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Sample records for single primer set

  1. A plastome primer set for comprehensive quantitative real time RT-PCR analysis of Zea mays: a starter primer set for other Poaceae species

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    Dunn Sade N

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Quantitative Real Time RT-PCR (q2(RTPCR is a maturing technique which gives researchers the ability to quantify and compare very small amounts of nucleic acids. Primer design and optimization is an essential yet time consuming aspect of using q2(RTPCR. In this paper we describe the design and empirical optimization of primers to amplify and quantify plastid RNAs from Zea mays that are robust enough to use with other closely related species. Results Primers were designed and successfully optimized for 57 of the 104 reported genes in the maize plastome plus two nuclear genes. All 59 primer pairs produced single amplicons after end-point reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR as visualized on agarose gels and subsequently verified by q2(RTPCR. Primer pairs were divided into several categories based on the optimization requirements or the uniqueness of the target gene. An in silico test suggested the majority of the primer sets should work with other members of the Poaceae family. An in vitro test of the primer set on two unsequenced species (Panicum virgatum and Miscanthus sinensis supported this assumption by successfully producing single amplicons for each primer pair. Conclusion Due to the highly conserved chloroplast genome in plant families it is possible to utilize primer pairs designed against one genomic sequence to detect the presence and abundance of plastid genes or transcripts from genomes that have yet to be sequenced. Analysis of steady state transcription of vital system genes is a necessary requirement to comprehensively elucidate gene expression in any organism. The primer pairs reported in this paper were designed for q2(RTPCR of maize chloroplast genes but should be useful for other members of the Poaceae family. Both in silico and in vitro data are presented to support this assumption.

  2. Primer sets for cloning the human repertoire of T cell Receptor Variable regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boria, Ilenia; Cotella, Diego; Dianzani, Irma; Santoro, Claudio; Sblattero, Daniele

    2008-08-29

    Amplification and cloning of naïve T cell Receptor (TR) repertoires or antigen-specific TR is crucial to shape immune response and to develop immuno-based therapies. TR variable (V) regions are encoded by several genes that recombine during T cell development. The cloning of expressed genes as large diverse libraries from natural sources relies upon the availability of primers able to amplify as many V genes as possible. Here, we present a list of primers computationally designed on all functional TR V and J genes listed in the IMGT, the ImMunoGeneTics information system. The list consists of unambiguous or degenerate primers suitable to theoretically amplify and clone the entire TR repertoire. We show that it is possible to selectively amplify and clone expressed TR V genes in one single RT-PCR step and from as little as 1000 cells. This new primer set will facilitate the creation of more diverse TR libraries than has been possible using currently available primer sets.

  3. Primer sets for cloning the human repertoire of T cell Receptor Variable regions

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    Santoro Claudio

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Amplification and cloning of naïve T cell Receptor (TR repertoires or antigen-specific TR is crucial to shape immune response and to develop immuno-based therapies. TR variable (V regions are encoded by several genes that recombine during T cell development. The cloning of expressed genes as large diverse libraries from natural sources relies upon the availability of primers able to amplify as many V genes as possible. Results Here, we present a list of primers computationally designed on all functional TR V and J genes listed in the IMGT®, the ImMunoGeneTics information system®. The list consists of unambiguous or degenerate primers suitable to theoretically amplify and clone the entire TR repertoire. We show that it is possible to selectively amplify and clone expressed TR V genes in one single RT-PCR step and from as little as 1000 cells. Conclusion This new primer set will facilitate the creation of more diverse TR libraries than has been possible using currently available primer sets.

  4. Single primer amplification reaction methods reveal exotic and ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    mulberry varieties using three different PCR based single primer amplification ..... the results of a multi- variate analysis using Mahalanobis D2 statistic in case of .... Rajan M V, Chaturvedi H K and Sarkar A 1997 Multivariate analysis as an aid ...

  5. Development of a microsatellite primer set to investigate the genetic ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Development of a microsatellite primer set to investigate the genetic population structure of Armadillidium nasatum (Crustacea, Oniscidea). Séverine Masson, Cédric Faivre, Isabelle Giraud, Catherine Souty-Grosset, Richard Cordaux, Carine Delaunay,. Didier Bouchon and Nicolas Bech. J. Genet. 93, 545-549. Table 1.

  6. Comparison of various primer sets for detection of Toxoplasma gondii by polymerase chain reaction in fetal tissues from naturally aborted foxes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smielewska-Loś, E

    2003-01-01

    Tissues from 4 aborted polar foxes (3 samples of brain and 4 samples of liver) were selected for Toxoplasma gondii PCR assay. Positive results of serological tests of mothers and immunofluorescence test (IFT) of fetal organ smears were the criteria of sample selection. Five sets of primers designed from B1 gene and ITS1 sequences of T. gondii were used for detection of the parasite in fetal fox tissues. All used primer sets successfully amplified T. gondii DNA in PCR from organs which were positive by IFT. Single tube nested PCR also showed positive result from a sample negative by IFT, but this product was not confirmed. The studies showed usefullness of PCR for routine diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in carnivores.

  7. Typing of multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms using ribonuclease cleavage of DNA/RNA chimeric single-base extension primers and detection by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mengel-From, Jonas; Sanchez Sanchez, Juan Jose; Børsting, Claus

    2005-01-01

    A novel single-base extension (SBE) assay using cleavable and noncleavable SBE primers in the same reaction mix is described. The cleavable SBE primers consisted of deoxyribonucleotides and one ribonucleotide (hereafter denoted chimeric primers), whereas the noncleavable SBE primers consisted....... A ribonuclease mix was developed to specifically cleave the chimeric primers, irrespective of the base of the ribonucleotide, whereas standard primers without a ribonucleotide were unaffected by the ribonuclease treatment. The SBE products were analyzed in linear mode using a matrix-assisted laser desorption...... containing 9 chimeric primers and 8 standard primers....

  8. Conserved PCR primer set designing for closely-related species to complete mitochondrial genome sequencing using a sliding window-based PSO algorithm.

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    Cheng-Hong Yang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Complete mitochondrial (mt genome sequencing is becoming increasingly common for phylogenetic reconstruction and as a model for genome evolution. For long template sequencing, i.e., like the entire mtDNA, it is essential to design primers for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR amplicons which are partly overlapping each other. The presented chromosome walking strategy provides the overlapping design to solve the problem for unreliable sequencing data at the 5' end and provides the effective sequencing. However, current algorithms and tools are mostly focused on the primer design for a local region in the genomic sequence. Accordingly, it is still challenging to provide the primer sets for the entire mtDNA. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The purpose of this study is to develop an integrated primer design algorithm for entire mt genome in general, and for the common primer sets for closely-related species in particular. We introduce ClustalW to generate the multiple sequence alignment needed to find the conserved sequences in closely-related species. These conserved sequences are suitable for designing the common primers for the entire mtDNA. Using a heuristic algorithm particle swarm optimization (PSO, all the designed primers were computationally validated to fit the common primer design constraints, such as the melting temperature, primer length and GC content, PCR product length, secondary structure, specificity, and terminal limitation. The overlap requirement for PCR amplicons in the entire mtDNA is satisfied by defining the overlapping region with the sliding window technology. Finally, primer sets were designed within the overlapping region. The primer sets for the entire mtDNA sequences were successfully demonstrated in the example of two closely-related fish species. The pseudo code for the primer design algorithm is provided. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, it can be said that our proposed sliding window-based PSO

  9. Genus-specific PCR Primers Targeting Intracellular Parasite Euduboscquella (Dinoflagellata: Syndinea)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jae-Ho; Choi, Jung Min; Kim, Young-Ok

    2018-03-01

    We designed a genus-specific primer pair targeting the intracellular parasite Euduboscquella. To increase target specificity and inhibit untargeted PCR, two nucleotides were added at the 3' end of the reverse primer, one being a complementary nucleotide to the Euduboscquella-specific SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) and the other a deliberately mismatched nucleotide. Target specificity of the primer set was verified experimentally using PCR of two Euduboscquella species (positive controls) and 15 related species (negative controls composed of ciliates, diatoms and dinoflagellates), and analytical comparison with SILVA SSU rRNA gene database (release 119) in silico. In addition, we applied the Euduboscquella-specific primer set to four environmental samples previously determined by cytological staining to be either positive or negative for Euduboscquella. As expected, only positive controls and environmental samples known to contain Euduboscquella were successfully amplified by the primer set. An inferred SSU rRNA gene phylogeny placed environmental samples containing aloricate ciliates infected by Euduboscquella in a cluster discrete from Euduboscquella groups a-d previously reported from loricate, tintinnid ciliates.

  10. An iterative method for selecting degenerate multiplex PCR primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souvenir, Richard; Buhler, Jeremy; Stormo, Gary; Zhang, Weixiong

    2007-01-01

    Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping is an important molecular genetics process, which can produce results that will be useful in the medical field. Because of inherent complexities in DNA manipulation and analysis, many different methods have been proposed for a standard assay. One of the proposed techniques for performing SNP genotyping requires amplifying regions of DNA surrounding a large number of SNP loci. To automate a portion of this particular method, it is necessary to select a set of primers for the experiment. Selecting these primers can be formulated as the Multiple Degenerate Primer Design (MDPD) problem. The Multiple, Iterative Primer Selector (MIPS) is an iterative beam-search algorithm for MDPD. Theoretical and experimental analyses show that this algorithm performs well compared with the limits of degenerate primer design. Furthermore, MIPS outperforms an existing algorithm that was designed for a related degenerate primer selection problem.

  11. UniPrime2: a web service providing easier Universal Primer design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boutros, Robin; Stokes, Nicola; Bekaert, Michaël; Teeling, Emma C

    2009-07-01

    The UniPrime2 web server is a publicly available online resource which automatically designs large sets of universal primers when given a gene reference ID or Fasta sequence input by a user. UniPrime2 works by automatically retrieving and aligning homologous sequences from GenBank, identifying regions of conservation within the alignment, and generating suitable primers that can be used to amplify variable genomic regions. In essence, UniPrime2 is a suite of publicly available software packages (Blastn, T-Coffee, GramAlign, Primer3), which reduces the laborious process of primer design, by integrating these programs into a single software pipeline. Hence, UniPrime2 differs from previous primer design web services in that all steps are automated, linked, saved and phylogenetically delimited, only requiring a single user-defined gene reference ID or input sequence. We provide an overview of the web service and wet-laboratory validation of the primers generated. The system is freely accessible at: http://uniprime.batlab.eu. UniPrime2 is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Licence.

  12. Primers-4-Yeast: a comprehensive web tool for planning primers for Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yofe, Ido; Schuldiner, Maya

    2014-02-01

    The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a key model organism of functional genomics, due to its ease and speed of genetic manipulations. In fact, in this yeast, the requirement for homologous sequences for recombination purposes is so small that 40 base pairs (bp) are sufficient. Hence, an enormous variety of genetic manipulations can be performed by simply planning primers with the correct homology, using a defined set of transformation plasmids. Although designing primers for yeast transformations and for the verification of their correct insertion is a common task in all yeast laboratories, primer planning is usually done manually and a tool that would enable easy, automated primer planning for the yeast research community is still lacking. Here we introduce Primers-4-Yeast, a web tool that allows primers to be designed in batches for S. cerevisiae gene-targeting transformations, and for the validation of correct insertions. This novel tool enables fast, automated, accurate primer planning for large sets of genes, introduces consistency in primer planning and is therefore suggested to serve as a standard in yeast research. Primers-4-Yeast is available at: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/Primers-4-Yeast Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. De-MetaST-BLAST: a tool for the validation of degenerate primer sets and data mining of publicly available metagenomes.

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    Christopher A Gulvik

    Full Text Available Development and use of primer sets to amplify nucleic acid sequences of interest is fundamental to studies spanning many life science disciplines. As such, the validation of primer sets is essential. Several computer programs have been created to aid in the initial selection of primer sequences that may or may not require multiple nucleotide combinations (i.e., degeneracies. Conversely, validation of primer specificity has remained largely unchanged for several decades, and there are currently few available programs that allows for an evaluation of primers containing degenerate nucleotide bases. To alleviate this gap, we developed the program De-MetaST that performs an in silico amplification using user defined nucleotide sequence dataset(s and primer sequences that may contain degenerate bases. The program returns an output file that contains the in silico amplicons. When De-MetaST is paired with NCBI's BLAST (De-MetaST-BLAST, the program also returns the top 10 nr NCBI database hits for each recovered in silico amplicon. While the original motivation for development of this search tool was degenerate primer validation using the wealth of nucleotide sequences available in environmental metagenome and metatranscriptome databases, this search tool has potential utility in many data mining applications.

  14. Next-Generation DNA Sequencing of VH/VL Repertoires: A Primer and Guide to Applications in Single-Domain Antibody Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Kevin A

    2018-01-01

    Immunogenetic analyses of expressed antibody repertoires are becoming increasingly common experimental investigations and are critical to furthering our understanding of autoimmunity, infectious disease, and cancer. Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) technologies have now made it possible to interrogate antibody repertoires to unprecedented depths, typically by sequencing of cDNAs encoding immunoglobulin variable domains. In this chapter, we describe simple, fast, and reliable methods for producing and sequencing multiplex PCR amplicons derived from the variable regions (V H , V H H or V L ) of rearranged immunoglobulin heavy and light chain genes using the Illumina MiSeq platform. We include complete protocols and primer sets for amplicon sequencing of V H /V H H/V L repertoires directly from human, mouse, and llama lymphocytes as well as from phage-displayed V H /V H H/V L libraries; these can be easily be adapted to other types of amplicons with little modification. The resulting amplicons are diverse and representative, even using as few as 10 3 input B cells, and their generation is relatively inexpensive, requiring no special equipment and only a limited set of primers. In the absence of heavy-light chain pairing, single-domain antibodies are uniquely amenable to NGS analyses. We present a number of applications of NGS technology useful in discovery of single-domain antibodies from phage display libraries, including: (i) assessment of library functionality; (ii) confirmation of desired library randomization; (iii) estimation of library diversity; and (iv) monitoring the progress of panning experiments. While the case studies presented here are of phage-displayed single-domain antibody libraries, the principles extend to other types of in vitro display libraries.

  15. A degenerate primer MOB typing (DPMT method to classify gamma-proteobacterial plasmids in clinical and environmental settings.

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    Andrés Alvarado

    Full Text Available Transmissible plasmids are responsible for the spread of genetic determinants, such as antibiotic resistance or virulence traits, causing a large ecological and epidemiological impact. Transmissible plasmids, either conjugative or mobilizable, have in common the presence of a relaxase gene. Relaxases were previously classified in six protein families according to their phylogeny. Degenerate primers hybridizing to coding sequences of conserved amino acid motifs were designed to amplify related relaxase genes from γ-Proteobacterial plasmids. Specificity and sensitivity of a selected set of 19 primer pairs were first tested using a collection of 33 reference relaxases, representing the diversity of γ-Proteobacterial plasmids. The validated set was then applied to the analysis of two plasmid collections obtained from clinical isolates. The relaxase screening method, which we call "Degenerate Primer MOB Typing" or DPMT, detected not only most known Inc/Rep groups, but also a plethora of plasmids not previously assigned to any Inc group or Rep-type.

  16. Multiplexing Short Primers for Viral Family PCR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gardner, S N; Hiddessen, A L; Hara, C A; Williams, P L; Wagner, M; Colston, B W

    2008-06-26

    We describe a Multiplex Primer Prediction (MPP) algorithm to build multiplex compatible primer sets for large, diverse, and unalignable sets of target sequences. The MPP algorithm is scalable to larger target sets than other available software, and it does not require a multiple sequence alignment. We applied it to questions in viral detection, and demonstrated that there are no universally conserved priming sequences among viruses and that it could require an unfeasibly large number of primers ({approx}3700 18-mers or {approx}2000 10-mers) to generate amplicons from all sequenced viruses. We then designed primer sets separately for each viral family, and for several diverse species such as foot-and-mouth disease virus, hemagglutinin and neuraminidase segments of influenza A virus, Norwalk virus, and HIV-1.

  17. Microsatellite Primers in the Foundation Tree Species Pinus edulis and P. monophylla (Pinaceae

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    Andrew L. Krohn

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed in the foundational tree species Pinus edulis to investigate population differentiation of P. edulis and hybridization among closely related species. Methods and Results: Using a hybridization protocol, primer sets for 11 microsatellite loci were developed using megagametophyte tissue from P. edulis and scored for polymorphism in three populations of P. edulis and a single P. monophylla population. The primers amplified simple and compound di-, tri-, and pentanucleotide repeats with two to 18 alleles per locus. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the utility of the described primers for studies of population differentiation within and among P. edulis populations as well as across putative hybrid zones where P. edulis may coexist with sister species.

  18. VizPrimer: a web server for visualized PCR primer design based on known gene structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yang; Qu, Wubin; Lu, Yiming; Zhang, Yanchun; Wang, Xiaolei; Zhao, Dongsheng; Yang, Yi; Zhang, Chenggang

    2011-12-15

    The visualization of gene structure plays an important role in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer design, especially for eukaryotic genes with a number of splice variants that users need to distinguish between via PCR. Here, we describe a visualized web server for primer design named VizPrimer. It utilizes the new information technology (IT) tools, HTML5 to display gene structure and JavaScript to interact with the users. In VizPrimer, the users can focus their attention on the gene structure and primer design strategy, without wasting time calculating the exon positions of splice variants or manually configuring complicated parameters. In addition, VizPrimer is also suitable for the design of PCR primers for amplifying open reading frames and detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). VizPrimer is freely available at http://biocompute.bmi.ac.cn/CZlab/VizPrimer/. The web server supported browsers: Chrome (≥5.0), Firefox (≥3.0), Safari (≥4.0) and Opera (≥10.0). zhangcg@bmi.ac.cn; yangyi528@vip.sina.com.

  19. Detection and differentiation of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici race 1 using loop-mediated isothermal amplification with three primer sets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayukawa, Y; Komatsu, K; Kashiwa, T; Akai, K; Yamada, M; Teraoka, T; Arie, T

    2016-09-01

    Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) causes tomato wilt. Based on the difference in pathogenicity towards tomato cultivars, Fol is classified into three races. In this study, a rapid method is developed for the detection and discrimination of Fol race 1 using a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay with two primer sets targeting a region of the nucleotide sequence of the SIX4 gene specific for race 1 and a primer set targeting the SIX5 gene, conserved in all known Fol isolates. Upon LAMP reaction, amplification using all three primer sets was observed only when DNA of Fol race 1 was used as a template, and not when DNA of other Fol races or other fungal species was used. This method could detect 300 fg of Fol race 1 DNA, a 100-fold higher sensitivity than that obtained by conventional PCR. The method can also detect DNA extracted from soil artificially infested with Fol race 1. It is now possible to detect Fol race 1 in colonies and infected tomato stems without DNA isolation. This method is a rapid and simple tool for discrimination of Fol race 1. This study developed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for detection and differentiation of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) race 1 by using three primer sets targeting for the SIX4 and SIX5 genes. These genes are present together only in Fol race 1. This method can detect Fol race 1 in infected tomato stems without DNA extraction, affording an efficient diagnosis of Fusarium wilt on tomatoes in the field. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  20. Opening the treasure chest: A DNA-barcoding primer set for most higher taxa of Central European birds and mammals from museum collections.

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    Sylvia Schäffer

    Full Text Available DNA-barcoding is a rapidly developing method for efficiently identifying samples to species level by means of short standard DNA sequences. However, reliable species assignment requires the availability of a comprehensive DNA barcode reference library, and hence numerous initiatives aim at generating such barcode databases for particular taxa or geographic regions. Historical museum collections represent a potentially invaluable source for the DNA-barcoding of many taxa. This is particularly true for birds and mammals, for which collecting fresh (voucher material is often very difficult to (nearly impossible due to the special animal welfare and conservation regulations that apply to vertebrates in general, and birds and mammals in particular. Moreover, even great efforts might not guarantee sufficiently complete sampling of fresh material in a short period of time. DNA extracted from historical samples is usually degraded, such that only short fragments can be amplified, rendering the recovery of the barcoding region as a single fragment impossible. Here, we present a new set of primers that allows the efficient amplification and sequencing of the entire barcoding region in most higher taxa of Central European birds and mammals in six overlapping fragments, thus greatly increasing the value of historical museum collections for generating DNA barcode reference libraries. Applying our new primer set in recently established NGS protocols promises to further increase the efficiency of barcoding old bird and mammal specimens.

  1. MPprimer: a program for reliable multiplex PCR primer design

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    Wang Xiaolei

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Multiplex PCR, defined as the simultaneous amplification of multiple regions of a DNA template or multiple DNA templates using more than one primer set (comprising a forward primer and a reverse primer in one tube, has been widely used in diagnostic applications of clinical and environmental microbiology studies. However, primer design for multiplex PCR is still a challenging problem and several factors need to be considered. These problems include mis-priming due to nonspecific binding to non-target DNA templates, primer dimerization, and the inability to separate and purify DNA amplicons with similar electrophoretic mobility. Results A program named MPprimer was developed to help users for reliable multiplex PCR primer design. It employs the widely used primer design program Primer3 and the primer specificity evaluation program MFEprimer to design and evaluate the candidate primers based on genomic or transcript DNA database, followed by careful examination to avoid primer dimerization. The graph-expanding algorithm derived from the greedy algorithm was used to determine the optimal primer set combinations (PSCs for multiplex PCR assay. In addition, MPprimer provides a virtual electrophotogram to help users choose the best PSC. The experimental validation from 2× to 5× plex PCR demonstrates the reliability of MPprimer. As another example, MPprimer is able to design the multiplex PCR primers for DMD (dystrophin gene which caused Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which has 79 exons, for 20×, 20×, 20×, 14×, and 5× plex PCR reactions in five tubes to detect underlying exon deletions. Conclusions MPprimer is a valuable tool for designing specific, non-dimerizing primer set combinations with constrained amplicons size for multiplex PCR assays.

  2. Effect of oligonucleotide primers in determining viral variability within hosts

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    Moya Andrés

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Genetic variability in viral populations is usually estimated by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR based methods in which the relative abundance of each amplicon is assumed to be proportional to the frequency of the corresponding template in the initial sample. Although bias in template-to-product ratios has been described before, its relevance in describing viral genetic variability at the intrapatient level has not been fully assessed yet. Results To investigate the role of oligonucleotide design in estimating viral variability within hosts, genetic diversity in hepatitis C virus (HCV populations from eight infected patients was characterised by two parallel PCR amplifications performed with two slightly different sets of primers, followed by cloning and sequencing (mean = 89 cloned sequences per patient. Population genetics analyses of viral populations recovered by pairs of amplifications revealed that in seven patients statistically significant differences were detected between populations sampled with different set of primers. Conclusions Genetic variability analyses demonstrates that PCR selection due to the choice of primers, differing in their degeneracy degree at some nucleotide positions, can eclipse totally or partially viral variants, hence yielding significant different estimates of viral variability within a single patient and therefore eventually producing quite different qualitative and quantitative descriptions of viral populations within each host.

  3. Effect of oligonucleotide primers in determining viral variability within hosts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bracho, Maria Alma; García-Robles, Inmaculada; Jiménez, Nuria; Torres-Puente, Manuela; Moya, Andrés; González-Candelas, Fernando

    2004-12-09

    Genetic variability in viral populations is usually estimated by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based methods in which the relative abundance of each amplicon is assumed to be proportional to the frequency of the corresponding template in the initial sample. Although bias in template-to-product ratios has been described before, its relevance in describing viral genetic variability at the intrapatient level has not been fully assessed yet. To investigate the role of oligonucleotide design in estimating viral variability within hosts, genetic diversity in hepatitis C virus (HCV) populations from eight infected patients was characterised by two parallel PCR amplifications performed with two slightly different sets of primers, followed by cloning and sequencing (mean = 89 cloned sequences per patient). Population genetics analyses of viral populations recovered by pairs of amplifications revealed that in seven patients statistically significant differences were detected between populations sampled with different set of primers. Genetic variability analyses demonstrates that PCR selection due to the choice of primers, differing in their degeneracy degree at some nucleotide positions, can eclipse totally or partially viral variants, hence yielding significant different estimates of viral variability within a single patient and therefore eventually producing quite different qualitative and quantitative descriptions of viral populations within each host.

  4. MethPrimer: designing primers for methylation PCRs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Long-Cheng; Dahiya, Rajvir

    2002-11-01

    DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism of gene regulation. Bisulfite- conversion-based PCR methods, such as bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) and methylation specific PCR (MSP), remain the most commonly used techniques for methylation mapping. Existing primer design programs developed for standard PCR cannot handle primer design for bisulfite-conversion-based PCRs due to changes in DNA sequence context caused by bisulfite treatment and many special constraints both on the primers and the region to be amplified for such experiments. Therefore, the present study was designed to develop a program for such applications. MethPrimer, based on Primer 3, is a program for designing PCR primers for methylation mapping. It first takes a DNA sequence as its input and searches the sequence for potential CpG islands. Primers are then picked around the predicted CpG islands or around regions specified by users. MethPrimer can design primers for BSP and MSP. Results of primer selection are delivered through a web browser in text and in graphic view.

  5. Bond strength of compomers to dentin using acidic primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tate, W H; You, C; Powers, J M

    1999-10-01

    To determine the in vitro bond strengths of seven compomer/bonding agent restorative systems to human dentin. Seven compomer/bonding agents were bonded to human dentin, stored in water at 37 degrees C for 24 hours, and debonded in tension. Bonding conditions were with and without phosphoric acid etching, with and without the use of combined primer/bonding agents, and under moist and wet bond interfaces. Without phosphoric acid etching, F2000/F2000 Compomer Primer/Adhesive and F2000/Single Bond Dental Adhesive System were less sensitive to dentin wetness. With moist dentin, bond strengths of Dyract/Prime & Bond 2.1, Dyract AP/Prime & Bond 2.1, Hytac/OSB light-curing, one-component bonding agent, F2000/Single Bond, and Freedom/STAE single component light-cured dentin/enamel adhesive system, were improved with phosphoric acid etching. Also, with moist dentin, the bond strength of F2000/F2000 Compomer Primer/Adhesive in the 3M Clicker dispensing system was higher without phosphoric acid etching, whereas bonds of Compoglass/Syntac Single-component were not affected by phosphoric acid etching. Bonding did not occur without primer/bonding agent, regardless of surface condition or use of phosphoric acid etching.

  6. Medium Caliber Lead-Free Electric Primer. Version 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-01

    2008). Safe Drinking Water Act of 1986 lists lead compounds as carcinogens (27 CCR 27001 – Dec. 2008). EPA began a Phase I assessment to determine...primer cups was our standard method, wet loading using solvents (hexane and iso -propanol) was investigated to reduce risk of accidental ignition...LOADING OPERATION (Single Die) Wet primer mix charge with solvent (Hexane/ Iso -Propanol) and stir to mix to a uniform slurry Insert primer cup in

  7. Detection of bacterial soft-rot of crown imperial caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum using specific PCR primers

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    E. Mahmoudi

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Pectobacterium is one of the major destructive causal agent in most crop plants throughout the world. During a survey in spring of 2005 in the rangeland of Kermanshah and Isfahan, provinces of Iran, samples of bulbs and stems of crown imperial with brown spot and soft rot were collected. Eight strains of pectolytic Erwinia were isolated and purified from these samples. Phenotypic tests indicated that the strains were gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod shaped, motile with peritrichous flagella. They were oxidase negative, catalase positive and also able to macerate potato slices. Pathogenicity of all the strains were confirmed on corn, philodendron and crown imperial by inoculation of these crops with a bacterial suspension and reisolation of the strain from symptomatic tissues. A pair of specific PCR primers was used to detect these bacterial strains. The primer set (EXPCCF/EXPCCR amplified a single fragment of the expected size (0.55 kb from genomic DNA of all strains used in this study. In nested PCR, the primer set (INPCCR/INPCCF amplified the expected single fragment (0.4 kb from the PCR product of first PCR amplification. On the basis of the biochemical and phenotypic characteristics and PCR amplification by the specific PCR primers, these strains were identified as Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. This is the first report of occurrence of crown imperial bacterial soft-rot in Iran.

  8. Single-tube multiplex PCR using type-specific E6/E7 primers and capillary electrophoresis genotypes 21 human papillomaviruses in neoplasia

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    Warenholt Janina

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Human papillomavirus (HPV E6/E7 type-specific oncogenes are required for cervical carcinogenesis. Current PCR protocols for genotyping high-risk HPV in cervical screening are not standardized and usually use consensus primers targeting HPV capsid genes, which are often deleted in neoplasia. PCR fragments are detected using specialized equipment and extra steps, including probe hybridization or primer extension. In published papers, analytical sensitivity is typically compared with a different protocol on the same sample set. A single-tube multiplex PCR containing type-specific primers was developed to target the E6/E7 genes of two low-risk and 19 high-risk genotypes (HPV6, 11 and 16, 18, 26, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, 70, 73 and 82 and the resulting short fragments were directly genotyped by high-resolution fluorescence capillary electrophoresis. Results The method was validated using long oligonucleotide templates, plasmid clones and 207 clinical samples of DNA from liquid-based cytology, fresh and formalin-fixed specimens and FTA Microcards® imprinted with cut tumor surfaces, swabbed cervical cancers or ejected aspirates from nodal metastases of head and neck carcinomas. Between one and five long oligonucleotide targets per sample were detected without false calls. Each of the 21 genotypes was detected in the clinical sample set with up to five types simultaneously detected in individual specimens. All 101 significant cervical neoplasias (CIN 2 and above, except one adenocarcinoma, contained E6/E7 genes. The resulting genotype distribution accorded with the national pattern with HPV16 and 18 accounting for 69% of tumors. Rare HPV types 70 and 73 were present as the sole genotype in one carcinoma each. One cervical SCC contained DNA from HPV6 and 11 only. Six of twelve oropharyngeal cancer metastases and three neck metastases of unknown origin bore E6/E7 DNA; all but one were HPV16. One neck

  9. Optimization of β-glucan synthase gene primers for molecular DNA fingerprinting in Pleurotus pulmonarious

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadir, Zaiton Abdul; Daud, Fauzi; Mohamad, Azhar; Senafi, Sahidan; Jamaludin, Ferlynda Fazleen

    2015-09-01

    Pleurotus pulmonarius is an edible mushroom in Malaysia and commonly known as Oyster mushroom. The species are important not only for nutritional values but also for pharmaceutical importance related to bioactive compounds in polysaccharides such as β glucan. Hence, β-glucan synthase gene (BGS) pathways which are related to the production of the β-glucan might be useful as marker for molecular DNA fingerprinting in P. pulmonarius. Conserved regions of β-glucan gene were mined from public database and aligned. Consensus from the alignment was used to design the primers by using Primer 3 software. Eight primers were designed and a single primer pair (BGF3: 5' TCTTGGCGAGTTCGAAGAAT 3'; BGR3: 5' TTCCGATCTTGGTCTGGAAG 3') was optimized at Ta (annealing temperature) 57.1°C to produce PCR product ranging from 400-500 bp. Optimum components for PCR reactions were 5.0 µl of 10× PCR buffer, 1.5 µl of 25 mM MgCl2, 1 µl of 10 mM dNTP, 1 µl of β-glucan primers, 0.1 µl of 5 units/ml Taq polymerase and 2 µl DNA template. PCR program was set at 34 PCR cycles by using Bio-Rad T100 Thermal Cycler. Initial denaturation was set at 94°C for 2 min, denaturation at 94°C for 1 minute, primer annealing at 45°C to 60°C (gradient temperature) for 50 seconds, followed by elongation at 72°C for 1 minute and further extension 5 minutes for last cycle PCR prior to end the program cycle. Thus, this information revealed that the primer of β-glucan gene designed could be used as targeted markers in screening population strains of P. pulmonarius.

  10. Development of Primer Sets for Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification that Enables Rapid and Specific Detection of Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus agalactiae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deguo Wang

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus agalactiae are the three main pathogens causing bovine mastitis, with great losses to the dairy industry. Rapid and specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification methods (LAMP for identification and differentiation of these three pathogens are not available. With the 16S rRNA gene and 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacers as targets, four sets of LAMP primers were designed for identification and differentiation of S. dysgalactiae, S. uberis and S. agalactiae. The detection limit of all four LAMP primer sets were 0.1 pg DNA template per reaction, the LAMP method with 16S rRNA gene and 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacers as the targets can differentiate the three pathogens, which is potentially useful in epidemiological studies.

  11. Development of Primer Sets for Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification that Enables Rapid and Specific Detection of Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus agalactiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Deguo; Liu, Yanhong

    2015-05-26

    Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus agalactiae are the three main pathogens causing bovine mastitis, with great losses to the dairy industry. Rapid and specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification methods (LAMP) for identification and differentiation of these three pathogens are not available. With the 16S rRNA gene and 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacers as targets, four sets of LAMP primers were designed for identification and differentiation of S. dysgalactiae, S. uberis and S. agalactiae. The detection limit of all four LAMP primer sets were 0.1 pg DNA template per reaction, the LAMP method with 16S rRNA gene and 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacers as the targets can differentiate the three pathogens, which is potentially useful in epidemiological studies.

  12. Evaluating primers for profiling anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria within freshwater environments.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Puntipar Sonthiphand

    Full Text Available Anaerobic ammonia oxidizing (anammox bacteria play an important role in transforming ammonium to nitrogen gas and contribute to fixed nitrogen losses in freshwater environments. Understanding the diversity and abundance of anammox bacteria requires reliable molecular tools, and these are not yet well established for these important Planctomycetes. To help validate PCR primers for the detection of anammox bacteria within freshwater ecosystems, we analyzed representative positive controls and selected samples from Grand River and groundwater sites, both from Ontario, Canada. The objectives of this study were to identify a suitable anammox denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE fingerprint method by using GC-clamp modifications to existing primers, and to verify the specificity of anammox-specific primers used for DGGE, cloning and qPCR methods. Six primer combinations were tested from four published primer sets (i.e. A438f/A684r, Amx368f/Amx820r, An7f/An1388r, and Pla46/1392r for both direct and nested PCR amplifications. All PCR products were run subsequently on DGGE gels to compare the resulting patterns. Two anammox-specific primer combinations were also used to generate clone libraries and quantify anammox bacterial 16S rRNA genes with qPCR. The primer set A438f/A684r was highly specific to anammox bacteria, provided reliable DGGE fingerprints and generated a high proportion of anammox-related clones. A second primer set (Amx368f/Amx820r was anammox specific, based on clone library analysis, but PCR products from different candidate species of anammox bacteria resolved poorly using DGGE analysis. Both DGGE and cloning results revealed that Ca. Brocadia and an uncharacterized anammox bacterial cluster represented the majority of anammox bacteria found in Grand River sediment and groundwater samples, respectively. Together, our results demonstrate that although Amx368f/Amx820r was useful for anammox-specific qPCR and clone library

  13. Microsatellite Primers in the Lichen Symbiotic Alga Trebouxia decolorans (Trebouxiophyceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Dal Grande

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Premise of the study: Polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for the symbiotic green alga Trebouxia decolorans to study fine-scale population structure and clonal diversity. Methods and Results: Using Illumina pyrosequencing, 20 microsatellite primer sets were developed for T. decolorans. The primer sets were tested on 43 individuals sampled from four subpopulations in Germany. The primers amplified di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide repeats with three to 15 alleles per locus, and the unbiased haploid diversity per locus ranged from 0.636 to 0.821. Conclusions: The identified microsatellite markers will be useful to study the genetic diversity, dispersal, and reproductive mode of this common lichen photobiont.

  14. Automated degenerate PCR primer design for high-throughput sequencing improves efficiency of viral sequencing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Kelvin

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In a high-throughput environment, to PCR amplify and sequence a large set of viral isolates from populations that are potentially heterogeneous and continuously evolving, the use of degenerate PCR primers is an important strategy. Degenerate primers allow for the PCR amplification of a wider range of viral isolates with only one set of pre-mixed primers, thus increasing amplification success rates and minimizing the necessity for genome finishing activities. To successfully select a large set of degenerate PCR primers necessary to tile across an entire viral genome and maximize their success, this process is best performed computationally. Results We have developed a fully automated degenerate PCR primer design system that plays a key role in the J. Craig Venter Institute’s (JCVI high-throughput viral sequencing pipeline. A consensus viral genome, or a set of consensus segment sequences in the case of a segmented virus, is specified using IUPAC ambiguity codes in the consensus template sequence to represent the allelic diversity of the target population. PCR primer pairs are then selected computationally to produce a minimal amplicon set capable of tiling across the full length of the specified target region. As part of the tiling process, primer pairs are computationally screened to meet the criteria for successful PCR with one of two described amplification protocols. The actual sequencing success rates for designed primers for measles virus, mumps virus, human parainfluenza virus 1 and 3, human respiratory syncytial virus A and B and human metapneumovirus are described, where >90% of designed primer pairs were able to consistently successfully amplify >75% of the isolates. Conclusions Augmenting our previously developed and published JCVI Primer Design Pipeline, we achieved similarly high sequencing success rates with only minor software modifications. The recommended methodology for the construction of the consensus

  15. Promoting Barrier Performance and Cathodic Protection of Zinc-Rich Epoxy Primer via Single-Layer Graphene

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingrong Liu

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The effect of single-layer graphene sheets (Gr on the corrosion protection of zinc-rich epoxy primers (ZRPs was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS were used to characterize morphology and composition of the coatings after immersion for 25 days. The cross-sectional SEM images and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS confirmed that the addition of single-layer graphene facilitated assembling of zinc oxides on the interface between the coating and the steel. The open circuit potential (OCP, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS measurements revealed that both the cathodic protection and barrier performance of the ZRP were enhanced after addition of 0.6 wt. % Gr (Gr0.6-ZRP. In addition, the cathodic protection property of the Gr0.6-ZRP was characterized quantitatively by localized electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (LEIS in the presence of an artificial scratch on the coating. The results demonstrate that moderate amounts of single-layer graphene can significantly improve corrosion resistance of ZRP, due to the barrier protection and cathodic protection effects.

  16. Predictive maintenance primer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flude, J.W.; Nicholas, J.R.

    1991-04-01

    This Predictive Maintenance Primer provides utility plant personnel with a single-source reference to predictive maintenance analysis methods and technologies used successfully by utilities and other industries. It is intended to be a ready reference to personnel considering starting, expanding or improving a predictive maintenance program. This Primer includes a discussion of various analysis methods and how they overlap and interrelate. Additionally, eighteen predictive maintenance technologies are discussed in sufficient detail for the user to evaluate the potential of each technology for specific applications. This document is designed to allow inclusion of additional technologies in the future. To gather the information necessary to create this initial Primer the Nuclear Maintenance Applications Center (NMAC) collected experience data from eighteen utilities plus other industry and government sources. NMAC also contacted equipment manufacturers for information pertaining to equipment utilization, maintenance, and technical specifications. The Primer includes a discussion of six methods used by analysts to study predictive maintenance data. These are: trend analysis; pattern recognition; correlation; test against limits or ranges; relative comparison data; and statistical process analysis. Following the analysis methods discussions are detailed descriptions for eighteen technologies analysts have found useful for predictive maintenance programs at power plants and other industrial facilities. Each technology subchapter has a description of the operating principles involved in the technology, a listing of plant equipment where the technology can be applied, and a general description of the monitoring equipment. Additionally, these descriptions include a discussion of results obtained from actual equipment users and preferred analysis techniques to be used on data obtained from the technology. 5 refs., 30 figs

  17. KENO-VI Primer: A Primer for Criticality Calculations with SCALE/KENO-VI Using GeeWiz

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowman, Stephen M.

    2008-01-01

    The SCALE (Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation) computer software system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is widely used and accepted around the world for criticality safety analyses. The well-known KENO-VI three-dimensional Monte Carlo criticality computer code is one of the primary criticality safety analysis tools in SCALE. The KENO-VI primer is designed to help a new user understand and use the SCALE/KENO-VI Monte Carlo code for nuclear criticality safety analyses. It assumes that the user has a college education in a technical field. There is no assumption of familiarity with Monte Carlo codes in general or with SCALE/KENO-VI in particular. The primer is designed to teach by example, with each example illustrating two or three features of SCALE/KENO-VI that are useful in criticality analyses. The primer is based on SCALE 6, which includes the Graphically Enhanced Editing Wizard (GeeWiz) Windows user interface. Each example uses GeeWiz to provide the framework for preparing input data and viewing output results. Starting with a Quickstart section, the primer gives an overview of the basic requirements for SCALE/KENO-VI input and allows the user to quickly run a simple criticality problem with SCALE/KENO-VI. The sections that follow Quickstart include a list of basic objectives at the beginning that identifies the goal of the section and the individual SCALE/KENO-VI features that are covered in detail in the sample problems in that section. Upon completion of the primer, a new user should be comfortable using GeeWiz to set up criticality problems in SCALE/KENO-VI. The primer provides a starting point for the criticality safety analyst who uses SCALE/KENO-VI. Complete descriptions are provided in the SCALE/KENO-VI manual. Although the primer is self-contained, it is intended as a companion volume to the SCALE/KENO-VI documentation. (The SCALE manual is provided on the SCALE installation DVD.) The primer provides specific examples of

  18. Single nucleotide primer extension to detect genetic diseases: Experimental application to hemophilia B (factor IX) and cystic fibrosis genes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuppuswamy, M.N.; Hoffmann, J.W.; Spitzer, S.G.; Groce, S.L.; Bajaj, S.P.; Kasper, C.K.

    1991-01-01

    In this report, the authors describe an approach to detect the presence of abnormal alleles in those genetic diseases in which frequency of occurrence of the same mutation is high (e.g., hemophilia B). Initially, from each subject, the DNA fragment containing the putative mutation site is amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. For each fragment two reaction mixtures are then prepared. Each contains the amplified fragment, a primer (18-mer or longer) whose sequence is identical to the coding sequence of the normal gene immediately flanking the 5' end of the mutation site, and either an α- 32 P-labeled nucleotide corresponding to the normal coding sequence at the mutation site or an α- 32 P-labeled nucleotide corresponding to the mutant sequence. An essential feature of the present methodology is that the base immediately 3' to the template-bound primer is one of those altered in the mutant, since in this way an extension of the primer by a single base will give an extended molecule characteristic of either the mutant or the wild type. The method is rapid and should be useful in carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis of every genetic disease with a known sequence variation

  19. Primer3_masker: integrating masking of template sequence with primer design software.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kõressaar, Triinu; Lepamets, Maarja; Kaplinski, Lauris; Raime, Kairi; Andreson, Reidar; Remm, Maido

    2018-06-01

    Designing PCR primers for amplifying regions of eukaryotic genomes is a complicated task because the genomes contain a large number of repeat sequences and other regions unsuitable for amplification by PCR. We have developed a novel k-mer based masking method that uses a statistical model to detect and mask failure-prone regions on the DNA template prior to primer design. We implemented the software as a standalone software primer3_masker and integrated it into the primer design program Primer3. The standalone version of primer3_masker is implemented in C. The source code is freely available at https://github.com/bioinfo-ut/primer3_masker/ (standalone version for Linux and macOS) and at https://github.com/primer3-org/primer3/ (integrated version). Primer3 web application that allows masking sequences of 196 animal and plant genomes is available at http://primer3.ut.ee/. maido.remm@ut.ee. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  20. An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment for Upper-Level Forensic Science, Biochemistry, or Molecular Biology Courses: Human DNA Amplification Using STR Single Locus Primers by Real-Time PCR with SYBR Green Detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elkins, Kelly M.; Kadunc, Raelynn E.

    2012-01-01

    In this laboratory experiment, real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) was conducted using published human TPOX single-locus DNA primers for validation and various student-designed short tandem repeat (STR) primers for Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) loci. SYBR Green was used to detect the amplification of the expected amplicons. The…

  1. MCMC-ODPR: Primer design optimization using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kitchen James L

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Next generation sequencing technologies often require numerous primer designs that require good target coverage that can be financially costly. We aimed to develop a system that would implement primer reuse to design degenerate primers that could be designed around SNPs, thus find the fewest necessary primers and the lowest cost whilst maintaining an acceptable coverage and provide a cost effective solution. We have implemented Metropolis-Hastings Markov Chain Monte Carlo for optimizing primer reuse. We call it the Markov Chain Monte Carlo Optimized Degenerate Primer Reuse (MCMC-ODPR algorithm. Results After repeating the program 1020 times to assess the variance, an average of 17.14% fewer primers were found to be necessary using MCMC-ODPR for an equivalent coverage without implementing primer reuse. The algorithm was able to reuse primers up to five times. We compared MCMC-ODPR with single sequence primer design programs Primer3 and Primer-BLAST and achieved a lower primer cost per amplicon base covered of 0.21 and 0.19 and 0.18 primer nucleotides on three separate gene sequences, respectively. With multiple sequences, MCMC-ODPR achieved a lower cost per base covered of 0.19 than programs BatchPrimer3 and PAMPS, which achieved 0.25 and 0.64 primer nucleotides, respectively. Conclusions MCMC-ODPR is a useful tool for designing primers at various melting temperatures at good target coverage. By combining degeneracy with optimal primer reuse the user may increase coverage of sequences amplified by the designed primers at significantly lower costs. Our analyses showed that overall MCMC-ODPR outperformed the other primer-design programs in our study in terms of cost per covered base.

  2. MCMC-ODPR: primer design optimization using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitchen, James L; Moore, Jonathan D; Palmer, Sarah A; Allaby, Robin G

    2012-11-05

    Next generation sequencing technologies often require numerous primer designs that require good target coverage that can be financially costly. We aimed to develop a system that would implement primer reuse to design degenerate primers that could be designed around SNPs, thus find the fewest necessary primers and the lowest cost whilst maintaining an acceptable coverage and provide a cost effective solution. We have implemented Metropolis-Hastings Markov Chain Monte Carlo for optimizing primer reuse. We call it the Markov Chain Monte Carlo Optimized Degenerate Primer Reuse (MCMC-ODPR) algorithm. After repeating the program 1020 times to assess the variance, an average of 17.14% fewer primers were found to be necessary using MCMC-ODPR for an equivalent coverage without implementing primer reuse. The algorithm was able to reuse primers up to five times. We compared MCMC-ODPR with single sequence primer design programs Primer3 and Primer-BLAST and achieved a lower primer cost per amplicon base covered of 0.21 and 0.19 and 0.18 primer nucleotides on three separate gene sequences, respectively. With multiple sequences, MCMC-ODPR achieved a lower cost per base covered of 0.19 than programs BatchPrimer3 and PAMPS, which achieved 0.25 and 0.64 primer nucleotides, respectively. MCMC-ODPR is a useful tool for designing primers at various melting temperatures at good target coverage. By combining degeneracy with optimal primer reuse the user may increase coverage of sequences amplified by the designed primers at significantly lower costs. Our analyses showed that overall MCMC-ODPR outperformed the other primer-design programs in our study in terms of cost per covered base.

  3. Cytotoxic and genotoxic evaluation of orthodontic adhesives with primer and without primer exposed to electron beam irradiation - an in-vitro study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ravi, M.S.; Panchasara, Chirag; Vijay, R.; Suchetha Kumari, N.; Sanjeev, Ganesh

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the in vitro genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of two visible light-cured adhesives. The materials tested were 1. orthodontic adhesive with primer (Transbond XT3M) and 2. Orthodontic adhesive without primer (Heliosit, Ivoclar Vivadent AG), Cured sterile individual masses were exposed to 2 kGy electron beam radiation, both irradiated and non irradiated materials were immersed in Phosphate buffer saline and left at 370℃ for 24 hr. Then a volume of 200 μL of the extract medium was mixed with human peripheral blood lymphocyte tested for comet assay by single cell DNA Damage assay and Apoptosis by DNA diffusion agar assay. Evaluation of cytotoxicity was carried out by Hemolysis assay method. Haemolytic activity of orthodontic adhesive without primer (53.34±3.12) was slightly more than that of orthodontic adhesive with primer (52.9±.88). In case of Apoptosis, adhesive with primer (188.92±55.05) and adhesives without primer (186.75±101.83) showed increased diffusion of DNA compared to normal lymphocyte (111.22±8.78). However the level of DNA diffusion was not significantly different between the two adhesives. Both adhesives were cytotoxic and induced apoptosis. Adhesives without primer were found to be slightly toxic than that of adhesive with primer. Both the adhesives had no significant effect on the percentage of DNA tail and olive tail moment of DNA exposed to electron beam radiation. (author)

  4. Detection of gunshot primer residue on bone in an experimental setting-an unexpected finding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berryman, Hugh E; Kutyla, Alicja K; Russell Davis, J

    2010-03-01

    Pork ribs with intact muscle tissue were used in an experimental attempt to identify bullet wipe on bone at distances from 1 to 6 feet with 0.45 caliber, full metal jacket ammunition. This resulted in the unexpected finding of primer-derived gunshot residue (GSR) deep within the wound tract. Of significance is the fact that the GSR was deposited on the bone, under the periosteum, after the bullet passed through a Ziploc bag and c. 1 inch of muscle tissue. It is also important to note that the GSR persisted on the bone after the periosteum was forcibly removed. The presence of primer-derived GSR on bone provides the potential to differentiate gunshot trauma from blunt trauma when the bone presents an atypical gunshot wound. In this study, the presence of gunshot primer residue at a distance of 6 feet demonstrates the potential for establishing maximum gun-to-target distance for remote shootings.

  5. A new set of validated SSR primers for application in mulberry ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    user

    2018-01-11

    Jan 11, 2018 ... We chose 37 genomic sequences that had high number of di, tri and tetra SSR motifs from ... primers failed to produce any amplification products and ... Sericulture is a cottage industry that employs 8.03 million people across ... The resolving power of the SSR markers ranged from 0.11 (MulSatG100717) to.

  6. UniPrimer: A Web-Based Primer Design Tool for Comparative Analyses of Primate Genomes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nomin Batnyam

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Whole genome sequences of various primates have been released due to advanced DNA-sequencing technology. A combination of computational data mining and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR assay to validate the data is an excellent method for conducting comparative genomics. Thus, designing primers for PCR is an essential procedure for a comparative analysis of primate genomes. Here, we developed and introduced UniPrimer for use in those studies. UniPrimer is a web-based tool that designs PCR- and DNA-sequencing primers. It compares the sequences from six different primates (human, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, gibbon, and rhesus macaque and designs primers on the conserved region across species. UniPrimer is linked to RepeatMasker, Primer3Plus, and OligoCalc softwares to produce primers with high accuracy and UCSC In-Silico PCR to confirm whether the designed primers work. To test the performance of UniPrimer, we designed primers on sample sequences using UniPrimer and manually designed primers for the same sequences. The comparison of the two processes showed that UniPrimer was more effective than manual work in terms of saving time and reducing errors.

  7. KENO V.a Primer: A Primer for Criticality Calculations with SCALE/KENO V.a Using CSPAN for Input

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Busch, R.D.

    2003-01-01

    The SCALE (Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation) computer software system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is widely used and accepted around the world for criticality safety analyses. The well-known KENO V.a three-dimensional Monte Carlo criticality computer code is the primary criticality safety analysis tool in SCALE. The KENO V.a primer is designed to help a new user understand and use the SCALE/KENO V.a Monte Carlo code for nuclear criticality safety analyses. It assumes that the user has a college education in a technical field. There is no assumption of familiarity with Monte Carlo codes in general or with SCALE/KENO V.a in particular. The primer is designed to teach by example, with each example illustrating two or three features of SCALE/KENO V.a that are useful in criticality analyses. The primer is based on SCALE 4.4a, which includes the Criticality Safety Processor for Analysis (CSPAN) input processor for Windows personal computers (PCs). A second edition of the primer, which uses the new KENO Visual Editor, is currently under development at ORNL and is planned for publication in late 2003. Each example in this first edition of the primer uses CSPAN to provide the framework for data input. Starting with a Quickstart section, the primer gives an overview of the basic requirements for SCALE/KENO V.a input and allows the user to quickly run a simple criticality problem with SCALE/KENO V.a. The sections that follow Quickstart include a list of basic objectives at the beginning that identifies the goal of the section and the individual SCALE/KENO V.a features which are covered in detail in the example problems in that section. Upon completion of the primer, a new user should be comfortable using CSPAN to set up criticality problems in SCALE/KENO V.a

  8. Cross-kingdom amplification using bacteria-specific primers: complications for studies of coral microbial ecology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galkiewicz, Julia P; Kellogg, Christina A

    2008-12-01

    PCR amplification of pure bacterial DNA is vital to the study of bacterial interactions with corals. Commonly used Bacteria-specific primers 8F and 27F paired with the universal primer 1492R amplify both eukaryotic and prokaryotic rRNA genes. An alternative primer set, 63F/1542R, is suggested to resolve this problem.

  9. Cross-Kingdom Amplification Using Bacteria-Specific Primers: Complications for Studies of Coral Microbial Ecology▿

    OpenAIRE

    Galkiewicz, Julia P.; Kellogg, Christina A.

    2008-01-01

    PCR amplification of pure bacterial DNA is vital to the study of bacterial interactions with corals. Commonly used Bacteria-specific primers 8F and 27F paired with the universal primer 1492R amplify both eukaryotic and prokaryotic rRNA genes. An alternative primer set, 63F/1542R, is suggested to resolve this problem.

  10. Detection of enteroviruses and hepatitis a virus in water by consensus primer multiplex RT-PCR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jun-Wen; Wang, Xin-Wei; Yuan, Chang-Qing; Zheng, Jin-Lai; Jin, Min; Song, Nong; Shi, Xiu-Quan; Chao, Fu-Huan

    2002-01-01

    AIM: To develop a rapid detection method of enteroviruses and Hepatitis A virus (HAV). METHODS: A one-step, single-tube consensus primers multiplex RT-PCR was developed to simultaneously detect Poliovirus, Coxsackie virus, Echovirus and HAV. A general upstream primer and a HAV primer and four different sets of primers (5 primers) specific for Poliovirus, Coxsacki evirus, Echovirus and HAV cDNA were mixed in the PCR mixture to reverse transcript and amplify the target DNA. Four distinct amplified DNA segments representing Poliovirus, Coxsackie virus, Echovirus and HAV were identified by gel electrophoresis as 589-, 671-, 1084-, and 1128 bp sequences, respectively. Semi-nested PCR was used to confirm the amplified products for each enterovirus and HAV. RESULTS: All four kinds of viral genome RNA were detected, and producing four bands which could be differentiated by the band size on the gel. To confirm the specificity of the multiplex PCR products, semi-nested PCR was performed. For all the four strains tested gave positive results. The detection sensitivity of multiplex PCR was similar to that of monoplex RT-PCR which was 24 PFU for Poliovrus, 21 PFU for Coxsackie virus, 60 PFU for Echovirus and 105 TCID50 for HAV. The minimum amount of enteric viral RNA detected by semi-nested PCR was equivalent to 2.4 PFU for Poliovrus, 2.1 PFU for Coxsackie virus, 6.0 PFU for Echovirus and 10.5 TCID50 for HAV. CONCLUSION: The consensus primers multiplex RT-PCR has more advantages over monoplex RT-PCR for enteric viruses detection, namely, the rapid turnaround time and cost effectiveness. PMID:12174381

  11. Cross-Kingdom Amplification Using Bacteria-Specific Primers: Complications for Studies of Coral Microbial Ecology▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galkiewicz, Julia P.; Kellogg, Christina A.

    2008-01-01

    PCR amplification of pure bacterial DNA is vital to the study of bacterial interactions with corals. Commonly used Bacteria-specific primers 8F and 27F paired with the universal primer 1492R amplify both eukaryotic and prokaryotic rRNA genes. An alternative primer set, 63F/1542R, is suggested to resolve this problem. PMID:18931299

  12. RUCS: Rapid identification of PCR primers for unique core sequences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Martin Christen Frølund; Hasman, Henrik; Westh, Henrik

    2017-01-01

    Designing PCR primers to target a specific selection of whole genome sequenced strains can be a long, arduous, and sometimes impractical task. Such tasks would benefit greatly from an automated tool to both identify unique targets, and to validate the vast number of potential primer pairs...... for the targets in silico . Here we present RUCS, a program that will find PCR primer pairs and probes for the unique core sequences of a positive genome dataset complement to a negative genome dataset. The resulting primer pairs and probes are in addition to simple selection also validated through a complex...... in silico PCR simulation. We compared our method, which identifies the unique core sequences, against an existing tool called ssGeneFinder, and found that our method was 6.5-20 times more sensitive. We used RUCS to design primer pairs that would target a set of genomes known to contain the mcr-1 colistin...

  13. Primer design for a prokaryotic differential display RT-PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fislage, R; Berceanu, M; Humboldt, Y; Wendt, M; Oberender, H

    1997-05-01

    We have developed a primer set for a prokaryotic differential display of mRNA in the Enterobacteriaceae group. Each combination of ten 10mer and ten 11mer primers generates up to 85 bands from total Escherichia coli RNA, thus covering expressed sequences of a complete bacterial genome. Due to the lack of polyadenylation in prokaryotic RNA the type T11VN anchored oligonucleotides for the reverse transcriptase reaction had to be replaced with respect to the original method described by Liang and Pardee [ Science , 257, 967-971 (1992)]. Therefore, the sequences of both the 10mer and the new 11mer oligonucleotides were determined by a statistical evaluation of species-specific coding regions extracted from the EMBL database. The 11mer primers used for reverse transcription were selected for localization in the 3'-region of the bacterial RNA. The 10mer primers preferentially bind to the 5'-end of the RNA. None of the primers show homology to rRNA or other abundant small RNA species. Randomly sampled cDNA bands were checked for their bacterial origin either by re-amplification, cloning and sequencing or by re-amplification and direct sequencing with 10mer and 11mer primers after asymmetric PCR.

  14. Computational intelligence-based polymerase chain reaction primer selection based on a novel teaching-learning-based optimisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Yu-Huei

    2014-12-01

    Specific primers play an important role in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments, and therefore it is essential to find specific primers of outstanding quality. Unfortunately, many PCR constraints must be simultaneously inspected which makes specific primer selection difficult and time-consuming. This paper introduces a novel computational intelligence-based method, Teaching-Learning-Based Optimisation, to select the specific and feasible primers. The specified PCR product lengths of 150-300 bp and 500-800 bp with three melting temperature formulae of Wallace's formula, Bolton and McCarthy's formula and SantaLucia's formula were performed. The authors calculate optimal frequency to estimate the quality of primer selection based on a total of 500 runs for 50 random nucleotide sequences of 'Homo species' retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The method was then fairly compared with the genetic algorithm (GA) and memetic algorithm (MA) for primer selection in the literature. The results show that the method easily found suitable primers corresponding with the setting primer constraints and had preferable performance than the GA and the MA. Furthermore, the method was also compared with the common method Primer3 according to their method type, primers presentation, parameters setting, speed and memory usage. In conclusion, it is an interesting primer selection method and a valuable tool for automatic high-throughput analysis. In the future, the usage of the primers in the wet lab needs to be validated carefully to increase the reliability of the method.

  15. Highly parallel and short-acting amplification with locus-specific primers to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms by the DigiTag2 assay.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nao Nishida

    Full Text Available The DigiTag2 assay enables analysis of a set of 96 SNPs using Kapa 2GFast HotStart DNA polymerase with a new protocol that has a total running time of about 7 hours, which is 6 hours shorter than the previous protocol. Quality parameters (conversion rate, call rate, reproducibility and concordance were at the same levels as when genotype calls were acquired using the previous protocol. Multiplex PCR with 192 pairs of locus-specific primers was available for target preparation in the DigiTag2 assay without the optimization of reaction conditions, and quality parameters had the same levels as those acquired with 96-plex PCR. The locus-specific primers were able to achieve sufficient (concentration of target amplicon ≥5 nM and specific (concentration of unexpected amplicons <2 nM amplification within 2 hours, were also able to achieve detectable amplifications even when working in a 96-plex or 192-plex form. The improved DigiTag2 assay will be an efficient platform for screening an intermediate number of SNPs (tens to hundreds of sites in the replication analysis after genome-wide association study. Moreover, highly parallel and short-acting amplification with locus-specific primers may thus facilitate widespread application to other PCR-based assays.

  16. Cross-kingdom amplification using Bacteria-specific primers: Complications for studies of coral microbial ecology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galkiewicz, J.P.; Kellogg, C.A.

    2008-01-01

    PCR amplification of pure bacterial DNA is vital to the study of bacterial interactions with corals. Commonly used Bacteria-specific primers 8F and 27F paired with the universal primer 1492R amplify both eukaryotic and prokaryotic rRNA genes. An alternative primer set, 63F/1542R, is suggested to resolve this problem. Copyright ?? 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  17. Polyacid macromolecule primers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugama, Toshifumi.

    1989-12-26

    Hydrophilic polyacids are described, such as macromolecules of polyitaconic acid and polyacrylic acid, where such macromolecules have molecular weights >50,000 as primers between a polymeric top coating, such as polyurethane, and an oxidized aluminum or aluminum alloy. A near monolayer of primer is used in polymeric adhesive/oxidized aluminum adhered joint systems in 0.05% primer concentration to give superior results in standard peel tests. 2 figs.

  18. PHUSER (Primer Help for USER): a novel tool for USER fusion primer design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Lars Rønn; Hansen, Niels Bjørn; Bonde, Mads

    2011-01-01

    containing a customizable USER cassette. Designing primers using PHUSER ensures that the primers have similar annealing temperature (Tm), which is essential for efficient PCR. PHUSER also avoids identical overhangs, thereby ensuring correct order of assembly of DNA fragments. All possible primers...

  19. Evaluation of highly conserved hsp65-specific nested PCR primers for diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Priyadarshini, P; Tiwari, K; Das, A; Kumar, D; Mishra, M N; Desikan, P; Nath, G

    2017-02-01

    To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a new nested set of primers designed for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex targeting a highly conserved heat shock protein gene (hsp65). The nested primers were designed using multiple sequence alignment assuming the nucleotide sequence of the M. tuberculosis H37Rv hsp65 genome as base. Multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium species along with other non-mycobacterial and fungal species were included to evaluate the specificity of M. tuberculosis hsp65 gene-specific primers. The sensitivity of the primers was determined using serial 10-fold dilutions, and was 100% as shown by the bands in the case of M. tuberculosis complex. None of the other non M. tuberculosis complex bacterial and fungal species yielded any band on nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The first round of amplification could amplify 0.3 ng of the template DNA, while nested PCR could detect 0.3 pg. The present hsp65-specific primers have been observed to be sensitive, specific and cost-effective, without requiring interpretation of biochemical tests, real-time PCR, sequencing or high-performance liquid chromatography. These primer sets do not have the drawbacks associated with those protocols that target insertion sequence 6110, 16S rDNA, rpoB, recA and MPT 64.

  20. Costs Associated With Single-Use and Conventional Sets for Distal Radius Plating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fugarino, Bryce; Fox, Mary Patricia; Terhoeve, Cristina; Pappas, Nicholas

    2017-11-01

    Volar plating of distal radius fractures is an increasingly common procedure. Presterilized, single-use volar plate fixation sets have been purported to increase operating room efficiency and decrease cost. The purpose of this study was to compare the actual cost of using a conventional set compared with the projected cost of using its single-use counterpart. We retrospectively analyzed 30 consecutive cases of volar plate fixation in which conventional instrument sets were used. Hardware and processing costs were calculated for the conventional sets and compared with the projected cost of using single-use sets. The mean total cost of hardware and processing for the conventional sets was $2,728, whereas the projected cost for the single-use sets was slightly higher at $2,868. Twenty-three of the 30 cases would have required additional screws not available in the single-use set. The cost of the additional screws needed to supplement the single-use set would have added an average of $282/case. Overall, the combined hardware and processing cost was lower for conventional sets in 25 of the 30 cases. Although the price of the single-use set is less than the mean charge for use of a conventional set, additional screws not available in the single-use set were required in 77% of cases and consequently rendered the conventional set cheaper in 83% of cases. Stocking the single-use sets with additional screws to reflect the most commonly used screw lengths could make these sets more cost effective in the future. Economic and decision analysis IV. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Microsatellite Primers for Parkia biglobosa (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) Reveal that a Single Plant Sires All Seeds Per Pod

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lassen, Kristin Marie; Kjær, Erik Dahl; Ouédraogo, Moussa

    2014-01-01

    Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for an indigenous fruit tree, Parkia biglobosa, as a tool to study reproductive biology and population structure. Here we use the primers to determine the number of fathers per pod.  Methods and Results: Microsatellite loci were enriched...

  2. An improved primer set and amplification protocol with increased specificity and sensitivity targeting the Symbiodinium ITS2 region

    KAUST Repository

    Hume, Benjamin C.C.; Ziegler, Maren; Poulain, Julie; Pochon, Xavier; Romac, Sarah; Boissin, Emilie; de Vargas, Colomban; Planes, Serge; Wincker, Patrick; Voolstra, Christian R.

