Cómics para la Disfemia

OpenAIRE

Pomares Puig, María Pilar

2015-01-01

Desde la Facultad de Educación se vienen desarrollando diversas estrategias para fomentar el uso del cómic en distintos niveles escolares y profundizar en el conocimiento del mismo y ampliar la labor de divulgación que realiza la asociación de Unicómic http://unicomic.blogspot.com, centrándonos en los aspectos didácticos. La disfemia es un trastorno de la fluidez verbal y del ritmo del habla caracterizado por disfluencias consistentes en repeticiones y prolongaciones de sonidos y dificultad p...

Wild-type MIC distributions for aminoglycoside and cyclic polypeptide antibiotics used for treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Juréen, P; Angeby, K; Sturegård, E; Chryssanthou, E; Giske, C G; Werngren, J; Nordvall, M; Johansson, A; Kahlmeter, G; Hoffner, S; Schön, T

2010-05-01

The aminoglycosides and cyclic polypeptides are essential drugs in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, underscoring the need for accurate and reproducible drug susceptibility testing (DST). The epidemiological cutoff value (ECOFF) separating wild-type susceptible strains from non-wild-type strains is an important but rarely used tool for indicating susceptibility breakpoints against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this study, we established wild-type MIC distributions on Middlebrook 7H10 medium for amikacin, kanamycin, streptomycin, capreomycin, and viomycin using 90 consecutive clinical isolates and 21 resistant strains. Overall, the MIC variation between and within runs did not exceed +/-1 MIC dilution step, and validation of MIC values in Bactec 960 MGIT demonstrated good agreement. Tentative ECOFFs defining the wild type were established for all investigated drugs, including amikacin and viomycin, which currently lack susceptibility breakpoints for 7H10. Five out of seven amikacin- and kanamycin-resistant isolates were classified as susceptible to capreomycin according to the current critical concentration (10 mg/liter) but were non-wild type according to the ECOFF (4 mg/liter), suggesting that the critical concentration may be too high. All amikacin- and kanamycin-resistant isolates were clearly below the ECOFF for viomycin, and two of them were below the ECOFF for streptomycin, indicating that these two drugs may be considered for treatment of amikacin-resistant strains. Pharmacodynamic indices (peak serum concentration [Cmax]/MIC) were more favorable for amikacin and viomycin compared to kanamycin and capreomycin. In conclusion, our data emphasize the importance of establishing wild-type MIC distributions for improving the quality of drug susceptibility testing against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

El cómic español desde 1995

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Díaz de Guereñu, Juan Manuel

2011-09-01

Full Text Available In the last fifteen years comic has changed dramatically in Spain. The small size of the comics industry in the Spanish market doesn’t allow comic creators to turn his job into a profession, but the medium has attained prestige, critical attention on the cultural spaces and a place in the bookstores. Those changes are the consequence of some significant facts of the period: after the extinction of former comic magazines, comic books substituted them as the first format for comics edition, and a number of critical fanzines and self-edited fanzines and magazines were published by the authors themselves. Newborn and independent smallpress, more focused on the aesthetic values than on the economic profits of comics edition, have defined the new author comic, often printed in the format of books and associated to the “graphic novel” label.

En los últimos quince años, el cómic ha cambiado mucho en España. Aunque el escaso peso de la industria del cómic no permite a los autores vivir como profesionales, el medio ha ganado prestigio, atención crítica en las páginas culturales y un lugar en las librerías. Dichos cambios son consecuencia de algunos hechos significativos del periodo: tras la desaparición de las revistas, las sustituyeron cuadernillos o comic-books como soporte fundamental del cómic, y proliferaron revistas críticas de aficionados y fanzines o revistas autoeditadas por los autores. Nuevas editoriales, pequeñas e independientes, más atentas a los valores estéticos que a los comerciales, han definido el nuevo cómic de autor, a menudo identificado con el formato libro y la etiqueta “novela gráfica”.

Comparison of EUCAST and CLSI Reference Microdilution MICs of Eight Antifungal Compounds for Candida auris and Associated Tentative Epidemiological Cutoff Values

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arendrup, M. C.; Prakash, Anupam; Meletiadis, Joseph

2017-01-01

) and lowest for isavuconazole and anidulafungin (58%/76% to 75% within ±1/±2 dilutions). We found that 90.2%/100% of the isolates were amphotericin B susceptible based on CLSI/EUCAST methods, respectively (i.e., with MICs of ≤1 mg/liter), and 100%/97.6% were fluconazole nonsusceptible by CLSI/EUCAST (MICs > 2......, the estimated ECOFFs were dependent on the method applied for voriconazole (1 to 32) and isavuconazole (0.125 to 4). CLSI and EUCAST MICs were remarkably similar and confirmed uniform fluconazole resistance and variable acquired resistance to the other agents....

Potentials of plasma NGAL and MIC-1 as biomarker(s in the diagnosis of lethal pancreatic cancer.

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Sukhwinder Kaur

Full Text Available Pancreatic cancer (PC is lethal malignancy with very high mortality rate. Absence of sensitive and specific marker(s is one of the major factors for poor prognosis of PC patients. In pilot studies using small set of patients, secreted acute phase proteins neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL and TGF-β family member macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1 are proposed as most potential biomarkers specifically elevated in the blood of PC patients. However, their performance as diagnostic markers for PC, particularly in pre-treatment patients, remains unknown. In order to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of NGAL and MIC-1, their levels were measured in plasma samples from patients with pre-treatment PC patients (n = 91 and compared it with those in healthy control (HC individuals (n = 24 and patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP, n = 23. The diagnostic performance of these two proteins was further compared with that of CA19-9, a tumor marker commonly used to follow PC progression. The levels of all three biomarkers were significantly higher in PC compared to HCs. The mean (± standard deviation, SD plasma NGAL, CA19-9 and MIC-1 levels in PC patients was 111.1 ng/mL (2.2, 219.2 U/mL (7.8 and 4.5 ng/mL (4.1, respectively. In comparing resectable PC to healthy patients, all three biomarkers were found to have comparable sensitivities (between 64%-81% but CA19-9 and NGAL had a higher specificity (92% and 88%, respectively. For distinguishing resectable PC from CP patients, CA19-9 and MIC-1 were most specific (74% and 78% respectively. CA19-9 at an optimal cut-off of 54.1 U/ml is highly specific in differentiating resectable (stage 1/2 pancreatic cancer patients from controls in comparison to its clinical cut-off (37.1 U/ml. Notably, the addition of MIC-1 to CA19-9 significantly improved the ability to distinguish resectable PC cases from CP (p = 0.029. Overall, MIC-1 in combination with CA19-9 improved the diagnostic

Wild-Type MIC Distributions for Aminoglycoside and Cyclic Polypeptide Antibiotics Used for Treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infections▿

Science.gov (United States)

Juréen, P.; Ängeby, K.; Sturegård, E.; Chryssanthou, E.; Giske, C. G.; Werngren, J.; Nordvall, M.; Johansson, A.; Kahlmeter, G.; Hoffner, S.; Schön, T.

2010-01-01

The aminoglycosides and cyclic polypeptides are essential drugs in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, underscoring the need for accurate and reproducible drug susceptibility testing (DST). The epidemiological cutoff value (ECOFF) separating wild-type susceptible strains from non-wild-type strains is an important but rarely used tool for indicating susceptibility breakpoints against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this study, we established wild-type MIC distributions on Middlebrook 7H10 medium for amikacin, kanamycin, streptomycin, capreomycin, and viomycin using 90 consecutive clinical isolates and 21 resistant strains. Overall, the MIC variation between and within runs did not exceed ±1 MIC dilution step, and validation of MIC values in Bactec 960 MGIT demonstrated good agreement. Tentative ECOFFs defining the wild type were established for all investigated drugs, including amikacin and viomycin, which currently lack susceptibility breakpoints for 7H10. Five out of seven amikacin- and kanamycin-resistant isolates were classified as susceptible to capreomycin according to the current critical concentration (10 mg/liter) but were non-wild type according to the ECOFF (4 mg/liter), suggesting that the critical concentration may be too high. All amikacin- and kanamycin-resistant isolates were clearly below the ECOFF for viomycin, and two of them were below the ECOFF for streptomycin, indicating that these two drugs may be considered for treatment of amikacin-resistant strains. Pharmacodynamic indices (peak serum concentration [Cmax]/MIC) were more favorable for amikacin and viomycin compared to kanamycin and capreomycin. In conclusion, our data emphasize the importance of establishing wild-type MIC distributions for improving the quality of drug susceptibility testing against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PMID:20237102

Is There an Opportunity for Current Chemotherapeutics to Up-regulate MIC-A/B Ligands?

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Kendel Quirk

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Natural killer (NK cells are critical effectors of the immune system. NK cells recognize unhealthy cells by specific ligands [e.g., MHC- class I chain related protein A or B (MIC-A/B] for further elimination by cytotoxicity. Paradoxically, cancer cells down-regulate MIC-A/B and evade NK cell’s anticancer activity. Recent data indicate that cellular-stress induces MIC-A/B, leading to enhanced sensitivity of cancer cells to NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In this Perspective article, we hypothesize that current chemotherapeutics at sub-lethal, non-toxic dose may promote cellular-stress and up-regulate the expression of MIC-A/B ligands to augment cancer’s sensitivity to NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Preliminary data from two human breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and T47D treated with clinically relevant therapeutics such as doxorubicin, paclitaxel and methotrexate support the hypothesis. The goal of this Perspective is to underscore the prospects of current chemotherapeutics in NK cell immunotherapy, and discuss potential challenges and opportunities to improve cancer therapy.

In Vitro Activity of Ertapenem versus Ceftriaxone against Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates with Highly Diverse Ceftriaxone MIC Values and Effects of Ceftriaxone Resistance Determinants: Ertapenem for Treatment of Gonorrhea?

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Golparian, Daniel; Limnios, Athena; Whiley, David; Ohnishi, Makoto; Lahra, Monica M.; Tapsall, John W.

2012-01-01

Clinical resistance to the currently recommended extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs), the last remaining treatment options for gonorrhea, is being reported. Gonorrhea may become untreatable, and new treatment options are crucial. We investigated the in vitro activity of ertapenem, relative to ceftriaxone, against N. gonorrhoeae isolates and the effects of ESC resistance determinants on ertapenem. MICs were determined using agar dilution technique or Etest for international reference strains (n = 17) and clinical N. gonorrhoeae isolates (n = 257), which included the two extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains H041 and F89 and additional isolates with high ESC MICs, clinical ESC resistance, and other types of clinical high-level and multidrug resistance (MDR). Genetic resistance determinants for ESCs (penA, mtrR, and penB) were sequenced. In general, the MICs of ertapenem (MIC50 = 0.032 μg/ml; MIC90 = 0.064 μg/ml) paralleled those of ceftriaxone (MIC50 = 0.032 μg/ml; MIC90 = 0.125 μg/ml). The ESC resistance determinants mainly increased the ertapenem MIC and ceftriaxone MIC at similar levels. However, the MIC ranges for ertapenem (0.002 to 0.125 μg/ml) and ceftriaxone (gonorrhea, particularly for the currently identified ESC-resistant cases and possibly in a dual antimicrobial therapy regimen. However, further knowledge regarding the genetic determinants (and their evolution) conferring resistance to both antimicrobials, and clear correlates between genetic and phenotypic laboratory parameters and clinical treatment outcomes, is essential. PMID:22547617

High MICs for Vancomycin and Daptomycin and Complicated Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections with Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus

Science.gov (United States)

Viedma, Esther; Chaves, Fernando; Lalueza, Antonio; Fortún, Jesús; Loza, Elena; Pujol, Miquel; Ardanuy, Carmen; Morales, Isabel; de Cueto, Marina; Resino-Foz, Elena; Morales-Cartagena, Alejandra; Rico, Alicia; Romero, María P.; Orellana, María Ángeles; López-Medrano, Francisco; Fernández-Ruiz, Mario; Aguado, José María

2016-01-01

We investigated the prognostic role of high MICs for antistaphylococcal agents in patients with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus catheter-related bloodstream infection (MSSA CRBSI). We prospectively reviewed 83 episodes from 5 centers in Spain during April 2011–June 2014 that had optimized clinical management and analyzed the relationship between E-test MICs for vancomycin, daptomycin, oxacillin, and linezolid and development of complicated bacteremia by using multivariate analysis. Complicated MSSA CRBSI occurred in 26 (31.3%) patients; MICs for vancomycin and daptomycin were higher in these patients (optimal cutoff values for predictive accuracy = 1.5 μg/mL and 0.5 μg/mL). High MICs for vancomycin (hazard ratio 2.4, 95% CI 1.2–5.5) and daptomycin (hazard ratio 2.4, 95% CI 1.1–5.9) were independent risk factors for development of complicated MSSA CRBSI. Our data suggest that patients with MSSA CRBSI caused by strains that have high MICs for vancomycin or daptomycin are at increased risk for complications. PMID:27192097

Vancomycin AUC/MIC and Corresponding Troughs in a Pediatric Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Kishk, Omayma A; Lardieri, Allison B; Heil, Emily L; Morgan, Jill A

2017-01-01

Adult guidelines suggest an area under the curve/minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC/MIC) > 400 corresponds to a vancomycin trough serum concentration of 15 to 20 mg/L for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, but obtaining these troughs in children are difficult. The primary objective of this study was to assess the likelihood that 15 mg/kg of vancomycin every 6 hours in a child achieves an AUC/MIC > 400. This retrospective chart review included pediatric patients >2 months to AUCs were calculated four times using three pharmacokinetic methods. A total of 36 patients with 99 vancomycin trough serum concentrations were assessed. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. For troughs in group 1 (n = 55), the probability of achieving an AUC/MIC > 400 ranged from 16.4% to 90.9% with a median trough concentration of 11.4 mg/L, while in group 2 (n = 44) the probability of achieving AUC/MIC > 400 ranged from 15.9% to 54.5% with mean trough concentration of 9.2 mg/L. The AUC/MICs were not similar between the different pharmacokinetic methods used; however, a trapezoidal equation (Method A) yielded the highest correlation coefficient (r 2 = 0.59). When dosing every 6 hours, an AUC/MIC of 400 correlated to a trough serum concentration of 11 mg/L. The probability of achieving an AUC/MIC > 400 using only a trough serum concentration and an MIC with patients receiving 15 mg/kg every 6 hours is variable based on the method used to calculate the AUC. An AUC/MIC of 400 in children correlated to a trough concentration of 11 mg/L using a trapezoidal Method to calculate AUC.

Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) in the Oil and Gas Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovhus, Torben Lund; Eckert, Rickard

2015-01-01

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a serious corrosion threat that impacts the operating integrity and reliability of assets in the oil and gas, maritime, power generation, and other industries. Yet MIC is also commonly misunderstood, leading to ineffective mitigation programs, wasted...... and implement improved mitigation strategies and thereby reduce operating risk. Our experts provide guidance in applying the latest state-of-the-art molecular microbiological methods (MMM) and industry standards to properly diagnose MIC in operating assets and on failed components. With this understanding, MIC...... can be effectively addressed as part of the overall Corrosion Management System (CMS)....

Determination Of Appropriate Antibiotic In Bacterial Meningitis Of Children Based On MIC

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Noorbakhsh S

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Bacterial meningitis is one of the most serious infections in infants and children. Three organisms include S.Pneumo;N.mening;H.Influ are the most common cause of meningitis in children between 2M-14y age.Etest is a new method for determination the MIC of some antimicrobial drugs in agarose .This method is useful for some organisms like as S .Pneumo; N.mening; H.Influ;sensitive Streptococcus and anaerobic ;aerobic gram negative. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross sectional study; In 57 suspected meningitis children ; organisms isolated from blood; CSF or other sterile boy fluid after culturing and antibiogram;. .MIC of someorganisms detected by Etest method. Results: Streptococcuswas the most prevalent ( 70% and S.pneumon( 90% of all Streptococcus; H.infl 2%;N.mening 4%and L.monocyt 6%(more than expected;Gram negative (Ecoli; Klebsiella; entrobacter and psudomona 18%. There was significant difference (P =0.01in type of organisms between age groups. S.pneumonia was more frequent in children > 2 year ;N.meningitis in>4yr old .Site of isolation :blood; CSF (35.8*;28.3%other sterile site 18.4%;concomitant positive culture in two site:17%.Mean age in Streptococcus was significantly different with Listeria (p=0.05; N.meningitis (p=0.04;H.influ (p=0.04;.but no difference with Staphylococcus;Klebsiella and E.coli Two type of H.inf were sensitive to Ampici or chloram ;both of them were sensitive to ceftiaxon. GBS were sensitive to PNC or Ampici Strep.nonAnonBnon- Cotrimoxazol>32mic/ml /PNC >256mic/ml/ Vanco>256mic/ml Strep.D: Cotrimoxazol>0.062mg/ml/ /PNC >0.016mic/ml/Imipenem>0.032mic/ml. Strep Pneumonia: All fo them were sensitive except 3 cases /Cotrimoxazol>2ic/ml /PNC =0.01mic/ml/Vanco>0.125mic/ m Vanco>0. 25mic/ ml/.Cotrimoxazol>2ic/ml / PNC =0.01mg/ml Vanco>0.125mic/ ml / Cotrimoxazol>2mic/ml /MIC-PNC >0.016mic/ml Therefore high dose of PNC is adequate for S.pneu ;because of Interm resistance to PNC All 3 N.menin were

MICs of Oxazolidinones for Rhodococcus equi Strains Isolated from Humans and Animals

OpenAIRE

Bowersock, Terry L.; Salmon, Sarah A.; Portis, Ellen S.; Prescott, John F.; Robison, Denise A.; Ford, Charles W.; Watts, Jeffrey L.

2000-01-01

Eperezolid and linezolid are representatives of a new class of orally active, synthetic antimicrobial agents. The in vitro activity values (MICs) of linezolid, eperezolid, and comparator antibiotics against 102 strains of Rhodococcus equi isolated from humans and animals were determined. Linezolid was more active than eperezolid against the strains tested; premafloxacin was the most active comparator antibiotic.

MIC in long oil pipelines: diagnosis, treatment and monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jenneman, Gary; Harris, Jennifer; Webb, Robert [ConocoPhillips (Canada)

2011-07-01

The paper presents the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of microbial influenced corrosion (MIC) in long oil pipelines. The presence of inorganic solids, bacteria, gases and organic acids in produced water in the oil pipelines causes MIC, which is hard to detect or test and it does not produce any unique type of corrosion. Chemical analysis of water from pig runs is presented in a tabular form and a graphical analysis of pig sludge solids is shown. From the biometabolite analysis, 23 putative hydrocarbon biometabolites were identified and biometabolites for the anaerobic biodegradation of aromatic HC were also detected. Operational considerations include the history of MIC in upstream pipelines, water slugging, and presence of suspended solids, among others. From microbiological, chemical, metallurgical and operational evidence it was suggested that MIC is a likely mechanism. The mitigation program is described and suggestions for successful mitigation measures include removal of oxygen sources, scale inhibitor injection, and increasing CO2 inhibitor concentration.

NICHD Microscopy and Imaging Core (MIC)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The NICHD Microscopy and Imaging Core (MIC) is designed as a multi-user research facility providing training and instrumentation for high resolution microscopy and...

