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Sample records for resistance wire strain

  1. Corrosion resistance of premodeled wires made of stainless steel used for heart electrotherapy leaders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Przondziono, J; Szatka, W; Walke, W; Młynarski, R

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to evaluate resistance to electrochemical corrosion of wire made of X10CrNi18-8 stainless steel designed for use in cardiology treatment. The influence of strain formed in the premodeling process and methods of wire surface preparation to corrosive resistance in artificial plasma solution were analysed. Wire corrosion tests were carried out in the solution of artificial plasma. Resistance to electrochemical corrosion was evaluated on the ground of recorded curves of anodic polarization by means of potentiodynamic method. Potentiodynamic tests carried out enabled to determine how the resistance to pitting corrosion of wire changes, depending on strain formed in the premodeling process as well as on the method of wire surface preparation. For evaluation of phenomena occurring on the surface of tested steel, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was applied. Deterioration of corrosive properties of wire along with the increase in the formed strain hardening was observed.

  2. Strain-tempering of low carbon martensite steel wire by rapid heating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torisaka, Yasunori; Kihara, Junji

    1978-01-01

    In the production of prestressed concrete steel wires, a series of the cold drawing-patenting process are performed to improve the strength. In order to reduce cyclic process, the low carbon martensite steel wire which can be produced only by the process of hot rolling and direct quench has been investigated as strain-tempering material. When strain-tempering is performed on the low carbon martensite steel wire, stress relaxation (Re%) increases and mechanical properties such as total elongation, reduction of area, ultimate tensile strength and proof stress decrease remarkably by annealing. In order to shorten the heating time, the authors performed on the steel wire the strain-tempering with a heating time of 1.0 s using direct electrical resistance heating and examined the effects of rapid heating on the stress relaxation and the mechanical properties. Stress relaxation decreases without impairment of the mechanical properties up to a strain-tempering temperature of 573 K. Re(%) after 10.8 ks is 0% at the testing temperature 301 K, 0.49% at 363 K and 1.39% at 433 K. (auth.)

  3. Resistivity and strain behavior during transformation cycling in nickel-titanium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, K.H.

    1983-09-01

    The effects of stress and transformation fatigue cycling on the resistivity and strain behaviors in Ni-Ti wires were studied. The samples consisted of uncycled wires and wires cycled 5.78 million times in shape memory heat engine devices. Measurements of resistivity and strain were made as a function of temperature at various applied uniaxial tensile stresses. The resistivity-temperature and strain-temperature behaviors were observed to depend on the temperature or the portion of the transformation cycle at which the stress change is made. It was found that the low temperature resistivity and strain increased with increasing stress. Also, the transformation fatigue cycled wires showed a higher and broader resistivity peak with two-stage behavior. The increase in strain with increasing stress is explained in terms of the crystallographic multiplicity of martensite plates and the alteration of the martensite plate structure in response to the applied stress. Prior transformation fatigue cycling causes a decrease in the applied stress dependence of the total strain changes. Also, the shape of curve is changed upon annealing and the M/sub S/ temperature is lowered by transformation fatigue cycling. The lower M/sub S/ temperature upon cycling is due to a stabilization of the high-temperature phase due to transformation-induced dislocations acting as an impediment to further martensite nucleation. Another effect of the stress is to increase the resistivity of the low-temperature phase. However, it was noticed that the stress should be increased above M/sub S/ temperature to increase the resistivity of the low temperature phase. The increase in low-temperature resistivity is partially due to the change in form factor during transformation shape change and due to the alteration of the martensite variants in a preferred direction

  4. Strain sensing systems tailored for tensile measurement of fragile wires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyilas, Arman

    2005-12-01

    Fundamental stress versus strain measurements were completed on superconducting Nb3Sn wires within the framework of IEC/TC90 and VAMAS/TWA16. A key task was the assessment of sensing systems regarding resolution, accuracy, and precision when measuring Young's modulus. Prior to actual Nb3Sn wire measurements metallic wires, consisting of copper and stainless steel having diameters similar to the Nb3Sn wire, were extensively investigated with respect to their elastic line properties using different types of extensometers. After these calibration tests Nb3Sn wire measurements of different companies resulted in several important facts with respect to total size and weight of the used extensometers. The size could be correlated to the initial stage of stress versus strain behaviour. In fact, the effect of wire curls resulting from the production line had a profound effect on Young's modulus measurements. Within this context, the possibility of determining Young's modulus from unloading compliance lines in the plastic regime of the stress-strain curve was considered. The data obtained using this test methodology were discussed under consideration of the composite nature of Nb3Sn wire. In addition, a non-contacting sensing system based on a double-beam laser extensometer was used to investigate the potential of this new sensing system.

  5. Strain sensing systems tailored for tensile measurement of fragile wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nyilas, Arman

    2005-01-01

    Fundamental stress versus strain measurements were completed on superconducting Nb 3 Sn wires within the framework of IEC/TC90 and VAMAS/TWA16. A key task was the assessment of sensing systems regarding resolution, accuracy, and precision when measuring Young's modulus. Prior to actual Nb 3 Sn wire measurements metallic wires, consisting of copper and stainless steel having diameters similar to the Nb 3 Sn wire, were extensively investigated with respect to their elastic line properties using different types of extensometers. After these calibration tests Nb 3 Sn wire measurements of different companies resulted in several important facts with respect to total size and weight of the used extensometers. The size could be correlated to the initial stage of stress versus strain behaviour. In fact, the effect of wire curls resulting from the production line had a profound effect on Young's modulus measurements. Within this context, the possibility of determining Young's modulus from unloading compliance lines in the plastic regime of the stress-strain curve was considered. The data obtained using this test methodology were discussed under consideration of the composite nature of Nb 3 Sn wire. In addition, a non-contacting sensing system based on a double-beam laser extensometer was used to investigate the potential of this new sensing system

  6. Strain induced irreversible critical current degradation in highly dense Bi-2212 round wire

    CERN Document Server

    Bjoerstad, R; Rikel, M.O.; Ballarino, A; Bottura, L; Jiang, J; Matras, M; Sugano, M; Hudspeth, J; Di Michiel, M

    2015-01-01

    The strain induced critical current degradation of overpressure processed straight Bi 2212/Ag wires has been studied at 77 K in self-field. For the first time superconducting properties, lattice distortions, composite wire stress and strain have been measured simultaneously in a high energy synchrotron beamline. A permanent Ic degradation of 5% occurs when the wire strain exceeds 0.60%. At a wire strain of about 0.65% a drastic n value and Ic reduction occur, and the composite stress and the Bi-2212 lattice parameter reach a plateau, indicating Bi-2212 filament fracturing. The XRD measurements show that Bi-2212 exhibits linear elastic behaviour up to the irreversible strain limit.

  7. Stress-strain effects on powder-in-tube MgB2 tapes and wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katagiri, Kazumune; Takaya, Ryuya; Kasaba, Koichi; Tachikawa, Kyoji; Yamada, Yutaka; Shimura, Satoshi; Koshizuka, Naoki; Watanabe, Kazuo

    2005-01-01

    The effects of stress-strain on the critical current, I c , of ex situ powder-in-tube (PIT)-processed Ni-sheathed MgB 2 tapes and round wires as well as in situ PIT-processed Cu-sheathed wires at 4.2 K in a magnetic field up to 5 T have been studied. The effect of In powder addition on the Ni-sheathed MgB 2 wire was not so clear compared with that in the tape, in which the irreversible strain, ε irr , for the I c degradation onset increases significantly by the addition. This is attributed to the difference in the microstructure of the core associated with cold workings. A peak and gradual degradation behaviour of I c with strain beyond ε irr was found in the wire, whereas no evident peak and a steep degradation behaviour was found in the tape. As a possible reason, the difference in the triaxial residual stress state at 4.2 K due to the difference in geometry of the cross-section is suspected. The transverse compression tests revealed that I c of the wire did not degrade up to 270 MPa. Again, the effect of In addition was minimal. The Young's modulus of MgB 2 , 31-41 GPa, at room temperature was estimated by a tensile test of Cu sheath wire using a high-accuracy extensometer and the law of mixtures. The tensile strain dependence of I c in the Cu sheath wire was similar to that in the Ni-sheathed wire, ε irr being 0.4%. However, the stress corresponding to ε irr , 50 MPa, was about 1/10 of that for the Ni-sheath wire and the irreversible transverse compressive stress, 150 MPa, was also lower. The effect of bending strain on the I c in Cu-sheathed wire was compared with that of the tensile strain

  8. Effect of a strain on the magnetotransport properties of Bi wires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Condrea, E.; Gilewski, A.; Muntyanu, F.

    2017-08-01

    Measurements of the longitudinal resistance and Seebeck coefficient of Bi wires in a high magnetic field have revealed some anomalies in a magnetic field far above the quantum limit of the electrons; the most prominent feature is a sharp peak of magnetoresistance at 33 T. The observed correlation between a simultaneous shift of the position of the anomaly and the quantum limit of light electrons in a magnetic field during modification of the electronic structure under strain suggests that the unidentified peak can be attributed to the complex structure of the lowest Landau level of light electrons occurring in high magnetic fields.

  9. A piezo-resistive graphene strain sensor with a hollow cylindrical geometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakamura, Atsushi, E-mail: nakamura.atsushi@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp [Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Hamanishi, Toshiki [Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Kawakami, Shotaro [Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Takeda, Masanori [Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan)

    2017-05-15

    Highlights: • A hollow tubing graphene fiber was synthesized from CVD-grown graphene on Ni wire. • The strain sensor showed the gauge factor 34.3–48.9 at 8% tensile strain. • The TGF sensors performed a writing finger motion assessment. - Abstract: We propose a resistance-type strain sensor consists of hollow tubing graphene fibers (TGFs) with dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) coating for millimeters-scale strain/bending detection applications. The TGFs were synthesized via graphene films grown on Ni wire by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The TGFs are fundamentally folded continuous few-layered graphene films without edges maintained cylindrical tube supported by PDMS coating. Sensing properties were studied comparing with a multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/PDMS composites (CNTCs) and the mechanism were discussed. In terms of the gauge factor, the sensor made of TGF is estimated to be in the range of 34.3–48.9 against 8% tensile strain. For a feasibility study, we demonstrate the human finger monitoring by means of bending angle detection on a finger joint.

  10. Stress/strain characteristics of Cu alloy sheath in situ processed MgB2 superconducting wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katagiri, Kazumune; Kasaba, Koichi; Shoji, Yoshitaka

    2005-01-01

    The mechanical properties of copper and copper alloy (Cu-Zr, Cu-Be and Cu-Cr) sheath in situ PIT-processed MgB 2 superconducting wires were studied at room temperature (RT) and 4.2 K. The effects of stress-strain on the critical current (I c ) of the wires have also been studied at 4.2 K and in magnetic fields up to 5 T. It has been clarified that alloying the Cu sheath significantly increases the yield and flow stresses of the wires at both RT and 4.2 K. The 0.5% flow stresses of the Cu alloy sheath wire were 147-237 MPa, whereas that of Cu was 55 MPa. At RT, serration corresponding to multiple cracking was observed around a strain of 0.4% and the stress-strain curves saturated beyond that point. The strain dependence of I c prior to the critical strain (ε irr ) was different depending on the magnetic field; being almost constant at 2 T and increasing with strain at 5 T. The I c decreased beyond ε irr , which is much larger for Cu alloy sheath wires as compared to Cu sheath wire. This is due to the difference in the residual compressive strain in the MgB 2 core during cooling from the heat-treatment temperature to 4.2 K, which is determined through relaxation by yielding in the sheath materials. The transverse compression tests revealed that the I c of the Cu alloy sheath wire did not degrade up to 314 MPa, which is also higher than that of Cu sheath wire. (author)

  11. AC loss characteristics of Bi2223/Ag sheathed tape wires subjected to mechanical strains and stresses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsukamoto, Osami; Li, Z

    2007-01-01

    The influence of uniaxial tensile stress-strain on the AC loss characteristics of multifilamentary Bi2223/Ag sheathed tape wires was investigated. The uniaxial tensile stress-strain was applied to the sample wire in liquid nitrogen at atmospheric pressure, and the AC losses (transport, magnetization and total losses) were measured by an electric method. Two kinds of wire, oxide-dispersion strengthened Ag-alloy sheathed and Ag-alloy sheathed wires, were tested. The stress-strain curves of the tested wires were divided in three regions, i.e. elastic deformation, continuous plastic deformation and serrated-like plastic deformation regions, though the ranges of those regions were different for different kinds of wire. In the elastic and continuous plastic regions, the stress-strain curve was smooth and continuous, and in the serrated-like plastic region, the curve was rough. In the serrated-like plastic region, the wires kept elongating, while increase of the tensile stress was suspended. Dependences of the critical currents on the stress-strain were generally as follows. While decreases of the wire critical currents were in the range of less than 4% of the original values of the no-stress condition, the critical currents of the wires were reversible, that is, the critical currents recovered the original values at zero stress when the stress were released, regardless of whether the wires were in the elastic or continuous plastic region. In the continuous plastic region, the critical currents decreased up to 10%-15% of the original values and the critical currents were irreversible when the degradations of the critical currents exceeded about 4%. In the serrated-like plastic regions, the critical currents were more severely degraded. The AC loss characteristics of the wires are different in those regions. In the elastic and continuous plastic regions, the absolute values of AC losses were dependent on the stress-strain. However, the dependences of those normalized

  12. Nanostructure and mechanical properties of heavily cold-drawn steel wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Y.S.; Bae, J.G.; Park, C.G.

    2009-01-01

    The effects of microstructure on the mechanical properties of the high-carbon steel wires were investigated. The wires were fabricated with carbon content of 0.82 and 1.02 wt.% and drawing strain from 4.12 to 4.32. The bending fatigue resistance and torsion ductility were measured by a Hunter fatigue tester and a torsion tester specially designed for fine wires. As the carbon content and drawing strain increased, the fatigue resistance and the torsional ductility of the steel wires decreased, and the tensile strength increased. To elucidate the causes of these behaviors, the microstructure in terms of lamellar spacing (λ P ), cementite thickness (t C ) and morphology of cementite was observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and 3-dimensional atom probe (3-DAP).

  13. Improvement of the bending fatigue resistance of the hyper-eutectoid steel wires used for tire cords by a post-processing annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Y.S.; Bae, J.G.; Park, C.G.

    2008-01-01

    In this study, the effects of annealing at a low temperature on the bending fatigue resistance have been investigated in the hyper-eutectoid steel wires drawn to an extreme strain of 4.12. The annealing temperature was varied from 100 to 500 deg. C. The bending fatigue resistance of the steel wires was measured by a Hunter rotating beam tester specially designed for thin-sized steel wires. The results showed that fatigue resistance as well as tensile strength improved as the annealing temperature increased up to 200 deg. C (Region I) and gradually decreased after annealing above 200 deg. C (Region II). In order to elucidate this behavior, residual stress was measured by dual beam FIB, surface defects observed by an optical 3D profiler and the microstructure in terms of lamellar spacing (λ p ) and cementite thickness (t c ) was observed by TEM

  14. X-ray grazing incidence study of inhomogeneous strain relaxation in Si/SiGe wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hesse, A.; Zhuang, Y.; Holy, V.; Stangl, J.; Zerlauth, S.; Schaeffler, F.; Bauer, G.; Darowski, N.; Pietsch, U.

    2003-01-01

    The elastic strain relaxation in a series of dry-etched periodic multilayer Si/SiGe wire samples with different etching depths was investigated systematically by means of grazing incidence diffraction (GID). The samples were patterned by holographic lithography and reactive ion etching from a Si/SiGe superlattice grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were employed to obtain information on the shape of the wires. The inhomogeneous strain distribution in the etched wires and in the non-etched part of the multilayers was derived by means of finite element calculations which were used as an input for simulations of the scattered X-ray intensities in depth dependent GID. The theoretical calculations for the scattered intensities are based on distorted-wave Born approximation. The unperturbed scattering potential was chosen with a reduced optical density corresponding to the ratio of wire width and wire period, in order to reflect the main interaction between the incident X-rays and the patterned samples. The calculations are in good agreement with the experimental data demonstrating the variation of strain relaxation with depth

  15. Heat resistant wire and cable and heat shrinkable tubes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ueno, Keiji [Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (Japan)

    1994-12-31

    Radiation processes have been used in industrial fields (e.g. wire and cable, heat shrinkable tubes) for about 30 years. In Japan, 60 electron beam accelerators were used in R and D, 54 in wire and cable, 24 in tire rubber, 16 in paint curing, 14 in PE foam and 9 accelerators were used in heat shrinkable tubes in 1993. Many properties (e.g. solder resistance, thermal deformation, and solven resistance) of wire and cable are improved by using radiation processes, and many kinds of radiation crosslinked wire and cable are used in the consumer market (TV sets, VTR`s, audio disc players, etc.), automobiles (automobile wire harnesses, fusible link wires, sensor cables etc.), and the industrial market (computer cables, cables for keyboards, coaxial cables, etc.). Another important industrial application of E{beta} radiation process is heat shrinkable tubes. Heat shinkable tubes, heated by a hot gun, shrink 1/2 {approx} 1/3 of their inner diameters. Heat shrinkable tubes are used for covers of distributing line terminals, joint covers of telecommunication lines, protection of fuel pipe lines and so on. In this seminar, actual applications and characteristic properties of radiation crosslinked materials are presented.

  16. Heat resistant wire and cable and heat shrinkable tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keiji Ueno

    1994-01-01

    Radiation processes have been used in industrial fields (e.g. wire and cable, heat shrinkable tubes) for about 30 years. In Japan, 60 electron beam accelerators were used in R and D, 54 in wire and cable, 24 in tire rubber, 16 in paint curing, 14 in PE foam and 9 accelerators were used in heat shrinkable tubes in 1993. Many properties (e.g. solder resistance, thermal deformation, and solven resistance) of wire and cable are improved by using radiation processes, and many kinds of radiation crosslinked wire and cable are used in the consumer market (TV sets, VTR's, audio disc players, etc.), automobiles (automobile wire harnesses, fusible link wires, sensor cables etc.), and the industrial market (computer cables, cables for keyboards, coaxial cables, etc.). Another important industrial application of Eβ radiation process is heat shrinkable tubes. Heat shinkable tubes, heated by a hot gun, shrink 1/2 ∼ 1/3 of their inner diameters. Heat shrinkable tubes are used for covers of distributing line terminals, joint covers of telecommunication lines, protection of fuel pipe lines and so on. In this seminar, actual applications and characteristic properties of radiation crosslinked materials are presented

  17. Stress-strain effects in alumina-Cu reinforced Nb3Sn wires fabricated by the tube process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murase, Satoru; Nakayama, Shigeo; Masegi, Tamaki; Koyanagi, Kei; Nomura, Shunji; Shiga, Noriyuki; Kobayashi, Norio; Watanabe, Kazuo.

    1997-01-01

    In order to fabricate a large-bore, high-field magnet which achieves a low coil weight and volume, a high strength compound superconducting wire is required. For those demands we have developed the reinforced Nb 3 Sn wire using alumina dispersion strengthened copper (alumina-Cu) as a reinforcement material and the tube process of the Nb 3 Sn wire fabrication. The ductility study of the composites which consisted of the reinforcement, Nb tube, Cu, and Cu clad Sn brought a 1 km long alumina-Cu reinforced Nb 3 Sn wire successfully. Using fabricated wires measurements and evaluations of critical current density as parameters of magnetic field, tensile stress, tensile strain, and transverse compressive stress, and those of stress-strain curves at 4.2 K were performed. They showed superior performance such as high 0.3% proof stress (240 MPa at 0.3% strain) and high maximum tolerance stress (320 MPa) which were two times as large as those of conventional Cu matrix Nb 3 Sn wire. The strain sensitivity parameters were obtained for the reinforced Nb 3 Sn wire and the Cu matrix one using the scaling law. Residual stress of the component materials caused by cooling down to 4.2 K from heat-treatment temperature was calculated using equivalent Young's modulus, equivalent yield strength, thermal expansion coefficient and other mechanical parameters. Calculated stress-strain curves at 4.2 K for the reinforced Nb 3 Sn wire and the Cu matrix one based on calculation of residual stress, had good agreement with the experimental values. (author)

  18. Fabrication and characterization of a dual-joint smart inhaler nozzle actuated by embedded SMA wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Furst, Stephen J; Seelecke, Stefan

    2014-01-01

    Shape memory alloy (SMA) wires offer a novel solution for many embedded actuator and sensor applications. Small SMA wires in particular can be heated with a relatively low electric current, cool rapidly, and serve as a sensor thanks to a measurable resistance change. However, the challenges of fabrication with SMA actuator wires as well as their hysteretic nature have prevented them from finding mainstream application. This work focuses on the process used to control the fabrication of an SMA-actuated adaptive nozzle for the previously presented Smart Inhaler application. The elements of nozzle design that facilitate fabrication are summarized and an assembly setup and procedure is presented for controlling the stress and strain in the SMA wires while they are attached to the nozzle structure via temperature-resistant adhesives. Finally, the performance of the nozzle is characterized by measuring the changes in nozzle deflection and SMA wire strain and resistance in response to a controlled Joule heating power input. Results show controlling pre-stress in the wires during assembly can lead to reproducible behavior, an input heating power serves to control nozzle deflection, and a measured resistance can provide a useful sensor of SMA wire strain and nozzle joint deflection. (paper)

  19. Calculation of Equivalent Resistance for Ground Wires Twined with Armor Rods in Contact Terminals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gang Liu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Ground wire breakage accidents can destroy the stable operation of overhead lines. The excessive temperature increase arising from the contact resistance between the ground wire and armor rod in the contact terminal is one of the main reasons causing the breakage of ground wires. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate the equivalent resistance for ground wires twined with armor rods in contact terminals. According to the actual distribution characteristics of the contact points in the contact terminal, a three-dimensional electromagnetic field simulation model of the contact terminal was established. Based on the model, the current distribution in the contact terminal was obtained. Subsequently, the equivalent resistance of a ground wire twined with the armor rod in the contact terminal was calculated. The effects of the factors influencing the equivalent resistance were also discussed. The corresponding verification experiments were conducted on a real ground wire on a contact terminal. The measurement results of the equivalent resistance for the armor rod segment showed good agreement with the electromagnetic modeling results.

  20. Residual strain dependence on the matrix structure in RHQ-Nb3Al wires by neutron diffraction measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin Xinzhe; Nakamoto, Tatsushi; Tsuchiya, Kiyosumi; Ogitsu, Toru; Yamamoto, Akira; Ito, Takayoshi; Harjo, Stefanus; Kikuchi, Akihiro; Takeuchi, Takao; Hemmi, Tsutomu

    2012-01-01

    We prepared three types of non-Cu RHQ-Nb 3 Al wire sample with different matrix structures: an all-Ta matrix, a composite matrix of Nb and Ta with a Ta inter-filament, and an all-Nb matrix. Neutron diffraction patterns of the wire samples were measured at room temperature in the J-PARC ‘TAKUMI’. To obtain the residual strains of the materials, we estimated the lattice constant a by multi-peak analysis in the wires. A powder sample of each wire was measured, where the powder was considered to be strain free. The grain size of all the powder samples was below 0.02 mm. For the wire sample with the all-Nb matrix, we also obtained the lattice spacing d by a single-peak analysis. The residual strains of the Nb 3 Al filament were estimated from the two analysis results and were compared. The resulting residual strains obtained from the multi-peak analysis showed a good accuracy with small standard deviation. The multi-peak analysis results for the residual strains of the Nb 3 Al filaments in the three samples (without Cu plating) were all tensile residual strain in the axial direction, of 0.12%, 0.12%, and 0.05% for the all-Ta matrix, the composite matrix, and the all-Nb matrix, respectively. The difference in the residual strain of the Nb 3 Al filament between the composite and all-Nb matrix samples indicates that the type of inter-filament material shows a great effect on the residual strain. In this paper, we report the method of measurement, method of analysis, and results for the residual strain in the three types of non-Cu RHQ-Nb 3 Al wires. (paper)

  1. Noise in the wire: The real impact of wire resistance for the Johnson(-like) noise based secure communicator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kish, Laszlo B.; Scheuer, Jacob

    2010-01-01

    We re-evaluate the impact of wire resistance on the noise voltage and current in the Johnson(-like) noise based secure communicator, correcting the result presented in [J. Scheuer, A. Yariv, Phys. Lett. A 359 (2006) 737]. The analysis shown here is based on the fluctuation-dissipation and the linear response theorems. The results indicate that the impact of wire resistance in practical communicators is significantly lower than the previous estimation.

  2. Uniaxial Strain Induced Critical Current Degradation of Ag-Sheathed Bi-2212 Round Wire

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dai, Chao; Qin, Jinggang; Liu, Bo; Liu, Peihang; Wu, Yu; Nijhuis, Arend; Zhou, Chao; Li, Chenshan; Hao, Qingbin; Liu, Sheng

    2018-01-01

    The critical current degradation of Bi-2212 Ag-sheathed round wire subjected to uniaxial strain was studied at 4.2 K in 14 T background field. The strains applied on the sample are both tension and compression. The additional tensile strain caused by the difference in thermal expansion between the

  3. Interfacial Microstructure and Its Influence on Resistivity of Thin Layers Copper Cladding Steel Wires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hongjuan; Ding, Zhimin; Zhao, Ruirong

    2018-04-01

    The interfacial microstructure and resistivity of cold-drawn and annealed thin layers copper cladding steel (CCS) wires have been systematically investigated by the methods of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and resistivity testing. The results showed that the Cu and Fe atoms near interface diffused into each other matrixes. The Fe atoms diffused into Cu matrixes and formed a solid solution. The mechanism of solid solution is of substitution type. When the quantity of Fe atoms exceeds the maximum solubility, the supersaturated solid solution would form Fe clusters and decompose into base Cu and α-Fe precipitated phases under certain conditions. A few of α-Fe precipitates was observed in the copper near Cu/Fe interfaces of cold-drawn CCS wires, with 1-5 nm in size. A number of α-Fe precipitates of 1-20 nm in size can be detected in copper near Cu/Fe interfaces of CCS wires annealed at 850°C. When annealing temperature was less than 750°C, the resistivity of CCS wires annealed was lower than that of cold-drawn CCS wires. However, when annealing temperature was above 750°C, the resistivity of CCS wires was greater than that of cold-drawn CCS wires and increased with rising the annealing temperature. The relationship between nanoscale α-Fe precipitation and resistivity of CCS wires has been well discussed.

  4. Spatial and Temporal Resolution of a Thin-Wire Resistance Thermometer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Søren Ejling; Højstrup, Jørgen

    1982-01-01

    Based on a discussion of the heat balance equation for a resistance wire sensor a frequency-wavenumber transfer function is derived, which includes the thermal inertia of the wire, the conduction losses to the prongs, and the spatial averaging of the sensor. Based on this transfer function...

  5. Corrosion resistance of titanium-containing dental orthodontic wires in fluoride-containing artificial saliva

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, T.-H.; Wang, C.-C.; Huang, T.-K.; Chen, L.-K.; Chou, M.-Y.; Huang, H.-H.

    2009-01-01

    This study was to investigate the corrosion resistance of different Ti-containing dental orthodontic wires (including Ni-Ti, Ni-Ti-Cu, Ti-Mo-Zr-Sn, and Ti-Nb alloys) in acidic fluoride-containing artificial saliva using cyclic potentiodynamic polarization curve measurements. Different NaF concentrations (0%, 0.2%, and 0.5%), simulating the fluoride contents in commercial toothpastes, were added to the artificial saliva. Surface characterization was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectrometry. Cyclic potentiodynamic polarization curves showed that the presence of fluoride ions, especially 0.5% NaF, was detrimental to the protective ability of the TiO 2 -based film on the Ti-containing wires. This might lead to a decrease in the corrosion resistance of the tested alloys, i.e. an increase in the corrosion rate and anodic current density and a decrease in the passive film breakdown potential. Among the tested Ti-containing wires, the Ni-Ti and Ni-Ti-Cu wires containing mainly TiO 2 on surface film were more susceptible to fluoride-enhanced corrosion, while the Ti-Mo-Zr-Sn and Ti-Nb wires containing MoO 3 /ZrO 2 /SnO and Nb 2 O 5 , respectively, along with TiO 2 on surface film were pitting corrosion resistant and showed a lower susceptibility to fluoride-enhanced corrosion. The difference in corrosion resistance of the tested commercial Ti-containing dental orthodontic wires was significantly dependent on the passive film characteristics on wires' surface.

  6. Absorption of short-pulse electromagnetic energy by a resistively loaded straight wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, E.K.; Deadrick, F.J.; Landt, J.A.

    1975-01-01

    Absorption of short-pulse electromagnetic energy by a resistively loaded straight wire is examined. Energy collected by the wire, load energy, peak load currents, and peak load voltages are found for a wide range of parameters, with particular emphasis on nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) phenomena. A series of time-sequenced plots is used to illustrate pulse propagation on wires when loads and wire ends are encountered

  7. Effect of Annealing on Strain-Temperature Response under Constant Tensile Stress in Cold-Worked NiTi Thin Wire

    OpenAIRE

    Yan, Xiaojun; Van Humbeeck, Jan

    2011-01-01

    The present paper aims to understand the influence of annealing on the strain-temperature response of a cold-worked NiTi wire under constant tensile stress. It was found that transformation behavior, stress-strain relationship, and strain-temperature response of the cold-worked NiTi wire are strongly affected by the annealing temperature. Large martensitic strains can be reached even though the applied stress is below the plateau stress of the martensite phase. At all stress levels transforma...

  8. Corrosion resistance of titanium-containing dental orthodontic wires in fluoride-containing artificial saliva

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, T.-H. [Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Department of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Wang, C.-C. [Department of Dental Laboratory Technology, Min-Hwei College of Health Care Management, Tainan County 736, Taiwan (China); Huang, T.-K. [College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan (China); Chen, L.-K. [Department of Dentistry, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Chou, M.-Y. [Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Department of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Huang, H.-H., E-mail: hhhuang@ym.edu.t [Department of Dentistry, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Department of Dentistry, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan (China); Institute of Oral Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan (China)

    2009-11-20

    This study was to investigate the corrosion resistance of different Ti-containing dental orthodontic wires (including Ni-Ti, Ni-Ti-Cu, Ti-Mo-Zr-Sn, and Ti-Nb alloys) in acidic fluoride-containing artificial saliva using cyclic potentiodynamic polarization curve measurements. Different NaF concentrations (0%, 0.2%, and 0.5%), simulating the fluoride contents in commercial toothpastes, were added to the artificial saliva. Surface characterization was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectrometry. Cyclic potentiodynamic polarization curves showed that the presence of fluoride ions, especially 0.5% NaF, was detrimental to the protective ability of the TiO{sub 2}-based film on the Ti-containing wires. This might lead to a decrease in the corrosion resistance of the tested alloys, i.e. an increase in the corrosion rate and anodic current density and a decrease in the passive film breakdown potential. Among the tested Ti-containing wires, the Ni-Ti and Ni-Ti-Cu wires containing mainly TiO{sub 2} on surface film were more susceptible to fluoride-enhanced corrosion, while the Ti-Mo-Zr-Sn and Ti-Nb wires containing MoO{sub 3}/ZrO{sub 2}/SnO and Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}, respectively, along with TiO{sub 2} on surface film were pitting corrosion resistant and showed a lower susceptibility to fluoride-enhanced corrosion. The difference in corrosion resistance of the tested commercial Ti-containing dental orthodontic wires was significantly dependent on the passive film characteristics on wires' surface.

  9. Recent progress in methods for non-invasive measurements of local strain in practical superconducting wires and conductors using quantum beam techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osamura, Kozo; Machiya, Shutaro; Tsuchiya, Yoshinori; Suzuki, Hiroshi; Awaji, Satoshi; Takahashi, Kohki; Oguro, Hidetoshi; Harjo, Stefanus; Hemmi, Tsutomu; Nakamoto, Tatsushi; Sugano, Michinaka; Jin, Xinzhe; Kajiwara, Kentaro

    2014-01-01

    Practical superconducting wires are designed with a composite structure to meet the desired engineering characteristics by expert selection of materials and design of the architecture. In practice, the local strain exerted on the superconducting component influences the electromagnetic properties. Here, recent progress in methods used to measure the local strain in practical superconducting wires and conductors using quantum beam techniques is introduced. Recent topics on the strain dependence of critical current are reviewed for three major practical wires: ITER-Nb 3 Sn strand, DI-BSCCO wires and REBCO tapes. (author)

  10. Experimental investigation of copper matrix longitudinal resistance in a composite Nb-Ti wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gubkin, I.N.; Kozlenkova, N.I.; Nikulin, A.D.; Polikarpova, M.V.; Filkin, V.Ya.

    1994-01-01

    The longitudinal resistance of multifilamentary superconducting wires is among the major parameters used in design and optimization of superconducting magnetic systems. To enhance the conductivity of the copper matrix, it is made of pipes and rods of enhanced quality copper produced by electron beam melting (resistance ratio between two temperatures, 295 K and 4.2 K, R 295 /R 4.2 > 200). Yet for readily obtainable conductors this parameter is much lower. The reduction of the copper-matrix electrical conductivity may be attributed to wire-production technology involving processes such as extrusion, drawing and intermediate thermal processing, as well as to the size effect. Copper-matrix longitudinal resistance was studied as a function of wire diameter on specimens of multifilamentary Nb-Ti wire with filaments coated by a Nb layer. Experimental results are compared with the Sondheimer calculations for a monofilament conductor as well as with the Gavalloni calculations for an ideal wire with hexagonally located filaments. It has been shown that the best fit with the experiment is provided by the Sondheimer approximation. Comparison of the results of this work with other authors' data obtained for the specimens with no niobium barrier, allows the authors to single out the influence of a pure size effect and diffusion of Ti on the resistivity

  11. Simultaneous On-State Voltage and Bond-Wire Resistance Monitoring of Silicon Carbide MOSFETs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baker, Nick; Luo, Haoze; Iannuzzo, Francesco

    2017-01-01

    the voltage between the kelvin-source and power-source can be used to specifically monitor bond-wire degradation. Meanwhile, the drain to kelvin-source voltage can be monitored to track defects in the semiconductor die or gate driver. Through an accelerated aging test on 20 A Silicon Carbide Metal......-Oxide-Semiconductor-Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs), it is shown that there are opposing trends in the evolution of the on-state resistances of both the bond-wires and the MOSFET die. In summary, after 50,000 temperature cycles, the resistance of the bond-wires increased by up to 2 mΩ, while the on-state resistance of the MOSFET dies...... decreased by approximately 1 mΩ. The conventional failure precursor (monitoring a single forward voltage) cannot distinguish between semiconductor die or bond-wire degradation. Therefore, the ability to monitor both these parameters due to the presence of an auxiliary-source terminal can provide more...

  12. Torque resistance of different stainless steel wires commonly used for fixed retainers in orthodontics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arnold, Dario; Dalstra, Michel; Verna, Carlalberta

    2016-01-01

    Objective: Movements of teeth splinted by fixed retention wires after orthodontic treatment have been observed. The aetiological factors for these movements are unknown. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the resistance to torque of different stainless steel wires commonly used for fixed...... retainers in orthodontics. Materials and Methods: Torquing moments acting on a retainer wire were measured in a mechanical force testing system by applying buccal crown torque to an upper lateral incisor in both a 3-teeth and in a 2-teeth setup. Seven stainless steel wires with different shape, type (plain...... or a braided 0.016 × 0.022-inch stainless steel wire. A tooth attached by a retainer wire to only one neighbouring tooth is less resistant to torque than a tooth connected to two neighbouring teeth. Annealing a retainer wire with a flame reduces the stiffness of the wire markedly and can lead to a non...

  13. Torque resistance of different stainless steel wires commonly used for fixed retainers in orthodontics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Dario T; Dalstra, Michel; Verna, Carlalberta

    2016-06-01

    Movements of teeth splinted by fixed retention wires after orthodontic treatment have been observed. The aetiological factors for these movements are unknown. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the resistance to torque of different stainless steel wires commonly used for fixed retainers in orthodontics. Torquing moments acting on a retainer wire were measured in a mechanical force testing system by applying buccal crown torque to an upper lateral incisor in both a 3-teeth and in a 2-teeth setup. Seven stainless steel wires with different shape, type (plain, braided, coaxial, or chain) and dimensions were selected for this study. For a torquing angle of 16.2° in the 3-teeth setup torsion moments can vary between 390 cNmm and 3299 cNmm depending on the retainer wire. For the 2-teeth setup the torsion moments are much smaller. Exposure to the flame of a butane-gas torch for 10 seconds to anneal the wire reduces the stiffness of the retainer wire. Clinicians must select wires for fixed retainers very carefully since the difference in resistance to torque is large. A high level of torque control can be achieved with a plain 0.016 × 0.016-inch or a braided 0.016 × 0.022-inch stainless steel wire. A tooth attached by a retainer wire to only one neighbouring tooth is less resistant to torque than a tooth connected to two neighbouring teeth. Annealing a retainer wire with a flame reduces the stiffness of the wire markedly and can lead to a non-uniform and non-reproducible effect.

  14. A Novel Two-Wire Fast Readout Approach for Suppressing Cable Crosstalk in a Tactile Resistive Sensor Array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jianfeng; Wang, Yu; Li, Jianqing; Song, Aiguo

    2016-05-18

    For suppressing the crosstalk problem due to wire resistances and contacted resistances of the long flexible cables in tactile sensing systems, we present a novel two-wire fast readout approach for the two-dimensional resistive sensor array in shared row-column fashion. In the approach, two wires are used for every driving electrode and every sampling electrode in the resistive sensor array. The approach with a high readout rate, though it requires a large number of wires and many sampling channels, solves the cable crosstalk problem. We also verified the approach's performance with Multisim simulations and actual experiments.

  15. A Novel Two-Wire Fast Readout Approach for Suppressing Cable Crosstalk in a Tactile Resistive Sensor Array

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianfeng Wu

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available For suppressing the crosstalk problem due to wire resistances and contacted resistances of the long flexible cables in tactile sensing systems, we present a novel two-wire fast readout approach for the two-dimensional resistive sensor array in shared row-column fashion. In the approach, two wires are used for every driving electrode and every sampling electrode in the resistive sensor array. The approach with a high readout rate, though it requires a large number of wires and many sampling channels, solves the cable crosstalk problem. We also verified the approach’s performance with Multisim simulations and actual experiments.

  16. Cyclic Fatigue Resistance of Novel Rotary Files Manufactured from Different Thermal Treated Nickel-Titanium Wires in Artificial Canals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karataşlıoglu, E; Aydın, U; Yıldırım, C

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the static cyclic fatigue resistance of thermal treated rotary files with a conventional nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary file. Four groups of 60 rotary files with similar file dimensions, geometries, and motion were selected. Groups were set as HyFlex Group [controlled memory wire (CM-Wire)], ProfileVortex Group (M-Wire), Twisted File Group (R-Phase Wire), and OneShape Group (conventional NiTi wire)] and tested using a custom-made static cyclic fatigue testing apparatus. The fracture time and fragment length of the each file was also recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test at the 95% confidence level (P = 0.05). The HyFlex group had a significantly higher mean cyclic fatigue resistance than the other three groups (P Wire alloy represented the best performance in cyclic fatigue resistance, and NiTi alloy in R-Phase had the second highest fatigue resistance. CM and R-Phase manufacturing technology processed to the conventional NiTi alloy enhance the cyclic fatigue resistance of files that have similar design and size. M-wire alloy did not show any superiority in cyclic fatigue resistance when compared with conventional NiTi wire.

  17. Si, Ge and SiGe wires for sensor application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Druzhinin, A.A.; Khoverko, Yu.M.; Ostrovskii, I.P.; Nichkalo, S.I.; Nikolaeva, A.A.; Konopko, L.A.; Stich, I.

    2011-01-01

    Resistance and magnetoresistance of Si, Ge and Si-Ge micro- and nanowires were studied in temperature range 4,2-300 K at magnetic fields up to 14 T. The wires diameters range from 200 nm to 20 μm. Ga-In gates were created to wires and ohmic I-U characteristics were observed in all temperature range. It was found high elastic strain for Ge nanowires (of about 0,7%) as well as high magnitude of magnetoresistance (of about 250% at 14 T), which was used to design multifunctional sensor of simultaneous measurements of strain and magnetic field intensity. (authors)

  18. Dependent of electrical resistivity of thin wire on magnetic field and temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadeghi, E.; Zare, M.

    2006-01-01

    Variation of electrical resistivity of Bismuth nano wire versus magnetic field the and temperature are considered. We study the size effect and surface scattering of the carrier in thin wire for systems with ellipsoidal Fermi surfaces. Results are in good agreement with experimental points

  19. Development of halogen-free, heat-resistant, low-voltage wire for automotive use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ueno, Keiji; Suzuki, Sizuo; Takahagi, Masatoshi; Uda, Ikujiro

    1995-01-01

    The environmental load of our motorized society is of major concern, and includes considerations of recycling of automotive parts as the industrial wastes. The total average length of AV, AVX (electrical wire insulated with PVC, cross-linked PVC), and AEX (electrical wire insulated with cross-linked polyolefin) wires required for the harnesses in modern automobiles is approximately 2,000-3,000 meters per unit. However these electrical wires contain a large amount of halogen, which can generate the smoke and corrosive gas. In response to this problem the authors have developed the electron beam irradiated halogen-free, heat-resistant, low-voltage electrical wire which does not contain any halogen based polymer or flame retardants. The developed wire features the reliability equivalent to AEX wire with minimum environmental load. (Author)

  20. Progress in electrical and mechanical properties of rectangular MgB2 wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovac, P; Melisek, T; Kopera, L; Husek, I; Polak, M; Kulich, M

    2009-01-01

    Critical current densities and mechanical resistance of MgB 2 wires made by the rectangular wire-in-tube technique (RWIT) have been studied. Wires prepared from different precursor powders and variable sheath materials are compared. The best electrical performance (10 4 A cm -2 at 11.3 T) was measured for the wire with mechanically alloyed powder doped by SiC. While the critical current densities, J c , at 4.2 K are considerably influenced by the powder used, the differences at 20 K are much smaller. Flattened wires show different levels of critical current anisotropy influenced by the precursor powder used. Stress-strain characteristics and critical current degradation are strongly affected by the applied metallic materials and also by the filament's strength. The highest irreversible strain ε irr = 0.55% was measured for Ti/Cu/Monel sheathed wire with filaments from mechanically alloyed powder.

  1. Determination of the strain generated in InAs/InP quantum wires: prediction of nucleation sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Molina, S I; Ben, T; Sales, D L; Pizarro, J; Galindo, P L; Varela, M; Pennycook, S J; Fuster, D; Gonzalez, Y; Gonzalez, L

    2006-01-01

    The compositional distribution in a self-assembled InAs(P) quantum wire grown by molecular beam epitaxy on an InP(001) substrate has been determined by electron energy loss spectrum imaging. We have determined the strain and stress fields generated in and around this wire capped with a 5 nm InP layer by finite element calculations using as input the compositional map experimentally obtained. Preferential sites for nucleation of wires grown on the surface of this InP capping layer are predicted, based on chemical potential minimization, from the determined strain and stress fields on this surface. The determined preferential sites for wire nucleation agree with their experimentally measured locations. The method used in this paper, which combines electron energy loss spectroscopy, high-resolution Z contrast imaging, and elastic theory finite element calculations, is believed to be a valuable technique of wide applicability for predicting the preferential nucleation sites of epitaxial self-assembled nano-objects

  2. Determination of the strain generated in InAs/InP quantum wires: prediction of nucleation sites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Molina, S I [Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e I.M. y Q.I., Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cadiz, Campus RIo San Pedro, s/n, 11510 Puerto Real, Cadiz (Spain); Ben, T [Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e I.M. y Q.I., Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cadiz, Campus RIo San Pedro, s/n, 11510 Puerto Real, Cadiz (Spain); Sales, D L [Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e I.M. y Q.I., Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cadiz, Campus RIo San Pedro, s/n, 11510 Puerto Real, Cadiz (Spain); Pizarro, J [Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informaticos, CASEM, Universidad de Cadiz, Campus RIo San Pedro, s/n, 11510 Puerto Real, Cadiz (Spain); Galindo, P L [Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informaticos, CASEM, Universidad de Cadiz, Campus RIo San Pedro, s/n, 11510 Puerto Real, Cadiz (Spain); Varela, M [Condensed Matter Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Pennycook, S J [Condensed Matter Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Fuster, D [Instituto de Microelectronica de Madrid (CNM, CSIC), Isaac Newton 8, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid (Spain); Gonzalez, Y [Instituto de Microelectronica de Madrid (CNM, CSIC), Isaac Newton 8, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid (Spain); Gonzalez, L [Instituto de Microelectronica de Madrid (CNM, CSIC), Isaac Newton 8, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid (Spain)

    2006-11-28

    The compositional distribution in a self-assembled InAs(P) quantum wire grown by molecular beam epitaxy on an InP(001) substrate has been determined by electron energy loss spectrum imaging. We have determined the strain and stress fields generated in and around this wire capped with a 5 nm InP layer by finite element calculations using as input the compositional map experimentally obtained. Preferential sites for nucleation of wires grown on the surface of this InP capping layer are predicted, based on chemical potential minimization, from the determined strain and stress fields on this surface. The determined preferential sites for wire nucleation agree with their experimentally measured locations. The method used in this paper, which combines electron energy loss spectroscopy, high-resolution Z contrast imaging, and elastic theory finite element calculations, is believed to be a valuable technique of wide applicability for predicting the preferential nucleation sites of epitaxial self-assembled nano-objects.

  3. STRENGTHENING OF A REINFORCED CONCRETE BRIDGE WITH PRESTRESSED STEEL WIRE ROPES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kexin Zhang

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes prestressed steel wire ropes as a way to strengthen a 20-year-old RC T-beam bridge. High strength, low relaxation steel wire ropes with minor radius, high tensile strain and good corrosion resistance were used in this reinforcement. The construction process for strengthening with prestressed steel wire ropes—including wire rope measuring, extruding anchor heads making, anchorage installing, tensioning steel wire ropes and pouring mortar was described. Ultimate bearing capacity of the bridge after strengthening was discussed based on the concrete structure theory. The flexural strength of RC T-beam bridges strengthened with prestressed steel wire ropes was governed by the failure of concrete crushing. To investigate effectiveness of the strengthening method, fielding-load tests were carried out before and after strengthening. The results of concrete strain and deflection show that the flexural strength and stiffness of the strengthened beam are improved. The crack width measurement also indicates that this technique could increase the durability of the bridge. Thus, this strengthened way with prestressed steel wire rope is feasible and effective.

  4. Resistance microwelding of 316L stainless steel wire to block

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis, Kasper Storgaard; Khan, M.I.; Bay, Niels

    2011-01-01

    The excellent corrosion resistance of low carbon vacuum melted 316 stainless steel coupled with its non-magnetic properties makes it ideal for biomedical applications. The typical joint geometry for microcomponents, such as medical implants, includes joining of fine wire to a larger block. However......, this type of joint has received little attention in the current literature. The present study was conducted to examine the microstructure and mechanical properties of low carbon vacuum melted 316 stainless steel wire welded to a larger block. Results revealed solid state bonding occurring at low currents......, while fusion bonding occurred at higher currents. This was due to the highly asymmetrical heat generation resulting in almost complete melting of the wire before the initiation of interfacial melting. This is a distinctly different bonding mechanism compared to previous studies on crossed wire joints....

  5. Position-sensitive proportional counter with low-resistance metal-wire anode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kopp, M.K.

    1980-01-01

    A position-sensitive proportional counter circuit is provided which uses a conventional (low-resistance, metal-wire anode) proportional counter for spatial resolution of an ionizing event along the anode of the counther. A pair of specially designed activecapacitance preamplifiers terminate the anode ends wherein the anode is treated as an RC line. The preamplifiers act as stabilized active capacitance loads and each is composed of a series-feedback, lownoise amplifier, a unity-gain, shunt-feedback amplifier whose output is connected through a feedback capacitor to the series-feedback amplifier input. The stabilized capacitance loading of the anode allows distributed RC-line position encoding and subsequent time difference decoding by sensing the difference in rise times of pulses at te anode ends where the difference is primarily in response to the distributed capacitance along the anode. This allows the use of lower resistance wire anodes for spatial radiation detection which simplifies the counter construction and handling of the anodes, and stabilizes the anode resistivity at high count rates

  6. Mechanical behavior of M-Wire and conventional NiTi wire used to manufacture rotary endodontic instruments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Erika S J; Gomes, Renata O; Leroy, Agnès M F; Singh, Rupinderpal; Peters, Ove A; Bahia, Maria G A; Buono, Vicente T L

    2013-12-01

    Comparison of physical and mechanical properties of one conventional and a new NiTi wire, which had received an additional thermomechanical treatment. Specimens of both conventional (NiTi) and the new type of wire, called M-Wire (MW), were subjected to tensile and three-point bending tests, Vickers microhardness measurements, and to rotating-bending fatigue tests at a strain-controlled level of 6%. Fracture surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy and the non-deformed microstructures by transmission electron microscopy. The thermomechanical treatment applied to produce the M-Wire apparently increased the tensile strength and Vickers microhardness of the material, but its apparent Young modulus was smaller than that of conventionally treated NiTi. The three-point bending tests showed a higher flexibility for MW which also exhibited a significantly higher number of cycles to failure. M-Wire presented mechanical properties that can render endodontic instruments more flexible and fatigue resistant than those made with conventionally processed NiTi wires. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Degradation mechanism of Nb3Sn composite wires under tensile strain at 4.2 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luhman, T.; Suenaga, M.; Welch, D.O.; Kaiho, K.

    1978-01-01

    Bronze-processed Nb 3 Sn composite wire conductors exhibit changes in their superconducting parameters when strained in tension. This paper describes a detailed study of the effect of strain on critical current and an analysis by optical and SEM techniques of crack formation in the Nb 3 Sn layer under strain. The effect of strain history on both reversible and irreversible changes in critical current and the roles of differential thermal contraction induced residual strains and of Nb 3 Sn cracking are discussed

  8. Tensile Strain Dependence of Critical Current for RHQ-Nb3Al Wires

    OpenAIRE

    Jin, Xinzhe; Oguro, Hidetoshi; Nakamoto, Tatsushi; Awaji, Satoshi; Ogitsu, Toru; Tsuchiya, Kiyosumi; Yamamoto, Akira; Kikuchi, Akihiro; Takeuchi, Takao

    2011-01-01

    KEK and NIMS have been jointly developing Nb3Al superconducting wire with a rapid heating and quenching (RHQ) method towards high field accelerator magnets in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) luminosity upgrade. A15-type superconductors such as Nb3Al and Nb3Sn exhibit strain dependence with respect to their critical currents. Therefore, a thorough understanding of strain behavior is necessary for high field accelerator magnet development, which will be critical for the luminosity upgrade of th...

  9. A portable borehole temperature logging system using the four-wire resistance method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erkan, Kamil; Akkoyunlu, Bülent; Balkan, Elif; Tayanç, Mete

    2017-12-01

    High-quality temperature-depth information from boreholes with a depth of 100 m or more is used in geothermal studies and in studies of climate change. Electrical wireline tools with thermistor sensors are capable of measuring borehole temperatures with millikelvin resolution. The use of a surface readout mode allows analysis of the thermally conductive state of a borehole, which is especially important for climatic and regional heat flow studies. In this study we describe the design of a portable temperature logging tool that uses the four-wire resistance measurement method. The four-wire method enables the elimination of cable resistance effects, thus allowing millikelvin resolution of temperature data at depth. A preliminary two-wire model of the system is also described. The portability of the tool enables one to collect data from boreholes down to 300 m, even in locations with limited accessibility.

  10. Negative tunneling magneto-resistance in quantum wires with strong spin-orbit coupling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Seungju; Serra, Llorenç; Choi, Mahn-Soo

    2015-07-01

    We consider a two-dimensional magnetic tunnel junction of the FM/I/QW(FM+SO)/I/N structure, where FM, I and QW(FM+SO) stand for a ferromagnet, an insulator and a quantum wire with both magnetic ordering and Rashba spin-orbit (SOC), respectively. The tunneling magneto-resistance (TMR) exhibits strong anisotropy and switches sign as the polarization direction varies relative to the quantum-wire axis, due to interplay among the one-dimensionality, the magnetic ordering, and the strong SOC of the quantum wire.

  11. Cross-resistance of bisultap resistant strain of Nilaparvata lugens and its biochemical mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, Shanfeng; Zhang, Runjie

    2011-02-01

    The resistant (R) strain of the planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) selected for bisultap resistance displayed 7.7-fold resistance to bisultap and also had cross-resistance to nereistoxin (monosultap, thiocyclam, and cartap), chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, and malathion but no cross-resistance to buprofezin, imidacloprid, and fipronil. To find out the biochemical mechanism of resistance to bisultap, biochemical assay was done. The results showed that cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450) activity in R strain was 2.71-fold that in susceptible strain (S strain), in which the changed activity for general esterase (EST) was 1.91 and for glutathione S-transferases only 1.32. Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) could significantly inhibit P450 activity (percentage of inhibition [PI]: 37.31%) in the R strain, with ESTs PI = 16.04% by triphenyl phosphate (TPP). The results also demonstrated that diethyl maleate had no synergism with bisultap. However, PBO displayed significant synergism in three different strains, and the synergism increased with resistance (S strain 1.42, Lab strain, 2.24 and R strain, 3.23). TPP also showed synergism for three strains, especially in R strain (synergistic ratio = 2.47). An in vitro biochemical study and in vivo synergistic study indicated that P450 might be play important role in the biochemical mechanism of bisultap resistance and that esterase might be the important factor of bisultap resistance. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) insensitivity play important role in bisultap resistance. We suggest that buprofezin, imidacloprid, and fipronil could be used in resistance management programs for N. lugens via alternation and rotation with bisultap.

  12. Simultaneous On-State Voltage and Bond-Wire Resistance Monitoring of Silicon Carbide MOSFETs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nick Baker

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available In fast switching power semiconductors, the use of a fourth terminal to provide the reference potential for the gate signal—known as a kelvin-source terminal—is becoming common. The introduction of this terminal presents opportunities for condition monitoring systems. This article demonstrates how the voltage between the kelvin-source and power-source can be used to specifically monitor bond-wire degradation. Meanwhile, the drain to kelvin-source voltage can be monitored to track defects in the semiconductor die or gate driver. Through an accelerated aging test on 20 A Silicon Carbide Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor-Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs, it is shown that there are opposing trends in the evolution of the on-state resistances of both the bond-wires and the MOSFET die. In summary, after 50,000 temperature cycles, the resistance of the bond-wires increased by up to 2 mΩ, while the on-state resistance of the MOSFET dies decreased by approximately 1 mΩ. The conventional failure precursor (monitoring a single forward voltage cannot distinguish between semiconductor die or bond-wire degradation. Therefore, the ability to monitor both these parameters due to the presence of an auxiliary-source terminal can provide more detailed information regarding the aging process of a device.

  13. A strain gradient plasticity theory with application to wire torsion

    KAUST Repository

    Liu, J. X.

    2014-06-05

    Based on the framework of the existing strain gradient plasticity theories, we have examined three kinds of relations for the plastic strain dependence of the material intrinsic length scale, and thus developed updated strain gradient plasticity versions with deformation-dependent characteristic length scales. Wire torsion test is taken as an example to assess existing and newly built constitutive equations. For torsion tests, with increasing plastic strain, a constant intrinsic length predicts too high a torque, while a decreasing intrinsic length scale can produce better predictions instead of the increasing one, different from some published observations. If the Taylor dislocation rule is written in the Nix-Gao form, the derived constitutive equations become singular when the hardening exponent gets close to zero, which seems questionable and calls for further experimental clarifications on the exact coupling of hardening due to statistically stored dislocations and geometrically necessary dislocations. Particularly, when comparing the present model with the mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity, the present model satisfies the reciprocity relation naturally and gives different predictions even under the same parameter setting. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  14. Metallurgical characterization of M-Wire nickel-titanium shape memory alloy used for endodontic rotary instruments during low-cycle fatigue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Jia; Gao, Yong

    2012-01-01

    Rotary instruments made of a new nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloy (M-Wire) have shown improved cyclic fatigue resistance and mechanical properties compared with those made of conventional superelastic NiTi wires. The objective of this study was to characterize microstructural changes of M-Wire throughout the cyclic fatigue process under controlled strain amplitude. The average fatigue life was calculated from 30 M-Wire samples that were subjected to a strain-controlled (≈ 4%) rotating bend fatigue test at room temperature and rotational speed of 300 rpm. Microstructural evolution of M-Wire has been investigated by different metallurgical characterization techniques, including differential scanning calorimetry, Vickers microhardness, and transmission electron microscopy at 4 different stages (as-received state, 30%, 60%, and 90% of average fatigue life). During rotating bend fatigue test, no statistically significant difference (P > .05) was found on austenite finish temperatures between as-received M-Wire and fatigued samples. However, significant differences (P Wire are expected to have higher strength and wear resistance than similar instruments made of conventional superelastic NiTi wires because of its unique nano-crystalline martensitic microstructure. Copyright © 2012 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Development of high voltage PEEK wire with radiation-resistance and cryogenic characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, T.; Hirata, T.; Araki, S.; Ohara, H.; Nishimura, H.

    1989-01-01

    High voltage electric wires insulated with highly-refined polyetheretherketone (PEEK) have been developed for the wiring in fusion reactors, where the wire is required to withstand high voltage under high vacuum up to 10 -5 Torr. The PEEK wires having the advantages of PEEK resin including superior radiation resistance and cryogenic characteristics are usable over a wide range of temperature and in radiation fields. The results of withstand voltage tests proved that the PEEK wires exceeding 0.8 mm in insulation thickness withstand such specified high voltage conditions as 24 kV for 1 minutes by 10 times and 6.6 kV for 110 hours. The results also revealed that the withstand voltage is improved by providing a jacket layer over the insulation and decreased by periodical voltage charge, by bending of the specimen and by water in the conductor. This paper deal with the withstand voltage test results under varied conditions of the PEEK wires. (author)

  16. Distributed resistance model for the analysis of wire-wrapped rod bundles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ha, K. S.; Jung, H. Y.; Kwon, Y. M.; Jang, W. P.; Lee, Y. B.

    2003-01-01

    A partial flow blockage within a fuel assembly in liquid metal reactor may result in localized boiling or a failure of the fuel cladding. Thus, the precise analysis for the phenomenon is required for a safe design of LMR. MATRA-LMR code developed by KAERI models the flow distribution in an assembly by using the wire forcing function to consider the effects of wire-wrap spacers, which is important to the analysis for flow blockage. However, the wire forcing function does not have the capabilities of analysis when the flow blockage is occurred. And thus this model was altered to the distributed resistance model and the validation calculation was carried out against to the experiment of FFM 2A

  17. Infection of inbred rat strains with Rift Valley fever virus: development of a congenic resistant strain and observations on age-dependence of resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, G W; Rosebrock, J A; Johnson, A J; Jennings, G B; Peters, C J

    1991-05-01

    A congenic rat strain (WF.LEW) was derived from the susceptible Wistar-Furth (WF) (background strain) and the resistant LEW (donor strain) inbred strains and was used to evaluate the phenotypic expression of a dominant Mendelian gene that confers resistance to fatal hepatic disease caused by the ZH501 strain of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). Resistance to hepatic disease developed gradually with age, with full expression at approximately 10 weeks in the WF.LEW and LEW rat strains. The ZH501 strain caused fatal hepatitis in WF rats regardless of age. However, resistance to the SA75 RVFV strain (relatively non-pathogenic for adult rats), was age- and dose-dependent in both WF and LEW rats. The resistance gene transferred to the newly derived WF.LEW congenic rat strain appears to amplify age-dependent resistance of adult rats, resulting in protection against fatal hepatic disease caused by the virulent ZH501 strain. The congenic rat strain will be a valuable asset in elucidating the mechanism of resistance to Rift Valley fever virus governed by the dominant Mendelian gene.

  18. Analysis of critical current-bend strain relationships in composite Nb3Sn superconducting wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luhman, T.; Welch, D.O.

    1979-01-01

    In order to be used successfully in fusion magnets, Nb 3 Sn conductors must meet several mechanical strain criteria, including tolerance to bending strains encountered during magnet construction. Since Nb 3 Sn is extremely brittle much information has been generated regarding the sensitivity of these conductros to tensile strain. A recent comparison of critical current-bend and tensile test data indicates that the strain required to initiate compound cracking during bending is significantly less than the strain required to do so by tensile of critical current on bending strains in monofilamentary Nb 3 Sn wires is calculated and compared with experimental data. The calculation takes into account a shift in the composite's neutral axis which occurs during bending. The analysis correctly predicts the observed depdndence of the critical current on bending strains

  19. 5-Fluorouracil-resistant strain of Methanobacterium thermoautortrophicum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagle, D.P. Jr.; Teal, R.; Eisenbraun, A.

    1987-01-01

    Growth of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Marburg is inhibited by the pyrimidine, 5-fluorouracil (FU). It was shown previously that methanogenesis is not inhibited to the same extent as growth. A spontaneously occurring FU-resistant strain (RTAE-1) was isolated from a culture of strain Marburg. The growth of both strains was inhibited by 5-fluorodeoxyuridine but not 5-fluorocytosine, and the wild type was more susceptible to inhibition by 5-azauracil and 6-azauracil than was strain RTAE-1. The cellular targets for the pyrimidine analogs are not known. When the accumulation of 14 C-labeled uracil or FU by the two strains was compared, the wilt type took up 15-fold more radiolabel per cell than did the FU-resistant strain. In the wild type, radiolabel from uracil was incorporated into the soluble pool, RNA, and DNA. The metabolism of uracil appeared to involve a uracil phosphoribosyltransferase activity. Strain Marburg extracts contained this enzyme, whereas FU-resistant strain RTAE-1 extracts had less than 1/10 as much activity. Although it is possible that a change in permeability to the compounds plays a role in the stable resistance of strain RTAE-1, the fact that it lacks the ability to metabolize pyrimidines to nucleotides is sufficient to account for its phenotype

  20. 5-Fluorouracil-resistant strain of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagle, D P; Teal, R; Eisenbraun, A

    1987-09-01

    Growth of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Marburg is inhibited by the pyrimidine, 5-fluorouracil (FU). It was shown previously that methanogenesis is not inhibited to the same extent as growth. A spontaneously occurring FU-resistant strain (RTAE-1) was isolated from a culture of strain Marburg. The growth of both strains was inhibited by 5-fluorodeoxyuridine but not 5-fluorocytosine, and the wild type was more susceptible to inhibition by 5-azauracil and 6-azauracil than was strain RTAE-1. The cellular targets for the pyrimidine analogs are not known. When the accumulation of 14C-labeled uracil or FU by the two strains was compared, the wild type took up 15-fold more radiolabel per cell than did the FU-resistant strain. In the wild type, radiolabel from uracil was incorporated into the soluble pool, RNA, and DNA. The metabolism of uracil appeared to involve a uracil phosphoribosyltransferase activity. Strain Marburg extracts contained this enzyme, whereas FU-resistant strain RTAE-1 extracts had less than 1/10 as much activity. Although it is possible that a change in permeability to the compounds plays a role in the stable resistance of strain RTAE-1, the fact that it lacks the ability to metabolize pyrimidines to nucleotides is sufficient to account for its phenotype.

  1. Detection of a buried wire with two resistively loaded wire antennas

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vossen, S.H.J.A.; Tijhuis, A.G.; Lepelaars, E.S.A.M.; Zwamborn, A.P.M.

    2002-01-01

    The use of two identical straight thin-wire antennas for the detection of a buried wire is analyzed with the aid of numerical calculations. The buried wire is located below an interface between two homogeneous half-spaces. The detection setup, which is formed by a transmitting and a receiving wire,

  2. Effect of cumulative strain on texture characteristics during wire drawing of eutectoid steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, F.; Ma, C.; Jiang, J.Q.; Feng, H.P.; Zhai, S.Y.

    2008-01-01

    The texture characteristics associated with plastic deformation of Fe-C steels near-eutectoid composition during a continuous cold drawing process were thoroughly investigated by orientation distribution function analysis based on X-ray diffraction. The effect of cumulative drawing strains on the fiber texture in drawn hypereutectoid and hypoeutectoid steel wires was discussed

  3. Dynamic resistance of a high-T c coated conductor wire in a perpendicular magnetic field at 77 K

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Zhenan; Toyomoto, Ryuki; Amemiya, Naoyuki; Zhang, Xingyou; Bumby, Chris W.

    2017-03-01

    Superconducting high-T c coated conductor (CC) wires comprise a ceramic thin film with a large aspect ratio. This geometry can lead to significant dissipative losses when exposed to an alternating magnetic field. Here we report experimental measurements of the ‘dynamic resistance’ of commercially available SuperPower and Fujikura CC wires in an AC perpendicular field. The onset of dynamic resistance occurs at a threshold field amplitude, which is determined by the total DC transport current and the penetration field of the conductor. We show that the field-dependence of the normalised magnetisation loss provides an unambiguous value for this threshold field at zero transport current. From this insight we then obtain an expression for the dynamic resistance in perpendicular field. This approach implies a linear relationship between dynamic resistance and applied field amplitude, and also between threshold field and transport current and this is consistent with our experimental data. The analytical expression obtained yields values that closely agree with measurements obtained across a wide range of frequencies and transport currents, and for multiple CC wires produced by different wire manufacturers and with significantly differing dimensions and critical currents. We further show that at high transport currents, the measured DC resistance includes an additional nonlinear term which is due to flux-flow resistance incurred by the DC transport current. This occurs once the field-dependent critical current of the wire falls below the DC transport current for part of each field cycle. Our results provide an effective and simple approach to calculating the dynamic resistance of a CC wire, at current and field magnitudes consistent with those expected in superconducting machines.

  4. Nano-crystallization of steel wire and its wear behavior

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Y.H. [School of Electromechanical Engineering, Xian University of Architecture and Technology, Xian 716000 (China) and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytecnical University, Xian 710072 (China)], E-mail: xuyunhua@vip.163.com; Peng, J.H. [School of Electromechanical Engineering, Xian University of Architecture and Technology, Xian 716000 (China); Fang, L. [State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xian Jiaotong University, Xian 710049 (China)

    2008-06-15

    As carbon steel wire is widely used in civil engineering and industry, it is quite important to increase its strength. In the present paper, a severe cold drawing approach is applied to increase strength and is shown to produce nano grains. With increasing true strain, the tensile strength increases continuously and the cementite flake thickness decreases correspondingly. It is observed by transmission electron microscopy that a significant amount of cementite flakes have been fragmented and dissolved at true strains. Finally, the grains are transformed to nano-sized crystals. Additionally, the cold drawn nano-sized steel wire has been knitted and filled with polyurethane to produce a composite material. Three-body abrasive wear tests show that the wear resistance of the test material is even better than that of high-Cr white cast irons.

  5. Nano-crystallization of steel wire and its wear behavior

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Y.H.; Peng, J.H.; Fang, L.

    2008-01-01

    As carbon steel wire is widely used in civil engineering and industry, it is quite important to increase its strength. In the present paper, a severe cold drawing approach is applied to increase strength and is shown to produce nano grains. With increasing true strain, the tensile strength increases continuously and the cementite flake thickness decreases correspondingly. It is observed by transmission electron microscopy that a significant amount of cementite flakes have been fragmented and dissolved at true strains. Finally, the grains are transformed to nano-sized crystals. Additionally, the cold drawn nano-sized steel wire has been knitted and filled with polyurethane to produce a composite material. Three-body abrasive wear tests show that the wear resistance of the test material is even better than that of high-Cr white cast irons

  6. Dissemination of antibiotic resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant S aureus strains isolated from hospital effluents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandal, Santi M; Ghosh, Ananta K; Pati, Bikas R

    2015-12-01

    Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) and methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) strains were examined in hospital effluents. Most S aureus strains are resistant to methicillin (MRSA), followed by tetracycline. Approximately 15% of MRSA strains are also resistant to vancomycin (VRSA). All VRSA strains developed a VanR/VanS-regulated 2-component system of VanA-type resistance in their genome. Results indicate that there is a possibility of developing resistance to aminoglycosides by VRSA strains in the near future. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Evolution of cementite morphology in pearlitic steel wire during wet wire drawing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xiaodan; Godfrey, Andrew; Hansen, Niels

    2010-01-01

    The evolution of the cementite phase during wet wire drawing of a pearlitic steel wire has been followed as a function of strain. Particular attention has been given to a quantitative characterization of changes in the alignment and in the dimensions of the cementite phase. Scanning electron...... microscope observations show that cementite plates become increasingly aligned with the wire axis as the drawing strain is increased. Measurements in the transmission electron microscope show that the cementite deforms plastically during wire drawing , with the average thickness of the cementite plates...... decreasing from 19 nm (ε = 0) to 2 nm (ε = 3.7) in correspondence with the reduction in wire diameter. The deformation of the cementite is strongly related to plastic deformation in the ferrite, with coarse slip steps, shear bands and cracks in the cementite plates/particles observed parallel to either {110...

  8. V-I transition and n-value of multifilamentary LTS and HTS wires and cables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, Arup K.

    2004-01-01

    For low T c multifilamentary conductors like NbTi and Nb 3 Sn, the V-I transition to the normal state is typically quantified by the parameter, n, defined by (ρ/ρ c )=(I/I c ) n . For NbTi, this parameterization has been very useful in the development of high J c wires, where the n-value is regarded as an index of the filament quality. In copper-matrix wires with undistorted filaments, the n-value at 5 T is ∼40-60, and drops monotonically with increasing field. However, n can vary significantly in conductors with higher resistivity matrices and those with a low copper fraction. Usually high n-values are associated with unstable resistive behavior and premature quenching. The n-value in NbTi Rutherford cables, when compared to that in the wires is useful in evaluating cabling degradation of the critical current due to compaction at the edges of the cable. In Nb 3 Sn wires, n-value has been a less useful tool, since often the resistive transition shows small voltages ∼ a few μV prior to quenching. However, in 'well behaved' wires, n is ∼30-40 at 12 T and also shows a monotonic behavior with field. Strain induced I c degradation in these wires is usually associated with lower n-values. For high T c multifilamentary wires and tapes, a similar power law often describes the resistive transition. At 4.2 K, Bi-2223 tapes as well as Bi-2212 wires exhibit n-values ∼15-20. In either case, n does not change appreciably with field. Rutherford cables of Bi-2212 wire show lower values of n than the virgin wire

  9. The Corrosion Resistance of Composite Arch Wire Laser-Welded By NiTi Shape Memory Alloy and Stainless Steel Wires with Cu Interlayer in Artificial Saliva with Protein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Chao; Sun, Xinhua; Hou, Xu; Li, Hongmei; Sun, Daqian

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, the corrosion resistance of laser-welded composite arch wire (CoAW) with Cu interlayer between NiTi shape memory alloy and stainless steel wire in artificial saliva with different concentrations of protein was studied. It was found that protein addition had a significant influence on the corrosion behavior of CoAW. Low concentration of protein caused the corrosion resistance of CoAW decrease in electrochemical corrosion and immersion corrosion tests. High concentration of protein could reduce this effect. PMID:23801895

  10. Output pulse-shapes of position-sensitive proportional counters using high resistance single wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwatani, Kazuo; Nishiyama, Fumitaka; Hasai, Hiromi

    1980-01-01

    The measurements and model analysis of the output pulse-shapes from a single wire proportional counter (SWPC) which has a high resistance anode are described. The characteristics of the observed pulse-shapes are determined by only one parameter which is a function of anode resistance and load resistance and they are reproduced by a simple model. Using this model, the methods for position read-out are discussed in a systematical way. (author)

  11. Evolution of cementite morphology in pearlitic steel wire during wet wire drawing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xiaodan; Godfrey, Andrew; Hansen, Niels; Huang Xiaoxu; Liu Wei; Liu Qing

    2010-01-01

    The evolution of the cementite phase during wet wire drawing of a pearlitic steel wire has been followed as a function of strain. Particular attention has been given to a quantitative characterization of changes in the alignment and in the dimensions of the cementite phase. Scanning electron microscope observations show that cementite plates become increasingly aligned with the wire axis as the drawing strain is increased. Measurements in the transmission electron microscope show that the cementite deforms plastically during wire drawing , with the average thickness of the cementite plates decreasing from 19 nm (ε = 0) to 2 nm (ε = 3.7) in correspondence with the reduction in wire diameter. The deformation of the cementite is strongly related to plastic deformation in the ferrite, with coarse slip steps, shear bands and cracks in the cementite plates/particles observed parallel to either {110} α or {112} α slip plane traces in the ferrite.

