector institutional delivery. RESULTS: Institutional delivery rose from 40.7% (2001 to 89.3% (2010, driven by sharp increases in private sector deliveries. Public sector and CY contributed 25-29% and 13-16% respectively of all deliveries each year. In 2007, 860 of 2000 private obstetricians participated in CY. Since 2007, >600,000 CY deliveries occurred i.e. one-third of births in the target population. Caesareans under CY were 6%, higher than the 2% reported among poor women by the DLHS survey just before CY. CY did not influence the already rising proportion of private sector deliveries in Gujarat. CONCLUSION: This paper reports a state-led, fully state-funded, large-scale public-private partnership to improve poor women's access to institutional delivery - there have been >600,000 beneficiaries. While caesarean proportions are higher under CY than before, it is uncertain if all beneficiaries who require

Diagnostic Algorithm in the Management of Acute Febrile Abdomen in Patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

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Marie Neuville

Full Text Available Acute febrile abdomen represents a diagnostic challenge in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD. Although criteria have been proposed for cyst infection (CyI and hemorrhage (CyH, there is a lack of comparative assessments. Furthermore, distinguishing cystic from non-cystic complications remains problematic.ADPKD patients presenting with abdominal pain and/or fever between 01/2005 and 06/2015 were retrospectively identified in a systematic computerized billing database. CyH was defined as spontaneous intracystic density above 50 Hounsfield units on computed tomography (CT. CyI was definite if confirmed by cyst puncture, and probable if 4 criteria were met: 3-day fever, loin/liver tenderness, C-reactive protein (CRP plasma levels >50mg/L and no CT evidence for CyH. Other episodes were grouped as inflammation of unknown origin (IUO.Among a cohort of 173 ADPKD patients, 101 presented with 205 episodes of abdominal pain (n = 172 and/or fever (n = 33. 20 patients experienced 30 CyH, whereas 16 presented 23 episodes of definite (n = 11 or probable (n = 12 CyI. 35 IUO were observed in 31 patients. Clinically, fever was observed in 7% vs. 100% vs. 66% of CyH, CyI and IUO, respectively. Biologically, CRP cut-off at 70 mg/dl showed 92% sensitivity and 81% specificity in CyI diagnosis. Urine or blood cultures remained sterile in >90% of CyH, but were contributive in 53.4% of CyI and IUO, with a 74.2% prevalence for E. coli. Radiologically, ultrasounds, CT and magnetic resonance diagnosed CyI in 2.6%, 20% and 16.7% of cases, respectively. 18F-FDG positron-emission tomography (PET/CT was done within a median period of 7 days post antibiotics, and significantly changed patient management in 71.4%.This retrospective single-center series underscores the usefulness of clinical-fever-and biological-CRP-parameters, but emphasizes the limitations of bacteriological and radiological investigations in cases of acute febrile abdomen in

Evaluating the role of acidic, basic, and polar amino acids and dipeptides on a molecular electrocatalyst for H ₂ oxidation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boralugodage, Nilusha Priyadarshani; Arachchige, Rajith Jayasingha; Dutta, Arnab; Buchko, Garry W.; Shaw, Wendy J.

2017-01-01

Amino acids and peptides have been shown to have a significant influence on the H2 production and oxidation reactivity of Ni(P^R₂N^R’₂)₂, where P^R₂N^R’₂ = 1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane, R is either phenyl (Ph) or cyclohexyl (Cy), and R’ is either an amino acid or peptide. Most recently, the Ni(P^Cy₂Naminoacid₂)₂ complexes (CyAA) have shown enhanced H₂ oxidation rates, water solubility, and in the case of arginine (CyArg) and phenylalanine (CyPhe), electrocatalytic reversibility. Both the backbone –COOH and side chain interactions were shown to be critical to catalytic performance. Here we further investigate the roles of the outer coordination sphere by evaluating amino acids with acidic, basic, and hydrophilic side chains, as well as dipeptides which combine multiple successful features from previous complexes. Six new complexes were prepared, three containing single amino acids: aspartic acid (CyAsp), lysine (CyLys), and serine (CySer) and three containing dipeptides: glycine-phenylalanine (Cy(GlyPhe)), phenylalanine-glycine (Cy(PheGly)), and aspartic acid-phenylananine (Cy(AspPhe)). The resulting catalytic performance demonstrates that complexes need both interactions between side chain and –COOH groups for fast, efficient catalysis. The fastest of all of the catalysts, Cy(AspPhe), had both of these features, while the other dipeptide complexes with an amide replacing the -COOH were both slower; however, the amide group was demonstrated to participate in the proton pathway when side chain interactions are present to position it. Both the hydrophilic and basic side chains, notably lacking in side chain interactions, significantly increased the overpotential, with only modest increases in TOF. Of all of the complexes, only CyAsp was reversible at room temperature, and only in water, the first of these

Human-based percussion and self-similarity detection in electroacoustic music

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Mills, John Anderson, III

Electroacoustic music is music that uses electronic technology for the compositional manipulation of sound, and is a unique genre of music for many reasons. Analyzing electroacoustic music requires special measures, some of which are integrated into the design of a preliminary percussion analysis tool set for electroacoustic music. This tool set is designed to incorporate the human processing of music and sound. Models of the human auditory periphery are used as a front end to the analysis algorithms. The audio properties of percussivity and self-similarity are chosen as the focus because these properties are computable and informative. A collection of human judgments about percussion was undertaken to acquire clearly specified, sound-event dimensions that humans use as a percussive cue. A total of 29 participants was asked to make judgments about the percussivity of 360 pairs of synthesized snare-drum sounds. The grouped results indicate that of the dimensions tested rise time is the strongest cue for percussivity. String resonance also has a strong effect, but because of the complex nature of string resonance, it is not a fundamental dimension of a sound event. Gross spectral filtering also has an effect on the judgment of percussivity but the effect is weaker than for rise time and string resonance. Gross spectral filtering also has less effect when the stronger cue of rise time is modified simultaneously. A percussivity-profile algorithm (PPA) is designed to identify those instants in pieces of music that humans also would identify as percussive. The PPA is implemented using a time-domain, channel-based approach and psychoacoustic models. The input parameters are tuned to maximize performance at matching participants' choices in the percussion-judgment collection. After the PPA is tuned, the PPA then is used to analyze pieces of electroacoustic music. Real electroacoustic music introduces new challenges for the PPA, though those same challenges might affect

Improvement of the antifungal activity of lactic acid bacteria by addition to the growth medium of phenylpyruvic acid, a precursor of phenyllactic acid.

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Valerio, Francesca; Di Biase, Mariaelena; Lattanzio, Veronica M T; Lavermicocca, Paola

2016-04-02

The aim of the current study was to improve the antifungal activity of eight lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains by the addition of phenylpyruvic acid (PPA), a precursor of the antifungal compound phenyllactic acid (PLA), to a defined growth medium (DM). The effect of PPA addition on the LABs antifungal activity related to the production of organic acids (PLA, d-lactic, l-lactic, acetic, citric, formic and 4-hydroxy-phenyllactic acids) and of other phenylpyruvic-derived molecules, was investigated. In the presence of PPA the inhibitory activity (expressed as growth inhibition percentage) against fungal bread contaminants Aspergillus niger and Penicillium roqueforti significantly increased and was, even if not completely, associated to PLA increase (from a mean value of 0.44 to 0.93 mM). While the inhibitory activity against Endomyces fibuliger was mainly correlated to the low pH and to lactic, acetic and p-OH-PLA acids. When the PCA analysis based on data of growth inhibition percentage and organic acid concentrations was performed, strains grown in DM+PPA separated from those grown in DM and the most active strains Lactobacillus plantarum 21B, Lactobacillus fermentum 18B and Lactobacillus brevis 18F grouped together. The antifungal activity resulted to be strain-related, based on a different mechanism of action for filamentous fungi and the yeast and was not exclusively associated to the increase of PLA. Therefore, a further investigation on the unique unidentified peak in HPLC-UV chromatograms, was performed by LC-MS/MS analysis. Actually, full scan mass spectra (negative ion mode) recorded at the retention time of the unknown compound, showed a main peak of m/z 291.0 which was consistent with the nominal mass of the molecular ion [M-H](-) of polyporic acid, a PPA derivative whose antifungal activity has been previously reported (Brewer et al., 1977). In conclusion, the addition of PPA to the growth medium contributed to improve the antifungal activity of LAB

Expression of Pinellia pedatisecta Lectin Gene in Transgenic Wheat Enhances Resistance to Wheat Aphids

OpenAIRE

Xiaoliang Duan; Qiling Hou; Guoyu Liu; Xiaomeng Pang; Zhenli Niu; Xiao Wang; Yufeng Zhang; Baoyun Li; Rongqi Liang

2018-01-01

Wheat aphids are major pests during the seed filling stage of wheat. Plant lectins are toxic to sap-sucking pests such as wheat aphids. In this study, Pinellia pedatisecta agglutinin (ppa), a gene encoding mannose binding lectin, was cloned, and it shared 92.69% nucleotide similarity and 94% amino acid similarity with Pinellia ternata agglutinin (pta). The ppa gene, driven by the constitutive and phloem-specific ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit gene (rbcs) promoter in pBAC-rbcs...

Purchasing-Power Annuities: Financial Innovation for Stable Real Retirement Income in an Inflationary Environment

OpenAIRE

Zvi Bodie

1980-01-01

This paper is organized as follows: The first part of the paper introduces the topic. In the next part, we explore the inadequacies of conventional and equity-based variable annuities in an inflationary environment by contrasting them with a hypothetical PPA. We then try to assess the suitability of money market instruments hedged with commodity futures as the asset base for PPA's, and consider the possibility of having financial institutions offer them to the public. The major conclusion of ...

A Global Data Analysis for Representing Sediment and Particulate Organic Carbon Yield in Earth System Models

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Zeli; Leung, L. Ruby; Li, Hongyi; Tesfa, Teklu; Vanmaercke, Matthias; Poesen, Jean; Zhang, Xuesong; Lu, Hui; Hartmann, Jens

2017-12-01

Although sediment yield (SY) from water erosion is ubiquitous and its environmental consequences are well recognized, its impacts on the global carbon cycle remain largely uncertain. This knowledge gap is partly due to the lack of soil erosion modeling in Earth System Models (ESMs), which are important tools used to understand the global carbon cycle and explore its changes. This study analyzed sediment and particulate organic carbon yield (CY) data from 1,081 and 38 small catchments (0.1-200 km2), respectively, in different environments across the globe. Using multiple statistical analysis techniques, we explored environmental factors and hydrological processes important for SY and CY modeling in ESMs. Our results show clear correlations of high SY with traditional agriculture, seismicity and heavy storms, as well as strong correlations between SY and annual peak runoff. These highlight the potential limitation of SY models that represent only interrill and rill erosion because shallow overland flow and rill flow have limited transport capacity due to their hydraulic geometry to produce high SY. Further, our results suggest that SY modeling in ESMs should be implemented at the event scale to produce the catastrophic mass transport during episodic events. Several environmental factors such as seismicity and land management that are often not considered in current catchment-scale SY models can be important in controlling global SY. Our analyses show that SY is likely the primary control on CY in small catchments and a statistically significant empirical relationship is established to calculate SY and CY jointly in ESMs.

A Global Data Analysis for Representing Sediment and Particulate Organic Carbon Yield in Earth System Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, Zeli [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Leung, L. Ruby [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Li, Hongyi [Montana State University, Bozeman MT USA; Tesfa, Teklu [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Vanmaercke, Matthias [Département de Géographie, Université de Liège, Liege Belgium; Poesen, Jean [Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography, KU Leuven, Leuven Belgium; Zhang, Xuesong [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Lu, Hui [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing China; Hartmann, Jens [Institute for Geology, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg Germany

2017-12-01

Although sediment yield (SY) from water erosion is ubiquitous and its environmental consequences are well recognized, its impacts on the global carbon cycle remain largely uncertain. This knowledge gap is partly due to the lack of soil erosion modeling in Earth System Models (ESMs), which are important tools used to understand the global carbon cycle and explore its changes. This study analyzed sediment and particulate organic carbon yield (CY) data from 1081 and 38 small catchments (0.1-200 km27 ), respectively, in different environments across the globe. Using multiple statistical analysis techniques, we explored environmental factors and hydrological processes important for SY and CY modeling in ESMs. Our results show clear correlations of high SY with traditional agriculture, seismicity and heavy storms, as well as strong correlations between SY and annual peak runoff. These highlight the potential limitation of SY models that represent only interrill and rill erosion because shallow overland flow and rill flow have limited transport capacity due to their hydraulic geometry to produce high SY. Further, our results suggest that SY modeling in ESMs should be implemented at the event scale to produce the catastrophic mass transport during episodic events. Several environmental factors such as seismicity and land management that are often not considered in current catchment-scale SY models can be important in controlling global SY. Our analyses show that SY is likely the primary control on CY in small catchments and a statistically significant empirical relationship is established to calculate SY and CY jointly in ESMs.