Anti-MIC2 as a tool in examination of testicular biopsies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Visfeldt, J; Cortes, D; Thorup, J M

1999-01-01

MIC2 is a pseudoautosomal gene localized on X and Y chromosomes. The MIC2 gene product is a glycoprotein expressed on the cell membranes of a number of somatic cells, including Sertoli cells of the testis, but not on the cell membranes of germ cells. In cases of cryptorchidism, a testicular biopsy...... testes which had been cultured in vitro for 7, 14 or 21 days. In all cases the immunohistochemical method with DAKO antibody to the MIC2 gene product was helpful for identification of Sertoli cells and germ cells, and we therefore recommend the use of anti-MIC2 in all testicular biopsies where...

Attempt to validate breakpoint MIC values estimated from pharmacokinetic data obtained during oxolinic acid therapy of winter ulcer disease in Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar )

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Coyne, R.; Bergh, Ø.; Samuelsen, O.

2004-01-01

Concentrations of oxolinic acid (OXA) were measured in the plasma, muscle, liver, and kidney of 48 Atlantic salmons (Salmo salar) 1 day after the end of an oral administration. OXA was administered over a period of 13 days to control an outbreak of winter ulcer disease in a commercial marine farm...... administration of OXA. A numerical description of the concentration of the antimicrobial agent achieved in therapy is necessary to determine the resistance or sensitivity of the bacteria involved in the infection. The degree of fish-to-fish variation in the concentrations of OXA, both within the healthy fish...... a useful parameter for describing the concentrations of agents achieved during therapy. The plasma data from this investigation were used to estimate clinically relevant breakpoint minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. The validity of these breakpoint values was discussed with reference...

Vancomycin AUC/MIC ratio and 30-day mortality in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Natasha E; Turnidge, John D; Munckhof, Wendy J; Robinson, J Owen; Korman, Tony M; O'Sullivan, Matthew V N; Anderson, Tara L; Roberts, Sally A; Warren, Sanchia J C; Gao, Wei; Howden, Benjamin P; Johnson, Paul D R

2013-04-01

A ratio of the vancomycin area under the concentration-time curve to the MIC (AUC/MIC) of ≥ 400 has been associated with clinical success when treating Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia, and this target was recommended by recently published vancomycin therapeutic monitoring consensus guidelines for treating all serious S. aureus infections. Here, vancomycin serum trough levels and vancomycin AUC/MIC were evaluated in a "real-world" context by following a cohort of 182 patients with S. aureus bacteremia (SAB) and analyzing these parameters within the critical first 96 h of vancomycin therapy. The median vancomycin trough level at this time point was 19.5 mg/liter. There was a significant difference in vancomycin AUC/MIC when using broth microdilution (BMD) compared with Etest MIC (medians of 436.1 and 271.5, respectively; P AUC/MIC of ≥ 400 using BMD was not associated with lower 30-day all-cause or attributable mortality from SAB (P = 0.132 and P = 0.273, respectively). However, an alternative vancomycin AUC/MIC of >373, derived using classification and regression tree analysis, was associated with reduced mortality (P = 0.043) and remained significant in a multivariable model. This study demonstrated that we obtained vancomycin trough levels in the target therapeutic range early during the course of therapy and that obtaining a higher vancomycin AUC/MIC (in this case, >373) within 96 h was associated with reduced mortality. The MIC test method has a significant impact on vancomycin AUC/MIC estimation. Clinicians should be aware that the current target AUC/MIC of ≥ 400 was derived using the reference BMD method, so adjustments to this target need to be made when calculating AUC/MIC ratio using other MIC testing methods.

Generalidades de Queratitis Micótica

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Manuel Fernando Buitrago Torrado

2013-12-01

Full Text Available La queratitis micótica es una importante causa de discapacidad visual en los países desarrollados. En los últimos años ha aumentado su incidencia en países de regiones tropicales, relacionado con el aumento de las conductas de riesgo como el uso indiscriminado de antifúngicos y corticoides oftálmicos en la práctica médica. La confirmación del diagnóstico es necesaria, no sólo en caso de queratitis micótica, sino también en otras enfermedades oculares infecciosas para así iniciar la terapia oportuna y exacta, y evitar el uso innecesario de antimicrobianos. El pronóstico visual de los pacientes dependerá del diagnóstico temprano y el tratamiento médico oportuno

Mic it! microphones, microphone techniques, and their impact on the final mix

CERN Document Server

Corbett, Ian

2014-01-01

Capture great sound in the first place, and spend less time ""fixing it in the mix"" with Ian Corbett's Mic It! Microphones, Microphone Techniques, and Their Impact on the Final Mix. With his expert guidance, you'll quickly understand essential audio concepts as they relate to microphones and mic techniques, and learn how to apply them to your recording situation. Whether you only ever buy one microphone, are equipping a studio on a budget, or have a vast selection of great mics to use, you'll learn to better use whatever tools you have. Mic It! gives you the background to design and discover

Comparative antianaerobic activities of doripenem determined by MIC and time-kill analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Credito, Kim L; Ednie, Lois M; Appelbaum, Peter C

2008-01-01

Against 447 anaerobe strains, the investigational carbapenem doripenem had an MIC 50 of 0.125 microg/ml and an MIC 90 of 1 microg/ml. Results were similar to those for imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem. Time-kill studies showed that doripenem had very good bactericidal activity compared to other carbapenems, with 99.9% killing of 11 strains at 2x MIC after 48 h.

Immune protection of microneme 7 (EmMIC7) against Eimeria maxima challenge in chickens.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jingwei; Zhang, Zhenchao; Li, Menghui; Song, Xiaokai; Yan, Ruofeng; Xu, Lixin; Li, Xiangrui

2015-10-01

In the present study, the immune protective effects of recombinant microneme protein 7 of Eimeria maxima (rEmMIC7) and a DNA vaccine encoding this antigen (pVAX1-EmMIC7) on experimental challenge were evaluated. Two-week-old chickens were randomly divided into five groups. Experimental groups of chickens were immunized with 100 μg DNA vaccine pVAX1-MIC7 or 200 μg rEmMIC7, while control groups of chickens were injected with pVAX1 plasmid or sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The results showed that the anti-EmMIC7 antibody titres in chickens of both rEmMIC7 and pVAX1-MIC7 groups were significantly higher as compared to PBS and pVAX1 control (P maxima challenge in chickens and it could be an effective antigen candidate for the development of new vaccines against E. maxima.

Ceftaroline efficacy against high-MIC clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates in an in vitro hollow-fibre infection model.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Renu; Almutairi, Mashal; Alm, Richard A; Lahiri, Sushmita D; San Martin, Maryann; Chen, April; Ambler, Jane E

2017-10-01

The current CLSI and EUCAST clinical susceptible breakpoint for 600 mg q12h dosing of ceftaroline (active metabolite of ceftaroline fosamil) for Staphylococcus aureus is ≤1 mg/L. Efficacy data for S. aureus infections with ceftaroline MIC ≥2 mg/L are limited. This study was designed to generate in-depth pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) understanding of S. aureus isolates inhibited by ≥ 2 mg/L ceftaroline using an in vitro hollow-fibre infection model (HFIM). The PK/PD target of ceftaroline was investigated against 12 diverse characterized clinical MRSA isolates with ceftaroline MICs of 2 or 4 mg/L using q8h dosing for 24 h. These isolates carried substitutions in the penicillin-binding domain (PBD) and/or the non-PBD. Additionally, PD responses of mutants with ceftaroline MICs ranging from 2 to 32 mg/L were evaluated against the mean 600 mg q8h human-simulated dose over 72 h. The mean stasis, 1 log10-kill and 2 log10-kill PK/PD targets were 29%, 32% and 35% f T>MIC, respectively. In addition, these data suggest that the PK/PD target for MRSA is not impacted by the presence of substitutions in the non-PBD commonly found in isolates with ceftaroline MIC values of ≤ 2 mg/L. HFIM studies with 600 mg q8h dosing demonstrated a sustained long-term bacterial suppression for isolates with ceftaroline MICs of 2 and 4 mg/L. Overall, efficacy was demonstrated against a diverse collection of clinical isolates using HFIM indicating the utility of 600 mg ceftaroline fosamil for S. aureus isolates with MIC ≤4 mg/L using q8h dosing. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

LDL electronegativa: caracterització fisico-química i biològica en individus normolipèmics i hipercolesterolèmics

OpenAIRE

Benítez i Gonzàlez, Sònia

2002-01-01

Consultable des del TDX Títol obtingut de la portada digitalitzada L'LDL electronegativa (LDL(-)) és una fracció modificada de l'LDL total present en circulació. Vàries evidències indiquen que l'LDL(-) pot presentar característiques aterogèniques, ja que se suggereix que podria estar mínimament oxidada. En la present tesi s'han estudiat les propietats de l'LDL(-) procedent d'individus normolipèmics (NL) i hipercolesterolèmics (HF). Es van avaluar els següents aspectes: 1) Característiqu...

Comparative Antianaerobic Activities of Doripenem Determined by MIC and Time-Kill Analysis▿

Science.gov (United States)

Credito, Kim L.; Ednie, Lois M.; Appelbaum, Peter C.

2008-01-01

Against 447 anaerobe strains, the investigational carbapenem doripenem had an MIC50 of 0.125 μg/ml and an MIC90 of 1 μg/ml. Results were similar to those for imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem. Time-kill studies showed that doripenem had very good bactericidal activity compared to other carbapenems, with 99.9% killing of 11 strains at 2× MIC after 48 h. PMID:17938185

El cómic en España: 1977-2007

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Vergara Díaz

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Este artículo pretende repasar las tres últimas décadas del cómic en España. El estudio se realiza valorando la evolución de la industria del cómic, desde sus inicios durante la dictadura y su expansión con la llegada de la democracia hasta la época actual de dificultades y cambios. El auge del cómic se observa en su relevancia creciente dentro de la prensa, en la aceptación de un público que va madurando con el paso del tiempo y, sobre todo, en las ventas de una industria que tiene que adaptarse a nuevas situaciones.

Rhodium, iridium and nickel complexes with a 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene tris-MIC ligand. Study of the electronic properties and catalytic activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Mejuto

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The coordination versatility of a 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene-tris-mesoionic carbene ligand is illustrated by the preparation of complexes with three different metals: rhodium, iridium and nickel. The rhodium and iridium complexes contained the [MCl(COD] fragments, while the nickel compound contained [NiCpCl]. The preparation of the tris-MIC (MIC = mesoionic carbene complex with three [IrCl(CO2] fragments, allowed the estimation of the Tolman electronic parameter (TEP for the ligand, which was compared with the TEP value for a related 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene-tris-NHC ligand. The electronic properties of the tris-MIC ligand were studied by cyclic voltammetry measurements. In all cases, the tris-MIC ligand showed a stronger electron-donating character than the corresponding NHC-based ligands. The catalytic activity of the tri-rhodium complex was tested in the addition reaction of arylboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated ketones.

General technique for the integration of MIC/MMIC'S with waveguides

Science.gov (United States)

Geller, Bernard D. (Inventor); Zaghloul, Amir I. (Inventor)

1987-01-01

A technique for packaging and integrating of a microwave integrated circuit (MIC) or monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) with a waveguide uses a printed conductive circuit pattern on a dielectric substrate to transform impedance and mode of propagation between the MIC/MMIC and the waveguide. The virtually coplanar circuit pattern lies on an equipotential surface within the waveguide and therefore makes possible single or dual polarized mode structures.

Operational measures for the mitigation of MIC [microbiologically influenced corrosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, C.J.

1989-01-01

Although entitled Operational Measure, this section of the workshop encompasses aspects of mitigating MIC by controlling the hydraulic characteristics of a system. In order for operational considerations outside of the chemical treatment program to be effective, the system must be designed, constructed or modified, and maintained with MIC in mind. Since other papers in these proceedings discuss in detail the proper selection of materials, chemical treatments and detection of monitoring techniques, this paper is limited to quidelines for mitigating MIC and its effects by the mechanical design, maintenance and operation of the system. The key concept behind this philosophy is the synergistic relationships among microbes and among microbes and larger biofouling organisms. If the slime formers or other marine organisms can be prevented from attaching to the components, conducive environments for attack by other species is avoided

[Efficacy of a multidisciplinary care management program for patients admitted at hospital because of heart failure (ProMIC)].

Science.gov (United States)

Domingo, Cristina; Aros, Fernando; Otxandategi, Agurtzane; Beistegui, Idoia; Besga, Ariadna; Latorre, Pedro María

2018-02-26

To assess the efficacy of the ProMIC, multidisciplinary program for patients admitted at hospital because of heart failure (HF) programme, in reducing the HF-related readmission rate. Quasi-experimental research with control group. Twelve primary health care centres and 3 hospitals from the Basque Country. Aged 40 years old or above patients admitted for HF with a New York Heart Association functional class II to IV. Patients in the intervention group carried out the ProMIC programme, a structured clinical intervention based on clinical guidelines and on the chronic care model. Control group received usual care. The rate of readmission for HF and health-related quality of life RESULTS: One hundred fifty five patients were included in ProMIC group and 129 in control group. 45 rehospitalisation due to heart failure happened in ProMIC versus 75 in control group (adjusted hazard ratio=0.59, CI 95%: 0.36-0.98; P=.049). There were significant differences in specific quality of life al 6 months. No significant differences were found in rehospitalisation due to all causes, due to cardiovascular causes, visits to emergency room, mortality, the combined variable of these events, the functional capacity or quality of life at 12 months of follow up. ProMIC reduces significantly heart failure rehospitalisation and improve quality of life al 6 months of follow up. No significant differences were found in the rests of variables. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

MIC risk in the Halfdan oil export system quantified with a DNA-based diagnostic tool

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsen, Jan; Rasmussen, Kim; Andersen, Kenneth [Maersk Oil (Denmark); Holmkvist, Lars [DTI Oil and Gas (Denmark)

2011-07-01

The paper presents the risk involved due to microbial influenced corrosion (MIC) using the halfdan oil export system. With growth of assets, scale and microbial fouling, corrosion and souring have increased. Some of the consequences to operators include, safety issues and loss of production. An example of the effects caused by MIC is the Valhall platform in the Norwegian sector, which was shut down for 80 days. Some of the factors causing bacterial growth and MIC are O2, CO2, and H2S, solids. Consideration of four objectives, corrosive products, microbiological activities, microbes, and spatially associating microbes is very important for diagnosing MIC. The objective of the halfdan study was to investigate the corrosion mechanism in the oil export spool section. Observations show severe pitting inside the pipelines. Suggestions for the operator, including the risk assessment of MIC, are given along with a summary of results. It can be concluded that there is a certain need in the industry to understand and act upon MIC.

Guidelines for destructive examination of potential MIC [microbiologically influenced corrosion]-related failures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borenstein, S.S.

1989-01-01

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is recognized as a major cause of pitting corrosion failures in natural waters. In order to alleviate the problem, it is important to establish the exact cause of corrosion. If there is a possibility that the failure is due to MIC, a particularly careful failure analysis must be conducted. MIC can be misdiagnosed as attack due to conventional chloride crevice/pitting corrosion unless specialized techniques are used. Certain techniques generally must be employed, including a careful visual examination, is situ bacterial sampling of residual water, bacterial analysis for corrosion products, radiographic examinations, and metallographic examinations. Other techniques may be necessary, or may be very helpful in the analysis, including culture growth, scanning electron microscopy, and ultrasonic examinations. Metallographic examinations can reveal MIC characteristics such as selective pitting of one phase in duplex stainless steel weldments. The methods of failure analysis and their importance are addressed, including each of the steps in the nondestructive examinations and destructive analyses

Application of mineral insulated cable (MIC) in Tokamak fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Tianyong; Jiang Jiaming; Cen Yishun

2014-01-01

To avoid the instability of plasma and achieve some experimental tasks in Tokamak fusion reactor, many in-vessel coils are designed such as the coils to mitigate the effect of Edge Localized Modes (ELMs coils) and the coils to provide vertical stabilization (VS coils). The in-vessel location presents special challenges in terms of nuclear radiation and temperature, and requires the use of mineral-insulated conductors. The in-vessel coils in ITER are designed to be Mineral-insulated Cable (MIC) with three-layer structures. The inner is hollow-core tube made by OFHC or CuCrZr, the middle is the insulation layer made by Mgo and the outer is the jacket by SS316L or Inconel 718. To control the effect of Edge Localized Modes and vertical instability of plasma, the MIC in-vessel coils shall be used in HL-2M. More details about the application of MIC in Tokamak fusion reactor will be shown in this report. (authors)

Analysis of the Sarcocystis neurona microneme protein SnMIC10: protein characteristics and expression during intracellular development.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoane, Jessica S; Carruthers, Vernon B; Striepen, Boris; Morrison, David P; Entzeroth, Rolf; Howe, Daniel K

2003-07-01

Sarcocystis neurona, an apicomplexan parasite, is the primary causative agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. Like other members of the Apicomplexa, S. neurona zoites possess secretory organelles that contain proteins necessary for host cell invasion and intracellular survival. From a collection of S. neurona expressed sequence tags, we identified a sequence encoding a putative microneme protein based on similarity to Toxoplasma gondii MIC10 (TgMIC10). Pairwise sequence alignments of SnMIC10 to TgMIC10 and NcMIC10 from Neospora caninum revealed approximately 33% identity to both orthologues. The open reading frame of the S. neurona gene encodes a 255 amino acid protein with a predicted 39-residue signal peptide. Like TgMIC10 and NcMIC10, SnMIC10 is predicted to be hydrophilic, highly alpha-helical in structure, and devoid of identifiable adhesive domains. Antibodies raised against recombinant SnMIC10 recognised a protein band with an apparent molecular weight of 24 kDa in Western blots of S. neurona merozoites, consistent with the size predicted for SnMIC10. In vitro secretion assays demonstrated that this protein is secreted by extracellular merozoites in a temperature-dependent manner. Indirect immunofluorescence analysis of SnMIC10 showed a polar labelling pattern, which is consistent with the apical position of the micronemes, and immunoelectron microscopy provided definitive localisation of the protein to these secretory organelles. Further analysis of SnMIC10 in intracellular parasites revealed that expression of this protein is temporally regulated during endopolygeny, supporting the view that micronemes are only needed during host cell invasion. Collectively, the data indicate that SnMIC10 is a microneme protein that is part of the excreted/secreted antigen fraction of S. neurona. Identification and characterisation of additional S. neurona microneme antigens and comparisons to orthologues in other Apicomplexa could provide further insight into the

Comparison of Neisseria gonorrhoeae MICs Obtained by Etest and Agar Dilution for Ceftriaxone, Cefpodoxime, Cefixime and Azithromycin.

Science.gov (United States)

Gose, Severin; Kong, Carol J; Lee, Yer; Samuel, Michael C; Bauer, Heidi M; Dixon, Paula; Soge, Olusegun O; Lei, John; Pandori, Mark

2013-10-24

We evaluated Neisseria gonorrhoeae Etest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) relative to agar dilution MICs for 664 urethral isolates for ceftriaxone (CRO) and azithromycin (AZM), 351 isolates for cefpodoxime (CPD) and 315 isolates for cefixime (CFM). Etest accurately determined CPD, CFM and AZM MICs, but resulted in higher CRO MICs. © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

E. coli encoding blaNDM-5 associated with community-acquired UTI cases with unusual MIC creep like phenomenon against Imipenem.