    2018-01-01

    The Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) rRNA gene is a commonly targeted genetic marker to assess diversity of Symbiodinium, a dinoflagellate genus of algal endosymbionts that is pervasively associated with marine invertebrates, and notably reef-building corals. Here we tested three commonly used ITS2 primer pairs (SYM_VAR_5.8S2/SYM_VAR_REV, ITSintfor2/ITSReverse, and ITS-DINO/ITS2Rev2) with regard to amplification specificity and sensitivity towards Symbiodinium, as well as sub-genera taxonomic bias. We tested these primers over a range of sample types including three coral species, coral surrounding water, reef surface water, and open ocean water to assess their suitability for use in large-scale next generation sequencing projects and to develop a standardised PCR protocol. We found the SYM_VAR_5.8S2/SYM_VAR_REV primers to perform superior to the other tested ITS2 primers. We therefore used this primer pair to develop a standardised PCR protocol. To do this, we tested the effect of PCR-to-PCR variation, annealing temperature, cycle number, and different polymerase systems on the PCR efficacy. The Symbiodinium ITS2 PCR protocol developed here delivers improved specificity and sensitivity towards Symbiodinium with apparent minimal sub-genera taxonomic bias across all sample types. In particular, the protocol’s ability to amplify Symbiodinium from a range of environmental sources will facilitate the study of Symbiodinium populations across biomes.

  3. An improved primer set and amplification protocol with increased specificity and sensitivity targeting the Symbiodinium ITS2 region

    KAUST Repository

    Hume, Benjamin C.C.

    2018-05-23

    The Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) rRNA gene is a commonly targeted genetic marker to assess diversity of Symbiodinium, a dinoflagellate genus of algal endosymbionts that is pervasively associated with marine invertebrates, and notably reef-building corals. Here we tested three commonly used ITS2 primer pairs (SYM_VAR_5.8S2/SYM_VAR_REV, ITSintfor2/ITSReverse, and ITS-DINO/ITS2Rev2) with regard to amplification specificity and sensitivity towards Symbiodinium, as well as sub-genera taxonomic bias. We tested these primers over a range of sample types including three coral species, coral surrounding water, reef surface water, and open ocean water to assess their suitability for use in large-scale next generation sequencing projects and to develop a standardised PCR protocol. We found the SYM_VAR_5.8S2/SYM_VAR_REV primers to perform superior to the other tested ITS2 primers. We therefore used this primer pair to develop a standardised PCR protocol. To do this, we tested the effect of PCR-to-PCR variation, annealing temperature, cycle number, and different polymerase systems on the PCR efficacy. The Symbiodinium ITS2 PCR protocol developed here delivers improved specificity and sensitivity towards Symbiodinium with apparent minimal sub-genera taxonomic bias across all sample types. In particular, the protocol’s ability to amplify Symbiodinium from a range of environmental sources will facilitate the study of Symbiodinium populations across biomes.

  4. Primer-dependent and primer-independent initiation of double stranded RNA synthesis by purified arabidopsis RNA-dependent RNA polymerases RDR2 and RDR6

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Devert, Anthony; Fabre, Nicolas; Floris, Maina Huguette Joséphine

    2015-01-01

    ) targeted by RNA silencing. The dsRNA is subsequently cleaved by the ribonuclease DICER-like into secondary small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that reinforce and/or maintain the silenced state of the target RNA. Models of RNA silencing propose that RDRs could use primer-independent and primer......Cellular RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RDRs) are fundamental components of RNA silencing in plants and many other eukaryotes. In Arabidopsis thaliana genetic studies have demonstrated that RDR2 and RDR6 are involved in the synthesis of double stranded RNA (dsRNA) from single stranded RNA (ssRNA......-dependent initiation to generate dsRNA from a transcript targeted by primary siRNA or microRNA (miRNA). However, the biochemical activities of RDR proteins are still partly understood. Here, we obtained active recombinant RDR2 and RDR6 in a purified form. We demonstrate that RDR2 and RDR6 have primer...

  5. Development of degenerate and species-specific primers for the differential and simultaneous RT-PCR detection of grapevine-infecting nepoviruses of subgroups A, B and C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Digiaro, Michele; Elbeaino, Toufic; Martelli, Giovanni Paolo

    2007-04-01

    Based on the nucleotide sequence homology of RNA-1 and RNA-2 of nepoviruses isolated from grapevines, three sets of degenerate primers, one for each of the three subgroups of the genus (A, B and C), were designed and proved effective for RT-PCR detection of subgroups in infected grapevines and herbaceous hosts. Primers designed specifically for detecting subgroup A species amplified a fragment of 255 bp from samples infected by Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV) and Grapevine deformation virus (GDefV), but not from samples infected by other nepovirus species. Similarly, primers for detection of subgroup B nepoviruses amplified a 390 bp product from samples infected by Grapevine chrome mosaic virus (GCMV), Tomato black ring virus (TBRV), Grapevine Anatolian ringspot virus (GARSV) and Artichoke Italian latent virus (AILV). The third set of primers amplified a 640 bp fragment, only from samples infected by subgroup C nepoviruses, i.e Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV) Grapevine Bulgarian latent virus (GBLV), and Grapevine Tunisian ringspot virus (GTRSV). These primers were able to detect simultaneously all viral species belonging to the same subgroup and to discriminate species of different subgroups. Multiplex-PCR detection of subgroup A and B nepoviruses was obtained using a specific primer (sense for subgroup A and antisense for subgroup B) for each of the species of the same subgroup in combination with the degenerate subgroup-specific primers. In this way it was possible to detect four different viral species in single samples containing mixtures of viruses of the same subgroup. In particular, for viruses of subgroup A (TRSV, GFLV, ArMV and GDefV) amplicons of 190, 259, 301 and 371 bp were obtained, whereas amplicons of 190, 278, 425 and 485 bp, respectively, were obtained from samples infected with viruses of subgroup B (GCMV, AILV, GARSV and TBRV).

  6. Ultrasensitive Single Fluorescence-Labeled Probe-Mediated Single Universal Primer-Multiplex-Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction for High-Throughput Genetically Modified Organism Screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Chenqi; Xu, Yuancong; Zhang, Chao; Zhu, Pengyu; Huang, Kunlun; Luo, Yunbo; Xu, Wentao

    2018-05-01

    As genetically modified (GM) technology develops and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) become more available, GMOs face increasing regulations and pressure to adhere to strict labeling guidelines. A singleplex detection method cannot perform the high-throughput analysis necessary for optimal GMO detection. Combining the advantages of multiplex detection and droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR), a single universal primer-multiplex-ddPCR (SUP-M-ddPCR) strategy was proposed for accurate broad-spectrum screening and quantification. The SUP increases efficiency of the primers in PCR and plays an important role in establishing a high-throughput, multiplex detection method. Emerging ddPCR technology has been used for accurate quantification of nucleic acid molecules without a standard curve. Using maize as a reference point, four heterologous sequences ( 35S, NOS, NPTII, and PAT) were selected to evaluate the feasibility and applicability of this strategy. Surprisingly, these four genes cover more than 93% of the transgenic maize lines and serve as preliminary screening sequences. All screening probes were labeled with FAM fluorescence, which allows the signals from the samples with GMO content and those without to be easily differentiated. This fiveplex screening method is a new development in GMO screening. Utilizing an optimal amplification assay, the specificity, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were validated. The LOD and LOQ of this GMO screening method were 0.1% and 0.01%, respectively, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) < 25%. This method could serve as an important tool for the detection of GM maize from different processed, commercially available products. Further, this screening method could be applied to other fields that require reliable and sensitive detection of DNA targets.

  7. Invading stacking primer: A trigger for high-efficiency isothermal amplification reaction with superior selectivity for detecting microRNA variants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Weipeng; Zhu, Minjun; Liu, Hongxing; Wei, Jitao; Zhou, Xiaoming; Xing, Da

    2016-07-15

    Searching for a strategy to enhance the efficiency of nucleic acid amplification and achieve exquisite discrimination of nucleic acids at the single-base level for biological detection has become an exciting research direction in recent years. Here, we have developed a simple and universal primer design strategy which produces a fascinating effect on isothermal strand displacement amplification (iSDA). We refer to the resultant primer as "invading stacking primer (IS-Primer)" which is based on contiguous stacking hybridization and toehold-mediated exchange reaction and function by merely changing the hybridization location of the primer. Using the IS-Primer, the sensitivity in detecting the target miR-21 is improved approximately five fold compared with the traditional iSDA reaction. It was further demonstrated that the IS-Primer acts as an invading strand to initiate branch migration which can increase the efficiency of the untwisting of the hairpin probe. This effect is equivalent to reducing the free energy of the stem, and the technique shows superior selectivity for single-base mismatches. By demonstrating the enhanced effect of the IS-Primer in the iSDA reaction, this work may provide a potentially new avenue for developing more sensitive and selective nucleic acids assays. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Amalgam shear bond strength to dentin using single-bottle primer/adhesive systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cobb, D S; Denehy, G E; Vargas, M A

    1999-10-01

    To evaluate the in vitro shear bond strengths (SBS) of a spherical amalgam alloy (Tytin) to dentin using several single-bottle primer/adhesive systems both alone: Single Bond (SB), OptiBond Solo (Sol), Prime & Bond 2.1 (PB), One-Step (OS) and in combination with the manufacturer's supplemental amalgam bonding agent: Single Bond w/3M RelyX ARC (SBX) and Prime & Bond 2.1 w/Amalgam Bonding Accessory Kit (PBA). Two, three-component adhesive systems, Scotchbond Multi-Purpose (SBMP) and Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus w/light curing (S + V) and w/o light curing (S+) were used for comparison. One hundred eight extracted human third molars were mounted lengthwise in phenolic rings with acrylic resin. The proximal surfaces were ground to expose a flat dentin surface, then polished to 600 grit silicon carbide paper. The teeth were randomly assigned to 9 groups (n = 12), and dentin surfaces in each group were treated with an adhesive system according to the manufacturer's instructions, except for S + V specimens, where the adhesive was light cured for 10 s before placing the amalgam. Specimens were then secured in a split Teflon mold, having a 3 mm diameter opening and amalgam was triturated and condensed onto the treated dentin surfaces. Twenty minutes after condensation, the split mold was separated. Specimens were placed in distilled water for 24 hrs, then thermocycled (300 cycles, between 5 degrees C and 55 degrees C, with 12 s dwell time). All specimens were stored in 37 degrees C distilled water for 7 days, prior to shear strength testing using a Zwick Universal Testing Machine at a cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min. The highest to the lowest mean dentin shear bond strength values (MPa) for the adhesive systems tested were: S + V (10.3 +/- 2.3), SBX (10.2 +/- 3.5), PBA, (6.4 +/- 3.6), SOL (5.8 +/- 2.5), SBMP (5.7 +/- 1.8), S+ (4.8 +/- 2.3), PB (2.7 +/- 2.6), SB (2.7 +/- 1.1) and OS (2.5 +/- 1.8). One-way ANOVA and Duncan's Multiple Range Test indicated significant

  9. A Set of Plastid Loci for Use in Multiplex Fragment Length Genotyping for Intraspecific Variation in Pinus (Pinaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Austin M. Wofford

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Premise of the study: Recently released Pinus plastome sequences support characterization of 15 plastid simple sequence repeat (cpSSR loci originally published for P. contorta and P. thunbergii. This allows selection of loci for single-tube PCR multiplexed genotyping in any subsection of the genus. Methods: Unique placement of primers and primer conservation across the genus were investigated, and a set of six loci were selected for single-tube multiplexing. We compared interspecific variation between cpSSRs and nucleotide sequences ofycf1 and tested intraspecific variation for cpSSRs using 911 samples in the P. ponderosa species complex. Results: The cpSSR loci contain mononucleotide and complex repeats with additional length variation in flanking regions. They are not located in hypervariable regions, and most primers are conserved across the genus. A single PCR per sample multiplexed for six loci yielded 45 alleles in 911 samples. Discussion: The protocol allows efficient genotyping of many samples. The cpSSR loci are too variable for Pinus phylogenies but are useful for the study of genetic structure within and among populations. The multiplex method could easily be extended to other plant groups by choosing primers for cpSSR loci in a plastome alignment for the target group.

  10. Low-copy nuclear primers and ycf1 primers in Cactaceae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franck, Alan R; Cochrane, Bruce J; Garey, James R

    2012-10-01

    To increase the number of variable regions available for phylogenetic study in the Cactaceae, primers were developed for a portion of the plastid ycf1 gene and intron-spanning regions of two low-copy nuclear genes (isi1, nhx1). • Primers were tested on several families within Caryophyllales, focusing on the Cactaceae. Gel electrophoresis indicated positive amplification in most samples. Sequences of these three regions (isi1, nhx1, ycf1) from Harrisia exhibited variation similar to or greater than two plastid regions (atpB-rbcL intergenic spacer and rpl16 intron). • The isi, nhx, and ycf1 primers amplify phylogenetically useful information applicable to the Cactaceae and other families in the Caryophyllales.

  11. Quantitative Experimental Determination of Primer-Dimer Formation Risk by Free-Solution Conjugate Electrophoresis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desmarais, Samantha M.; Leitner, Thomas; Barron, Annelise E.

    2012-01-01

    DNA barcodes are short, unique ssDNA primers that “mark” individual biomolecules. To gain better understanding of biophysical parameters constraining primer-dimer formation between primers that incorporate barcode sequences, we have developed a capillary electrophoresis method that utilizes drag-tag-DNA conjugates to quantify dimerization risk between primer-barcode pairs. Results obtained with this unique free-solution conjugate electrophoresis (FSCE) approach are useful as quantitatively precise input data to parameterize computation models of dimerization risk. A set of fluorescently labeled, model primer-barcode conjugates were designed with complementary regions of differing lengths to quantify heterodimerization as a function of temperature. Primer-dimer cases comprised two 30-mer primers, one of which was covalently conjugated to a lab-made, chemically synthesized poly-N-methoxyethylglycine drag-tag, which reduced electrophoretic mobility of ssDNA to distinguish it from ds primer-dimers. The drag-tags also provided a shift in mobility for the dsDNA species, which allowed us to quantitate primer-dimer formation. In the experimental studies, pairs of oligonucleotide primer-barcodes with fully or partially complementary sequences were annealed, and then separated by free-solution conjugate CE at different temperatures, to assess effects on primer-dimer formation. When less than 30 out of 30 basepairs were bonded, dimerization was inversely correlated to temperature. Dimerization occurred when more than 15 consecutive basepairs formed, yet non-consecutive basepairs did not create stable dimers even when 20 out of 30 possible basepairs bonded. The use of free-solution electrophoresis in combination with a peptoid drag-tag and different fluorophores enabled precise separation of short DNA fragments to establish a new mobility shift assay for detection of primer-dimer formation. PMID:22331820

  12. Criticality calculations with MCNP trademark: A primer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harmon, C.D. II; Busch, R.D.; Briesmeister, J.F.; Forster, R.A.

    1994-01-01

    With the closure of many experimental facilities, the nuclear criticality safety analyst increasingly is required to rely on computer calculations to identify safe limits for the handling and storage of fissile materials. However, in many cases, the analyst has little experience with the specific codes available at his/her facility. This primer will help you, the analyst, understand and use the MCNP Monte Carlo code for nuclear criticality safety analyses. It assumes that you have a college education in a technical field. There is no assumption of familiarity with Monte Carlo codes in general or with MCNP in particular. Appendix A gives an introduction to Monte Carlo techniques. The primer is designed to teach by example, with each example illustrating two or three features of MCNP that are useful in criticality analyses. Beginning with a Quickstart chapter, the primer gives an overview of the basic requirements for MCNP input and allows you to run a simple criticality problem with MCNP. This chapter is not designed to explain either the input or the MCNP options in detail; but rather it introduces basic concepts that are further explained in following chapters. Each chapter begins with a list of basic objectives that identify the goal of the chapter, and a list of the individual MCNP features that are covered in detail in the unique chapter example problems. It is expected that on completion of the primer you will be comfortable using MCNP in criticality calculations and will be capable of handling 80 to 90 percent of the situations that normally arise in a facility. The primer provides a set of basic input files that you can selectively modify to fit the particular problem at hand

  13. A set of plastid loci for use in multiplex fragment length genotyping for intraspecific variation in Pinus (Pinaceae)1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wofford, Austin M.; Finch, Kristen; Bigott, Adam; Willyard, Ann

    2014-01-01

    • Premise of the study: Recently released Pinus plastome sequences support characterization of 15 plastid simple sequence repeat (cpSSR) loci originally published for P. contorta and P. thunbergii. This allows selection of loci for single-tube PCR multiplexed genotyping in any subsection of the genus. • Methods: Unique placement of primers and primer conservation across the genus were investigated, and a set of six loci were selected for single-tube multiplexing. We compared interspecific variation between cpSSRs and nucleotide sequences of ycf1 and tested intraspecific variation for cpSSRs using 911 samples in the P. ponderosa species complex. • Results: The cpSSR loci contain mononucleotide and complex repeats with additional length variation in flanking regions. They are not located in hypervariable regions, and most primers are conserved across the genus. A single PCR per sample multiplexed for six loci yielded 45 alleles in 911 samples. • Discussion: The protocol allows efficient genotyping of many samples. The cpSSR loci are too variable for Pinus phylogenies but are useful for the study of genetic structure within and among populations. The multiplex method could easily be extended to other plant groups by choosing primers for cpSSR loci in a plastome alignment for the target group. PMID:25202625

  14. Development and evaluation of new primers for PCR-based identification of Prevotella intermedia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yanbin; Liu, Dali; Wang, Yiwei; Zhu, Cailian; Liang, Jingping; Shu, Rong

    2014-08-01

    The aim of this study was to develop new Prevotella intermedia-specific PCR primers based on the 16S rRNA. The new primer set, Pi-192 and Pi-468, increased the accuracy of PCR-based P. intermedia identification and could be useful in the detection of P. intermedia as well as epidemiological studies on periodontal disease. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Polyadenylated Sequencing Primers Enable Complete Readability of PCR Amplicons Analyzed by Dideoxynucleotide Sequencing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Beránek

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Dideoxynucleotide DNA sequencing is one of the principal procedures in molecular biology. Loss of an initial part of nucleotides behind the 3' end of the sequencing primer limits the readability of sequenced amplicons. We present a method which extends the readability by using sequencing primers modified by polyadenylated tails attached to their 5' ends. Performing a polymerase chain reaction, we amplified eight amplicons of six human genes (AMELX, APOE, HFE, MBL2, SERPINA1 and TGFB1 ranging from 106 bp to 680 bp. Polyadenylation of the sequencing primers minimized the loss of bases in all amplicons. Complete sequences of shorter products (AMELX 106 bp, SERPINA1 121 bp, HFE 208 bp, APOE 244 bp, MBL2 317 bp were obtained. In addition, in the case of TGFB1 products (366 bp, 432 bp, and 680 bp, respectively, the lengths of sequencing readings were significantly longer if adenylated primers were used. Thus, single strand dideoxynucleotide sequencing with adenylated primers enables complete or near complete readability of short PCR amplicons.

  16. Do we need primer for orthodontic bonding? A randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nandhra, Sarabjit Singh; Littlewood, Simon J; Houghton, Nadine; Luther, Friedy; Prabhu, Jagadish; Munyombwe, Theresa; Wood, Simon R

    2015-04-01

    To evaluate the clinical performance of APC™II Victory Series™ (3M Unitek) brackets in direct orthodontic bonding with and without the use of primer. A single-operator, two-centre prospective, non-inferiority randomized controlled clinical trial. The Orthodontic departments at the Leeds Dental Institute and St Luke's Hospital, Bradford, UK. Ethical approval was granted by Leeds (East) Research Ethics Committee on 18th of December 2009 (Reference 09/H1306/102). The protocol was not published prior to trial commencement. Ninety-two patients requiring orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances were randomly allocated to the control (bonded with primer) or test groups (bonded without primer). Patients were randomly allocated to either the control or experimental group. This was performed by preparing opaque numbered sealed envelopes in advance using a random numbers table generated by a computer by an independent third party . Once the envelopes were opened, blinding of the operator and the patient was no longer possible due to the nature of the intervention. Patients were approached for inclusion in the trial if they qualified for NHS orthodontic treatment requiring fixed appliances and had no previous orthodontic treatment. Number of bracket failures, time to bond-up appliances, and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) when bracket failure occurred, over a 12-month period Failure rate with primer was 11.1 per cent and without primer was 15.8 per cent. Bonding without primer was shown statistically to be non-inferior to bonding with primer odds ratio 0.95-2.25 (P = 0.08). Mean difference in bond-up time per bracket was 0.068 minutes (4 seconds), which was not statistically significant (P = 0.402). There was a statistically significant difference in the Adhesive Remnant Index - ARI 0 with primer 49.4 per cent, no primer 76.5 per cent, (P failure rate of 2% to be clinically significant. When bonding with APC™II Victory Series™ brackets without primer was shown

  17. FullSSR: Microsatellite Finder and Primer Designer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sebastián Metz

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Microsatellites are genomic sequences comprised of tandem repeats of short nucleotide motifs widely used as molecular markers in population genetics. FullSSR is a new bioinformatic tool for microsatellite (SSR loci detection and primer design using genomic data from NGS assay. The software was tested with 2000 sequences of Oryza sativa shotgun sequencing project from the National Center of Biotechnology Information Trace Archive and with partial genome sequencing with ROCHE 454® from Caiman latirostris, Salvator merianae, Aegla platensis, and Zilchiopsis collastinensis. FullSSR performance was compared against other similar SSR search programs. The results of the use of this kind of approach depend on the parameters set by the user. In addition, results can be affected by the analyzed sequences because of differences among the genomes. FullSSR simplifies the detection of SSRs and primer design on a big data set. The command line interface of FullSSR was intended to be used as part of genomic analysis tools pipeline; however, it can be used as a stand-alone program because the results are easily interpreted for a nonexpert user.

  18. PRIMEGENSw3: a web-based tool for high-throughput primer and probe design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kushwaha, Garima; Srivastava, Gyan Prakash; Xu, Dong

    2015-01-01

    Highly specific and efficient primer and probe design has been a major hurdle in many high-throughput techniques. Successful implementation of any PCR or probe hybridization technique depends on the quality of primers and probes used in terms of their specificity and cross-hybridization. Here we describe PRIMEGENSw3, a set of web-based utilities for high-throughput primer and probe design. These utilities allow users to select genomic regions and to design primer/probe for selected regions in an interactive, user-friendly, and automatic fashion. The system runs the PRIMEGENS algorithm in the back-end on the high-performance server with the stored genomic database or user-provided custom database for cross-hybridization check. Cross-hybridization is checked not only using BLAST but also by checking mismatch positions and energy calculation of potential hybridization hits. The results can be visualized online and also can be downloaded. The average success rate of primer design using PRIMEGENSw3 is ~90 %. The web server also supports primer design for methylated sequences, which is used in epigenetic studies. Stand-alone version of the software is also available for download at the website.

  19. Specific and sensitive quantitative RT-PCR of miRNAs with DNA primers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Balcells, Ingrid; Cirera Salicio, Susanna; Busk, Peter K.

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs are important regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and play an important role in many biological processes. Due to the important biological role it is of great interest to quantitatively determine their expression level in different biological...... be designed with a success rate of 94%. The method was able to quantify synthetic templates over eight orders of magnitude and readily discriminated between microRNAs with single nucleotide differences. Importantly, PCR with DNA primers yielded significantly higher amplification efficiencies of biological...... samples than a similar method based on locked nucleic acids-spiked primers, which is in agreement with the observation that locked nucleic acid interferes with efficient amplification of short templates. The higher amplification efficiency of DNA primers translates into higher sensitivity and precision...

  20. Metabolomics: A Primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiaojing; Locasale, Jason W

    2017-04-01

    Metabolomics generates a profile of small molecules that are derived from cellular metabolism and can directly reflect the outcome of complex networks of biochemical reactions, thus providing insights into multiple aspects of cellular physiology. Technological advances have enabled rapid and increasingly expansive data acquisition with samples as small as single cells; however, substantial challenges in the field remain. In this primer we provide an overview of metabolomics, especially mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics, which uses liquid chromatography (LC) for separation, and discuss its utilities and limitations. We identify and discuss several areas at the frontier of metabolomics. Our goal is to give the reader a sense of what might be accomplished when conducting a metabolomics experiment, now and in the near future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Detection and typing of human papillomavirus in archival cervical cancer specimens by DNA amplification with consensus primers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    RESNICK, R. M.; Cornelissen, M. T.; WRIGHT, D. K.; EICHINGER, G. H.; FOX, H. S.; ter Schegget, J.; MANOS, M. M.

    1990-01-01

    We developed a polymerase chain reaction DNA amplification system using two distinct consensus oligonucleotide primer sets for the improved detection and typing of a broad spectrum of human genital papillomavirus (HPV) sequences, including those of novel viruses. The system incorporates one primer

  2. A new set of primers for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii in amniotic fluid using polymerase chain reaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelloux, H; Weiss, J; Simon, J; Muet, F; Fricker-Hidalgo, H; Goullier-Fleuret, A; Ambroise-Thomas, P

    1996-04-15

    A new PCR system including a pair of primers, a probe and an internal control were designed from the B1 gene of Toxoplasma gondii. The system described allowed the detection of less than 10 tachyzoites of the RH strain of T. gondii. Among 21 amniotic fluid samples, this system diagnosed the cases of congenital toxoplasmosis which were simultaneously diagnosed using mice inoculation, in vitro culture, and serology from both amniotic fluid and fetal blood. These results show that these new primers allow for a highly sensitive detection of T. gondii DNA.

  3. Null alleles and sequence variations at primer binding sites of STR loci within multiplex typing systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Yining; Yang, Qinrui; Shao, Chengchen; Liu, Baonian; Zhou, Yuxiang; Xu, Hongmei; Zhou, Yueqin; Tang, Qiqun; Xie, Jianhui

    2018-01-01

    Rare variants are widely observed in human genome and sequence variations at primer binding sites might impair the process of PCR amplification resulting in dropouts of alleles, named as null alleles. In this study, 5 cases from routine paternity testing using PowerPlex ® 21 System for STR genotyping were considered to harbor null alleles at TH01, FGA, D5S818, D8S1179, and D16S539, respectively. The dropout of alleles was confirmed by using alternative commercial kits AGCU Expressmarker 22 PCR amplification kit and AmpFℓSTR ® . Identifiler ® Plus Kit, and sequencing results revealed a single base variation at the primer binding site of each STR locus. Results from the collection of previous reports show that null alleles at D5S818 were frequently observed in population detected by two PowerPlex ® typing systems and null alleles at D19S433 were mostly observed in Japanese population detected by two AmpFℓSTR™ typing systems. Furthermore, the most popular mutation type appeared the transition from C to T with G to A, which might have a potential relationship with DNA methylation. Altogether, these results can provide helpful information in forensic practice to the elimination of genotyping discrepancy and the development of primer sets. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Primer on CDM programme of activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hinostroza, M. (UNEP Risoe Centre, Roskilde (Denmark)); Lescano, A.D. (A2G Carbon Partners (Peru)); Alvarez, J.M. (Ministerio del Ambiente del Peru (Peru)); Avendano, F.M. (EEA Fund Management Ltd. (United Kingdom)

    2009-07-01

    As an advanced modality introduced in 2005, the Programmatic CDM (POA) is expected to address asymmetries of participation, especially of very small-scale project activities in certain areas, key sectors and many countries with considerable potential for greenhouse gas emission reductions, not reached by the traditional single-project-based CDM. Latest experiences with POAs and the recently finalized official guidance governing the Programmatic CDM are the grassroots of this Primer, which has the purpose of supporting the fully understanding of rules and procedures of POAs by interpreting them and analyzing real POA cases. Professional and experts from the public and private entities have contributed to the development of this Primer, produced by the UNEP Risoe Centre, as part of knowledge support activities for the Capacity Development for the CDM (CD4CDM) project. The overall objective of the CD4CDM is to develop the capacities of host countries to identify, design, approve, finance, implement CDM projects and commercialize CERs in participating countries. The CDM4CDM is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (author)

  5. Primers As Socializing Agents in American and Finnish Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyona, Jukka; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Content analysis of 12 Finnish and 18 American primers for grades 3 through 6 published primarily during the 1980s examined story type, plot setting, protagonist's characteristics, dramatic tasks, portrayals of family structure and parental responsibility, and extrafamilial peer and adult relationships. Results suggest that a nation's cultural…

  6. QDD: a user-friendly program to select microsatellite markers and design primers from large sequencing projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meglécz, Emese; Costedoat, Caroline; Dubut, Vincent; Gilles, André; Malausa, Thibaut; Pech, Nicolas; Martin, Jean-François

    2010-02-01

    QDD is an open access program providing a user-friendly tool for microsatellite detection and primer design from large sets of DNA sequences. The program is designed to deal with all steps of treatment of raw sequences obtained from pyrosequencing of enriched DNA libraries, but it is also applicable to data obtained through other sequencing methods, using FASTA files as input. The following tasks are completed by QDD: tag sorting, adapter/vector removal, elimination of redundant sequences, detection of possible genomic multicopies (duplicated loci or transposable elements), stringent selection of target microsatellites and customizable primer design. It can treat up to one million sequences of a few hundred base pairs in the tag-sorting step, and up to 50,000 sequences in a single input file for the steps involving estimation of sequence similarity. QDD is freely available under the GPL licence for Windows and Linux from the following web site: http://www.univ-provence.fr/gsite/Local/egee/dir/meglecz/QDD.html. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  7. A primer on standards setting as it applies to surgical education and credentialing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cendan, Juan; Wier, Daryl; Behrns, Kevin

    2013-07-01

    Surgical technological advances in the past three decades have led to dramatic reductions in the morbidity associated with abdominal procedures and permanently altered the surgical practice landscape. Significant changes continue apace including surgical robotics, natural orifice-based surgery, and single-incision approaches. These disruptive technologies have on occasion been injurious to patients, and high-stakes assessment before adoption of new technologies would be reasonable. We reviewed the drivers for well-established psychometric techniques available for the standards-setting process. We present a series of examples that are relevant in the surgical domain including standards setting for knowledge and skills assessments. Defensible standards for knowledge and procedural skills will likely become part of surgical clinical practice. Understanding the methodology for determining standards should position the surgical community to assist in the process and lead within their clinical settings as standards are considered that may affect patient safety and physician credentialing.

  8. CRISPR Primer Designer: Design primers for knockout and chromosome imaging CRISPR-Cas system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Meng; Zhou, Shi-Rong; Xue, Hong-Wei

    2015-07-01

    The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated system enables biologists to edit genomes precisely and provides a powerful tool for perturbing endogenous gene regulation, modulation of epigenetic markers, and genome architecture. However, there are concerns about the specificity of the system, especially the usages of knocking out a gene. Previous designing tools either were mostly built-in websites or ran as command-line programs, and none of them ran locally and acquired a user-friendly interface. In addition, with the development of CRISPR-derived systems, such as chromosome imaging, there were still no tools helping users to generate specific end-user spacers. We herein present CRISPR Primer Designer for researchers to design primers for CRISPR applications. The program has a user-friendly interface, can analyze the BLAST results by using multiple parameters, score for each candidate spacer, and generate the primers when using a certain plasmid. In addition, CRISPR Primer Designer runs locally and can be used to search spacer clusters, and exports primers for the CRISPR-Cas system-based chromosome imaging system. © 2014 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  9. A set of primers for analyzing chloroplast DNA diversity in Citrus and related genera.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Yunjiang; de Vicente, M Carmen; Meng, Haijun; Guo, Wenwu; Tao, Nengguo; Deng, Xiuxin

    2005-06-01

    Chloroplast simple sequence repeat (cpSSR) markers in Citrus were developed and used to analyze chloroplast diversity of Citrus and closely related genera. Fourteen cpSSR primer pairs from the chloroplast genomes of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and Arabidopsis were found useful for analyzing the Citrus chloroplast genome (cpDNA) and recoded with the prefix SPCC (SSR Primers for Citrus Chloroplast). Eleven of the 14 primer pairs revealed some degree of polymorphism among 34 genotypes of Citrus, Fortunella, Poncirus and some of their hybrids, with polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranging from 0.057 to 0.732, and 18 haplotypes were identified. The cpSSR data were analyzed with NTSYS-pc software, and the genetic relationships suggested by the unweighted pair group method based on arithmetic means (UPGMA) dendrogram were congruent with previous taxonomic investigations: the results showed that all samples fell into seven major clusters, i.e., Citrus medica L., Poncirus, Fortunella, C. ichangensis Blanco, C. reticulata Swingle, C. aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle and C. grandis (L.) Osbeck. The results of previous studies combined with our cpSSR analyses revealed that: (1) Calamondin (C. madurensis Swingle) is the result of hybridization between kumquat (Fortunella) and mandarin (C. reticulata), where kumquat acted as the female parent; (2) Ichang papeda (C. ichangensis) has a unique taxonomic status; and (3) although Bendiguangju mandarin (C. reticulata) and Satsuma mandarin (C. reticulata) are similar in fruit shape and leaf morphology, they have different maternal parents. Bendiguangju mandarin has the same cytoplasm as sweet orange (C. sinensis), whereas Satsuma mandarin has the cytoplasm of C. reticulata. Seventeen PCR products from SPCC1 and 21 from SPCC11 were cloned and sequenced. The results revealed that mononucleotide repeats as well as insertions and deletions of small segments of DNA were associated with SPCC1 polymorphism, whereas polymorphism

  10. Bioinformatic tools for PCR Primer design

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ES

    reaction (PCR), oligo hybridization and DNA sequencing. Proper primer design is actually one of the most important factors/steps in successful DNA sequencing. Various bioinformatics programs are available for selection of primer pairs from a template sequence. The plethora programs for PCR primer design reflects the.

  11. Comparison of commonly used primer sets for evaluating arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities: Is there a universal solution?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kohout, P.; Sudová, R.; Janoušková, M.; Čtvrtlíková, Martina; Hejda, M.; Pánková, H.; Slavíková, R.; Štajerová, K.; Vosátka, M.; Sýkorová, Z.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 68, January (2014), s. 482-493 ISSN 0038-0717 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi * primers * diversity Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 3.932, year: 2014

  12. Genus-Specific Primers for Study of Fusarium Communities in Field Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edel-Hermann, Véronique; Gautheron, Nadine; Durling, Mikael Brandström; Kolseth, Anna-Karin; Steinberg, Christian; Persson, Paula; Friberg, Hanna

    2015-01-01

    Fusarium is a large and diverse genus of fungi of great agricultural and economic importance, containing many plant pathogens and mycotoxin producers. To date, high-throughput sequencing of Fusarium communities has been limited by the lack of genus-specific primers targeting regions with high discriminatory power at the species level. In the present study, we evaluated two Fusarium-specific primer pairs targeting translation elongation factor 1 (TEF1). We also present the new primer pair Fa+7/Ra+6. Mock Fusarium communities reflecting phylogenetic diversity were used to evaluate the accuracy of the primers in reflecting the relative abundance of the species. TEF1 amplicons were subjected to 454 high-throughput sequencing to characterize Fusarium communities. Field samples from soil and wheat kernels were included to test the method on more-complex material. For kernel samples, a single PCR was sufficient, while for soil samples, nested PCR was necessary. The newly developed primer pairs Fa+7/Ra+6 and Fa/Ra accurately reflected Fusarium species composition in mock DNA communities. In field samples, 47 Fusarium operational taxonomic units were identified, with the highest Fusarium diversity in soil. The Fusarium community in soil was dominated by members of the Fusarium incarnatum-Fusarium equiseti species complex, contradicting findings in previous studies. The method was successfully applied to analyze Fusarium communities in soil and plant material and can facilitate further studies of Fusarium ecology. PMID:26519387

  13. 30 CFR 56.6304 - Primer protection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Primer protection. 56.6304 Section 56.6304 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND NONMETAL MINE... Primer protection. (a) Tamping shall not be done directly on a primer. (b) Rigid cartridges of explosives...

  14. Development of genomic microsatellite multiplex PCR using dye-labeled universal primer and its validation in pedigree analysis of Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ting; Li, Qi; Song, Junlin; Yu, Hong

    2017-02-01

    There is an increasing requirement for traceability of aquaculture products, both for consumer protection and for food safety. There are high error rates in the conventional traceability systems depending on physical labels. Genetic traceability technique depending on DNA-based tracking system can overcome this problem. Genealogy information is essential for genetic traceability, and microsatellite DNA marker is a good choice for pedigree analysis. As increasing genotyping throughput of microsatellites, microsatellite multiplex PCR has become a fast and cost-effective technique. As a commercially important cultured aquatic species, Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas has the highest global production. The objective of this study was to develop microsatellite multiplex PCR panels with dye-labeled universal primer for pedigree analysis in C. gigas, and these multiplex PCRs were validated using 12 full-sib families with known pedigrees. Here we developed six informative multiplex PCRs using 18 genomic microsatellites in C. gigas. Each multiplex panel contained a single universal primer M13(-21) used as a tail on each locus-specific forward primer and a single universal primer M13(-21) labeled with fluorophores. The polymorphisms of the markers were moderate, with an average of 10.3 alleles per locus and average polymorphic information content of 0.740. The observed heterozygosity per locus ranged from 0.492 to 0.822. Cervus simulations revealed that the six panels would still be of great value when massive families were analysed. Pedigree analysis of real offspring demonstrated that 100% of the offspring were unambiguously allocated to their parents when two multiplex PCRs were used. The six sets of multiplex PCRs can be an important tool for tracing cultured individuals, population genetic analysis, and selective breeding program in C. gigas.

  15. Pitfalls in genetic testing: a case of a SNP in primer-annealing region leading to allele dropout in BRCA1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Felipe Carneiro; Torrezan, Giovana Tardin; Brianese, Rafael Canfield; Stabellini, Raquel; Carraro, Dirce Maria

    2017-07-01

    Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer is characterized by mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes and PCR-based screening techniques, such as capillary sequencing and next-generation sequencing (NGS), are considered gold standard methods for detection of pathogenic mutations in these genes. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) constitute a vast source of variation in the human genome and represent a risk for misdiagnosis in genetic testing, since the presence of a SNP in primer-annealing sites may cause false negative results due to allele dropout. However, few reports are available and the frequency of this phenomenon in diagnostic assays remains unknown. In this article, we investigated the causes of a false negative capillary sequencing result in BRCA1 involving a mother-daughter dyad. Using several molecular strategies, including different DNA polymerases, primer redesign, allele-specific PCR and NGS, we established that the initial misdiagnosis was caused by a SNP located in the primer-annealing region, leading to allele dropout of the mutated allele. Assuming that this problem can also occur in any PCR-based method that are widely used in diagnostic settings, the clinical report presented here draws attention for one of the limitations of genetic testing in general, for which medical and laboratory communities need to be aware.

  16. 34 CFR 403.82 - In what settings may the Single Parents, Displaced Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women Program...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women Program be offered? 403.82 Section 403.82 Education Regulations of the... Secretary Assist Under the Basic Programs? Single Parents, Displaced Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women Program § 403.82 In what settings may the Single Parents, Displaced Homemakers, and Single Pregnant Women...

  17. Establishing a novel single-copy primer-internal intron-spanning PCR (spiPCR) procedure for the direct detection of gene doping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beiter, Thomas; Zimmermann, Martina; Fragasso, Annunziata; Armeanu, Sorin; Lauer, Ulrich M; Bitzer, Michael; Su, Hua; Young, William L; Niess, Andreas M; Simon, Perikles

    2008-01-01

    So far, the abuse of gene transfer technology in sport, so-called gene doping, is undetectable. However, recent studies in somatic gene therapy indicate that long-term presence of transgenic DNA (tDNA) following various gene transfer protocols can be found in DNA isolated from whole blood using conventional PCR protocols. Application of these protocols for the direct detection of gene doping would require almost complete knowledge about the sequence of the genetic information that has been transferred. Here, we develop and describe the novel single-copy primer-internal intron-spanning PCR (spiPCR) procedure that overcomes this difficulty. Apart from the interesting perspectives that this spiPCR procedure offers in the fight against gene doping, this technology could also be of interest in biodistribution and biosafety studies for gene therapeutic applications.

  18. The Los Alamos primer

    CERN Document Server

    Serber, Robert

    2018-01-01

    Unabridged declassified value reproduction of The Los Alamos Primer by Robert Serber, in full color with all censor markings. This is the booklet given to new workers at Los Alamos during World War II, to catch them up on how to build a practical fission bomb. The Primer was driven by Robert Oppenheimer asking his protégé Robert Serber to summarize all knowledge and possible solutions known as of April 1943 in a series of lectures. Serber did such an excellent job that the notes from the series was turned into The Los Alamos Primer. Serber was known as an expert that bridged theory and reality, and so was also chosen to be one of the first Americans to enter Hiroshima and Nagasaki to assess the atomic damage in 1945.

  19. Complementation of a primer binding site-impaired murine leukemia virus-derived retroviral vector by a genetically engineered tRNA-like primer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lund, Anders Henrik; Duch, M; Lovmand, J

    1997-01-01

    , but not with a noncomplementary tRNA-like molecule. The engineered primer was shown to be involved in both the initiation of first-strand synthesis and second-strand transfer. These results provide an in vivo demonstration that the retroviral replication machinery may recognize sequence complementarity rather than actual primer...... binding site and 3' primer sequences. Use of mutated primer binding site vectors replicating via engineered primers may add additional control features to retroviral gene transfer technology....

  20. Nanotechnology: A Policy Primer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-24

    savings in the United States of 24 million barrels of oil.4 • Universal access to clean water. Nanotechnology water desalination and filtration...CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Nanotechnology : A Policy Primer John F. Sargent Jr. Specialist...COVERED 00-00-2013 to 00-00-2013 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Nanotechnology : A Policy Primer 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT

  1. A method for automatically extracting infectious disease-related primers and probes from the literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pérez-Rey David

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Primer and probe sequences are the main components of nucleic acid-based detection systems. Biologists use primers and probes for different tasks, some related to the diagnosis and prescription of infectious diseases. The biological literature is the main information source for empirically validated primer and probe sequences. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important for researchers to navigate this important information. In this paper, we present a four-phase method for extracting and annotating primer/probe sequences from the literature. These phases are: (1 convert each document into a tree of paper sections, (2 detect the candidate sequences using a set of finite state machine-based recognizers, (3 refine problem sequences using a rule-based expert system, and (4 annotate the extracted sequences with their related organism/gene information. Results We tested our approach using a test set composed of 297 manuscripts. The extracted sequences and their organism/gene annotations were manually evaluated by a panel of molecular biologists. The results of the evaluation show that our approach is suitable for automatically extracting DNA sequences, achieving precision/recall rates of 97.98% and 95.77%, respectively. In addition, 76.66% of the detected sequences were correctly annotated with their organism name. The system also provided correct gene-related information for 46.18% of the sequences assigned a correct organism name. Conclusions We believe that the proposed method can facilitate routine tasks for biomedical researchers using molecular methods to diagnose and prescribe different infectious diseases. In addition, the proposed method can be expanded to detect and extract other biological sequences from the literature. The extracted information can also be used to readily update available primer/probe databases or to create new databases from scratch.

  2. China Energy Primer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ni, Chun Chun

    2009-11-16

    Based on extensive analysis of the 'China Energy Databook Version 7' (October 2008) this Primer for China's Energy Industry draws a broad picture of China's energy industry with the two goals of helping users read and interpret the data presented in the 'China Energy Databook' and understand the historical evolution of China's energy inustry. Primer provides comprehensive historical reviews of China's energy industry including its supply and demand, exports and imports, investments, environment, and most importantly, its complicated pricing system, a key element in the analysis of China's energy sector.

  3. The fidelity of reverse transcription differs in reactions primed with RNA versus DNA primers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oude Essink, B. B.; Berkhout, B.

    1999-01-01

    Reverse transcriptase enzymes (RT) convert single-stranded retroviral RNA genomes into double-stranded DNA. The RT enzyme can use both RNA and DNA primers, the former being used exclusively during initiation of minus- and plus-strand synthesis. Initiation of minus-strand DNA synthesis occurs by

  4. Determination of the species specificity of the primers for the detection of chicken and turkey meat by realtime PCR method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lenka Maršálková

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work was to use TaqMan Real-Time PCR for quantitative authentication of chicken and turkey meat. To meet this purpose, a specific pair of primers and TaqMan probe was used. The test was aimed at identifying the reaction cycle of turkey and chicken meat using by two sets of primers. With first set of primer designed for chicken we obtained the following results: Cp = 16.18 for 100% chicken DNA Cp = 29, 18 100% turkey DNA It was also amplified DNA of pig that exceeded the detection threshold fluorescence intensities in the 31.07 cycle (Cp = 31.07. Using primers designed for turkey we obtained the following results Cp = 31.16 for 100% CHDNA, Cp =16.18 100% TDNA. It was also amplified the 100% DNA of rabbit in 31.63 cycle (Cp = 31.63 and deer in cycle 32 (Cp = 32. The DNA of all other animal species was amplificated after more than 35 cycles (Cp >35. It follows that the second detection primer pair is specific enough to unrelated species of animals by 30 cycles of the reaction. Species authentication based on DNA analysis from this perspective overcomes all the shortcomings of proteins. At present, DNA analysis use different types of PCR. Is the most progressive Real-time PCR, which is suitable for the specific use of detection (primers and TaqMan probe. The TaqMan Real-time PCR is within the sensitivity and specificity, clearly one of the best methods for identifying the species of chicken and turkey meat. The specificity of this method, however, depends primarily on the specificity of the primers and TaqMan probe. The 30 cycle reaction was chosen by us as the threshold for specificity using primers for authentication chicken and turkey meat.

  5. Specific amplification of bacterial DNA by optimized so-called universal bacterial primers in samples rich of plant DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorn-In, Samart; Bassitta, Rupert; Schwaiger, Karin; Bauer, Johann; Hölzel, Christina S

    2015-06-01

    Universal primers targeting the bacterial 16S-rRNA-gene allow quantification of the total bacterial load in variable sample types by qPCR. However, many universal primer pairs also amplify DNA of plants or even of archaea and other eukaryotic cells. By using these primers, the total bacterial load might be misevaluated, whenever samples contain high amounts of non-target DNA. Thus, this study aimed to provide primer pairs which are suitable for quantification and identification of bacterial DNA in samples such as feed, spices and sample material from digesters. For 42 primers, mismatches to the sequence of chloroplasts and mitochondria of plants were evaluated. Six primer pairs were further analyzed with regard to the question whether they anneal to DNA of archaea, animal tissue and fungi. Subsequently they were tested with sample matrix such as plants, feed, feces, soil and environmental samples. To this purpose, the target DNA in the samples was quantified by qPCR. The PCR products of plant and feed samples were further processed for the Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism method followed by sequence analysis. The sequencing results revealed that primer pair 335F/769R amplified only bacterial DNA in samples such as plants and animal feed, in which the DNA of plants prevailed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. High-speed measurement of firearm primer blast waves

    OpenAIRE

    Courtney, Michael; Daviscourt, Joshua; Eng, Jonathan; Courtney, Amy

    2012-01-01

    This article describes a method and results for direct high-speed measurements of firearm primer blast waves employing a high-speed pressure transducer located at the muzzle to record the blast pressure wave produced by primer ignition. Key findings are: 1) Most of the lead styphnate based primer models tested show 5.2-11.3% standard deviation in the magnitudes of their peak pressure. 2) In contrast, lead-free diazodinitrophenol (DDNP) based primers had standard deviations of the peak blast p...

  7. Comparison of commonly used primer sets for evaluating arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities: Is there a universal solution?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kohout, Petr; Sudová, Radka; Janoušková, Martina; Čtvrtlíková, Martina; Hejda, Martin; Pánková, Hana; Slavíková, Renata; Štajerová, Kateřina; Vosátka, Miroslav; Sýkorová, Zuzana

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 68, Jan 2014 (2014), s. 482-493 ISSN 0038-0717 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP504/10/0781; GA ČR GAP504/10/1486; GA ČR(CZ) GAP505/11/1112 Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi * primers * diversity Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 3.932, year: 2014

  8. Microsatellite Primer Development for Post Oak, Quercus stellata (Fagaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Warren B. Chatwin

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Premise of the study: The American Cross Timbers forest ecosystem runs from southeastern Kansas to Central Texas and is primarily composed of post oak (Quercus stellata. This old-growth forest currently occupies only about 2% of its ancestral range. To facilitate genetic research on this species, we developed microsatellite primers specific to post oak from reduced genomic libraries. Methods and Results: Two Q. stellata individuals, sampled from the northern and southern range of the post oak forest, were subject to genomic reduction and 454 pyrosequencing. Bioinformatic analysis identified putative microsatellites from which 12 polymorphic primer sets were screened on three populations. The number of alleles observed ranged from five to 20 across all populations, while observed and expected heterozygosity values ranged from 0.05 to 0.833 and 0.236 to 0.893, respectively, within individual populations. Conclusions: We report the development of microsatellite markers, specific to post oak, to aid the study of genetic diversity and population structure of extant forest remnants.

  9. Comparison of Self-Etch Primers with Conventional Acid Etching System on Orthodontic Brackets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zope, Amit; Zope-Khalekar, Yogita; Chitko, Shrikant S.; Kerudi, Veerendra V.; Patil, Harshal Ashok; Jaltare, Pratik; Dolas, Siddhesh G

    2016-01-01

    Introduction The self-etching primer system consists of etchant and primer dispersed in a single unit. The etching and priming are merged as a single step leading to fewer stages in bonding procedure and reduction in the number of steps that also reduces the chance of introduction of error, resulting in saving time for the clinician. It also results in smaller extent of enamel decalcification. Aim To compare the Shear Bond Strength (SBS) of orthodontic bracket bonded with Self-Etch Primers (SEP) and conventional acid etching system and to study the surface appearance of teeth after debonding; etching with conventional acid etch and self-etch priming, using stereomicroscope. Materials and Methods Five Groups (n=20) were created randomly from a total of 100 extracted premolars. In a control Group A, etching of enamel was done with 37% phosphoric acid and bonding of stainless steel brackets with Transbond XT (3M Unitek, Monrovia, California). Enamel conditioning in left over four Groups was done with self-etching primers and adhesives as follows: Group B-Transbond Plus (3M Unitek), Group C Xeno V+ (Dentsply), Group D-G-Bond (GC), Group E-One-Coat (Coltene). The Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) score was also evaluated. Additionally, the surface roughness using profilometer were observed. Results Mean SBS of Group A was 18.26±7.5MPa, Group B was 10.93±4.02MPa, Group C was 6.88±2.91MPa while of Group D was 7.78±4.13MPa and Group E was 10.39±5.22MPa respectively. In conventional group ARI scores shows that over half of the adhesive was remaining on the surface of tooth (score 1 to 3). In self-etching primer groups ARI scores show that there was no or minor amount of adhesive remaining on the surface of tooth (score 4 and 5). SEP produces a lesser surface roughness on the enamel than conventional etching. However, statistical analysis shows significant correlation (pbracket bonding after enamel conditioning with any of the SEPs tested. The SEPs used in Groups C (Xeno V

  10. Multicolor-based discrimination of 21 short tandem repeats and amelogenin using four fluorescent universal primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asari, Masaru; Okuda, Katsuhiro; Hoshina, Chisato; Omura, Tomohiro; Tasaki, Yoshikazu; Shiono, Hiroshi; Matsubara, Kazuo; Shimizu, Keiko

    2016-02-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a cost-effective genotyping method using high-quality DNA for human identification. A total of 21 short tandem repeats (STRs) and amelogenin were selected, and fluorescent fragments at 22 loci were simultaneously amplified in a single-tube reaction using locus-specific primers with 24-base universal tails and four fluorescent universal primers. Several nucleotide substitutions in universal tails and fluorescent universal primers enabled the detection of specific fluorescent fragments from the 22 loci. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) produced intense FAM-, VIC-, NED-, and PET-labeled fragments ranging from 90 to 400 bp, and these fragments were discriminated using standard capillary electrophoretic analysis. The selected 22 loci were also analyzed using two commercial kits (the AmpFLSTR Identifiler Kit and the PowerPlex ESX 17 System), and results for two loci (D19S433 and D16S539) were discordant between these kits due to mutations at the primer binding sites. All genotypes from the 100 samples were determined using 2.5 ng of DNA by our method, and the expected alleles were completely recovered. Multiplex 22-locus genotyping using four fluorescent universal primers effectively reduces the costs to less than 20% of genotyping using commercial kits, and our method would be useful to detect silent alleles from commercial kit analysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Hexavalent Chromium IV-Free Primer Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alldredge, Michael J.; Buck, Amy L.

    2015-01-01

    Primer materials provide corrosion protection for metal parts as well as an increased adhesion between metallic substrates and thermal protection systems (TPSs). Current primers for use in cryogenic applications contain hexavalent chromium. This hexavalent chromium provides excellent corrosion protection even in a cryogenic environment, but it is a carcinogen that requires special equipment and waste control procedures to use. The hazardous nature of hexavalent chromium makes it an obsolescence risk in the future. This study included two phases of evaluation. Thirteen primers were initially identified as candidates and twelve of those primers were tested in phase 1. Four of the best performing candidates from phase 1 continued into phase 2 testing. Phase 1 testing consisted mostly of liquid constituent and physical property testing. Cryoflex and salt fog testing were included in phase 1 because of their importance to the overall success of a candidate material. Phase 2 consisted of physical, thermal, and mechanical properties for nominally processed and fabricated specimens.

  12. Family-specific vs. universal PCR primers for the study of mitochondrial DNA in plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksić Jelena M.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Mitochondrial genomes (mtDNAs or mitogenomes of seed plants are characterized by a notoriously unstable organization on account of which available so-called universal or consensus primers may fail to fulfil their foreseen function - amplification of various mtDNA regions in a broad range of plant taxa. Thus, the primers developed for groups assumed to have similar organization of their mitogenomes, such as families, may facilitate a broader usage of more variable non-coding portions of these genomes in group members. Using in silico PCR method and six available complete mitogenomes of Fabaceae, it has been demonstrated that only three out of 36 published universal primer and three Medicago sativa-specific primer pairs that amplify various mtDNA regions are suitable for six representatives of the Fabaceae family upon minor modifications, and develop 21 Fabaceae-specific primer pairs for amplification of all 14 cis-splicing introns in genes of NADH subunits (nad genes which represent the most commonly used non-coding mtDNA regions in various studies in plants. Using the same method and six available complete mitogenomes of representatives of related families Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Rosaceae and a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, it has further been demonstrated that applicability of newly developed primer pairs for amplification of nad introns in more or less related taxa was dependent not only on species evolutionary distances but also on their genome sizes. A reported set of 24 primer pairs is a valuable resource which may facilitate a broader usage of mtDNA variability in future studies at both intra- and inter-specific levels in Fabaceae, which is the third largest family of flowering plants rarely studied at the mtDNA level, and in other more or less related taxa. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173005

  13. A primer on physical-layer network coding

    CERN Document Server

    Liew, Soung Chang; Zhang, Shengli

    2015-01-01

    The concept of physical-layer network coding (PNC) was proposed in 2006 for application in wireless networks. Since then it has developed into a subfield of communications and networking with a wide following. This book is a primer on PNC. It is the outcome of a set of lecture notes for a course for beginning graduate students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The target audience is expected to have some prior background knowledge in communication theory and wireless communications, but not working knowledge at the research level. Indeed, a goal of this book/course is to allow the reader

  14. Back to basics – the influence of DNA extraction and primer choice on phylogenetic analysis in activated sludge communities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albertsen, Mads; Karst, Søren Michael; Ziegler, Anja Sloth

    intensity and primer choice on the observed community using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (qFISH) was used as a DNA extraction independent method to evaluate the results. The bead beating intensity correlated with cell-wall strength and showed...... that the manufacture recommended settings were insufficient to retrieve a large part of the community. In addition, the in silico “best” primer set was found to greatly underestimate a number of important phyla when compared to qFISH results. The findings underline the need for sample specific and DNA extraction...

  15. Ceramic Surface Treatment with a Single-component Primer: Resin Adhesion to Glass Ceramics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prado, Mayara; Prochnow, Catina; Marchionatti, Ana Maria Estivalete; Baldissara, Paolo; Valandro, Luiz Felipe; Wandscher, Vinicius Felipe

    2018-04-19

    To evaluate the microshear bond strength (μSBS) of composite cement bonded to two machined glass ceramics and its durability, comparing conventional surface conditioning (hydrofluoric acid + silane) to a one-step primer (Monobond Etch & Prime). Machined slices of lithium disilicate ceramic (LDC) (IPS e.max CAD) and feldspathic ceramic (FC) (VITA Mark II) glass ceramics were divided into two groups (n = 10) according to two factors: 1. surface treatment: HF+S (ca 5% hydrofluoric acid [IPS Ceramic Etching GEL] + silane coupling agent [SIL; Monobond Plus]) or MEP (single-component ceramic conditioner; Monobond Etch & Prime); 2. storage condition: baseline (without aging; tested 24 h after cementing) or aged (70 days of water storage + 12,000 thermal cycles). Composite cement (Multilink Automix, Ivoclar Vivadent) was applied to starch matrices on the treated ceramic surfaces and photoactivated. A μSBS test was performed (0.5 mm/min) and the failure pattern was determined. Contact angle and micromorphological analyses were also performed. Data were analyzed with Student's t-test (α = 5%). For both ceramic materials, HF+S resulted in higher mean μSBS (MPa) at baseline (LDC: HF+S 21.2 ± 2.2 > MEP 10.4 ± 2.4; FC: HF+S 19.6 ± 4.3 > MEP 13.5 ± 5.4) and after aging (LDC: HF+S 14.64 ± 2.31 > MEP 9 ± 3.4; FC HF+S: 14.73 ± 3.33 > MEP 11.1 ± 3.3). HF+S resulted in a statistically significant decrease in mean μSBS after aging (p = 0.0001), while MEP yielded no significant reduction. The main failure type was adhesive between composite cement and ceramic. HF+S resuted in the lowest contact angle. Hydrofluoric acid + silane resulted in higher mean μSBS than Monobond Etch & Prime for both ceramics; however, Monobond Etch & Prime had stable bonding after aging.

  16. A set of 100 chloroplast DNA primer pairs to study population genetics and phylogeny in monocotylenons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scarcelli, Nora; Bernaud, Adeline; Eiserhardt, Wolf L.

    2011-01-01

    Chloroplast DNA sequences are of great interest for population genetics and phylogenetic studies. However, only a small set of markers are commonly used. Most of them have been designed for amplification in a large range of Angiosperms and are located in the Large Single Copy (LSC). Here we...... anticipate that it will also be useful for phylogeny and bar-coding studies....

  17. Primer on spontaneous heating and pyrophoricity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1994-12-01

    This primer was prepared as an information resource for personnel responsible for operation of DOE nuclear facilities. It has sections on combustion principles, spontaneous heating/ignition of hydrocarbons and organics, pyrophoric gases and liquids, pyrophoric nonmetallic solids, pyrophoric metals (including Pu and U), and accident case studies. Although the information in this primer is not all-encompassing, it should provide the reader with a fundamental knowledge level sufficient to recognize most spontaneous combustion hazards and how to prevent ignition and widespread fires. This primer is provided as an information resource only, and is not intended to replace any fire protection or hazardous material training.

  18. 30 CFR 57.6304 - Primer protection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Primer protection. 57.6304 Section 57.6304 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND NONMETAL MINE... Transportation-Surface and Underground § 57.6304 Primer protection. (a) Tamping shall not be done directly on a...

  19. A novel photoinduced electron transfer (PET) primer technique for rapid real-time PCR detection of Cryptosporidium spp

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jothikumar, N., E-mail: jin2@cdc.gov; Hill, Vincent R.

    2013-06-28

    Highlights: •Uses a single-labeled fluorescent primer for real-time PCR. •The detection sensitivity of PET PCR was comparable to TaqMan PCR. •Melt curve analysis can be performed to confirm target amplicon production. •Conventional PCR primers can be converted to PET PCR primers. -- Abstract: We report the development of a fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide primer that can be used to monitor real-time PCR. The primer has two parts, the 3′-end of the primer is complimentary to the target and a universal 17-mer stem loop at the 5′-end forms a hairpin structure. A fluorescent dye is attached to 5′-end of either the forward or reverse primer. The presence of guanosine residues at the first and second position of the 3′ dangling end effectively quenches the fluorescence due to the photo electron transfer (PET) mechanism. During the synthesis of nucleic acid, the hairpin structure is linearized and the fluorescence of the incorporated primer increases several-fold due to release of the fluorescently labeled tail and the absence of guanosine quenching. As amplicons are synthesized during nucleic acid amplification, the fluorescence increase in the reaction mixture can be measured with commercially available real-time PCR instruments. In addition, a melting procedure can be performed to denature the double-stranded amplicons, thereby generating fluorescence peaks that can differentiate primer dimers and other non-specific amplicons if formed during the reaction. We demonstrated the application of PET-PCR for the rapid detection and quantification of Cryptosporidium parvum DNA. Comparison with a previously published TaqMan® assay demonstrated that the two real-time PCR assays exhibited similar sensitivity for a dynamic range of detection of 6000–0.6 oocysts per reaction. PET PCR primers are simple to design and less-expensive than dual-labeled probe PCR methods, and should be of interest for use by laboratories operating in resource

  20. A novel photoinduced electron transfer (PET) primer technique for rapid real-time PCR detection of Cryptosporidium spp

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jothikumar, N.; Hill, Vincent R.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Uses a single-labeled fluorescent primer for real-time PCR. •The detection sensitivity of PET PCR was comparable to TaqMan PCR. •Melt curve analysis can be performed to confirm target amplicon production. •Conventional PCR primers can be converted to PET PCR primers. -- Abstract: We report the development of a fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide primer that can be used to monitor real-time PCR. The primer has two parts, the 3′-end of the primer is complimentary to the target and a universal 17-mer stem loop at the 5′-end forms a hairpin structure. A fluorescent dye is attached to 5′-end of either the forward or reverse primer. The presence of guanosine residues at the first and second position of the 3′ dangling end effectively quenches the fluorescence due to the photo electron transfer (PET) mechanism. During the synthesis of nucleic acid, the hairpin structure is linearized and the fluorescence of the incorporated primer increases several-fold due to release of the fluorescently labeled tail and the absence of guanosine quenching. As amplicons are synthesized during nucleic acid amplification, the fluorescence increase in the reaction mixture can be measured with commercially available real-time PCR instruments. In addition, a melting procedure can be performed to denature the double-stranded amplicons, thereby generating fluorescence peaks that can differentiate primer dimers and other non-specific amplicons if formed during the reaction. We demonstrated the application of PET-PCR for the rapid detection and quantification of Cryptosporidium parvum DNA. Comparison with a previously published TaqMan® assay demonstrated that the two real-time PCR assays exhibited similar sensitivity for a dynamic range of detection of 6000–0.6 oocysts per reaction. PET PCR primers are simple to design and less-expensive than dual-labeled probe PCR methods, and should be of interest for use by laboratories operating in resource

  1. Nuclear Microsatellite Primers for the Endangered Relict Fir, Abies pinsapo (Pinaceae and Cross-Amplification in Related Mediterranean Species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Navarro-Sampedro

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Twelve nuclear microsatellite primers (nSSR were developed for the endangered species Abies pinsapo Boiss. to enable the study of gene flow and genetic structure in the remaining distribution areas. Microsatellite primers were developed using next-generation sequencing (454 data from a single Abies pinsapo individual. Primers were applied to thirty individuals from the three extant localities. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one to four. Cross-amplification was tested for other Abies species from the Mediterranean Basin, and most of the loci showed higher polymorphisms in the Mediterranean species than in A. pinsapo. These microsatellite markers provide tools for conservation genetic studies in Abies pinsapo as well other Abies species from the Mediterranean Basin.

  2. Primer Vector Optimization: Survey of Theory, new Analysis and Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guzman

    This paper presents a preliminary study in developing a set of optimization tools for orbit rendezvous, transfer and station keeping. This work is part of a large scale effort undergoing at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and a.i. solutions, Inc. to build generic methods, which will enable missions with tight fuel budgets. Since no single optimization technique can solve efficiently all existing problems, a library of tools where the user could pick the method most suited for the particular mission is envisioned. The first trajectory optimization technique explored is Lawden's primer vector theory [Ref. 1]. Primer vector theory can be considered as a byproduct of applying Calculus of Variations (COV) techniques to the problem of minimizing the fuel usage of impulsive trajectories. For an n-impulse trajectory, it involves the solution of n-1 two-point boundary value problems. In this paper, we look at some of the different formulations of the primer vector (dependent on the frame employed and on the force model). Also, the applicability of primer vector theory is examined in effort to understand when and why the theory can fail. Specifically, since COV is based on "small variations", singularities in the linearized (variational) equations of motion along the arcs must be taken into account. These singularities are a recurring problem in analyzes that employ "small variations" [Refs. 2, 3]. For example, singularities in the (2-body problem) variational equations along elliptic arcs occur when [Ref. 4], 1) the difference between the initial and final times is a multiple of the reference orbit period, 2) the difference between the initial and final true anomalies are given by k, for k= 0, 1, 2, 3,..., note that this cover the 3) the time of flight is a minimum for the given difference in true anomaly. For the N-body problem, the situation is more complex and is still under investigation. Several examples, such as the initialization of an orbit (ascent trajectory) and

  3. The Single Needle Lockstitch Machine. [Setting Zippers.] Module 8.

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia. Office of Vocational Education.