Clinical and MRI models predicting amyloid deposition in progressive aphasia and apraxia of speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitwell, Jennifer L; Weigand, Stephen D; Duffy, Joseph R; Strand, Edythe A; Machulda, Mary M; Senjem, Matthew L; Gunter, Jeffrey L; Lowe, Val J; Jack, Clifford R; Josephs, Keith A

2016-01-01

Beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition can be observed in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS). While it is typically associated with logopenic PPA, there are exceptions that make predicting Aβ status challenging based on clinical diagnosis alone. We aimed to determine whether MRI regional volumes or clinical data could help predict Aβ deposition. One hundred and thirty-nine PPA (n = 97; 15 agrammatic, 53 logopenic, 13 semantic and 16 unclassified) and PAOS (n = 42) subjects were prospectively recruited into a cross-sectional study and underwent speech/language assessments, 3.0 T MRI and C11-Pittsburgh Compound B PET. The presence of Aβ was determined using a 1.5 SUVR cut-point. Atlas-based parcellation was used to calculate gray matter volumes of 42 regions-of-interest across the brain. Penalized binary logistic regression was utilized to determine what combination of MRI regions, and what combination of speech and language tests, best predicts Aβ (+) status. The optimal MRI model and optimal clinical model both performed comparably in their ability to accurately classify subjects according to Aβ status. MRI accurately classified 81% of subjects using 14 regions. Small left superior temporal and inferior parietal volumes and large left Broca's area volumes were particularly predictive of Aβ (+) status. Clinical scores accurately classified 83% of subjects using 12 tests. Phonological errors and repetition deficits, and absence of agrammatism and motor speech deficits were particularly predictive of Aβ (+) status. In comparison, clinical diagnosis was able to accurately classify 89% of subjects. However, the MRI model performed well in predicting Aβ deposition in unclassified PPA. Clinical diagnosis provides optimum prediction of Aβ status at the group level, although regional MRI measurements and speech and language testing also performed well and could have advantages in predicting Aβ status in unclassified PPA subjects.

Assessing the dysexecutive syndrome in dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gansler, David A; Huey, Edward D; Pan, Jessica J; Wasserman, Eric; Grafman, Jordan H

2017-03-01

We compared performance on tests of dysexecutive behaviour (DB) and executive function (EF) in patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS). Patients diagnosed with bvFTD (n=124), PPA (n=34) and CBS (n=85) were recruited. EF was measured with the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFS: performance based), and DB was measured with the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe: caregiver-report based). Confirmatory factor analysis characterised the relationship between EF and DB, binary logistic regression evaluated the incremental diagnostic utility of the measures and neuroimaging data from 110 patients identified neural correlates. EF was lowest and DB was highest in bvFTD participants. EF and DB were distinct but related (r=-0.48). Measures correctly classified 89% of bvFTD from CBS patients and 93% of bvFTD from PPA patients-30% and 13% above base rates (59%, 80%), respectively. All modalities were useful in identifying CBS and PPA, whereas DB alone was useful for identifying bvFTD. EF was uniquely associated with caudal left dorsolateral prefrontal and lateral temporo-parietal cortices. DB was uniquely associated with the cingulate (R>L), right subcallosal and right anterior frontal cortex. EF and DB were associated with the rostral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex bilaterally. EF and DB measures displayed criterion and construct validity, had incremental utility at low DB levels (CBS and PPA) and were associated with overlapping and distinct neural correlates. EF and DB procedures can conjointly provide useful diagnostic and descriptive information in identifying and ruling out the dysexecutive syndrome. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Enteric bacterial metabolites propionic and butyric acid modulate gene expression, including CREB-dependent catecholaminergic neurotransmission, in PC12 cells--possible relevance to autism spectrum disorders.

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Bistra B Nankova

Full Text Available Alterations in gut microbiome composition have an emerging role in health and disease including brain function and behavior. Short chain fatty acids (SCFA like propionic (PPA, and butyric acid (BA, which are present in diet and are fermentation products of many gastrointestinal bacteria, are showing increasing importance in host health, but also may be environmental contributors in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorders (ASD. Further to this we have shown SCFA administration to rodents over a variety of routes (intracerebroventricular, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal or developmental time periods can elicit behavioral, electrophysiological, neuropathological and biochemical effects consistent with findings in ASD patients. SCFA are capable of altering host gene expression, partly due to their histone deacetylase inhibitor activity. We have previously shown BA can regulate tyrosine hydroxylase (TH mRNA levels in a PC12 cell model. Since monoamine concentration is known to be elevated in the brain and blood of ASD patients and in many ASD animal models, we hypothesized that SCFA may directly influence brain monoaminergic pathways. When PC12 cells were transiently transfected with plasmids having a luciferase reporter gene under the control of the TH promoter, PPA was found to induce reporter gene activity over a wide concentration range. CREB transcription factor(s was necessary for the transcriptional activation of TH gene by PPA. At lower concentrations PPA also caused accumulation of TH mRNA and protein, indicative of increased cell capacity to produce catecholamines. PPA and BA induced broad alterations in gene expression including neurotransmitter systems, neuronal cell adhesion molecules, inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function, all of which have been implicated in ASD. In conclusion, our data are consistent with a molecular mechanism through which gut related environmental signals

Observing conversational laughter in frontotemporal dementia.

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Pressman, Peter S; Simpson, Michaela; Gola, Kelly; Shdo, Suzanne M; Spinelli, Edoardo G; Miller, Bruce L; Gorno-Tempini, Maria Luisa; Rankin, Katherine; Levenson, Robert W

2017-05-01

We performed an observational study of laughter during seminaturalistic conversations between patients with dementia and familial caregivers. Patients were diagnosed with (1) behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), (2) right temporal variant frontotemporal dementia (rtFTD), (3) semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), (4) non-fluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) or (5) early onset Alzheimer's disease (eoAD). We hypothesised that those with bvFTD would laugh less in response to their own speech than other dementia groups or controls, while those with rtFTD would laugh less regardless of who was speaking. Patients with bvFTD (n=39), svPPA (n=19), rtFTD (n=14), nfvPPA (n=16), eoAD (n=17) and healthy controls (n=156) were recorded (video and audio) while discussing a problem in their relationship with a healthy control companion. Using the audio track only, laughs were identified by trained coders and then further classed by an automated algorithm as occurring during or shortly after the participant's own vocalisation ('self' context) or during or shortly after the partner's vocalisation ('partner' context). Individuals with bvFTD, eoAD or rtFTD laughed less across both contexts of self and partner than the other groups. Those with bvFTD laughed less relative to their own speech comparedwith healthy controls. Those with nfvPPA laughed more in the partner context compared with healthy controls. Laughter in response to one's own vocalisations or those of a conversational partner may be a clinically useful measure in dementia diagnosis. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Clinical and MRI models predicting amyloid deposition in progressive aphasia and apraxia of speech

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Jennifer L. Whitwell

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Beta-amyloid (Aβ deposition can be observed in primary progressive aphasia (PPA and progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS. While it is typically associated with logopenic PPA, there are exceptions that make predicting Aβ status challenging based on clinical diagnosis alone. We aimed to determine whether MRI regional volumes or clinical data could help predict Aβ deposition. One hundred and thirty-nine PPA (n = 97; 15 agrammatic, 53 logopenic, 13 semantic and 16 unclassified and PAOS (n = 42 subjects were prospectively recruited into a cross-sectional study and underwent speech/language assessments, 3.0 T MRI and C11-Pittsburgh Compound B PET. The presence of Aβ was determined using a 1.5 SUVR cut-point. Atlas-based parcellation was used to calculate gray matter volumes of 42 regions-of-interest across the brain. Penalized binary logistic regression was utilized to determine what combination of MRI regions, and what combination of speech and language tests, best predicts Aβ (+ status. The optimal MRI model and optimal clinical model both performed comparably in their ability to accurately classify subjects according to Aβ status. MRI accurately classified 81% of subjects using 14 regions. Small left superior temporal and inferior parietal volumes and large left Broca's area volumes were particularly predictive of Aβ (+ status. Clinical scores accurately classified 83% of subjects using 12 tests. Phonological errors and repetition deficits, and absence of agrammatism and motor speech deficits were particularly predictive of Aβ (+ status. In comparison, clinical diagnosis was able to accurately classify 89% of subjects. However, the MRI model performed well in predicting Aβ deposition in unclassified PPA. Clinical diagnosis provides optimum prediction of Aβ status at the group level, although regional MRI measurements and speech and language testing also performed well and could have advantages in predicting Aβ status in unclassified

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and genealogy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2010-06-07

Jun 7, 2010 ... Pang CY, Du XM, Ma ZY (2006). Evaluation of the introgressed lines and screening for elite germplasm in Gossypium, Chin. Sci. Bull. 51(1):. 304-312. Pieter V, Rene H, Marjo B (1995). AFLP: a new technique for DNA fingerprinting. Nucleic Acids Res. 23(21): 4407-4414. Qian SY, Huang JQ, Zhou BL, Peng ...

Bioadhesive tablets containing cyclodextrin complex of itraconazole for the treatment of vaginal candidiasis.

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Cevher, Erdal; Açma, Ayşe; Sinani, Genada; Aksu, Buket; Zloh, Mire; Mülazımoğlu, Lütfiye

2014-08-01

Itraconazole (ITR) is commonly used in the treatment of Candida infections. It has a nephrotoxic effect and low bioavailability in patients who suffer from renal insufficiency, and its poor solubility in water makes ITR largely unavailable. Cyclodextrins (CyDs) are used to form inclusion complexes with drugs to improve their aqueous solubility and to reduce their side effects. In this study, ITR was complexed with γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CyD), hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CyD), methyl-β-cyclodextrin (Met-β-CyD) and sulphobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE7-β-CyD) to increase its water solubility and to reduce the side effects of the drug without decreasing antifungal activity. Complex formation between ITR and CyDs was evaluated using SEM, (1)H NMR and XRD studies. The antifungal activity of the complexes was analyzed on Candida albicans strains, and the susceptibility of the strains was found to be higher for the ITR-SBE7-β-CyD complex than for the complexes that were prepared with other CyDs. Vaginal bioadhesive sustained release tablet formulations were developed using the ITR-SBE7-β-CyD inclusion complex to increase the residence time of ITR in the vagina, thereby boosting the efficacy of the treatment. The swelling, matrix erosion and bioadhesion properties of formulations and the drug release rate of these tablets were analyzed, and the most therapeutically effective vaginal formulation was determined. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Allogeneic Transplant in ELANE and MEFV Mutation Positive Severe Cyclic Neutropenia: Review of Prognostic Factors for Secondary Severe Events

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Onyemaechi N. Okolo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective and Importance. Cyclic neutropenia (CyN is a rare autosomal dominant inherited disorder due to the mutation ELANE primarily affecting bone marrow stem cells and is characterized by recurrent neutropenia every 2 to 4 weeks. Symptoms vary from benign to severe, including death. Postulations on the cause of wide spectrum in symptom presentation include the possibility of other genetic mutations, such as MEFV. Recommended treatment for CyN is G-CSF to keep ANC higher to minimize risk of infection. Case. A 25-year-old male diagnosed with CyN, on G-CSF but worsening quality of life. Pretransplant investigations revealed ELANE mutation positive severe CyN along with familial Mediterranean fever (MEFV mutation. Intervention. Bone marrow transplantation as treatment for dual mutation (ELANE and MEFV mutation positive severe CyN. Conclusion. BMT may be considered as an alternative treatment for severe CyN in patients who are refractory to G-CSF. It is postulated that in our patient the combined mutations (CyN and MEFV may have contributed to the severity of this individual’s symptoms. We suggest CyN patients who present with severe symptoms have evaluation with ELANE mutation testing, Periodic Fever Syndromes Panel, and routine marrow assessment with FISH, conventional cytogenetics, and morphological evaluation for MDS/AML.

Places in the Brain: Bridging Layout and Object Geometry in Scene-Selective Cortex.

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Dillon, Moira R; Persichetti, Andrew S; Spelke, Elizabeth S; Dilks, Daniel D

2017-06-13

Diverse animal species primarily rely on sense (left-right) and egocentric distance (proximal-distal) when navigating the environment. Recent neuroimaging studies with human adults show that this information is represented in 2 scene-selective cortical regions-the occipital place area (OPA) and retrosplenial complex (RSC)-but not in a third scene-selective region-the parahippocampal place area (PPA). What geometric properties, then, does the PPA represent, and what is its role in scene processing? Here we hypothesize that the PPA represents relative length and angle, the geometric properties classically associated with object recognition, but only in the context of large extended surfaces that compose the layout of a scene. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging adaptation, we found that the PPA is indeed sensitive to relative length and angle changes in pictures of scenes, but not pictures of objects that reliably elicited responses to the same geometric changes in object-selective cortical regions. Moreover, we found that the OPA is also sensitive to such changes, while the RSC is tolerant to such changes. Thus, the geometric information typically associated with object recognition is also used during some aspects of scene processing. These findings provide evidence that scene-selective cortex differentially represents the geometric properties guiding navigation versus scene categorization. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

User Driven Image Stacking for ODI Data and Beyond via a Highly Customizable Web Interface

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Hayashi, S.; Gopu, A.; Young, M. D.; Kotulla, R.