Science.gov (United States)

Gajamer, Varsha Rani; Bhattacharjee, Amitabha; Paul, Deepjyoti; Deshamukhya, Chandrayee; Singh, Ashish Kr; Pradhan, Nilu; Tiwari, Hare Krishna

2018-05-15

Carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli are of major clinical concern. The present study aimed to identify NDM-5 producing E.coli associated with community-acquired urinary tract infection, co-harboring ESBL genes and a pattern of imipenem MIC creep. A total of 973 urine samples were collected from females of age between 18-49 diagnosed with UTI. Isolates were identified by standard microbiological procedures. Presence of bla NDM and ESBL genes was determined by PCR assay and sequencing.PCR based replicon typing was performed. Plasmid stability of all bla producers and their transformants study were analyzed by serial passages and MIC creep phenomenon was analysed by studying revertants. Among 34 bla NDM-5 positive E.coli isolates, 21 isolates co harbored bla CTX-M-15 , followed by multiple combinations of genes. The study revealed diverse types of plasmids type viz; HI1, I1, FIA+FIB, FIA and Y. The strains showed progressive plasmid loss after 31 passages.Twenty-eight isolates mostly had MIC value of 0.5μg/ml and 1μg/ml against imipenem, ertapenem and meropenem. However, on studying the MIC creep activity; the MIC was found elevated from 0.5ug/ml to 64μg/ml and from 1μg/ml to 128μg/ml. While analyzing the revertants, MIC of most of the NDM positive isolates was reduced to 16μg/ml after the 30th serial passages. This study observed a unique phenotype of NDM producers which is not been reported earlier. In the current study, the observed phenomenon poses a global threat as these pathogens may evade phenotypic screening by routine laboratories. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Threshold SRB populations for MIC of stainless alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angell, P.; Urbanic, K.; Gendron, T.S.

1997-12-01

The three CANDU reactor sites on the Great Lakes exhibit differences in susceptibility to microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) of heat exchanger tubes, despite similar colonization of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Therefore, it was suspected that bacterial activity, rather than numbers, is responsible for pit initiation. Accelerated corrosion tests are being used to examine the relationship between SRB colonization and pitting activity on stainless alloy heat exchanger tubes. Experimental conditions model those of the natural systems. At present, there appears to be little correlation between bacterial numbers and pit initiation. However, there does appear to be a correlation between bacterial activity (causing a decrease in corrosion potential, as a function of sulfide production), and pit initiation. Data are being collected to develop a model to predict MIC for the CHECWORKS service water module. (author)

micROS: a morphable, intelligent and collective robot operating system.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xuejun; Dai, Huadong; Yi, Xiaodong; Wang, Yanzhen; Yang, Shaowu; Zhang, Bo; Wang, Zhiyuan; Zhou, Yun; Peng, Xuefeng

2016-01-01

Robots are developing in much the same way that personal computers did 40 years ago, and robot operating system is the critical basis. Current robot software is mainly designed for individual robots. We present in this paper the design of micROS, a morphable, intelligent and collective robot operating system for future collective and collaborative robots. We first present the architecture of micROS, including the distributed architecture for collective robot system as a whole and the layered architecture for every single node. We then present the design of autonomous behavior management based on the observe-orient-decide-act cognitive behavior model and the design of collective intelligence including collective perception, collective cognition, collective game and collective dynamics. We also give the design of morphable resource management, which first categorizes robot resources into physical, information, cognitive and social domains, and then achieve morphability based on self-adaptive software technology. We finally deploy micROS on NuBot football robots and achieve significant improvement in real-time performance.

MiMIC: a highly versatile transposon insertion resource for engineering Drosophila melanogaster genes

Science.gov (United States)

Venken, Koen J. T.; Schulze, Karen L.; Haelterman, Nele A.; Pan, Hongling; He, Yuchun; Evans-Holm, Martha; Carlson, Joseph W.; Levis, Robert W.; Spradling, Allan C.; Hoskins, Roger A.; Bellen, Hugo J.

2011-01-01

We demonstrate the versatility of a collection of insertions of the transposon Minos mediated integration cassette (MiMIC), in Drosophila melanogaster. MiMIC contains a gene-trap cassette and the yellow+ marker flanked by two inverted bacteriophage ΦC31 attP sites. MiMIC integrates almost at random in the genome to create sites for DNA manipulation. The attP sites allow the replacement of the intervening sequence of the transposon with any other sequence through recombinase mediated cassette exchange (RMCE). We can revert insertions that function as gene traps and cause mutant phenotypes to wild type by RMCE and modify insertions to control GAL4 or QF overexpression systems or perform lineage analysis using the Flp system. Insertions within coding introns can be exchanged with protein-tag cassettes to create fusion proteins to follow protein expression and perform biochemical experiments. The applications of MiMIC vastly extend the Drosophila melanogaster toolkit. PMID:21985007

Growing interest in MIC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crum, J.R.; Little, B.J.

1991-01-01

Although corrosion has not caused a major nuclear accident, it has resulted in degraded nuclear systems and components, unscheduled shut-downs and loss of productivity. From 1981 to 1988, operating and maintenance costs for nuclear plants more than doubled, while plant capacity increased by only 10%. And as nuclear plants age, service water system problems cause losses in capacity. Many corrosion failures in these systems cannot be understood, controlled or prevented using theories based on classic, abiotic corrosion mechanisms. But research has now identified microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC - corrosion caused by the presence and activities of micro-organisms within biofilms on metals surfaces) as the cause of otherwise unexplained corrosion failures. Some prevention and control measures are examined. (author)

Discrepancy in Vancomycin AUC/MIC Ratio Targeted Attainment Based upon the Susceptibility Testing in Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Eum, Seenae; Bergsbaken, Robert L; Harvey, Craig L; Warren, J Bryan; Rotschafer, John C

2016-09-27

This study demonstrated a statistically significant difference in vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Staphylococcus aureus between a common automated system (Vitek 2) and the E-test method in patients with S. aureus bloodstream infections. At an area under the serum concentration time curve (AUC) threshold of 400 mg∙h/L, we would have reached the current Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)/American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP)/Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) guideline suggested AUC/MIC target in almost 100% of patients while using the Vitek 2 MIC data; however, we could only generate 40% target attainment while using E-test MIC data ( p AUC of 450 mg∙h/L or greater was required to achieve 100% target attainment using either Vitek 2 or E-test MIC results.

Traducción de cómic americano, superhéroes y chimichangas

OpenAIRE

Gonzalbes Valenzuela, Carla

2015-01-01

El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar el proceso de traducción de un cómic americano. Consiste de una traducción de varios fragmentos de un cómic de Marvel de Masacre (Deadpool, en inglés) y un posterior análisis de dicha traducción, en el que se comentan los problemas que han surgido, se explica la solución al problema y se justifican las decisiones tomadas L'objectiu d'aquest treball és estudiar el procés de traducció d'un còmic americà. Consisteix en la traducció de diversos fragments...

[Comparison of four MICS intraocular lenses regarding their rates of neodymium:YAG laser capsulotomy].

Science.gov (United States)

Spyridaki, M; Höh, H

2010-03-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of posterior capsule opacification up to 50 months following 1.7-mm bimanual MICS-cataract surgery. Bimanual MICS cataract surgery was performed in 197 eyes (135 patients) via two 1.7-mm corneal incisions. Four MICS acrylic foldable IOLs were implanted: AcriSmart 48S-5, n = 54 (Acritec GmbH, Hennigsdorf, now AT.Smart 48S Carl-Zeiss-Meditec, AG, Jena, Germany), ThinLens UltraChoice 1.0, n = 53 (Technomed GmbH, Baesweiler, Germany), AcriFlex 46, n = 41 und AcriFlex 48 CSE, n = 7 (Acrimed GmbH, Berlin, now: Lentis L-303, Oculentis GmbH, Berlin, Germany) and CareFlex, n = 43 (w2o Medizintechnik AG, Bruchsal, Germany). Statistical analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier technique. High levels of completeness of follow-up rates were: ThinLens 96%, CareFlex 100%, AcriSmart 93%, AcriFlex 92%. The capsulotomy rate was 43.13% for ThinLens within a mean/max. follow-up period of 801/1131 days, 34.88% for CareFlex (565/872 days), 40% for AcriSmart (988/1506 days) and 15.91% for AcriFlex (728/975 days). By limiting the follow-up period to a comparable maximum of 850 days for all four IOLs, our capsulotomy rates were as follows: ThinLens 33.33%, CareFlex 32.56 %, AcriSmart 20.0% and AcriFlex 11.36%. MICS IOLs have higher capsulotomy rates than hydrophobic acrylic lenses and sharp-edged silicone lenses. In literature comparisons MICS-IOLs do not exceed the variance levels of capsulotomy rates of PMMA, hydrophilic acrylic and silicone lenses without sharp edges. Cases of decentration or luxation of MICS-IOLs following Neodym:YAG laser capsulotomy were not detected. Capsulotomy frequency with the CareFlex was statistically significantly higher in comparison to the AcriSmart (Log Rank Mantel Cox Test, p = 0.007) and AcriFlex (log rank Mantel Cox test, p = 0.002). Capsulotomy rates observed varied for the four MICS-IOL-types tested. The posterior capsule opacification frequency of the two best MICS-IOLs (AcriFlex, Acri

Balancing vancomycin efficacy and nephrotoxicity: should we be aiming for trough or AUC/MIC?

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Karisma; Crumby, Ashley S; Maples, Holly D

2015-04-01

Sixty years later, the question that still remains is how to appropriately utilize vancomycin in the pediatric population. The Infectious Diseases Society of America published guidelines in 2011 that provide guidance for dosing and monitoring of vancomycin in adults and pediatrics. However, goal vancomycin trough concentrations of 15-20 μg/mL for invasive infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were based primarily on adult pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data that achieved an area under the curve to minimum inhibitory concentration ratio (AUC/MIC) of ≥400. Recent pediatric literature shows that vancomycin trough concentrations needed to achieve the target AUC/MIC are different than the adult goal troughs cited in the guidelines. This paper addresses several thoughts, including the role of vancomycin AUC/MIC in dosing strategies and safety monitoring, consistency in laboratory reporting, and future directions for calculating AUC/MIC in pediatrics.

Development of biological coal gasification (MicGAS Process)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walia, D.S.; Srivastava, K.C.

1994-10-01

The overall goal of the project is to develop an advanced, clean coal biogasification (MicGAS) Process. The objectives of the research during FY 1993--94 were to: (1) enhance kinetics of methane production (biogasification, biomethanation) from Texas lignite (TxL) by the Mic-1 consortium isolated and developed at ARCTECH, (2) increase coal solids loading, (3) optimize medium composition, and (4) reduce retention time. A closer analysis of the results described here indicate that biomethanation of TxL at >5% solids loading is feasible through appropriate development of nutrient medium and further adaptation of the microorganisms involved in this process. Further understanding of the inhibitory factors and some biochemical manipulations to overcome those inhibitions will hasten the process considerably. Results are discussed on the following: products of biomethanation and enhance of methane production including: bacterial adaptation; effect of nutrient amendment substitutes; effects of solids loading; effect of initial pH of the culture medium; effect of hydrogen donors and carbon balance.

CoMIC, the hidden dynamics of mitochondrial inner compartments.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Bongki; Sun, Woong

2017-12-01

Mitochondria have evolutionarily, functionally and structurally distinct outer- (OMM) and inner-membranes (IMM). Thus, mitochondrial morphology is controlled by independent but coordinated activity of fission and fusion of the OMM and IMM. Constriction and division of the OMM are mediated by endocytosis-like machineries, which include dynamin-related protein 1 with additional cytosolic vesicle scissoring machineries such as actin filament and Dynamin 2. However, structural alteration of the IMM during mitochondrial division has been poorly understood. Recently, we found that the IMM and the inner compartments undergo transient and reversible constriction prior to the OMM division, which we termed CoMIC, Constriction of Mitochondrial Inner Compartment. In this short review, we further discuss the evolutionary perspective and the regulatory mechanism of CoMIC during mitochondrial division. [BMB Reports 2017; 50(12): 597-598].

EL ESTADO DE LA CIENCIA. INVESTIGACIÓN Y CÓMIC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michel Matly

2017-03-01

Full Text Available La investigación académica sobre el cómic español y latinoamericano es un mundo pequeño, sin memoria, poco organizado e insuficientemente conocido por sus propios miembros. Al contrario de otras disciplinas científicas, existe poca tradición de colaboración, pocas dinámicas de equipo o escuelas de pensamiento identificables como tal. La capitalización de su memoria se enfrenta a dificultades, unas externas, otras internas: los cómics antiguos y descatalogados no han sido conservados en un sistema coherente de bibliotecas y son de difícil acceso; casi no existen revistas indexadas donde publicar; los mismos trabajos científicos sobre el cómic están dispersos y sin indexar, complicando el trabajo de nuevos investigadores. El crecimiento durante estas últimas décadas de dicho sector de investigación abre nuevas oportunidades y a la vez crea nuevas obligaciones. El número creciente de investigadores abre más perspectivas para potenciar núcleos de pensamiento y desarrollar colaboraciones y competiciones, bases del avance científico. Estamos también a tiempo de organizar la bibliografía científica dedicada al cómic en español. En fin, la investigación debe aprender a desarrollar puentes entre los mundos académico y no académico, para encontrar cómo desarrollar una red de publicaciones científicas digitales y beneficiarse del importante trabajo de memoria realizado a través del mundo hispanista por comunidades de apasionados que recuperan y ponen a disposición de los interesados obras antiguas hasta ahora perdidas.

Development of biological coal gasification (MicGAS process). Final report, May 1, 1990--May 31, 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-31

ARCTECH has developed a novel process (MicGAS) for direct, anaerobic biomethanation of coals. Biomethanation potential of coals of different ranks (Anthracite, bitumious, sub-bitumious, and lignites of different types), by various microbial consortia, was investigated. Studies on biogasification of Texas Lignite (TxL) were conducted with a proprietary microbial consortium, Mic-1, isolated from hind guts of soil eating termites (Zootermopsis and Nasutitermes sp.) and further improved at ARCTECH. Various microbial populations of the Mic-1 consortium carry out the multi-step MicGAS Process. First, the primary coal degraders, or hydrolytic microbes, degrade the coal to high molecular weight (MW) compounds. Then acedogens ferment the high MW compounds to low MW volatile fatty acids. The volatile fatty acids are converted to acetate by acetogens, and the methanogens complete the biomethanation by converting acetate and CO{sub 2} to methane.

En el umbral. El cómic español contemporáneo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

García, Santiago

2011-09-01

Full Text Available These days, when we talk about contemporary Spanish comics, or comics produced primarily in Spain for the Spanish market, we have to contemplate two main trends: the graphic novel and the humor comics. The fall of the traditional industry opened the door to the realization of authoral ambitions that previous generations of artists couldn’t fulfil.

En la actualidad, cuando hablamos de cómic español contemporáneo, es decir, cuando nos referimos a cómics producidos en España y para el mercado español en primer lugar, tenemos que tener en cuenta dos corrientes principalmente: la novela gráfica y el cómic de humor. La caída de la industria tradicional ha abierto el camino para que se cumplan las aspiraciones autorales que durante décadas tuvieron muchos dibujantes españoles.

Performance Analysis of GFDL's GCM Line-By-Line Radiative Transfer Model on GPU and MIC Architectures

Science.gov (United States)

Menzel, R.; Paynter, D.; Jones, A. L.

2017-12-01

Due to their relatively low computational cost, radiative transfer models in global climate models (GCMs) run on traditional CPU architectures generally consist of shortwave and longwave parameterizations over a small number of wavelength bands. With the rise of newer GPU and MIC architectures, however, the performance of high resolution line-by-line radiative transfer models may soon approach those of the physical parameterizations currently employed in GCMs. Here we present an analysis of the current performance of a new line-by-line radiative transfer model currently under development at GFDL. Although originally designed to specifically exploit GPU architectures through the use of CUDA, the radiative transfer model has recently been extended to include OpenMP in an effort to also effectively target MIC architectures such as Intel's Xeon Phi. Using input data provided by the upcoming Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP, as part of CMIP 6), we compare model results and performance data for various model configurations and spectral resolutions run on both GPU and Intel Knights Landing architectures to analogous runs of the standard Oxford Reference Forward Model on traditional CPUs.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Clostridium difficile using EUCAST epidemiological cut-off values and disk diffusion correlates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Erikstrup, L T; Hall, Vanessa Jane; Kahlmeter, G

2012-01-01

towards metronidazole, vancomycin and moxifloxacin on Brucella Blood Agar supplemented with hemin and vitamin K. We found an excellent agreement between inhibition zone diameter and MICs. For each MIC value, the inhibition zones varied from 0 to 8 mm, with 93% of values within 6 mm for metronidazole, 95...

Multi-Kepler GPU vs. multi-Intel MIC for spin systems simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Bernaschi, M.; Bisson, M.; Salvadore, F.

2014-10-01

We present and compare the performances of two many-core architectures: the Nvidia Kepler and the Intel MIC both in a single system and in cluster configuration for the simulation of spin systems. As a benchmark we consider the time required to update a single spin of the 3D Heisenberg spin glass model by using the Over-relaxation algorithm. We present data also for a traditional high-end multi-core architecture: the Intel Sandy Bridge. The results show that although on the two Intel architectures it is possible to use basically the same code, the performances of a Intel MIC change dramatically depending on (apparently) minor details. Another issue is that to obtain a reasonable scalability with the Intel Phi coprocessor (Phi is the coprocessor that implements the MIC architecture) in a cluster configuration it is necessary to use the so-called offload mode which reduces the performances of the single system. As to the GPU, the Kepler architecture offers a clear advantage with respect to the previous Fermi architecture maintaining exactly the same source code. Scalability of the multi-GPU implementation remains very good by using the CPU as a communication co-processor of the GPU. All source codes are provided for inspection and for double-checking the results.

El aprovechamiento del cómic como herramienta didáctica desde el enfoque comunicativo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel García Martínez

2015-10-01

Full Text Available El cómic es un recurso que, en muchos casos, se utiliza de modo anecdótico en el aula y con una función puramente de entretenimiento, sin dar muchas veces la importancia que se merece a lo que muchos consideran el noveno arte. Esta experiencia práctica pretende mostrar la idoneidad y la versatilidad de este medio narrativo en el aula de español como lengua extranjera. Tras un breve acercamiento teórico al uso del cómic en el aula de E/LE, se presentan los resultados de un análisis previo sobre la presencia de cómics en los manuales de E/LE. Las diferentes aplicaciones didácticas que se presentan, dirigidas a diferentes niveles que oscilan desde el nivel B1 hasta el C2, suplen las carencias detectadas en el mencionado análisis, utilizan cómics españoles e hispanoamericanos, y fomentan el uso de las TIC y los álbumes completos.