  12. Comparison of Superelasticity of Nickel Titanium Orthodontic Arch wires using Mechanical Tensile Testing and Correlating with Electrical Resistivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sivaraj, Aravind

    2013-01-01

    Background: Application of light and continuous forces for optimum physiological response and least damage to the tooth supporting structures should be the primary aim of the orthodontist. Nickel titanium alloys with the properties of excellent spring back, super elasticity and wide range of action is one of the natural choices for the clinicians to achieve this goal. In recent periods, various wire manufacturers have come with a variety of wires exhibiting different properties. It is the duty of the clinician to select appropriate wires during various stages of treatment for excellent results. For achieving this evaluation of the properties of these wires is essential. Materials & Methods: This study is focussed on evaluating the super elastic property of eight groups of austenite active nickel titanium wires. Eight groups of archwires bought from eight different manufacturers were studied. These wires were tested through mechanical tensile testing and electrical resistivity methods. Results: Unloading curves were carefully assessed for superelastic behaviour on deactivation. Rankings of the wires tested were based primarily upon the unloading curve’s slope Conclusion: Ortho organisers wires ranked first and superior, followed by American Orthodontics and Ormco A wires. Morelli and GAClowland NiTi wires were ranked last. It can be concluded that the performance of these wires based on rankings should be further evaluated by clinical studies. How to cite this article: Sivaraj A. Comparison of Superelasticity of Nickel Titanium Orthodontic Arch wires using Mechanical Tensile Testing and Correlating with Electrical Resistivity. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(3):1-12. PMID:24155596

  13. Linezolid susceptibility in Helicobacter pylori, including strains with multidrug resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyanova, Lyudmila; Evstatiev, Ivailo; Gergova, Galina; Yaneva, Penka; Mitov, Ivan

    2015-12-01

    Only a few studies have evaluated Helicobacter pylori susceptibility to linezolid. The aim of the present study was to assess linezolid susceptibility in H. pylori, including strains with double/multidrug resistance. The susceptibility of 53 H. pylori strains was evaluated by Etest and a breakpoint susceptibility testing method. Helicobacter pylori resistance rates were as follows: amoxicillin, 1.9%; metronidazole, 37.7%; clarithromycin, 17.0%; tetracycline, 1.9%; levofloxacin, 24.5%; and linezolid (>4 mg/L), 39.6%. The linezolid MIC50 value was 31.2-fold higher than that of clarithromycin and 10.5-fold higher than that of levofloxacin; however, 4 of 11 strains with double/multidrug resistance were linezolid-susceptible. The MIC range of the oxazolidinone agent was larger (0.125-64 mg/L) compared with those in the previous two reports. The linezolid resistance rate was 2.2-fold higher in metronidazole-resistant strains and in strains resistant to at least one antibiotic compared with the remaining strains. Briefly, linezolid was less active against H. pylori compared with clarithromycin and levofloxacin, and linezolid resistance was linked to resistance to metronidazole as well as to resistance to at least one antibiotic. However, linezolid activity against some strains with double/multidrug resistance may render the agent appropriate to treat some associated H. pylori infections following in vitro susceptibility testing of the strains. Clinical trials are required to confirm this suggestion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

  14. "Behaviour changes in Permethrin-resistant strain of Anopheles Stephensi "

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vatandoost H

    2000-09-01

    Full Text Available Behaviour studies indicated that the permethrin resistant strin of An. Stephensi was 3-fold resistant to knock-down compared with the susceptible strain. The resistant strain was however 3-fold less irritable to permethrin and less responsive than the susceptible strain to the movement of an aspirator. If reduced irritability and reduced responsiveness to catch are consequences of the changes in the nervous system, then such a form of resistance may be disadvantageous to mosquitoes in natural populations.

  15. Shape memory alloy wire-based smart natural rubber bearing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hedayati Dezfuli, F; Shahria Alam, M

    2013-01-01

    In this study, two types of smart elastomeric bearings are presented using shape memory alloy (SMA) wires. Due to the unique characteristics of SMAs, such as the superelastic effect and the recentering capability, the residual deformation in SMA-based natural rubber bearings (SMA-NRBs) is significantly reduced whereas the energy dissipation capacity is increased. Two different configurations of SMA wires incorporated in elastomeric bearings are considered. The effect of several parameters, including the shear strain amplitude, the type of SMA, the aspect ratio of the base isolator, the thickness of SMA wire, and the amount of pre-strain in the wires on the performance of SMA-NRBs is investigated. Rubber bearings are composed of natural rubber layers bonded to steel shims as reinforcement. Results show that ferrous SMA wire, FeNiCuAlTaB, with 13.5% superelastic strain and a very low austenite finish temperature (−62 °C), is the best candidate to be used in SMA-NRBs subjected to high shear strain amplitudes. In terms of the lateral flexibility and wire strain level, the smart rubber bearing with a cross configuration of SMA wires is more efficient. Moreover, the cross configuration can be implemented in high-aspect-ratio elastomeric bearings since the strain induced in the wire does not exceed the superelastic range. When cross SMA wires with 2% pre-strain are used in a smart NRB, the dissipated energy is increased by 74% and the residual deformation is decreased by 15%. (paper)

  16. High-performance, stretchable, wire-shaped supercapacitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Tao; Hao, Rui; Peng, Huisheng; Dai, Liming

    2015-01-07

    A general approach toward extremely stretchable and highly conductive electrodes was developed. The method involves wrapping a continuous carbon nanotube (CNT) thin film around pre-stretched elastic wires, from which high-performance, stretchable wire-shaped supercapacitors were fabricated. The supercapacitors were made by twisting two such CNT-wrapped elastic wires, pre-coated with poly(vinyl alcohol)/H3PO4 hydrogel, as the electrolyte and separator. The resultant wire-shaped supercapacitors exhibited an extremely high elasticity of up to 350% strain with a high device capacitance up to 30.7 F g(-1), which is two times that of the state-of-the-art stretchable supercapacitor under only 100% strain. The wire-shaped structure facilitated the integration of multiple supercapacitors into a single wire device to meet specific energy and power needs for various potential applications. These supercapacitors can be repeatedly stretched from 0 to 200% strain for hundreds of cycles with no change in performance, thus outperforming all the reported state-of-the-art stretchable electronics. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Evaluation of frictional resistance between monocrystalline (ICE brakcets and Stainless Steel, Beta TMA and NiTiarch wires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meysam Mirzaie

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: When using sliding mechanics for space closure during orthodontic treatment, friction occurs at the bracket-wire interface. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frictional resistance between monocrystalline (ICE brackets and Stainless Steel, Beta TMA and NiTi wires. Methods: In this experimental study, we used 5 different types of orthodontic wires. Brackets and wires were divided in to 5 groups: 1-(monocrystalline+stainless steel 18 2–(monocrystalline+stainless steel 19×25 3-(monocrystalline+Beta-TMA 4–(monocrystalline+Beta TMA 19×25 5-(monocrystalline+NiTi 18. Instron Universal Testing Machine was used to investigate the static frictional resistance. The angulation between bracket and wire was 0 and the wires were pulled through the slots at a speed of 10 mm/min. Tests were performed 10 times for each group in artificial saliva. The average of 10 forces recorded was considered as static friction. One-way ANOVA and SPSS Version 18 and LSD post hoc test were used to evaluate the results of the study. Results: The mean static frictional force for each group was: group1: 0.82 ± 0.14, group 2: 1.09 ± 0.30, group 3: 0.87 ± 0.53, group 4: 1.9 ± 1.16, group 5: 1.42 ± 0.30. There was a significant difference when comparing the two groups of similar wires in terms of shape (round or rectangular cross-section as when comparing Beta TMA 18 and 19×25 arch wires with each other, the obtained p-value was 0.023, while the obtained p-value for the comparison of stainles steel arch wires was 0.034 . Conclusions: The result of this study shows that Stainless Steel 18 wires generate the least amount of friction and round wires produce less friction than the rectangular wires. Beta TMA wires generate the highest amount of friction.

  18. Antibiotic resistance of Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from different animals gastrointestinal tracts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lukáš Hleba

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available In this study we monitored antibiotic resistance in Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from different animals gastrointestinal tracts  (GIT. We isolated Enterobacteriaceae from chicken, ducks, lambs, pigs, sheeps, cows and rabbits collected from slovakian farms. Enterobacteriaceae strains were cultivated on MacConkey agar at 35° ± 2°C at 24 hours. Pure cultures of Enterobacteriaceae strains were obtained by four-way streak method on Chromogenic coliform agar. Identification of purified Enterobacteriaceae strains were done by Enterotest 24 and MALDI TOF MS. For susceptibility testing disk diffusion method was used according by EUCAST. We determined the most resistance in Enterobacteriaceae strains against streptomycin, tetracycline, ampicillin, piperecillin, levofloxacine, chloramphenicol and smaller level of resistance against amikacin, ceftriaxone and ofloxacine. Equally we detected resistance to more antibiotics in one strain. The most resistance was Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium. Also E. coli was resistance against four antibiotics and Raoultella ornithinolytica too. Antibiotic resistance was found in other isolated strains too.

  19. Antimicrobial resistance of bacterial strains isolated from avian cellulitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MM Santos

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Avian cellulitis is an inflammatory process in the subcutaneous tissue, mainly located in the abdomen and thighs. This problem is commonly observed in poultry at slaughter and it is considered one of the major causes of condemnation of carcasses in Brazil. The aim of this study was to perform the microbial isolation of lesions of avian cellulitis from a processing plant located in the State of Goiás in order to analyze antimicrobial resistance by antibiogram test and to detect resistance genes by polymerase chain reaction. A total of 25 samples of avian cellulitis lesions were analyzed, from which 30 bacterial strains were isolated. There were eleven (44% strains of Escherichia coli, nine (36% strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis, seven (28% strains of Proteus mirabilis and three (12% strains of Manheimiahaemolytica. The antibiogram test showed that all strains were resistant to at least one antimicrobial. The gene of antimicrobial resistance tetB was detected in E. coli, S. epidermidis and P. mirabilis strains, and was the most frequently observed gene. The gene of antimicrobial resistance Sul1 was detected in all bacterial species, while tetA was found in E. coli and S. epidermidis strains, SHV in E. coli strains, S. epidermidis and P. mirabilis,and cat1 in one P. mirabilis strain. The results suggest a potential public health hazard due to the ability of these microorganisms to transmit antimicrobial resistancegenes to other microorganisms present in the intestinal tract of humans and animals, which may affect clinical-medical usage of these drugs.

  20. Fatigue testing of controlled memory wire nickel-titanium rotary instruments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Ya; Qian, Wei; Abtin, Houman; Gao, Yuan; Haapasalo, Markus

    2011-07-01

    To improve the fracture resistance of nickel-titanium (NiTi) files, manufacturers have introduced new alloys to manufacture NiTi files and developed new manufacturing processes. This study was aimed to examine the fatigue behavior of NiTi instruments from a novel controlled memory NiTi wire (CM Wire). Instruments of ProFile, Typhoon (TYP), Typhoon CM (TYP CM), DS-SS0250425NEYY (NEYY), and DS-SS0250425NEYY CM (NEYY CM) (DS Dental, Johnson City, TN) all size 25/.04 were subjected to rotational bending at the curvature of 35° and 45° in air at the temperature of 23° ± 2°C, and the number of revolutions to fracture (N(f)) was recorded. The fracture surface of all fragments was examined by a scanning electron microscope. The crack-initiation sites, the percentage of dimple area to the whole fracture cross-section, and the surface strain amplitude (ε(a)) were noted. The new alloy yielded an improvement of over three to eight times in N(f) of CM files than that of conventional NiTi files (P wire (58%-100%) had one crack origin. The values of the fraction area occupied by the dimple region were significantly smaller on CM NiTi instruments compared with conventional NiTi instruments (P wire at both curvatures (P Wire had a significantly higher N(f) and lower surface strain amplitude than the conventional NiTi wire files with identical design. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Stiffness and frictional resistance of a superelastic nickel-titanium orthodontic wire with low-stress hysteresis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liaw, Yu-Cheng; Su, Yu-Yu M; Lai, Yu-Lin; Lee, Shyh-Yuan

    2007-05-01

    Stress-induced martensite formation with stress hysteresis that changes the elasticity and stiffness of nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) wire influences the sliding mechanics of archwire-guided tooth movement. This in-vitro study investigated the frictional behavior of an improved superelastic Ni-Ti wire with low-stress hysteresis. Improved superelastic Ni-Ti alloy wires (L & H Titan, Tomy International, Tokyo, Japan) with low-stress hysteresis were examined by using 3-point bending and frictional resistance tests with a universal test machine at a constant temperature of 35 degrees C, and compared with the former conventional austenitic-active superelastic Ni-Ti wires (Sentalloy, Tomy International). Wire stiffness levels were derived from differentiation of the polynomial regression of the unloading curves, and values for kinetic friction were measured at constant bending deflection distances of 0, 2, 3, and 4 mm, respectively. Compared with conventional Sentalloy wires, the L & H Titan wire had a narrower stress hysteresis including a lower loading plateau and a higher unloading plateau. In addition, L & H Titan wires were less stiff than the Sentalloy wires during most unloading stages. Values of friction measured at deflections of 0, 2, and 3 mm were significantly (P Sentalloy wires at all bending deflections (P <.05). Stress-induced martensite formation significantly reduced the stiffness and thus could be beneficial to decrease the binding friction of superelastic Ni-Ti wires during sliding with large bending deflections. Austenitic-active alloy wires with low-stress hysteresis and lower stiffness and friction offer significant potential for further investigation.

  2. PPM-based System for Guided Waves Communication Through Corrosion Resistant Multi-wire Cables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trane, G.; Mijarez, R.; Guevara, R.; Pascacio, D.

    Novel wireless communication channels are a necessity in applications surrounded by harsh environments, for instance down-hole oil reservoirs. Traditional radio frequency (RF) communication schemes are not capable of transmitting signals through metal enclosures surrounded by corrosive gases and liquids. As an alternative to RF, a pulse position modulation (PPM) guided waves communication system has been developed and evaluated using a corrosion resistant 4H18 multi-wire cable, commonly used to descend electronic gauges in down-hole oil applications, as the communication medium. The system consists of a transmitter and a receiver that utilizes a PZT crystal, for electrical/mechanical coupling, attached to each extreme of the multi-wire cable. The modulator is based on a microcontroller, which transmits60 kHz guided wave pulses, and the demodulator is based on a commercial digital signal processor (DSP) module that performs real time DSP algorithms. Experimental results are presented, which were obtained using a 1m corrosion resistant 4H18multi-wire cable, commonly used with downhole electronic gauges in the oil sector. Although there was significant dispersion and multiple mode excitations of the transmitted guided wave energy pulses, the results show that data rates on the order of 500 bits per second are readily available employing PPM and simple communications techniques.

  3. Ultrahigh-strength submicron-sized metallic glass wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Y.B.; Lee, C.C.; Yi, J.; An, X.H.; Pan, M.X.; Xie, K.Y.; Liao, X.Z.; Cairney, J.M.; Ringer, S.P.; Wang, W.H.

    2014-01-01

    In situ deformation experiments were performed in a transmission electron microscope to investigate the mechanical properties of submicron-sized Pd 40 Cu 30 Ni 10 P 20 metallic glass (MG) wires. Results show that the submicron-sized MG wires exhibit intrinsic ultrahigh tensile strength of ∼2.8 GPa, which is nearly twice as high as that in their bulk counterpart, and ∼5% elastic strain approaching the elastic limits. The tensile strength, engineering strain at failure and deformation mode of the submicron-sized MG wires depend on the diameter of the wires

  4. Estimation of changes in insulation resistance with various design parameters of interdigitated wire loops.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cordaro, Joseph Gabriel [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Jones, Reese E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Neel, Wiley Christopher [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2015-09-01

    In this report we explore the sensitivities of the insulation resistance between two loops of wire embedded in insulating materials with a simple, approximate model. We discuss limita- tions of the model and ideas for improvements.

  5. Dependence of Strain Distribution on In Content in InGaN/GaN Quantum Wires and Spherical Quantum Dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Akant Sagar; Dhar, S.

    2018-02-01

    The distribution of strain, developed in zero-dimensional quantum spherical dots and one-dimensional cylindrical quantum wires of an InGaN/GaN system is calculated as functions of radius of the structure and indium mole fraction. The strain shows strong dependence on indium mole fraction at small distances from the center. The strain associated with both the structures is found to decrease exponentially with the increase in dot or cylinder radius and increases linearly with indium content.

  6. Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococcal Strains Isolated from Various Pathological Products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura-Mihaela SIMON

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: The optimal choice of antimicrobial therapy is an important problem in hospital environment in which the selection of resistant and virulent strains easy occurs. S. aureus and especially MRSA(methicillin-resistant S. aureus creates difficulties in both treatment and prevention of nosocomial infections. Aim: The purpose of this study is to determine the sensitivity and the resistance to chemotherapy of staphylococci strains isolated from various pathological products. Material and Method: We identified Staphylococccus species after morphological appearance, culture properties, the production of coagulase, hemolisines and the enzyme activity. The susceptibility tests were performed on Mueller-Hinton medium according to CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Results: The strains were: MSSA (methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (74%, MRSA (8%, MLS B (macrolides, lincosamides and type B streptogramines resistance (12% and MRSA and MLS B (6%. MRSA strains were more frequently isolated from sputum. MRSA associated with the MLS B strains were more frequently isolated from pus. MLS B strains were more frequently isolated from sputum and throat secretions. All S. aureus strains were susceptible to vancomycin and teicoplanin. Conclusions: All staphylococcal infections require resistance testing before treatment. MLS B shows a high prevalence among strains of S. aureus. The association between MLS B and MRSA remains a major problem in Romania.

  7. Evaluation of frictional resistance between monocrystalline (ICE brakcets and Stainless Steel, Beta TMA and NiTi arch wires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meysam Mirzaie

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: When using sliding mechanics for space closure during orthodontic treatment, friction occurs at the bracket-wire interface. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frictional resistance between monocrystalline (ICE brackets and Stainless Steel, Beta TMA and NiTi wires. Methods: In this experimental study, we used 5 different types of orthodontic wires. Brackets and wires were divided in to 5 groups: 1-(monocrystalline+stainless steel 18 2–(monocrystalline+stainless steel 19×25 3-(monocrystalline+Beta-TMA 4–(monocrystalline+Beta TMA 19×25 5-(monocrystalline+NiTi 18. Instron Universal Testing Machine was used to investigate the static frictional resistance. The angulation between bracket and wire was 0 and the wires were pulled through the slots at a speed of 10 mm/min. Tests were performed 10 times for each group in artificial saliva. The average of 10 forces recorded was considered as static friction. One-way ANOVA and SPSS Version 18 and LSD post hoc test were used to evaluate the results of the study. Results: The mean static frictional force for each group was: group1: 0.82±0.14, group 2: 1.09±0.30, group 3: 0.87±0.53, group 4: 1.9±1.16, group 5: 1.42±0.30. There was a significant difference when comparing the two groups of similar wires in terms of shape (round or rectangular cross-section as when comparing Beta TMA 18 and 19×25 arch wires with each other, the obtained p-value was 0.023, while the obtained p-value for the comparison of stainles steel arch wires was 0.034. Conclusions: The result of this study shows that Stainless Steel 18 wires generate the least amount of friction and round wires produce less friction than the rectangular wires. Beta TMA wires generate the highest amount of friction.

  8. Resistive transition of superconducting-wire networks. Influence of pinning and fluctuations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giroud, M.; Buisson, O.; Wang, Y.Y.; Pannetier, B.; Mailly, D.

    1992-01-01

    The authors studied the resistive transition of several 2-D superconducting-wire networks of various coupling strengths, which they characterize in terms of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature and the ratio ξ/a of the coherence length to the array period. In the extreme strong-coupling limit where the mesh size is of the order of the zero-temperature coherence length, the superconducting behavior is well described by the mean-field properties of the superconducting wave function. Extending to 2-D array, the 1-D phase-slippage model explains the dissipative regime observed above the Ginzburg-Landau depairing critical current. On the other hand, when the coupling is weak, phase fluctuations below the Ginzburg-Landau transition and vortex depinning dominate the resistive behavior. An activated dissipation is observed even below the depairing critical current. Results obtained in this regime for critical temperature, magnetoresistance, or critical current versus temperature, and magnetic field are shown; their periodic oscillations are discussed in terms of depinning of vortices on the array. A simple periodic pinning potential for a vortex in a wire network is calculated, and compared with the case of pinning in Josephson junction arrays. It is shown that this model explains qualitatively the experimental results observed for small ξ/a

  9. Low-temperature resistance of cyclically strained aluminum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Segal, H.R.; Richard, T.G.

    1977-01-01

    An experimental study of the resistance changes in high-purity, reinforced aluminum due to cyclic straining is presently underway. The purpose of this work is to determine the optimum purity of aluminum to be used as a stabilizing material for superconducting magnets used for energy storage. Since pure aluminum has a low yield strength, it is not capable of supporting the stress levels in an energized magnet. Therefore, it has been bonded to a high-strength material--in this case, 6061 aluminum alloy. This bonding permits pure aluminum to be strained cyclically beyond its elastic limit with recovery of large plastic strains upon release of the load. The resistance change in this composite material is less than that of pure, unreinforced aluminum

  10. Absorption coefficients for interband optical transitions in a strained InAs1−xPx/InP quantum wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saravanan, S.; John Peter, A.; Lee, Chang Woo

    2014-01-01

    Excitons confined in an InAs 1−x P x /InP (x=0.2) quantum well wire are studied in the presence of magnetic field strength. Numerical calculations are carried out using variational approach within the single band effective mass approximation. The compressive strain contribution to the confinement potential is included throughout the calculations. The energy difference of the ground and the first excited state is investigated in the influence of magnetic field strength taking into account the geometrical confinement effect. The magnetic field induced optical band as a function of wire radius is investigated in the InAs 0.8 P 0.2 /InP quantum well wire. The valence-band anisotropy is included in our theoretical model by employing different hole masses in different spatial directions. The optical gain as a function of incident photon energy is computed in the presence of magnetic field strength. The corresponding 1.55 μm wavelength is achieved for 40 Å InAs 0.8 P 0.2 /InP quantum well wire. We hope that the results could be used for the potential applications in fiber optic communications. -- Highlights: • Magnetic field induced excitons confined in a InAs 1−x P x /InP (x=0.2) quantum well wire are studied. • The compressive strain is included throughout the calculations. • The energy difference of the ground and the first excited state is investigated in the presence of magnetic field strength. • The magnetic field induced optical band with the geometrical confinement is studied. • The optical gain with the photon energy is computed in the presence of magnetic field strength

  11. Strain-dependent electrical resistance of multi-walled carbon nanotube/polymer composite films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Myounggu; Kim, Hyonny; Youngblood, Jeffrey P

    2008-01-01

    The strain-dependent electrical resistance characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/polymer composite films were investigated. In this research, polyethylene oxide (PEO) is used as the polymer matrix. Two representative volume fractions of MWCNT/PEO composite films were selected: 0.56 vol% (near the percolation threshold) and 1.44 vol% (away from the percolation threshold) of MWCNT. An experimental setup which can measure electrical resistance and strain simultaneously and continuously has been developed. Unique and repeatable relationships in resistance versus strain were obtained for multiple specimens with different volume fractions of MWCNT. The overall pattern of electrical resistance change versus strain for the specimens tested consists of linear and nonlinear regions. A resistance change model to describe the combination of linear and nonlinear modes of electrical resistance change as a function of strain is suggested. The unique characteristics in electrical resistance change for different volume fractions imply that MWCNT/PEO composite films can be used as tunable strain sensors and for application into embedded sensor systems in structures

  12. Analysis of differentially expressed genes related to resistance in spinosad- and neonicotinoid-resistant Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) strains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Castberg, Dorte Heidi Højland; Kristensen, Michael

    2017-01-01

    strains differing significantly in their response to insecticides. High differential expression of P450s and genes coding for cuticle protein indicates a combination of factors involved in metabolic neonicotinoid and spinosad resistance. Conclusion Resistance in these strains is apparently not linked...... interesting in terms of neonicotinoid resistance, while cyp4d9 was overexpressed in 791spin compared to spinosad-susceptible strains. GSTs, ESTs and UGTs were mostly overexpressed, but not to the same degree as P450s. We present a comprehensive and comparative picture of gene expression in three housefly......Background The housefly is a global pest that has developed resistance to most insecticides applied against it. Resistance of the spinosad-resistant strain 791spin and the neonicotinoid-resistant 766b strain is believed to be due to metabolism. We investigate differentially expressed genes...

  13. Behavior of NiTiNb SMA wires under recovery stress or prestressing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Eunsoo; Nam, Tae-Hyun; Chung, Young-Soo; Kim, Yeon-Wook; Lee, Seung-Yong

    2012-01-05

    The recovery stress of martensitic shape-memory alloy [SMA] wires can be used to confine concrete, and the confining effectiveness of the SMA wires was previously proved through experimental tests. However, the behavior of SMA wires under recovery stress has not been seriously investigated. Thus, this study conducted a series of tests of NiTiNb martensitic SMA wires under recovery stress with varying degrees of prestrain on the wires and compared the behavior under recovery stress with that under prestressing of the wires. The remaining stress was reduced by the procedure of additional strain loading and unloading. More additional strains reduced more remaining stresses. When the SMA wires were heated up to the transformation temperature under prestress, the stress on the wires increased due to the state transformation. Furthermore, the stress decreased with a decreasing temperature of the wires down to room temperature. The stress of the NiTiNb wires was higher than the prestress, and the developed stress seemed to depend on the composition of the SMAs. When an additional strain was subsequently loaded and unloaded on the prestressed SMA wires, the remaining stress decreased. Finally, the remaining stress becomes zero when loading and unloading a specific large strain.

  14. Clinical Trichophyton rubrum Strain Exhibiting Primary Resistance to Terbinafine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukherjee, Pranab K.; Leidich, Steven D.; Isham, Nancy; Leitner, Ingrid; Ryder, Neil S.; Ghannoum, Mahmoud A.

    2003-01-01

    The in vitro antifungal susceptibilities of six clinical Trichophyton rubrum isolates obtained sequentially from a single onychomycosis patient who failed oral terbinafine therapy (250 mg/day for 24 weeks) were determined by broth microdilution and macrodilution methodologies. Strain relatedness was examined by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses. Data obtained from both broth micro- and macrodilution assays were in agreement and revealed that the six clinical isolates had greatly reduced susceptibilities to terbinafine. The MICs of terbinafine for these strains were >4 μg/ml, whereas they were terbinafine for all six strains were >128 μg/ml, whereas they were 0.0002 μg/ml for the reference strain. The MIC of terbinafine for the baseline strain (cultured at the initial screening visit and before therapy was started) was already 4,000-fold higher than normal, suggesting that this is a case of primary resistance to terbinafine. The results obtained by the broth macrodilution procedure revealed that the terbinafine MICs and MFCs for sequential isolates apparently increased during the course of therapy. RAPD analyses did not reveal any differences between the isolates. The terbinafine-resistant isolates exhibited normal susceptibilities to clinically available antimycotics including itraconazole, fluconazole, and griseofulvin. However, these isolates were fully cross resistant to several other known squalene epoxidase inhibitors, including naftifine, butenafine, tolnaftate, and tolciclate, suggesting a target-specific mechanism of resistance. This is the first confirmed report of terbinafine resistance in dermatophytes. PMID:12499173

  15. [Properties of NiTi wires with direct electric resistance heat treatment method in three-point bending tests].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hong-mei; Wang, Bang-kang; Ren, Chao-chao; Bai, Yu-xing

    2011-03-01

    To investigate the mechanical properties of Ni-Ti wires with direct electric resistance heat treatment (DERHT) method in three-point bending tests. Two superelastic Ni-Ti wires (wire A: Smart SE, wire B: SENTALLOY SE, 0.406 mm × 0.559 mm) and 2 heat-actived Ni-Ti wires (wire C: Smart SM, wire D: L&H TITAN, 0.406 mm × 0.559 mm) were selected. They were heat-treated using the DERHT method by a controlled electric current (6.36 A) applied for different period of time [0 (control), 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 seconds). Then, a three-point bending test was performed under controlled temperature (37°C) to examine the relationships between the deflection and the load in the bending of wires. After DERHT treatment, the plateau in the force-deflection curve of superelastic Ni-Ti wires and heat-activated Ni-Ti wires were increased. When the wires were heated for 2.0 seconds and deflected to 1.5 mm, the loading force of A, B, C and D Ni-Ti wires increased from (3.85 ± 0.11), (3.62 ± 0.07), (3.28 ± 0.09), (2.91 ± 0.23) N to (4.33 ± 0.07), (4.07 ± 0.05), (4.52 ± 0.08), (3.27 ± 0.15) N respectively. DERHT method is very convenient for clinical use. It is possible to change the arch form and superelastic force of NiTi wires. The longer the heating time is, the more the superelastic characteristics of the wires are altered.

  16. Decreased uptake of cadmium by a resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chopra, I

    1971-01-01

    Penicillinase plasmids, and some related extrachromosomal elements in Staphylococcus aureus, can specify resistance to inorganic ions, including Hg/sup 2 +/ and Cd/sup 2 +/. There is some tentative evidence that resistance to Hg/sup 2 +/ ions is due to the impermeability of the cells to the ions and not to a higher concentration of free -SH groups in resistance to cadmium ions is unknown. Experiments are described which show that there is a markedly decreased rate of uptake of Cd/sup 2 +/ ions by resistant cells when compared with strains that lack the cad-r gene. The uptake of Cd/sup 2 +/ ions has been studied in the cadmium resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain 8325 (..cap alpha...i/sup +/p/sup +/.cad-r.mer-r) and in its cadmium-sensitive derivative, strain 8324(N). Strain 8325(N) was obtained from 8325 (..cap alpha...i/sup +/.cad-r.mer-r) by isolating a variant which had spontaneously lost the ..cap alpha.. penicillinase plasmid specifying resistance to Cd/sup 2 +/ ions. Cadmium uptake was estimated by adding /sup 115m/CdCl/sub 2/ (final concentration: 10/sup -4/M) to exponentially growing cultures of the sensitive and resistant strains and following the uptake of radioactivity.

  17. Experimental investigation of industrial copper deformed by wire ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    drawing on microstructure and physical properties of industrial copper wires. Copper wires were provided by E.N.I.CA.Biskra (Algeria). We investigated some wires with different strain levels (as received, 1.20, 2.10, and ε = 3.35).

  18. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-Based Flexible Resistive Strain Sensors for Wearable Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Chen

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available There is growing attention and rapid development on flexible electronic devices with electronic materials and sensing technology innovations. In particular, strain sensors with high elasticity and stretchability are needed for several potential applications including human entertainment technology, human–machine interface, personal healthcare, and sports performance monitoring, etc. This article presents recent advancements in the development of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-based flexible resistive strain sensors for wearable applications. First of all, the article shows that PDMS-based stretchable resistive strain sensors are successfully fabricated by different methods, such as the filtration method, printing technology, micromolding method, coating techniques, and liquid phase mixing. Next, strain sensing performances including stretchability, gauge factor, linearity, and durability are comprehensively demonstrated and compared. Finally, potential applications of PDMS-based flexible resistive strain sensors are also discussed. This review indicates that the era of wearable intelligent electronic systems has arrived.

  19. Comparative study and quantification of cementite decomposition in heavily drawn pearlitic steel wires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lamontagne, A. [University of Lyon, INSA Lyon, MATEIS–UMR CNRS 5510, Bât. St Exupéry, 3ème étage, 25 Avenue Jean Capelle, Villeurbanne Cedex 69621 (France); Massardier, V., E-mail: veronique.massardier@insa-lyon.fr [University of Lyon, INSA Lyon, MATEIS–UMR CNRS 5510, Bât. St Exupéry, 3ème étage, 25 Avenue Jean Capelle, Villeurbanne Cedex 69621 (France); Kléber, X. [University of Lyon, INSA Lyon, MATEIS–UMR CNRS 5510, Bât. St Exupéry, 3ème étage, 25 Avenue Jean Capelle, Villeurbanne Cedex 69621 (France); Sauvage, X. [University of Rouen, GPM, UMR CNRS 6634, BP 12, Avenue de l’Université, 76801 Saint-Etienne du Rouvray (France); Mari, D. [Institute of Condensed Matter Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 3, Lausanne CH-1015 (Switzerland)

    2015-09-17

    Heavily cold-drawing was performed on a pearlitic steel wire and on an ultra-low carbon (ULC) steel wire in order to highlight and quantify the microstructural changes caused by this type of deformation. Both global techniques (thermoelectric power, electrical resistivity, internal fiction background) and local techniques (Atom Probe Tomography) were combined for this study. It was shown that two distinct stages have to be taken into account during the cold-drawing of pearlitic steels. The first stage (below a true strain of 1.5) was attributed mainly to the lamellar alignment, while the second stage (above a true strain of 1.5) was unambiguously interpreted as being due to a gradual enrichment of the carbon content of ferrite arising from the strain induced cementite decomposition. The carbon content in solid solution in ferrite was assessed as a function of the true strain. All the techniques showed that this carbon content exceeds the solubility limit of carbon in the ferrite above a true strain of 2.2. A correlation between the increase in the carbon content of ferrite and the increase in yield strength was also highlighted. Moreover, a scenario was proposed to explain the microstructural changes caused by drawing.

  20. Comparative study and quantification of cementite decomposition in heavily drawn pearlitic steel wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamontagne, A.; Massardier, V.; Kléber, X.; Sauvage, X.; Mari, D.

    2015-01-01

    Heavily cold-drawing was performed on a pearlitic steel wire and on an ultra-low carbon (ULC) steel wire in order to highlight and quantify the microstructural changes caused by this type of deformation. Both global techniques (thermoelectric power, electrical resistivity, internal fiction background) and local techniques (Atom Probe Tomography) were combined for this study. It was shown that two distinct stages have to be taken into account during the cold-drawing of pearlitic steels. The first stage (below a true strain of 1.5) was attributed mainly to the lamellar alignment, while the second stage (above a true strain of 1.5) was unambiguously interpreted as being due to a gradual enrichment of the carbon content of ferrite arising from the strain induced cementite decomposition. The carbon content in solid solution in ferrite was assessed as a function of the true strain. All the techniques showed that this carbon content exceeds the solubility limit of carbon in the ferrite above a true strain of 2.2. A correlation between the increase in the carbon content of ferrite and the increase in yield strength was also highlighted. Moreover, a scenario was proposed to explain the microstructural changes caused by drawing

  1. The local domain wall position in ferromagnetic thin wires: simultaneous measurement of resistive and transverse voltages at multiple points

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanada, R.; Sugawara, H.; Aoki, Y.; Sato, H.; Shigeto, K.; Shinjo, T.; Ono, T.; Miyajima, H.

    2002-01-01

    We have simultaneously measured the field dependences of voltages at multiple pairs of resistance and transverse voltage probes in ferromagnetic wires (with either magnetic or non-magnetic voltage probes). Both the resistive (through the giant magnetoresistance and anisotropic magnetoresistance) and transverse voltages (through the planar Hall effect) exhibit abrupt jumps, reflecting discrete motion of domain walls or rotations of magnetization. Voltage probes, even if non-magnetic, are found to affect the jump fields depending on the sample conditions. We demonstrate that the specific information on the domain (wall) motion along a thin ferromagnetic wire could be obtained from the jump fields. (author)

  2. Radiation resistance of insulating materials for electric wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanemitsuya, Kazuhiko; Okuda, Tomoaki; Tachibana, Tadao; Yagi, Toshiaki; Seguchi, Tadao.

    1990-01-01

    In no halogen incombustible materials, smoke and poisonous gas generation at the time of burning is small, and corrosive gas rarely arises. Since no halogen electric wires and cables which use these material maintain safety for people and equipment in the case of fires, those are used for ships, tunnels, subways and so on. Also in nuclear power stations, the demand for no halogen cables becomes high although the condition of adoption is difficult. In this study, for the purpose of developing the no halogen cables for nuclear power stations, the basic data on the radiation resistance of no halogen incombustible materials were collected, and by using chemical analysis method, the radiation deterioration behavior was examined. The samples were those with base polymers of VLDPE, ULDPE, EEA, EMA and EVA. Gamma ray irradiation, tensile test, chemi-luminescence measurement, and the determination of gel fraction and swelling rate were carried out. The results are reported, In no halogen materials, when ethylene system copolymer is used as the base polymer instead of PE, the composition with good radiation resistance can be obtained, and by combining amine oxidation inhibitor, it is further improved. (K.I.)

  3. Corrosion resistance of a laser spot-welded joint of NiTi wire in simulated human body fluids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Xiao-Jun; Yang, Da-Zhi

    2006-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate corrosion resistance of a laser spot-welded joint of NiTi alloy wires using potentiodynamic tests in Hank's solution at different PH values and the PH 7.4 NaCl solution for different Cl- concentrations. Scanning electron microscope observations were carried out before and after potentiodynamic tests. The composition of a laser spot-welded joint and base metal were characterized by using an electron probe microanalyzer. The results of potentiodynamic tests showed that corrosion resistance of a laser spot-welded joint of NiTi alloy wire was better than that of base metal, which exhibited a little higher breakdown potential and passive range, and a little lower passive current density. Corrosion resistances of a laser spot-welded joint and base metal decreased with increasing of the Cl- concentration and PH value. The improvement of corrosion resistance of the laser spot-welded joint was due to the decrease of the surface defects and the increase of the Ti/Ni ratio. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Resistance gene pool to co-trimoxazole in non-susceptible Nocardia strains.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvia eValdezate

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The soil-borne pathogen Nocardia spp. causes severe cutaneous, pulmonary and central nervous system infections. Against them, co-trimoxazole (SXT constitutes the mainstay of antimicrobial therapy. However, some Nocardia strains show resistance to SXT, but the underlying genetic basis is unknown. We investigated the presence of genetic resistance determinants and class 1-3 integrons in 76 SXT-resistant Nocardia strains by PCR and sequencing. By E-test, these clinical strains showed SXT MICs of ≥32:608 mg/L (ratio of 1:19 for trimethoprim: sulfamethoxazole. They belonged to 12 species, being the main representatives N. farcinica (32%, followed by N. flavorosea (6.5%, N. nova (11.8%, N. carnea (10.5%, N. transvalensis (10.5% and Nocardia spp. (6.5%. The prevalence of resistance genes in the SXT-resistant strains was as follows: sul1 and sul2 93.4% and 78.9% respectively, dfrA(S1 14.7%, blaTEM-1 and blaZ 2.6% and 2.6% respectively, VIM-2 1.3%, aph(3´-IIIa 40.8%, ermA, ermB, mefA and msrD 2.6%, 77.6%, 14.4%, and 5.2% respectively, and tet(O, tet(M, and tet(L 48.6%, 25.0% and 3.9% respectively. Detected amino acid changes in GyrA were not related to fluoroquinolone resistance, but probably linked to species polymorphism. Class 1 and 3 integrons were found in 93.42% and 56.57% strains, respectively. Class 2 integrons and sul3 genes were not detected. Other mechanisms, different than dfrA(S1, dfrD, dfrF, dfrG and dfrK, could explain the strong trimethoprim resistance shown by the other 64 strains. For first time, resistance determinants commonly found in clinically important bacteria were detected in Nocardia spp. sul1, sul2, erm(B and tet(O were the most prevalent in the SXT-resistant strains. The similarity in their resistome could be due to a common genetic platform, in which these determinants are co-transferred

  5. Autosomal male determination in a spinosad-resistant housefly strain from Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Højland, Dorte H; Scott, Jeffrey G; Vagn Jensen, Karl-Martin

    2014-01-01

    males in this strain. The factor responsible for spinosad resistance in the strain is unknown, but previous studies suggest a role of cytochrome P450s for detoxification of spinosad. Sex determination in the housefly is controlled by a male-determining factor (M), either located on the Y chromosome......BACKGROUND The housefly, Musca domestica L., is a global pest and has developed resistance to most insecticides applied for its control. The insecticide spinosad plays an important role in housefly control. Females of the Danish housefly strain 791spin are threefold more resistant to spinosad than...... of resistance to spinosad. Sex determination in 791spin is due to a male factor on autosome 3. CONCLUSIONS The most likely explanation for the differentiation of spinosad resistance between males and females is a recessive spinosad resistance factor on autosome III. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry...

  6. The Effect of Tensile Hysteresis and Contact Resistance on the Performance of Strain-Resistant Elastic-Conductive Webbing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tien-Wei Shyr

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available To use e-textiles as a strain-resistance sensor they need to be both elastic and conductive. Three kinds of elastic-conductive webbings, including flat, tubular, and belt webbings, made of Lycra fiber and carbon coated polyamide fiber, were used in this study. The strain-resistance properties of the webbings were evaluated in stretch-recovery tests and measured within 30% strain. It was found that tensile hysteresis and contact resistance significantly influence the tensile elasticity and the resistance sensitivity of the webbings. The results showed that the webbing structure definitely contributes to the tensile hysteresis and contact resistance. The smaller the friction is among the yarns in the belt webbing, the smaller the tensile hysteresis loss. However the close proximity of the conductive yarns in flat and tubular webbings results in a lower contact resistance.

  7. Obtention of copper-magnesium alloys wires used in electrical transmission lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandes, Marcos Gonzales

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this work was to obtain copper wires in three different chemical compositions starting from electrolytic copper and magnesium. The mains steps were evaluated, starting from the melting of small eutectic cooper-magnesium specimens in an electric arc furnace, followed by further dilution of this buttons in a resistive furnace and casting it in a copper mould. The as cast billets were homogenized in a resistive furnace at 910 degree C for 2 h. The billets were mechanically cold worked by swaging and a final drawing step to attain a round shape and a reasonable surface quality. The cast ingots chemical analysis indicated that the processing route showed to be adequate, in laboratory scale, to obtain wires with cross sectional area of 4 mm2 and 10 m in length. The wires in both conditions - as cold worked and after a recovering heat treatment at 510 degree C for 1 h, were mechanically characterized by tensile testing and hardness. The wires had also the electric conductivity assessed in the recovered heat-treated state and the results were compared to the literature data. The obtained material showed to be adequate to be used as electric conductor. The yield strain and ultimate tensile strength were improved with the increasing amount of Mg in the alloy, 11 % and 24 %, respectively, while the electric conductivity decreased to 60 % IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard). (author)

  8. [Current antibiotic resistance profile of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains and therapeutic consequences].

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Bouamri, M C; Arsalane, L; Kamouni, Y; Yahyaoui, H; Bennouar, N; Berraha, M; Zouhair, S

    2014-12-01

    Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a very common reason for consultation and prescription in current practice. Excessive or inappropriate use of antibiotics in treating urinary tract infections is responsible for the emergence and spread of multiresistant uropathogenic bacteria. To evaluate the isolation frequency and antibiotic resistance of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated at the Marrakech region. We conducted a retrospective study over a period of three years (from 1st January 2010 to 31 December 2012). It included all non-redundant uropathogenic E. coli strains isolated in the microbiology laboratory of the Avicenne hospital of Marrakech, Morocco. During this study, 1472 uropathogenic enterobacteriaceae were isolated including 924 non-repetitive E. coli strains, an overall isolation frequency of 63%. Antibiotic resistance of isolated E. coli strains showed resistance rates to amoxicillin (65%), sulfamethoxazole-triméthropime (55%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (43%), ciprofloxacin (22%), gentamicin (14%), nitrofurans (11%), amikacin (8%) and fosfomycin (7%). The number of E. coli strains resistant to C3G by ESBL production was 67, an average frequency of 4.5% of all isolated uropathogenic enterobacteria. The associated antibiotic resistance in the case of ESBL-producing E. coli were 82% for ciprofloxacin, 76% for sulfamethozole trimethoprim, 66% for gentamicin and 56% for amikacin. No resistance to imipenem was recorded for the isolated E. coli strains, which represents an imipenem sensitivity of 100%. Antibiotic resistance of uropathogenic E. coli strains limits treatment options and therefore constitutes a real public health problem. The regular updating of antibiotic susceptibility statistics of E. coli strains allows a better adaptation of the probabilistic antibiotic therapy to local epidemiological data. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  9. Resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin in Spanish field populations of Ceratitis capitata and metabolic resistance mediated by P450 in a resistant strain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arouri, Rabeh; Le Goff, Gaelle; Hemden, Hiethem; Navarro-Llopis, Vicente; M'saad, Mariem; Castañera, Pedro; Feyereisen, René; Hernández-Crespo, Pedro; Ortego, Félix

    2015-09-01

    The withdrawal of malathion in the European Union in 2009 resulted in a large increase in lambda-cyhalothrin applications for the control of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, in Spanish citrus crops. Spanish field populations of C. capitata have developed resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin (6-14-fold), achieving LC50 values (129-287 ppm) higher than the recommended concentration for field treatments (125 ppm). These results contrast with the high susceptibility to lambda-cyhalothrin found in three Tunisian field populations. We have studied the mechanism of resistance in the laboratory-selected resistant strain W-1Kλ (205-fold resistance). Bioassays with synergists showed that resistance was almost completely suppressed by the P450 inhibitor PBO. The study of the expression of 53 P450 genes belonging to the CYP4, CYP6, CYP9 and CYP12 families in C. capitata revealed that CYP6A51 was overexpressed (13-18-fold) in the resistant strain. The W-1Kλ strain also showed high levels of cross-resistance to etofenprox (240-fold) and deltamethrin (150-fold). Field-evolved resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin has been found in C. capitata. Metabolic resistance mediated by P450 appears to be the main resistance mechanism in the resistant strain W-1Kλ. The levels of cross-resistance found may compromise the effectiveness of other pyrethroids for the control of this species. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  10. Effects of the composition and crystal structure of zinc-nickel alloy deposits on the internal strain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsuru, Y.; Tanaka, M. [Kyushu Inst. of Technology, Kitakyushu (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1996-02-05

    An average internal strain in the electrodeposited Zn-Ni alloy films was in-situ measured using the resistance wire type strain gauge setup on the reverse side of the copper substrate. The Ni content of the Zn-Ni alloy coatings utilized for the steel frame of automobiles and for the plastic coated steel sheets is around at 15% and the dominant structure is the {gamma}-phase. Such Zn-Ni alloy coatings are favorable for the protection of steel against corrosion. The internal stress in these deposits is always compressive during electroplating. However, upon turning off the current, the internal stress sharply changes from compressive to tensile. The tensile stress seems to simultaneously result in many cracks on the surface of the deposits. In this study, a resistance wire type strain gauge meter was used for successive measurement of the internal strain in the deposits during electroplating and solid-state stripping voltammetry was applied for the anodic dissolution of the deposits. And the effects concerning the partial electroleaching of Zn from the deposits on the internal strain in the deposits under periodic reverse plating. 15 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs.

  11. Pseudo-creep in Shape Memory Alloy Wires and Sheets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russalian, V. R.; Bhattacharyya, A.

    2017-10-01

    Interruption of loading during reorientation and isothermal pseudoelasticity in shape memory alloys with a strain arrest ( i.e., holding strain constant) results in a time-dependent evolution in stress or with a stress arrest ( i.e., holding stress constant) results in a time-dependent evolution in strain. This phenomenon, which we term as pseudo-creep, is similar to what was reported in the literature three decades ago for some traditional metallic materials undergoing plastic deformation. In a previous communication, we reported strain arrest of isothermal pseudoelastic loading, isothermal pseudoelastic unloading, and reorientation in NiTi wires as well as a rate-independent phase diagram. In this paper, we provide experimental results of the pseudo-creep phenomenon during stress arrest of isothermal pseudoelasticity and reorientation in NiTi wires as well as strain arrest of isothermal pseudoelasticity and reorientation in NiTi sheets. Stress arrest in NiTi wires accompanied by strain accumulation or recovery is studied using the technique of multi-video extensometry. The experimental results were used to estimate the amount of mechanical energy needed to evolve the wire from one microstructural state to another during isothermal pseudoelastic deformation and the difference in energies between the initial and the final rest state between which the aforementioned evolution has occurred.

  12. Heat Transfer Analysis in Wire Bundles for Aerospace Vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rickman, S. L.; Iamello, C. J.

    2016-01-01

    Design of wiring for aerospace vehicles relies on an understanding of "ampacity" which refers to the current carrying capacity of wires, either, individually or in wire bundles. Designers rely on standards to derate allowable current flow to prevent exceedance of wire temperature limits due to resistive heat dissipation within the wires or wire bundles. These standards often add considerable margin and are based on empirical data. Commercial providers are taking an aggressive approach to wire sizing which challenges the conventional wisdom of the established standards. Thermal modelling of wire bundles may offer significant mass reduction in a system if the technique can be generalized to produce reliable temperature predictions for arbitrary bundle configurations. Thermal analysis has been applied to the problem of wire bundles wherein any or all of the wires within the bundle may carry current. Wire bundles present analytical challenges because the heat transfer path from conductors internal to the bundle is tortuous, relying on internal radiation and thermal interface conductance to move the heat from within the bundle to the external jacket where it can be carried away by convective and radiative heat transfer. The problem is further complicated by the dependence of wire electrical resistivity on temperature. Reduced heat transfer out of the bundle leads to higher conductor temperatures and, hence, increased resistive heat dissipation. Development of a generalized wire bundle thermal model is presented and compared with test data. The steady state heat balance for a single wire is derived and extended to the bundle configuration. The generalized model includes the effects of temperature varying resistance, internal radiation and thermal interface conductance, external radiation and temperature varying convective relief from the free surface. The sensitivity of the response to uncertainties in key model parameters is explored using Monte Carlo analysis.

  13. Genetic relatedness of ciprofloxacin-resistant Shigella dysenteriae type 1 strains isolated in south Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talukder, Kaisar A; Khajanchi, Bijay K; Islam, M Aminul; Dutta, Dilip K; Islam, Zhahirul; Safa, Ashrafus; Khan, G Y; Alam, Khorshed; Hossain, M A; Malla, Sarala; Niyogi, S K; Rahman, Mustafizur; Watanabe, Haruo; Nair, G Balakrish; Sack, David A

    2004-10-01

    The aim of the present study was to determine the clonal relationships of ciprofloxacin-resistant Shigella dysenteriae type 1 strains isolated from south Asia, and S. dysenteriae 1 strains associated with epidemics in 1978, 1984 and 1994. The antimicrobial susceptibilities were examined by NCCLS methods. Molecular epidemiological characterization was performed by plasmid profiling, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and mutation analysis of the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of gyrA by sequencing. Plasmid patterns of the current ciprofloxacin-resistant strains from India, Nepal and Bangladesh were very similar to those of the 1978, 1984 and 1994 epidemic isolates of S. dysenteriae 1, except for the presence of a new plasmid of approximately 2.6 MDa, which was found in one recent ciprofloxacin-resistant strain isolated in Bangladesh. PFGE analysis showed that the ciprofloxacin-resistant strains isolated in Bangladesh, India and Nepal belonged to a PFGE type (type A), which was possibly related to that of the 1984 and 1994 clone of S. dysenteriae 1, but different from 1978 epidemic strains. The current ciprofloxacin-resistant strains belong to five subtypes (A3-A7), all of which were found in India, but in Bangladesh and Nepal, only A3 existed. Mutation analysis of the QRDR of gyrA revealed that amino acid substitutions at positions 83 and 87 of ciprofloxacin-resistant strains isolated in Bangladesh were similar to those of the strains isolated in Nepal, but different (at position 87) from ciprofloxacin-resistant strains isolated in India. PFGE and mutation analysis of gyrA showed differences between the current ciprofloxacin-resistant S. dysenteriae 1 strains isolated in south Asia and those associated with epidemics in 1978, 1984 and 1994.

  14. Genetic basis of resistance to trauma in inbred strains of mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radojicic, C.; Andric, B.; Simovic, M.; Dujic, A.; Marinkovic, D.

    1990-01-01

    In this study the resistance to mechanical, thermal, and radiation trauma in four inbred strains of mice (AKR, BALB/c, CBA, and C57Bl/6) was compared with the degree of genetic resemblance, by analyzing the allozyme variabilities of these strains. It was shown that the highest degree of genetic resemblance was among CBA and AKR strains, which correlated with a similar degree of resistance to trauma. On the other hand, BALB/c and C57Bl/6 strains expressed significant differences, both genetically and with respect to the responses to trauma. The hypothesis is introduced that the genetic determination of the resistance to trauma is based on: (a) a polygenic control of general physiological homeostasis, with the possibility that (b) some specific genes or single loci may contribute more than others to such adaptations of the strains tested

  15. Endosulfan Resistance Profile of Soil Bacteria and Potential Application of Resistant Strains in Bioremediation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chandini P.K.

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, bacterial strains were isolated from the soils of Wayanad District, Kerala, India and the isolates were tested for their tolerance to endosulfan and potential in bioremediation technology. Pesticide contamination in the soils, soil physico-chemical characteristics and socio-economic impacts of pesticide application were also analyzed. 28 pesticide compounds in the soil samples were analyzed and the results revealed that there was no pesticide residues in the soils. As per the survey conducted the pesticide application is very high in the study area and the level of awareness among the farmers was very poor regarding the method of application and its socio-economic and ecological impacts. A total of 9 bacterial strains were isolated with 50μg/ml of endosulfan in the isolating media and the results showed that most of the bacterial strains were highly resistance to endosulfan. Out of the 9 strains isolated 6 were highly resistant to endosulfan (500- 700μg/ml and the other 3 isolates showed the resistance of 250-500μg/ml. From the studied isolate, isolate 9 demonstrating prolific growth and high resistance was selected to check their capability to degrade endosulfan over time. Identification of the selected strain reveals that it belongs to the genus Bacillus. Results of endosulfan removal studies showed that with increase in time, the biomass of the bacterial strains increased. The complete disappearance of endosulfan from the spiked and inoculated broth during the first day of incubation (24 hour interval was observed. While the control flask showed the presence of endosulfan during the experimental period. Pesticide resistant bacteria are widely distributed in the soils of selected study area and the tolerance varied between bacteria even though they were isolated from the soils of the same area. The selected Bacillus species carry the ability to degrade endosulfan at accelerated rates and it could be useful in framing a

  16. Biofilm Formation Potential of Heat-Resistant Escherichia coli Dairy Isolates and the Complete Genome of Multidrug-Resistant, Heat-Resistant Strain FAM21845.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marti, Roger; Schmid, Michael; Kulli, Sandra; Schneeberger, Kerstin; Naskova, Javorka; Knøchel, Susanne; Ahrens, Christian H; Hummerjohann, Jörg

    2017-08-01

    We tested the biofilm formation potential of 30 heat-resistant and 6 heat-sensitive Escherichia coli dairy isolates. Production of curli and cellulose, static biofilm formation on polystyrene (PS) and stainless steel surfaces, biofilm formation under dynamic conditions (Bioflux), and initial adhesion rates (IAR) were evaluated. Biofilm formation varied greatly between strains, media, and assays. Our results highlight the importance of the experimental setup in determining biofilm formation under conditions of interest, as correlation between different assays was often not a given. The heat-resistant, multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain FAM21845 showed the strongest biofilm formation on PS and the highest IAR and was the only strain that formed significant biofilms on stainless steel under conditions relevant to the dairy industry, and it was therefore fully sequenced. Its chromosome is 4.9 Mb long, and it harbors a total of five plasmids (147.2, 54.2, 5.8, 2.5, and 1.9 kb). The strain carries a broad range of genes relevant to antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation, including some on its two large conjugative plasmids, as demonstrated in plate mating assays. IMPORTANCE In biofilms, cells are embedded in an extracellular matrix that protects them from stresses, such as UV radiation, osmotic shock, desiccation, antibiotics, and predation. Biofilm formation is a major bacterial persistence factor of great concern in the clinic and the food industry. Many tested strains formed strong biofilms, and especially strains such as the heat-resistant, MDR strain FAM21845 may pose a serious issue for food production. Strong biofilm formation combined with diverse resistances (some encoded on conjugative plasmids) may allow for increased persistence, coselection, and possible transfer of these resistance factors. Horizontal gene transfer may conceivably occur in the food production setting or the gastrointestinal tract after consumption. Copyright © 2017 Marti et al.

  17. High incidence of multidrug-resistant strains of methicill inresistant ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Infections of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are becoming an increasingly concerning clinical problem. The aim of this study was to assess the development of multidrug resistant strains of MRSA from clinical samples andpossibilities for reducing resistance. This study included a total of seventy-five (75) ...

  18. Resistance Pattern and Molecular Characterization of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC Strains Isolated in Bangladesh.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasmin A Begum

    Full Text Available Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC is a common cause of bacterial infection leading to acute watery diarrhea in infants and young children as well as in travellers to ETEC endemic countries. Ciprofloxacin is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent nowadays used for the treatment of diarrhea. This study aimed to characterize ciprofloxacin resistant ETEC strains isolated from diarrheal patients in Bangladesh.A total of 8580 stool specimens from diarrheal patients attending the icddr,b Dhaka hospital was screened for ETEC between 2005 and 2009. PCR and Ganglioside GM1- Enzyme Linked Immuno sorbent Assay (ELISA was used for detection of Heat labile (LT and Heat stable (ST toxins of ETEC. Antimicrobial susceptibilities for commonly used antibiotics and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin were examined. DNA sequencing of representative ciprofloxacin resistant strains was performed to analyze mutations of the quinolone resistance-determining region of gyrA, gyrB, parC and parE. PCR was used for the detection of qnr, a plasmid mediated ciprofloxacin resistance gene. Clonal variations among ciprofloxacin resistant (CipR and ciprofloxacin susceptible (CipS strains were determined by Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE.Among 1067 (12% ETEC isolates identified, 42% produced LT/ST, 28% ST and 30% LT alone. Forty nine percent (n = 523 of the ETEC strains expressed one or more of the 13 tested colonization factors (CFs as determined by dot blot immunoassay. Antibiotic resistance of the ETEC strains was observed as follows: ampicillin 66%, azithromycin 27%, ciprofloxacin 27%, ceftriazone 13%, cotrimaxazole 46%, doxycycline 44%, erythromycin 96%, nalidixic acid 83%, norfloxacin 27%, streptomycin 48% and tetracycline 42%. Resistance to ciprofloxacin increased from 13% in 2005 to 34% in 2009. None of the strains was resistant to mecillinam. The MIC of the nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin of representative

  19. Penicillin-resistant viridans streptococci have obtained altered penicillin-binding protein genes from penicillin-resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

    OpenAIRE

    Dowson, C G; Hutchison, A; Woodford, N; Johnson, A P; George, R C; Spratt, B G

    1990-01-01

    Penicillin-resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae possess altered forms of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) with decreased affinity for penicillin. The PBP2B genes of these strains have a mosaic structure, consisting of regions that are very similar to those in penicillin-sensitive strains, alternating with regions that are highly diverged. Penicillin-resistant strains of viridans groups streptococci (e.g., S. sanguis and S. oralis) that produce altered PBPs have also been reported. ...

  20. Thermal strain measurement of EAST W/Cu divertor structure using electric resistance strain gauges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Xingli [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031 (China); Science Island Branch of Graduate School, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, 230031 (China); Wang, Wanjing, E-mail: wjwang@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031 (China); Wang, Jichao [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031 (China); Wei, Ran; Sun, Zhaoxuan [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031 (China); Science Island Branch of Graduate School, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, 230031 (China); Li, Qiang; Xie, Chunyi [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031 (China); Chen, Hong-En; Wang, Kaiqiang; Wu, Lei; Chen, Zhenmao [State Key Lab for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Xi’an Jiaotong University (China); Luo, Guang-Nan [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031 (China); Science Island Branch of Graduate School, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, 230031 (China); Hefei Center for Physical Science and Technology, Hefei, 230022 (China); Hefei Science Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230027 (China)

    2016-12-15

    Highlights: • To understand the service behavior of W/Cu divertor, an electrical resistance strain gauge system had been introduced in a thermal strain measurement experiment. • The measurement system successfully finished the experiment and obtained valued thermal strain data. • Two thermomechanical analyses had also been carried out and compared with the measurement results. • Experiment results corresponded well to simulations and threw a light upon the failure of W/Cu divertor in the previous baking tests. - Abstract: W/Cu divertor has complex structure and faces extreme work environment in EAST Tokamak device. To measure its thermal strain shall be a valued way to understand its service behavior and then optimize its design and manufacturing process. This work presents a preliminary study on measuring thermal strain of EAST W/Cu divertor structure using electric resistance strain gauges. Eight gauges had been used in the experiment and the heating temperature had been set to 230 °C with respect to the work temperature. To realize the measuring experiment, an appropriate fixing method of gauges in divertor narrow spaces had been taken and tested, which could not only withstand high temperature but also had no damage to the divertor sample. The measurement results were that three gauges showed positive strain while other three showed negative strain after having been compensated, which corresponded to tensile stress and compressed stress respectively. Two thermomechanical simulations had also been carried out and used for comparing with the experiment.

  1. Near-Isogenic Cry1F-Resistant Strain of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Investigate Fitness Cost Associated With Resistance in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horikoshi, Renato J; Bernardi, Oderlei; Bernardi, Daniel; Okuma, Daniela M; Farias, Juliano R; Miraldo, Leonardo L; Amaral, Fernando S A; Omoto, Celso

    2016-04-01

    Field-evolved resistance to Cry1F maize in Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) populations in Brazil was reported in 2014. In this study, to investigate fitness costs, we constructed a near-isogenic S. frugiperda-resistant strain (R-Cry1F) using Cry1F-resistant and Cry1F-susceptible strains sharing a close genetic background. A near-isogenic R-Cry1F strain was obtained by eight repeated backcrossings, each followed by sib-mating and selection among resistant and susceptible strains. Fitness cost parameters were evaluated by comparing the biological performance of resistant, susceptible, and heterozygous strains on artificial diet. Fitness parameters monitored included development time and survival rates of egg, larval, pupal, and egg-to-adult periods; sex ratio; adult longevity; timing of preoviposition, oviposition, and postoviposition; fecundity; and fertility. A fertility life table was also calculated. The near-isogenic R-Cry1F strain showed lower survival rate of eggs (32%), when compared with Sus and reciprocal crosses (41 and 55%, respectively). The number of R-Cry1F insects that completed the life cycle was reduced to ∼25%, compared with the Sus strain with ∼32% reaching the adult stage. The mean generation time (T) of R-Cry1F strain was ∼2 d shorter than R-Cry1F♂×Sus♀ and Sus strains. The reproductive parameters of R-Cry1F strain were similar to the Sus strain. However, fewer females were produced by R-Cry1F strain than R-Cry1F♀×Sus♂ and more females than R-Cry1F♂×Sus♀. In summary, no relevant fitness costs are observed in a near-isogenic Cry1F-resistant strain of S. frugiperda, indicating stability of resistance to Cry1F protein in Brazilian populations of this species in the absence of selection pressure.

  2. Resistance of functional Lactobacillus plantarum strains against food stress conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrando, Verónica; Quiberoni, Andrea; Reinhemer, Jorge; Suárez, Viviana

    2015-06-01

    The survival of three Lactobacillus plantarum strains (Lp 790, Lp 813 and Lp 998) with functional properties was studied taking into account their resistance to thermal, osmotic and oxidative stress factors. Stress treatments applied were: 52 °C-15 min (Phosphate Buffer pH 7, thermal shock), H2O2 0.1% (p/v) - 30 min (oxidative shock) and NaCl aqueous solution at 17, 25 and 30% (p/v) (room temperature - 1 h, osmotic shock). The osmotic stress was also evaluated on cell growth in MRS broth added of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% (p/v) of NaCl, during 20 h at 30 °C. The cell thermal adaptation was performed in MRS broth, selecting 45 °C for 30 min as final conditions for all strains. Two strains (Lp 813 and Lp 998) showed, in general, similar behaviour against the three stress factors, being clearly more resistant than Lp 790. An evident difference in growth kinetics in presence of NaCl was observed between Lp 998 and Lp 813, Lp998 showing a higher optical density (OD570nm) than Lp 813 at the end of the assay. Selected thermal adaptation improved by 2 log orders the thermal resistance of both strains, but cell growth in presence of NaCl was enhanced only in Lp 813. Oxidative resistance was not affected with this thermal pre-treatment. These results demonstrate the relevance of cell technological resistance when selecting presumptive "probiotic" cultures, since different stress factors might considerably affect viability or/and performance of the strains. The incidence of stress conditions on functional properties of the strains used in this work are currently under research in our group. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Elastocaloric effect of Ni-Ti wire for application in a cooling device

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tusek, Jaka; Engelbrecht, Kurt; Mikkelsen, Lars Pilgaard

    2015-01-01

    We report on the elastocaloric effect of a superelastic Ni-Ti wire to be used in a cooling device. Initially, each evaluated wire was subjected to 400 loading/unloading training cycles in order to stabilize its superelastic behavior. The wires were trained at different temperatures, which lead...... to different stabilized superelastic behaviors. The stabilized (trained) wires were further tested isothermally (at low strain-rate) and adiabatically (at high strain-rate) at different temperatures (from 312 K to 342 K). We studied the impact of the training temperature and resulting superelastic behavior...... that there are two sources of the temperature irreversibilities: the hysteresis (and related entropy generation) and the temporary residual strain immediately after unloading, respectively. The latter results in the temporary bending of the wire and reduced negative adiabatic temperature change. The paper also shows...

  4. Antibiotic resistance determinants in a Pseudomonas putida strain isolated from a hospital.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lázaro Molina

    Full Text Available Environmental microbes harbor an enormous pool of antibiotic and biocide resistance genes that can impact the resistance profiles of animal and human pathogens via horizontal gene transfer. Pseudomonas putida strains are ubiquitous in soil and water but have been seldom isolated from humans. We have established a collection of P. putida strains isolated from in-patients in different hospitals in France. One of the isolated strains (HB3267 kills insects and is resistant to the majority of the antibiotics used in laboratories and hospitals, including aminoglycosides, ß-lactams, cationic peptides, chromoprotein enediyne antibiotics, dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors, fluoroquinolones and quinolones, glycopeptide antibiotics, macrolides, polyketides and sulfonamides. Similar to other P. putida clinical isolates the strain was sensitive to amikacin. To shed light on the broad pattern of antibiotic resistance, which is rarely found in clinical isolates of this species, the genome of this strain was sequenced and analysed. The study revealed that the determinants of multiple resistance are both chromosomally-borne as well as located on the pPC9 plasmid. Further analysis indicated that pPC9 has recruited antibiotic and biocide resistance genes from environmental microorganisms as well as from opportunistic and true human pathogens. The pPC9 plasmid is not self-transmissible, but can be mobilized by other bacterial plasmids making it capable of spreading antibiotic resistant determinants to new hosts.

  5. Insecticide Resistance and Metabolic Mechanisms Involved in Larval and Adult Stages of Aedes aegypti Insecticide-Resistant Reference Strains from Cuba.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bisset, Juan Andrés; Rodríguez, María Magdalena; French, Leydis; Severson, David W; Gutiérrez, Gladys; Hurtado, Daymi; Fuentes, Ilario

    2014-12-01

    Studies were conducted to compare levels of insecticide resistance and to determine the metabolic resistance mechanisms in larval and adult stages of Aedes aegypti from Cuba. Three insecticide-resistant reference strains of Ae. aegypti from Cuba were examined. These strains were derived from a Santiago de Cuba strain isolated in 1997; it was previously subjected to a strong selection for resistance to temephos (SAN-F6), deltamethrin (SAN-F12), and propoxur (SAN-F13) and routinely maintained in the laboratory under selection pressure up to the present time, when the study was carried out. In addition, an insecticide-susceptible strain was used for comparison. The insecticide resistance in larvae and adults was determined using standard World Health Organization methodologies. Insecticide resistance mechanisms were determined by biochemical assays. The esterases (α EST and β EST) and mixed function oxidase (MFO) activities were significantly higher in adults than in the larvae of the three resistant strains studied. The association of resistance level with the biochemical mechanism for each insecticide was established for each stage. The observed differences between larval and adult stages of Ae. aegypti in their levels of insecticide resistance and the biochemical mechanisms involved should be included as part of monitoring and surveillance activities in Ae. aegypti vector control programs.

  6. Spread of Botrytis cinerea Strains with Multiple Fungicide Resistance in German Horticulture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rupp, Sabrina; Weber, Roland W S; Rieger, Daniel; Detzel, Peter; Hahn, Matthias

    2016-01-01

    Botrytis cinerea is a major plant pathogen, causing gray mold rot in a variety of cultures. Repeated fungicide applications are common but have resulted in the development of fungal populations with resistance to one or more fungicides. In this study, we have monitored fungicide resistance frequencies and the occurrence of multiple resistance in Botrytis isolates from raspberries, strawberries, grapes, stone fruits and ornamental flowers in Germany in 2010 to 2015. High frequencies of resistance to all classes of botryticides was common in all cultures, and isolates with multiple fungicide resistance represented a major part of the populations. A monitoring in a raspberry field over six seasons revealed a continuous increase in resistance frequencies and the emergence of multiresistant Botrytis strains. In a cherry orchard and a vineyard, evidence of the immigration of multiresistant strains from the outside was obtained. Inoculation experiments with fungicide-treated leaves in the laboratory and with strawberry plants cultivated in the greenhouse or outdoors revealed a nearly complete loss of fungicide efficacy against multiresistant strains. B. cinerea field strains carrying multiple resistance mutations against all classes of site-specific fungicides were found to show similar fitness as sensitive field strains under laboratory conditions, based on their vegetative growth, reproduction, stress resistance, virulence and competitiveness in mixed infection experiments. Our data indicate an alarming increase in the occurrence of multiresistance in B. cinerea populations from different cultures, which presents a major threat to the chemical control of gray mold.

  7. Antimicrobial resistance of Helicobacter pylori strains to five antibiotics, including levofloxacin, in Northwestern Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reyhan Caliskan

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Antibiotic resistance is the main factor that affects the efficacy of current therapeutic regimens against Helicobacter pylori. This study aimed to determine the rates of resistance to efficacy clarithromycin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, levofloxacin and metronidazole among H. pylori strains isolated from Turkish patients with dyspepsia. METHODS: H. pylori was cultured from corpus and antrum biopsies that were collected from patients with dyspeptic symptoms, and the antimicrobial susceptibility of H. pylori was determined using the E-test (clarithromycin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, metronidazole and levofloxacin according to the EUCAST breakpoints. Point mutations in the 23S rRNA gene of clarithromycin-resistant strains were investigated using real-time PCR. RESULTS: A total of 98 H. pylori strains were isolated, all of which were susceptible to amoxicillin and tetracycline. Of these strains, 36.7% (36/98 were resistant to clarithromycin, 35.5% (34/98 were resistant to metronidazole, and 29.5% (29/98 were resistant to levofloxacin. Multiple resistance was detected in 19.3% of the isolates. The A2143G and A2144G point mutations in the 23S rRNA-encoding gene were found in all 36 (100% of the clarithromycin-resistant strains. Additionally, the levofloxacin MIC values increased to 32 mg/L in our H. pylori strains. Finally, among the clarithromycin-resistant strains, 27.2% were resistant to levofloxacin, and 45.4% were resistant to metronidazole. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that treatment failure after clarithromycin- or levofloxacin-based triple therapy is not surprising and that metronidazole is not a reliable agent for the eradication of H. pylori infection in Turkey.

  8. Mechanism of mercuric chloride resistance in microorganisms. I. Vaporization of a mercury compound from mercuric chloride by multiple drug resistant strains of Escherichia coli

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Komura, I; Izaki, K

    1971-01-01

    Three strains of Escherichia coli possessing the multiple drug resistance were found to be resistant also to HgCl/sub 2/, though they were sensitive to other heavy metal ions such as nickel, cobalt, cadmium and zinc ions. Like the resistance to drugs such as chloramphenicol and tetracycline, the HgCl/sub 2/ resistance could be transferred from a resistant strain of E. coli to sensitive strains of E. coli and Aerobacter aerogenes. The resistant strains could grow in the presence of 0.02 mM HgCl/sub 2/, whereas a sensitive strain failed to grow in the presence of 0.01 mM HgCl/sub 2/. During cultivation in the presence of HgCl/sub 2/, the cells of resistant strain vaporized a form of radioactive mercury when incubated with /sup 203/HgCl/sub 2/, glucose and NaCl in phosphate buffer while the cells of sensitive strain showed no such activity. This phenomenon seemed to explain the HgCl/sub 2/ resistance of the resistant strains.

  9. Comparative Evaluation of Friction Resistance of Titanium, Stainless Steel, Ceramic and Ceramic with Metal Insert Brackets with Varying Dimensions of Stainless Steel Wire: An In vitro Multi-center Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, B Sunil; Miryala, Suresh; Kumar, K Kiran; Shameem, K; Regalla, Ravindra Reddy

    2014-09-01

    The orthodontist seeks an archwire-bracket combination that has both good biocompatibility and low friction. Hence, the aim of this multicenter in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the frictional resistance generated between titanium (Ti), stainless steel (SS), ceramic and ceramic with metal insert (CMI) brackets with SS wires of varying dimensions in a specially designed apparatus. The material used in this study were Ti, SS, Ceramic and CMI with 0.018″ slot manufactured with zero degree tip and -7° torque premolar brackets (3M, Unitek) and SS wires of varying dimensions (0.016″ round, 0.016 × 0.016″ square, 0.016 × 0.022″ rectangular and 0.017 × 0.025″ rectangular) used. The frictional resistance was measured using Instron Universal testing machine (Model no. 4301). The specimen population in each center composed each of 160 brackets and wires. Differences among the all bracket/wire combinations were tested using (one-way) ANOVA, followed by the student Newman Keuls multiple comparisons of means ranking (at P bracket in combination with 0.017 × 0.025″ SS rectangular wire produced significant force levels for an optimum orthodontic movement with least frictional resistance. Ti brackets have least resistance and rectangular wires produced significant force. These can be used to avoid hazards of Nickel. SS brackets revealed higher static frictional force values as the wire dimension increased and showed lower static friction than Ti brackets for all wires except the thicker wire. Our study recommends the preclusion of brackets with rough surface texture (Ti brackets) with SS ligature wire for ligating bracket and archwire are better to reduce friction.

  10. Frictional resistance of orthodontic wires tied with 3 types of elastomeric ligatures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amanda Carneiro da Cunha

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The aims of this study were to determine and compare frictional resistance obtained by low-friction and conventional elastomeric ligatures in the presence of artificial saliva, and observe whether this variable changed after 21 days. Super Slick® low-friction elastomeric ligatures and conventional ligatures of the brands TP conventional® and Unitek® were placed on standard edgewise maxillary central incisor metal brackets, slot .022" × .028" tying rectangular orthodontic wires .018" × .025". Three experimental groups were arranged according to the type of ligature and a control group in which no wires were used. The friction values obtained between the bracket/wire/ligature set were measured using a Universal Test Machine at a speed of 20 mm/minute, at two experimental time intervals: T0 - immediately after specimen fabrication; and T1 - 21 days after fabrication and immersion in artificial saliva at 37 ºC. Conventional Unitek ligatures and the low-friction ligature (Super Slick showed the lowest friction values at T0. After 21 days (T1, however, conventional Unitek ligatures presented the lowest value. All groups assessed from T0 to T1 showed a numerical reduction in friction values, suggesting that time, heat and humidity may cause elastic degradation, however this was not verified statistically (P > 0.05.