    This module on setting zippers, one in a series on the single needle lockstitch sewing machine for student self-study, contains five sections. Each section includes the following parts: an introduction, directions, an objective, learning activities, student information, student self-check, check-out activities, and an instructor's final checklist.…

  4. Rapid identification of probiotic Lactobacillus species by multiplex PCR using species-specific primers based on the region extending from 16S rRNA through 23S rRNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Hyuk-Sang; Yang, Eun-Hee; Yeon, Seung-Woo; Kang, Byoung-Hwa; Kim, Tae-Yong

    2004-10-15

    This study aimed to develop a novel multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer set for the identification of seven probiotic Lactobacillus species such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The primer set, comprising of seven specific and two conserved primers, was derived from the integrated sequences of 16S and 23S rRNA genes and their rRNA intergenic spacer region of each species. It was able to identify the seven target species with 93.6% accuracy, which exceeds that of the general biochemical methods. The phylogenetic analyses, using 16S rDNA sequences of the probiotic isolates, also provided further support that the results from the multiplex PCR assay were trustworthy. Taken together, we suggest that the multiplex primer set is an efficient tool for simple, rapid and reliable identification of seven Lactobacillus species.

  5. Rust transformation/rust compatible primers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emeric, Dario A.; Miller, Christopher E.

    1993-01-01

    Proper surface preparation has been the key to obtain good performance by a surface coating. The major obstacle in preparing a corroded or rusted surface is the complete removal of the contaminants and the corrosion products. Sandblasting has been traditionally used to remove the corrosion products before painting. However, sandblasting can be expensive, may be prohibited by local health regulations and is not applicable in every situation. To get around these obstacles, Industry developed rust converters/rust transformers and rust compatible primers (high solids epoxies). The potential use of these products for military equipment led personnel of the Belvoir Research, Development and Engineering Center (BRDEC) to evaluate the commercially available rust transformers and rust compatible primers. Prior laboratory experience with commercially available rust converters, as well as field studies in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, revealed poor performance, several inherent limitations, and lack of reliability. It was obvious from our studies that the performance of rust converting products was more dependent on the amount and type of rust present, as well as the degree of permeability of the coating, than on the product's ability to form an organometallic complex with the rust. Based on these results, it was decided that the Military should develop their own rust converter formulation and specification. The compound described in the specification is for use on a rusted surface before the application of an organic coating (bituminous compounds, primer or topcoat). These coatings should end the need for sandblasting or the removing of the adherent corrosion products. They also will prepare the surface for the application of the organic coating. Several commercially available rust compatible primers (RCP) were also tested using corroded surfaces. All of the evaluated RCP failed our laboratory tests for primers.

  6. Easy assessment of diversity in Jatropha curcas L. plants using two single-primer amplification reaction (SPAR) methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ranade, Shirish A; Srivastava, Anuj P; Srivastava, Jyoti; Tuli, Rakesh [PMB Division, National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226 001, U.P. (India); Rana, Tikam S [Plant Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Division, National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226 001, U.P. (India)

    2008-06-15

    Jatropha curcas L. (physic nut) has drawn attention in recent years as a source of seed oil that can provide an economically viable substitute for diesel. Very little work on provenance trials and genetic resources of J. curcas L. has been reported so far. Though J. curcas grows widely in India and several collections of the plant are also maintained, pedigree and provenance records are not always available. This article reports our studies on the diversity amongst the accessions of J. curcas L., both amongst already held collections as well as from a few locations in the wild. Two single-primer amplification reaction (SPAR) methods were used for this purpose. The accessions from the North East were most distant from all other accessions in UPGMA analysis. The NBRI, Bhubaneshwar and Lalkuan accessions were more related to each other. The UPGMA tree clearly shows well-separated accession groups: NBRI, Bhubaneshwar, North East, Lalkuan and Outgroup. The study suggests that this relatively recently introduced plant species shows adequate genetic diversity in India and that the SPAR methods are useful for a rapid assessment of the same. The methods provide important tools for analyzing the diversity within the available collections to shortlist the parental lines for adaptability trials and further improvement of Jatropha plants. (author)

  7. Level-set simulations of buoyancy-driven motion of single and multiple bubbles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balcázar, Néstor; Lehmkuhl, Oriol; Jofre, Lluís; Oliva, Assensi

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A conservative level-set method is validated and verified. • An extensive study of buoyancy-driven motion of single bubbles is performed. • The interactions of two spherical and ellipsoidal bubbles is studied. • The interaction of multiple bubbles is simulated in a vertical channel. - Abstract: This paper presents a numerical study of buoyancy-driven motion of single and multiple bubbles by means of the conservative level-set method. First, an extensive study of the hydrodynamics of single bubbles rising in a quiescent liquid is performed, including its shape, terminal velocity, drag coefficients and wake patterns. These results are validated against experimental and numerical data well established in the scientific literature. Then, a further study on the interaction of two spherical and ellipsoidal bubbles is performed for different orientation angles. Finally, the interaction of multiple bubbles is explored in a periodic vertical channel. The results show that the conservative level-set approach can be used for accurate modelling of bubble dynamics. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the present method is numerically stable for a wide range of Morton and Reynolds numbers.

  8. Bioinformatic tools and guideline for PCR primer design | Abd ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bioinformatics has become an essential tool not only for basic research but also for applied research in biotechnology and biomedical sciences. Optimal primer sequence and appropriate primer concentration are essential for maximal specificity and efficiency of PCR. A poorly designed primer can result in little or no ...

  9. One fungus, which genes? Development and assessment of universal primers for potential secondary fungal DNA barcodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stielow, J B; Lévesque, C A; Seifert, K A; Meyer, W; Iriny, L; Smits, D; Renfurm, R; Verkley, G J M; Groenewald, M; Chaduli, D; Lomascolo, A; Welti, S; Lesage-Meessen, L; Favel, A; Al-Hatmi, A M S; Damm, U; Yilmaz, N; Houbraken, J; Lombard, L; Quaedvlieg, W; Binder, M; Vaas, L A I; Vu, D; Yurkov, A; Begerow, D; Roehl, O; Guerreiro, M; Fonseca, A; Samerpitak, K; van Diepeningen, A D; Dolatabadi, S; Moreno, L F; Casaregola, S; Mallet, S; Jacques, N; Roscini, L; Egidi, E; Bizet, C; Garcia-Hermoso, D; Martín, M P; Deng, S; Groenewald, J Z; Boekhout, T; de Beer, Z W; Barnes, I; Duong, T A; Wingfield, M J; de Hoog, G S; Crous, P W; Lewis, C T; Hambleton, S; Moussa, T A A; Al-Zahrani, H S; Almaghrabi, O A; Louis-Seize, G; Assabgui, R; McCormick, W; Omer, G; Dukik, K; Cardinali, G; Eberhardt, U; de Vries, M; Robert, V

    2015-12-01

    The aim of this study was to assess potential candidate gene regions and corresponding universal primer pairs as secondary DNA barcodes for the fungal kingdom, additional to ITS rDNA as primary barcode. Amplification efficiencies of 14 (partially) universal primer pairs targeting eight genetic markers were tested across > 1 500 species (1 931 strains or specimens) and the outcomes of almost twenty thousand (19 577) polymerase chain reactions were evaluated. We tested several well-known primer pairs that amplify: i) sections of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene large subunit (D1-D2 domains of 26/28S); ii) the complete internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1/2); iii) partial β -tubulin II (TUB2); iv) γ-actin (ACT); v) translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1α); and vi) the second largest subunit of RNA-polymerase II (partial RPB2, section 5-6). Their PCR efficiencies were compared with novel candidate primers corresponding to: i) the fungal-specific translation elongation factor 3 (TEF3); ii) a small ribosomal protein necessary for t-RNA docking; iii) the 60S L10 (L1) RP; iv) DNA topoisomerase I (TOPI); v) phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK); vi) hypothetical protein LNS2; and vii) alternative sections of TEF1α. Results showed that several gene sections are accessible to universal primers (or primers universal for phyla) yielding a single PCR-product. Barcode gap and multi-dimensional scaling analyses revealed that some of the tested candidate markers have universal properties providing adequate infra- and inter-specific variation that make them attractive barcodes for species identification. Among these gene sections, a novel high fidelity primer pair for TEF1α, already widely used as a phylogenetic marker in mycology, has potential as a supplementary DNA barcode with superior resolution to ITS. Both TOPI and PGK show promise for the Ascomycota, while TOPI and LNS2 are attractive for the Pucciniomycotina, for which universal primers for ribosomal subunits often fail.

  10. Accelerating MATLAB with GPU computing a primer with examples

    CERN Document Server

    Suh, Jung W

    2013-01-01

    Beyond simulation and algorithm development, many developers increasingly use MATLAB even for product deployment in computationally heavy fields. This often demands that MATLAB codes run faster by leveraging the distributed parallelism of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). While MATLAB successfully provides high-level functions as a simulation tool for rapid prototyping, the underlying details and knowledge needed for utilizing GPUs make MATLAB users hesitate to step into it. Accelerating MATLAB with GPUs offers a primer on bridging this gap. Starting with the basics, setting up MATLAB for

  11. Development of Prevotella intermedia-specific PCR primers based on the nucleotide sequences of a DNA probe Pig27.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Min Jung; Hwang, Kyung Hwan; Lee, Young-Seok; Park, Jae-Yoon; Kook, Joong-Ki

    2011-03-01

    The aim of this study was to develop Prevotella intermedia-specific PCR primers based on the P. intermedia-specific DNA probe. The P. intermedia-specific DNA probe was screened by inverted dot blot hybridization and confirmed by Southern blot hybridization. The nucleotide sequences of the species-specific DNA probes were determined using a chain termination method. Southern blot analysis showed that the DNA probe, Pig27, detected only the genomic DNA of P. intermedia strains. PCR showed that the PCR primers, Pin-F1/Pin-R1, had species-specificity for P. intermedia. The detection limits of the PCR primer sets were 0.4pg of the purified genomic DNA of P. intermedia ATCC 49046. These results suggest that the PCR primers, Pin-F1/Pin-R1, could be useful in the detection of P. intermedia as well as in the development of a PCR kit in epidemiological studies related to periodontal diseases. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Heterologous primer transferability and access to microsatellite loci polymorphism in ‘somnus’ passion fruit tree (Passiflora setacea DC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Douglas de Almeida Pereira

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Primer pairs that access microsatellite loci, initially constructed through the genome of Passiflora edulis Sims flavicarpa and P. alata, were tested concerning their ability to access microsatellite loci in ‘somnus’ passion fruit tree (P. setacea individuals. Seven out of the thirty one primer pairs tested were able to access DNA polymorphism in the genome of this wild Passiflora species, by evaluating six natural populations, located in a transition area between the biomes Caatinga and Cerrado, in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The number of alleles/loci was small, oscillating from 1 to 4. The average heterozygosity observed per locus in all populations ranged from 0.13 to 0.40. There was transference of heterologous microsatellite primer pairs from the Passiflora genus to ‘somnus’ passion fruit tree, constituting a new set of primers that access random co-dominant locus in this species, useful for conservationist purposes and pre-improvement of ‘somnus’ passion fruit tree.

  13. MSP-HTPrimer: a high-throughput primer design tool to improve assay design for DNA methylation analysis in epigenetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandey, Ram Vinay; Pulverer, Walter; Kallmeyer, Rainer; Beikircher, Gabriel; Pabinger, Stephan; Kriegner, Albert; Weinhäusel, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    Bisulfite (BS) conversion-based and methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme (MSRE)-based PCR methods have been the most commonly used techniques for locus-specific DNA methylation analysis. However, both methods have advantages and limitations. Thus, an integrated approach would be extremely useful to quantify the DNA methylation status successfully with great sensitivity and specificity. Designing specific and optimized primers for target regions is the most critical and challenging step in obtaining the adequate DNA methylation results using PCR-based methods. Currently, no integrated, optimized, and high-throughput methylation-specific primer design software methods are available for both BS- and MSRE-based methods. Therefore an integrated, powerful, and easy-to-use methylation-specific primer design pipeline with great accuracy and success rate will be very useful. We have developed a new web-based pipeline, called MSP-HTPrimer, to design primers pairs for MSP, BSP, pyrosequencing, COBRA, and MSRE assays on both genomic strands. First, our pipeline converts all target sequences into bisulfite-treated templates for both forward and reverse strand and designs all possible primer pairs, followed by filtering for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and known repeat regions. Next, each primer pairs are annotated with the upstream and downstream RefSeq genes, CpG island, and cut sites (for COBRA and MSRE). Finally, MSP-HTPrimer selects specific primers from both strands based on custom and user-defined hierarchical selection criteria. MSP-HTPrimer produces a primer pair summary output table in TXT and HTML format for display and UCSC custom tracks for resulting primer pairs in GTF format. MSP-HTPrimer is an integrated, web-based, and high-throughput pipeline and has no limitation on the number and size of target sequences and designs MSP, BSP, pyrosequencing, COBRA, and MSRE assays. It is the only pipeline, which automatically designs primers on both genomic

  14. Detection of Mycosphaerella graminicola in Wheat Leaves by a Microsatellite Dinucleotide Specific-Primer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph-Alexander Verreet

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Early detection of infection is very important for efficient management of Mycosphaerella graminicola leaf blotch. To monitor and quantify the occurrence of this fungus during the growing season, a diagnostic method based on real-time PCR was developed. Standard and real-time PCR assays were developed using SYBR Green chemistry to quantify M. graminicola in vitro or in wheat samples. Microsatellite dinucleotide specific-primers were designed based on microsatellite repeats of sequences present in the genome of M. graminicola. Specificity was checked by analyzing DNA of 55 M. graminicola isolates obtained from different geographical origins. The method appears to be highly specific for detecting M. graminicola; no fluorescent signals were observed from 14 other closely related taxa. Primer (CT 7 G amplified a specific amplicon of 570 bp from all M. graminicola isolates. The primers did not amplify DNA extracted from 14 other fungal species. The approximate melting temperature (Tm of the (CT 7 G primer was 84.2 °C. The detection limit of the real-time PCR assay with the primer sets (CT 7 G is 10 fg/25 µL, as compared to 10 pg/25 µL using conventional PCR technology. From symptomless leaves, a PCR fragment could be generated two days after inoculation. Both conventional and real-time PCR could successfully detect the fungus from artificially inoculated wheat leaves. However, real-time PCR appeared much more sensitive than conventional PCR. The developed quantitative real-time PCR method proved to be rapid, sensitive, specific, cost-effective and reliable for the identification and quantification of M. graminicola in wheat.

  15. Experimental primers containing synthetic and natural compounds reduce enzymatic activity at the dentin–adhesive interface under cyclic loading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sousa, Ana Beatriz Silva; de Mattos Pimenta Vidal, Cristina; Leme-Kraus, Ariene Arcas; de Carvalho Panzeri Pires-de-Souza, Fernanda; Bedran-Russo, Ana K.

    2016-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the effect of experimental primers (chlorhexidine, enriched mixture of proanthocyanidins and doxycycline) on the adhesive properties and gelatinolytic activity at dentin-resin interfaces of occlusal Class I restorations. Methods The inactivation of enzymes by the experimental primers was assessed by fluorescence assay and gelatin zymography. To assess the adhesive properties, occlusal Class I cavities were prepared in sound human molars, etched with phosphoric acid and restored with one of the primers and an etch-and-rinse adhesive system (Adper Single Bond Plus - 3M ESPE). After the restorative procedures, the specimens were divided into two subgroups (n = 6) consisting of storage in incubation buffer or axial cyclic loading at 50 N and 1,000,000 cycles. Then, the sectioned and sliced specimens were assigned to in situ zymography assay and microtensile bond strength (TBS) test. Results Fluorescence assay and gelatin zymography revealed that the experimental primers inactivated rMMPs. In situ zymography (2-way ANOVA, Tukey, p 0.05). Significance The use of experimental primers impaired the enzymatic activity at the dentin-adhesive interface after cyclic loading and the activity of rMMPs. Cyclic loading did not have a significant effect on the bond strength. PMID:27524231

  16. Evaluation of different PCR primers for denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of fungal community structure in traditional fermentation starters used for Hong Qu glutinous rice wine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Xu-Cong; Jiang, Ya-Jun; Liu, Jie; Guo, Wei-Ling; Liu, Zhi-Bin; Zhang, Wen; Rao, Ping-Fan; Ni, Li

    2017-08-16

    Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) has become a widely used tool to examine microbial community structure. However, when DGGE is applied to evaluate the fungal community of traditional fermentation starters, the choice of hypervariable ribosomal RNA gene regions is still controversial. In the current study, several previously published fungal PCR primer sets were compared and evaluated using PCR-DGGE, with the purpose of screening a suitable primer set to study the fungal community of traditional fermentation starters for Hong Qu glutinous rice wine. Firstly, different primer sets were used to amplify different hypervariable regions from pure fungal cultures. Except NS1/FR1+ and ITS1fGC/ITS4, other primer sets (NL1+/LS2R, NL3A/NL4GC, FF390/FR1+, NS1/GCFung, NS3+/YM951r and ITS1fGC/ITS2r) amplified the target DNA sequences successfully. Secondly, the selected primer sets were further evaluated based on their resolution to distinguish different fungal cultures through DGGE fingerprints. Three primer sets (NL1+/LS2R, NS1/GCFung and ITS1fGC/ITS2r) were finally selected for investigating the fungal community structure of different traditional fermentation starters for Hong Qu glutinous rice wine. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region amplified by ITS1fGC/ITS2r, which is more hypervariable than the 18S rRNA gene and 26S rRNA gene, provides an excellent tool to separate amplification products of different fungal species. Results indicated that PCR-DGGE profile using ITS1fGC/ITS2r showed more abundant fungal species than that using NL1+/LS2R and NS1/GCFung. Therefore, ITS1fGC/ITS2r is the most suitable primer set for PCR-DGGE analysis of fungal community structure in traditional fermentation starters for Hong Qu glutinous rice wine. DGGE profiles based on ITS1fGC/ITS2r revealed the presence of twenty-four fungal species in traditional fermentation starter. A significant difference of fungal community can be observed directly from DGGE fingerprints and

  17. Simple sequence repeat marker loci discovery using SSR primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Andrew J; Love, Christopher G; Batley, Jacqueline; Barker, Gary; Edwards, David

    2004-06-12

    Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have become important molecular markers for a broad range of applications, such as genome mapping and characterization, phenotype mapping, marker assisted selection of crop plants and a range of molecular ecology and diversity studies. With the increase in the availability of DNA sequence information, an automated process to identify and design PCR primers for amplification of SSR loci would be a useful tool in plant breeding programs. We report an application that integrates SPUTNIK, an SSR repeat finder, with Primer3, a PCR primer design program, into one pipeline tool, SSR Primer. On submission of multiple FASTA formatted sequences, the script screens each sequence for SSRs using SPUTNIK. The results are parsed to Primer3 for locus-specific primer design. The script makes use of a Web-based interface, enabling remote use. This program has been written in PERL and is freely available for non-commercial users by request from the authors. The Web-based version may be accessed at http://hornbill.cspp.latrobe.edu.au/

  18. Value for money assessment for public-private partnerships : a primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    This primer addresses Value for Money Assessment for public-private partnerships (P3s). Companion : primers on Financial Assessment and Risk Assessment for P3s are also available as part of this series of : primers.

  19. STRP Screening Sets for the human genome at 5 cM density

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marth Gabor

    2003-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Short tandem repeat polymorphisms (STRPs are powerful tools for gene mapping and other applications. A STRP genome scan of 10 cM is usually adequate for mapping single gene disorders. However mapping studies involving genetically complex disorders and especially association (linkage disequilibrium often require higher STRP density. Results We report the development of two separate 10 cM human STRP Screening Sets (Sets 12 and 52 which span all chromosomes. When combined, the two Sets contain a total of 782 STRPs, with average STRP spacing of 4.8 cM, average heterozygosity of 0.72, and total sex-average coverage of 3535 cM. The current Sets are comprised almost entirely of STRPs based on tri- and tetranucleotide repeats. We also report correction of primer sequences for many STRPs used in previous Screening Sets. Detailed information for the new Screening Sets is available from our web site: http://research.marshfieldclinic.org/genetics. Conclusion Our new human STRP Screening Sets will improve the quality and cost effectiveness of genotyping for gene mapping and other applications.

  20. Economics : pricing, demand, and economic efficiency : a primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-11-01

    The Congestion Pricing Primer Series is part of : FHWAs outreach efforts to introduce the various : aspects of congestion pricing to decision-makers and : transportation professionals in the United States. The : primers are intended to lay out the...

  1. Semantic Web Primer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Antoniou, Grigoris; Harmelen, Frank van

    2004-01-01

    The development of the Semantic Web, with machine-readable content, has the potential to revolutionize the World Wide Web and its use. A Semantic Web Primer provides an introduction and guide to this still emerging field, describing its key ideas, languages, and technologies. Suitable for use as a

  2. Bayesian models: A statistical primer for ecologists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobbs, N. Thompson; Hooten, Mevin B.

    2015-01-01

    Bayesian modeling has become an indispensable tool for ecological research because it is uniquely suited to deal with complexity in a statistically coherent way. This textbook provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the latest Bayesian methods—in language ecologists can understand. Unlike other books on the subject, this one emphasizes the principles behind the computations, giving ecologists a big-picture understanding of how to implement this powerful statistical approach.Bayesian Models is an essential primer for non-statisticians. It begins with a definition of probability and develops a step-by-step sequence of connected ideas, including basic distribution theory, network diagrams, hierarchical models, Markov chain Monte Carlo, and inference from single and multiple models. This unique book places less emphasis on computer coding, favoring instead a concise presentation of the mathematical statistics needed to understand how and why Bayesian analysis works. It also explains how to write out properly formulated hierarchical Bayesian models and use them in computing, research papers, and proposals.This primer enables ecologists to understand the statistical principles behind Bayesian modeling and apply them to research, teaching, policy, and management.Presents the mathematical and statistical foundations of Bayesian modeling in language accessible to non-statisticiansCovers basic distribution theory, network diagrams, hierarchical models, Markov chain Monte Carlo, and moreDeemphasizes computer coding in favor of basic principlesExplains how to write out properly factored statistical expressions representing Bayesian models

  3. Coal Bed Methane Primer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dan Arthur; Bruce Langhus; Jon Seekins

    2005-05-25

    During the second half of the 1990's Coal Bed Methane (CBM) production increased dramatically nationwide to represent a significant new source of income and natural gas for many independent and established producers. Matching these soaring production rates during this period was a heightened public awareness of environmental concerns. These concerns left unexplained and under-addressed have created a significant growth in public involvement generating literally thousands of unfocused project comments for various regional NEPA efforts resulting in the delayed development of public and fee lands. The accelerating interest in CBM development coupled to the growth in public involvement has prompted the conceptualization of this project for the development of a CBM Primer. The Primer is designed to serve as a summary document, which introduces and encapsulates information pertinent to the development of Coal Bed Methane (CBM), including focused discussions of coal deposits, methane as a natural formed gas, split mineral estates, development techniques, operational issues, producing methods, applicable regulatory frameworks, land and resource management, mitigation measures, preparation of project plans, data availability, Indian Trust issues and relevant environmental technologies. An important aspect of gaining access to federal, state, tribal, or fee lands involves education of a broad array of stakeholders, including land and mineral owners, regulators, conservationists, tribal governments, special interest groups, and numerous others that could be impacted by the development of coal bed methane. Perhaps the most crucial aspect of successfully developing CBM resources is stakeholder education. Currently, an inconsistent picture of CBM exists. There is a significant lack of understanding on the parts of nearly all stakeholders, including industry, government, special interest groups, and land owners. It is envisioned the Primer would being used by a variety of

  4. Complementary Self-Biased Logics Based on Single-Electron Transistor (SET)/CMOS Hybrid Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Ki-Whan; Lee, Yong Kyu; Sim, Jae Sung; Kim, Kyung Rok; Lee, Jong Duk; Park, Byung-Gook; You, Young Sub; Park, Joo-On; Jin, You Seung; Kim, Young-Wug

    2005-04-01

    We propose a complementary self-biasing method which enables the single-electron transistor (SET)/complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) hybrid multi-valued logics (MVLs) to operate well at high temperatures, where the peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) of the Coulomb oscillation markedly decreases. The new architecture is implemented with a few transistors by utilizing the phase control capability of the sidewall depletion gates in dual-gate single-electron transistors (DGSETs). The suggested scheme is evaluated by a SPICE simulation with an analytical DGSET model. Furthermore, we have developed a new process technology for the SET/CMOS hybrid systems. We have confirmed that both of the fabricated devices, namely, SET and CMOS transistors, exhibit the ideal characteristics for the complementary self-biasing scheme: the SET shows clear Coulomb oscillations with a 100 mV period and the CMOS transistors show a high voltage gain.

  5. Single-step reinitialization and extending algorithms for level-set based multi-phase flow simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Lin; Hu, Xiangyu Y.; Adams, Nikolaus A.

    2017-12-01

    We propose efficient single-step formulations for reinitialization and extending algorithms, which are critical components of level-set based interface-tracking methods. The level-set field is reinitialized with a single-step (non iterative) "forward tracing" algorithm. A minimum set of cells is defined that describes the interface, and reinitialization employs only data from these cells. Fluid states are extrapolated or extended across the interface by a single-step "backward tracing" algorithm. Both algorithms, which are motivated by analogy to ray-tracing, avoid multiple block-boundary data exchanges that are inevitable for iterative reinitialization and extending approaches within a parallel-computing environment. The single-step algorithms are combined with a multi-resolution conservative sharp-interface method and validated by a wide range of benchmark test cases. We demonstrate that the proposed reinitialization method achieves second-order accuracy in conserving the volume of each phase. The interface location is invariant to reapplication of the single-step reinitialization. Generally, we observe smaller absolute errors than for standard iterative reinitialization on the same grid. The computational efficiency is higher than for the standard and typical high-order iterative reinitialization methods. We observe a 2- to 6-times efficiency improvement over the standard method for serial execution. The proposed single-step extending algorithm, which is commonly employed for assigning data to ghost cells with ghost-fluid or conservative interface interaction methods, shows about 10-times efficiency improvement over the standard method while maintaining same accuracy. Despite their simplicity, the proposed algorithms offer an efficient and robust alternative to iterative reinitialization and extending methods for level-set based multi-phase simulations.

  6. Quick spacecraft charging primer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larsen, Brian Arthur

    2014-01-01

    This is a presentation in PDF format which is a quick spacecraft charging primer, meant to be used for program training. It goes into detail about charging physics, RBSP examples, and how to identify charging.

  7. Analysis of photogenerated random telegraph signal in single electron detector (photo-SET).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Troudi, M; Sghaier, Na; Kalboussi, A; Souifi, A

    2010-01-04

    In this paper, we analyzed slow single traps, situated inside the tunnel oxide of small area single electron photo-detector (photo-SET or nanopixel). The relationship between excitation signal (photons) and random-telegraph-signal (RTS) was evidenced. We demonstrated that photoinduced RTS observed on a photo-detector is due to the interaction between single photogenerated charges that tunnel from dot to dot and current path. Based on RTS analysis for various temperatures, gate bias and optical power we determined the characteristics of these single photogenerated traps: the energy position within the silicon bandgap, capture cross section and the position within the Si/SiO(x = 1.5) interfaces.

  8. Climate Change, Health, and Communication: A Primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chadwick, Amy E

    2016-01-01

    Climate change is one of the most serious and pervasive challenges facing us today. Our changing climate has implications not only for the ecosystems upon which we depend, but also for human health. Health communication scholars are well-positioned to aid in the mitigation of and response to climate change and its health effects. To help theorists, researchers, and practitioners engage in these efforts, this primer explains relevant issues and vocabulary associated with climate change and its impacts on health. First, this primer provides an overview of climate change, its causes and consequences, and its impacts on health. Then, the primer describes ways to decrease impacts and identifies roles for health communication scholars in efforts to address climate change and its health effects.

  9. Primer Extension Mutagenesis Powered by Selective Rolling Circle Amplification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huovinen, Tuomas; Brockmann, Eeva-Christine; Akter, Sultana; Perez-Gamarra, Susan; Ylä-Pelto, Jani; Liu, Yuan; Lamminmäki, Urpo

    2012-01-01

    Primer extension mutagenesis is a popular tool to create libraries for in vitro evolution experiments. Here we describe a further improvement of the method described by T.A. Kunkel using uracil-containing single-stranded DNA as the template for the primer extension by additional uracil-DNA glycosylase treatment and rolling circle amplification (RCA) steps. It is shown that removal of uracil bases from the template leads to selective amplification of the nascently synthesized circular DNA strand carrying the desired mutations by phi29 DNA polymerase. Selective RCA (sRCA) of the DNA heteroduplex formed in Kunkel's mutagenesis increases the mutagenesis efficiency from 50% close to 100% and the number of transformants 300-fold without notable diversity bias. We also observed that both the mutated and the wild-type DNA were present in at least one third of the cells transformed directly with Kunkel's heteroduplex. In contrast, the cells transformed with sRCA product contained only mutated DNA. In sRCA, the complex cell-based selection for the mutant strand is replaced with the more controllable enzyme-based selection and less DNA is needed for library creation. Construction of a gene library of ten billion members is demonstrated with the described method with 240 nanograms of DNA as starting material. PMID:22355397

  10. Marketing Information Products and Services : A Primer for ...

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

    Marketing Information Products and Services : A Primer for Librarians and Information Professionals. Couverture du livre Marketing Information Products and Services : A Primer for Librarians and Information Professionals. Directeur(s) : Abhinandan K. Jain, Ashok Jambhekar, T.P.Rama Rao et S. Sreenivas Rao. Maison(s) ...

  11. Development and use of tuf gene-based primers for the multiplex PCR detection of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei group, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, and Bifidobacterium longum in commercial dairy products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheu, Sen-Je; Hwang, Wen-zhe; Chen, Hsin-Chih; Chiang, Yu-Cheng; Tsen, Hau-Yang

    2009-01-01

    PCR primers specific for the detection of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei group, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, and Bifidobacterium longum were designed based on the elongation factor Tu gene (tuf). The specificity of these four primer sets were confirmed by PCR with 88 bacterial strains of Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Bifidobacterium, and other bacterial species. Results indicated that these primer sets generated predicted PCR products of 397, 230, 202, and 161 bp for L. acidophilus, L. delbrueckii, L. casei group, and B. longum, respectively. Bacterial species other than the target organisms tested did not generate false-positive results. When these four primer sets were combined for the simultaneous detection of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in fermented milk products including yogurt, the LAB species listed on the labels of these products could be identified without the preenrichment step. The identification limit for each LAB strain with this multiplex PCR method was N X 10(3) CFU/ml in milk samples. The results of our multiplex PCR method were confirmed by PCR assay using primers based on the 16S rDNA or the 16S-23S intergenic spacer region and by biochemical tests using the API 50 CHL kit. When this multiplex PCR method was used with the determination of counts of total viable LAB and bifidobacteria, the quality of commercial fermented milk products could be assured.

  12. Quantitative Single-letter Sequencing: a method for simultaneously monitoring numerous known allelic variants in single DNA samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duborjal Hervé

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Pathogens such as fungi, bacteria and especially viruses, are highly variable even within an individual host, intensifying the difficulty of distinguishing and accurately quantifying numerous allelic variants co-existing in a single nucleic acid sample. The majority of currently available techniques are based on real-time PCR or primer extension and often require multiplexing adjustments that impose a practical limitation of the number of alleles that can be monitored simultaneously at a single locus. Results Here, we describe a novel method that allows the simultaneous quantification of numerous allelic variants in a single reaction tube and without multiplexing. Quantitative Single-letter Sequencing (QSS begins with a single PCR amplification step using a pair of primers flanking the polymorphic region of interest. Next, PCR products are submitted to single-letter sequencing with a fluorescently-labelled primer located upstream of the polymorphic region. The resulting monochromatic electropherogram shows numerous specific diagnostic peaks, attributable to specific variants, signifying their presence/absence in the DNA sample. Moreover, peak fluorescence can be quantified and used to estimate the frequency of the corresponding variant in the DNA population. Using engineered allelic markers in the genome of Cauliflower mosaic virus, we reliably monitored six different viral genotypes in DNA extracted from infected plants. Evaluation of the intrinsic variance of this method, as applied to both artificial plasmid DNA mixes and viral genome populations, demonstrates that QSS is a robust and reliable method of detection and quantification for variants with a relative frequency of between 0.05 and 1. Conclusion This simple method is easily transferable to many other biological systems and questions, including those involving high throughput analysis, and can be performed in any laboratory since it does not require specialized

  13. An environmentally acceptable primer for galvanized steel: Formulation and evaluation by SVET

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simoes, A.M.P., E-mail: alda.simoes@ist.utl.p [CIDEPINT - Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo en Tecnologia de Pinturas (CIC-CONICET), Calle 52 e/121 y 122, 1900 La Plata (Argentina); TULisbon, Instituto Superior Tecnico, DEQB, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Carbonari, R.O.; Di Sarli, A.R.; Amo, B. del [CIDEPINT - Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo en Tecnologia de Pinturas (CIC-CONICET), Calle 52 e/121 y 122, 1900 La Plata (Argentina); TULisbon, Instituto Superior Tecnico, DEQB, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Romagnoli, R., E-mail: estelectro@cidepint.gov.a [CIDEPINT - Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo en Tecnologia de Pinturas (CIC-CONICET), Calle 52 e/121 y 122, 1900 La Plata (Argentina); TULisbon, Instituto Superior Tecnico, DEQB, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal)

    2011-01-15

    Research highlights: {yields} Chromates can be replaced successfully by aluminium phosphosilicate in paint systems. {yields} The solvents of the primer are eco-friendly ones. {yields} The primer adheres on galvanized steel and allows top-coating. {yields} The binder of the primer is compatible with other binders for top-coating. - Abstract: The object of this paper was to formulate a two-pack wash primer employing aluminium phosphosilicate as active anticorrosive pigment instead of basic zinc chromate. The anticorrosive action of the primer was evaluated by the polarization technique and the scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET). The exposed surface was then examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the surface composition determined by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The primer was finally integrated in a complete paint scheme whose anticorrosive performance was evaluated by the salt spray chamber and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The adhesion of the primer plus a painting system was also evaluated by standard ASTM D 3359-90 test method. The wash primer pigmented with zinc chromate was used as reference. Results indicated that basic zinc chromate could be replaced by the more eco-friendly wash-primer containing aluminium phosphosilicate.

  14. Microsatellite primers for fungus-growing ants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villesen, Palle; Gertsch, P J; Boomsma, JJ

    2002-01-01

    We isolated five polymorphic microsatellite loci from a library of two thousand recombinant clones of two fungus-growing ant species, Cyphomyrmex longiscapus and Trachymyrmex cf. zeteki. Amplification and heterozygosity were tested in five species of higher attine ants using both the newly...... developed primers and earlier published primers that were developed for fungus-growing ants. A total of 20 variable microsatellite loci, developed for six different species of fungus-growing ants, are now available for studying the population genetics and colony kin-structure of these ants....

  15. Microsatellite Primers for Fungus-Growing Ants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villesen Fredsted, Palle; Gertsch, Pia J.; Boomsma, Jacobus Jan (Koos)

    2002-01-01

    We isolated five polymorphic microsatellite loci from a library of two thousand recombinant clones of two fungus-growing ant species, Cyphomyrmex longiscapus and Trachymyrmex cf. zeteki. Amplification and heterozygosity were tested in five species of higher attine ants using both the newly...... developed primers and earlier published primers that were developed for fungus-growing ants. A total of 20 variable microsatellite loci, developed for six different species of fungus-growing ants, are now available for studying the population genetics and colony kin-structure of these ants....

  16. Back to Basics – The Influence of DNA Extraction and Primer Choice on Phylogenetic Analysis of Activated Sludge Communities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albertsen, Mads; Karst, Søren Michael; Ziegler, Anja Sloth

    2015-01-01

    the impact of a number of parameters on the observed microbial community: bead beating intensity, primer choice, extracellular DNA removal, and various PCR settings. In total, 176 samples were subjected to 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and selected samples were investigated throughmetagenomics...... and metatranscriptomics. Quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization was used as a DNA extraction-independent method for qualitative comparison. In general, an effect on the observed community was found on all parameters tested, although bead beating and primer choice had the largest effect. The effect of bead...

  17. A physicists guide to The Los Alamos Primer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reed, B Cameron

    2016-01-01

    In April 1943, a group of scientists at the newly established Los Alamos Laboratory were given a series of lectures by Robert Serber on what was then known of the physics and engineering issues involved in developing fission bombs. Serber’s lectures were recorded in a 24 page report titled The Los Alamos Primer , which was subsequently declassified and published in book form. This paper describes the background to the Primer and analyzes the physics contained in its 22 sections. The motivation for this paper is to provide a firm foundation of the background and contents of the Primer for physicists interested in the Manhattan Project and nuclear weapons. (invited comment)

  18. Estimates of abundance and diversity of Shewanella genus in natural and engineered aqueous environments with newly designed primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Bing-Bing; Cheng, Yuan-Yuan; Fan, Yang-Yang; Liu, Dong-Feng; Fang, Cai-Yun; Wu, Chao; Li, Wen-Wei; Yang, Zong-Chuang; Yu, Han-Qing

    2018-05-12

    Shewanella species have a diverse respiratory ability and wide distribution in environments and play an important role in bioremediation and the biogeochemical cycles of elements. Primers with more accuracy and broader coverage are required with consideration of the increasing number of Shewanella species and evaluation of their roles in various environments. In this work, a new primer set of 640F/815R was developed to quantify the abundance of Shewanella species in natural and engineered environments. In silico tools for primer evaluation, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and clone library results showed that 640F/815R had a higher specificity and coverage than the previous primers in quantitative analysis of Shewanella. Another newly developed primer pair of 211F/815cR was also adopted to analyze the Shewanella diversity and demonstrated to be the best candidate in terms of specificity and coverage. We detected more Shewanella-related species in freshwater environments and found them to be substantially different from those in marine environments. Abundance and diversity of Shewanella species in wastewater treatment plants were largely affected by the process and operating conditions. Overall, this study suggests that investigations of abundance and diversity of Shewanella in various environments are of great importance to evaluate their ecophysiology and potential ecological roles. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Single Assay Detection of Acute Bee Paralysis Virus, Kashmir Bee Virus and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Francis, Roy Mathew; Kryger, Per

    2012-01-01

    A new RT-PCR primer pair designed to identify Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV), Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV) or Israeli Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (IAPV) of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in a single assay is described. These primers are used to screen samples for ABPV, KBV, or IAPV in a single RT-PCR ......-PCR reaction saving time and money. The primers are located in the predicted overlapping gene (pog/ORFX) which is highly conserved across ABPV, KBV, IAPV and other dicistroviruses of social insects. This study has also identified the first case of IAPV in Denmark....

  20. The Single Needle Lockstitch Machine. [Constructing and Setting Pockets.] Module 9.

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia. Office of Vocational Education.

    This module on constructing and setting pockets, one in a series on the single needle lockstitch sewing machine for student self-study, contains three sections. Each section includes the following parts: an introduction, directions, an objective, learning activities, student information, student self-check, check-out activities, and an…

  1. Programa de acompañamiento para estudiantes de primer ingreso : Marco de referencia y propuesta de trabajo para primer semestre de 2002

    OpenAIRE

    Chinchilla-Brenes, Sonia; Sánchez-Oller, Sylvia

    2001-01-01

    Proyecto de Investigación El problema de la deserción estudiantil es un fenómeno mundial que involucra principalmente a alumnos de primer ingreso a los centros educativos y de manera particular a las instituciones de educación superior las cuales reportan índices de deserción de alrededor del 30% en el primer año. Ante esta situación se hace necesaria la atención de la población de primer ingreso con programas específicos que acompañen a los y las estudiantes en este proceso de ajuste al m...

  2. The Single Needle Lockstitch Machine. [Constructing and Setting Sleeves.] Module 7.

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia. Office of Vocational Education.

    This module on constructing and setting sleeves, one in a series on the single needle lockstitch sewing machine for student self-study, contains two sections. Each section includes the following parts: an introduction, directions, an objective, learning activities, student information, student self-check, check-out activities, and an instructor's…

  3. The Single Needle Lockstitch Machine. [Making and Setting Cuffs.] Module 6.

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia. Office of Vocational Education.

    This module on making and setting cuffs, one in a series on the single needle lockstitch sewing machine for student self-study, contains three sections. Each section includes the following parts: an introduction, directions, an objective, learning activities, student information, student self-check, check-out activities, and an instructor's final…

  4. Primer on consumer marketing research : procedures, methods, and tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-03-01

    The Volpe Center developed a marketing research primer which provides a guide to the approach, procedures, and research tools used by private industry in predicting consumer response. The final two chapters of the primer focus on the challenges of do...

  5. Frequent dual initiation of reverse transcription in murine leukemia virus-based vectors containing two primer-binding sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Voronin, Yegor A.; Pathak, Vinay K.

    2003-01-01

    Retroviruses package two copies of viral RNA into each virion. Although each RNA contains a primer-binding site for initiation of DNA synthesis, it is unknown whether reverse transcription is initiated on both RNAs. To determine whether a single virion is capable of initiating reverse transcription more than once, we constructed a murine leukemia virus-based vector containing a second primer-binding site (PBS) derived from spleen necrosis virus and inserted the green fluorescent protein gene (GFP) between the two PBSs. Initiation of reverse transcription at either PBS results in a provirus that expresses GFP. However, initiation at both PBSs can result in the deletion of GFP, which can be detected by flow cytometry and Southern blotting analysis. Approximately 22-29% of the proviruses formed deleted the GFP in a single replication cycle, indicating the minimum proportion of virions that initiated reverse transcription on both PBSs. These results show that a significant proportion of MLV-based vectors containing two PBSs have the capacity to initiate reverse transcription more than once

  6. Metabolic primers for detection of (Per)chlorate-reducing bacteria in the environment and phylogenetic analysis of cld gene sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bender, Kelly S; Rice, Melissa R; Fugate, William H; Coates, John D; Achenbach, Laurie A

    2004-09-01

    Natural attenuation of the environmental contaminant perchlorate is a cost-effective alternative to current removal methods. The success of natural perchlorate remediation is dependent on the presence and activity of dissimilatory (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria (DPRB) within a target site. To detect DPRB in the environment, two degenerate primer sets targeting the chlorite dismutase (cld) gene were developed and optimized. A nested PCR approach was used in conjunction with these primer sets to increase the sensitivity of the molecular detection method. Screening of environmental samples indicated that all products amplified by this method were cld gene sequences. These sequences were obtained from pristine sites as well as contaminated sites from which DPRB were isolated. More than one cld phylotype was also identified from some samples, indicating the presence of more than one DPRB strain at those sites. The use of these primer sets represents a direct and sensitive molecular method for the qualitative detection of (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria in the environment, thus offering another tool for monitoring natural attenuation. Sequences of cld genes isolated in the course of this project were also generated from various DPRB and provided the first opportunity for a phylogenetic treatment of this metabolic gene. Comparisons of the cld and 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene trees indicated that the cld gene does not track 16S rDNA phylogeny, further implicating the possible role of horizontal transfer in the evolution of (per)chlorate respiration.

  7. Optimization of ISSR-PCR reaction system and selection of primers in Bryum argenteum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ma Xiaoying

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available In order to determine optimum ISSR-PCR reaction system for moss Bryum argenteum,the concentrations of template DNA primers,dNTPs,Mg2+ and Taq DNA polymerase were optimized in four levels by PCR orthogonal experimental method. The appropriate primers were screened from 100 primers by temperature gradient PCR,and the optimal anneal temperature of the screened primers were determined. The results showed that the optimized 20 μL ISSR-PCR reaction system was as follows:template DNA 20 ng/20 μL,primers 0.45 μmol/L,Mg2+2.65 mmol/L,Taq DNA polymerase 0.4 U/20 μL,dNTPs 0.45 mmol/L. Using this system,50 primers with clear bands,repeatability well and polymorphism highly were selected from 100 primers. The establishment of this system,the screened primers and the annealing temperature could provide a theoretical basis for further research on the genetic diversity of bryophytes using ISSR molecular markers.

  8. Disclosing bias in bisulfite assay: MethPrimers underestimate high DNA methylation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Fuso

    Full Text Available Discordant results obtained in bisulfite assays using MethPrimers (PCR primers designed using MethPrimer software or assuming that non-CpGs cytosines are non methylated versus primers insensitive to cytosine methylation lead us to hypothesize a technical bias. We therefore used the two kinds of primers to study different experimental models and methylation statuses. We demonstrated that MethPrimers negatively select hypermethylated DNA sequences in the PCR step of the bisulfite assay, resulting in CpG methylation underestimation and non-CpG methylation masking, failing to evidence differential methylation statuses. We also describe the characteristics of "Methylation-Insensitive Primers" (MIPs, having degenerated bases (G/A to cope with the uncertain C/U conversion. As CpG and non-CpG DNA methylation patterns are largely variable depending on the species, developmental stage, tissue and cell type, a variable extent of the bias is expected. The more the methylome is methylated, the greater is the extent of the bias, with a prevalent effect of non-CpG methylation. These findings suggest a revision of several DNA methylation patterns so far documented and also point out the necessity of applying unbiased analyses to the increasing number of epigenomic studies.

  9. Identification of a common single nucleotide polymorphism at the primer binding site of D2S1360 that causes heterozygote peak imbalance when using the Investigator HDplex Kit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inokuchi, Shota; Yamashita, Yasuhiro; Nishimura, Kazuma; Nakanishi, Hiroaki; Saito, Kazuyuki

    2017-11-01

    Phenomena known as null alleles and peak imbalance can occur because of mutations in the primer binding sites used for DNA typing. In these cases, an accurate statistical evaluation of DNA typing is difficult. The estimated likelihood ratio is incorrectly calculated because of the null allele and allele dropout caused by mutation-induced peak imbalance. Although a number of studies have attempted to uncover examples of these phenomena, few reports are available on the human identification kit manufactured by Qiagen. In this study, 196 Japanese individuals who were heterozygous at D2S1360 were genotyped using an Investigator HDplex Kit with optimal amounts of DNA. A peak imbalance was frequently observed at the D2S1360 locus. We performed a sequencing analysis of the area surrounding the D2S1360 repeat motif to identify the cause for peak imbalance. A point mutation (G>A transition) 136 nucleotides upstream from the D2S1360 repeat motif was discovered in a number of samples. The allele frequency of the mutation was 0.0566 in the Japanese population. Therefore, human identification or kinship testing using the Investigator HDplex Kit requires caution because of the higher frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms at the primer binding site of D2S1360 locus in the Japanese population.

  10. Optimal pcr primers for rapid and accurate detection of Aspergillus flavus isolates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Shuhaib, Mohammed Baqur S; Albakri, Ali H; Alwan, Sabah H; Almandil, Noor B; AbdulAzeez, Sayed; Borgio, J Francis

    2018-03-01

    Aspergillus flavus is among the most devastating opportunistic pathogens of several food crops including rice, due to its high production of carcinogenic aflatoxins. The presence of these organisms in economically important rice strip farming is a serious food safety concern. Several polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers have been designed to detect this species; however, a comparative assessment of their accuracy has not been conducted. This study aims to identify the optimal diagnostic PCR primers for the identification of A. flavus, among widely available primers. We isolated 122 A. flavus native isolates from randomly collected rice strips (N = 300). We identified 109 isolates to the genus level using universal fungal PCR primer pairs. Nine pairs of primers were examined for their PCR diagnostic specificity on the 109 isolates. FLA PCR was found to be the optimal PCR primer pair for specific identification of the native isolates, over aflP(1), aflM, aflA, aflD, aflP(3), aflP(2), and aflR. The PEP primer pair was found to be the most unsuitable for A. flavus identification. In conclusion, the present study indicates the powerful specificity of the FLA PCR primer over other commonly available diagnostic primers for accurate, rapid, and large-scale identification of A. flavus native isolates. This study provides the first simple, practical comparative guide to PCR-based screening of A. flavus infection in rice strips. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Development of a set of SSR markers for genetic polymorphism detection and interspecific hybrid jute breeding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dipnarayan Saha

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Corchorus capsularis (white jute and C. olitorius (dark jute are the two principal cultivated species of jute that produce natural bast fiber of commercial importance. We have identified 4509 simple sequence repeat (SSR loci from 34,163 unigene sequences of C. capsularis to develop a non-redundant set of 2079 flanking primer pairs. Among the SSRs, trinucleotide repeats were most frequent (60% followed by dinucleotide repeats (37.6%. Annotation of the SSR-containing unigenes revealed their putative functions in various biological and molecular processes, including responses to biotic and abiotic signals. Eighteen expressed gene-derived SSR (eSSR markers were successfully mapped to the existing single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP linkage map of jute, providing additional anchor points. Amplification of 72% of the 74 randomly selected primer pairs was successful in a panel of 24 jute accessions, comprising five and twelve accessions of C. capsularis and C. olitorius, respectively, and seven wild jute species. Forty-three primer pairs produced an average of 2.7 alleles and 58.1% polymorphism in a panel of 24 jute accessions. The mean PIC value was 0.34 but some markers showed PIC values higher than 0.5, suggesting that these markers can efficiently measure genetic diversity and serve for mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs in jute. A primer polymorphism survey with parents of a wide-hybridized population between a cultivated jute and its wild relative revealed their efficacy for interspecific hybrid identification. For ready accessibility of jute eSSR primers, we compiled all information in a user-friendly web database, JuteMarkerdb (http://jutemarkerdb.icar.gov.in/ for the first time in jute. This eSSR resource in jute is expected to be of use in characterization of germplasm, interspecific hybrid and variety identification, and marker-assisted breeding of superior-quality jute.

  12. Laboratory and gas-fired furnace performance tests of epoxy primers for intumescent coatings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørgaard, Kristian Petersen; Dam-Johansen, Kim; Catala, Pere

    2014-01-01

    , either to ensure adhesion of the intumescent coating to the steel or to provide corrosion resistance. It is essential to document the performance of the intumescent coating together with the primer to ensure the overall quality of coating system. In the present work, two epoxy primers were used...... to a gas-fired furnace following the ISO834 fire curve (a so-called cellulosic fire), one of the primers selected performed well and the other poorly. From tests in the electrically heated oven, it was found that both primers were sensitive to the film thickness employed and the presence of oxygen....... At oxygen-rich conditions, higher primer thicknesses gave weaker performance. In addition, a color change from red to black was observed in nitrogen, while the color remained red in the oxygen-nitrogen mixture. In summary, the results suggest that an adequate choice of primer, primer thickness...

  13. A database of PCR primers for the chloroplast genomes of higher plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinze, Berthold

    2007-01-01

    Background Chloroplast genomes evolve slowly and many primers for PCR amplification and analysis of chloroplast sequences can be used across a wide array of genera. In some cases 'universal' primers have been designed for the purpose of working across species boundaries. However, the essential information on these primer sequences is scattered throughout the literature. Results A database is presented here which assembles published primer information for chloroplast DNA. Additional primers were designed to fill gaps where little or no primer information could be found. Amplicons are either the genes themselves (typically useful in studies of sequence variation in higher-order phylogeny) or they are spacers, introns, and intergenic regions (for studies of phylogeographic patterns within and among species). The current list of 'generic' primers consists of more than 700 sequences. Wherever possible, we give the locations of the primers in the thirteen fully sequenced chloroplast genomes (Nicotiana tabacum, Atropa belladonna, Spinacia oleracea, Arabidopsis thaliana, Populus trichocarpa, Oryza sativa, Pinus thunbergii, Marchantia polymorpha, Zea mays, Oenothera elata, Acorus calamus, Eucalyptus globulus, Medicago trunculata). Conclusion The database described here is designed to serve as a resource for researchers who are venturing into the study of poorly described chloroplast genomes, whether for large- or small-scale DNA sequencing projects, to study molecular variation or to investigate chloroplast evolution. PMID:17326828

  14. A database of PCR primers for the chloroplast genomes of higher plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heinze Berthold

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chloroplast genomes evolve slowly and many primers for PCR amplification and analysis of chloroplast sequences can be used across a wide array of genera. In some cases 'universal' primers have been designed for the purpose of working across species boundaries. However, the essential information on these primer sequences is scattered throughout the literature. Results A database is presented here which assembles published primer information for chloroplast DNA. Additional primers were designed to fill gaps where little or no primer information could be found. Amplicons are either the genes themselves (typically useful in studies of sequence variation in higher-order phylogeny or they are spacers, introns, and intergenic regions (for studies of phylogeographic patterns within and among species. The current list of 'generic' primers consists of more than 700 sequences. Wherever possible, we give the locations of the primers in the thirteen fully sequenced chloroplast genomes (Nicotiana tabacum, Atropa belladonna, Spinacia oleracea, Arabidopsis thaliana, Populus trichocarpa, Oryza sativa, Pinus thunbergii, Marchantia polymorpha, Zea mays, Oenothera elata, Acorus calamus, Eucalyptus globulus, Medicago trunculata. Conclusion The database described here is designed to serve as a resource for researchers who are venturing into the study of poorly described chloroplast genomes, whether for large- or small-scale DNA sequencing projects, to study molecular variation or to investigate chloroplast evolution.

  15. Enhanced specificity of TPMT*2 genotyping using unidirectional wild-type and mutant allele-specific scorpion primers in a single tube.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Chen

    Full Text Available Genotyping of thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT is recommended for predicting the adverse drug response of thiopurines. In the current study, a novel version of allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR, termed competitive real-time fluorescent AS-PCR (CRAS-PCR was developed to analyze the TPMT*2 genotype in ethnic Chinese. This technique simultaneously uses wild-type and mutant allele-specific scorpion primers in a single reaction. To determine the optimal conditions for both traditional AS-PCR and CRAS-PCR, we used the Taguchi method, an engineering optimization process that balances the concentrations of all components using an orthogonal array rather than a factorial array. Instead of running up to 264 experiments with the conventional factorial method, the Taguchi method achieved the same optimization using only 16 experiments. The optimized CRAS-PCR system completely avoided non-specific amplification occurring in traditional AS-PCR and could be performed at much more relaxed reaction conditions at 1% sensitivity, similar to traditional AS-PCR. TPMT*2 genotyping of 240 clinical samples was consistent with published data. In conclusion, CRAS-PCR is a novel and robust genotyping method, and the Taguchi method is an effective tool for the optimization of molecular analysis techniques.

  16. The Effects of Noncontingent Access to Single-versus Multiple-Stimulus Sets on Self-Injurious Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeLeon, Iser G.; Anders, Bonita M.; Rodriguez-Catter, Vanessa; Neidert, Pamela L.

    2000-01-01

    The automatically reinforced self-injury of a girl (age 11) with autism was treated by providing noncontingent access to a single set of preferred toys during 30-minute sessions. Rotating toy sets after 10 minutes or providing access to multiple toy sets resulted in reductions that lasted the entire 30 minutes. (Contains four references.)…

  17. Development and amplification of multiple co-dominant genetic markers from single spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi by nested multiplex PCR

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holtgrewe-Stukenbrock, Eva; Rosendahl, Søren

    2005-01-01

    Multiple co-dominant genetic markers from single spores of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi Glomus mosseae, Glomus caledonium, and Glomus geosporum were amplified by nested multiplex PCR using a combination of primers for simultaneous amplification of five loci in one PCR. Subsequently, each...... marker was amplified separately in nested PCR using specific primers. Polymorphic loci within the three putative single copy genes GmFOX2, GmTOR2, and GmGIN1 were characterized by sequencing and single strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCP). Primers specific for the LSU rDNA D2 region were included...... are homokaryotic. All isolates of G. mosseae had unique genotypes. The amplification of multiple co-dominant genetic markers from single spores by the nested multiplex PCR approach provides an important tool for future studies of AM fungi population genetics and evolution....

  18. The ability of T2/B4 primers to detect Leishmania infantum among ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SERVER

    2008-04-03

    Apr 3, 2008 ... Reverse Primer (5`-CCT CTC TTT TTT CNC TGT GC-3`). (Schönian et al., 1996),. B. Forward Primer (RV1) (5`-GTG GGG GAG GGG CGT TCT-3`) and Reverse Primer (RV2) (5`-ATT TTA CAC CAA CCC CCA GTT-. 3`) (Lachaud et al., 2002; Reale et al., 1999),. C. Forward Primer (T2) (5`-CGG CTT CGC ...

  19. Specific and sensitive primers for the detection of predated olive fruit flies, Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lantero, E.; Matallanas, B.; Ochando, M.D.; Pascual, S.; Callejas, C.

    2017-01-01

    Bactrocera oleae, the olive fruit fly, is a major pest of olive (Olea europaea L.) trees worldwide. Its presence can cause important losses, with consequences for the economies of countries that produce and export table olives and olive oil. Efforts to control olive fruit fly populations have, however, been insufficient. Now more than ever, environmentally friendly alternatives need to be considered in potential control programs. Generalist predators could provide a way of managing this pest naturally. However, the identification of candidate predator species is essential if such a management system is to be introduced. The present paper describes a set of species-specific primers for detecting the presence of B. oleae DNA in the gut of predatory arthropods. All primers were tested for checking cross-reactive amplification of other fruit fly DNA and evaluated in heterospecific mixes of nucleic acids. All were found to be very sensitive for B. oleae. Subsequent feeding trials were conducted using one of the most abundant species of ground dwelling carabids in olive groves in south-eastern Madrid, Spain. These trials allowed determining that 253F-334R and 334F-253R primer pairs had the highest detection efficiency with an ID50 of around 78 h. These primers therefore provide a very useful tool for screening the gut contents of potential predators of B. oleae, and can thus reveal candidate species for the pest's biological control.

  20. Specific and sensitive primers for the detection of predated olive fruit flies, Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esther Lantero

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Bactrocera oleae, the olive fruit fly, is a major pest of olive (Olea europaea L. trees worldwide. Its presence can cause important losses, with consequences for the economies of countries that produce and export table olives and olive oil. Efforts to control olive fruit fly populations have, however, been insufficient. Now more than ever, environmentally friendly alternatives need to be considered in potential control programs. Generalist predators could provide a way of managing this pest naturally. However, the identification of candidate predator species is essential if such a management system is to be introduced. The present paper describes a set of species-specific primers for detecting the presence of B. oleae DNA in the gut of predatory arthropods. All primers were tested for checking cross-reactive amplification of other fruit fly DNA and evaluated in heterospecific mixes of nucleic acids. All were found to be very sensitive for B. oleae. Subsequent feeding trials were conducted using one of the most abundant species of ground dwelling carabids in olive groves in south-eastern Madrid, Spain. These trials allowed determining that 253F-334R and 334F-253R primer pairs had the highest detection efficiency with an ID50 of around 78 h. These primers therefore provide a very useful tool for screening the gut contents of potential predators of B. oleae, and can thus reveal candidate species for the pest's biological control

  1. Specific and sensitive primers for the detection of predated olive fruit flies, Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lantero, E.; Matallanas, B.; Ochando, M.D.; Pascual, S.; Callejas, C.

    2017-07-01

    Bactrocera oleae, the olive fruit fly, is a major pest of olive (Olea europaea L.) trees worldwide. Its presence can cause important losses, with consequences for the economies of countries that produce and export table olives and olive oil. Efforts to control olive fruit fly populations have, however, been insufficient. Now more than ever, environmentally friendly alternatives need to be considered in potential control programs. Generalist predators could provide a way of managing this pest naturally. However, the identification of candidate predator species is essential if such a management system is to be introduced. The present paper describes a set of species-specific primers for detecting the presence of B. oleae DNA in the gut of predatory arthropods. All primers were tested for checking cross-reactive amplification of other fruit fly DNA and evaluated in heterospecific mixes of nucleic acids. All were found to be very sensitive for B. oleae. Subsequent feeding trials were conducted using one of the most abundant species of ground dwelling carabids in olive groves in south-eastern Madrid, Spain. These trials allowed determining that 253F-334R and 334F-253R primer pairs had the highest detection efficiency with an ID50 of around 78 h. These primers therefore provide a very useful tool for screening the gut contents of potential predators of B. oleae, and can thus reveal candidate species for the pest's biological control.

  2. Universal primers that amplify RNA from all three flavivirus subgroups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barnard Ross T

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Species within the Flavivirus genus pose public health problems around the world. Increasing cases of Dengue and Japanese encephalitis virus in Asia, frequent outbreaks of Yellow fever virus in Africa and South America, and the ongoing spread of West Nile virus throughout the Americas, show the geographical burden of flavivirus diseases. Flavivirus infections are often indistinct from and confused with other febrile illnesses. Here we review the specificity of published primers, and describe a new universal primer pair that can detect a wide range of flaviviruses, including viruses from each of the recognised subgroups. Results Bioinformatic analysis of 257 published full-length Flavivirus genomes revealed conserved regions not previously targeted by primers. Two degenerate primers, Flav100F and Flav200R were designed from these regions and used to generate an 800 base pair cDNA product. The region amplified encoded part of the methyltransferase and most of the RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase (NS5 coding sequence. One-step RT-PCR testing was successful using standard conditions with RNA from over 60 different flavivirus strains representing about 50 species. The cDNA from each virus isolate was sequenced then used in phylogenetic analyses and database searches to confirm the identity of the template RNA. Conclusion Comprehensive testing has revealed the broad specificity of these primers. We briefly discuss the advantages and uses of these universal primers.

  3. Primers for phylogeny reconstruction in Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae) using herbarium samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuntini, Alexandre R; Fonseca, Luiz Henrique M; Lohmann, Lúcia G

    2013-09-01

    New primers were developed for Bignonieae to enable phylogenetic studies within this clade using herbarium samples. • Internal primers were designed based on available sequences of the plastid ndhF gene and the rpl32-trnL intergenic spacer region, and the nuclear gene PepC. The resulting primers were used to amplify DNA extracted from herbarium materials. High-quality data were obtained from herbarium samples up to 53 yr old. • The standardized methodology allows the inclusion of herbarium materials as alternative sources of DNA for phylogenetic studies in Bignonieae.

  4. A fluorescence-based polymerase chain reaction-linked single-strand conformation polymorphism (F-PCR-SSCP) assay for the identification of Fasciola spp.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alasaad, Samer; Soriguer, Ramón C; Abu-Madi, Marawan; El Behairy, Ahmed; Baños, Pablo Díez; Píriz, Ana; Fickel, Joerns; Zhu, Xing-Quan

    2011-06-01

    The present study aimed to establish a fluorescence-based polymerase chain reaction-linked single-strand conformation polymorphism (F-PCR-SSCP) assay for the identification of Fasciola spp. Based on the sequences of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA, we designed a set of genus-specific primers for the amplification of Fasciola ITS-2, with an estimated size of 140 bp. These primers were labelled by fluorescence dyes, and the PCR products were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions (F-PCR-SSCP). Capillary electrophoresis analysis of the fluorescence-labelled DNA fragments displayed three different peak profiles that allowed the accurate identification of Fasciola species: one single peak specific for either Fasciola hepatica or Fasciola gigantica and a doublet peak corresponding to the "intermediate" Fasciola. Validation of our novel method was performed using Fasciola specimens from different host animals from China, Spain, Nigeria, and Egypt. This F-PCR-SSCP assay provides a rapid, simple, and robust tool for the identification and differentiation between Fasciola spp.

  5. Pengembangan Sejumlah Primer untuk Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction Guna Melacak Virus Flu Burung di Indonesia (DEVELOPMENt OF PRIMERS FOR REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION TO DETECT AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS IN INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ni Luh Putu Indi Dharmayanti

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Until recently, two clades of of avian influenza viruses (AIVs designated as 2.3.2 and 2.2.3 havebeen circulating in Indonesia. Mutations of AIV genes have cretaed many more variants of the virus. It istherefore important to evaluate the appropriate methods used for the detection and diagnosis of AI virusin the field. Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR have been used as a standardmethod for detection of AIV in many laboratories in Indonesia. The success of RT-PCR for detection ofAIV virus is dependent on the nucleotide sequences of primer that match with the circulating of AIVs. Theaims of this study was to develop RT-PCR by designing primers for H5 subtype specific to the circulatingAIVs in the field. The primers were designed using Primer Design software, and optimization andvalidation of the primer were conducted using AIVs that have been characterized in the previous study.The primers were then used RT-PCR using AIV isolates from field samples and their sensitivity andspecificity were then determined. The results showed that the H5 primers designed in this study, H5-IDand H5-NLP, was able to detect the AIVs in field samples better than the H5-specific primers have beenused previously. In conclusion, H5 primers designed based on recent viruses in the field showed betterresults in the detection of AI virus as compared to the previous primers. As AIV-H5N1 subtype in the fieldwill continue to change and evolve, the use of primers designed in this study is recommended for diagnosisof H5 AIV.