Efecto del EcoMic® en la emergencia de plántulas de Jatropha curcas (Nota Técnica Effect of EcoMic® on the emergence of Jatropha curcas seedlings (Technical Note

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yolai Noda

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Con el objetivo de estudiar el efecto del EcoMic® en la emergencia de las plántulas de Jatropha curcas, se hizo una prueba de observación en el laboratorio de análisis químico de la Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes «Indio Hatuey». Se usaron semillas recién cosechadas, en dos tratamientos: semillas inoculadas con EcoMic® (T1, y sin inóculo (T2, con cuatro réplicas de 100 semillas cada una. Se utilizó un diseño totalmente aleatorizado y se realizaron 15 observaciones (a los 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 y 16 días de emergencia. Las medias se compararon a través de un análisis descriptivo. El efecto del T1 fue notable durante todo el período; a partir del cuarto día se observaron 45 plántulas emergidas, lo que representó el 11,2% del total de las tratadas con este biofertilizante, y el último día del estudio había emergido el 96,2%. En el T2 no se observaron plántulas emergidas en ningún momento. Se concluye que el EcoMic® ejerció un efecto positivo en la emergencia de las plántulas de J. curcas al ser utilizado como inóculo en condiciones de laboratorio. Se recomienda realizar estudios pregerminativos para determinar la dormancia en la semilla de Jatropha, teniendo en cuenta el empleo del EcoMic® como uno de los tratamientos.In order to study the effect of EcoMic® on the emergence of Jatropha curcas seedlings, an observation test was conducted in the laboratory of chemical analysis of the Experimental Station of Pastures and Forages «Indio Hatuey». Newly-harvested seeds were used, in two treatments: seeds inoculated with EcoMic® (T1, and without inoculation (T2, with four replications of 100 seeds each. A completely randomized design was used and 15 observations were made (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 days after emergence. The means were compared through a descriptive analysis. The effect of T1 was remarkable throughout the period; since the fourth day 45

Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1/GDF15 slows cancer development but increases metastases in TRAMP prostate cancer prone mice.

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Yasmin Husaini

Full Text Available Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1/GDF15, a divergent member of the TGF-β superfamily, is over-expressed by many common cancers including those of the prostate (PCa and its expression is linked to cancer outcome. We have evaluated the effect of MIC-1/GDF15 overexpression on PCa development and spread in the TRAMP transgenic model of spontaneous prostate cancer. TRAMP mice were crossed with MIC-1/GDF15 overexpressing mice (MIC-1(fms to produce syngeneic TRAMP(fmsmic-1 mice. Survival rate, prostate tumor size, histopathological grades and extent of distant organ metastases were compared. Metastasis of TC1-T5, an androgen independent TRAMP cell line that lacks MIC-1/GDF15 expression, was compared by injecting intravenously into MIC-1(fms and syngeneic C57BL/6 mice. Whilst TRAMP(fmsmic-1 survived on average 7.4 weeks longer, had significantly smaller genitourinary (GU tumors and lower PCa histopathological grades than TRAMP mice, more of these mice developed distant organ metastases. Additionally, a higher number of TC1-T5 lung tumor colonies were observed in MIC-1(fms mice than syngeneic WT C57BL/6 mice. Our studies strongly suggest that MIC-1/GDF15 has complex actions on tumor behavior: it limits local tumor growth but may with advancing disease, promote metastases. As MIC-1/GDF15 is induced by all cancer treatments and metastasis is the major cause of cancer treatment failure and cancer deaths, these results, if applicable to humans, may have a direct impact on patient care.

Predominant MIC Mechanisms in the Oil and Gas Industry

Science.gov (United States)

literature, terms such as microbial corrosion, biocorrosion, microbially influenced/induced corrosion, and biodegradation are often applied. All descriptions...express that microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, and fungi) influence the corrosion process of a given material. In this chapter, an overview of the common MIC mechanisms encountered in the oil and gas industry is presented.

Management and control of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) in the oil and gas industry - Overview and a North Sea case study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovhus, Torben Lund; Eckert, Richard B; Rodrigues, Edgar

2017-01-01

the oil and gas industry has seen regarding MIC research over the past decade. The paper starts out with an overview of where in the process stream MIC occurs - from the oil reservoir to the consumer. Both biotic and abiotic corrosion mechanisms are explained in the context of managing MIC using...... to manage the corrosion threat, operators commonly use models to support decision making. The models use qualitative, semi-quantitative or quantitative measures to help assess the rate of degradation caused by MIC. The paper reviews four existing models for MIC Threat Assessment and describe a new model...

PK-PD Integration Modeling and Cutoff Value of Florfenicol against Streptococcus suis in Pigs

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Zhixin Lei

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The aims of the present study were to establish optimal doses and provide an alternate COPD for florfenicol against Streptococcus suis based on pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic integration modeling. The recommended dose (30 mg/kg b.w. were administered in healthy pigs through intramuscular and intravenous routes for pharmacokinetic studies. The main pharmacokinetic parameters of Cmax, AUC0-24h, AUC, Ke, t1/2ke, MRT, Tmax, and Clb, were estimated as 4.44 μg/ml, 88.85 μg⋅h/ml, 158.56 μg⋅h/ml, 0.048 h-1, 14.46 h, 26.11 h, 4 h and 0.185 L/h⋅kg, respectively. The bioavailability of florfenicol was calculated to be 99.14% after I.M administration. A total of 124 Streptococcus suis from most cities of China were isolated to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of florfenicol. The MIC50 and MIC90 were calculated as 1 and 2 μg/ml. A serotype 2 Streptococcus suis (WH-2, with MIC value similar to MIC90, was selected as a representative for an in vitro and ex vivo pharmacodynamics study. The MIC values of WH-2 in TSB and plasma were 2 μg/ml, and the MBC/MIC ratios were 2 in TSB and plasma. The MPC was detected to be 3.2 μg/ml. According to inhibitory sigmoid Emax model, plasma AUC0-24h/MIC values of florfenicol versus Streptococcus suis were 37.89, 44.02, and 46.42 h for the bactericidal, bacteriostatic, and elimination activity, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations the optimal doses for bactericidal, bacteriostatic, and elimination effects were calculated as 16.5, 19.17, and 20.14 mg/kg b.w. for 50% target attainment rates (TAR, and 21.55, 25.02, and 26.85 mg/kg b.w. for 90% TAR, respectively. The PK-PD cutoff value (COPD analyzed from MCS for florfenicol against Streptococcus suis was 1 μg/ml which could provide a sensitivity cutoff value. These results contributed an optimized alternative to clinical veterinary medicine and showed that the dose of 25.02 mg/kg florfenicol for 24 h could have a bactericidal action against

Short forms of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) with the domains of job, romantic relationship, and region.

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Schubach, Elisabeth; Zimmermann, Julia; Noack, Peter; Neyer, Franz J

2017-01-01

The U-MICS is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess the identity dimensions from a domain-specific perspective. The present study reports on the development of a short-form version for the domains of job and romantic relationship in young adults from Germany and extends this scale to include the domain of region (n Sample1  = 95, 84% female, mean age 22.45 years; n Sample2  = 1,795, 71% female, mean age 24.53 years). We found the short form to possess adequate psychometric properties and to demonstrate a factor structure congruent to the long-form version. Regarding validity, the small correlations across domains within dimensions support a domain-specific approach to identity. The associations between the different identity domains with personality traits are similar, indicating a consistent pattern of convergent validity for all domains. We conclude that "region" provides a valuable complement to the established domains that can all be reliably assessed with the U-MICS-Short Form. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Relationship Between Vancomycin Trough Concentrations and AUC/MIC Ratios in Pediatric Patients: A Qualitative Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Tkachuk, Stacey; Collins, Kyle; Ensom, Mary H H

2018-04-01

In adults, the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) divided by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is associated with better clinical and bacteriological response to vancomycin in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus who achieve target AUC/MIC ≥ 400. This target is often extrapolated to pediatric patients despite the lack of similar evidence. The impracticalities of calculating the AUC in practice means vancomycin trough concentrations are used to predict the AUC/MIC. This review aimed to determine the relationship between vancomycin trough concentrations and AUC/MIC in pediatric patients. We searched the MEDLINE and Embase databases, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials using the medical subject heading (MeSH) terms vancomycin and AUC and pediatric* or paediatric*. Articles were included if they were published in English and reported a relationship between vancomycin trough concentrations and AUC/MIC. Of 122 articles retrieved, 11 met the inclusion criteria. One trial reported a relationship between vancomycin trough concentrations, AUC/MIC, and clinical outcomes but was likely underpowered. Five studies found troughs 6-10 mg/l were sufficient to attain an AUC/MIC > 400 in most general hospitalized pediatric patients. One study in patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery found a trough of 18.4 mg/l achieved an AUC/MIC > 400. Two oncology studies reported troughs ≥ 15 mg/l likely attained an AUC/MIC ≥ 400. In critical care patients: one study found a trough of 9 mg/l did not attain the AUC/MIC target; another found 7 mg/l corresponded to an AUC/MIC of 400. Potential vancomycin targets varied based on the population studied but, for general hospitalized pediatric patients, troughs of 6-10 mg/l are likely sufficient to achieve AUC/MIC ≥ 400. For MIC ≥ 2 mg/l, higher troughs are likely necessary to achieve an AUC/MIC ≥ 400. More

Imagen popular de la ciencia transmitida por los cómics

OpenAIRE

Gallego Torres, Adriana Patricia

2007-01-01

In this work we will be centered in the critical analysis of the popular image of the science transmitted by cómics existing in the market (in the measurement that makes reference to the scientific work).

Age-specific growth, reproductive values, and intrinsic r

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Robert Schoen

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The age-specific growth function of an observed population and the reproductive value function based on the population's current vital rates determine the intrinsic rate of growth implied by those vital rates through the simple relationship given in equation (1. That equation establishes the analytical significance of age-specific growth, and leads to relationships that quantify a population's approach to stability and that specify the extraordinarily close connection between reproductive values and population momentum.

Species-Specific and Drug-Specific Differences in Susceptibility of Candida Biofilms to Echinocandins: Characterization of Less Common Bloodstream Isolates

Science.gov (United States)

Simitsopoulou, Maria; Peshkova, Pavla; Tasina, Efthymia; Katragkou, Aspasia; Kyrpitzi, Daniela; Velegraki, Aristea; Walsh, Thomas J.

2013-01-01

Candida species other than Candida albicans are increasingly recognized as causes of biofilm-associated infections. This is a comprehensive study that compared the in vitro activities of all three echinocandins against biofilms formed by different common and infrequently identified Candida isolates. We determined the activities of anidulafungin (ANID), caspofungin (CAS), and micafungin (MFG) against planktonic cells and biofilms of bloodstream isolates of C. albicans (15 strains), Candida parapsilosis (6 strains), Candida lusitaniae (16 strains), Candida guilliermondii (5 strains), and Candida krusei (12 strains) by XTT [2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide] assay. Planktonic and biofilm MICs were defined as ≥50% fungal damage. Planktonic cells of all Candida species were susceptible to the three echinocandins, with MICs of ≤1 mg/liter. By comparison, differences in the MIC profiles of biofilms in response to echinocandins existed among the Candida species. Thus, C. lusitaniae and C. guilliermondii biofilms were highly recalcitrant to all echinocandins, with MICs of ≥32 mg/liter. In contrast, the MICs of all three echinocandins for C. albicans and C. krusei biofilms were relatively low (MICs ≤ 1 mg/liter). While echinocandins exhibited generally high MICs against C. parapsilosis biofilms, MFG exhibited the lowest MICs against these isolates (4 mg/liter). A paradoxical growth effect was observed with CAS concentrations ranging from 8 to 64 mg/liter against C. albicans and C. parapsilosis biofilms but not against C. krusei, C. lusitaniae, or C. guilliermondii. While non-albicans Candida planktonic cells were susceptible to all echinocandins, there were drug- and species-specific differences in susceptibility among biofilms of the various Candida species, with C. lusitaniae and C. guilliermondii exhibiting profiles of high MICs of the three echinocandins. PMID:23529739

Influence of subinhibitory-concentration (sub-MIC Cefetoxime on biofilm formation. SEM study of ESBL-producing Salmonella typhi

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Rahul Narasanna, Manjunath Chavadi, Ajaykumar Oli

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Objectives: In the present study, we have analyzed ESBL-producing S. typhi’s capability in forming a significant amount of biofilm on plastic and glass surface, and the influence of cefetoxime on biofilm development at subinhibitory (Sub-MIC concentration. Methods: Nine strains of cefetoxime-mediated ESBL-producing S. typhi were used in the study. S. typhi formed biofilm on plastic and glass materials; it was demonstrated using micro titre plate (MTP and standard test tube methods. Comparative study of the influence of cefetoxime on biofilm formation in its MIC (128 µg/ml and at sub-MIC (64 µg/ml was demonstrated by microtitre plate method. The biofilm production was observed in SEM images, statistical analysis (ANOVA showed significant increase in cell surface and volume due to the influence of Cefetoxime. Results: Of the nine selected isolates, two S. typhi strains, namely BST 51 and BST 130, produced relatively strong biofilm in the presence of cefetoxime at sub-MIC level (64 µg/ml, comparatively weak biofilm formation at MIC level (128 µg/ml. Typical morphological changes were observed in cefetoxime-resistant strains, S. typhi BST 51 and BST 130, in comparison to cefetoxime-sensitive strain S. typhi BST 63 used as a control. We found an increase in surface and volume of a cell in response to cefetoxime and statistical data (ANOVA proved that resistant strains were significantly different from control strains. Conclusion: The above study clearly shows that cefetoxime at sub-MIC level efficiently induces biofilm formation and promotes changes in morphology of the cell. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2017; 7(2: 67-75

Coupling of MIC-3 overexpression with the chromosomes 11 and 14 root-knot nematode (RKN) (Meloidogyne incognita) resistance QTLs provides insights into the regulation of the RKN resistance response in Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).

Science.gov (United States)

Wubben, Martin J; Callahan, Franklin E; Jenkins, Johnie N; Deng, Dewayne D

2016-09-01

Genetic analysis of MIC-3 transgene with RKN resistance QTLs provides insight into the resistance regulatory mechanism and provides a framework for testing additional hypotheses. Resistance to root-knot nematode (RKN) (Meloidogyne incognita) in Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is mediated by two major quantitative trait loci (QTL) located on chromosomes 11 and 14. The MIC-3 (Meloidogyne Induced Cotton3) protein accumulates specifically within the immature galls of RKN-resistant plants that possess these QTLs. Recently, we showed that MIC-3 overexpression in an RKN-susceptible cotton genotype suppressed RKN egg production but not RKN-induced root galling. In this study, the MIC-3 overexpression construct T-DNA in the single-copy transgenic line '14-7-1' was converted into a codominant molecular marker that allowed the marker assisted selection of F2:3 cotton lines, derived from a cross between 14-7-1 and M-240 RNR, having all possible combinations of the chromosomes 11 and 14 QTLs with and without the MIC-3 overexpression construct. Root-knot nematode reproduction (eggs g(-1) root) and severity of RKN-induced root galling were assessed in these lines. We discovered that the addition of MIC-3 overexpression suppressed RKN reproduction in lines lacking both resistance QTLs and in lines having only the chromosome 14 QTL, suggesting an additive effect of the MIC-3 construct with this QTL. In contrast, MIC-3 overexpression did not improve resistance in lines having the single chromosome 11 QTL or in lines having both resistance QTLs, suggesting an epistatic interaction between the chromosome 11 QTL and the MIC-3 construct. Overexpression of MIC-3 did not affect the severity of RKN-induced root galling regardless of QTL genotype. These data provide new insights into the relative order of action of the chromosomes 11 and 14 QTLs and their potential roles in regulating MIC-3 expression as part of the RKN resistance response.

Comparison of clinical categories for Escherichia coli harboring specific qnr and chromosomal-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance determinants according to CLSI and EUCAST.

Science.gov (United States)

Machuca, Jesús; Briales, Alejandra; Díaz-de-Alba, Paula; Martínez-Martínez, Luis; Rodríguez-Martínez, José-Manuel; Pascual, Álvaro

2016-03-01

EUCAST breakpoints are more restrictive than those defined by CLSI. This study highlights the discrepancies between CLSI and EUCAST in a well characterized isogenic Escherichia coli collection and their correlations with specific quinolone resistance mechanisms. The greatest number of discrepancies was observed in strains containing 2-4 resistance mechanisms (MIC values on the borderline of clinical resistance). Bearing in mind that quinolones are concentration dependent antimicrobial agents, small changes in MIC may have relevant consequences for treatment outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

Imagen popular de la ciencia transmitida por los cómics

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Gallego, A.P.

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In this work we will be centered in the critical analysis of the popular image of the science transmitted by cómics existing in the market (in the measurement that makes reference to the scientific work.

Fast and efficient Drosophila melanogaster gene knock-ins using MiMIC transposons.

Science.gov (United States)

Vilain, Sven; Vanhauwaert, Roeland; Maes, Ine; Schoovaerts, Nils; Zhou, Lujia; Soukup, Sandra; da Cunha, Raquel; Lauwers, Elsa; Fiers, Mark; Verstreken, Patrik

2014-10-08

Modern molecular genetics studies necessitate the manipulation of genes in their endogenous locus, but most of the current methodologies require an inefficient donor-dependent homologous recombination step to locally modify the genome. Here we describe a methodology to efficiently generate Drosophila knock-in alleles by capitalizing on the availability of numerous genomic MiMIC transposon insertions carrying recombinogenic attP sites. Our methodology entails the efficient PhiC31-mediated integration of a recombination cassette flanked by unique I-SceI and/or I-CreI restriction enzyme sites into an attP-site. These restriction enzyme sites allow for double-strand break-mediated removal of unwanted flanking transposon sequences, while leaving the desired genomic modifications or recombination cassettes. As a proof-of-principle, we mutated LRRK, tau, and sky by using different MiMIC elements. We replaced 6 kb of genomic DNA encompassing the tau locus and 35 kb encompassing the sky locus with a recombination cassette that permits easy integration of DNA at these loci and we also generated a functional LRRK(HA) knock in allele. Given that ~92% of the Drosophila genes are located within the vicinity (MiMIC element, our methodology enables the efficient manipulation of nearly every locus in the fruit fly genome without the need for inefficient donor-dependent homologous recombination events. Copyright © 2014 Vilain et al.

Accuracy of the Thermo Fisher Scientific (Sensititre™) dry-form broth microdilution MIC product when testing ceftaroline.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Ronald N; Holliday, Nicole M; Critchley, Ian A

2015-04-01

Ceftaroline, the active metabolite of the ceftaroline fosamil pro-drug, was the first advanced-spectrum cephalosporin with potent activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections. After 4 years of clinical use, few ceftaroline commercial susceptibility testing devices other than agar diffusion methods (disks and stable gradient) are available. Here, we validate a broth microdilution product (Sensititre™; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Cleveland, OH, USA) that achieved 99.2% essential agreement (manual and automated reading) and 95.3-100.0% categorical agreement, with high reproducibility (98.0-100.0%). Sensititre™ MIC values for ceftaroline, however, were slightly skewed toward an elevated value (0.5 × log2 dilution step), greatest when testing for streptococci and Enterobacteriaceae. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Imagen popular de la ciencia transmitida por los cómics

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Adriana Patricia Gallego-Torres

2007-01-01

Full Text Available En este trabajo nos centraremos en el análisis crítico de la imagen popular de la ciencia transmitida por los cómics existentes en el mercado (en la medida que hagan referencia al trabajo científico.