  11. Phenotypic and genomic comparisons of highly vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains developed from multiple clinical MRSA strains by in vitro mutagenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishii, Kenichi; Tabuchi, Fumiaki; Matsuo, Miki; Tatsuno, Keita; Sato, Tomoaki; Okazaki, Mitsuhiro; Hamamoto, Hiroshi; Matsumoto, Yasuhiko; Kaito, Chikara; Aoyagi, Tetsuji; Hiramatsu, Keiichi; Kaku, Mitsuo; Moriya, Kyoji; Sekimizu, Kazuhisa

    2015-11-25

    The development of vancomycin (VCM) resistance in Staphylococcus aureus threatens global health. Studies of the VCM-resistance mechanism and alternative therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. We mutagenized S. aureus laboratory strains and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) with ethyl methanesulfonate, and isolated mutants that exhibited high resistance to VCM (minimum inhibitory concentration = 32 μg/ml). These VCM-resistant strains were sensitive to linezolid and rifampicin, and partly to arbekacin and daptomycin. Beta-lactams had synergistic effects with VCM against these mutants. VCM-resistant strains exhibited a 2-fold increase in the cell wall thickness. Several genes were commonly mutated among the highly VCM-resistant mutants. These findings suggest that MRSA has a potential to develop high VCM resistance with cell wall thickening by the accumulation of mutations.

  12. Neisseria meningitidis rifampicin resistant strains: analysis of protein differentially expressed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schininà Maria

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Several mutations have been described as responsible for rifampicin resistance in Neisseria meningitidis. However, the intriguing question on why these strains are so rare remains open. The aim of this study was to investigate the protein content and to identify differential expression in specific proteins in two rifampicin resistant and one susceptible meningococci using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE combined with mass spectrometry. Results In our experimental conditions, able to resolve soluble proteins with an isoelectric point between 4 and 7, twenty-three proteins have been found differentially expressed in the two resistant strains compared to the susceptible. Some of them, involved in the main metabolic pathways, showed an increased expression, mainly in the catabolism of pyruvate and in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. A decreased expression of proteins belonging to gene regulation and to those involved in the folding of polypeptides has also been observed. 2-DE analysis showed the presence of four proteins displaying a shift in their isoelectric point in both resistant strains, confirmed by the presence of amino acid changes in the sequence analysis, absent in the susceptible. Conclusions The analysis of differentially expressed proteins suggests that an intricate series of events occurs in N. meningitidis rifampicin resistant strains and the results here reported may be considered a starting point in understanding their decreased invasion capacity. In fact, they support the hypothesis that the presence of more than one protein differentially expressed, having a role in the metabolism of the meningococcus, influences its ability to infect and to spread in the population. Different reports have described and discussed how a drug resistant pathogen shows a high biological cost for survival and that may also explain why, for some pathogens, the rate of resistant organisms is relatively low considering the

  13. Bacteriocin-like inhibitory activities of seven Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains against antibiotic susceptible and resistant Helicobacter pylori strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyanova, L; Gergova, G; Markovska, R; Yordanov, D; Mitov, I

    2017-12-01

    The aim of the study was to detect anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of seven Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (GLB) strains by four cell-free supernatant (CFS) types. Activity of non-neutralized and non-heat-treated (CFSs1), non-neutralized and heat-treated (CFSs2), pH neutralized, catalase-treated and non-heat-treated (CFSs3), or neutralized, catalase- and heat-treated (CFSs4) CFSs against 18 H. pylori strains (11 of which with antibiotic resistance) was evaluated. All GLB strains produced bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLISs), the neutralized CFSs of two GLB strains inhibited >81% of test strains and those of four GLB strains were active against >71% of antibiotic resistant strains. Two H. pylori strains were BLIS resistant. The heating did not reduce the CFS activity. Briefly, all GLB strains evaluated produced heat-stable BLISs, although GLB and H. pylori strain susceptibility patterns exhibited differences. Bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance activity can be an advantage for the probiotic choice for H. pylori infection control. In this study, anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of seven Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (GLB) strains was evaluated by four cell-free supernatant (CFS) types. The GLB strains produced heat-stable bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLISs) with a strong anti-H. pylori activity and some neutralized, catalase- and heat-treated CFSs inhibited >83% of the test strains. Bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance production of GLB strains can render them valuable probiotics in the control of H. pylori infection. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  14. Antimicrobial sensitivity and frequency of DRUG resistance among bacterial strains isolated from cancer patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faiz, M.; Bashir, T.

    2004-01-01

    Blood stream infections (bacteremia) is potentially life threatening. Concomitant with a change in the incidence and epidemiology of infecting organisms, there has been an increase in resistance to many antibiotic compounds. The widespread emergence of resistance among bacterial pathogens has an impact on our ability to treat patients effectively. The changing spectrum of microbial pathogens and widespread emergence of microbial resistance to antibiotic drugs has emphasized the need to monitor the prevalence of resistance in these strains. In the present study frequency of isolation of clinically significant bacteria and their susceptibility and resistance pattern against a wide range of antimicrobial drugs from positive blood cultures collected during 2001-2003 was studied. A total of 102 consecutive isolates were found with 63% gram positive and 44% gram negative strains. The dominating pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (51%), Streptococci (31%), Pseudomonas (40%), Proteus (13%), Klebsiella (13%). The isolated strains were tested against a wide range of antibiotics belonging to cephalosporins, aminoglycosides and quinolone derivative group by disk diffusion method. It has been observed that isolated strains among gram positive and negative strains showed different level of resistance against aminoglycosides and cephalosporin group of antibiotics with gram positives showing highest number and frequency of resistance against aminoglycosides (40-50%) and cephalosporins.(35-45%) whereas cephalosporins were found to be more effective against gram negatives with low frequency of resistant strains. Cabapenem and quinolone derivative drugs were found to be most effective among other groups in both gram positive and negative strains with 23-41% strains found sensitive to these two drugs. The frequency of sensitive strains against aminoglycoside and cephalosporin in gram negative and gram positive strains were found to be decreasing yearwise with a trend towards an

  15. Quantitative description of a high Jc Nb-Ti superconductor during its final optimization strain. I. Microstructure, Tc, Hc2, and resistivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meingast, C.; Lee, P.J.; Larbalestier, D.C.

    1989-01-01

    A most important step in the critical current density (J c ) optimization of Nb-Ti is the large final drawing strain, in which α-Ti precipitates, initially approximately equiaxed and 100--200 nm in diameter, are drawn into ribbons, whose thickness (1--2 nm) is less than the superconducting coherence length [ξ (4.2 K)∼5 nm]. Using transmission electron microscopy, the precipitate thickness, spacing, cross-sectional area, and circumference were measured over the whole final drawing strain range. Each of these parameters was found to have a simple power dependence on the wire diameter. T c , H c2 , and the resistivity (ρ n ) were also change considerably during the refinement of the precipitates. Directly after precipitation, T c increased, and (dH c2 /dT) T c and ρ n were reduced from the single-phase values. Drawing the wire returned these parameters to their single-phase values, as the precipitate thickness was reduced to less than ξ. This observation explains a long-standing peculiarity in this system, namely that the optimum H c2 of high J c conductors occurs for a composition close to Nb 46 wt.% Ti, even when the precipitation of 18 vol % of α-Ti shifts the matrix composition to a Nb-rich composition of theoretically lower H c2

  16. Experimental induction of paromomycin resistance in antimony-resistant strains of L. donovani: outcome dependent on in vitro selection protocol.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Hendrickx

    Full Text Available Paromomycin (PMM has recently been introduced for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in India. Although no clinical resistance has yet been reported, proactive vigilance should be warranted. The present in vitro study compared the outcome and stability of experimental PMM-resistance induction on promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes. Cloned antimony-resistant L. donovani field isolates from India and Nepal were exposed to stepwise increasing concentrations of PMM (up to 500 µM, either as promastigotes or intracellular amastigotes. One resulting resistant strain was cloned and checked for stability of resistance by drug-free in vitro passage as promastigotes for 20 weeks or a single in vivo passage in the golden hamster. Resistance selection in promastigotes took about 25 weeks to reach the maximal 97 µM inclusion level that did not affect normal growth. Comparison of the IC(50 values between the parent and the selected strains revealed a 9 to 11-fold resistance for the Indian and 3 to 5-fold for the Nepalese strains whereby the resistant phenotype was also maintained at the level of the amastigote. Applying PMM pressure to intracellular amastigotes produced resistance after just two selection cycles (IC(50 = 199 µM compared to the parent strain (IC(50 = 45 µM. In the amastigote-induced strains/clones, lower PMM susceptibilities were seen only in amastigotes and not at all in promastigotes. This resistance phenotype remained stable after serial in vitro passage as promastigote for 20 weeks and after a single in vivo passage in the hamster. This study clearly demonstrates that a different PMM-resistance phenotype is obtained whether drug selection is applied to promastigotes or intracellular amastigotes. These findings may have important relevance to resistance mechanism investigations and the likelihood of resistance development and detection in the field.

  17. Effect of Different Types of Toothpaste on the Frictional Resistance Between Orthodontic Stainless Steel Brackets and Wires.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosseinzadeh Nik, Tahereh; Hooshmand, Tabassom; Farhadifard, Homa

    2017-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different types of toothpaste on the frictional resistance between stainless steel brackets and archwires. Ninety stainless steel orthodontic brackets with stainless steel wires were bonded to bovine teeth and were divided into 6 groups for application of the following toothpastes: Colgate® Total® Advanced Whitening, Colgate® Total® Pro Gum Health, Colgate® Anticavity, Ortho.Kin®, and Sunstar GUM® Ortho toothpastes. No toothpaste was applied in the control group. Each group was brushed by a brushing machine with the use of the designated solution for 4.5 minutes. The frictional force was measured in a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 10 mm/minute over a 5-mm archwire. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the 0.05 significance level. The frictional resistance values of Ortho.Kin® and GUM® Ortho toothpastes and the control group were not significantly different (P>0.05). However, there were significant differences between the frictional resistance values of Colgate® Total® Pro Gum Health and Colgate® Anticavity toothpastes with that of the control group (Porthodontic toothpastes did not increase the frictional resistance between the orthodontic stainless steel brackets and wires.

  18. A comparative study of the corrosion of wire used in urological treatment under sterilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Walke

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the tests was to determine whether and how sterilization process of samples made of AISI 316L stainless steel with different strain impacts their corrosion resistance. Tests were made on steel samples that had been electrochemically polished in order to assure proper surface roughness. In order to evaluate the influence of sterilization on physical and chemical properties of steel surface, tests of corrosion resistance were made by means of potentiodynamical method. The tests were made in alternative solution simulating human urine. Recorded anodic polarization curves created the ground for determination of typical parameters describing pitting corrosion resistance, that enabled to evaluate steel wire corrosion behavior under sterilization conditions.

  19. Josephson junction arrays and superconducting wire networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lobb, C.J.

    1992-01-01

    Techniques used to fabricate integrated circuits make it possible to construct superconducting networks containing as many as 10 6 wires or Josephson junctions. Such networks undergo phase transitions from resistive high-temperature states to ordered low-resistance low-temperature states. The nature of the phase transition depends strongly on controllable parameters such as the strength of the superconductivity in each wire or junction and the external magnetic field. This paper will review the physics of these phase transitions, starting with the simplest zero-magnetic field case. This leads to a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition when the junctions or wires are weak, and a simple mean-field fransition when the junctions or wires are strong. Rich behavior, resulting from frustration, occurs in the presence of a magnetic field. (orig.)

  20. Antibiotic sensitivity and resistance in Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale strains from Belgian broiler chickens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devriese, L A; De Herdt, P; Haesebrouck, F

    2001-06-01

    Establishing the antibiotic sensitivity of the avian respiratory pathogen Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale is difficult because of the organism's complex growth requirements and the unusually frequent occurrence of resistance. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of 10 antibiotics were determined for 45 strains of O. rhinotracheale from Belgian broiler chickens collected from 45 farms between 1995 and 1998. They were compared with the type strain, which was isolated from a turkey, and a strain isolated from a rook. All the broiler strains were resistant to lincomycin and to the beta-lactams ampicillin and ceftiofur. Less than 10% of the strains were sensitive to the macrolides tylosin and spiramycin, tilmicosin and flumequine. A few strains were sensitive to enrofloxacin and doxycycline. All strains were sensitive to tiamulin.

  1. Energy-efficient strain gauges for the wireless condition monitoring systems in mechanical engineering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berndt, Michael; Fellner, Thomas; Zeiser, Roderich; Wilde, Juergen [Freiburg Univ. (Germany). Dept. for Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK)

    2012-07-01

    This work focuses on the development of novel strain gauges, which are suited for the operation in autonomous wireless condition monitoring systems. For this purpose, capacitive as well as highly resistive strain gauges were designed and fabricated. The C- and R-sensors were utilised in combination with demonstration circuits, which integrate the circuits for instrumentation, A/D-conversion and furthermore comprise a microcontroller with a wireless transceiver system, all on a small separate printed wiring board. (orig.)

  2. Comparison of antibiotic resistance patterns in collections of Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis uropathogenic strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adamus-Bialek, Wioletta; Zajac, Elzbieta; Parniewski, Pawel; Kaca, Wieslaw

    2013-04-01

    Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis are important urinary tract pathogens. The constant increase in the antibiotic resistance of clinical bacterial strains has become an important clinical problem. The aim of this study was to compare the antibiotic resistance of 141 clinical (Sweden and Poland) and 42 laboratory (Czech Republic) P. mirabilis strains and 129 clinical (Poland) uropathogenic E. coli strains. The proportion of unique versus diverse patterns in Swedish clinical and laboratory P. mirabilis strain collections was comparable. Notably, a similar proportion of unique versus diverse patterns was observed in Polish clinical P. mirabilis and E. coli strain collections. Mathematical models of the antibiotic resistance of E. coli and P. mirabilis strains based on Kohonen networks and association analysis are presented. In contrast to the three clinical strain collections, which revealed complex associations with the antibiotics tested, laboratory P. mirabilis strains provided simple antibiotic association diagrams. The monitoring of antibiotic resistance patterns of clinical E. coli and P. mirabilis strains plays an important role in the treatment procedures for urinary tract infections and is important in the context of the spreading drug resistance in uropathogenic strain populations. The adaptability and flexibility of the genomes of E. coli and P. mirabilis strains are discussed.

  3. Colistin-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Strains with Deficient Biofilm Formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dafopoulou, Konstantina; Xavier, Basil Britto; Hotterbeekx, An; Janssens, Lore; Lammens, Christine; Dé, Emmanuelle; Goossens, Herman; Tsakris, Athanasios; Malhotra-Kumar, Surbhi

    2015-01-01

    In two pairs of clinical colistin-susceptible/colistin-resistant (Csts/Cstr) Acinetobacter baumannii strains, the Cstr strains showed significantly decreased biofilm formation in static and dynamic assays (P Cstr strain and a frameshift mutation in CarO and the loss of a 47,969-bp element containing multiple genes associated with biofilm production in the other. PMID:26666921

  4. Temperature Dependent Wire Delay Estimation in Floorplanning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Winther, Andreas Thor; Liu, Wei; Nannarelli, Alberto

    2011-01-01

    Due to large variations in temperature in VLSI circuits and the linear relationship between metal resistance and temperature, the delay through wires of the same length can be different. Traditional thermal aware floorplanning algorithms use wirelength to estimate delay and routability. In this w......Due to large variations in temperature in VLSI circuits and the linear relationship between metal resistance and temperature, the delay through wires of the same length can be different. Traditional thermal aware floorplanning algorithms use wirelength to estimate delay and routability....... In this work, we show that using wirelength as the evaluation metric does not always produce a floorplan with the shortest delay. We propose a temperature dependent wire delay estimation method for thermal aware floorplanning algorithms, which takes into account the thermal effect on wire delay. The experiment...

  5. Whole genome sequencing-based characterization of extensively drug resistant (XDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Pakistan

    KAUST Repository

    Hasan, Zahra; Ali, Asho; McNerney, Ruth; Mallard, Kim; Hill-Cawthorne, Grant A.; Coll, Francesc; Nair, Mridul; Pain, Arnab; Clark, Taane G.; Hasan, Rumina

    2015-01-01

    Objectives: The global increase in drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains increases the focus on improved molecular diagnostics for MTB. Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) - TB is caused by MTB strains resistant to rifampicin, isoniazid, fluoroquinolone and aminoglycoside antibiotics. Resistance to anti-tuberculous drugs has been associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in particular MTB genes. However, there is regional variation between MTB lineages and the SNPs associated with resistance. Therefore, there is a need to identify common resistance conferring SNPs so that effective molecular-based diagnostic tests for MTB can be developed. This study investigated used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to characterize 37 XDR MTB isolates from Pakistan and investigated SNPs related to drug resistance. Methods: XDR-TB strains were selected. DNA was extracted from MTB strains, and samples underwent WGS with 76-base-paired end fragment sizes using Illumina paired end HiSeq2000 technology. Raw sequence data were mapped uniquely to H37Rv reference genome. The mappings allowed SNPs and small indels to be called using SAMtools/BCFtools. Results: This study found that in all XDR strains, rifampicin resistance was attributable to SNPs in the rpoB RDR region. Isoniazid resistance-associated mutations were primarily related to katG codon 315 followed by inhA S94A. Fluoroquinolone resistance was attributable to gyrA 91-94 codons in most strains, while one did not have SNPs in either gyrA or gyrB. Aminoglycoside resistance was mostly associated with SNPs in rrs, except in 6 strains. Ethambutol resistant strains had embB codon 306 mutations, but many strains did not have this present. The SNPs were compared with those present in commercial assays such as LiPA Hain MDRTBsl, and the sensitivity of the assays for these strains was evaluated. Conclusions: If common drug resistance associated with SNPs evaluated the concordance between phenotypic and

  6. Whole genome sequencing-based characterization of extensively drug resistant (XDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Pakistan

    KAUST Repository

    Hasan, Zahra

    2015-03-01

    Objectives: The global increase in drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains increases the focus on improved molecular diagnostics for MTB. Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) - TB is caused by MTB strains resistant to rifampicin, isoniazid, fluoroquinolone and aminoglycoside antibiotics. Resistance to anti-tuberculous drugs has been associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in particular MTB genes. However, there is regional variation between MTB lineages and the SNPs associated with resistance. Therefore, there is a need to identify common resistance conferring SNPs so that effective molecular-based diagnostic tests for MTB can be developed. This study investigated used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to characterize 37 XDR MTB isolates from Pakistan and investigated SNPs related to drug resistance. Methods: XDR-TB strains were selected. DNA was extracted from MTB strains, and samples underwent WGS with 76-base-paired end fragment sizes using Illumina paired end HiSeq2000 technology. Raw sequence data were mapped uniquely to H37Rv reference genome. The mappings allowed SNPs and small indels to be called using SAMtools/BCFtools. Results: This study found that in all XDR strains, rifampicin resistance was attributable to SNPs in the rpoB RDR region. Isoniazid resistance-associated mutations were primarily related to katG codon 315 followed by inhA S94A. Fluoroquinolone resistance was attributable to gyrA 91-94 codons in most strains, while one did not have SNPs in either gyrA or gyrB. Aminoglycoside resistance was mostly associated with SNPs in rrs, except in 6 strains. Ethambutol resistant strains had embB codon 306 mutations, but many strains did not have this present. The SNPs were compared with those present in commercial assays such as LiPA Hain MDRTBsl, and the sensitivity of the assays for these strains was evaluated. Conclusions: If common drug resistance associated with SNPs evaluated the concordance between phenotypic and

  7. Increasing Incidence of Linezolid-Intermediate or -Resistant, Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Strains Parallels Increasing Linezolid Consumption▿

    OpenAIRE

    Scheetz, Marc H.; Knechtel, Stephanie A.; Malczynski, Michael; Postelnick, Michael J.; Qi, Chao

    2008-01-01

    Clinical enterococcal resistance to linezolid is defined by the presence of the G2576T mutation. We evaluated the incidence of genetically proven linezolid resistance among vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains and linezolid consumption for a possible association. A relationship was found (r2 = 0.73, P = 0.03) and predicts increasing resistance with current trends of linezolid use.

  8. Determination Pattern of Antibiotic Resistance in Entropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Children with Diarrhea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Karami

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction & Objective: Diarrheal diseases are considered a major health problem, especially in children. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC strains are the common cause of diarrhea in children especially in developing countries. Because of undesirable effects of diarrhea and its interference with children's growth, in some cases antibiotic treatment is recommended. In recent years, resistance toward common and effective antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases became one of the most important challenges in medical society, for this purpose, antibiotic sensitivity and resistance of strains in every geographical zone must be determined. So in this study, of antibiotic patterns of these bacteria were examined.Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 192 strains of Enteropathogen Escherichia coli isolated from children who were suffering from diarrhea in 1389-1390 in the microbiology laboratory of Hamadan University of medical sciences. To identify these strains, standard biochemical and serology tests were used. The antibiotic sensitivity test of these isolates was carried out with disc diffusion agar method according to the CLSI standards for 14 different antibiotics disc. Resistance toward 3 or more than 3 classes of antibiotics were defined as multidrug resistance.Results: The result of this study shows EPEC strains had the highest resistance to cefpodoxime (97%, trimethoprim (60.7%, tetracycline (58.4% and ampicillin (45.8%. Multidrug resistance was 68.7 percent. These strains also showed the highest sensitivity against imipenem, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin antibiotics.Conclusion: EPEC strains that were studied with resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline and convenient sensitivity against fluoroquinolones are one of the major factors in children’s diarrhea. A result of this research suggests that antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli strains are high and prescribing and antibiotic is not

  9. Reasons of chlorella strain's resistance to physical and chemical factors of environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Apasheva, L M; Bujiashvilie, D M; Naydich, V I; Shevchenko, V A

    1979-07-01

    Under environmental pollution it is necessary to study the reasons of an organism's resistance as well as the specificity of it. Some chlorella strains were under the influence of uv- and x-irradiation, heat treatment, cadmium salts, insecticide, and detergent. It was shown that cells which were resistant to physical factors were resistant to chemical intoxication, as well. The positive correlation between resistance of strains and the described influences and the levels of endogenic thiols was found. The second reason for higher resistance is an increase of free radicals' concentration. It is linked with increasing P/sub 700/ quantity of electron-transport chains that make possible higher levels of photosynthetic reactions of resistant cells.

  10. THE STUDY OF RESISTENCE OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS STRAINS TO ANTIMICROBIALS

    OpenAIRE

    Nazarchuk GG; Paliy DV; Nazarchuk OA

    2012-01-01

    In the research work the results of the study of resistance forming to antibiotics, antiseptics and decametoxine composition with modified polysaccharides in S.aureus strains are presented. The development of resistance to penicillins, cephalosporins, glycopeptides, macrolides is shown. Slow forming of resistance to decasan and decametoxine composition with carboxymethylamylum, oxyethylcellulose was determined.

  11. Transcription profiling of a recently colonised pyrethroid resistant Anopheles gambiae strain from Ghana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donnelly Martin J

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mosquito resistance to the pyrethroid insecticides used to treat bednets threatens the sustainability of malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa. While the impact of target site insensitivity alleles is being widely discussed the implications of insecticide detoxification – though equally important – remains elusive. The successful development of new tools for malaria intervention and management requires a comprehensive understanding of insecticide resistance, including metabolic resistance mechanisms. Although three enzyme families (cytochrome P450s, glutathione S-transferases and carboxylesterases have been widely associated with insecticide detoxification the role of individual enzymes is largely unknown. Results Here, constitutive expression patterns of genes putatively involved in conferring pyrethroid resistance was investigated in a recently colonised pyrethroid resistant Anopheles gambiae strain from Odumasy, Southern Ghana. RNA from the resistant strain and a standard laboratory susceptible strain, of both sexes was extracted, reverse transcribed and labelled with either Cy3- or Cy5-dye. Labelled cDNA was co-hybridised to the detox chip, a custom-made microarray containing over 230 A. gambiae gene fragments predominantly from enzyme families associated with insecticide resistance. After hybridisation, Cy3- and Cy5-signal intensities were measured and compared gene by gene. In both females and males of the resistant strain the cytochrome P450s CYP6Z2 and CYP6M2 are highly over-expressed along with a member of the superoxide dismutase (SOD gene family. Conclusion These genes differ from those found up-regulated in East African strains of pyrethroid resistant A. gambiae and constitute a novel set of candidate genes implicated in insecticide detoxification. These data suggest that metabolic resistance may have multiple origins in A. gambiae, which has strong implications for the management of resistance.

  12. Genotyping of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Hospitalized Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mouna Ben Nejma

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Community associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA is an emerging pathogen increasingly reported to cause skin and soft tissue infections for children. The emergence of highly virulencet CA-MRSA strains in the immunodeficiency of young children seemed to be the basic explanation of the increased incidence of CA-MRSA infections among this population. The subjects of this study were 8 patients hospitalized in the Pediatric Department at the University Hospital of Monastir. The patients were young children (aged from 12 days to 18 months who were suffering from MRSA skin infections; two of them had the infections within 72 h of their admission. The isolates were classified as community isolates as they all carried the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec IV and pvl genes. Epidemiological techniques, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE and multilocus sequence typing (MLST, were applied to investigate CA-MRSA strains. Analysis of molecular data revealed that MRSA strains were related according to PFGE patterns and they belonged to a single clone ST80. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests showed that all strains were resistant to kanamycin and 2 strains were resistant to erythromycin.

  13. THE STUDY OF RESISTENCE OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS STRAINS TO ANTIMICROBIALS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nazarchuk GG

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available In the research work the results of the study of resistance forming to antibiotics, antiseptics and decametoxine composition with modified polysaccharides in S.aureus strains are presented. The development of resistance to penicillins, cephalosporins, glycopeptides, macrolides is shown. Slow forming of resistance to decasan and decametoxine composition with carboxymethylamylum, oxyethylcellulose was determined.

  14. Isolation and identification of a novel radio-resistant strain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Zhidong; Mao Jun; Wang Wei; Tang Qiyong; Shi Yuhu

    2008-01-01

    A novel radio-resistant strain named RL2 was studied polyphasically, which was isolated from the soils in the Gurban-Tunggut Desert, Xinjiang. The strain is Gam-positive, sphere-shaped and pink pigmented; The DNA (G+C) contents of RL2 is 71.62mo1%; The 16S rDNA genes of RL2 and D. radiodurans type strain DSM20539 shows a high level of similarity (97.2%). According to phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, it can be suggested that the strain RL2 has been identified as Deinococcus. sp and it may be a novel species. (authors)

  15. Resistance Status and Resistance Mechanisms in a Strain of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) From Puerto Rico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Estep, Alden S; Sanscrainte, Neil D; Waits, Christy M; Louton, Jessica E; Becnel, James J

    2017-11-07

    Puerto Rico (PR) has a long history of vector-borne disease and insecticide-resistant Aedes aegypti (L.). Defining contributing mechanisms behind phenotypic resistance is critical for effective vector control intervention. However, previous studies from PR have each focused on only one mechanism of pyrethroid resistance. This study examines the contribution of P450-mediated enzymatic detoxification and sodium channel target site changes to the overall resistance phenotype of Ae. aegypti collected from San Juan, PR, in 2012. Screening of a panel of toxicants found broad resistance relative to the lab susceptible Orlando (ORL1952) strain. We identified significant resistance to representative Type I, Type II, and nonester pyrethroids, a sodium channel blocker, and a sodium channel blocking inhibitor, all of which interact with the sodium channel. Testing of fipronil, a chloride channel agonist, also showed low but significant levels of resistance. In contrast, the PR and ORL1952 strains were equally susceptible to chlorfenapyr, which has been suggested as an alternative public health insecticide. Molecular characterization of the strain indicated that two common sodium channel mutations were fixed in the population. Topical bioassay with piperonyl butoxide (PBO) indicated cytochrome P450-mediated detoxification accounts for approximately half of the resistance profile. Transcript expression screening of cytochrome P450s and glutathione-S-transferases identified the presence of overexpressed transcripts. This study of Puerto Rican Ae. aegypti with significant contributions from both genetic changes and enzymatic detoxification highlights the necessity of monitoring for resistance but also defining the multiple resistance mechanisms to inform effective mosquito control. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

  16. Morphological Characteristics of Schistosoma mansoni PZQ-Resistant and -Susceptible Strains Are Different in Presence of Praziquantel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinto-Almeida, António; Mendes, Tiago; de Oliveira, Rosimeire Nunes; Corrêa, Sheila de Andrade Penteado; Allegretti, Silmara Marques; Belo, Silvana; Tomás, Ana; Anibal, Fernanda de Freitas; Carrilho, Emanuel; Afonso, Ana

    2016-01-01

    Schistosomiasis is one of the most common human parasitic diseases whose socioeconomic impact is only surpassed by malaria. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the only drug commercially available for the treatment of all schistosome species causing disease in humans. However, there has been stronger evidences of PZQ-resistance on Schistosoma mansoni and thus it is very important to study the phenotypic characteristics associated with it. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological alterations in S. mansoni PZQ-resistant adult worms and eggs, by comparing a PZQ- resistant strain obtained under PZQ drug pressure with a PZQ-susceptible strain. For this, scanning electronic microscopy was used to assess tegumental responsiveness of both strains under PZQ exposure, and optical microscopy allowed the monitoring of worms and eggs in the presence of the drug. Those assays showed that PZQ-susceptible worms exposed to the drug had more severe tegumental damages than the resistant one, which had only minor alterations. Moreover, contrary to what occurred in the susceptible strain, resistant worms were viable after PZQ exposure and gradually regaining full motility after removal of the drug. Eggs from resistant strain parasites are considerably smaller than those from susceptible strain. Our results suggest that there might be a difference in the tegument composition of the resistant strain and that worms are less responsive to PZQ. Changes observed in egg morphology might imply alterations in the biology of schistosomes associated to PZQ-resistance, which could impact on transmission and pathology of the disease. Moreover, we propose a hypothetical scenario where there is a different egg tropism of the S. mansoni resistant strain. This study is the first comparing two strains that only differ in their resistance characteristics, which makes it a relevant step in the search for resistance determinants. PMID:27199925

  17. Genetic analysis of resistance to radiation lymphomagenesis with recombinant inbred strains of mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okumoto, M.; Nishikawa, R.; Imai, S.; Hilgers, J.

    1990-01-01

    Induction of lymphomas by radiation in mice is controlled by genetic factors. We analyzed the genetic control of radiation lymphomagenesis using the CXS series of recombinant inbred strains derived from two progenitor strains: one highly susceptible to radiation induction of lymphoma [BALB/cHeA (C)] and one extremely resistant [STS/A (S)]. The best concordances between strain distribution patterns of genetic markers and resistance (or susceptibility) to radiation lymphomagenesis were observed in a region with the b and Ifa genes on chromosome 4. This indicates that one major locus controls the incidence of radiogenic lymphomas in mice. We designated this locus as the Lyr (lymphoma resistance) locus. Backcrosses of (CXS)F1 to the two progenitor strains showed an intermediate incidence of lymphomas between their parental mice and did not significantly differ from (CXS)F1 mice. This and previous observations that (CXS)F1 mice also showed an intermediate incidence, differing from both progenitor strains, indicate that more genes are involved in the resistance (or susceptibility) to lymphoma induced by irradiation

  18. Genome sequences of Listeria monocytogenes strains with resistance to arsenic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Listeria monocytogenes frequently exhibits resistance to arsenic. We report here the draft genome sequences of eight genetically diverse arsenic-resistant L. monocytogenes strains from human listeriosis and food-associated environments. Availability of these genomes would help to elucidate the role ...

  19. Formation of plasma around wire fragments created by electrically exploded copper wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, Michael J.

    2002-01-01

    The physical processes occurring during the electrical explosion of metallic conductors has attracted interest for many years. Applications include circuit breakers, segmented lightning divertor strips for aircraft radomes, disruption of metallic shaped charge jets, plasma armatures for electromagnetic railguns and plasma generators for electrothermal-chemical guns. Recent work has cited the phenomenology of the fragmentation processes, particularly the development of a plasma around the lower resistance condensed fragments. An understanding of both the fragmentation process and the development of the accompanying formation of plasma is essential for the optimization of devices that utilize either of these phenomena. With the use of x-radiography and fast photography, this paper explores the wire explosion process, in particular the relationship between the fragmentation, plasma development and resistance rise that occurs during this period. A hypothesis is put forward to account for the development of plasma around the condensed wire fragments. Experimental parameters used in this study are defined. Wires studied were typically copper, with a diameter of 1 mm and length in excess of 150 mm. Circuit inductance used were from 26 to 800 μH. This relatively high circuit inductance gave circuit rise times less than 180 MA s -1 , slow with respect to many other exploding wire studies. Discharge duration ranged from 0.8 to 10 ms. (author)

  20. [Antimicrobial resistance of Bartonella bacilliformis strains from regions endemic to bartonellosis in Peru].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendoza-Mujica, Giovanna; Flores-León, Diana

    2015-10-01

    To evaluate in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility to chloramphenicol (CHL) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) in strains of Bartonella bacilliformis from areas that are endemic to Bartonellosis in Peru, through three laboratory methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility to CHL and CIP from 100 strains of Bartonella bacilliformis isolated in patients from the regions of Ancash, Cusco, Cajamarca, Lima and La Libertad were evaluated. Strains were evaluated by: disk diffusion, E-test and agar dilution. 26% of the strains of Bartonella bacilliformis evaluated were resistant to CIP and 1% to CHL. Similar patterns of antimicrobial sensitivity / resistance were obtained in all three methods. Bartonella bacilliformis strains circulating in Peru have high levels of in vitro resistance to CIP, so it is advisable to expand research on the use of drug treatment regimens of the Bartonellosis. The methods of E-test and disk diffusion were the most suitable for assessment in vitro of antimicrobial susceptibility of the microorganism.

  1. Plasmid Mediated Antibiotic and Heavy Metal Resistance in Bacillus Strains Isolated From Soils in Rize, Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elif SEVİM

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Fifteen Bacillus strains which were isolated from soil samples were examined for resistance to 17 different antibiotics (ampicillin, methicillin, erythromycin, norfloxacin, cephalotine, gentamycin, ciprofloxacin, streptomycin, tobramycin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, vancomycin, oxacilin, neomycin, kanamycin and, novabiocin and to 10 different heavy metals (copper, lead, cobalt, chrome, iron, mercury, zinc, nickel, manganese and, cadmium and for the presence of plasmid DNA. A total of eleven strains (67% were resistant to at least one antibiotic. The most common resistance was observed against methicillin and oxacillin. The most resistance strains were found as Bacillus sp. B3 and Bacillus sp. B11. High heavy metal resistance against copper, chromium, zinc, iron and nickel was detected, but mercury and cobalt resistance was not detected, except for 3 strains (B3, B11, and B12 which showed mercury resistance. It has been determined that seven Bacillus strains have plasmids. The isolated plasmids were transformed into the Bacillus subtilis W168 and it was shown that heavy metal and antibiotic resistance determinants were carried on these plasmids. These results showed that there was a correlation between plasmid content and resistance for both antibiotic and heavy metal resistance

  2. Characterization of NbTi multifilamentary superconducting wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vellego, G.

    1988-01-01

    Pirelli is developing superconducting mulfilamentary NbTi wires, with current carrying capacities of up to 500 A, for use in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and in small research magnets. Pirelli and IFUSP have developed a system for assessing wire performance, whose quality is comparable to the equivalent systems at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). In particular, a high sensitivity is required for critical current measurements, so that the modern criteria for definition of critical current can be used. These involve conductor resistivities of the order of 10 -12 ohm-cm. The methods of measurements of critical current in applied magnetic fields, of residual resistance ratio and of copper to superconductor ratio are described. The results of the first tests performed in Pirelli wires and in wires of other manufacturers are described. These include tests on a NBS standard reference material. These results are of the same quality as results obtained at BNL or NBS on the same wires. So this system can be very useful throughout the Pirelli program. (author) [pt

  3. The risk of global epidemic replacement with drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emma S. McBryde

    2017-03-01

    Results and conclusions: The ability of MDR-TB to dominate DS-TB was highly sensitive to the relative transmissibility of the resistant strain; however, MDR-TB could dominate even when its transmissibility was modestly reduced (to between 50% and 100% as transmissible as the DS-TB strain. This model suggests that it may take decades or more for strain replacement to occur. It was also found that while the amplification of resistance is the early cause of MDR-TB, this will rapidly give way to person-to-person transmission.

  4. [Isolation of a carbapenem-resistant K1 serotype Klebsiella pneumonia strain and the study of resistance mechanism].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Rong; Wang, Xuan; Lü, Jianxin

    2014-12-16

    To study the virulence and mechanism of carbapenem resistance of a clinical isolate of carbapenem-resistant K1 serotype Klebsiella pneumonia strain. Identification of isolate was carried out with VITEK-2 compact system. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by E-test; Metallo β-lactamases and carbapenemases screening were conducted by imipenem-EDTA double disc synergy test and modified Hodge test, respectively.Specific polymerehse chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing were preformed to detect the virulence genes including K1, K2, K5, K20, K54, K57, magA, rmpA, wcaG and a series of β-lactamase resistence genes. Conjunction experiment was also performed. The plasmids of transconjugants were submitted to PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT) method. Molecular typing was performed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that the Klebsiella pneumonia strain was resistant to most of the antibiotics used in clinic. Phynotype confirmary rest revealed the production of carbapanemases, while Metallo β-lactamases were negative; PCR and DNA sequencing confirmed the isolate was positive for blaKPC-2, blaCTX-M-15, blaTEM-1, blaSHV-1 and virulence genes K1, magA, rmpA, wcaG simultaneously; blaKPC-2 was transferred from donor to Escherichia EC600 by conjunction experiment, while no virulence genes were found in the transconjugants. PBRT revealed that Frep plasmid was found in transconjugants. MLST analysis revealed that this strain belonged to ST23. K1 serotype Klebsiella pneumonia strain carries virulence genes and carbapenem resistance gene blaKPC-2, noteworthily the carbapenem resistance genes can be transferred through horizontal transmission on plasmids.

  5. Antibiotic Resistance Pattern of Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Personnel of Jahrom Hospitals in 2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Saadat

    2014-01-01

    Undo edits Methods: In this cross - sectional study, 397 of the anterior nasal samples of medical personnel and hospital services were collected by swab. The identification of S.aureus was determined by biochemical tests and microbiology, and the antibiotic resistances of isolates were determined by disk diffusion method for 13 antibiotics. In this method, the inhibition zone for methicillin-resistant strains was ≤ 10 mm the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC against antibiotic vancomycin, ticoplanin, linezolid and synercid were determined by E-test method. Results: In the present study, 11.3% of personals carried S. aureus in the nose. Among them, 90% were health care workers and 10% were health service workers. The most sensitivity was observed resistance to Ciprofloxacin, rifampin, linezolid and synercid (91.1%, but the lowest sensitivity was to penicillin (4.7%. of 9 MRSA strains, 1 strain was resistance to vancomycin and 2 strains were resistant to teicoplanin and linezolid. Conclusion: Because of S. aureus strains isolated from hospital staffs were resistant to most common antibiotics, identification and treatment of health care and health service workers can prevent nosocomial infections. Key words: Staphylococcu aureus carriers, hospital personnel, antibiotic resistance.

  6. Enhanced oxidative killing of azole-resistant Candida glabrata strains with ERG11 deletion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kan, V L; Geber, A; Bennett, J E

    1996-01-01

    The susceptibility of genetically defined Candida glabrata strains to killing by H2O2 and neutrophils was assessed. Fluconazole-susceptible L5L and L5D strains demonstrated survival rates higher than those of two fluconazole-resistant strains lacking the ERG11 gene coding for 14 alpha-demethylase. Fluconazole resistance can occur by mechanisms which increase fungal susceptibility to oxidative killing by H2O2 and neutrophils. PMID:8807069

  7. Genome Sequences of Two Copper-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Copper-Fed Pigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lüthje, Freja L.; Hasman, Henrik; Aarestrup, Frank Møller

    2014-01-01

    The draft genome sequences of two copper-resistant Escherichia coli strains were determined. These had been isolated from copper-fed pigs and contained additional putative operons conferring copper and other metal and metalloid resistances.......The draft genome sequences of two copper-resistant Escherichia coli strains were determined. These had been isolated from copper-fed pigs and contained additional putative operons conferring copper and other metal and metalloid resistances....

  8. Sensitivity of antibiotic resistant and antibiotic susceptible Escherichia coli, Enterococcus and Staphylococcus strains against ozone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heß, Stefanie; Gallert, Claudia

    2015-12-01

    Tolerance of antibiotic susceptible and antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli, Enterococcus and Staphylococcus strains from clinical and wastewater samples against ozone was tested to investigate if ozone, a strong oxidant applied for advanced wastewater treatment, will affect the release of antibiotic resistant bacteria into the aquatic environment. For this purpose, the resistance pattern against antibiotics of the mentioned isolates and their survival after exposure to 4 mg/L ozone was determined. Antibiotic resistance (AR) of the isolates was not correlating with higher tolerance against ozone. Except for ampicillin resistant E. coli strains, which showed a trend towards increased resistance, E. coli strains that were also resistant against cotrimoxazol, ciprofloxacin or a combination of the three antibiotics were similarly or less resistant against ozone than antibiotic sensitive strains. Pigment-producing Enterococcus casseliflavus and Staphylococcus aureus seemed to be more resistant against ozone than non-pigmented species of these genera. Furthermore, aggregation or biofilm formation apparently protected bacteria in subsurface layers from inactivation by ozone. The relatively large variance of tolerance against ozone may indicate that resistance to ozone inactivation most probably depends on several factors, where AR, if at all, does not play a major role.

  9. Antimicrobial resistance and production of biofilms in clinical isolates of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Allori, María Cristina Gaudioso; Jure, María Angela; Romero, Cintia; de Castillo, Marta Elena Cecilia

    2006-08-01

    Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) strains are frequently associated with bacteremia and hospital-acquired infections. 293 CNS strains were isolated from 744 samples from a dialysis center in S. M. de Tucumán, Argentina, from hemocultures, catheters and urine and identified as S. epidermidis, S. haemolyticus, S. saprophyticus, S. hominis and S. cohnii. 13 antibiotics were tested for antibacterial resistance. 75% of S. saprophyticus, 66% of S. epidermidis and 57% of S. haemolyticus was resistant to erythromycin and 50% of S. haemolyticus was resistant to ciprofloxacin. OXA resistance was found in 43% of S. haemolyticus. Presence of PBP 2a in OXA-R strains was confirmed with the modified agglutination assay (MRSA) and presence of the mecA gene. 15 strains with intermediate halos for vancomycin and teicoplanin showed a MIC in solid and liquid medium resistance to methicillin and biofilm production are decisive for a prompt and appropriate antimicrobial therapy and limited use of inappropriate glycopeptides.

  10. Enriched whole genome sequencing identified compensatory mutations in the RNA polymerase gene of rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium leprae strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavania, Mallika; Singh, Itu; Turankar, Ravindra P; Gupta, Anuj Kumar; Ahuja, Madhvi; Pathak, Vinay; Sengupta, Utpal

    2018-01-01

    Despite more than three decades of multidrug therapy (MDT), leprosy remains a major public health issue in several endemic countries, including India. The emergence of drug resistance in Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) is a cause of concern and poses a threat to the leprosy-control program, which might ultimately dampen the achievement of the elimination program of the country. Rifampicin resistance in clinical strains of M. leprae are supposed to arise from harboring bacterial strains with mutations in the 81-bp rifampicin resistance determining region (RRDR) of the rpoB gene. However, complete dynamics of rifampicin resistance are not explained only by this mutation in leprosy strains. To understand the role of other compensatory mutations and transmission dynamics of drug-resistant leprosy, a genome-wide sequencing of 11 M. leprae strains - comprising five rifampicin-resistant strains, five sensitive strains, and one reference strain - was done in this study. We observed the presence of compensatory mutations in two rifampicin-resistant strains in rpoC and mmpL7 genes, along with rpoB , that may additionally be responsible for conferring resistance in those strains. Our findings support the role for compensatory mutation(s) in RNA polymerase gene(s), resulting in rifampicin resistance in relapsed leprosy patients.

  11. The Fitness Cost of Fluoride Resistance for Different Streptococcus mutans Strains in Biofilms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanling Cai

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans can develop stable resistance to fluoride through chromosomal mutations in vitro. Fluoride-resistant S. mutans has seldom been isolated in clinical settings, despite the wide application of fluoride in oral-care products. One explanation is that the fluoride-resistant S. mutans strains have decreased fitness. However, so far, there has been no conclusive evidence to support this idea. The aim of this study was to investigate the fitness cost of 48-h biofilms of two fluoride-resistant S. mutans strains, UF35 and UA159-FR (UAFR, using the wild-type fluoride-sensitive strain UA159 as a reference. The engineered UF35 strain contains one point mutation, whereas UAFR, selected from NaF-containing agar plates, has multiple chromosomal mutations. All biofilms were formed for 48 h under a constantly neutral pH or a pH-cycling (8 h of neutral pH and 16 h of pH 5.5 condition in the absence of fluoride. The biomass of the biofilms was quantified with a crystal violet assay. The biofilms were also treated with chlorhexidine or solutions at pH 3.0, after which their lactic acid production was quantified. Compared to the UF35 and UA159 biofilms, the biomass of UAFR biofilms was two–four fold higher, and the UAFR biofilms were more resistant to chlorhexidine and low pH in terms of lactic acid production. No difference in biomass and lactic acid production was detected between UF35 and UA159 biofilms. The fluoride resistance of UAFR and UF35 strains in biofilms was further confirmed by treating the biofilms with NaF solutions. The level of NaF resistance of the three biofilms is generally ranked as follows: UAFR > UF35 > UA159. In conclusion, there is indeed a fitness consequence in UAFR, but surprisingly, this fluoride-resistant strain performs better than UF35 and UA159 under the described conditions. In addition, UF35 did not display a reduced fitness; it performed as well as the wild-type fluoride

  12. Magnetoresistance peculiarities of bismuth wires in high magnetic field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Condrea, E., E-mail: condrea@nano.asm.md [Institute of Electronic Engineering and Nanotechnologies, Academy of Science of Moldova, 2028 Chisinau, Republic of Moldova (Moldova, Republic of); International Laboratory of High Magnetic Fields and Low Temperatures, Gajowicka 95, 51-421 Wroclaw (Poland); Gilewski, A. [International Laboratory of High Magnetic Fields and Low Temperatures, Gajowicka 95, 51-421 Wroclaw (Poland); MagNet, 50-421 Wroclaw (Poland); Nicorici, A. [Institute of Electronic Engineering and Nanotechnologies, Academy of Science of Moldova, 2028 Chisinau, Republic of Moldova (Moldova, Republic of)

    2016-03-11

    Magnetoresistance measurements of Bi wires performed in the magnetic field oriented along the bisector axis revealed unexpected anomalous peaks in a high magnetic field far above the quantum limit of the electrons. By combining a magnetic field and an uniaxial strain, we obtained a modification of the electronic structure; as a result, the quantum limit for light and heavy electrons is changed in a different way. For the case where heavy electrons are in the quantum limit, a correlation between the exit of the lowest Landau level of light electrons and the Lifshitz transition was found. - Highlights: • Glass-coated single-crystalline Bi wires attain high limit of elastic strain of up to 3.0%. • Selective modification of the electronic structure of Bi wires is obtained by combining a high magnetic field and uniaxial strain. • The correlation between the exit of the lowest Landau level of electrons and Lifshitz transition was found.

  13. Magnetoresistance peculiarities of bismuth wires in high magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Condrea, E.; Gilewski, A.; Nicorici, A.

    2016-01-01

    Magnetoresistance measurements of Bi wires performed in the magnetic field oriented along the bisector axis revealed unexpected anomalous peaks in a high magnetic field far above the quantum limit of the electrons. By combining a magnetic field and an uniaxial strain, we obtained a modification of the electronic structure; as a result, the quantum limit for light and heavy electrons is changed in a different way. For the case where heavy electrons are in the quantum limit, a correlation between the exit of the lowest Landau level of light electrons and the Lifshitz transition was found. - Highlights: • Glass-coated single-crystalline Bi wires attain high limit of elastic strain of up to 3.0%. • Selective modification of the electronic structure of Bi wires is obtained by combining a high magnetic field and uniaxial strain. • The correlation between the exit of the lowest Landau level of electrons and Lifshitz transition was found.

  14. The influnece of the partial single reduction on mechanical properties wires made from trip steel with 0,43 % C

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Wiewiórowska

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Large strain inhomogeneity is caused by the shape of deformation zone of die and by the friction between tool and deformed wire for multistage wire drawing processes. The influence on the value of the redundant strain by the use of different partial single reductions during all wire drawing process was observed. This problem is particularly important for TRIP steel wires drawing processes because the strain intensity influences on the speed of retained austenite transformation into martensite.

  15. Phenotypic and genetic diversity of chlorine-resistant Methylobacterium strains isolated from various environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiraishi, A; Furuhata, K; Matsumoto, A; Koike, K A; Fukuyama, M; Tabuchi, K

    1995-01-01

    Strains of pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs which were isolated previously from various environments and assigned tentatively to the genus Methylobacterium were characterized in comparison with authentic strains of previously known species of this genus. Most of the isolates derived from chlorinated water supplies exhibited resistance to chlorine, whereas 29 to 40% of the isolates from air, natural aquatic environments, and clinical materials were chlorine resistant. None of the tested authentic strains of Methylobacterium species obtained from culture collections exhibited chlorine resistance. Numerical analysis of phenotypic profiles showed that the test organisms tested were separated from each other except M. organophilum and M. rhodesianum. The chlorine-resistant isolates were randomly distributed among all clusters. The 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence-based phylogenetic analyses showed that representatives of the isolates together with known Methylobacterium species formed a line of descent distinct from that of members of related genera in the alpha-2 subclass of the Proteobacteria and were divided into three subclusters within the Methylobacterium group. These results demonstrate that there is phenotypic and genetic diversity among chlorine-resistant Methylobacterium strains within the genus. PMID:7793931

  16. Phenotypic and genetic diversity of chlorine-resistant Methylobacterium strains isolated from various environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiraishi, A; Furuhata, K; Matsumoto, A; Koike, K A; Fukuyama, M; Tabuchi, K

    1995-06-01

    Strains of pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs which were isolated previously from various environments and assigned tentatively to the genus Methylobacterium were characterized in comparison with authentic strains of previously known species of this genus. Most of the isolates derived from chlorinated water supplies exhibited resistance to chlorine, whereas 29 to 40% of the isolates from air, natural aquatic environments, and clinical materials were chlorine resistant. None of the tested authentic strains of Methylobacterium species obtained from culture collections exhibited chlorine resistance. Numerical analysis of phenotypic profiles showed that the test organisms tested were separated from each other except M. organophilum and M. rhodesianum. The chlorine-resistant isolates were randomly distributed among all clusters. The 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence-based phylogenetic analyses showed that representatives of the isolates together with known Methylobacterium species formed a line of descent distinct from that of members of related genera in the alpha-2 subclass of the Proteobacteria and were divided into three subclusters within the Methylobacterium group. These results demonstrate that there is phenotypic and genetic diversity among chlorine-resistant Methylobacterium strains within the genus.

  17. Genetic pathway in acquisition and loss of vancomycin resistance in a methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA strain of clonal type USA300.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susana Gardete

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available An isolate of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA clone USA300 with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin (SG-R (i.e, vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus, VISA and its susceptible "parental" strain (SG-S were recovered from a patient at the end and at the beginning of an unsuccessful vancomycin therapy. The VISA phenotype was unstable in vitro generating a susceptible revertant strain (SG-rev. The availability of these 3 isogenic strains allowed us to explore genetic correlates of antibiotic resistance as it emerged in vivo. Compared to the susceptible isolate, both the VISA and revertant strains carried the same point mutations in yycH, vraG, yvqF and lspA genes and a substantial deletion within an intergenic region. The revertant strain carried a single additional frameshift mutation in vraS which is part of two component regulatory system VraSR. VISA isolate SG-R showed complex alterations in phenotype: decreased susceptibility to other antibiotics, slow autolysis, abnormal cell division and increased thickness of cell wall. There was also altered expression of 239 genes including down-regulation of major virulence determinants. All phenotypic properties and gene expression profile returned to parental levels in the revertant strain. Introduction of wild type yvqF on a multicopy plasmid into the VISA strain caused loss of resistance along with loss of all the associated phenotypic changes. Introduction of the wild type vraSR into the revertant strain caused recovery of VISA type resistance. The yvqF/vraSR operon seems to function as an on/off switch: mutation in yvqF in strain SG-R turns on the vraSR system, which leads to increase in vancomycin resistance and down-regulation of virulence determinants. Mutation in vraS in the revertant strain turns off this regulatory system accompanied by loss of resistance and normal expression of virulence genes. Down-regulation of virulence genes may provide VISA strains with a "stealth

  18. Superconducting wire for the T-15 toroidal magnet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klimenko, E.Yu.; Kruglov, V.S.; Martovetskij, N.N.

    1987-01-01

    Main characteristics of a wire designed for the T-15 toroidal superconducting magnet production are given. The wire with circulation cooling is a twist of 11 niobium-tin wires 1.5 mm in diameter, joined electrolytically by two copper tubes with 3 mm inside diameter. The wire is capable to carry 10 kA current in the 8.5 T induction field. Wire features and structures promote to receive high structural current density in winding: diffuseness of superconducting-to-normal transition increases wire stability, screw symmetry od a current-carrying core provides wire resistance to pulse longitudinal field effect at plasma current disruption, low bronze thermal conductivity in a twist increases stability to outside pulse perturbations

  19. Experimental testing and modelling of a resistive type superconducting fault current limiter using MgB2 wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, A C; Pei, X; Oliver, A; Husband, M; Rindfleisch, M

    2012-01-01

    A prototype resistive superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) was developed using single-strand round magnesium diboride (MgB 2 ) wire. The MgB 2 wire was wound with an interleaved arrangement to minimize coil inductance and provide adequate inter-turn voltage withstand capability. The temperature profile from 30 to 40 K and frequency profile from 10 to 100 Hz at 25 K were tested and reported. The quench properties of the prototype coil were tested using a high current test circuit. The fault current was limited by the prototype coil within the first quarter-cycle. The prototype coil demonstrated reliable and repeatable current limiting properties and was able to withstand a potential peak current of 372 A for one second without any degradation of performance. A three-strand SFCL coil was investigated and demonstrated scaled-up current capacity. An analytical model to predict the behaviour of the prototype single-strand SFCL coil was developed using an adiabatic boundary condition on the outer surface of the wire. The predicted fault current using the analytical model showed very good correlation with the experimental test results. The analytical model and a finite element thermal model were used to predict the temperature rise of the wire during a fault. (paper)

  20. Evaluation results of the 700 deg C Chinese strain gages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobart, H. F.

    1984-01-01

    There is a continuing interest and need for resistance strain gages capable of making static strain measurements on components located in the hot section of gas turbine engines. A paper by Tsen-tai Wu describes the development and evaluation of high temperature gauges fabricated from specially developed Fe-Cr-Al-V-Ti-Y alloy wire. Several of these gages and a quantity of P12-2 ceramic adhesive were purchased for evaluation. Nine members of the aircraft turbine engine community were invited to participate in an evaluation of these gages. Each participant was sent one strain gage, a small amount of ceramic adhesive, instructions for mounting the gage on a test beam, and a set of suggestions for the experiment. Data on gage factor variation with temperature, apparent strain, and drift are discussed.

  1. Antibiotic resistance patterns of coagulase-negative staphylococcus strains isolated from blood cultures of septicemic patients in Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koksal, F; Yasar, H; Samasti, M

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine antibiotic resistance patterns and slime production characteristics of coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) caused nosocomial bacteremia. A total of 200 CoNS strains were isolated from blood samples of patients with true bacteremia who were hospitalized in intensive care units and in other departments of Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Hospital between 1999 and 2006. Among 200 CoNS isolates, Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most prevalent species (87) followed by Staphylococcus haemolyticus (23), Staphylococcus hominis (19), Staphylococcus lugdunensis (18), Staphylococcus capitis (15), Staphylococcus xylosus (10), Staphylococcus warneri (8), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (5), Staphylococcus lentus (5), Staphylococcus simulans (4), Staphylococcus chromogenes (3), Staphylococcus cohnii (1), Staphylococcus schleiferi (1), and Staphylococcus auricularis (1). Resistance to methicillin was detected in 67.5% of CoNS isolates. Methicillin-resistant CoNS strains were determined to be more resistant to antibiotics than methicillin-susceptible CoNS strains. Resistance rates of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible CoNS strains to the antibacterial agents, respectively, were as follows: gentamicin 90% and 17%, erythromycin 80% and 37%, clindamycin 72% and 18%, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 68% and 38%, ciprofloxacin 67% and 23%, tetracycline 60% and 45%, chloramphenicol 56% and 13% and fusidic acid 25% and 15%. None of the strains were resistant to vancomycin and teicoplanin. Slime production was detected in 86 of 200 CoNS strains. Resistance to methicillin was found in 81% of slime-positive and in 57% of slime-negative strains. Our results indicated that there is a high level of resistance to widely used agents in causative methicillin-resistant CoNS strains. However fusidic acid has the smallest resistance ratio, with the exception of glycopeptides. Additionally, most S. epidermidis strains were slime

  2. Low temperature annealing of cold-drawn pearlitic steel wire

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xiaodan; Bech, Jakob Ilsted; Hansen, Niels

    2015-01-01

    Cold-drawn pearlitic steel wires are nanostructured and the flow stress at room temperature can reach values above 6 GPa. A typical characteristic of the nanostructured metals, is the low ductility and thermal stability. In order to optimize both the processing and application of the wires......, the thermal behaviour is of interest. This has been studied by annealing the wires for 1h at temperatures from ambient temperature to 300 ℃ (573 K). It is expected that a raising temperature may lead to structural changes and a reduction in strength. The change in strength is however not expected to be large....... For this reason we have applied a very precise technique to measure the tensile properties of the wires from a strain of 10-4 to the maximum strain of about 1-2%. The structural changes have also been followed to estimate and relate strength changes to changes in structural parameters and morphology....

  3. Investigation of mechanical behavior of copper in Nb3Sn superconducting composite wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hojo, M.; Matsuoka, T.; Nakamura, M.; Tanaka, M.; Adachi, T.; Ochiai, S.; Miyashita, K.

    2004-01-01

    The mechanical properties and the thermal residual stress distribution of copper in Nb 3 Sn/Cu composite superconductor were investigated in detail. The stabilizer copper was removed from the composite wire, and the stress-strain behavior of this wire was compared with that of the original composite wire. The subtraction yielded the stress-strain curves of the copper when the Bauschinger effect was taken into account. The tensile test of the composites from which about 30% and 60% of copper was removed suggested the existence of the distribution of the thermal residual stress in the stabilizer copper. When this factor was taken into account, the analytical stress-strain curve agreed well with the experimental stress-strain curve. Thus, the stress-stain behavior of each component was fully understood

  4. Molecular characterization, fitness and mycotoxin production of Fusarium graminearum laboratory strains resistant to benzimidazoles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sevastos, A; Markoglou, A; Labrou, N E; Flouri, F; Malandrakis, A

    2016-03-01

    Six benzimidazole (BMZ)-resistant Fusarium graminearum strains were obtained after UV mutagenesis and selection on carbendazim (MBC)-amended medium. In vitro bioassays resulted in the identification of two resistant phenotypes that were highly HR (Rf: 40-170, based on EC50) and moderately MR (Rf: 10-20) resistant to carbendazim. Cross resistance studies with other fungicides showed that all mutant strains tested were also resistant to other BMZs, such as benomyl and thiabendazole, but retained their parental sensitivity to fungicides belonging to other chemical groups. A point mutation at codon 6 (His6Asn) was found in the β2-tubulin gene of MR isolates while another mutation at codon 200 (Phe200Tyr) was present in one MR and one HR isolates. Interestingly, low temperatures suppressed MBC-resistance in all isolates bearing the H6N mutation. The three-dimensional homology model of the wild-type and mutants of β-tubulins were constructed, and the possible carbendazim binding site was analyzed. Studies on fitness parameters showed that the mutation(s) for resistance to BMZs did not affect the mycelial growth rate whereas adverse effects were found in sporulation and conidial germination in most of the resistant mutants. Pathogenicity tests on corn cobs revealed that mutants were less or equally aggressive to the wild-type strain but expressed their BMZ-resistance after inoculation on maize cobs treated with MBC. Analysis of mycotoxin production by high performance liquid chromatography revealed that only two HR strains produced zearalenone (ZEA) at concentrations similar to that of the wild-type strain, while no ZEA levels were detected in the rest of the mutants. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Bend strain tolerances of a Nb3Sn conductor proposed for use in the magnetic fusion energy program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luhman, T.; Welch, D.O.; Suenaga, M.

    1980-01-01

    Bend strain tolerances were studied on a 2869 filament bronze-processed Nb 3 Sn wire conductor in magnetic fields to 8 T. Relative values of the wire's current transfer length to twist pitch were shown to influence the bend-strain tolerance. Low matrix resistivities, associated with Sn-depleted bronzes following heat-treatments of 48 h at 725 0 C, produce current transfer lengths less than the twist pitch, 10 mm. The resulting bend-strain tolerances, at 10 -12 ohm.cm, are improved over those found for shorter heat-treatment times. Results from bend-fatigue experiments were divided into two domains separated by the strain value required to produce compound cracking, epsilon/sub f//sup B/. Applied bending strains less than epsilon/sub f//sup B/ were found to increase zero strain critical current values and this increase was independent of the number of fatigue cycles. When applying strains large enough to produce cracking in the compounds critical currents decreased from their asreacted values tending to reach a minimum after several fatigue cycles. Evidence exists for a neutral axis shift during bending and slight differences between tensile and bend strain tolerances are accounted for in terms of such a shift

  6. Evolution of carbon distribution and mechanical properties during the static strain ageing of heavily drawn pearlitic steel wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamontagne, A.; Massardier, V.; Sauvage, X.; Kléber, X.; Mari, D.

    2016-01-01

    The static strain ageing of heavily cold-drawn pearlitic steel wires was investigated using both global techniques and local techniques (Atom Probe Tomography (APT)), in order to highlight how the cold-drawn destabilized microstructure returns to a more stable state during post-drawing treatments between 20 °C and 150 °C. The global techniques (thermoelectric power, differential scanning calorimetry) clearly showed that ageing occurs in three successive ageing stages and is due to a redistribution of the carbon atoms coming from the strain-induced cementite dissolution. The first ageing stage was unambiguously attributed to the carbon segregation to the defects, while the second and third stages were interpreted as being due to the precipitation of intermediate carbides (2nd stage) and cementite (3rd stage). The true strain was not found to significantly affect the ageing kinetics and mechanisms but appeared to play a role in the amount of carbon atoms involved in the different ageing stages. APT analyses confirmed that ageing is governed by the carbon depletion of strain-induced supersaturated ferrite. The strengthening mechanisms associated with the different ageing stages were also discussed.

  7. Hirarchical structures and strength in cold-drawn pearlitic steel wire

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xiaodan; Hansen, Niels; Godfrey, Andrew

    2014-01-01

    and the cementite decomposition, have been analyzed and quantified by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and high resolution electron microscopy for wires cold drawn up to a strain of 3.68. Three strengthening mechanisms, boundary strengthening, dislocation strengthening and solid...... solution hardening, have been analyzed based on the microstructural analysis. The individual and combined contributions, of these mechanisms to the wire strength have been estimated and good agreement has been found between the measured flow stress and values estimated based on an assumption of linear...... additivity of the three strengthening mechanisms. Mechanisms behind the higher strength of about 6.4 GPa in the wires drawn to higher strains and to a finer microstructural scale is also discussed....

  8. Identification of Resistance to Wet Bubble Disease and Genetic Diversity in Wild and Cultivated Strains of Agaricus bisporus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yongping Fu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Outbreaks of wet bubble disease (WBD caused by Mycogone perniciosa are increasing across the world and seriously affecting the yield of Agaricus bisporus. However, highly WBD-resistant strains are rare. Here, we tested 28 A. bisporus strains for WBD resistance by inoculating M. perniciosa spore suspension on casing soil, and assessed genetic diversity of these strains using 17 new simple sequence repeat (SSR markers developed in this study. We found that 10 wild strains originating from the Tibetan Plateau in China were highly WBD-resistant strains, and 13 cultivated strains from six countries were highly susceptible strains. A total of 88 alleles were detected in these 28 strains, and the observed number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 8. Cluster and genetic structure analysis results revealed the wild resources from China have a relatively high level of genetic diversity and occur at low level of gene flow and introgression with cultivated strains. Moreover, the wild strains from China potentially have the consensus ancestral genotypes different from the cultivated strains and evolved independently. Therefore, the highly WBD-resistant wild strains from China and newly developed SSR markers could be used as novel sources for WBD-resistant breeding and quantitative trait locus (QTL mapping of WBD-resistant gene of A. bisporus.

  9. Experimental and numerical investigations of wire bending by linear winding of rectangular tooth coils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komodromos, A.; Tekkaya, A. E.; Hofmann, J.; Fleischer, J.

    2018-05-01

    Since electric motors are gaining in importance in many fields of application, e.g. hybrid electric vehicles, optimization of the linear coil winding process greatly contributes to an increase in productivity and flexibility. For the investigation of the forming behavior of the winding wire the material behavior is characterized in different experimental setups. Numerical examinatons of the linear winding process are carried out in a case study for a rectangular bobbin in order to analyze the influence of forming parameters on the resulting properties of the wound coil. Besides the numerical investigation of the linear winding method by using the finite element method (FEM), a multi-body dynamics (MBD) simulation is carried out. The multi-body dynamics simulation is necessary to represent the movement of the bodies as well as the connection of the components during winding. The finite element method is used to represent the material behavior of the copper wire and the plastic strain distribution within the wire. It becomes clear that the MBD simulation is not sufficient for analyzing the process and the wire behavior in its entirety. Important parameters that define the final coil properties cannot be analyzed in the manner of a precise manifestation, e.g. the clearance between coil bobbin and wire as well as the wire deformation behavior in form of a diameter reduction which negatively affects the ohmic resistance. Finally, the numerical investigations are validated experimentally by linear winding tests.

  10. Strain change and creep behavior of STACIR/AW power line with heat exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, B.G.; Park, S.D.; Kim, S.S.; Lee, H.W. [Overhead Conductor Research Lab., Korea Electrotechnology Research Inst., Changwon (Korea)

    2005-07-01

    As a way to expand electric capacity in power line with hovering of electric power demand, STACIR/AW (super thermal-resistant Al alloy conductors Al-clad Invar-reinforced) overhead conductor which cans double ampacity has been developed. The STACIR/AW power line is mechanically composite stranded wire composed of INVAR/AW stranded wire as core for sag control and heat-resistant aluminum alloy for delivering doubled electric current. Recently, in order to ensure stable line operation and to predict its span of life, the changes of thermal properties for STACIR/AW have been investigated. In the present work, the changes of strain with temperature and the creep behavior as important factors in sag control will be presented. The transition temperature of STACIR/AW 410 sqmm was estimated approximately 130 C and the creep rates were decreased with temperatures. (orig.)

  11. Microstructure and strengthening mechanisms in cold-drawn pearlitic steel wire

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xiaodan; Godfrey, Andy; Huang, Xiaoxu

    2011-01-01

    Strengthening mechanisms and strength–structure relationships have been analyzed in a cold-drawn pearlitic steel with a structural scale in the nanometer range and a flow stress of about 3.5GPa. The wires have been drawn up to a strain of 3.7 and the structures analyzed and quantified by transmis......Strengthening mechanisms and strength–structure relationships have been analyzed in a cold-drawn pearlitic steel with a structural scale in the nanometer range and a flow stress of about 3.5GPa. The wires have been drawn up to a strain of 3.7 and the structures analyzed and quantified...... by transmission electron microscopy and high resolution electron microscopy. The mechanical properties have been determined by tensile testing. It is found that the interlamellar spacing and the thickness of the cementite lamellae are reduced in accordance with the changes in wire diameter up to a strain of 2...... at the ferrite/cementite interface. Three strengthening mechanisms have been analyzed: (i) boundary strengthening, (ii) dislocation strengthening and (iii) solid solution hardening. The individual and combined contributions, based on an assumption of linear additivity, of these mechanisms to the wire strength...

  12. Hierarchical Structure and Strengthening Mechanisms in Pearlitic Steel Wire

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xiaodan; Hansen, Niels; Huang, Xiaoxu

    Microstructure evolution and strengthening mechanisms have been analyzed in a cold-drawn pearlitic steel wire (the strongest engineering materials in the world) with a nanostructure down to 10 nm and a flow stress up to 5.4 GPa. The interlamellar spacing and the cementite lamellae thickness...... are reduced during drawing in accordance with the change in wire diameter up to a strain of 2.5. At a higher strain enhanced thinning of cementite lamellae points to decomposition and carbon enrichment of the ferrite lamellae. Dislocations are stored as individual dislocations and in low angle boundaries...

  13. Recovery of electrical resistance in copper films on polyethylene terephthalate subjected to a tensile strain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glushko, O.; Marx, V.M.; Kirchlechner, C.; Zizak, I.; Cordill, M.J.

    2014-01-01

    Substantial recovery (decrease) of electrical resistance during and after unloading is demonstrated for copper films on polyethylene terephthalate substrates subjected to a tensile strain with different peak values. Particularly, the films strained to 5% exhibit full resistance recovery after unloading despite clearly visible plastic deformation of the film. The recovery of electrical resistance in connection with the mechanical behavior of film/substrate couple is discussed with the help of in situ scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. - Highlights: • Tensile tests on 200 nm Cu films on PET substrate are performed. • Electrical resistance is recorded in-situ during loading and unloading. • Significant recovery (decrease) of resistance is observed during and after unloading. • Films strained to 5% demonstrate full resistance recovery. • Viscoelastic relaxation of PET is responsible for recovery of Cu film resistance

  14. Electromagnetic Behaviour of Metallic Wire Structures

    CERN Document Server

    Chui, S T

    2013-01-01

    Despite the recent development and interest in the photonics of metallic wire structures, the relatively simple concepts and physics often remain obscured or poorly explained to those who do not specialize in the field. Electromagnetic Behaviour of Metallic Wire Structures provides a clear and coherent guide to understanding these phenomena without excessive numerical calculations.   Including both background material and detailed derivations of the various different formulae applied, Electromagnetic Behaviour of Metallic Wire Structures describes how to extend basic circuit theory relating to voltages, currents, and resistances of metallic wire networks to include situations where the currents are no longer spatially uniform along the wire. This lays a foundation for a deeper understanding of the many new phenomena observed in meta-electromagnetic materials.   Examples of applications are included to support this new approach making Electromagnetic Behaviour of Metallic Wire Structures a comprehensive and ...

  15. Dependent of electrical resistivity of thin wire on magnetic field and temperature; Vabastegi-ye moghavemat-e elekteriki-ye simha-ye barik be meidan-e meghnatisi va dama

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sadeghi, E [Yasouj University, Physics Department, Yasouj(Iran, Islamic Republic of); Zare, M [Shiraz Payam Noor University, shiraz(Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2006-04-01

    Variation of electrical resistivity of Bismuth nano wire versus magnetic field the and temperature are considered. We study the size effect and surface scattering of the carrier in thin wire for systems with ellipsoidal Fermi surfaces. Results are in good agreement with experimental points.

  16. Faecal shedding of antimicrobial-resistant Clostridium difficile strains by dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Álvarez-Pérez, S; Blanco, J L; Peláez, T; Lanzarot, M P; Harmanus, C; Kuijper, E; García, M E

    2015-03-01

    To longitudinally assess the shedding of antimicrobial resistant Clostridium difficile strains by clinically healthy dogs raised at breeding facilities. 18 puppies from three different litters (#1, 2 and 3) were sampled weekly from parturition to day 20-55 postpartum. Faecal samples from the mothers of litters #2 and 3 were also available for analysis. Bacterial isolates were ribotyped, tested for in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility and further characterised. C. difficile was recovered from all sampled animals of litters #1 and 2, and a third of puppies from litter #3, but marked differences in C. difficile recovery were detected in different age groups (0-100%). Recovered PCR ribotypes included 056 (22 isolates), 010 (6 isolates), 078 and 213 (2 isolates each), and 009 and 020 (1 isolate each). Different ribotypes were shed by four individual animals. Regardless of their origin and ribotype, all isolates demonstrated full resistance to levofloxacin. Additionally, all but one isolate (belonging to ribotype 078) were resistant to ertapenem, and all ribotype 010 isolates displayed high-level resistance to clindamycin, clarithromycin and erythromycin. A single ribotype 078 isolate showed metronidazole heteroresistance. Healthy dogs can shed antimicrobial-resistant C. difficile strains. © 2014 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

  17. Determinación del límite de rotura de un cable por Método de los Elementos Finitos. // Determination of resistance load on steel wire rope by Finite Elements Method.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Aguilar Parés

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available En ocasiones, se desconocen las características originales de un cable de acero. En estos casos, generalmente se estima ellímite de rotura de un cable a partir del límite de rotura de un alambre del cable. En el presente trabajo, se propone emplearun método para estimar el límite de rotura del cable en base al modelado del cordón mediante elementos finitos. En elcontenido se explica detalladamente el procedimiento y es ejemplificado. El procedimiento es iniciado con el dibujo delcable en un programa de diseño gráfico parámetrico y posteriormente se describen las características generales delmodelado con un programa especializado en el Método de Elementos Finitos. En el análisis se incluye la influencia delcontacto entre los alambres que forman el cordón. Por último, se comparan los resultados obtenidos para el límite de roturadel cable con los datos declarados por el fabricante. Con este procedimiento fueron obtenidos valores mediante modeladodel cable con diferencias entre el 11% al 2,5% en relación al límite de rotura declarado por los fabricantes. Las diferenciasfueron evidenciadas en dependencia de la calidad del mallado empleado.Palabras claves: Cables de acero, elementos finitos, carga límite de rotura._________________________________________________________________________Abstract:In occasions, the original characteristics of steel wire rope are unknown. In these cases, could be estimated the resistanceof the wire rope knowing the wire resistance. In this proposal method for estimating the resistance load of steel wire thecord of the wire rope is modelling using finite elements. Procedure is explained and a sample with a selected wire rope ispresented. It is started with the drawing of the wire rope by professional software. General characteristics of themodelling are described with FEM software. In the analysis, the contact influence in the wires of the cord is included.Lastly, the obtained results of the resistance

  18. RNAi validation of resistance genes and their interactions in the highly DDT-resistant 91-R strain of Drosophila melanogaster.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gellatly, Kyle J; Yoon, Kyong Sup; Doherty, Jeffery J; Sun, Weilin; Pittendrigh, Barry R; Clark, J Marshall

    2015-06-01

    4,4'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been re-recommended by the World Health Organization for malaria mosquito control. Previous DDT use has resulted in resistance, and with continued use resistance will increase in terms of level and extent. Drosophila melanogaster is a model dipteran that has many available genetic tools, numerous studies done on insecticide resistance mechanisms, and is related to malaria mosquitoes allowing for extrapolation. The 91-R strain of D. melanogaster is highly resistant to DDT (>1500-fold), however, there is no mechanistic scheme that accounts for this level of resistance. Recently, reduced penetration, increased detoxification, and direct excretion have been identified as resistance mechanisms in the 91-R strain. Their interactions, however, remain unclear. Use of UAS-RNAi transgenic lines of D. melanogaster allowed for the targeted knockdown of genes putatively involved in DDT resistance and has validated the role of several cuticular proteins (Cyp4g1 and Lcp1), cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (Cyp6g1 and Cyp12d1), and ATP binding cassette transporters (Mdr50, Mdr65, and Mrp1) involved in DDT resistance. Further, increased sensitivity to DDT in the 91-R strain after intra-abdominal dsRNA injection for Mdr50, Mdr65, and Mrp1 was determined by a DDT contact bioassay, directly implicating these genes in DDT efflux and resistance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Title: High-level cefotaxime-resistant Proteus mirabilis strain isolated ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    oaca

    High-level cefotaxime-resistant Proteus mirabilis strain isolated from a Tunisian .... UV- visible) at 37°C. Specific activity is calculated on depending of. Ross and ..... Performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing;. Seventeenth ...