2015-09-01

While some astronomical archives have begun serving standard calibrated data products, the process of producing stacked images remains a challenge left to the end-user. The benefits of astronomical image stacking are well established, and dither patterns are recommended for almost all observing targets. Some archives automatically produce stacks of limited scientific usefulness without any fine-grained user or operator configurability. In this paper, we present PPA Stack, a web based stacking framework within the ODI - Portal, Pipeline, and Archive system. PPA Stack offers a web user interface with built-in heuristics (based on pointing, filter, and other metadata information) to pre-sort images into a set of likely stacks while still allowing the user or operator complete control over the images and parameters for each of the stacks they wish to produce. The user interface, designed using AngularJS, provides multiple views of the input dataset and parameters, all of which are synchronized in real time. A backend consisting of a Python application optimized for ODI data, wrapped around the SWarp software, handles the execution of stacking workflow jobs on Indiana University's Big Red II supercomputer, and the subsequent ingestion of the combined images back into the PPA archive. PPA Stack is designed to enable seamless integration of other stacking applications in the future, so users can select the most appropriate option for their science.

Temporal evaluation of soil use conflicts in the Formoso river basin, state of Tocantins, Brazil

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Kaio Cesar Cardoso de Lima Fonseca Alves

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The importance of permanent preservation areas (PPA is mainly associated to their environmental role to maintain, preserve, and conserve water resources and ecosystems within a basin. The objective of this study was to delimitate and quantify the areas of PPA along watercourses as well as anthropized areas within PPAs boundaries, in the Formoso river basin, state of Tocantins, Brazil. PPAs area was delimited considering boundaries according to the Brazilian Forest Law. We sampled areas within the watercourses classified up to hierarchical Level 4. Watercourses handling draw, automatic delimitation of PPA, and visual classification of the soil use conflicts based on LANDSAT 5 TM of 1985, 1998 and 2011 were carried out on Geographical Information System ArcGIS. PPA of the watercourses sampled in this study represent 1.14% (24,491.35 ha of the drainage area of the Formoso river basin. For 1985, an area of about 3,616.48 ha was quantified, which is characterized by conflicts related to soil use. However, these conflict areas were reduced to 3,341.25 ha and 3,345.37 ha, respectively, for 1998 and 2011. Due to the intense agricultural land expansion observed in the basin in the last decades, the mentioned reductions in soil use conflicts between 1985 and 1998 and subsequent maintenance can be linked to changes on Brazilian environmental legislation.

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on language improvement and cortical activation in nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia.

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Wang, Jie; Wu, Dongyu; Chen, Yan; Yuan, Ying; Zhang, Meikui

2013-08-09

We investigate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on language improvement and cortical activation in nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA). A 67-year-old woman diagnosed as nfvPPA received sham-tDCS for 5 days over the left posterior perisylvian region (PPR) in the morning and over left Broca's area in the afternoon in Phases A1 and A2, and tDCS for 5 days with an anodal electrode over the left PPR in the morning and over left Broca's area in the afternoon in Phases B1 and B2. Auditory word comprehension, picture naming, oral word reading and word repetition subtests of the Psycholinguistic Assessment in Chinese Aphasia (PACA) were administered before and after each phase. The EEG nonlinear index of approximate entropy (ApEn) was calculated before Phase A1, and after Phases B1 and B2. Our findings revealed that the patient improved greatly in the four subtests after A-tDCS and ApEn indices increased in stimulated areas and non-stimulated areas. We demonstrated that anodal tDCS over the left PPR and Broca's area can improve language performance of nfvPPA. tDCS may be used as an alternative therapeutic tool for PPA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of clinical value of combined tumor markers detection in diagnosis of lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Guangming; Deng Shouzhen; Wang Yun; Xu Lianqin; He Wanting; Gao Quan; Lin Xiangtong

2002-01-01

To evaluate clinical value of single or combined tumor marker detection CY21-1, CEA, CA15-3 and SCC in the diagnosis of lung cancer. There was retrospective analysis of 87 lung cancer inpatients, all of them was confirmed by pathology. Results showed: (1) Sensitivity of CY21-1, CEA, CA15-3 and SCC by single detection in diagnosing lung cancer was 59.8%, 39.1%, 44.8%, 18.4%, respectively. (2) Sensitivity of group I (CY21-1 + CEA) was 78.2%; sensitivity of group II (CY21-1 + CEA + CA15-3) was 88.5%; sensitivity of group III (CY21-1 + CEA + CA15-3 + SCC) was the same as group II. In the diagnosis of lung cancer, the combined detection with CY21-1, CEA, CA15-3 was an ideal selective combination

Lymphatic vessel density and function in experimental bladder cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saban, Marcia R; Wu, Xue-Ru; Saban, Ricardo; Towner, Rheal; Smith, Nataliya; Abbott, Andrew; Neeman, Michal; Davis, Carole A; Simpson, Cindy; Maier, Julie; Mémet, Sylvie

2007-01-01

The lymphatics form a second circulatory system that drains the extracellular fluid and proteins from the tumor microenvironment, and provides an exclusive environment in which immune cells interact and respond to foreign antigen. Both cancer and inflammation are known to induce lymphangiogenesis. However, little is known about bladder lymphatic vessels and their involvement in cancer formation and progression. A double transgenic mouse model was generated by crossing a bladder cancer-induced transgenic, in which SV40 large T antigen was under the control of uroplakin II promoter, with another transgenic mouse harboring a lacZ reporter gene under the control of an NF-κB-responsive promoter (κB-lacZ) exhibiting constitutive activity of β-galactosidase in lymphatic endothelial cells. In this new mouse model (SV40-lacZ), we examined the lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and function (LVF) during bladder cancer progression. LVD was performed in bladder whole mounts and cross-sections by fluorescent immunohistochemistry (IHC) using LYVE-1 antibody. LVF was assessed by real-time in vivo imaging techniques using a contrast agent (biotin-BSA-Gd-DTPA-Cy5.5; Gd-Cy5.5) suitable for both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and near infrared fluorescence (NIRF). In addition, IHC of Cy5.5 was used for time-course analysis of co-localization of Gd-Cy5.5 with LYVE-1-positive lymphatics and CD31-positive blood vessels. SV40-lacZ mice develop bladder cancer and permitted visualization of lymphatics. A significant increase in LVD was found concomitantly with bladder cancer progression. Double labeling of the bladder cross-sections with LYVE-1 and Ki-67 antibodies indicated cancer-induced lymphangiogenesis. MRI detected mouse bladder cancer, as early as 4 months, and permitted to follow tumor sizes during cancer progression. Using Gd-Cy5.5 as a contrast agent for MRI-guided lymphangiography, we determined a possible reduction of lymphatic flow within the tumoral area. In addition, NIRF

Mechanisms of Fatal Cardiotoxicity following High-Dose Cyclophosphamide Therapy and a Method for Its Prevention.

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Takuro Nishikawa

Full Text Available Observed only after administration of high doses, cardiotoxicity is the dose-limiting effect of cyclophosphamide (CY. We investigated the poorly understood cardiotoxic mechanisms of high-dose CY. A rat cardiac myocardial cell line, H9c2, was exposed to CY metabolized by S9 fraction of rat liver homogenate mixed with co-factors (CYS9. Cytotoxicity was then evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl¬2,5-diphenyl¬2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT assay, lactate dehydrogenase release, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS, and incidence of apoptosis. We also investigated how the myocardial cellular effects of CYS9 were modified by acrolein scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC, antioxidant isorhamnetin (ISO, and CYP inhibitor β-ionone (BIO. Quantifying CY and CY metabolites by means of liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry, we assayed culture supernatants of CYS9 with and without candidate cardioprotectant agents. Assay results for MTT showed that treatment with CY (125-500 μM did not induce cytotoxicity. CYS9, however, exhibited myocardial cytotoxicity when CY concentration was 250 μM or more. After 250 μM of CY was metabolized in S9 mix for 2 h, the concentration of CY was 73.6 ± 8.0 μM, 4-hydroxy-cyclophosphamide (HCY 17.6 ± 4.3, o-carboxyethyl-phosphoramide (CEPM 26.6 ± 5.3 μM, and acrolein 26.7 ± 2.5 μM. Inhibition of CYS9-induced cytotoxicity occurred with NAC, ISO, and BIO. When treated with ISO or BIO, metabolism of CY was significantly inhibited. Pre-treatment with NAC, however, did not inhibit the metabolism of CY: compared to control samples, we observed no difference in HCY, a significant increase of CEPM, and a significant decrease of acrolein. Furthermore, NAC pre-treatment did not affect intracellular amounts of ROS produced by CYS9. Since acrolein seems to be heavily implicated in the onset of cardiotoxicity, any competitive metabolic processing of CY that reduces its transformation to acrolein

Structural, electronic and vibrational properties of GexCy (x+y=2-5) nanoclusters: A B3LYP-DFT study

Science.gov (United States)

Goswami, Sohini; Saha, Sushmita; Yadav, R. K.

2015-11-01

An ab-initio study of the stability, structural and electronic properties has been made for 84 germanium carbide nanoclusters, GexCy (x+y=2-5). The configuration possessing the maximum value of final binding energy (FBE), among the various configurations corresponding to a fixed x+y=n value, is named as the most stable structure. The vibrational and optical properties have been investigated only for the most stable structures. A B3LYP-DFT/6-311G(3df) method has been employed to optimize fully the geometries of the nanoclusters. The binding energies (BE), highest-occupied and lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) gaps have been obtained for all the clusters and the bond lengths have been reported for the most stable clusters. We have considered the zero point energy (ZPE) corrections. The adiabatic and vertical ionization potentials (IPs) and electron affinities (EAs), charge on atoms, dipole moments, vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities (IR Int.), relative infrared intensities (Rel. IR Int.) and Raman scattering activities have also been investigated for the most stable structures. The configurations containing the carbon atoms in majority are seen to be the most stable structures. The strong C-C bond has important role in stabilizing the clusters. For the clusters containing one germanium atom and all the other as carbon atoms, the BE increases monotonically with the number of the carbon atoms. The HOMO-LUMO gap, IPs and EAs fluctuates with increase in the number of atoms. The nanoclusters containing even number of carbon atoms have large HOMO-LUMO gaps and IPs, whereas the nanoclusters containing even number of carbon atoms have small EAs. In general, the adiabatic IP (EA) is smaller (greater) than the vertical IP (EA). The optical absorption spectrum or electron energy loss spectrum (EELS) is unique for every cluster, and may be used to characterize a specific cluster. All the predicted physical quantities are in good agreement with the

Development and demonstration of a new SANEX Partitioning Process for selective actinide(III)/lanthanide(III) separation using a mixture of CyMe{sub 4}BTBP and TODGA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Modolo, G.; Wilden, A.; Daniels, H. [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (Germany). Institute for Energy and Climate Research, IEK-6, Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety; Geist, A.; Magnusson, D. [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, Karlsruhe (Germany). Inst. fuer Nukleare Entsorgung; Malmbeck, R. [European Commission, JRC, Karlsruhe (Germany). Inst. for Transuranium Elements (ITU)

2013-05-01

Within the framework of the European collaborative project ACSEPT, a new SANEX partitioning process was developed at Forschungszentrum Juelich for the separation of the trivalent minor actinides americium, curium and californium from lanthanide fission products in spent nuclear fuels. The development is based on batch solvent extraction studies, single-centrifugal contactor tests and on flow-sheet design by computer code calculations. The used solvent is composed of 6,6{sup '}-bis(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo-[1,2-4]trizazin-3-yl)-[2,2{sup '}]-bipyridine (CyMe{sub 4}BTBP) and N,N,N{sup '},N{sup '}-tetraoctyldiglycolamide (TODGA) dissolved in n-octanol. A spiked continuous counter-current test was carried out in miniature centrifugal contactors with the aid of a 20-stage flow-sheet consisting of 12 extraction, 4 scrubbing and 4 stripping stages. A product fraction containing more than 99.9% of the trivalent actinides Am(III), Cm(III) and Cf(III) was obtained. High product/feed decontamination factors >1000 were achieved for these actinides. The trivalent lanthanides were directed to the raffinate of the process with the actinide (III) product stream being contaminated with less than 0.5 mass-% in the initial lanthanides. (orig.)

Co-Occurrence of Language and Behavioural Change in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Jennifer M; Jones, Matthew; Gall, Claire; Richardson, Anna M T; Neary, David; du Plessis, Daniel; Pal, Piyali; Mann, David M A; Snowden, Julie S; Thompson, Jennifer C

2016-01-01

We aimed to evaluate the co-occurrence of language and behavioural impairment in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) spectrum pathology. Eighty-one dementia patients with pathological confirmation of FTLD were identified. Anonymized clinical records from patients' first assessment were rated for language and behavioural features from frontotemporal dementia consensus criteria, primary progressive aphasia (PPA) criteria and 1998 FTLD criteria. Over 90% of patients with FTLD pathology exhibited a combination of at least one behavioural and one language feature. Changes in language, in particular, were commonly accompanied by behavioural change. Notably, the majority of patients who displayed language features characteristic of semantic variant PPA exhibited 'early perseverative, stereotyped or compulsive/ritualistic behaviour'. Moreover, 'executive/generation deficits with relative sparing of memory and visuospatial functions' occurred in most patients with core features of non-fluent variant PPA. Behavioural and language symptoms frequently co-occur in patients with FTLD pathology. Current classifications, which separate behavioural and language syndromes, do not reflect this co-occurrence.