Overexpression of MicA induces production of OmpC-enriched outer membrane vesicles that protect against Salmonella challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyun-Il; Kim, Moonjeong; Jeon, Jinseong; Han, Jin Kwan; Kim, Kwang-Sun

2017-08-26

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from bacteria are promising candidates for subunit vaccines. Stresses that modulate the composition of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) are important for OMV synthesis. Small RNAs (sRNAs) expressed in response to stress regulate OMPs, although the mechanism underlying sRNA-mediated OMV biogenesis and its utility for developing vaccine platforms remains to be elucidated. Here, we characterized the role of a sRNA, MicA, which regulates OmpA, a major OMP involved in both production of OMVs and reactive immunity against Salmonella challenge. A Salmonella strain overexpressing MicA generated more OMVs than a control strain. In addition, OmpC was the major component of MicA-derived OMV proteins. MicA-derived OMVs induced Th1- and Th17-type immune responses in vitro and reduced Salmonella-mediated lethality in a mouse model. Thus, OmpA-regulatory sRNA-derived OMVs may facilitate production of Salmonella-protective vaccines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Firm-specific information, analysts’ superiority and investment value

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Lu; Li; Erjia; Yang; Tusheng; Xiao

2014-01-01

Using a sample of Chinese security analysts’recommendations from 2005 to2010,we examine the source of analysts’superiority and the investment value of their recommendations.Using a calendar-time portfolio approach,we find that,on average,analysts’recommendations are valuable and that analysts are better at analyzing and transferring firm-specific information than market-wide or industry-level information.In addition,we show that the investment value of recommendations increases as firm-specific information becomes more important in stock pricing.Our empirical results are useful in guiding investors and helping brokerage houses to evaluate the output of research departments.

Dual Regulation of the Small RNA MicC and the Quiescent Porin OmpN in Response to Antibiotic Stress in Escherichia coli

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Sushovan Dam

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Antibiotic resistant Gram-negative bacteria are a serious threat for public health. The permeation of antibiotics through their outer membrane is largely dependent on porin, changes in which cause reduced drug uptake and efficacy. Escherichia coli produces two major porins, OmpF and OmpC. MicF and MicC are small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs that modulate the expression of OmpF and OmpC, respectively. In this work, we investigated factors that lead to increased production of MicC. micC promoter region was fused to lacZ, and the reporter plasmid was transformed into E. coli MC4100 and derivative mutants. The response of micC–lacZ to antimicrobials was measured during growth over a 6 h time period. The data showed that the expression of micC was increased in the presence of β-lactam antibiotics and in an rpoE depleted mutant. Interestingly, the same conditions enhanced the activity of an ompN–lacZ fusion, suggesting a dual transcriptional regulation of micC and the quiescent adjacent ompN. Increased levels of OmpN in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of chemicals could not be confirmed by Western blot analysis, except when analyzed in the absence of the sigma factor σE. We suggest that the MicC sRNA acts together with the σE envelope stress response pathway to control the OmpC/N levels in response to β-lactam antibiotics.

Single-Event Latchup Testing of the Micrel MIC4424 Dual Power MOSFET Driver

Science.gov (United States)

Pellish, J. A.; Boutte, A.; Kim, H.; Phan, A.; Topper, A.

2016-01-01

We conducted 47 exposures of four different MIC4424 devices and did not observe any SEL or high-current events. This included worst-case conditions with a LET of 81 MeV-sq cm/mg, applied voltage of 18.5 V, a case temperature greater than 120 C, and a final fluence of 1x10(exp 7)/sq cm. We also monitored both the outputs for the presence of SETs. While the period of the 1 MHz square wave was slightly altered in some cases, no pulses were added or deleted. 1. Purpose: The purpose of this testing is to characterize the BiCMOS/DMOS Micrel MIC4424 dual, non-inverting MOSFET driver for single-event latchup (SEL) susceptibility. These data will be used for flight lot evaluation purposes. 2. Devices Tested: The MIC4423/4424/4425 family are highly reliable BiCMOS/DMOS buffer/driver MOSFET drivers. They are higher output current versions of the MIC4426/4427/4428. They can survive up to 5V of noise spiking, of either polarity, on the ground pin. They can accept, without either damage or logic upset, up to half an amp of reverse current (either polarity) forced back into their outputs. Primarily intended for driving power MOSFETs, the MIC4423/4424/4425 drivers are suitable for driving other loads (capacitive, resistive, or inductive) which require low-impedance, high peak currents, and fast switching times. Heavily loaded clock lines, coaxial cables, or piezoelectric transducers are some examples. The only known limitation on loading is that total power dissipated in the driver must be kept within the maximum power dissipation limits of the package. Five (5) parts were provided for SEL testing. We prepared four parts for irradiation and reserved one piece as an un-irradiated control. More information about the devices can be found in Table 1. The parts were prepared for testing by removing the lid from the CDIP package to expose the target die. The parts were then soldered to small copper circuit adapter boards for easy handling. These parts are fabricated in a bulk Bi

The anorectic actions of the TGFβ cytokine MIC-1/GDF15 require an intact brainstem area postrema and nucleus of the solitary tract.

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Vicky Wang-Wei Tsai

Full Text Available Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1/GDF15 modulates food intake and body weight under physiological and pathological conditions by acting on the hypothalamus and brainstem. When overexpressed in disease, such as in advanced cancer, elevated serum MIC-1/GDF15 levels lead to an anorexia/cachexia syndrome. To gain a better understanding of its actions in the brainstem we studied MIC-1/GDF15 induced neuronal activation identified by induction of Fos protein. Intraperitoneal injection of human MIC-1/GDF15 in mice activated brainstem neurons in the area postrema (AP and the medial (m portion of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS, which did not stain with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH. To determine the importance of these brainstem nuclei in the anorexigenic effect of MIC-1/GDF15, we ablated the AP alone or the AP and the NTS. The latter combined lesion completely reversed the anorexigenic effects of MIC-1/GDF15. Altogether, this study identified neurons in the AP and/or NTS, as being critical for the regulation of food intake and body weight by MIC-1/GDF15.

Minimal inhibitory concentration distributions and epidemiological cutoff values of five antifungal agents against Sporothrix brasiliensis

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Rodrigo Almeida-Paes

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Sporothrix brasiliensis is the most virulent sporotrichosis agent. This species usually responds to antifungal drugs, but therapeutic failure can occur in some patients. Antifungal susceptibility tests have been performed on this species, but no clinical breakpoints (CBPs are available. In this situation, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC distributions and epidemiological cutoff values (ECVs support the detection of identification of resistant strains. OBJECTIVES To study the MIC distributions of five antifungal drugs against S. brasiliensis and to propose tentative ECVs. METHODS MICs of amphotericin B (AMB, itraconazole (ITR, ketoconazole (KET, posaconazole (POS, and terbinafine (TRB against 335 S. brasiliensis strains were determined by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute broth microdilution method. FINDINGS The proposed ECV, in µg/mL, for AMB, ITR, KET, POS, and TRB were 4.0, 2.0, 1.0, 2.0, and 0.25, respectively. Percentages of wild-type strains in our population for the above antifungal drugs were 98.48, 95.22, 95.33, 100, and 97.67%, respectively. MAIN CONCLUSIONS These ECVs will be useful to detect strains with resistance, to define CBPs, and to elaborate specific therapeutic guidelines for S. brasiliensis. Rational use of antifungals is strongly recommended to avoid the emergence of resistant strains and ensure the therapeutic effectiveness of sporotrichosis.

The ciprofloxacin target AUC : MIC ratio is not reached in hospitalized patients with the recommended dosing regimens.

Science.gov (United States)

Haeseker, Michiel; Stolk, Leo; Nieman, Fred; Hoebe, Christian; Neef, Cees; Bruggeman, Cathrien; Verbon, Annelies

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the ciprofloxacin serum concentrations in hospitalized patients and to determine which percentage reached the efficacy target of AUC : MIC > 125. Additionally, the influence of demographic anthropomorphic and clinical parameters on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ciprofloxacin were investigated. In serum of 80 hospitalized patients ciprofloxacin concentrations were measured with reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The ciprofloxacin dose was 400-1200 mg day(-1) i.v. in two or three doses depending on renal function and causative bacteria. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated with maximum a posteriori Bayesian estimation (MW\\PHARM 3.60). A two compartment open model was used. Mean (± SD) age was 66 (± 17) years, the mean clearance corrected for bodyweight was 0.24 l h(-1) kg(-1) and the mean AUC was 49 mg l(-1) h. Ciprofloxacin clearance and thus AUC were associated with both age and serum creatinine. Of all patients, 21% and 75% of the patients, did not reach the proposed ciprofloxacin AUC : MIC > 125 target with MICs of 0.25 and 0.5 mg l(-1), respectively. A computer simulated increase in the daily dose from 800 mg to 1200 mg, decreased these percentages to 1% and 37%, respectively. A substantial proportion of the hospitalized patients did not reach the target ciprofloxacin AUC : MIC and are suboptimally dosed with recommended doses. Taking into account the increasing resistance to ciprofloxacin worldwide, a ciprofloxacin dose of 1200 mg i.v. daily in patients with normal renal function is necessary to reach the targeted AUC : MIC > 125. © 2012 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology © 2012 The British Pharmacological Society.

Thread-level parallelization and optimization of NWChem for the Intel MIC architecture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shan, Hongzhang [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Williams, Samuel [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); de Jong, Wibe [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Oliker, Leonid [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2015-01-01

In the multicore era it was possible to exploit the increase in on-chip parallelism by simply running multiple MPI processes per chip. Unfortunately, manycore processors' greatly increased thread- and data-level parallelism coupled with a reduced memory capacity demand an altogether different approach. In this paper we explore augmenting two NWChem modules, triples correction of the CCSD(T) and Fock matrix construction, with OpenMP in order that they might run efficiently on future manycore architectures. As the next NERSC machine will be a self-hosted Intel MIC (Xeon Phi) based supercomputer, we leverage an existing MIC testbed at NERSC to evaluate our experiments. In order to proxy the fact that future MIC machines will not have a host processor, we run all of our experiments in native mode. We found that while straightforward application of OpenMP to the deep loop nests associated with the tensor contractions of CCSD(T) was sufficient in attaining high performance, significant e ort was required to safely and efeciently thread the TEXAS integral package when constructing the Fock matrix. Ultimately, our new MPI+OpenMP hybrid implementations attain up to 65× better performance for the triples part of the CCSD(T) due in large part to the fact that the limited on-card memory limits the existing MPI implementation to a single process per card. Additionally, we obtain up to 1.6× better performance on Fock matrix constructions when compared with the best MPI implementations running multiple processes per card.

Thread-Level Parallelization and Optimization of NWChem for the Intel MIC Architecture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shan, Hongzhang; Williams, Samuel; Jong, Wibe de; Oliker, Leonid

2014-10-10

In the multicore era it was possible to exploit the increase in on-chip parallelism by simply running multiple MPI processes per chip. Unfortunately, manycore processors' greatly increased thread- and data-level parallelism coupled with a reduced memory capacity demand an altogether different approach. In this paper we explore augmenting two NWChem modules, triples correction of the CCSD(T) and Fock matrix construction, with OpenMP in order that they might run efficiently on future manycore architectures. As the next NERSC machine will be a self-hosted Intel MIC (Xeon Phi) based supercomputer, we leverage an existing MIC testbed at NERSC to evaluate our experiments. In order to proxy the fact that future MIC machines will not have a host processor, we run all of our experiments in tt native mode. We found that while straightforward application of OpenMP to the deep loop nests associated with the tensor contractions of CCSD(T) was sufficient in attaining high performance, significant effort was required to safely and efficiently thread the TEXAS integral package when constructing the Fock matrix. Ultimately, our new MPI OpenMP hybrid implementations attain up to 65x better performance for the triples part of the CCSD(T) due in large part to the fact that the limited on-card memory limits the existing MPI implementation to a single process per card. Additionally, we obtain up to 1.6x better performance on Fock matrix constructions when compared with the best MPI implementations running multiple processes per card.

Management and control of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) in the oil and gas industry-Overview and a North Sea case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Skovhus, Torben Lund; Eckert, Richard B; Rodrigues, Edgar

2017-08-20

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is the terminology applied where the actions of microorganisms influence the corrosion process. In literature, terms such as microbial corrosion, biocorrosion, microbially influenced/induced corrosion, and biodegradation are often applied. MIC research in the oil and gas industry has seen a revolution over the past decade, with the introduction of molecular microbiological methods: (MMM) as well as new industry standards and procedures of sampling biofilm and corrosion products from the process system. This review aims to capture the most important trends the oil and gas industry has seen regarding MIC research over the past decade. The paper starts out with an overview of where in the process stream MIC occurs - from the oil reservoir to the consumer. Both biotic and abiotic corrosion mechanisms are explained in the context of managing MIC using a structured corrosion management (CM) approach. The corrosion management approach employs the elements of a management system to ensure that essential corrosion control activities are carried out in an effective, sustainable, well-planned and properly executed manner. The 3-phase corrosion management approach covering of both biotic and abiotic internal corrosion mechanisms consists of 1) corrosion assessment, 2) corrosion mitigation and 3) corrosion monitoring. Each of the three phases are described in detail with links to recent field cases, methods, industry standards and sampling protocols. In order to manage the corrosion threat, operators commonly use models to support decision making. The models use qualitative, semi-quantitative or quantitative measures to help assess the rate of degradation caused by MIC. The paper reviews four existing models for MIC Threat Assessment and describe a new model that links the threat of MIC in the oil processing system located on an offshore platform with a Risk Based Inspection (RBI) approach. A recent field case highlights and explains

Spectrophotometric Determination of Microamounts of Uranium previous Extraction with TBP-MIC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vera Palomino, J.; Palomares Delgado, F.; Petrement, J.; Fernandez Cellini, R.

1962-01-01

Selective extraction of uranium in nitric acid medium with a mixture of Tbp-MIC (1:10) has been achieved. Aluminium nitrate was used as salting agent. Complexing agents were added in order to avoid extraction of impurities. Extraction conditions have been studied so that extraction is almost practically complete in a single run. (Author) 19 refs

Comparative Effectiveness of Vancomycin Versus Daptomycin for MRSA Bacteremia With Vancomycin MIC >1 mg/L: A Multicenter Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Moise, Pamela A; Culshaw, Darren L; Wong-Beringer, Annie; Bensman, Joyce; Lamp, Kenneth C; Smith, Winter J; Bauer, Karri; Goff, Debra A; Adamson, Robert; Leuthner, Kimberly; Virata, Michael D; McKinnell, James A; Chaudhry, Saira B; Eskandarian, Romic; Lodise, Thomas; Reyes, Katherine; Zervos, Marcus J

2016-01-01

evaluation of daptomycin versus vancomycin for patients with vancomycin-susceptible MRSA bacteremia with vancomycin MIC values >1 µg/mL. Although the overall composite failure rates did not differ between the vancomycin and daptomycin groups when intensively matched according to risks for failure, the rates of acute kidney injury were significantly lower in the daptomycin group. These findings suggest that daptomycin is a useful therapy for clinicians treating patients who have MRSA bacteremia. Prospective, randomized trials should be conducted to better assess the potential significance of elevated vancomycin MIC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

AUC/MIC Pharmacodynamic Target Is Not a Good Predictor of Vancomycin Efficacy in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Experimental Endocarditis.

Science.gov (United States)

Castañeda, Ximena; García-de-la-Mària, Cristina; Gasch, Oriol; Pericas, Juan M; Armero, Yolanda; Soy, Dolors; García-González, Javier; Falces, Carlos; Ninot, Salvador; Almela, Manel; Ambrosioni, Juan; Quintana, Eduardo; Vidal, Barbara; Fuster, David; Llopis, Jaume; Soto, Sara; Moreno, Asuncion; Marco, Francesc; Miró, Jose M

2017-06-01

The aim of this in vivo study was to compare the efficacy of vancomycin at standard doses (VAN-SD) to that of VAN at adjusted doses (VAN-AD) in achieving a VAN area under the curve/MIC ratio (AUC/MIC) of ≥400 against three methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains with different microdilution VAN MICs in an experimental endocarditis model. The valve vegetation bacterial counts after 48 h of VAN therapy were compared, and no differences were observed between the two treatment groups for any of the three strains tested. Overall, for VAN-SD and VAN-AD, the rates of sterile vegetations were 15/45 (33.3%) and 21/49 (42.8%) ( P = 0.343), while the medians (interquartile ranges [IQRs]) for log 10 CFU/g of vegetation were 2 (0 to 6.9) and 2 (0 to 4.5) ( P = 0.384), respectively. In conclusion, this VAN AUC/MIC pharmacodynamic target was not a good predictor of vancomycin efficacy in MRSA experimental endocarditis. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Evaluation of protective effect of multiantigenic DNA vaccine encoding MIC3 and ROP18 antigen segments of Toxoplasma gondii in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Daofeng; Han, Jianzhong; Du, Aifang

2013-07-01

The high incidence and severe damage caused by Toxoplasma gondii infection clearly indicates the need for the development of a vaccine. In this study, we evaluated the immune responses and protection against toxoplasmosis by immunizing ICR mice with a multiantigenic DNA vaccine. To develop the multiantigenic vaccine, two T. gondii antigens, MIC3 and ROP18, selected on the basis of previous studies were chosen. ICR mice were immunized subcutaneously with PBS, empty pcDNA3.1 vector, pMIC3, pROP18, and pROP18-MIC3, respectively. The results of lymphocyte proliferation assay, cytokine, and antibody determinations showed that mice immunized with pROP18-MIC3 elicited stronger humoral and Th1-type cellular immune responses than those immunized with single-gene plasmids, empty plasmid, or phosphate-buffered saline. After a lethal challenge with the highly virulent T. gondii RH strain, a prolonged survival time in pROP18-MIC3-immunized mice was observed in comparison to control groups. Our study indicates that the introduction of multiantigenic DNA vaccine is more powerful and efficient than single-gene vaccine, and deserves further evaluation and development.

Comparrisson of MICs of ceftioufur and other antimicrobial agents against bacterial pathogens of swine from the United States, Canada and Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salmon, S.A.; Watts, J.L.; Case, C.A.

1995-01-01

, sulfamethazine, trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (1:19), erythromycin, lincomycin, spectinomycin, lincomycin-spectinomycin (1:8), tilmicosin, and tetracycline. Tilmicosin was only tested against the U.S. isolates. Overall, ceftiofur and enrofloxacin were the most active antimicrobial agents tested against all isolates.......0 and 8.0 mu g/ml, respectively). However, this compound was not active against the remaining U.S. isolates (MIC(90)s, >64.0 mu g/ml), Differences in the MICs from one country to another were not detected with enrofloxacin, ceftiofur, or lincomycin for the strains tested, but variations in the MICs...

Test methods for microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) in marine environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Little, B.; Wagner, P.; Mansfeld, F.

1992-01-01

Electrochemical techniques such as measurements of corrosion and redox potentials, polarization curves, polarization resistance, electrochemical impedance and electrochemical noise have been used to evaluate the impact of marine microorganisms on corrosion processes. Surface analytical techniques including microbiological culturing, scanning electron microscopy, microprobes and microelectrodes have been used to characterize metal surfaces after exposure to marine waters. A combination of electrochemical, surface analytical and microbiological techniques is the most promising approach for determining mechanisms of MIC

Anorexia-cachexia syndrome in hepatoma tumour-bearing rats requires the area postrema but not vagal afferents and is paralleled by increased MIC-1/GDF15.