  20. DETERMINATION OF THE SPECTRUM OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE GENES HAVE PHENOTYPIC RESISTANT STRAINS OF PARIETAL INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA IN RATS BY RT-PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bukina Y.V.

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. The problem of formation of bacterial resistance to glycopeptides and beta-lactam antibiotics (cephalosporins and carbapenems are used worldwide for the treatment of severe community acquired and nosocomial infections, especially caused by polymicrobial flora has become global and is a major factor limiting the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy. In this regard, the study of genetic microbial resistance determinants allows not only to carry out an effective antibiotic therapy, but also to identify two main processes leading to the development of epidemiologically significant events: the introduction of the agent in the risk population from the outside and in situ pathogen (spontaneous genetic drift targeted restructuring of the population. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the resistance genes to carbapenems, cephalosporins, glycopeptides have clinically important phenotype of resistant strains of microorganisms families Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Enterococcaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae. Materials and methods. As a material for PCR studies 712 phenotypically resistant strains of microorganisms isolated from 80 rats "Wistar" line in microbiological study microflora of the wall were used. During the investigation 474 isolates of bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae, 39 - Pseudomonadaceae, 71 - Bacteroidaceae, 96 - Enterococcaceae, 32 - Peptostreptococcaceae were studied. Isolation of DNA from bacteria in the study was performed using reagents "DNA-Express" ("Litekh", Russia. For the detection of resistance genes by PCR in real time (RT-PCR reagent kits "FLUOROPOL-RV" ("Litekh", Russia were used. During the experiment, the VIM genes, OXA-48, NDM, KPC, responsible for the resistance of microorganisms to carbapenems, CTX-M - resistance to cephalosporins, as well as genes Van A and van B, the development of resistance to glycopeptides (vancomycin and teicoplanin were determined. Analysis

  1. Development of Fe-based superconducting wires for liquid-hydrogen level sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishida, S.; Tsuchiya, Y.; Mawatari, Y.; Eisaki, H.; Nakano, A.; Yoshida, Y.

    2017-07-01

    We developed liquid-hydrogen (LH2) level sensors with Ba(Fe1-x Co x )2As2 superconducting wires (Co-Ba122 wires) as their detection elements. We fabricated Co-Ba122 wires with different Co concentrations x by using the powder-in-tube method. The superconducting transition temperatures of the wires were successfully controlled in the range of 20-25 K by changing x from 0.06 to 0.10. The resistance-temperature curves of the wires exhibited sharp superconducting transitions with widths of 0.5-1.0 K. In addition, we performed an operation test of the Co-Ba122 level sensors with LH2. Close correspondence between the output resistance and the actual LH2 level was observed for a sensor equipped with x = 0.09 wire, demonstrating that this sensor can accurately measure LH2 levels.

  2. GENETIC DIVERSITY OF DRUG RESISTANT STRAINS OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS IN OMSK REGION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. A. Pаsechnik

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the investigation results of the specific epidemic situation on tuberculous infection in Omsk Region in 2006-2015 and molecular genetic features of M. tuberculosis strains with multiple drug resistance circulating in this region. Bacteriological, molecular genetic methods, VNTR-typing were used as well as descriptive techniques of the epidemiological process. Tuberculosis prevalence made 269.2 per 100,000 population. There is an increase in those with bacillary excretion among new cases of respiratory tuberculosis from 39.8% to 53.4%. Drug resistance was detected in 48.0% of new cases. Among drug resistance patterns, MDR made 57%, and extensive drug resistance (XDR increased from 2.5 to 7.0%. In 2015 prevalence of XDR tuberculosis made 8.9 per 100,000 population in Omsk Region. When performing VNTR-typing of 77 samples of M. tuberculosis DNA with MDR, 27 genetic types were identified. The population of MDR strain of M. tuberculosis is heterogeneous and presented by strains of various genetic families -Beijing, LAM, S,Haarlem,Uganda. The investigation showed that isolates ofBeijing family prevailed (76.6%.

  3. Lead-resistant Providencia alcalifaciens strain 2EA bioprecipitates Pb+2 as lead phosphate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naik, M M; Khanolkar, D; Dubey, S K

    2013-02-01

    A lead-resistant bacteria isolated from soil contaminated with car battery waste were identified as Providencia alcalifaciens based on biochemical characteristics, FAME profile and 16S rRNA sequencing and designated as strain 2EA. It resists lead nitrate up to 0·0014 mol l(-1) by precipitating soluble lead as insoluble light brown solid. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometric analysis (SEM-EDX) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) revealed extracellular light brown precipitate as lead orthophosphate mineral, that is, Pb(9) (PO(4))(6) catalysed by phosphatase enzyme. This lead-resistant bacterial strain also demonstrated tolerance to high levels of cadmium and mercury along with multiple antibiotic resistance. Providencia alcalifaciens strain 2EA could be used for bioremediation of lead-contaminated environmental sites, as it can efficiently precipitate lead as lead phosphate. © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  4. Expression of xenobiotic metabolizing cytochrome P450 genes in a spinosad-resistant Musca domestica L. strain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorte H Højland

    Full Text Available Spinosad is important in pest management strategies of multiple insect pests. However, spinosad resistance is emerging in various pest species. Resistance has in some species been associated with alterations of the target-site receptor, but in others P450s seems to be involved. We test the possible importance of nine cytochrome P450 genes in the spinosad-resistant housefly strain 791spin and investigate the influence of spinosad on P450 expression in four other housefly strains.Significant differences in P450 expression of the nine P450 genes in the four strains after spinosad treatment were identified in 40% of cases, most of these as induction. The highly expressed CYP4G2 was induced 6.6-fold in the insecticide susceptible WHO-SRS females, but decreased 2-fold in resistant 791spin males. CYP6G4 was constitutively higher expressed in the resistant strain compared to the susceptible strain. Furthermore, CYP6G4 gene expression was increased in susceptible WHO-SRS flies by spinosad while the expression level did not alter significantly in resistant fly strains. Expression of CYP6A1 and male CYP6D3 was constitutively higher in the resistant strain compared to the susceptible. However, in both cases male expression was higher than female expression.CYP4G2, CYP6A1, CYP6D3 and CYP6G4 have expressions patterns approaching the expectations of a hypothesized sex specific spinosad resistance gene. CYP4G2 fit requirements of a spinosad resistance gene best, making it the most likely candidate. The overall high expression level of CYP4G2 throughout the strains also indicates importance of this gene. However, the data on 791spin are not conclusive concerning spinosad resistance and small contributions from multiple P450s with different enzymatic capabilities could be speculated to do the job in 791spin. Differential expression of P450s between sexes is more a rule than an exception. Noteworthy differences between spinosad influenced expression of P450 genes

  5. Steady-state numerical modeling of size effects in micron scale wire drawing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juul, Kristian Jørgensen; Nielsen, Kim Lau; Niordson, Christian Frithiof

    2017-01-01

    Wire drawing processes at the micron scale have received increased interest as micro wires are increasingly required in electrical components. It is well-established that size effects due to large strain gradient effects play an important role at this scale and the present study aims to quantify...... these effects for the wire drawing process. Focus will be on investigating the impact of size effects on the most favourable tool geometry (in terms of minimizing the drawing force) for various conditions between the wire/tool interface. The numerical analysis is based on a steady-state framework that enables...... convergence without dealing with the transient regime, but still fully accounts for the history dependence as-well as the elastic unloading. Thus, it forms the basis for a comprehensive parameter study. During the deformation process in wire drawing, large plastic strain gradients evolve in the contact region...

  6. Development of the radiation-resistant strain of Moraxella osloensis and effect of penicillin G on its growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, Sangyong; Yun, Hyejeong; Joe, Minho; Kim, Dongho

    2009-01-01

    A series of repeated exposures to γ-radiation with intervening outgrowth of survivors was used to develop radioresistant cultures of Moraxella osloensis that have been recognized as potential pathogenic microorganism. The D 10 value of the radiation-resistant strain, 5.903±0.006 kGy, was increased by four-fold compared to the parent wild-type strain, 1.637±0.004 kGy. Since most strains of M. osloensis are sensitive to penicillin, we have surveyed the sensitivity of radiation-resistant strain to this antibiotic. When the optical density was monitored after the addition of penicillin G, the radioresistant strain appeared to be more resistant to only a low concentration of penicillin G (0.5 U/ml) than the parent strain. Interestingly, however, there was no apparent difference in the number of viable cells between both strains. Scanning electron microscope data showed that the resistance cells were generally larger than the parent cells, suggesting that this increase in size may cause a higher optical density of radioresistant cells. In conclusion, radiation mutation does not affect the penicillin resistance of M. osloensis.

  7. Development of the radiation-resistant strain of Moraxella osloensis and effect of penicillin G on its growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Sangyong; Yun, Hyejeong; Joe, Minho; Kim, Dongho

    2009-07-01

    A series of repeated exposures to γ-radiation with intervening outgrowth of survivors was used to develop radioresistant cultures of Moraxella osloensis that have been recognized as potential pathogenic microorganism. The D10 value of the radiation-resistant strain, 5.903±0.006 kGy, was increased by four-fold compared to the parent wild-type strain, 1.637±0.004 kGy. Since most strains of M. osloensis are sensitive to penicillin, we have surveyed the sensitivity of radiation-resistant strain to this antibiotic. When the optical density was monitored after the addition of penicillin G, the radioresistant strain appeared to be more resistant to only a low concentration of penicillin G (0.5 U/ml) than the parent strain. Interestingly, however, there was no apparent difference in the number of viable cells between both strains. Scanning electron microscope data showed that the resistance cells were generally larger than the parent cells, suggesting that this increase in size may cause a higher optical density of radioresistant cells. In conclusion, radiation mutation does not affect the penicillin resistance of M. osloensis.

  8. Development of the radiation-resistant strain of Moraxella osloensis and effect of penicillin G on its growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lim, Sangyong; Yun, Hyejeong; Joe, Minho [Radiation Research Division for Biotechnology, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 580-185 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Dongho [Radiation Research Division for Biotechnology, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 580-185 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: fungikim@kaeri.re.kr

    2009-07-15

    A series of repeated exposures to {gamma}-radiation with intervening outgrowth of survivors was used to develop radioresistant cultures of Moraxella osloensis that have been recognized as potential pathogenic microorganism. The D{sub 10} value of the radiation-resistant strain, 5.903{+-}0.006 kGy, was increased by four-fold compared to the parent wild-type strain, 1.637{+-}0.004 kGy. Since most strains of M. osloensis are sensitive to penicillin, we have surveyed the sensitivity of radiation-resistant strain to this antibiotic. When the optical density was monitored after the addition of penicillin G, the radioresistant strain appeared to be more resistant to only a low concentration of penicillin G (0.5 U/ml) than the parent strain. Interestingly, however, there was no apparent difference in the number of viable cells between both strains. Scanning electron microscope data showed that the resistance cells were generally larger than the parent cells, suggesting that this increase in size may cause a higher optical density of radioresistant cells. In conclusion, radiation mutation does not affect the penicillin resistance of M. osloensis.

  9. Silencing Agrobacterium oncogenes in transgenic grapevine results in strain-specific crown gall resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galambos, A; Zok, A; Kuczmog, A; Oláh, R; Putnoky, P; Ream, W; Szegedi, E

    2013-11-01

    Grapevine rootstock transformed with an Agrobacterium oncogene-silencing transgene was resistant to certain Agrobacterium strains but sensitive to others. Thus, genetic diversity of Agrobacterium oncogenes may limit engineering crown gall resistance. Crown gall disease of grapevine induced by Agrobacterium vitis or Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes serious economic losses in viticulture. To establish crown gall-resistant lines, somatic proembryos of Vitis berlandieri × V. rupestris cv. 'Richter 110' rootstock were transformed with an oncogene-silencing transgene based on iaaM and ipt oncogene sequences from octopine-type, tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid pTiA6. Twenty-one transgenic lines were selected, and their transgenic nature was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These lines were inoculated with two A. tumefaciens and three A. vitis strains. Eight lines showed resistance to octopine-type A. tumefaciens A348. Resistance correlated with the expression of the silencing genes. However, oncogene silencing was mostly sequence specific because these lines did not abolish tumorigenesis by A. vitis strains or nopaline-type A. tumefaciens C58.

  10. Thermal Aware Floorplanning Incorporating Temperature Dependent Wire Delay Estimation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Winther, AndreasThor; Liu, Wei; Nannarelli, Alberto

    2015-01-01

    Temperature has a negative impact on metal resistance and thus wire delay. In state-of-the-art VLSI circuits, large thermal gradients usually exist due to the uneven distribution of heat sources. The difference in wire temperature can lead to performance mismatch because wires of the same length...... can have different delay. Traditional floorplanning algorithms use wirelength to estimate wire performance. In this work, we show that this does not always produce a design with the shortest delay and we propose a floorplanning algorithm taking into account temperature dependent wire delay as one...

  11. Enriched whole genome sequencing identified compensatory mutations in the RNA polymerase gene of rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium leprae strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lavania M

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Mallika Lavania,1 Itu Singh,1 Ravindra P Turankar,1 Anuj Kumar Gupta,2 Madhvi Ahuja,1 Vinay Pathak,1 Utpal Sengupta1 1Stanley Browne Laboratory, The Leprosy Mission Trust India, TLM Community Hospital Nand Nagari, 2Agilent Technologies India Pvt Ltd, Jasola District Centre, New Delhi, India Abstract: Despite more than three decades of multidrug therapy (MDT, leprosy remains a major public health issue in several endemic countries, including India. The emergence of drug resistance in Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae is a cause of concern and poses a threat to the leprosy-control program, which might ultimately dampen the achievement of the elimination program of the country. Rifampicin resistance in clinical strains of M. leprae are supposed to arise from harboring bacterial strains with mutations in the 81-bp rifampicin resistance determining region (RRDR of the rpoB gene. However, complete dynamics of rifampicin resistance are not explained only by this mutation in leprosy strains. To understand the role of other compensatory mutations and transmission dynamics of drug-resistant leprosy, a genome-wide sequencing of 11 M. leprae strains – comprising five rifampicin-resistant strains, five sensitive strains, and one reference strain – was done in this study. We observed the presence of compensatory mutations in two rifampicin-resistant strains in rpoC and mmpL7 genes, along with rpoB, that may additionally be responsible for conferring resistance in those strains. Our findings support the role for compensatory mutation(s in RNA polymerase gene(s, resulting in rifampicin resistance in relapsed leprosy patients. Keywords: leprosy, rifampicin resistance, compensatory mutations, next generation sequencing, relapsed, MDT, India

  12. Modeling the pullout characteristics of welded wire mats embedded in silty sand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sampaco, C.L.; Anderson, L.R.; Nielson, M.R.

    1994-01-01

    This paper is an outgrowth of the on-going research on discrete finite element modeling of welded wire mesh reinforced soil structures such as the welded wire and RSE walls. The stiffness characteristics of the wire mesh-soil interfaces are modeled by a nonlinear hyperbolic relationship between the applied pullout stress and the associated mat placement. The relevant parameters are estimated from laboratory pullout tests that were conducted for welded wire mats embedded on silty sand. Since the bulk of the pullout resistance of welded wire mesh reinforcements is derived from the bearing resistance of the transverse wires that constitute the test mats. This feature permits proper evaluation of actual interface parameters for the actual reinforced soil structures in which the actual lengths of the mats are longer (i.e. more transverse members) than the specimen used in the laboratory pullout tests. The resulting pullout stress-displacement formulations are then verified by comparing the predicted pullout resistance to the existing specifications and design methods for estimated the pullout capacities of grid reinforcements. 22 refs., 13 figs

  13. Drug Resistance and Population Structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing Strains Isolated in Poland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozińska, Monika; Augustynowicz-Kopeć, Ewa

    2015-01-01

    In total, 1095 Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from 282 patients with drug-resistant and 813 with drug-sensitive tuberculosis (TB) in Poland during 2007-2011 were analysed. Seventy-one (6.5%) patients were found to have strains of Beijing genotype as defined by spoligotyping. The majority of patients were Polish-born; among foreign-born a large proportion came from Chechnya and Vietnam. Analysis showed strong associations between Beijing genotype infection and MDR, pre-XDR and XDR resistance, with a considerable relative risk among new patients, suggesting that this is due to increased spread of drug-resistant strains rather than acquisition of resistance during treatment.

  14. Antimicrobial resistance of Enterococcus faecium strains isolated from commercial probiotic products used in cattle and swine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amachawadi, Raghavendra G; Giok, Felicia; Shi, Xiaorong; Soto, Jose; Narayanan, Sanjeev K; Tokach, Mike D; Apley, Mike D; Nagaraja, T G

    2018-04-03

    Probiotics, an antibiotic alternative, are widely used as feed additives for performance benefits in cattle and swine production systems. Among bacterial species contained in probiotics, Enterococcus faecium is common. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly multidrug resistance, is a common trait among enterococci because of their propensity to acquire resistance and horizontally transfer AMR genes. Also, E. faecium is an opportunistic pathogen, and in the United States, it is the second most common nosocomial pathogen. There has been no published study on AMR and virulence potential in E. faecium contained in probiotic products used in cattle and swine in the United States. Therefore, our objectives were to determine phenotypic susceptibilities or resistance to antimicrobials, virulence genes (asa1, gelE, cylA, esp, and hyl) and assess genetic diversity of E. faecium isolated from commercial products. Twenty-two commercially available E. faecium-based probiotic products used in cattle (n = 13) and swine (n = 9) were procured and E. faecium was isolated and species confirmed. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations was done by micro-broth dilution method using National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring Systems Gram-positive Sensititre panel plate (CMV3AGPF), and categorization of strains as susceptible or resistant was as per Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute's guidelines. E. faecium strains from 7 products (3 for swine and 4 for cattle) were pan-susceptible to the 16 antimicrobials tested. Strains from 15 products (6 for swine and 9 for cattle) exhibited resistance to at least one antimicrobial and a high proportion of strains was resistant to lincomycin (10/22), followed by tetracycline (4/22), daptomycin (4/22), ciprofloxacin (4/22), kanamycin (3/22), and penicillin (2/22). Four strains were multidrug resistant, with resistant phenotypes ranging from 3 to 6 antimicrobials or class. None of the E

  15. Standard test methods for performance characteristics of metallic bonded resistance strain gages

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    1992-01-01

    1.1 The purpose of this standard is to provide uniform test methods for the determination of strain gauge performance characteristics. Suggested testing equipment designs are included. 1.2 Test Methods E 251 describes methods and procedures for determining five strain gauge parameters: Section Part I—General Requirements 7 Part II—Resistance at a Reference Temperature 8 Part III—Gauge Factor at a Reference Temperature 9 Part IV—Temperature Coefficient of Gauge Factor\t10 Part V—Transverse Sensitivity\t11 Part VI—Thermal Output\t12 1.3 Strain gauges are very sensitive devices with essentially infinite resolution. Their response to strain, however, is low and great care must be exercised in their use. The performance characteristics identified by these test methods must be known to an acceptable accuracy to obtain meaningful results in field applications. 1.3.1 Strain gauge resistance is used to balance instrumentation circuits and to provide a reference value for measurements since all data are...

  16. Vibrating wire for beam profile scanning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. G. Arutunian

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available A method that measures the transverse profile (emittance of the bunch by detecting radiation arising at the scattering of the bunch on scanning wire is widely used. In this work information about bunch scattering is obtained by measuring the oscillation frequency of the tightened scanning wire. In such a way, the system of radiation (or secondary particles extraction and measurement can be removed. The entire unit consists of a compact fork with tightened wire and a scanning system. Normal oscillation frequency of a wire depends on wire tension, its geometric parameters, and, in a second approximation, its elastic characteristics. Normal oscillations are generated by interaction of an alternating current through the wire with magnetic field of a permanent magnet. In this case, it is suggested that the magnetic field of the accelerator (field of dipole magnets or quadrupole magnets be used for excitation of oscillations. The dependence of oscillation frequency on beam scattering is determined by several factors, including changes of wire tension caused by transverse force of the beam and influence of beam self-field. Preliminary calculations show that the influence of wire heating will dominate. We have studied strain gauges on the basis of vibrating wire from various materials (tungsten, beryl bronze, and niobium zirconium alloys. A scheme of normal oscillation generation by alternating current in autogeneration circuit with automatic frequency adjustment was selected. A special method of wire fixation and elimination of transverse degrees of freedom allows us to achieve relative stability better than 10^{-5} during several days at a relative resolution of 10^{-6}. Experimental results and estimates of wire heating of existing scanners show that the wire heats up to a few hundred grades, which is enough for measurements. The usage of wire of micrometer thickness diminishes the problem of wire thermalization speed during the scanning of the bunch.

  17. Hierarchical structures in cold-drawn pearlitic steel wire

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xiaodan; Godfrey, Andrew; Hansen, Niels

    2013-01-01

    The microstructure and crystallography of drawn pearlitic steel wires have been quantified by a number of electron microscopy techniques including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction and nanobeam diffraction, with focus on the change...... in the structure and crystallography when a randomly oriented cementite structure in a patented wire during wire drawing is transformed into a lamellar structure parallel to the drawing axis. Changes in the interlamellar spacing and in the misorientation angle along and across the ferrite lamellae show significant...... through-diameter variations in wires drawn to large strains P 1.5. The structural evolution is hierarchical as the structural variations have their cause in a different macroscopic orientation of the cementite in the initial (patented) structure with respect to the wire axis. The through...

  18. Hierarchical structures in cold-drawn pearlitic steel wire

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xiaodan; Godfrey, Andrew; Hansen, Niels

    2013-01-01

    The microstructure and crystallography of drawn pearlitic steel wires have been quantified by a number of electron microscopy techniques including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction and nanobeam diffraction, with focus on the change...... in the structure and crystallography when a randomly oriented cementite structure in a patented wire during wire drawing is transformed into a lamellar structure parallel to the drawing axis. Changes in the interlamellar spacing and in the misorientation angle along and across the ferrite lamellae show significant...... through-diameter variations in wires drawn to large strains ⩾ 1.5. The structural evolution is hierarchical as the structural variations have their cause in a different macroscopic orientation of the cementite in the initial (patented) structure with respect to the wire axis. The through...

  19. Phage-resistance linked to cell heterogeneity in the commercial strain Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis Ab1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suárez, Viviana B; Maciel, Natalia; Guglielmotti, Daniela; Zago, Miriam; Giraffa, Giorgio; Reinheimer, Jorge

    2008-12-10

    The aim of this work was to study the relationship between the cell morphological heterogeneity and the phage-resistance in the commercial strain Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis Ab1. Two morphological variants (named C and T) were isolated from this strain. Phage-resistant derivatives were isolated from them and the percentage of occurrence of confirmed phage-resistant cells was 0.001% of the total cellular population. Within these phage-resistant cell derivatives there were T (3 out of 4 total isolates) and C (1 out of 4 total isolates) variants. The study of some technological properties (e.g. proteolytic and acidifying activities) demonstrated that most of phage-resistant derivatives were not as good as the parental strain. However, for one derivative (a T variant), the technological properties were better than those of the parental strain. On the other hand, it was possible to determinate that the system of phage-resistance in the T variants was interference in adsorption step, with adsorption rates M.

  20. Effect of irrigation on surface roughness and fatigue resistance of controlled memory wire nickel-titanium instruments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, J-J; Tang, X-N; Ge, J-Y

    2017-07-01

    To investigate the effect of irrigation on the surface roughness and fatigue resistance of HyFlex and M3 controlled memory (CM) wire nickel-titanium instruments. Two new files of each brand were analysed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Then, the instruments were dynamically immersed in either 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) or 17% ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution for 10 min, followed by AFM analysis. The roughness average (Ra) and root mean square (RMS) values were analysed statistically using an independent sample t-test. Then, 36 files of each brand were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 12). Group 1 (the control group) was composed of new instruments. Groups 2 and 3 were dynamically immersed in 5.25% NaOCl and 17% EDTA solutions for 10 min, respectively. The number of rotations to failure for various groups was analysed using the one-way analysis of variance software. For M3 files, the Ra and RMS values significantly increased (P  0.05) NaOCl. The resistance to cyclic fatigue of both HyFlex and M3 files did not significantly decrease (P > 0.05) by immersing in 5.25% NaOCl and 17% EDTA solutions. Except the HyFlex files immersed in NaOCl, the surface roughness of other files exposed to irrigants increased. However, a change in the surface tomography of CM wire instruments caused by contact with irrigants for 10 min did not trigger a decrease in cyclic fatigue resistance. © 2016 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. Evaluation of Susceptibility of Strains of Candida Albicans Isolated from AIDS Patients to Fluconazole and Determination of CDR2 Resistance Gene in Resistant Strains by RT-PCR Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E Farahbakhsh

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction & Objective: Nowadays, opportunistic fungi especially Candida albicans are the most common cause of life-threatening infections in immunodeficiency patients. Increasing Azole-resistant strains of C.albicans are a main problem in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the CDR2 gene in C.albicans azole resistant strains, isolated from AIDS patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis by RT-PCR method. Materials & Methods: The present experimental study was conducted at Tarbiat Modares University of Medical Sciences in 2009. C. albicans isolates from HIV infected patients were identified by standard procedures, including germ tube formation, clamidospor and color of colonies on CHROM agar. At first, susceptibility of C. albicans isolates was assessed by disk diffusion agar technique. Then, CDR2 resistance gene was analyzed by RT-PCR and electrophoresis of the PCR products. Finally, patterns of the resulted bands were compared with standard fluconazole resistant strains. The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS software. Results: The results of drug sensitivity of 66 C. albicans isolates from AIDS patients revealed that 62.6% were susceptible, 8.6% were susceptible-dose dependent (SDD and 28.7% were resistant. In RT-PCR analysis, 6% of patients had the CDR2 gene. Conclusion: The use of phenotypic methods like disk diffusion agar, which is cheaper, along with genotypic methods, like RT-PCR, which provide the possibility of studying the mechanism of drug resistance, is recommended.

  2. Viability, biofilm formation, and MazEF expression in drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains circulating in Xinjiang, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ji-Li; Liu, Wei; Xie, Wan-Ying; Cao, Xu-Dong; Yuan, Li

    2018-01-01

    Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is one of the most common chronic infectious amphixenotic diseases worldwide. Prevention and control of TB are greatly difficult, due to the increase in drug-resistant TB, particularly multidrug-resistant TB. We speculated that there were some differences between drug-sensitive and drug-resistant MTB strains and that mazEF 3,6,9 toxin-antitoxin systems (TASs) were involved in MTB viability. This study aimed to investigate differences in viability, biofilm formation, and MazEF expression between drug-sensitive and drug-resistant MTB strains circulating in Xinjiang, China, and whether mazEF 3,6,9 TASs contribute to MTB viability under stress conditions. Growth profiles and biofilm-formation abilities of drug-sensitive, drug-resistant MTB strains and the control strain H37Rv were monitored. Using molecular biology experiments, the mRNA expression of the mazF 3, 6, and 9 toxin genes, the mazE 3, 6, and 9 antitoxin genes, and expression of the MazF9 protein were detected in the different MTB strains, H37RvΔ mazEF 3,6,9 mutants from the H37Rv parent strain were generated, and mutant viability was tested. Ex vivo culture analyses demonstrated that drug-resistant MTB strains exhibit higher survival rates than drug-sensitive strains and the control strain H37Rv. However, there was no statistical difference in biofilm-formation ability in the drug-sensitive, drug-resistant, and H37Rv strains. mazE 3,6 mRNA-expression levels were relatively reduced in the drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains compared to H37Rv. Conversely, mazE 3,9 expression was increased in drug-sensitive strains compared to drug-resistant strains. Furthermore, compared with the H37Rv strain, mazF 3,6 expression was increased in drug-resistant strains, mazF 9 expression was increased in drug-sensitive strains, and mazF 9 exhibited reduced expression in drug-resistant strains compared with drug-sensitive strains. Protein expression of mazF9

  3. Resistance of Permafrost and Modern Acinetobacter lwoffii Strains to Heavy Metals and Arsenic Revealed by Genome Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mindlin, Sofia; Petrenko, Anatolii; Kurakov, Anton; Beletsky, Alexey; Mardanov, Andrey; Petrova, Mayya

    2016-01-01

    We performed whole-genome sequencing of five permafrost strains of Acinetobacter lwoffii (frozen for 15-3000 thousand years) and analyzed their resistance genes found in plasmids and chromosomes. Four strains contained multiple plasmids (8-12), which varied significantly in size (from 4,135 to 287,630 bp) and genetic structure; the fifth strain contained only two plasmids. All large plasmids and some medium-size and small plasmids contained genes encoding resistance to various heavy metals, including mercury, cobalt, zinc, cadmium, copper, chromium, and arsenic compounds. Most resistance genes found in the ancient strains of A . lwoffii had their closely related counterparts in modern clinical A . lwoffii strains that were also located on plasmids. The vast majority of the chromosomal resistance determinants did not possess complete sets of the resistance genes or contained truncated genes. Comparative analysis of various A . lwoffii and of A . baumannii strains discovered a number of differences between them: (i) chromosome sizes in A . baumannii exceeded those in A . lwoffii by about 20%; (ii) on the contrary, the number of plasmids in A . lwoffii and their total size were much higher than those in A . baumannii ; (iii) heavy metal resistance genes in the environmental A . lwoffii strains surpassed those in A . baumannii strains in the number and diversity and were predominantly located on plasmids. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed.

  4. On the improved adhesion of NiTi wires embedded in polyester and vinylester resins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mattia Merlin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the effect of different surface treatments on shape memory alloy wires embedded in PolyEster (PE and VinylEster (VE polymeric matrices. In particular, two types of chemical etching and a chemical bonding with a silane coupling agent have been performed on the surfaces of the wires. Pull-out tests have been carried out on samples made from a specifically designed Teflon mould. Considering the best results of the pull-out tests obtained with PE resin, the debonding induced by strain recovery of 4%, 5% and 6% pre-strained NiTi wires has been evaluated with the wires being subjected to different surface treatment conditions and then being embedded in the PE matrix. The results prove that the wires functionalised and embedded in the PE resin show the maximum pull-out forces and the highest interfacial adhesion. Finally, it has been found that debonding induced by strain recovery is strongly related to the propagation towards the radial direction of sharp cracks at the debonding region.

  5. Comparing the cyclic behavior of concrete cylinders confined by shape memory alloy wire or steel jackets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Joonam; Choi, Eunsoo; Kim, Hong-Taek; Park, Kyoungsoo

    2011-01-01

    Shape memory alloy (SMA) wire jackets for concrete are distinct from conventional jackets of steel or fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) since they provide active confinement which can be easily achieved due to the shape memory effect of SMAs. This study uses NiTiNb SMA wires of 1.0 mm diameter to confine concrete cylinders with the dimensions of 300 mm × 150 mm (L × D). The NiTiNb SMAs have a relatively wider temperature hysteresis than NiTi SMAs; thus, they are more suitable for the severe temperature-variation environments to which civil structures are exposed. Steel jackets of passive confinement are also prepared in order to compare the cyclic behavior of actively and passively confined concrete cylinders. For this purpose, monotonic and cyclic compressive loading tests are conducted to obtain axial and circumferential strain. Both strains are used to estimate the volumetric strains of concrete cylinders. Plastic strains from cyclic behavior are also estimated. For the cylinders jacketed by NiTiNb SMA wires, the monotonic axial behavior differs from the envelope of cyclic behavior. The plastic strains of the actively confined concrete show a similar trend to those of passive confinement. This study proposed plastic strain models for concrete confined by SMA wire or steel jackets. For the volumetric strain, the active jackets of NiTiNb SMA wires provide more energy dissipation than the passive jacket of steel

  6. Variations in Endosymbiont Infection Between Buprofezin-Resistant and Susceptible Strains of Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yongteng; Liu, Xiangdong; Guo, Huifang

    2018-06-01

    The endosymbionts Wolbachia and Rickettsia have been shown to be correlated with the insecticide resistance of mosquito and whitefly. The small brown planthopper (SBPH), Laodelphax striatellus, harbours many species of endosymbionts, and has developed a high resistance to buprofezin in China. In this study, we examined the species and the infection incidences of endosymbionts in a buprofezin-resistant (BR) strain, a buprofezin-susceptible (BS) strain, and the BR strain after exposure to buprofezin, and we also investigated the change in buprofezin susceptibility after removal of Wolbachia from the BR strain. The results showed that Wolbachia infection incidences were 100% in both the BR and BS strains, but the Wolbachia density in the BR strain was significantly higher than that in the BS strain. There were no significant differences in Arsenophonus infection incidence between the two strains. However, the infection incidence of Serratia and double infection incidence of Serratia + Wolbachia in the BR strain were significantly higher than that in the BS strain. After the BR strain was exposed to 1200 mg/L buprofezin, the infection incidence of Arsenophonus in the surviving individuals increased, and the infection rate of Serratia did not differ, but the double infection incidence of Serratia + Wolbachia decreased. And when a Wolbachia-infected line originating from the BR strain was cleared of Wolbachia, its susceptibility to buprofezin increased. The results suggest that Serratia and Wolbachia infection might improve the buprofezin resistance of SBPH.

  7. Assessment of strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato from Tanzania for resistance to copper and streptomycin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shenge, K.C.; Wydra, K.; Mabagala, M.B.

    2008-01-01

    Fifty-six strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (P.s. pv. tomato) were collected from tomato-producing areas in Tanzania and assessed for resistance to copper and antibiotics. The collection was done from three tomato-producing regions (Morogoro, Arusha and Iringa), representing three...... different ecological conditions in the country. After isolation and identification, the P. s. pv. tomato strains were grown on King's medium B (KB) amended with 20% copper sulphate (w/v). The strains were also assessed for resistance to antibiotics. Results indicated that there was widespread resistance...... strains of the pathogen were moderately resistant to copper sulphate, such that 54.0% of them were able to grow on the KB medium amended with 20% (w/v) of the copper compound....

  8. Body of Knowledge (BOK) for Copper Wire Bonds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rutkowski, E.; Sampson, M. J.

    2015-01-01

    Copper wire bonds have replaced gold wire bonds in the majority of commercial semiconductor devices for the latest technology nodes. Although economics has been the driving mechanism to lower semiconductor packaging costs for a savings of about 20% by replacing gold wire bonds with copper, copper also has materials property advantages over gold. When compared to gold, copper has approximately: 25% lower electrical resistivity, 30% higher thermal conductivity, 75% higher tensile strength and 45% higher modulus of elasticity. Copper wire bonds on aluminum bond pads are also more mechanically robust over time and elevated temperature due to the slower intermetallic formation rate - approximately 1/100th that of the gold to aluminum intermetallic formation rate. However, there are significant tradeoffs with copper wire bonding - copper has twice the hardness of gold which results in a narrower bonding manufacturing process window and requires that the semiconductor companies design more mechanically rigid bonding pads to prevent cratering to both the bond pad and underlying chip structure. Furthermore, copper is significantly more prone to corrosion issues. The semiconductor packaging industry has responded to this corrosion concern by creating a palladium coated copper bonding wire, which is more corrosion resistant than pure copper bonding wire. Also, the selection of the device molding compound is critical because use of environmentally friendly green compounds can result in internal CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) mismatches with the copper wire bonds that can eventually lead to device failures during thermal cycling. Despite the difficult problems associated with the changeover to copper bonding wire, there are billions of copper wire bonded devices delivered annually to customers. It is noteworthy that Texas Instruments announced in October of 2014 that they are shipping microcircuits containing copper wire bonds for safety critical automotive applications

  9. Ultrasonic cleaning of electrodes of wire chambers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krasnov, V.A.; Kurepin, A.B.; Razin, V.I.

    1980-01-01

    A technological process of cleaning electrodes and working volume surfaces of wire chambers from contaminations by the simultaneous mechanical action of the energy of ultrasonic oscillations and the chemical action of detergents is discussed. A device for cleaning wire electrodes of proportional chambers of 0.3x0.4 m is described. The device uses two ultrasonic generators with a total power of 0.5 kW. As a detergent use is made of a mixture of ethyl alcohol, gasoline and freon. In the process of cleaning production defects can be detected in the wire chambers which makes it possible to timely remove the defects. Measurements of the surface resistance of fiberglass laminate of printed drift chamber electrodes at a voltage of 2 kV showed that after completing the cleaning process the resistance increases 15-20%

  10. Mapping the resistance-associated mobilome of a carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain reveals insights into factors shaping these regions and facilitates generation of a 'resistance-disarmed' model organism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bi, Dexi; Jiang, Xiaofei; Sheng, Zi-Ke; Ngmenterebo, David; Tai, Cui; Wang, Minggui; Deng, Zixin; Rajakumar, Kumar; Ou, Hong-Yu

    2015-10-01

    This study aims to investigate the landscape of the mobile genome, with a focus on antibiotic resistance-associated factors in carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. The mobile genome of the completely sequenced K. pneumoniae HS11286 strain (an ST11, carbapenem-resistant, near-pan-resistant, clinical isolate) was annotated in fine detail. The identified mobile genetic elements were mapped to the genetic contexts of resistance genes. The blaKPC-2 gene and a 26 kb region containing 12 clustered antibiotic resistance genes and one biocide resistance gene were deleted, and the MICs were determined again to ensure that antibiotic resistance had been lost. HS11286 contains six plasmids, 49 ISs, nine transposons, two separate In2-related integron remnants, two integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) and seven prophages. Sixteen plasmid-borne resistance genes were identified, 14 of which were found to be directly associated with Tn1721-, Tn3-, Tn5393-, In2-, ISCR2- and ISCR3-derived elements. IS26 appears to have actively moulded several of these genetic regions. The deletion of blaKPC-2, followed by the deletion of a 26 kb region containing 12 clustered antibiotic resistance genes, progressively decreased the spectrum and level of resistance exhibited by the resultant mutant strains. This study has reiterated the role of plasmids as bearers of the vast majority of resistance genes in this species and has provided valuable insights into the vital role played by ISs, transposons and integrons in shaping the resistance-coding regions in this important strain. The 'resistance-disarmed' K. pneumoniae ST11 strain generated in this study will offer a more benign and readily genetically modifiable model organism for future extensive functional studies. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Diagnostics for exploding wires (abstract)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moosman, B.; Bystritskii, V.; Wessel, F.J.; Van Drie, A.

    1999-01-01

    Two diagnostics, capable of imaging fast, high temperature, plasmas were used on exploding wire experiments at UC Irvine. An atmospheric pressure nitrogen laser (λ=337.1 nm) was used to generate simultaneous shadow and shearing interferogram images with a temporal resolution of ∼1 ns and a spatial resolution of 10 μm. An x-ray backlighter imaged the exploding wire 90 degree with respect to the laser and at approximately the same instant in time. The backlighter spatial resolution as determined by geometry and film resolution was 25 μm. Copper wires of diameters (25, 50, and 100 μm) and steel wire d=25 μm were exploded in vacuum (10 -5 Torr) at a maximum current level of 12 kA, by a rectified marx bank at a voltage of 50 kV and a current rise time (quarter period) of 900 ns. Copper wires which were cleaned and then resistively heated under vacuum to incandescence for several hours prior to high current initiation, exhibited greater expansion velocities at peak current than wires which had not been heated prior to discharge. Axial variations on the surface of the wire observed with the laser were found to correlate with bulk axial mass differences from x-ray backlighting. High electron density, measured near the opaque surface of the exploding wire, suggests that much of the current is shunted outward away from the bulk of the wire. copyright 1999 American Institute of Physics

  12. Resistance to Antibiotics in Strains of Staphylococcus spp., Enterococcus spp. and Escherichia coli Isolated from Rectal Swabs of Pigs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Kolář

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The study aimed at determining the level of resistance of selected bacterial species (Staphylococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli isolated from rectal swabs of pigs to antimicrobial agents. The tested strains were isolated from piglets aged 7 to 30 days. Bacterial species were identified by standard microbiological techniques and susceptibility to antibiotics was determined quantitatively by the standard microdilution method. Resistance of the Staphylococcus aureus strain to oxacillin was confirmed by detection of the mecA gene and PBP2a. A total of 115 Staphylococcus spp. isolates were collected. In the case of Staphylococcus aureus, the methicillin-resistant strain (MRSA was identified. Moreover, higher frequency of coagulase-negative staphylococci with minimum inhibitory concentration of oxacillin ≥ 0.5 mg/l was noticed. Inducible resistance to clindamycin in the Staphylococcus hominis strain was also detected. The strains of Enterococcus spp. (61 isolates exhibited high resistance to tetracycline (98.5%, erythromycin (86.8% and chloramphenicol (54.4%. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci were not isolated. In the case of Escherichia coli strains (111 isolates, higher frequency of resistant strains to tetracycline (81.1% and ampicillin (62.2% was documented. Resistance to fluoroquinolones and production of broad-spectrum β-lactamases was not noticed. The presented study may be considered as a pilot project assessing the prevalence of resistant bacteria in piglets kept on a single farm. It demonstrated the presence of resistant strains of Staphylococcus spp., including one MRSA strain, Enterococcus spp. and Escherichia coli. These strains may be present as a result of postnatal colonization with both bacterial microflora of dams and environmental microflora.

  13. Plastic deformation of 2D crumpled wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomes, M A F; Donato, C C; Brito, V P; Coelho, A S O

    2008-01-01

    When a single long piece of elastic wire is injected through channels into a confining two-dimensional cavity, a complex structure of hierarchical loops is formed. In the limit of maximum packing density, these structures are described by several scaling laws. In this paper this packing process is investigated but using plastic wires which give rise to completely irreversible structures of different morphology. In particular, the plastic deformation from circular to oblate configurations of crumpled wires is experimentally studied, obtained by the application of an axial strain. Among other things, it is shown that in spite of plasticity, irreversibility and very large deformations, scaling is still observed.

  14. Mesoscopic NbSe3 wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zant, H.S.J. van der; Kalwij, A.; Mantel, O.C.; Markovic, N.

    1999-01-01

    We have fabricated wire structures with (sub)micron sizes in the charge-density wave conductor NbSe 3 . Electrical transport measurements include complete mode-locking on Shapiro steps and show that the patterning has not affected the CDW material. Our mesoscopic wires show strong fluctuation and hysteresis effects in the low-temperature current-voltage characteristics, as well as a strong reduction of the phase-slip voltage. This reduction can not be explained with existing models. We suggest that single phase-slip events are responsible for a substantial reduction of the CDW strain in micron-sized systems. (orig.)

  15. Microstructural evolution and deformation behavior of twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel during wire drawing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Joong-Ki; Yi, Il-Cheol; Son, Il-Heon; Yoo, Jang-Yong; Kim, Byoungkoo; Zargaran, A.; Kim, Nack J.

    2015-01-01

    The effect of wire drawing on the microstructural evolution and deformation behavior of Fe–Mn–Al–C twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel has been investigated. The inhomogeneities of the stress state, texture, microstructure, and mechanical properties were clarified over the cross section of drawn wire with the aid of numerical simulation, Schmid factor analysis, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques. The analysis of texture in drawn wire shows that a mixture of <111> and <100> fiber texture was developed with strain; however, the distribution of <111> and <100> fibers was inhomogeneous along the radial direction of wire due to uneven strain distribution and different stress state along the radial direction. It has also been shown that the morphology, volume fraction, and variant system of twins as well as twinning rate were dependent on the imposed stress state. The surface area was subjected to larger strain and more complex stress state involving compression, shear, and tension than the center area, resulting in a larger twin volume fraction and more twin variants in the former than in the latter at all the strain levels. While the surface area was saturated with twins at an early stage of drawing, the center area was not saturated with twins even at fracture, implying that the fracture of wire were initiated at the surface area because of the exhaustion of ductility due to twinning. Based on these results, it is suggested that imposing a uniform strain distribution along the radial direction of wire by the control of processing conditions such as die angle and amount of reduction per pass is necessary to increase the drawing limit of TWIP steel

  16. Comparison of Resistant and Susceptible Strains of Trichomons vaginalis to Metronidazole Using PCR Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Fallah

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Metronidazole is drug of choice recommended by WHO for treatment of trichomoniasis, however, some reports claims drug resistance in Trichomonas vaginalis isolates recently. The objective of this study was to determine the minimum lethal concentration (MLC of metronidazole in resistant and sensitive strains, as well as genetic patterns of these stains by PCR method. Methods: From February 2006 to March 2007, in a cross sectional study, clinical and wet mount examination of vaginal smear along with culture were performed on 683 women attending to public and private outpatient clinics in Hamadan. Trichomoniasis marked based on major clinical symptoms. Diagnosis confirmed using wet mount microscopically and culture in Diamond medium. A serial concentration of metronidazole was provided and all isolated Trichomonas strains (resistant and sensitive tested by standard method. Finally, all sensitive and resistant strains examined by PCR technique. Results: Only 15/683, (2.2% of patients clinically diagnosed trichomonal vaginitis were positive for T. vaginalis by wet smear and culture. The minimum lethal concentration (MLC for clinically sensitive isolates was 25 µg/ml; however, this concentration for resistant isolates was 200 µg/ml after 24 h and 100 µg/ml after 50 h. The results of PCR examination of DNA from sensitive and resistant isolates had same pattern. The lanes appeared by two primers were 98 bp and 261 bp for both clinically sensitive and resistant strains. Conclusion: Resistance to metronidazole in T. vaginalis has not relation to genetic variations and might be related to some physiologic pathways of organism.

  17. [Changes of resistant phenotype and CRISPR/Cas system of four Shigella strains passaged for 90 times without antibiotics].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, B; Hong, L J; Duan, G C; Liang, W J; Yang, H Y; Xi, Y L

    2017-02-10

    Objective: To explore the stability of resistant phenotypes and changes of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) gene system on four Shigella strains in the absence of antibiotics. Methods: Four clinical isolated Shigella strains that resistant to different antibiotics were consecutive passaged for 90 times without antibiotics. Agar dilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of Shigella strains. After sequence analysis with PCR, CRISPR Finder and Clustal X 2.1 were applied to identify the changes of CRISPR loci in the Shigella strains. Results: After the consecutive transfer of 90 generations, sensitivity to certain antibiotics of four Shigella strains with different drug resistant spectrums increased. Mel-sf1998024/zz resistance to ampicillin, cephalexin, cefotaxime, chloramphenicol decreased, mel-s2014026/sx resistance to norfloxacin, trimethoprim decreased, mel-sf2004004/sx drug resistance to ampicillin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim decreased and mel-sf2013004/bj resistance to chloramphenicol decreased. The spacer of which matched gene codes Cas and its upstream repeat in 3'end of CRISPR3 got lost in mel-sf1998024/zz and mel-sf2013004/bj. Conclusions: Shigella strains could reduce or lose their resistance to some antibiotics after consecutive transfers, without the interference of antibiotics. CRISPR3 locus had dynamic spacers in Shigella strains while CRISPR3 locus and cas genes might have been co-evolved.

  18. Survey on the phage resistance mechanisms displayed by a dairy Lactobacillus helveticus strain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zago, Miriam; Orrù, Luigi; Rossetti, Lia; Lamontanara, Antonella; Fornasari, Maria Emanuela; Bonvini, Barbara; Meucci, Aurora; Carminati, Domenico; Cattivelli, Luigi; Giraffa, Giorgio

    2017-09-01

    In this study the presence and functionality of phage defence mechanisms in Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC 10386, a strain of dairy origin which is sensitive to ΦLh56, were investigated. After exposure of ATCC 10386 to ΦLh56, the whole-genome sequences of ATCC 10386 and of a phage-resistant derivative (LhM3) were compared. LhM3 showed deletions in the S-layer protein and a higher expression of the genes involved in the restriction/modification (R/M) system. Genetic data were substantiated by measurements of bacteriophage adsorption rates, efficiency of plaquing, cell wall protein size and by gene expression analysis. In LhM3 two phage resistance mechanisms, the inhibition of phage adsorption and the upregulation of Type I R/M genes, take place and explain its resistance to ΦLh56. Although present in both ATCC 10386 and LhM3 genomes, the CRISPR machinery did not seem to play a role in the phage resistance of LhM3. Overall, the natural selection of phage resistant strains resulted successful in detecting variants carrying multiple phage defence mechanisms in L. helveticus. The concurrent presence of multiple phage-resistance systems should provide starter strains with increased fitness and robustness in dairy ecosystems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Introgression of ivermectin resistance genes into a susceptible Haemonchus contortus strain by multiple backcrossing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Redman

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Anthelmintic drug resistance in livestock parasites is already widespread and in recent years there has been an increasing level of anthelmintic drug selection pressure applied to parasitic nematode populations in humans leading to concerns regarding the emergence of resistance. However, most parasitic nematodes, particularly those of humans, are difficult experimental subjects making mechanistic studies of drug resistance extremely difficult. The small ruminant parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus is a more amenable model system to study many aspects of parasite biology and investigate the basic mechanisms and genetics of anthelmintic drug resistance. Here we report the successful introgression of ivermectin resistance genes from two independent ivermectin resistant strains, MHco4(WRS and MHco10(CAVR, into the susceptible genome reference strain MHco3(ISE using a backcrossing approach. A panel of microsatellite markers were used to monitor the procedure. We demonstrated that after four rounds of backcrossing, worms that were phenotypically resistant to ivermectin had a similar genetic background to the susceptible reference strain based on the bulk genotyping with 18 microsatellite loci and individual genotyping with a sub-panel of 9 microsatellite loci. In addition, a single marker, Hcms8a20, showed evidence of genetic linkage to an ivermectin resistance-conferring locus providing a starting point for more detailed studies of this genomic region to identify the causal mutation(s. This work presents a novel genetic approach to study anthelmintic resistance and provides a "proof-of-concept" of the use of forward genetics in an important model strongylid parasite of relevance to human hookworms. The resulting strains provide valuable resources for candidate gene studies, whole genome approaches and for further genetic analysis to identify ivermectin resistance loci.

  20. Colistin resistance in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica strains isolated from swine in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales, Adriano Savoia; Fragoso de Araújo, Juliana; de Moura Gomes, Vasco Túlio; Reis Costa, Adrienny Trindade; dos Prazeres Rodrigues, Dália; Porfida Ferreira, Thais Sebastiana; de Lima Filsner, Pedro Henrique Nogueira; Felizardo, Maria Roberta; Micke Moreno, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    Reports about acquired resistance to colistin in different bacteria species are increasing, including E. coli of animal origin, but reports of resistance in wild S. enterica of different serotypes from swine are not found in the literature. Results obtained with one hundred and twenty-six E. coli strains from diseased swine and one hundred and twenty-four S. enterica strains from diseased and carrier swine showed a frequency of 6.3% and 21% of colistin-resistant strains, respectively. When comparing the disk diffusion test with the agar dilution test to evaluate the strains, it was confirmed that the disk diffusion test is not recommended to evaluate colistin resistance as described previously. The colistin MIC 90 and MIC 50 values obtained to E. coli were 0.25 μg/mL and 0.5 μg/mL, the MIC 90 and MIC 50 to S. enterica were 1 μg/mL and 8 μg/mL. Considering the importance of colistin in control of nosocomial human infections with Gram-negative multiresistant bacteria, and the large use of this drug in animal production, the colistin resistance prevalence in enterobacteriaceae of animal origin must be monitored more closely.

  1. Effect of pre-strain on microstructure of Ni-Ti orthodontic archwires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jafari, J. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, P.O. Box 91775-1111, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Zebarjad, S.M. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, P.O. Box 91775-1111, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of)], E-mail: Zebarjad@um.ac.ir; Sajjadi, S.A. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, P.O. Box 91775-1111, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2008-01-25

    One of the most important applications of shape memory alloy is in medicine, especially orthodontic archwires. In this category Ni-Ti orthodontic archwires is one of the oldest used materials. Biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, super elasticity, etc. are its outstanding properties. In spite of the importance of dependency of pre-strain on microstructure of Ni-Ti there are limited sources concentrated on the subject. For this reason the main purpose of the current study is determination of the effect of pre-strain on microstructure of Ni-Ti orthodontic archwires. In this regard, three-point bending was performed on the orthodontic archwire specimens to apply different amount of strain. The microstructures were compared with the un-strained wire using optical and scanning electron microscopes. The results showed that the stable phase depends strongly on the value of pre-strain. Increasing pre-strain causes to decrease martensite laths and leads the microstructure toward austenite phase.

  2. Effect of pre-strain on microstructure of Ni-Ti orthodontic archwires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jafari, J.; Zebarjad, S.M.; Sajjadi, S.A.

    2008-01-01

    One of the most important applications of shape memory alloy is in medicine, especially orthodontic archwires. In this category Ni-Ti orthodontic archwires is one of the oldest used materials. Biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, super elasticity, etc. are its outstanding properties. In spite of the importance of dependency of pre-strain on microstructure of Ni-Ti there are limited sources concentrated on the subject. For this reason the main purpose of the current study is determination of the effect of pre-strain on microstructure of Ni-Ti orthodontic archwires. In this regard, three-point bending was performed on the orthodontic archwire specimens to apply different amount of strain. The microstructures were compared with the un-strained wire using optical and scanning electron microscopes. The results showed that the stable phase depends strongly on the value of pre-strain. Increasing pre-strain causes to decrease martensite laths and leads the microstructure toward austenite phase

  3. Effect of solar radiation on multidrug resistant E. coli strains and antibiotic mixture photodegradation in wastewater polluted stream

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rizzo, L.; Fiorentino, A.; Anselmo, A.

    2012-01-01

    The effect of solar radiation on the inactivation of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli (MDR) strains selected from an urban wastewater treatment plant (UWWTP) effluent and the change of their resistance to a mixture of three antibiotics (evaluated in terms of minimum inhibit concentration (MIC)) in wastewater polluted stream were investigated. The solar photodegradation of the mixture of the three target antibiotics (amoxicillin (AMX), ciprofloxacin (CPX), and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ)) was also evaluated. Additionally, since UWWTP effluents are possible sources of antibiotics and antibiotic resistant bacteria, the disinfection by conventional chlorination process of the UWWTP effluent inoculated with MDR strains was investigated too. Solar radiation poorly affected the inactivation of the two selected antibiotic resistant E. coli strains (40 and 60% after 180 min irradiation). Moreover, solar radiation did not affect strain resistance to AMX (MIC > 256 μg/mL) and SMZ (MIC > 1024 μg/mL), but affected resistance of the lower resistance strain to CPX (MIC decreased by 33% but only after 180 min of irradiation). Chlorination of wastewater sample strongly decreased the number of the two selected antibiotic resistant E. coli strains (99.667 and 99.999%), after 60 min of contact time at 2.0 mg/L initial chlorine concentration, but the resistance of survived colonies to antibiotics was unchanged. Finally, the solar photodegradation rate of the antibiotic mixture (1 mg/L initial concentration respectively) resulted in the following order (half-life time): CPX (t 1/2 = 24 min) 1/2 = 99 min) 1/2 = 577 min). Accordingly, the risk of the development of resistance to SMZ in surface water is significantly higher compared to CPX and AMX. - Highlights: ► Solar radiation did not affect E. coli strain resistance to AMX and SMZ. ► Solar radiation affected the resistance of one E. coli strain to CPX. ► MIC for CPX decreased by 33% after 180 min of solar irradiation.

  4. Effect of solar radiation on multidrug resistant E. coli strains and antibiotic mixture photodegradation in wastewater polluted stream

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rizzo, L., E-mail: l.rizzo@unisa.it [Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, via Ponte don Melillo, 1-84084 Fisciano (Italy); Fiorentino, A. [Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, via Ponte don Melillo, 1-84084 Fisciano (Italy); Anselmo, A. [Pluriacque, via Alento, 84060 Prignano Cilento (Italy)

    2012-06-15

    The effect of solar radiation on the inactivation of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli (MDR) strains selected from an urban wastewater treatment plant (UWWTP) effluent and the change of their resistance to a mixture of three antibiotics (evaluated in terms of minimum inhibit concentration (MIC)) in wastewater polluted stream were investigated. The solar photodegradation of the mixture of the three target antibiotics (amoxicillin (AMX), ciprofloxacin (CPX), and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ)) was also evaluated. Additionally, since UWWTP effluents are possible sources of antibiotics and antibiotic resistant bacteria, the disinfection by conventional chlorination process of the UWWTP effluent inoculated with MDR strains was investigated too. Solar radiation poorly affected the inactivation of the two selected antibiotic resistant E. coli strains (40 and 60% after 180 min irradiation). Moreover, solar radiation did not affect strain resistance to AMX (MIC > 256 {mu}g/mL) and SMZ (MIC > 1024 {mu}g/mL), but affected resistance of the lower resistance strain to CPX (MIC decreased by 33% but only after 180 min of irradiation). Chlorination of wastewater sample strongly decreased the number of the two selected antibiotic resistant E. coli strains (99.667 and 99.999%), after 60 min of contact time at 2.0 mg/L initial chlorine concentration, but the resistance of survived colonies to antibiotics was unchanged. Finally, the solar photodegradation rate of the antibiotic mixture (1 mg/L initial concentration respectively) resulted in the following order (half-life time): CPX (t{sub 1/2} = 24 min) < AMX (t{sub 1/2} = 99 min) < SMZ (t{sub 1/2} = 577 min). Accordingly, the risk of the development of resistance to SMZ in surface water is significantly higher compared to CPX and AMX. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Solar radiation did not affect E. coli strain resistance to AMX and SMZ. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Solar radiation affected the resistance of one E. coli strain

  5. Hardening and softening mechanisms of pearlitic steel wire under torsion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Tian-Zhang; Zhang, Shi-Hong; Zhang, Guang-Liang; Song, Hong-Wu; Cheng, Ming

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Mechanical behavior of pearlitic steel wire is studied using torsion. • Work hardening results from refinement lamellar pearlitic structure. • Softening results from recovery, shear bands and lamellar fragmentations. • A microstructure based analytical flow stress model is established. - Abstract: The mechanical behaviors and microstructure evolution of pearlitic steel wires under monotonic shear deformation have been investigated by a torsion test and a number of electron microscopy techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), with an aim to reveal the softening and hardening mechanisms of a randomly oriented pearlitic structure during a monotonic stain path. Significantly different from the remarkable strain hardening in cold wire drawing, the strain hardening rate during torsion drops to zero quickly after a short hardening stage. The microstructure observations indicate that the inter-lamellar spacing (ILS) decreases and the dislocations accumulate with strain, which leads to hardening of the material. Meanwhile, when the strain is larger than 0.154, the enhancement of dynamic recovery, shear bands (SBs) and cementite fragmentations results in the softening and balances the strain hardening. A microstructure based analytical flow stress model with considering the influence of ILS on the mean free path of dislocations and the softening caused by SBs and cementite fragmentations, has been established and the predicted flow shear curve meets well with the measured curve in the torsion test

  6. Enhanced chlorine resistance of tap water-adapted Legionella pneumophila as compared with agar medium-passaged strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuchta, J M; States, S J; McGlaughlin, J E; Overmeyer, J H; Wadowsky, R M; McNamara, A M; Wolford, R S; Yee, R B

    1985-07-01

    Previous studies have shown that bacteria maintained in a low-nutrient "natural" environment such as swimming pool water are much more resistant to disinfection by various chemical agents than strains maintained on rich media. In the present study a comparison was made of the chlorine (Cl2) susceptibility of hot-water tank isolates of Legionella pneumophila maintained in tap water and strains passaged on either nonselective buffered charcoal-yeast extract or selective differential glycine-vancomycin-polymyxin agar medium. Our earlier work has shown that environmental and clinical isolates of L. pneumophila maintained on agar medium are much more resistant to Cl2 than coliforms are. Under the present experimental conditions (21 degrees C, pH 7.6 to 8.0, and 0.25 mg of free residual Cl2 per liter, we found the tap water-maintained L. pneumophila strains to be even more resistant than the agar-passaged isolates. Under these conditions, 99% kill of tap water-maintained strains of L. pneumophila was usually achieved within 60 to 90 min compared with 10 min for agar-passaged strains. Samples from plumbing fixtures in a hospital yielded legionellae which were "super"-chlorine resistant when assayed under natural conditions. After one agar passage their resistance dropped to levels of comparable strains which had not been previously exposed to additional chlorination. These studies more closely approximate natural conditions than our previous work and show that tap water-maintained L. pneumophila is even more resistant to Cl2 than its already resistant agar medium-passaged counterpart.

  7. Researching on Control Device of Prestressing Wire Reinforcement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Si, Jianhui; Guo, Yangbo; Liu, Maoshe

    2017-06-01

    This paper mainly introduces a device for controlling prestress and its related research methods, the advantage of this method is that the reinforcement process is easy to operate and control the prestress of wire rope accurately. The relationship between the stress and strain of the steel wire rope is monitored during the experiment, and the one - to - one relationship between the controllable position and the pretightening force of the steel wire rope is confirmed by the 5mm steel wire rope, and the results are analyzed theoretically by the measured elastic modulus. The results show that the method can effectively control the prestressing force, and the result provides a reference method for strengthening the concrete column with prestressed steel strand.

  8. Stress distribution and lattice distortions in Nb3Sn multifilament wires under uniaxial tensile loading at 4.2 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scheuerlein, C; Flükiger, R; Kadar, J; Bordini, B; Ballarino, A; Bottura, L; Di Michiel, M; Buta, F; Seeber, B; Senatore, C; Siegrist, T; Besara, T

    2014-01-01

    The lattice parameter changes in three types of Nb 3 Sn superconducting wires during uniaxial stress–strain measurements at 4.2 K have been measured by high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The nearly-stress-free Nb 3 Sn lattice parameter has been determined using extracted filaments, and the elastic strain in the axial and transverse wire directions in the different wire phases has been calculated. The mechanical properties of the PIT and RRP wire are mainly determined by the properties of Nb 3 Sn and unreacted Nb. This is in contrast to the bronze route wire, where the matrix can carry substantial loads. In straight wires the axial Nb 3 Sn pre-strain is strongest in the bronze route wire, its value being smaller in the PIT and RRP wires. A strong reduction of the non-Cu elastic modulus of about 30% is observed during cool-down from ambient temperature to 4.2 K. The Nb 3 Sn Poisson ratio at 4.2 K measured in the untwisted bronze route wire is 0.35. The present study also shows that the process route has a strong influence on the Nb 3 Sn texture. (paper)

  9. Measurement of internal forces in superconducting accelerator magnets with strain gauge transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goodzeit, C.L.; Anerella, M.D.; Ganetis, G.L.

    1988-01-01

    An improved method has been developed for the measurement of internal forces in superconducting accelerator magnets, in particular the compressive stresses in coils and the end restraint forces on the coils. The transducers have been designed to provide improved sensitivity to purely mechanical strain by using bending mode deflections for sensing the applied loads. Strain gauge resistance measurements are made with a new system that eliminates sources of errors due to spurious resistance changes in interconnecting wiring and solder joints. The design of the transducers and their measurement system is presented along with a discussion of the method of compensation for thermal and magnetic effects, methods of calibration with typical calibration data, and measured effect in actual magnets of the thermal stress changes from cooldown and the Lorentz forces during magnet excitation. 13 figs., 1 tab

  10. Flux lattice commensurability and the resistive transition of wire networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilks, C.W.

    1992-01-01

    The commensurability of one structure with one length scale with that of another with a different length scale is a familiar problem. For a superconducting wire network in a magnetic field the two competing length scales are that of the network and that of the magnetic flux lattice. The superconducting to normal state phase boundary, Tc(H), of a periodic network shows periodic oscillations with a period of H 0 = Φ 0 /A where Φ 0 = hc/2e and A is the area of the elementary tile. These oscillations are due to flux quantization around the individual tiles of the network. In addition, within each period, there is structure at H = (p/q)H 0 (p,q integers) which is due to the vortices forming energetically favorable commensurate arrangements on top of the underlying lattice. The authors have studied the broadening of the zero field resistive transition with the application of a magnetic field for networks of various geometries. This was done by either directly measuring the resistive transitions at the commensurate fields or by using a technique that utilizes phase boundary measurements and yields the field induced width of the resistive transition as a continued function of the field. There is a striking dependence of the field induced width on whether or not the field is commensurate with the network. The broadening at the commensurate flux filling is well described by thermally activated vortex motion using the formalism of Ambegoakar and Halperin which allows us to extract numbers for the pinning potentials at the various commensurate states. The authors have found that the size of the discontinuity in the slope of the phase boundary at a commensurate filling is related to the strength of the lattice and therefore to the broadening of the transition at that filling so that by just looking at the phase boundary of a network one can gauge the relative broadening of the resistive transitions at the commensurate flux fillings

  11. Bioethanol strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae characterised by microsatellite and stress resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vanda Renata Reis

    Full Text Available Abstract Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae may display characteristics that are typical of rough-type colonies, made up of cells clustered in pseudohyphal structures and comprised of daughter buds that do not separate from the mother cell post-mitosis. These strains are known to occur frequently in fermentation tanks with significant lower ethanol yield when compared to fermentations carried out by smooth strains of S. cerevisiae that are composed of dispersed cells. In an attempt to delineate genetic and phenotypic differences underlying the two phenotypes, this study analysed 10 microsatellite loci of 22 S. cerevisiae strains as well as stress resistance towards high concentrations of ethanol and glucose, low pH and cell sedimentation rates. The results obtained from the phenotypic tests by Principal-Component Analysis revealed that unlike the smooth colonies, the rough colonies of S. cerevisiae exhibit an enhanced resistance to stressful conditions resulting from the presence of excessive glucose and ethanol and high sedimentation rate. The microsatellite analysis was not successful to distinguish between the colony phenotypes as phenotypic assays. The relevant industrial strain PE-2 was observed in close genetic proximity to rough-colony although it does not display this colony morphology. A unique genetic pattern specific to a particular phenotype remains elusive.

  12. Resistance to Diamide Insecticides in Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae): Comparison Between Lab-Selected Strains and Field-Collected Populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Chao; Wang, Cheng-Hua; Wang, Ying-Ying; Sun, Shi-Qing; Wang, Huan-Huan; Xue, Chao-Bin

    2018-04-02

    Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.; Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is an important pest of crucifers worldwide. The extensive use of diamide insecticides has led to P. xylostella resistance and this presents a serious threat to vegetable production. We selected chlorantraniliprole (Rf) and flubendiamide (Rh) resistance strains of P. xylostella with resistance ratios of 684.54-fold and 677.25-fold, respectively. The Rf and Rh strains underwent 46 and 36 generations of lab-selection for resistance, respectively. Low cross resistance of Rh to cyantraniliprole was found. Cross resistance to chlorfenapyr, tebufenozid, and indoxacarb was not found in Rf and Rh strains. The P. xylostella ryanodine receptor gene (PxRyR) transcripts level in the Rf and Rh strains was up-regulated. Except for Rf34 and Rh36, PxRyR expression in all generations of Rf and Rh selection gradually increased with increasing resistance. Two resistant populations were field-collected from Guangzhou Baiyun (Rb) and Zengcheng (Rz) and propagated for several generations without exposure to any pesticide had higher PxRyR expression than the susceptible strain (S). In the S strain, PxRyR expression was not related to the resistance ratio. Gene sequencing found that the RyR 4946 gene site was glycine (G) in the S, Rf, and Rh strains, and was glutamate (E) with 70% and 80% frequency in the Rb and Rz populations, respectively. The 4946 gene site was substituted by valine (V) with the frequency of 30% and 20% in Rb and Rz populations, respectively. These results increase the understanding of the mechanisms of diamide insecticide resistance in P. xylostella.

  13. Antimalarial activity of novel 4-aminoquinolines active against drug resistant strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondaparla, Srinivasarao; Soni, Awakash; Manhas, Ashan; Srivastava, Kumkum; Puri, Sunil K; Katti, S B

    2017-02-01

    In the present study we have synthesized a new class of 4-aminoquinolines and evaluated against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro (3D7-sensitive strain & K1-resistant strain) and Plasmodium yoelii in vivo (N-67 strain). Among the series, eleven compounds (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 21) showed superior antimalarial activity against K1 strain as compared to CQ. In addition, all these analogues showed 100% suppression of parasitemia on day 4 in the in vivo mouse model against N-67 strain when administered orally. Further, biophysical studies suggest that this series of compounds act on heme polymerization target. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Study of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains resistant to carbapenems isolated from blood in eastern Liguria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giulia Carnesecchi

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives. Study of multi-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated from blood cultures collected from in-patients of hospitals located in eastern Liguria, and evaluation of the susceptibility to carbapenems and other antibiotics by E-test and automated methods. Methods. At the Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, of Lavagna Hospital in eastern Liguria, 397 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were collected from in-patients from different wards of hospitals sites, during the year 2011. They included 115 isolates from blood cultures (aerobic and anaerobic and various biological materials. All strains were tested in the laboratory for their susceptibility to antibiotics. Results. Of the 115 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected from blood cultures 59.1% showed resistance to imipenem, ertapenem, meropenem. Conclusions. The data show a high incidence of resistance to carbapenems in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from blood cultures.This is important to implement surveillance programs for control and prevention, but also reduce the intake of antibiotics when they are not strictly necessary.

  15. DAYA HAMBAT SARI TANAMAN OBAT TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN BAKTERI STRAIN Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dwi Hilda Putri

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus infection can be treated with Methicilin, β lactam class of antibiotics that have drug targets in the cell wall. Bacteria S. aureus that is resistant to methicillin called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA. One alternative that can be used in strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that have this is to use medicinal plants. This study aimed to know the ability of medicinal plant extracts inhibit the growth of bacterial strains of MRSA. This kind of research is experimental research. Medicinal plants tested were Garlic, Turmeric, Aloe Vera, Daun Salam, Curcuma, Ginger, Betel Leaf and Alpinia galanga. As a control, which is used Amphicillin, β lactam antibiotic class. The method used to determine the diameter of inhibition area of medicinal plant extracts is paper diffusion method. The results showed that all medicinal plants can inhibit bacterial growth of MRSA strains characterized by the inhibition zone formed on each treatment. The ability of garlic and turmeric extract better than Amphicillin and other medicinal plants to inhibit bacterial growth of MRSA strains. Kata kunci: inhibit,  growth, bacteria, methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA

  16. Attaching Copper Wires to Magnetic-Reed-Switch Leads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamila, Rudolf

    1987-01-01

    Bonding method reliably joins copper wires to short iron-alloy leads from glass-encased dry magnetic-reed switch without disturbing integrity of glass-to-metal seal. Joint resistant to high temperatures and has low electrical resistance.

  17. Detection of antibiotic resistance in clinical bacterial strains from pets

    OpenAIRE

    Poeta, P.; Rodrigues, J.

    2008-01-01

    The identification of different bacterial strains and the occurrence of antibiotic resistance were investigated in several infection processes of pets as skin abscess with purulent discharge, bronco alveolar fluid, earwax, urine, mammary, and eye fluid. Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. were the most detected in the different samples. A high frequency of antimicrobial resistance has been observed and this could reflect the wide use of antimicrobials in pets, making the effectiveness ...

  18. NASA requirements and applications environments for electrical power wiring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stavnes, M.W.; Hammond, A.N.