  6. Design of a Percussion and Electric Primer Gun Firing Power Supply

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-07-01

    solenoid failure. As new instrumentation techniques such as high-speed video and laser interferometry have been introduced into our gun testing...to drive a solenoid into a percussion primer or ignite the M52A3B1 electric primer. To reduce power requirements, it uses charged capacitor banks to...drive the solenoid or ignite the primer. This report details the design and construction of the power supplies. 15. SUBJECT TERMS power supply

  7. Transferability of retrotransposon primers derived from Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) across other plant species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, X Y; Hu, Q N; Zhang, Q L; Wang, Y B; Luo, Z R

    2013-06-06

    Retrotransposon-based molecular markers are powerful molecular tools. However, these markers are not readily available due to the difficulty in obtaining species-specific retrotransposon primers. Although recent techniques enabling the rapid isolation of retrotransposon sequences have facilitated primer development, this process nonetheless remains time-consuming and costly. Therefore, research into the transferability of retrotransposon primers developed from one plant species onto others would be of great value. The present study investigated the transferability of retrotransposon primers derived from 'Luotian-tianshi' persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) across other fruit crops, as well as within the genus using inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism molecular marker. Fourteen of the 26 retrotransposon primers tested (53.85%) produced robust and reproducible amplification products across all fruit crops tested, indicating their applicability across plant species. Four of the 13 fruit crops showed the best transferability performances: persimmon, grape, citrus, and peach. Furthermore, similarity coefficients and UPGMA clustering indicated that these primers could further offer a potential tool for germplasm differentiation, parentage identification, genetic diversity assessment, classification, and phylogenetic studies across a variety of plant species. Transferability was further confirmed by examining published primers derived from Rosaceae, Gramineae, and Solanaceae. This study is one of the few currently available studies concerning the transferability of retrotransposon primers across plant species in general, and is the first successful study of the transferability of retrotransposon primers derived from persimmon. The primers presented here will help reduce costs for future retrotransposon primer development and therefore contribute to the popularization of retrotransposon molecular markers.

  8. Rapid Identification of Pathogenic Fungi Directly from Cultures by Using Multiplex PCR

    OpenAIRE

    Luo, Guizhen; Mitchell, Thomas G.

    2002-01-01

    A multiplex PCR method was developed to identify simultaneously multiple fungal pathogens in a single reaction. Five sets of species-specific primers were designed from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, ITS1 and ITS2, of the rRNA gene to identify Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Another set of previously published ITS primers, CN4 and CN5, were used to identify Cryptococcus neoformans. Three sets of primers w...

  9. Comparison of shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets using various zirconia primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ji-Yeon; Kim, Jin-Seok; Hwang, Chung-Ju

    2015-07-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets bonded to zirconia surfaces using three different zirconia primers and one silane primer, and subjected to thermocycling. We designed 10 experimental groups following the surface treatment and thermocycling. The surface was treated with one of the following method: no-primer (NP), Porcelain Conditioner (PC), Z-PRIME Plus (ZP), Monobond Plus (MP) and Zirconia Liner Premium (ZL) (n=20). Then each group was subdivided to non-thermocycled and thermocycled groups (NPT, PC, ZPT, MPT, ZLT) (n=10). Orthodontic brackets were bonded to the specimens using Transbond™ XT Paste and light cured for 15 s at 1,100 mW/cm(2). The SBS was measured at a 1 mm/min crosshead speed. The failure mode was assessed by examination with a stereomicroscope and the amount of bonding resin remaining on the zirconia surface was scored using the modified adhesive remnant index (ARI). The SBS of all experimental groups decreased after thermocycling. Before thermocycling, the SBS was ZL, ZP ≥ MP ≥ PC > NP but after thermocycling, the SBS was ZLT ≥ MPT ≥ ZPT > PCT = NPT (p > 0.05). For the ARI score, both of the groups lacking primer (NP and NPT) displayed adhesive failure modes, but the groups with zirconia primers (ZP, ZPT, MP, MPT, ZL, and ZLT) were associated with mixed failure modes. Surface treatment with a zirconia primer increases the SBS relative to no-primer or silane primer application between orthodontic brackets and zirconia prostheses.

  10. Bioinformatic tools for PCR Primer design

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ES

    Bioinformatics is an emerging scientific discipline that uses information ... complex biological questions. ... and computer programs for various purposes of primer ..... polymerase chain reaction: Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 model studies.

  11. Primers for Phylogeny Reconstruction in Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae Using Herbarium Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre R. Zuntini

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Premise of the study: New primers were developed for Bignonieae to enable phylogenetic studies within this clade using herbarium samples. Methods and Results: Internal primers were designed based on available sequences of the plastid ndhF gene and the rpl32-trnL intergenic spacer region, and the nuclear gene PepC. The resulting primers were used to amplify DNA extracted from herbarium materials. High-quality data were obtained from herbarium samples up to 53 yr old. Conclusions: The standardized methodology allows the inclusion of herbarium materials as alternative sources of DNA for phylogenetic studies in Bignonieae.

  12. Simultaneous identification and DNA barcoding of six Eimeria species infecting turkeys using PCR primers targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) locus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hafeez, Mian A; Shivaramaiah, Srichaitanya; Dorsey, Kristi Moore; Ogedengbe, Mosun E; El-Sherry, Shiem; Whale, Julia; Cobean, Julie; Barta, John R

    2015-05-01

    Species-specific PCR primers targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) locus were generated that allow for the specific identification of the most common Eimeria species infecting turkeys (i.e., Eimeria adenoeides, Eimeria meleagrimitis, Eimeria gallopavonis, Eimeria meleagridis, Eimeria dispersa, and Eimeria innocua). PCR reaction chemistries were optimized with respect to divalent cation (MgCl2) and dNTP concentrations, as well as PCR cycling conditions (particularly anneal temperature for primers). Genomic DNA samples from single oocyst-derived lines of six Eimeria species were tested to establish specificity and sensitivity of these newly designed primer pairs. A mixed 60-ng total DNA sample containing 10 ng of each of the six Eimeria species was used as DNA template to demonstrate specific amplification of the correct product using each of the species-specific primer pairs. Ten nanograms of each of the five non-target Eimeria species was pooled to provide a non-target, control DNA sample suitable to test the specificity of each primer pair. The amplifications of the COI region with species-specific primer pairs from pooled samples yielded products of expected sizes (209 to 1,012 bp) and no amplification of non-target Eimeria sp. DNA was detected using the non-target, control DNA samples. These primer pairs specific for Eimeria spp. of turkeys did not amplify any of the seven Eimeria species infecting chickens. The newly developed PCR primers can be used as a diagnostic tool capable of specifically identifying six turkey Eimeria species; additionally, sequencing of the PCR amplification products yields sequence-based genotyping data suitable for identification and molecular phylogenetics.

  13. A hybrid approach of gene sets and single genes for the prediction of survival risks with gene expression data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seok, Junhee; Davis, Ronald W; Xiao, Wenzhong

    2015-01-01

    Accumulated biological knowledge is often encoded as gene sets, collections of genes associated with similar biological functions or pathways. The use of gene sets in the analyses of high-throughput gene expression data has been intensively studied and applied in clinical research. However, the main interest remains in finding modules of biological knowledge, or corresponding gene sets, significantly associated with disease conditions. Risk prediction from censored survival times using gene sets hasn't been well studied. In this work, we propose a hybrid method that uses both single gene and gene set information together to predict patient survival risks from gene expression profiles. In the proposed method, gene sets provide context-level information that is poorly reflected by single genes. Complementarily, single genes help to supplement incomplete information of gene sets due to our imperfect biomedical knowledge. Through the tests over multiple data sets of cancer and trauma injury, the proposed method showed robust and improved performance compared with the conventional approaches with only single genes or gene sets solely. Additionally, we examined the prediction result in the trauma injury data, and showed that the modules of biological knowledge used in the prediction by the proposed method were highly interpretable in biology. A wide range of survival prediction problems in clinical genomics is expected to benefit from the use of biological knowledge.

  14. In Vitro Evaluation of Shear Bond Strength of Self Etching Primers to Dentin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reena Vora

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To evaluate and compare the shear bond strength of four self etching primer adhesives to dentin. Materials & Methods: A total of 75 extracted human maxillary and mandibular molars were selected for the study. The teeth were divided into 5 groups of 15 teeth each, Group A- AdheSE (Ivoclar Vivadent, Group B-Adper prompt (3M ESPE, Group C- i bond (Heraeus-Kulzer, Group D-XenoIII (Dentsply, De Trey Group E-Single bond (3M ESPE was used and served as control. All the adhesives were applied according to the manufacturer′s instructions. Composite post was built on these bonded surfaces using Z-100 hybrid composite. The teeth were subjected to thermocycling for 500 cycles between 5°C to 55°C. The teeth were then mounted on universal testing machine and fractured under a shearing load, applied at a speed of 0.2mm/min. The readings were noted, tabulated and shear bond strength calculated in Mega Pascal (Mpa units. Results: There was significant difference in the mean shear bond strength of the four self etching primers, adhesives tested. Shear strength values were in the range of 16.57 to 21.73 Mpa. Xeno III gave the highest mean of shear bond strength whereas Adhe SE showed the lowest value of shear strength. Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that contemporary self etching primer adhesives bond successfully to dentin. Moreover the bonding ability of Self Etching Systems seems to be comparable to the conventional Total Etch Systems.

  15. Does the "Negro" "Still" Need Separate Schools? Single-Sex Educational Settings as Critical Race Counterspaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terry, Clarence L., Sr.; Flennaugh, Terry K.; Blackmon, Samarah M.; Howard, Tyrone C.

    2014-01-01

    This article explores whether contemporary educators should consider single-sex educational settings as viable interventions in educating African American males. Using qualitative data from a 2-year study of single-sex educational spaces in two Los Angeles County high schools, the authors argue that when all-male spaces effectively function as…

  16. Real-time PCR (qPCR) primer design using free online software.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornton, Brenda; Basu, Chhandak

    2011-01-01

    Real-time PCR (quantitative PCR or qPCR) has become the preferred method for validating results obtained from assays which measure gene expression profiles. The process uses reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), coupled with fluorescent chemistry, to measure variations in transcriptome levels between samples. The four most commonly used fluorescent chemistries are SYBR® Green dyes and TaqMan®, Molecular Beacon or Scorpion probes. SYBR® Green is very simple to use and cost efficient. As SYBR® Green dye binds to any double-stranded DNA product, its success depends greatly on proper primer design. Many types of online primer design software are available, which can be used free of charge to design desirable SYBR® Green-based qPCR primers. This laboratory exercise is intended for those who have a fundamental background in PCR. It addresses the basic fluorescent chemistries of real-time PCR, the basic rules and pitfalls of primer design, and provides a step-by-step protocol for designing SYBR® Green-based primers with free, online software. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. A Hearing Aid Primer 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yetter, Carol J.

    2009-01-01

    This hearing aid primer is designed to define the differences among the three levels of hearing instrument technology: conventional analog circuit technology (most basic), digitally programmable/analog circuit technology (moderately advanced), and fully digital technology (most advanced). Both moderate and advanced technologies mean that hearing…

  18. DNA Extraction and Primer Selection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Karst, Søren Michael; Nielsen, Per Halkjær; Albertsen, Mads

    Talk regarding pitfalls in DNA extraction and 16S amplicon primer choice when performing community analysis of complex microbial communities. The talk was a part of Workshop 2 "Principles, Potential, and Limitations of Novel Molecular Methods in Water Engineering; from Amplicon Sequencing to -omics...

  19. A classical primer for QCD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moriyasu, K.

    1981-01-01

    A basic primer for QCD is presented using a semiclassical approach to the colour Maxwell equations. The non-Abelian nature of colour symmetry and the violation of superposition by colour fields is compared with QED. A simple discussion of asymptotic freedom is also presented. (author)

  20. GETPrime: a gene- or transcript-specific primer database for quantitative real-time PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gubelmann, Carine; Gattiker, Alexandre; Massouras, Andreas; Hens, Korneel; David, Fabrice; Decouttere, Frederik; Rougemont, Jacques; Deplancke, Bart

    2011-01-01

    The vast majority of genes in humans and other organisms undergo alternative splicing, yet the biological function of splice variants is still very poorly understood in large part because of the lack of simple tools that can map the expression profiles and patterns of these variants with high sensitivity. High-throughput quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is an ideal technique to accurately quantify nucleic acid sequences including splice variants. However, currently available primer design programs do not distinguish between splice variants and also differ substantially in overall quality, functionality or throughput mode. Here, we present GETPrime, a primer database supported by a novel platform that uniquely combines and automates several features critical for optimal qPCR primer design. These include the consideration of all gene splice variants to enable either gene-specific (covering the majority of splice variants) or transcript-specific (covering one splice variant) expression profiling, primer specificity validation, automated best primer pair selection according to strict criteria and graphical visualization of the latter primer pairs within their genomic context. GETPrime primers have been extensively validated experimentally, demonstrating high transcript specificity in complex samples. Thus, the free-access, user-friendly GETPrime database allows fast primer retrieval and visualization for genes or groups of genes of most common model organisms, and is available at http://updepla1srv1.epfl.ch/getprime/. Database URL: http://deplanckelab.epfl.ch.

  1. Tools for Ultraspecific Probe/Primer Design

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Fofanov, Yurly

    2006-01-01

    .... Our approach will deliver DNA probes and PCR primers that have an unprecedentedly low probability of false positives or confusion by environmental background, and which resist evasion by threat agent engineering...

  2. Diversity of internal structures in inhibited epoxy primers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthony E. Hughes

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Computed tomography is making a significant impact in the field of materials science in recent years. In this paper the authors report on advances made in three areas of characterization and also identified where further research needs to be focused. First we report on a new approach to data analysis called “Data Constrained Modelling (DCM” in which compositional tomography can be undertaken rather than adsorption or phase contrast tomography. This is achieved by collecting X-ray CT data at different energies and then combining the datasets to reconstruct 3D compositional tomography. Second, on the application of this approach to inhibited primers typical of those used in the aerospace industry. Aerospace primers are effectively composite materials containing inorganic phases which are bound together with a polymer. Understanding the materials science of these systems requires information over several orders of magnitude in length-scale. In this paper we report on how DCM can be used to extend our understanding at the smaller length scales at the limits of resolution of the technique. The third and final advance is in extending the approach to include 4-dimensional studies. In this case we examine the primer before and after leaching. This process causes changes in the primer which can be both detected and quantified using the above approach.

  3. Preparation and Characterization of Acrylic Primer for Concrete Substrate Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    El-Sayed Negim

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This study dealt with the properties of acrylic primer for concrete substrate using acrylic syrup, made from a methyl methacrylate monomer solution of terpolymers. Terpolymer systems consisting of methyl methacrylate (MMA, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2-EHA, and methacrylic acid (MAA with different chemical composition ratios of MMA and 2-EHA were synthesized through bulk polymerization using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN as initiator. The terpolymer composition is characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, DSC, TGA, and SEM. The glass transition temperature and the thermal stability increased with increasing amounts of MMA in the terpolymer backbone. The effect of chemical composition of terpolymers on physicomechanical properties of primer films was investigated. However, increasing the amount of MMA in terpolymer backbone increased tensile and contact angle of primer films while elongation at break, water absorption, and bond strength are decreased. In particular, the primer syrup containing 65% 2-EHA has good bonding strength with concrete substrate around 1.1 MPa.

  4. Performance testing of lead free primers: blast waves, velocity variations, and environmental testing

    OpenAIRE

    Courtney, Elya; Courtney, Amy; Summer, Peter David; Courtney, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Results are presented for lead free primers based on diazodinitrophenol (DDNP)compared with tests on lead styphnate based primers. First, barrel friction measurements in 5.56 mm NATO are presented. Second, shot to shot variations in blast waves are presented as determined by detonating primers in a 7.62x51mm rifle chamber with a firing pin, but without any powder or bullet loaded and measuring the blast wave at the muzzle with a high speed pressure transducer. Third, variations in primer blas...

  5. Penerapan Metode Diagnosis Cepat Virus Avian Influenza H5N1 dengan Metode Single Step Multiplex RT-PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aris Haryanto

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Avian influenza (AI virus is a segmented single stranded (ss RNA virus with negative polarity andbelong to the Orthomyxoviridae family. Diagnose of AI virus can be performed using conventional methodsbut it has low sensitivity and specificity. The objective of the research was to apply rapid, precise, andaccurate diagnostic method for AI virus and also to determine its type and subtype based on the SingleStep Multiplex Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction targeting M, H5, and N1 genes. In thismethod M, H5 and NI genes were simultaneously amplified in one PCR tube. The steps of this researchconsist of collecting viral RNAs from 10 different AI samples originated from Maros Disease InvestigationCenter during 2007. DNA Amplification was conducted by Simplex RT-PCR using M primer set. Then, bysingle step multiplex RT-PCR were conducted simultaneously using M, H5 and N1 primers set. The RTPCRproducts were then separated on 1.5% agarose gel, stained by ethidum bromide and visualized underUV transilluminator. Results showed that 8 of 10 RNA virus samples could be amplified by Simplex RTPCRfor M gene which generating a DNA fragment of 276 bp. Amplification using multiplex RT-PCRmethod showed two of 10 samples were AI positive using multiplex RT-PCR, three DNA fragments weregenerated consisting of 276 bp for M gene, 189 bp for H5 gene, and 131 bp for N1. In this study, rapid andeffective diagnosis method for AI virus can be conducted by using simultaneous Single Step Multiplex RTPCR.By this technique type and subtype of AI virus, can also be determined, especially H5N1.

  6. 40 CFR 63.745 - Standards: Primer and topcoat application operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... CATEGORIES (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Aerospace Manufacturing and Rework Facilities § 63.745.../L (4.5 lb/gal) of primer (less water), as applied, for general aviation rework facilities; or 650 g... (4.5 lb/gal) of primer (less water and exempt solvents), as applied, for general aviation rework...

  7. Reducing twin pregnancy rates after IVF--elective single embryo transfer (eSET).

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Milne, P

    2010-01-01

    Multiple pregnancy is a major complication of IVF and is associated with increased maternal, fetal and neonatal morbidity. Elective single embryo transfer (eSET) during IVF, rather than the more standard transfer of two embryos (double embryo transfer or DET), has been shown to significantly reduce the multiple pregnancy rate associated with IVF, while maintaining acceptable pregnancy rates. Couples undergoing IVF in 2008 who met good prognostic criteria had eSET performed. Pregnancy and twinning rates were compared with those for similar couples in 2007 who had DET. Couples unsuccessful with a fresh cycle of treatment had subsequent frozen embryo transfer cycles with DET. The cumulative pregnancy rate was similar for each group. However there were no multiple pregnancies in the eSET group, compared to 4 twins of 5 pregnancies in the DET group. 96% of eligible couples agreed to eSET. ESET is successful in and acceptable to good prognosis Irish couples undergoing IVF.

  8. The use of coded PCR primers enables high-throughput sequencing of multiple homolog amplification products by 454 parallel sequencing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonas Binladen

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available The invention of the Genome Sequence 20 DNA Sequencing System (454 parallel sequencing platform has enabled the rapid and high-volume production of sequence data. Until now, however, individual emulsion PCR (emPCR reactions and subsequent sequencing runs have been unable to combine template DNA from multiple individuals, as homologous sequences cannot be subsequently assigned to their original sources.We use conventional PCR with 5'-nucleotide tagged primers to generate homologous DNA amplification products from multiple specimens, followed by sequencing through the high-throughput Genome Sequence 20 DNA Sequencing System (GS20, Roche/454 Life Sciences. Each DNA sequence is subsequently traced back to its individual source through 5'tag-analysis.We demonstrate that this new approach enables the assignment of virtually all the generated DNA sequences to the correct source once sequencing anomalies are accounted for (miss-assignment rate<0.4%. Therefore, the method enables accurate sequencing and assignment of homologous DNA sequences from multiple sources in single high-throughput GS20 run. We observe a bias in the distribution of the differently tagged primers that is dependent on the 5' nucleotide of the tag. In particular, primers 5' labelled with a cytosine are heavily overrepresented among the final sequences, while those 5' labelled with a thymine are strongly underrepresented. A weaker bias also exists with regards to the distribution of the sequences as sorted by the second nucleotide of the dinucleotide tags. As the results are based on a single GS20 run, the general applicability of the approach requires confirmation. However, our experiments demonstrate that 5'primer tagging is a useful method in which the sequencing power of the GS20 can be applied to PCR-based assays of multiple homologous PCR products. The new approach will be of value to a broad range of research areas, such as those of comparative genomics, complete mitochondrial

  9. Reliable allele detection using SNP-based PCR primers containing Locked Nucleic Acid: application in genetic mapping

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trognitz Friederike

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The diploid, Solanum caripense, a wild relative of potato and tomato, possesses valuable resistance to potato late blight and we are interested in the genetic base of this resistance. Due to extremely low levels of genetic variation within the S. caripense genome it proved impossible to generate a dense genetic map and to assign individual Solanum chromosomes through the use of conventional chromosome-specific SSR, RFLP, AFLP, as well as gene- or locus-specific markers. The ease of detection of DNA polymorphisms depends on both frequency and form of sequence variation. The narrow genetic background of close relatives and inbreds complicates the detection of persisting, reduced polymorphism and is a challenge to the development of reliable molecular markers. Nonetheless, monomorphic DNA fragments representing not directly usable conventional markers can contain considerable variation at the level of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs. This can be used for the design of allele-specific molecular markers. The reproducible detection of allele-specific markers based on SNPs has been a technical challenge. Results We present a fast and cost-effective protocol for the detection of allele-specific SNPs by applying Sequence Polymorphism-Derived (SPD markers. These markers proved highly efficient for fingerprinting of individuals possessing a homogeneous genetic background. SPD markers are obtained from within non-informative, conventional molecular marker fragments that are screened for SNPs to design allele-specific PCR primers. The method makes use of primers containing a single, 3'-terminal Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA base. We demonstrate the applicability of the technique by successful genetic mapping of allele-specific SNP markers derived from monomorphic Conserved Ortholog Set II (COSII markers mapped to Solanum chromosomes, in S. caripense. By using SPD markers it was possible for the first time to map the S. caripense alleles

  10. Development and bin mapping of a Rosaceae Conserved Ortholog Set (COS of markers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kozik Alex

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Detailed comparative genome analyses within the economically important Rosaceae family have not been conducted. This is largely due to the lack of conserved gene-based molecular markers that are transferable among the important crop genera within the family [e.g. Malus (apple, Fragaria (strawberry, and Prunus (peach, cherry, apricot and almond]. The lack of molecular markers and comparative whole genome sequence analysis for this family severely hampers crop improvement efforts as well as QTL confirmation and validation studies. Results We identified a set of 3,818 rosaceaous unigenes comprised of two or more ESTs that correspond to single copy Arabidopsis genes. From this Rosaceae Conserved Orthologous Set (RosCOS, 1039 were selected from which 857 were used for the development of intron-flanking primers and allele amplification. This led to successful amplification and subsequent mapping of 613 RosCOS onto the Prunus TxE reference map resulting in a genome-wide coverage of 0.67 to 1.06 gene-based markers per cM per linkage group. Furthermore, the RosCOS primers showed amplification success rates from 23 to 100% across the family indicating that a substantial part of the RosCOS primers can be directly employed in other less studied rosaceaous crops. Comparisons of the genetic map positions of the RosCOS with the physical locations of the orthologs in the Populus trichocarpa genome identified regions of colinearity between the genomes of Prunus-Rosaceae and Populus-Salicaceae. Conclusion Conserved orthologous genes are extremely useful for the analysis of genome evolution among closely and distantly related species. The results presented in this study demonstrate the considerable potential of the mapped Prunus RosCOS for genome-wide marker employment and comparative whole genome studies within the Rosaceae family. Moreover, these markers will also function as useful anchor points for the genome sequencing efforts currently

  11. Development and bin mapping of a Rosaceae Conserved Ortholog Set (COS) of markers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabrera, Antonio; Kozik, Alex; Howad, Werner; Arus, Pere; Iezzoni, Amy F; van der Knaap, Esther

    2009-11-29

    Detailed comparative genome analyses within the economically important Rosaceae family have not been conducted. This is largely due to the lack of conserved gene-based molecular markers that are transferable among the important crop genera within the family [e.g. Malus (apple), Fragaria (strawberry), and Prunus (peach, cherry, apricot and almond)]. The lack of molecular markers and comparative whole genome sequence analysis for this family severely hampers crop improvement efforts as well as QTL confirmation and validation studies. We identified a set of 3,818 rosaceaous unigenes comprised of two or more ESTs that correspond to single copy Arabidopsis genes. From this Rosaceae Conserved Orthologous Set (RosCOS), 1039 were selected from which 857 were used for the development of intron-flanking primers and allele amplification. This led to successful amplification and subsequent mapping of 613 RosCOS onto the Prunus TxE reference map resulting in a genome-wide coverage of 0.67 to 1.06 gene-based markers per cM per linkage group. Furthermore, the RosCOS primers showed amplification success rates from 23 to 100% across the family indicating that a substantial part of the RosCOS primers can be directly employed in other less studied rosaceaous crops. Comparisons of the genetic map positions of the RosCOS with the physical locations of the orthologs in the Populus trichocarpa genome identified regions of colinearity between the genomes of Prunus-Rosaceae and Populus-Salicaceae. Conserved orthologous genes are extremely useful for the analysis of genome evolution among closely and distantly related species. The results presented in this study demonstrate the considerable potential of the mapped Prunus RosCOS for genome-wide marker employment and comparative whole genome studies within the Rosaceae family. Moreover, these markers will also function as useful anchor points for the genome sequencing efforts currently ongoing in this family as well as for comparative QTL

  12. Employment of Near Full-Length Ribosome Gene TA-Cloning and Primer-Blast to Detect Multiple Species in a Natural Complex Microbial Community Using Species-Specific Primers Designed with Their Genome Sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Huimin; He, Hongkui; Yu, Xiujuan; Xu, Zhaohui; Zhang, Zhizhou

    2016-11-01

    It remains an unsolved problem to quantify a natural microbial community by rapidly and conveniently measuring multiple species with functional significance. Most widely used high throughput next-generation sequencing methods can only generate information mainly for genus-level taxonomic identification and quantification, and detection of multiple species in a complex microbial community is still heavily dependent on approaches based on near full-length ribosome RNA gene or genome sequence information. In this study, we used near full-length rRNA gene library sequencing plus Primer-Blast to design species-specific primers based on whole microbial genome sequences. The primers were intended to be specific at the species level within relevant microbial communities, i.e., a defined genomics background. The primers were tested with samples collected from the Daqu (also called fermentation starters) and pit mud of a traditional Chinese liquor production plant. Sixteen pairs of primers were found to be suitable for identification of individual species. Among them, seven pairs were chosen to measure the abundance of microbial species through quantitative PCR. The combination of near full-length ribosome RNA gene library sequencing and Primer-Blast may represent a broadly useful protocol to quantify multiple species in complex microbial population samples with species-specific primers.

  13. Comparative evaluation of self-etching primers and phosphoric acid effectiveness on composite to enamel bond: an in vitro study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Basanagouda S; Rao, Bk Raghavendra; Sharathchandra, Sm; Hegde, Reshma; Kumar, G Vinay

    2013-09-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of the one total-etch self-priming adhesive, one two-step self-etching primer adhesive, and one 'all-in-one' self-etching adhesive system on the adhesion of a resin composite to enamel. Thirty-six freshly extracted human mandibular molars were selected for this study. A fat area about 5 mm in diameter was created on the exposed mesial surface of enamel of each tooth by moist grinding with 320, 420 and 600 grit silicon carbide paper. Twelve teeth were randomly assigned into three groups. In group 1, Adper Easy One (3M ESPE), a one step self-etching primer adhesive was applied and light curing unit for 10 seconds. In group 2, Adper SE Plus, a two-step self-etching primer with bottle A containing the aqueous primer and bottle B containing the acidic adhesive was applied and light cured for 10 seconds. Group 3 (control)-etchant 37% phosphoric acid is applied to the surface for 15 seconds and rinsed with water and air dried and adhesive (single bond 2) is applied to the surface and tube is placed and light cured for 20 seconds. Composite material (Z350) was placed in the tube and light cured for 40 seconds in all the groups. Bond strength testing was done using universal testing machine at the enamel-composite interface. The debonded enamel surface was evaluated in stereomicroscope to assess the cohesive, adhesive or mixed fracture. Data was statistically analyzed by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Group 1 performed least among all groups with a mean score of 19.46 MPa. Group 2 had a mean score of 25.67 MPa. Group 3 had a mean score of 27.16 MPa. Under the conditions of this in vitro study, the bond strength values of the two-step self-etching primer systems tested were similar to the total-etch. And, one step self-etching primers have lower bond strength compared to the total-etch.

  14. The Fluid Reading Primer: Animated Decoding Support for Emergent Readers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zellweger, Polle T.; Mackinlay, Jock D.

    A prototype application called the Fluid Reading Primer was developed to help emergent readers with the process of decoding written words into their spoken forms. The Fluid Reading Primer is part of a larger research project called Fluid Documents, which is exploring the use of interactive animation of typography to show additional information in…

  15. Targeted reduction of highly abundant transcripts using pseudo-random primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnaud, Ophélie; Kato, Sachi; Poulain, Stéphane; Plessy, Charles

    2016-04-01

    Transcriptome studies based on quantitative sequencing can estimate levels of gene expression by measuring target RNA abundance in sequencing libraries. Sequencing costs are proportional to the total number of sequenced reads, and in order to cover rare RNAs, considerable quantities of abundant and identical reads are needed. This major limitation can be addressed by depleting a proportion of the most abundant sequences from the library. However, such depletion strategies involve either extra handling of the input RNA sample or use of a large number of reverse transcription primers, termed not-so-random (NSR) primers, which are costly to synthesize. Taking advantage of the high tolerance of reverse transcriptase to mis-prime, we found that it is possible to use as few as 40 pseudo-random (PS) reverse transcription primers to decrease the rate of undesirable abundant sequences within a library without affecting the overall transcriptome diversity. PS primers are simple to design and can be used to deplete several undesirable RNAs simultaneously, thus creating a flexible tool for enriching transcriptome libraries for rare transcript sequences.

  16. Defense Primer: DOD Contractors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-02-10

    functions, from intelligence analysis or software development to landscaping or food service. Why does DOD use individual contractors? Going back to...that provide professional services, from research to management support. The bulk of contractors—more than 70%—provide products, and these include...10 U.S.C. Part IV: Service, Supply, and Procurement. CRS Products CRS In Focus IF10548, Defense Primer: U.S. Defense Industrial Base, by Daniel

  17. An extended set-value observer for position estimation using single range measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marcal, Jose; Jouffroy, Jerome; Fossen, Thor I.

    the observability of the system is briefly discussed and an extended set-valued observer is presented, with some discussion about the effect of the measurements noise on the final solution. This observer estimates bounds in the errors assuming that the exogenous signals are bounded, providing a safe region......The ability of estimating the position of an underwater vehicle from single range measurements is important in applications where one transducer marks an important geographical point, when there is a limitation in the size or cost of the vehicle, or when there is a failure in a system...... of transponders. The knowledge of the bearing of the vehicle and the range measurements from a single location can provide a solution which is sensitive to the trajectory that the vehicle is following, since there is no complete constraint on the position estimate with a single beacon. In this paper...

  18. Freshwater Wetlands: A Citizen's Primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Inc., Hobart, NY.

    The purpose of this "primer" for the general public is to describe the general characteristics of wetlands and how wetland alteration adversely affects the well-being of humans. Particular emphasis is placed on wetlands in New York State and the northeast. Topics discussed include wetland values, destruction of wetlands, the costs of…

  19. Single Cell Analysis of Dystrophin and SRY Gene by Using Whole Genome Amplification

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    徐晨明; 金帆; 黄荷凤; 陶冶; 叶英辉

    2001-01-01

    Objective To develop a reliable and sensitive method for detection of sex and multiloci of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene in single cell Materials & methods Whole genome of single cell were amplified by using 15-base random primers (primer extension preamplification, PEP), then a small aliquot of PEP product were analyzed by using locus-specific nest PCR amplification. The procedure was evaluated by detection dystrophin exons 8, 17, 19, 44, 45, 48 and human testis-determining gene (SRY)in single lymphocytes from known sources and single blastomeres from the couples with no family history of DMD.Results The amplification efficiency rate of six dystrophin exons from single lymphocytes and single blastomeres were 97. 2% (175/180) and 100% (60/60) respectively.Results of SRY showed that 100% (15/15) amplification in single male-derived lymphocytes and 0% (0/15) amplification in single female-derived lymphocytes. Conclusion The technique of single cell PEP-nest PCR for dystrophin exons 8, 17,19, 44, 45, 48 and SRY is highly specifc. PEP-nest PCR is suitable for Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of DMD at single cell level.

  20. Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment Tutorial - Primer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This document provides a Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) primer that organizes QMRA tutorials. The tutorials describe functionality of a QMRA infrastructure, guide the user through software use and assessment options, provide step-by-step instructions for implementi...

  1. A tool for design of primers for microRNA-specific quantitative RT-qPCR. BMC Bioinformatics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Busk, Peter Kamp

    2014-01-01

    of formation of secondary structures and primer dimers. Testing of the primers showed that 76 out of 79 primers (96%) worked for quantification of microRNAs by miR-specific RT-qPCR of mammalian RNA samples. This success rate corresponds to the success rate of manual primer design. Furthermore, primers designed......Background MicroRNAs are small but biologically important RNA molecules. Although different methods can be used for quantification of microRNAs, quantitative PCR is regarded as the reference that is used to validate other methods. Several commercial qPCR assays are available but they often come...... at a high price and the sequences of the primers are not disclosed. An alternative to commercial assays is to manually design primers but this work is tedious and, hence, not practical for the design of primers for a larger number of targets. Results I have developed the software miRprimer for automatic...

  2. Female Students' Experiences of Computer Technology in Single- versus Mixed-Gender School Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, Lee-Ann; Murphy, Elizabeth

    2006-01-01

    This study explores how female students compare learning computer technology in a single- versus a mixed- gender school setting. Twelve females participated, all of whom were enrolled in a grade 12 course in Communications' Technology. Data collection included a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and focus groups. Participants described…

  3. Improved group-specific primers based on the full SILVA 16S rRNA gene reference database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pfeiffer, Stefan; Pastar, Milica; Mitter, Birgit; Lippert, Kathrin; Hackl, Evelyn; Lojan, Paul; Oswald, Andreas; Sessitsch, Angela

    2014-08-01

    Quantitative PCR (qPCR) and community fingerprinting methods, such as the Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis,are well-suited techniques for the examination of microbial community structures. The use of phylum and class-specific primers can provide enhanced sensitivity and phylogenetic resolution as compared with domain-specific primers. To date, several phylum- and class-specific primers targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene have been published. However, many of these primers exhibit low discriminatory power against non-target bacteria in PCR. In this study, we evaluated the precision of certain published primers in silico and via specific PCR. We designed new qPCR and T-RFLP primer pairs (for the classes Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria, and the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria) by combining the sequence information from a public dataset (SILVA SSU Ref 102 NR) with manual primer design. We evaluated the primer pairs via PCR using isolates of the above-mentioned groups and via screening of clone libraries from environmental soil samples and human faecal samples. As observed through theoretical and practical evaluation, the primers developed in this study showed a higher level of precision than previously published primers, thus allowing a deeper insight into microbial community dynamics.

  4. Sensory reception of the primer pheromone ethyl oleate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muenz, Thomas S.; Maisonnasse, Alban; Plettner, Erika; Le Conte, Yves; Rössler, Wolfgang

    2012-05-01

    Social work force distribution in honeybee colonies critically depends on subtle adjustments of an age-related polyethism. Pheromones play a crucial role in adjusting physiological and behavioral maturation of nurse bees to foragers. In addition to primer effects of brood pheromone and queen mandibular pheromone—both were shown to influence onset of foraging—direct worker-worker interactions influence adult behavioral maturation. These interactions were narrowed down to the primer pheromone ethyl oleate, which is present at high concentrations in foragers, almost absent in young bees and was shown to delay the onset of foraging. Based on chemical analyses, physiological recordings from the antenna (electroantennograms) and the antennal lobe (calcium imaging), and behavioral assays (associative conditioning of the proboscis extension response), we present evidence that ethyl oleate is most abundant on the cuticle, received by olfactory receptors on the antenna, processed in glomeruli of the antennal lobe, and learned in olfactory centers of the brain. The results are highly suggestive that the primer pheromone ethyl oleate is transmitted and perceived between individuals via olfaction at close range.

  5. The Corrosion Protection of 2219-T87 Aluminum by Organic and Inorganic Zinc-Rich Primers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danford, M. D.; Mendrek, M. J.; Walsh, D. W.

    1995-01-01

    The behavior of zinc-rich primer-coated 2219-T87 aluminum in a 3.5-percent Na-Cl was investigated using electrochemical techniques. The alternating current (ac) method of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), in the frequency range of 0.001 to 40,000 Hz, and the direct current (dc) method of polarization resistance (PR) were used to evaluate the characteristics of an organic, epoxy zinc-rich primer and an inorganic, ethyl silicate zinc-rich primer. A dc electrochemical galvanic corrosion test was also used to determine the corrosion current of each zinc-rich primer anode coupled to a 2219-T87 aluminum cathode. Duration of the EIS/PR and galvanic testing was 21 days and 24 h, respectively. The galvanic test results demonstrated a very high galvanic current between the aluminum cathode and both zinc-rich primer anodes (37.9 pA/CM2 and 23.7 pA/CM2 for the organic and inorganic primers, respectively). The PR results demonstrated a much higher corrosion rate of the zinc in the inorganic primer than in the organic primer, due primarily to the higher porosity in the former. Based on this investigation, the inorganic zinc-rich primer appears to provide superior galvanic protection and is recommended for additional study for application in the solid rocket booster aft skirt.

  6. GST-PRIME: an algorithm for genome-wide primer design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leister, Dario; Varotto, Claudio

    2007-01-01

    The profiling of mRNA expression based on DNA arrays has become a powerful tool to study genome-wide transcription of genes in a number of organisms. GST-PRIME is a software package created to facilitate large-scale primer design for the amplification of probes to be immobilized on arrays for transcriptome analyses, even though it can be also applied in low-throughput approaches. GST-PRIME allows highly efficient, direct amplification of gene-sequence tags (GSTs) from genomic DNA (gDNA), starting from annotated genome or transcript sequences. GST-PRIME provides a customer-friendly platform for automatic primer design, and despite the relative simplicity of the algorithm, experimental tests in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana confirmed the reliability of the software. This chapter describes the algorithm used for primer design, its input and output files, and the installation of the standalone package and its use.

  7. Bioinspired Catecholic Primers for Rigid and Ductile Dental Resin Composites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Eeseul; Ju, Sung Won; An, Larry; Ahn, Eungjin; Ahn, Jin-Soo; Kim, Byeong-Su; Ahn, B Kollbe

    2018-01-17

    In the construction of dental restorative polymer composite materials, surface priming on mineral fillers is essential to improve the mechanical performance of the composites. Here we present bioinspired catechol-functionalized primers for a tougher dental resin composite containing glass fillers. The catecholic primers with different polymerizable end groups were designed and then coated on glass surfaces using a simple drop-casting or dip-coating process. The surface binding ability and possible cross-linking (coupling or chemical bridging between the glass substrate and the dental resin) of the catecholic bifunctional primers were evaluated using atomic force microscopy, contact angle measurements, and the knife shear bonding test and compared to a state-of-the-art silane-based coupling agent. Various mechanical tests including shrinkage and compression tests of the dental resin composites were also conducted. Compression tests of the composites containing the catecholic primed fillers exhibited enhanced mechanical properties, owing to the bidentate hydrogen bonding of catechol moieties to the oxide mineral surface. Furthermore, the superior biocompatibility of the primed surface was confirmed via cell attachment assay, thus providing applicability of catecholic primers for practical dental and biomedical applications.

  8. Facial primer provides immediate and long-term improvements in mild-to-moderate facial hyperpigmentation and fine lines associated with photoaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberts WE

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Wendy E Roberts,1 Lily I Jiang,2 James H Herndon Jr3 1Generational and Cosmetic Dermatology, Rancho Mirage, CA, 2Thomas J Stephens and Associates, Richardson, 3Dermatology Center of Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA Background: Photoaged skin results from various environmental factors, most importantly chronic sun exposure. Dyschromia and fine lines/wrinkles are common clinical manifestations of photodamaged skin. Purpose: This single-center clinical trial was conducted to assess the efficacy and tolerability of a new multifunctional facial primer (camouflage, broad-spectrum SPF 50, and a treatment for hyperpigmentation when used by females with mild-to-moderate facial hyperpigmentation and fine lines due to photoaging over a course of 12 weeks. Patients and methods: Subjects were provided test material (Even Up-Clinical Pigment Perfector and supporting products to use on their face and neck. Products were used according to specific application instructions. Clinical grading for efficacy and tolerability assessments were performed by an expert grader at baseline, baseline (post-application primer, week 4, week 8, week 12, and week 12 (post-application primer. Standardized digital photographs were taken, and self-assessment questionnaires were conducted. Results: Twenty-eight female subjects completed the 12-week trial. The facial primer improved scores for the appearance of hyperpigmentation and other photoaging parameters immediately after the first application. The treatment also showed a progressive improvement in the clinical assessment of hyperpigmentation and other photoaging parameters over the 12-week trial. These long-term benefits can be attributed to an improvement in the underlying skin condition. The facial primer was well tolerated. Subject questionnaires showed that the product was highly rated at all visits. Conclusion: The facial primer was shown to be effective and well tolerated for immediate and long-term improvement in the appearance

  9. Nonspecific amplification of human DNA by Streptococcus pneumoniae LytA primer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helen Hencida Thangamony

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Determination of various analytical parameters is essential for the validation of primers used for in-house nucleic acid amplification tests. While standardising a high-resolution melt analysis (HRMA for detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae in acute pyogenic meningitis, we encountered non-specific amplification of certain base pair sequences of human DNA by Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, USA recommended S. pneumoniae LytA primer. Materials and Methods: HRMA was standardised using DNA extracted from an ATCC strain of S. pneumoniae using SP LytA F373 primer and Type-it HRMTM polymerase chain reaction kit in Rotor-Gene Q Thermal Cycler according to the manufacturer's instructions. Specificity of the primers was determined in dry and wet laboratory experiments against diverse related and unrelated microbial pathogens by HRMA and on DNA extracted from unspiked clinical samples negative for SP DNA. Sensitivity was determined by calculating lower limit of detection threshold in experiments with spiked samples. The amplicon from spiked experiments was sequenced and analysed through Gene Bank. Results: Our dry/wet laboratory experiments showed two separate curves and different Tm values indicating certain non-specific amplification by the primer. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST analysis of the amplicon obtained in the spiked experiment showed sequences of human chromosome 20 associated with Homo sapiens protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor type T gene. The problem was resolved by stopping the reaction at 30th Ct cycle and observing the Tm values. Conclusion: Since HRMA is done without a specific probe, one should be aware of non-specific amplifications while using primers for HRMA of human clinical samples.

  10. The R primer

    CERN Document Server

    Ekstrom, Claus Thorn

    2011-01-01

    Newcomers to R are often intimidated by the command-line interface, the vast number of functions and packages, or the processes of importing data and performing a simple statistical analysis. The R Primer provides a collection of concise examples and solutions to R problems frequently encountered by new users of this statistical software.Rather than explore the many options available for every command as well as the ever-increasing number of packages, the book focuses on the basics of data preparation and analysis and gives examples that can be used as a starting point. The numerous examples i

  11. One-Tube-Only Standardized Site-Directed Mutagenesis: An Alternative Approach to Generate Amino Acid Substitution Collections.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janire Mingo

    Full Text Available Site-directed mutagenesis (SDM is a powerful tool to create defined collections of protein variants for experimental and clinical purposes, but effectiveness is compromised when a large number of mutations is required. We present here a one-tube-only standardized SDM approach that generates comprehensive collections of amino acid substitution variants, including scanning- and single site-multiple mutations. The approach combines unified mutagenic primer design with the mixing of multiple distinct primer pairs and/or plasmid templates to increase the yield of a single inverse-PCR mutagenesis reaction. Also, a user-friendly program for automatic design of standardized primers for Ala-scanning mutagenesis is made available. Experimental results were compared with a modeling approach together with stochastic simulation data. For single site-multiple mutagenesis purposes and for simultaneous mutagenesis in different plasmid backgrounds, combination of primer sets and/or plasmid templates in a single reaction tube yielded the distinct mutations in a stochastic fashion. For scanning mutagenesis, we found that a combination of overlapping primer sets in a single PCR reaction allowed the yield of different individual mutations, although this yield did not necessarily follow a stochastic trend. Double mutants were generated when the overlap of primer pairs was below 60%. Our results illustrate that one-tube-only SDM effectively reduces the number of reactions required in large-scale mutagenesis strategies, facilitating the generation of comprehensive collections of protein variants suitable for functional analysis.

  12. THE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF PRIMER PACKAGING PROCESS USING SIX SIGMA METHODOLOGY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prima Ditahardiyani

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The implementation of Six Sigma has become a common theme in many organizations. This paper presents the Six Sigma methodology and its implementation in a primer packaging process of Cranberry drink. DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control approach is used to analyze and to improve the primer packaging process, which have high variability and defects output. After the improvement, the results showed that there was an increasing sigma level. However, it is not significantly and has not achieved the world standard quality, yet. Therefore, the implementation of Six Sigma in primer packaging process of Cranberry drink still has a room for doing a further research.

  13. Evaluation of single-nucleotide polymorphisms as internal controls in prenatal diagnosis of fetal blood groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doescher, Andrea; Petershofen, Eduard K; Wagner, Franz F; Schunter, Markus; Müller, Thomas H

    2013-02-01

    Determination of fetal blood groups in maternal plasma samples critically depends on adequate amplification of fetal DNA. We evaluated the routine inclusion of 52 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as internal reference in our polymerase chain reaction (PCR) settings to obtain a positive internal control for fetal DNA. DNA from 223 plasma samples of pregnant women was screened for RHD Exons 3, 4, 5, and 7 in a multiplex PCR including 52 SNPs divided into four primer pools. Amplicons were analyzed by single-base extension and the GeneScan method in a genetic analyzer. Results of D screening were compared to standard RHD genotyping of amniotic fluid or real-time PCR of fetal DNA from maternal plasma. The vast majority of all samples (97.8%) demonstrated differences in maternal and fetal SNP patterns when tested with four primer pools. These differences were not observed in less than 2.2% of the samples most probably due to an extraction failure for adequate amounts of fetal DNA. Comparison of the fetal genotypes with independent results did not reveal a single false-negative case among samples (n = 42) with positive internal control and negative fetal RHD typing. Coamplification of 52 SNPs with RHD-specific sequences for fetal blood group determination introduces a valid positive control for the amplification of fetal DNA to avoid false-negative results. This new approach does not require a paternal blood sample. It may also be applicable to other assays for fetal genotyping in maternal blood samples. © 2012 American Association of Blood Banks.

  14. Molecular passportization of clones of karelian birch using PCRwith semi-specific primers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatyana V Matveeva

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Using 4 clones of Karelian birch (Betula pendula Roth var caretica Merckl. from the collection of the karelian birch of the laboratory of genetics of Research Institute of Forest Genetics and Breeding, Voronezh, one normal tree of Betula pendula Roth, and one tree of B. pubescens Ehrh., collected from the nature, we have analyzed the possibility of application of PCR with semi-specific primers for molecular typing. We found primers with high percentage of polymorphic markers. These primers could be recommended for molecular typing of birch.

  15. Specific primer design of mitochondrial 12S rRNA for species identification in raw meats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cahyadi, M.; Puruhita; Barido, F. H.; Hertanto, B. S.

    2018-01-01

    Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular technique that widely used in agriculture area including species identification in animal-based products for halalness and food safety reasons. Amplification of DNA using PCR needs a primer pair (forward and reverse primers) to isolate specific DNA fragment in the genome. This objective of this study was to design specific primer from mitochondrial 12S rRNA region for species identification in raw beef, pork and chicken meat. Three published sequences, HQ184045, JN601075, and KT626857, were downloaded from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website. Furthermore, those reference sequences were used to design specific primer for bovine, pig, and chicken species using primer3 v.0.4.0. A total of 15 primer pairs were picked up from primer3 software. Of these, an universal forward primer and three reverse primers which are specific for bovine, pig, and chicken species were selected to be optimized using multiplex-PCR technique. The selected primers were namely UNIF (5’-ACC GCG GTC ATA CGA TTA AC-3’), SPR (5’-AGT GCG TCG GCT ATT GTA GG-3’), BBR (5’-GAA TTG GCA AGG GTT GGT AA-3’), and AR (5’-CGG TAT GTA CGT GCC TCA GA-3’). In addition, the PCR products were visualized using 2% agarose gels under the UV light and sequenced to be aligned with reference sequences using Clustal Omega. The result showed that those primers were specifically amplified mitochondrial 12S rRNA regions from bovine, pig, and chicken using PCR. It was indicated by the existence of 155, 357, and 611 bp of DNA bands for bovine, pig, and chicken species, respectively. Moreover, sequence analysis revealed that our sequences were identically similar with reference sequences. It can be concluded that mitochondrial 12S rRNA may be used as a genetic marker for species identification in meat products.

  16. El primer virreinato americano

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cassá, Roberto

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available This article explores the government of viceroy Christopher Columbus in the American territories. We return to the first Spanish settlement in Santo Domingo and the contradictions inherent to this expansionist proyect. The contradictions were part of the logic of the absolutist state and Columbus’ reaction against the controls imposed by the monarchs. Secondly, we look into the dificulties that the Admiral encountered to develop a mercantilist model. In this context, we examine the rationale behind the first government of the Indies and the features that defined the new West Indian society.

    El artículo trata sobre el gobierno de Cristóbal Colón en tierras americanas. Retomamos el tema del primer emplazamiento español en Santo Domingo y las contradicciones que tuvo aquel proyecto debido a la lógica del estado absolutista, a la ambición desmedida del descubridor y a su reacción ante los controles que desde un principio impusieron los monarcas. En un segundo momento analizamos las dificultades que encontró el Almirante para desarrollar un modelo mercantilista acorde a sus ideas y a los acuerdos a que llegó con la Corona. En ese contexto analizamos la lógica del primer gobierno colombinista en las Indias y los rasgos que definieron la nueva sociedad antillana.

  17. Generation of covariance data among values from a single set of experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, D.L.

    1992-01-01

    Modern nuclear data evaluation methods demand detailed uncertainty information for all input results to be considered. It can be shown from basic statistical principles that provision of a covariance matrix for a set of data provides the necessary information for its proper consideration in the context of other included experimental data and/or a priori representations of the physical parameters in question. This paper examines how an experimenter should go about preparing the covariance matrix for any single experimental data set he intends to report. The process involves detailed examination of the experimental procedures, identification of all error sources (both random and systematic); and consideration of any internal discrepancies. Some specific examples are given to illustrate the methods and principles involved

  18. Sediment transport primer: estimating bed-material transport in gravel-bed rivers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peter Wilcock; John Pitlick; Yantao Cui

    2009-01-01

    This primer accompanies the release of BAGS, software developed to calculate sediment transport rate in gravel-bed rivers. BAGS and other programs facilitate calculation and can reduce some errors, but cannot ensure that calculations are accurate or relevant. This primer was written to help the software user define relevant and tractable problems, select appropriate...

  19. Generating and executing programs for a floating point single instruction multiple data instruction set architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gschwind, Michael K

    2013-04-16

    Mechanisms for generating and executing programs for a floating point (FP) only single instruction multiple data (SIMD) instruction set architecture (ISA) are provided. A computer program product comprising a computer recordable medium having a computer readable program recorded thereon is provided. The computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to receive one or more instructions and execute the one or more instructions using logic in an execution unit of the computing device. The logic implements a floating point (FP) only single instruction multiple data (SIMD) instruction set architecture (ISA), based on data stored in a vector register file of the computing device. The vector register file is configured to store both scalar and floating point values as vectors having a plurality of vector elements.

  20. Generation of sequence signatures from DNA amplification fingerprints with mini-hairpin and microsatellite primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caetano-Anollés, G; Gresshoff, P M

    1996-06-01

    DNA amplification fingerprinting (DAF) with mini-hairpins harboring arbitrary "core" sequences at their 3' termini were used to fingerprint a variety of templates, including PCR products and whole genomes, to establish genetic relationships between plant tax at the interspecific and intraspecific level, and to identify closely related fungal isolates and plant accessions. No correlation was observed between the sequence of the arbitrary core, the stability of the mini-hairpin structure and DAF efficiency. Mini-hairpin primers with short arbitrary cores and primers complementary to simple sequence repeats present in microsatellites were also used to generate arbitrary signatures from amplification profiles (ASAP). The ASAP strategy is a dual-step amplification procedure that uses at least one primer in each fingerprinting stage. ASAP was able to reproducibly amplify DAF products (representing about 10-15 kb of sequence) following careful optimization of amplification parameters such as primer and template concentration. Avoidance of primer sequences partially complementary to DAF product termini was necessary in order to produce distinct fingerprints. This allowed the combinatorial use of oligomers in nucleic acid screening, with numerous ASAP fingerprinting reactions based on a limited number of primer sequences. Mini-hairpin primers and ASAP analysis significantly increased detection of polymorphic DNA, separating closely related bermudagrass (Cynodon) cultivars and detecting putatively linked markers in bulked segregant analysis of the soybean (Glycine max) supernodulation (nitrate-tolerant symbiosis) locus.

  1. In vivo effect of a self-etching primer on dentin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milia, E; Lallai, M R; García-Godoy, F

    1999-08-01

    To determine the ultrastructural aspects of the dentin collagen area in the cavity preparation floor produced in vivo after phosphoric acid acid-etching or after using Clearfil Liner Bond 2 self-etching primer (LB2 Primer). Twenty-four non-carious third molars scheduled for extraction from young adult patients (16-30 years old) were used. Conventional Class I cavities (+/- 2 mm deep) were prepared on the occlusal surfaces of all teeth using a cylindrical diamond bur on a high-speed handpiece with copious water spray. To avoid dehydration of the dentin, the smear layer-covered dentin was briefly air-dried for 2 seconds. Cavities were assigned at random to the following groups: Group A: Dentin etched for 15 seconds with 34% phosphoric acid, rinsed for 20 seconds and then briefly air-dried for 2 seconds with oil-free compressed air leaving the surfaces slightly moist. Group B: LB2 Primer was applied to the cavity surfaces for 30 seconds and then briefly air-dried to remove the solvent. Group C: The untreated dentin smear layer was used as a control. In all three groups, the cavities were filled incrementally with a resin-based composite (APX), light curing every increment for 40 seconds. After 30 minutes, the teeth were extracted atraumatically and the samples immediately prepared for evaluation with the transmission electron microscope. The use of a self-etching primer did not produce significant morphological changes in the moist dentin substrate. Adverse morphological conditions where observed when there was an excess water on the dentin surface. Phosphoric acid altered the collagen more severely than the self-etching primer.

  2. Characteristics of the population employed in primer sector in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bayar Rüya

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Activities related to the production of raw material like agriculture husbandry, forestry, fishery are called as primer activities. Especially people living in rural areas earn their livings on primer activities, mainly agriculture. Rural planning is inevitable for providing rural development which has an important place in all development of a country. And achievement of this planning depends on putting forth the characteristics of the population living in rural areas with its different aspects. Therefore, the requirements will be introduced more clearly and the increase in the welfare levels of the people living in rural areas will have been achieved. To achieve the rural development and progress, in addition to the features like the size of agricultural products, products that are cultivated, activities like husbandry, forestry, hunting, etc. and the qualities of the enterprises in which these activities are carried out, policies applied, capital, market and technology, the characteristics of the population employed in this sector is also of importance. Considering these points, what is aimed in this study is to put forth the characteristics of the population employed in primer sector in Turkey. According to the census results of the year 2000 in Turkey 38% of the population is employed, and 48% of this work is in primer sector.

  3. Comparison among amoA Primers Suited for Quantification and Diversity Analyses of Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria in Soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimomura, Yumi; Morimoto, Sho; Hoshino, Yuko Takada; Uchida, Yoshitaka; Akiyama, Hiroko; Hayatsu, Masahito

    2012-01-01

    Ammonia monooxygenase subunit A gene (amoA) is frequently used as a functional gene marker for diversity analysis of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). To select a suitable amoA primer for real-time PCR and PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), three reverse primers (degenerate primer amoA-2R; non-degenerate primers amoA-2R-GG and amoA-2IR) were examined. No significant differences were observed among the three primers in terms of quantitative values of amoA from environmental samples using real-time PCR. We found that PCR-DGGE analysis with the amoA-2IR primer gave the best results in this studied soil. These results indicate that amoA-2IR is a suitable primer for community analysis of AOB in the environment. PMID:22075625

  4. Menopause 101: A Primer for the Perimenopausal

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Abstracts Media Award Recipients Media Policy Media Requests Menopause 101: A primer for the perimenopausal The information ... about 2 years earlier. Common Body Changes at Menopause Each woman’s experience of menopause is different. Many ...

  5. Math primer for engineers

    CERN Document Server

    Cryer, CW

    2014-01-01

    Mathematics and engineering are inevitably interrelated, and this interaction will steadily increase as the use of mathematical modelling grows. Although mathematicians and engineers often misunderstand one another, their basic approach is quite similar, as is the historical development of their respective disciplines. The purpose of this Math Primer is to provide a brief introduction to those parts of mathematics which are, or could be, useful in engineering, especially bioengineering. The aim is to summarize the ideas covered in each subject area without going into exhaustive detail. Formula

  6. A Quantum Groups Primer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majid, Shahn

    2002-05-01

    Here is a self-contained introduction to quantum groups as algebraic objects. Based on the author's lecture notes for the Part III pure mathematics course at Cambridge University, the book is suitable as a primary text for graduate courses in quantum groups or supplementary reading for modern courses in advanced algebra. The material assumes knowledge of basic and linear algebra. Some familiarity with semisimple Lie algebras would also be helpful. The volume is a primer for mathematicians but it will also be useful for mathematical physicists.

  7. A comprehensive collection of experimentally validated primers for Polymerase Chain Reaction quantitation of murine transcript abundance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Xiaowei

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR is a widely applied analytical method for the accurate determination of transcript abundance. Primers for QPCR have been designed on a genomic scale but non-specific amplification of non-target genes has frequently been a problem. Although several online databases have been created for the storage and retrieval of experimentally validated primers, only a few thousand primer pairs are currently present in existing databases and the primers are not designed for use under a common PCR thermal profile. Results We previously reported the implementation of an algorithm to predict PCR primers for most known human and mouse genes. We now report the use of that resource to identify 17483 pairs of primers that have been experimentally verified to amplify unique sequences corresponding to distinct murine transcripts. The primer pairs have been validated by gel electrophoresis, DNA sequence analysis and thermal denaturation profile. In addition to the validation studies, we have determined the uniformity of amplification using the primers and the technical reproducibility of the QPCR reaction using the popular and inexpensive SYBR Green I detection method. Conclusion We have identified an experimentally validated collection of murine primer pairs for PCR and QPCR which can be used under a common PCR thermal profile, allowing the evaluation of transcript abundance of a large number of genes in parallel. This feature is increasingly attractive for confirming and/or making more precise data trends observed from experiments performed with DNA microarrays.

  8. A combined single-multiphase flow formulation of the premixing phase using the level set method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leskovar, M.; Marn, J.

    1999-01-01

    The premixing phase of a steam explosion covers the interaction of the melt jet or droplets with the water prior to any steam explosion occurring. To get a better insight of the hydrodynamic processes during the premixing phase beside hot premixing experiments, where the water evaporation is significant, also cold isothermal premixing experiments are performed. The specialty of isothermal premixing experiments is that three phases are involved: the water, the air and the spheres phase, but only the spheres phase mixes with the other two phases whereas the water and air phases do not mix and remain separated by a free surface. Our idea therefore was to treat the isothermal premixing process with a combined single-multiphase flow model. In this combined model the water and air phase are treated as a single phase with discontinuous phase properties at the water air interface, whereas the spheres are treated as usually with a multiphase flow model, where the spheres represent the dispersed phase and the common water-air phase represents the continuous phase. The common water-air phase was described with the front capturing method based on the level set formulation. In the level set formulation, the boundary of two-fluid interfaces is modeled as the zero set of a smooth signed normal distance function defined on the entire physical domain. The boundary is then updated by solving a nonlinear equation of the Hamilton-Jacobi type on the whole domain. With this single-multiphase flow model the Queos isothermal premixing Q08 has been simulated. A numerical analysis using different treatments of the water-air interface (level set, high-resolution and upwind) has been performed for the incompressible and compressible case and the results were compared to experimental measurements.(author)

  9. Scrimer: designing primers from transcriptome data

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mořkovský, Libor; Pačes, Jan; Rídl, Jakub; Reifová, R.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 15, č. 6 (2015), s. 1415-1420 ISSN 1755-098X R&D Projects: GA MŠk EE2.3.20.0303 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 ; RVO:68378050 Keywords : next-generation sequencing * primer design * SNaPshot * SNP genotyping * transcriptome Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 5.298, year: 2015

  10. Biocompatibility of RealSeal, its primer and AH Plus implanted in subcutaneous connective tissue of rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabiana Soares Grecca

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: This study tested rat connective tissue response to RealSeal, RealSeal primer or AH Plus after 7, 15, 30, 60 and 90 days of implantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty Wistar rats had subcutaneous sockets created on their back and received four implants each of polyethylene tubes containing one of the materials tested according to the groups: AH (AH Plus Sealer; RS (RealSeal Sealer; RP (RealSeal Primer; CG (control group - empty tube. After histological processing, sections were analyzed to identify the presence of neutrophils, lymphocytes and plasma cells, eosinophils, macrophages and giant cells, as well as fibrous capsule and abscesses, by an examiner using light microscope. Kruskal-Wallis and multiple-comparisons test were used for statistical analysis. Significance level was set at 5%. RESULTS: Lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate scores significantly higher than those of the control group were observed at 14 and 60 days in AH group, and at 90 days in RS group (p<0.05. There were no differences in terms of presence of macrophages, giant cells, eosinophils, neutrophils or fibrosis. AH Plus group scored higher for abscesses at 7 days than after any other period (p=0.031. RP group scored higher for lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate at 14 days than at 90 days (p=0.04. CONCLUSION: The main contribution of this study was to demonstrate that issues involved with tissue tolerance of a Resilon-containing sealer, RealSeal Sealer, cannot be attributed to its primer content.

  11. Microsatellite primers in the white proteas (Protea section Exsertae, Proteaceae), a rapidly radiating lineage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prunier, Rachel; Latimer, Andrew

    2010-01-01

    Microsatellite primers were developed in the South African sclerophyllous shrub Protea punctata to investigate the degree of population differentiation within and between P. punctata and closely related species. • 10 primer pairs were identified from three individuals of Protea punctata. The primers amplified di- and tri-nucleotide repeats. Across all P. punctata samples, the loci have 8-49 alleles. All primers also amplified in Protea section Exsertae (P. aurea, P. aurea subsp. potbergensis, P. mundii, P. venusta, P. lacticolor, and P. subvestita). The loci had 14-69 alleles across the subgenus. • These results show the broad utility of microsatellite loci for future studies of population genetics in the white proteas and their potential utility across the entire genus.

  12. Profitability primer: a guide to profitability analysis in the electric power industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woo, C.K.; Lloyd-Zannetti, D.; Martin, J.; Price, S.

    1996-06-01

    As the electric power industry is opened to forces of competition, increased attention must be focused to develop products and services that deliver good value to customers and to identify customer segments that are profitable to serve. This primer introduces the concept of profitability analysis and its application to the electric power industry. The primer recognizes that some segments of the business will remain monopolistic and subject to regulations, while other segments will become competitive. The primer also recognizes that customer profitability is critically dependent on a host of related issues such as how internal costs are allocated to various functions and how revenues are collected and allocated

  13. Characterization of single nucleotide polymorphism markers for eelgrass (Zostera marina)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ferber, Steven; Reusch, Thorsten B. H.; Stam, Wytze T.; Olsen, Jeanine L.