Full-Field Strain Mapping at a Ge/Si Heterostructure Interface

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Buwen Cheng

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The misfit dislocations and strain fields at a Ge/Si heterostructure interface were investigated experimentally using a combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and quantitative electron micrograph analysis methods. The type of misfit dislocation at the interface was determined to be 60° dislocation and 90° full-edge dislocation. The full-field strains at the Ge/Si heterostructure interface were mapped by using the geometric phase analysis (GPA and peak pairs analysis (PPA, respectively. The effect of the mask size on the GPA and PPA results was analyzed in detail. For comparison, the theoretical strain fields of the misfit dislocations were also calculated by the Peierls-Nabarro and Foreman dislocation models. The results showed that the optimal mask sizes in GPA and PPA were approximately three tenths and one-tenth of the reciprocal lattice vector, respectively. The Foreman dislocation model with an alterable factor a = 4 can best describe the strain field of the misfit dislocation at the Ge/Si heterostructure interface.

Eosinophils, pruritus and psoriasis: effects of treatment with etretinate or cyclosporin-A.

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Schopf, R E; Hultsch, T; Lotz, J; Bräutigam, M

1998-11-01

The antipsoriatic drugs cyclosporin A (CyA) and etretinate have been found to influence proinflammatory eosinophilic leukocytes and pruritus. We compared the number of blood eosinophils, concentration of serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and pruritus in patients with psoriasis treated with either CyA or etretinate. Patients with psoriasis vulgaris were randomly assigned to treatment for 10 weeks with either CyA (n = 21) or etretinate (n = 10). The psoriasis area-and-severity index (PASI-score) and pruritus (according to a 0-3 scale) served as clinical parameters, the blood esosinophil counts (Coulter Counter) and the serum ECP (RIA, Pharmacia) as laboratory parameters. After CyA treatment the PASI-score amounted to 24 +/- 4%, after etretinate to 56 +/- 6% of the initial values (mean +/- SEM). One week after CyA treatment, esosinophils dropped from 190 +/- 21 to 137 +/- 16/microliter (P = 0.038, Wilcoxon test), after 10 weeks to 127 +/- 18/microliter (P = 0.006). By contrast, under etretinate blood eosinophil counts only changed marginally. Before treatment, ECP concentrations of 15.71 +/- 1.30 (CyA) and 15.3 +/- 5.53 micrograms/l (etretinate) were measured (normal range 3-16 micrograms/l), ECP remained constant under both CyA and etretinate or tended to increase after 10 weeks; about 50% of the patients exhibited elevated ECP concentrations. Pruritus diminished more with CyA than etretinate therapy. PASI-scores and pruritus were directly proportional. We conclude that treatment of psoriasis with CyA leads to a rapid drop of blood eosinophils and that the activation state of eosinophils does not decrease after antipsoriatic treatment. Pruritus in psoriasis is coupled to disease severity. The underlying antipsoriatic mechanisms of CyA may be linked to lowering the number of blood eosinophils.

Cyclipostins and cyclophostin analogs inhibit the antigen 85C from Mycobacterium tuberculosis both in vitro and in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Viljoen, Albertus; Richard, Matthias; Nguyen, Phuong Chi; Fourquet, Patrick; Camoin, Luc; Paudal, Rishi R; Gnawali, Giri R; Spilling, Christopher D; Cavalier, Jean-François; Canaan, Stéphane; Blaise, Mickael; Kremer, Laurent

2018-02-23

An increasing prevalence of cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis requires the development of more efficacious chemotherapies. We previously reported the discovery of a new class of cyclipostins and cyclophostin (CyC) analogs exhibiting potent activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis both in vitro and in infected macrophages. Competitive labeling/enrichment assays combined with MS have identified several serine or cysteine enzymes in lipid and cell wall metabolism as putative targets of these CyC compounds. These targets included members of the antigen 85 (Ag85) complex ( i.e. Ag85A, Ag85B, and Ag85C), responsible for biosynthesis of trehalose dimycolate and mycolylation of arabinogalactan. Herein, we used biochemical and structural approaches to validate the Ag85 complex as a pharmacological target of the CyC analogs. We found that CyC 7β , CyC 8β , and CyC 17 bind covalently to the catalytic Ser 124 residue in Ag85C; inhibit mycolyltransferase activity ( i.e. the transfer of a fatty acid molecule onto trehalose); and reduce triacylglycerol synthase activity, a property previously attributed to Ag85A. Supporting these results, an X-ray structure of Ag85C in complex with CyC 8β disclosed that this inhibitor occupies Ag85C's substrate-binding pocket. Importantly, metabolic labeling of M. tuberculosis cultures revealed that the CyC compounds impair both trehalose dimycolate synthesis and mycolylation of arabinogalactan. Overall, our study provides compelling evidence that CyC analogs can inhibit the activity of the Ag85 complex in vitro and in mycobacteria, opening the door to a new strategy for inhibiting Ag85. The high-resolution crystal structure obtained will further guide the rational optimization of new CyC scaffolds with greater specificity and potency against M. tuberculosis . © 2018 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Involvement of two classes of binding sites in the interactions of cyclophilin B with peripheral blood T-lymphocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Denys, A; Allain, F; Carpentier, M; Spik, G

1998-12-15

Cyclophilin B (CyPB) is a cyclosporin A (CsA)-binding protein, mainly associated with the secretory pathway, and is released in biological fluids. We recently reported that CyPB specifically binds to T-lymphocytes and promotes enhanced incorporation of CsA. The interactions with cellular binding sites involved, at least in part, the specific N-terminal extension of the protein. In this study, we intended to specify further the nature of the CyPB-binding sites on peripheral blood T-lymphocytes. We first provide evidence that the CyPB binding to heparin-Sepharose is prevented by soluble sulphated glycosaminoglycans (GAG), raising the interesting possibility that such interactions may occur on the T-cell surface. We then characterized CyPB binding to T-cell surface GAG and found that these interactions involved the N-terminal extension of CyPB, but not its conserved CsA-binding domain. In addition, we determined the presence of a second CyPB binding site, which we termed a type I site, in contrast with type II for GAG interactions. The two binding sites exhibit a similar affinity but the expression of the type I site was 3-fold lower. The conclusion that CyPB binding to the type I site is distinct from the interactions with GAG was based on the findings that it was (1) resistant to NaCl wash and GAG-degrading enzyme treatments, (2) reduced in the presence of CsA or cyclophilin C, and (3) unmodified in the presence of either the N-terminal peptide of CyPB or protamine. Finally, we showed that the type I binding sites were involved in an endocytosis process, supporting the hypothesis that they may correspond to a functional receptor for CyPB.

A retrospective comparison of cyclophosphamide plus antithymocyte globulin with cyclophosphamide plus busulfan as the conditioning regimen for severe aplastic anemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.V.M. Ommati

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT is the treatment of choice for young patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA. The association of antithymocyte globulin (ATG and cyclophosphamide (CY is the most frequently used conditioning regimen for this disease. We performed this retrospective study in order to compare the outcomes of HLA-matched sibling donor AHSCT in 41 patients with SAA receiving cyclophosphamide plus ATG (ATG-CY, N = 17 or cyclophosphamide plus busulfan (BU-CY, N = 24. The substitution of BU for ATG was motivated by the high cost of ATG. There were no differences in the clinical features between the two groups, including age, gender, cytomegalovirus status, ABO match, interval between diagnosis and transplant, and number of total nucleated cells infused. No differences were observed in the time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment, or in the risk of veno-occlusive disease and hemorrhage. However, there was a higher risk of mucositis in the BU-CY group (71 vs 24%, P = 0.004. There were no differences in the incidence of neutrophil and platelet engraftment, acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, and transplant-related mortality. There was a higher incidence of late rejection in the ATG-CY group (41 vs 4%, P = 0.009. Although the ATG-CY group had a longer follow-up (101 months than the BU-CY group (67 months, P = 0.04, overall survival was similar between the groups (69 vs 58%, respectively, P = 0.32. We conclude that the association BU-CY is a feasible option to the conventional ATG-CY regimen in this population.

CyPhyTown

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2014-09-25

A series of software programs that enables students to progress from completely unsecured control of devices to control that protects network commands with authentication, integrity and confidentiality. The working example provided is for turning LED lights on and off on a Raspberry Pi computer.

Ultrastructural study of the effect of cyclophosphamide on the growth area of incisor teeth of DBA/2 and C57BL/6 mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Anton, E

1996-04-01

The effect of a single dose of 300 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide (CY) on the ultrastructure of the basal area of lower incisor teeth was investigated in two strains of mice (DBA/2 and C57BL/6) which are very differently affected by the delayed toxicity of CY. As in the rat, CY produced necrosis in the primitive mesenchymal cells and preodontoblasts of the pulp. Moreover, important changes were noticed in the associated layers of the enamel organ (presumptive stratum intermedium cells and stellate reticulum); thus, most of the cells displayed degenerative changes including extensive vacuolization, cytoplasm sequestration and variable nuclear alterations ranging from relative integrity to complete disorganization. In contrast, non-dividing columnar odontoblasts and ameloblasts were not affected by the drug. The alterations appeared as early as 21 hours after CY and progressed in the following 2 and 3 days. Normality of the formative tooth end was regained 7 days after CY. These results indicate that in addition to the effect on the pulp, CY produces severe cytopathological changes in the cells of the stratum intermedium and stellate reticulum of the enamel organ. The different sensitivity of DBA/2 and C57BL/6 mice to the delayed toxicity of CY does not seem to be related to its effect on odontogenesis since both strains showed the same response to CY in this respect.

Identification of cellular and viral factors related to anti-hepatitis C virus activity of cyclophilin inhibitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Goto, Kaku; Watashi, Koichi; Inoue, Daisuke; Hijikata, Makoto; Shimotohno, Kunitada

2009-10-01

We have so far reported that an immunosuppressant cyclosporin A (CsA), a well-known cyclophilin (CyP) inhibitor (CPI), strongly suppressed hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication in cell culture, and that CyPB was a cellular cofactor for viral replication. To further investigate antiviral mechanisms of CPI, we here developed cells carrying CsA-resistant HCV replicons, by culturing the HCV subgenomic replicon cells for 4 weeks in the presence of CsA with G418. Transfection of total RNA from the isolated CsA-resistant cells to naïve Huh7 cells conferred CsA resistance, suggesting that the replicon RNA itself was responsible for the resistant phenotype. Of the identified amino acid mutations, D320E in NS5A conferred the CsA resistance. The replicon carrying the D320E mutation was sensitive to interferon-alpha, but was resistant to CsA and other CPIs including NIM811 and sanglifehrin A. Knockdown of individual CyP subtypes revealed CyP40, in addition to CyPA and CyPB, contributed to viral replication, and CsA-resistant replicons acquired independence from CyPA for efficient replication. These data provide important evidence on the mechanisms underlying the regulation of HCV replication by CyP and for designing novel and specific anti-HCV strategies with CPIs.

Evaluation of antitumor effects of folate-conjugated methyl-β-cyclodextrin in melanoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Motoyama, Keiichi; Onodera, Risako; Tanaka, Nao; Kameyama, Kazuhisa; Higashi, Taishi; Kariya, Ryusho; Okada, Seiji; Arima, Hidetoshi

2015-01-01

Melanoma is a life-threatening disorder and its incidence is increasing gradually. Despite the numerous treatment approaches, conventional systemic chemotherapy has not reduced the mortality rate among melanoma patients, probably due to the induction of toxicity to normal tissues. Recently, we have developed folate-conjugated methyl-β-cyclodextrin (FA-M-β-CyD) and clarified its potential as a new antitumor agent involved in autophagic cell death. However, it remains uncertain whether FA-M-β-CyD exerts anticancer effects against melanomas. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of FA-M-β-CyD on the folate receptor-α (FR-α)-expressing melanoma cell-selective cytotoxic effect. FA-M-β-CyD showed cytotoxic effects in Ihara cells, a human melanoma cell line expressing FR-α. In sharp contrast to methyl-β-cyclodextrin, FA-M-β-CyD entered Ihara cells [FR-α(+)] through FR-α-mediated endocytosis. Additionally, FA-M-β-CyD elicited the formation of autophagosomes in Ihara cells. Notably, FA-M-β-CyD suppressed melanoma growth in BALB/c nude recombinase-activating gene-2 (Rag-2)/Janus kinase 3 (Jak3) double deficient mice bearing Ihara cells. Therefore, these results suggest that FA-M-β-CyD could be utilized as a potent anticancer agent for melanoma chemotherapy by regulating autophagy.