    1992-01-01

    Serious problems can occur from insulation failures in the wiring harnesses of aerospace vehicles. In most recorded incidents, the failures have been identified to be the result of arc tracking, the propagation of an arc along wiring bundles through degradation of insulation. Propagation of the arc can lead to the loss of the entire wiring harness and the functions which it supports. While an extensive database of testing for arc track resistant wire insulations have been developed for aircraft applications, the counterpart requirements for spacecraft are very limited. This paper presents the electrical, thermal, mechanical, chemical, and operational requirements for specification and testing of candidate wiring systems for spacecraft applications

  19. Carbon nanotube wires and cables: Near-term applications and future perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarosz, Paul; Schauerman, Christopher; Alvarenga, Jack; Moses, Brian; Mastrangelo, Thomas; Raffaelle, Ryne; Ridgley, Richard; Landi, Brian

    2011-11-01

    Wires and cables are essential to modern society, and opportunities exist to develop new materials with reduced resistance, mass, and/or susceptibility to fatigue. This article describes how carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offer opportunities for integration into wires and cables for both power and data transmission due to their unique physical and electronic properties. Macroscopic CNT wires and ribbons are presently shown as viable replacements for metallic conductors in lab-scale demonstrations of coaxial, USB, and Ethernet cables. In certain applications, such as the outer conductor of a coaxial cable, CNT materials may be positioned to displace metals to achieve substantial benefits (e.g. reduction in cable mass per unit length (mass/length) up to 50% in some cases). Bulk CNT materials possess several unique properties which may offer advantages over metallic conductors, such as flexure tolerance and environmental stability. Specifically, CNT wires were observed to withstand greater than 200,000 bending cycles without increasing resistivity. Additionally, CNT wires exhibit no increase in resistivity after 80 days in a corrosive environment (1 M HCl), and little change in resistivity with temperature (electrical conductivity of CNT materials must be improved. Recently, the conductivity of a CNT wire prepared through simultaneous densification and doping has exceeded 1.3 × 106 S/m. This level of conductivity brings CNTs closer to copper (5.8 × 107 S/m) and competitive with some metals (e.g. gold) on a mass-normalized basis. Developments in manipulation of CNT materials (e.g. type enrichment, doping, alignment, and densification) have shown progress towards this goal. In parallel with efforts to improve bulk conductivity, integration of CNT materials into cabling architectures will require development in electrical contacting. Several methods for contacting bulk CNT materials to metals are demonstrated, including mechanical crimping and ultrasonic bonding, along with a

  20. Effect of Sodium Fluoride Mouthwash on the Frictional Resistance of Orthodontic Wires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Allahyar Geramy

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The friction between the brackets and orthodontic wire during sliding mechanics inflicts difficulties such as decreasing the applied force and tooth movement and also the loss of anchorage. Therefore, many studies have focused on the factors that affect the friction. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash on the friction between orthodontic brackets and wire.Materials and Methods: Four types of orthodontic wires including rectangular standard stainless steel (SS, titanium molybdenum alloy (TMA, nickel-titanium (NiTi and copper-nickel-titanium (Cu-NiTi were selected. In each group, half of the samples were immersed in 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash and the others were immersed in artificial saliva for 10 hours. An elastomeric ligature was used for ligating the wires to brackets. The frictional test was performed in a universal testing machine at the speed of 10 mm/minute. Two-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis of the friction rate.Results: The friction rate was significantly higher after immersion in 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash in comparison with artificial saliva (P=0.00. Cu-NiTi wire showed the highest friction value followed by TMA, NiTi and SS wires.  Conclusions: According to the results of the current study, 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash increased the frictional characteristics of all the evaluated orthodontic wires.

  1. Microalgal sensitivity varies between a diuron-resistant strain and two wild strains when exposed to diuron and irgarol, alone and in mixtures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dupraz, Valentin; Coquillé, Nathalie; Ménard, Dominique; Sussarellu, Rossana; Haugarreau, Larissa; Stachowski-Haberkorn, Sabine

    2016-05-01

    A wild strain of Chaetoceros calcitrans and wild and diuron-resistant strains of Tetraselmis suecica, were exposed to the PSII inhibitor herbicides diuron and irgarol, individually and in mixtures. The effects of three concentrations of diuron and irgarol and four binary mixtures were evaluated on doubling time, relative reactive oxygen species and lipid content by flow cytometry, and on photosynthetic efficiency by pulse amplitude modulated fluorescence. In both wild strains, significant effects were observed for each molecule at the highest concentration tested: at irgarol 0.5 μg L(-1), C. calcitrans was shown to be more sensitive than T. suecica (+52% and +19% in doubling time, respectively), whereas at diuron 5 μg L(-1), T. suecica was more affected (+125% in doubling time) than C. calcitrans (+21%). Overall, irgarol had a higher toxicity at a lower concentration than diuron (no effect at diuron 0.5 μg L(-1)) for both wild strains. The strongest mixture (irgarol 0.5 μg L(-1) + diuron 5 μg L(-1)) increased doubling time by 356% for T. suecica, thus showing amplified effects when the two compounds were mixed. Sequencing of the diuron-resistant strain demonstrated a single mutation in the psbA gene coding sequence. Although resistance of this strain to diuron was confirmed with no effect at the highest diuron concentration, no resistance to irgarol was shown. In addition, the mutant strain exposed to the strongest mixture showed a 3.5-fold increase in doubling time compared with irgarol alone, thereby supporting the hypothesis of a biochemical interaction between these two compounds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. 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

  3. Enhanced Molecular Typing of Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum Strains From 4 Italian Hospitals Shows Geographical Differences in Strain Type Heterogeneity, Widespread Resistance to Macrolides, and Lack of Mutations Associated With Doxycycline Resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giacani, Lorenzo; Ciccarese, Giulia; Puga-Salazar, Christian; Dal Conte, Ivano; Colli, Laura; Cusini, Marco; Ramoni, Stefano; Delmonte, Sergio; DʼAntuono, Antonietta; Gaspari, Valeria; Drago, Francesco

    2018-04-01

    Although syphilis rates have been relatively high in Italy for more than 15 years, no data on the molecular types of Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum circulating in this country are yet available. Likewise, no data on how widespread is resistance to macrolide or tetracycline antibiotics in these strains exist. Such data would, however, promote comprehensive studies on the molecular epidemiology of syphilis infections in Italy and inform future interventions aiming at syphilis control in this and other European countries. Swabs from oral, genital, cutaneous, or anal lesions were obtained from 60 syphilis patients attending dermatology clinics in Milan, Turin, Genoa, and Bologna. Molecular typing of T. pallidum DNA was performed to provide a snapshot of the genetic diversity of strains circulating in Northern Italy. Samples were also screened for mutations conferring resistance to macrolides and tetracyclines. T. pallidum DNA was detected in 88.3% (53/60) of the specimens analyzed. Complete and partial T. pallidum typing data were obtained for 77.3% (41/53) and 15.0% (8/53) of samples, respectively, whereas 4 samples could not be typed despite T. pallidum DNA being detected. The highest strain type heterogeneity was seen in samples from Bologna and Milan, followed by Genoa. Minimal diversity was detected in samples from Turin, despite the highest number of typeable samples collected there. Resistance to macrolides was detected in 94.3% (50/53) of the strains, but no known mutations associated with tetracycline resistance were found. Genetic diversity among T. pallidum strains circulating in Northern Italy varies significantly among geographical areas regardless of physical distance. Resistance to macrolides is widespread.

  4. Mechanisms of first-line antimicrobial resistance in multi-drug and extensively drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Navisha Dookie

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In South Africa, drug resistant tuberculosis is a major public health crisis in the face of the colossal HIV pandemic. Methods In an attempt to understand the distribution of drug resistance in our setting, we analysed the rpoB, katG, inhA, pncA and embB genes associated with resistance to key drugs used in the treatment of tuberculosis in clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the KwaZulu-Natal province. Results Classical mutations were detected in the katG, inhA and embB genes associated with resistance to isoniazid and ethambutol. Diverse mutations were recorded in the multidrug resistant (MDR and extensively drug resistant (XDR isolates for the rpoB and pncA gene associated with resistance to rifampicin and pyrazinamide. Conclusions M.tuberculosis strains circulating in our setting display a combination of previously observed mutations, each mediating resistance to a different drug. The MDR and XDR TB isolates analysed in this study displayed classical mutations linked to INH and EMB resistance, whilst diverse mutations were linked to RIF and PZA resistance. The similarity of the XDR strains confirms reports of the clonality of the XDR epidemic. The successful dissemination of the drug resistant strains in the province underscores the need for rapid diagnostics to effectively diagnose drug resistance and guide treatment.

  5. Isolation of a high malic and low acetic acid-producing sake yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain screened from respiratory inhibitor 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP)-resistant strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosugi, Shingo; Kiyoshi, Keiji; Oba, Takahiro; Kusumoto, Kenichi; Kadokura, Toshimori; Nakazato, Atsumi; Nakayama, Shunichi

    2014-01-01

    We isolated 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP)-resistant sake yeast strains by UV mutagenesis. Among the DNP-resistant mutants, we focused on strains exhibiting high malic acid and low acetic acid production. The improved organic acid composition is unlikely to be under the control of enzyme activities related to malic and acetic acid synthesis pathways. Instead, low mitochondrial activity was observed in DNP-resistant mutants, indicating that the excess pyruvic acid generated during glycolysis is not metabolized in the mitochondria but converted to malic acid in the cytosol. In addition, the NADH/NAD(+) ratio of the DNP-resistant strains was higher than that of the parental strain K901. These results suggest that the increased NADH/NAD(+) ratio together with the low mitochondrial activity alter the organic acid composition because malic acid synthesis requires NADH, while acetic acid uses NAD(+). Copyright © 2013 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Growth and Survival of Acid-Resistant and Non-Acid-Resistant Shiga-Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains during the Manufacture and Ripening of Camembert Cheese.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montet, M P; Jamet, E; Ganet, S; Dizin, M; Miszczycha, S; Dunière, L; Thevenot, D; Vernozy-Rozand, C

    2009-01-01

    Growth and survival of acid-resistant (AR) and non-acid-resistant (NAR) Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains were investigated during the manufacture and ripening of microfiltered milk Camembert cheeses. The induction of acid resistance of the STEC strains in cheeses was also studied. Six different mixtures of AR and/or NAR STEC strains were inoculated separately into microfiltered milk at a level of 10(3) CFU mL(-1). The STEC counts (AR and NAR) initially increased by 1 to 2 log(10) CFU g(-1) during cheese-making. Thereafter, the populations stabilized during salting/drying and then decreased during the early stages of ripening. Exposing the STEC strains in artificially inoculated cheeses to simulated gastric fluid (SGF - pH: 2.0) reduced the number of NAR strains to undetectable levels within 40 minutes, versus 120 minutes for the AR STEC strains. AR and NAR STEC were able to survive during the manufacture and ripening of Camembert cheese prepared from microfiltered milk with no evidence of induced acid tolerance in NAR STEC strains.

  7. Growth and Survival of Acid-Resistant and Non-Acid-Resistant Shiga-Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains during the Manufacture and Ripening of Camembert Cheese

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. P. Montet

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Growth and survival of acid-resistant (AR and non-acid-resistant (NAR Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC strains were investigated during the manufacture and ripening of microfiltered milk Camembert cheeses. The induction of acid resistance of the STEC strains in cheeses was also studied. Six different mixtures of AR and/or NAR STEC strains were inoculated separately into microfiltered milk at a level of 103 CFU mL−1. The STEC counts (AR and NAR initially increased by 1 to 2 log⁡10 CFU g−1 during cheese-making. Thereafter, the populations stabilized during salting/drying and then decreased during the early stages of ripening. Exposing the STEC strains in artificially inoculated cheeses to simulated gastric fluid (SGF - pH: 2.0 reduced the number of NAR strains to undetectable levels within 40 minutes, versus 120 minutes for the AR STEC strains. AR and NAR STEC were able to survive during the manufacture and ripening of Camembert cheese prepared from microfiltered milk with no evidence of induced acid tolerance in NAR STEC strains.

  8. IncA/C plasmids harboured in serious multidrug-resistant Vibrio cholerae serogroup O139 strains in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ruibai; Yu, Dong; Zhu, Lianhui; Li, Jie; Yue, Junjie; Kan, Biao

    2015-03-01

    Vibrio cholerae serogroup O139 emerged in 1992 and is one of two major serogroups to have caused cholera epidemics. After 1998, serious multidrug-resistant (MDR) O139 strains quickly became common in China, showing a multidrug resistance profile to eight antibiotics. It is a great threat to public health, and elucidation of its mechanisms of resistance will provide a helpful guide for the clinical treatment and prevention of cholera. In this study, mega-plasmids from MDR V. cholerae O139 strains were identified by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) without enzyme digestion. One plasmid was isolated and sequenced, belonging to the IncA/C family. Ten antibiotic resistance genes were found in the MDR regions, including a blaTEM-20 gene, and these genes endowed the host with resistance to seven antibiotics. This kind of plasmid was positive in 71.2% (198/278) of toxigenic O139 strains, and the rate of plasmid positivity was consistent with the yearly change in MDR rates of these strains. This study reveals an important role of the IncA/C family plasmid in the spread of multiple antibiotic resistance of epidemic V. cholerae serogroup O139 strains, which has recombined with plasmids from different bacterial species and transferred among V. cholerae strains. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

  9. Fabrication of sub-15 nm aluminum wires by controlled etching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morgan-Wall, T.; Hughes, H. J.; Hartman, N.; Marković, N.; McQueen, T. M.

    2014-01-01

    We describe a method for the fabrication of uniform aluminum nanowires with diameters below 15 nm. Electron beam lithography is used to define narrow wires, which are then etched using a sodium bicarbonate solution, while their resistance is simultaneously measured in-situ. The etching process can be stopped when the desired resistance is reached, and can be restarted at a later time. The resulting nanowires show a superconducting transition as a function of temperature and magnetic field that is consistent with their smaller diameter. The width of the transition is similar to that of the lithographically defined wires, indicating that the etching process is uniform and that the wires are undamaged. This technique allows for precise control over the normal state resistance and can be used to create a variety of aluminum nanodevices

  10. Antimicrobial Resistant Pattern of Escherichia Coli Strains Isolated from Pediatric Patients in Jordan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Alshara

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available The present study was conducted to investigate antimicrobial resistant pattern of Escherichia coli (E. coli strains isolated from clinical specimens of Jordanian pediatric patients during the period from January to December 2008. A total of 444 E. coli strains were isolated from clinical specimens and tested for their susceptibility to different antimicrobial drugs. Overall, high resistance rate was observed for ampicillin (84%, followed by amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (74.3%, cotrimoxazole (71%, nalidixic acid (47.3%, cephalothin (41%. Lower resistance rates were observed for amikacin (0% followed by Cefotaxime (11%, Ceftriaxone (11.7%, ciprofloxacin (14.5%, Norfloxacin (16.5%, gentamicin (17.3% cephalexin (20.9%, Ceftazidime (22.5%, cefixime (29.6%, and cefaclor (32.8%. Ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and cotrimoxazole were found to be ineffective at in vitro inhibition of the E. coli of pediatric origin. Amikacin was highly effective for E. coli with susceptibility rate of 100%. The majority of E. coli strains were susceptible to third generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones.

  11. Simple test of synergy between ampicillin and vancomycin for resistant strains of Enterococcus faecium.

    OpenAIRE

    Green, M; Barbadora, K; Wadowsky, R M

    1994-01-01

    The combination of ampicillin and vancomycin kills some but not all strains of ampicillin- and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. We compared a simple test for synergy utilizing a commercially available microdilution susceptibility system with time-kill studies and determined acceptable breakpoints for this test for 20 strains of ampicillin- and vancomycin-resistant E. faecium. The combination of ampicillin and vancomycin was tested for synergy by time-kill, broth macrodilution, and b...

  12. Method for wrapping a wire round a nuclear fuel rod

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakayasu, Fumio.

    1974-01-01

    Object: To provide a method for winding a wire round a nuclear fuel rod with accurate pitches without imparting any local strain or torsion to the wire. Structure: A wire is fixed on one end of the fuel rod, and the other end of the wire is secured to a universal joint leaving a winding allowance to the fuel rod. The wire is linearly stretched by a predetermined tension through the universal joint so as to provide an angle of development theta corresponding to the desired winding pitch, and then, the fuel rod may be rotated so that the end of the wire on the side of the universal joint is moved towards the fuel rod so as to render the angle of development theta constant in proportion to said rotation of the fuel rod. (Kamimura, M.)

  13. Antiplasmodial activity of new 4-aminoquinoline derivatives against chloroquine resistant strain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinha, Manish; Dola, Vasanth R; Agarwal, Pooja; Srivastava, Kumkum; Haq, Wahajul; Puri, Sunil K; Katti, Seturam B

    2014-07-15

    Emergence and spread of multidrug resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum has severely limited the antimalarial chemotherapeutic options. In order to overcome the obstacle, a set of new side-chain modified 4-aminoquinolines were synthesized and screened against chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) and chloroquine-resistant (K1) strains of P. falciparum. The key feature of the designed molecules is the use of methylpiperazine linked α, β(3)- and γ-amino acids to generate novel side chain modified 4-aminoquinoline analogues. Among the evaluated compounds, 20c and 30 were found more potent than CQ against K1 and displayed a four-fold and a three-fold higher activity respectively, with a good selectivity index (SI=5846 and 11,350). All synthesized compounds had resistance index between 1.06 and >14.13 as against 47.2 for chloroquine. Biophysical studies suggested that this series of compounds act on heme polymerization target. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Fusidic acid resistance among staphylococci strains isolated from clinical specimens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özcan Deveci

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate in vitrosusceptibility of fusidic acid to clinic isolates of staphylococci.Materials and methods: The forty-one coagulase negativestaphylococci (CNS and 18 Staphylococcus aureusstrains isolated from various clinical specimens were includedin this study. Staphylococci isolates were identifiedby conventional methods such as colony morphologyonto medium, gram staining, catalase and coagulasetests. According to “Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI” criteria, antimicrobial susceptibility testingof isolates was performed by Kirby-Bauer’s disk diffusionmethod.Results: The seventy-two percent of the isolated S.aureuswere defined as methicillin sensitive-S.aureus (MSSA,28% of the isolated S.aureus were defined as methicillinresistant-S.aureus (MRSA. The difference among fusidicacid susceptibility rates of MSSA and MRSA strains wasnot statistically significant (p=0.305. The twenty-nine percentof the isolated CNS were defined as methicillin sensitive-CNS (MS-CNS, 71% of the isolated CNS were definedas methicillin resistant-CNS (MR-CNS. There wasno statistically significant difference between MS-CNSand MR-CNS strains for fusidic acid susceptibility rates(p=0.490. But the difference among fusidic acid susceptibilityrates of CNS and S.aureus strains was statisticallysignificant (p<0.001. CNS strains were found more resistancethan S.aureus strains for fusidic acid.Conclusion: In this study, the resistance rates weredetected to increase for fusidic acid along with methicillinresistance. Among CNS isolates, fusidic acid resistancerates were significantly more elevated than that forS.aureus. Fusidic acid remains as an alternative in thetreatment of infections due to staphylococci.

  15. Behaviour of filamentary MgB2 wires subjected to tensile stress at 4.2 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kováč, P; Kopera, L; Melišek, T; Hušek, I; Rindfleisch, M; Haessler, W

    2013-01-01

    Different filamentary MgB 2 wires have been subjected to tensile stress at 4.2 K. Stress–strain and critical current versus stress and strain characteristics of wires differing by filament architecture, sheath materials, deformation and heat treatment were measured and compared. It was found that the linear increase of critical current due to the pre-compression effect (ranging from 5% up to ≈20%) is affected by thermal expansion and the strength of used metallic sheaths. The values of irreversible strain ε irr and stress σ irr depend dominantly on the applied outer sheath and its final heat treatment conditions. Consequently, the strain-tolerance of MgB 2 wires is influenced by several parameters and it is difficult to see a clear relation between I c (ε) and σ(ε) characteristics. The lowest ε irr was measured for Monel sheathed wires (0.3–0.6%), medium for GlidCop ® sheath (0.48–0.6%), and the highest ε irr = 0.6–0.9% were obtained for MgB 2 wires reinforced by the stainless steel 316L annealed at temperature between 600 and 800 ° C. The highest ε irr = 0.9% and σ irr = 900 MPa were measured for the work-hardened steel, which is not considerably softened by the heat treatment at 600 ° C/2.5 h. (paper)

  16. Bioethanol strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae characterised by microsatellite and stress resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reis, Vanda Renata; Antonangelo, Ana Teresa Burlamaqui Faraco; Bassi, Ana Paula Guarnieri; Colombi, Débora; Ceccato-Antonini, Sandra Regina

    Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae may display characteristics that are typical of rough-type colonies, made up of cells clustered in pseudohyphal structures and comprised of daughter buds that do not separate from the mother cell post-mitosis. These strains are known to occur frequently in fermentation tanks with significant lower ethanol yield when compared to fermentations carried out by smooth strains of S. cerevisiae that are composed of dispersed cells. In an attempt to delineate genetic and phenotypic differences underlying the two phenotypes, this study analysed 10 microsatellite loci of 22 S. cerevisiae strains as well as stress resistance towards high concentrations of ethanol and glucose, low pH and cell sedimentation rates. The results obtained from the phenotypic tests by Principal-Component Analysis revealed that unlike the smooth colonies, the rough colonies of S. cerevisiae exhibit an enhanced resistance to stressful conditions resulting from the presence of excessive glucose and ethanol and high sedimentation rate. The microsatellite analysis was not successful to distinguish between the colony phenotypes as phenotypic assays. The relevant industrial strain PE-2 was observed in close genetic proximity to rough-colony although it does not display this colony morphology. A unique genetic pattern specific to a particular phenotype remains elusive. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  17. Synergistic effect of eugenol with Colistin against clinical isolated Colistin-resistant Escherichia coli strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi-ming Wang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Bacterial infections have become more challenging to treat due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. Combined antibiotics prove to be a relatively effective method to control such resistant strains. This study aim to investigate synergistic activity of eugenol combined with colistin against a collection of clinical isolated Escherichia coli (E.coli strains, and to evaluate potential interaction. Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC and fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI of the bacteria were determined by disk diffusion assay, broth microdilution method and checkerboard assay, respectively. The mcr-1 mRNA expression was measured by Real-time PCR. To predict possible interactions between eugenol and MCR-1, molecular docking assay was taken. Results For total fourteen strains including eight colistin-resistant strains, eugenol was determined with MIC values of 4 to 8 μg/mL. Checkerboard dilution test suggested that eugenol exhibited synergistic activity when combined with colistin (FICI ranging from 0.375 to 0.625. Comparison analysis of Real-time PCR showed that synergy could significantly down-regulate expression of mcr-1 gene. A metal ion coordination bond with catalytic zinc atom and a hydrogen bond with crucial amino acid residue Ser284 of MCR-1 were observed after molecular docking, indicating antibacterial activity and direct molecular interactions of eugenol with MCR-1 protein. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that eugenol exhibited synergistic effect with colistin and enhanced its antimicrobial activity. This might further contribute to the antibacterial actions against colistin-resistant E.coli strains. Graphical abstract Synergistic effect of eugenol with colistin against colistin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates.

  18. Development of environmental-friendly wire and cable

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ueno, Keiji

    1996-01-01

    The electron beam technology has been used in many industrial fields as a method of conventional polymer modification or optimum processability. The main industrial fields of radiation crosslinking are wire and cable, heat shrinkable tubings, plastic foams, precuring of tires, floppy disk curing, foods packaging films, and so on. The radiation crosslinking of wire and cable was started in 1961 in Japan and 15 wire and cable companies are now using electron beam accelerators for production or R and D. The dominant characteristics of crosslinking of insulation materials are application at high temperature, good oil and chemical resistibility and high mechanical properties. These radiation crosslinking wire and cable are applied widely in electronics equipments and automobiles. Recently, electronics manufacturers have indicated deep concern over the effects on the environment. Wire and cable also are required to be applicable for environmental preservation. (J.P.N.)

  19. Effect of solar radiation on multidrug resistant E. coli strains and antibiotic mixture photodegradation in wastewater polluted stream.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizzo, L; Fiorentino, A; Anselmo, A

    2012-06-15

    The effect of solar radiation on the inactivation of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli (MDR) strains selected from an urban wastewater treatment plant (UWWTP) effluent and the change of their resistance to a mixture of three antibiotics (evaluated in terms of minimum inhibit concentration (MIC)) in wastewater polluted stream were investigated. The solar photodegradation of the mixture of the three target antibiotics (amoxicillin (AMX), ciprofloxacin (CPX), and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ)) was also evaluated. Additionally, since UWWTP effluents are possible sources of antibiotics and antibiotic resistant bacteria, the disinfection by conventional chlorination process of the UWWTP effluent inoculated with MDR strains was investigated too. Solar radiation poorly affected the inactivation of the two selected antibiotic resistant E. coli strains (40 and 60% after 180 min irradiation). Moreover, solar radiation did not affect strain resistance to AMX (MIC>256 μg/mL) and SMZ (MIC>1024 μg/mL), but affected resistance of the lower resistance strain to CPX (MIC decreased by 33% but only after 180 min of irradiation). Chlorination of wastewater sample strongly decreased the number of the two selected antibiotic resistant E. coli strains (99.667 and 99.999%), after 60 min of contact time at 2.0 mg/L initial chlorine concentration, but the resistance of survived colonies to antibiotics was unchanged. Finally, the solar photodegradation rate of the antibiotic mixture (1mg/L initial concentration respectively) resulted in the following order (half-life time): CPX (t(1/2)=24 min)risk of the development of resistance to SMZ in surface water is significantly higher compared to CPX and AMX. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Multifilament Cable Wire versus Conventional Wire for Sternal Closure in Patients Undergoing Major Cardiac Surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    You Na Oh

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Stainless steel wiring remains the most popular technique for primary sternal closure. Recently, a multifilament cable wiring system (Pioneer Surgical Technology Inc., Marquette, MI, USA was introduced for sternal closure and has gained wide acceptance due to its superior resistance to tension. We aimed to compare conventional steel wiring to multifilament cable fixation for sternal closure in patients undergoing major cardiac surgery. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively on 1,354 patients who underwent sternal closure after major cardiac surgery, using either the multifilament cable wiring system or conventional steel wires between January 2009 and October 2010. The surgical outcomes of these two groups of patients were compared using propensity score matching based on 18 baseline patient characteristics. Results: Propensity score matching yielded 392 pairs of patients in the two groups whose baseline profiles showed no significant differences. No significant differences between the two groups were observed in the rates of early mortality (2.0% vs. 1.3%, p=0.578, major wound complications requiring reconstruction (1.3% vs. 1.3%, p＞0.99, minor wound complications (3.6% vs. 2.0%, p=0.279, or mediastinitis (0.8% vs. 1.0%, p=1.00. Patients in the multifilament cable group had fewer sternal bleeding events than those in the conventional wire group, but this tendency was not statistically significant (4.3% vs. 7.4%, p=0.068. Conclusion: The surgical outcomes of sternal closure using multifilament cable wires were comparable to those observed when conventional steel wires were used. Therefore, the multifilament cable wiring system may be considered a viable option for sternal closure in patients undergoing major cardiac surgery.

  1. Multifilament Cable Wire versus Conventional Wire for Sternal Closure in Patients Undergoing Major Cardiac Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, You Na; Ha, Keong Jun; Kim, Joon Bum; Jung, Sung-Ho; Choo, Suk Jung; Chung, Cheol Hyun; Lee, Jae Won

    2015-08-01

    Stainless steel wiring remains the most popular technique for primary sternal closure. Recently, a multifilament cable wiring system (Pioneer Surgical Technology Inc., Marquette, MI, USA) was introduced for sternal closure and has gained wide acceptance due to its superior resistance to tension. We aimed to compare conventional steel wiring to multifilament cable fixation for sternal closure in patients undergoing major cardiac surgery. Data were collected retrospectively on 1,354 patients who underwent sternal closure after major cardiac surgery, using either the multifilament cable wiring system or conventional steel wires between January 2009 and October 2010. The surgical outcomes of these two groups of patients were compared using propensity score matching based on 18 baseline patient characteristics. Propensity score matching yielded 392 pairs of patients in the two groups whose baseline profiles showed no significant differences. No significant differences between the two groups were observed in the rates of early mortality (2.0% vs. 1.3%, p=0.578), major wound complications requiring reconstruction (1.3% vs. 1.3%, p>0.99), minor wound complications (3.6% vs. 2.0%, p=0.279), or mediastinitis (0.8% vs. 1.0%, p=1.00). Patients in the multifilament cable group had fewer sternal bleeding events than those in the conventional wire group, but this tendency was not statistically significant (4.3% vs. 7.4%, p=0.068). The surgical outcomes of sternal closure using multifilament cable wires were comparable to those observed when conventional steel wires were used. Therefore, the multifilament cable wiring system may be considered a viable option for sternal closure in patients undergoing major cardiac surgery.

  2. Development of high temperature strain gage, (5)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuuki, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Yukio; Kanai, Kenji; Yamaura, Yoshio

    1976-01-01

    Development and improvement of resistance wire type strain gages usable for experimental measurement of thermal strains generated at high temperature in various structures and equipments that consist of a Fast Breeder Reactor have been carried out, and various characteristics of the strain gages have been investigated. Based on the results obtained up to now, development and research of this time mainly aim to improve strain and fatigue characteristics. As the results, characteristics of strain gages with sensing elements of nichrome V are improved, specifically mechanical hysteresis is decreased, strain limit is increased, etc. Also, improvement is recognized in thermal output, and it becomes clear that dummy gages work effectively. However, a filling method of MgO and an inserting method of active-dummy elements are selected as primary objects to improve strain characteristics, and many hours are taken for these objects, so confirmations of characteristics of platinum-tungsten strain gages, strain sensing elements of which are troublesome to produce, have not been completely done, though the performance of the gages has been improved in several points. As to nichrome V strain gages, there is a fair prospect of obtaining ones, specifications of which are quite close to the goal, though problems in manufacturing technics remain for future. As to platinum-tungsten strain gages, it is expected that similar strain gages to nichrome V are obtainable by improvement in manufacturing of sensing elements. (auth.)

  3. Variations in biofilm formation, desiccation resistance and Benzalkonium chloride susceptibility among Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piercey, Marta J; Ells, Timothy C; Macintosh, Andrew J; Truelstrup Hansen, Lisbeth

    2017-09-18

    Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogenic foodborne microorganism noted for its ability to survive in the environment and food processing facilities. Survival may be related to the phenotype of individual strains including the ability to form biofilms and resist desiccation and/or sanitizer exposure. The objectives of this research were to compare 14 L. monocytogenes strains isolated from blood (3), food (6) and water (5) with respect to their benzalkonium chloride (BAC) sensitivity, desiccation resistance, and ability to form biofilm. Correlations were tested between those responses, and the presence of the SSI-1 (Stress Survival Islet) and LGI1/CC8 (Listeria Genomic Island 1 in a clonal complex 8 background) genetic markers. Genetic sequences from four strains representing different phenotypes were also probed for predicted amino acid differences in biofilm, desiccation, and membrane related genes. The water isolates were among the most desiccation susceptible strains, while strains exhibiting desiccation resistance harboured SSI-1 or both the SSI-1 and LGI1/CC8 markers. BAC resistance was greatest in planktonic LGI1/CC8 cells (relative to non-LGI1/CC8 cells), and higher BAC concentrations were also needed to inhibit the formation of biofilm by LGI1/CC8 strains during incubation for 48h and 6days compared to other strains. Formation of biofilm on stainless steel was not significantly (p>0.05) different among the strains. Analysis of genetic sequence data from desiccation and BAC sensitive (CP4 5-1, CP5 2-3, both from water), intermediate (Lm568, food) and desiccation and BAC resistant (08 5578, blood, human outbreak) strains led to the finding of amino acid differences in predicted functional protein domains in several biofilm, desiccation and peptidoglycan related genes (e.g., lmo0263, lmo0433, lmo0434, lmo0771, lmo0973, lmo1080, lmo1224, lmo1370, lmo1744, and lmo2558). Notably, the LGI1/CC8 strain 08-5578 had a frameshift mutation in lmo1370, a gene previously

  4. Preparation, mechanical strengths, and thermal stability of Ni-Si-B and Ni-P-B amorphous wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, A.; Furukawa, S.; Hagiwara, M.; Masumoto, T.

    1987-01-01

    Ni-based amorphous wires with good bending ductility have been prepared for Ni/sub 75/Si/sub 8/B/sub 17/ and Ni/sub 78/P/sub 12/B/sub 10/ alloys containing 1 to 2 at. pct Al or Zr by melt spinning in rotating water. The enhancement of the wire-formation tendency by the addition of Al has been clarified to be due to the increase in the stability of the melt jet through the formation of a thin Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ film on the outer surface. The maximum wire diameter is about 190 to 200 μm for the Ni-Si (or P)-B-Al alloys and increases to about 250 μm for the Ni-Si-B-Al-Cr alloys containing 4 to 6 at. pct Cr. The tensile fracture strength and fracture elongation are 2730 MPa and 2.9 pct for (N/sub 0.75/Si/sub 0.08/B/sub 0.17/)/sub 99/Al/sub 1/ wire and 2170 MPa and 2.4 pct for (Ni/sub 0.78/P/sub 0.12/B/sub 0.1/)/sub 99/Al/sub 1/ wire. These wires exhibit a fatigue limit under dynamic bending strain in air with a relative humidity of 65 pct; this limit is 0.50 pct for a NiSi-B-Al wire, which is higher by 0.15 pct than that of a Fe/sub 75/Si/sub 10/B/sub 15/ amorphous wire. Furthermore, the Ni-base wires do not fracture during a 180-deg bending even for a sample annealed at temperatures just below the crystallization temperature, in sharp contrast to high embrittlement tendency for Fe-base amorphous alloys. Thus, the Ni-based amorphous wires have been shown to be an attractive material similar to Fe- and Co-based amorphous wires because of its high static and dynamic strength, high ductility, high stability to thermal embrittlement, and good corrosion resistance

  5. Fatigue resistance, debonding force, and failure type of fiber-reinforced composite, polyethylene ribbon-reinforced, and braided stainless steel wire lingual retainers in vitro

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Foek, Dave Lie Sam; Yetkiner, Enver; Ozcan, Mutlu

    Objective: To analyze the fatigue resistance, debonding force, and failure type of fiber-reinforced composite, polyethylene ribbon-reinforced, and braided stainless steel wire lingual retainers in vitro. Methods: Roots of human mandibular central incisors were covered with silicone, mimicking the

  6. Phenotypic and Genotypic Antimicrobial Resistance of Lactococcus Sp. Strains Isolated from Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ture Mustafa

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available A current profile of antimicrobial resistance and plasmid of 29 Lactococcus garvieae and one Lactococcus lactis strains isolated from rainbow trouts (Oncorhynchus mykiss from farms throughout Turkey were investigated. All isolates were sensitive to penicillin G (90%, ampicillin (86.7%, florfenicol (83.3%, amoxicillin (80.1%, and tetracycline (73.4%, and resistant to trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole (86.6% and gentamycin (46.6% by disc diffusion method. Twenty-eight (93% isolates had two to seven antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs determined by PCR. The most prevalent ARGs were tetracycline (tetB, erythromycin (ereB, and β-lactam (blaTEM. Bacterial strains were also screened for plasmid DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis and two strains harboured plasmids, with sizes ranging from 3 to 9 kb.

  7. Expression profiling of the VKORC1 and Calumenin gene in a Danish strain of bromadiolone-resistant Norway rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Markussen, Mette Drude; Heiberg, Ann-Charlotte; Fredholm, Merete

    2008-01-01

    in European strains of Norway rats while high hepatic levels of calumenin has been suggested responsible for resistance in an US strain of rats. To characterize the resistance mechanism in a Danish strain of bromadiolone-resistant Norway rats (with an Y139C-VKORC1 mutation), we compared VKORC1 and Calumenin......Anticoagulant resistance in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) has been associated with two genes, VKORC1 and Calumenin, which encodes proteins essential to the vitamin K-dependent gamma-carboxylation system. Mutations in the VKORC1 gene are considered the genetic basis for anticoagulant resistance...... liver gene expression between resistant and anticoagulant-susceptible rats upon saline and bromadiolone-administration. The resistant male and female rats had significantly lower constitutive VKORC1 expression (57 % and 63 %) compared to the susceptible rats (100 %) while the constitutive Calumenin...

  8. Benomyl-resistant mutant strain of Trichoderma sp. with increased mycoparasitic activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olejníková, P; Ondrusová, Z; Krystofová, S; Hudecová, D

    2010-01-01

    Application of UV radiation to the strain Trichoderma sp. T-bt (isolated from lignite) resulted in the T-brm mutant which was resistant to the systemic fungicide benomyl. The tub2 gene sequence in the T-brm mutant differed from the parent as well as the collection strain (replacing tyrosine with histidine in the TUB2 protein). Under in vitro conditions this mutant exhibited a higher mycoparasitic activity toward phytopathogenic fungi.

  9. Survey of strain distribution and antibiotic resistance pattern of group B streptococci (Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from clinical specimens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mousavi, Seyed Masoud

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The aims of the present study were to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profils with particular emphasis on susceptible or resistant strains to macrolides and lincosamids antibiotics and to determine possible antibiotic resistance mechanisms occurring in group B streptococci (GBS strains using PCR assay and disk diffusion method.Methods: A total of 62 clinical GBS strains were investigated. Antibacterial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method and inducible resistance test for clindamycin by standard double disk diffusion or D-zone test for all isolates to differentiate macrolide resistance phenotype (M, constitutive macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B phenotype (cMLS and induced macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B phenotype (iMLS. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC of penicillin were determined for all isolates. Finally, possible existence of antibiotic resistance genes for erythromycin , and and for clindamycin were examined among isolates using PCR assay.Results: All 62 isolates were susceptible to penicillin, ampicillin, linezolid, cefazoline and vancomycin. However, 93.5% (n=58 of isolates showed an increased MIC to penicillin. The overall rate of erythromycin resistance was 35.5% (n=22. All erythromycin-resistant isolates displayed the M phenotype (100%, n=22. All three erythromycin resistance genes (i.e. , and were found in erythromycin-resistant isolates.Conclusion: It was concluded that prescribing antibiotic without antibacterial susceptibility tests should be prevented because of the high prevalence of erythromycin-resistant GBS strains and the fact that erythromycin-resistant GBS strains has shown an increased MIC to penicillin, as the drug of choice for treating GBS infections.

  10. Modeling of electric and heat processes in spot resistance welding of cross-wire steel bars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iatcheva, Ilona; Darzhanova, Denitsa; Manilova, Marina

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this work is the modeling of coupled electric and heat processes in a system for spot resistance welding of cross-wire reinforced steel bars. The real system geometry, dependences of material properties on the temperature, and changes of contact resistance and released power during the welding process have been taken into account in the study. The 3D analysis of the coupled AC electric and transient thermal field distributions is carried out using the finite element method. The novel feature is that the processes are modeled for several successive time stages, corresponding to the change of contact area, related contact resistance, and reduction of the released power, occurring simultaneously with the creation of contact between the workpieces. The values of contact resistance and power changes have been determined on the basis of preliminary experimental and theoretical investigations. The obtained results present the electric and temperature field distributions in the system. Special attention has been paid to the temperature evolution at specified observation points and lines in the contact area. The obtained information could be useful for clarification of the complicated nature of interrelated electric, thermal, mechanical, and physicochemical welding processes. Adequate modeling is also an opportunity for proper control and improvement of the system.

  11. Rapid emergence of a ceftazidime-resistant Burkholderia multivorans strain in a cystic fibrosis patient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stokell, Joshua R; Gharaibeh, Raad Z; Steck, Todd R

    2013-12-01

    Burkholderia multivorans poses a serious health threat to cystic fibrosis patients due to innate resistance to multiple antibiotics and acquisition of resistance to a range of antibiotics due to the frequent use of antibiotics to treat chronic infections. Monitoring antibiotic susceptibility is crucial to managing patient care. We identified the rapid emergence of a ceftazidime-resistant strain in a single patient within four days during a hospitalization for treatment of an exacerbation. B. multivorans was isolated from expectorated sputum samples using Burkholderia cepacia selective agar. A macrodilution assay was performed on all isolates to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of ceftazidime. Approximately 4000 colonies were scored to identify the percent of ceftazidime-resistant colonies. Extracted DNA was used to determine the total bacterial counts and abundance of B. multivorans using quantitative PCR. An increase from no detectable B. multivorans ceftazidime-resistant colonies to over 75% of all colonies tested occurred within a four-day period. The resistant population remained dominant in 6 of the 8 samples in the following 17 months of the study. qPCR revealed an association between change in the percent of resistant colonies and abundance of B. multivorans, but not of total bacteria. No association was found between the acquisition of resistance to ceftazidime and other antibiotics commonly used to treat B. multivorans infections. The rapid emergence of a ceftazidime-resistant by B. multivorans strain occurred during a hospitalization while under selective pressure of antibiotics. The resistant strain maintained dominance in the B. multivorans population which resulted in an overall decline in a patient health and treatment efficacy. Copyright © 2013 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Global Phenotypic Characterization of Effects of Fluoroquinolone Resistance Selection on the Metabolic Activities and Drug Susceptibilities of Clostridium perfringens Strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miseon Park

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Fluoroquinolone resistance affects toxin production of Clostridium perfringens strains differently. To investigate the effect of fluoroquinolone resistance selection on global changes in metabolic activities and drug susceptibilities, four C. perfringens strains and their norfloxacin-, ciprofloxacin-, and gatifloxacin-resistant mutants were compared in nearly 2000 assays, using phenotype microarray plates. Variations among mutant strains resulting from resistance selection were observed in all aspects of metabolism. Carbon utilization, pH range, osmotic tolerance, and chemical sensitivity of resistant strains were affected differently in the resistant mutants depending on both the bacterial genotype and the fluoroquinolone to which the bacterium was resistant. The susceptibilities to gentamicin and erythromycin of all resistant mutants except one increased, but some resistant strains were less susceptible to amoxicillin, cefoxitin, ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, and metronidazole than their wild types. Sensitivity to ethidium bromide decreased in some resistant mutants and increased in others. Microarray analysis of two gatifloxacin-resistant mutants showed changes in metabolic activities that were correlated with altered expression of various genes. Both the chemical structures of fluoroquinolones and the genomic makeup of the wild types influenced the changes found in resistant mutants, which may explain some inconsistent reports of the effects of therapeutic use of fluoroquinolones on clinical isolates of bacteria.

  13. The involvement of tetA and tetE tetracycline resistance genes in plasmid and chromosomal resistance of Aeromonas in Brazilian strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilana Teruszkin Balassiano

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available This study analyzed the involvement of tetA and tetE genes in the tetracycline resistance of 16 strains of genus Aeromonas, isolated from clinical and food sources. Polymerase chain reactions revealed that 37.5% of the samples were positive for tetA, and also 37.5% were tetE positive. One isolate was positive for both genes. Only the isolate A. caviae 5.2 had its resistance associated to the presence of a plasmid, pSS2. The molecular characterization of pSS2 involved the construction of its restriction map and the determination of its size. The digestion of pSS2 with HindIII originated two fragments (A and B that were cloned separately into the pUC18 vector. The tetA gene was shown to be located on the HindIII-A fragment by PCR. After transforming a tetracycline-sensitive strain with pSS2, the transformants expressed the resistance phenotype and harbored a plasmid whose size was identical to that of pSS2. The results confirmed the association between pSS2 and the tetracycline resistance phenotype, and suggest a feasible dissemination of tetA and tetE among strains of Aeromonas. This study suggests the spreading tetA and tetE genes in Aeromonas in Brazil and describes a resistance plasmid that probably contributes to the dissemination of the resistance.

  14. Development of Antibiotic Resistance Against Ureaplasma urealyticum Strains Isolated from Urogenital Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Musa Saraçoğlu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To assess any change in the antibiotic sensitivity of Ureaplasma urealyticum strains isolated from urogenital samples in the course of time. Materials and Methods: Hospital records were retrospectively examined and cases with growth of U. urealyticum in urogenital samples in the years 2008 and 2013 were identified. Furthermore, the change in the course of time was examined by taking into consideration the cases we reported in 2001. Results: Higher rates of sensitivity against tetracycline and doxycycline were observed in 60 patients with isolated U. urealyticum. Higher rates of resistance against ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were observed. A significant difference was found in resistance against antibiotics when the records of 2008 and 2013 were compared. A statistically significant increase was found in resistance against ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin when the records of 2001 were compared with the records of 2008 and 2013 (p<0.0005. Conclusion: U. urealyticum strains demonstrated high levels of resistance to quinolones. Resistance development is increasing in the course of time. Sensitivity against tetracycline and doxycycline has continued at high rates. It would be beneficial to consider these results during empirical treatment to be applied in cases ineligible for culturing.

  15. Expression analysis of several antiviral related genes to BmNPV in different resistant strains of silkworm, Bombyx mori.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Yang; Wang, Xue-yang; Du, Chang; Gao, Juan; Xu, Jia-ping

    2014-05-30

    Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a highly pathogenic virus in the sericultural industry, often causing severe damage leading to large economic losses. The immune mechanisms of B. mori against this virus remain obscure. Previous studies had demonstrated Bmlipase-1, BmNox and Bmserine protease-2 showing antiviral activity in vitro, but data on the transcription levels of these proteins in different resistant strains were not reported. In order to determine the resistance level of the four different strains (P50, A35, A40, A53) and gain a better understanding of the mechanism of resistance to BmNPV in B. mori, the relative expression level of the genes coding the three antiviral proteins in larval haemolymph and midgut of different B. mori strains resistant to BmNPV was determined. The results showed that these genes expressed significantly higher in the resistant strains compared to the susceptible strain, and the differential expression levels were consistent with the LC50 values in different strains. The transcription level of the target genes almost all up-regulated in the larvae midgut and down-regulated in the haemolymph. The results indicate the correlation of these genes to BmNPV resistance in B. mori. This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.

  16. Analysis of the residual strain change of Bi2212, Ag alloy and Ag during the heating and cooling process in Bi2212/Ag/Ag alloy composite wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, J K; Ochiai, S; Okuda, H; Mukai, Y; Sugano, M; Sato, M; Oh, S S; Ha, D W; Kim, S C

    2008-01-01

    The residual strain change of Bi2212 and Ag during the cooling and heating process in the Bi2212/Ag/Ag alloy composite superconductor was studied. First, the residual strain of Bi2212 filaments at room temperature was measured by the x-ray diffraction method. Then, the Young's moduli of the constituents (Bi2212 filaments, Ag and Ag alloy) and yield strains of Ag and Ag alloy were estimated from the analysis of the measured stress-strain curve, based on the rule of mixtures. Also, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the Bi2212 filaments was estimated from the analysis of the measured thermal expansion curve of the composite wire. From the modeling analysis using the estimated property values and the residual strain of Bi2212 filaments, the changes of residual strain of Bi2212, Ag alloy and Ag with temperature during the cooling and heating process were revealed

  17. Occurrence of Ambler Class B Metallo-β-Lactamase Gene in Imipenem-Resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Strains Isolated from Clinical Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeynab Golshani

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: 5TMetallo-β-lactamase (MBLs can hydrolyze a broad spectrum of beta-lactams, including penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems. Genes encoding these enzymes are located on the plasmid that can easily be transferred to other bacteria. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains encoding VIM1 gene, in clinical samples, using the PCR technique. Materials and Methods: During a 4 month period, 100 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from clinical specimens were collected. Standard tests were performed to identify strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Resistance to antibiotics was examined and then the PCR was used to detect VIM1gene. Results:In this study, the highest rates of resistance to antibiotics, amikacin and cefotaxime was observed (65% and 62%, the lowest resistance to antibiotics piperacillin (48% and imipenem and cefepime with 55% resistance was reported. DDST method was performed for 37 strains for the MBl detection. Among the 37 isolate, 30 strains were MBL-producing with imipenem-EDTA method. Twelve strains (18% were carriers of VIM1 gene using the PCR method. Conclusion: In the present study, the prevalence of strains producing MBL genes in strains of hospitals is a growing trend; correct prescription of medications can prevent the spread of resistant pathogens. It is suggested that molecular methods for rapid detection of resistance genes can be used to prevent the spread of this genes.

  18. A highly crystalline single Au wire network as a high temperature transparent heater

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, K. D. M.; Kulkarni, Giridhar U.

    2014-05-01

    A transparent conductor which can generate high temperatures finds important applications in optoelectronics. In this article, a wire network made of Au on quartz is shown to serve as an effective high temperature transparent heater. The heater has been fabricated by depositing Au onto a cracked sacrificial template. The highly interconnected Au wire network thus formed exhibited a transmittance of ~87% in a wide spectral range with a sheet resistance of 5.4 Ω □-1. By passing current through the network, it could be joule heated to ~600 °C within a few seconds. The extraordinary thermal performance and stability owe much to the seamless junctions present in the wire network. Furthermore, the wire network gets self-annealed through joule heating as seen from its increased crystallinity. Interestingly, both transmittance and sheet resistance improved following annealing to 92% and 3.2 Ω □-1, respectively. A transparent conductor which can generate high temperatures finds important applications in optoelectronics. In this article, a wire network made of Au on quartz is shown to serve as an effective high temperature transparent heater. The heater has been fabricated by depositing Au onto a cracked sacrificial template. The highly interconnected Au wire network thus formed exhibited a transmittance of ~87% in a wide spectral range with a sheet resistance of 5.4 Ω □-1. By passing current through the network, it could be joule heated to ~600 °C within a few seconds. The extraordinary thermal performance and stability owe much to the seamless junctions present in the wire network. Furthermore, the wire network gets self-annealed through joule heating as seen from its increased crystallinity. Interestingly, both transmittance and sheet resistance improved following annealing to 92% and 3.2 Ω □-1, respectively. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Optical micrographs, EDAX, XRD, SEM and TEM images of Au metal wires. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr00869c

  19. Determining the resistance of X-pinch plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Shen; Zhu Xin-Lei; Zhang Ran; Luo Hai-Yun; Zou Xiao-Bing; Wang Xin-Xin; Xue Chuang; Ning Cheng; Ding Ning; Shu Xiao-Jian

    2013-01-01

    The current and the voltage of an X-pinch were measured. The inductance of the X-pinch was assumed to be a constant and estimated by the calculation of the magnetic field based on the well-known Biot—Savart's Law. The voltage of the inductance was calculated with L · di/dt and subtracted from the measured voltage of the X-pinch. Then, the resistance of the X-pinch was determined and the following results were obtained. At the start of the current flow the resistance of the exploding wires is several tens of Ohms, one order of magnitude, higher than the metallic resistance of the wires at room temperature, and then it falls quickly to about 1 Ω, which reflects the physical processes occurring in the electrically exploding wires, i.e., a current transition from the highly resistive wire core to the highly conductive plasma. It was shown that the inductive contribution to the voltage of the X-pinch is less than the resistive contribution. For the wires we used, the wires' material and diameter have no strong influence on the resistance of the X-pinch, which may be explained by the fact that the current flows through the plasma rather than through the metallic wire itself. As a result, the current is almost equally divided between two parallel X-pinches even though the diameter and material of the wires used for these two X-pinches are significantly different. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)

  20. Complete genome sequence of an attenuated Sparfloxacin resistant Streptococcus agalactiae strain 138spar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Through selection of resistance to sparfloxacin, an attenuated Streptococcus agalactiae strain 138spar was obtained from its virulent parent strain S. agalactiae 138P. The full genome of S. agalactiae 138spar is 1,838,126 bp. The availability of this genome will allow comparative genomics to identi...

  1. STUDY ON THE ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANCE IN STRAINS OF SALMONELLA ISOLATES IN FOOD FROM 2003 TO 2010

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Capuano

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available A survey on the antibiotics resistance on salmonella strains of food origin was carried out. Four hundred thirty five different strains of Salmonella detected during eight years since 2003 were tested with the protocols of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standard (NCCLS. One hundred twenty Salmonella strains were of cow origin, 166 from swine, 92 from poultry and the remaining 57 from shellfish. Starting from 2007 a reduction in the resistance was evident on the total isolates.

  2. Complexity of resistance mechanisms to imipenem in intensive care unit strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fournier, Damien; Richardot, Charlotte; Müller, Emeline; Robert-Nicoud, Marjorie; Llanes, Catherine; Plésiat, Patrick; Jeannot, Katy

    2013-08-01

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa can become resistant to carbapenems by both intrinsic (mutation-driven) and transferable (β-lactamase-based) mechanisms. Knowledge of the prevalence of these various mechanisms is important in intensive care units (ICUs) in order to define optimal prevention and therapeutic strategies. A total of 109 imipenem-non-susceptible (MIC >4 mg/L) strains of P. aeruginosa were collected in June 2010 from the ICUs of 26 French public hospitals. Their resistance mechanisms were characterized by phenotypic, enzymatic, western blotting and molecular methods. Single or associated imipenem resistance mechanisms were identified among the 109 strains. Seven isolates (6.4%) were found to produce a metallo-β-lactamase (one VIM-1, four VIM-2, one VIM-4 and one IMP-29). Porin OprD was lost in 94 (86.2%) strains as a result of mutations or gene disruption by various insertion sequences (ISPa1635, ISPa1328, IS911, ISPs1, IS51, IS222 and ISPa41). Thirteen other strains were shown to be regulatory mutants in which down-regulation of oprD was coupled with overexpressed efflux pumps CzcCBA (n = 1), MexXY (n = 9) and MexEF-OprN (n = 3). The lack of OprD was due to disruption of the oprD promoter by ISPsy2 in one strain and alteration of the porin signal sequence in another. Imipenem resistance in ICU P. aeruginosa strains may result from multiple mechanisms involving metallo-β-lactamase gene acquisition and genetic events (mutations and ISs) inactivating oprD, turning down its expression while increasing efflux activities or preventing insertion of porin OprD in the outer membrane. This diversity of mechanisms allows P. aeruginosa, more than any other nosocomial pathogen, to rapidly adapt to carbapenems in ICUs.

  3. Characterization of multiple antibiotic resistant clinical strains of Staphylococcus isolated from pregnant women vagina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hetsa, Bakwena Ashton; Kumar, Ajay; Ateba, Collins Njie

    2018-03-29

    Vagina which is one of the important reservoirs for Staphylococcus and in pregnant women pathogenic strains may infect the child during the birth or by vertical transmission. A total of 68 presumptive Staphylococcus strains isolated from human vagina were found to be gram-positive cocci, and only 32 (47%) isolates were found beta-hemolytic. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass-spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) results confirmed 33 isolates belonged to Staphylococcus which consisting of 6 species, i.e., S. aureus (14), S. vitulinus (7), S. epidermidis (4), S cohnii (3), S. equorum (3), and S. succinus (2). Further, the result of antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that large proportions (76%-100%) of the isolates were resistant to multiple antibiotics and more often resistant to penicillin (100%), ampicillin (100%), oxacillin (97%), oxytetracycline (97%), vancomycin (97%), rifampin (85%), erythromycin (82%), and streptomycin (76%). In the present study, only the sec enterotoxin gene was detected in four S. aureus strains. DNA fingerprints of the 33 isolates that were generated using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR analysis revealed great genetic relatedness of isolates. High prevalence of vaginal colonization with multiple antibiotic-resistant staphylococci among pregnant women was observed which were emerged from the single respective species clones that underwent evolution. The vertical transmission of these multiple antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus species to the infant is possible; therefore, the findings of this study emphasize the need for regular surveillance of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains in pregnant women in this area.

  4. Development of a rapid screening protocol for selection of strains resistant to spray drying and storage in dry powder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reimann, S; Grattepanche, F; Baggenstos, C; Rezzonico, E; Berger, B; Arigoni, F; Lacroix, C

    2010-06-01

    An efficient screening method for selection of Bifidobacterium longum strains resistant to spray drying and storage was developed based on randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) for identification of the best survivors in mixed strains bacterial preparations. Three different primers were used to generate RAPD profiles of 22 B. longum strains. All strains were distinguished according to their RAPD profiles except for the strain NCC2705 and its H(2)O(2) resistant derivative variant. The 22 strains were grouped in 3 batches of 7, 7 and 8 strains and subjected to spray drying and storage at 30 and 37 °C under anaerobic conditions. Batch survival rates after spray drying reached 17.1±4.4%. Strains showing the highest prevalence and/or resistance to storage at 37 °C were selected from individual batches for subsequent spray drying and storage testing. After 67 days of storage, NCC572 was identified as the dominant strain in powder. The stability of strain NCC572 was confirmed by performing single spray drying and storage tests. Out of 22 B. longum strains, a robust strain was identified by combining RAPD with a simultaneous screening test for survival under spray drying and storage. The method allowed a fast screening of B. longum strains in mixture for resistance to spray drying and storage compared to traditional screening procedures carried out with individual strains, in the same conditions. This approach could be applied to other stress conditions.

  5. Role of NADPH-insensitive nitroreductase gene to metronidazole resistance of Helicobacter pylori strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Kargar

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and the purpose of the study: Current anti-H. pylori therapies are based on the use of two antibiotics with a proton pump inhibitor and/or a bismuth component. Metronidazole is a key component of such combination therapies in Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the role of rdxA gene in resistant strains of H. pylori isolated from Shahrekord Hajar hospital to metronidazole. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional method, which was carried out on 263 patients who referred to endoscopy department of Hajar hospital, in 2007. Biopsy samples were cultured on selective Brucella agar containing 10% blood and incubated under microerophilic condition at 370C for 3 - 7 days. Suspected colonies were tested by Gram staining, urease, oxidase and catalase activities. Organisms were confirmed to be H. pylori on the basis of the presence of ureC(glmM gene by PCR .Specific primers were used for detection of rdxA gene mutation . Results: Eighty and four strains of H. pylori determined by PCR method. Of the isolated strains, 49 (58.33% were resistant, 7 (8.33% were semi-sensitive to metronidazole and 200bp deletion in rdxA gene was observed in 2 strains. Conclusion: Because of the high metronidazole resistance in patients under study it was necessary to replace it by other antibiotics in therapeutic regimens. On the basis of low frequency of resistance mutation in rdxA gene, sequence analysis for identification of other mechanisms is suggested.

  6. Mechanical characterisation of orthodontic superelastic Ni-Ti wires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arrigoni, M.; Pietrabissa, R. [Politecnico di Milano, Milano (Italy). Lab. of Biological Structure Mechanics; Auricchio, F.; Petrini, L. [Politecnico di Milano, Milano (Italy). Lab. of Biological Structure Mechanics; Pavia Univ. (Italy). Dept. of Structural Mechanics; Cacciafesta, V. [Politecnico di Milano, Milano (Italy). Lab. of Biological Structure Mechanics; Pavia Univ. (Italy). Dept. of Orthodontia

    2001-11-01

    Nowadays, the orthodontic treatment is improving thanks to the introduction of Ni-Ti super-elastic alloy wires in the ordinary therapy. Indeed, laboratory tests performed in the last decade have shown that Ni-Ti superelastic wires are able to satisfy the ideal requirements for fixed arch-wire appliance: high flexibility, minimal distortion or plastic deformation, light constant force production over a wide range of displacements. On the other hand, many orthodontic companies produce Ni-Ti arch-wires, without giving detailed specifications on their superelastic characteristics. To improve the knowledge on real properties for these products, an experimental campaign on different commercial arch-wires has been started at the Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics (LABS) at the Politecnico di Milano (Italy). This work presents the first step of the research, concerning the comparison between the behaviour of four types of wires (two produced by ORMCO and two produced by 3M/Unitek) under monotonic and cyclic isothermal tensile tests. The results show significant differences between the products in terms of elastic modulus, stress values of the loading-unloading plateau, hysteresis amplitude, spring-back capacity, shape recovery capability, strain rate effect and fatigue behaviour. (orig.)

  7. Influence of stress and phase on corrosion of a superelastic nickel-titanium orthodontic wire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Segal, Nadav; Hell, Jess; Berzins, David W

    2009-06-01

    The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of stress and phase transformation on the corrosion properties of a superelastic nickel-titanium orthodontic wire. The phase transformation profiles of superelastic nickel-titanium (Sentalloy, GAC International, Bohemia, NY) and beta-titanium (TMA, Ormco, Orange, Calif) archwires were analyzed by using differential scanning calorimetry. The force/deflection behavior of the wires at 37 degrees C was measured in a 3-point bending test per modified American Dental Association specification no. 32. Electrochemical testing consisted of monitoring the open circuit potential (OCP) for 2 hours followed by polarization resistance and cyclic polarization tests on archwire segments engaged in a 5-bracket simulation apparatus with bend deflections of 0.75, 1.5, or 3 mm in artificial saliva at 37 degrees C. Nondeflected segments were also tested. Sentalloy was additionally examined for bending and corrosion at 5 degrees C, where it exists as martensite and is devoid of stress-induced phase transformation. OCP at 2 hours and corrosion current density (i(corr)) were analyzed by using ANOVA and Tukey tests (alpha = .05) (n = 10 per deflection). Significant differences (P Sentalloy wires at 5 degrees C, but not for Sentalloy at 37 degrees C. Significant differences (P Sentalloy (37 degrees C) peaked at 0.75 mm deflection before the wire's stress-induced phase transformation point and then decreased with further deflection and transformation. The i(corr) values for TMA and Sentalloy at 5 degrees C, both of which do not undergo phase transformation with deformation, continuously increased from 0 to 1.5 mm deflection before decreasing at the 3.0-mm deflection. Stress increased the corrosion rate in nickel-titanium and beta-titanium orthodontic wires. Alterations in stress/strain associated with phase transformation in superelastic nickel-titanium might alter the corrosion rate in ways different from wires not undergoing phase

  8. Strain diversity and phage resistance in complex dairy starter cultures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Spus, M.; Alexeeva, S.V.; Wolkers-Rooijackers, J.C.M.; Zwietering, M.H.; Abee, T.; Smid, E.J.

    2015-01-01

    The compositional stability of the complex Gouda cheese starter culture Ur is thought to be influenced by diversity in phage resistance of highly related strains that co-exist together with bacteriophages. To analyze the role of bacteriophages in maintaining culture diversity at the level of genetic

  9. Submerged-arc wire electrodes with nickel-plated surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hagen, H. vom.

    1976-01-01

    The article reports on the development of SANWELD welding rods at GARHYTTAN's which is a wire free of impurities, copper, and hydrogen with a nickel surface. It is producted according to the SANBOND process. The wire has an optimum of mechanical quality grades depending on the powder used for welding, especially an improvement of notch impact strength. The elongation, especially the long-time values, are improved, hydrogen cracks are excluded depending on the correct powder or protective gas, and the low-temparature values are improved. An attendant phenomenon, which is not unimportant, is that the wires are practically corrosion-resistant in the non-welded state. The wire is suitable for submerged-arc welding in steam boilers and pressure vessels. (IHoe) [de

  10. Preparation, microstructure and degradation performance of biomedical magnesium alloy fine wires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Bai

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available With the development of new biodegradable Mg alloy implant devices, the potential applications of biomedical Mg alloy fine wires are realized and explored gradually. In this study, we prepared three kinds of Mg alloy fine wires containing 4 wt% RE(Gd/Y/Nd and 0.4 wt% Zn with the diameter less than 0.4 μm through casting, hot extruding and multi-pass cold drawing combined with intermediated annealing process. Their microstructures, mechanical and degradation properties were investigated. In comparison with the corresponding as-extruded alloy, the final fine wire has significantly refined grain with an average size of 3–4 μm, and meanwhile shows higher yield strength but lower ductility at room temperature. The degradation tests results and surface morphologies observations indicate that Mg–4Gd–0.4Zn and Mg–4Nd–0.4Zn fine wires have similar good corrosion resistance and the uniform corrosion behavior in SBF solution. By contrast, Mg–4Y–0.4Zn fine wire shows a poor corrosion resistance and the pitting corrosion behavior.

  11. Molecular analysis of exotoxin A associated with antimicrobial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from patients in Tehran hospitals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nour Amirmozafari

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim:  Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a unique bacteria that in order to survive in different environments by complex adaptation process can make changes in his virulence genes expression and drug resistance. The aim of this research is the investigation of existence of a logical association between toxA gene and antibiotic resistance in strains possess the gene. Materials and Methods: Antibiogram test by disk diffusion method (Kirby Bauer was performed according to CLSI protocols. In this study, the existence of toxA gene with the help of polymerase chain reaction (PCR in 102 clinical isolates from blood samples, wound, urine and trachea was examined. Chi-square test was used to investigate the relationship between exotoxin A and antibiotic resistance. Results: The 81 strains (79.4% had toxA gene. Frequency of toxA genes in isolated strains from different infections were wound (91.4%, blood (85.7%, trachea (72.7%, and urine (42.1%. Multiple resistance index in strains possess the toxA gene was calculated 75%. Chi 2 test to determine the relationship between drug resistance and gene toxA was significant (P<0.05. Conclusions: The significant chi-square test and an increase in multi-resistant strains possessing the toxA gene, can represent a considerable genetic switch between exotoxin A activity and resistance to antibiotics in the blood, urine, tracheal, wound infections Respectively, which lead to turn genes on of drug resistance regulating in bacteria. The results of this study will be verified by southern blot, analysis of the expression of toxA gene and determine the mechanism of resistance in resistant strains Methods.

  12. Apt strain measurement technique for impulsive loading applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nanda, Soumya Ranjan; Kulkarni, Vinayak; Sahoo, Niranjan

    2017-01-01

    The necessity of precise measurement of strain time history for impulsive loading applications has been addressed in the present investigation. Finite element modeling is initially carried out for a hemispherical test model and stress bar assembly to arrive at an appropriate location for strain measurement. In dynamic calibration experiments, strain measurements are performed using two wire and three wire quarter bride arrangements along with half bridge circuit. Usefulness of these arrangements has been verified by analyzing strain signals in time and frequency domains. Comparison of recovered force time histories proved that the half bridge circuit is the most suitable for such applications. Actual shock tube testing of the instrumented hemispherical test model confirmed the applicability of half bridge circuit for short duration strain measurements. (technical note)

  13. Electro-mechanical characterization of MgB2 wires for the Superconducting Link Project at CERN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konstantopoulou, K.; Ballarino, A.; Gharib, A.; Stimac, A.; Garcia Gonzalez, M.; Perez Fontenla, A. T.; Sugano, M.

    2016-08-01

    In previous years, the R & D program between CERN and Columbus Superconductors SpA led to the development of several configurations of MgB2 wires. The aim was to achieve excellent superconducting properties in high-current MgB2 cables for the HL-LHC upgrade. In addition to good electrical performance, the superconductor shall have good mechanical strength in view of the stresses during operation (Lorenz forces and thermal contraction) and handling (tension and bending) during cabling and installation at room temperature. Thus, the study of the mechanical properties of MgB2 wires is crucial for the cable design and its functional use. In the present work we report on the electro-mechanical characterization of ex situ processed composite MgB2 wires. Tensile tests (critical current versus strain) were carried out at 4.2 K and in a 3 T external field by means of a purpose-built bespoke device to determine the irreversible strain limit of the wire. The minimum bending radius of the wire was calculated taking into account the dependence of the critical current with the strain and it was then used to obtain the minimum twist pitch of MgB2 wires in the cable. Strands extracted from cables having different configurations were tested to quantify the critical current degradation. The Young’s modulus of the composite wire was measured at room temperature. Finally, all measured mechanical parameters will be used to optimize an 18-strand MgB2 cable configuration.

  14. InGaAs/GaAsP strain balanced multi-quantum wires grown on misoriented GaAs substrates for high efficiency solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alonso-Álvarez, D.; Thomas, T.; Führer, M.; Hylton, N. P.; Ekins-Daukes, N. J.; Lackner, D.; Philipps, S. P.; Bett, A. W.; Sodabanlu, H.; Fujii, H.; Watanabe, K.; Sugiyama, M.; Nasi, L.; Campanini, M.

    2014-01-01

    Quantum wires (QWRs) form naturally when growing strain balanced InGaAs/GaAsP multi-quantum wells (MQW) on GaAs [100] 6° misoriented substrates under the usual growth conditions. The presence of wires instead of wells could have several unexpected consequences for the performance of the MQW solar cells, both positive and negative, that need to be assessed to achieve high conversion efficiencies. In this letter, we study QWR properties from the point of view of their performance as solar cells by means of transmission electron microscopy, time resolved photoluminescence and external quantum efficiency (EQE) using polarised light. We find that these QWRs have longer lifetimes than nominally identical QWs grown on exact [100] GaAs substrates, of up to 1 μs, at any level of illumination. We attribute this effect to an asymmetric carrier escape from the nanostructures leading to a strong 1D-photo-charging, keeping electrons confined along the wire and holes in the barriers. In principle, these extended lifetimes could be exploited to enhance carrier collection and reduce dark current losses. Light absorption by these QWRs is 1.6 times weaker than QWs, as revealed by EQE measurements, which emphasises the need for more layers of nanostructures or the use light trapping techniques. Contrary to what we expected, QWR show very low absorption anisotropy, only 3.5%, which was the main drawback a priori of this nanostructure. We attribute this to a reduced lateral confinement inside the wires. These results encourage further study and optimization of QWRs for high efficiency solar cells.

  15. A single amino acid substitution in isozyme GST mu in Triclabendazole resistant Fasciola hepatica (Sligo strain) can substantially influence the manifestation of anthelmintic resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández, V; Estein, S; Ortiz, P; Luchessi, P; Solana, V; Solana, H

    2015-12-01

    The helminth parasite Fasciola hepatica causes fascioliasis in human and domestic ruminants. Economic losses due to this infection are estimated in U$S 2000-3000 million yearly. The most common method of control is the use of anthelmintic drugs. However, there is an increased concern about the growing appearance of F. hepatica resistance to Triclabendazole (TCBZ), an anthelmintic with activity over adult and young flukes. F. hepatica has eight Glutathione S-Transferase (GST) isozymes, which are enzymes involved in the detoxification of a wide range of substrates through chemical conjugation with glutathione. In the present work we identified and characterized the GST mu gene isolated from the TCBZ-susceptible and TCBZ-resistant F. hepatica strains. Total RNA was transcribed into cDNA by reverse transcription and a 657 bp amplicon corresponding to the GST mu gene was obtained. The comparative genetic analysis of the GST mu gene of the TCBZ susceptible strain (Cullompton) and TCBZ resistant strain (Sligo) showed three nucleotide changes and one amino acid change at position 143 in the GST mu isozyme of the TCBZ-resistant strain. These results have potential relevance as they contribute better understand the mechanisms that generate resistance to anthelmintics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Fatigue life prediction method for contact wire using maximum local stress

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Yong Seok; Haochuang, Li; Seok, Chang Sung; Koo, Jae Mean [Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Ki Won; Kwon, Sam Young; Cho, Yong Hyeon [Korea Railroad Research Institute, Uiwang (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-01-15

    Railway contact wires supplying electricity to trains are exposed to repeated mechanical strain and stress caused by their own weight and discontinuous contact with a pantograph during train operation. Since the speed of railway transportation has increased continuously, railway industries have recently reported a number of contact wire failures caused by mechanical fatigue fractures instead of normal wear, which has been a more common failure mechanism. To secure the safety and durability of contact wires in environments with increased train speeds, a bending fatigue test on contact wire has been performed. The test equipment is too complicated to evaluate the fatigue characteristics of contact wire. Thus, the axial tension fatigue test was performed for a standard specimen, and the bending fatigue life for the contact wire structure was then predicted using the maximum local stress occurring at the top of the contact wire. Lastly, the tested bending fatigue life of the structure was compared with the fatigue life predicted by the axial tension fatigue test for verification.

  17. Fatigue life prediction method for contact wire using maximum local stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yong Seok; Haochuang, Li; Seok, Chang Sung; Koo, Jae Mean; Lee, Ki Won; Kwon, Sam Young; Cho, Yong Hyeon

    2015-01-01

    Railway contact wires supplying electricity to trains are exposed to repeated mechanical strain and stress caused by their own weight and discontinuous contact with a pantograph during train operation. Since the speed of railway transportation has increased continuously, railway industries have recently reported a number of contact wire failures caused by mechanical fatigue fractures instead of normal wear, which has been a more common failure mechanism. To secure the safety and durability of contact wires in environments with increased train speeds, a bending fatigue test on contact wire has been performed. The test equipment is too complicated to evaluate the fatigue characteristics of contact wire. Thus, the axial tension fatigue test was performed for a standard specimen, and the bending fatigue life for the contact wire structure was then predicted using the maximum local stress occurring at the top of the contact wire. Lastly, the tested bending fatigue life of the structure was compared with the fatigue life predicted by the axial tension fatigue test for verification.

  18. Comparison of Vibrio harveyi strains isolated from shrimp farms and from culture collection in terms of toxicity and antibiotic resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakayama, Tatsuya; Ito, Emi; Nomura, Nakao; Nomura, Nobuhiko; Matsumura, Masatoshi

    2006-05-01

    Vibrio harveyi strains isolated from shrimp farms (wild strains) were compared with those from culture collections in terms of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and toxicity. Wild strains had higher MIC values for four antibiotics (kanamycin, carbenicillin, oxytetracycline and ampicillin) and also showed higher toxicity compared with culture collection strains. Vibrio harveyi with the lowest antibacterial resistance was chosen to test if a gradual increase in antibiotic concentration and frequent subculture would enhance its antibiotic resistance. Results showed that V. harveyi was able to develop resistance to oxytetracycline. The MIC value was 250 times higher compared with the MIC before subculturing. Moreover, the V. harveyi strain developed slightly higher toxicity. Therefore, it is possible that there is a relationship between antibiotic resistance and toxicity in V. harveyi.