    We characterized 37 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) makers for eelgrass Zostera marina. SNP markers were developed using existing EST (expressed sequence tag)-libraries to locate polymorphic loci and develop primers from the functional expressed genes that are deposited in The ZOSTERA database

  14. The novel primers for mammal species identification-based mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence: implication for reserved wild animals in Thailand and endangered mammal species in Southeast Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muangkram, Yuttamol; Wajjwalku, Worawidh; Amano, Akira; Sukmak, Manakorn

    2018-01-01

    We presented the powerful techniques for species identification using the short amplicon of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequence. Two faecal samples and one single hair sample of the Asian tapir were tested using the new cytochrome b primers. The results showed a high sequence similarity with the mainland Asian tapir group. The comparative sequence analysis of the reserved wild mammals in Thailand and the other endangered mammal species from Southeast Asia comprehensibly verified the potential of our novel primers. The forward and reverse primers were 94.2 and 93.2%, respectively, by the average value of the sequence identity among 77 species sequences, and the overall mean distance was 35.9%. This development technique could provide rapid, simple, and reliable tools for species confirmation. Especially, it could recognize the problematic biological specimens contained less DNA material from illegal products and assist with wildlife crime investigation of threatened species and related forensic casework.

  15. Temas de Física para Ingeniería: Primer principio de la termodinámica

    OpenAIRE

    Beléndez Vázquez, Augusto

    1992-01-01

    Acústica, fluidos y termodinámica: "Primer principio de la termodinámica". Objetivos y caracteres generales de la termodinámica. Conceptos fundamentales de la termodinámica. Capacidad calorífica, calor específico y calor latente. Trabajo. Primer principio de la termodinámica: energía interna. Algunas aplicaciones del primer principio.

  16. A primer on motor vehicle air pollution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1973-01-01

    This primer presents a brief state-of-the art review of motor vehicle air pollution. Its purpose is to aid highway personnel in understanding the nature of this environmental problem on our highways and to present possible solutions for its abatement...

  17. PriFi - Using a Multiple Alignment of Related Sequences to Find Primers for  Amplification of Homologs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fredslund, Jakob; Schauser, Leif; Madsen, Lene Heegaard

    2005-01-01

    Using a comparative approach, the web program PriFi (http://cgi-www.daimi.au.dk/cgi-chili/PriFi/main) designs pairs of primers useful for PCR amplification of genomic DNA in species where prior sequence information is not available. The program works with an alignment of DNA sequences from...... of a procedure for developing general markers serving as common anchor loci across species. To accommodate users with special preferences, configuration settings and criteria can be customized....

  18. A Multiplex Snapback Primer System for the Enrichment and Detection of JAK2 V617F and MPL W515L/K Mutations in Philadelphia-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiyuan Wu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A multiplex snapback primer system was developed for the simultaneous detection of JAK2 V617F and MPL W515L/K mutations in Philadelphia chromosome- (Ph- negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs. The multiplex system comprises two snapback versus limiting primer sets for JAK2 and MPL mutation enrichment and detection, respectively. Linear-After exponential (LATE PCR strategy was employed for the primer design to maximize the amplification efficiency of the system. Low ionic strength buffer and rapid PCR protocol allowed for selective amplification of the mutant alleles. Amplification products were analyzed by melting curve analysis for mutation identification. The multiplex system archived 0.1% mutation load sensitivity and <5% coefficient of variation inter-/intra-assay reproducibility. 120 clinical samples were tested by the multiplex snapback primer assay, and verified with amplification refractory system (ARMS, quantitative PCR (qPCR and Sanger sequencing method. The multiplex system, with a favored versatility, provided the molecular diagnosis of Ph-negative MPNs with a suitable implement and simplified the genetic test process.

  19. A Multiplex Snapback Primer System for the Enrichment and Detection of JAK2 V617F and MPL W515L/K Mutations in Philadelphia-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yunqing; Zhang, Xinju; Xu, Xiao; Kang, Zhihua; Li, Shibao; Zhang, Chen; Su, Bing

    2014-01-01

    A multiplex snapback primer system was developed for the simultaneous detection of JAK2 V617F and MPL W515L/K mutations in Philadelphia chromosome- (Ph-) negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). The multiplex system comprises two snapback versus limiting primer sets for JAK2 and MPL mutation enrichment and detection, respectively. Linear-After exponential (LATE) PCR strategy was employed for the primer design to maximize the amplification efficiency of the system. Low ionic strength buffer and rapid PCR protocol allowed for selective amplification of the mutant alleles. Amplification products were analyzed by melting curve analysis for mutation identification. The multiplex system archived 0.1% mutation load sensitivity and <5% coefficient of variation inter-/intra-assay reproducibility. 120 clinical samples were tested by the multiplex snapback primer assay, and verified with amplification refractory system (ARMS), quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Sanger sequencing method. The multiplex system, with a favored versatility, provided the molecular diagnosis of Ph-negative MPNs with a suitable implement and simplified the genetic test process. PMID:24729973

  20. Removal of PCR error products and unincorporated primers by metal-chelate affinity chromatography.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Indhu Kanakaraj

    Full Text Available Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC has been used for decades to purify proteins on the basis of amino acid content, especially surface-exposed histidines and "histidine tags" genetically added to recombinant proteins. We and others have extended the use of IMAC to purification of nucleic acids via interactions with the nucleotide bases, especially purines, of single-stranded RNA and DNA. We also have demonstrated the purification of plasmid DNA from contaminating genomic DNA by IMAC capture of selectively-denatured genomic DNA. Here we describe an efficient method of purifying PCR products by specifically removing error products, excess primers, and unincorporated dNTPs from PCR product mixtures using flow-through metal-chelate affinity adsorption. By flowing a PCR product mixture through a Cu(2+-iminodiacetic acid (IDA agarose spin column, 94-99% of the dNTPs and nearly all the primers can be removed. Many of the error products commonly formed by Taq polymerase also are removed. Sequencing of the IMAC-processed PCR product gave base-calling accuracy comparable to that obtained with a commercial PCR product purification method. The results show that IMAC matrices (specifically Cu(2+-IDA agarose can be used for the purification of PCR products. Due to the generality of the base-specific mechanism of adsorption, IMAC matrices may also be used in the purification of oligonucleotides, cDNA, mRNA and micro RNAs.

  1. Application of a double-enrichment procedure for microsatellite isolation and the use of tailed primers for high throughput genotyping

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fábio Mendonça Diniz

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available The number of microsatellite loci and their allelic diversity contribute to increase accuracy and informativity of genetic estimates, however, the isolation of microsatellite loci is not only laborious but also quite expensive. We used (GATAn and (GACAn tetranucleotide probes and single- and double-enrichment hybridization to construct and screen a genomic library with an increased proportion of DNA fragments containing repeat motifs. Repeats were found using both types of hybridization but the double-enrichment procedure recovered sequences of which 100% contained (GATAn and (GACAn motifs. Microsatellite loci primers were then designed with an M13R-tail or CAG-tag to produce scorable PCR products with minimal stutter. The approach used in this study suggests that double-enrichment is a worthwhile strategy when isolating repeat motifs from eukaryotic genomes. Moreover, the use of tailed microsatellite primers provides increased resolution for compound microsatellite loci, with a significant decrease in costs.

  2. Forest Interpreter's Primer on Fire Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zelker, Thomas M.

    Specifically prepared for the use of Forest Service field-based interpreters of the management, protection, and use of forest and range resources and the associated human, cultural, and natural history found on these lands, this book is the second in a series of six primers on the multiple use of forest and range resources. Following an…

  3. Designing for transportation management and operations : a primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-01

    This primer is focused on the collaborative and systematic consideration of management and operations during transportation : project design and development. This is termed designing for operations. Effectively designing for operations involves...

  4. Evaluation of genetic diversity in open pollinated guava by iPBS primers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehmood, A.; Jaskani, M.J.; Ahmad, S.; Ahmad, R.

    2013-01-01

    DNA markers are important tools for assessing genetic diversity and relationships among species, cultivars and breeding materials. Many horticultural species are lacking genomic information. DNA markers that do not require prior knowledge of DNA sequences are therefore appealing for horticultural research. A retrotransposon-based DNA marker system, iPBS (inter primer binding sites) developed from conserved primer binding sites within retrotransposons, was used to study the genetic variation and relationships in ornamental guava. PCR from 6 iPBS primers (dominant markers) produced a total of 113 bands (52.38-100% polymorphic) ranging from 150 bp to 3000 bp, and the mean PIC value for each primer ranging from 0.1245 to 0.3698. Molecular information generated from both iPBS was separately scored in a matrix for phylogenetic dendrogram construction. The phylogenetic dendrogram based on iPBS markers reflected morphologic classifications of the accessions that were studied. The iPBS PCR-based genome fingerprinting technology in this study is low-cost and provides another effective alternative in differentiation of accessions in guava (Psidium guajava Linn.) and related species or genera. (author)

  5. The UVM primer a step-by-step introduction to the universal verification methodology

    CERN Document Server

    Salemi, Ray

    2013-01-01

    The UVM Primer uses simple, runnable code examples, accessible analogies, and an easy-to-read style to introduce you to the foundation of the Universal Verification Methodology. You will learn the basics of object-oriented programming with SystemVerilog and build upon that foundation to learn how to design testbenches using the UVM. Use the UVM Primer to brush up on your UVM knowledge before a job interview to be able to confidently answer questions such as "What is a uvm_agent?" , "How do you use uvm_sequences?", and "When do you use the UVM's factory." The UVM Primer's downloadable code examples give you hands-on experience with real UVM code. Ray Salemi uses online videos (on www.uvmprimer.com) to walk through the code from each chapter and build your confidence. Read The UVM Primer today and start down the path to the UVM.

  6. Fusion primer and nested integrated PCR (FPNI-PCR: a new high-efficiency strategy for rapid chromosome walking or flanking sequence cloning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Zhen

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The advent of genomics-based technologies has revolutionized many fields of biological enquiry. However, chromosome walking or flanking sequence cloning is still a necessary and important procedure to determining gene structure. Such methods are used to identify T-DNA insertion sites and so are especially relevant for organisms where large T-DNA insertion libraries have been created, such as rice and Arabidopsis. The currently available methods for flanking sequence cloning, including the popular TAIL-PCR technique, are relatively laborious and slow. Results Here, we report a simple and effective fusion primer and nested integrated PCR method (FPNI-PCR for the identification and cloning of unknown genomic regions flanked known sequences. In brief, a set of universal primers was designed that consisted of various 15-16 base arbitrary degenerate oligonucleotides. These arbitrary degenerate primers were fused to the 3' end of an adaptor oligonucleotide which provided a known sequence without degenerate nucleotides, thereby forming the fusion primers (FPs. These fusion primers are employed in the first step of an integrated nested PCR strategy which defines the overall FPNI-PCR protocol. In order to demonstrate the efficacy of this novel strategy, we have successfully used it to isolate multiple genomic sequences namely, 21 orthologs of genes in various species of Rosaceace, 4 MYB genes of Rosa rugosa, 3 promoters of transcription factors of Petunia hybrida, and 4 flanking sequences of T-DNA insertion sites in transgenic tobacco lines and 6 specific genes from sequenced genome of rice and Arabidopsis. Conclusions The successful amplification of target products through FPNI-PCR verified that this novel strategy is an effective, low cost and simple procedure. Furthermore, FPNI-PCR represents a more sensitive, rapid and accurate technique than the established TAIL-PCR and hiTAIL-PCR procedures.

  7. A Primer on Electric Utilities, Deregulation, and Restructuring of U.S. Electricity Markets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warwick, William M.

    2002-06-03

    This primer is offered as an introduction to utility restructuring to better prepare readers for ongoing changes in public utilities and associated energy markets. It is written for use by individuals with responsibility for the management of facilities that use energy, including energy managers, procurement staff, and managers with responsibility for facility operations and budgets. The primer was prepared by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory under sponsorship from the U.S. Department of Energy?s Federal Energy Management Program. The impetus for this primer originally came from the Government Services Administration who supported its initial development.

  8. Single port laparoscopic colorectal surgery in debilitated patients and in the urgent setting.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Moftah, M

    2012-09-01

    Single port laparoscopy is a relatively new niche in the expanding spectrum of minimal access surgery for colorectal disease. To date the published experience has predominantly focused on planned operations for neoplasia in the elective setting. It seems probable however that the benefits of minimal abdominal wounding will be greatest among those patients with the highest risk of impaired wound healing. Combining this with the impression of improved cosmesis suggests that (the mostly young) patients with inflammatory bowel disease needing urgent operation are the most likely to appreciate and benefit from the extraoperative effort. The extension of single port surgery to the acute setting and for debilitated individuals is therefore a likely next step advance in broadening the category of patients for whom it represents a real benefit and ultimately aid in focusing by selection the subgroups for whom this technique is best suited and most appropriate. We describe here our approach (including routine use of a surgical glove port) to patients presenting for urgent colorectal operation for benign disease. As provision of specialized approaches regardless of timing or mode of presentation is a defining component of any specialty service, this concept will soon be more fully elucidated and established.

  9. Cytochrome c oxidase I primers for corbiculate bees: DNA barcode and mini-barcode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Françoso, E; Arias, M C

    2013-09-01

    Bees (Apidae), of which there are more than 19 900 species, are extremely important for ecosystem services and economic purposes, so taxon identity is a major concern. The goal of this study was to optimize the DNA barcode technique based on the Cytochrome c oxidase (COI) mitochondrial gene region. This approach has previously been shown to be useful in resolving taxonomic inconsistencies and for species identification when morphological data are poor. Specifically, we designed and tested new primers and standardized PCR conditions to amplify the barcode region for bees, focusing on the corbiculate Apids. In addition, primers were designed to amplify small COI amplicons and tested with pinned specimens. Short barcode sequences were easily obtained for some Bombus century-old museum specimens and shown to be useful as mini-barcodes. The new primers and PCR conditions established in this study proved to be successful for the amplification of the barcode region for all species tested, regardless of the conditions of tissue preservation. We saw no evidence of Wolbachia or numts amplification by these primers, and so we suggest that these new primers are of broad value for corbiculate bee identification through DNA barcode. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Inteligencia emocional y autoconcepto en los estudiantes de primer ciclo

    OpenAIRE

    Castillo Canales, Braulio

    2017-01-01

    En nuestra investigación se tuvo como problema: ¿Qué relación existe entre inteligencia emocional y autoconcepto en los estudiantes de primer ciclo de Administración en Turismo y Hotelería de la Universidad César Vallejo, Lima 2015-II? Además el objetivo fue: Determinar la relación entre inteligencia emocional y autoconcepto en los estudiantes de primer ciclo de Administración en Turismo y Hotelería de la Universidad César Vallejo, Lima 2015-II. El tipo de estudio fue básica...

  11. Teaching Thermal Hydraulics & Numerical Methods: An Introductory Control Volume Primer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lucas, D.S.

    2004-10-03

    This paper covers the basics of the implementation of the control volume method in the context of the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM)(T/H) code using the conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy. This primer uses the advection equation as a template. The discussion will cover the basic equations of the control volume portion of the course in the primer, which includes the advection equation, numerical methods, along with the implementation of the various equations via FORTRAN into computer programs and the final result for a three equation HEM code and its validation.

  12. Móvil remisión de V. cinta del primer móvil.

    OpenAIRE

    2011-01-01

    [ES] Definición del término Móvil remisión de V. cinta del primer móvil. en el diccionario Dicter. [EN] Definition of the word Móvil remisión de V. cinta del primer móvil. in the dictionary Dicter.

  13. Single ion hit detection set-up for the Zagreb ion microprobe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, R. W.; Karlušić, M.; Jakšić, M.

    2012-04-01

    Irradiation of materials by heavy ions accelerated in MV tandem accelerators may lead to the production of latent ion tracks in many insulators and semiconductors. If irradiation is performed in a high resolution microprobe facility, ion tracks can be ordered by submicrometer positioning precision. However, full control of the ion track positioning can only be achieved by a reliable ion hit detection system that should provide a trigger signal irrespectively of the type and thickness of the material being irradiated. The most useful process that can be utilised for this purpose is emission of secondary electrons from the sample surface that follows the ion impact. The status report of the set-up presented here is based on the use of a channel electron multiplier (CEM) detector mounted on an interchangable sample holder that is inserted into the chamber in a close geometry along with the sample to be irradiated. The set-up has been tested at the Zagreb ion microprobe for different ions and energies, as well as different geometrical arrangements. For energies of heavy ions below 1 MeV/amu, results show that efficient (100%) control of ion impact can be achieved only for ions heavier than silicon. The successful use of the set-up is demonstrated by production of ordered single ion tracks in a polycarbonate film and by monitoring fluence during ion microbeam patterning of Foturan glass.

  14. A primer on water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leopold, Luna Bergere; Langbein, Walter Basil

    1960-01-01

    When you open the faucet you expect water to flow. And you expect it to flow night or day, summer or winter, whether you want to fill a glass or water the lawn. It should be clean and pure, without any odor.You have seen or read about places where the water doesn't have these qualities. You may have lived in a city where you were allowed to water the lawn only during a few hours of certain days. We know a large town where the water turns brown after every big rainstorm.Beginning shortly after World War II, large areas in the Southwestern United States had a 10-year drought, and newspapers published a lot of information about its effects. Some people say that the growing demand for water will cause serious shortages over much of the country in the next 10 to 40 years. But it has always been true that while water wells and springs dry up in some places, floods may be occurring in other places at the same time.Nearly every month news stories are published describing floods somewhere in the country. In fact, every year, on the average, 75,000 persons are forced from their homes by floods. In some years, as in 1951 when the lower Kansas River experienced a great flood, half a million people are affected. To understand the reasons for such recurring distress, it is necessary to know something about rivers and about the flat land or flood plain that borders the river.Interest in water and related problems is growing as our population increases and as the use of water becomes steadily greater. To help meet this heightened interest in general information about water and its use and control is the reason this primer was written. The primer is in two parts. The first part tells about hydrology, or the science that concerns the relation of water to our earth, and the second part describes the development of water supplies and the use of water. The Geological Survey is publishing this primer in nontechnical language in the hope that it will enable the general reader to

  15. Adhesion and thermal stability enhancement of IZO films by adding a primer layer on polycarbonate substrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Xuan; Zhang, Xiaofeng; Yan, Yue; Zhong, Yanli; Li, Lei; Zhang, Guanli [Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials (BIAM), Haidian District, Beijing, 100095 (China)

    2015-04-01

    A silicone-based primer layer was developed to improve the adhesion and thermal stability of amorphous transparent indium zinc oxide (IZO) films on polycarbonate (PC). The IZO films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering at room temperature on primer-treated and untreated PCs were evaluated ex situ in terms of surface morphology, adhesion, optical, and electrical properties during annealing at 120 C in air. Nano-scratch tests indicated the adhesion of IZO films on primer-treated substrates was superior to that on untreated PCs. This superior adhesion can be attributed to the strong Si-O-Si inorganic bonds abundant in the primer layer and better matches of the primer layer in the terms of thermal expansion to the IZO. Moreover, the electrical resistivity of IZO films prepared on primer-treated PCs remained stable during the annealing treatment, whereas those of IZO films on untreated PCs presented a continuously increasing trend, which was attributed to the decrease in carrier concentration that resulted from oxygen adsorption. (copyright 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  16. Single-Sex Education in Public School Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawford-Ferre, Heather Glynn; Wiest, Lynda R.

    2013-01-01

    Although researchers have studied the effectiveness of single-sex education (SSE), the findings have been mixed. This exploratory study reports the perceived goals and effectiveness of single-sex education based on interviews with a small group of educators involved with SSE in various ways. Research participants included a school principal and…

  17. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric detection of multiplex single base extended primers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mengel-From, Jonas; Sanchez Sanchez, Juan Jose; Børsting, Claus

    2004-01-01

    of multiple SNPs in a single reaction. Biotin-labeled ddNTPs were used in the SBE reaction and solid phase-bound monomeric avidin was used as capturing/purification scheme allowing the exclusive release of the SBE products under gentle conditions using 5% triethylamine. We dubbed this method monomeric avidin...

  18. Functional genes to assess nitrogen cycling and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation: primers and processing matter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Ryan Penton

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Targeting sequencing to genes involved in key environmental processes, i.e. ecofunctional genes, provides an opportunity to sample nature’s gene guilds to greater depth and help link community structure to process-level outcomes. Vastly different approaches have been implemented for sequence processing and, ultimately, for taxonomic placement of these gene reads. The overall quality of next generation sequence analysis of functional genes is dependent on multiple steps and assumptions of unknown diversity. To illustrate current issues surrounding amplicon read processing we provide examples for three ecofunctional gene groups. A combination of in-silico, environmental and cultured strain sequences was used to test new primers targeting the dioxin and dibenzofuran degrading genes dxnA1, dbfA1, and carAa. The majority of obtained environmental sequences were classified into novel sequence clusters, illustrating the discovery value of the approach. For the nitrite reductase step in denitrification, the well-known nirK primers exhibited deficiencies in reference database coverage, illustrating the need to refine primer-binding sites and/or to design multiple primers, while nirS primers exhibited bias against five phyla. Amino acid-based OTU clustering of these two N-cycle genes from soil samples yielded only 114 unique nirK and 45 unique nirS genus-level groupings, likely a reflection of constricted primer coverage. Finally, supervised and non-supervised OTU analysis methods were compared using the nifH gene of nitrogen fixation, with generally similar outcomes, but the clustering (non-supervised method yielded higher diversity estimates and stronger site-based differences. High throughput amplicon sequencing can provide inexpensive and rapid access to nature’s related sequences by circumventing the culturing barrier, but each unique gene requires individual considerations in terms of primer design and sequence processing and classification.

  19. Formulation and Assessment of a Wash-Primer Containing Lanthanum "Tannate" for Steel Temporary Protection

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Alessandro, Oriana; Selmi, Gonzalo J.; Deyá, Cecilia; Di Sarli, Alejandro; Romagnoli, Roberto

    2018-02-01

    Tannins are polyphenols synthesized by plants and useful for the coating industry as corrosion inhibitors. In addition, lanthanum salts have a great inhibitory effect on steel corrosion. The aim of this study was to obtain lanthanum "tannate" with adequate solubility to be incorporated as the corrosion inhibitor in a wash-primer. The "tannate" was obtained from commercial "Quebracho" tannin and 0.1 M La(NO3)3. The soluble tannin was determined by the Folin-Denis reagent, while the concentration of Lanthanum was obtained by a gravimetric procedure. The protective action of "tannate" on SAE 1010 steel was evaluated by linear polarization curves and corrosion potential measurements. Lanthanum "tannate" was incorporated in a wash-primer formulation and tested by corrosion potential and ionic resistance measurements. The corrosion rate was also determined by the polarization resistance technique. Besides, the primer was incorporated in an alkyd paint system and its anticorrosion performance assessed in the salt spray cabinet and by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results showed that lanthanum "tannate" primer inhibits the development of deleterious iron oxyhydroxides on the steel substrate and incorporated into a paint system had a similar behavior to the primer formulated with zinc tetroxychromate.

  20. The use of a fluoropolymer containing primer to enhance adhesion of rotolined fluoropolymer coatings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lech, L.M. [DuPont, Parkersburg, WV (United States)

    1999-11-01

    Fluoropolymers such as PFA and ETFE are often used in rotolining applications. A common source of failure for rotolined coatings is delamination from the metal substrate. Extensive thermal cycling of the coated part, permeation of the contained liquid to the substrate, or a combination of both thermal cycling and permeation causes this. Rotolined coatings are typically applied directly to the metal part. It has been found that applying an aqueous fluoropolymer based primer to the metal substrate prior to applying the rotolined resin increases the time before delamination is observed. The primer is applied by conventional spray techniques and can either be force dried at low temperature or air-dried under ambient conditions. The primer consists primarily of a fluoropolymer such as ETFE or PFA and a bonding agent such as polyamide-imide, polyphenylene sulfide, or polyether sulfone. After the primer is applied to the metal part, the fluoropolymer in the primer melt blends with the fluoropolymer rotolining resin during the rotolining process. The bonding agent enhances the adhesion of the entire coating system to the metal part. This extends the lifetime of the rotolined coatings.

  1. Effect of a whitening agent application on enamel bond strength of self-etching primer systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyazaki, Masashi; Sato, Hikaru; Sato, Tomomi; Moore, B Keith; Platt, Jeffrey A

    2004-06-01

    Though reduction in bond strength after tooth whitening has been reported, little is known about it's effect on enamel bond strength of two-step bonding systems that exclude phosphoric acid etching prior to bonding agent application. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of whitening procedure using an in-office whitening agent on enamel bond strength of self-etching primer systems. Three self-etching primer systems, Imperva Fluoro Bond, Mac Bond II, Clearfil SE Bond, and a one-bottle adhesive system Single Bond as a control material, were used. Bovine mandibular incisors were mounted in self-curing resin and the facial enamel or dentin surfaces were ground wet on 600-grit SiC paper. An in-office whitening agent, Hi-Lite was applied on the tooth surface according to the manufacturer's instruction. Bonding procedures were done soon after rinsing off the whitening agent or after 24 hours storage in distilled water. Specimens without whitening procedure were prepared as controls. Fifteen specimens per test group were stored in 37 degrees C distilled water for 24 hours, then shear tested at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/minute. One-way ANOVA followed by Duncan multiple range test were used for statistical analysis of the results. For the specimens made soon after rinsing off the whitening agent, a significant decrease in enamel bond strength was observed for all the bonding systems used. For the specimens made after 24 hours storage in water, a small decrease in enamel bond strength was observed and no significant differences were found compared to those of controls (without whitening). From the results of this study, enamel bond strengths of the self-etching primer systems might be affected to a lesser degree after rinsing with water followed by 24 hours storage in water.

  2. Successful angioplasty of tripolar renal arteries in a single setting: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Gyarsi Lal; Morice, Marie-Claude; Catineau, Patrick

    2002-08-01

    Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is one of the important causes of correctable hypertension. There are various modes of therapy for RAS, including percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) and surgery. PTRA has emerged as the treatment of choice in cases of renal artery stenosis. PTRA combined with stenting is associated with good immediate and long-term results. This case report describes successful angioplasty of bilateral multiple renal arteries in a single setting with good immediate and follow-up results.

  3. A Primer to Slow Light

    OpenAIRE

    Leonhardt, U.

    2001-01-01

    Laboratory-based optical analogs of astronomical objects such as black holes rely on the creation of light with an extremely low or even vanishing group velocity (slow light). These brief notes represent a pedagogical attempt towards elucidating this extraordinary form of light. This paper is a contribution to the book Artificial Black Holes edited by Mario Novello, Matt Visser and Grigori Volovik. The paper is intended as a primer, an introduction to the subject for non-experts, not as a det...

  4. Design and Evaluation of Illumina MiSeq-Compatible, 18S rRNA Gene-Specific Primers for Improved Characterization of Mixed Phototrophic Communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, Ian M; Pinto, Ameet J; Guest, Jeremy S

    2016-10-01

    The use of high-throughput sequencing technologies with the 16S rRNA gene for characterization of bacterial and archaeal communities has become routine. However, the adoption of sequencing methods for eukaryotes has been slow, despite their significance to natural and engineered systems. There are large variations among the target genes used for amplicon sequencing, and for the 18S rRNA gene, there is no consensus on which hypervariable region provides the most suitable representation of diversity. Additionally, it is unclear how much PCR/sequencing bias affects the depiction of community structure using current primers. The present study amplified the V4 and V8-V9 regions from seven microalgal mock communities as well as eukaryotic communities from freshwater, coastal, and wastewater samples to examine the effect of PCR/sequencing bias on community structure and membership. We found that degeneracies on the 3' end of the current V4-specific primers impact read length and mean relative abundance. Furthermore, the PCR/sequencing error is markedly higher for GC-rich members than for communities with balanced GC content. Importantly, the V4 region failed to reliably capture 2 of the 12 mock community members, and the V8-V9 hypervariable region more accurately represents mean relative abundance and alpha and beta diversity. Overall, the V4 and V8-V9 regions show similar community representations over freshwater, coastal, and wastewater environments, but specific samples show markedly different communities. These results indicate that multiple primer sets may be advantageous for gaining a more complete understanding of community structure and highlight the importance of including mock communities composed of species of interest. The quantification of error associated with community representation by amplicon sequencing is a critical challenge that is often ignored. When target genes are amplified using currently available primers, differential amplification efficiencies

  5. The study of a Mg-rich epoxy primer for protection of AZ91D magnesium alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu Xiangyu [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Zuo Yu, E-mail: zuoy@mail.buct.edu.c [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Zhao Xuhui; Tang Yuming; Feng Xingguo [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China)

    2011-01-15

    Research highlights: {yields} A Mg-rich epoxy primer was prepared by adding pure magnesium particles in epoxy coating. Cross scratch testing results showed that in 3% NaCl solution the Mg-rich primer showed better protection for AZ91D magnesium alloy than the same epoxy primer without Mg addition. {yields} The open circuit potential of AZ91D alloy in NaCl solution decreased after coated with Mg-rich coating, suggesting that cathodic protection effect of the Mg-rich coating on AZ91D alloy was present. {yields} EIS studies showed that during the immersion tests of AZ91D alloy with Mg-rich coating the magnesium particles in coating dissolved with the charge-transfer resistance R{sub ct} at the magnesium particle/coating interface decreased and the double-layer capacitance Q{sub dl} increased. While the coating resistance remained stable for a long time and corrosion of the AZ91D alloy substrate was obviously delayed. - Abstract: A Mg-rich epoxy primer was prepared by adding pure magnesium particles to an epoxy coating. The coating properties were studied with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Mg-rich primer showed better protection for AZ91D magnesium alloy than the same epoxy primer without Mg addition. The open circuit potential measurements showed cathodic protection effect of the Mg-rich primer on AZ91D alloy. Cross scratch testing showed that the Mg-rich primer provided better protection for the substrate than original epoxy coating. The precipitation of Mg(OH){sub 2} in the coating also provided some degree of barrier protection.

  6. The study of a Mg-rich epoxy primer for protection of AZ91D magnesium alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Xiangyu; Zuo Yu; Zhao Xuhui; Tang Yuming; Feng Xingguo

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → A Mg-rich epoxy primer was prepared by adding pure magnesium particles in epoxy coating. Cross scratch testing results showed that in 3% NaCl solution the Mg-rich primer showed better protection for AZ91D magnesium alloy than the same epoxy primer without Mg addition. → The open circuit potential of AZ91D alloy in NaCl solution decreased after coated with Mg-rich coating, suggesting that cathodic protection effect of the Mg-rich coating on AZ91D alloy was present. → EIS studies showed that during the immersion tests of AZ91D alloy with Mg-rich coating the magnesium particles in coating dissolved with the charge-transfer resistance R ct at the magnesium particle/coating interface decreased and the double-layer capacitance Q dl increased. While the coating resistance remained stable for a long time and corrosion of the AZ91D alloy substrate was obviously delayed. - Abstract: A Mg-rich epoxy primer was prepared by adding pure magnesium particles to an epoxy coating. The coating properties were studied with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Mg-rich primer showed better protection for AZ91D magnesium alloy than the same epoxy primer without Mg addition. The open circuit potential measurements showed cathodic protection effect of the Mg-rich primer on AZ91D alloy. Cross scratch testing showed that the Mg-rich primer provided better protection for the substrate than original epoxy coating. The precipitation of Mg(OH) 2 in the coating also provided some degree of barrier protection.

  7. Primer on Health Surveys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David L Nordstrom

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to introduce novice researchers to surveys as a method of data collection. It starts with the definition of a survey, its major purposes and types as well as changes in the goals surveys have helped to achieve over time. Advantages and disadvantages of surveys over population censuses and medical examinations are discussed. Approaches to questionnaire construction are introduced along with properties that questionnaires are evaluated for. Modes of administration, sample size issues, and data analysis approaches are also introduced. The primer is illustrated with examples of surveys conducted in different countries with various public health purposes.

  8. Hubungan Stres dengan Kejadian Dismenore Primer pada Mahasiswi Pendidikan Dokter Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Andalas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diana Sari

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available AbstrakDismenore primer merupakan nyeri menstruasi yang dijumpai tanpa kelainan yang nyata pada alat-alat genital. Lebih dari 50% wanita mengalami dismenore primer dan 15% diantaranya mengalami nyeri yang hebat.Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menentukan hubungan tingkat stres dengan derajat dismenore primer. Penelitian dilakukan pada mahasiswi pendidikan dokter Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Andalas angkatan 2009 dan 2010. Desain penelitian ini menggunakan cross sectional study dengan jumlah subjek 165 orang. Pengumpulan data dari responden dilakukan dengan wawancara terpimpin (pengisian kuesioner. Analisa statistik yang digunakan adalah uji chi-square dan uji koefisien korelasi sederhana. Uji chi-square menunjukan ada hubungan yang bermakna antara stres dengan kejadian dismenore primer dan uji statistik koefisien korelasi sederhana menunjukkan ada hubungan yang bermakna dengan korelasi agak lemah antara tingkat stres dengan derajat dismenore primer.Kata kunci: stres, dismenore primer, mahasiswi fakultas kedokteran AbstractPrimary dysmenorrhoea is menstrual pain founded without real abnormalities in genital organs. More than 50% woman experiance it and 15% had severe pain. The objective of this study was to determine relationship between stress and primary dysmenorrhoea. Research was executed to education medical female students medical faculty of Andalas University class of 2009 and 2010. This research use cross sectional study design with 165 subjects. Data was collected by guided interview. Statistic analysis use chi-square test and simple correlation test. Chi-square test show there is significant relationship between stress and primary dysmenorrhoea and simple coefficient test show there is weak correlation between stress levels and degree of primary dysmenorrhoea.Keywords: stress, primary dysmenorrhoea, female student of medical faculty

  9. Qualification and Flight Test of Non-Chrome Primers for C-130 Aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-17

    system  Significant hexavalent chrome reduction in finish system  Potential exposure level of spray applied chromated conversion coating not as...Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company Qualification and Flight Test of Non- Chrome Primers for C-130 Aircraft Scott Jones Lockheed Martin...00-2011 to 00-00-2011 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Qualification and Flight Test of Non- Chrome Primers for C-130 Aircraft 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT

  10. A two primers random amplified polymorphic DNA procedure to obtain polymerase chain reaction fingerprints of bacterial species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivas, R; Velázquez, E; Valverde, A; Mateos, P F; Martínez-Molina, E

    2001-04-01

    Polymerase chain reation (PCR) fingerprints are used to characterize and recognize bacteria and are generally obtained using universal primers that generate an array of DNA amplicons, which can be separated by electrophoresis. Universal primers 8F and 1491 R have been used to amplify specifically 16S rDNA. We have used these primers at an annealing temperature of 50 degrees C. Agarose gel electrophoresis of PCR products revealed several bands. The band pattern of each bacterial species was different and the strains belonging to the same species shared an identical pattern. The patterns obtained did not show variations with plasmid DNA content or the growth stage of the bacteria. The peculiarity of the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) described in this work lies in the use of two large primers (proximately 20 nt) to obtain the pattern, since normally a only smaller primer is used, and in the new application for the primers used to amplify 16S rDNA. This new procedure, called two primers (TP)-RAPD fingerprinting, is thus rapid, sensitive, reliable, highly reproducible and suitable for experiments with a large number of microorganisms, and can be applied to bacterial taxonomy, ecological studies and for the detection of new bacterial species.

  11. Can DNA-Based Ecosystem Assessments Quantify Species Abundance? Testing Primer Bias and Biomass--Sequence Relationships with an Innovative Metabarcoding Protocol.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vasco Elbrecht

    Full Text Available Metabarcoding is an emerging genetic tool to rapidly assess biodiversity in ecosystems. It involves high-throughput sequencing of a standard gene from an environmental sample and comparison to a reference database. However, no consensus has emerged regarding laboratory pipelines to screen species diversity and infer species abundances from environmental samples. In particular, the effect of primer bias and the detection limit for specimens with a low biomass has not been systematically examined, when processing samples in bulk. We developed and tested a DNA metabarcoding protocol that utilises the standard cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI barcoding fragment to detect freshwater macroinvertebrate taxa. DNA was extracted in bulk, amplified in a single PCR step, and purified, and the libraries were directly sequenced in two independent MiSeq runs (300-bp paired-end reads. Specifically, we assessed the influence of specimen biomass on sequence read abundance by sequencing 31 specimens of a stonefly species with known haplotypes spanning three orders of magnitude in biomass (experiment I. Then, we tested the recovery of 52 different freshwater invertebrate taxa of similar biomass using the same standard barcoding primers (experiment II. Each experiment was replicated ten times to maximise statistical power. The results of both experiments were consistent across replicates. We found a distinct positive correlation between species biomass and resulting numbers of MiSeq reads. Furthermore, we reliably recovered 83% of the 52 taxa used to test primer bias. However, sequence abundance varied by four orders of magnitudes between taxa despite the use of similar amounts of biomass. Our metabarcoding approach yielded reliable results for high-throughput assessments. However, the results indicated that primer efficiency is highly species-specific, which would prevent straightforward assessments of species abundance and biomass in a sample. Thus, PCR

  12. Guidelines - A Primer for Communicating Effectively with NABIR Stakeholders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bilyard, G.R.; Word, C.J.; Weber, J.R.; Harding, A.K.

    2000-09-27

    This primer is a tool to help prepare scientists for meetings with stakeholders. It was prepared for staff involved with the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. It discusses why some efforts in science communication may succeed while others fail, provides methods of approaching group interactions about science that may better orient expert participants, and summarizes experience drawn from observations of groups interacting about topics in bioremediation or the NABIR program. The primer also provides brief, useful models for interacting with either expert or non-expert groups. Finally, it identifies topical areas that may help scientists prepare for public meetings, based on the developers' ongoing research in science communication in public forums.

  13. Guidelines - A Primer for Communicating Effectively with NABIR Stakeholders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    A Harding; B Metting; C Word; G Bilyard; G Hund; J Amaya; J Weber; S Gajewski; S Underriner; T Peterson

    1998-12-10

    This primer is a tool to help prepare scientists for meetings with stakeholders. It was prepared for staff involved with the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. It discusses why some efforts in science communication may succeed while others fail, provides methods of approaching group interactions about science that may better orient expert participants, and summarizes experience drawn from observations of @oups interacting about topics in bioremediation or the NABIR program. The primer also provides briez usefid models for interacting with either expert or non-expert groups. Finally, it identifies topical areas that may help scientists prepare for public meetings, based on the developers' ongoing research in science communication in public forums.

  14. Summary of the primer on tumor immunology and the biological therapy of cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margolin Kim

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer (iSBTc is one of the "premier destinations for interaction and innovation in the cancer biologics community". It provides a primer course each year during the annual meeting to address the most important areas of tumor immunology and immunotherapy. The course has been given by prominent investigators in the area of interest, covering the core principles of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. The target audience for this program includes investigators from academic, regulatory, and biopharmaceutical venues. The program goal is to enable the attendees to learn the current status and the most recent advances in biologic therapies, and to leverage this knowledge towards the improvement of cancer therapy. The 2008 immunologic primer course was held on October 30 at the 23rd Annual meeting of iSBTc in San Diego, CA. Nine internationally renowned investigators gave excellent presentations on different topics. The topics covered in this primer included: (1 cytokines in cancer immunology; (2 anti-angiogenic therapy; (3 end stage: immune killing of tumors; (4 blocking T cell checkpoints; (5 approach to identification and therapeutic exploitation of tumor antigens; (6 T regulatory cells; (7 adoptive T cell therapy; (8 immune monitoring of cancer immunotherapy; and (9 immune adjuvants. We summarized the topics in this primer for public education. The related topic slides and schedule can be accessed online http://www.isbtc.org/meetings/am08/primer08.

  15. Investigations on heavy ion induced Single-Event Transients (SETs) in highly-scaled FinFETs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaillardin, M., E-mail: marc.gaillardin@cea.fr [CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon (France); Raine, M.; Paillet, P. [CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon (France); Adell, P.C. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Girard, S. [Université de Saint-Etienne, Laboratoire H. Curien, UMR-5516, 42000 Saint-Etienne (France); Duhamel, O. [CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon (France); Andrieu, F.; Barraud, S.; Faynot, O. [CEA, LETI-Minatec, 17 avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble (France)

    2015-12-15

    We investigate Single-Event Transients (SET) in different designs of multiple-gate devices made of FinFETs with various geometries. Heavy ion experimental results are explained by using a thorough charge collection analysis of fast transients measured on dedicated test structures. Multi-level simulations are performed to get new insights into the charge collection mechanisms in multiple-gate devices. Implications for multiple-gate device design hardening are finally discussed.

  16. Molecular analysis of single oocyst of Eimeria by whole genome amplification (WGA) based nested PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yunzhou; Tao, Geru; Cui, Yujuan; Lv, Qiyao; Xie, Li; Li, Yuan; Suo, Xun; Qin, Yinghe; Xiao, Lihua; Liu, Xianyong

    2014-09-01

    PCR-based molecular tools are widely used for the identification and characterization of protozoa. Here we report the molecular analysis of Eimeria species using combined methods of whole genome amplification (WGA) and nested PCR. Single oocyst of Eimeria stiedai or Eimeriamedia was directly used for random amplification of the genomic DNA with either primer extension preamplification (PEP) or multiple displacement amplification (MDA), and then the WGA product was used as template in nested PCR with species-specific primers for ITS-1, 18S rDNA and 23S rDNA of E. stiedai and E. media. WGA-based PCR was successful for the amplification of these genes from single oocyst. For the species identification of single oocyst isolated from mixed E. stiedai or E. media, the results from WGA-based PCR were exactly in accordance with those from morphological identification, suggesting the availability of this method in molecular analysis of eimerian parasites at the single oocyst level. WGA-based PCR method can also be applied for the identification and genetic characterization of other protists. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Screening for Residual Disease in Pediatric Burkitt Lymphoma Using Consensus Primer Pools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa Agsalda

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Assessing molecular persistent or minimal residual disease (PD/MRD in childhood Burkitt lymphoma (BL is challenging because access to original tumor is usually needed to design patient-specific primers (PSPs. Because BL is characterized by rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgVH genes, IgVH primer pools from IgVH1–IgVH7 regions were tested to detect PD/MRD, thus eliminating the need for original tumor. The focus of the current study was to assess the feasibility of using IgVH primer pools to detect disease in clinical specimens. Fourteen children diagnosed with B-NHL had follow-up repository specimens available to assess PD/MRD. Of the 14 patients, 12 were PD/MRD negative after 2 months of therapy and remained in remission at the end of therapy; 2/14 patients were PD/MRD positive at 2-3 months and later relapsed. PSP-based assays from these 14 patients showed 100% concordance with the current assay. This feasibility study warrants further investigation to assess PD/MRD using IgVH primer pools, which could have clinical significance as a real-time assessment tool to monitor pediatric BL and possibly other B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma therapy.

  18. Screening for residual disease in pediatric burkitt lymphoma using consensus primer pools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agsalda, Melissa; Kusao, Ian; Troelstrup, David; Shiramizu, Bruce

    2009-01-01

    Assessing molecular persistent or minimal residual disease (PD/MRD) in childhood Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is challenging because access to original tumor is usually needed to design patient-specific primers (PSPs). Because BL is characterized by rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgV(H)) genes, IgV(H) primer pools from IgV(H1)-IgV(H7) regions were tested to detect PD/MRD, thus eliminating the need for original tumor. The focus of the current study was to assess the feasibility of using IgV(H) primer pools to detect disease in clinical specimens. Fourteen children diagnosed with B-NHL had follow-up repository specimens available to assess PD/MRD. Of the 14 patients, 12 were PD/MRD negative after 2 months of therapy and remained in remission at the end of therapy; 2/14 patients were PD/MRD positive at 2-3 months and later relapsed. PSP-based assays from these 14 patients showed 100% concordance with the current assay. This feasibility study warrants further investigation to assess PD/MRD using IgV(H) primer pools, which could have clinical significance as a real-time assessment tool to monitor pediatric BL and possibly other B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma therapy.

  19. Detection and characterization of recombinant DNA expressing vip3A-type insecticidal gene in GMOs--standard single, multiplex and construct-specific PCR assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Chandra K; Ojha, Abhishek; Bhatanagar, Raj K; Kachru, Devendra N

    2008-01-01

    Vegetative insecticidal protein (Vip), a unique class of insecticidal protein, is now part of transgenic plants for conferring resistance against lepidopteron pests. In order to address the imminent regulatory need for detection and labeling of vip3A carrying genetically modified (GM) products, we have developed a standard single PCR and a multiplex PCR assay. As far as we are aware, this is the first report on PCR-based detection of a vip3A-type gene (vip-s) in transgenic cotton and tobacco. Our assay involves amplification of a 284-bp region of the vip-s gene. This assay can possibly detect as many as 20 natural wild-type isolates bearing a vip3A-like gene and two synthetic genes of vip3A in transgenic plants. The limit of detection as established by our assay for GM trait (vip-s) is 0.1%. Spiking with nontarget DNA originating from diverse plant sources had no inhibitory effect on vip-s detection. Since autoclaving of vip-s bearing GM leaf samples showed no deterioration/interference in detection efficacy, the assay seems to be suitable for processed food products as well. The vip-s amplicon identity was reconfirmed by restriction endonuclease assay. The primer set for vip-s was equally effective in a multiplex PCR assay format (duplex, triplex and quadruplex), used in conjunction with the primer sets for the npt-II selectable marker gene, Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and nopaline synthetase terminator, enabling concurrent detection of the transgene, regulatory sequences and marker gene. Further, the entire transgene construct was amplified using the forward primer of the promoter and the reverse primer of the terminator. The resultant amplicon served as a template for nested PCR to confirm the construct integrity. The method is suitable for screening any vip3A-carrying GM plant and food. The availability of a reliable PCR assay method prior to commercial release of vip3A-based transgenic crops and food would facilitate rapid and efficient regulatory

  20. RPA physically interacts with the human DNA glycosylase NEIL1 to regulate excision of oxidative DNA base damage in primer-template structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theriot, Corey A; Hegde, Muralidhar L; Hazra, Tapas K; Mitra, Sankar

    2010-06-04

    The human DNA glycosylase NEIL1, activated during the S-phase, has been shown to excise oxidized base lesions in single-strand DNA substrates. Furthermore, our previous work demonstrating functional interaction of NEIL1 with PCNA and flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) suggested its involvement in replication-associated repair. Here we show interaction of NEIL1 with replication protein A (RPA), the heterotrimeric single-strand DNA binding protein that is essential for replication and other DNA transactions. The NEIL1 immunocomplex isolated from human cells contains RPA, and its abundance in the complex increases after exposure to oxidative stress. NEIL1 directly interacts with the large subunit of RPA (K(d) approximately 20 nM) via the common interacting interface (residues 312-349) in NEIL1's disordered C-terminal region. RPA inhibits the base excision activity of both wild-type NEIL1 (389 residues) and its C-terminal deletion CDelta78 mutant (lacking the interaction domain) for repairing 5-hydroxyuracil (5-OHU) in a primer-template structure mimicking the DNA replication fork. This inhibition is reduced when the damage is located near the primer-template junction. Contrarily, RPA moderately stimulates wild-type NEIL1 but not the CDelta78 mutant when 5-OHU is located within the duplex region. While NEIL1 is inhibited by both RPA and Escherichia coli single-strand DNA binding protein, only inhibition by RPA is relieved by PCNA. These results showing modulation of NEIL1's activity on single-stranded DNA substrate by RPA and PCNA support NEIL1's involvement in repairing the replicating genome. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. MRI Primer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oldendorf, W.; Oldendorf, W. Jr.

    1991-01-01

    Designed for studies, radiologists, and clinicians at all levels of training, this book provides a basic introduction to the principles, physics, and instrumentation of magnetic resonance imaging. The fundamental concepts that are essential for the optimal clinical use of MRI are thoroughly explained in easily accessible terms. To facilitate the reader's comprehension, the material is presented nonmathematically, using no equations and a minimum of symbols and abbreviations. MRI Primer presents a clear account of the phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance and the use of gradient magnetic fields to create clinically useful images of cross-sectional slices. Close attention is given to the magnetization vector as a means of expressing nuclear behavior, the role of T 1 and T 2 weighing in imaging, the use of contrast agents, and the pulse sequences most often used in clinical practice, as well as to the relative capabilities and limitations of MRI and CT. The basic hardware components of an MRI scanner are described in detail. Sample MRI scans illustrate how MRI characterizes tissue. An appendix provides a brief introduction to quantum processes in MRI

  2. Optimization of nested polymerase chain reaction assays for identification of Aeromonas salmonicida, Yersinia ruckeri and Flavobacterium psychrophilum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, P.W.; Winton, J.R.

    2002-01-01

    Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were developed using first-round primers complementary to highly conserved regions within the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene (universal eubacterial primers) and second-round primers specific for sequences within the 16S rRNA genes of Aeromonas salmonicida, Yersinia ruckeri, andFlavobacterium psychrophilum. Following optimization of the MgCl2 concentration and primer annealing temperature, PCR employing the universal eubacterial primers was used to amplify a 1,500-base-pair (bp) product visible in agarose gels stained with ethidium bromide. The calculated detection limit of this single-round assay was less than 1.4 × 104 colony-forming units (CFU) per reaction for all bacterial species tested. Single-round PCR using primer sets specific for A. salmonicida, Y. ruckeri, and F. psychrophilumamplified bands of 271, 575, and 1,100 bp, respectively, with detection limits of less than 1.4 × 104, 1.4 × 105, and 1.4 × 105 CFU per reaction. Using the universal eubacterial primers in the first round and the species-specific primer sets in the second round of nested PCR assays improved the detection ability by approximately four orders of magnitude to fewer than 14 CFU per sample for each of the three bacterial species. Such nested assays could be adapted to a wide variety of bacterial fish pathogens for which 16S sequences are available.

  3. A primer of multivariate statistics

    CERN Document Server

    Harris, Richard J

    2014-01-01

    Drawing upon more than 30 years of experience in working with statistics, Dr. Richard J. Harris has updated A Primer of Multivariate Statistics to provide a model of balance between how-to and why. This classic text covers multivariate techniques with a taste of latent variable approaches. Throughout the book there is a focus on the importance of describing and testing one's interpretations of the emergent variables that are produced by multivariate analysis. This edition retains its conversational writing style while focusing on classical techniques. The book gives the reader a feel for why

  4. Rapid and sensitive electrochemiluminescence detection of rotavirus by magnetic primer based reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhan Fangfang; Zhou Xiaoming; Xing Da

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: In this work, we have developed and demonstrated a magnetic primer based RT-PCR assay for ECL detection of rotavirus. In the presence of two functional primers (magnetic primer and TBR-primer) and PCR reagents, cDNA from RT was amplified directly onto MPs during PCR cycles of denaturation, annealing and extension. The resulting MPs–TBR complexes were easily loaded on the electrode surface and produced a concentrated ECL signal. The figure shows the schematic illustration of magnetic primer RT-PCR based ECL assay for rotavirus detection. Highlights: ► A novel method for detection of rotavirus has been developed. ► In the presence of magnetic primer, TBR-primer and PCR reagents, cDNA form RT was amplified directly onto MPs. ► To obtain the best sensing and efficient performance, important parameters associated with the efficiency were investigated carefully. ► The proposed method will find numerous applications in food safety field and clinical diagnosis. - Abstract: A novel method for detection of rotavirus has been developed by integrating magnetic primer based reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection. This is realized by accomplishing RT of rotavirus RNA in traditional way and performing PCR of the resulting cDNA fragment on the surface of magnetic particles (MPs). In order to implement PCR on MPs and achieve rapid ECL detection, forward and reverse primers are bounded to MPs and tris-(2,2′-bipyridyl) ruthenium (TBR), respectively. After RT-PCR amplification, the TBR labels are directly enriched onto the surface of MPs. Then the MPs–TBR complexes can be loaded on the electrode surface and analyzed by magnetic ECL platform without any post-modification or post-incubation process. So some laborious manual operations can be avoided to achieve rapid yet sensitive detection. In this study, rotavirus in fecal specimens was successfully detected within 1.5 h. Experimental

  5. A Primer on Basic Effect Size Concepts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elmore, Patricia B.; Rotou, Ourania

    The increased interest in reporting effect sizes means that it is necessary to consider what should be included in a primer on effect sizes. A review of papers on effect sizes and commonly repeated statistical analyses suggests that it is important to discuss effect sizes relative to bivariate correlation, t-tests, analysis of variance/covariance,…

  6. High Diversity of Myocyanophage in Various Aquatic Environments Revealed by High-Throughput Sequencing of Major Capsid Protein Gene With a New Set of Primers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weiguo Hou

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Myocyanophages, a group of viruses infecting cyanobacteria, are abundant and play important roles in elemental cycling. Here we investigated the particle-associated viral communities retained on 0.2 μm filters and in sediment samples (representing ancient cyanophage communities from four ocean and three lake locations, using high-throughput sequencing and a newly designed primer pair targeting a gene fragment (∼145-bp in length encoding the cyanophage gp23 major capsid protein (MCP. Diverse viral communities were detected in all samples. The fragments of 142-, 145-, and 148-bp in length were most abundant in the amplicons, and most sequences (>92% belonged to cyanophages. Additionally, different sequencing depths resulted in different diversity estimates of the viral community. Operational taxonomic units obtained from deep sequencing of the MCP gene covered the majority of those obtained from shallow sequencing, suggesting that deep sequencing exhibited a more complete picture of cyanophage community than shallow sequencing. Our results also revealed a wide geographic distribution of marine myocyanophages, i.e., higher dissimilarities of the myocyanophage communities corresponded with the larger distances between the sampling sites. Collectively, this study suggests that the newly designed primer pair can be effectively used to study the community and diversity of myocyanophage from different environments, and the high-throughput sequencing represents a good method to understand viral diversity.

  7. An Interactive Microcomputer Program for Teaching the Impacts of Alternative Policy Sets in the Market for a Single Commodity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Elton; Stoecker, Arthur

    1995-01-01

    Describes a computer software program where students define alternative policy sets and compare their effects on the welfare of consumers, producers, and the public sector. Policy sets may be a single tax or quota or a mix of taxes, subsidies, and/or price supports implemented in the marketing chain. (MJP)

  8. The Universal Primer - An open source solution for archiving, organizing and streaming live lectures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christoffersen, Marc Juul; Panton, Hans Christian Hansen; Krajowski-Kukiel, Maciej

    2011-01-01

    . The goal of the Universal Primer is to address these problems, and allow anyone, anywhere, to teach or learn anything that can be reasonably taught or learned through a computer. The Universal Primer is 1: A fully open source solution for streaming live lectures. And 2: A Wikipedia-like website...

  9. A Brief Taxometrics Primer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beauchaine, Theodore P.

    2009-01-01

    Taxometric procedures provide an empirical means of determining which psychiatric disorders are typologically distinct from normal behavioral functioning. Although most disorders reflect extremes along continuously distributed behavioral traits, identifying those that are discrete has important implications for accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, early identification of risk, and improved understanding of etiology. This article provides (a) brief descriptions of the conceptual bases of several taxometric procedures, (b) example analyses using simulated data, and (c) strategies for avoiding common pitfalls that are often observed in taxometrics research. To date, most taxometrics studies have appeared in the adult psychopathology literature. It is hoped that this primer will encourage interested readers to extend taxometrics research to child and adolescent populations. PMID:18088222

  10. Magnesium-Based Sacrificial Anode Cathodic Protection Coatings (Mg-Rich Primers for Aluminum Alloys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael D. Blanton

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Magnesium is electrochemically the most active metal employed in common structural alloys of iron and aluminum. Mg is widely used as a sacrificial anode to provide cathodic protection of underground and undersea metallic structures, ships, submarines, bridges, decks, aircraft and ground transportation systems. Following the same principle of utilizing Mg characteristics in engineering advantages in a decade-long successful R&D effort, Mg powder is now employed in organic coatings (termed as Mg-rich primers as a sacrificial anode pigment to protect aerospace grade aluminum alloys against corrosion. Mg-rich primers have performed very well on aluminum alloys when compared against the current chromate standard, but the carcinogenic chromate-based coatings/pretreatments are being widely used by the Department of Defense (DoD to protect its infrastructure and fleets against corrosion damage. Factors such as reactivity of Mg particles in the coating matrix during exposure to aggressive corrosion environments, interaction of atmospheric gases with Mg particles and the impact of Mg dissolution, increases in pH and hydrogen gas liberation at coating-metal interface, and primer adhesion need to be considered for further development of Mg-rich primer technology.

  11. Gene Set Analyses of Genome-Wide Association Studies on 49 Quantitative Traits Measured in a Single Genetic Epidemiology Dataset

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jihye Kim

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Gene set analysis is a powerful tool for interpreting a genome-wide association study result and is gaining popularity these days. Comparison of the gene sets obtained for a variety of traits measured from a single genetic epidemiology dataset may give insights into the biological mechanisms underlying these traits. Based on the previously published single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP genotype data on 8,842 individuals enrolled in the Korea Association Resource project, we performed a series of systematic genome-wide association analyses for 49 quantitative traits of basic epidemiological, anthropometric, or blood chemistry parameters. Each analysis result was subjected to subsequent gene set analyses based on Gene Ontology (GO terms using gene set analysis software, GSA-SNP, identifying a set of GO terms significantly associated to each trait (pcorr < 0.05. Pairwise comparison of the traits in terms of the semantic similarity in their GO sets revealed surprising cases where phenotypically uncorrelated traits showed high similarity in terms of biological pathways. For example, the pH level was related to 7 other traits that showed low phenotypic correlations with it. A literature survey implies that these traits may be regulated partly by common pathways that involve neuronal or nerve systems.

  12. Taxon-specific PCR primers to detect two inconspicuous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from temperate agricultural grassland

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gamper, H.A.; Leuchtmann, A.

    2007-01-01

    Taxon-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers enable detection of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF, Glomeromycota) in plant roots where the fungi lack discriminative morphological and biochemical characters. We designed and validated pairs of new PCR primers targeted to the flanking

  13. Training With Curved Laparoscopic Instruments in Single-Port Setting Improves Performance Using Straight Instruments: A Prospective Randomized Simulation Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukovich, Peter; Sionov, Valery Ben; Kakucs, Timea

    2016-01-01

    Lately single-port surgery is becoming a widespread procedure, but it is more difficult than conventional laparoscopy owing to the lack of triangulation. Although, these operations are also possible with standard laparoscopic instruments, curved instruments are being developed. The aims of the study were to identify the effect of training on a box trainer in single-port setting on the quality of acquired skills, and transferred with the straight and curved instruments for the basic laparoscopic tasks, and highlight the importance of a special laparoscopic training curriculum. A prospective study on a box trainer in single-port setting was conducted using 2 groups. Each group performed 2 tasks on the box trainer in single-port setting. Group-S used conventional straight laparoscopic instruments, and Group-C used curved laparoscopic instruments. Learning curves were obtained by daily measurements recorded in 7-day sessions. On the last day, the 2 groups changed instruments between each other. 1st Department of Surgery, Semmelweis University of Medicine from Budapest, Hungary, a university teaching hospital. In all, 20 fifth-year medical students were randomized into 2 groups. None of them had any laparoscopic or endoscopic experience. Participation was voluntary. Although Group-S performed all tasks significantly faster than Group-C on the first day, the difference proved to be nonsignificant on the last day. All participants achieved significantly shorter task completion time on the last day than on the first day, regardless of the instrument they used. Group-S showed improvement of 63.5%, and Group-C 69.0% improvement by the end of the session. After swapping the instruments, Group-S reached significantly higher task completion time with curved instruments, whereas Group-C showed further progression of 8.9% with straight instruments. Training with curved instruments in a single-port setting allows for a better acquisition of skills in a shorter period. For this

  14. Molecular Basis for DNA Double-Strand Break Annealing and Primer Extension by an NHEJ DNA Polymerase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nigel C. Brissett

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ is one of the major DNA double-strand break (DSB repair pathways. The mechanisms by which breaks are competently brought together and extended during NHEJ is poorly understood. As polymerases extend DNA in a 5′-3′ direction by nucleotide addition to a primer, it is unclear how NHEJ polymerases fill in break termini containing 3′ overhangs that lack a primer strand. Here, we describe, at the molecular level, how prokaryotic NHEJ polymerases configure a primer-template substrate by annealing the 3′ overhanging strands from opposing breaks, forming a gapped intermediate that can be extended in trans. We identify structural elements that facilitate docking of the 3′ ends in the active sites of adjacent polymerases and reveal how the termini act as primers for extension of the annealed break, thus explaining how such DSBs are extended in trans. This study clarifies how polymerases couple break-synapsis to catalysis, providing a molecular mechanism to explain how primer extension is achieved on DNA breaks.

  15. AN ANALYSIS OF TEN YEARS OF THE FOUR GRAND SLAM MEN'S SINGLES DATA FOR LACK OF INDEPENDENCE OF SET OUTCOMES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denny Meyer

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to use data from the highest level in men's tennis to assess whether there is any evidence to reject the hypothesis that the two players in a match have a constant probability of winning each set in the match. The data consists of all 4883 matches of grand slam men's singles over a 10 year period from 1995 to 2004. Each match is categorised by its sequence of win (W or loss (L (in set 1, set 2, set 3,... to the eventual winner. Thus, there are several categories of matches from WWW to LLWWW. The methodology involves fitting several probabilistic models to the frequencies of the above ten categories. One four-set category is observed to occur significantly more often than the other two. Correspondingly, a couple of the five-set categories occur more frequently than the others. This pattern is consistent when the data is split into two five-year subsets. The data provides significant statistical evidence that the probability of winning a set within a match varies from set to set. The data supports the conclusion that, at the highest level of men's singles tennis, the better player (not necessarily the winner lifts his play in certain situations at least some of the time

  16. Electrochemical genosensing of Salmonella, Listeria and Escherichia coli on silica magnetic particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liébana, Susana; Brandão, Delfina [Grup de Sensors i Biosensors, Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès (Bellaterra) (Spain); Cortés, Pilar; Campoy, Susana [Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès (Bellaterra) (Spain); Alegret, Salvador [Grup de Sensors i Biosensors, Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès (Bellaterra) (Spain); Pividori, María Isabel, E-mail: Isabel.Pividori@uab.cat [Grup de Sensors i Biosensors, Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès (Bellaterra) (Spain)

    2016-01-21

    A magneto-genosensing approach for the detection of the three most common pathogenic bacteria in food safety, such as Salmonella, Listeria and Escherichia coli is presented. The methodology is based on the detection of the tagged amplified DNA obtained by single-tagging PCR with a set of specific primers for each pathogen, followed by electrochemical magneto-genosensing on silica magnetic particles. A set of primers were selected for the amplification of the invA (278 bp), prfA (217 bp) and eaeA (151 bp) being one of the primers for each set tagged with fluorescein, biotin and digoxigenin coding for Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli, respectively. The single-tagged amplicons were then immobilized on silica MPs based on the nucleic acid-binding properties of silica particles in the presence of the chaotropic agent as guanidinium thiocyanate. The assessment of the silica MPs as a platform for electrochemical magneto-genosensing is described, including the main parameters to selectively attach longer dsDNA fragments instead of shorter ssDNA primers based on their negative charge density of the sugar-phosphate backbone. This approach resulted to be a promising detection tool with sensing features of rapidity and sensitivity very suitable to be implemented on DNA biosensors and microfluidic platforms. - Highlights: • Silica magnetic particles were used for the first time as carrier in electrochemical magneto-genosensing of single-tagged amplicons. • They demonstrated to be a robust platform for the electrochemical detection of PCR products. • Differential adsorption properties for longer dsDNA amplicon incorporating the tagging primers over shorter ssDNA tagged primers were observed due to the negative charge density. • Electrochemical magneto-genosensing of Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli was successfully performed.

  17. Electrochemical genosensing of Salmonella, Listeria and Escherichia coli on silica magnetic particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liébana, Susana; Brandão, Delfina; Cortés, Pilar; Campoy, Susana; Alegret, Salvador; Pividori, María Isabel

    2016-01-01

    A magneto-genosensing approach for the detection of the three most common pathogenic bacteria in food safety, such as Salmonella, Listeria and Escherichia coli is presented. The methodology is based on the detection of the tagged amplified DNA obtained by single-tagging PCR with a set of specific primers for each pathogen, followed by electrochemical magneto-genosensing on silica magnetic particles. A set of primers were selected for the amplification of the invA (278 bp), prfA (217 bp) and eaeA (151 bp) being one of the primers for each set tagged with fluorescein, biotin and digoxigenin coding for Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli, respectively. The single-tagged amplicons were then immobilized on silica MPs based on the nucleic acid-binding properties of silica particles in the presence of the chaotropic agent as guanidinium thiocyanate. The assessment of the silica MPs as a platform for electrochemical magneto-genosensing is described, including the main parameters to selectively attach longer dsDNA fragments instead of shorter ssDNA primers based on their negative charge density of the sugar-phosphate backbone. This approach resulted to be a promising detection tool with sensing features of rapidity and sensitivity very suitable to be implemented on DNA biosensors and microfluidic platforms. - Highlights: • Silica magnetic particles were used for the first time as carrier in electrochemical magneto-genosensing of single-tagged amplicons. • They demonstrated to be a robust platform for the electrochemical detection of PCR products. • Differential adsorption properties for longer dsDNA amplicon incorporating the tagging primers over shorter ssDNA tagged primers were observed due to the negative charge density. • Electrochemical magneto-genosensing of Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli was successfully performed.