Synthesis, characterization and anti-proliferative activity of heterocyclic hypervalent organoantimony compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yi; Yu, Kun; Tan, Nian-Yuan; Qiu, Ren-Hua; Liu, Wei; Luo, Ning-Lin; Tong, Le; Au, Chak-Tong; Luo, Zi-Qiang; Yin, Shuang-Feng

2014-05-22

Three heterocyclic hypervalent organoantimony chlorides RN(CH2C6H4)2SbCl (2a R = t-Bu, 2b R = Cy, 2c R = Ph) and their chalcogenide derivatives [RN(CH2C6H4)2Sb]2O (3a R = t-Bu, 3b R = Cy, 3c R = Ph) were synthesized and characterized by techniques such as (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, X-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis. It is found that the anti-proliferative activity detected over these compounds can be attributed to the coordination bond between the antimony and nitrogen atoms of these compounds. Moreover, a preliminary study on mechanistic action suggests that the inhibition effect is ascribable to cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Cyclophosphamide-induced cardiomyopathy in a patient with seminoma and a history of mediastinal irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamezaki, Kenjirou; Fukuda, Takahiro; Makino, Shigeyoshi; Harada, Mine

2005-01-01

A 17-year-old man with mediastinal seminoma was treated with chemotherapy and mediastinal irradiation therapy. Then he received high-dose chemotherapy containing cyclophosphamide (CY) followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. He suffered from CY-induced cardiomyopathy beginning six days after the administration of high-dose CY. The predictable factors associated with the onset of CY-induced cardiomyopathy are not precisely known. It is suggested that the history of mediastinal irradiation was responsible for the onset of cardiomyopathy. (author)

Inhibition of cyclophilin A suppresses H2O2-enhanced replication of HCMV through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Jun; Song, Xin; Deng, Jiang; Lv, Liping; Ma, Ping; Gao, Bo; Zhou, Xipeng; Zhang, Yanyu; Xu, Jinbo

2016-09-01

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection can be accelerated by intracellular and extracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) stimulation, mediated by the activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. However, it remains unknown whether host gene expression is involved in H2O2-upregulated HCMV replication. Here, we show that the expression of the host gene, cyclophilin A (CyPA), could be facilitated by treatment with H2O2 in a dose-dependent manner. Experiments with CyPA-specific siRNA, or with cyclosporine A, an inhibitor of CyPA, confirmed that H2O2-mediated upregulation of HCMV replication is specifically mediated by upregulation of CyPA expression. Furthermore, depletion or inhibition of CyPA reduced H2O2-induced p38 activation, consistent with that of H2O2-upregulated HCMV lytic replication. These results show that H2O2 is capable of activating ROS-CyPA-p38 MAPK interactions to enhance HCMV replication.

Effect of heat/pressure on cyanidin-3-glucoside ethanol model solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corrales, M; Lindauer, R; Butz, P; Tauscher, B

2008-01-01

The stability of cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy3gl) in 50% ethanol model solutions under heat/pressure treatments was investigated. Cy3gl was rapidly degraded when solutions were subjected to a heat/pressure treatment. The higher the pressure and the temperature used, the higher the degradation. Moreover, the degradation was increased according to increasing holding times. Parallel to the degradation of Cy3gl several hydrolytic products were formed and identified by LC-DAD/ESI-MS. The degradation of Cy3gl was well fitted to a first order reaction (R=0.99). This study pointed out the rate of susceptibility of Cy3gl in model solutions to degrade when exposed to a heat/pressure treatment and the trigger effect of high hydrostatic pressure to hydrolyse Cy3gl. By contrast, the degradation of anthocyanins in a food matrix (red grape extract solutions) was negligible after a heat/pressure process at 600MPa, 70 deg. C during 1h (P >0.05)

Negotiating and structuring the power purchase agreement (PPA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallace, R.B.

1999-01-01

In order to meet the needs of both generators and consumers, there are several factors which affect electricity sales that should be considered when negotiating a power purchase agreement. Most importantly, it should be known whether a project is being developed by the end user for its own use, or whether it is being developed by an independent power producer (IPP) for sale to the Power Pool, or directly to others. This paper described a joint venture as being an IPP which can sell power to the Power Pool, an eligible industrial user, or its host (usually to the most economically attractive buyer). Natural gas deregulation provided a big incentive for IPPs to develop new power projects. The things to consider in traditional power purchase arrangements are requests for proposals, the seller's response and a memorandum of understanding. The principle terms of a traditional bilateral power purchase agreement involve the nature of the services to be provided, pricing, termination terms, facilities issues, force majeure and changes in law. This paper also discussed market alternatives to the traditional power purchase agreement. 1 appendix

Mechanistic model to predict colostrum intake based on deuterium oxide dilution technique data and impact of gestation and prefarrowing diets on piglet intake and sow yield of colostrum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Theil, Peter Kappel; Flummer, Christine; Hurley, W L

2014-01-01

The aims of the present study were to quantify colostrum intake (CI) of piglets using the D2O dilution technique, to develop a mechanistic model to predict CI, to compare these data with CI predicted by a previous empirical predictive model developed for bottle-fed piglets, and to study how...... composition of diets fed to gestating sows affected piglet CI, sow colostrum yield (CY), and colostrum composition. In total, 240 piglets from 40 litters were enriched with D2O. The CI measured by D2O from birth until 24 h after the birth of first-born piglet was on average 443 g (SD 151). Based on measured...... CI, a mechanistic model to predict CI was developed using piglet characteristics (24-h weight gain [WG; g], BW at birth [BWB; kg], and duration of CI [D; min]: CI, g = –106 + 2.26 WG + 200 BWB + 0.111 D – 1,414 WG/D + 0.0182 WG/BWB (R2 = 0.944). This model was used to predict the CI for all colostrum...

Validation of a serum neutralization test for detection of antibodies specific to cyprinid herpesvirus 3 in infected common and koi carp (Cyprinus carpio)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cabon, J.; Louboutin, L.; Castric, J.

2017-01-01

healthy and naturally or experimentally CyHV-3-infected carp. French CyHV-3 isolate 07/108b was neutralized efficiently by sera from carp infected with European, American and Taiwanese CyHV-3 isolates, but no neutralization was observed using sera specific to other aquatic herpesviruses. Diagnostic...

Rapid detection and identification of viral and bacterial fish pathogens using a DNA array‐based multiplex assay

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lievens, B.; Frans, I.; Heusdens, C.

2011-01-01

for the simultaneous detection and identification of all cyprinid herpesviruses (CyHV‐1, CyHV‐2 and CyHV‐3) and some of the most important fish pathogenic Flavobacterium species, including F. branchiophilum, F. columnare and F. psychrophilum. For virus identification, the DNA polymerase and helicase genes were...

A Dextral Primary Progressive Aphasia Patient with Right Dominant Hypometabolism and Tau Accumulation and Left Dominant Amyloid Accumulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young Kyoung Jang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA is a degenerative disease that presents as progressive decline of language ability with preservation of other cognitive functions in the early stages. Three subtypes of PPA are known: progressive nonfluent aphasia, semantic dementia, and logopenic aphasia (LPA. Patients and Methods: We report the case of a 77-year-old patient with PPA whose clinical findings did not correspond to the three subtypes but mainly fit LPA. Unlike other LPA patients, however, this patient showed a right hemisphere predominant glucose hypometabolism and tau accumulation and a left hemisphere predominant amyloid deposition. The right-handed patient presented with comprehension difficulty followed by problems naming familiar objects. This isolated language problem had deteriorated rapidly for 2 years, followed by memory difficulties and impairment of daily activities. Using a Korean version of the Western Aphasia Battery, aphasia was consistent with a severe form of Wernicke's aphasia. According to the brain magnetic resonance imaging and 18F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography results, right hemisphere atrophy and hypometabolism, more predominant on the right hemisphere than the left, were apparent despite the fact that Edinburgh Handedness Questionnaire scores indicated strong right-handedness. On Pittsburgh compound B-PET, amyloid accumulation was asymmetrical with the left hemisphere being more predominant than the right, whereas 18F-T807-PET showed a right dominant tau accumulation. Conclusions: This is the first report of atypical PPA, in which the patient exhibited crossed aphasia and asymmetrical amyloid accumulation.

Diagnostic utility of FDG-PET in the differential diagnosis between different forms of primary progressive aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouwman, Femke; Orini, Stefania; Gandolfo, Federica; Altomare, Daniele; Festari, Cristina; Agosta, Federica; Arbizu, Javier; Drzezga, Alexander; Nestor, Peter; Nobili, Flavio; Walker, Zuzana; Morbelli, Silvia; Boccardi, Marina

2018-05-09

A joint effort of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) aims at clinical guidance for the use of FDG-PET in neurodegenerative diseases. This paper addresses the diagnostic utility of FDG-PET over clinical/neuropsychological assessment in the differentiation of the three forms of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Seven panelists were appointed by the EANM and EAN and a literature search was performed by using harmonized PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) question keywords. The studies were screened for eligibility, and data extracted to assess their methodological quality. Critical outcomes were accuracy indices in differentiating different PPA clinical forms. Subsequently Delphi rounds were held with the extracted data and quality assessment to reach a consensus based on both literature and expert opinion. Critical outcomes for this PICO were available in four of the examined papers. The level of formal evidence supporting clinical utility of FDG-PET in differentiating among PPA variants was considered as poor. However, the consensual recommendation was defined on Delphi round I, with six out of seven panelists supporting clinical use. Quantitative evidence demonstrating utility or lack thereof is still missing. Panelists decided consistently to provide interim support for clinical use based on the fact that a typical atrophy or metabolic pattern is needed for PPA according to the diagnostic criteria, and the synaptic failure detected by FDG-PET is an earlier phenomenon than atrophy. Also, a normal FDG-PET points to a non-neurodegenerative cause.

Riskikapitali pioneer Andersson : "hüppa sisse, hüppa välja" on halvim valik / Matts Andersson ; interv. Andres Aarma

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Andersson, Matts

2007-01-01

Ilmunud ka: Investor & Ettevõtja, sügis, 2007, lk.8-10. Riskikapitali investeeringutele keskendunud Sitra Managementi tegevjuht ja BaltCapi partner suhtumisest riskikapitali Ameerikas ja Euroopas, riskikapitali osast Baltimaade majandusarengus ning riskikapitali edust Soomes. Lisad: Mis on Sitra; Matts Andersson

Nanocomposite metal amorphous-carbon thin films deposited by hybrid PVD and PECVD technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira, V; Soares, P; Martins, A J; Carneiro, J; Cerqueira, F

2009-07-01

Carbon based films can combine the properties of solid lubricating graphite structure and hard diamond crystal structure, i.e., high hardness, chemical inertness, high thermal conductivity and optical transparency without the crystalline structure of diamond. Issues of fundamental importance associated with nanocarbon coatings are reducing stress, improving adhesion and compatibility with substrates. In this work new nanocomposite coatings with improved toughness based in nanocrystalline phases of metals and ceramics embedded in amorphous carbon matrix are being developed within the frame of a research project: nc-MeNxCy/a-C(Me) with Me = Mo, Si, Al, Ti, etc. Carbide forming metal/carbon (Me/C) composite films with Me = Mo, W or Ti possess appropriate properties to overcome the limitation of pure DLC films. These novel coating architectures will be adopted with the objective to decrease residual stress, improve adherence and fracture toughness, obtain low friction coefficient and high wear-resistance. Nanocomposite DLC's films were deposited by hybrid technique using a PVD-Physically Vapor Deposition (magnetron sputtering) and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), by the use of CH4 gas. The parameters varied were: deposition time, substrate temperature (180 degrees C) and dopant (Si + Mo) of the amorphous carbon matrix. All the depositions were made on silicon wafers and steel substrates precoated with a silicon inter-layer. The characterisation of the film's physico-mechanical properties will be presented in order to understand the influence of the deposition parameters and metal content used within the a-C matrix in the thin film properties. Film microstructure and film hybridization state was characterized by Raman Spectroscopy. In order to characterize morphology SEM and AFM will be used. Film composition was measured by Energy-Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The contact angle for the produced DLC's on

Cyclosporin A treatment of Leishmania donovani reveals stage-specific functions of cyclophilins in parasite proliferation and viability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wai-Lok Yau

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Cyclosporin A (CsA has important anti-microbial activity against parasites of the genus Leishmania, suggesting CsA-binding cyclophilins (CyPs as potential drug targets. However, no information is available on the genetic diversity of this important protein family, and the mechanisms underlying the cytotoxic effects of CsA on intracellular amastigotes are only poorly understood. Here, we performed a first genome-wide analysis of Leishmania CyPs and investigated the effects of CsA on host-free L. donovani amastigotes in order to elucidate the relevance of these parasite proteins for drug development. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Multiple sequence alignment and cluster analysis identified 17 Leishmania CyPs with significant sequence differences to human CyPs, but with highly conserved functional residues implicated in PPIase function and CsA binding. CsA treatment of promastigotes resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth with an IC50 between 15 and 20 microM as demonstrated by proliferation assay and cell cycle analysis. Scanning electron microscopy revealed striking morphological changes in CsA treated promastigotes reminiscent to developing amastigotes, suggesting a role for parasite CyPs in Leishmania differentiation. In contrast to promastigotes, CsA was highly toxic to amastigotes with an IC50 between 5 and 10 microM, revealing for the first time a direct lethal effect of CsA on the pathogenic mammalian stage linked to parasite thermotolerance, independent from host CyPs. Structural modeling, enrichment of CsA-binding proteins from parasite extracts by FPLC, and PPIase activity assays revealed direct interaction of the inhibitor with LmaCyP40, a bifunctional cyclophilin with potential co-chaperone function. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The evolutionary expansion of the Leishmania CyP protein family and the toxicity of CsA on host-free amastigotes suggest important roles of PPIases in parasite biology and implicate

Leak detection technologies for oil and gas pipelines; Tecnologias para deteccao e localizacao de vazamento em dutos de oleo e ou gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alonso, Julio R. [MTT Aselco Automacao Ltda., Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2005-07-01