Science.gov (United States)

Borner, Tito; Arnold, Myrtha; Ruud, Johan; Breit, Samuel N; Langhans, Wolfgang; Lutz, Thomas A; Blomqvist, Anders; Riediger, Thomas

2017-06-01

The cancer-anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS) negatively affects survival and therapy success in cancer patients. Inflammatory mediators and tumour-derived factors are thought to play an important role in the aetiology of CACS. However, the central and peripheral mechanisms contributing to CACS are insufficiently understood. The area postrema (AP) and the nucleus tractus solitarii are two important brainstem centres for the control of eating during acute sickness conditions. Recently, the tumour-derived macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1) emerged as a possible mediator of cancer anorexia because lesions of these brainstem areas attenuated the anorectic effect of exogenous MIC-1 in mice. Using a rat hepatoma tumour model, we examined the roles of the AP and of vagal afferents in the mediation of CACS. Specifically, we investigated whether a lesion of the AP (APX) or subdiaphragmatic vagal deafferentation (SDA) attenuate anorexia, body weight, muscle, and fat loss. Moreover, we analysed MIC-1 levels in this tumour model and their correlation with tumour size and the severity of the anorectic response. In tumour-bearing sham-operated animals mean daily food intake significantly decreased. The anorectic response was paralleled by a significant loss of body weight and muscle mass. APX rats were protected against anorexia, body weight loss, and muscle atrophy after tumour induction. In contrast, subdiaphragmatic vagal deafferentation did not attenuate cancer-induced anorexia or body weight loss. Tumour-bearing rats had substantially increased MIC-1 levels, which positively correlated with tumour size and cancer progression and negatively correlated with food intake. These findings demonstrate the importance of the AP in the mediation of cancer-dependent anorexia and body weight loss and support a pathological role of MIC-1 as a tumour-derived factor mediating CACS, possibly via an AP-dependent action. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle

Institution-specific value

OpenAIRE

Ken Peasnell

2006-01-01

The introduction of a new accounting standard for financial instruments, has raised a number of issues related to the application of fair value principles. This paper discusses some of these issues which are generally related to the fact that "fair values" are not always easily defined or readily available. It concludes that the application of fair value for financial liabilities might present fewer complications if it is matched by similar valuation principles for financial assets. The issue...

Herramienta observacional para el estudio de conductas violentas en un cómic audiovisual

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zaida Márquez

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract This research paper presents a study which aimed to structure a system of categories for observation and description of violent behavior within an audiovisual children program, specifically in cartoons. A chapter of an audiovisual cartoon was chosen as an example. This chapter presented three main female characters in a random fashion in order to be observed by the children. Categories were established using the taxonomic criteria proposed by Anguera (2001 and were made up of various typed behaviors according to levels of response. To identify a stable behavioral pattern, some events were taken as a sample, taking into account one or several behavior registered in the observed sessions. The episode was analyzed by two observers who appreciated the material simultaneously, making two observations, registering the relevant data and contrasting opinions. The researchers determined a set of categories which expressed violent behavior such as: Nonverbal behavior, special behavior, and vocal/verbal behavior. It was concluded that there was a pattern of predominant and stable violent behavior in the cartoon observed. Resumen El presente artículo de investigación presenta un trabajo cuyo objetivo consistió en estructurar un sistema de categorías para la observación y descripción de conductas violentas en un cómic audiovisual (dibujo animado. Se seleccionó como muestra un cómic audiovisual que tiene tres personajes principales femeninos; tomándose de forma aleatoria, para su observación, uno de sus capítulos. Para el establecimiento de las categorías se escogieron como base los criterios taxonómicos propuestos por Anguera (2001, con lo cual se tipificaron las conductas que conforman cada categoría según los niveles de respuesta. Y para identificar un patrón de conducta estable se ha realizado un muestreo de eventos, usando todas las ocurrencias de una o varias conductas que se registraron en las sesiones observadas. El episodio

Wild-type MIC distributions of four fluoroquinolones active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in relation to current critical concentrations and available pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data.

Science.gov (United States)

Angeby, K A; Jureen, P; Giske, C G; Chryssanthou, E; Sturegård, E; Nordvall, M; Johansson, A G; Werngren, J; Kahlmeter, G; Hoffner, S E; Schön, T

2010-05-01

To describe wild-type distributions of the MIC of fluoroquinolones for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in relation to current critical concentrations used for drug susceptibility testing and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data. A 96-stick replicator on Middlebrook 7H10 medium was used to define the MICs of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, moxifloxacin and levofloxacin for 90 consecutive clinical strains and 24 drug-resistant strains. The MICs were compared with routine BACTEC 460 susceptibility results and with MIC determinations in the BACTEC MGIT 960 system in a subset of strains using ofloxacin as a class representative. PK/PD data for each drug were reviewed in relation to the wild-type MIC distribution. The wild-type MICs of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, moxifloxacin and levofloxacin were distributed from 0.125 to 1, 0.25 to 1, 0.032 to 0.5 and 0.125 to 0.5 mg/L, respectively. The MIC data correlated well with the BACTEC 960 MGIT and BACTEC 460 results. PD indices were the most favourable for levofloxacin, followed by moxifloxacin, ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. We propose S (susceptible) MIC data could shift the ECOFFs for ofloxacin and levofloxacin one dilution upwards. The proposed ECOFFs may be more appropriate if used as clinical breakpoints on Middlebrook 7H10 agar than the current critical concentrations of S

Cómo, cuándo y por qué hicimos un cómic bollo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gema Arquero (Project Manager

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Este artículo traza un recorrido por distintos aspectos que desempeñaron un papel destacado en la génesis del cómic Salidas de Emergencia. Sus autoras explican la importancia que su situación personal y el contexto político de la España de 2005 tuvieron en la decisión de iniciar su proyecto creativo, situándonos a la vez en las coordenadas culturales en que éste se inscribe. Con ello, también se lleva a cabo un repaso por distintos productos culturales de temática lésbica, con el que se ponen en evidencia las particularidades de este cómic.

Validitas Utrecht-Management Of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) Versi Indonesia: Struktur Faktor, Invariansi Pengukuran Gender, dan Usia

OpenAIRE

Muttaqin, Darmawan

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of Indonesian version of the U-MICS, a measure three identity dimensions. Participants were 910 adolescents (12-21 years old). The Confirmatory Factor Analyses and Multi-Group Analyses were used to examine the factor structure, gender, and age measurement invariance of Indonesian version of the U-MICS. We further tested the gender and age differences using Multivariate Analysis of Variance. The results indicated that the fac...

Mastite micótica em ruminantes causada por leveduras

OpenAIRE

Spanamberg,Andréia; Sanches,Edna Maria Cavallini; Santurio,Janio Morais; Ferreiro,Laerte

2009-01-01

A ocorrência de casos esporádicos de mastite causados por microrganismos de origem ambiental pode ser considerada como emergente e as leveduras, os fungos leveduriformes e os filamentosos são alguns dos principais agentes envolvidos. Em relação à mastite micótica, as leveduras são freqüentemente causas de infecções da glândula mamária em animais produtores de leite. A maior parte dos casos ocorre sob a forma de surtos localizados e/ou após tratamento com antimicrobianos. Os principais gêneros...

El vocabulario de las armas en micénico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernabé, Alberto

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Systematic analysis of rise, structure, and development of the words referred to weapons in Mycenaean tablets and in first Millennium Greek. The results of application of linguistic or philological methods can so be collated with ones achieved by archaeologists.

Estudio sistemático de la creación, estructura y desarrollo del vocabulario referido a las armas en las tablillas micénicas y en el griego posterior. Los resultados obtenidos por métodos lingüísticos o filológicos pueden así ser cotejados con los logrados por la arqueología.

Plasma MIC-1 correlates with systemic inflammation but is not an independent determinant of nutritional status or survival in oesophago-gastric cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Skipworth, R J E; Deans, D A C; Tan, B H L; Sangster, K; Paterson-Brown, S; Brown, D A; Hunter, M; Breit, S N; Ross, J A; Fearon, K C H

2010-02-16

Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1(MIC-1) is a potential modulator of systemic inflammation and nutritional depletion, both of which are adverse prognostic factors in oesophago-gastric cancer (OGC). Plasma MIC-1, systemic inflammation (defined as plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) of > or =10 mg l(-1) or modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) of > or =1), and nutritional status were assessed in newly diagnosed OGC patients (n=293). Healthy volunteers (n=35) served as controls. MIC-1 was elevated in patients (median=1371 pg ml(-1); range 141-39 053) when compared with controls (median=377 pg ml(-1); range 141-3786; Pgastric tumours (median=1592 pg ml(-1); range 141-12 643) showed higher MIC-1 concentrations than patients with junctional (median=1337 pg ml(-1); range 383-39 053) and oesophageal tumours (median=1180 pg ml(-1); range 258-31 184; P=0.015). Patients showed a median weight loss of 6.4% (range 0.0-33.4%), and 42% of patients had an mGPS of > or =1 or plasma CRP of > or =10 mg l(-1) (median=9 mg l(-1); range 1-200). MIC-1 correlated positively with disease stage (r(2)=0.217; Pnutritional status or survival in OGC.

TU-AB-BRC-10: Modeling of Radiotherapy Linac Source Terms Using ARCHER Monte Carlo Code: Performance Comparison of GPU and MIC Computing Accelerators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, T; Lin, H; Xu, X [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (United States); Su, L [John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States); Shi, C [Saint Vincent Medical Center, Bridgeport, CT (United States); Tang, X [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, West Harrison, NY (United States); Bednarz, B [University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: (1) To perform phase space (PS) based source modeling for Tomotherapy and Varian TrueBeam 6 MV Linacs, (2) to examine the accuracy and performance of the ARCHER Monte Carlo code on a heterogeneous computing platform with Many Integrated Core coprocessors (MIC, aka Xeon Phi) and GPUs, and (3) to explore the software micro-optimization methods. Methods: The patient-specific source of Tomotherapy and Varian TrueBeam Linacs was modeled using the PS approach. For the helical Tomotherapy case, the PS data were calculated in our previous study (Su et al. 2014 41(7) Medical Physics). For the single-view Varian TrueBeam case, we analytically derived them from the raw patient-independent PS data in IAEA’s database, partial geometry information of the jaw and MLC as well as the fluence map. The phantom was generated from DICOM images. The Monte Carlo simulation was performed by ARCHER-MIC and GPU codes, which were benchmarked against a modified parallel DPM code. Software micro-optimization was systematically conducted, and was focused on SIMD vectorization of tight for-loops and data prefetch, with the ultimate goal of increasing 512-bit register utilization and reducing memory access latency. Results: Dose calculation was performed for two clinical cases, a Tomotherapy-based prostate cancer treatment and a TrueBeam-based left breast treatment. ARCHER was verified against the DPM code. The statistical uncertainty of the dose to the PTV was less than 1%. Using double-precision, the total wall time of the multithreaded CPU code on a X5650 CPU was 339 seconds for the Tomotherapy case and 131 seconds for the TrueBeam, while on 3 5110P MICs it was reduced to 79 and 59 seconds, respectively. The single-precision GPU code on a K40 GPU took 45 seconds for the Tomotherapy dose calculation. Conclusion: We have extended ARCHER, the MIC and GPU-based Monte Carlo dose engine to Tomotherapy and Truebeam dose calculations.

TU-AB-BRC-10: Modeling of Radiotherapy Linac Source Terms Using ARCHER Monte Carlo Code: Performance Comparison of GPU and MIC Computing Accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, T; Lin, H; Xu, X; Su, L; Shi, C; Tang, X; Bednarz, B

2016-01-01

Purpose: (1) To perform phase space (PS) based source modeling for Tomotherapy and Varian TrueBeam 6 MV Linacs, (2) to examine the accuracy and performance of the ARCHER Monte Carlo code on a heterogeneous computing platform with Many Integrated Core coprocessors (MIC, aka Xeon Phi) and GPUs, and (3) to explore the software micro-optimization methods. Methods: The patient-specific source of Tomotherapy and Varian TrueBeam Linacs was modeled using the PS approach. For the helical Tomotherapy case, the PS data were calculated in our previous study (Su et al. 2014 41(7) Medical Physics). For the single-view Varian TrueBeam case, we analytically derived them from the raw patient-independent PS data in IAEA’s database, partial geometry information of the jaw and MLC as well as the fluence map. The phantom was generated from DICOM images. The Monte Carlo simulation was performed by ARCHER-MIC and GPU codes, which were benchmarked against a modified parallel DPM code. Software micro-optimization was systematically conducted, and was focused on SIMD vectorization of tight for-loops and data prefetch, with the ultimate goal of increasing 512-bit register utilization and reducing memory access latency. Results: Dose calculation was performed for two clinical cases, a Tomotherapy-based prostate cancer treatment and a TrueBeam-based left breast treatment. ARCHER was verified against the DPM code. The statistical uncertainty of the dose to the PTV was less than 1%. Using double-precision, the total wall time of the multithreaded CPU code on a X5650 CPU was 339 seconds for the Tomotherapy case and 131 seconds for the TrueBeam, while on 3 5110P MICs it was reduced to 79 and 59 seconds, respectively. The single-precision GPU code on a K40 GPU took 45 seconds for the Tomotherapy dose calculation. Conclusion: We have extended ARCHER, the MIC and GPU-based Monte Carlo dose engine to Tomotherapy and Truebeam dose calculations.

Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture optimization strategies for a memory-bound Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Goddard microphysics scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Mielikainen, Jarno; Huang, Bormin; Huang, Allen H.

2014-10-01

The Goddard cloud microphysics scheme is a sophisticated cloud microphysics scheme in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The WRF is a widely used weather prediction system in the world. It development is a done in collaborative around the globe. The Goddard microphysics scheme is very suitable for massively parallel computation as there are no interactions among horizontal grid points. Compared to the earlier microphysics schemes, the Goddard scheme incorporates a large number of improvements. Thus, we have optimized the code of this important part of WRF. In this paper, we present our results of optimizing the Goddard microphysics scheme on Intel Many Integrated Core Architecture (MIC) hardware. The Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor is the first product based on Intel MIC architecture, and it consists of up to 61 cores connected by a high performance on-die bidirectional interconnect. The Intel MIC is capable of executing a full operating system and entire programs rather than just kernels as the GPU do. The MIC coprocessor supports all important Intel development tools. Thus, the development environment is familiar one to a vast number of CPU developers. Although, getting a maximum performance out of MICs will require using some novel optimization techniques. Those optimization techniques are discusses in this paper. The results show that the optimizations improved performance of the original code on Xeon Phi 7120P by a factor of 4.7x. Furthermore, the same optimizations improved performance on a dual socket Intel Xeon E5-2670 system by a factor of 2.8x compared to the original code.

Antimicrobial susceptibility monitoring of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Mycoplasma bovis isolated in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Ulrich; de Jong, Anno; Moyaert, Hilde; El Garch, Farid; Leon, Rocio; Richard-Mazet, Alexandra; Rose, Markus; Maes, Dominiek; Pridmore, Andrew; Thomson, Jill R; Ayling, Roger D

2017-05-01

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in pigs and Mycoplasma bovis in cattle are major pathogens affecting livestock across Europe and are the focus of the MycoPath pan-European antimicrobial susceptibility monitoring programme. Fifty M. hyopneumoniae isolates from Belgium, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK), and 156 M. bovis isolates from France, Hungary, Spain and the UK that met specific criteria were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility in a central laboratory by using a microbroth dilution method. Specific isolate criteria included recovery from animals not recently treated with antimicrobials, isolates from different locations within each country and retaining only one isolate per farm. MIC 50/ MIC 90 values were 0.031/0.5, 0.031/0.5, 0.062/0.25, ≤0.001/0.004, 0.031/0.125, 0.25/0.5 and 0.062/0.25mg/L for enrofloxacin, marbofloxacin, spiramycin, tulathromycin, tylosin, florfenicol and oxytetracycline respectively against M. hyopneumoniae and 0.25/4, 1/4, 4/16, >64/ >64, 32/ >64, 2/4 and 4/64mg/L, respectively against M. bovis. MIC 50 /MIC 90 values for tiamulin and valnemulin against M. hyopneumoniae were 0.016/0.062 and ≤0.001/ ≤0.001mg/L respectively. The MIC 50 /MIC 90 values of danofloxacin and gamithromycin for M. bovis were 0.25/1 and >64/ >64mg/L respectively. The highest MIC 90 values for M. hyopneumoniae were found in the UK at 1.0mg/L for enrofloxacin, marbofloxacin and florfenicol. In contrast, for M. bovis the lowest MIC 90 value was 1.0mg/L, but ranged to >64mg/L. Specific laboratory standards and clinical breakpoints for veterinary Mycoplasma species are required as no independently validated clinical breakpoints are specified for veterinary Mycoplasma species, which makes data interpretation and correlation to in vivo efficacy difficult. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sex-Specificity in the Reward Value of Facial Attractiveness.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Amanda C; Fisher, Claire I; DeBruine, Lisa M; Jones, Benedict C

2016-05-01

Studies of the sex-specificity of sexual arousal in adults (i.e., the tendency to respond more strongly to preferred-sex individuals than non-preferred sex individuals) have suggested that heterosexual men, homosexual men, and homosexual women show stronger sex-specific responses than do heterosexual women. Evidence for a similar pattern of results in studies investigating the reward value of faces is equivocal. Consequently, we investigated the effects of (1) sexual orientation (homosexual vs. heterosexual), (2) sex (male vs. female), (3) image sex (preferred-sex vs. non-preferred-sex), and (4) the physical attractiveness of the individual shown in the image on the reward value of faces. Participants were 130 heterosexual men, 130 homosexual men, 130 heterosexual women, and 130 homosexual women. The reward value of faces was assessed using a standard key-press task. Multilevel modeling of responses indicated that images of preferred-sex individuals were more rewarding than images of non-preferred-sex individuals and that this preferred-sex bias was particularly pronounced when more physically attractive faces were presented. These effects were not qualified by interactions involving either the sexual orientation or the sex of our participants, however, suggesting that the preferred-sex bias in the reward value of faces is similar in heterosexual men, homosexual men, heterosexual women, and homosexual women.

Increased cefepime MIC for enterobacteriacae clinical isolates.

Science.gov (United States)

Najafi, Narges; Alikhani, Ahmad; Babamahmoudi, Farhang; Davoudi, Alireza; Ghasemiyan, Roya; Aliyan, Shahriar; Shoujaiifar, Arman

2013-01-01

Background : Cefepime was used as empirical treatment in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) induced by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of cefepime against microorganism causing VAP in Mazandaran, North of Iran. This study was performed on VAP patients diagnosed with clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) scores in ICU of two hospitals. For each patient suspected of having VAP, quantitative culture of endotracheal aspiration (QEA) was performed and MIC was determined by micro dilution test. Data were collected and analyzed. Thirty- five cases of enterobacteriaceae were isolated orderly including E coli 13, P. aeruginosa 11, Enterobacter 7 and K. pneumonia 4 cases. All the isolated E. coli, Enterobacter and Klebsiella, 54.5% of P. aeruginosa isolated were fully resistant to cefepime. The results of this study show that cefepime is not a reasonable choice for empirical treatment of nosocomial pneumonia and VAP.

Serum Levels of Human MIC-1/GDF15 Vary in a Diurnal Pattern, Do Not Display a Profile Suggestive of a Satiety Factor and Are Related to BMI.