  19. Characterization of the Metabolically Modified Heavy Metal-Resistant Cupriavidus metallidurans Strain MSR33 Generated for Mercury Bioremediation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rojas, Luis A.; Yáñez, Carolina; González, Myriam; Lobos, Soledad; Smalla, Kornelia; Seeger, Michael

    2011-01-01

    Background Mercury-polluted environments are often contaminated with other heavy metals. Therefore, bacteria with resistance to several heavy metals may be useful for bioremediation. Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 is a model heavy metal-resistant bacterium, but possesses a low resistance to mercury compounds. Methodology/Principal Findings To improve inorganic and organic mercury resistance of strain CH34, the IncP-1β plasmid pTP6 that provides novel merB, merG genes and additional other mer genes was introduced into the bacterium by biparental mating. The transconjugant Cupriavidus metallidurans strain MSR33 was genetically and biochemically characterized. Strain MSR33 maintained stably the plasmid pTP6 over 70 generations under non-selective conditions. The organomercurial lyase protein MerB and the mercuric reductase MerA of strain MSR33 were synthesized in presence of Hg2+. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (mM) for strain MSR33 were: Hg2+, 0.12 and CH3Hg+, 0.08. The addition of Hg2+ (0.04 mM) at exponential phase had not an effect on the growth rate of strain MSR33. In contrast, after Hg2+ addition at exponential phase the parental strain CH34 showed an immediate cessation of cell growth. During exposure to Hg2+ no effects in the morphology of MSR33 cells were observed, whereas CH34 cells exposed to Hg2+ showed a fuzzy outer membrane. Bioremediation with strain MSR33 of two mercury-contaminated aqueous solutions was evaluated. Hg2+ (0.10 and 0.15 mM) was completely volatilized by strain MSR33 from the polluted waters in presence of thioglycolate (5 mM) after 2 h. Conclusions/Significance A broad-spectrum mercury-resistant strain MSR33 was generated by incorporation of plasmid pTP6 that was directly isolated from the environment into C. metallidurans CH34. Strain MSR33 is capable to remove mercury from polluted waters. This is the first study to use an IncP-1β plasmid directly isolated from the environment, to generate a novel and stable bacterial strain

  20. Characterization of the metabolically modified heavy metal-resistant Cupriavidus metallidurans strain MSR33 generated for mercury bioremediation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis A Rojas

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Mercury-polluted environments are often contaminated with other heavy metals. Therefore, bacteria with resistance to several heavy metals may be useful for bioremediation. Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 is a model heavy metal-resistant bacterium, but possesses a low resistance to mercury compounds. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To improve inorganic and organic mercury resistance of strain CH34, the IncP-1β plasmid pTP6 that provides novel merB, merG genes and additional other mer genes was introduced into the bacterium by biparental mating. The transconjugant Cupriavidus metallidurans strain MSR33 was genetically and biochemically characterized. Strain MSR33 maintained stably the plasmid pTP6 over 70 generations under non-selective conditions. The organomercurial lyase protein MerB and the mercuric reductase MerA of strain MSR33 were synthesized in presence of Hg(2+. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (mM for strain MSR33 were: Hg(2+, 0.12 and CH(3Hg(+, 0.08. The addition of Hg(2+ (0.04 mM at exponential phase had not an effect on the growth rate of strain MSR33. In contrast, after Hg(2+ addition at exponential phase the parental strain CH34 showed an immediate cessation of cell growth. During exposure to Hg(2+ no effects in the morphology of MSR33 cells were observed, whereas CH34 cells exposed to Hg(2+ showed a fuzzy outer membrane. Bioremediation with strain MSR33 of two mercury-contaminated aqueous solutions was evaluated. Hg(2+ (0.10 and 0.15 mM was completely volatilized by strain MSR33 from the polluted waters in presence of thioglycolate (5 mM after 2 h. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A broad-spectrum mercury-resistant strain MSR33 was generated by incorporation of plasmid pTP6 that was directly isolated from the environment into C. metallidurans CH34. Strain MSR33 is capable to remove mercury from polluted waters. This is the first study to use an IncP-1β plasmid directly isolated from the environment, to generate a novel

  1. Biotransformation of albendazole and activities of selected detoxification enzymes in Haemonchus contortus strains susceptible and resistant to anthelmintics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vokřál, Ivan; Jirásko, Robert; Stuchlíková, Lucie; Bártíková, Hana; Szotáková, Barbora; Lamka, Jiří; Várady, Marián; Skálová, Lenka

    2013-09-23

    The increased activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes can protect helminths against the toxic effect of anthelmintics. The aim of this study was to compare the metabolism of the anthelmintic drug albendazole (ABZ) and the activities of selected biotransformation and antioxidant enzymes in three different strains of Haemonchus contortus: the ISE strain (susceptible to common anthelmintics), the BR strain (resistant to benzimidazole anthelmintics) and the WR strain (multi-resistant). H. contortus adults were collected from the abomasum of experimentally infected lambs. In vitro (subcellular fractions of H. contortus homogenate) as well as ex vivo (living nematodes cultivated in flasks with medium) experiments were performed. HPLC with spectrofluorimetric and mass-spectrometric detection was used in the analysis of ABZ metabolites. The in vitro activities of oxidation/antioxidation and conjugation enzymes toward model substrates were also assayed. The in vitro data showed significant differences between the susceptible (ISE) and resistant (BR, WR) strains regarding the activities of peroxidases, catalase and UDP-glucosyltransferases. S-oxidation of ABZ was significantly lower in BR than in the ISE strain. Ex vivo, four ABZ metabolites were identified: ABZ sulphoxide and three ABZ glucosides. In the resistant strains BR and WR, the ex vivo formation of all ABZ glucosides was significantly higher than in the susceptible ISE strain. The altered activities of certain detoxifying enzymes might partly protect the parasites against the toxic effect of the drugs as well as contribute to drug-resistance in these parasites. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. What is the mechanism for persistent coexistence of drug-susceptible and drug-resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colijn, Caroline; Cohen, Ted; Fraser, Christophe; Hanage, William; Goldstein, Edward; Givon-Lavi, Noga; Dagan, Ron; Lipsitch, Marc

    2010-01-01

    The rise of antimicrobial resistance in many pathogens presents a major challenge to the treatment and control of infectious diseases. Furthermore, the observation that drug-resistant strains have risen to substantial prevalence but have not replaced drug-susceptible strains despite continuing (and even growing) selective pressure by antimicrobial use presents an important problem for those who study the dynamics of infectious diseases. While simple competition models predict the exclusion of one strain in favour of whichever is ‘fitter’, or has a higher reproduction number, we argue that in the case of Streptococcus pneumoniae there has been persistent coexistence of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains, with neither approaching 100 per cent prevalence. We have previously proposed that models seeking to understand the origins of coexistence should not incorporate implicit mechanisms that build in stable coexistence ‘for free’. Here, we construct a series of such ‘structurally neutral’ models that incorporate various features of bacterial spread and host heterogeneity that have been proposed as mechanisms that may promote coexistence. We ask to what extent coexistence is a typical outcome in each. We find that while coexistence is possible in each of the models we consider, it is relatively rare, with two exceptions: (i) allowing simultaneous dual transmission of sensitive and resistant strains lets coexistence become a typical outcome, as does (ii) modelling each strain as competing more strongly with itself than with the other strain, i.e. self-immunity greater than cross-immunity. We conclude that while treatment and contact heterogeneity can promote coexistence to some extent, the in-host interactions between strains, particularly the interplay between coinfection, multiple infection and immunity, play a crucial role in the long-term population dynamics of pathogens with drug resistance. PMID:19940002

  3. Novel plasmids and resistance phenotypes in Yersinia pestis: unique plasmid inventory of strain Java 9 mediates high levels of arsenic resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eppinger, Mark; Radnedge, Lyndsay; Andersen, Gary; Vietri, Nicholas; Severson, Grant; Mou, Sherry; Ravel, Jacques; Worsham, Patricia L

    2012-01-01

    Growing evidence suggests that the plasmid repertoire of Yersinia pestis is not restricted to the three classical virulence plasmids. The Java 9 strain of Y. pestis is a biovar Orientalis isolate obtained from a rat in Indonesia. Although it lacks the Y. pestis-specific plasmid pMT, which encodes the F1 capsule, it retains virulence in mouse and non-human primate animal models. While comparing diverse Y. pestis strains using subtractive hybridization, we identified sequences in Java 9 that were homologous to a Y. enterocolitica strain carrying the transposon Tn2502, which is known to encode arsenic resistance. Here we demonstrate that Java 9 exhibits high levels of arsenic and arsenite resistance mediated by a novel promiscuous class II transposon, named Tn2503. Arsenic resistance was self-transmissible from Java 9 to other Y. pestis strains via conjugation. Genomic analysis of the atypical plasmid inventory of Java 9 identified pCD and pPCP plasmids of atypical size and two previously uncharacterized cryptic plasmids. Unlike the Tn2502-mediated arsenic resistance encoded on the Y. enterocolitica virulence plasmid; the resistance loci in Java 9 are found on all four indigenous plasmids, including the two novel cryptic plasmids. This unique mobilome introduces more than 105 genes into the species gene pool. The majority of these are encoded by the two entirely novel self-transmissible plasmids, which show partial homology and synteny to other enterics. In contrast to the reductive evolution in Y. pestis, this study underlines the major impact of a dynamic mobilome and lateral acquisition in the genome evolution of the plague bacterium.

  4. Novel plasmids and resistance phenotypes in Yersinia pestis: unique plasmid inventory of strain Java 9 mediates high levels of arsenic resistance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark Eppinger

    Full Text Available Growing evidence suggests that the plasmid repertoire of Yersinia pestis is not restricted to the three classical virulence plasmids. The Java 9 strain of Y. pestis is a biovar Orientalis isolate obtained from a rat in Indonesia. Although it lacks the Y. pestis-specific plasmid pMT, which encodes the F1 capsule, it retains virulence in mouse and non-human primate animal models. While comparing diverse Y. pestis strains using subtractive hybridization, we identified sequences in Java 9 that were homologous to a Y. enterocolitica strain carrying the transposon Tn2502, which is known to encode arsenic resistance. Here we demonstrate that Java 9 exhibits high levels of arsenic and arsenite resistance mediated by a novel promiscuous class II transposon, named Tn2503. Arsenic resistance was self-transmissible from Java 9 to other Y. pestis strains via conjugation. Genomic analysis of the atypical plasmid inventory of Java 9 identified pCD and pPCP plasmids of atypical size and two previously uncharacterized cryptic plasmids. Unlike the Tn2502-mediated arsenic resistance encoded on the Y. enterocolitica virulence plasmid; the resistance loci in Java 9 are found on all four indigenous plasmids, including the two novel cryptic plasmids. This unique mobilome introduces more than 105 genes into the species gene pool. The majority of these are encoded by the two entirely novel self-transmissible plasmids, which show partial homology and synteny to other enterics. In contrast to the reductive evolution in Y. pestis, this study underlines the major impact of a dynamic mobilome and lateral acquisition in the genome evolution of the plague bacterium.

  5. Effect of Bacteriophages on the Growth of Flavobacterium psychrophilum and Development of Phage-Resistant Strains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Rói Hammershaimb; Madsen, Lone; Dalsgaard, Inger

    2016-01-01

    The controlling effect of single and multiple phages on the density of Flavobacterium psychrophilum at different initial multiplicity of infection (MOI) was assessed in batch cultures to explore the potential for phage-based treatment of this important fish pathogen. A high initial phage concentr......The controlling effect of single and multiple phages on the density of Flavobacterium psychrophilum at different initial multiplicity of infection (MOI) was assessed in batch cultures to explore the potential for phage-based treatment of this important fish pathogen. A high initial phage...... concentration (MOI = 0.3–4) was crucial for efficient viral lysis, resulting in a 104–105-fold reduction of phage-sensitive cells (both single phages and phage cocktails), which was maintained throughout the incubation (>10 days). Following cell lysis, regrowth of phage-resistant strains was examined...... and resistant strains were isolated for further characterization. The application of a mathematical model allowed simulation of phage-host interactions and resistance development, confirming indications from strain isolations that phage-sensitive strains dominated the regrowing population (>99.8 %) at low MOI...

  6. Increasing antibiotic resistance in preservative-tolerant bacterial strains isolated from cosmetic products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orús, Pilar; Gomez-Perez, Laura; Leranoz, Sonia; Berlanga, Mercedes

    2015-03-01

    To ensure the microbiological quality, consumer safety and organoleptic properties of cosmetic products, manufacturers need to comply with defined standards using several preservatives and disinfectants. A drawback regarding the use of these preservatives is the possibility of generating cross-insusceptibility to other disinfectants or preservatives, as well as cross resistance to antibiotics. Therefore, the objective of this study was to understand the adaptive mechanisms of Enterobacter gergoviae, Pseudomonas putida and Burkholderia cepacia that are involved in recurrent contamination in cosmetic products containing preservatives. Diminished susceptibility to formaldehyde-donors was detected in isolates but not to other preservatives commonly used in the cosmetics industry, although increasing resistance to different antibiotics (β-lactams, quinolones, rifampicin, and tetracycline) was demonstrated in these strains when compared with the wild-type strain. The outer membrane protein modifications and efflux mechanism activities responsible for the resistance trait were evaluated. The development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms due to the selective pressure from preservatives included in cosmetic products could be a risk for the emergence and spread of bacterial resistance in the environment. Nevertheless, the large contribution of disinfection and preservation cannot be denied in cosmetic products. Copyright© by the Spanish Society for Microbiology and Institute for Catalan Studies.

  7. Differential expression of glutathione s-transferase enzyme in different life stages of various insecticide-resistant strains of Anopheles stephensi: a malaria vector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanil, D; Shetty, V; Shetty, N J

    2014-06-01

    Interest in insect glutathione s-transferases (GSTs) has primarily focused on their role in insecticide resistance. These play an important role in biotransformation and detoxification of many different xenobiotic and endogenous substances including insecticides. The GST activity among 10 laboratory selected insecticide resistant and susceptible/control strains of Anopheles stephensi was compared using the substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB). The difference in the GST activities of different life stages of diverse insecticide resistant strains was compared and presented. About 100 larvae, pupae, adult males, adult females and eggs (100 μg in total weight) were collected and used for the experiment. The extracts were prepared from each of the insecticide-resistant strains and control. Protein contents of the enzyme homogenate and GST activities were determined. Deltamethrin and cyfluthrin-resistant strains of An. stephensi showed significantly higher GST activity. Larvae and pupae of DDT-resistant strain showed peak GST activity followed by the propoxur-resistant strain. On contrary, the GST activity was found in reduced quantity in alphamethrin, bifenthrin, carbofuran and chloropyrifos resistant strains. Adults of either sexes showed higher GST activity in mosquito strain resistant to organophosphate group of insecticides namely, temephos and chloropyrifos. The GST activity was closely associated with almost all of the insecticides used in the study, strengthening the fact that one of the mechanisms associated with resistance includes an increase of GST activity. This comparative data on GST activity in An. stephensi can be useful database to identify possible underlying mechanisms governing insecticide-resistance by GSTs.

  8. Occurrence of Antibiotic resistance in some bacterial strains due to gamma radiation, heavy metals or food preservatives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mattar, Z.A.; Bashandy, A.S.

    2006-01-01

    The susceptibility of bacterial strains (B. cereus, Staph. aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella) against 10 different antibiotics that are commonly used against food borne pathogens was studied. All the tested strains were observed to tolerate up to 100 mg/l copper sulphate or lead acetate, and there was a positive correlations between the tolerance to high levels of Cu or Pb and multiple antibiotic resistance was investigated. When the food preservatives (potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate) were added to the growth medium at different concentrations, the bacterial strains were able to tolerate up to 1000 ppm potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate (MIC). The antibiotic resistance of these strains was increased when grown on media supplemented with the MIC of sodium sorbate or potassium benzoate. When these bacterial strains were irradiated at dose levels of 1 or 3 or 5 KGy and examined for antibiotic sensitivity, a correlation was observed between the increases of radiation dose up to 5 KGy and the antibiotic resistance in all the studied strains

  9. Microalgal sensitivity varies between a diuron-resistant strain and two wild strains when exposed to diuron and irgarol, alone and in mixtures

    OpenAIRE

    Dupraz, Valentin; Coquille, Nathalie; Menard, Dominique; Sussarellu, Rossana; Haugarreau, Larissa; Stachowski-haberkorn, Sabine

    2016-01-01

    A wild strain of Chaetoceros calcitrans and wild and diuron-resistant strains of Tetraselmis suecica, were exposed to the PSII inhibitor herbicides diuron and irgarol, individually and in mixtures. The effects of three concentrations of diuron and irgarol and four binary mixtures were evaluated on doubling time, relative reactive oxygen species and lipid content by flow cytometry, and on photosynthetic efficiency by pulse amplitude modulated fluorescence. In both wild strains, significant...

  10. FIND Tuberculosis Strain Bank: a Resource for Researchers and Developers Working on Tests To Detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Related Drug Resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tessema, Belay; Nabeta, Pamela; Valli, Eloise; Albertini, Audrey; Collantes, Jimena; Lan, Nguyen Huu; Romancenco, Elena; Tukavdze, Nestani; Denkinger, Claudia M; Dolinger, David L

    2017-04-01

    The spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB hampers global efforts in the fight against tuberculosis. To enhance the development and evaluation of diagnostic tests quickly and efficiently, well-characterized strains and samples from drug-resistant tuberculosis patients are necessary. In this project, the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) has focused on the collection, characterization, and storage of such well-characterized reference materials and making them available to researchers and developers. The collection is being conducted at multiple centers in Southeast Asia, South America, Eastern Europe, and soon the sub-Saharan Africa regions. Strains are characterized for their phenotypic resistances and MICs to first-line drugs (FLDs) and second-line drugs (SLDs) using the automated MGIT 960 system following validated procedures and WHO criteria. Analysis of resistance-associated mutations is done by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) using the Illumina NextSeq system. Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit-variable-number tandem-repeat analysis and WGS are used to determine strain lineages. All strains are maintained frozen at -80°C ± 10°C as distinct mother and daughter lots. All strains are extensively quality assured. The data presented here represent an analysis of the initial part of the collection. Currently, the bank contains 118 unique strains with extracted genomic DNA and matched sputum, serum, and plasma samples and will be expanded to a minimum of 1,000 unique strains over the next 3 years. Analysis of the current strains by phenotypic resistance testing shows 102 (86.4%), 10 (8.5%), and 6 (5.1%) MDR, XDR, and mono/poly resistant strains, respectively. Two of the strains are resistant to all 11 drugs that were phenotypically tested. WGS mutation analysis revealed FLD resistance-associated mutations in the rpoB , katG , inhA , embB , embA , and pncA genes; SLD resistance in the gyr

  11. Effect of wire shape on wire array discharge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimomura, N.; Tanaka, Y.; Yushita, Y.; Nagata, M.; Teramoto, Y.; Katsuki, S.; Akiyama, H.

    2001-01-01

    Although considerable investigations have been reported on z-pinches to achieve nuclear fusion, little attention has been given from the point of view of how a wire array consisting of many parallel wires explodes. Instability existing in the wire array discharge has been shown. In this paper, the effect of wire shape in the wire array on unstable behavior of the wire array discharge is represented by numerical analysis. The claws on the wire formed in installation of wire may cause uniform current distribution on wire array. The effect of error of wire diameter in production is computed by Monte Carlo Method. (author)

  12. Effect of wire shape on wire array discharge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimomura, N.; Tanaka, Y.; Yushita, Y.; Nagata, M. [University of Tokushima, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Tokushima (Japan); Teramoto, Y.; Katsuki, S.; Akiyama, H. [Kumamoto University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kumamoto (Japan)

    2001-09-01

    Although considerable investigations have been reported on z-pinches to achieve nuclear fusion, little attention has been given from the point of view of how a wire array consisting of many parallel wires explodes. Instability existing in the wire array discharge has been shown. In this paper, the effect of wire shape in the wire array on unstable behavior of the wire array discharge is represented by numerical analysis. The claws on the wire formed in installation of wire may cause uniform current distribution on wire array. The effect of error of wire diameter in production is computed by Monte Carlo Method. (author)

  13. Antibiofilm Effects of Lactobacilli against Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains in Pasteurized Milk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahsa Yeganeh

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available  Background and Objective: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli-induced urinary tract infections are the most common uropathogenic Escherichia coli etiological agent. In addition, most of biofilms created by these bacteria can be regarded as a serious problem in the food industry. Foodborne diseases have always been considered an emerging public health concern throughout the world. Many outbreaks have been found to be associated with biofilms. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate the anti-adhesive effects of lactic acid bacteria against strains of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Uropathogenic Escherichia coli using microbial techniques in pasteurized milk.Material and Methods: In this study, strains of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus were provided from Pasteur Institute of Iran. Twenty strains of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli-Induced Urinary Tract Infections were isolated from patients with urinary tract infection in Shahid Labbafinejad hospital of Iran. Eight strains with ability of biofilm formation were selected for microbial tests. All of these eight strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Disk diffusion method was used to assess the susceptibility of all isolates to the ten common antibiotics. Eight samples of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli were inoculated in pasteurized milk. The microtitre plate 100 method was used to detect anti-adhesive activity of lactobacilli supernatant.Results and Conclusion: Results showed that the eight human isolates were resistant to antibiotics. Isolate of number 4 was the most susceptible strains to antibiofilm effects of lactobacilli in the pasteurized milk. The anti-adhesive effects of lactobacilli on Uropathogenic were confirmed in all microbial tests. In this study, Lactobacillus plantarum revealed the highest inhibitory activity against Uropathogenic Escherichia coli 4 strain with inhibition zones of 42 mm. This strain was reported as a proper probiotic

  14. Inhibition of Hyphal Growth of Azole-Resistant Strains of Candida albicans by Triazole Antifungal Agents in the Presence of Lactoferrin-Related Compounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakabayashi, Hiroyuki; Abe, Shigeru; Teraguchi, Susumu; Hayasawa, Hirotoshi; Yamaguchi, Hideyo

    1998-01-01

    The effects of bovine lactoferrin (LF) or the LF-derived antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin B (LFcin B) on the growth of Candida albicans hyphae, including those of three azole-resistant strains, were investigated by a crystal violet staining method. The hyphae of two highly azole-resistant strains were more susceptible to inhibition by LF or LFcin B than the azole-susceptible strains tested. One moderately azole-resistant strain was defective in the formation of hyphae and showed a susceptibility to LF greater than that of the susceptible strains but a susceptibility to LFcin B similar to that of the susceptible strains. The highly azole-resistant strain TIMM3317 showed trailing growth in the presence of fluconazole or itraconazole, while the extent of growth was reduced by the addition of LF or LFcin B at a sub-MIC. Thus, the addition of LF or LFcin B at a sub-MIC resulted in a substantial decrease in the MICs of fluconazole and itraconazole for two highly azole-resistant strains; e.g., the MIC of fluconazole for TIMM3317 was shifted from >256 to 0.25 μg/ml by LF, but the MICs were not decreased for the susceptible strains. The combination effects observed with triazoles and LF-related compounds in the case of the two highly azole-resistant strains were confirmed to be synergistic by the fractional inhibitory concentration index. These results demonstrate that for some azole-resistant C. albicans strains, LF-related compounds combined with triazoles can inhibit the growth of hyphae, an important form of this organism in pathogenesis. PMID:9660988

  15. Texture investigation in the trench depth direction of very fine copper wires less than 100 nm wide using electron backscatter diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khoo, Khyoupin; Onuki, Jin

    2010-01-01

    We clarified the correlations between resistivity and microstructures in the depth direction of copper (Cu) wires. The resistivity of Cu wires increased with the polishing depth ΔH, and the influence of ΔH on resistivity increment was significant for 60 nm wide Cu wires. We attributed this to the fact that the deeper the depth and the finer the line width, the smaller are the grain sizes and the lower are the fractions of {111} textures and Σ3 coincident site lattice boundaries. Among the above factors, the grain size was the dominant factor determining the resistivity of less than 100 nm wide Cu wire.

  16. Whole-genome pyrosequencing of an epidemic multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strain belonging to the European clone II group

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iacono, M.; Villa, L.; Fortini, D.

    2008-01-01

    The whole-genome sequence of an epidemic, multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strain (strain ACICU) belonging to the European clone II group and carrying the plasmid-mediated bla(OXA-58) carbapenem resistance gene was determined. The A. baumannii ACICU genome was compared with the genomes...

  17. Sliding mechanics of coated composite wires and the development of an engineering model for binding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zufall, S W; Kusy, R P

    2000-02-01

    A tribological (friction and wear) study, which was designed to simulate clinical sliding mechanics, was conducted as part of an effort to determine the suitability of poly(chloro-p-xylylene) coatings for composite orthodontic archwires. Prototype composite wires, having stiffnesses similar to those of current initial and intermediate alignment wires, were tested against stainless steel and ceramic brackets in the passive and active configurations (with and without angulation). Kinetic coefficient of friction values, which were determined to quantify sliding resistances as functions of the normal forces of ligation, had a mean that was 72% greater than uncoated wire couples at 0.43. To improve analysis of the active configuration, a mathematical model was developed that related bracket angulation, bracket width, interbracket distance, wire geometry, and wire elastic modulus to sliding resistance. From this model, kinetic coefficients of binding were determined to quantify sliding resistances as functions of the normal forces of binding. The mean binding coefficient was the same as that of uncoated wire couples at 0.42. Although penetrations through the coating were observed on many specimens, the glass-fiber reinforcement within the composite wires was undamaged for all conditions tested. This finding implies that the risk of glass fiber release during clinical use would be eliminated by the coating. In addition, the frictional and binding coefficients were still within the limits outlined by conventional orthodontic wire-bracket couples. Consequently, the coatings were regarded as an improvement to the clinical acceptability of composite orthodontic archwires.

  18. Antibacterial effect of roselle extracts (Hibiscus sabadariffa), sodium hypochlorite and acetic acid against multidrug-resistant Salmonella strains isolated from tomatoes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutiérrez-Alcántara, E J; Rangel-Vargas, E; Gómez-Aldapa, C A; Falfan-Cortes, R N; Rodríguez-Marín, M L; Godínez-Oviedo, A; Cortes-López, H; Castro-Rosas, J

    2016-02-01

    Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella strains were isolated from saladette and red round type tomatoes, and an analysis done of the antibacterial activity of roselle calyx extracts against any of the identified strains. One hundred saladette tomato samples and 100 red round tomato samples were collected from public markets. Each sample consisted of four whole tomatoes. Salmonella was isolated from the samples by conventional culture procedure. Susceptibility to 16 antibiotics was tested for the isolated Salmonella strains by standard test. The antibacterial effect of four roselle calyx extracts (water, methanol, acetone and ethyl acetate), sodium hypochlorite and acetic acid against antibiotic-resistant Salmonella isolates was evaluated on contaminated tomatoes. Twenty-four Salmonella strains were isolated from 12% of each tomato type. Identified Salmonella serotypes were Typhimurium and Typhi. All isolated strains exhibited resistance to at least three antibiotics and some to as many as 12. Over contaminated tomatoes, the roselle calyx extracts produced a greater reduction (2-2·6 log) in antibiotic-resistant Salmonella strain concentration than sodium hypochlorite and acetic acid. The presence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella in vegetables is a significant public health concern. Multidrug-resistant Salmonella strains were isolated from raw tomatoes purchased in public markets in Mexico and challenged with roselle Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx extracts, sodium hypochlorite and acetic acid. On tomatoes, the extracts caused a greater reduction in the concentration of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella strains than sodium hypochlorite and acetic acid. Roselle calyx extracts are a potentially useful addition to disinfection procedures of raw tomatoes in the field, processing plants, restaurants and homes. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  19. Insecticide resistance in two Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) strains from Costa Rica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bisset, J A; Marín, R; Rodríguez, M M; Severson, D W; Ricardo, Y; French, L; Díaz, M; Pérez, O

    2013-03-01

    Dengue (family Flaviridae, genus Flavivirus, DENV) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are presently important public health problems in Costa Rica. The primary strategy for disease control is based on reducing population densities of the main mosquito vector Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae). This is heavily dependent on use of chemical insecticides, thus the development of resistance is a frequent threat to control program effectiveness. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of insecticide resistance and the metabolic resistance mechanisms involved in two Ae. aegypti strains collected from two provinces (Puntarenas and Limon) in Costa Rica. Bioassays with larvae were performed according to World Health Organization guidelines and resistance in adults was measured through standard bottle assays. The activities of beta-esterases, cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, and glutathione S-transferases (GST), were assayed through synergists and biochemical tests, wherein the threshold criteria for each enzyme was established using the susceptible Rockefeller strain. The results showed higher resistance levels to the organophosphate (OP) temephos and the pyrethroid deltamethrin in larvae. The efficacy of commercial formulations of temephos in controlling Ae. aegypti populations was 100% mortality up to 11 and 12 d posttreatment with daily water replacements in test containers. Temephos and deltamethrin resistance in larvae were associated with high esterase activity, but not to cytochrome P450 monooxygenase or GST activities. Adult mosquitoes were resistant to deltamethrin, and susceptible to bendiocarb, chlorpyrifos, and cypermethrin. Because temephos and deltamethrin resistance are emerging at the studied sites, alternative insecticides should be considered. The insecticides chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin could be good candidates to use as alternatives for Ae. aegypti control.

  20. Negative differential resistance in a one-dimensional molecular wire ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    voltage characteristics of a one-dimensional molecular wire with odd number of ... lem, although interesting both from a fundamental point of view and in terms of ..... SKP acknowledges the DST, Government of India, for financial support.

  1. Tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli strains are inherited from parents and persist in the infant's intestines in the absence of selective pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prelog, Martina; Grif, Katharina; Decristoforo, Cornelia; Würzner, Reinhard; Kiechl-Kohlendorfer, Ursula; Brunner, Andrea; Zimmerhackl, Lothar Bernd; Orth, Dorothea

    2009-10-01

    The study investigated tetracycline (TC), ampicillin (AMP), cefazolin (CEF), and trimethoprim (TMP) resistance in Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the feces of 21 infants up to 6 months of age and in their parents in the absence of selective antimicrobial pressure. Clonality of strains was assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Three infants had resistant E. coli strains in their feces identical to the mothers' from week 1 on, which persisted over weeks. From week 2 on, in another four infants, persisting resistant E. coli were found, two of them identical to the mothers'. All of these persisting E. coli strains (except one family) showed at least resistance to TC. In infants, resistant E. coli strains inherited from their mothers tended to persist over months. Therefore, the persistence of resistant E. coli and their possible capacity to cause symptomatic infection or transfer its resistance genes to other bacteria deserves more attention.

  2. Niobium Titanium and Copper wire samples

    CERN Multimedia

    2009-01-01

    Two wire samples, both for carrying 13'000Amperes. I sample is copper. The other is the Niobium Titanium wiring used in the LHC magnets. The high magnetic fields needed for guiding particles around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) ring are created by passing 12’500 amps of current through coils of superconducting wiring. At very low temperatures, superconductors have no electrical resistance and therefore no power loss. The LHC is the largest superconducting installation ever built. The magnetic field must also be extremely uniform. This means the current flowing in the coils has to be very precisely controlled. Indeed, nowhere before has such precision been achieved at such high currents. Magnet coils are made of copper-clad niobium–titanium cables — each wire in the cable consists of 9’000 niobium–titanium filaments ten times finer than a hair. The cables carry up to 12’500 amps and must withstand enormous electromagnetic forces. At full field, the force on one metre of magnet is comparable ...

  3. Effects of nanostructured, diamondlike, carbon coating and nitrocarburizing on the frictional properties and biocompatibility of orthodontic stainless steel wires.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hao; Guo, Shuyu; Wang, Dongyue; Zhou, Tingting; Wang, Lin; Ma, Junqing

    2016-09-01

    To evaluate and compare the effects of nanostructured, diamondlike, carbon (DLC) coating and nitrocarburizing on the frictional properties and biocompatibility of orthodontic stainless steel archwires. Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technology was applied to coat DLC films onto the surface of austenitic stainless steel wires, and salt-bath nitrocarburizing technology was employed to achieve surface hardening of other wires. Surface and cross-sectional characteristics, microhardness, modulus of elasticity, friction resistance, corrosion resistance, and cell toxicity of the modified and control wires were analyzed. The surfaces of the DLC-coated and nitrocarburized wires were both smooth and even. Compared with the control, the DLC-coated wires were increased in surface hardness 1.46 times, decreased in elastic modulus, reduced in kinetic friction coefficient by 40.71%, and decreased in corrosion current density by two orders of magnitude. The nitrocarburized wire was increased in surface hardness 2.39 times, exhibited an unchanged elastic modulus, demonstrated a decrease in maximum static friction force of 22.2%, and rose in corrosion current density two orders of magnitude. Cytotoxicity tests revealed no significant toxicity associated with the modified wires. DLC coating and nitrocarburizing significantly improved the surface hardness of the wires, reduced friction, and exhibited good biocompatibility. The nanostructured DLC coating provided excellent corrosion resistance and good elasticity, and while the nitrocarburizing technique substantially improved frictional properties, it reduced the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel wires to a lesser extent.

  4. Dislocation-based plasticity and strengthening mechanisms in sub-20 nm lamellar structures in pearlitic steel wire

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xiaodan; Hansen, Niels; Godfrey, Andrew

    2016-01-01

    The tensile properties and the deformation microstructure of pearlitic steel (0.8 wt % C) have been quantified in wires drawn to strains in the range from 3.7 to 5.4, having a flow stress in the range from 3.5 to 4.5 GPa. With increasing strain the interlamellar spacing (ILS) decreases from about...... mechanism in the wire and three strengthening mechanisms are applied: boundary strengthening, dislocation strengthening and solid solution hardening with their relative contributions to the total flow stress which change as the strain is increased. Based on linear additivity good correspondence between...

  5. Fluoride influences nickel-titanium orthodontic wires′ surface texture and friction resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mona Aly Abbassy

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects exerted by the acidulated fluoride gel on stainless steel and nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti orthodontic wires. Materials and Methods: Sixty stainless steel and Ni-Ti orthodontic archwires were distributed into forty archwires used for in vitro study and twenty for in situ study. Fluoride was applied for 1 h in the in vitro experiment while it was applied for 5 min in the in situ experiment. The friction resistance of all wires with ceramic brackets before/after topical fluoride application was measured using a universal testing machine at 1 min intervals of moving wire. Moreover, surface properties of the tested wires before/after fluoride application and before/after friction test were examined by a scanning electron microscope (SEM. Dunnett′s t-test was used to compare frictional resistance of as-received stainless steel wires and Ni-Ti wires to the wires treated by fluoride in vitro and in situ (P < 0.05. Two-way ANOVA was used to compare the effect of fluoride application and type of wire on friction resistance in vitro and in situ (P < 0.05. Results: Ni-Ti wires recorded significantly high friction resistance after fluoride application when compared to stainless steel wires in vitro, P < 0.05. Fluoride application did not significantly affect the friction resistance of the tested wires in situ, P < 0.05. SEM observation revealed deterioration of the surface texture of the Ni-Ti wires after fluoride application in vitro and in situ. Conclusions: The in vitro fluoride application caused an increase in friction resistance of Ni-Ti wires when compared to stainless steel wires. In vitro and in situ fluoride application caused deterioration in surface properties of Ni-Ti wires.

  6. Evaluation of the Enterococcus faecalis Biofilm-Associated Virulence Factors AhrC and Eep in Rat Foreign Body Osteomyelitis and In Vitro Biofilm-Associated Antimicrobial Resistance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristi L Frank

    Full Text Available Enterococcus faecalis can cause healthcare-associated biofilm infections, including those of orthopedic devices. Treatment of enterococcal prosthetic joint infection is difficult, in part, due to biofilm-associated antimicrobial resistance. We previously showed that the E. faecalis OG1RF genes ahrC and eep are in vitro biofilm determinants and virulence factors in animal models of endocarditis and catheter-associated urinary tract infection. In this study, we evaluated the role of these genes in a rat acute foreign body osteomyelitis model and in in vitro biofilm-associated antimicrobial resistance. Osteomyelitis was established for one week following the implantation of stainless steel orthopedic wires inoculated with E. faecalis strains OG1RF, ΩahrC, and ∆eep into the proximal tibiae of rats. The median bacterial loads recovered from bones and wires did not differ significantly between the strains at multiple inoculum concentrations. We hypothesize that factors present at the infection site that affect biofilm formation, such as the presence or absence of shear force, may account for the differences in attenuation in the various animal models we have used to study the ΩahrC and ∆eep strains. No differences among the three strains were observed in the planktonic and biofilm antimicrobial susceptibilities to ampicillin, vancomycin, daptomycin, linezolid, and tetracycline. These findings suggest that neither ahrC nor eep directly contribute to E. faecalis biofilm-associated antimicrobial resistance. Notably, the experimental evidence that the biofilm attachment mutant ΩahrC displays biofilm-associated antimicrobial resistance suggests that surface colonization alone is sufficient for E. faecalis cells to acquire the biofilm antimicrobial resistance phenotype.

  7. Functional analysis of a novel hydrogen peroxide resistance gene in Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serata, Masaki; Kiwaki, Mayumi; Iino, Tohru

    2016-11-01

    Lactic acid bacteria have a variety of mechanisms for tolerance to oxygen and reactive oxygen species, and these mechanisms differ among species. Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota grows well under aerobic conditions, indicating that the various systems involved in oxidative stress resistance function in this strain. To elucidate the mechanism of oxidative stress resistance in L. casei strain Shirota, we examined the transcriptome response to oxygen or hydrogen peroxide exposure. We then focused on an uncharacterized gene that was found to be up-regulated by both oxygen and hydrogen peroxide stress; we named the gene hprA1 (hydrogen peroxide resistance gene). This gene is widely distributed among lactobacilli. We investigated the involvement of this gene in oxidative stress resistance, as well as the mechanism of tolerance to hydrogen peroxide. Growth of L. casei MS105, an hprA1-disrupted mutant, was not affected by oxygen stress, whereas the survival rate of MS105 after hydrogen peroxide treatment was markedly reduced compared to that of the wild-type. However, the activity of MS105 in eliminating hydrogen peroxide was similar to that of the wild-type. We cloned hprA1 from L. caseiShirota and purified recombinant HprA1 protein from Escherichia coli. We demonstrated that the recombinant HprA1 protein bound to iron and prevented the formation of a hydroxyl radical in vitro. Thus, HprA1 protein probably contributes to hydrogen peroxide tolerance in L. casei strain Shirota by binding to iron in the cells and preventing the formation of a hydroxyl radical.

  8. Acid resistance and response to pH-induced stress in two Lactobacillus plantarum strains with probiotic potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šeme, H; Gjuračić, K; Kos, B; Fujs, Š; Štempelj, M; Petković, H; Šušković, J; Bogovič Matijašić, B; Kosec, G

    2015-01-01

    Two new Lactobacillus plantarum strains, KR6-DSM 28780 and M5 isolated from sour turnip and traditional dried fresh cheese, respectively, were evaluated for species identity, antibiotic susceptibility, resistance to gastrointestinal conditions and adaptive response to low pH. Resistance mechanisms involved in the adaptation to acid-induced stress in these two strains were investigated by quantitative PCR of the atpA, cfa1, mleS and hisD genes. In addition to absence of antibiotic resistance, the two L. plantarum strains showed excellent survival rates at pH values as low as 2.4. Adaptive response to low pH was clearly observed in both strains; strain KR6 was superior to M5, as demonstrated by its ability to survive during 3 h incubation at pH 2.0 upon adaptation to moderately acidic conditions. In contrast, acid adaptation did not significantly affect the survival rate during simulated passage through the gastrointestinal tract. In both strains, induction of histidine biosynthesis (hisD) was upregulated during the acid adaptation response. In addition, significant upregulation of the cfa1 gene, involved in modulation of membrane fatty acid composition, was observed during the adaptation phase in strain KR6 but not in strain M5. Cells adapted to moderately acidic conditions also showed a significantly increased viability after the lyophilisation procedure, a cross-protection phenomenon providing additional advantage in probiotic application.

  9. Enhancement of bile resistance in Lactobacillus plantarum strains by soy lecithin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, B; Tian, F; Wang, G; Zhang, Q; Zhao, J; Zhang, H; Chen, W

    2015-07-01

    This study evaluated the effect of soy lecithin on the bile resistance of Lactobacillus plantarum. Six strains were cultured in MRS broth supplemented with soy lecithin at different concentrations. The strains incubated in MRS broth with 1·0% soy lecithin showed no inhibitory effect on cell growth. After culturing in MRS broth with 0·2-1·0% soy lecithin, the survival rate of harvested cells increased significantly (P bile challenge compared with the no added soy lecithin group. The cells incubated with 0·6% soy lecithin were able to grow in an MRS broth with a higher bile salt content. The surface hydrophobicity and cell leakage in the bile challenge were assessed to reveal the physical changes caused by the addition of soy lecithin. The cell surface hydrophobicity was enhanced and the membrane integrity in the bile challenge increased after culturing with soy lecithin. A shift in the fatty acid composition was also observed, illustrating the cell membrane change in the soy lecithin culture. In this study, we report for the first time the beneficial effect of adding soy lecithin to an MRS broth on subsequent bile tolerance of Lactobacillus plantarum. Soy lecithin had no inhibitory effect on strain viability but significantly enhanced bile resistance. Surface hydrophobicity and cell integrity increased in strains cultured with soy lecithin. The observed shift in the cell fatty acid composition indicated changes to the cell membrane. As soy lecithin is safe for use in the food industry, its protective effects can be harnessed for the development of bile-sensitive strains with health-benefit functions for use in probiotic products. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  10. Reliability improvement of wire bonds subjected to fatigue stresses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravi, K. V.; Philofsky, E. M.

    1972-01-01

    The failure of wire bonds due to repeated flexure when semiconductor devices are operated in an on-off mode has been investigated. An accelerated fatigue testing apparatus was constructed and the major fatigue variables, aluminum alloy composition, and bonding mechanism, were tested. The data showed Al-1% Mg wires to exhibit superior fatigue characteristics compared to Al-1% Cu or Al-1% Si and ultrasonic bonding to be better than thermocompression bonding for fatigue resistance. Based on these results highly reliable devices were fabricated using Al-1% Mg wire with ultrasonic bonding which withstood 120,000 power cycles with no failures.

  11. Raman study of InAs/InP quantum wires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angelova, T.; Cros, A.; Cantarero, A.; Fuster, D.; González, Y.; González, L.

    2007-04-01

    We present a Raman study of the vibrational modes in InAs/InP (001) quantum wires. The energy of the observed phonon modes evidences the confinement properties of the wires, their strain anisotropy and the effect of atomic intermixing. Resonance effects in confined and interface phonons are discussed for excitation in the vicinity of the E1 critical point. The observed vibrations and their variation with sample characteristics are in agreement with the conclusions of previous structural and optical characterization performed in the same samples.

  12. Investigation on cold-drawn gold bonding wire with serial and reverse-direction drawing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Jae-Hyung; Rollett, A.D.; Cho, J.-S.; Park, Y.-J.; Park, S.-H.; Oh, K.H.

    2006-01-01

    Gold bonding wires have been manufactured through multiple drawing steps with serial and reverse-direction drawing. The texture and microstructure of the gold bonding wires were characterized with X-ray diffraction and EBSD and compared with the predictions of finite element (FE) simulation. Initial fiber decreases during drawing and is replaced by fiber. The oriented grains are concentrated in the center and surface regions, whereas the oriented grains are located throughout the cross-section of the wire. Regions near the surface often exhibit the complex textures. A simplified forward and backward drawing process was modeled by FE analysis with ABAQUS/Standard TM . The simple two-step drawing process results in severe variation in shear strain under the surface and displays the opposite behavior in the shear components of the deformation gradient. The texture evolution was predicted using the deformation gradient calculated in the FE simulations together with a model of polycrystal plasticity. The and fibers are predicted to develop in the center part of the wire where homogeneous deformation occurs. The regions near the surface that experience repeated shear strain exhibit complex textures that deviate from the standard and fibers. The {1 1 2} and {1 1 1} components are prevalent in the higher shear strain regions. The variations of the anisotropic elastic directional moduli with position were also calculated

  13. Monotonic and cyclic bond behavior of confined concrete using NiTiNb SMA wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Eunsoo; Chung, Young-Soo; Kim, Yeon-Wook; Kim, Joo-Woo

    2011-01-01

    This study conducts bond tests of reinforced concrete confined by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires which provide active and passive confinement of concrete. This study uses NiTiNb SMA which usually shows wide temperature hysteresis; this is a good advantage for the application of shape memory effects. The aims of this study are to investigate the behavior of SMA wire under residual stress and the performance of SMA wire jackets in improving bond behavior through monotonic-loading tests. This study also conducts cyclic bond tests and analyzes cyclic bond behavior. The use of SMA wire jackets transfers the bond failure from splitting to pull-out mode and satisfactorily increases bond strength and ductile behavior. The active confinement provided by the SMA plays a major role in providing external pressure on the concrete because the developed passive confinement is much smaller than the active confinement. For cyclic behavior, slip and circumferential strain are recovered more with larger bond stress. This recovery of slip and circumferential strain are mainly due to the external pressure of the SMA wires since cracked concrete cannot provide any elastic recovery

  14. A practical monitoring system for the structural safety of mega-trusses using wireless vibrating wire strain gauges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Hyo Seon; Lee, Hwan Young; Choi, Se Woon; Kim, Yousok

    2013-12-16

    Sensor technologies have been actively employed in structural health monitoring (SHM) to evaluate structural safety. To provide stable and real-time monitoring, a practical wireless sensor network system (WSNS) based on vibrating wire strain gauges (VWSGs) is proposed and applied to a building under construction. In this WSNS, the data measured from each VWSG are transmitted to the sensor node via a signal line and then transmitted to the master node through a short-range wireless communication module (operating on the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band). The master node also employs a long-range wireless communication module (Code Division Multiple Access-CDMA) to transmit the received data from the sensor node to a server located in a remote area, which enables a manager to examine the measured data in real time without any time or location restrictions. In this study, a total of 48 VWSGs, 14 sensor nodes, and seven master nodes were implemented to measure long-term strain variations of mega-trusses in an irregular large-scale building under construction. Based on strain data collected over a 16-month period, a quantitative evaluation of the construction process was performed to determine the aspects that exhibit the greatest influence on member behavior and to conduct a comparison with numerical simulation results. The effect of temperature stress on the structural elements was also analyzed. From these observations, the feasibility of a long-term WSNS based on VWSGs to evaluate the structural safety of an irregular building under construction was confirmed.

  15. A Practical Monitoring System for the Structural Safety of Mega-Trusses Using Wireless Vibrating Wire Strain Gauges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyo Seon Park

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Sensor technologies have been actively employed in structural health monitoring (SHM to evaluate structural safety. To provide stable and real-time monitoring, a practical wireless sensor network system (WSNS based on vibrating wire strain gauges (VWSGs is proposed and applied to a building under construction. In this WSNS, the data measured from each VWSG are transmitted to the sensor node via a signal line and then transmitted to the master node through a short-range wireless communication module (operating on the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM band. The master node also employs a long-range wireless communication module (Code Division Multiple Access—CDMA to transmit the received data from the sensor node to a server located in a remote area, which enables a manager to examine the measured data in real time without any time or location restrictions. In this study, a total of 48 VWSGs, 14 sensor nodes, and seven master nodes were implemented to measure long-term strain variations of mega-trusses in an irregular large-scale building under construction. Based on strain data collected over a 16-month period, a quantitative evaluation of the construction process was performed to determine the aspects that exhibit the greatest influence on member behavior and to conduct a comparison with numerical simulation results. The effect of temperature stress on the structural elements was also analyzed. From these observations, the feasibility of a long-term WSNS based on VWSGs to evaluate the structural safety of an irregular building under construction was confirmed.

  16. Transcriptional analysis of four family 4 P450s in a Puerto Rico strain of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) compared with an Orlando strain and their possible functional roles in permethrin resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    A field strain of Aedes aegypti was collected from Puerto Rico (PR) in October 2008. Based on LD50 values by topical application, the PR strain was 73-fold resistant to permethrin compared to a susceptible Orlando strain. In the presence of piperonyl butoxide (PBO), the resistance of Puerto Rico str...

  17. Fatigue and strain effects in NbTi, Nb3Sn, and V2(Hf, Zr) multifilamentary superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuroda, T.; Wada, H.; Tachikawa, K.

    1988-01-01

    The effects of cyclic strain on critical current were studied in NbTi, bronze processed Nb 3 Sn, and composite diffusion processed V 2 (Hf,Zr) multifilamentary wires. No appreciable changes in critical current were found in NbTi wires until just prior to fatigue-induced fracture. Critical current degradation was also not observed in Nb 3 Sn or V 2 (Hf,Zr) as long as the wires were strained below the reversible limit strain. For strains beyond this limit strain the critical current was first degraded by an increasing number of cycles and then remained constant after a certain cycle number was passed

  18. Reduced levels of membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase are common to lepidopteran strains resistant to Cry toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes

    Full Text Available Development of insect resistance is one of the main concerns with the use of transgenic crops expressing Cry toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Identification of biomarkers would assist in the development of sensitive DNA-based methods to monitor evolution of resistance to Bt toxins in natural populations. We report on the proteomic and genomic detection of reduced levels of midgut membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase (mALP as a common feature in strains of Cry-resistant Heliothis virescens, Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera frugiperda when compared to susceptible larvae. Reduced levels of H. virescens mALP protein (HvmALP were detected by two dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE analysis in Cry-resistant compared to susceptible larvae, further supported by alkaline phosphatase activity assays and Western blotting. Through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR we demonstrate that the reduction in HvmALP protein levels in resistant larvae are the result of reduced transcript amounts. Similar reductions in ALP activity and mALP transcript levels were also detected for a Cry1Ac-resistant strain of H. armigera and field-derived strains of S. frugiperda resistant to Cry1Fa. Considering the unique resistance and cross-resistance phenotypes of the insect strains used in this work, our data suggest that reduced mALP expression should be targeted for development of effective biomarkers for resistance to Cry toxins in lepidopteran pests.

  19. Molecular detection and antimicrobial resistance of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from diarrheal cases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aslani, Mehdi M.; Salmanzadeh-Ahrabi, S.; Jafari, F.; Zali, Reza M.; Mani, M.; Alikhani, Yousef M.

    2008-01-01

    Objective was to identify and classify Iranian isolates of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) on the basis of presence of virulence genes and to determine antibiotic susceptibility of isolated strains. The current cross-sectional study was conducted in 2005 at the Pasteur Institute, Tehran, Iran. One hundred and ninety-three diarrheagenic E. coli isolated from diarrheal patients in different regions of Iran were included in current study. Virulence factors genees for diarrheagenic E. coli were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Of the 193 diarrheagenic E. coli detected by PCR, 86(44.5%) were Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), 74 (38.4%) enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), 19 (9.8%) enteroaggregative E. coli and 14 (7.3%) enterotoxigenic E. coli isolates. Susceptibility to 12 clinically important antimicrobial agents was determined for 193 strains of diarrhheagenic E. coli. A high incidence of resistance to tetracycline (63%), ampicillin (62%), streptomycin (56%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (44.5%), trimetoprim/sulphamethoxazole (39.5%) and cephalothin (37%) was observed. The STEC and EPEC strains with high resistance to tetracycline and ampicillin but highly susceptible to quinolones are among the most important causative agent of diarrhea in Iran. This study suggests that antimicrobial resistance is wide spread among E. coli strains colonizing Iranian patients. Guidelines for appropriate use of antibiotics in developing countries require updating. (author)

  20. Over-expression of multiple cytochrome P450 genes in fenvalerate-resistant field strains of Helicoverpa armigera from north of China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Li; Li, Dongzhi; Qin, Jianying; Zhao, Weisong; Qiu, Lihong

    2016-09-01

    Pyrethroid resistance was one of the main reasons for control failure of cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in China. The promotion of Bt crops decreased the application of chemical insecticides in controlling H.armigera. However, the cotton bollworm still kept high levels of resistance to fenvalerate. In this study, the resistance levels of 8 field-collected strains of H. armigera from north of China to 4 insecticides, as well as the expression levels of related P450 genes were investigated. The results of bioassay indicated that the resistance levels to fenvalerate in the field strains varied from 5.4- to 114.7-fold, while the resistance levels to lambda-cyhalothrin, phoxim and methomyl were low, which were ranged from 1.5- to 5.2-, 0.2- to 1.6-, and 2.9- to 8.3- fold, respectively, compared to a susceptible strain. Synergistic experiment showed that PBO was the most effective synergist in increasing the sensitivity of H. armigera to fenvalerate, suggesting that P450 enzymes were involved in the pyrethroid resistance in the field strains. The results of quantitative RT-PCR indicated that eight P450 genes (CYP332A1, CYP4L11, CYP4L5, CYP4M6, CYP4M7, CYP6B7, CYP9A12, CYP9A14) were all significantly overexpressed in Hejian1 and Xiajin1 strains of H. armigera collected in 2013, and CYP4L5 was significantly overexpressed in all the 6 field strains collected in 2014. CYP332A1, CYP6B7 and CYP9A12 had very high overexpression levels in all the field strains, indicating their important roles in fenvalerate resistance. The results suggested that multiple P450 genes were involved in the high-level fenvalerate-resistance in different field strains of H. armigera collected from north of China. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Analysis of drug resistance in 1,861 strains of Acinetobacter baumannii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Hao; Qiu, Fan; Ji, Hong Jian; Lu, Qiang

    2016-04-01

    Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging human pathogen that causes hospital-acquired infections. The trend in increased antimicrobial resistance limits the choice of effective antimicrobial agents. The present study reports the resistance to Acinetobacter baumannii and analyzes the associations between antibiotic use and resistance rates at a general hospital between 2010 and 2014. A total of 1,861 isolates were obtained from clinical cultures, accounting for 10.33% of all detected bacteria (1,861/18,016). The strains were mainly from respiratory samples (1,628 isolates, 87.5%) and the intensive care unit (696 isolates, 37.4%). The resistance rates of Acinetobacter baumannii to the majority of antibiotics were >50%, particularly the resistance rate to cefoperazone/sulbactam increased from 47.37 in 2011 to 89.25% in 2014. However, the rates of imipenem and cilastatin sodium decreased from 81.03 to 69.44% due to the antibiotic policy. There were Pearson significant associations between the use of three antibiotics and resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii to this drug, piperacillin/tazobactam (r=0.976, Ppolicies are essential to control the emergence of multidrug-resistance Acinetobacter baumannii .

  2. Investigation of carbon storage regulation network (csr genes) and phenotypic differences between acid sensitive and resistant Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Background: Escherichia coli O157:H7 and related serotype strains have previously been shown to vary in acid resistance, however, little is known about strain specific mechanisms of acid resistance. We examined sensitive and resistant E. coli strains to determine the effects of growth in minimal and...

  3. [Investigation of OXA type beta-lactamases and PFGE patterns in Acinetobacter baumannii strains resistant to carbapenems].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keyik, Serafettin; Arslan, Uğur; Türk Dağı, Hatice; Seyhan, Tuba; Fındık, Duygu

    2014-10-01

    Acinetobacter baumannii is an important opportunistic and multidrug-resistant pathogen leading to nosocomial infections. Over the last 10 years, a significant and threatening increase in resistance to carbapenems, mainly due to the dissemination of class D beta-lactamases, has been reported in A.baumannii worldwide. The most common types of beta-lactamases causing carbapenem resistance in A.baumannii are the OXA-23, OXA-24, OXA-40, OXA-58 and OXA-143 type serine beta-lactamases. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of OXA type beta-lactamases in carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii strains and the clonal relationship between the strains. A total of 105 non-duplicate carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii strains isolated from various clinical samples (68 blood, 18 bronchoalveolar lavage, 13 drainage, 3 urine, 2 cerebrospinal fluid and 1 catheter samples) in the Microbiology Laboratories of Selcuk University, Meram (2009-2012) and Selcuklu (2007-2008) Medical School Hospitals, were included in the study. The isolates were identified by conventional methods and Phoenix 100 BD (BD Diagnostic, USA) and Vitek II (bioMerieux, France) automated systems. Carbapenem susceptibility test was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method according to the CLSI standards. bla(OXA 23-like), bla(OXA 24-like), bla(OXA 58-like) and bla(OXA 51-like) genes were amplified by multiplex PCR assay and clonal relatedness was investigated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using ApaI enzyme. The bla(OXA 51-like) gene was determined in all carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii isolates, while the bla(OXA 23-like) and bla(OXA 58-like) genes were detected in 46.6% and 53.3% of isolates, respectively. However bla(OXA 24-like) gene was not demonstrated in any isolates. bla(OXA 23-like) gene was determined in both Meram and Selcuklu Medical School hospitals, but bla(OXA 58-like) gene was detected only in Meram Medical School hospital. PFGE analysis of the isolates revealed 32 different

  4. Biological characterization of lead-enhanced exopolysaccharide produced by a lead resistant Enterobacter cloacae strain P2B.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naik, Milind Mohan; Pandey, Anju; Dubey, Santosh Kumar

    2012-09-01

    A lead resistant bacterial strain isolated from effluent of lead battery manufacturing company of Goa, India has been identified as Enterobacter cloacae strain P2B based on morphological, biochemical characters, FAME profile and 16S rDNA sequence data. This bacterial strain could resist lead nitrate up to 1.6 mM. Significant increase in exopolysaccharide (EPS) production was observed as the production increased from 28 to 108 mg/L dry weight when exposed to 1.6 mM lead nitrate in Tris buffered minimal medium. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy of this EPS revealed presence of several functional groups involved in metal binding viz. carboxyl, hydroxyl and amide groups along with glucuronic acid. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analysis of alditol-acetate derivatives of acid hydrolysed EPS produced in presence of 1.6 mM lead nitrate demonstrated presence of several neutral sugars such as rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, galactose and glucose, which contribute to lead binding hydroxyl groups. Scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometric analysis of this lead resistant strain exposed to 1.6 mM lead nitrate interestingly revealed mucous EPS surrounding bacterial cells which sequestered 17 % lead (as weight %) extracellularly and protected the bacterial cells from toxic effects of lead. This lead resistant strain also showed multidrug resistance. Thus these results significantly contribute to better understanding of structure, function and environmental application of lead-enhanced EPSs produced by bacteria. This lead-enhanced biopolymer can play a very important role in bioremediation of several heavy metals including lead.

  5. Thermite welding of Cu-Nb microcomposite wires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Visniakov, Nikolaj; Mikalauskas, Gediminas; Lukauskaite, Raimonda; Cernasejus, Olegas; Rudzinskas, Vitalijus [Vilnius Gediminas Technical Univ. (Lithuania). Faculty of Mechanics; Skamat, Jelena; Boris, Renata [Vilnius Gediminas Technical Univ. (Lithuania). Inst. of Thermal Insulation

    2017-10-15

    Thermite welding of Cu-Nb microcomposite wires was investigated. Suitable compositions of thermite material and slag were determined from the equation of the exothermic combustion synthesis reaction. The phase compositions of the thermite mixture and slag determined by X-ray diffraction analysis correspond to those assessed from the equation. According to non-destructive radiographic testing, the joint structure does not have welding defects. Microstructural examination of the joint cross-section with scanning electron microscopy showed that the Cu-Nb wire retained its shape and microstructure and only a thin surface layer of wire was melted during welding. The difference in electrical resistances of the conductor and welded joint was below 20 %. The thermite joint can withstand a maximum load equal to 62.5 % of the load-bearing capacity of microcomposite conductor.

  6. The change of antibiotic resistance profiles over the years in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from intensive care units

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Cem Şirin

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic resistance profiles of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from patients in our hospital intensive care units (ICUs between the years 2011-2014 and to investigate the changes of these profiles over the years. Methods: Identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing of the strains were performed by automated system. Cefoperazone-sulbactam and tigecycline susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion method. Imipenem, meropenem and colistin resistance was confirmed by E-test method. Chi-square and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the antibiotic susceptibilities statistically. Results: The highest resistance rates were determined for imipenem (50.2%, meropenem (51.9% and piperacillin-tazobactam (64.0% in P. aeruginosa strains (n=722. The changes in the rates of antibiotic resistance were not statistically significant in P. aeruginosa strains between the years 2011 and 2014. The decrease in gentamicin, amikacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance and the increase in cefoperazone-sulbactam and tigecycline resistance was found to be statistically significant in A. baumannii strains (n=1044 between the years 2011 and 2014. The increase in imipenem and meropenem resistance was found to be statistically significant between the years 2012 and 2013. Piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime, cefepime, imipenem and meropenem resistances in A. baumannii strains were found to be over 95% in all the years. Colistin was found to be the most effective antimicrobial agent for both bacteria. Conclusion: The determination of considerably high antibiotic resistance rates in P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii strains isolated from our hospital ICUs has indicated that rational antibiotic use policies and more effective infection control programs should be applied along with monitoring the antibiotic susceptibility profiles constantly. J Clin Exp Invest 2015

  7. An Investigation of Antibiotic Resistance Pattern in the Strains of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis Isolated From Clinical Samples in Isfahan Province, Iran

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    Fahimeh Nourbakhsh

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Staphylococcus epidermidis is one of the effective factors causing nosocomial infections. This study was performed to investigate the antibiotic resistance pattern in the methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis strains isolated from clinical samples in Isfahan Province. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 150 isolates of S. epidermidis were isolated from detected from the patients hospitalized in hospitals and treatment centers of Isfahan City. The antibiotic resistance pattern was evaluated by disk diffusion method. The presence of the gene encoding antibiotic resistance to methicillin (mec A in the isolates were investigated using PCR method. Data were analyzed with Chi-square and Fisher's exact statistical tests. Results: In this study, most isolates were related to urinary tract infections. The highest resistance was reported to penicillin (98.9%, erythromycin (89.4%, ciprofloxacin (77.7%, clindamycin (65.9%, tetracycline (63.2%, and meticillin (54%. None of the strains showed resistance to vancomycin and linezolid. Molecular studies indicated the presence of mecA gene in 76% of the studied isolates. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, vancomycin and linezolid antibiotics can be the best choice of treatment for infections caused by S. epidermidis. Also, high resistance of S. epidermidis can be a serious warning for increased multiple antibiotic resistance. Molecular studies are indicative of high sensitivity of molecular methods in the investigation of methicillin-resistant isolates.  

  8. Persistence of antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive Proteus mirabilis strains in the digestive tract of the housefly (Musca domestica) and green bottle flies (Calliphoridae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Ting; Miyanaga, Kazuhiko; Tanji, Yasunori

    2014-10-01

    Synanthropic flies have been implicated in the rapid dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance determinants in the biosphere. These flies stably harbor a considerable number of bacteria that exhibit resistance to various antibiotics, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the persistence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the digestive tract of houseflies and green bottle flies, using Proteus mirabilis as a model microorganism. One resistant strain carried the blaTEM and aphA1 genes, and another carried a plasmid containing qnrD gene. Quantitative PCR and 454 pyrosequencing were used to monitor the relative abundance of the Proteus strains, as well as potential changes in the overall structure of the whole bacterial community incurred by the artificial induction of Proteus cultures. Both antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive P. mirabilis strains persisted in the fly digestive tract for at least 3 days, and there was no significant difference in the relative abundance of resistant and sensitive strains despite the lower growth rate of resistant strains when cultured in vitro. Therefore, conditions in the fly digestive tract may allow resistant strains to survive the competition with sensitive strains in the absence of antibiotic selective pressure. The composition of the fly-associated bacterial community changed over time, but the contribution of the artificially introduced P. mirabilis strains to these changes was not clear. In order to explain these changes, it will be necessary to obtain more information about bacterial interspecies antagonism in the fly digestive tract.

  9. Progress in American Superconductor’s HTS wire and optimization for fault current limiting systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malozemoff, Alexis P., E-mail: amalozemoff@amsc.com

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • AMSC HTS wire critical current needed for rotating machinery is doubled by 16 MeV Au irradiation. • Nonuniformity of HTS wires in power devices causes hot spot formation during power system faults. • Lower normal-state resistivity and critical current lower HTS wire hot spot heating during faults. • HTS wire hot spot heating in HTS cables during faults must stay below lN{sub 2} bubble nucleation point. • HTS wire can be designed to meet hot spot heating limits in fault current limiting cables. - Abstract: American Superconductor has developed composite coated conductor tape-shaped wires using high temperature superconductor (HTS) on a flexible substrate with laminated metal stabilizer. Such wires enable many applications, each requiring specific optimization. For example, coils for HTS rotating machinery require increased current density J at 25–50 K. A collaboration with Argonne, Brookhaven and Los Alamos National Laboratories and several universities has increased J using an optimized combination of precipitates and ion irradiation defects in the HTS. Major commercial opportunities also exist to enhance electric power grid resiliency by linking substations with distribution-voltage HTS power cables [10]. Such links provide alternative power sources if one substation's transmission-voltage power is compromised. But they must also limit fault currents which would otherwise be increased by such distribution-level links. This can be done in an HTS cable, exploiting the superconductor-to-resistive transition when current exceeds the wires’ critical J. A key insight is that such transitions are usually nonuniform; so the wire must be designed to prevent localized hot spots from damaging the wire or even generating gas bubbles in the cable causing dielectric breakdown. Analysis shows that local heating can be minimized by increasing the composite tape's total thickness, decreasing its total resistance in the normal state and

  10. Genomic analysis of globally diverse Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains provides insights into emergence and spread of multidrug resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manson, Abigail L.; Cohen, Keira A.; Abeel, Thomas; Desjardins, Christopher A.; Armstrong, Derek T.; Barry, Clifton E.; Brand, Jeannette; Chapman, Sinéad B.; Cho, Sang-Nae; Gabrielian, Andrei; Gomez, James; Jodals, Andreea M.; Joloba, Moses; Jureen, Pontus; Lee, Jong Seok; Malinga, Lesibana; Maiga, Mamoudou; Nordenberg, Dale; Noroc, Ecaterina; Romancenco, Elena; Salazar, Alex; Ssengooba, Willy; Velayati, A. A.; Winglee, Kathryn; Zalutskaya, Aksana; Via, Laura E.; Cassell, Gail H.; Dorman, Susan E.; Ellner, Jerrold; Farnia, Parissa; Galagan, James E.; Rosenthal, Alex; Crudu, Valeriu; Homorodean, Daniela; Hsueh, Po-Ren; Narayanan, Sujatha; Pym, Alexander S.; Skrahina, Alena; Swaminathan, Soumya; Van der Walt, Martie; Alland, David; Bishai, William R.; Cohen, Ted; Hoffner, Sven; Birren, Bruce W.; Earl, Ashlee M.

    2017-01-01

    Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), caused by drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is an increasingly serious problem worldwide. In this study, we examined a dataset of 5,310 M. tuberculosis whole genome sequences from five continents. Despite great diversity with respect to geographic point of isolation, genetic background and drug resistance, patterns of drug resistance emergence were conserved globally. We have identified harbinger mutations that often precede MDR. In particular, the katG S315T mutation, conferring resistance to isoniazid, overwhelmingly arose before rifampicin resistance across all lineages, geographic regions, and time periods. Molecular diagnostics that include markers for rifampicin resistance alone will be insufficient to identify pre-MDR strains. Incorporating knowledge of pre-MDR polymorphisms, particularly katG S315, into molecular diagnostics will enable targeted treatment of patients with pre-MDR-TB to prevent further development of MDR-TB. PMID:28092681

  11. Finite Element Analysis of Transverse Compressive Loads on Superconducting Nb3Sn Wires Containing Voids

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Hauthuille, Luc; Zhai, Yuhu; Princeton Plasma Physics Lab Collaboration; University of Geneva Collaboration

    2015-11-01

    High field superconductors play an important role in many large-scale physics experiments, particularly particle colliders and fusion devices such as the LHC and ITER. The two most common superconductors used are NbTi and Nb3Sn. Nb3Sn wires are favored because of their significantly higher Jc, allowing them to produce much higher magnetic fields. The main disadvantage is that the superconducting performance of Nb3Sn is highly strain-sensitive and it is very brittle. The strain-sensitivity is strongly influenced by two factors: plasticity and cracked filaments. Cracks are induced by large stress concentrators due to the presence of voids. We will attempt to understand the correlation between Nb3Sn's irreversible strain limit and the void-induced stress concentrations around the voids. We will develop accurate 2D and 3D finite element models containing detailed filaments and possible distributions of voids in a bronze-route Nb3Sn wire. We will apply a compressive transverse load for the various cases to simulate the stress response of a Nb3Sn wire from the Lorentz force. Doing this will further improve our understanding of the effect voids have on the wire's mechanical properties, and thus, the connection between the shape & distribution of voids and performance degradation.

  12. Characterization of Multidrug Resistant E. faecalis Strains from Pigs of Local Origin by ADSRRS-Fingerprinting and MALDI -TOF MS; Evaluation of the Compatibility of Methods Employed for Multidrug Resistance Analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aneta Nowakiewicz

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to characterize multidrug resistant E. faecalis strains from pigs of local origin and to analyse the relationship between resistance and genotypic and proteomic profiles by amplification of DNA fragments surrounding rare restriction sites (ADSRRS-fingerprinting and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI -TOF MS. From the total pool of Enterococcus spp. isolated from 90 pigs, we selected 36 multidrug resistant E. faecalis strains, which represented three different phenotypic resistance profiles. Phenotypic resistance to tetracycline, macrolides, phenicols, and lincomycin and high-level resistance to aminoglycosides were confirmed by the occurrence of at least one corresponding resistance gene in each strain. Based on the analysis of the genotypic and phenotypic resistance of the strains tested, five distinct resistance profiles were generated. As a complement of this analysis, profiles of virulence genes were determined and these profiles corresponded to the phenotypic resistance profiles. The demonstration of resistance to a wide panel of antimicrobials by the strains tested in this study indicates the need of typing to determine the spread of resistance also at the local level. It seems that in the case of E. faecalis, type and scope of resistance strongly determines the genotypic pattern obtained with the ADSRRS-fingerprinting method. The ADSRRS-fingerprinting analysis showed consistency of the genetic profiles with the resistance profiles, while analysis of data with the use of the MALDI- TOF MS method did not demonstrate direct reproduction of the clustering pattern obtained with this method. Our observations were confirmed by statistical analysis (Simpson's index of diversity, Rand and Wallace coefficients. Even though the MALDI -TOF MS method showed slightly higher discrimination power than ADSRRS-fingerprinting, only the latter method allowed reproduction of the

  13. Strain-induced tunable negative differential resistance in triangle graphene spirals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Jie; Zhang, Xiaoming; Liu, Wenguan; He, Xiujie; Zhao, Mingwen

    2018-05-01

    Using non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism combined with density functional theory calculations, we investigate the significant changes in electronic and transport properties of triangle graphene spirals (TGSs) in response to external strain. Tunable negative differential resistance (NDR) behavior is predicted. The NDR bias region, NDR width, and peak-to-valley ratio can be well tuned by external strain. Further analysis shows that these peculiar properties can be attributed to the dispersion widths of the p z orbitals. Moreover, the conductance of TGSs is very sensitive to the applied stress, which is promising for applications in nanosensor devices. Our findings reveal a novel approach to produce tunable electronic devices based on graphene spirals.

  14. Derivatives of a vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain isolated at Hershey Medical Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozdogan, Bülent; Ednie, Lois; Credito, Kim; Kosowska, Klaudia; Appelbaum, Peter C

    2004-12-01

    Antimicrobial susceptibilities and genetic relatedness of the vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain (VRSA) isolated at Hershey, Pa. (VRSA Hershey), and its vancomycin-susceptible and high-level-resistant derivatives were studied and compared to 32 methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains (MRSA) isolated from patients and medical staff in contact with the VRSA patient. Derivatives of VRSA were obtained by subculturing six VRSA colonies from the original culture with or without vancomycin. Ten days of drug-free subculture caused the loss of vanA in two vancomycin-susceptible derivatives for which vancomycin MICs were 1 to 4 microg/ml. Multistep selection of three VRSA clones with vancomycin for 10 days increased vancomycin MICs from 32 to 1,024 to 2,048 microg/ml. MICs of teicoplanin, dalbavancin, and oritavancin were also increased from 4, 0.5, and 0.12 to 64, 1, and 32 microg/ml, respectively. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing analysis indicated that VRSA Hershey was the vanA-acquired variety of a common MRSA clone in our hospital with sequence type 5 (ST5). Three of five vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus strains tested from geographically different areas were also ST5, and the Michigan VRSA was ST371, a one-allele variant of ST5. Derivatives of VRSA Hershey had differences in PFGE profiles and the size of SmaI fragment that carries the vanA gene cluster, indicating instability of this cluster in VRSA Hershey. However induction with vancomycin increased glycopeptide MICs and stabilized the resistance.

  15. Inelastic scattering and local heating in atomic gold wires

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frederiksen, Thomas; Brandbyge, Mads; Lorente, N.

    2004-01-01

    We present a method for including inelastic scattering in a first-principles density-functional computational scheme for molecular electronics. As an application, we study two geometries of four-atom gold wires corresponding to two different values of strain and present results for nonlinear...

  16. Molecular Detection of Inducible Clindamycin Resistance among Staphylococcal Strains Isolated from Hospital Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shadiyeh Abdollahi

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Background & Objectives: Macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin B (MLSB antimicrobial agents are used in the treatment of staphylococcal infections. They prevent the microbial protein synthesis system through binding to 23 S rRNA. The aim of this study was to apply molecular methods to detect inducible clindamycin resistance genes among staphylococcal strains isolated from clinical specimens.   Methods : Two hundred staphylococcus strains were isolated from nose and throat swabs of patients in Toohid and Besat hospitals in Sanandaj . Antimicrobial susceptibilities of isolates were determined using disc diffusion method, agar screen test and D-Test. A multiplex PCR was performed using primers specific for erm (A, B, C, TR genes.   Results: Out of 200 isolates, 18.5 % were MRSA and 32% were MRCNS (methicillin resistant coagulase negative staphylococci. Of 80 erythromycin resistant isolates, 48 were coagulase negative and 32 were S. aureus. Among the 48 coagulase negative staphylococci (CONS isolates, 11.63% expressed the MLSB-inducible phenotypes. Using PCR, the frequency of different genes in the collection of isolates were as follows: ermA 5.41 % , erm B 5.41 % , and erm C 3.13%. The ermTR gene was negative in all isolates. Among the 32 S. aureus isolates, 9.38% expressed the MLSB-nducible phenotype. Using PCR, these isolates harbored erm A (2.22%, ermB (2.22%, ermC (2.22% and ermTR (2.22% .   Conclusion: This is the first study to show the rate of inducible clindamycin clinical isolates of staphylococci harboring erm genes in Sananadaj. It also demonstrated the frequency of erm genes was higher among CONS isolates than S. aureus. This data suggested the transfer of resistance gene from nonpathogenic to pathogenic strains is likely to happen. Therefore, screening and control of these resistance genes is recommended at clinical laboratories.