Two concepts are available for leak detection in oil and/or gas pipelines: On-line leak detection system and off-line leak detection technique. The off-line leak detection technique is, usually, portable and does net configure a 'system'. This technique includes hydro-test, acoustic emission of high frequency, tracer of chemical substances, ultrasonic flow meter (UT), thermographic infra-red mapping, electromagnetic offset registration, etc. Since most of those methods requests stop of the system or depend on direct and detailed inspection of the whole monitored piping they are limited to the off-line inspection. In the current days there are only two technologies applied to detect and locate leaks on-line: The acoustic Leak Detection System and the modeling of computerized simulation also called as RTM (Real Time Modeling), RTTM or Mass Balance. There are still other techniques in the market, as acoustic emission, pressure analysis (PPA) beyond other rough techniques, without good results. Even some of these techniques are working without success, they are still used to accomplish with government standards. (author)

Protective activities of a Chinese medicine, Hochu-ekki-to, to impairment of hematopoietic organs and to microbial infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikeda, Satoru; Kaneko, Masahiro; Kumazawa, Yoshio; Nishimura, Chiaki

1990-01-01

Effect of Hochu-ekki-to (HET) on the number of peripheral leukocytes (PL) and their functions in cyclophosphamide (CY)-treated or γ ray-irradiated mice was investigated. By treatment of mice with anticancer agent CY or γ ray irradiation, unfavorable side effects usually occurred to impair hematopoietic organs, causing bone marrow disorder. However, it was significantly protected by oral administration of HET (1 g/kg/d) to CY-treated or γ ray-irradiated mice. The numbers of neutrophils and monocytes in PL were restored to the normal level, and colony-stimulating factor (CSF) was induced in the sera of mice by HET in a dose-dependent manner. The induction of serum CSF reached a peak at 3 h after HET administration. Colony-forming unit of bone marrow cells in the spleen adoptively transfered into syngeneic mice, that is defined as CFU-S, was extremely reduced by CY-treatment. However, when HET was orally administered, CFU-S of CY-treated mice was markedly stimulated, suggesting that bone marrow cells were reactivated for further proliferation and mobilization. HET enhanced other leukocyte functions in CY-treated mice; i.e., superoxide production of neutrophils and phagocytic activity of macrophages. Thus, oral administration of HET to CY-treated mice enforced protection against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. (author)

Cyclosporin A levels in suction-blister fluid of patients with psoriasis treated systemically

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meinardi, M. M.; van Eendenburg, J. P.; Oosting, J.; van Boxtel, C. J.; de Rie, M. A.; Bos, J. D.

1990-01-01

Oral cyclosporin A (CyA) is highly effective in the treatment of psoriasis. The long-term use is limited by dose-dependent side-effects, and the local concentration of CyA is a determining factor in treatment. The concentration of CyA in suction-blister fluid (SBF) and in whole blood was assessed

Augmentation of spelling therapy with transcranial direct current stimulation in primary progressive aphasia: Preliminary results and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsapkini, Kyrana; Frangakis, Constantine; Gomez, Yessenia; Davis, Cameron; Hillis, Argye E

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects language functions and often begins in the fifth or sixth decade of life. The devastating effects on work and family life call for the investigation of treatment alternatives. In this article, we present new data indicating that neuromodulatory treatment, using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with a spelling intervention, shows some promise for maintaining or even improving language, at least temporarily, in PPA. The main aim of the present article is to determine whether tDCS plus spelling intervention is more effective than spelling intervention alone in treating written language in PPA. We also asked whether the effects of tDCS are sustained longer than the effects of spelling intervention alone. We present data from six PPA participants who underwent anodal tDCS or sham plus spelling intervention in a within-subject crossover design. Each stimulation condition lasted 3 weeks or a total of 15 sessions with a 2-month interval in between. Participants were evaluated on treatment tasks as well as on other language and cognitive tasks at 2-week and 2-month follow-up intervals after each stimulation condition. All participants showed improvement in spelling (with sham or tDCS). There was no difference in the treated items between the two conditions. There was, however, consistent and significant improvement for untrained items only in the tDCS plus spelling intervention condition. Furthermore, the improvement lasted longer in the tDCS plus spelling intervention condition compared to sham plus spelling intervention condition. Neuromodulation with tDCS offers promise as a means of augmenting language therapy to improve written language function at least temporarily in PPA. The consistent finding of generalisation of treatment benefits to untreated items and the superior sustainability of treatment effects with tDCS justifies further investigations. However

THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO ASSESS EFFICIENCY OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE KEY BUSINESS PROCESSES IN THE PUBLISHING AND PRINTING ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volodymyr Bazyliuk

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is the theoretical study and the analysis of the basic methodological approaches to assess the effectiveness of the transformation of key business processes in the PPA (publishing and printing activity in the region in order to choose the best option. Methodology. The overview of the main assessment methods of the effectiveness of business processes: EVA (Economic value added; ABC (Activity-based costing; Tableau of bord and BSC (Balanced Scorecard is provided. In order to ensure the formalization of the intergrated assessment of the effectiveness of the business process in the publishing and printing activities in the region it is suggested to apply to the methodological apparatus of the fuzzy sets. Statistical analysis, comparison and synthesis are necessary to study the efficiency of the transformation of the key business processes in the PPA in the region. Results. The review and analysis of the most common methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the transformation of key business processes were conducted; the basic advantages and disadvantages of each of the proposed methods in the light of PPA were studied. It was proved that a single business process involves the use of a scorecard that is specific and peculiar for it only whereas completeness of its analysis depends on the kind of the business process: basic, developmental, managing or providing one. The approach to the formalization of the integrated assememnt of the effectiveness of business process in PPA in the region, based on the theory of fuzzy sets was formulated. Practical significance. The mathematical formulation of the problem, an integrated assessment of the efficiency of the business process for each of the possible options for its implementation was developed, and the algorithm of assessing the effectiveness of the business process in the PPA in the region was generated by the apparatus of fuzzy sets. Value/originality. Implementing the

Functional Conservation and Divergence of daf-22 Paralogs in Pristionchus pacificus Dauer Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Markov, Gabriel V; Meyer, Jan M; Panda, Oishika; Artyukhin, Alexander B; Claaßen, Marc; Witte, Hanh; Schroeder, Frank C; Sommer, Ralf J

2016-10-01

Small-molecule signaling in nematode dauer formation has emerged as a major model to study chemical communication in development and evolution. Developmental arrest as nonfeeding and stress-resistant dauer larvae represents the major survival and dispersal strategy. Detailed studies in Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus revealed that small-molecule communication changes rapidly in evolution resulting in extreme structural diversity of small-molecule compounds. In C. elegans, a blend of ascarosides constitutes the dauer pheromone, whereas the P. pacificus dauer pheromone includes additional paratosides and integrates building blocks from diverse primary metabolic pathways. Despite this complexity of small-molecule structures and functions, little is known about the biosynthesis of small molecules in nematodes outside C. elegans Here, we show that the genes encoding enzymes of the peroxisomal β-oxidation pathway involved in small-molecule biosynthesis evolve rapidly, including gene duplications and domain switching. The thiolase daf-22, the most downstream factor in C. elegans peroxisomal β-oxidation, has duplicated in P. pacificus, resulting in Ppa-daf-22.1, which still contains the sterol-carrier-protein (SCP) domain that was lost in C. elegans daf-22, and Ppa-daf-22.2. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, we induced mutations in both P. pacificus daf-22 genes and identified an unexpected complexity of functional conservation and divergence. Under well-fed conditions, ascaroside biosynthesis proceeds exclusively via Ppa-daf-22.1 In contrast, starvation conditions induce Ppa-daf-22.2 activity, resulting in the production of a specific subset of ascarosides. Gene expression studies indicate a reciprocal up-regulation of both Ppa-daf-22 genes, which is, however, independent of starvation. Thus, our study reveals an unexpected functional complexity of dauer development and evolution. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the

Ratiometric FRET-based detection of DNA and micro-RNA in solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matveeva, Evgenia G.; Gryczynski, Zygmunt; Stewart, Donald R.; Gryczynski, Ignacy

2009-01-01

A ratiometric method for detecting DNA oligomers in bulk solution based on Foerster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is described. The two fluorescence signals (green and red), originating from Cy3 (donor, green) and Cy5 (acceptor, red) labels, are simultaneously detected from the pre-hybridized Cy3oligomerY:Cy5oligomerX system. The ratio of red to green intensities is sensitive to the presence of the single-stranded complimentary oligomer, which replaces single-stranded Cy3oligomerY in the donor:acceptor complex and perturbs the FRET. The detection scheme is generally applicable to the detection of DNA and RNA, and particularly micro-RNA. The proposed method is applicable to various double-stranded various lengths targets (manipulation of the sample preparation conditions, such as temperature, incubation time, denaturizing agent, may be needed).

Development and application of efficient strategies for parallel magnetic resonance imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Breuer, F.

2006-07-01

Virtually all existing MRI applications require both a high spatial and high temporal resolution for optimum detection and classification of the state of disease. The main strategy to meet the increasing demands of advanced diagnostic imaging applications has been the steady improvement of gradient systems, which provide increased gradient strengths and faster switching times. Rapid imaging techniques and the advances in gradient performance have significantly reduced acquisition times from about an hour to several minutes or seconds. In order to further increase imaging speed, much higher gradient strengths and much faster switching times are required which are technically challenging to provide. In addition to significant hardware costs, peripheral neuro-stimulations and the surpassing of admissable acoustic noise levels may occur. Today's whole body gradient systems already operate just below the allowed safety levels. For these reasons, alternative strategies are needed to bypass these limitations. The greatest progress in further increasing imaging speed has been the development of multi-coil arrays and the advent of partially parallel acquisition (PPA) techniques in the late 1990's. Within the last years, parallel imaging methods have become commercially available,and are therefore ready for broad clinical use. The basic feature of parallel imaging is a scan time reduction, applicable to nearly any available MRI method, while maintaining the contrast behavior without requiring higher gradient system performance. PPA operates by allowing an array of receiver surface coils, positioned around the object under investigation, to partially replace time-consuming spatial encoding which normally is performed by switching magnetic field gradients. Using this strategy, spatial resolution can be improved given a specific imaging time, or scan times can be reduced at a given spatial resolution. Furthermore, in some cases, PPA can even be used to reduce image

Development and application of efficient strategies for parallel magnetic resonance imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breuer, F.

2006-01-01

Virtually all existing MRI applications require both a high spatial and high temporal resolution for optimum detection and classification of the state of disease. The main strategy to meet the increasing demands of advanced diagnostic imaging applications has been the steady improvement of gradient systems, which provide increased gradient strengths and faster switching times. Rapid imaging techniques and the advances in gradient performance have significantly reduced acquisition times from about an hour to several minutes or seconds. In order to further increase imaging speed, much higher gradient strengths and much faster switching times are required which are technically challenging to provide. In addition to significant hardware costs, peripheral neuro-stimulations and the surpassing of admissable acoustic noise levels may occur. Today's whole body gradient systems already operate just below the allowed safety levels. For these reasons, alternative strategies are needed to bypass these limitations. The greatest progress in further increasing imaging speed has been the development of multi-coil arrays and the advent of partially parallel acquisition (PPA) techniques in the late 1990's. Within the last years, parallel imaging methods have become commercially available,and are therefore ready for broad clinical use. The basic feature of parallel imaging is a scan time reduction, applicable to nearly any available MRI method, while maintaining the contrast behavior without requiring higher gradient system performance. PPA operates by allowing an array of receiver surface coils, positioned around the object under investigation, to partially replace time-consuming spatial encoding which normally is performed by switching magnetic field gradients. Using this strategy, spatial resolution can be improved given a specific imaging time, or scan times can be reduced at a given spatial resolution. Furthermore, in some cases, PPA can even be used to reduce image artifacts

Effect of cyclophosphamide on the course of Candida albicans infection in normal and vaccinated mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Japoni, A.; Alborzi, A.; Farshad, S.; Hayati, M.; Dehyadegari, Mohammad A.; Mehrabani, D.