  18. The astrobiology primer: an outline of general knowledge--version 1, 2006.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Billings, L; Cameron, V; Claire, M; Dick, G J; Domagal-Goldman, S D; Javaux, E J; Johnson, O J; Laws, C; Race, M S; Rask, J; Rummel, J D; Schelble, R T; Vance, S

    2006-10-01

    The Astrobiology Primer has been created as a reference tool for those who are interested in the interdisciplinary field of astrobiology. The field incorporates many diverse research endeavors, but it is our hope that this slim volume will present the reader with all he or she needs to know to become involved and to understand, at least at a fundamental level, the state of the art. Each section includes a brief overview of a topic and a short list of readable and important literature for those interested in deeper knowledge. Because of the great diversity of material, each section was written by a different author with a different expertise. Contributors, authors, and editors are listed at the beginning, along with a list of those chapters and sections for which they were responsible. We are deeply indebted to the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), in particular to Estelle Dodson, David Morrison, Ed Goolish, Krisstina Wilmoth, and Rose Grymes for their continued enthusiasm and support. The Primer came about in large part because of NAI support for graduate student research, collaboration, and inclusion as well as direct funding. We have entitled the Primer version 1 in hope that it will be only the first in a series, whose future volumes will be produced every 3-5 years. This way we can insure that the Primer keeps up with the current state of research. We hope that it will be a great resource for anyone trying to stay abreast of an ever-changing field.

  19. Development of Candida-Specific Real-Time PCR Assays for the Detection and Identification of Eight Medically Important Candida Species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jing; Hung, Guo-Chiuan; Nagamine, Kenjiro; Li, Bingjie; Tsai, Shien; Lo, Shyh-Ching

    2016-01-01

    Culture-based identification methods have been the gold standard for the diagnosis of fungal infection. Currently, molecular technologies such as real-time PCR assays with short turnaround time can provide desirable alternatives for the rapid detection of Candida microbes. However, most of the published PCR primer sets are not Candida specific and likely to amplify DNA from common environmental contaminants, such as Aspergillus microbes. In this study, we designed pan-Candida primer sets based on the ribosomal DNA-coding regions conserved within Candida but distinct from those of Aspergillus and Penicillium. We demonstrate that the final two selected pan-Candida primer sets would not amplify Aspergillus DNA and could be used to differentiate eight medically important Candida pathogens in real-time PCR assays based on their melting profiles, with a sensitivity of detection as low as 10 fg of Candida genomic DNA. Moreover, we further evaluated and selected species-specific primer sets covering Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, and Candida dubliniensis and show that they had high sensitivity and specificity. These real-time PCR primer sets could potentially be assembled into a single PCR array for the rapid detection of Candida species in various clinical settings, such as corneal transplantation.

  20. Promotion primer. Foerderfibel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1981-01-01

    This revised edition of the promotion primer is to serve as a topical orientation aid for industrial firms, unions, boards and other bodies interested where the actions of governmental R and D and innovation policy are compiled and clearly arranged. It is important for the success of governmental aids that the institutions concerned are informed about all possibilities of the promotion, financing and advisory programme. Beyond the presentation of the research promotion sectors, the fiscal measures and the contractual as well as the joint research this revised edition focussess on the fields of consultative services for innovation and information. For many firms the access to qualified information and guidance is of particular importance. That is why this brochure points out the ways towards governmental research promotion. The BMFT has provided a remarkable contribution to research promotion by establishing information and consultative services for trade and industry.

  1. A comparative clinical study of the failure rate of orthodontic brackets bonded with two adhesive systems: conventional and self-etching primer (SEP).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dominguez, Gladys Cristina; Tortamano, André; Lopes, Luiz Vicente de Moura; Catharino, Priscilla Campanatti Chibebe; Morea, Camillo

    2013-01-01

    This study compared the clinical performance of orthodontic brackets bonded with Transbond adhesive paste after two primer systems: a two-stage conventional system (acid etching + Transbond XT adhesive primer) and a single-stage self-etching primer (SEP) (Transbond Plus). The sample comprised 480 metal brackets bonded to the teeth of 24 consecutive patients treated for 36 to 48 months. A split-mouth design was used for bonding, and both systems were used in each patient. Bracket failure rates for each system were analyzed; and failure causes as reported by the patients and the quadrant of teeth for which brackets failed were recorded. The conventional system group had a failure rate of 5.41%, whereas the rate for SEP was 4.58%. In this group, there were 5 failures (38.4%) in the right maxillary quadrant, 2 (15.4%) in the left maxillary quadrant, 4 (30.8%) in the right mandibular quadrant, and 2 (15.4%) in the left mandibular quadrant. In the SEP group, there were 4 (36.4%) failures in the right maxillary quadrant, 1 (9%) in the left maxillary quadrant, 3 (27.3%) in the right mandibular quadrant, and 3 (27.3%) in the left mandibular quadrant. Results of descriptive statistical analysis and odds ratio did not show any significant differences between rates (p = 0.67). The clinical efficiency of SEP was similar to that of the conventional system.

  2. Gold nanoparticle-assisted primer walking for closing the human chromosomal gap

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, H; Shi, B; Li, X

    2013-01-01

    The finished sequence of the human genome still contains 260 euchromatic gaps. All the PCR-based genome walking techniques used to close gaps have common limitations, such as low efficiency and low specificity. We herein describe a strategy to solve this problem by employing gold nanoparticles (Au......NPs) to improve the efficiency in primer walking amplification. We used this strategy to close a gap in human chromosome 5 containing a DNA stretch composed of the 12SAT repeat. The obtained gap sequence is highly conserved among several mammalian genomes. The demonstrated AuNP-assisted primer walking strategy...

  3. Conservative fragments in bacterial 16S rRNA genes and primer design for 16S ribosomal DNA amplicons in metagenomic studies

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Yong

    2009-10-09

    Bacterial 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) amplicons have been widely used in the classification of uncultured bacteria inhabiting environmental niches. Primers targeting conservative regions of the rDNAs are used to generate amplicons of variant regions that are informative in taxonomic assignment. One problem is that the percentage coverage and application scope of the primers used in previous studies are largely unknown. In this study, conservative fragments of available rDNA sequences were first mined and then used to search for candidate primers within the fragments by measuring the coverage rate defined as the percentage of bacterial sequences containing the target. Thirty predicted primers with a high coverage rate (>90%) were identified, which were basically located in the same conservative regions as known primers in previous reports, whereas 30% of the known primers were associated with a coverage rate of <90%. The application scope of the primers was also examined by calculating the percentages of failed detections in bacterial phyla. Primers A519-539, E969- 983, E1063-1081, U515 and E517, are highly recommended because of their high coverage in almost all phyla. As expected, the three predominant phyla, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes and Proteobacteria, are best covered by the predicted primers. The primers recommended in this report shall facilitate a comprehensive and reliable survey of bacterial diversity in metagenomic studies. © 2009 Wang, Qian.

  4. Rapid and sensitive electrochemiluminescence detection of rotavirus by magnetic primer based reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhan Fangfang; Zhou Xiaoming [MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science and Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631 (China); Xing Da, E-mail: xingda@scnu.edu.cn [MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science and Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631 (China)

    2013-01-25

    Graphical abstract: In this work, we have developed and demonstrated a magnetic primer based RT-PCR assay for ECL detection of rotavirus. In the presence of two functional primers (magnetic primer and TBR-primer) and PCR reagents, cDNA from RT was amplified directly onto MPs during PCR cycles of denaturation, annealing and extension. The resulting MPs-TBR complexes were easily loaded on the electrode surface and produced a concentrated ECL signal. The figure shows the schematic illustration of magnetic primer RT-PCR based ECL assay for rotavirus detection. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A novel method for detection of rotavirus has been developed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer In the presence of magnetic primer, TBR-primer and PCR reagents, cDNA form RT was amplified directly onto MPs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer To obtain the best sensing and efficient performance, important parameters associated with the efficiency were investigated carefully. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The proposed method will find numerous applications in food safety field and clinical diagnosis. - Abstract: A novel method for detection of rotavirus has been developed by integrating magnetic primer based reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection. This is realized by accomplishing RT of rotavirus RNA in traditional way and performing PCR of the resulting cDNA fragment on the surface of magnetic particles (MPs). In order to implement PCR on MPs and achieve rapid ECL detection, forward and reverse primers are bounded to MPs and tris-(2,2 Prime -bipyridyl) ruthenium (TBR), respectively. After RT-PCR amplification, the TBR labels are directly enriched onto the surface of MPs. Then the MPs-TBR complexes can be loaded on the electrode surface and analyzed by magnetic ECL platform without any post-modification or post-incubation process. So some laborious manual operations can be avoided to achieve rapid yet sensitive detection

  5. Brownfields Technology Primer: Selecting and Using Phytoremediation for Site Cleanup

    Science.gov (United States)

    This primer explains the phytoremediation process, discusses the potential advantages and considerations in selecting phytoremediation to clean up brownfields sites, and provides information on additional resources about phytoremediation.

  6. DESAIN PRIMER UNTUK AMPLIFIKASI FRAGMEN GEN inhA ISOLAT 134 MULTIDRUG RESISTANCE TUBERCULOSIS (MDR-TB DENGAN METODE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luk Ketut Budi Maitriani

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRAK    : Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memperoleh sepasang primer terbaik hasil desain secara in silico menggunakan program Clone Manager Suite 6 (University of Groningen. Primer ini didesain untuk digunakan dalam mengamplifikasi fragmen gen inhA isolat klinis Multidrug Resistance Tuberculosis (MDR-TB mencakup kodon 94 (nukleotida 280-282. Kodon 94 gen inhA merupakan posisi yang sering mengalami mutasi dan mengakibatkan koresisten terhadap isoniazid dan ethionamid. Desain primer menggunakan sekuen gen inhA Mycobacterium tuberculosis yang diperoleh dari situs www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (GenBank : AF106077. Hasil desain diperoleh sepasang primer terbaik dan diuji secara in vitro menggunakan metode Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR. Template DNA yang digunakan adalah isolat klinis MDR-TB. Proses amplifikasi diawali dengan denaturasi awal pada 95°C selama 15 menit dan diikuti oleh 45 siklus amplifikasi (denaturasi pada suhu 94°C selama 1 menit, annealing pada 56°C selama 1 menit 20 detik dan elongasi pada 72°C selama 2 menit serta diakhiri dengan elongasi akhir pada 72°C selama 10 menit. Produk PCR dideteksi menggunakan elektroforesis gel agarosa 1,5%. Kesimpulan penelitian adalah diperoleh sepasang primer terbaik berdasarkan kriteria pada program Clone Manager Suite 6 (University of Groningen, meliputi: panjang primer, %GC, Tm (melting temperature, interaksi primer (dimers dan hairpins, stabilitas primer, repeats, runs dan false priming. Primer tersebut meliputi, primer forward (pF-inhA 5’ CTGGTTAGCGGAATCATCAC 3’ dan primer reverse (pR-inhA 5’ CGACCGTCATCCA-GTTGTA 3’ dengan ukuran produk 460 pb.   ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to obtain the best pair of primer as result in silico design using Clone Manager Suite 6 program (University of Groningen. The primer was designed for amplifying inhA gene fragment of Multidrug Resistance Tuberculosis (MDR-TB clinical isolates include codon 94 (nucleotide 280-282. Codon 94 of inhA gene is

  7. Evaluation of auto region of interest settings for single photon emission computed tomography findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizuno, Takashi; Takahashi, Masaaki; Yoshioka, Katsunori

    2008-01-01

    It has been noted that the manual settings of region of interest (ROI) to the single-photon-emission-computed-tomography (SPECT) slice lacked objectivity when the fixed quantity value of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured previously. Therefore, we jointly developed software Brain ROI' with Daiichi Radioisotope Laboratories, Ltd. (Present name: FUJIFILM RI Pharma Co., Ltd.) The software normalized an individual brain to a standard brain template by using Statistical Parametric Mapping 2 (SPM 2) of the easy Z-score Imaging System ver. 3.0 (eZIS Ver. 3.0), and the ROI template was set to a specific slice. In this study, we evaluated the accuracy of this software with an ROI template that we made of useful size and shape, in some clinical samples. The method of automatic setting of ROI was the objective. However, we felt that we should use the shape of the ROI template without the influence of brain atrophy. Moreover, we should see normalization of the individual brain and confirm the accuracy of normalization. When normalization failed, we should partially correct the ROI or set everything by manual operation for the operator. However, it was thought that this software was useful if the tendency was understood because examples of failure were few. (author)

  8. PIPEMicroDB: microsatellite database and primer generation tool for pigeonpea genome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarika; Arora, Vasu; Iquebal, M A; Rai, Anil; Kumar, Dinesh

    2013-01-01

    Molecular markers play a significant role for crop improvement in desirable characteristics, such as high yield, resistance to disease and others that will benefit the crop in long term. Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) is the recently sequenced legume by global consortium led by ICRISAT (Hyderabad, India) and been analysed for gene prediction, synteny maps, markers, etc. We present PIgeonPEa Microsatellite DataBase (PIPEMicroDB) with an automated primer designing tool for pigeonpea genome, based on chromosome wise as well as location wise search of primers. Total of 123 387 Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) were extracted from pigeonpea genome, available in public domain using MIcroSAtellite tool (MISA). The database is an online relational database based on 'three-tier architecture' that catalogues information of microsatellites in MySQL and user-friendly interface is developed using PHP. Search for STRs may be customized by limiting their location on chromosome as well as number of markers in that range. This is a novel approach and is not been implemented in any of the existing marker database. This database has been further appended with Primer3 for primer designing of selected markers with left and right flankings of size up to 500 bp. This will enable researchers to select markers of choice at desired interval over the chromosome. Furthermore, one can use individual STRs of a targeted region over chromosome to narrow down location of gene of interest or linked Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs). Although it is an in silico approach, markers' search based on characteristics and location of STRs is expected to be beneficial for researchers. Database URL: http://cabindb.iasri.res.in/pigeonpea/

  9. Guidelines - A Primer for Communicating Effectively with NABIR Stakeholders; FINAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilyard, G.R.; Word, C.J.; Weber, J.R.; Harding, A.K.

    2000-01-01

    This primer is a tool to help prepare scientists for meetings with stakeholders. It was prepared for staff involved with the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. It discusses why some efforts in science communication may succeed while others fail, provides methods of approaching group interactions about science that may better orient expert participants, and summarizes experience drawn from observations of groups interacting about topics in bioremediation or the NABIR program. The primer also provides brief, useful models for interacting with either expert or non-expert groups. Finally, it identifies topical areas that may help scientists prepare for public meetings, based on the developers' ongoing research in science communication in public forums

  10. Potasssium chloride as a nutrient seed primer to enhance salt‑tolerance in maize

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Badar‑uz‑Zaman

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to determine if KCl could be a useful nutrient primer for safe seed germination in maize crop under salt stress conditions. Seed priming was done using 50 mmol L‑1 of muriate of potash, and germination and seedling growth were evaluated after salt stress with NaCl up to 50 mmol L‑1. Another set of seeds was tested under the same salt stress conditions without priming. Under salinity stress, germination percentage, germination rate index, germination coefficient, and seedling vigor indexes were higher in primed seeds. In unprimed seeds, mean germination time increased, while the germination rate index and the fresh and dry matter mass decreased more sharply with salinity stress. The Na/K ratio was higher in unprimed seeds.

  11. Perturbation expansion theory corrected from basis set superposition error. I. Locally projected excited orbitals and single excitations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagata, Takeshi; Iwata, Suehiro

    2004-02-22

    The locally projected self-consistent field molecular orbital method for molecular interaction (LP SCF MI) is reformulated for multifragment systems. For the perturbation expansion, two types of the local excited orbitals are defined; one is fully local in the basis set on a fragment, and the other has to be partially delocalized to the basis sets on the other fragments. The perturbation expansion calculations only within single excitations (LP SE MP2) are tested for water dimer, hydrogen fluoride dimer, and colinear symmetric ArM+ Ar (M = Na and K). The calculated binding energies of LP SE MP2 are all close to the corresponding counterpoise corrected SCF binding energy. By adding the single excitations, the deficiency in LP SCF MI is thus removed. The results suggest that the exclusion of the charge-transfer effects in LP SCF MI might indeed be the cause of the underestimation for the binding energy. (c) 2004 American Institute of Physics.

  12. Primers for polymerase chain reaction to detect genomic DNA of Toxocara canis and T. cati.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Z; Nagano, I; Xu, D; Takahashi, Y

    1997-03-01

    Primers for polymerase chain reaction to amplify genomic DNA of both Toxocara canis and T. cati were constructed by adapting cloning and sequencing random amplified polymorphic DNA. The primers are expected to detect eggs and/or larvae of T. canis and T. cati, both of which are known to cause toxocariasis in humans.

  13. Genome-Wide Characterization of Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Loci in Chinese Jujube and Jujube SSR Primer Transferability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Jing; Zhao, Jin; Liu, Mengjun; Liu, Ping; Dai, Li; Zhao, Zhihui

    2015-01-01

    Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), an economically important species in the Rhamnaceae family, is a popular fruit tree in Asia. Here, we surveyed and characterized simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in the jujube genome. A total of 436,676 SSR loci were identified, with an average distance of 0.93 Kb between the loci. A large proportion of the SSRs included mononucleotide, dinucleotide and trinucleotide repeat motifs, which accounted for 64.87%, 24.40%, and 8.74% of all repeats, respectively. Among the mononucleotide repeats, A/T was the most common, whereas AT/TA was the most common dinucleotide repeat. A total of 30,565 primer pairs were successfully designed and screened using a series of criteria. Moreover, 725 of 1,000 randomly selected primer pairs were effective among 6 cultivars, and 511 of these primer pairs were polymorphic. Sequencing the amplicons of two SSRs across three jujube cultivars revealed variations in the repeats. The transferability of jujube SSR primers proved that 35/64 SSRs could be transferred across family boundary. Using jujube SSR primers, clustering analysis results from 15 species were highly consistent with the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APGIII) System. The genome-wide characterization of SSRs in Chinese jujube is very valuable for whole-genome characterization and marker-assisted selection in jujube breeding. In addition, the transferability of jujube SSR primers could provide a solid foundation for their further utilization. PMID:26000739

  14. Signals and systems primer with Matlab

    CERN Document Server

    Poularikas, Alexander D

    2006-01-01

    Signals and Systems Primer with MATLAB® equally emphasizes the fundamentals of both analog and digital signals and systems. To ensure insight into the basic concepts and methods, the text presents a variety of examples that illustrate a wide range of applications, from microelectromechanical to worldwide communication systems. It also provides MATLAB functions and procedures for practice and verification of these concepts.Taking a pedagogical approach, the author builds a solid foundation in signal processing as well as analog and digital systems. The book first introduces orthogonal signals,

  15. indCAPS: A tool for designing screening primers for CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodgens, Charles; Nimchuk, Zachary L; Kieber, Joseph J

    2017-01-01

    Genetic manipulation of organisms using CRISPR/Cas9 technology generally produces small insertions/deletions (indels) that can be difficult to detect. Here, we describe a technique to easily and rapidly identify such indels. Sequence-identified mutations that alter a restriction enzyme recognition site can be readily distinguished from wild-type alleles using a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) technique. If a restriction site is created or altered by the mutation such that only one allele contains the restriction site, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by a restriction digest can be used to distinguish the two alleles. However, in the case of most CRISPR-induced alleles, no such restriction sites are present in the target sequences. In this case, a derived CAPS (dCAPS) approach can be used in which mismatches are purposefully introduced in the oligonucleotide primers to create a restriction site in one, but not both, of the amplified templates. Web-based tools exist to aid dCAPS primer design, but when supplied sequences that include indels, the current tools often fail to suggest appropriate primers. Here, we report the development of a Python-based, species-agnostic web tool, called indCAPS, suitable for the design of PCR primers used in dCAPS assays that is compatible with indels. This tool should have wide utility for screening editing events following CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis as well as for identifying specific editing events in a pool of CRISPR-mediated mutagenesis events. This tool was field-tested in a CRISPR mutagenesis experiment targeting a cytokinin receptor (AHK3) in Arabidopsis thaliana. The tool suggested primers that successfully distinguished between wild-type and edited alleles of a target locus and facilitated the isolation of two novel ahk3 null alleles. Users can access indCAPS and design PCR primers to employ dCAPS to identify CRISPR/Cas9 alleles at http://indcaps.kieber.cloudapps.unc.edu/.

  16. Transfer of primer binding site-mutated simian immunodeficiency virus vectors by genetically engineered artificial and hybrid tRNA-like primers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, A C; Grunwald, T; Lund, Anders Henrik

    2001-01-01

    could be obtained by cotransfection of a gene for an engineered tRNA(Pro)-tRNA hybrid with a match to PBS-Pro. The importance of tRNA backbone identity was further analyzed by complementing the PBS-X2 vector with a gene for a matching x2 primer with a tRNA backbone, which led to three- to fourfold...

  17. Structure of Hepatitis C Virus Polymerase in Complex with Primer-Template RNA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mosley, Ralph T.; Edwards, Thomas E.; Murakami, Eisuke; Lam, Angela M.; Grice, Rena L.; Du, Jinfa; Sofia, Michael J.; Furman, Philip A.; Otto, Michael J. (Pharmasset); (Emerald)

    2012-08-01

    The replication of the hepatitis C viral (HCV) genome is accomplished by the NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), for which mechanistic understanding and structure-guided drug design efforts have been hampered by its propensity to crystallize in a closed, polymerization-incompetent state. The removal of an autoinhibitory {beta}-hairpin loop from genotype 2a HCV NS5B increases de novo RNA synthesis by >100-fold, promotes RNA binding, and facilitated the determination of the first crystallographic structures of HCV polymerase in complex with RNA primer-template pairs. These crystal structures demonstrate the structural realignment required for primer-template recognition and elongation, provide new insights into HCV RNA synthesis at the molecular level, and may prove useful in the structure-based design of novel antiviral compounds. Additionally, our approach for obtaining the RNA primer-template-bound structure of HCV polymerase may be generally applicable to solving RNA-bound complexes for other viral RdRps that contain similar regulatory {beta}-hairpin loops, including bovine viral diarrhea virus, dengue virus, and West Nile virus.

  18. Microsatellite primers for a species of South African everlasting daisy (Helichrysum odoratissimum; Gnaphalieae, Asteraceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glennon, Kelsey L; Cron, Glynis V

    2016-05-01

    Microsatellites were developed for the widespread Helichrysum odoratissimum (Asteraceae) to estimate gene flow across diploid populations and to test if gene flow occurs among other closely related lineages within this genus. Ten primer pairs were developed and tested using populations across South Africa; however, only seven primer pairs were polymorphic for the target species. The seven polymorphic primers amplified di- and trinucleotide repeats with up to 16 alleles per locus among 125 diploid individuals used for analyses. These markers can be used to estimate gene flow among populations of known ploidy level of H. odoratissimum to test evolutionary hypotheses. Furthermore, these markers amplify successfully in other Helichrysum species, including the other three taxonomic Group 4 species, and therefore can be used to inform taxonomic work on these species.

  19. One fungus , which genes ? Development and assessment of universal primers for potential secondary fungal DNA barcodes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stielow, J B; Lévesque, C A; Seifert, K A; Meyer, W; Irinyi, L; Smits, D; Renfurm, R; Verkley, G J M; Groenewald, M; Chaduli, D; Lomascolo, A; Welti, S; Lesage-Meessen, L; Favel, A; Al-Hatmi, A M S; Damm, U; Yilmaz, N.; Houbraken, J.; Lombard, L.; Quaedvlieg, W.; Binder, M.; Vaas, L.A.I.; Vu, D.; Yurkov, A.; Begerow, D.; Roehl, O.; Guerreiro, M.; Fonseca, A.; Samerpitak, K.; Diepeningen, A.D. van; Dolatabadi, S.; Moreno, L.F.; Casaregola, S.; Mallet, S.; Jacques, N.; Roscini, L.; Egidi, E.; Bizet, C.; Garcia-Hermoso, D.; Martín, M.P.; Deng, S.; Groenewald, J.Z.; Boekhout, T.; Beer, Z.W. de; Barnes, I.; Duong, T.A.; Wingfield, M.J.; Hoog, G.S. de; Crous, P.W.; Lewis, C.T.; Hambleton, S.; Moussa, T.A.A.; Al-Zahrani, H.S.; Almaghrabi, O.A.; Louis-Seize, G.; Assabgui, R.; McCormick, W.; Omer, G.; Dukik, K.; Cardinali, G.; Eberhardt, U.; Vries, M. de; Robert, V.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess potential candidate gene regions and corresponding universal primer pairs as secondary DNA barcodes for the fungal kingdom, additional to ITS rDNA as primary barcode. Amplification efficiencies of 14 (partially) universal primer pairs targeting eight genetic

  20. Comparing signal intensity and refraction sensitivity of double and single mask edge illumination lab-based x-ray phase contrast imaging set-ups

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kallon, G K; Diemoz, P C; Vittoria, F A; Basta, D; Endrizzi, M; Olivo, A

    2017-01-01

    Double mask edge illumination (DM-EI) set-ups can detect differential phase and attenuation information from a sample. However, analytical separation of the two signals often requires acquiring two frames with inverted differential phase contrast signals. Typically, between these two acquisitions, the first mask is moved to create a different illumination condition. This can lead to potential errors which adversely affect the data collected. In this paper, we implement a single mask EI laboratory set-up that allows for a single shot retrieval of the differential phase and attenuation images, without the need for a high resolution detector or high magnification. As well as simplifying mask alignment, the advantages of the proposed set-up can be exploited in one of two ways: either the total acquisition time can be halved with respect to the DM-EI set-up or, for the same acquisition time, twice the statistics can be collected. In this latter configuration, the signal-to-noise ratio and contrast in the mixed intensity images, and the angular sensitivity of the two set-ups were compared. We also show that the angular sensitivity of the single mask set-up can be well approximated from its illumination curve, which has been modelled as a convolution between the source spatial distribution at the detector plane, the pre-sample mask and the detector point spread function (PSF). A polychromatic wave optics simulation was developed on these bases and benchmarked against experimental data. It can also be used to predict the angular sensitivity and contrast of any set-up as a function of detector PSF. (paper)

  1. Detection of Ophiocordyceps sinensis and Its Common Adulterates Using Species-Specific Primers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yang; Wang, Xiao-yue; Gao, Zi-tong; Han, Jian-ping; Xiang, Li

    2017-01-01

    Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a fungus that infects Hepialidae caterpillars, mummifying the larvae and producing characteristic fruiting bodies (stromata) that are processed into one of the most valued traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). The product commands a very high price due to a high demand but a very limited supply. Adulteration with other fungi is a common problem and there is a need to test preparation for the presence of the correct fungus. In the current study, a PCR-based approach for the identification of O. sinensis based on a segment of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was developed. The segments is 146-bp in size and is likely to be amplified even in materials where processing led to DNA fragmentation. Primer development was based on the alignment of sequence data generated from a total of 89 samples of O. sinensis and potential adulterants as well as sequences date from 41 Ophiocordyceps species and 26 Cordyceps species available in GenBank. Tests with primer pair, DCF4/DCR4, demonstrated generation of an amplicon from DNA extracted from O. sinensis stromata, but not from extracts derived from adulterants. Species-specific primer pairs were also developed and tested for detection of the common adulterants, Cordyceps gunnii, Cordyceps cicadae, Cordyceps militaris, Cordyceps liangshanensis and Ophiocordyceps nutans. The collection of primers developed in the present study will be useful for the authentication of preparation claiming to only contain O. sinensis and for the detection of fungi used as adulterants in these preparations. PMID:28680424

  2. Novel oligonucleotide primers reveal a high diversity of microbes which drive phosphorous turnover in soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergkemper, Fabian; Kublik, Susanne; Lang, Friederike; Krüger, Jaane; Vestergaard, Gisle; Schloter, Michael; Schulz, Stefanie

    2016-06-01

    Phosphorus (P) is of central importance for cellular life but likewise a limiting macronutrient in numerous environments. Certainly microorganisms have proven their ability to increase the phosphorus bioavailability by mineralization of organic-P and solubilization of inorganic-P. On the other hand they efficiently take up P and compete with other biota for phosphorus. However the actual microbial community that is associated to the turnover of this crucial macronutrient in different ecosystems remains largely anonymous especially taking effects of seasonality and spatial heterogeneity into account. In this study seven oligonucleotide primers are presented which target genes coding for microbial acid and alkaline phosphatases (phoN, phoD), phytases (appA), phosphonatases (phnX) as well as the quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase (gcd) and different P transporters (pitA, pstS). Illumina amplicon sequencing of soil genomic DNA underlined the high rate of primer specificity towards the respective target gene which usually ranged between 98% and 100% (phoN: 87%). As expected the primers amplified genes from a broad diversity of distinct microorganisms. Using DNA from a beech dominated forest soil, the highest microbial diversity was detected for the alkaline phosphatase (phoD) gene which was amplified from 15 distinct phyla respectively 81 families. Noteworthy the primers also allowed amplification of phoD from 6 fungal orders. The genes coding for acid phosphatase (phoN) and the quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase (gcd) were amplified from 20 respectively 17 different microbial orders. In comparison the phytase and phosphonatase (appA, phnX) primers covered 13 bacterial orders from 2 different phyla respectively. Although the amplified microbial diversity was apparently limited both primers reliably detected all orders that contributed to the P turnover in the investigated soil as revealed by a previous metagenomic approach. Genes that code for microbial P transporter

  3. PCR with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis specific primers: potential use in ecological studies PCR com «primers» específicos de Paracoccidioides brasiliensis: uso potencial em estudos ecológicos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. DÍEZ

    1999-11-01

    Full Text Available The precise microenvironment of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis has not yet been discovered perhaps because the methods used are not sensitive enough. We applied to this purpose the polymerase chain reaction (PCR using three sets of specific primers corresponding to two P. brasiliensis genes. This fungus as well as several other fungi, were grown and their DNA obtained by mechanical disruption and a phenol chloroform isoamylalcohol-based purification method. The DNA served for a PCR reaction that employed specific primers from two P. brasiliensis genes that codify for antigenic proteins, namely, the 27 kDa and the 43 kDa. The lowest detection range for the 27 kDa gene was 3 pg. The amplification for both genes was positive only with DNA from P. brasiliensis; additionally, the mRNA for the 27 kDa gene was present only in P. brasiliensis, as indicated by the Northern analysis. The standardization of PCR technology permitted the amplification of P. brasiliensis DNA in artificially contaminated soils and in tissues of armadillos naturally infected with the fungus. These results indicate that PCR technology could play an important role in the search for P. brasiliensis’ habitat and could also be used in other ecological studies.O microambiente adequado do Paracoccidioides brasiliensis não foi ainda bem esclarecido, talvez porque os métodos utilizados não sejam suficientemente sensíveis. Aplicamos com este propósito, a reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR usando três jogos de primers específicos do P. brasiliensis, correspondendo a dois dos genes do P. brasiliensis. Este fungo, assim como outros fungos, foram cultivados e seus DNAs obtidos por ruptura mecânica e purificados com mistura de fenol-clorofórmio com álcool isoamílico. Os DNAs serviram para a reação de PCR utilizando-se primers específicos para dois dos genes do P. brasiliensis que codificam para as proteínas antigênicas, denominadas, 27 kDa e 43 kDa. O limite mínimo de

  4. One fungus, which genes? Development and assessment of universal primers for potential secondary fungal DNA barcodes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stielow, J.B.; Lévesque, C.A.; Seifert, K.A.; Meyer, W.; Irinyi, L.; Smits, D.; Renfurm, R.; Verkley, G.J.M.; Groenewald, M.; Chaduli, D.; Lomascolo, A.; Welti, S.; Lesage-Meessen, L.; Favel, A.; Al-Hatmi, A.M.S.; Damm, U.; Yilmaz, N.; Houbraken, J.; Lombard, L.; Quaedvlieg, W.; Binder, M.; Vaas, L.A.I.; Vu, D.; Yurkov, A.; Begerow, D.; Roehl, O.; Guerreiro, M.; Fonseca, A.; Samerpitak, K.; Diepeningen, van A.D.; Dolatabadi, S.; Moreno, L.F.; Casaregola, S.; Mallet, S.; Jacques, N.; Roscini, L.; Egidi, E.; Bizet, C.; Garcia-Hermoso, D.; Martin, M.P.; Deng, S.; Groenewald, J.Z.; Boekhout, T.; Beer, de Z.W.; Barnes, I.; Duong, T.A.; Wingfield, M.J.; Hoog, de G.S.; Crous, P.W.; Lewis, C.T.; Hambleton, S.; Moussa, T.A.A.; Al-Zahrani, H.S.; Almaghrabi, O.A.; Louis-Seize, G.; Assabgui, R.; McCormick, W.; Omer, G.; Dukik, K.; Cardinali, G.; Eberhardt, U.; Vries, de M.; Robert, V.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess potential candidate gene regions and corresponding universal primer pairs as secondary DNA barcodes for the fungal kingdom, additional to ITS rDNA as primary barcode. Amplification efficiencies of 14 (partially) universal primer pairs targeting eight genetic markers

  5. Primer retention owing to the absence of RNase H1 is catastrophic for mitochondrial DNA replication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, J Bradley; Akman, Gokhan; Wood, Stuart R; Sakhuja, Kiran; Cerritelli, Susana M; Moss, Chloe; Bowmaker, Mark R; Jacobs, Howard T; Crouch, Robert J; Holt, Ian J

    2015-07-28

    Encoding ribonuclease H1 (RNase H1) degrades RNA hybridized to DNA, and its function is essential for mitochondrial DNA maintenance in the developing mouse. Here we define the role of RNase H1 in mitochondrial DNA replication. Analysis of replicating mitochondrial DNA in embryonic fibroblasts lacking RNase H1 reveals retention of three primers in the major noncoding region (NCR) and one at the prominent lagging-strand initiation site termed Ori-L. Primer retention does not lead immediately to depletion, as the persistent RNA is fully incorporated in mitochondrial DNA. However, the retained primers present an obstacle to the mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ in subsequent rounds of replication and lead to the catastrophic generation of a double-strand break at the origin when the resulting gapped molecules are copied. Hence, the essential role of RNase H1 in mitochondrial DNA replication is the removal of primers at the origin of replication.

  6. The effect of various primers on shear bond strength of zirconia ceramic and resin composite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanohkan, Sasiwimol; Kukiattrakoon, Boonlert; Larpboonphol, Narongrit; Sae-Yib, Taewalit; Jampa, Thibet; Manoppan, Satawat

    2013-11-01

    To determine the in vitro shear bond strengths (SBS) of zirconia ceramic to resin composite after various primer treatments. Forty zirconia ceramic (Zeno, Wieland Dental) specimens (10 mm in diameter and 2 mm thick) were prepared, sandblasted with 50 μm alumina, and divided into four groups (n = 10). Three experimental groups were surface treated with three primers; CP (RelyX Ceramic Primer, 3M ESPE), AP (Alloy Primer, Kuraray Medical), and MP (Monobond Plus, Ivoclar Vivadent AG). One group was not treated and served as the control. All specimens were bonded to a resin composite (Filtek Supreme XT, 3M ESPE) cylinder with an adhesive system (Adper Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus Adhesive, 3M ESPE) and then stored in 100% humidity at 37°C for 24 h before SBS testing in a universal testing machine. Mean SBS (MPa) were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test (α = 0.05). Group AP yielded the highest mean and standard deviation (SD) value of SBS (16.8 ± 2.5 MPa) and Group C presented the lowest mean and SD value (15.4 ± 1.6 MPa). The SBS did not differ significantly among the groups (P = 0.079). Within the limitations of this study, the SBS values between zirconia ceramic to resin composite using various primers and untreated surface were not significantly different.

  7. Blood Donation and Transfusion: A Primer for Health Educators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Felts, W. Michael; Glascoff, Mary A.

    1991-01-01

    Presents a primer for health educators about blood donation and transfusion, examining the nature of human blood, the background of blood transfusion, blood donation criteria, risks related to homologous blood transfusion, directed blood donation, potential alternatives to homologous transfusion, and resources for education on the subject. (SM)

  8. Small Commercial Building Re-tuning: A Primer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cort, Katherine A.; Hostick, Donna J.; Underhill, Ronald M.; Fernandez, Nicholas; Katipamula, Srinivas

    2013-09-30

    To help building owners and managers address issues related to energy-efficient operation of small buildings, DOE has developed a Small Building Re-tuning training curriculum. This "primer" provides additional background information to understand some of the concepts presented in the Small Building Re-tuning training. The intent is that those who are less familiar with the buidling energy concepts will review this material before taking the building re-tuning training class.

  9. Characterization of n-heptane as a single component Diesel surrogate fuel. EHPC test set-up implementation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meijer, M.

    2010-06-15

    The availability of accurately measured fuel properties, during an injection event under engine relevant conditions is critical within the surrogate fuel approach. There is a need to perform in-house measurements in order to validate developed and new models. A well defined and accurately measured data-set will facilitate on-going work for sophisticated engine related in-cylinder combustion modeling. In this work pure n-heptane fuel is used as a single component surrogate fuel and is studied in a high-pressure constant volume optical test set-up. N-heptane is often used as a single component surrogate diesel fuel since it has a comparable Cetane number as European diesel. Detailed chemical-kinetic mechanisms for low-, intermediate-, and high-temperature n-heptane oxidation are available and several models exist that have sufficiently reduced dimensionality (number of species and reactions) to enable their use in CFD (Computational Fluid Mechanics) simulations. This report discusses the route and implementation to perform such an accurate and relevant n-heptane measurement series. The aim is to combine the efforts of earlier presented EHPC (Eindhoven High Pressure Cell) related work and new approaches, into the proposed surrogate fuel measurement series. The following aspects, related to the applied constant volume combustion chamber set-up, are studied and implemented: Extending the operating ranges towards relevant engine conditions; Study the accuracy and sensitivities of the different measurement steps; Implementing different optical diagnostic principles; and Implement a standardized and robust post processing routine. The different optical diagnostic principles used in this work are: high-speed Schlieren, Mie scattering and beginnings are made to implement a simultaneous LII LIF (Laser Induced Incandescence - Laser Induced Fluorescence) set-up using a new ICCD (Intensified Charge Coupled Device) camera with dual imaging feature. Combining the different

  10. Beneath sci-fi sound: primer, science fiction sound design, and American independent cinema

    OpenAIRE

    Johnston, Nessa

    2012-01-01

    Primer is a very low budget science-fiction film that deals with the subject of time travel; however, it looks and sounds quite distinctively different from other films associated with the genre. While Hollywood blockbuster sci-fi relies on “sound spectacle” as a key attraction, in contrast Primer sounds “lo-fi” and screen-centred, mixed to two channel stereo rather than the now industry-standard 5.1 surround sound. Although this is partly a consequence of the economics of its production, the...

  11. Multi-valued logic circuits using hybrid circuit consisting of three gates single-electron transistors (TG-SETs) and MOSFETs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, SeungJun; Yu, YunSeop; Choi, JungBum

    2008-10-01

    New multi-valued logic (MVL) families using the hybrid circuits consisting of three gates single-electron transistors (TG-SETs) and a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) are proposed. The use of SETs offers periodic literal characteristics due to Coulomb oscillation of SET, which allows a realization of binary logic (BL) circuits as well as multi-valued logic (MVL) circuits. The basic operations of the proposed MVL families are successfully confirmed through SPICE circuit simulation based on the physical device model of a TG-SET. The proposed MVL circuits are found to be much faster, but much larger power consumption than a previously reported MVL, and they have a trade-off between speed and power consumption. As an example to apply the newly developed MVL families, a half-adder is introduced.

  12. Teaching Thermal Hydraulics & Numerical Methods: An Introductory Control Volume Primer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    D. S. Lucas

    2004-10-01

    A graduate level course for Thermal Hydraulics (T/H) was taught through Idaho State University in the spring of 2004. A numerical approach was taken for the content of this course since the students were employed at the Idaho National Laboratory and had been users of T/H codes. The majority of the students had expressed an interest in learning about the Courant Limit, mass error, semi-implicit and implicit numerical integration schemes in the context of a computer code. Since no introductory text was found the author developed notes taught from his own research and courses taught for Westinghouse on the subject. The course started with a primer on control volume methods and the construction of a Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM) (T/H) code. The primer was valuable for giving the students the basics behind such codes and their evolution to more complex codes for Thermal Hydraulics and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The course covered additional material including the Finite Element Method and non-equilibrium (T/H). The control volume primer and the construction of a three-equation (mass, momentum and energy) HEM code are the subject of this paper . The Fortran version of the code covered in this paper is elementary compared to its descendants. The steam tables used are less accurate than the available commercial version written in C Coupled to a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The Fortran version and input files can be downloaded at www.microfusionlab.com.

  13. Single Cell HLA Matching Feasibility by Whole Genomic Amplification and Nested PCR

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xiao-hong Li; Fang-yin Meng

    2004-01-01

    @@ PCR based single-cell DNA analysis has been widely used in forensic science, preimplantation genetic diagnosis and so on. However, the original sample cannot be efficiently retrieved following single cell PCR, consequently the amount of information gained is limited. HLA system is too sophisticated that it is very hard to complete HLA typing by single cell. A Taq polymerase-based method using random primers to amplify whole genome termed as whole genome amplification (WGA) has demonstrated to be a useful method in increasing the copies of minimum sample. We establish a technique in this study to amplify HLA-A and HLA-B loci at same time in a single cell using WGA.

  14. High-throughput genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms with rolling circle amplification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sun Zhenyu

    2001-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs are the foundation of powerful complex trait and pharmacogenomic analyses. The availability of large SNP databases, however, has emphasized a need for inexpensive SNP genotyping methods of commensurate simplicity, robustness, and scalability. We describe a solution-based, microtiter plate method for SNP genotyping of human genomic DNA. The method is based upon allele discrimination by ligation of open circle probes followed by rolling circle amplification of the signal using fluorescent primers. Only the probe with a 3' base complementary to the SNP is circularized by ligation. Results SNP scoring by ligation was optimized to a 100,000 fold discrimination against probe mismatched to the SNP. The assay was used to genotype 10 SNPs from a set of 192 genomic DNA samples in a high-throughput format. Assay directly from genomic DNA eliminates the need to preamplify the target as done for many other genotyping methods. The sensitivity of the assay was demonstrated by genotyping from 1 ng of genomic DNA. We demonstrate that the assay can detect a single molecule of the circularized probe. Conclusions Compatibility with homogeneous formats and the ability to assay small amounts of genomic DNA meets the exacting requirements of automated, high-throughput SNP scoring.

  15. Effects of three silane primers and five adhesive agents on the bond strength of composite material for a computer-aided design and manufacturing system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shinohara, Ayano; Taira, Yohsuke; Sakihara, Michino; Sawase, Takashi

    2018-01-01

    Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of combinations of silane primers and adhesive agents on the bond strength of a composite block for a computer-aided design and manufacturing system. Material and Methods Three silane primers [Clearfil Ceramic Primer (CP), Super-Bond PZ Primer (PZ), and GC Ceramic Primer II (GP)] were used in conjunction with five adhesive agents [G-Premio Bond (P-Bond), Repair Adhe Adhesive (R-Adhesive), Super-Bond D-Liner Dual (SB-Dual), Super-Bond C&B (SB-Self), and SB-Dual without tributylborane derivative (SB-Light)]. The surface of a composite block (Gradia Block) was ground with silicon carbide paper. After treatment with a silane primer, a adhesive agent was applied to each testing specimen. The specimens were then bonded with a light-curing resin composite. After 24 h, the shear bond strength values were determined and compared using a post hoc test (α=0.05, n=8/group). We also prepared control specimens without primer (No primer) and/or without adhesive agent (No adhesive). Results PZ/SB-Dual and GP/SB-Dual presented the highest bond strength, followed by GP/P-Bond, CP/SB-Dual, CP/R-Adhesive, No primer/SB-Dual, GP/R-Adhesive, CP/P-Bond, No primer/R-Adhesive, PZ/R-Adhesive, CP/SB-Self, PZ/P-Bond, PZ/SB-Self, and GP/SB-Self in descending order of bond strength. No primer/P-Bond, No primer/SB-Self, and all specimens in the SB-Light and No adhesive groups presented the lowest bond strengths. Conclusion A dual-curing adhesive agent (SB-Dual) containing a tributylborane derivative in combination with a silane primer (GP or PZ) presents a greater bond strength between the composite block and the repairing resin composite than the comparators used in the study.

  16. Comprehensive detection of diverse exon 19 deletion mutations of EGFR in lung Cancer by a single probe set.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bae, Jin Ho; Jo, Seong-Min; Kim, Hak-Sung

    2015-12-15

    Detection of exon 19 deletion mutation of EGFR, one of the most frequently occurring mutations in lung cancer, provides the crucial information for diagnosis and treatment guideline in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we demonstrate a simple and efficient method to detect various exon 19 deletion mutations of EGFR using a single probe set comprising of an oligo-quencher (oligo-Q) and a molecular beacon (MB). While the MB hybridizes to both the wild and mutant target DNA, the oligo-Q only binds to the wild target DNA, leading to a fluorescent signal in case of deletion mutation. This enables the comprehensive detection of the diverse exon 19 deletion mutations using a single probe set. We demonstrated the utility and efficiency of the approach by detecting the frequent exon 19 deletion mutations of EGFR through a real-time PCR and in situ fluorescence imaging. Our approach enabled the detection of genomic DNA as low as 0.02 ng, showing a detection limit of 2% in a heterogeneous DNA mixture, and could be used for detecting mutations in a single cell level. The present MB and oligo-Q dual probe system can be used for diagnosis and treatment guideline in NSCLC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Effect of a metal primer on the bond strength of the resin-metal interface Efeito de um primer para metais sobre a força de união da interface metal-resina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anderson Pinheiro de Freitas

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available To evaluate the effect of different surface treatments on shear bond strength between a metallic alloy (Co-Cr-Mo - Remanium CD and a resin cement (Rely X TM and to evaluate the mode of fracture after testing, forty couples of metallic-alloy disks were melted, regularized, polished, submitted to four thermal cycles (Vacuum, 960ºC, 8 minutes and randomly separated into four groups. Each group received a different type of treatment: Group PSP: Polished with sandpaper 600; Group PCP: Polished with sandpaper 600 and application of the metal primer Alloy Primer (Kuraray; Group JSP: Sandblasted with 100µm aluminum oxide; Group JCP: Sandblasted with 100mm aluminum oxide and treated with a metal Primer. The groups were cemented and stored in distilled water at 37ºC for 36 hours and submitted to the shear bond strength test. The mean and standard deviation (in Kgf/cm² obtained for each group was: PSP 4.0/0.4; PCP 88.9/33.6; JSP 163.2/27.6; JCP 144.5/54.0. After the statistical analysis the authors concluded that: the highest values were obtained for the sandblasted groups (JSP, JCP, regardless of the primer application; the Alloy Primer increased the retention between the Rely X cement and the polished surface of the Co-Cr-Mo alloy, yet its bond strength was not greater than that obtained with sandblasting; all specimens showed adhesive failures in the tested interface.Para avaliar o efeito de diferentes tratamentos superficiais sobre a resistência ao cisalhamento da união entre uma liga metálica (Co-Cr-Mo - Remanium CD e um cimento resinoso (Rely X TM e analisar o tipo de fratura durante a separação dos espécimes, quarenta pares de discos metálicos foram fundidos, regularizados e polidos, submetidos a quatro ciclos térmicos (vácuo, 960ºC, 8 minutos e divididos aleatoriamente em quatro grupos. Cada grupo recebeu um tipo de tratamento: Grupo PSP: Polimento com lixa d'água Nº 600; Grupo PCP: Polimento com lixa 600 e aplicação do

  18. Primer: Fracture mechanics in the nuclear power industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wessel, E.T.; Server, W.L.; Kennedy, E.L.

    1990-01-01

    This Primer is intended to familiarize utility engineers with the fracture mechanics technology and to provide the basis for a working knowledge of the subject. It is directed towards all the engineering disciplines that are involved either directly or indirectly with the structural reliability of electrical power generation equipment and systems. These engineering disciplines include such areas as: design and stress analysis, metallurgy and materials, nondestructive inspection and quality control, structural analysis and reliability engineering, chemical engineering and water chemistry control, and architectural engineering. This Primer does not provide a comprehensive, in-depth treatment of all the detailed aspects involved in fracture mechanics. It does, however, provide sufficient information and a common vocabulary that should enable engineers to: read and converse intelligently about the subject, understand and utilize ASME Codes and Regulatory Guides involving fracture mechanics, absorb technical information presented and discussed at various technical meetings, and begin to apply this technology towards actual engineering problems encountered in the course of their work. Example problems are provided to further enhance an understanding of fracture mechanics. Also, Appendix A describes fracture mechanics computer codes available through EPRI to analyze rotors, reactor pressure vessels and piping

  19. The reproducibility of single photon absorptiometry in a clinical setting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valkema, R.; Blokland, J.A.K.; Pauwels, E.K.J.; Papapoulos, S.E.; Bijvoet, O.L.M.

    1989-01-01

    The reproducibility of single photon absorptiometry (SPA) results for detection of changes in bone mineral content (BMC) was evaluated in a clinical setting. During a period of 18 months with 4 different sources, the calibration scans of an aluminium standard had a variation of less than 1% unless the activity of the 125 I source was low. The calibration procedure was performed weekly and this was sufficient to correct for drift of the system. The short term reproducibility in patients was assessed with 119 duplicate measurements made in direct succession. The best reproducibility (CV=1.35%) was found for fat corrected BMC results expressed in g/cm, obtained at the site proximal to the 8 mm space between the radius and ulna. Analysis of all SPA scans made during 1 year (487 scans) showed a failure of the automatic procedure to detect the space of 8 mm between the forearm bones in 19 scans (3.9%). A space adjacent to the ulnar styloid was taken as the site for the first scan in these examinations. This problem may be recognized and corrected relatively easy. A significant correlation was found between BMC at the lower arm and BMC of the lumbar spine assessed with dual photon absorptiometry. However, the error of estimation of proximal BMC (SEE=20%) and distal BMC (SEE=19.4%) made these measurements of little value to predict BMC at the lumbar spine in individuals. The short term reproducibility in patients combined with long term stability of the equipment in our clinical setting showed that SPA is a reliable technique to assess changes in bone mass at the lower arm of 4% between 2 measurements with a confidence level of 95%. (orig.)

  20. Colagem ortodôntica em esmalte com presença ou ausência de contaminação salivar: é necessário o uso de adesivo auto-condicionante ou de adesivo hidrofílico? Orthodontic bonding in dry and saliva contaminated enamel: is a self-etching primer or a moisture-insensitive primer necessary?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristiane Becher Rosa

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a resistência ao cisalhamento da colagem ortodôntica de um adesivo hidrofílico (Transbond Moisture-Insensitive Primer, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Califórnia, de um adesivo auto-condicionante (Transbond Self-Etching Primer, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Califórnia, e sem uso de adesivo, em superfícies de esmalte secas ou contaminadas por saliva. METODOLOGIA: incisivos bovinos (60 foram divididos em 6 grupos: (1 controle sem contaminação salivar (sem adesivo, (2 controle com contaminação salivar (sem adesivo, (3 adesivo auto-condicionante sem contaminação salivar, (4 adesivo auto-condicionante com contaminação salivar antes do adesivo, (5 adesivo hidrofílico sem contaminação salivar e (6 adesivo hidrofílico com contaminação salivar antes do adesivo. Braquetes metálicos foram colados com compósito (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Califórnia. Após a colagem, os corpos-de prova foram armazenados a 37±1ºC em ambiente úmido até a realização do teste de cisalhamento. Diferença estatística foi determinada com valor de probabilidade de 0,05 ou menos (p AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of orthodontic bonding with the use of a hydrophilic primer (Transbond Moisture-Insensitive Primer, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif., a self-etching primer (Transbond Plus Self-etching Primer, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif. and without primer application, in dry and saliva contaminated enamel surfaces. METHODS: Bovine incisors (60 were divided into 6 groups: (1 uncontaminated control (no primer, (2 control with saliva contamination (no primer, (3 uncontaminated self-etching primer, (4 saliva contamination before self-etching primer, (5 uncontaminated hydrophilic primer and (6 saliva contamination before hydrophilic primer. Stainless steel brackets were bonded with composite resin (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif.. After bonding, all samples were stored at 37±1°C in a

  1. Rapid diagnosis of aneuploidy using segmental duplication quantitative fluorescent PCR.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiangdong Kong

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was use a simple and rapid procedure, called segmental duplication quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (SD-QF-PCR, for the prenatal diagnosis of fetal chromosomal aneuploidies. This method is based on the co-amplification of segmental duplications located on two different chromosomes using a single pair of fluorescent primers. The PCR products of different sizes were subsequently analyzed through capillary electrophoresis, and the aneuploidies were determined based on the relative dosage between the two chromosomes. Each primer set, containing five pairs of primers, was designed to simultaneously detect aneuploidies located on chromosomes 21, 18, 13, X and Y in a single reaction. We applied these two primer sets to DNA samples isolated from individuals with trisomy 21 (n = 36; trisomy 18 (n = 6; trisomy 13 (n = 4; 45, X (n = 5; 47, XXX (n = 3; 48, XXYY (n = 2; and unaffected controls (n = 40. We evaluated the performance of this method using the karyotyping results. A correct and unambiguous diagnosis with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity, was achieved for clinical samples examined. Thus, the present study demonstrates that SD-QF-PCR is a robust, rapid and sensitive method for the diagnosis of common aneuploidies, and these analyses can be performed in less than 4 hours for a single sample, providing a competitive alternative for routine use.

  2. Primer on molecular genetics. DOE Human Genome Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-04-01

    This report is taken from the April 1992 draft of the DOE Human Genome 1991--1992 Program Report, which is expected to be published in May 1992. The primer is intended to be an introduction to basic principles of molecular genetics pertaining to the genome project. The material contained herein is not final and may be incomplete. Techniques of genetic mapping and DNA sequencing are described.

  3. Adhesion of epoxy primer to hydrotalcite conversion coated AA2024

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leggat, Robert Benton, III

    Hydrotalcite-based (HT) conversion coatings are being developed as an environmentally benign alternative to chromate conversion coatings (CCC). Accelerated exposure tests were conducted on epoxy primed, HT-modified AA2024 to gauge service performance. HT-based conversion coatings did not perform as well as the CCC when used with an epoxy primer. The current HT chemistries are optimized for stand-alone corrosion protection, however additional research into the primer/HT interactions is necessary before they can be implemented within a coating scheme. The relative contribution of mechanical and physico-chemical interactions in controlling adhesion has been investigated in this study. Practical adhesion tests were used to assess the dry and wet bond strength of epoxy primer on HT coatings using the pull-off tensile strength (POTS) as the figure of merit. The practical adhesion of HT coated samples generally fell between that observed for the CCC and bare AA2024. Laboratory testing was done to assess the physical and chemical properties of HT coatings. Contact angle measurements were performed using powders representative of different HT chemistries to evaluate the dispersive and acid-base character of the surface. The wet POTS correlated with the electrodynamic (dipole + dispersive) parameter of the surface tension. The HT surfaces were found to be predominantly basic. Given the basicity of epoxy, these results indicate that increasing the acidic character of HT coatings may increase the adhesion performance. This was supported by electrokinetic measurements in which the dry POTS was found to increase with decreasing conversion coating iso-electric point. The correlations with the dry and wet state adhesion are interpreted as indicating that dry state adhesion is optimized by minimizing unfavorable polar interactions between the basic epoxy and HT interfaces. Wet state adhesion, where polar interactions are disrupted, is dictated by non-polar bonding. FTIR

  4. N-terminal domains of human DNA polymerase lambda promote primer realignment during translesion DNA synthesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taggart, David J.; Dayeh, Daniel M.; Fredrickson, Saul W.; Suo, Zucai

    2014-01-01

    The X-family DNA polymerases λ (Polλ) and β (Polβ) possess similar 5′-2-deoxyribose-5-phosphatelyase (dRPase) and polymerase domains. Besides these domains, Polλ also possesses a BRCA1 C-terminal (BRCT) domain and a proline-rich domain at its N terminus. However, it is unclear how these non-enzymatic domains contribute to the unique biological functions of Polλ. Here, we used primer extension assays and a newly developed high-throughput short oligonucleotide sequencing assay (HT-SOSA) to compare the efficiency of lesion bypass and fidelity of human Polβ, Polλ and two N-terminal deletion constructs of Polλ during the bypass of either an abasic site or a 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) lesion. We demonstrate that the BRCT domain of Polλ enhances the efficiency of abasic site bypass by approximately 1.6-fold. In contrast, deletion of the N-terminal domains of Polλ did not affect the efficiency of 8-oxodG bypass relative to nucleotide incorporations opposite undamaged dG. HT-SOSA analysis demonstrated that Polλ and Polβ preferentially generated −1 or −2 frameshift mutations when bypassing an abasic site and the single or double base deletion frequency was highly sequence dependent. Interestingly, the BRCT and proline-rich domains of Polλ cooperatively promoted the generation of −2 frameshift mutations when the abasic site was situated within a sequence context that was susceptible to homology-driven primer realignment. Furthermore, both N-terminal domains of Polλ increased the generation of −1 frameshift mutations during 8-oxodG bypass and influenced the frequency of substitution mutations produced by Polλ opposite the 8-oxodG lesion. Overall, our data support a model wherein the BRCT and proline-rich domains of Polλ act cooperatively to promote primer/template realignment between DNA strands of limited sequence homology. This function of the N-terminal domains may facilitate the role of Polλ as a gap-filling polymerase

  5. Electrochemical genosensing of Salmonella, Listeria and Escherichia coli on silica magnetic particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liébana, Susana; Brandão, Delfina; Cortés, Pilar; Campoy, Susana; Alegret, Salvador; Pividori, María Isabel

    2016-01-21

    A magneto-genosensing approach for the detection of the three most common pathogenic bacteria in food safety, such as Salmonella, Listeria and Escherichia coli is presented. The methodology is based on the detection of the tagged amplified DNA obtained by single-tagging PCR with a set of specific primers for each pathogen, followed by electrochemical magneto-genosensing on silica magnetic particles. A set of primers were selected for the amplification of the invA (278 bp), prfA (217 bp) and eaeA (151 bp) being one of the primers for each set tagged with fluorescein, biotin and digoxigenin coding for Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli, respectively. The single-tagged amplicons were then immobilized on silica MPs based on the nucleic acid-binding properties of silica particles in the presence of the chaotropic agent as guanidinium thiocyanate. The assessment of the silica MPs as a platform for electrochemical magneto-genosensing is described, including the main parameters to selectively attach longer dsDNA fragments instead of shorter ssDNA primers based on their negative charge density of the sugar-phosphate backbone. This approach resulted to be a promising detection tool with sensing features of rapidity and sensitivity very suitable to be implemented on DNA biosensors and microfluidic platforms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. A Primer on Concepts and Applications of Proteomics in Neuroscience

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hosp, Fabian; Mann, Matthias

    2017-01-01

    The enormous complexity of the central nervous system has impeded its systemic exploration for decades but powerful "omic" technologies are now pushing forward the frontiers of neuroscience research at an increasing pace. This Primer reviews the most recent progress in mass spectrometry (MS...

  7. A computational model for three-dimensional jointed media with a single joint set

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koteras, J.R.

    1994-02-01

    This report describes a three-dimensional model for jointed rock or other media with a single set of joints. The joint set consists of evenly spaced joint planes. The normal joint response is nonlinear elastic and is based on a rational polynomial. Joint shear stress is treated as being linear elastic in the shear stress versus slip displacement before attaining a critical stress level governed by a Mohr-Coulomb faction criterion. The three-dimensional model represents an extension of a two-dimensional, multi-joint model that has been in use for several years. Although most of the concepts in the two-dimensional model translate in a straightforward manner to three dimensions, the concept of slip on the joint planes becomes more complex in three dimensions. While slip in two dimensions can be treated as a scalar quantity, it must be treated as a vector in the joint plane in three dimensions. For the three-dimensional model proposed here, the slip direction is assumed to be the direction of maximum principal strain in the joint plane. Five test problems are presented to verify the correctness of the computational implementation of the model

  8. The effects of pH on N-methacryloyl glycine primer on bond strength to acid-etched dentin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishiyama, N; Suzuki, K; Asakura, T; Nakai, H; Yasuda, S; Nemoto, K

    1996-07-01

    To develop a more effective adhesive primer, it is imperative to understand the adhesion mechanisms of the resin to the demineralized dentin through a dentin primer. When the bonding agent was directly applied to the dentin etched by 40 wt % phosphoric acid without a primer pretreatment, the bond strength of the resin to the dentin was 5 MPa. Conversely, when the demineralized dentin was pretreated with the N-methacryloyl glycine (NM alpha A) primer solution with a pH value of 1.5, the bond strength increased considerably to 15 MPa. However, the bond strength dropped dramatically from 15 to 3 MPa when the sodium salt of NM alpha A was added, thereby increasing the pH value of the NM alpha A primer solution from 3.2 to 5.0. When the pH value was increased above 3.5 (pKa value), the number of ionized NM alpha A species increased in the solution. As a result, the bond strength of the resin fell to approximately 3 MPa. This result was obtained despite the 5-micron-thick hybrid layer that was created in the subsurface of the intertubular dentin. The number of unionized NM alpha A species increased by lowering the pH value below 3.5. As a result, the NM alpha A primer provided a higher bond strength of the resin to the demineralized dentin. In contrast, when 10 wt % citric acid containing 3 wt % ferric chloride was applied to the dentin, maximum bond strength was obtained when the pH value of the NM alpha A primer solution was 3.5. The pH dependency of the bond strength obtained following 10 wt % citric acid containing 3 wt % ferric chloride etching is different from the results obtained from 40 wt % phosphoric acid etching. This can be attributed to the difference in the characteristics of the demineralized collageous layer.

  9. Transportation Management Area Planning Certification Review Primer: Revised January 18, 2018

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-18

    This primer outlines key concepts and expectations of a Transportation Management Area (TMA) Planning Certification Review. Reflecting on the collective experiences of past Certification Reviews, this includes references to relevant laws and regulati...

  10. Note: Primer Amysat 001; Fragment size is 211bp

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Renuka

    Bhandara : Lanes 1–14 represent different strains of Bhandara Ecorace. Note: Primer Amysat 001; Fragment size is 211bp. Fig. 1. SSR profiles generated from genomic DNA of 16 strains from different individuals of (A.L, D. TV, D. BV, Modal, Sukinda, Raily, Bhandara) ecoraces of tasar silk worm, Antheraea mylitta using the.

  11. Effect of clearfil protect bond and transbond plus self-etch primer on shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Hamid Raji

    2011-01-01

    Conclusion: The shear bond strength of clearfil protect bond and transbond plus self-etch primer was enough for bonding the orthodontic brackets. The mode of failure of bonded brackets with these two self-etch primers is safe for enamel.

  12. An anti-steroidogenic inhibitory primer pheromone in male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung-Davidson, Yu-Wen; Wang, Huiyong; Bryan, Mara B.; Wu, Hong; Johnson, Nicholas S.; Li, Weiming

    2013-01-01

    Reproductive functions can be modulated by both stimulatory and inhibitory primer pheromones released by conspecifics. Many stimulatory primer pheromones have been documented, but relatively few inhibitory primer pheromones have been reported in vertebrates. The sea lamprey male sex pheromone system presents an advantageous model to explore the stimulatory and inhibitory primer pheromone functions in vertebrates since several pheromone components have been identified. We hypothesized that a candidate sex pheromone component, 7α, 12α-dihydroxy-5α-cholan-3-one-24-oic acid (3 keto-allocholic acid or 3kACA), exerts priming effects through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. To test this hypothesis, we measured the peptide concentrations and gene expressions of lamprey gonadotropin releasing hormones (lGnRH) and the HPG output in immature male sea lamprey exposed to waterborne 3kACA. Exposure to waterborne 3kACA altered neuronal activation markers such as jun and jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and lGnRH mRNA levels in the brain. Waterborne 3kACA also increased lGnRH-III, but not lGnRH-I or -II, in the forebrain. In the plasma, 3kACA exposure decreased all three lGnRH peptide concentrations after 1 h exposure. After 2 h exposure, 3kACA increased lGnRHI and -III, but decreased lGnRH-II peptide concentrations in the plasma. Plasma lGnRH peptide concentrations showed differential phasic patterns. Group housing condition appeared to increase the averaged plasma lGnRH levels in male sea lamprey compared to isolated males. Interestingly, 15α-hydroxyprogesterone (15α-P) concentrations decreased after prolonged 3kACA exposure (at least 24 h). To our knowledge, this is the only known synthetic vertebrate pheromone component that inhibits steroidogenesis in males.