  17. Antibiotic resistance, ability to form biofilm and susceptibility to copper alloys of selected staphylococcal strains isolated from touch surfaces in Polish hospital wards

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Różańska

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the employment of sanitary regimes, contact transmission of the aetiological agents of hospital infections is still exceedingly common. The issue of microbe transmission becomes particularly important when facing multidrug-resistant microorganisms such as methicillin-resistant staphylococci. In the case of deficiencies in cleaning and disinfection procedures, hospital equipment made of copper alloys can play an important role, complementing traditional hospital hygiene procedures. The objective of this study was to characterize staphylococcal strains isolated from touch surfaces in Polish hospital wards in terms of their drug resistance, ability to form biofilm and susceptibility to antimicrobial activity of copper alloys. Methods The materials for the study were 95 staphylococcal strains isolated from touch surfaces in 13 different hospital wards from Małopolska province (the south of Poland. Phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance were checked for erythromycin, clindamycin, gentamycin, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and mupirocin. Biofilm formation ability for the tested strains was checked with the use of culture on Congo red agar. Susceptibility to copper, tin bronze, brass and new silver was tested using a modification of the Japanese standard. Results Over 67% of the analysed staphylococcal strains were methicillin-resistant (MR. Four strains were resistant to all of the tested antibiotics, and 14 were resistant to all except mupirocin. Strains classified as MR had significantly increased resistance to the remaining antibiotic groups. About one-third of the analysed strains revealed biofilm-forming ability. Among the majority of species, biofilm-forming and non-biofilm-forming strains were distributed evenly; in the case of S. haemolyticus only, negative strains accounted for 92.8%. Susceptibility to copper alloys was different between strains and rather lower than in the case of the SA

  18. RNA-Seq Analyses for Two Silkworm Strains Reveals Insight into Their Susceptibility and Resistance to Beauveria bassiana Infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Dongxu; Yang, Qiong; Jiang, Liang; Li, Qingrong; Xiao, Yang; Ye, Mingqiang; Xia, Qingyou

    2017-02-10

    The silkworm Bombyx mori is an economically important species. White muscardine caused by Beauveria bassiana is the main fungal disease in sericulture, and understanding the silkworm responses to B. bassiana infection is of particular interest. Herein, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying these responses in two silkworm strains Haoyue (HY, sensitive to B. bassiana ) and Kang 8 (K8, resistant to B. bassiana ) using an RNA-seq approach. For each strain, three biological replicates for immersion treatment, two replicates for injection treatment and three untreated controls were collected to generate 16 libraries for sequencing. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between treated samples and untreated controls, and between the two silkworm strains, were identified. DEGs and the enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways of the two strains exhibited an obvious difference. Several genes encoding cuticle proteins, serine proteinase inhibitors (SPI) and antimicrobial peptides (AMP) and the drug metabolism pathway involved in toxin detoxification were considered to be related to the resistance of K8 to B. bassiana. These results revealed insight into the resistance and susceptibility of two silkworm strains against B. bassiana infection and provided a roadmap for silkworm molecular breeding to enhance its resistance to B. bassiana .

  19. RNA-Seq Analyses for Two Silkworm Strains Reveals Insight into Their Susceptibility and Resistance to Beauveria bassiana Infection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongxu Xing

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The silkworm Bombyx mori is an economically important species. White muscardine caused by Beauveria bassiana is the main fungal disease in sericulture, and understanding the silkworm responses to B. bassiana infection is of particular interest. Herein, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying these responses in two silkworm strains Haoyue (HY, sensitive to B. bassiana and Kang 8 (K8, resistant to B. bassiana using an RNA-seq approach. For each strain, three biological replicates for immersion treatment, two replicates for injection treatment and three untreated controls were collected to generate 16 libraries for sequencing. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs between treated samples and untreated controls, and between the two silkworm strains, were identified. DEGs and the enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG pathways of the two strains exhibited an obvious difference. Several genes encoding cuticle proteins, serine proteinase inhibitors (SPI and antimicrobial peptides (AMP and the drug metabolism pathway involved in toxin detoxification were considered to be related to the resistance of K8 to B. bassiana. These results revealed insight into the resistance and susceptibility of two silkworm strains against B. bassiana infection and provided a roadmap for silkworm molecular breeding to enhance its resistance to B. bassiana.

  20. Role of surface on the size-dependent mechanical properties of copper nano-wire under tensile load: A molecular dynamics simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wei-Ting; Hsiao, Chun-I.; Hsu, Wen-Dung

    2014-01-01

    In this study we have used atomistic simulations to investigate the role of surface on the size-dependent mechanical properties of nano-wires. In particular, we have performed computational investigation on single crystal face-centered cubic copper nano-wires with diameters ranging from 2 to 20 nm. The wire axis for all the nano-wires are considered along the [0 0 1] direction. Characterization of the initial optimized structures revealed clear differences in interatomic spacing, stress, and potential energy in all the nano-wires. The mechanical properties with respect to wire diameter are evaluated by applying tension along the [0 0 1] direction until yielding. We have discussed the stress-strain relationships, Young's modulus, and the variation in potential energy from surface to the center of the wire for all the cases. Our results indicate that the mechanical response (including yield strain, Young's modulus, and resilience) is directly related to the proportion of surface to bulk type atoms present in each nano-wire. Thus the size-dependent mechanical properties of single crystal copper nano-wire within elastic region are attributed to the surface to volume ratio (surface effect). Using the calculated response, we have formulated a mathematical relationship, which predicts the nonlinear correlation between the mechanical properties and the diameter of the wire.

  1. Carbapenem and cefoxitin resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains associated with porin OmpK36 loss and DHA-1 β-lactamase production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weifeng Shi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Clinical isolates of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae strains are being increased worldwide. Five pan-resistant K. pneumoniae strains have been isolated from respiratory and ICU wards in a Chinese hospital, and reveal strong resistance to all β-lactams, fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. Totally 27 β-lactamase genes and 2 membrane pore protein (porin genes in 5 K. pneumoniae strains were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR. The results indicated that all of 5 K. pneumoniae strains carried blaTEM-1 and blaDHA-1 genes, as well as base deletion and mutation of OmpK35 or OmpK36 genes. Compared with carbapenem-sensitive isolates by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE, the resistant isolates markedly lacked the protein band of 34-40 kDa, which might be the outer membrane proteins of OmpK36 according to the electrophoresis mobility. In addition, the conjugation test was confirmed that blaDHA-1 mediated by plasmids could be transferred between resistant and sensitive strains. When reserpine (30 µg/mL and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP (50 µg/mL were added in imipenem and meropenem, the MICs had no change against K. pneumoniae strains. These results suggest that both DHA-1 β-lactamase and loss or deficiency of porin OmpK36 may be the main reason for the cefoxitin and carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae strains in our hospital.

  2. Variations in biofilm formation, desiccation resistance and Benzalkonium chloride susceptibility among Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated in Canada

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Piercey, Marta J.; C. Ells, Timothy; Macintosh, Andrew J.

    2017-01-01

    needed to inhibit the formation of biofilm by LGI1/CC8 strains during incubation for 48 h and 6 days compared to other strains. Formation of biofilm on stainless steel was not significantly (p > 0.05) different among the strains. Analysis of genetic sequence data from desiccation and BAC sensitive (CP4 5......Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogenic foodborne microorganism noted for its ability to survive in the environment and food processing facilities. Survival may be related to the phenotype of individual strains including the ability to form biofilms and resist desiccation and/or sanitizer exposure....... The objectives of this research were to compare 14 L. monocytogenes strains isolated from blood (3), food (6) and water (5) with respect to their benzalkonium chloride (BAC) sensitivity, desiccation resistance, and ability to form biofilm. Correlations were tested between those responses, and the presence...

  3. Direct sequencing for rapid detection of multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in Morocco.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakham, Fathiah; Chaoui, Imane; Echchaoui, Amina Hadbae; Chetioui, Fouad; Elmessaoudi, My Driss; Ennaji, My Mustapha; Abid, Mohammed; Mzibri, Mohammed El

    2013-01-01

    Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem with high mortality and morbidity rates, especially in low-income countries. Disturbingly, the emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB cases has worsened the situation, raising concerns of a future epidemic of virtually untreatable TB. Indeed, the rapid diagnosis of MDR TB is a critical issue for TB management. This study is an attempt to establish a rapid diagnosis of MDR TB by sequencing the target fragments of the rpoB gene which linked to resistance against rifampicin and the katG gene and inhA promoter region, which are associated with resistance to isoniazid. For this purpose, 133 sputum samples of TB patients from Morocco were enrolled in this study. One hundred samples were collected from new cases, and the remaining 33 were from previously treated patients (drug relapse or failure, chronic cases) and did not respond to anti-TB drugs after a sufficient duration of treatment. All samples were subjected to rpoB, katG and pinhA mutation analysis by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. Molecular analysis showed that seven strains were isoniazid-monoresistant and 17 were rifampicin-monoresistant. MDR TB strains were identified in nine cases (6.8%). Among them, eight were traditionally diagnosed as critical cases, comprising four chronic and four drug-relapse cases. The last strain was isolated from a new case. The most recorded mutation in the rpoB gene was the substitution TCG > TTG at codon 531 (Ser531 Leu), accounting for 46.15%. Significantly, the only mutation found in the katG gene was at codon 315 (AGC to ACC) with a Ser315Thr amino acid change. Only one sample harbored mutation in the inhA promoter region and was a point mutation at the -15p position (C > T). The polymerase chain reaction sequencing approach is an accurate and rapid method for detection of drug-resistant TB in clinical specimens, and could be of great interest in the management of TB in

  4. Enhancement of giant magnetoimpedance in composite wire with insulator layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, X.Z.; Yuan, W.Z.; Li, X.D.; Ruan, J.Z.; Zhao, Z.J.; Yang, J.X.; Yang, X.L.; Sun, Z.

    2007-01-01

    CuBe/NiFeB and CuBe/Insulator/NiFeB composite wires have been prepared by electroless-deposition. The giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect for NiFeB layer with thickness of 3 μm on CuBe core with diameter of 100 μm has been studied. After adding an insulator layer, the maximal GMI ratio of CuBe/Insulator/NiFeB composite wire is much higher than that of CuBe/NiFeB composite wire, and can reach to about 250% at the frequency range of 500 kHz-1 MHz. The results are explained in terms of difference of magnetic structure and different frequency dependence of resistance and reactance of the two kinds of composite wires

  5. Candidacidal Activity of a Novel Killer Toxin from Wickerhamomyces anomalus against Fluconazole-Susceptible and -Resistant Strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Giovati

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The isolation and characterization from the sand fly Phlebotomus perniciosus of a Wickerhamomyces anomalus yeast strain (Wa1F1 displaying the killer phenotype was recently reported. In the present work, the killer toxin (KT produced by Wa1F1 was purified and characterized, and its antimicrobial activity in vitro was investigated against fluconazole- susceptible and -resistant clinical isolates and laboratory strains of Candida albicans and C. glabrata displaying known mutations. Wa1F1-KT showed a differential killing ability against different mutant strains of the same species. The results may be useful for the design of therapeutic molecules based on Wa1F1-KT and the study of yeast resistance mechanisms.

  6. Stress effects on multifilamentary Nb3Sn wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartlett, R.J.; Taylor, R.D.; Thompson, J.D.

    1979-01-01

    Critical current I/sub c/ measurements were obtained on highly stabilized mf Nb 3 Sn wires as a function of heat treatment, stress, temperature, and applied magnetic field. The ratio of the area of the copper to bronze core-niobium tube is about 8, and the filaments are concentrated in the inner 30% of the wire cross section. Values of I/sub c/ and T/sub c/ were determined for samples subjected to a wide range of heat treatments. Diffusion reaction times and temperatures in the ranges 16 to 128 hr and 700 to 750 0 C provided a number of mf Nb 3 Sn wires having similar I/sub c/ characteristics. To some extent the residual compressive loading on the Nb 3 Sn wires varied with the particular heat treatment. This loading arises primarily from the differential contraction of the remaining bronze and the Nb 3 Sn layer when cooled from the reaction temperature to the operating temperature. It was found that, by controlled bending or stretching of the wires, whereby some of the strain in the Nb 3 Sn is relieved, the I/sub c/ at 14 K is increased by as much as 30% and the critical temperature is increased by up to 1 K

  7. Emergence of hyper-resistant Escherichia coli MG1655 derivative strains after applying sub-inhibitory doses of individual constituents of essential oils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beatriz eChueca

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The improvement of food preservation by using essential oils (EOs and their individual constituents (ICs is attracting enormous interest worldwide. Until now, researchers considered that treatments with such antimicrobial compounds did not induce bacterial resistance via a phenotypic (i.e. transient response. Nevertheless, the emergence of genotypic (i.e. stable resistance after treatment with these compounds had not been previously tested. Our results confirm that growth of Escherichia coli MG1655 in presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the ICs carvacrol, citral, and (+-limonene oxide do not increase resistance to further treatments with either the same IC (direct resistance or with other preservation treatments (cross-resistance such as heat or pulsed electric fields (PEF. Bacterial mutation frequency was likewise lower when those IC’s were applied; however, after 10 days of re-culturing cells in presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the ICs, we were able to isolate several derivative strains (i.e. mutants displaying an increased minimum inhibitory concentration to those ICs. Furthermore, when compared to the wild type (WT strain, they also displayed direct resistance and cross-resistance. Derivative strains selected with carvacrol and citral also displayed morphological changes involving filamentation along with cell counts at late-stationary growth phase that were lower than the WT strain. In addition, co-cultures of each derivative strain with the WT strain resulted in a predominance of the original strain in absence of ICs, indicating that mutants would not out-compete WT cells under optimal growth conditions. Nevertheless, growth in the presence of ICs facilitated the selection of these resistant mutants. Thus, as a result, subsequent food preservation treatments of these bacterial cultures might be less effective than expected for WT cultures. In conclusion, this study recommends that treatment with ICs at sub

  8. Emergence of Hyper-Resistant Escherichia coli MG1655 Derivative Strains after Applying Sub-Inhibitory Doses of Individual Constituents of Essential Oils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chueca, Beatriz; Berdejo, Daniel; Gomes-Neto, Nelson J; Pagán, Rafael; García-Gonzalo, Diego

    2016-01-01

    The improvement of food preservation by using essential oils (EOs) and their individual constituents (ICs) is attracting enormous interest worldwide. Until now, researchers considered that treatments with such antimicrobial compounds did not induce bacterial resistance via a phenotypic (i.e., transient) response. Nevertheless, the emergence of genotypic (i.e., stable) resistance after treatment with these compounds had not been previously tested. Our results confirm that growth of Escherichia coli MG1655 in presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the ICs carvacrol, citral, and (+)-limonene oxide do not increase resistance to further treatments with either the same IC (direct resistance) or with other preservation treatments (cross-resistance) such as heat or pulsed electric fields (PEF). Bacterial mutation frequency was likewise lower when those IC's were applied; however, after 10 days of re-culturing cells in presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the ICs, we were able to isolate several derivative strains (i.e., mutants) displaying an increased minimum inhibitory concentration to those ICs. Furthermore, when compared to the wild type (WT) strain, they also displayed direct resistance and cross-resistance. Derivative strains selected with carvacrol and citral also displayed morphological changes involving filamentation along with cell counts at late-stationary growth phase that were lower than the WT strain. In addition, co-cultures of each derivative strain with the WT strain resulted in a predominance of the original strain in absence of ICs, indicating that mutants would not out-compete WT cells under optimal growth conditions. Nevertheless, growth in the presence of ICs facilitated the selection of these resistant mutants. Thus, as a result, subsequent food preservation treatments of these bacterial cultures might be less effective than expected for WT cultures. In conclusion, this study recommends that treatment with ICs at sub

  9. Effect of epoxy impregnation on strain distribution of materials in Bi2223 superconducting coils by using synchrotron X-ray diffraction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jin, Xinzhe, E-mail: xinzhe.jin@riken.jp [Center for Life Science Technologies, RIKEN, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 230-0045 (Japan); Osamura, Kozo [Research Institute for Applied Sciences, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8202 (Japan); Machiya, Shutaro [Daido University, Minami-ku, Nagoya 457-8530 (Japan); Kajiwara, Kentaro [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Shobu, Takahisa [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148 (Japan); Maeda, Hideaki [Center for Life Science Technologies, RIKEN, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 230-0045 (Japan)

    2015-11-25

    Synchrotron X-rays have been used to observe strain distributions in composite materials such as superconducting wires with a thickness of less than about 2 mm. In applications that employ wound coils of superconducting wire, it is necessary to understand the strain distribution within the coiled wire. Superconducting wires such as Bi2223 and REBCO wires approximately 4–5 mm wide are commercially available. Coiled wires of this width are too thick to easily measure using conventional X-ray techniques, especially the inner strain, because the penetration depth tends to be around 2 mm. Therefore, the beam penetration must be improved, and it is known that the penetration depth of an X-ray beam depends upon the beam energy, beam intensity, measurement material, and measurement method. In this study, we used a white X-ray diffractometer at SPring-8 to develop a method of observing the strain distribution in Bi2223 superconducting coils winded by a 4.5 mm wide Bi2223 wire. We successfully observed a clear (400) peak of the Bi2223 phase by an appropriate measurement condition, and then observed the strains of each material in the Bi2223 coils with and without epoxy impregnation. This is the first time that we have obtained the strain of a Bi2223 phase in coiled wire using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Further synchrotron-based study of superconducting coils will be useful in the development of advanced high-field magnets. The appropriate measurement method and the obtained measurement results are presented in this paper. - Highlights: • We successfully obtained clear peaks of Bi2223 phase in 4.5 mm thick coils. • The strain behaviors of materials in the coil correspond to a three turn cycle model. • A uniform strain distribution of the Bi2223 phase was obtained by epoxy impregnation.

  10. Fabrication of TiNi/CFRP smart composite using cold drawn TiNi wires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Ya; Otsuka, Kazuhiro; Toyama, Nobuyuki; Yoshida, Hitoshi; Jang, Byung-Koog; Nagai, Hideki; Oishi, Ryutaro; Kishi, Teruo

    2002-07-01

    In recent years, pre-strained TiNi shape memory alloys (SMA) have been used for fabricating smart structure with carbon fibers reinforced plastics (CFRP) in order to suppress microscopic mechanical damages. However, since the cure temperature of CFRP is higher than the reverse transformation temperatures of TiNi SMA, special fixture jigs have to be used for keeping the pre-strain during fabrication, which restricted its practical application. In order to overcome this difficulty, we developed a new method to fabricate SMA/CFRP smart composites without using special fixture jigs by controlling the transformation temperatures of SMA during fabrication. This method consists of using heavily cold-worked wires to increase the reverse transformation temperatures, and of using flash electrical heating of the wires after fabrication in order to decrease the reverse transformation temperatures to a lower temperature range again without damaging the epoxy resin around SMA wires. By choosing proper cold-working rate and composition of TiNi alloys, the reverse transformation temperatures were well controlled, and the TiNi/CFRP hybrid smart composite was fabricated without using special fixture jigs. The damage suppressing effect of cold drawn wires embedded in CFRP was confirmed.

  11. Tensile behaviour of drawn tungsten wire used in tungsten fibre-reinforced tungsten composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riesch, J; Feichtmayer, A; Fuhr, M; Gietl, H; Höschen, T; Neu, R; Almanstötter, J; Coenen, J W; Linsmeier, Ch

    2017-01-01

    In tungsten fibre-reinforced tungsten composites (W f /W) the brittleness problem of tungsten is solved by utilizing extrinsic toughening mechanisms. The properties of the composite are very much related to the properties of the drawn tungsten wire used as fibre reinforcements. Its high strength and capability of ductile deformation are ideal properties facilitating toughening of W f /W. Tensile tests have been used for determining mechanical properties and study the deformation and the fracture behaviour of the wire. Tests of as-fabricated and straightened drawn wires with a diameter between 16 and 150 μ m as well as wire electrochemically thinned to a diameter of 5 μ m have been performed. Engineering stress–strain curves and a microscopic analysis are presented with the focus on the ultimate strength. All fibres show a comparable stress–strain behaviour comprising necking followed by a ductile fracture. A reduction of the diameter by drawing leads to an increase of strength up to 4500 MPa as a consequence of a grain boundary hardening mechanism. Heat treatment during straightening decreases the strength whereas electrochemical thinning has no significant impact on the mechanical behaviour. (paper)

  12. ANTIMICROBIAL DRUG RESISTANCE IN STRAINS OF Escherichia coli ISOLATED FROM FOOD SOURCES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Uddin Rasheed

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available A variety of foods and environmental sources harbor bacteria that are resistant to one or more antimicrobial drugs used in medicine and agriculture. Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli is of particular concern because it is the most common Gram-negative pathogen in humans. Hence this study was conducted to determine the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of E. coli isolated from different types of food items collected randomly from twelve localities of Hyderabad, India. A total of 150 samples comprising; vegetable salad, raw egg-surface, raw chicken, unpasteurized milk, and raw meat were processed microbiologically to isolate E. coli and to study their antibiotic susceptibility pattern by the Kirby-Bauer method. The highest percentages of drug resistance in isolates of E. coli were detected from raw chicken (23.3% followed by vegetable salad (20%, raw meat (13.3%, raw egg-surface (10% and unpasteurized milk (6.7%. The overall incidence of drug resistant E. coli was 14.7%. A total of six (4% Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL producers were detected, two each from vegetable salads and raw chicken, and one each from raw egg-surface and raw meat. Multidrug resistant strains of E. coli are a matter of concern as resistance genes are easily transferable to other strains. Pathogen cycling through food is very common and might pose a potential health risk to the consumer. Therefore, in order to avoid this, good hygienic practices are necessary in the abattoirs to prevent contamination of cattle and poultry products with intestinal content as well as forbidding the use of untreated sewage in irrigating vegetables.

  13. Role of ArlRS in autolysis in methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Memmi, Guido; Nair, Dhanalakshmi R; Cheung, Ambrose

    2012-02-01

    Autolysis plays an essential role in bacterial cell division and lysis with β-lactam antibiotics. Accordingly, the expression of autolysins is tightly regulated by several endogenous regulators, including ArlRS, a two component regulatory system that has been shown to negatively regulate autolysis in methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strains. In this study, we found that inactivation of arlRS does not play a role in autolysis of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains, such as community-acquired (CA)-MRSA strains USA300 and MW2 or the hospital-acquired (HA)-MRSA strain COL. This contrasts with MSSA strains, including Newman, SH1000, RN6390, and 8325-4, where autolysis is affected by ArlRS. We further demonstrated that the striking difference in the roles of arlRS between MSSA and MRSA strains is not due to the methicillin resistance determinant mecA. Among known autolysins and their regulators, we found that arlRS represses lytN, while no effect was seen on atl, lytM, and lytH expression in both CA- and HA-MRSA strains. Transcriptional-fusion assays showed that the agr transcripts, RNAII and RNAIII, were significantly more downregulated in the arlRS mutant of MW2 than the MSSA strain Newman. Importantly, provision of agr RNAIII in trans to the MW2 arlRS mutant via a multicopy plasmid induced autolysis in this MRSA strain. Also, the autolytic phenotype in the arlRS mutant of MSSA strain Newman could be rescued by a mutation in either atl or lytM. Together, these data showed that ArlRS impacts autolysis differently in MSSA and MRSA strains.

  14. Global insights into acetic acid resistance mechanisms and genetic stability of Acetobacter pasteurianus strains by comparative genomics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Bin; Shao, Yanchun; Chen, Tao; Chen, Wanping; Chen, Fusheng

    2015-12-01

    Acetobacter pasteurianus (Ap) CICC 20001 and CGMCC 1.41 are two acetic acid bacteria strains that, because of their strong abilities to produce and tolerate high concentrations of acetic acid, have been widely used to brew vinegar in China. To globally understand the fermentation characteristics, acid-tolerant mechanisms and genetic stabilities, their genomes were sequenced. Genomic comparisons with 9 other sequenced Ap strains revealed that their chromosomes were evolutionarily conserved, whereas the plasmids were unique compared with other Ap strains. Analysis of the acid-tolerant metabolic pathway at the genomic level indicated that the metabolism of some amino acids and the known mechanisms of acetic acid tolerance, might collaboratively contribute to acetic acid resistance in Ap strains. The balance of instability factors and stability factors in the genomes of Ap CICC 20001 and CGMCC 1.41 strains might be the basis for their genetic stability, consistent with their stable industrial performances. These observations provide important insights into the acid resistance mechanism and the genetic stability of Ap strains and lay a foundation for future genetic manipulation and engineering of these two strains.

  15. Calculation of the Critical Current Reduction in a Brittle Round Multifilamentary Wire due to External Forces

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ten Haken, Bernard; Godeke, A.; ten Kate, Herman H.J.

    1994-01-01

    A simple model is presented that can describe the electro-mechanical state of a multifilamentary wire. An elastic cylinder model is used to derive the strain state analytically. Axial and transverse forces came a position dependent critical current density in the wire. The integral critical current

  16. Polyurethane spray coating of aluminum wire bonds to prevent corrosion and suppress resonant oscillations

    CERN Document Server

    Izen, Joseph; The ATLAS collaboration; Kurth, Matthew Glenn

    2015-01-01

    Unencapsulated aluminum wedge wire bonds are common in particle-physics pixel and strip detectors. Industry-favored bulk encapsulation is eschewed due to the range of operating temperatures and radiation. Wire bond failures are a persistent, source of tracking detector failure Unencapsulated bonds are vulnerable to condensation-induced corrosion, particularly when halides are present. Oscillations from periodic Lorenz forces are documented as another source of wire bond failure. Spray application of polyurethane coatings, performance of polyurethane-coated wire bonds after climate chamber exposure, and resonant properties of PU-coated wire bonds and their resistance to periodic Lorenz forces will be described.

  17. Molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus spp. contamination in the ward environment: study on mecA and femA genes in methicillin-resistant strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashimoto, A; Hamada, T; Adachi, A; Tanigawa, T; Tanaka, Y

    1995-01-01

    Staphylococcus spp. were isolated from the ward environment and antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed. Twenty-nine strains out of 274 isolates were S. aureus, and 41.4% of the S. aureus strains were methicillin resistant (MRSA). All 12 strains of MRSA were also resistant to oxacillin, ceftizoxime, ampicillin and clindamycin. Among the coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), methicillin-resistant (MR) strains of S. epidermidis, S. capitis, S. warneri, S. haemolyticus, S. hominis, S. auricularis, S. saprophyticus and S. cohnii were isolated. Eight of the 10 S. Haemolyticus strains were methicillin resistant. The femA gene was detected in S. aureus (MSSA and MRSA), but not in CNS by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and Southern blot analysis. The mecA gene was found in all the MRSA and MR-S. epidermidis strains tested, and one of the two MR-S. hominis strains, but not in MSSA, MS-S. epidermidis, MS-S. hominis, or MS-S. haemolyticus. DNA from one strain of MR-S. hominis and 2 strains of MR-S. haemolyticus was not amplified by PCR using the mecA gene primer, or hybridized by Southern blotting. The ambiguity that mecA was detected in some MR-CNS strains, but not in others is discussed.

  18. Evaluation of the interfacial shear strength between pseudoplastic NiTi shape memory alloy wires and epoxy by the pull-out method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spārniņš, E; Michaud, V; Leterrier, Y; Andersons, J

    2015-01-01

    The interfacial shear strength (IFSS) between nickel–titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloy wires, characterized by a nonlinear stress–strain behavior, and epoxy matrix was determined by pull-out tests. Tests were carried out at several temperatures and levels of pre-strain in the wires, to evaluate the effects of embedded wire length and of crystalline state of the alloy. The IFSS between the twinned NiTi and epoxy was estimated at 24 MPa, and found to increase to 47 MPa for completely detwinned and preloaded martensitic NiTi. This increase in IFSS values was attributed to microcracking of the superficial TiO 2 layer and the resulting roughening of the NiTi wire surface. (paper)

  19. Civil Engineering Applications: Specific Properties of NiTi Thick Wires and Their Damping Capabilities, A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torra, Vicenç; Martorell, Ferran; Lovey, Francisco C.; Sade, Marcos Leonel

    2017-12-01

    This study describes two investigations: first, the applicability of NiTi wires in the damping of oscillations induced by wind, rain, or traffic in cable-stayed bridges; and second, the characteristic properties of NiTi, i.e., the effects of wire diameter and particularly the effects of summer and winter temperatures and strain-aging actions on the hysteretic behavior. NiTi wires are mainly of interest because of their high number of available working cycles, reliable results, long service lifetime, and ease in obtaining sets of similar wires from the manufacturer.

  20. Morphological evolution of InAs/InP quantum wires through aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sales, D L; Molina, S I [Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e I. M. y Q. I., Universidad de Cadiz, Campus Rio San Pedro, E-11510 Puerto Real, Cadiz (Spain); Varela, M; Pennycook, S J [Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Galindo, P L [Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informaticos, Universidad de Cadiz, Campus Rio San Pedro, E-11510 Puerto Real, Cadiz (Spain); Gonzalez, L; Gonzalez, Y [Instituto de Microelectronica de Madrid (CNM, CSIC), Isaac Newton 8, E-28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid (Spain); Fuster, D, E-mail: david.sales@uca.es [UMDO - Unidad Asociada al CSIC-IMM, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad de Valencia, PO Box 22085, 4607 Valencia (Spain)

    2010-08-13

    Evolution of the size, shape and composition of self-assembled InAs/InP quantum wires through the Stranski-Krastanov transition has been determined by aberration-corrected Z-contrast imaging. High resolution compositional maps of the wires in the initial, intermediate and final formation stages are presented. (001) is the main facet at their very initial stage of formation, which is gradually reduced in favour of {l_brace}114{r_brace} or {l_brace}118{r_brace}, ending with the formation of mature quantum wires with {l_brace}114{r_brace} facets. Significant changes in wire dimensions are measured when varying slightly the amount of InAs deposited. These results are used as input parameters to build three-dimensional models that allow calculation of the strain energy during the quantum wire formation process. The observed morphological evolution is explained in terms of the calculated elastic energy changes at the growth front. Regions of the wetting layer close to the nanostructure perimeters have higher strain energy, causing migration of As atoms towards the quantum wire terraces, where the structure is partially relaxed; the thickness of the wetting layer is reduced in these zones and the island height increases until the (001) facet is removed.

  1. Comparative assessment of filler wires for argon-arc welding of refractory alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sorokin, L.I.; Bagdasarov, Yu.S.; Tupikin, V.I.

    1993-01-01

    It is recommended to use wires of similar composition as filler material during argon-arc welding of heat resisting alloys, and Sv-08Kh20N57M8V8T3R wire - for welding of dispersion hardening alloys. Sv-06Kh15N60M15, Sv-KhN64KBMYuVF or Kh11N60M23 wires should be used as filler materials to decrease tendency of welded joints to cracking during welding and heat treatment

  2. Construction and characterisation of near-isogenic Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) strains resistant to Cry1Ac toxin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Xun; Lei, Yanyuan; Yang, Yanjv; Baxter, Simon W; Li, Jianhong; Wu, Qingjun; Wang, Shaoli; Xie, Wen; Guo, Zhaojiang; Fu, Wei; Zhang, Youjun

    2015-02-01

    Resistance to insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins has arisen in multiple populations of the worldwide Brassica pest Plutella xylostella (L.). To help elucidate the mechanism of resistance to Bt Cry1Ac toxin in a population from Florida, two pairs of near-isogenic lines (NILs) were developed. NILs were generated using either backcross or recombinant inbred line methodologies and evaluated for near-isogenicity with inter-simple-sequence-repeat (ISSR) markers. Backcross line BC6F4 maintained a similar level of Cry1Ac resistance to parental strain DBM1Ac-R (>5000-fold) yet showed 98.24% genetic similarity to the susceptible parental strain DBM1Ac-S. Single-pair backcrosses between DBM1Ac-S and BC6F4 revealed that Cry1Ac resistance was controlled by one recessive autosomal locus. BC6F4 exhibited high levels of cross-resistance to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ah but not to Cry1Ca or Cry1Ie. Near-isogenic strains were constructed to provide a reliable biological system to investigate the mechanism of Cry1Ac resistance in P. xylostella. These data suggest that resistance to Cry1Ac, Cry1Ab and Cry1Ah is probably caused by the alteration of a common receptor not recognised by Cry1Ca or Cry1Ie. Understanding Bt toxin cross-resistance provides valuable information to consider when developing pest control strategies to delay resistance evolution. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  3. Investigation on the Tribological Behavior of Arc-Sprayed and Hammer-Peened Coatings Using Tungsten Carbide Cored Wires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tillmann, W.; Hagen, L.; Schröder, P.

    2017-01-01

    Due to their outstanding properties, WC-W2C iron-based cermet coatings are widely used in the field of wear protection. Regarding commonly used WC-W2C reinforced coating systems, it has been reported that their tribological behavior is mainly determined by the carbide grain size fraction. Although the manufacturing route for arc-sprayed WC-W2C cermet coatings is in an advanced state, there is still a lack of knowledge concerning the performance of cored wires with tungsten carbides as filling material and their related coating properties when post-treatment processes are used such as machine hammer peening (MHP). A major objective was to characterize WC-W2C FeCMnSi coatings, deposited with different carbide grain size fractions as a filling using cored wires, with respect to their tribological behavior. Moreover, deposits derived from cored wires with a different amount of hard phases are investigated. According to this, polished MHP surfaces are compared to as-sprayed and polished samples by means of metallographic investigations. With the use of ball-on-disk and dry rubber wheel tests, dry sliding and rolling wear effects on a microscopic level are scrutinized. It has been shown that the MHP process leads to a densification of the microstructure formation. For dry sliding experiments, the MHP coatings obtain lower wear resistances, but lower coefficients of friction than the conventional coatings. In view of abrasion tests, the MHP coatings possess an improved wear resistance. Strain hardening effects at the subsurface area were revealed by the mechanical response using nanoindentation. However, the MHP process has caused a cracking of embedded carbides, which favor breakouts, leading to advanced third-body wear.

  4. A multiple antibiotic and serum resistant oligotrophic strain, Klebsiella pneumoniae MB45 having novel dfrA30, is sensitive to ZnO QDs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chakrabarti Pinak

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study was to describe a novel trimethoprim resistance gene cassette, designated dfrA30, within a class 1 integron in a facultatively oligotrophic, multiple antibiotic and human serum resistant test strain, MB45, in a population of oligotrophic bacteria isolated from the river Mahananda; and to test the efficiency of surface bound acetate on zinc oxide quantum dots (ZnO QDs as bactericidal agent on MB45. Methods Diluted Luria broth/Agar (10-3 media was used to cultivate the oligotrophic bacteria from water sample. Multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria were selected by employing replica plate method. A rapid assay was performed to determine the sensitivity/resistance of the test strain to human serum. Variable region of class 1 integron was cloned, sequenced and the expression of gene coding for antibiotic resistance was done in Escherichia coli JM 109. Identity of culture was determined by biochemical phenotyping and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on representative trimethoprim resistance-mediating DfrA proteins retrieved from GenBank. Growth kinetic studies for the strain MB45 were performed in presence of varied concentrations of ZnO QDs. Results and conclusions The facultatively oligotrophic strain, MB45, resistant to human serum and ten antibiotics trimethoprim, cotrimoxazole, ampicillin, gentamycin, netilmicin, tobramycin, chloramphenicol, cefotaxime, kanamycin and streptomycin, has been identified as a new strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae. A novel dfr gene, designated as dfrA30, found integrated in class 1 integron was responsible for resistance to trimethoprim in Klebsiella pneumoniae strain MB45. The growth of wild strain MB45 was 100% arrested at 500 mg/L concentration of ZnO QDs. To our knowledge this is the first report on application of ZnO quantum dots to kill multiple antibiotics and serum resistant K. pneumoniae strain.

  5. Influence of Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) process parameters on surface roughness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeakub Ali, Mohammad; Banu, Asfana; Abu Bakar, Mazilah

    2018-01-01

    In obtaining the best quality of engineering components, the quality of machined parts surface plays an important role. It improves the fatigue strength, wear resistance, and corrosion of workpiece. This paper investigates the effects of wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process parameters on surface roughness of stainless steel using distilled water as dielectric fluid and brass wire as tool electrode. The parameters selected are voltage open, wire speed, wire tension, voltage gap, and off time. Empirical model was developed for the estimation of surface roughness. The analysis revealed that off time has a major influence on surface roughness. The optimum machining parameters for minimum surface roughness were found to be at a 10 V open voltage, 2.84 μs off time, 12 m/min wire speed, 6.3 N wire tension, and 54.91 V voltage gap.

  6. Risk factors assessment for nasal colonization of Staphylococcus aureus and its methicillin resistant strains among pre-clinical medical students of Nepal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ansari, Shamshul; Gautam, Rajendra; Shrestha, Sony; Ansari, Safiur Rahman; Subedi, Shankar Nanda; Chhetri, Muni Raj

    2016-04-12

    Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a normal flora of nasal cavity, can cause minor to life threatening invasive diseases and nosocomial infections. Methicillin resistant strains of S. aureus are causing a great challenge for treatment options. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the nasal carriage rate of S. aureus, its methicillin resistant strains and risk factors in medical students prior to clinical exposure. The bacterial growth of S. aureus from nasal swab culture was identified by using standard microbiological methods recommended by American Society for Microbiology. Modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used for antibiotic susceptibility testing and methicillin resistance was confirmed using cefoxitin and oxacillin disks. D-zone test method was used to determine the inducible clindamycin resistance. Among 200 participants, nasal carriage of S. aureus was detected from 30 (15%) subjects. Upper respiratory tract infections significantly (P aureus and their methicillin resistant strains. All of the isolates were reported to be susceptible to vancomycin and teicoplanin. S. aureus strains detected from 8 (4%) students were confirmed to be methicillin resistant. The result of our study demands for strict policy to screen all the students for nasal carriage of S. aureus and its MRSA strains to minimize the transmission of this organism from community to hospital settings.

  7. Intra-species Genomic and Physiological Variability Impact Stress Resistance in Strains of Probiotic Potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Jason W; Simpson, Joshua B; Roach, Jeffrey; Kwintkiewicz, Jakub; Azcarate-Peril, M Andrea

    2018-01-01

    Large-scale microbiome studies have established that most of the diversity contained in the gastrointestinal tract is represented at the strain level; however, exhaustive genomic and physiological characterization of human isolates is still lacking. With increased use of probiotics as interventions for gastrointestinal disorders, genomic and functional characterization of novel microorganisms becomes essential. In this study, we explored the impact of strain-level genomic variability on bacterial physiology of two novel human Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains (AMC143 and AMC010) of probiotic potential in relation to stress resistance. The strains showed differences with known probiotic strains ( L. rhamnosus GG, Lc705, and HN001) at the genomic level, including nucleotide polymorphisms, mutations in non-coding regulatory regions, and rearrangements of genomic architecture. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that gene expression profiles differed between strains when exposed to simulated gastrointestinal stresses, suggesting the presence of unique regulatory systems in each strain. In vitro physiological assays to test resistance to conditions mimicking the gut environment (acid, alkali, and bile stress) showed that growth of L. rhamnosus AMC143 was inhibited upon exposure to alkaline pH, while AMC010 and control strain LGG were unaffected. AMC143 also showed a significant survival advantage compared to the other strains upon bile exposure. Reverse transcription qPCR targeting the bile salt hydrolase gene ( bsh ) revealed that AMC143 expressed bsh poorly (a consequence of a deletion in the bsh promoter and truncation of bsh gene in AMC143), while AMC010 had significantly higher expression levels than AMC143 or LGG. Insertional inactivation of the bsh gene in AMC010 suggested that bsh could be detrimental to bacterial survival during bile stress. Together, these findings show that coupling of classical microbiology with functional genomics methods for the

  8. Intra-species Genomic and Physiological Variability Impact Stress Resistance in Strains of Probiotic Potential

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jason W. Arnold

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Large-scale microbiome studies have established that most of the diversity contained in the gastrointestinal tract is represented at the strain level; however, exhaustive genomic and physiological characterization of human isolates is still lacking. With increased use of probiotics as interventions for gastrointestinal disorders, genomic and functional characterization of novel microorganisms becomes essential. In this study, we explored the impact of strain-level genomic variability on bacterial physiology of two novel human Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains (AMC143 and AMC010 of probiotic potential in relation to stress resistance. The strains showed differences with known probiotic strains (L. rhamnosus GG, Lc705, and HN001 at the genomic level, including nucleotide polymorphisms, mutations in non-coding regulatory regions, and rearrangements of genomic architecture. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that gene expression profiles differed between strains when exposed to simulated gastrointestinal stresses, suggesting the presence of unique regulatory systems in each strain. In vitro physiological assays to test resistance to conditions mimicking the gut environment (acid, alkali, and bile stress showed that growth of L. rhamnosus AMC143 was inhibited upon exposure to alkaline pH, while AMC010 and control strain LGG were unaffected. AMC143 also showed a significant survival advantage compared to the other strains upon bile exposure. Reverse transcription qPCR targeting the bile salt hydrolase gene (bsh revealed that AMC143 expressed bsh poorly (a consequence of a deletion in the bsh promoter and truncation of bsh gene in AMC143, while AMC010 had significantly higher expression levels than AMC143 or LGG. Insertional inactivation of the bsh gene in AMC010 suggested that bsh could be detrimental to bacterial survival during bile stress. Together, these findings show that coupling of classical microbiology with functional genomics methods for the

  9. A strain gradient plasticity theory with application to wire torsion

    KAUST Repository

    Liu, J. X.; El Sayed, Tamer S.

    2014-01-01

    Based on the framework of the existing strain gradient plasticity theories, we have examined three kinds of relations for the plastic strain dependence of the material intrinsic length scale, and thus developed updated strain gradient plasticity

  10. Frequency of resistance to penicillin and erythromycin of pneumococcal strains that caused ottis media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jovanović Luka

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important human pathogen and the most common cause of acute otitis media (AOM, especially in children. It is also a common cause of community acquired pneumonia, sepsis and bacterial meningitis. Drug of choice in the treatment of these disease are beta lactam antibiotics, and the first alternative are macrolides. The increasing prevalence of resistance to penicillin and macrolides, among pneumococci, has considerably complicated the treatment. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine susceptibility of pneumococcal isolates from pediatric AOM in Serbia to antibiotics. Material and methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 61 pneumococcal AOM was performed, collected from December 2014 to December 2015, using disk diffusion method and E test. Macrolide resistance profile was determined by double disk diffusion test. Results: In our study, 40 strains (65.6% showed reduced sensitivity to penicillin and erythromycin. There were 9 (14.8% high resistant isolates to penicillin, while 31 (50.8% showed reduced susceptibility. The most frequent resistance phenotype was cMLS. Co-resistance to penicillin and macrolides was found in 14.8% strains. Conclusion: Our results showed high resistance rate of S. pneumoniae, which causes AOM among children, to penicillin and macrolides. Further active surveillance of pneumococcal susceptibility to antibiotics is necessary, and use of these medications in empirical therapy should be limited.

  11. A simple derivation for the skin effect in a round wire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Glenn S.

    2014-03-01

    The skin effect in a round wire is an important electromagnetic phenomenon with practical consequences; however, it is usually not presented in any detail at the undergraduate level but reserved for graduate study. The purpose of this paper is to remedy this situation by providing a simple derivation for the skin effect in a round wire that only requires background usually familiar to these students: Maxwell’s equations in integral form, integral calculus (specifically integration of a power) and some elementary properties of series. Graphical results are used to clearly show the current concentrating near the surface as the frequency increases and the accompanying increase in the resistance and decrease in the inductance of the wire. A brief review of the history of the subject shows that several of the scientists familiar to students made contributions to our understanding of the skin effect in a round wire; they include J C Maxwell, Lord Rayleigh, Lord Kelvin, O Heaviside and J J Thomson. The validity of the theory is demonstrated by comparing results from the theory with resistances and inductances measured by some of the early pioneers of wireless communication.

  12. A simple derivation for the skin effect in a round wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, Glenn S

    2014-01-01

    The skin effect in a round wire is an important electromagnetic phenomenon with practical consequences; however, it is usually not presented in any detail at the undergraduate level but reserved for graduate study. The purpose of this paper is to remedy this situation by providing a simple derivation for the skin effect in a round wire that only requires background usually familiar to these students: Maxwell’s equations in integral form, integral calculus (specifically integration of a power) and some elementary properties of series. Graphical results are used to clearly show the current concentrating near the surface as the frequency increases and the accompanying increase in the resistance and decrease in the inductance of the wire. A brief review of the history of the subject shows that several of the scientists familiar to students made contributions to our understanding of the skin effect in a round wire; they include J C Maxwell, Lord Rayleigh, Lord Kelvin, O Heaviside and J J Thomson. The validity of the theory is demonstrated by comparing results from the theory with resistances and inductances measured by some of the early pioneers of wireless communication. (paper)

  13. The global establishment of a highly-fluoroquinolone resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Kentucky ST198 strain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon eLe Hello

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available While the spread of Salmonella enterica serotype Kentucky resistant to ciprofloxacin across Africa and the Middle-East has been described recently, the presence of this strain in humans, food, various animal species (livestock, pets, and wildlife and in environment is suspected in other countries of different continents. Here, we report results of an in-depth molecular epidemiological study on a global human and non-human collection of S. Kentucky (n=70.We performed XbaI-pulsed field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing, assessed mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions, detected β-lactam resistance mechanisms, and screened the presence of the Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1. In this study, we highlight the rapid and extensive worldwide dissemination of the ciprofloxacin-resistant S. Kentucky ST198-X1-SGI1 strain since the mid-2000s in an increasingly large number of contaminated sources, including the environment. This strain has accumulated an increasing number of chromosomal and plasmid resistance determinants and has been identified in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Europe since 2010. The second substitution at position 87 in GyrA (replacing the amino acid Asp appeared helpful for epidemiological studies to track the origin of contamination.This global study provides evidence leading to the conclusion that high-level resistance to ciprofloxacin in S. Kentucky is a simple microbiological trait that facilitates the identification of the epidemic clone of interest, ST198-X1-SGI1. Taking this into account is essential in order to detect and monitor it easily and to take rapid measures in livestock to ensure control of this infection.

  14. An in situ test of vibrating wire stressmeters in granitic rock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spinney, M.H.

    1990-02-01

    An in situ test was conducted to assess the ability of vibrating-wire stressmeters to measure stress changes in hard, unfractured granitic rock at the Underground Research Laboratory (URL). Twelve vibrating-wire stressmeters installed ahead of the face and below floor grade of Room 205 were monitored during the excavation of Room 205. The results were compared with results from CSIRO hollow inclusion triaxial strain cells, USBM boreholes deformation gauge overcore tests done before and after excavation, and a two-dimensional numerical model

  15. Structural Parameters and Strengthening Mechanisms in Cold-Drawn Pearlitic Steel Wires

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xiaodan; Godfrey, Andy; Huang, Xiaoxu

    2012-01-01

    Pearlitic steel wires have a nanoscale structure and a strength which can reach 5 GPa. In order to investigate strengthening mechanisms, structural parameters including interlamellar spacing, dislocation density and cementite decomposition, have been analyzed by transmission electron microscopy...... and high resolution electron microscopy in wires cold drawn up to a strain of 3.7. Three strengthening mechanisms, namely boundary strengthening, dislocation strengthening and solid solution hardening have been analyzed and good agreement has been found between the measured flow stress and the value...

  16. Decreased UV light resistance of spores of Bacillus subtilis strains deficient in pyrimidine dimer repair and small, acid-soluble spore proteins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Setlow, B.; Setlow, P.

    1988-01-01

    Loss of small, acid-soluble spore protein alpha reduced spore UV resistance 30- to 50-fold in Bacillus subtilis strains deficient in pyrimidine dimer repair, but gave only a 5- to 8-fold reduction in UV resistance in repair-proficient strains. However, both repair-proficient and -deficient spores lacking this protein had identical heat and gamma-radiation resistance

  17. Wear behavior of Cu-Ag-Cr alloy wire under electrical sliding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia, S.G.; Liu, P.; Ren, F.Z.; Tian, B.H.; Zheng, M.S.; Zhou, G.S.

    2005-01-01

    The wear behavior of a Cu-Ag-Cr alloy contact wire against a copper-base sintered alloy strip was investigated. Wear tests were conducted under laboratory conditions with a special sliding wear apparatus that simulated train motion under electrical current conditions. The initial microstructure of the Cu-Ag-Cr alloy contact wire was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Worn surfaces of the Cu-Ag-Cr alloy wire were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). The results indicate that the wear rate of the Cu-Ag-Cr wire increased with increasing electrical current and sliding. Within the studied range of electrical current, the wear rate increases with increasing electrical current and sliding speed. Compared with the Cu-Ag contact wire under the same testing conditions, the Cu-Ag-Cr alloy wire has much better wear resistance. Adhesive, abrasive, and electrical erosion wear are the dominant mechanisms during the electrical sliding processes

  18. Potentiation of Artemisinin Activity against Chloroquine-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Strains by Using Heme Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benoit-Vical, Françoise; Robert, Anne; Meunier, Bernard

    1999-01-01

    The influence of different metalloporphyrin derivatives on the antimalarial activity of artemisinin was studied with two chloroquine-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum (FcB1-Colombia and FcM29-Cameroon) cultured in human erythrocytes. This potentiation study indicates that the manganese complex of meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin has a significant synergistic effect on the activity of artemisinin against both Plasmodium strains. PMID:10508044

  19. 3D MHD Simulations of Radial Wire Array Z-pinches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niasse, N.; Chittenden, J. P.; Bland, S. N.; Suzuki-Vidal, F. A.; Hall, G. N.; Lebedev, S. V.; Calamy, H.; Zucchini, F.; Lassalle, F.; Bedoch, J. P.

    2009-01-01

    Recent experiments carried out on the MAGPIE (1 MA, 250 ns), OEDIPE (730 kA, 1.5 μs) and SPHINX (4 MA, 700 ns)[1] facilities have shown the relatively high level of scalability of the Radial Wire Array Z-pinches. These configurations where the wires stretch radially outwards from a central cathode offer numerous advantages over standard cylindrical arrays. In particular, imploding in a very stable and compact way, they seem suitable for coupling to small scale hohlraums. Making use of the 3D resistive magneto-hydrodynamic code GORGON[2] developed at Imperial College, the dynamic of the radial wire arrays is investigated. Influence of the cathode hotspots and wires angle on the x-ray emissions is also discussed. Comparison with experiments is offered to validate the numerical studies.

  20. Identification of a Candidate Gene in Solanum habrochaites for Resistance to a Race 1 Strain of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhilong Bao

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Bacterial speck disease caused by pv. ( is a persistent problem on tomato ( L.. Resistance against race 0 strains is conferred by the Pto protein, which recognizes either of two pathogen effectors: AvrPto or AvrPtoB. However, current tomato varieties do not have resistance to the increasingly common race 1 strains, which lack these effectors. We identified accessions of S. Knapp & D. M. Spooner that are resistant to the race 1 strain T1. Genome sequence comparisons of T1 and two strains that are virulent on these accessions suggested that known microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs or effectors are not involved in the resistance. We developed an F population from a cross between one T1-resistant accession, LA2109, and a susceptible tomato cultivar to investigate the genetic basis of this resistance. Linkage analysis using whole-genome sequence of 58 F plants identified quantitative trait loci (QTL, , in a 5.8-Mb region on chromosome 2, and , in a 52.4-Mb region on chromosome 8, which account for 24 and 26% of the phenotypic variability, respectively. High-resolution mapping of confirmed it contributed to T1 resistance and delimited it to a 1060-kb region containing 139 genes, including three encoding receptor-like proteins (RLPs and 17 encoding receptor-like protein kinases (RLKs. One RLK gene, Solyc02g072470, is a promising candidate for , as it is highly expressed in LA2109 and induced on treatment with MAMPs. might be useful for enhancing resistance to race 1 strains and its future characterization could provide insights into the plant immune system.

  1. Antifungal activities of diphenyl diselenide and ebselen against echinocandin-susceptible and -resistant strains of Candida parapsilosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chassot, Francieli; Pozzebon Venturini, Tarcieli; Baldissera Piasentin, Fernanda; Morais Santurio, Janio; Estivalet Svidzinski, Terezinha Inez; Hartz Alves, Sydney

    2016-10-01

    We evaluated the in vitro antifungal activity of diphenyl diselenide and ebselen against echinocandin-susceptible and -resistant strains of Candida parapsilosis using the broth microdilution method. Diphenyl diselenide (MIC range =1-8 µg/mL) and ebselen (MIC range =0.25-4 µg/mL) showed in vitro activity against echinocandin-susceptible isolates. However, ebselen also showed the highest antifungal activity against echinocandin-resistant strains (MIC range =0.06-4 µg/mL). This study demonstrated that the antifungal potential of diphenyl diselenide and ebselen deserves further investigation using in vivo experimental protocols.

  2. The influence of drawing speed on structure changes in high carbon steel wires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Suliga

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In the paper the influence of the drawing speed on structure changes has been assessed. The Scanning Electron Microscope investigation confirmed that for wires drawn with high total draft, exceeding 80 %, makes it impossible to clearly assess the impact of drawing technology on structural changes in the drawn wires. Thus, to assess the structural changes necessary to apply quantitative methods. On the basis of examination of the wire structure by measuring of electrical resistance, the structure changes in drawn wires has been determined. It has been shown that the increase of drawing speed, especially above 15 m/s, causes an increase in structure defect, with a decline in platelet orientation of cementite in drawn wires.

  3. The development of the high-tension wire for nuclear fusion superconductive magnet measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Kiyoshi; Morita, Yohsuke; Yamazaki, Takanori; Watanabe, Kiyoshi; Furusawa, Ken-ichi.

    1987-01-01

    Following on tokamak critical plasma testing device JT-60, experimental fusion reactor JT-100 is being developed. The 6 kV high-tension wire has been developed for use in JT-100 under ultra-low temperature and high radiation environment. Used for superconductive magnet measurement, the wire is inserted in the vacuum vessel, being immersed within the liquid helium. As the insulating material of this wire, polyetherimido was found to be most suitable in the respects of radiation resistance and voltage-withstand property. In an electric wire covered with polyetherimido, which was made in trial, its test in voltage-withstand and bending characteristics at ultra-low temperature showed the wire to be usable for the intended purpose. (Mori, K.)

  4. Slice of LHC dipole wiring

    CERN Multimedia

    Dipole model slice made in 1994 by Ansaldo. The high magnetic fields needed for guiding particles around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) ring are created by passing 12’500 amps of current through coils of superconducting wiring. At very low temperatures, superconductors have no electrical resistance and therefore no power loss. The LHC is the largest superconducting installation ever built. The magnetic field must also be extremely uniform. This means the current flowing in the coils has to be very precisely controlled. Indeed, nowhere before has such precision been achieved at such high currents. 50’000 tonnes of steel sheets are used to make the magnet yokes that keep the wiring firmly in place. The yokes constitute approximately 80% of the accelerator's weight and, placed side by side, stretch over 20 km!

  5. Operation and force analysis of the guide wire in a minimally invasive vascular interventional surgery robot system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xue; Wang, Hongbo; Sun, Li; Yu, Hongnian

    2015-03-01

    To develop a robot system for minimally invasive surgery is significant, however the existing minimally invasive surgery robots are not applicable in practical operations, due to their limited functioning and weaker perception. A novel wire feeder is proposed for minimally invasive vascular interventional surgery. It is used for assisting surgeons in delivering a guide wire, balloon and stenting into a specific lesion location. By contrasting those existing wire feeders, the motion methods for delivering and rotating the guide wire in blood vessel are described, and their mechanical realization is presented. A new resistant force detecting method is given in details. The change of the resistance force can help the operator feel the block or embolism existing in front of the guide wire. The driving torque for rotating the guide wire is developed at different positions. Using the CT reconstruction image and extracted vessel paths, the path equation of the blood vessel is obtained. Combining the shapes of the guide wire outside the blood vessel, the whole bending equation of the guide wire is obtained. That is a risk criterion in the delivering process. This process can make operations safer and man-machine interaction more reliable. A novel surgery robot for feeding guide wire is designed, and a risk criterion for the system is given.

  6. Virulence Genes and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Pasteurella multocida Strains Isolated from Rabbits in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thais Sebastiana Porfida Ferreira

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Pasteurella multocida is responsible for a wide range of diseases in domestic animals. In rabbits, the agent is related to nasal discharge, pneumonia, otitis media, pyometra, orchitis, abscess, and septicemia. One hundred and forty rabbits with respiratory diseases from four rabbitries in São Paulo State, Brazil were evaluated for the detection of P. multocida in their nasal cavities. A total of twenty-nine animals were positive to P. multocida isolation, and 46 strains were selected and characterized by means of biochemical tests and PCR. P. multocida strains were tested for capsular type, virulence genes, and resistance profile. A total of 45.6% (21/46 of isolates belonged to capsular type A, and 54.34% (25/46 of the isolates were untypeable. None of the strains harboured toxA or pfhA genes. The frequency of the other twenty genes tested was variable, and the data generated was used to build a dendrogram, showing the relatedness of strains, which were clustered according to origin. Resistance revealed to be more common against sulfonamides and cotrimoxazole, followed by erythromycin, penicillin, and amoxicillin.

  7. Genetic diversity, anti-microbial resistance, plasmid profile and frequency of the Vi antigen in Salmonella Dublin strains isolated in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilela, F P; Frazão, M R; Rodrigues, D P; Costa, R G; Casas, M R T; Fernandes, S A; Falcão, J P; Campioni, F

    2018-02-01

    Salmonella Dublin is strongly adapted to cattle causing enteritis and/or systemic disease with high rates of mortality. However, it can be sporadically isolated from humans, usually causing serious disease, especially in patients with underlying chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to molecularly type S. Dublin strains isolated from humans and animals in Brazil to verify the diversity of these strains as well as to ascertain possible differences between strains isolated from humans and animals. Moreover, the presence of the capsular antigen Vi and the plasmid profile was characterized in addition to the anti-microbial resistance against 15 drugs. For this reason, 113 S. Dublin strains isolated between 1983 and 2016 from humans (83) and animals (30) in Brazil were typed by PFGE and MLVA. The presence of the capsular antigen Vi was verified by PCR, and the phenotypic expression of the capsular antigen was determined serologically. Also, a plasmid analysis for each strain was carried out. The strains studied were divided into 35 different PFGE types and 89 MLVA-types with a similarity of ≥80% and ≥17.5%, respectively. The plasmid sizes found ranged from 2 to >150 kb and none of the strains studied presented the capsular antigen Vi. Resistance or intermediate resistance was found in 23 strains (20.3%) that were resistant to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, imipenem, nalidixic acid, piperacillin, streptomycin and/or tetracycline. The majority of the S. Dublin strains studied and isolated over a 33-year period may descend from a common subtype that has been contaminating humans and animals in Brazil and able to cause invasive disease even in the absence of the capsular antigen. The higher diversity of resistance phenotypes in human isolates, as compared with animal strains, may be a reflection of the different anti-microbial treatments used to control S. Dublin infections in humans in Brazil. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  8. Nanopowder production by gas-embedded electrical explosion of wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zou Xiao-Bing; Wang Xin-Xin; Jiang Wei-Hua; Mao Zhi-Guo

    2013-01-01

    A small electrical explosion of wire (EEW) setup for nanopowder production is constructed. It consists of a low inductance capacitor bank of 2 μF–4 μF typically charged to 8 kV−30 kV, a triggered gas switch, and a production chamber housing the exploding wire load and ambient gas. With the EEW device, nanosize powders of titanium oxides, titanium nitrides, copper oxides, and zinc oxides are successfully synthesized. The average particle size of synthesized powders under different experimental conditions is in a range of 20 nm−80 nm. The pressure of ambient gas or wire vapor can strongly affect the average particle size. The lower the pressure, the smaller the particle size is. For wire material with relatively high resistivity, such as titanium, whose deposited energy W d is often less than sublimation energy W s due to the flashover breakdown along the wire prematurely ending the Joule heating process, the synthesized particle size of titanium oxides or titanium nitrides increases with overheat coefficient k (k = W d /W s ) increasing. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)

  9. Nanopowder production by gas-embedded electrical explosion of wire

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Zou Xiao-Bing; Mao Zhi-Guo; Wang Xin-Xin; Jiang Wei-Hua

    2013-01-01

    A small electrical explosion of wire (EEW) setup for nanopowder production is constructed.It consists of a low inductance capacitor bank of 2 μF--4 μF typically charged to 8 kV-30 kV,a triggered gas switch,and a production chamber housing the exploding wire load and ambient gas.With the EEW device,nanosize powders of titanium oxides,titanium nitrides,copper oxides,and zinc oxides are successfully synthesized.The average particle size of synthesized powders under different experimental conditions is in a range of 20 nm-80 nm.The pressure of ambient gas or wire vapor can strongly affect the average particle size.The lower the pressure,the smaller the particle size is.For wire material with relatively high resistivity,such as titanium,whose deposited energy Wd is often less than sublimation energy Ws due to the flashover breakdown along the wire prematurely ending the Joule heating process,the synthesized particle size of titanium oxides or titanium nitrides increases with overheat coefficient k (k =Wd/Ws) increasing.

  10. Effectiveness of 5-Pyrrolidone-2-carboxylic Acid and Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate Association against Drug Resistant Staphylococcus Strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Governa, Paolo; Miraldi, Elisabetta; De Fina, Gianna; Biagi, Marco

    2016-04-01

    Bacterial resistance is an ongoing challenge for pharmacotherapy and pharmaceutical chemistry. Staphylococcus aureus is the bacterial species which makes it most difficult to treat skin and soft tissue infections and it is seen in thousands of hospitalization cases each year. Severe but often underrated infectious diseases, such as complicated nasal infections, are primarily caused by MRSA and S. epidermidis too. With the aim of studying new drugs with antimicrobial activity and effectiveness on drug resistant Staphylococcus strains, our attention in this study was drawn on the activity of a new association between two natural products: 5-pyrrolidone-2-carboxylic acid (PCA), naturally produced by certain Lactobacillus species, and copper sulfate pentahydrate (CS). The antimicrobial susceptibility test was conducted taking into account 12 different Staphylococcus strains, comprising 6 clinical isolates and 6 resistant strains. PCA 4%, w/w, and CS 0.002%, w/w, association in distilled water solution was found to have bactericidal activity against all tested strains. Antimicrobial kinetics highlighted that PCA 4%, w/w, and CS 0.002% association could reduce by 5 log10 viable bacterial counts of MRSA and oxacillin resistant S. epidennidis in less than 5 and 3 minutes respectively. Microscopic investigations suggest a cell wall targeting mechanism of action. Being very safe and highly tolerated, the natural product PCA and CS association proved to be a promising antimicrobial agent to treat Staphylococcus related infections.

  11. wire chamber

    CERN Multimedia

    Proportional multi-wire chamber. Multi-wire detectors contain layers of positively and negatively charged wires enclosed in a chamber full of gas. A charged particle passing through the chamber knocks negatively charged electrons out of atoms in the gas, leaving behind positive ions. The electrons are pulled towards the positively charged wires. They collide with other atoms on the way, producing an avalanche of electrons and ions. The movement of these electrons and ions induces an electric pulse in the wires which is collected by fast electronics. The size of the pulse is proportional to the energy loss of the original particle. Proportional wire chambers allow a much quicker reading than the optical or magnetoscriptive readout wire chambers.

  12. A wireless vibrating wire sensor node for continuous structural health monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, H M; Park, H S; Kim, J M; Sho, K

    2010-01-01

    Vibrating wire sensors (VWS) are generally used for strain measurements of structures in buildings and civil infrastructures. In this paper, a wireless vibrating wire sensor node is developed which can measure resonance frequencies from vibrating wire sensors and can remotely communicate the frequencies by wireless. The wireless sensor node consists of a sensor module, which excites the vibrating wire and reads the resonance frequencies, a wireless communication module, which transmits the wire's resonance frequencies to the user or administrator, and a processor that controls the two modules. The wireless sensor node has the following characteristics: it has multiple channels to enable measurement of multiple vibrating wire sensors (up to four) using a single sensor node; it has a power-saving feature that enables operation for up to one year; and lastly, the wireless unit uses the 424 MHz UHF (ultra-high frequency) band with good diffraction that has an effect on minimizing the influence of impediments such as structural or nonstructural elements. The wireless sensor node is tested in terms of its measurement precision and its wireless communication performance. As a result, it is confirmed that the node enables the long-term structural health monitoring of buildings and infrastructures

  13. Salmonella spp. and antibiotic-resistant strains in wild mammals and birds in north-western Italy from 2002 to 2010

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Velca Botti

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Salmonella is an important zoonotic pathogen of economic importance. In Europe, salmonellosis is the second food-borne infection, in Italy, Salmonella is still the major cause of food-borne outbreaks. In Europe, there are many Salmonella surveillance plans on farmed animals, while Salmonella survey of wild animals is occasionally performed. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Salmonella including the antibiotic-resistant strains in wild animals. Between 2002 and 2010, 2,713 wild animals (canids, mustelids, birds, rodents, ungulates, were collected in north-western Italy and tested for Salmonella by classical microbiological culture method followed by serological and biochemical typing. One hundred and seventeen wild animals (63 canids, 25 mustelids, 24 birds, 5 ungulates were found positive for Salmonella (4.3%. One hundred and thirty strains, belonging to several serotypes were isolated, and S. Typhimurium was the most common serotype found. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested by disk-diffusion test on 88 strains. Almost all the analyzed strains (97.7% showed resistance/intermediate resistance to at least one class of antibiotics and the highest resistance values were observed for the tetracycline class. In conclusion, zoonotic and antibiotic-resistant serotypes were found in many species of wildlife.

  14. Wire breakage in SLC wire profile monitors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Field, C.; McCormick, D.; Raimondi, P.; Ross, M.

    1998-05-01

    Wire scanning beam profile monitors are used at the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC) for emittance preservation control and beam optics optimization. Twenty such scanners have proven most useful for this purpose and have performed a total of 1.5 million scans in the 4 to 6 years since their installation. Most of the essential scanners are equipped with 20 to 40 microm tungsten wires. SLC bunch intensities and sizes often exceed 2 x 10 7 particles/microm 2 (3C/m 2 ). The authors believe that this has caused a number of tungsten wire failures that appear at the ends of the wire, near the wire support points, after a few hundred scans are accumulated. Carbon fibers, also widely used at SLAC, have been substituted in several scanners and have performed well. In this paper, the authors present theories for the wire failure mechanism and techniques learned in reducing the failures

  15. Coupled stress-strain and electrical resistivity measurements on copper based shape memory single crystals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gonzalez Cezar Henrique

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently, electrical resistivity (ER measurements have been done during some thermomechanical tests in copper based shape memory alloys (SMA's. In this work, single crystals of Cu-based SMA's have been studied at different temperatures to analyse the relationship between stress (s and ER changes as a function of the strain (e. A good consistency between ER change values is observed in different experiments: thermal martensitic transformation, stress induced martensitic transformation and stress induced reorientation of martensite variants. During stress induced martensitic transformation (superelastic behaviour and stress induced reorientation of martensite variants, a linear relationship is obtained between ER and strain as well as the absence of hys teresis. In conclusion, the present results show a direct evidence of martensite electrical resistivity anisotropy.

  16. The Mechanical Behavior Variation of Nickel - Titanium Orthodontic Wires in Different Fluoride Mouthwash

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilnaz haj Hemati

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In this study, an orthodontic arch wire of Ni-Ti alloy made by Germany in four different mouthwashes contain fluoride was investigated in mechanical behavior. This research focused on the mechanical behavior changes in different mouthwashes. The Mouthwashes were chosen from most popular one in Iran including Oral-B, Gum, and Behsa Mouthwash. The wires after 3 month in touch with mouthwashes were studied and the result was presented. The result show that the lowest power to reshape the wire, is for the wire in Crest case (3. The maximum power assigns to wire in Behsa case (1. Also, the shortest treatment period is for wire in Behsa mouthwash case (1 with 0.087 Nm strain energy and the maximum duration of therapy is related to case (3 Crest mouthwash with 0.039 Nm. Moreover, the wires in Oral-b (0.095 Nm has the lowest and Gum mouthwash (0.140 Nm has the highest energy intake. The energy absorbed by the wires in Behsa and Crest is in the middle. Finally, it is proposed that patient could used all mouthwash but based on their condition, one product will be useful.

  17. Conspicuous multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis cluster strains do not trespass country borders in Latin America and Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritacco, Viviana; Iglesias, María-José; Ferrazoli, Lucilaine; Monteserin, Johana; Dalla Costa, Elis R; Cebollada, Alberto; Morcillo, Nora; Robledo, Jaime; de Waard, Jacobus H; Araya, Pamela; Aristimuño, Liselotte; Díaz, Raúl; Gavin, Patricia; Imperiale, Belen; Simonsen, Vera; Zapata, Elsa M; Jiménez, María S; Rossetti, Maria L; Martin, Carlos; Barrera, Lucía; Samper, Sofia

    2012-06-01

    Multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain diversity in Ibero-America was examined by comparing extant genotype collections in national or state tuberculosis networks. To this end, genotypes from over 1000 patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis diagnosed from 2004 through 2008 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and Spain were compared in a database constructed ad hoc. Most of the 116 clusters identified by IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism were small and restricted to individual countries. The three largest clusters, of 116, 49 and 25 patients, were found in Argentina and corresponded to previously documented locally-epidemic strains. Only 13 small clusters involved more than one country, altogether accounting for 41 patients, of whom 13 were, in turn, immigrants from Latin American countries different from those participating in the study (Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia). Most of these international clusters belonged either to the emerging RD(Rio) LAM lineage or to the Haarlem family of M. tuberculosis and four were further split by country when analyzed with spoligotyping and rifampin resistance-conferring mutations, suggesting that they did not represent ongoing transnational transmission events. The Beijing genotype accounted for 1.3% and 10.2% of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Latin America and Spain, respectively, including one international cluster of two cases. In brief, Euro-American genotypes were widely predominant among multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains in Ibero-America, reflecting closely their predominance in the general M. tuberculosis population in the region, and no evidence was found of acknowledged outbreak strains trespassing country borders. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Understanding Irreversible Degradation of Nb3Sn Wires with Fundamental Fracture Mechanics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhai, Yuhu [PPPL; Calzolaio, Ciro [Univ of Geneva; Senatore, Carmine [Univ of Geneva

    2014-08-01

    Irreversible performance degradation of advanced Nb3Sn superconducting wires subjected to transverse or axial mechanical loading is a critical issue for the design of large-scale fusion and accelerator magnets such as ITER and LHC. Recent SULTAN tests indicate that most cable-in-conduit conductors for ITER coils made of Nb3Sn wires processed by various fabrication techniques show similar performance degradation under cyclic loading. The irreversible degradation due to filament fracture and local strain accumulation in Nb3Sn wires cannot be described by the existing strand scaling law. Fracture mechanic modeling combined with X-ray diffraction imaging of filament micro-crack formation inside the wires under mechanical loading may reveal exciting insights to the wire degradation mechanisms. We apply fundamental fracture mechanics with a singularity approach to study influence of wire filament microstructure of initial void size and distribution to local stress concentration and potential crack propagation. We report impact of the scale and density of the void structure on stress concentration in the composite wire materials for crack initiation. These initial defects result in an irreversible degradation of the critical current beyond certain applied stress. We also discuss options to minimize stress concentration in the design of the material microstructure for enhanced wire performance for future applications.

  19. Self-centering and damping capabilities of a tension-compression device equipped with superelastic NiTi wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soul, H; Yawny, A

    2015-01-01

    The hysteretic damping capacity and high recoverable strains characterizing the superelastic response of shape memory alloys (SMA) make these materials attractive for protection systems of structures subjected to dynamic loads. A successful implementation however is conditioned by functional fatigue exhibited by the SMA when subjected to cyclic loading. The residual deformation upon cycling and the efficiency in material usage are the two most restrictive issues in this sense. In this paper, a device equipped with superelastic NiTi SMA wires and capable of supporting external tension compression loads with optimized properties is presented. It is shown how the introduction of the wires’ pre-straining allows for the absorption of deleterious residual deformation without affecting the self-centering capabilities upon unloading, in contrast with what occurs for pre-strained tendons. These features were experimentally verified in an in-scale prototype composed of two 1.2 mm diameter superelastic NiTi SMA wires. In order to numerically assess the dynamic response of a simple structure subjected to seismic excitations, a multilinear superelasticity model for the NiTi wires was developed. (paper)

  20. Novos pontos de corte de sensibilidade nas taxas de resistência antimicrobiana de cepas invasivas de pneumococo New susceptibility breakpoints in antimicrobial resistance rates of invasive pneumococcal strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paula Carolina Bejo Wolkers

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar impacto dos novos pontos de corte de sensibilidade à penicilina nas taxas de resistência de cepas de pneumococo obtidas de crianças com pneumonia. MÉTODOS: Cepas de pneumococo isoladas no laboratório de análises clínicas do Hospital de Clínicas de Uberlândia, Uberlândia (MG, a partir de amostras de pacientes internados foram enviadas ao Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo (SP, para confirmação da identificação, sorotipagem e determinação da sensibilidade aos antimicrobianos. RESULTADOS: De abril de 1999 a dezembro de 2008 foram enviadas ao Instituto Adolfo Lutz 330 cepas de pneumococo, sendo 195 (59% provenientes de pacientes com diagnóstico de pneumonia. Destas, foram analisadas 100 cepas de pacientes com idade ≤ 12 anos; a idade dos pacientes variou de 1 a 12,6 anos, com média de 2,4 e mediana de 1,7 anos; 47 pacientes eram do sexo masculino; as fontes de recuperação foram sangue (42% e líquido pleural (58%. Foram detectadas 35 cepas oxacilina-resistentes: segundo os critérios do Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI de 2007 [concentração inibitória mínima (CIM ≤ 0,06 µg/mL para sensibilidade (S, 0,12 a 1 µg/mL para resistência intermediária (RI e ≥ 2 µg/mL para resistência plena (RP], 22 cepas apresentaram RI e 11, RP para penicilina. De acordo com os critérios atuais do CLSI de 2008 (≤ 2 µg/mL para S, 4 µg/mL para RI e ≥ 8 µg/mL para RP apenas uma cepa confirmou RI à penicilina. Detectou-se resistência a cotrimoxazol (80%, tetraciclina (21%, eritromicina (13%, clindamicina (13% e ceftriaxona (uma cepa, simultaneamente resistente a penicilina. CONCLUSÕES: Com a aplicação dos novos pontos de corte para sensibilidade in vitro, as taxas de resistência a penicilina caíram 97%, de 33 para 1%.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of new penicillin susceptibility breakpoints on resistance rates of pneumococcal strains collected from children with pneumonia. METHODS

  1. [Antibiotic resistance pattern of 24, 526 strains of Vibrio cholerae O1 isolated in Mexico from 1991 to 1993].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giono-Cerezo, S; Zárate, A; Gutiérrez, L; Valdespino, J L

    1994-01-01

    Profile of antimicrobial resistance by Kirby-Bauer method was performed on 24526 Vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated in México (1991-1993) from fecal swabs in cholera cases and from asymptomatic carriers. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests for tetracycline (Te) and doxycycline (D) were done on selected strains. Single antibiotic discs were used at concentrations of: Te, 30 micrograms; D, 30 micrograms; erythromycin (E), 15 micrograms; chloramphenicol (CM), 30 micrograms; ampicillin (AM), 10 micrograms; trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) 1.25 micrograms/23.75 micrograms. Strains whose halos were of a smaller diameter than the intermediate value were considered resistant. It is important to maintain surveillance on antimicrobial susceptibility as epidemiological marker on geographical selected areas in order to detect changes of resistant patterns.