2006-01-01

To evaluate the immunomodulating effect of cyclophosphamide (Cy) on the course of Candida albicans (C. albicans). We performed this study in the Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz, Iran during April to November 2003. Five groups of 10 mice (vaccinated group) were immunized by 5 equal injections of 2x105, 2.5x105 and 3x105 of the organism intraperitoneally. Then, the group received Cy on day zero and was challenged with lethal doses of C. albicans (7.74x105 colony forming unit) on days zero, one, 3, 6 and 12 post-Cy injection. Another 5 equal groups of 10 mice (non-vaccinated group) received Cy on day zero and similar to vaccinated ones were challenged with lethal doses of the organism too. The control groups received just Cy on day zero and were sacrificed on days zero, one, 3, 6 and 12 days post-Cy injection. We performed the hemogram and the spleen and studied the renal tissues microscopically and macroscopically. In vaccinated group, we observed an increase in survival time and in spleen and renal weights were visible while in non-vaccinated ones, a significant decrease was also observed on days one and 3 and an increased on days 6 and 12 post-Cy injection. We observed atrophy and necrosis in the spleen while inflammation and necrosis were also observed in the kidneys on days one and 3. We noticed a significant hyperplasia in the white pulp on days 6 and 12 post-Cy injection. We conclude that hyperplasia in the white pulp of spleen and the increase in peripheral polymorphonuclears due to selective effects of Cy could effectively protect the animal against C. albicans infection. (author)

Comparison of the fluorescent polarization (TDx and the enzymatic competitive (EMIT 2000 immune assays for the measurement of cyclosporin A blood concentration Comparação dos imuno-ensaios de fluorescência polarizada (TDx e enzimático competitivo (EMIT 2000 na dosagem da concentração de ciclosporina A no sangue total

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Elias David-Neto

2000-12-01

Full Text Available Evaluation of Cyclosporin A (CyA blood concentration is imperative in solid organ transplantation in order to achieve maximal immunosuppression with the least side effects. We compared the results of whole blood concentrations of CyA in 50 blood samples simultaneously evaluated by the fluorescent polarization immune assay (TDx and the enzymatic competitive immune assay (EMIT 2000. There was a strong correlation between both kits for any range of CyA blood concentration (R=0.99, pA avaliação da concentração sanguínea de ciclosporina A (CyA é necessária em transplantes de órgãos sólidos para obter-se máxima imunosupressão e mínimos efeitos colaterais. Nós comparamos os resultados da concentração de CyA em 50 amostras sanguíneas analisadas pelos métodos dos imuno-ensaios de fluorescência polarizada (TDx e enzimático competitivo (EMIT 2000. Houve uma forte correlação entre ambos métodos para qualquer faixa de concentração de CyA (R=0.99, p<0.001. Os coeficientes de variação intra e interensaio foram menores que 4% para ambos os métodos. O custo para cada análise de CyA foi 50% menor para o EMIT em comparação com o TDx. Concluímos que a metodologia EMIT é tão acurada quanto a de TDx para dosar CyA em amostras sanguíneas. Além disso, a metodologia EMIT é mais prática para ser realizada e mais barata, sendo ainda possível adotá-la para dosagens de CyA em vários horários de um mesmo dia.

76 FR 70227 - Medicare Program; End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System and Quality Incentive...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-10

...-Neutrality Adjustment for CY 2011 4. Transition Budget-Neutrality Adjustment for CY 2012 5. Low-Volume... Adjustment for CY 2012 7. Updates to the Wage Index Values and Wage Index Floor for the Composite Rate Portion of the Blended Payment and the ESRD PPS Payment a. Reduction to the ESRD Wage Index Floor b...

Involvement of the N-terminal part of cyclophilin B in the interaction with specific Jurkat T-cell binding sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Mariller, C; Haendler, B; Allain, F; Denys, A; Spik, G

1996-07-15

Cyclophilin B (CyPB) is secreted in biological fluids such as blood or milk and binds to a specific receptor present on the human lymphoblastic cell line Jurkat and on human peripheral blood lymphocytes. This study was intended to specify the areas of CyPB that are involved in the interaction with the receptor. A synthetic peptide corresponding to the first 24 N-terminal amino acid residues of CyPB was shown to specifically recognize the receptor. Moreover, modification of Arg18 of CyPB by p-hydroxyphenlglyoxal led to a dramatic loss of affinity for the receptor. However, when this residue was replaced by an alanine residue using site-directed mutagenesis, no modification of the binding properties was found, suggesting that Arg18 is not directly involved but is sufficiently close to the interaction site to interfere with the binding when modified. Competitive binding experiments using a chimaeric protein made up of the 24 N-terminal amino acid residues of CyPB fused to the cyclophilin A core sequence confirmed the involvement of this region of CyPB in receptor binding.

Optical imaging to trace near infrared fluorescent zinc oxide nanoparticles following oral exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee CM

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Chang-Moon Lee,1–4,* Hwan-Jeong Jeong,1–4,* Kuk-No Yun,1–3 Dong Wook Kim,1–4 Myung-Hee Sohn,1–4 Jong Kwon Lee,5 Jayoung Jeong,5 Seok Tae Lim1–4 *These authors contributed equally to this work.1Department of Nuclear Medicine; 2Cyclotron Research Center; 3Research Institute of Clinical Medicine; 4Institute for Medical Sciences, Chonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-Do, Republic of Korea; 5Toxicological Research Division, National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Osong-Eup, Chungchungbuk-Do, Republic of KoreaBackground: Understanding how nanomaterials are distributed in the body after exposure is important for assessing whether they are safe. In this study, we investigated the behavior and accumulation of nanoscaled and submicron-scaled zinc oxide (ZnO particles in the body using optical imaging following oral exposure.Methods: To trace these nanoparticles in the body, ZnO nanoparticles were conjugated with a monoreactive hydroxysuccinimide ester of Cy5.5 (Cy5.5-NHS, and the conjugation-stabilizing effect of Cy5.5 on the nanoparticles was evaluated in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2 for 7 hours. To compare the distribution of Cy5.5-NHS and Cy5.5-conjugated ZnO nanoparticles, Cy5.5-NHS 0.5 mg/kg and Cy5.5-conjugated ZnO nanoparticles 250 mg/kg were administered orally to healthy rats. We collected blood from the rats at predesignated time points for 7 hours after administration, and optical imaging studies were performed at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 hours after dosing. To investigate the extent of nanoparticle accumulation in the organs and tissues, the mice were sacrificed at 23 hours after administration, and the organs were removed and imaged.Results: Cy5.5-conjugated ZnO nanoparticles were stable in simulated gastric fluid for 7 hours. The signal intensity of Cy5.5-NHS in blood was highest 3 hours after oral administration, and Cy5.5-conjugated ZnO nanoparticles showed the highest signal

75 FR 45769 - Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-03

... conversion factor used to determine payment rates under the OPPS on an annual basis using the OPD fee.... Therefore, the only changes to the conversion factor, and thus to the CY 2010 OPPS payment rates, that are... recalculated CY 2010 final conversion factor of $67.241 is reflected in the revised CY 2010 OPPS payment rates...

National Dam Safety Program. Conewango Creek Watershed Project Site 33 (Inventory Number NY 581), Allegheny River Basin, Chautauqua County, New York, Phase 1 Inspection Report

Science.gov (United States)

1980-09-10

bedded shale and limestone bedrock found everywhere but the borrow area. Usually weathered in the top few feet. Hopefully rippable in most cases. o I L i...4485 c.y., 3 - 1020 c.y., K - 2130 c.y. r r,, - The RQD of cores seems to indicate that the bedrock will be rippable , at least for the most part

Monolayer Iron Carbide Films on Au(111) as a Fischer–Tropsch Model Catalyst

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mannie, Gilbère; Lammich, Lutz; Li, Yong-Wang

2014-01-01

-temperature exposure of Fe islands gas to C2H4 deposited on the clean Au(111) surface results in partly converted Fe/FexCy islands. Multistep flash-heating treatment of the partly converted Fe/FexCy islands at 523 and 773 K results in pure highly crystalline FexCy islands with in-plane nearest-neighbor distances of 0...

Diagnosis of cardiac allograft rejection with indium-111 labeled platelets in cyclosporin treated rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fawwaz, R.A.; Iga, C.; Hardy, M.A.; Alderson, P.O.

1984-01-01

Rejection of heart transplants remains difficult to diagnose. Indium-111 (In-111) labeled lymphocytes accumulate in rat cardiac allografts when recipients are treated with Cyclosporin (Cy), even in the absence of clinical rejection. This presumably occurs because of the non-specific 'interstitial infiltration' caused by Cy. This study examines the usefulness of In-111 labeled platelets in differentiating experimental cardiac allograft rejection from Cy-induced tissue changes. The authors initially examined the migration patterns of syngeneic In-111 labeled platelets in groups of Lewis recipients of ACI cardiac allografts treated with IM Cy (10mg/kg) for 6-14 days. In addition, 10 control animals were not immunosuppressed, and 10 were treated with Cy but received Lewis cardiac isografts. Syngeneic In-111 platelets were injected IV into each animal 24 hours prior to sacrifice. Three to five rats from each group were killed at 3 ,7, 14, 21 and 28 days after transplantation and the % ID/gm in the transplanted hearts and native hearts were determined and correlated with histopathology. Untreated Lewis recipients rejected ACI hearts in 6.5 +- 0.4 days while Cy prolonged allograft survival in a variable fashion. In-111 platelet accumulation correlated well with the degree of rejection determined independently by histopathology. No significant In-111 platelet accumulation was detected in non-rejecting cardiac transplants or in native hearts in Cy treated or control animals. The results suggest that In-111 labeled platelets will be an effective agent for diagnosis of cardiac rejection, even in the presence of Cy treatment

Skin mucus of Cyprinus carpio inhibits cyprinid herpesvirus 3 binding to epidermal cells

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Raj Victor

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3 is the aetiological agent of a mortal and highly contagious disease in common and koi carp. The skin is the major portal of entry of CyHV-3 in carp after immersion in water containing the virus. In the present study, we used in vivo bioluminescence imaging to investigate the effect of skin mucus removal and skin epidermis lesion on CyHV-3 entry. Physical treatments inducing removal of the mucus up to complete erosion of the epidermis were applied on a defined area of carp skin just before inoculation by immersion in infectious water. CyHV-3 entry in carp was drastically enhanced on the area of the skin where the mucus was removed with or without associated epidermal lesion. To investigate whether skin mucus inhibits CyHV-3 binding to epidermal cells, tail fins with an intact mucus layer or without mucus were inoculated ex vivo. While electron microscopy examination revealed numerous viral particles bound on the fins inoculated after mucus removal, no particle could be detected after infection of mucus-covered fins. Finally, anti-CyHV-3 neutralising activity of mucus extract was tested in vitro. Incubation of CyHV-3 with mucus extract reduced its infectivity in a dose dependent manner. The present study demonstrates that skin mucus removal and epidermal lesions enhance CyHV-3 entry in carp. It highlights the role of fish skin mucus as an innate immune protection against viral epidermal entry.

Skin mucus of Cyprinus carpio inhibits cyprinid herpesvirus 3 binding to epidermal cells

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) is the aetiological agent of a mortal and highly contagious disease in common and koi carp. The skin is the major portal of entry of CyHV-3 in carp after immersion in water containing the virus. In the present study, we used in vivo bioluminescence imaging to investigate the effect of skin mucus removal and skin epidermis lesion on CyHV-3 entry. Physical treatments inducing removal of the mucus up to complete erosion of the epidermis were applied on a defined area of carp skin just before inoculation by immersion in infectious water. CyHV-3 entry in carp was drastically enhanced on the area of the skin where the mucus was removed with or without associated epidermal lesion. To investigate whether skin mucus inhibits CyHV-3 binding to epidermal cells, tail fins with an intact mucus layer or without mucus were inoculated ex vivo. While electron microscopy examination revealed numerous viral particles bound on the fins inoculated after mucus removal, no particle could be detected after infection of mucus-covered fins. Finally, anti-CyHV-3 neutralising activity of mucus extract was tested in vitro. Incubation of CyHV-3 with mucus extract reduced its infectivity in a dose dependent manner. The present study demonstrates that skin mucus removal and epidermal lesions enhance CyHV-3 entry in carp. It highlights the role of fish skin mucus as an innate immune protection against viral epidermal entry. PMID:21816061

Induction of mitophagy-mediated antitumor activity with folate-appended methyl-β-cyclodextrin.

Science.gov (United States)

Kameyama, Kazuhisa; Motoyama, Keiichi; Tanaka, Nao; Yamashita, Yuki; Higashi, Taishi; Arima, Hidetoshi

2017-01-01

Mitophagy is the specific autophagic elimination system of mitochondria, which regulates cellular survival via the removal of damaged mitochondria. Recently, we revealed that folate-appended methyl-β-cyclodextrin (FA-M-β-CyD) provides selective antitumor activity in folate receptor-α (FR-α)-expressing cells by the induction of autophagy. In this study, to gain insight into the detailed mechanism of this antitumor activity, we focused on the induction of mitophagy by the treatment of FR-α-expressing tumor cells with FA-M-β-CyD. In contrast to methyl-β-cyclodextrin, FA-M-β-CyD entered KB cells, human epithelial cells from a fatal cervical carcinoma (FR-α (+)) through FR-α-mediated endocytosis. The transmembrane potential of isolated mitochondria after treatment with FA-M-β-CyD was significantly elevated. In addition, FA-M-β-CyD lowered adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and promoted reactive oxygen species production in KB cells (FR-α (+)). Importantly, FA-M-β-CyD enhanced light chain 3 (LC3) conversion (LC3-I to LC3-II) in KB cells (FR-α (+)) and induced PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) protein expression, which is involved in the induction of mitophagy. Furthermore, FA-M-β-CyD had potent antitumor activity in BALB/c nu/nu mice xenografted with KB cells (FR-α (+)) without any significant side effects. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the autophagic cell death elicited by FA-M-β-CyD could be associated with mitophagy induced by an impaired mitochondrial function.