  13. Validation of a Non-Specific Dye Real-Time PCR Assay for Porcine Adulteration in Meatball Using ND5 Primer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tri Joko Raharjo

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Porcine adulteration in meatball samples were analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR, based on the ND5 primer obtained by previous study. This work consisted of three stages which were annealing temperature optimization, method validation, and application. DNA template was extracted using phenol-CIAA (chloroform-iso amyl alcohol method. The optimum annealing temperature for ND5 primers (forward primer 5'-CATTCGCCTCACTCACATTAACC-3' and reverse primer 5'-AAGAGAGAGTTCTACGGTCTGTAG-3' was 58.0 °C, obtained after testing annealing at 50.5 to 59.5 °C gradient temperature with 5 °C interval. Melting curve analysis was done at 65.0 to 95.0 °C, with increasing temperature for 0.5 °C per 2 sec. Method was validated for its specificity, precision and limit of detection. RT-PCR method with ND5 primers produced 227 bp DNA fragment with 78.50 °C Tm value. From eight commercial meatball samples, one was detected containing porcine. The methods showed high specificity and precision, with experimentally determined limits for porcine were no less than 1%.

  14. Development of specific primers for genus Fusarium and F. solani ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Yomi

    2012-01-05

    Jan 5, 2012 ... reproductive parts of plants. They are ... plant species in most parts of the world. .... 20 µl 2.5X master mix (Eppendorf) and 1 µl of each forward and ... List of primers developed for rapid detection of Fusarium sp. and F. solani.

  15. HTP-OligoDesigner: An Online Primer Design Tool for High-Throughput Gene Cloning and Site-Directed Mutagenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camilo, Cesar M; Lima, Gustavo M A; Maluf, Fernando V; Guido, Rafael V C; Polikarpov, Igor

    2016-01-01

    Following burgeoning genomic and transcriptomic sequencing data, biochemical and molecular biology groups worldwide are implementing high-throughput cloning and mutagenesis facilities in order to obtain a large number of soluble proteins for structural and functional characterization. Since manual primer design can be a time-consuming and error-generating step, particularly when working with hundreds of targets, the automation of primer design process becomes highly desirable. HTP-OligoDesigner was created to provide the scientific community with a simple and intuitive online primer design tool for both laboratory-scale and high-throughput projects of sequence-independent gene cloning and site-directed mutagenesis and a Tm calculator for quick queries.

  16. Microsatellite primers for a species of South African everlasting daisy (Helichrysum odoratissimum; Gnaphalieae, Asteraceae)1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glennon, Kelsey L.; Cron, Glynis V.

    2016-01-01

    Premise of the study: Microsatellites were developed for the widespread Helichrysum odoratissimum (Asteraceae) to estimate gene flow across diploid populations and to test if gene flow occurs among other closely related lineages within this genus. Methods and Results: Ten primer pairs were developed and tested using populations across South Africa; however, only seven primer pairs were polymorphic for the target species. The seven polymorphic primers amplified di- and trinucleotide repeats with up to 16 alleles per locus among 125 diploid individuals used for analyses. Conclusions: These markers can be used to estimate gene flow among populations of known ploidy level of H. odoratissimum to test evolutionary hypotheses. Furthermore, these markers amplify successfully in other Helichrysum species, including the other three taxonomic Group 4 species, and therefore can be used to inform taxonomic work on these species. PMID:27213125

  17. FACTORES AMBIENTALES Y GENÉTICOS QUE INFLUYEN SOBRE LA EDAD AL PRIMER PARTO EN HEMBRAS DE LA RAZA ROMOSINUANO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco Suárez

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo. Estudiar los factores ambientales y genéticos que influyen sobre la edad al primer parto dehembras romosinuano. Materiales y métodos. Fueron estudiados 932 datos de la edad al primer partode hembras de la raza Romosinuano, nacidas en el Centro de Investigación Turipaná de CORPOICA,Cereté, Colombia, en el período de 1980 a 2001. Para el estudio de los factores ambientales se utilizóel análisis de varianza mediante modelos lineales utilizando el procedimiento GLM de SAS (1995.Resultados. La edad al primer parto fue de 1162.3±4.2 días, con un coeficiente de variación del 11.19%.El análisis de varianza reveló que el año y mes de nacimiento fueron causas estadísticamente significativasde variación de la edad al primer parto. La heredabilidad, calculada por la correlación intraclase entremedias hermanas paternas fue de 0.16±0.08. Conclusión. El año y mes de nacimiento influyeron en laedad al primer parto de hembras romosinuano, pero la heredabilidad de la edad al primer parto y elsexo de la cría no se constituyen en características importantes a tener en cuenta.

  18. Ares, Janus, Globalization: A Primer For The Military Leader in NATO

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Clemons, Dean

    2002-01-01

    ...: international military and commercial investment; dual-use technologies; and export control. As a primer on these stakes for the rising military leader within the North Atlantic Treaty, the study elucidates the issue of cooperation vs...

  19. Bayesian models a statistical primer for ecologists

    CERN Document Server

    Hobbs, N Thompson

    2015-01-01

    Bayesian modeling has become an indispensable tool for ecological research because it is uniquely suited to deal with complexity in a statistically coherent way. This textbook provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the latest Bayesian methods-in language ecologists can understand. Unlike other books on the subject, this one emphasizes the principles behind the computations, giving ecologists a big-picture understanding of how to implement this powerful statistical approach. Bayesian Models is an essential primer for non-statisticians. It begins with a definition of probabili

  20. Primer for criticality calculations with DANTSYS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Busch, R.D.

    1996-01-01

    With the closure of many experimental facilities, the nuclear criticality safety analyst is increasingly required to rely on computer calculations to identify safe limits for the handling and storage of fissile materials. However, in many cases, the analyst has little experience with the specific codes available at his or her facility. Typically, two types of codes are available: deterministic codes such as ANISN or DANTSYS that solve an approximate model exactly and Monte Carlo Codes such as KENO or MCNP that solve an exact model approximately. Often, the analyst feels that the deterministic codes are too simple and will not provide the necessary information, so most modeling uses Monte Carlo methods. This sometimes means that hours of effort are expended to produce results available in minutes from deterministic codes. A substantial amount of reliable information on nuclear systems can be obtained using deterministic methods if the user understands their limitations. To guide criticality specialists in this area, the Nuclear Criticality Safety Group at the University of New Mexico in cooperation with the Radiation Transport Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory has designed a primer to help the analyst understand and use the DANTSYS deterministic transport code for nuclear criticality safety analyses. (DANTSYS is the name of a suite of codes that users more commonly know as ONEDANT, TWODANT, TWOHEX, and THREEDANT.) It assumes a college education in a technical field, but there is no assumption of familiarity with neutronics codes in general or with DANTSYS in particular. The primer is designed to teach by example, with each example illustrating two or three DANTSYS features useful in criticality analyses

  1. A web-based adaptive tutor to teach PCR primer design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Seters, Janneke R.; Wellink, Joan; Tramper, Johannes; Goedhart, Martin J.; Ossevoort, Miriam A.

    2012-01-01

    When students have varying prior knowledge, personalized instruction is desirable. One way to personalize instruction is by using adaptive e-learning to offer training of varying complexity. In this study, we developed a web-based adaptive tutor to teach PCR primer design: the PCR Tutor. We used

  2. A Web-based Adaptive Tutor to Teach PCR Primer Design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Seters, van J.R.; Wellink, J.; Tramper, J.; Goedhart, M.J.; Ossevoort, M.A.

    2012-01-01

    When students have varying prior knowledge, personalized instruction is desirable. One way to personalize instruction is by using adaptive e-learning to offer training of varying complexity. In this study, we developed a web-based adaptive tutor to teach PCR primer design: the PCR Tutor. We used

  3. Radiation protection primer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aigner, R.; Melzer, E.; Seissler, H.

    1986-01-01

    This 'radiation protection primer' does not pretend to give absolute, final answers to the many questions that have been arising after the Chernobyl accident. What it is intended to supply, as a schematic overview of problems resulting from nuclear accidents, and a likewise systematic outline of possible solutions and sensible reactions to such an event. The book takes up questions such as: What has happened to the soil. Will future harvests be 'clean' again. What does radioactivity to our drinking water and other waters. What are the effects of a radioactive fallout on food. What may we eat or drink. What happens to the human body after intake of radioactive air, or - even only slightly - contaminated food or water. What can we do to protect our health, and the health of our children. Is there anything else we can do in order to avoid such a disaster in future, except from shutting-off all reactors. The book itself presents some answers and advice, along with a list of terms and explanations, and addresses to apply to for further advice and information. (orig./HP) [de

  4. Bond strength of primer/cement systems to zirconia subjected to artificial aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Li; Jian, Yu-Tao; Wang, Xiao-Dong; Zhao, Ke

    2016-11-01

    Creating reliable and durable adhesion to the nonactive zirconia surface is difficult and has limited zirconia use. The introduction of functional monomers such as 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP) appears to have enhanced bond strength to zirconia. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the long-term bond strength of several MDP-containing primer/cement systems to zirconia. Zirconia blocks were divided into 6 groups (n=24) according to the 3 primers/cements to be bonded, as follows: Scotchbond Universal/RelyX Ultimate (SU/RU; consisting of MDP-containing primer/MDP-free cement); Clearfil ceramic primer/Panavia F (CCP/PAN; consisting ofMDP-containing/MDP-containing); and Z-Prime Plus/Duo-Link (ZP/DUO; consisting ofMDP-containing/MDP-free), which were compared with 3 nonprimed groups, RU, PAN, and DUO. After bonding, each group was further divided into 3 subgroups (n=8) according to the level of aging: 24-hour storage in water at 37°C (24H); 30-day storage at 37°C (30D); and 30-day storage at 37°C followed by 3000 thermal cycles (30D/TC). After aging, a shear bond strength test and failure mode analysis were performed. The data were analyzed using 2-way ANOVA (α=.05). After aging, nearly all primer/cement groups presented significantly higher bond strength than the related nonprimed groups for each level of aging (P<.05), except for CCP/PAN versus PAN with 24H (P=.741). SU/RU had the highest bond strength among the groups for all treatments (P<.05), except for CCP/PAN versus SU/RU with 30D/TC (P=.171). Among the nonprimed groups, only RU went through 30D/TC without premature debonding. With 24H and 30D, the failure modes in SU/RU and CCP/PAN were purely mixed, whereas those in the other groups were mainly adhesive, except for RU. The superiority of the initial bond strength in SU/RU may result from some functional components other than MDP. The presence of MDP in the cement did not appear to have a positive effect on long-term bond

  5. Incorporating travel-time reliability into the congestion management process : a primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-02-01

    This primer explains the value of incorporating travel-time reliability into the Congestion Management Process (CMP) : and identifies the most current tools available to assist with this effort. It draws from applied research and best practices : fro...

  6. On the Optimal Policy for the Single-product Inventory Problem with Set-up Cost and a Restricted Production Capacity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Foreest, N. D. van; Wijngaard, J.

    2010-01-01

    The single-product, stationary inventory problem with set-up cost is one of the classical problems in stochastic operations research. Theories have been developed to cope with finite production capacity in periodic review systems, and it has been proved that optimal policies for these cases are not

  7. Efficient One-Step Fusion PCR Based on Dual-Asymmetric Primers and Two-Step Annealing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Yilan; Chen, Jinjin; Thygesen, Anders

    2018-01-01

    Gene splicing by fusion PCR is a versatile and widely used methodology, especially in synthetic biology. We here describe a rapid method for splicing two fragments by one-round fusion PCR with a dual-asymmetric primers and two-step annealing (ODT) method. During the process, the asymmetric...... intermediate fragments were generated in the early stage. Thereafter, they were hybridized in the subsequent cycles to serve as template for the target full-length product. The process parameters such as primer ratio, elongation temperature and cycle numbers were optimized. In addition, the fusion products...

  8. El primer encuentro del padre con el bebé prematuro en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernanda Martins Castro

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo: Describir el primer encuentro del padre con el hijo en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales (UCIN y analizar el significado de este momento en la perspectiva de los padres. Método: estudio cualitativo, con ocho padres de niños prematuros, a través de entrevistas semi-estructuradas. Los datos se analizaron a través del análisis temático. Resultados: Surgieron tres núcleos temáticos: "primer encuentro con hijo prematuro: sentimientos paternales y emociones", "construcción de la relación entre los profesionales y los padres de los recién nacidos a partir del primer encuentro" y reconocimiento de la paternidad en el contexto de la UCIN. Conclusión: El primer encuentro del padre con su hijo en la UCIN provoca sentimientos y sorpresa, dolor, incertidumbre, alegría y esperanza. El equipo de salud debe estar preparado para brindar apoyo emocional, información y establecer una comunicación efectiva desde la primera visita.

  9. Teaching Thermal Hydraulics and Numerical Methods: An Introductory Control Volume Primer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D. S. Lucas

    2004-01-01

    A graduate level course for Thermal Hydraulics (T/H) was taught through Idaho State University in the spring of 2004. A numerical approach was taken for the content of this course since the students were employed at the Idaho National Laboratory and had been users of T/H codes. The majority of the students had expressed an interest in learning about the Courant Limit, mass error, semi-implicit and implicit numerical integration schemes in the context of a computer code. Since no introductory text was found the author developed notes taught from his own research and courses taught for Westinghouse on the subject. The course started with a primer on control volume methods and the construction of a Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM) (T/H) code. The primer was valuable for giving the students the basics behind such codes and their evolution to more complex codes for Thermal Hydraulics and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The course covered additional material including the Finite Element Method and non-equilibrium (T/H). The control volume primer and the construction of a three-equation (mass, momentum and energy) HEM code are the subject of this paper . The Fortran version of the code covered in this paper is elementary compared to its descendants. The steam tables used are less accurate than the available commercial version written in C Coupled to a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The Fortran version and input files can be downloaded at www.microfusionlab.com

  10. A comparison of orthodontic bracket shear bond strength on enamel deproteinized by 5.25% sodium hypochlorite using total etch and self-etch primer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ongkowidjaja, F.; Soegiharto, B. M.; Purbiati, M.

    2017-08-01

    The shear bond strength (SBS) can be increased by removing protein pellicles from the enamel surface by deproteinization using 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). The SBS of a self-etch primer is lower than that of a total etch primer; nonetheless, it prevents white spot lesions. This study aimed to assess the SBS of the Anyetch (AE) total etch primer and FL-Bond II Shofu (FL) self-etch primer after enamel deproteinization using 5.25% NaOCl. Forty eight human maxillary first premolars were extracted, cleaned, and divided into four groups. In group A, brackets were bonded to the enamel without deproteinization before etching (A1: 10 teeth using total etch primer (AE); A2: 10 teeth using self-etch primer (FL)). In group B, brackets were bonded to the enamel after deproteinization with 5.25% NaOCl before etching (B1: 10 teeth using total etch primer (AE); B2: 10 teeth using self-etch primer (FL)). Brackets were bonded using Transbond XT, stored in artificial saliva for 24 h at 37°C, mounted on acrylic cylinders, and debonded using a Shimadzu AG-5000 universal testing machine. There were no significant differences in SBS between the total etch (AE) groups (p > 0.05) and between the self-etch (FL) groups (p > 0.05). There were significant differences in SBS between groups A and B. The mean SBS for groups A1, A2, B1, and B2 was 12.91±3.99, 4.46±2.47, 13.06±3.66, and 3.62±2.36 MPa, respectively. Deproteinization using NaOCl did not affect the SBS of the total etch primer (AE) group; it reduced the SBS of the self-etch primer (FL) group, but not with a statistically significant difference.

  11. A Primer on Observational Measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girard, Jeffrey M; Cohn, Jeffrey F

    2016-08-01

    Observational measurement plays an integral role in a variety of scientific endeavors within biology, psychology, sociology, education, medicine, and marketing. The current article provides an interdisciplinary primer on observational measurement; in particular, it highlights recent advances in observational methodology and the challenges that accompany such growth. First, we detail the various types of instrument that can be used to standardize measurements across observers. Second, we argue for the importance of validity in observational measurement and provide several approaches to validation based on contemporary validity theory. Third, we outline the challenges currently faced by observational researchers pertaining to measurement drift, observer reactivity, reliability analysis, and time/expense. Fourth, we describe recent advances in computer-assisted measurement, fully automated measurement, and statistical data analysis. Finally, we identify several key directions for future observational research to explore.

  12. Crecimiento longitudinal posnatal del primer metatarsiano. [Longitudinal postnatal growth of the first metatarsal bone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julio J. Masquijo

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Introducción: si bien el crecimiento prenatal y posnatal del pie ha sido documentado hace varios años, el crecimiento longitudinal del primer metatarsiano en particular no ha sido estudiado previamente. El objetivo del estudio es determinar el patrón de crecimiento longitudinal posnatal de este hueso y compararlo con el del pie y los huesos largos del miembro inferior. Materiales y Métodos: mediante una búsqueda informatizada, se identificaron pacientes <18 años de edad con radiografías informadas como “normal” por el radiólogo. Se analizó una muestra de 886 pacientes divididos en 18 grupos según la edad (0-11 meses, 1 año, 2 años, etc. y el sexo. El análisis de las imágenes se realizó con un software de imágenes Kodak Carestream PACS. Resultados: el largo promedio en el primer grupo fue de 19,91 mm (3,20; 15,22-25,62. El largo promedio en el último grupo fue de 66,13 mm (5,33; 52,50-77,18. La tasa de crecimiento anual fue de 2,71 mm. La edad promedio al momento del cierre de la fisis fue de 14.85 años (± 1.64 para los varones y 14.77 años (± 3.63 para las niñas. Conclusión: el crecimiento del primer metatarsiano acompaña el crecimiento longitudinal del pie, pero no el de los huesos largos del miembro inferior. Las curvas de crecimiento del primer metatarsiano descritas en este artículo pueden ser aplicadas en patologías que afectan el desarrollo del pie o que requieren cirugía de corrección sobre el primer metatarsiano, o se las puede emplear como estándar de referencia en futuros estudios.

  13. Comparative study on the use of specific and heterologous microsatellite primers in the stingless bees Melipona rufiventris and M. mondury (Hymenoptera, Apidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopes, Denilce Meneses; de Oliveira Campos, Lúcio Antônio; Salomão, Tânia Maria Fernandes; Tavares, Mara Garcia

    2010-04-01

    Due to their high degree of polymorphism, microsatellites are considered useful tools for studying population genetics. Nevertheless, studies of genetic diversity in stingless bees by means of these primers have revealed a low level of polymorphism, possibly the consequence of the heterologous primers used, since in most cases these were not specifically designed for the species under consideration. Herein we compared the number of polymorphic loci and alleles per locus, as well as observed heterozygosity in Melipona rufiventris and M. mondury populations, using specific and heterologous primers. The use of specific primers placed in evidence the greater frequency of polymorphic loci and alleles per locus, besides an expressive increase in observed heterozygosity in M. rufiventris and M. mondury, thereby reinforcing the idea that populational studies should be undertaken by preferably using species-specific microsatellite primers.

  14. 454-Pyrosequencing Analysis of Bacterial Communities from Autotrophic Nitrogen Removal Bioreactors Utilizing Universal Primers: Effect of Annealing Temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Martinez, Alejandro; Rodriguez-Sanchez, Alejandro; Rodelas, Belén; Abbas, Ben A; Martinez-Toledo, Maria Victoria; van Loosdrecht, Mark C M; Osorio, F; Gonzalez-Lopez, Jesus

    2015-01-01

    Identification of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria by molecular tools aimed at the evaluation of bacterial diversity in autotrophic nitrogen removal systems is limited by the difficulty to design universal primers for the Bacteria domain able to amplify the anammox 16S rRNA genes. A metagenomic analysis (pyrosequencing) of total bacterial diversity including anammox population in five autotrophic nitrogen removal technologies, two bench-scale models (MBR and Low Temperature CANON) and three full-scale bioreactors (anammox, CANON, and DEMON), was successfully carried out by optimization of primer selection and PCR conditions (annealing temperature). The universal primer 530F was identified as the best candidate for total bacteria and anammox bacteria diversity coverage. Salt-adjusted optimum annealing temperature of primer 530F was calculated (47°C) and hence a range of annealing temperatures of 44-49°C was tested. Pyrosequencing data showed that annealing temperature of 45°C yielded the best results in terms of species richness and diversity for all bioreactors analyzed.

  15. Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction-based System for Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Lily-infecting Viruses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji Yeon Kwon

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available A detection system based on a multiplex reverse transcription (RT polymerase chain reaction (PCR was developed to simultaneously identify multiple viruses in the lily plant. The most common viruses infecting lily plants are the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV, lily mottle virus (LMoV, lily symptomless virus (LSV. Leaf samples were collected at lily-cultivation facilities located in the Kangwon province of Korea and used to evaluate the detection system. Simplex and multiplex RT-PCR were performed using virus-specific primers to detect single-or mixed viral infections in lily plants. Our results demonstrate the selective detection of 3 different viruses (CMV, LMoV and LSV by using specific primers as well as the potential of simultaneously detecting 2 or 3 different viruses in lily plants with mixed infections. Three sets of primers for each target virus, and one set of internal control primers were used to evaluate the detection system for efficiency, reliability, and reproducibility.

  16. Comparative study on the use of specific and heterologous microsatellite primers in the stingless bees Melipona rufiventris and M. mondury (Hymenoptera, Apidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denilce Meneses Lopes

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to their high degree of polymorphism, microsatellites are considered useful tools for studying population genetics. Nevertheless, studies of genetic diversity in stingless bees by means of these primers have revealed a low level of polymorphism, possibly the consequence of the heterologous primers used, since in most cases these were not specifically designed for the species under consideration. Herein we compared the number of polymorphic loci and alleles per locus, as well as observed heterozygosity in Melipona rufiventris and M. mondury populations, using specific and heterologous primers. The use of specific primers placed in evidence the greater frequency of polymorphic loci and alleles per locus, besides an expressive increase in observed heterozygosity in M. rufiventris and M. mondury, thereby reinforcing the idea that populational studies should be undertaken by preferably using species-specific microsatellite primers.

  17. MCNPTM criticality primer and training experiences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Briesmeister, J.; Forster, R.A.; Busch, R.

    1995-01-01

    With the closure of many experimental facilities, the nuclear criticality safety analyst is increasingly required to rely on computer calculations to identify safe limits for the handling and storage of fissile materials. However, the analyst may have little experience with the specific codes available at his or her facility. Usually, the codes are quite complex, black boxes capable of analyzing numerous problems with a myriad of input options. Documentation for these codes is designed to cover all the possible configurations and types of analyses but does not give much detail on any particular type of analysis. For criticality calculations, the user of a code is primarily interested in the value of the effective multiplication factor for a system (k eff ). Most codes will provide this, and truckloads of other information that may be less pertinent to criticality calculations. Based on discussions with code users in the nuclear criticality safety community, it was decided that a simple document discussing the ins and outs of criticality calculations with specific codes would be quite useful. The Transport Methods Group, XTM, at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) decided to develop a primer for criticality calculations with their Monte Carlo code, MCNP. This was a joint task between LANL with a knowledge and understanding of the nuances and capabilities of MCNP and the University of New Mexico with a knowledge and understanding of nuclear criticality safety calculations and educating first time users of neutronics calculations. The initial problem was that the MCNP manual just contained too much information. Almost everything one needs to know about MCNP can be found in the manual; the problem is that there is more information than a user requires to do a simple k eff calculation. The basic concept of the primer was to distill the manual to create a document whose only focus was criticality calculations using MCNP

  18. Operational behavior of the MAP/G/1 queue under N-policy with a single vacation and set-up

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ho Woo Lee

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper considers the MAP/G/1 queue under N-policy with a single vacation and set-up. We derive the vector generating functions of the queue length at an arbitrary time and at departures in decomposed forms. We also derive the Laplace-Stieltjes transform of the waiting time. Computation algorithms for mean performance measures are provided.

  19. Development and evaluation of a single-step duplex PCR for simultaneous detection of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica (family Fasciolidae, class Trematoda, phylum Platyhelminthes).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Thanh Hoa; Nguyen, Khue Thi; Nguyen, Nga Thi Bich; Doan, Huong Thi Thanh; Le, Xuyen Thi Kim; Hoang, Chau Thi Minh; De, Nguyen Van

    2012-08-01

    A single-step multiplex PCR (here referred to as a duplex PCR) has been developed for simultaneous detection and diagnosis of Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. These species overlap in distribution in many countries of North and East Africa and Central and Southeast Asia and are similar in egg morphology, making identification from fecal samples difficult. Based on a comparative alignment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) spanning the region of cox1-trnT-rrnL, two species-specific forward primers were designed, FHF (for F. hepatica) and FGF (for F. gigantica), and a single reverse primer, FHGR (common for both species). Conventional PCR followed by sequencing was applied using species-specific primer pairs to verify the specificity of primers and the identity of Fasciola DNA templates. Duplex PCR (using three primers) was used for testing with the DNA extracted from adult worms, miracidia, and eggs, producing amplicons of 1,031 bp for F. hepatica and 615 bp for F. gigantica. The duplex PCR failed to amplify from DNA of other common liver and intestinal trematodes, including two opisthorchiids, three heterophyids, an echinostomid, another fasciolid, and a taeniid cestode. The sensitivity assay showed that the duplex PCR limit of detection for each Fasciola species was between 0.012 ng and 0.006 ng DNA. Evaluation using DNA templates from 32 Fasciola samples (28 adults and 4 eggs) and from 25 field-collected stools of ruminants and humans revealed specific bands of the correct size and the presence of Fasciola species. This novel mtDNA duplex PCR is a sensitive and fast tool for accurate identification of Fasciola species in areas of distributional and zonal overlap.

  20. Development and Evaluation of a Single-Step Duplex PCR for Simultaneous Detection of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica (Family Fasciolidae, Class Trematoda, Phylum Platyhelminthes)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Khue Thi; Nguyen, Nga Thi Bich; Doan, Huong Thi Thanh; Le, Xuyen Thi Kim; Hoang, Chau Thi Minh; De, Nguyen Van

    2012-01-01

    A single-step multiplex PCR (here referred to as a duplex PCR) has been developed for simultaneous detection and diagnosis of Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. These species overlap in distribution in many countries of North and East Africa and Central and Southeast Asia and are similar in egg morphology, making identification from fecal samples difficult. Based on a comparative alignment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) spanning the region of cox1-trnT-rrnL, two species-specific forward primers were designed, FHF (for F. hepatica) and FGF (for F. gigantica), and a single reverse primer, FHGR (common for both species). Conventional PCR followed by sequencing was applied using species-specific primer pairs to verify the specificity of primers and the identity of Fasciola DNA templates. Duplex PCR (using three primers) was used for testing with the DNA extracted from adult worms, miracidia, and eggs, producing amplicons of 1,031 bp for F. hepatica and 615 bp for F. gigantica. The duplex PCR failed to amplify from DNA of other common liver and intestinal trematodes, including two opisthorchiids, three heterophyids, an echinostomid, another fasciolid, and a taeniid cestode. The sensitivity assay showed that the duplex PCR limit of detection for each Fasciola species was between 0.012 ng and 0.006 ng DNA. Evaluation using DNA templates from 32 Fasciola samples (28 adults and 4 eggs) and from 25 field-collected stools of ruminants and humans revealed specific bands of the correct size and the presence of Fasciola species. This novel mtDNA duplex PCR is a sensitive and fast tool for accurate identification of Fasciola species in areas of distributional and zonal overlap. PMID:22692744

  1. An Evolutionary/Biochemical Connection Between Promoter- and Primer-Dependent Polymerases Revealed by Selective Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenstermacher, Katherine J; Achuthan, Vasudevan; Schneider, Thomas D; DeStefano, Jeffrey J

    2018-01-16

    DNA polymerases (DNAPs) recognize 3' recessed termini on duplex DNA and carry out nucleotide catalysis. Unlike promoter-specific RNA polymerases (RNAPs), no sequence specificity is required for binding or initiation of catalysis. Despite this, previous results indicate that viral reverse transcriptases bind much more tightly to DNA primers that mimic the polypurine tract. In the current report, primer sequences that bind with high affinity to Taq and Klenow polymerases were identified using a modified Selective Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) approach. Two Taq -specific primers that bound ∼10 (Taq1) and over 100 (Taq2) times more stably than controls to Taq were identified. Taq1 contained 8 nucleotides (5' -CACTAAAG-3') that matched the phage T3 RNAP "core" promoter. Both primers dramatically outcompeted primers with similar binding thermodynamics in PCR reactions. Similarly, exonuclease minus Klenow polymerase also selected a high affinity primer that contained a related core promoter sequence from phage T7 RNAP (5' -ACTATAG-3'). For both Taq and Klenow, even small modifications to the sequence resulted in large losses in binding affinity suggesting that binding was highly sequence-specific. The results are discussed in the context of possible effects on multi-primer (multiplex) PCR assays, molecular information theory, and the evolution of RNAPs and DNAPs. Importance This work further demonstrates that primer-dependent DNA polymerases can have strong sequence biases leading to dramatically tighter binding to specific sequences. These may be related to biological function, or be a consequences of the structural architecture of the enzyme. New sequence specificity for Taq and Klenow polymerases were uncovered and among them were sequences that contained the core promoter elements from T3 and T7 phage RNA polymerase promoters. This suggests the intriguing possibility that phage RNA polymerases exploited intrinsic binding affinities of

  2. Can previous acid etching increase the bond strength of a self-etching primer adhesive to enamel?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Paula Morales Cobra Carvalho

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Because a greater research effort has been directed to analyzing the adhesive effectiveness of self etch primers to dentin, the aim of this study was to evaluate, by microtensile testing, the bond strength to enamel of a composite resin combined with a conventional adhesive system or with a self-etching primer adhesive, used according to its original prescription or used with previous acid etching. Thirty bovine teeth were divided into 3 groups with 10 teeth each (n= 10. In one of the groups, a self-etching primer (Clearfil SE Bond - Kuraray was applied in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and, in the other, it was applied after previous acid etching. In the third group, a conventional adhesive system (Scotchbond Multipurpose Plus - 3M-ESPE was applied in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The results obtained by analysis of variance revealed significant differences between the adhesive systems (F = 22.31. The self-etching primer (Clearfil SE Bond presented lower enamel bond strength values than the conventional adhesive system (Scotchbond Multipurpose Plus (m = 39.70 ± 7.07 MPa both when used according to the original prescription (m = 27.81 ± 2.64 MPa and with previous acid etching (m = 25.08 ± 4.92 MPa.

  3. Primers for Low-Copy Nuclear Genes in the Hawaiian Endemic Clermontia (Campanulaceae and Cross-Amplification in Lobelioideae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yohan Pillon

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Premise of the study: Primers were developed to amplify 12 intron-less, low-copy nuclear genes in the Hawaiian genus Clermontia (Campanulaceae, a suspected tetraploid. Methods and Results: Data from a pooled 454 titanium run of the partial transcriptomes of seven Clermontia species were used to identify the loci of interest. Most loci were amplified and sequenced directly with success in a representative selection of lobeliads even though several of these loci turned out to be duplicated. Levels of variation were comparable to those observed in commonly used plastid and ribosomal markers. Conclusions: We found evidence of a genome duplication that likely predates the diversification of the Hawaiian lobeliads. Some genes nevertheless appear to be single-copy and should be useful for phylogenetic studies of Clermontia or the entire Lobelioideae subfamily.

  4. Novel genus-specific broad range primers for the detection of furoviruses, hordeiviruses and rymoviruses and their application in field surveys in South-East Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Linda; Tang, Joe; Clover, Gerard R G; Spackman, Merrin E; Freeman, Angela J; Rodoni, Brendan C

    2015-03-01

    A number of viruses from the genera Furovirus, Hordeivirus and Rymovirus are known to infect and damage the four major temperate cereal crops, wheat, barley, sorghum and oats. Currently, there is no active testing in Australia for any of these viruses, which pose a significant biosecurity threat to the phytosanitary status of Australia's grains industry. To address this, broad spectrum PCR assays were developed to target virus species within the genera Furovirus, Hordeivirus and Rymovirus. Five sets of novel genus-specific primers were designed and tested in reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays against a range of virus isolates in plant virus diagnostic laboratories in both Australia and New Zealand. Three of these assays were then chosen to screen samples in a three-year survey of cereal crops in western Victoria, Australia. Of the 8900 cereal plants screened in the survey, all were tested free of furoviruses, hordeiviruses and rymoviruses. To date, there were no published genus-specific primers available for the detection of furoviruses, hordeiviruses and rymoviruses. This study shows for the first time a broad-spectrum molecular test being used in a survey for exotic grain viruses in Australia. Results from this survey provide important evidence of the use of this method to demonstrate the absence of these viruses in Victoria, Australia. The primer pairs reported here are expected to detect a wide range of virus species within the three genera. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Controlling Air Pollution; A Primer on Stationary Source Control Techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corman, Rena

    This companion document to "Air Pollution Primer" is written for the nonexpert in air pollution; however, it does assume a familiarity with air pollution problems. This work is oriented toward providing the reader with knowledge about current and proposed air quality legislation and knowledge about available technology to meet these standards for…

  6. A Comparison Study of Single-Parent Families Living on Remote, Rural Islands and in Urban Settings in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiratani, Yuko; Hohashi, Naohiro

    2016-06-01

    Nursing interventions that aim to enhance the family environment are necessary to help single-parent families with children to improve family functioning. The cultural and social factors that are unique to Japan's remote islands should be considered to assess the influence of this unique setting on family functioning. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the family functioning of child-rearing single-parent families living in different environments and to investigate the association between family demographics and family functioning. A self-administered questionnaire, the Japanese version of the Survey of Family Environment, was used to evaluate the sufficiency of family functioning. The participants were families with children enrolled in nurseries and kindergartens who were either living in remote, rural islands or in an urban city on the mainland in Japan. Family functioning was significantly higher for single-parent families living on the islands than for those living in the city in terms of media use, participation in community activities, and the collaboration of family members in child-rearing. Family functioning of single-parent families correlated significantly with household income, the parent's gender, family members' health, and family life cycle. Single-parent families living on Japanese offshore islands maintained family functioning through mutual support and the effective use of information technology. Nevertheless, single-parent families require additional support to improve their healthcare and financial situations.

  7. Development of a Species-specific PCR Assay for Three Xanthomonas Species, Causing Bulb and Flower Diseases, Based on Their Genome Sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang-Gi Back

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we developed a species-specific PCR assay for rapid and accurate detection of three Xanthomonas species, X. axonopodis pv. poinsettiicola (XAP, X. hyacinthi (XH and X. campestris pv. zantedeschiae (XCZ, based on their draft genome sequences. XAP, XH and XCZ genomes consist of single chromosomes that contain 5,221, 4,395 and 7,986 protein coding genes, respectively. Species-specific primers were designed from variable regions of the draft genome sequence data and assessed by a PCR-based detection method. These primers were also tested for specificity against 17 allied Xanthomonas species as well as against the host DNA and the microbial community of the host surface. Three primer sets were found to be very specific and no amplification product was obtained with the host DNA and the microbial community of the host surface. In addition, a detection limit of 1 pg/μl per PCR reaction was detected when these primer sets were used to amplify corresponding bacterial DNAs. Therefore, these primer sets and the developed species-specific PCR assay represent a valuable, sensitive, and rapid diagnostic tool that can be used to detect three specific pathogens at early stages of infection and may help control diseases.

  8. Profil Gangguan Kognitif pada Tumor Intrakranial Primer dan Metastasis

    OpenAIRE

    Kartika Maharani; Andira Larasari; Tiara Aninditha; Yetty Ramli

    2015-01-01

    Gangguan kognitif sering menyertai pasien tumor intrakranial dan menjadi penyebab utama disabilitas. Perbedaan patofisiologi tumor intrakranial primer (TIP) dan metastasis (TM) menyebabkan perbedaan gambaran klinis dan derajat  gangguan kognitif. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui prevalensi dan profil gangguan kognitif pasien TIP dan TM. Disain penelitian potong-lintang retrospektif menggunakan data sekunder dari Poliklinik Saraf RSCM pada bulan Januari 2011-Desember 2013. Subjek b...

  9. A primer on the mortgage market and mortgage finance

    OpenAIRE

    Daniel J. McDonald; Daniel L. Thornton

    2008-01-01

    This article is a primer on mortgage finance. It discusses the basics of the mortgage market and mortgage finance. In so doing, it provides useful information that can aid individuals in making better mortgage finance decisions. The discussion and the tools are presented within the context of mortgage finance; however, these same principles and tools can be applied to a wide range of financial decisions.

  10. Rapid and Sensitive Isothermal Detection of Nucleic-acid Sequence by Multiple Cross Displacement Amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yi; Wang, Yan; Ma, Ai-Jing; Li, Dong-Xun; Luo, Li-Juan; Liu, Dong-Xin; Jin, Dong; Liu, Kai; Ye, Chang-Yun

    2015-07-08

    We have devised a novel amplification strategy based on isothermal strand-displacement polymerization reaction, which was termed multiple cross displacement amplification (MCDA). The approach employed a set of ten specially designed primers spanning ten distinct regions of target sequence and was preceded at a constant temperature (61-65 °C). At the assay temperature, the double-stranded DNAs were at dynamic reaction environment of primer-template hybrid, thus the high concentration of primers annealed to the template strands without a denaturing step to initiate the synthesis. For the subsequent isothermal amplification step, a series of primer binding and extension events yielded several single-stranded DNAs and single-stranded single stem-loop DNA structures. Then, these DNA products enabled the strand-displacement reaction to enter into the exponential amplification. Three mainstream methods, including colorimetric indicators, agarose gel electrophoresis and real-time turbidity, were selected for monitoring the MCDA reaction. Moreover, the practical application of the MCDA assay was successfully evaluated by detecting the target pathogen nucleic acid in pork samples, which offered advantages on quick results, modest equipment requirements, easiness in operation, and high specificity and sensitivity. Here we expounded the basic MCDA mechanism and also provided details on an alternative (Single-MCDA assay, S-MCDA) to MCDA technique.

  11. Comparison of bond strengths of ceramic brackets bonded to zirconia surfaces using different zirconia primers and a universal adhesive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ji-Yeon; Ahn, Jaechan; An, Sang In; Park, Jeong-Won

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this study is to compare the shear bond strengths of ceramic brackets bonded to zirconia surfaces using different zirconia primers and universal adhesive. Fifty zirconia blocks (15 × 15 × 10 mm, Zpex, Tosoh Corporation) were polished with 1,000 grit sand paper and air-abraded with 50 µm Al 2 O 3 for 10 seconds (40 psi). They were divided into 5 groups: control (CO), Metal/Zirconia primer (MZ, Ivoclar Vivadent), Z-PRIME Plus (ZP, Bisco), Zirconia Liner (ZL, Sun Medical), and Scotchbond Universal adhesive (SU, 3M ESPE). Transbond XT Primer (used for CO, MZ, ZP, and ZL) and Transbond XT Paste was used for bracket bonding (Gemini clear ceramic brackets, 3M Unitek). After 24 hours at 37°C storage, specimens underwent 2,000 thermocycles, and then, shear bond strengths were measured (1 mm/min). An adhesive remnant index (ARI) score was calculated. The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and the Bonferroni test ( p = 0.05). Surface treatment with primers resulted in increased shear bond strength. The SU group showed the highest shear bond strength followed by the ZP, ZL, MZ, and CO groups, in that order. The median ARI scores were as follows: CO = 0, MZ = 0, ZP = 0, ZL = 0, and SU = 3 ( p < 0.05). Within this experiment, zirconia primer can increase the shear bond strength of bracket bonding. The highest shear bond strength is observed in SU group, even when no primer is used.

  12. A primer on pseudorandom generators

    CERN Document Server

    Goldreich, Oded

    2010-01-01

    A fresh look at the question of randomness was taken in the theory of computing: A distribution is pseudorandom if it cannot be distinguished from the uniform distribution by any efficient procedure. This paradigm, originally associating efficient procedures with polynomial-time algorithms, has been applied with respect to a variety of natural classes of distinguishing procedures. The resulting theory of pseudorandomness is relevant to science at large and is closely related to central areas of computer science, such as algorithmic design, complexity theory, and cryptography. This primer surveys the theory of pseudorandomness, starting with the general paradigm, and discussing various incarnations while emphasizing the case of general-purpose pseudorandom generators (withstanding any polynomial-time distinguisher). Additional topics include the "derandomization" of arbitrary probabilistic polynomial-time algorithms, pseudorandom generators withstanding space-bounded distinguishers, and several natural notions...

  13. A primer on quantum fluids

    CERN Document Server

    Barenghi, Carlo

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this primer is to cover the essential theoretical information, quickly and concisely, in order to enable senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students to tackle projects in topical research areas of quantum fluids, for example, solitons, vortices and collective modes. The selection of the material, both regarding the content and level of presentation, draws on the authors analysis of the success of relevant research projects with newcomers to the field, as well as of the students feedback from many taught and self-study courses on the subject matter. Starting with a brief historical overview, this text covers particle statistics, weakly interacting condensates and their dynamics and finally superfluid helium and quantum turbulence. At the end of each chapter (apart from the first) there will be some exercises. Detailed solutions can be made available to instructors upon request to the authors. .

  14. Making the connection: advancing traffic incident management in transportation planning : a primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-01

    "The intent of this primer is to inform and guide traffic incident management (TIM) professionals and transportation planners to initiate and develop collaborative relationships and advance TIM programs through the metropolitan planning process. The ...

  15. 3G vector-primer plasmid for constructing full-length-enriched cDNA libraries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Dong; Zhou, Yanna; Zhang, Zidong; Li, Zaiyu; Liu, Xuedong

    2008-09-01

    We designed a 3G vector-primer plasmid for the generation of full-length-enriched complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries. By employing the terminal transferase activity of reverse transcriptase and the modified strand replacement method, this plasmid (assembled with a polydT end and a deoxyguanosine [dG] end) combines priming full-length cDNA strand synthesis and directional cDNA cloning. As a result, the number of steps involved in cDNA library preparation is decreased while simplifying downstream gene manipulation, sequencing, and subcloning. The 3G vector-primer plasmid method yields fully represented plasmid primed libraries that are equivalent to those made by the SMART (switching mechanism at 5' end of RNA transcript) approach.

  16. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons: effects of extraction procedure, primer length and annealing temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sergeant, Martin J; Constantinidou, Chrystala; Cogan, Tristan; Penn, Charles W; Pallen, Mark J

    2012-01-01

    The analysis of 16S-rDNA sequences to assess the bacterial community composition of a sample is a widely used technique that has increased with the advent of high throughput sequencing. Although considerable effort has been devoted to identifying the most informative region of the 16S gene and the optimal informatics procedures to process the data, little attention has been paid to the PCR step, in particular annealing temperature and primer length. To address this, amplicons derived from 16S-rDNA were generated from chicken caecal content DNA using different annealing temperatures, primers and different DNA extraction procedures. The amplicons were pyrosequenced to determine the optimal protocols for capture of maximum bacterial diversity from a chicken caecal sample. Even at very low annealing temperatures there was little effect on the community structure, although the abundance of some OTUs such as Bifidobacterium increased. Using shorter primers did not reveal any novel OTUs but did change the community profile obtained. Mechanical disruption of the sample by bead beating had a significant effect on the results obtained, as did repeated freezing and thawing. In conclusion, existing primers and standard annealing temperatures captured as much diversity as lower annealing temperatures and shorter primers.

  17. A Web-Based Adaptive Tutor to Teach PCR Primer Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Seters, Janneke R.; Wellink, Joan; Tramper, Johannes; Goedhart, Martin J.; Ossevoort, Miriam A.

    2012-01-01

    When students have varying prior knowledge, personalized instruction is desirable. One way to personalize instruction is by using adaptive e-learning to offer training of varying complexity. In this study, we developed a web-based adaptive tutor to teach PCR primer design: the PCR Tutor. We used part of the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (the…

  18. Construction of Escherichia coli K-12 in-frame, single-gene knockout mutants: the Keio collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baba, Tomoya; Ara, Takeshi; Hasegawa, Miki; Takai, Yuki; Okumura, Yoshiko; Baba, Miki; Datsenko, Kirill A; Tomita, Masaru; Wanner, Barry L; Mori, Hirotada

    2006-01-01

    We have systematically made a set of precisely defined, single-gene deletions of all nonessential genes in Escherichia coli K-12. Open-reading frame coding regions were replaced with a kanamycin cassette flanked by FLP recognition target sites by using a one-step method for inactivation of chromosomal genes and primers designed to create in-frame deletions upon excision of the resistance cassette. Of 4288 genes targeted, mutants were obtained for 3985. To alleviate problems encountered in high-throughput studies, two independent mutants were saved for every deleted gene. These mutants-the 'Keio collection'-provide a new resource not only for systematic analyses of unknown gene functions and gene regulatory networks but also for genome-wide testing of mutational effects in a common strain background, E. coli K-12 BW25113. We were unable to disrupt 303 genes, including 37 of unknown function, which are candidates for essential genes. Distribution is being handled via GenoBase (http://ecoli.aist-nara.ac.jp/).

  19. Development of specific primers for the detection of HVA1 from ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    aghomotsegin

    2014-01-22

    Jan 22, 2014 ... can potentially improve the stress tolerance in plants. (Bajaj et al. ... protein) from barley was engineered in rice (Chandra et al., 2004; Rohila et al., .... US), 400 nM forward and reverse primers, 100 ng of DNA template in 25 µl ...

  20. De neurocirujano a primer ministro de Salud de la Argentina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karina Inés Ramacciotti

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available La trayectoria y los vínculos que entabló Ramón Carrillo con anterioridad a ejercer el cargo de primer secretario de Salud Pública en la Argentina (1946 no han sido objeto de estudio pormenorizado. Así pues en este artículo se analizarán en primer lugar, una serie de cartas de lectores publicadas en La Semana Médica en los primeros años de la década del '40 del siglo XX. Estas notas permiten comprender las disputas internas que se produjeron en la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas al producirse el concurso de Titular de Neurocirugía de la Universidad de Buenos Aires. En segundo lugar, se revisará cómo Carrillo pasa de ocupar este prestigioso cargo académico a convertirse en decano interi- no de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Son las relaciones que anuda durante estos años las que lo posicionan en un escenario político privilegiado para alcanzar un relevante puesto en la administración pública.

  1. Detection of Brucella melitensis and Brucella abortus strains using a single-stage PCR method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alamian, S.

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Brucella melitensis and Brucella abortus are of the most important causes of brucellosis, an infectious disease which is transmitted either directly or indirectly including consuming unpasteurized dairy products. Both strains are considered endemic in Iran. Common diagnostic methods such as bacteriologic cultures are difficult and time consuming regarding the bacteria. The aim of this study was to suggest a single-stage PCR method using a pair of primers to detect both B. melitensis and B. abortus. The primers were named UF1 and UR1 and the results showed that the final size of PCR products were 84 bp and 99 bp for B. melitensis and B. abortus, respectively. Therefore the method could be useful for rapid detection of B. melitensis and B. abortus simultaneously.

  2. Designing of primers for detection of salmonella typhimirium and enteritidis by heminested PCR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ben salem, Issam

    2007-01-01

    Salmonella are the main responsible agent for the frequent food borne gastrointestinal diseases. In Tunisia, this pathogen is considered one of the most important causes of toxiinfections and its detection using classical methods is laborious and requires a large amount of time for revelation. To solve this problem, we developed a rapid molecular technique for the detection of the invA virulence gene sequence which is found in the majority of Salmonella spp. This technique is a hemi nested PCR amplification using specific primers designed and by bioinformatics tools. The detection method consisted of pre-enrichment of the sample in buffered peptone water (BPW), followed by a total DNA extraction step prior to single tube hemi nested PCR amplification. This method was found highly specific and sensitive to detect low levels of salmonella typhimurium and salmonella enteritidis (1cfu/ 25g) in naturally contaminated spicy sausage (merguez) samples. These results can benefit the public health agencies concerning microbiological and quality aspects of the commercial and traditional merguez meat production in Tunisia. (Author)

  3. 454-Pyrosequencing Analysis of Bacterial Communities from Autotrophic Nitrogen Removal Bioreactors Utilizing Universal Primers: Effect of Annealing Temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandro Gonzalez-Martinez

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Identification of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox bacteria by molecular tools aimed at the evaluation of bacterial diversity in autotrophic nitrogen removal systems is limited by the difficulty to design universal primers for the Bacteria domain able to amplify the anammox 16S rRNA genes. A metagenomic analysis (pyrosequencing of total bacterial diversity including anammox population in five autotrophic nitrogen removal technologies, two bench-scale models (MBR and Low Temperature CANON and three full-scale bioreactors (anammox, CANON, and DEMON, was successfully carried out by optimization of primer selection and PCR conditions (annealing temperature. The universal primer 530F was identified as the best candidate for total bacteria and anammox bacteria diversity coverage. Salt-adjusted optimum annealing temperature of primer 530F was calculated (47°C and hence a range of annealing temperatures of 44–49°C was tested. Pyrosequencing data showed that annealing temperature of 45°C yielded the best results in terms of species richness and diversity for all bioreactors analyzed.

  4. Great Lakes rivermouths: a primer for managers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pebbles, Victoria; Larson, James; Seelbach, Paul; Pebbles, Victoria; Larson, James; Seelbach, Paul

    2013-01-01

    Between the North American Great Lakes and their tributaries are the places where the confluence of river and lake waters creates a distinct ecosystem: the rivermouth ecosystem. Human development has often centered around these rivermouths, in part, because they provide a rich array of ecosystem services. Not surprisingly, centuries of intense human activity have led to substantial pressures on, and alterations to, these ecosystems, often diminishing or degrading their ecological functions and associated ecological services. Many Great Lakes rivermouths are the focus of intense restoration efforts. For example, 36 of the active Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are rivermouths or areas that include one or more rivermouths. Historically, research of rivermouth ecosystems has been piecemeal, focused on the Great Lakes proper or on the upper reaches of tributaries, with little direct study of the rivermouth itself. Researchers have been divided among disciplines, agencies and institutions; and they often work independently and use disparate venues to communicate their work. Management has also been fragmented with a focus on smaller, localized, sub-habitat units and socio-political or economic elements, rather than system-level consideration. This Primer presents the case for a more holistic approach to rivermouth science and management that can enable restoration of ecosystem services with multiple benefits to humans and the Great Lakes ecosystem. A conceptual model is presented with supporting text that describes the structures and processes common to all rivermouths, substantiating the case for treating these ecosystems as an identifiable class.1 Ecological services provided by rivermouths and changes in how humans value those services over time are illustrated through case studies of two Great Lakes rivermouths—the St. Louis River and the Maumee River. Specific ecosystem services are identified in italics throughout this Primer and follow definitions described

  5. Schrodinger's scat: a critical review of the currently available tiger (Panthera Tigris) and leopard (Panthera pardus) specific primers in India, and a novel leopard specific primer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maroju, Pranay Amruth; Yadav, Sonu; Kolipakam, Vishnupriya; Singh, Shweta; Qureshi, Qamar; Jhala, Yadvendradev

    2016-02-09

    Non-invasive sampling has opened avenues for the genetic study of elusive species, which has contributed significantly to their conservation. Where field based identity of non-invasive sample is ambiguous (e.g. carnivore scats), it is essential to establish identity of the species through molecular approaches. A cost effective procedure to ascertain species identity is to use species specific primers (SSP) for PCR amplification and subsequent resolution through agarose gel electrophoresis. However, SSPs if ill designed can often cross amplify non-target sympatric species. Herein we report the problem of cross amplification with currently published SSPs, which have been used in several recent scientific articles on tigers (Panthera tigris) and leopards (Panthera pardus) in India. Since these papers form pioneering research on which future work will be based, an early rectification is required so as to not propagate this error further. We conclusively show cross amplification of three of the four SSPs, in sympatric non-target species like tiger SSP amplifying leopard and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), and leopard SSP amplifying tiger, lion (Panthera leo persica) and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), with the same product size. We develop and test a non-cross-amplifying leopard specific primer pair within the mitochondrial cytochrome b region. We also standardize a duplex PCR method to screen tiger and leopard samples simultaneously in one PCR reaction to reduce cost and time. These findings suggest the importance of an often overlooked preliminary protocol of conclusive identification of species from non-invasive samples. The cross amplification of published primers in conspecifics suggests the need to revisit inferences drawn by earlier work.

  6. Difference sets connecting algebra, combinatorics, and geometry

    CERN Document Server

    Moore, Emily H

    2013-01-01

    Difference sets belong both to group theory and to combinatorics. Studying them requires tools from geometry, number theory, and representation theory. This book lays a foundation for these topics, including a primer on representations and characters of finite groups. It makes the research literature on difference sets accessible to students who have studied linear algebra and abstract algebra, and it prepares them to do their own research. This text is suitable for an undergraduate capstone course, since it illuminates the many links among topics that the students have already studied. To this end, almost every chapter ends with a coda highlighting the main ideas and emphasizing mathematical connections. This book can also be used for self-study by anyone interested in these connections and concrete examples. An abundance of exercises, varying from straightforward to challenging, invites the reader to solve puzzles, construct proofs, and investigate problems--by hand or on a computer. Hints and solutions are...

  7. Human immunodeficiency virus uses tRNA(Lys,3) as primer for reverse transcription in HeLa-CD4+ cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Das, A. T.; Koken, S. E.; Essink, B. B.; van Wamel, J. L.; Berkhout, B.

    1994-01-01

    Significant amounts of different tRNA molecules are present in retroviral particles, but one specific tRNA species functions as primer in reverse transcription. It is generally believed that the HIV-1 virus uses the tRNA(Lys,3) molecule as primer. This is based on sequence complementarity between

  8. Routes to effective evacuation planning primer series : evacuating populations with special needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-04-01

    Evacuation operations are conducted under the authority of, and based on decisions by, local and state authorities. The purpose of this primer, Evacuating Populations with Special Needs, is to provide local and state emergency managers, government of...

  9. Amplification of marine methanotrophic enrichment DNA with 16S rDNA PCR primers for type II alpha proteobacteria methanotrophs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rockne, Karl J; Strand, Stuart E

    2003-09-01

    Type II alpha proteobacteria methanotrophs are capable of a wide range of cometabolic transformations of chlorinated solvents and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and this activity has been exploited in many terrestrial bioremediation systems. However, at present, all known obligately marine methanotrophic isolates are Type I gamma proteobacteria which do not have this activity to the extent of Type II methanotrophs. In previous work in our laboratory, determining the presence of Type II alpha proteobacteria methanotrophs in marine enrichment cultures that co-metabolized PAHs required a more sensitive assay. 16S rDNA PCR primers were designed based on oligonucleotide probes for serine pathway methanotrophs and serine pathway methylotrophs with an approximate amplification fragment size of 870 base pairs. Comparison of the primers using double primer BLAST searches in established nucleotide databases showed potential amplification with all Methylocystis and Methylosinus spp., as well as potential amplification with Methylocella palustrus. DNA from Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, a Type II methanotroph, amplified with the primers with a fragment size of approximately 850 base pairs, whereas DNA extracted from Methylomonas methanica, a Type I methanotroph, did not. The primers were used to amplify DNA extracted from two marine methanotrophic enrichment cultures: a low nitrogen/low copper enrichment to select for Type II methanotrophs and a high nitrogen/high copper enrichment to select for Type I methanotrophs. Although DNA from both cultures amplified with the PCR primers, amplification was stronger in cultures that were specifically enriched for Type II methanotrophs, suggesting the presence of higher numbers of Type II methanotrophs. These results provide further evidence for the existence of Type II marine methanotrophs, suggesting the possibility of exploiting cometabolic activity in marine systems.

  10. KULTUR PRIMER FIBROBLAS: PENELITIAN PENDAHULUAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuli Kurniawati

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available AbstrakKultur sel fibroblas banyak digunakan untuk penelitian proses penyembuhan luka dan penuaankulit. Metode ini digunakan untuk melihat perkembangan sel, proliferasi kinetik seluler, sertabiosintesis komponen matriks ekstraseluler. Penelitian pendahuluan ini dilakukan untuk optimasiteknik laboratorium serta berbagai kendala yang didapatkan saat kultur fibroblas. Kultur primerfibroblas dibagi menjadi 2 jenis sampel yaitu sampel yang berasal dari embrio mencit usia 7,5–9,5 hari, dan kulit pasien keloid. Sampel dari embrio mencit dilakukan kultur primer denganmetode dissociated fibroblast. Sampel jaringan keloid dan kulit normal dikultur dengan metodeskin explant. Fibroblas yang berasal dari kultur primer embrio mencit tumbuh baik sehinggadapat dilakukan subkultur dan disimpan di dalam nitrogen cair suhu -198°C. Fibroblas yangberasal dari sampel keloid pertama tumbuh sesuai pola pertumbuhan fibroblas, namun padasampel kedua terdapat kontaminasi Paecilomyces sp. yang merupakan salah satu jenis jamurkontaminan. Sel fibroblas mudah untuk dikultur karena memiliki kemampuan tumbuh danmelekat yang tinggi serta regenerasi cepat, namun penelitian lebih lanjut untuk optimasi teknikkultur dan pencegahan kontaminasi masih dibutuhkan sehingga sel dapat tumbuh baik.AbstractFibroblast cell culture method has been used for wound healing and skin aging studies. Thismethod was used for cell development imaging study, celullar kinetic proliferation andextracelullar matrix component biosynthesis. This preeliminary study was done for laboratoricaltechnic optimation as well as problems appeared in fibroblast culture. Fibroblasts primary culturewas divided into 2 type of samples, from 7.5-9.5-day-mice embryo and keloid-patient skin.Primary culture with dissociated fibroblast method was done for mice embryo sample. Keloidtissue sample and normal skin were cultured with skin explant method. Fibroblasts that weretaken from mice embryo primary culture grew well

  11. Designing Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Primer Multiplexes in the Forensic Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elkins, Kelly M.

    2011-01-01

    The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a common experiment in upper-level undergraduate biochemistry, molecular biology, and forensic laboratory courses as reagents and thermocyclers have become more affordable for institutions. Typically, instructors design PCR primers to amplify the region of interest and the students prepare their samples for…

  12. Modified Proofreading PCR for Detection of Point Mutations, Insertions and Deletions Using a ddNTP-Blocked Primer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Qianqian; Chen, Xiaoxiang; Zhang, Sichao; Lan, Ke; Lu, Jian; Zhang, Chiyu

    2015-01-01

    The development of simple, accurate, rapid and cost-effective technologies for mutation detection is crucial to the early diagnosis and prevention of numerous genetic diseases, pharmacogenetics, and drug resistance. Proofreading PCR (PR-PCR) was developed for mutation detection in 1998 but is rarely applied due to its low efficiency in allele discrimination. Here we developed a modified PR-PCR method using a ddNTP-blocked primer and a mixture of DNA polymerases with and without the 3'-5' proofreading function. The ddNTP-blocked primer exhibited the best blocking efficiency to avoid nonspecific primer extension while the mixture of a tiny amount of high-fidelity DNA polymerase with a routine amount of Taq DNA polymerase provided the best discrimination and amplification effects. The modified PR-PCR method is quite capable of detecting various mutation types, including point mutations and insertions/deletions (indels), and allows discrimination amplification when the mismatch is located within the last eight nucleotides from the 3'-end of the ddNTP-blocked primer. The modified PR-PCR has a sensitivity of 1-5 × 102 copies and a selectivity of 5 × 10-5 mutant among 107 copies of wild-type DNA. It showed a 100% accuracy rate in the detection of P72R germ-line mutation in the TP53 gene among 60 clinical blood samples, and a high potential to detect rifampin-resistant mutations at low frequency in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using an adaptor and a fusion-blocked primer. These results suggest that the modified PR-PCR technique is effective in detection of various mutations or polymorphisms as a simple, sensitive and promising approach. PMID:25915410

  13. Designing universal primers for the isolation of DNA sequences encoding Proanthocyanidins biosynthetic enzymes in Crataegus aronia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuiter Afnan

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hawthorn is the common name of all plant species in the genus Crataegus, which belongs to the Rosaceae family. Crataegus are considered useful medicinal plants because of their high content of proanthocyanidins (PAs and other related compounds. To improve PAs production in Crataegus tissues, the sequences of genes encoding PAs biosynthetic enzymes are required. Findings Different bioinformatics tools, including BLAST, multiple sequence alignment and alignment PCR analysis were used to design primers suitable for the amplification of DNA fragments from 10 candidate genes encoding enzymes involved in PAs biosynthesis in C. aronia. DNA sequencing results proved the utility of the designed primers. The primers were used successfully to amplify DNA fragments of different PAs biosynthesis genes in different Rosaceae plants. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first use of the alignment PCR approach to isolate DNA sequences encoding PAs biosynthetic enzymes in Rosaceae plants.

  14. Transient Heat Transfer Model for Car Body Primer Curing

    OpenAIRE

    D. Zabala; N. Sánchez; J. Pinto

    2010-01-01

    A transient heat transfer mathematical model for the prediction of temperature distribution in the car body during primer baking has been developed by considering the thermal radiation and convection in the furnace chamber and transient heat conduction governing equations in the car framework. The car cockpit is considered like a structure with six flat plates, four vertical plates representing the car doors and the rear and front panels. The other two flat plates are the...

  15. Hemorragias obstétricas en el primer y segundo trimestre del embarazo

    OpenAIRE

    García Rodríguez, Blanca

    2013-01-01

    Se aborda el tema de las hemorragias obstétricas en el primer y segundo trimestre del embarazo. Diagnóstico precoz de las mismas, la identificación de factores de riesgo, las causas y el tratamiento terapéutico

  16. Forced selection of a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 variant that uses a non-self tRNA primer for reverse transcription: Involvement of viral RNA sequences and the reverse transcriptase enzyme

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abbink, Truus E. M.; Beerens, Nancy; Berkhout, Ben

    2004-01-01

    Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 uses the tRNA(3)(Lys) molecule as a selective primer for reverse transcription. This primer specificity is imposed by sequence complementarity between the tRNA primer and two motifs in the viral RNA genome: the primer-binding site (PBS) and the primer activation

  17. Influence of power density and primer application on polymerization of dual-cured resin cements monitored by ultrasonic measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takubo, Chikako; Yasuda, Genta; Murayama, Ryosuke; Ogura, Yukari; Tonegawa, Motoka; Kurokawa, Hiroyasu; Miyazaki, Masashi

    2010-08-01

    We used ultrasonic measurements to monitor the influence of power density and primer application on the polymerization reaction of dual-cured resin cements. The ultrasonic equipment comprised a pulser-receiver, transducers, and an oscilloscope. Resin cements were mixed and inserted into a transparent mould, and specimens were placed on the sample stage, onto which the primer, if used, was also applied. Power densities of 0 (no irradiation), 200, or 600 mW cm(-2) were used for curing. The transit time through the cement disk was divided by the specimen thickness to obtain the longitudinal sound velocity. When resin cements were light-irradiated, each curve displayed an initial plateau of approximately 1,500 m s(-1), which rapidly increased to a second plateau of 2,300-2,900 m s(-1). The rate of sound velocity increase was retarded when the cements were light-irradiated at lower power densities, and increased when the primer was applied. The polymerization behaviour of dual-cured resin cements was therefore shown to be affected by the power density of the curing unit and the application of self-etching primer. (c) 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2010 Eur J Oral Sci.

  18. Evaluation of shear bond strength of metal bracket to enamel after application of primers over bracket base-an in vitro study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Firuzbakht MM

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available "nBackground and Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of application of two types of primers over bracket bases on the shear bond strength (SBS and mode of bond failure."nMaterials and Methods: In this study, 75 human premolar teeth were divided into three equal groups. In group 1 (control, after surface preparation of enamel by conventional method (acid etching+primer brackets were bonded with Transbond XT composite. In group 2 (TX, brackets were bonded to enamel same as the first group but Transbond XT primer were used on bracket bases before placement of composite. In group 3 (PL, Transbond plus primer was applied on bracket bases before placement of composite. After 24 h, the SBS test was performed by universal testing machine at crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Then, adhesive remnant index (ARI scores and percentage of cohesive fracture were determined using stereomicroscopy. SBS data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Duncan tests. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze ARI and cohesive fracture results."nResults: There was significant difference in SBS values among the groups (P<0.001. The highest SBS was shown in TX group and the lowest was seen in PL group. There was no significant difference between control and TX groups in ARI scores (P=0.199. No significant difference was found in cohesive fracture values between the groups (P=0.093. Both the control and TX groups showed significant difference in ARI scores and cohesive fracture compared with the PL group in all of the comparisons (P<0.001."nConclusion: Application of Transbond XT primer over bracket base affects the bond strength and failure mode. Transbond XT primer increased the bond strength but Transbond plus primer decreased it.

  19. A finite element primer for beginners the basics

    CERN Document Server

    Zohdi, Tarek I

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this primer is to provide the basics of the Finite Element Method, primarily illustrated through a classical model problem, linearized elasticity. The topics covered are:(1) Weighted residual methods and Galerkin approximations,(2) A model problem for one-dimensional?linear elastostatics,(3) Weak formulations in one dimension,(4) Minimum principles in one dimension,(5) Error estimation in one dimension,(5) Construction of Finite Element basis functions in one dimension,(6) Gaussian Quadrature,(7) Iterative solvers and element by element data structures,(8) A model problem for th

  20. Transport phenomena in Newtonian fluids a concise primer

    CERN Document Server

    Olsson, Per

    2013-01-01

    This short primer provides a concise and tutorial-style introduction to transport phenomena in Newtonian fluids , in particular the transport of mass, energy and momentum.  The reader will find detailed derivations of the transport equations for these phenomena, as well as selected analytical solutions to the transport equations in some simple geometries. After a brief introduction to the basic mathematics used in the text, Chapter 2, which deals with momentum transport, presents a derivation of the Navier-Stokes-Duhem equation describing the basic flow in a Newtonian fluid.  Also provided at

  1. An evaluation of corrosion protection by two epoxy primers on 2219-T87 and 7075-T73 aluminum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendrek, M. J.