  2. Mutation of a Nicotiana tabacum L. eukaryotic translation-initiation factor gene reduces susceptibility to a resistance-breaking strain of Potato Virus Y.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takakura, Yoshimitsu; Udagawa, Hisashi; Shinjo, Akira; Koga, Kazuharu

    2018-04-06

    Eukaryotic translation-initiation factors eIF4E and eIF(iso)4E in plants play key roles in infection by potyviruses and other plant RNA viruses. Mutations in the genes encoding these factors reduce susceptibility to the viruses, and are the basis of several recessive virus-resistance genes widely used in plant breeding. Because virus variants occasionally break such resistance, the molecular basis for this process must be elucidated. Although deletion mutants of eIF4E1-S of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) resist Potato virus Y (PVY; the type member of the genus Potyvirus), resistance-breaking strains of PVY threaten tobacco production worldwide. Here, we used RNA interference technology to knock down tobacco eIF4E2-S and eIF4E2-T genes or eIF(iso)4E-S and eIF(iso)4E-T genes. Transgenic plants with reduced transcript levels of both eIF(iso)4E-S and eIF(iso)4E-T showed reduced susceptibility to a resistance-breaking PVY strain with a K105E mutation in the viral genome-associated protein (VPg). By screening a population of chemically-induced mutants of eIF(iso)4E-S and eIF(iso)4E-T, we showed that plants with a nonsense mutation in eIF(iso)4E-T, but not eIF(iso)4E-S, showed reduced susceptibility to the resistance-breaking PVY strain. In a yeast two-hybrid assay, VPg of the resistance-breaking strain, but not wild-type PVY, physically interacted with the eIF(iso)4E-T protein. Thus, eIF4E1-S is required for infection by PVY, but eIF(iso)4E-T is required for infection by the resistance-breaking strain. Our study provides the first evidence for the involvement of a host eukaryotic translation-initiation factor in the infection cycle of a resistance-breaking virus strain. The eIF(iso)4E-T mutants will be useful in tobacco breeding to introduce resistance against resistance-breaking PVY strains. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 BSPP and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Resistance to antibiotics in Lacid acid bacteria - strain Lactococcus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filipić Brankica

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Lactic acid bacteria (LAB are widely used in the food industry, especially in the production of fermented dairy products and meat. The most studied species among Lis Lactococcus lactis. L. lactis strains are of great importance in the production of fermented dairy products such as yogurt, butter, fresh cheese and some kind of semi-hard cheese. Although L. lactis acquired the „Generally Regarded As Safe“ (GRAS status, many investigations indicated that lactococci may act as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes, which could be transferred to other bacterial species in human gastrointestinal tract includ­ing pathogens. The genome analysis of L. lactis indicated the presence of at least 40 putative drug transporter genes, and only four multidrug resistance (MDR transporters are functionally characterized: LmrA, LmrP, LmrCD i CmbT. LmrA is the first described MDR transporter in prokaryotes. LmrCD is responsible for resistance to cholate, which is an integral part of human bile and LmrCD is important for intestinal survival of lactococci that are used as probiotics. Secondary multidrug transporter LmrP confers resistance to lincosamides, macrolides, streptogramins and tetracyclines. CmbT protein has an effect on the host cell resistance to lincomycin, sulfadiazine, streptomycin, rifampicin, puromycin and sulfametox­azole. Since the food chain is an important way of transmitting resistance genes in human and animal population, it is of great importance to study the mechanisms of resistance in lactococci and other LAB, intended for the food industry. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173019: Izučavanje gena i molekularnih mehanizama u osnovi probiotičke aktivnosti bakterija mlečne kiseline izolovanih sa područja Zapadnog Balkana

  4. Copper oxide resistive switching memory for e-textile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin-Woo Han

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available A resistive switching memory suitable for integration into textiles is demonstrated on a copper wire network. Starting from copper wires, a Cu/CuxO/Pt sandwich structure is fabricated. The active oxide film is produced by simple thermal oxidation of Cu in atmospheric ambient. The devices display a resistance switching ratio of 102 between the high and low resistance states. The memory states are reversible and retained over 107 seconds, with the states remaining nondestructive after multiple read operations. The presented device on the wire network can potentially offer a memory for integration into smart textile.

  5. Genetic basis for nitrate resistance in Desulfovibrio strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hannah eKorte

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Nitrate is an inhibitor of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB. In petroleum production sites, amendments of nitrate and nitrite are used to prevent SRB production of sulfide that causes souring of oil wells. A better understanding of nitrate stress responses in the model SRB, Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough and Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20, will strengthen predictions of environmental outcomes. Nitrate inhibition of SRB has historically been considered to result from the generation of small amounts of nitrite, to which SRB are quite sensitive. Here we explored the possibility that nitrate might inhibit SRB by a mechanism other than through nitrite inhibition. We found that nitrate-stressed D. vulgaris cultures grown in lactate-sulfate conditions eventually grew in the presence of high concentrations of nitrate, and their resistance continued through several subcultures. Nitrate consumption was not detected over the course of the experiment, suggesting adaptation to nitrate. With high-throughput genetic approaches employing TnLE-seq for D. vulgaris and a pooled mutant library of D. alaskensis, we determined the fitness of many transposon mutants of both organisms in nitrate stress conditions. We found that several mutants, including homologs present in both strains, had a greatly increased ability to grow in the presence of nitrate but not nitrite. The mutated genes conferring nitrate resistance included the gene encoding the putative Rex transcriptional regulator (DVU0916/Dde_2702, as well as a cluster of genes (DVU0251-DVU0245/Dde_0597-Dde_0605 that is poorly annotated. Follow-up studies with individual D. vulgaris transposon and deletion mutants confirmed high-throughput results. We conclude that, in D. vulgaris and D. alaskensis, nitrate resistance in wild-type cultures is likely conferred by spontaneous mutations. Furthermore, the mechanisms that confer nitrate resistance may be different from those that confer nitrite resistance.

  6. Multifilamentary Cu-Nb3Sn superconductor wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodrigues, D.; Pinatti, D.G.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports on one of the main technological problems concerning Nb 3 Sn superconducting wires production which is the optimization of heat treatments for the formation of the A-15 intermetallic compound. At the present work, Nb 3 Sn superconducting wire is produced by solid-liquid diffusion method which increases considerably the critical current values of the superconductor. Through this method, niobium, copper and Sn 7% wt Cu alloy are kept in the pure state. Thus, the method dispenses intermediate heat treatments of recrystallization during the manufacturing process of the wire. After the wire was ready, optimization work of heat treatments was accomplished aiming to obtain its best superconducting characteristics, Measurement of critical temperature, critical current versus magnetic field, normal and at room temperature resistivity were performed, as well as scanning electron microscopy for determination of Nb 3 Sn layers and transmission electron microscopy measurements of redetermining the grain sizes in Nb 3 Sn formed in each treatment. It was obtained critical current densities of 1.8 x 10 6 A/cm 2 in the Nb 3 Sn layer, at 10 Teslas and 4.2 K. The samples were analyzed by employing the superconducting collective flux pinning theories and a satisfactory agreement between the experimental and theoretical data was attained. The production process and the small size of the filaments used made a successful optimization of the wire possible

  7. Surge-Resistant Nanocomposite Enameled Wire Using Silica Nanoparticles with Binary Chemical Compositions on the Surface

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeseung Yoo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We developed polyesterimide (PEI nanocomposite enameled wires using surface-modified silica nanoparticles with binary chemical compositions on the surface. The modification was done using silanes assisted by ultrasound, which facilitated high density modification. Two different trimethoxysilanes were chosen for the modification on the basis of resemblance of chemical compositions on the silica surface to PEI varnish. The surface-modified silica was well dispersed in PEI varnish, which was confirmed by optical observation and viscosity measurement. The glass transition temperature of the silica-PEI nanocomposite increased with the silica content. The silica-dispersed PEI varnish was then used for enameled wire fabrication. The silica-PEI nanocomposite enameled wire exhibited a much longer lifetime compared to that of neat PEI enameled wire in partial discharge conditions.

  8. Characterization of a Large Antibiotic Resistance Plasmid Found in Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Strain B171 and Its Relatedness to Plasmids of Diverse E. coli and Shigella Strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazen, Tracy H; Michalski, Jane; Nagaraj, Sushma; Okeke, Iruka N; Rasko, David A

    2017-09-01

    Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a leading cause of severe infantile diarrhea in developing countries. Previous research has focused on the diversity of the EPEC virulence plasmid, whereas less is known regarding the genetic content and distribution of antibiotic resistance plasmids carried by EPEC. A previous study demonstrated that in addition to the virulence plasmid, reference EPEC strain B171 harbors a second, larger plasmid that confers antibiotic resistance. To further understand the genetic diversity and dissemination of antibiotic resistance plasmids among EPEC strains, we describe the complete sequence of an antibiotic resistance plasmid from EPEC strain B171. The resistance plasmid, pB171_90, has a completed sequence length of 90,229 bp, a GC content of 54.55%, and carries protein-encoding genes involved in conjugative transfer, resistance to tetracycline ( tetA ), sulfonamides ( sulI ), and mercury, as well as several virulence-associated genes, including the transcriptional regulator hha and the putative calcium sequestration inhibitor ( csi ). In silico detection of the pB171_90 genes among 4,798 publicly available E. coli genome assemblies indicates that the unique genes of pB171_90 ( csi and traI ) are primarily restricted to genomes identified as EPEC or enterotoxigenic E. coli However, conserved regions of the pB171_90 plasmid containing genes involved in replication, stability, and antibiotic resistance were identified among diverse E. coli pathotypes. Interestingly, pB171_90 also exhibited significant similarity with a sequenced plasmid from Shigella dysenteriae type I. Our findings demonstrate the mosaic nature of EPEC antibiotic resistance plasmids and highlight the need for additional sequence-based characterization of antibiotic resistance plasmids harbored by pathogenic E. coli . Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  9. Outbreak of candidemia caused by fluconazole resistant Candida parapsilosis strains in an intensive care unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinhati, Henrique Marconi Sampaio; Casulari, Luiz Augusto; Souza, Ana Carolina Remondi; Siqueira, Ricardo Andreotti; Damasceno, Camila Maria Gomes; Colombo, Arnaldo Lopes

    2016-08-20

    Candidemia is an increasing problem in tertiary care hospitals worldwide. Here, we report the first outbreak of candidemia caused by fluconazole-resistant C. parapsilosis (FRCP) strains in Brazil. This was a cross-sectional study of clinical and microbiological data of all candidemic episodes diagnosed from July 2011 to February 2012 in a 200-bed tertiary care hospital. Initial yeast identification and susceptibility testing were performed using the VITEK 2 - System. Isolates of Candida spp. resistant to fluconazole were sent to a reference laboratory (LEMI-UNIFESP) for further molecular identification and confirmation of resistance by CLSI microdilution test. A multivariate analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with FRCP infection. We identified a total of 40 critically ill patients with candidemia (15 women) with a median age of 70 years. The incidence of candidemia was 6 cases/1,000 patients admissions, including 28 cases (70 %) of infection with C. parapsilosis, 21 of which (75 %) were resistant to fluconazole. In only 19 % of FRCP candidemia cases had fluconazole been used previously. The results of our study indicated that diabetes is a risk factor for FRCP candidemia (p = 0.002). Overall, mortality from candidemia was 45 %, and mortality from episodes of FRCP infections was 42.9 %. The clustering of incident cases in the ICU and molecular typing of strains suggest horizontal transmission of FRCP. Accurate vigilant monitoring for new nosocomial strains of FRCP is required.

  10. Effect of grain size on superelasticity in Fe-Mn-Al-Ni shape memory alloy wire

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Omori

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Effects of grain size on superelastic properties in Fe-34Mn-15Al-7.5Ni alloy wires with a ⟨110⟩ fiber-texture were investigated by cyclic tensile tests. It was confirmed that the critical stress for induced martensitic transformation and the superelastic strain are functions of relative grain size d/D (d: mean grain diameter, D: wire diameter, and that the critical stress is proportional to (1–d/D2 as well as in Cu-based shape memory alloys. A large superelastic strain of about 5% was obtained in the specimen with a large relative grain size over d/D = 1.

  11. Whole genome sequencing of clinical strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Mumbai, India: A potential tool for determining drug-resistance and strain lineage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatterjee, Anirvan; Nilgiriwala, Kayzad; Saranath, Dhananjaya; Rodrigues, Camilla; Mistry, Nerges

    2017-12-01

    Amplification of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) and its transmission are significant barriers in controlling tuberculosis (TB) globally. Diagnostic inaccuracies and delays impede appropriate drug administration, which exacerbates primary and secondary drug resistance. Increasing affordability of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and exhaustive cataloguing of drug resistance mutations is poised to revolutionise TB diagnostics and facilitate personalized drug therapy. However, application of WGS for diagnostics in high endemic areas is yet to be demonstrated. We report WGS of 74 clinical TB isolates from Mumbai, India, characterising genotypic drug resistance to first- and second-line anti-TB drugs. A concordance analysis between phenotypic and genotypic drug susceptibility of a subset of 29 isolates and the sensitivity of resistance prediction to the 4 drugs was calculated, viz. isoniazid-100%, rifampicin-100%, ethambutol-100% and streptomycin-85%. The whole genome based phylogeny showed almost equal proportion of East Asian (27/74) and Central Asian (25/74) strains. Interestingly we also found a clonal group of 9 isolates, of which 7 patients were found to be from the same geographical location and accessed the same health post. This provides the first evidence of epidemiological linkage for tracking TB transmission in India, an approach which has the potential to significantly improve chances of End-TB goals. Finally, the use of Mykrobe Predictor, as a standalone drug resistance and strain typing tool, requiring just few minutes to analyse raw WGS data into tabulated results, implies the rapid clinical applicability of WGS based TB diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Polyurethane spray coating of aluminum wire bonds to prevent corrosion and suppress resonant oscillations

    CERN Document Server

    INSPIRE-00092738; Kurth, Matthew; Boyd, Rusty

    2016-01-01

    Unencapsulated aluminum wedge wire bonds are common in particle physics pixel and strip detectors. Industry-favored bulk encapsulation is eschewed due to the range of operating temperatures and radiation. Wire bond failures are a persistent source of tracking-detector failure. Unencapsulated bonds are vulnerable to condensation-induced corrosion, particularly when halides are present. Oscillations from periodic Lorentz forces are documented as another source of wire bond failure. Spray application of polyurethane coatings, performance of polyurethane-coated wire bonds after climate chamber exposure, and resonant properties of polyurethane-coated wire bonds and their resistance to periodic Lorentz forces are under study for use in a future High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider detector such as the ATLAS Inner Tracker upgrade.

  13. A new route to process diamond wires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcello Filgueira

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available We propose an original route to process diamond wires, denominated In Situ Technology, whose fabrication involves mechanical conformation processes, such as rotary forging, copper tubes restacking, and thermal treatments, such as sintering and recrystallisation of a bronze 4 wt.% diamond composite. Tensile tests were performed, reaching an ultimate tensile strength (UTS of 230 MPa for the diameter of Æ = 1.84 mm. Scanning electron microscopy showed the diamond crystals distribution along the composite rope during its manufacture, as well as the diamond adhesion to the bronze matrix. Cutting tests were carried out with the processed wire, showing a probable performance 4 times higher than the diamond sawing discs, however its probable performance was about 5 to 8 times less than the conventional diamond wires (pearl system due to the low abrasion resistance of the bronze matrix, and low adhesion between the pair bronze-diamond due to the use of not metallised diamond single crystals.

  14. In Vivo Assessment of Phage and Linezolid Based Implant Coatings for Treatment of Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA Mediated Orthopaedic Device Related Infections.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandeep Kaur

    Full Text Available Staphylococcus comprises up to two-thirds of all pathogens in orthopaedic implant infections with two species respectively Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, being the predominate etiological agents isolated. Further, with the emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA, treatment of S. aureus implant infections has become more difficult, thus representing a devastating complication. Use of local delivery system consisting of S.aureus specific phage along with linezolid (incorporated in biopolymer allowing gradual release of the two agents at the implant site represents a new, still unexplored treatment option (against orthopaedic implant infections that has been studied in an animal model of prosthetic joint infection. Naked wire, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC coated wire and phage and /or linezolid coated K-wire were surgically implanted into the intra-medullary canal of mouse femur bone of respective groups followed by inoculation of S.aureus ATCC 43300(MRSA. Mice implanted with K-wire coated with both the agents i.e phage as well as linezolid (dual coated wires showed maximum reduction in bacterial adherence, associated inflammation of the joint as well as faster resumption of locomotion and motor function of the limb. Also, all the coating treatments showed no emergence of resistant mutants. Use of dual coated implants incorporating lytic phage (capable of self-multiplication as well as linezolid presents an attractive and aggressive early approach in preventing as well as treating implant associated infections caused by methicillin resistant S. aureus strains as assessed in a murine model of experimental joint infection.

  15. [Isolation, identification and lead adsorption study of lead-resistant Lactobacillus casei strains from feces of healthy newborns].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Wei; Yu, Qin-Fei; Wang, Yu-Hao; Zhang, Yi-Duo; Meng, Xiao-Jing; Fan, Hong-Ying

    2016-12-20

    To isolate and identify lead-resistant Lactobacillus casei strains with lead adsorption ability from the stool of healthy newborns as a new source of bacteria for developing lead-eliminating food products. MRS was used to isolate lead-resistant bacteria from the feces of 30 healthy and full-term neonates. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the morphological characteristics and 16S rRNA sequences of the isolated bacteria. Physiological and biochemical characterizations of the bacteria were performed according to the Berger's Systematic Bacteriology Handbook, followed by antimicrobial susceptibility test and acid-tolerant bile salt test. The adsorption capacity of Pb 2+ of the bacteria was determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Three strains of Lactobacillus casei were isolated, which were resistant to penicillin and ceftriaxone and could tolerate the exposure to 500 mg/L Pb 2+ . Acid-tolerant bile salt test showed that the bacteria were resistant to culture in the presence of artificial gastric juice (pH 2.0) for 3 h, and their survival rate reached 62.5% following exposure to 0.3% bile salt for 8 h. The bacteria showed a Pb 2+ adsorption rate of 90.4% at a low Pb 2+ concentration (1 mg/L) and of 86.27% at a high Pb 2+ concentration (50 mg/L). Three Lactobacillus casei strains lead adsorption ability were isolated from the feces of newborns. These bacterial strains provide a new solution to alleviate lead poisoning by probiotic dietary.

  16. Thermosonic wire bonding of IC devices using palladium wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shze, J.H.; Poh, M.T.; Tan, R.M.

    1996-01-01

    The feasibility of replacing gold wire by palladium wire in thermosonic wire bonding of CMOS and bipolar devices are studied in terms of the manufacturability, physical, electrical and assembly performance. The results that palladium wire is a viable option for bonding the bipolar devices but not the CMOS devices

  17. Thermoelectric Mechanism and Interface Characteristics of Cyanide-Free Nanogold-Coated Silver Wire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tseng, Yi-Wei; Hung, Fei-Yi; Lui, Truan-Sheng

    2016-01-01

    Traditional bath-plated gold contains a cyanide complex, which is an environmental hazard. In response, our study used a green plating process to produce cyanide-free gold-coated silver (cyanide-free ACA) bonding wire that has been proven to be a feasible alternative to gold bonding wire in semiconductor packaging. In this work, ACA wire annealed at 550°C was found to have stable microstructure and superior mechanical properties. Intermetallic compounds Ag2Al and AuAl2 grew from Ag-Au balls and Al pads after aging at 175°C for 500 h. After current testing, ACA wire was found to have improved electrical properties due to equiaxed grain growth. The gold nanolayer on the Ag surface increased the oxidation resistance. These results provide insights regarding the reliability of ACA wire in advanced bonding processes.

  18. Evaluation of possible occurrence of mutation in MMR repair system genes in resistant and sensitiveclinical strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosisby using sequencing method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AmirPoyan Afzali

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Background:during recent years, the incidence and spread of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium causing tuberculosis, has set this disease in World Health Organizationpriorities alignment of diseases like AIDS and hepatitis. Study of close examination of resistant and susceptible clinical strains genotypes is necessary to overcome drug resistance. Among the numerous repair systems, only there are limited number of encoding genes of DNA repair enzymes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Commonly these genes have been conserved and any changes among them likely increasethe mutation occurance due to the impossibility of correctionof spontaneous mutations insensitive strains of this bacteria.mut genes encodeDNA repairable enzymes.This study investigated the mutations in these genes and the effect of these mutations on tuberculosis drug resistance. Materials&Methods: In this study,of 29 available specimens,we were selected 8 susceptible strains and 21 resistantstrains andafter ordering appropriate primers and performing the proliferation reaction two types of amplicons produced which includingfragments of genes mut T2 and mut T4 and they were sent inorder to sequencing. Results:The results of chain reactionprimer represents an appropriate choice of primerswhich were investigated. Sequencing results showed that overall 73% of resistant strains that had been selected for study of mutT4gene, have no mutations in codons 48of mutT4 gene, and 70% of resistant strains have no GGA >>> CGA mutation at codon 58 of mutT2 gene. Conclusion: One of the strategies to overcome tuberculosis drug resistance is a close examination of genotypes of resistant and susceptible clinical strains. Results of this study was performedby examining changes in mut T2 and mut T4 gene sequence. The mutation in mut T2 always associated with mutation in mut T4, in this way, the first mutation may occurs in mut T4and after that, the second mutationmay occurs in mut T

  19. Electromechanical characterization of superconducting wires and tapes at 77 K

    CERN Document Server

    Bjoerstad, Roger

    The strain dependency of the critical current in state-of-the-art cuprate high-temperature superconductors (HTS) has been characterized. A universal test machine (UTM) combined with a critical current measurement system has been used to characterize the mechanical and the superconducting properties of conductors immersed in an open liquid nitrogen dewar. A set-up has been developed in order to perform simultaneous measurements of the superconductor lattice parameter changes, critical current, as well as the stress and strain at 77 K in self-field in a high energy synchrotron beamline. The HTS tapes and wires studied were based on YBCO, Bi-2223 and Bi-2212. The YBCO tapes were produced by SuperPower and American Superconductors (AMSC). Two types of Bi-2223 tapes, HT and G, were produced by Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI). The Bi-2212 wires were produced by Oxford Superconducting Technology (OST) using Nexans granulate precursor, before undergoing a specialized over pressure (OP) processing and heat treatmen...

  20. Fate of acid-resistant and non-acid resistant Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains in experimentally contaminated French fermented raw meat sausages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montet, M P; Christieans, S; Thevenot, D; Coppet, V; Ganet, S; Muller, M L Delignette; Dunière, L; Miszczycha, S; Vernozy-Rozand, C

    2009-02-28

    Both pathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli exhibit a stress response to sublethal environmental stresses. Several studies have reported acid tolerance and survival characteristics of E. coli O157:H7 in foodstuffs, but there are few reports about the tolerance of non-O157 serogroups (STEC) to organic acids in foods. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the manufacturing process of French fermented raw meat sausages on the growth and survival of acid-resistant (AR) and non-acid resistant (NAR) STEC strains. The six strains, 3 AR and 3 NAR, were inoculated separately into raw sausage mixture at a level of 10(4)-10(5) CFU/g. A total of 19 batches of sausages were manufactured. A rapid and similar decrease in the number of both AR and NAR STEC strains, from less than 1 to 1.5 log(10) CFU/g, was observed during the first 5 days of fermentation at 20-24 degrees C. This rapid decrease was followed by a more gradual but continuous decrease in STEC counts after drying at 13-14 degrees C, up to day 35. The STEC counts were <10 CFU/g after 35 days for the NAR strains and the same concentration for the AR strains on the best before date (day 60). It was not possible to detect any NAR STEC after 60 days. The present study shows that the process used in the manufacture of French sausages results in a complete destruction of NAR STEC strains after 60 days, but it does not have the same effect on the AR STEC strains.

  1. Induced systemic resistance against Botrytis cinerea by Micromonospora strains isolated from root nodules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pilar eMartínez-Hidalgo

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Micromonospora is a Gram positive bacterium that can be isolated from nitrogen fixing nodules from healthy leguminous plants, where they could be beneficial to the plant. Their plant growth promoting activity in legume and non-legume plants has been previously demonstrated. The present study explores the ability of Micromonospora strains to control fungal pathogens and to stimulate plant immunity. Micromonospora strains isolated from surface sterilized nodules of alfalfa showed in vitro antifungal activity against several pathogenic fungi. Moreover, root inoculation of tomato plants with these Micromonospora strains effectively reduced leaf infection by the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, despite spatial separation between both microorganisms. This induced systemic resistance, confirmed in different tomato cultivars, is long lasting. Gene expression analyses evidenced that Micromonospora stimulates the plant capacity to activate defense mechanisms upon pathogen attack. The defensive response of tomato plants inoculated with Micromonospora spp. differs from that of non-inoculated plants, showing a stronger induction of jasmonate-regulated defenses when the plant is challenged with a pathogen. The hypothesis of jasmonates playing a key role in this defense priming effect was confirmed using defense-impaired tomato mutants, since the JA-deficient line def1 was unable to display a long term induced resistance upon Micromonospora spp. inoculation.In conclusion, nodule isolated Micromonospora strains should be considered excellent candidates as biocontrol agents as they combine both direct antifungal activity against plant pathogens and the ability to prime plant immunity.

  2. The effect of ZnO nanoparticle coating on the frictional resistance between orthodontic wires and ceramic brackets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Background. Any decrease in friction between orthodontic wire and bracket can accelerate tooth movement in the sliding technique and result in better control of anchorage. This study was carried out to evaluate frictional forces by coating orthodontic wires and porcelain brackets with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO. Methods. In this in vitro study, we evaluated a combination of 120 samples of 0.019×0.025 stainless steel (SS orthodontic wires and 22 mil system edgewise porcelain brackets with and without spherical zinc oxide nanoparticles. Spherical ZnO nanoparticles were deposited on wires and brackets by immersing them in ethanol solution and SEM (scanning electron microscope evaluation confirmed the presence of the ZnO coating. The frictional forces were calculated between the wires and brackets in four groups: group ZZ (coated wire and bracket, group OO (uncoated wire and bracket, group ZO (coated wire and uncoated bracket and group OZ (uncoated wire and coated bracket. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for data analysis. Results. The frictional force in ZZ (3.07±0.4 N was the highest (P <0.05, and OZ (2.18±0.5 N had the lowest amount of friction (P <0.05 among the groups. There was no significant difference in frictional forces between the ZO and OO groups (2.65±0.2 and 2.70±0.2 N, respectively. Conclusion. Coating of porcelain bracket surfaces with ZnO nanoparticles can decrease friction in the sliding technique, and wire coating combined with bracket coating is not recommended due to its effect on friction.

  3. Direct sequencing for rapid detection of multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in Morocco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zakham F

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Fathiah Zakham,1,4 Imane Chaoui,1 Amina Hadbae Echchaoui,2 Fouad Chetioui,3 My Driss Elmessaoudi,3 My Mustapha Ennaji,4 Mohammed Abid,2 Mohammed El Mzibri11Unité de Biologie et Recherché Médicale, Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et des Techniques Nucléaires (CNESTEN, Rabat, 2Laboratoire de Génétique Mycobacterienne, Institut Pasteur, Tangier, 3Laboratoire de Tuberculose Institut Pasteur, Casablanca, 4Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Hygiène et Virologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Mohammedia, MoroccoBackground: Tuberculosis (TB is a major public health problem with high mortality and morbidity rates, especially in low-income countries. Disturbingly, the emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR and extensively drug resistant (XDR TB cases has worsened the situation, raising concerns of a future epidemic of virtually untreatable TB. Indeed, the rapid diagnosis of MDR TB is a critical issue for TB management. This study is an attempt to establish a rapid diagnosis of MDR TB by sequencing the target fragments of the rpoB gene which linked to resistance against rifampicin and the katG gene and inhA promoter region, which are associated with resistance to isoniazid.Methods: For this purpose, 133 sputum samples of TB patients from Morocco were enrolled in this study. One hundred samples were collected from new cases, and the remaining 33 were from previously treated patients (drug relapse or failure, chronic cases and did not respond to anti-TB drugs after a sufficient duration of treatment. All samples were subjected to rpoB, katG and pinhA mutation analysis by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing.Results: Molecular analysis showed that seven strains were isoniazid-monoresistant and 17 were rifampicin-monoresistant. MDR TB strains were identified in nine cases (6.8%. Among them, eight were traditionally diagnosed as critical cases, comprising four chronic and four drug-relapse cases. The last strain was isolated from a

  4. Shape memory alloy wires turn composites into smart structures: I. Material requirements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schrooten, Jan; Michaud, Veronique J.; Zheng, Yanjun; Balta-Neumann, J. Antonio; Manson, Jan-Anders E.

    2002-07-01

    Composites containing thin Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires show great potential as materials able to adapt their shape, thermal behavior or vibrational properties to external stimuli. The functional properties of SMA-composites are directly related to the constraining effect of the matrix on the reversible martensitic transformation of the embedded pre-strained SMA wires. The present work reports results of a concerted European effort towards a fundamental understanding of the manufacturing and design of SMA composites. This first part investigates the transformational behavior of constrained SMA wires and its translation into functional properties of SMA composites. Thermodynamic and thermomechanical experiments were performed on SMA wires. A model was developed to simulate the thermomechanical behavior of the wires. From the screening of potential wires it was concluded that NiTiCu, as well as R-phase NiTi appeared as best candidates. Requirements for the host composite materials were surveyed. A Kevlar-epoxy system was chosen. Finally, the quality of the SMA wire-resin interface was assessed by two different techniques. These indicated that a thin oxide layer seems to provide the best interfacial strength. A temperature window in which SMA composites can be safely used was also defined. The manufacturing and properties of the SMA composites will be discussed in Part II.

  5. [Antibiotic resistance patterns of Escherichia coli strains isolated from urine cultures in Turkey: a meta-analysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aykan, Sadiye Berna; Ciftci, Ihsan Hakkı

    2013-10-01

    Escherichia coli is the most frequently isolated microorganism from both community-acquired and nosocomial urinary tract infections in Turkey. A large number of studies concerning antibiotic susceptibility of E.coli have been published from different centers throughout the country. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibiotic resistance patterns of E.coli strains isolated from urine cultures by a meta-analysis in published medical literature between the years of 1996-2012 in Turkey. The study was planned and conducted in accordance with the declaration of PRISMA and describes the methods of literature search, the determining criteria for inclusion and evaluation of articles, data collection and statistical analysis. To find the published series Google Scholar and PubMed international databases were used to access published manuscripts evaluated according to the determined criteria for acceptance and rejection. For each study, general data and antibiotic resistance rates were collected as a common unit. Publications considered as lacking in appropriate content was eliminated from the study. Statistical analysis of the data obtained were 95% confidence intervals, and p≤ 0.05 value was considered as significant difference. A total of 228 articles were found to be published during 1996-2012 period, while 101 of them were included in the meta-analysis according to the eligibility criteria. The analyses indicated that nitrofurantoin and piperacillin resistance rates have been decreased, whereas ciprofloxacin, cefepime, co-trimoxazole and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) positivity rates have been increased during the study period. The increases in the rates of ciprofloxacin and cefepime resistance and and ESBL production were statistically-significant (pAntibiotic resistance rates, except for imipenem, in bacterial strains, isolated from hospitalized patients were found significantly higher in strains obtained from outpatients. The differences between

  6. Phylogenetic analysis of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) NSs protein demonstrates the isolated emergence of resistance-breaking strains in pepper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almási, Asztéria; Csilléry, Gábor; Csömör, Zsófia; Nemes, Katalin; Palkovics, László; Salánki, Katalin; Tóbiás, István

    2015-02-01

    Resurgence of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) worldwide as well as in Hungary causing heavy economic losses directed the attention to the factors contributing to the outbreak of this serious epidemics. The introgression of Tsw resistance gene into various pepper cultivars seemed to solve TSWV control, but widely used resistant pepper cultivars bearing the same, unique resistance locus evoked the rapid emergence of resistance-breaking (RB) TSWV strains. In Hungary, the sporadic appearance of RB strains in pepper-producing region was first observed in 2010-2011, but in 2012 it was detected frequently. Previously, the non-structural protein (NSs) encoded by small RNA (S RNA) of TSWV was verified as the avirulence factor for Tsw resistance, therefore we analyzed the S RNA of the Hungarian RB and wild type (WT) isolates and compared to previously analyzed TSWV strains with RB properties from different geographical origins. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the different RB strains had the closest relationship with the local WT isolates and there is no conserved mutation present in all the NSs genes of RB isolates from different geographical origins. According to these results, we concluded that the RB isolates evolved separately in geographic point of view, and also according to the RB mechanism.

  7. Epidemiological characterization of resistance and PCR typing of Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei strains isolated from bacillary dysentery cases in Southeast Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.P.A. Penatti

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available Shigella spp are Gram-negative, anaerobic facultative, non-motile, and non-sporulated bacilli of the Enterobacteriaceae family responsible for "Shigellosis" or bacillary dysentery, an important cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. However, despite this, there are very few epidemiological studies about this bacterium in Brazil. We studied the antibiotic resistance profiles and the clonal structure of 60 Shigella strains (30 S. flexneri and 30 S. sonnei isolated from shigellosis cases in different cities within the metropolitan area of Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil. We used the following well-characterized molecular techniques: enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus, repetitive extragenic palindromic, and double-repetitive element-polymerase chain reaction to characterize the bacteria. Also, the antibiotic resistance of the strains was determined by the diffusion disk method. Many strains of S. flexneri and S. sonnei were found to be multi-resistant. S. flexneri strains were resistant to ampicillin in 83.3% of cases, chloramphenicol in 70.0%, streptomycin in 86.7%, sulfamethoxazole in 80.0%, and tetracycline in 80.0%, while a smaller number of strains were resistant to cephalothin (3.3% and sulfazotrim (10.0%. S. sonnei strains were mainly resistant to sulfamethoxazole (100.0% and tetracycline (96.7% and, to a lesser extent, to ampicillin (6.7% and streptomycin (26.7%. Polymerase chain reaction-based typing supported the existence of specific clones responsible for the shigellosis cases in the different cities and there was evidence of transmission between cities. This clonal structure would probably be the result of selection for virulence and resistance phenotypes. These data indicate that the human sanitary conditions of the cities investigated should be improved.

  8. Uranium biomineralization by a metal resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain isolated from contaminated mine waste

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choudhary, Sangeeta [Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302 (India); Sar, Pinaki, E-mail: sarpinaki@yahoo.com [Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302 (India)

    2011-02-15

    Uranium biomineralization by a metal-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain isolated from uranium mine waste was characterized for its potential in bioremediation. Uranium resistance, its cellular localization and chemical nature of uranium-bacteria interaction were elucidated. Survival and uranium biomineralization from mine water were investigated using microcosm experiments. The selected bacterium showed U resistance and accumulation (maximum of 275 mg U g{sup -1} cell dry wt.) following incubation in 100 mg U L{sup -1}, pH 4.0, for 6 h. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that bioaccumulated uranium was deposited within the cell envelope as needle shaped U-phosphate compounds that attain crystallinity only at pH 4.0. A synergistic involvement of deprotonated phosphate and carboxyl moieties in facilitating bioprecipitation of uranium was evident from FTIR analysis. Based on these findings we attribute the localized U sequestration by this bacterium as innocuous complex to its possible mechanism of uranium resistance. Microcosm data confirmed that the strain can remove soluble uranium (99%) and sequester it as U oxide and phosphate minerals while maintaining its viability. The study showed that indigenous bacteria from contaminated site that can survive uranium and other heavy metal toxicity and sequester soluble uranium as biominerals could play important role in uranium bioremediation.

  9. Association between genotype and drug resistance profiles of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains circulating in China in a national drug resistance survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhou, Yang; van den Hof, Susan; Wang, Shengfen; Pang, Yu; Zhao, Bing; Xia, Hui; Anthony, Richard; Ou, Xichao; Li, Qiang; Zheng, Yang; Song, Yuanyuan; Zhao, Yanlin; van Soolingen, Dick

    2017-01-01

    We describe the population structure of a representative collection of 3,133 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates, collected within the framework of a national resistance survey from 2007 in China. Genotyping data indicate that the epidemic strains in China can be divided into seven major complexes,

  10. Vibration of signal wires in wire detectors under irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bojko, I.R.; Shelkov, G.A.; Dodonov, V.I.; Ignatenko, M.A.; Nikolenko, M.Yu.

    1995-01-01

    Radiation-induced vibration of signal wires in wire detectors is found and explained. The phenomenon is based on repulsion of a signal wire with a positive potential and a cloud of positive ions that remains after neutralization of the electron part of the avalanche formed in the course of gas amplification. Vibration with a noticeable amplitude may arise from fluctuations of repulsive forces, which act on the wire and whose sources are numerous ion clusters. A formula is obtained which allows wire oscillations to be estimated for all types of wire detectors. Calculation shows that oscillations of signal wires can be substantial for the coordinate accuracy of a detector working in the limited streamer mode at fluxes over 10 5 particles per second per wire. In the proportional mode an average oscillation amplitude can be as large as 20-30 μm at some detector parameters and external radiation fluxes over 10 5 . The experimental investigations show that the proposed model well describes the main features of the phenomenon. 6 refs., 8 figs

  11. Characteristics of the stress-induced formation of R-phase in ultrafine-grained NiTi shape memory wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olbricht, J.; Yawny, A.; Pelegrina, J.L.; Eggeler, G.; Yardley, V.A.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •We investigated the stress-induced formation of R-phase in NiTi shape memory wires. •The R-phase related strains were isolated from the overall stress-strain-behavior. •The stress–strain characteristics of R-phase suggest a homogeneous transformation. •Thermography confirms the homogeneous R-phase formation in ultrafine-grained NiTi. -- Abstract: The transformation between the cubic B2 and monoclinic B19′ phases in ultrafine-grained pseudoelastic NiTi can occur as a two-step process involving the intermediate rhombohedral R-phase. Experimental work using differential scanning calorimetry, electrical resistance measurements and transmission electron microscopy has demonstrated the formation of this intermediate phase during thermal cycling and during mechanical loading. In the present paper, complementary mechanical and thermographic results are presented which allow to further assess the character of the stress-induced R-phase formation. The transformation from B2 to R-phase is demonstrated to occur homogeneously within the gauge length rather than via advancing Lüders-type transition regions as it is the case in the localized transformation from B2 or R-phase to B19′

  12. A novel design and analysis of a MEMS ceramic hot-wire anemometer for high temperature applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagaiah, N R; Sleiti, A K; Rodriguez, S; Kapat, J S; An, L; Chow, L

    2006-01-01

    This paper attempts to prove the feasibility of high temperature MEMS hot-wire anemometer for gas turbine environment. No such sensor exists at present. Based on the latest improvement in a new type of Polymer-Derived Ceramic (PDC) material, the authors present a Novel design, structural and thermal analysis of MEMS hot-wire anemometer (HWA) based on PDC material, and show that such a sensor is indeed feasible. This MEMS Sensor is microfabricated by using three types of PDC materials such as SiAlCN, SiCN (lightly doped) and SiCN (heavily doped) for sensing element (hot-wire), support prongs and connecting leads respectively. This novel hot wire anemometer can perform better than a conventional HWA in which the hot wire is made of tungsten or platinum-iridium. This type of PDC-HWA can be used in harsh environment due to its high temperature resistance, tensile strength and resistance to oxidation. This HWA is fabricated using microstereolithography as a novel microfabrication technique to manufacture the proposed MEMS Sensor

  13. Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Enterococcus strains isolated from poultry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stępień-Pyśniak, Dagmara; Marek, Agnieszka; Banach, Tomasz; Adaszek, Łukasz; Pyzik, Ewelina; Wilczyński, Jarosław; Winiarczyk, Stanisław

    2016-06-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of occurrence of bacteria of the genus Enterococcus in poultry, to identify them by means of matrixassisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDITOF MS), and to analyse the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolated strains to the drugs most frequently used in poultry. The material for the bacteriological tests was obtained mainly from the heart (97%) of the birds investigated. Of a total of 2,970 samples tested, 911 (30.7%) tested positive for Enterococcus spp. Enterococci were detected in broilers (88.1%), laying hens (5.3%), turkeys (3.9%), breeding hens (2.2%), and geese (0.4%). The most commonly identified species were Enterococcus (E.) faecalis (74.7%), E. faecium (10.1%), E. gallinarum (5.5%), E. hirae (4.6%), and E. cecorum (4.1%). The most frequent resistance properties were resistance to sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (88%), tylosin (71.4%), enrofloxacin (69.4%), doxycycline (67.3%), and lincomycin/spectinomycin (56.1%). Only one vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, E. cecorum from a broiler, was found.

  14. Virulence and pathogenesis of the MSW and MSD strains of Californian myxoma virus in European rabbits with genetic resistance to myxomatosis compared to rabbits with no genetic resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silvers, L; Inglis, B; Labudovic, A; Janssens, P A; van Leeuwen, B H; Kerr, P J

    2006-04-25

    The pathogenesis of two Californian strains of myxoma virus (MSW and MSD) was examined in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that were either susceptible to myxomatosis (laboratory rabbits) or had undergone natural selection for genetic resistance to myxomatosis (Australian wild rabbits). MSW was highly lethal for both types of rabbits with average survival times of 7.3 and 9.4 days, respectively, and 100% mortality. Classical clinical signs of myxomatosis were not present except in one rabbit that survived for 13 days following infection. Previously described clinical signs of trembling and shaking were observed in laboratory but not wild rabbits. Despite the high resistance of wild rabbits to myxomatosis caused by South American strains of myxoma virus, the MSW strain was of such high virulence that it was able to overcome resistance. The acute nature of the infection, relatively low viral titers in the tissues and destruction of lymphoid tissues, suggested that death was probably due to an acute and overwhelming immunopathological response to the virus. No virus was found in the brain. The MSD strain was attenuated compared to previously published descriptions and therefore was only characterized in laboratory rabbits. It is concluded that Californian MSW strain of myxoma virus is at the extreme end of a continuum of myxoma virus virulence but that the basic pathophysiology of the disease induced is not broadly different to other strains of myxoma virus.

  15. An Equal-Strain Analytical Solution for the Radial Consolidation of Unsaturated Soils by Vertical Drains considering Drain Resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Zhou

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Developing an analytical solution for the consolidation of unsaturated soils remains a challenging task due to the complexity of coupled governing equations for air and water phases. This paper presents an equal-strain model for the radial consolidation of unsaturated soils by vertical drains, and the effect of drain resistance is also considered. Simplified governing equations are established, and an analytical solution to calculate the excess pore-air and pore-water pressures is derived by using the methods of matrix analysis and eigenfunction expansion. The average degrees of consolidation for air and water phases and the ground surface settlement are also given. The solutions of the equal-strain model are verified by comparing the proposed free-strain model with the equal-strain model, and reasonably good agreement is obtained. Moreover, parametric studies regarding the drain resistance effect are graphically presented.

  16. Detection and characterisation of trypanosome strains supposedly resistant to trypanocidal drugs in Senegal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaite, A.; Seye, M.; Mane, A.; Ndiaye, T.; Seye, M.M.

    1997-01-01

    In the region of Sokone cattle are constantly exposed to infections with trypanosomes transmitted by Glossina morsitans submorsitans and G. palpalis gambiensis. Trypanocidal drugs are widely used by the farmers on the 50,000 cattle present in the region. Consequently, drug resistance has become a major problem. During the present study goats were inoculated with trypanosome strains isolated from infected cattle. Following the appearance of parasitaemia, the animals were treated with either Berenil, Samorin or Ethidium. The results indicated the parasites were susceptible to Samorin, but one of the Trypanosoma vivax strains showed resistance to Berenil and Ethidium. In addition, the performance of the antigen detection ELISA was compared with that of the Buffy Coat Technique using more than 1000 serum samples from the Sokone region and 100 samples from Northern Senegal infested with tsetse flies. The results showed a very high specificity of 98%. However, additional tests will be necessary to assess the sensitivity properly. (author). 3 refs, 7 tabs

  17. Expression profile of genes during resistance reversal in a temephos selected strain of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clare Strode

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The mosquito Aedes aegypti is one of the most important disease vectors because it transmits two major arboviruses, dengue and yellow fever, which cause significant global morbidity and mortality. Chemical insecticides form the cornerstone of vector control. The organophosphate temephos a larvicide recommended by WHO for controlling Ae. aegypti, however, resistance to this compound has been reported in many countries, including Brazil. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The aim of this study was to identify genes implicated in metabolic resistance in an Ae. aegypti temephos resistant strain, named RecR, through microarray analysis. We utilized a custom 'Ae. aegypti detox chip' and validated microarray data through RT-PCR comparing susceptible and resistant individuals. In addition, we analyzed gene expression in 4(th instar larvae from a reversed susceptible strain (RecRev, exposed and unexposed to temephos. The results obtained revealed a set of 13 and 6 genes significantly over expressed in resistant adult mosquitoes and larvae, respectively. One of these genes, the cytochrome P450 CYP6N12, was up-regulated in both stages. RT-PCR confirmed the microarray results and, additionally, showed no difference in gene expression between temephos exposed and unexposed RecRev mosquitoes. This suggested that the differences in the transcript profiles among the strains are heritable due to a selection process and are not caused by immediate insecticide exposure. Reversal of temephos resistance was demonstrated and, importantly, there was a positive correlation between a decrease in the resistance ratio and an accompanying decrease in the expression levels of previously over expressed genes. Some of the genes identified here have also been implicated in metabolic resistance in other mosquito species and insecticide resistant populations of Ae. aegypti. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The identification of gene expression signatures associated to

  18. Characterization of a cadmium resistance Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strain by antioxidant assays and proteome profiles methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheng, Yao; Yang, Xuan; Lian, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Boyang; He, Xiaoyun; Xu, Wentao; Huang, Kunlun

    2016-09-01

    Heavy metal contamination poses a major threat to the environment and human health for their potential toxicity and non-biodegradable properties. At present, some probiotics bacteria are reported to have great potential to eliminate heavy metals from food and water. In this study, resistance properties of a newly isolated Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis for cadmium were studied by antioxidant assays and proteomics analysis. Antioxidant capacity of this strain was significantly activated under cadmium stress indicated by Fenton reaction, DPPH assay, SOD assay and GSH assay. Intracellular antioxidant enzyme systems, such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase and catalase were suggested to play vital roles in the activated antioxidant capacity. The up-regulated cadA was associated with the activated P-type ATPases that plays an important role in cadmium resistance. Proteomics analysis identified 12 over-expressed proteins under 50mg/L cadmium stress and these proteins are abundant in oxidative stress response and energy metabolism regulation, which were considered as consequences as cadmium resistance of the strain. Thus, the probiotics Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis may resist cadmium stress through antioxidant approach and enhanced energy metabolism. The food grade lactis strain may be applied in metal decontamination in environment and food/feed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Linear variable differential transformer sensor using glass-covered amorphous wires as active core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiriac, H.; Hristoforou, E.; Neagu, Maria; Pieptanariu, M.

    2000-01-01

    Results concerning linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) displacement sensor using as movable core glass-covered amorphous wires are presented. The LVDT response is linear for a displacement of the movable core up to about 14 mm, with an accuracy of 1 μm. LVDT using glass-covered amorphous wire as an active core presents a high sensitivity and good mechanical and corrosion resistance

  20. Thermotolerance, oxidative stress, apoptosis, heat-shock proteins and damages to reproductive cells of insecticide-susceptible and -resistant strains of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, L J; Chen, J L; Yang, B L; Kong, X G; Bourguet, D; Wu, G

    2017-08-01

    In this study, we investigated thermotolerance, several physiological responses and damage to reproductive cells in chlorpyrifos-resistant (Rc) and -susceptible (Sm) strains of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella subjected to heat stress. The chlorpyrifos resistance of these strains was mediated by a modified acetylcholinesterase encoded by an allele, ace1R, of the ace1 gene. Adults of the Rc strain were less heat resistant than those of the Sm strain; they also had lower levels of enzymatic activity against oxidative damage, higher reactive oxygen species contents, weaker upregulation of two heat shock protein (hsp) genes (hsp69s and hsp20), and stronger upregulation of two apoptotic genes (caspase-7 and -9). The damage to sperm and ovary cells was greater in Rc adults than in Sm adults and was temperature sensitive. The lower fitness of the resistant strain, compared with the susceptible strain, is probably due to higher levels of oxidative stress and apoptosis, which also have deleterious effects on several life history traits. The greater injury observed in conditions of heat stress may be due to both the stronger upregulation of caspase genes and weaker upregulation of hsp genes in resistant than in susceptible individuals.

  1. Analysis of antibiotic resistance pattern of S. aureus strains isolated from the Orthopedics-Traumatology Section of "Sf. Spiridon" Clinical Emergency Hospital, Iaşi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tucaliuc, D; Alexa, O; Tuchiluş, Cristina Gabriela; Ursu, Ramona Gabriela; Tucaliuc, Elena Simona; Iancu, Luminiţa Smaranda

    2014-01-01

    The retrospective analysis of antibiotic sensibility of S. aureus strains isolated from infected patients from the Orthopedics-Traumatology Clinic of "Sf. Spiridon" Clinical Emergency Hospital, Iaşi during January 2003-December 2013, in view of determining the evolution trend of the resistance phenomenon and of pinpointing the most useful treatment for these strains. The antibiotic sensitivity test was carried out using two methods: diffusimetric-Kirby-Bauer and the MIC determination by E-test (for the strains isolated in 2013); the interpretation of the sensitivity was made in a standardized manner, in compliance with the CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) standard for antibiotics testing in force. The sensitivity testing for beta-lactams proved that during the 11 years of the study, the average value of the frequency of resistant strains was of 41.59% +/- 8.68. The highest frequency of MRSA (Methicillin Restant S. aureus) strains was noticed in 2012 (58.6%), followed by 2004 (50.7%). Even if in 2013 it dropped to 38.9%, the trend calculated for 2003-2013 is slightly rising (y = 0.0073x + 0.372). Out of the total of 495 S. aureus strains that were isolated, 164 (33.13%) were completely sensitive to the tested antibiotics and 26 (5.25%) were resistant only to beta-lactams. The other MRSA strains associated multiple resistance and MIC for vancomycin varied between 0.5-2 mg/ml. Two strains whose MIC was of 0.5 mg/ml were sensitive to most classes of tested antibiotics, including beta-lactams, except for macrolides (erythromycin), and the strain whose MIC was of 2 mg/ml, was resistant to all classes of tested antibiotics, except for glycopeptides and oxazolidiones. The other tested strains had a MIC for vancomycin equal to 1 mg/ml. Due to the fact that there are infections with SAMR strains in a rather worrying percentage (53.9%) that are resistant to the other classes of antibiotics, the only therapeutic solution being the vancomycin treatment, its

  2. Wire Chamber

    CERN Multimedia

    Magnetoscriptive readout wire chamber. Multi-wire detectors contain layers of positively and negatively charged wires enclosed in a chamber full of gas. A charged particle passing through the chamber knocks negatively charged electrons out of atoms in the gas, leaving behind positive ions. The electrons are pulled towards the positively charged wires. They collide with other atoms on the way, producing an avalanche of electrons and ions. The movement of these electrons and ions induces an electric pulse in the wires which is collected by fast electronics. The size of the pulse is proportional to the energy loss of the original particle.

  3. Wire chamber

    CERN Multimedia

    1967-01-01

    Magnetoscriptive readout wire chamber.Multi-wire detectors contain layers of positively and negatively charged wires enclosed in a chamber full of gas. A charged particle passing through the chamber knocks negatively charged electrons out of atoms in the gas, leaving behind positive ions. The electrons are pulled towards the positively charged wires. They collide with other atoms on the way, producing an avalanche of electrons and ions. The movement of these electrons and ions induces an electric pulse in the wires which is collected by fast electronics. The size of the pulse is proportional to the energy loss of the original particle.

  4. Narrow, highly P-doped, planar wires in silicon created by scanning probe microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruess, F J [Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Goh, K E J [Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Butcher, M J [School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Reusch, T C G [Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Oberbeck, L [Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Weber, B [School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Hamilton, A R [School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Simmons, M Y [Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia)

    2007-01-31

    We demonstrate the use of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) to pattern buried, highly planar phosphorus-doped silicon wires with widths down to the sub-10 nm level. We confirm the structural integrity of these wires using both buried dopant imaging techniques and ex situ electrical characterization. Four terminal I-V characteristics at 4 K show ohmic behaviour for all wires with resistivities between 1 and 24 x 10{sup -8} {omega} cm. Magnetotransport measurements reveal that conduction is dominated by disordered scattering with quantum corrections consistent with 2D weak localization theory. Our results show that these quantum corrections become more pronounced as the electron phase coherence length approaches the width of the wire.

  5. To Crack or Not to Crack: Strain in High Temperature Superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Godeke, Arno

    2007-01-01

    Round wire Bi 2212 is emerging as a viable successor of Nb3Sn in High Energy Physics and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, to generate magnetic fields that surpass the intrinsic limitations of Nb3Sn. Rather bold claims are made on achievable magnetic fields in applications using Bi 2212, due to the materials' estimated critical magnetic field of 100 Tor higher. High transport currents in high magnetic fields, however, lead to large stress on, and resulting large strain in the superconductor. The effect of strain on the critical properties of Bi-2212 is far from understood, and strain is, as with Nb3Sn, often treated as a secondary parameter in the design of superconducting magnets. Reversibility of the strain induced change of the critical surface of Nb3Sn, points to an electronic origin of the observed strain dependence. Record breaking high field magnets are enabled by virtue of such reversible behavior. Strain effects on the critical surface of Bi-2212, in contrast, are mainly irreversible and suggest a non-electronic origin of the observed strain dependence, which appears to be dominated by the formation of cracks in the superconductor volumes. A review is presented of available results on the effects of strain on the critical surface of Bi-2212, Bi-2223 and YBCO. It is shown how a generic behavior emerges for the (axial) strain dependence of the critical current density, and how the irreversible reduction of the critical current density is dominated by strain induced crack formation in the superconductor. From this generic model it becomes clear that magnets using high temperature superconductors will be strain limited far before the intrinsic magnetic field limitations will be approached, or possibly even before the magnetic field limitation of Nb3Sn can be surpassed. On a positive note, in a very promising recent result from NIST on the axial strain dependence of the critical current density in extremely well aligned YBCO, reversible behavior was observed. This

  6. Synchrotron high energy X-ray diffraction study of microstructure evolution of severely cold drawn NiTi wire during annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Cun; Aoun, Bachir; Cui, Lishan; Liu, Yinong; Yang, Hong; Jiang, Xiaohua; Cai, Song; Jiang, Daqiang; Liu, Zunping; Brown, Dennis E.; Ren, Yang

    2016-01-01

    Microstructure evolution of a cold-drawn NiTi shape memory alloy wire was investigated by means of in-situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction during continuous heating. The cold-drawn wire contained amorphous regions and nano-crystalline domains in its microstructure. Pair distribution function analysis revealed that the amorphous regions underwent structural relaxation via atomic rearrangement when heated above 100 °C. The nano-crystalline domains were found to exhibit a strong cold work induced lattice strain anisotropy along 〈111〉, which coincides with the crystallographic fiber orientation of the domains along the wire axial direction. The lattice strain anisotropy systematically decreased upon heating above 200 °C, implying a structural recovery. Crystallization of the amorphous phase led to a broadening of the angular distribution of 〈111〉 preferential orientations of grains along the axial direction as relative to the original 〈111〉 axial fiber texture of the nanocrystalline domains produced by the severe cold wire drawing deformation.

  7. Surface state of the wire electrode and its influence on the application characteristics in MAG welding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piffer, W.; Marques, P.V.; Modenesi, P.J.

    1997-01-01

    This work presents an evaluation of the effect of the surface condition of the wire on GMA welding performance. Three wires samples were produced from the same steel heat with different surface conditions. Short circuit transfer welding trials were performed for two wire feed rates and different voltage levels. These tests indicated that stability tended to be worse and spatter level higher for the lowest and the highest welding voltage operation and the wire with no copper coating. No major difference was observed for intermediate voltage operation. Scanning electron microscopy of contact tips suggested that cooper coated wires produced less erosion on the tips. Electrical resistance of wires and friction forces between wires and contact tip were also evaluated and used to analyze differences in influence of wire surface condition on welding results. (Author) 14 refs

  8. Self-assembly of tin wires via phase transformation of heteroepitaxial germanium-tin on germanium substrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Wei; Li, Lingzi; Yeo, Yee-Chia, E-mail: yeo@ieee.org [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576 (Singapore); Tok, Eng Soon [Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117551 (Singapore)

    2015-06-14

    This work demonstrates and describes for the first time an unusual strain-relaxation mechanism by the formation and self-assembly of well-ordered tin wires during the thermal annealing of epitaxial Ge{sub 0.83}Sn{sub 0.17}-on-Ge(001) substrate. Fully strained germanium-tin alloys (Ge{sub 0.83}Sn{sub 0.17}) were epitaxially grown on Ge(001) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. The morphological and compositional evolution of Ge{sub 0.83}Sn{sub 0.17} during thermal annealing is studied by atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy. Under certain annealing conditions, the Ge{sub 0.83}Sn{sub 0.17} layer decomposes into two stable phases, and well-defined Sn wires that are preferentially oriented along two orthogonal 〈100〉 azimuths are formed. The formation of the Sn wires is related to the annealing temperature and the Ge{sub 0.83}Sn{sub 0.17} thickness, and can be explained by the nucleation of a grain with Sn islands on the outer front, followed by grain boundary migration. The Sn wire formation process is found to be thermally activated, and an activation enthalpy (E{sub c}) of 0.41 eV is extracted. This thermally activated phase transformation, i.e., 2D epitaxial layer to 3D wires, occurs via a mechanism akin to “cellular precipitation.” This synthesis route of Sn wires opens new possibilities for creation of nanoscale patterns at high-throughput without the need for lithography.

  9. SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF ETHANOL MEDICINAL PLANT EXTRACTS WITH ERYTHROMYCIN AGAINST SKIN STRAINS OF STAPHYLOCOCCI WITH INDUCIBLE PHENOTYPE OF MLS-RESISTANCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yurchyshyn O.I.

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. One of the main ways to control microorganisms’ resistance to antibiotics is to find substances that are able to overcome it and potentiate antibiotics action, in particular to neutralize the antibiotic-inactivating enzymes or block the active efflux of antibiotic from microbial cells. Every year there is a growing interest in the therapeutic potential of herbal active compounds as modifiers of antibiotic resistance including MLS-resistance (macrolide-lincosamide-streptoramin B. It should be emphasized that a number of biologically active substances of plant origin can potentiate antimicrobial activity of erythromycin (ERY against MLS-resistant staphylococci. The present study was designed to investigate the antibacterial and synergistic effects of eight Ukrainian ethanol medicinal plant extracts with erythromycin against skin strains of staphylococci with inducible phenotype of MLS-resistance. Material & methods. S. aureus and S. epidermidis strains were tested for susceptibility to antibiotics of MLS-group by disk diffusion test. Effective antimicrobial concentrations of plant extracts and erythromycin were determined by two-fold serial dilution in nutrient agar and broth. Combinatory effects between organic extracts and ERY were assessed using the checkerboard assay against tested strains to evaluate culture growth in the presence of two antimicrobials with different concentrations. Results & discussion. The Alnus incana L. fruits extract was the most potent inhibitor against tested strains (MIC 40.625-162.5 µg/mL; while Geranium pratense L. rhizomes extract exhibited the least antimicrobial activity (MIC 650-2,600 µg/mL. The Alnus incana L. fruits extract and the Geranium pratense L. rhizomes extract showed synergistic effect with erythromycin against 100% strains of staphylococci (average FICI 0.028 – 0.057; p<0.001. In the presence of 1/4 MIC of ERY Alnus incana L. fruits extract antimicrobial concentration was

  10. In vitro profiling of antimethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus activity of thymoquinone against selected type and clinical strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hariharan, P; Paul-Satyaseela, M; Gnanamani, A

    2016-03-01

    This study explores antimethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity of a bioactive phytochemical constituent, thymoquinone obtained from the medicinal herb, Nigella sativa Linn. Based on initial assessment on crude extract of seeds of Nigella sativa Linn, the pure active constituent was employed in the study. A total of 99 MRSA strains which comprised of 40 types and 59 clinical strains were selected for the study. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), bactericidal activity, postantibiotic effect (PAE) and propensity to select resistant mutants were determined using standard protocols. Results revealed that thymoquinone exhibited MIC in the range of 8-16 μg ml(-1) and MIC90 of 16 μg ml(-1) against MRSA strains. It was bactericidal to MRSA by demonstrating >3 log kill. It showed a longer PAE of 3·2 ± 0·2 h. Upon exposure to high-density inoculum of MRSA, it did not select resistant mutants. Transmission electron microscopy of thymoquinone-treated MRSA showed no lysis but damage to cell wall and cell membrane which corroborated well with the salt tolerance and bacteriolysis assays. In conclusion, MIC90 , bactericidal property, longer PAE, absence of resistant mutant selection and damages in cell membrane and cell wall imply a promising anti-MRSA activity of thymoquinone. This is the first detailed report on anti-MRSA activity of thymoquinone. The assessment was made with both type and clinical strains. Thymoquinone may be a potential lead compound which can be further optimized to discover novel anti-MRSA agents. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  11. Numerical Investigation of Corrugated Wire Mesh Laminate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeongho Choi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work is to develop a numerical model of Corrugated Wire Mesh Laminate (CWML capturing all its complexities such as nonlinear material properties, nonlinear geometry and large deformation behaviour, and frictional behaviour. Development of such a model will facilitate numerical simulation of the mechanical behaviour of the wire mesh structure under various types of loading as well as the variation of the CWML configuration parameters to tailor its mechanical properties to suit the intended application. Starting with a single strand truss model consisting of four waves with a bilinear stress-strain model to represent the plastic behaviour of stainless steel, the finite element model is gradually built up to study single-layer structures with 18 strands of corrugated wire meshes consistency and double- and quadruple-layered laminates with alternating crossply orientations. The compressive behaviour of the CWML model is simulated using contact elements to model friction and is compared to the load-deflection behaviour determined experimentally in uniaxial compression tests. The numerical model of the CWML is then employed to conduct the aim of establishing the upper and lower bounds of stiffness and load capacity achievable by such structures.

  12. Determination of antimicrobial resistance of Enterococcus strains isolated from pigs and their genotypic characterization by method of amplification of DNA fragments surrounding rare restriction sites (ADSRRS fingerprinting).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nowakiewicz, Aneta; Ziółkowska, Grażyna; Trościańczyk, Aleksandra; Zięba, Przemysław; Gnat, Sebastian

    2017-03-01

    In this study, we analysed phenotypic resistance profiles and their reflection in the genomic profiles of Enterococcus spp. strains isolated from pigs raised on different farms. Samples were collected from five pig farms (n=90 animals) and tested for Enterococcus. MICs of 12 antimicrobials were determined using the broth microdilution method, and epidemiological molecular analysis of strains belonging to selected species (faecalis, faecium and hirae) was performed using the ADSRRS-fingerprinting (amplification of DNA fragments surrounding rare restriction sites) method with a few modifications. The highest percentage of strains was resistant to tetracycline (73.4 %), erythromycin and tylosin (42.5 %) and rifampin (25.2 %), and a large number of strains exhibited high-level resistance to both kanamycin (25.2 %) and streptomycin (27.6 %). The strains of E. faecalis, E. faecium and E. hirae (n=184) revealed varied phenotypic resistance profiles, among which as many as seven met the criteria for multidrug resistance (30.4 % of strains tested). ADSRRS-fingerprinting analysis produced 17 genotypic profiles of individual strains which were correlated with their phenotypic resistance profiles. Only E. hirae strains susceptible to all of the chemotherapeutics tested had two different ADSRRS profiles. Moreover, eight animals were carriers of more than one genotype belonging to the same Enterococcus spp., mainly E. faecalis. Given the possibility of transmission to humans of the high-resistance/multidrug resistance enterococci and the significant role of pigs as food animals in this process, it is necessary to introduce a multilevel control strategy by carrying out research on the resistance and molecular characteristics of indicator bacterial strains isolated from animals on individual farms.

  13. Phenotypes and genotypes of erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes strains isolated from invasive and non-invasive infections from Mexico and the USA during 1999–2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villaseñor-Sierra, Alberto; Katahira, Eva; Jaramillo-Valdivia, Abril N.; de los Angeles Barajas-García, María; Bryant, Amy; Morfín-Otero, Rayo; Márquez-Díaz, Francisco; Tinoco, Juan Carlos; Sánchez-Corona, José; Stevens, Dennis L.

    2012-01-01

    Summary Objective To compare the prevalence, phenotypes, and genes responsible for erythromycin resistance among Streptococcus pyogenes isolates from Mexico and the USA. Methods Eighty-nine invasive and 378 non-invasive isolates from Mexico, plus 148 invasive, 21 non-invasive, and five unclassified isolates from the USA were studied. Susceptibilities to penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, ceftriaxone, and vancomycin were evaluated according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) standards. Phenotypes of erythromycin resistance were identified by triple disk test, and screening for mefA, ermTR, and ermB genes was carried out by PCR. Results All isolates were susceptible to penicillin, ceftriaxone, and vancomycin. Erythromycin resistance was found in 4.9% of Mexican strains and 5.2% of USA strains. Phenotypes in Mexican strains were 95% M and 5% cMLS; in strains from the USA, phenotypes were 33.3% iMLS, 33.3% iMLS-D, and 33.3% M. Erythromycin resistance genes in strains from Mexico were mefA (95%) and ermB (5%); USA strains harbored ermTR (56%), mefA (33%), and none (11%). In Mexico, all erythromycin-resistant strains were non-invasive, whereas 89% of strains from the USA were invasive. Conclusions Erythromycin resistance continues to exist at low levels in both Mexico and the USA, although the genetic mechanisms responsible differ between the two nations. These genetic differences may be related to the invasive character of the S. pyogenes isolated. PMID:22217469

  14. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of multidrug-resistant and -sensitive strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a Malaysian hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thong, Kwai Lin; Lai, Kin Seng; Ganeswrie, R; Puthucheary, S D

    2004-10-01

    Over a period of 6 months from January to June 2002, an unusual increase in the isolation of highly resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains was observed in the various wards and intensive care units of a large general hospital in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. An equal number of multidrug resistant (MDR) and drug-susceptible strains were collected randomly from swabs, respiratory specimens, urine, blood, cerebral spinal fluid, and central venous catheters to determine the clonality and genetic variation of the strains. Macrorestriction analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that the 19 MDR strains were genetically very homogenous; the majority showed the dominant profile S1 (n = 10), the rest very closely related profiles S1a (n = 1), S2 (n = 4), and S2a (n = 3), indicating the endemicity of these strains. In contrast, the 19 drug-sensitive strains isolated during the same time period were genetically more diverse, showing 17 pulsed-field profiles (F = 0.50-1.00), and probably derived from the patients themselves. The presence of the MDR clone poses serious therapeutic problems as it may become endemic in the hospital and give rise to future clonal outbreaks. There is also the potential for wider geographical spread.

  15. Rapid label-free identification of Klebsiella pneumoniae antibiotic resistant strains by the drop-coating deposition surface-enhanced Raman scattering method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheong, Youjin; Kim, Young Jin; Kang, Heeyoon; Choi, Samjin; Lee, Hee Joo

    2017-08-01

    Although many methodologies have been developed to identify unknown bacteria, bacterial identification in clinical microbiology remains a complex and time-consuming procedure. To address this problem, we developed a label-free method for rapidly identifying clinically relevant multilocus sequencing typing-verified quinolone-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. We also applied the method to identify three strains from colony samples, ATCC70063 (control), ST11 and ST15; these are the prevalent quinolone-resistant K. pneumoniae strains in East Asia. The colonies were identified using a drop-coating deposition surface-enhanced Raman scattering (DCD-SERS) procedure coupled with a multivariate statistical method. Our workflow exhibited an enhancement factor of 11.3 × 106 to Raman intensities, high reproducibility (relative standard deviation of 7.4%), and a sensitive limit of detection (100 pM rhodamine 6G), with a correlation coefficient of 0.98. All quinolone-resistant K. pneumoniae strains showed similar spectral Raman shifts (high correlations) regardless of bacterial type, as well as different Raman vibrational modes compared to Escherichia coli strains. Our proposed DCD-SERS procedure coupled with the multivariate statistics-based identification method achieved excellent performance in discriminating similar microbes from one another and also in subtyping of K. pneumoniae strains. Therefore, our label-free DCD-SERS procedure coupled with the computational decision supporting method is a potentially useful method for the rapid identification of clinically relevant K. pneumoniae strains.

  16. Simulation of the chemical environment of a nuclear explosion with exploding wires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meyer, Walter; Block, Oliver U.J. [Nuclear Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS (United States)

    1970-05-15

    energy density in a fixed amount of sample material can be calculated. The wire temperature corresponding to this energy is then calculated. Assuming the maximum input power to the wire resistance (which is much greater than the resistance of the rest of the RLC circuit) is balanced by radiation energy losses from the wire, an estimate of the maximum temperature reached by the wire can also be obtained. Experimental data show that about fifteen to forty percent of the energy initially stored in a capacitor bank is deposited in the wire before the wire bursts in the energetic type explosion needed to simulate the chemical environment of a nuclear explosion. Further, the experimental results show that if sufficient energy is available from the capacitor bank to satisfy the above efficiency constraint on energy transfer, then the circuit designed by the theoretical design method produces temperatures in the sample material within at least an order of magnitude of the design temperature. Experimental results with bare wire explosions show that confining the wire after sufficient energy to vaporize the wire has been deposited will produce higher energy densities. A sample cell designed to make use of the magnetic pinch principle has been assembled and experimental results with it show that the cell does indeed confine the wire material while holding the sample material in close proximity around the wire. (author)

  17. Draft Genome Sequences of Two Extensively Drug-Resistant Strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Belonging to the Euro-American S Lineage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Malinga, L.A.; Abeel, T.; Desjardins, C.A.; Dlamini, T.C.; Cassell, G.; Chapman, S.B.; Birren, B.W.; Earl, A.M.; Van der Walt, M.

    2016-01-01

    We report the whole-genome sequencing of two extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis strains belonging to the Euro-American S lineage. The RSA 114 strain showed single-nucleotide polymorphisms predicted to have drug efflux activity.

  18. Studies on the flame and radiation resistant modification of wires and cables for nuclear power generation plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hagiwara, Miyuki; Morita, Yosuke; Udagawa, Akira; Oda, Eisuke; Fujimura, Shunichi.

    1982-08-01

    For the use in the light-water nuclear power generation plants, wires and cables are required to keep high flame retardancy and superior resistivity against heat and radiation throughout the whole period of service. They are expected, further, to fulfill their functions even under LOCA conditions. The present work aimed to provide new technology to give flame and radiation resistancy to insulating materials for the cables which are used under the above requirements. For the improvement of flame retardancy and the elongation of life time, polymerizable flame retardants were examined their applicability to ethylene-propylene-diene rubber. Various polymerizable flame retardants were first synthesized, and their performance was analyzed, especially, as to the relationship between molecular structure and their effectiveness. As a guiding principle for developing of a high performance flame and radiation resistant reagent, it was suggested that the back born of the reagent molecule should be constructed by carbon-carbon bond including fused aromatic rings and groups which can undergo polymerization by radical initiators. After careful consideration and detailed experimental work, condensed bromoacenaphthylene (con-BACN) was shown to have an effectiveness enough for the present purpose. Its satisfactory performance was also shown by making cables of a practical size using con-BACN, and by carrying out various performance tests based substantially on IEEE standards. (author)

  19. Nickel-titanium wire as a flexor tendon suture material: an ex vivo study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karjalainen, T; Göransson, H; Viinikainen, A; Jämsä, T; Ryhänen, J

    2010-07-01

    Nickel-titanium shape memory alloy (NiTi) is a new suture material that is easy to handle, is strong, and biocompatible. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the material properties and biomechanical behaviour of 150 microm and 200 microm NiTi wires in flexor tendon repair. Braided polyester (4-0 Ethibond) was used as control. Fifty fresh-frozen porcine flexor tendons were repaired using the Pennington modification of the Kessler repair or a double Kessler technique. NiTi wires were stiffer and reached higher tensile strength compared to braided polyester suture. Repairs with 200 microm NiTi wire had a higher yield force, ultimate force and better resistance to gapping than 4-0 braided polyester repairs. Repairs made with 200 microm NiTi wire achieved higher stiffness and ultimate force than repairs made with 150 microm NiTi wire.

  20. Complete genome sequence of an attenuated Sparfloxacin-resistant Streptococcus agalactiae strain 138spar

    Science.gov (United States)

    The complete genome of a sparfloxacin-resistant Streptococcus agalactiae vaccine strain 138spar is 1,838,126 bp in size. The genome has 1892 coding sequences and 82 RNAs. The annotation of the genome is added by the NCBI Prokaryotic Genome Annotation Pipeline. The publishing of this genome will allo...

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