Oxidation of extracellular cysteine/cystine redox state in bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Iyer, Smita S; Ramirez, Allan M; Ritzenthaler, Jeffrey D; Torres-Gonzalez, Edilson; Roser-Page, Susanne; Mora, Ana L; Brigham, Kenneth L; Jones, Dean P; Roman, Jesse; Rojas, Mauricio

2009-01-01

Several lines of evidence indicate that depletion of glutathione (GSH), a critical thiol antioxidant, is associated with the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, GSH synthesis depends on the amino acid cysteine (Cys), and relatively little is known about the regulation of Cys in fibrosis. Cys and its disulfide, cystine (CySS), constitute the most abundant low-molecular weight thiol/disulfide redox couple in the plasma, and the Cys/CySS redox state (E(h) Cys/CySS) is oxidized in association with age and smoking, known risk factors for IPF. Furthermore, oxidized E(h) Cys/CySS in the culture media of lung fibroblasts stimulates proliferation and expression of transitional matrix components. The present study was undertaken to determine whether bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis is associated with a decrease in Cys and/or an oxidation of the Cys/CySS redox state and to determine whether these changes were associated with changes in E(h) GSH/glutathione disulfide (GSSG). We observed distinct effects on plasma GSH and Cys redox systems during the progression of bleomycin-induced lung injury. Plasma E(h) GSH/GSSG was selectively oxidized during the proinflammatory phase, whereas oxidation of E(h) Cys/CySS occurred at the fibrotic phase. In the epithelial lining fluid, oxidation of E(h) Cys/CySS was due to decreased food intake. Thus the data show that decreased precursor availability and enhanced oxidation of Cys each contribute to the oxidation of extracellular Cys/CySS redox state in bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis.

Effects of Power Ultrasound on Stability of Cyanidin-3-glucoside Obtained from Blueberry

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Guang-Long Yao

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Power ultrasound (US could potentially be used in the food industry in the future. However, the extent of anthocyanin degradation by US requires investigation. Cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy-3-glu obtained from blueberry extracts was used as research material to investigate the effect of power ultrasound on food processing of anthocyanin-rich raw materials. The effects of ultrasonic waves on the stability of Cy-3-glu and on the corresponding changes in UV-Vis spectrum and antioxidant activity were investigated, and the mechanisms of anthocyanin degradation induced by ultrasonic waves were discussed. To explore Cy-3-glu degradation in different environments, we kept the Cy-3-glu solution treated with ultrasonic waves in four concentrations (0%, 10%, 20%, and 50% of ethanol aqueous solutions to simulate water, beer, wine, and liquor storage environment according to the chemical kinetics method. Results show that the basic spectral characteristics of Cy-3-glu did not significantly change after power ultrasound cell crusher application at 30 °C. However, with anthocyanin degradation, the intensity of the peak for Cy-3-glu at 504 nm significantly decreased (p < 0.05. The degradation kinetics of Cy-3-glu by ultrasonic waves (200–500 W frequency fitted well to first-order reaction kinetics, and the degradation rate constant of Cy-3-glu under power ultrasound was considerably larger than that under thermal degradation (p < 0.05. The sensitivity of the anthocyanins of blueberry to temperature increased with increasing ethanol concentration, and the longest half-life was observed in 20% ethanol aqueous solution.

Potentiometric studies on some ternary complexes of Nd(III), Sm(III), Gd(III) and Ho(III) with cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid as primary ligand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marathe, D.G.; Munshi, K.N.

1983-01-01

The formation constants of the ternary complexes of neodymium(III), samarium(III), gadlonium(III) and holmium(III) with cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid (CyDTA) as primary ligand and dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN), dihydroxynaphthalene-6-sulphonic acid (DHNSA) and cateechol-3,5-disulphonic acid (CDSA) as secondary ligands have been investigated by potentiometric titration technique. The secondary ligands have been investigated by potentiometric titration technique. The values of formation constants of 1:1:1 ternary chelates are reported at three different temperatures, and at a fixed ionic strength, μ = 0.1 M (NaClO 4 ). (author)

The influence of antioxidant on positron annihilation in polypropylene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djourelov, N.; He, C.; Suzuki, T.; Ito, Y; Kondo, K.; Ito, Y.; Shantarovich, V.P.

2003-01-01

The purpose of this report is to check the influence of the carbonyl groups (CG), created by oxygen naturally dissolved in a polymer matrix and by the source irradiation, on annihilation characteristics of free positrons using the positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and coincidence Doppler-broadening spectroscopy (CDBS). Positron annihilation in a pure polypropylene (PP) and in an antioxidant-containing polypropylene (PPA) sample at room and low temperatures has been studied by CDBS. PALS has been used as an o-Ps (orth-positronium) formation monitor. The momentum density distributions of electrons obtained by CDBS at the beginning of measurements have been compared to that at the o-Ps intensity saturation level. It has been shown that the initial concentration of carbonyl groups in a PP sample is high, while for an antioxidant-containing sample, PPA, carbonyl groups are not detected by CDBS. CDBS spectra for a PP can be explained by annihilation of free positrons with the oxygen contained in the carbonyl groups. For a PPA sample, no significant contribution of annihilation with oxygen core electrons can be concluded. (Y. Kazumata)

Storm-time Convection Dynamics Viewed from Optical Auroras: from Streamer to Patchy Pulsating Aurora

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, B.; Donovan, E.; Liang, J.; Grono, E.

2016-12-01

In a series of statistical and event studies we have demonstrated that the motion of patches in regions of Patchy Pulsating Aurora (PPA) is very close to if not exactly convection. Thus, 2D maps of PPA motion provides us the opportunity to remote sense magnetospheric convection with relatively high space and time resolution, subject to uncertainties associated with mapping between the ionosphere and magnetosphere. In this study, we use THEMIS ASI aurora observations (streamers and patchy pulsating aurora) combined with SuperDARN convection measurements, Swarm ion drift velocity measurements, and RBSP electric field measurements to explore the convection dynamics in storm time. From 0500 UT to 0600 UT on March 19 2015, convection observations across 5 magnetic local time (MLT) inferred from the motion of PPA patches and SuperDARN measurements show that a westward SAPS (Subauroral Polarized Streams) enhancement occurs after an auroral streamer. This suggests that plasma sheet fast flows can affect the inner magnetospheric convection, and possibly trigger very fast flows in the inner magnetosphere.

Co-Occurrence of Language and Behavioural Change in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

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Jennifer M. Harris

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Background/Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the co-occurrence of language and behavioural impairment in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD spectrum pathology. Methods: Eighty-one dementia patients with pathological confirmation of FTLD were identified. Anonymized clinical records from patients' first assessment were rated for language and behavioural features from frontotemporal dementia consensus criteria, primary progressive aphasia (PPA criteria and 1998 FTLD criteria. Results: Over 90% of patients with FTLD pathology exhibited a combination of at least one behavioural and one language feature. Changes in language, in particular, were commonly accompanied by behavioural change. Notably, the majority of patients who displayed language features characteristic of semantic variant PPA exhibited ‘early perseverative, stereotyped or compulsive/ritualistic behaviour'. Moreover, ‘executive/generation deficits with relative sparing of memory and visuospatial functions' occurred in most patients with core features of non-fluent variant PPA. Conclusion: Behavioural and language symptoms frequently co-occur in patients with FTLD pathology. Current classifications, which separate behavioural and language syndromes, do not reflect this co-occurrence.

[Physical self-concept and teenagers with intellectual disability: age, sex, and weight category effects].

Science.gov (United States)

Bégarie, Jérôme; Maïano, Christophe; Ninot, Grégory

2011-03-01

To study the effects of age, sex, weight, and their interactions on global self-esteem (GSE) and physical self-concept in teenagers with intellectual disability (ID). A sample of 353 teenagers with ID, aged 12 to 18 years, participated in this study. The Very Short Form of the Physical Self-Inventory—for adolescents with ID (PSI-VSF-ID) was used to assess GSE and physical self-perceptions (physical value perceived [PVP], sport skills [SS], physical condition, physical appearance, and strength). Multivariate covariance analyses show: (i) lower GSE and physical self levels (except for PVP) in females, compared with males; (ii) reduced GSE, PVP, SS, and perceived physical appearance (PPA) scores during adolescence; (iii) lower GSE, PVP, and PPA scores in obese adolescents, compared with overweight or normal weight peers; and (iv) lower PPA scores in obese females, compared with other teenagers. The sex and age results are almost identical to those for the general population, according to the literature. However, they are far from the main effect in the weight category.

Comparative study of active and inactive elderly persons through the assessment of activities of daily living and quality of life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Caporicci

2011-06-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at evaluating the activities of daily living and quality of active and inactive seniors’ life. This is a descriptive research of a quantitative nature. Participants were 24 seniors, 12 physical activity practitioners (PPA and 12 non-practitioners (NPPA. The instrument was a demographic questionnaire and SF-36 for measuring the quality of life and tests proposed by GDLAM. SPSS 15.0 was used for data analysis. The results obtained by the sociodemographic questionnaire for PPA and NPPA groups were, respectively: age − 69.5 and 70.0 years, marital status − 50.0% widower and 41.7% were married; education − 50.0% with complete elementary school and 58.3% with incomplete elementary school; health problems − 25.0% and 58.33% hypertension. In functional autonomy tests, the PPA group had shorter execution time when compared with the NPPA group; however, both groups found themselves in the rating of "weak" according to the protocol GDLAM. We concluded that there was no statistical difference between groups.

Comparative study of active and inactive elderly persons through the assessment of activities of daily living and quality of life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Caporicci

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at evaluating the activities of daily living and quality of active and inactive seniors’ life. This is a descriptive research of a quantitative nature. Participants were 24 seniors, 12 physical activity practitioners (PPA and 12 non-practitioners (NPPA. The instrument was a demographic questionnaire and SF-36 for measuring the quality of life and tests proposed by GDLAM. SPSS 15.0 was used for data analysis. The results obtained by the sociodemographic questionnaire for PPA and NPPA groups were, respectively: age − 69.5 and 70.0 years, marital status − 50.0% widower and 41.7% were married; education − 50.0% with complete elementary school and 58.3% with incomplete elementary school; health problems − 25.0% and 58.33% hypertension. In functional autonomy tests, the PPA group had shorter execution time when compared with the NPPA group; however, both groups found themselves in the rating of "weak" according to the protocol GDLAM. We concluded that there was no statistical difference between groups.

Dicty_cDB: Contig-U14852-1 [Dicty_cDB

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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Ratiometric FRET-based detection of DNA and micro-RNA on the surface using TIRF detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matveeva, Evgenia G.; Gryczynski, Zygmunt; Stewart, Donald R.; Gryczynski, Ignacy

2010-01-01

A new FRET-based method for the ratiometric detection of DNA oligomers on a surface using TIRF detection mode is reported. The dual-labeled system consisting of two hybridized oligomers, Cy3oligoY:Cy5oligoX was immobilized on the surface, and the total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) was used to detect emission signals from the surface. Two signals, green and red, which originated from the green donor Cy3 and the red acceptor Cy5, have been simultaneously detected. When the target single-stranded complimentary oligomer was present in the solution, this oligomer replaced the Cy3oligoY in the donor:acceptor complex on the surface and the ratio of red-to-green signal was dramatically changed. This detection scheme is generally applicable to the detection of DNA or RNA on a surface.

A method for tracing exogenous DNA uptake in live spermatozoa and embryos.

Science.gov (United States)

Mu, Y; Jiao, M; Zhao, Y; Lv, J; Wang, J; Hao, J; Zhang, X; Kong, Q; Liu, Z

2018-03-01

Sperm-mediated gene transfer(SMGT) is a simple method for producing transgenic animals. Due to the lack of repeatability in spermatozoa binding and internalization of exogenous DNA, the efficiency of SMGT is still low. Considering this point, the present work aims to develop a method for evaluating the spermatozoa capacity of binding exogenous DNA after co-incubation with DNA. The main approach is using a Cy5-labelled DNA to trace the exogenous DNA and assess the ability of spermatozoa to take up exogenous DNA. Using this technique, we found that the percentage of spermatozoa that are binding and uptaking DNA is higher at concentration of 10 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL than 5 μg/mL, 1 μg/mL and 0 μg/mL after incubation with Cy5-DNA for 30min at 37oC. After fertilization, the DNA fluorescence signal was also detected in zygotes in groups where spermatozoa were incubated with 10 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL of Cy5-DNA. These results showed a simple and convenient method to trace the exogenous DNA in spermatozoa and zygote when compared to conventional methods of labeling DNA during fertilization, resulting in a real-time observation of the exogenous DNA in spermatozoa and zygote. Copyright© by the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Cyclophilin B binding to platelets supports calcium-dependent adhesion to collagen.

Science.gov (United States)

Allain, F; Durieux, S; Denys, A; Carpentier, M; Spik, G

1999-08-01

We have recently reported that cyclophilin B (CyPB), a secreted cyclosporine-binding protein, could bind to T lymphocytes through interactions with two types of binding sites. The first ones, referred to as type I, involve interactions with the conserved domain of CyPB and promote the endocytosis of surface-bound ligand, while the second type of binding sites, termed type II, are represented by glycosaminoglycans (GAG). Here, we further investigated the interactions of CyPB with blood cell populations. In addition to lymphocytes, CyPB was found to interact mainly with platelets. The binding is specific, with a dissociation constant (kd) of 9 +/- 3 nmol/L and the number of sites estimated at 960 +/- 60 per cell. Platelet glycosaminoglycans are not required for the interactions, but the binding is dramatically reduced by active cyclosporine derivatives. We then analyzed the biologic effects of CyPB and found a significant increase in platelet adhesion to collagen. Concurrently, CyPB initiates a transmembranous influx of Ca(2+) and induces the phosphorylation of the P-20 light chains of myosin. Taken together, the present results demonstrate for the first time that extracellular CyPB specifically interacts with platelets through a functional receptor related to the lymphocyte type I binding sites and might act by regulating the activity of a receptor-operated membrane Ca(2+) channel.