    1992-01-01

    A comparison of the corrosion protection provided by two amine epoxy primers was made using salt fog, alternate immersion, and total immersion as exposure media. The study is the result of a request to use an unqualified low volatile organic carbon (VOC) primer (AKZO 463-6-78) in place of the current primer (AKZO 463-6-3) because environmental regulations have eliminated use of the current primer in many states. Primed, scribed samples of 2219-T87 and 7075-T73 aluminum were exposed to 5-percent NaCl salt fog and 3.5-percent NaCl alternate immersion for a period of 90 days. In addition, electrode samples immersed in 3.5-percent NaCl were tested using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The EG&G model 368 ac impedance measurement system was used to monitor changing properties of AKZO 463-6-78 and AKZO 463-6-3 primed 2219-T87 aluminum for a period of 30 days. The response of the corroding system of a frequency scan can be modeled in terms of an equivalent circuit consisting of resistors and capacitors in a specific arrangement. Each resistor/capacitor combination represents physical processes taking place within the electrolyte, at the electrolyte/primer surface, within the coating, and at the coating/substrate surface. Values for the resistors and capacitors are assigned following a nonlinear least squares fit of the data to the equivalent circuit. Changes in the values of equivalent circuit parameters during the 30-day exposure allow assessment of the time to and mechanism of coating breakdown.

  2. Detection of Vibrio harveyi using hemolysin primer in tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irma Suriyani

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT This study was aimed to analyze the sensitivity and ability of primer hemolysin in detecting pathogenetic Vibrio on tiger shrimp post-larvae (PL exposed under different exposure times in media inoculated with Vibrio harveyi. The PL of tiger shrimp were infected with 106 cfu/mL of V. harveyi by immersion method for three, six, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours. The presence of hemolisin genes was detected by PCR techniques. The electrophoresis detected narrow hemolysin genes after PL were exposed for three and six hours. Clear visible bands of DNA Vibrio were observed for 12 hours of exposure. In contrast, no detected hemolysin gene of Vibrio was observed for PL exposed within 24, 48, and 72 hours. The rapid detection on Vibrio pathogenic for tiger shrimp PL should be conducted within three to 12 hours of exposure. No recommendation in utilizing this rapid detection for tiger shrimp PL exposed beyond 12 hours of V. harveyi. Keywords: specific primer, luminous Vibrio bacteria, pathogenic, PCR method, hemolysin gene  ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kemampuan atau sensitivitas primer hemolisin dalam mendeteksi Vibrio patogen dengan lama pemaparan berbeda. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menginfeksikan Vibrio harveyi pada benur udang dengan metode perendaman pada konsentrasi 106 cfu/mL. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan pada waktu tiga, enam, 12, 24, 48, dan 72 jam pascainfeksi. Keberadaan gen hemolisin pada bakteri V. harveyi dideteksi menggunakan teknik polymerase chain reaction (PCR. Hasil elektroforesis memperlihatkan bahwa pada pemaparan tiga dan enam jam keberadaan gen hemolisin dari bakteri Vibrio patogen yang diinfeksikan sudah dapat terdeteksi pada benur walaupun masih terlihat tipis. Pada pemaparan 12 jam terlihat sangat jelas pita-pita DNA dari bakteri patogen. Sedangkan pada pemaparan 24, 48, dan 72 jam sudah tidak terdeteksi lagi gen hemolisin dari bakteri Vibrio. Hal ini diduga disebabkan terjadinya penurunan populasi

  3. Single base pair mutation analysis by PNA directed PCR clamping

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ørum, H.; Nielsen, P.E.; Egholm, M.

    1993-01-01

    A novel method that allows direct analysis of single base mutation by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is described. The method utilizes the finding that PNAs (peptide nucleic acids) recognize and bind to their complementary nucleic acid sequences with higher thermal stability and specificity...... allows selective amplification/suppression of target sequences that differ by only one base pair. Finally we show that PNAs can be designed in such a way that blockage can be accomplished when the PNA target sequence is located between the PCR primers....

  4. Thinking in systems a primer

    CERN Document Server

    Meadows, Donella H

    2008-01-01

    In the years following her role as the lead author of the international bestseller, "Limits to Growth"-the first book to show the consequences of unchecked growth on a finite planet- Donella Meadows remained a pioneer of environmental and social analysis until her untimely death in 2001. Meadows' newly released manuscript, "Thinking in Systems", is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute's Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life. Some of the biggest problems facing the world-war, hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation-are essentially system failures. They cannot be solved by fixing one piece in isolation from the others, because even seemingly minor details have e...

  5. Peran Keluarga dalam Pengelolaan Kasus di Layanan Primer Melalui Five Family Oriented Questions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Retno Asti Werdhani

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Pengelolaan kasus di layanan primer dengan pendekatan kedokteran keluarga memperhatikan potensi keluarga sebagai sumber daya pendukung dan atau penghambat keberhasilan penatalaksanaan pasien. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat gambaran kasus di layanan primer dan persepsi keluarga mengenai pasien melalui five family oriented question (FFOQ. Pengambilan data dilakukan menggunakan kuesioner pada 162 pasien Puskesmas dan Klinik di DKI Jakarta pada tahun 2015–2016. Kuesioner terdiri atas karakteristik pasien dan 5 pertanyaan terbuka FFOQ. Analisis dilakukan secara kuantitatif dan kualitatif. Hasilnya menunjukkan sebagian besar kasus di layanan primer adalah penyakit non-infeksi (82,7% dengan proporsi usia terbanyak adalah >40 tahun (76,5%. Persepsi pasien dan keluarga tentang penyebab penyakit dan cara mengatasinya masih bervariasi. Orang tua, pasangan, dan anak merupakan anggota keluarga yang paling menguatirkan kondisi pasien. Sebanyak 71,6% responden merasa ada stresor dalam keluarganya. Sumber stresor bervariasi antara lain sosial ekonomi, keluarga, pekerjaan, dan diri sendiri. Dukungan kepada pasien berupa dukungan emosional dan finansial yang diberikan oleh anggota keluarga sesuai kemampuan masing-masing. Disimpulkan keluarga berperan sebagai faktor pendukung dan penghambat dalam pengelolaan kasus di layanan primer untuk menunjang pengelolaan lebih berorientasi kepada pasien dan keluarga. Kata Kunci: five family oriented question, keluarga, layanan primer     Family Acts in Cases Management In Primary Care through The Five Family Oriented Question   Abstract Family oriented in primary care sees family as supporting resources/inhibiting case management accomplishment. The aim of this study was describing cases in primary care and family perception of the patient through the five family oriented question (FFOQ. Interviews were conducted in 162 patients from public health centers and clinics in DKI Jakarta year 2015–2016. Data were

  6. Global warming-setting the stages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-01-01

    Most of us have heard or read about global warming. However, the messages we receive are often in conflict, raising more questions than answer. Is global warming a good or a bad thing? has it already started or is it part of our future? Are we, or are we not doing anything about it? Should we be concerned? This primer on Global Warming is designed to clear up some of this confusion by providing basic scientific information on global warming issue. It is clear that there is still much to learn about global warming. However, it is also clear that there is a lot that we already know - and that dose provide cause for concern. We must understand the global warming issue if we are to make wise decisions and take responsible actions in response to the challenges and opportunities posed by global warming. Chapter 1 of 'the primer on global Warming' set the stage with a brief overview of science of global warming within the context of climate change. In addition, it introduces the specific issues that surround the global warming problem. As far as the science of global warming is concerned the following questions are discussed. What is global climate? Is climate change natural? What causes climate to vary on a global scale? How does the composition of the atmosphere relate to climate change. but there are also certain issues discussed here which surround the global warming such as: If climate varies naturally, why is there a concern about 'global warming'? What are the potential consequences of 'global warning'. What human activities contribute to 'global warming'. (Author)

  7. Rapid detection of the H275Y oseltamivir resistance mutation in influenza A/H1N1 2009 by single base pair RT-PCR and high-resolution melting.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven Y C Tong

    Full Text Available We aimed to design a real-time reverse-transcriptase-PCR (rRT-PCR, high-resolution melting (HRM assay to detect the H275Y mutation that confers oseltamivir resistance in influenza A/H1N1 2009 viruses.A novel strategy of amplifying a single base pair, the relevant SNP at position 823 of the neuraminidase gene, was chosen to maintain specificity of the assay. Wildtype and mutant virus were differentiated when using known reference samples of cell-cultured virus. However, when dilutions of these reference samples were assayed, amplification of non-specific primer-dimer was evident and affected the overall melting temperature (T(m of the amplified products. Due to primer-dimer appearance at >30 cycles we found that if the cycle threshold (C(T for a dilution was >30, the HRM assay did not consistently discriminate mutant from wildtype. Where the C(T was 32.98 would have an H275Y assay C(T>30. Analysis of the TaqMan C(T values for 609 consecutive clinical samples predicted that 207 (34% of the samples would result in an HRM assay C(T>30 and therefore not be amenable to the HRM assay.The use of single base pair PCR and HRM can be useful for specifically interrogating SNPs. When applied to H1N1 09, the constraints this placed on primer design resulted in amplification of primer-dimer products. The impact primer-dimer had on HRM curves was adjusted for by plotting T(m against C(T. Although less sensitive than TaqMan assays, the HRM assay can rapidly, and at low cost, screen samples with moderate viral concentrations.

  8. Evaluation of the shear bond strength of lingual brackets manufactured by three different processes using two different adhesive primers: An in vitro study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shrinivas Ashtekar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To compare and evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS of lingual brackets, manufactured by three different processes, that is, laser sintering, milling, and casting, bonded with two different adhesive primers. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty premolars were selected, and three types of lingual brackets were used, namely, STB (milling, 7th Generation (casting, and lingualmatrix (laser sintering. Forty brackets per system were used half of which were sandblasted while the other half were used as available. Further, these were subdivided and bonded with Transbond XT primer and adhesive and 3M ESPE Primer and Transbond XT adhesive. Customization of STB and 7th Generation was done by Torque Angulation Reference Guide, Lingualmatrix had bases customized by Computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing. SBS was tested with universal testing machine and evaluated for adhesive remnant index (ARI. Results: Statistical analysis showed that surface treatment, use of different primers, method of customization influenced the SBS, and ARI suggested that the fracture occurred between composite and bracket interface. Conclusion: Lingualmatrix bracket showed greater SBS as compared to STB and 7th Generation, sandblasting increased SBS. 3M ESPE primer group showed increased SBS as that bonded with Transbond XT primer. The fracture was between the composite bracket interface.

  9. Single-event transients (SET) in analog circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Panxun; Zhou Kaiming

    2006-01-01

    A new phenomenon of single- event upset is introduced. The transient signal is produced in the output of analog circuits after a heavy ion strikes. The transient upset can influence the circuit connected with the output of analog circuits. For example, the output of operational amplifier can be connected with the input of a digital counter, and the pulse of sufficiently high transient output induced by an ion can increase counts of the counter. On the other hand, the transient voltage signal at the output of analog circuits can change the stage of other circuits. (authors)

  10. Towards a global antibiotic resistance surveillance system : a primer for a roadmap

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Grundmann, Hajo

    The need for global data about the scale of antibiotic resistance (ABR) in a geographical explicit and timely manner has been identified by many stakeholders, including the World Health Organization. This primer should help defining the objectives, scale, scope, and structure of possible future

  11. Diversity of reductive dehalogenase genes from environmental samples and enrichment cultures identified with degenerate primer PCR screens.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Audrey Hug

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Reductive dehalogenases are the critical enzymes for anaerobic organohalide respiration, a microbial metabolic process that has been harnessed for bioremediation efforts to resolve chlorinated solvent contamination in groundwater and is implicated in the global halogen cycle. Reductive dehalogenase sequence diversity is informative for the dechlorination potential of the site or enrichment culture. A suite of degenerate PCR primers targeting a comprehensive curated set of reductive dehalogenase genes was designed and applied to twelve DNA samples extracted from contaminated and pristine sites, as well as six enrichment cultures capable of reducing chlorinated compounds to non-toxic end-products. The amplified gene products from four environmental sites and two enrichment cultures were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq, and the reductive dehalogenase complement of each sample determined. The results indicate that the diversity of the reductive dehalogenase gene family is much deeper than is currently accounted for: one-third of the translated proteins have less than 70% pairwise amino acid identity to database sequences. Approximately 60% of the sequenced reductive dehalogenase genes were broadly distributed, being identified in four or more samples, and often in previously sequenced genomes as well. In contrast, 17% of the sequenced reductive dehalogenases were unique, present in only a single sample and bearing less than 90% pairwise amino acid identity to any previously identified proteins. Many of the broadly distributed reductive dehalogenases are uncharacterized in terms of their substrate specificity, making these intriguing targets for further biochemical experimentation. Finally, comparison of samples from a contaminated site and an enrichment culture derived from the same site eight years prior allowed examination of the effect of the enrichment process.

  12. Triazole-linked DNA as a primer surrogate in the synthesis of first-strand cDNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujino, Tomoko; Yasumoto, Ken-ichi; Yamazaki, Naomi; Hasome, Ai; Sogawa, Kazuhiro; Isobe, Hiroyuki

    2011-11-04

    A phosphate-eliminated nonnatural oligonucleotide serves as a primer surrogate in reverse transcription reaction of mRNA. Despite of the nonnatural triazole linkages in the surrogate, the reverse transcriptase effectively elongated cDNA sequences on the 3'-downstream of the primer by transcription of the complementary sequence of mRNA. A structure-activity comparison with the reference natural oligonucleotides shows the superior priming activity of the surrogate containing triazole-linkages. The nonnatural linkages also protect the transcribed cDNA from digestion reactions with 5'-exonuclease and enable us to remove noise transcripts of unknown origins. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. A primer on polymer nomenclature: Structure-based, sourced-based and trade names

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polymer nomenclature is important because it is part of the language of polymer science and is needed for polymer identification, reference, and documentation. A primer on polymer nomenclature is provided herein for people new to the field or for instructional use. Both structure-based and source-...

  14. Differentiation of Populus species using chloroplast single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers--essential for comprehensible and reliable poplar breeding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schroeder, H; Hoeltken, A M; Fladung, M

    2012-03-01

    Within the genus Populus several species belonging to different sections are cross-compatible. Hence, high numbers of interspecies hybrids occur naturally and, additionally, have been artificially produced in huge breeding programmes during the last 100 years. Therefore, determination of a single poplar species, used for the production of 'multi-species hybrids' is often difficult, and represents a great challenge for the use of molecular markers in species identification. Within this study, over 20 chloroplast regions, both intergenic spacers and coding regions, have been tested for their ability to differentiate different poplar species using 23 already published barcoding primer combinations and 17 newly designed primer combinations. About half of the published barcoding primers yielded amplification products, whereas the new primers designed on the basis of the total sequenced cpDNA genome of Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray yielded much higher amplification success. Intergenic spacers were found to be more variable than coding regions within the genus Populus. The highest discrimination power of Populus species was found in the combination of two intergenic spacers (trnG-psbK, psbK-psbl) and the coding region rpoC. In barcoding projects, the coding regions matK and rbcL are often recommended, but within the genus Populus they only show moderate variability and are not efficient in species discrimination. © 2011 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  15. Primer registro de Serratospiculum tendo (Nematoda: Diplotriaenidae para el Perú

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis A. Gomez-Puerta

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Reportamos por primera vez la presencia del nematodo, Serratospiculum tendo Nitzsch, 1819, parasitando los sacos aéreos de un halcón peregrino (Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771. Seis nematodos (2 machos y 4 hembras fueron colectados e identificados como S. tendo. El hallazgo de este nematodo constituye el primer registro en el Perú.

  16. PRIMER REGISTRO DEL FLEBOTOMÍNEO BRUMPTOMYIA PINTOI (DIPTERA: PSYCHODIDAE) EN COLOMBIA

    OpenAIRE

    BEJARANO EDUAR ELÍAS; DUQUE PATRICIA; VÉLEZ IVÁN DARÍO

    2004-01-01

    Durante un estudio entomológico de la leishmaniosis realizado en La Macarena,Departamento del Meta, Colombia, se colectó un espécimen macho de Brumptomyiapintoi, el cual constituye el primer registro de la especie para el país. Este flebotomíneofue capturado con un aspirador bucal mientras reposaba en el interior de una cuevade armadillo.

  17. Modified Primers for the Identification of Nonpathogenic Fusarium oxysporum Isolates That Have Biological Control Potential against Fusarium Wilt of Cucumber in Taiwan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chaojen; Lin, Yisheng; Lin, Yinghong; Chung, Wenhsin

    2013-01-01

    Previous investigations demonstrated that Fusarium oxysporum (Fo), which is not pathogenic to cucumbers, could serve as a biological control agent for managing Fusarium wilt of cucumber caused by Fo f. sp. cucumerinum (Foc) in Taiwan. However, thus far it has not been possible to separate the populations of pathogenic Fo from the nonpathogenic isolates that have biological control potential through their morphological characteristics. Although these two populations can be distinguished from one another using a bioassay, the work is laborious and time-consuming. In this study, a fragment of the intergenic spacer (IGS) region of ribosomal DNA from an Fo biological control agent, Fo366, was PCR-amplified with published general primers, FIGS11/FIGS12 and sequenced. A new primer, NPIGS-R, which was designed based on the IGS sequence, was paired with the FIGS11 primer. These primers were then evaluated for their specificity to amplify DNA from nonpathogenic Fo isolates that have biological control potential. The results showed that the modified primer pair, FIGS11/NPIGS-R, amplified a 500-bp DNA fragment from five of seven nonpathogenic Fo isolates. These five Fo isolates delayed symptom development of cucumber Fusarium wilt in greenhouse bioassay tests. Seventy-seven Fo isolates were obtained from the soil and plant tissues and then subjected to amplification using the modified primer pair; six samples showed positive amplification. These six isolates did not cause symptoms on cucumber seedlings when grown in peat moss infested with the isolates and delayed disease development when the same plants were subsequently inoculated with a virulent isolate of Foc. Therefore, the modified primer pair may prove useful for the identification of Fo isolates that are nonpathogenic to cucumber which can potentially act as biocontrol agents for Fusarium wilt of cucumber. PMID:23762289

  18. Moessbauer spectroscopic study of corrosion products beneath primer coating containing anticorrosive pigments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, A.V.R.; Nigam, R.K.

    1998-01-01

    The phase analysis of the rusts generated beneath the primer containing micaceous iron oxide (MIO) and micaceous iron oxide in combination with red lead (RL), zinc phosphate (ZP), basic lead silicochromate (BLSC) and zinc chromate (ZC) has been carried out by Moessbauer spectroscopy at room temperature. The rust beneath the coating obtained after immersion of the painted panel for six months in 3% NaCl, consists mainly of non-stoichiometric magnetite together with small fractions of γ-, α-FeOOH except in the case of panel painted with RL containing MIO showed only a central doublet indicating the formation of γ-FeOOH and SPM α-FeOOH. Non-stoichiometry of magnetite as calculated from the ratio of B/A sites of the peaks of magnetite in the spectrum has been found depending on the nature of anticorrosive pigment present in the primer coating. The order of non-stoichiometry has been found to be in order of ZC > BLSC > ZP > MIO. (author)

  19. Detecting β-thalassaemia mutations from a single cell by PEP and RDB

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    YI Ping; LI Li; YAO Hong; ZHOU Yuan-guo; DENG Bing; CHEN Zhu-qin

    2006-01-01

    Objective:To evaluate the possibility of the technology involving PEP and RDB for detecting β-thalassaemia multipoint mutations from a single cell simultaneously. Methods: A set of allele specific oligonucleotide (ASO) probes used for detecting 8 familiar β-thalassaemia mutations (CD41-42, IVS- Ⅱ -654, CD17, TATA box nt-28, CD71-72, TATA box nt-29, CD26, IVS- Ⅰ -5) were immobilized on a strip of nylon membrane. The genome of a individual cell was amplified by primer extension preamplification (PEP) with the mixture of15-base random oligonucleotides. The aliquots from PEP were used to amplify the objective gene fractions of β-thalassaemia gene by nested or semi-nested PCR. The membrane was hybridized with the final amplified products and then treated with Streptavidin-HRP and color development.Results :Totally 30 lymphocytes were picked up from blood samples of 1 healthy female and 4 patients with known β-thalassaemia mutations respectively. Each single lymphocyte was lysed in the proteinase K buffer. The amplification efficacy was 94.0% and alle drop-out(ADO) rate was 8.0%. Revert dot blot (RDB) was applied to the final amplified products from the 5 participants. The results of diagnosis were the same to the expected, and their genotypes were N/N, CD17 (A→T)/N, IVS- Ⅱ -654(C→T)/CD17(A → T), CD41-42 (-CTTT)/N and TATA box nt-28 (A→G)/N, respectively. Conclusion: The technology involving PEP and RDB could detectmultiple β-thalassaemia mutations from a single cell simultaneously,and the research provides experimental evidences for the feasibility of applying PEP and DNA array technology to screening multiple genetic mutations from a single cell, and will be applied to preimplantation genetic diagnosis and non-invasive prenatal diagnosis for β-thalassaemia.

  20. Physician leadership and quality improvement in the acute child and adolescent psychiatric care setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malloy, Erin; Butt, Shiraz; Sorter, Michael

    2010-01-01

    Inpatient child and adolescent psychiatry leadership roles are often multifaceted, necessitating strong clinical knowledge and skills, organizational and leadership abilities, and in the academic setting the desire and skill in teaching and research. Early career psychiatrists who do possess these attributes may find themselves unprepared for such challenges as dealing with complex administrative and economic issues, accreditation, legal matters, and multitasking. This article offers a primer addressing these basic issues and in managing change through quality improvement processes.

  1. Development of a tetra-primer ARMS-PCR for detecting the E198A SNP in the isotype-1 β-tubulin gene of Haemonchus contortus populations in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zongze, Zhang; Xin, Yang; Awais, Ali Ahmad; Weiqiang, Lei; Chunqun, Wang; Di, Wenda; Yanqin, Zhou; Junlong, Zhao; Rui, Fang; Min, Hu

    2018-03-15

    The tetra-primer ARMS-PCR is a rapid, simple and low cost method for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping and has been used to detect SNPs associated with diseases and drug resistance. E198A in the isotype-1 β-tubulin gene is one of the three SNPs associated with benzimidazole resistance in parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. However, up to now, only PCR-RFLP method was used to test E198A in H. contortus. In the present study, we developed a tetra-primer ARMS-PCR to detect E198A in H. contortus and the accuracy of the results was compared with that of PCR-coupled sequencing. The results showed that optimization of PCR reaction system, especially the proportion of the amount of inner and outer primers, could achieve desirable amplification effect. Three different profiles displaying three distinct genotypes could be identified clearly and intuitively on the agarose gel where the samples with amplified PCR products containing two bands of 433 bp and 200 bp in size indicated susceptible homozygous (SS), those with PCR products containing two bands of 433 bp and 284 bp in length indicated resistant homozygous (RR) and the samples with amplified PCR products containing three bands of 433 bp, 284 bp and 200 bp in size indicated heterozygous (RS). The results showed that the established method can be successfully applied to the detection of E198A in H. contortus, which has high accuracy and is easy to perform. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Variation in extragenic repetitive DNA sequences in Pseudomonas syringae and potential use of modified REP primers in the identification of closely related isolates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elif Çepni

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, Pseudomonas syringe pathovars isolated from olive, tomato and bean were identified by species-specific PCR and their genetic diversity was assessed by repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP-PCR. Reverse universal primers for REP-PCR were designed by using the bases of A, T, G or C at the positions of 1, 4 and 11 to identify additional polymorphism in the banding patterns. Binding of the primers to different annealing sites in the genome revealed additional fingerprint patterns in eight isolates of P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi and two isolates of P. syringae pv. tomato. The use of four different bases in the primer sequences did not affect the PCR reproducibility and was very efficient in revealing intra-pathovar diversity, particularly in P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi. At the pathovar level, the primer BOX1AR yielded shared fragments, in addition to five bands that discriminated among the pathovars P. syringae pv. phaseolicola, P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi and P. syringae pv. tomato. REP-PCR with a modified primer containing C produced identical bands among the isolates in a pathovar but separated three pathovars more distinctly than four other primers. Although REP-and BOX-PCRs have been successfully used in the molecular identification of Pseudomonas isolates from Turkish flora, a PCR based on inter-enterobacterial repetitive intergenic concensus (ERIC sequences failed to produce clear banding patterns in this study.

  3. Programmable autonomous synthesis of single-stranded DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kishi, Jocelyn Y.; Schaus, Thomas E.; Gopalkrishnan, Nikhil; Xuan, Feng; Yin, Peng

    2018-02-01

    DNA performs diverse functional roles in biology, nanotechnology and biotechnology, but current methods for autonomously synthesizing arbitrary single-stranded DNA are limited. Here, we introduce the concept of primer exchange reaction (PER) cascades, which grow nascent single-stranded DNA with user-specified sequences following prescribed reaction pathways. PER synthesis happens in a programmable, autonomous, in situ and environmentally responsive fashion, providing a platform for engineering molecular circuits and devices with a wide range of sensing, monitoring, recording, signal-processing and actuation capabilities. We experimentally demonstrate a nanodevice that transduces the detection of a trigger RNA into the production of a DNAzyme that degrades an independent RNA substrate, a signal amplifier that conditionally synthesizes long fluorescent strands only in the presence of a particular RNA signal, molecular computing circuits that evaluate logic (AND, OR, NOT) combinations of RNA inputs, and a temporal molecular event recorder that records in the PER transcript the order in which distinct RNA inputs are sequentially detected.

  4. In Silico PCR Tools for a Fast Primer, Probe, and Advanced Searching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalendar, Ruslan; Muterko, Alexandr; Shamekova, Malika; Zhambakin, Kabyl

    2017-01-01

    The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is fundamental to molecular biology and is the most important practical molecular technique for the research laboratory. The principle of this technique has been further used and applied in plenty of other simple or complex nucleic acid amplification technologies (NAAT). In parallel to laboratory "wet bench" experiments for nucleic acid amplification technologies, in silico or virtual (bioinformatics) approaches have been developed, among which in silico PCR analysis. In silico NAAT analysis is a useful and efficient complementary method to ensure the specificity of primers or probes for an extensive range of PCR applications from homology gene discovery, molecular diagnosis, DNA fingerprinting, and repeat searching. Predicting sensitivity and specificity of primers and probes requires a search to determine whether they match a database with an optimal number of mismatches, similarity, and stability. In the development of in silico bioinformatics tools for nucleic acid amplification technologies, the prospects for the development of new NAAT or similar approaches should be taken into account, including forward-looking and comprehensive analysis that is not limited to only one PCR technique variant. The software FastPCR and the online Java web tool are integrated tools for in silico PCR of linear and circular DNA, multiple primer or probe searches in large or small databases and for advanced search. These tools are suitable for processing of batch files that are essential for automation when working with large amounts of data. The FastPCR software is available for download at http://primerdigital.com/fastpcr.html and the online Java version at http://primerdigital.com/tools/pcr.html .

  5. Strand Invasion Based Amplification (SIBA®): a novel isothermal DNA amplification technology demonstrating high specificity and sensitivity for a single molecule of target analyte.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoser, Mark J; Mansukoski, Hannu K; Morrical, Scott W; Eboigbodin, Kevin E

    2014-01-01

    Isothermal nucleic acid amplification technologies offer significant advantages over polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in that they do not require thermal cycling or sophisticated laboratory equipment. However, non-target-dependent amplification has limited the sensitivity of isothermal technologies and complex probes are usually required to distinguish between non-specific and target-dependent amplification. Here, we report a novel isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology, Strand Invasion Based Amplification (SIBA). SIBA technology is resistant to non-specific amplification, is able to detect a single molecule of target analyte, and does not require target-specific probes. The technology relies on the recombinase-dependent insertion of an invasion oligonucleotide (IO) into the double-stranded target nucleic acid. The duplex regions peripheral to the IO insertion site dissociate, thereby enabling target-specific primers to bind. A polymerase then extends the primers onto the target nucleic acid leading to exponential amplification of the target. The primers are not substrates for the recombinase and are, therefore unable to extend the target template in the absence of the IO. The inclusion of 2'-O-methyl RNA to the IO ensures that it is not extendible and that it does not take part in the extension of the target template. These characteristics ensure that the technology is resistant to non-specific amplification since primer dimers or mis-priming are unable to exponentially amplify. Consequently, SIBA is highly specific and able to distinguish closely-related species with single molecule sensitivity in the absence of complex probes or sophisticated laboratory equipment. Here, we describe this technology in detail and demonstrate its use for the detection of Salmonella.

  6. Strand Invasion Based Amplification (SIBA®: a novel isothermal DNA amplification technology demonstrating high specificity and sensitivity for a single molecule of target analyte.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark J Hoser

    Full Text Available Isothermal nucleic acid amplification technologies offer significant advantages over polymerase chain reaction (PCR in that they do not require thermal cycling or sophisticated laboratory equipment. However, non-target-dependent amplification has limited the sensitivity of isothermal technologies and complex probes are usually required to distinguish between non-specific and target-dependent amplification. Here, we report a novel isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology, Strand Invasion Based Amplification (SIBA. SIBA technology is resistant to non-specific amplification, is able to detect a single molecule of target analyte, and does not require target-specific probes. The technology relies on the recombinase-dependent insertion of an invasion oligonucleotide (IO into the double-stranded target nucleic acid. The duplex regions peripheral to the IO insertion site dissociate, thereby enabling target-specific primers to bind. A polymerase then extends the primers onto the target nucleic acid leading to exponential amplification of the target. The primers are not substrates for the recombinase and are, therefore unable to extend the target template in the absence of the IO. The inclusion of 2'-O-methyl RNA to the IO ensures that it is not extendible and that it does not take part in the extension of the target template. These characteristics ensure that the technology is resistant to non-specific amplification since primer dimers or mis-priming are unable to exponentially amplify. Consequently, SIBA is highly specific and able to distinguish closely-related species with single molecule sensitivity in the absence of complex probes or sophisticated laboratory equipment. Here, we describe this technology in detail and demonstrate its use for the detection of Salmonella.

  7. In vitro shear bond strength of Y-TZP ceramics to different core materials with the use of three primer/resin cement systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Harbi, Fahad A; Ayad, Neveen M; Khan, Zahid A; Mahrous, Amr A; Morgano, Steven M

    2016-01-01

    Durability of the bond between different core materials and zirconia retainers is an important predictor of the success of a dental prosthesis. Nevertheless, because of its polycrystalline structure, zirconia cannot be etched and bonded to a conventional resin cement. The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the effects of 3 metal primer/resin cement systems on the shear bond strength (SBS) of 3 core materials bonded to yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (Y-TZP) ceramic retainers. Zirconia ceramic (Cercon) disks (5×3 mm) were airborne-particle abraded, rinsed, and air-dried. Disk-shaped core specimens (7×7 mm) that were prepared of composite resin, Ni-Cr, and zirconia were bonded to the zirconia ceramic disks by using one of 3 metal primer/cement systems: (Z-Prime Plus/BisCem, Zirconia Primer/Multilink Automix, or Clearfil Ceramic Primer/Clearfil SA). SBS was tested in a universal testing machine. Stereomicroscopy was used to evaluate the failure mode of debonded specimens. Data were analyzed using 2-way ANOVA and post hoc analysis using the Scheffe procedure (α=.05). Clearfil SA/Clearfil Ceramic Primer system with an Ni-Cr core yielded the highest SBS value (19.03 MPa), whereas the lowest SBS value was obtained when Multilink Automix/Zirconia Primer system was used with the zirconia core group (4.09 MPa). Differences in mean SBS values among the cement/primer groups were statistically significant, except for Clearfil SA and BisCem with both composite resin and zirconia cores. Differences in mean SBS values among the core subgroups were not statistically significant, except for zirconia core with BisCem, Multilink, and Clearfil SA. The predominant failure mode was adhesive, except for Clearfil SA and BisCem luting agents with composite resin cores, which displayed cohesive failure, and Multilink Automix with a composite resin, core as well as Clearfil SA with Ni-Cr cores, where the debonded specimens of each group displayed a mixed

  8. [Design of primers to DNA of lactic acid bacteria].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lashchevskiĭ, V V; Kovalenko, N K

    2003-01-01

    Primers LP1-LP2 to the gene 16S rRNA have been developed, which permit to differentiate lactic acid bacteria: Lactobacillus plantarum, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus. The strain-specific and species-specific differentiations are possible under different annealing temperature. Additional fragments, which are synthesized outside the framework of gene 16S rRNA reading, provide for the strain-specific type of differentiation, and the fragment F864 read in the gene 16S rRNA permits identifying L. plantarum.

  9. Discrete random signal processing and filtering primer with Matlab

    CERN Document Server

    Poularikas, Alexander D

    2013-01-01

    Engineers in all fields will appreciate a practical guide that combines several new effective MATLAB® problem-solving approaches and the very latest in discrete random signal processing and filtering.Numerous Useful Examples, Problems, and Solutions - An Extensive and Powerful ReviewWritten for practicing engineers seeking to strengthen their practical grasp of random signal processing, Discrete Random Signal Processing and Filtering Primer with MATLAB provides the opportunity to doubly enhance their skills. The author, a leading expert in the field of electrical and computer engineering, offe

  10. Optimisation of the PCR-invA primers for the detection of Salmonella ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method for the detection of Salmonella species in water samples was optimised and evaluated for speed, specificity and sensitivity. Optimisation of Mg2+ and primer concentrations and cycling parameters increased the sensitivity and limit of detection of PCR to 2.6 x 104 cfu/m.

  11. Comparing Data Sets: Implicit Summaries of the Statistical Properties of Number Sets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Bradley J.; Masnick, Amy M.

    2015-01-01

    Comparing datasets, that is, sets of numbers in context, is a critical skill in higher order cognition. Although much is known about how people compare single numbers, little is known about how number sets are represented and compared. We investigated how subjects compared datasets that varied in their statistical properties, including ratio of…

  12. Single case design studies in music therapy: resurrecting experimental evidence in small group and individual music therapy clinical settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geist, Kamile; Hitchcock, John H

    2014-01-01

    The profession would benefit from greater and routine generation of causal evidence pertaining to the impact of music therapy interventions on client outcomes. One way to meet this goal is to revisit the use of Single Case Designs (SCDs) in clinical practice and research endeavors in music therapy. Given the appropriate setting and goals, this design can be accomplished with small sample sizes and it is often appropriate for studying music therapy interventions. In this article, we promote and discuss implementation of SCD studies in music therapy settings, review the meaning of internal study validity and by extension the notion of causality, and describe two of the most commonly used SCDs to demonstrate how they can help generate causal evidence to inform the field. In closing, we describe the need for replication and future meta-analysis of SCD studies completed in music therapy settings. SCD studies are both feasible and appropriate for use in music therapy clinical practice settings, particularly for testing effectiveness of interventions for individuals or small groups. © the American Music Therapy Association 2014. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  13. Comparison between single PCR and nested PCR in detection of human papilloma viruses in paraffin-embedded OSCC and fresh oral mucosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jalouli, Miranda; Jalouli, Jamshid; Ibrahim, Salah O; Hirsch, Jan-Michaél; Sand, Lars

    2015-01-01

    Infection with human papilloma virus (HPV) has been implicated as one of the risk factors for the development of oropharyngeal cancer. Many different HPV tests exist, and information regarding their specific technical, analytical, and clinical properties is increasing. This study aimed to compare the level of detection of HPV using two reliable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods, nested PCR (NPCR) and single PCR (SPCR), in archival paraffin-embedded oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) samples and fresh oral mucosa specimens. The presence of HPV genome in two groups of tissue samples was analyzed: (i) 57 paraffin-embedded OSCC samples from Sudan and (ii) eight healthy fresh oral mucosal samples from Swedish volunteers. The specimens were tested by SPCR with primer pair MY9/MY11 and NPCR using GP5+/GP6+ primer sets. Eighteen (32%) out of the 57 paraffin-embedded OSCC samples, and five (62%) out of the eight fresh clinically healthy samples were found to be HPV-positive with NPCR. With SPCR, four (7%) out of the paraffin-embedded OSCC samples were HPV-positive. A statistically significant difference between HPV-positive and -negative samples was found when comparing NPCR and SPCR in OSCC and fresh oral mucosa (pnested PCR increased the positivity rate, efficiency rate and sensitivity of HPV detection in oral samples significantly and should be considered as the method of choice. Copyright © 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  14. What Are the Odds of that? A Primer on Understanding Logistic Regression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Francis L.; Moon, Tonya R.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this Methodological Brief is to present a brief primer on logistic regression, a commonly used technique when modeling dichotomous outcomes. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), logistic regression techniques were used to investigate student-level variables in eighth grade (i.e., enrolled in a…

  15. Characterization of highly informative cross-species microsatellite panels for the Australian dugong (Dugong dugon) and Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) including five novel primers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Margaret Kellogg; Broderick, Damien; Ovenden, Jennifer R.; Tucker, Kimberly Pause; Bonde, Robert K.; McGuire, Peter M.; Lanyon, Janet M.

    2010-01-01

    The Australian dugong (Dugong dugon) and Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are threatened species of aquatic mammals in the order Sirenia. Sirenian conservation and management actions would benefit from a more complete understanding of genetic diversity and population structure. Generally, species-specific microsatellite markers are employed in conservation genetic studies; however, robust markers can be difficult and costly to isolate. To increase the number of available markers, dugong and manatee microsatellite primers were evaluated for cross-species amplification. Furthermore, one manatee and four dugong novel primers are reported. After polymerase chain reaction optimization, 23 (92%) manatee primers successfully amplified dugong DNA, of which 11 (48%) were polymorphic. Of the 32 dugong primers tested, 27 (84%) yielded product in the manatee, of which 17 (63%) were polymorphic. Dugong and manatee primers were compared and the most informative markers were selected to create robust and informative marker-panels for each species. These crossspecies microsatellite marker-panels can be employed to assess other sirenian populations and can provide beneficial information for the protection and management of these unique mammals.

  16. Universal and blocking primer mismatches limit the use of high-throughput DNA sequencing for the quantitative metabarcoding of arthropods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piñol, J; Mir, G; Gomez-Polo, P; Agustí, N

    2015-07-01

    The quantification of the biological diversity in environmental samples using high-throughput DNA sequencing is hindered by the PCR bias caused by variable primer-template mismatches of the individual species. In some dietary studies, there is the added problem that samples are enriched with predator DNA, so often a predator-specific blocking oligonucleotide is used to alleviate the problem. However, specific blocking oligonucleotides could coblock nontarget species to some degree. Here, we accurately estimate the extent of the PCR biases induced by universal and blocking primers on a mock community prepared with DNA of twelve species of terrestrial arthropods. We also compare universal and blocking primer biases with those induced by variable annealing temperature and number of PCR cycles. The results show that reads of all species were recovered after PCR enrichment at our control conditions (no blocking oligonucleotide, 45 °C annealing temperature and 40 cycles) and high-throughput sequencing. They also show that the four factors considered biased the final proportions of the species to some degree. Among these factors, the number of primer-template mismatches of each species had a disproportionate effect (up to five orders of magnitude) on the amplification efficiency. In particular, the number of primer-template mismatches explained most of the variation (~3/4) in the amplification efficiency of the species. The effect of blocking oligonucleotide concentration on nontarget species relative abundance was also significant, but less important (below one order of magnitude). Considering the results reported here, the quantitative potential of the technique is limited, and only qualitative results (the species list) are reliable, at least when targeting the barcoding COI region. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Guidelines - A Primer for Communicating Effectively with NABIR Stakeholders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weber, James R.; Schell, Charlotte J.; Marino, T; Bilyard, Gordon R.

    2004-02-10

    This version of the communication primer comprises two interlocking parts: Pat 1, a practical section, intended to prepare you for public interactions, and Part 2, a theoretical section that provides social and technical bases for the practices recommended in Part 1. The mutual support of practice and theory is very familiar in science and clearly requires a willingness to observe and revise our prior assumptions--in this document, we invoke both. We hope that is offering will represent a step both towards improving practice and maturing the theory of practical science communication.

  18. Atmel AVR Microcontroller Primer Programming and Interfacing, Second Edition

    CERN Document Server

    Barrett, Steven F

    2012-01-01

    This textbook provides practicing scientists and engineers a primer on the Atmel AVR microcontroller. In this second edition we highlight the popular ATmega164 microcontroller and other pin-for-pin controllers in the family with a complement of flash memory up to 128 kbytes. The second edition also adds a chapter on embedded system design fundamentals and provides extended examples on two different autonomous robots. Our approach is to provide the fundamental skills to quickly get up and operating with this internationally popular microcontroller. We cover the main subsystems aboard the ATmega

  19. Editorial aspects of the primer Caminho Suave and the participation of the publisher Caminho Suave Limitada in federal programs for school textbook

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliane Teresinha Peres

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of this work was to present and analyze editorial aspects of the primer Caminho Suave, as well as the participation of the publishing house of the same name, in federal programs for school textbooks. The primer was published for the first time in 1948 and is edited until today, representing a landmark for Brazilian literacy, exerting influence over generations of teachers and students alike. Data analyzed were collected from official sources (Diário Oficial da União [Brazilian Official National Press] and Diário Oficial do Estado de São Paulo [São Paulo State Official Press], from periodical press (Veja Digital, Grupo Folha, and Hemeroteca Digital Brasileira [Brazilian Digital Periodical Press Collection], and from printings of the primer itself. In the research process, data indicated the primer Caminho Suave as one of the biggest editorial successes concerning books used to teach reading and writing inBrazil, as some studies in this field had already indicated.

  20. Development and evaluation of specific PCR primers targeting the ribosomal DNA-internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of peritrich ciliates in environmental samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Lei; Zhang, Qianqian; Gong, Jun

    2017-07-01

    Peritrich ciliates are highly diverse and can be important bacterial grazers in aquatic ecosystems. Morphological identifications of peritrich species and assemblages in the environment are time-consuming and expertise-demanding. In this study, two peritrich-specific PCR primers were newly designed to amplify a fragment including the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal rDNA from environmental samples. The primers showed high specificity in silico, and in tests with peritrich isolates and environmental DNA. Application of these primers in clone library construction and sequencing yielded exclusively sequences of peritrichs for water and sediment samples. We also found the ITS1, ITS2, ITS, D1 region of 28S rDNA, and ITS+D1 region co-varied with, and generally more variable than, the V9 region of 18S rDNA in peritrichs. The newly designed specific primers thus provide additional tools to study the molecular diversity, community composition, and phylogeography of these ecologically important protists in different systems.

  1. Characterization of single spore isolates of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach using conventional and molecular methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Manju; Suman, B C; Gupta, Dharmesh

    2014-10-01

    Strains A-15, S11, S-140, and U3 of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach, were used as parent strains for raising single spore homokaryotic isolates. Out of total 1,642 single spore isolates, only 36 single spore isolates were homokaryons and exhibited slow mycelial growth rate (≤2.0 mm/day) and appressed colony morphology. All these SSIs failed to produce pinheads in Petri plates even after 65 days of incubation, whereas the strandy slow growing SSIs along with parent strains were able to form the fructification in petriplates after 30 days. Out of 24, six ISSR primers, exhibited scorable bands. In the ISSR fingerprints, single spore isolates, homokaryons, lacked amplification products at multiple loci; they grow slowly and all of them had appressed types of colony morphology. The study revealed losses of ISSR polymorphic patterns in non-fertile homokaryotic single spore isolates compared to the parental control or fertile heterokaryotic single spore isolates.

  2. All Set! Evidence of Simultaneous Attentional Control Settings for Multiple Target Colors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irons, Jessica L.; Folk, Charles L.; Remington, Roger W.

    2012-01-01

    Although models of visual search have often assumed that attention can only be set for a single feature or property at a time, recent studies have suggested that it may be possible to maintain more than one attentional control setting. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether spatial attention could be guided by multiple attentional…

  3. Primer on theory and operation of linear accelerators in radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karzmark, C.J.; Morton, R.J.

    1981-12-01

    This primer is part of an educational package that also includes a series of 3 videotapes entitled Theory and Operation of Linear Accelerators in Radiation Therapy, Parts I, II, and III. This publication provides an overview of the components of the linear accelerator and how they function and interrelate. The auxiliary systems necessary to maintain the operation of the linear accelerator are also described

  4. Facebook targeted advertisement for research recruitment: A primer for nurse researchers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter-Harris, Lisa

    2016-11-01

    Recruiting participants for research studies can be challenging and costly. Innovative recruitment methods are needed. Facebook targeted advertisement offers a low-cost alternative to traditional methods that has been successfully used in research study recruitment. This primer offers nurse researchers a method utilizing social media as a recruitment tool and details Facebook targeted advertisement for research recruitment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Testing initiatives increase rates of HIV diagnosis in primary care and community settings: an observational single-centre cohort study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prini Mahendran

    Full Text Available The primary objective was to examine trends in new HIV diagnoses in a UK area of high HIV prevalence between 2000 and 2012 with respect to site of diagnosis and stage of HIV infection.Single-centre observational cohort study.An outpatient HIV department in a secondary care UK hospital.1359 HIV-infected adults.Demographic information (age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, site of initial HIV diagnosis (Routine settings such as HIV/GUM clinics versus Non-Routine settings such as primary care and community venues, stage of HIV infection, CD4 count and seroconversion symptoms were collated for each participant.There was a significant increase in the proportion of new HIV diagnoses made in Non-Routine settings (from 27.0% in 2000 to 58.8% in 2012; p<0.001. Overall there was a decrease in the rate of late diagnosis from 50.7% to 32.9% (p=0.001. Diagnosis of recent infection increased from 23.0% to 47.1% (p=0.001. Of those with recent infection, significantly more patients were likely to report symptoms consistent with a seroconversion illness over the 13 years (17.6% to 65.0%; p<0.001.This is the first study, we believe, to demonstrate significant improvements in HIV diagnosis and a shift in diagnosis of HIV from HIV/GUM settings to primary practice and community settings due to multiple initiatives.

  6. Development of a cost-efficient novel method for rapid, concurrent genotyping of five common single nucleotide polymorphisms of the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene by tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Cathy K; Xu, Michael S; Ross, Colin J; Lo, Ryan; Procyshyn, Ric M; Vila-Rodriguez, Fidel; White, Randall F; Honer, William G; Barr, Alasdair M

    2015-09-01

    Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a molecular trophic factor that plays a key role in neuronal survival and plasticity. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the BDNF gene have been associated with specific phenotypic traits in a large number of neuropsychiatric disorders and the response to psychotherapeutic medications in patient populations. Nevertheless, due to study differences and occasionally contrasting findings, substantial further research is required to understand in better detail the association between specific BDNF SNPs and these psychiatric disorders. While considerable progress has been made recently in developing advanced genotyping platforms of SNPs, many high-throughput probe- or array-based detection methods currently available are limited by high costs, slow processing times or access to advanced instrumentation. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based, tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system (T-ARMS) method is a potential alternative technique for detecting SNP genotypes efficiently, quickly, easily, and cheaply. As a tool in psychopathology research, T-ARMS was shown to be capable of detecting five common SNPs in the BDNF gene (rs6265, rs988748, rs11030104, 11757G/C and rs7103411), which are all SNPs with previously demonstrated clinical relevance to schizophrenia and depression. The present technique therefore represents a suitable protocol for many research laboratories to study the genetic correlates of BDNF in psychiatric disorders. Copyright Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. On assessing surrogacy in a single trial setting using a semi-competing risks paradigm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Debashis

    2009-01-01

    Summary There has been a recent emphasis on the identification of biomarkers and other biologic measures that may be potentially used as surrogate endpoints in clinical trials. We focus on the setting of data from a single clinical trial. In this paper, we consider a framework in which the surrogate must occur before the true endpoint. This suggests viewing the surrogate and true endpoints as semi-competing risks data; this approach is new to the literature on surrogate endpoints and leads to an asymmetrical treatment of the surrogate and true endpoints. However, such a data structure also conceptually complicates many of the previously considered measures of surrogacy in the literature. We propose novel estimation and inferential procedures for the relative effect and adjusted association quantities proposed by Buyse and Molenberghs (1998, Biometrics, 1014 – 1029). The proposed methodology is illustrated with application to simulated data, as well as to data from a leukemia study. PMID:18759839

  8. Multiplex real-time PCR assay for Legionella species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Seung Min; Jeong, Yoojung; Sohn, Jang Wook; Kim, Min Ja

    2015-12-01

    Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (sg1) accounts for the majority of infections in humans, but other Legionella species are also associated with human disease. In this study, a new SYBR Green I-based multiplex real-time PCR assay in a single reaction was developed to allow the rapid detection and differentiation of Legionella species by targeting specific gene sequences. Candidate target genes were selected, and primer sets were designed by referring to comparative genomic hybridization data of Legionella species. The Legionella species-specific groES primer set successfully detected all 30 Legionella strains tested. The xcpX and rfbA primers specifically detected L. pneumophila sg1-15 and L. pneumophila sg1, respectively. In addition, this assay was validated by testing clinical samples and isolates. In conclusion, this novel multiplex real-time PCR assay might be a useful diagnostic tool for the rapid detection and differentiation of Legionella species in both clinical and epidemiological studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Nanoliter reactors improve multiple displacement amplification of genomes from single cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yann Marcy

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available Since only a small fraction of environmental bacteria are amenable to laboratory culture, there is great interest in genomic sequencing directly from single cells. Sufficient DNA for sequencing can be obtained from one cell by the Multiple Displacement Amplification (MDA method, thereby eliminating the need to develop culture methods. Here we used a microfluidic device to isolate individual Escherichia coli and amplify genomic DNA by MDA in 60-nl reactions. Our results confirm a report that reduced MDA reaction volume lowers nonspecific synthesis that can result from contaminant DNA templates and unfavourable interaction between primers. The quality of the genome amplification was assessed by qPCR and compared favourably to single-cell amplifications performed in standard 50-microl volumes. Amplification bias was greatly reduced in nanoliter volumes, thereby providing a more even representation of all sequences. Single-cell amplicons from both microliter and nanoliter volumes provided high-quality sequence data by high-throughput pyrosequencing, thereby demonstrating a straightforward route to sequencing genomes from single cells.

  10. Deep groundwater flow systems and their characterization in single-well settings by ''push-pull'' tracer tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hebig-Schubert, Klaus

    2014-01-01

    This thesis demonstrates the growing importance of deep groundwater research and the increasing demand for the development of suitable single-well test methods. At the forefront of the research on groundwater in the deep underground, radioactive waste disposal in deep geological repositories, CO 2 storage, geothermal energy supply, and aquifer storage and recovery systems (ASR) are on the agenda. The developments of suitable methods for investigating these resources are a main target. Currently available methods show considerable limitations. Accordingly, comprehensive methods for the hydraulic and hydrochemical characterization of deeper aquifers with single-well access are needed. Therefore, the goal of this PhD thesis was to identify, test, and enhance potentially suitable single-well methods for characterization of groundwater flow and solute transport in such settings. For this, several Single-Well Injection-Withdrawal (''push-pull'') tracer tests were applied at the Hamasato field site (Horonobe, Japan) in a ∝100 m deep groundwater monitoring well. Aim was to characterize the impact of a dynamic saltwater-freshwater interface on a coastal aquifer. Based on the experiences of the first methodological test, a second field campaign was conducted. This campaign focused on a systematic evaluation of the push-pull tracer test method for the first time at all. The experiments focused on the investigation of the so-called ''chaser'' and its impact on the test results. The chaser is a specific part of many push-pull tracer tests setups. From these experiments, a specific test design for the investigation of the saltwater-freshwater interface in a single-well setting was developed. The application of this design on questions regarding different fluids within the same system, e.g. different mineralized fluids (saltwater-freshwater-interface, ASR) or temperatures (geothermal research), are promising future approaches for this

  11. Deep groundwater flow systems and their characterization in single-well settings by ''push-pull'' tracer tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hebig-Schubert, Klaus

    2014-11-21

    This thesis demonstrates the growing importance of deep groundwater research and the increasing demand for the development of suitable single-well test methods. At the forefront of the research on groundwater in the deep underground, radioactive waste disposal in deep geological repositories, CO{sub 2} storage, geothermal energy supply, and aquifer storage and recovery systems (ASR) are on the agenda. The developments of suitable methods for investigating these resources are a main target. Currently available methods show considerable limitations. Accordingly, comprehensive methods for the hydraulic and hydrochemical characterization of deeper aquifers with single-well access are needed. Therefore, the goal of this PhD thesis was to identify, test, and enhance potentially suitable single-well methods for characterization of groundwater flow and solute transport in such settings. For this, several Single-Well Injection-Withdrawal (''push-pull'') tracer tests were applied at the Hamasato field site (Horonobe, Japan) in a ∝100 m deep groundwater monitoring well. Aim was to characterize the impact of a dynamic saltwater-freshwater interface on a coastal aquifer. Based on the experiences of the first methodological test, a second field campaign was conducted. This campaign focused on a systematic evaluation of the push-pull tracer test method for the first time at all. The experiments focused on the investigation of the so-called ''chaser'' and its impact on the test results. The chaser is a specific part of many push-pull tracer tests setups. From these experiments, a specific test design for the investigation of the saltwater-freshwater interface in a single-well setting was developed. The application of this design on questions regarding different fluids within the same system, e.g. different mineralized fluids (saltwater-freshwater-interface, ASR) or temperatures (geothermal research), are promising future approaches for

  12. Characterization of Novel Di-, Tri-, and Tetranucleotide Microsatellite Primers Suitable for Genotyping Various Plant Pathogenic Fungi with Special Emphasis on Fusaria and Mycospherella graminicola

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph-Alexander Verreet

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available The goals of this investigation were to identify and evaluate the use of polymorphic microsatellite marker (PMM analysis for molecular typing of seventeen plant pathogenic fungi. Primers for di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide loci were designed directly from the recently published genomic sequence of Mycospherlla graminicola and Fusarium graminearum. A total of 20 new microsatellite primers as easy-to-score markers were developed. Microsatellite primer PCR (MP-PCR yielded highly reproducible and complex genomic fingerprints, with several bands ranging in size from 200 to 3000 bp. Of the 20 primers tested, only (TAGG4, (TCC5 and (CA7T produced a high number of polymorphic bands from either F. graminearum or F. culmorum. (ATG5 led to successful amplifications in M. graminicola isolates collected from Germany. Percentage of polymorphic bands among Fusarium species ranged from 9 to 100%. Cluster analysis of banding patterns of the isolates corresponded well to the established species delineations based on morphology and other methods of phylogenetic analysis. The current research demonstrates that the newly designed microsatellite primers are reliable, sensitive and technically simple tools for assaying genetic variability in plant pathogenic fungi.

  13. Characterization of highly informative cross-species microsatellite panels for the Australian dugong (Dugong dugon) and Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) including five novel primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Margaret Kellogg; Broderick, Damien; Ovenden, Jennifer R; Tucker, Kimberly Pause; Bonde, Robert K; McGuire, Peter M; Lanyon, Janet M

    2010-03-01

    The Australian dugong (Dugong dugon) and Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are threatened species of aquatic mammals in the order Sirenia. Sirenian conservation and management actions would benefit from a more complete understanding of genetic diversity and population structure. Generally, species-specific microsatellite markers are employed in conservation genetic studies; however, robust markers can be difficult and costly to isolate. To increase the number of available markers, dugong and manatee microsatellite primers were evaluated for cross-species amplification. Furthermore, one manatee and four dugong novel primers are reported. After polymerase chain reaction optimization, 23 (92%) manatee primers successfully amplified dugong DNA, of which 11 (48%) were polymorphic. Of the 32 dugong primers tested, 27 (84%) yielded product in the manatee, of which 17 (63%) were polymorphic. Dugong and manatee primers were compared and the most informative markers were selected to create robust and informative marker-panels for each species. These cross-species microsatellite marker-panels can be employed to assess other sirenian populations and can provide beneficial information for the protection and management of these unique mammals. Published 2009. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  14. Detection of HCV-RNA by Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Using Biotinylated and Radioiodinated Primers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, Jin Sook; Moon, Dae Hyuk; Cheon, Jun Hong; Chung, Yoon Young; Park, Hung Dong; Chung, Young Hwa; Lee, Young Sang

    1994-01-01

    This study was performed to evaluate the clinical applicability of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kit of HCV-RNA using biotinylated and radioiodinated primers. Study subjects were 118 patients with positive anti-HCV. HCV-RNA in patients serum was extracted by guanidium thiocyanate method. After first amplification, the product was reamplified by primers labelled with biotin and I-125. The final amplification product was detected by counting the radioactivity after incubation in avidin coated tubes. In 51 samples, the test was repeated for evaluation of reproducibility. This new method was also compared with conventional RT-PCR methods in 34 samples from patients with chronic liver disease. The results were as follows, 1) HCV-RNA was positive in 85(97%)of 88 patients with chronic liver disease, and in 23 (73%) of 30 patients with normal liver function. 2) In comparison with conventional method, HCV-RNA was detected in 32(94%) of 34 patients with new method, whereas in 27(79% ) of the same group with conventional method 3) Repeated test with new method in 52 samples demonstrated 82% of concordant result. In conclusion, new method with biotinylated and radioiodinated primers was more sensitive than conventional method. However, great care must be taken for quality control because there were considerable interassay variation and possibility of false positivity and false negativity.

  15. Detection of HCV-RNA by Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Using Biotinylated and Radioiodinated Primers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ryu, Jin Sook; Moon, Dae Hyuk; Cheon, Jun Hong; Chung, Yoon Young; Park, Hung Dong; Chung, Young Hwa; Lee, Young Sang [Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1994-07-15

    This study was performed to evaluate the clinical applicability of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kit of HCV-RNA using biotinylated and radioiodinated primers. Study subjects were 118 patients with positive anti-HCV. HCV-RNA in patients serum was extracted by guanidium thiocyanate method. After first amplification, the product was reamplified by primers labelled with biotin and I-125. The final amplification product was detected by counting the radioactivity after incubation in avidin coated tubes. In 51 samples, the test was repeated for evaluation of reproducibility. This new method was also compared with conventional RT-PCR methods in 34 samples from patients with chronic liver disease. The results were as follows, 1) HCV-RNA was positive in 85(97%)of 88 patients with chronic liver disease, and in 23 (73%) of 30 patients with normal liver function. 2) In comparison with conventional method, HCV-RNA was detected in 32(94%) of 34 patients with new method, whereas in 27(79% ) of the same group with conventional method 3) Repeated test with new method in 52 samples demonstrated 82% of concordant result. In conclusion, new method with biotinylated and radioiodinated primers was more sensitive than conventional method. However, great care must be taken for quality control because there were considerable interassay variation and possibility of false positivity and false negativity.

  16. New primers for amplification of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I barcode region designed for species of Decapoda (Crustacea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando L. Mantelatto

    Full Text Available Abstract We designed 14 new primers for amplification of the COI barcode region of decapod crustacean species. We tested, with high level of success, the generation of ~ 640 ± 49 base-pair sequences in selected groups of decapods (hermit crabs, squat lobsters, marine and freshwater crabs and shrimps, encompassing representatives of 27 genera of 15 families, 11 of Pleocyemata (Anomura, Brachyura, and Caridea and 4 of Dendrobranchiata. Based on the results we expect the applicability of these primers for several studies with different taxa within Decapoda.

  17. Highly Specific Detection of Five Exotic Quarantine Plant Viruses using RT-PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hoseong Choi

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available To detect five plant viruses (Beet black scorch virus, Beet necrotic yellow vein virus, Eggplant mottled dwarf virus, Pelargonium zonate spot virus, and Rice yellow mottle virus for quarantine purposes, we designed 15 RT-PCR primer sets. Primer design was based on the nucleotide sequence of the coat protein gene, which is highly conserved within species. All but one primer set successfully amplified the targets, and gradient PCRs indicated that the optimal temperature for the 14 useful primer sets was 51.9°C. Some primer sets worked well regardless of annealing temperature while others required a very specific annealing temperature. A primer specificity test using plant total RNAs and cDNAs of other plant virus-infected samples demonstrated that the designed primer sets were highly specific and generated reproducible results. The newly developed RT-PCR primer sets would be useful for quarantine inspections aimed at preventing the entry of exotic plant viruses into Korea.

  18. Technical aspects of typing for HLA-DP alleles using allele-specific DNA in vitro amplification and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes. Detection of single base mismatches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fugger, L; Morling, N; Ryder, L P

    1990-01-01

    The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an effective method for in vitro DNA amplification which combined with probing with synthetic oligonucleotides can be used for, e.g., HLA-typing. We have studied the technical aspects of HLA-DP typing with the technique. DNA from mononuclear nucleated cells...... was extracted with either a simple salting out method or phenol/chloroform. Both DNAs could be readily used for PCR. The MgC2 concentration of the PCR buffer and the annealing temperature of the thermal cycle of the PCR were the two most important variables. The MgCl2 concentration and the temperature must...... be carefully titrated for each primer pair in the PCR. The influence of mismatches between the primer and the DNA template were studied and we found that, by using primers differing only from each other at the 3' end, cross-amplification of closely homologous alleles could be avoided. Thus, single base...

  19. A practical primer on geostatistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olea, Ricardo A.

    2009-01-01

    has significant methodological implications.Historical Remarks—As a discipline, geostatistics was firmly established in the 1960s by the French engineer Georges Matheron, who was interested in the appraisal of ore reserves in mining. Geostatistics did not develop overnight. Like other disciplines, it has built on previous results, many of which were formulated with different objectives in various fields.Pioneers—Seminal ideas conceptually related to what today we call geostatistics or spatial statistics are found in the work of several pioneers, including: 1940s: A.N. Kolmogorov in turbulent flow and N. Wiener in stochastic processing; 1950s: D. Krige in mining; 1960s: B. Mathern in forestry and L.S. Gandin in meteorologyCalculations—Serious applications of geostatistics require the use of digital computers. Although for most geostatistical techniques rudimentary implementation from scratch is fairly straightforward, coding programs from scratch is recommended only as part of a practice that may help users to gain a better grasp of the formulations.Software—For professional work, the reader should employ software packages that have been thoroughly tested to handle any sampling scheme, that run as efficiently as possible, and that offer graphic capabilities for the analysis and display of results. This primer employs primarily the package Stanford Geomodeling Software (SGeMS) - recently developed at the Energy Resources Engineering Department at Stanford University - as a way to show how to obtain results practically. This applied side of the primer should not be interpreted as the notes being a manual for the use of SGeMS. The main objective of the primer is to help the reader gain an understanding of the fundamental concepts and tools in geostatistics.Organization of the Primer—The chapters of greatest importance are those covering kriging and simulation. All other materials are peripheral and are included for better comprehension of these main

  20. Development of a set of SNP markers present in expressed genes of the apple.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chagné, David; Gasic, Ksenija; Crowhurst, Ross N; Han, Yuepeng; Bassett, Heather C; Bowatte, Deepa R; Lawrence, Timothy J; Rikkerink, Erik H A; Gardiner, Susan E; Korban, Schuyler S

    2008-11-01

    Molecular markers associated with gene coding regions are useful tools for bridging functional and structural genomics. Due to their high abundance in plant genomes, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are present within virtually all genomic regions, including most coding sequences. The objective of this study was to develop a set of SNPs for the apple by taking advantage of the wealth of genomics resources available for the apple, including a large collection of expressed sequenced tags (ESTs). Using bioinformatics tools, a search for SNPs within an EST database of approximately 350,000 sequences developed from a variety of apple accessions was conducted. This resulted in the identification of a total of 71,482 putative SNPs. As the apple genome is reported to be an ancient polyploid, attempts were made to verify whether those SNPs detected in silico were attributable either to allelic polymorphisms or to gene duplication or paralogous or homeologous sequence variations. To this end, a set of 464 PCR primer pairs was designed, PCR was amplified using two subsets of plants, and the PCR products were sequenced. The SNPs retrieved from these sequences were then mapped onto apple genetic maps, including a newly constructed map of a Royal Gala x A689-24 cross and a Malling 9 x Robusta 5, map using a bin mapping strategy. The SNP genotyping was performed using the high-resolution melting (HRM) technique. A total of 93 new markers containing 210 coding SNPs were successfully mapped. This new set of SNP markers for the apple offers new opportunities for understanding the genetic control of important horticultural traits using quantitative trait loci (QTL) or linkage disequilibrium analysis. These also serve as useful markers for aligning physical and genetic maps, and as potential transferable markers across the Rosaceae family.