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Vicky Wang-Wei Tsai

Full Text Available The TGF-b superfamily cytokine MIC-1/GDF15 circulates in the blood of healthy humans. Its levels rise substantially in cancer and other diseases and this may sometimes lead to development of an anorexia/cachexia syndrome. This is mediated by a direct action of MIC-1/GDF15 on feeding centres in the hypothalamus and brainstem. More recent studies in germline gene deleted mice also suggest that this cytokine may play a role in physiological regulation of energy homeostasis. To further characterize the role of MIC-1/GDF15 in physiological regulation of energy homeostasis in man, we have examined diurnal and food associated variation in serum levels and whether variation in circulating levels relate to BMI in human monozygotic twin pairs. We found that the within twin pair differences in serum MIC-1/GDF15 levels were significantly correlated with within twin pair differences in BMI, suggesting a role for MIC-1/GDF15 in the regulation of energy balance in man. MIC-1/GDF15 serum levels altered slightly in response to a meal, but comparison with variation its serum levels over a 24 hour period suggested that these changes are likely to be due to bimodal diurnal variation which can alter serum MIC-1/GDF15 levels by about plus or minus 10% from the mesor. The lack of a rapid and substantial postprandial increase in MIC-1/GDF15 serum levels suggests that MIC1/GDF15 is unlikely to act as a satiety factor. Taken together, our findings suggest that MIC-1/GDF15 may be a physiological regulator of energy homeostasis in man, most probably due to actions on long-term regulation of energy homeostasis.

Nuevos lenguajes para nuevas tecnologías. El cómic, una publicación electrónica de entretenimiento

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Lic. Virginia Luzón Fernández

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Hasta hoy día el cómic ha sido concebido como un medio narrativo de comunicación social que comprende gráficos y textos con un desarrollo secuencial y una narrativa interna. Ha estado relacionado con unos códigos particulares y una serie de convenciones expresivas, como los globos. Pero, el cómic de papel que leíamos, coleccionábamos e incluso algunos veneraban, está dejando paso a un nuevo tipo de cómic que nace con el desarrollo de las nuevas tecnologías y encaja a la perfección en la que denominamos, no sólo sociedad de la información, sino también nueva sociedad de la velocidad.

Simultaneous Assessment of Acidogenesis-Mitigation and Specific Bacterial Growth-Inhibition by Dentifrices.

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Sarah Forbes

Full Text Available Dentifrices can augment oral hygiene by inactivating bacteria and at sub-lethal concentrations may affect bacterial metabolism, potentially inhibiting acidogenesis, the main cause of caries. Reported herein is the development of a rapid method to simultaneously measure group-specific bactericidal and acidogenesis-mitigation effects of dentifrices on oral bacteria. Saliva was incubated aerobically and anaerobically in Tryptone Soya Broth, Wilkins-Chalgren Broth with mucin, or artificial saliva and was exposed to dentifrices containing triclosan/copolymer (TD; sodium fluoride (FD; stannous fluoride and zinc lactate (SFD1; or stannous fluoride, zinc lactate and stannous chloride (SFD2. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC were determined turbidometrically whilst group-specific minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC were assessed using growth media and conditions selective for total aerobes, total anaerobes, streptococci and Gram-negative anaerobes. Minimum acid neutralization concentration (MNC was defined as the lowest concentration of dentifrice at which acidification was inhibited. Differences between MIC and MNC were calculated and normalized with respect to MIC to derive the combined inhibitory and neutralizing capacity (CINC, a cumulative measure of acidogenesis-mitigation and growth inhibition. The overall rank order for growth inhibition potency (MIC under aerobic and anaerobic conditions was: TD> SFD2> SFD1> FD. Acidogenesis-mitigation (MNC was ordered; TD> FD> SFD2> SFD1. CINC was ordered TD> FD> SFD2> SFD1 aerobically and TD> FD> SFD1> SFD2 anaerobically. With respect to group-specific bactericidal activity, TD generally exhibited the greatest potency, particularly against total aerobes, total anaerobes and streptococci. This approach enables the rapid simultaneous evaluation of acidity mitigation, growth inhibition and specific antimicrobial activity by dentifrices.

LiF Reduces MICs of Antibiotics against Clinical Isolates of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria

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H. C. Syed

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Antibiotic resistance is an ever-growing problem yet the development of new antibiotics has slowed to a trickle, giving rise to the use of combination therapy to eradicate infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the combined inhibitory effect of lithium fluoride (LiF and commonly used antimicrobials on the growth of the following bacteria: Enterococcus faecalis, Staphyloccoccus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The in vitro activities of ceftazidime, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, streptomycin, erythromycin, amoxicillin, and ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, alone or combined with LiF were performed by microdilution method. MICs were determined visually following 18–20 h of incubation at 37°C. We observed reduced MICs of antibiotics associated with LiF ranging from two-fold to sixteen-fold. The strongest decreases of MICs observed were for streptomycin and erythromycin associated with LiF against Acinetobacter baumannii and Streptococcus pneumoniae. An eight-fold reduction was recorded for streptomycin against S. pneumoniae whereas an eight-fold and a sixteen-fold reduction were obtained for erythromycin against A. baumannii and S. pneumoniae. This suggests that LiF exhibits a synergistic effect with a wide range of antibiotics and is indicative of its potential as an adjuvant in antibiotic therapy.

La representación icónica y narrativa de la mujer en el cómic japonés masculino: el shounen manga y el horror manga

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Juan A. García Pacheco

2012-06-01

Full Text Available El cómic japonés (Manga es un importante medio de comunicación en su país de origen y, gracias su progresiva expansión internacional, en muchos países occidentales. Gran parte de los estudios de género realizados sobre el cómic japonés se han centrado en las obras dirigidas a una audiencia femenina. El presente artículo analiza un área menos abordada como es la representación de la mujer en el cómic japonés masculino, la cual es estudiada a través de dos métodos de análisis (iconográfico y narrativo en dos tipos de cómics bien definidos en sus características como son el cómic de acción y aventura para adolescentes masculinos (shounen manga y el cómic de terror (horror manga para el público adulto.

Optimizing the updated Goddard shortwave radiation Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) scheme for Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Mielikainen, Jarno; Huang, Bormin; Huang, Allen H.-L.

2015-05-01

Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) ushers in a new era of supercomputing speed, performance, and compatibility. It allows the developers to run code at trillions of calculations per second using the familiar programming model. In this paper, we present our results of optimizing the updated Goddard shortwave radiation Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) scheme on Intel Many Integrated Core Architecture (MIC) hardware. The Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor is the first product based on Intel MIC architecture, and it consists of up to 61 cores connected by a high performance on-die bidirectional interconnect. The co-processor supports all important Intel development tools. Thus, the development environment is familiar one to a vast number of CPU developers. Although, getting a maximum performance out of Xeon Phi will require using some novel optimization techniques. Those optimization techniques are discusses in this paper. The results show that the optimizations improved performance of the original code on Xeon Phi 7120P by a factor of 1.3x.

Antimycobacterial activity evaluation and MIC determination of liophilizated hydroalcoholic extracts of Bixa orellana L., Bixaceae

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Renata B. Silva

Full Text Available Bixa orellana is used in popular medicine against several diseases. Extracts of its fruit, root and leaf presented antimicrobial activity, while seed extract showed negative results. This study aimed at verifying the antimycobacterial activity of B. orellanalyophilized hydroalcoholic extracts over Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration against five bacteria. Antimycobacterial activity was determined by diffusion technique, while MIC was assessed by diffusion and colorimetric analysis. MICs were 0.3, 0.5 and 0.2 mg/mL respectively, for leaf, root and stem extracts, against M. tuberculosis. Stem's extract showed 1.2 mg/mL for B. cereus, 1.53 mg/mL for S. aureusand S. typhimurium, 4.50 mg/mL for P. aeruginosaand 8.01 mg/mL for P. mirabillis.Leaf extracts showed 0.66 mg/mL for P. aeruginosa, 0.94 mg/mL for P. mirabillis, 1.88 mg/mL for S. aureus, 3.95 mg/mL for B. cereusand 8.37 mg/mL for S. typhimurium. Root's extracts showed 0.25 mg/mL for P. aeruginosa,0.31 mg/mL for S. aureus, 0.62 mg/mL for S. typhimuriumand 3.00 mg/mL for B. cereusand P. mirabillis. Leaf and stem extracts showed antimycobacterial activity. MICs were lower in colorimetric analysis than in agar diffusion. Extracts revealed bacteriostatic activity against the five bacterial.

Evaluation of epidemiological cut-off values indicates that biocide resistant subpopulations are uncommon in natural isolates of clinically-relevant microorganisms.

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Ian Morrissey

Full Text Available To date there are no clear criteria to determine whether a microbe is susceptible to biocides or not. As a starting point for distinguishing between wild-type and resistant organisms, we set out to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC distributions for four common biocides; triclosan, benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine and sodium hypochlorite for 3319 clinical isolates, with a particular focus on Staphylococcus aureus (N = 1635 and Salmonella spp. (N = 901 but also including Escherichia coli (N = 368, Candida albicans (N = 200, Klebsiella pneumoniae (N = 60, Enterobacter spp. (N = 54, Enterococcus faecium (N = 53, and Enterococcus faecalis (N = 56. From these data epidemiological cut-off values (ECOFFs are proposed. As would be expected, MBCs were higher than MICs for all biocides. In most cases both values followed a normal distribution. Bimodal distributions, indicating the existence of biocide resistant subpopulations were observed for Enterobacter chlorhexidine susceptibility (both MICs and MBCs and the susceptibility to triclosan of Enterobacter (MBC, E. coli (MBC and MIC and S. aureus (MBC and MIC. There is a concern on the potential selection of antibiotic resistance by biocides. Our results indicate however that resistance to biocides and, hence any potential association with antibiotic resistance, is uncommon in natural populations of clinically relevant microorganisms.

Implementation of body area networks based on MICS/WMTS medical bands for healthcare systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuce, Mehmet R; Ho, Chee Keong

2008-01-01

A multi-hoping sensor network system has been implemented to monitor physiological parameters from multiple patient bodies by means of medical communication standards MICS (Medical Implant Communication Service) and WMTS (Wireless Medical Telemetry Service). Unlike the other medical sensor networks (they usually use 2.4 GHz ISM band), we used the two medical standards occupying the frequency bands that are mainly assigned to medical applications. The prototype system uses the MICS band (402-405 MHz) between the sensor nodes and a remote central control unit (CCU). And WMTS frequencies (608-614MHz) are used between the CCUs and the remote base stations allowing for a much larger range acting as an intermediate node. The sensor nodes in the prototype can measure up to four body signals (i.e. 4-channel) where one is dedicated to a continuous physiological signal such as ECC/EEG. The system includes firmware and software designs that can provide a long distance data transfer through the internet or a mobile network.

[Effectiveness of Mitral Natural Folding Plasty for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Mitral Valve Plasty (MICS MVP)].

Science.gov (United States)

Kondo, Shunichi; Tsuboi, Eitoshi; Rokkaku, Kyu; Irie, Yoshihito; Yokoyama, Hitoshi

2015-01-01

We performed 45 cases of Natural folding plasty without leaflet resection for degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) between September 2005 and July 2014. Twenty cases of 45 were operated by right small intercostal approach (MICS). There was no operative mortality. No patient had greater than mild MR intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography. The median follow-up was 847 (19~1,747) days. One case needed a second pump run performed without complication. One patient had a reoperation performed for recurrent MR 20 months later. Natural folding plasty for degenerative MR with favorable long term out come in our results. This technique is simple and reproducible for most surgeons. Furthermore, with its simplicity and reversibility, we considered it to be suitable for MICS approach.

Cómic como instrumento didáctico. La narración gráfica en ámbito universitario

OpenAIRE

Baile López, Eduard; Maestre-Brotons, Antoni; Ortiz Hernández, Francisco Javier; Rovira-Collado, José; Pomares Puig, María Pilar; Soler-Quílez, Guillermo; Villaverde Pérez, Abel; Bernabé Gallardo, Carlos; Rovira Collado, Joan Miquel; Sánchez Verdú, Ramón; Serna-Rodrigo, Rocío; Vidal Martín-Toledano, Jesús

2016-01-01

Mediante la red 3489, se ha pretendido dar, tal como ya se hizo en la convocatòria anterior de Redes de la UA, presencia académica a la labor de estudio y difusión sobre las posibilidades didácticas del cómic que se viene desarrollando desde los núcleos de Unicómic y CLUECA. En este sentido, la memoria pretende ser testimonio del trabajo investigador y docente llevado a cabo por los diversos miembros en el curso académico 2015-2016. A nuestro juicio, hacer recuento del camino recorrido es con...

Dopamine Receptor-Specific Contributions to the Computation of Value.

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Christopher J; Soutschek, Alexander; Weber, Susanna; Raja Beharelle, Anjali; Fehr, Ernst; Haker, Helene; Tobler, Philippe N

2018-05-01

Dopamine is thought to play a crucial role in value-based decision making. However, the specific contributions of different dopamine receptor subtypes to the computation of subjective value remain unknown. Here we demonstrate how the balance between D1 and D2 dopamine receptor subtypes shapes subjective value computation during risky decision making. We administered the D2 receptor antagonist amisulpride or placebo before participants made choices between risky options. Compared with placebo, D2 receptor blockade resulted in more frequent choice of higher risk and higher expected value options. Using a novel model fitting procedure, we concurrently estimated the three parameters that define individual risk attitude according to an influential theoretical account of risky decision making (prospect theory). This analysis revealed that the observed reduction in risk aversion under amisulpride was driven by increased sensitivity to reward magnitude and decreased distortion of outcome probability, resulting in more linear value coding. Our data suggest that different components that govern individual risk attitude are under dopaminergic control, such that D2 receptor blockade facilitates risk taking and expected value processing.

El cómic en la clase de ELE: una propuesta didáctica

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Alonso Abal, Marina

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Suplemento del número 14 de marcoELE (enero - junio de 2012 La presente memoria pretende hacer una reflexión sobre el valor del cómic como herramienta pedagógica. Para ello y, como punto de partida, se plantean tres cuestiones que sirven como eje vertebrador de dicho trabajo. La primera tiene que ver con los motivos de su utilización en la clase de ELE. En dicho apartado, se tratan aspectos como el factor afectivo, lo lúdico, el humor, la interculturalidad, etc., todos ellos presentes en las tiras cómicas y que, tal y como se pone de manifiesto en el segundo bloque, en el que se analiza la finalidad de su explotación en el aula, favorecen un aprendizaje significativo en consonancia con los postulados del MCER y del PCIC. El tercer bloque pretende desarrollar de manera práctica los aspectos teóricos abordados anteriormente. Se presentan tres cómics que se utilizarán como eje central de tres secuencias de actividades, correspondientes a cada uno de los niveles del MCER (A, B, C. En cada secuencia se desarrollarán una serie de actividades para alcanzar un objetivo comunicativo concreto confirmando, así, el valor didáctico de los cómics más allá de la utilización de dicho material como actividad complementaria de revisión al final de la unidad, como una actividad aislada para practicar un determinado contenido lingüístico o como una mera distracción o una excusa para la conversación.

Postantibiotic effect and postantibiotic sub-MIC effect of LTX-109 and mupirocin on Staphylococcus aureus blood isolates.

Science.gov (United States)

Saravolatz, L D; Pawlak, J; Martin, H; Saravolatz, S; Johnson, L; Wold, H; Husbyn, M; Olsen, W M

2017-11-01

The development of new synthetic antimicrobial peptides like LTX-109 provides a new class of drugs for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections. We evaluated LTX-109 and mupirocin for pharmacodynamic parameters against 10 methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates. The postantibiotic effect (PAE) is defined as the length of time that bacterial growth is suppressed following a brief exposure to an antibiotic. We also determined the sub-MIC effect (SME) which measures the direct effect of subinhibitory levels on strains that have not previously been exposed to antibiotics. The postantibiotic sub-MIC effect (PA-SME) is a combination of the PAE and SME. LTX-109 had an average PAE of 5·51 h vs 1·04 h for mupirocin. The PA-SME of LTX-109 ranged from 2·51 to 9·33 h as the concentration increased from 0·2 to 0·4 times the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The PA-SME range for mupirocin was 0·93-2·58 h. LTX-109, as compared to mupirocin, demonstrated prolonged time of effect for these pharmacodynamic parameters, which supports persistent activity for several hours after the drug is no longer present or is below the MIC. The pharmacodynamic parameters studied here suggest that LTX-109 is less likely than mupirocin to generate resistance to S. aureus. Resistant bacterial infections continue to be a challenge for clinicians. Identification of antibiotics with pharmacodynamic advantages may be beneficial in the treatment of these infections. An antibiotic with a longer postantibiotic effect may be able to be administered less frequently resulting in improved adherence. In this study, a new synthetic antimicrobial peptide, LTX-109, demonstrated a more prolonged time for LTX-109 than mupirocin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Screening of potential medicinal plants from District Sawat specific for controlling women diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarwat, A.; Shinwari, Z.K.; Ahmad, N.

2012-01-01

Ethnobotany provides a scientific rationale to identify medicinally important plant species, especially for finding new drugs that play vital role in the treatment of different diseases. This ethnobotanical survey of Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was carried out to identify medicinally important plant species that are traditionally used to treat gynecological disorders and infectious diseases, and to study their antimicrobial potential against pathogens that cause infections in females. The antimicrobial activities were investigated using the well diffusion method against four different bacterial strains and one fungal strain. Results showed that out of 12 plants studied, seven plants exhibited inhibitory effects against Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. Woodfordia fruticosa, Quercus dilatata, Erythrina variegata, Ficus religiosa and Berberis lycium showed high antifungal activity against C. albicans with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 2.5, 1.25, 0.625, 1.25, 0.3125 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 5, 2.5, 1.25, 2.5, 0.625 mg/ml, respectively. Both Woodfordia fruticosa and Quercus dilatata showed antimicrobial potential against E. coli and K. pneumoniae with similar MIC values of 2.5 mg/ml and MBC values of 5 mg/ml. Plants exhibiting inhibitory potential against S. aureus were Woodfordia fruticosa, Quercus dilatata, Azadirachta indica and Curcuma longa and all of them possessed similar MIC values of 5 mg/ml and MBC values of 2.5 mg/ml, respectively. None of the plants showed antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Proximate analysis showed that in comparative assessment of the various species, Zanthoxylum alatum had the highest fat and energy values. (author)

Un nuevo enfoque para la explotación del cómic en E/LE

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Consuelo Escudero Medina

2007-01-01

Full Text Available En esta ocasión, nos hemos decantado por trabajar con el cómic. Los elementos que configuran este material favorecen sobre todo la motivación del alumno, puesto que no le son ajenos, existen en su cultura.

Performance of a 100V Half-Bridge MOSFET Driver, Type MIC4103, Over a Wide Temperature Range

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Richard L.; Hammoud, Ahmad

2011-01-01

The operation of a high frequency, high voltage MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors) driver was investigated over a wide temperature regime that extended beyond its specified range. The Micrel MIC4103 is a 100V, non-inverting, dual driver that is designed to independently drive both high-side and low-side N-channel MOSFETs. It features fast propagation delay times and can drive 1000 pF load with 10ns rise times and 6 ns fall times [1]. The device consumes very little power, has supply under-voltage protection, and is rated for a -40 C to +125 C junction temperature range. The floating high-side driver of the chip can sustain boost voltages up to 100 V. Table I shows some of the device manufacturer s specification.

Pathobiological implications of the expression of EGFR, pAkt, NF-κB and MIC-1 in prostate cancer stem cells and their progenies.

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Murielle Mimeault

Full Text Available The progression of prostate cancers (PCs to locally invasive, androgen-independent and metastatic disease states is generally associated with treatment resistance and disease relapse. The present study was undertaken to establish the possibility of using a combination of specific oncogenic products, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR, pAkt, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB and macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1 as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for optimizing the management of patients with localized PC at earlier disease stages. The immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence data have revealed that the expression levels of EGFR, Ser(473-pAkt, NF-κB p65 and MIC-1 proteins were significantly enhanced in the same subset of 76 cases of prostatic adenocarcinoma specimens during the disease progression and these biomarkers were expressed in a small subpopulation of CD133(+ PC cells and the bulk tumor mass of CD133(- PC cells. Importantly, all of these biomarkers were also overexpressed in 80-100% of 30 PC metastasis bone tissue specimens. Moreover, the results have indicated that the EGF-EGFR signaling pathway can provide critical functions for the self-renewal of side population (SP cells endowed with stem cell-like features from highly invasive WPE1-NB26 cells. Of therapeutic interest, the targeting of EGFR, pAkt, NF-κB or MIC-1 was also effective at suppressing the basal and EGF-promoted prostasphere formation by SP WPE1-NB26 cells, inducing disintegration of SP cell-derived prostaspheres and decreasing the viability of SP and non-SP WPE1-NB26 cell fractions. Also, the targeting of these oncogenic products induced the caspase-dependent apoptosis in chemoresistant SP WPE1-NB26 cells and enhanced their sensibility to the cytotoxic effects induced by docetaxel. These findings suggest that the combined use of EGFR, pAkt, NF-κB and/or MIC-1 may represent promising strategies for improving the accuracy of current diagnostic and

Optimizing zonal advection of the Advanced Research WRF (ARW) dynamics for Intel MIC

Science.gov (United States)

Mielikainen, Jarno; Huang, Bormin; Huang, Allen H.

2014-10-01

The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model is the most widely used community weather forecast and research model in the world. There are two distinct varieties of WRF. The Advanced Research WRF (ARW) is an experimental, advanced research version featuring very high resolution. The WRF Nonhydrostatic Mesoscale Model (WRF-NMM) has been designed for forecasting operations. WRF consists of dynamics code and several physics modules. The WRF-ARW core is based on an Eulerian solver for the fully compressible nonhydrostatic equations. In the paper, we will use Intel Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture to substantially increase the performance of a zonal advection subroutine for optimization. It is of the most time consuming routines in the ARW dynamics core. Advection advances the explicit perturbation horizontal momentum equations by adding in the large-timestep tendency along with the small timestep pressure gradient tendency. We will describe the challenges we met during the development of a high-speed dynamics code subroutine for MIC architecture. Furthermore, lessons learned from the code optimization process will be discussed. The results show that the optimizations improved performance of the original code on Xeon Phi 5110P by a factor of 2.4x.

Un nuevo enfoque para la explotación del cómic en E/LE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Consuelo Escudero Medina

2012-08-01

Full Text Available En esta ocasión, nos hemos decantado por trabajar con el cómic.  Los elementos que configuran este material favorecen sobre todo la motivación del alumno, puesto que no le son ajenos, existen en su cultura.

Environmental Guide Value (VGE) and specific reference values (QS) for uranium. Synthesis and elements for application to French fresh waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

This report proposes a synthesis of works performed to determine criteria of protection of continental aquatic ecosystems with respect to uranium. These works resulted in the determination of an environmental guide value (VGE) for the assessment of the ecological and chemical condition of waters. Other specific reference values have been determined to be used in risk assessment: average annual concentration, maximum admissible concentration. After a recall of the methodology adopted for the determination of VGE in the case of uranium, the report discusses the specific reference values in the case of uranium for different organisms, for predators, for the protection of human health against a risk of exposure by consumption of fished products or drinkable water. The determination of VGE and its application are reported, and its consistency with the criterion of radiation protection of the environment applied to water and sediments is discussed. The determination of specific reference values is then discussed

MicROS-drt: supporting real-time and scalable data distribution in distributed robotic systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Bo; Wang, Huaimin; Fan, Zedong; Zhang, Pengfei; Liu, Hui

A primary requirement in distributed robotic software systems is the dissemination of data to all interested collaborative entities in a timely and scalable manner. However, providing such a service in a highly dynamic and resource-limited robotic environment is a challenging task, and existing robot software infrastructure has limitations in this aspect. This paper presents a novel robot software infrastructure, micROS-drt, which supports real-time and scalable data distribution. The solution is based on a loosely coupled data publish-subscribe model with the ability to support various time-related constraints. And to realize this model, a mature data distribution standard, the data distribution service for real-time systems (DDS), is adopted as the foundation of the transport layer of this software infrastructure. By elaborately adapting and encapsulating the capability of the underlying DDS middleware, micROS-drt can meet the requirement of real-time and scalable data distribution in distributed robotic systems. Evaluation results in terms of scalability, latency jitter and transport priority as well as the experiment on real robots validate the effectiveness of this work.

Chulos y novios en viñetas. Cómo dedicarse al cómic (gay y no morir en el intento

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Sebas Martín (autor de cómics

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Vivir del cómic es, de por sí, un imposible, pero las dificultades se acrecientan si el objetivo de un autor es dedicarse al cómic gay. En este artículo de cariz autobiográfico, se relatan los obstáculos y los éxitos que han marcado la trayectoria profesional de su autor, desde sus inicios, en los años 80, como creador de un fanzine, hasta la proliferación de proyectos que marcan los 2000. Con todo, se traza un recorrido por el panorama cultural e ideológico de la España de las últimas décadas, a través del cual asistimos a la lenta pero constante superación de los prejuicios que aún hoy rodean tanto el género del cómic como el mundo gay.

Establishing Streptomycin Epidemiological Cut-Off Values for Salmonella and Escherichia coli

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Migura, Lourdes Garcia; Sunde, Marianne; Karlsmose, Susanne

2011-01-01

This study was conducted to elucidate the accuracy of the current streptomycin epidemiological cut-off value (ECOFF) for Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. A total of 236 Salmonella enterica and 208 E. coli isolates exhibiting MICs between 4 and 32 mg/L were selected from 12 countries. Isolates...

[Evaluation of the methodological quality of the Rémic (microbiology guidelines - bacteriology and mycology) of the Société française de microbiologie].

Science.gov (United States)

Fonfrède, Michèle; Couaillac, Jean Paul; Augereau, Christine; De Moüy, Danny; Lepargneur, Jean Pierre; Szymanowicz, Anton; Watine, Joseph

2011-01-01

We have evaluated the methodological quality of the Rémic (microbiology guidelines - bacteriology and mycology) of the Société française de microbiologie (edition2007), using to AGREE criteria, which are consensual at an international level, in particular at the the World Health Organisation (WHO) and at the European Union. The methodological quality of the Rémic appears to be sub-optimal. These shortcomings in quality are mainly observed in AGREE domain n° 5 (applicability), in AGREE item n° 5 (patients' opinions were not considered), and in AGREE item n° 23 (conflicts of interest were not declared). The users of the Rémic must be aware of these few methodological shortcomings in order for them to be careful before they put its recommendation in practice. In conclusion, we advise the editors of the Rémic to insert at least a methodological chapter in their next edition.

Towards Porting a Real-World Seismological Application to the Intel MIC Architecture

OpenAIRE

V. Weinberg

2014-01-01

This whitepaper aims to discuss first experiences with porting an MPI-based real-world geophysical application to the new Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture. The selected code SeisSol is an application written in Fortran that can be used to simulate earthquake rupture and radiating seismic wave propagation in complex 3-D heterogeneous materials. The PRACE prototype cluster EURORA at CINECA, Italy, was accessed to analyse the MPI-performance of SeisSol on Intel Xeon Phi on both sing...

Department of Energy: MICS (Mathematical Information, and Computational Sciences Division). High performance computing and communications program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-06-01

This document is intended to serve two purposes. Its first purpose is that of a program status report of the considerable progress that the Department of Energy (DOE) has made since 1993, the time of the last such report (DOE/ER-0536, {open_quotes}The DOE Program in HPCC{close_quotes}), toward achieving the goals of the High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program. The second purpose is that of a summary report of the many research programs administered by the Mathematical, Information, and Computational Sciences (MICS) Division of the Office of Energy Research under the auspices of the HPCC Program and to provide, wherever relevant, easy access to pertinent information about MICS-Division activities via universal resource locators (URLs) on the World Wide Web (WWW). The information pointed to by the URL is updated frequently, and the interested reader is urged to access the WWW for the latest information.

Disidencia sexual en el cómic alemán contemporáneo: el caso de Ralf König

OpenAIRE

Saxe, Facundo

2016-01-01

Este trabajo aborda la representación de la sexualidad disidente en el cómic alemán contemporáneo. Se analiza la obra del autor alemán Ralf König desde una perspectiva propia de los estudios queer y la disidencia de sexo-género. A través de un recorrido crítico se conceptualiza la figura del autor en su campo cultural y su proyección vinculada a las sexualidades disidentes en Europa y a la tradición del cómic en Alemania. Como caso paradigmático se realiza un análisis textual d...

Evaluation of MIC Strip Isavuconazole test for susceptibility testing of wild-type and non-wild-type Aspergillus fumigatus isolates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arendrup, Maiken Cavling; Verweij, Paul; Nielsen, Henrik Vedel

2017-01-01

We evaluated the MIC Strip Isavuconazole test against EUCAST E.Def 9.3 by using 40 wild-type and 39 CYP51A mutant Aspergillus fumigatus strains. The strip full inhibition endpoint (FIE) and 80% growth inhibition endpoint were determined by two independent readers, reader 1 (R1) and R2. The essent......We evaluated the MIC Strip Isavuconazole test against EUCAST E.Def 9.3 by using 40 wild-type and 39 CYP51A mutant Aspergillus fumigatus strains. The strip full inhibition endpoint (FIE) and 80% growth inhibition endpoint were determined by two independent readers, reader 1 (R1) and R2...

An accelerated electrochemical MIC test for stainless alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gendron, T.S.; Cleland, R.D.

1994-01-01

Previous work in our laboratory and elsewhere has suggested that MIC of stainless steels and nickel-base alloys occurs in locally anaerobic regions that support the growth of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB). The cathodic reaction is provided by oxygen reduction at remote sites. Such a coupling between anode and cathode is difficult to reproduce in the laboratory, but can be simulated indirectly using a double electrochemical cell, as in previous work. A more realistic simulation using a single aerated electrochemical cell has now been developed, in which a second organism (P. aeruginosa) is used to provide an anoxic habitat for SRB growth and possibly a source of organic carbon, within a layer of silt. A bare alloy electrode is used as the oxygen cathode. Tests of this kind using rigorous microbiological procedures have generated pitting corrosion of several alloys in low chloride media simulating freshwater heat exchanger conditions. Similar test procedures are applicable to other environments of interest to this symposium

Site-specific parameter values for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's food pathway dose model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamby, D.M.

1992-01-01

Routine operations at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Western South Carolina result in radionuclide releases to the atmosphere and to the Savannah River. The resulting radiation doses to the off-site maximum individual and the off-site population within 80 km of the SRS are estimated on a yearly basis. These estimates are currently generated using dose models prescribed for the commercial nuclear power industry by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The NRC provides default values for dose-model parameters for facilities without resources to develop site-specific values. A survey of land- and water-use characteristics for the Savannah River area has been conducted to determine site-specific values for water recreation, consumption, and agricultural parameters used in the NRC Regulatory Guide 1.109 (1977) dosimetric models. These site parameters include local characteristics of meat, milk, and vegetable production; recreational and commercial activities on the Savannah River; and meat, milk, vegetable, and seafood consumption rates. This paper describes how parameter data were obtained at the Savannah River Site and the impacts of such data on off-site dose. Dose estimates using site-specific parameter values are compared to estimates using the NRC default values

Optimizing the Betts-Miller-Janjic cumulus parameterization with Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Melin; Huang, Bormin; Huang, Allen H.-L.

2015-10-01

The schemes of cumulus parameterization are responsible for the sub-grid-scale effects of convective and/or shallow clouds, and intended to represent vertical fluxes due to unresolved updrafts and downdrafts and compensating motion outside the clouds. Some schemes additionally provide cloud and precipitation field tendencies in the convective column, and momentum tendencies due to convective transport of momentum. The schemes all provide the convective component of surface rainfall. Betts-Miller-Janjic (BMJ) is one scheme to fulfill such purposes in the weather research and forecast (WRF) model. National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) has tried to optimize the BMJ scheme for operational application. As there are no interactions among horizontal grid points, this scheme is very suitable for parallel computation. With the advantage of Intel Xeon Phi Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture, efficient parallelization and vectorization essentials, it allows us to optimize the BMJ scheme. If compared to the original code respectively running on one CPU socket (eight cores) and on one CPU core with Intel Xeon E5-2670, the MIC-based optimization of this scheme running on Xeon Phi coprocessor 7120P improves the performance by 2.4x and 17.0x, respectively.

Vertebral heights and ratios are not only race-specific, but also gender- and region-specific: establishment of reference values for mainland Chinese.

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Lei; Song, Li-Jiang; Fan, Shun-Wu; Zhao, Xing; Chen, Yi-Lei; Li, Zhao-Zhi; Hu, Zi-Ang

2017-10-11

This study established gender-specific reference values in mainland Chinese (MC) and is important for quantitative morphometry for diagnosis and epidemiological study of osteoporotic vertebral compressive fracture. Comparisons of reference values among different racial populations are then performed to demonstrate the MC-specific characteristic. Osteoporotic vertebral compressive fracture (OVCF) is a common complication of osteoporosis in the elder population. Clinical diagnosis and epidemiological study of OVCF often employ quantitative morphometry, which relies heavily on the comparison of patients' vertebral parameters to existing reference values derived from the normal population. Thus, reference values are crucial in clinical diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first study to establish reference values of the mainland Chinese (MC) for quantitative morphometry. Vertebral heights including anterior (Ha), middle (Hm), posterior (Hp) heights, and predicted posterior height (pp) from T4 to L5 were obtained; and ratios of Ha/Hp, Hm/Hp and Hp/pp. were calculated from 585 MC (both female and male) for establishing reference values and subsequent comparisons with other studies. Vertebral heights increased progressively from T4 to L3 but then decreased in L4 and L5. Both genders showed similar ratios of vertebral dimensions, but male vertebrae were statistically larger than those of female (P values for MC. Our results also indicated the necessity of establishing reference values that are not only race- and gender-specific, but also population- or region-specific for accurate quantitative morphometric assessment of OVCF.

Sobre el plagi acadèmic a Europa. Un enfocament analític basat en quatre estudis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanja Pupovac

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Amb el desenvolupament de les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació (TIC, el plagi esdevé un problema cada cop més greu en la comunitat acadèmica. Segons els estudis sobre el plagi acadèmic elaborats en universitats de quatre països europeus diferents, l'índex de plagi entre els estudiants és considerablement alt i els estudiants majoritàriament passen per alt o permeten el plagi per la manca de coneixement, la manca de conseqüències o simplement perquè les TIC fan que el plagi sigui fàcil de cometre. Les conclusions dels estudis que es presenten en aquest article indiquen que cal introduir polítiques estrictes contra el plagi a les universitats. Pensem que s'hauria de captar l'atenció del públic sobre el problema del plagi, que s'hauria de debatre en altes esferes i que s'haurien d'aplicar mesures efectives contra el plagi. L'abast del plagi entre estudiants i les seves actituds envers el plagi reben influències de l'entorn cultural i també per l'escenari acadèmic. En comunitats multiculturals, com ara la comunitat europea, és necessari investigar i comparar el comportament acadèmic a diferents països per a establir estàndards equivalents en l'ensenyament arreu d'Europa. Text complet (PDFDossier complet (PDF

Luces y sombras de la amazona de cómic Wonder Woman, la mujer maravilla = Lights and shadows of the comic Wonderwoman

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.ª Inmaculada Concepción Marfil Díaz

2015-06-01

Full Text Available La mujer constituye una parte determinante que sustenta el tejido social de todas las culturas y, sin embargo, no ha sido protagonista principal en el mundo del cómic de superhéroes. Pero hay excepciones, como Wonder Woman, la Mujer Maravilla. ¿Qué sucede con este personaje que forma trinidad con Batman y Superman sin apenas resonancia en el universo del cómic? ¿Qué relación existe entre el mito y el cómic? ¿Quién crea esta superheroina? Este trabajo es una aproximación al mito de las amazonas junto a la evolución de este personaje de cómic norteamericano.Even though women are crucial to the sustainability of the social fabric in every culture, they have not been the main protagonists in the world of Comic Superheroes. There are, of course, exceptions such as Wonder Woman but, who is this character that, in spite of forming a trinity with Batman and Superman, has hardly had any relevance in the universe of Comics? What is the relationship between the myth and the comic? Who created this Superheroine? This work intends to shed a light on the myth of the Amazons as well as on the evolution of this American comic character.

Application of Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) accelerators to the Pleim-Xiu land surface scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Melin; Huang, Bormin; Huang, Allen H.

2015-10-01

The land-surface model (LSM) is one physics process in the weather research and forecast (WRF) model. The LSM includes atmospheric information from the surface layer scheme, radiative forcing from the radiation scheme, and precipitation forcing from the microphysics and convective schemes, together with internal information on the land's state variables and land-surface properties. The LSM is to provide heat and moisture fluxes over land points and sea-ice points. The Pleim-Xiu (PX) scheme is one LSM. The PX LSM features three pathways for moisture fluxes: evapotranspiration, soil evaporation, and evaporation from wet canopies. To accelerate the computation process of this scheme, we employ Intel Xeon Phi Many Integrated Core (MIC) Architecture as it is a multiprocessor computer structure with merits of efficient parallelization and vectorization essentials. Our results show that the MIC-based optimization of this scheme running on Xeon Phi coprocessor 7120P improves the performance by 2.3x and 11.7x as compared to the original code respectively running on one CPU socket (eight cores) and on one CPU core with Intel Xeon E5-2670.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Flavobacterium psychrophilum from Chilean Salmon Farms and Their Epidemiological Cut-Off Values Using Agar Dilution and Disk Diffusion Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Claudio D; Smith, Peter; Rojas, Rodrigo; Contreras-Lynch, Sergio; Vega, J M Alonso

2016-01-01

Flavobacterium psychrophilum is the most important bacterial pathogen for freshwater farmed salmonids in Chile. The aims of this study were to determine the susceptibility to antimicrobials used in fish farming of Chilean isolates and to calculate their epidemiological cut-off (CO WT ) values. A number of 125 Chilean isolates of F. psychrophilum were isolated from reared salmonids presenting clinical symptoms indicative of flavobacteriosis and their identities were confirmed by 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction. Susceptibility to antibacterials was tested on diluted Mueller-Hinton by using an agar dilution MIC method and a disk diffusion method. The CO WT values calculated by Normalized Resistance Interpretation (NRI) analysis allow isolates to be categorized either as wild-type fully susceptible (WT) or as manifesting reduced susceptibility (NWT). When MIC data was used, NRI analysis calculated a CO WT of ≤0.125, ≤2, and ≤0.5 μg mL -1 for amoxicillin, florfenicol, and oxytetracycline, respectively. For the quinolones, the CO WT were ≤1, ≤0.5, and ≤0.125 μg mL -1 for oxolinic acid, flumequine, and enrofloxacin, respectively. The disk diffusion data sets obtained in this work were extremely diverse and were spread over a wide range. For the quinolones there was a close agreement between the frequencies of NWT isolates calculated using MIC and disk data. For oxolinic acid, flumequine, and enrofloxacin the frequencies were 45, 39, and 38% using MIC data, and 42, 41, and 44%, when disk data were used. There was less agreement with the other antimicrobials, because NWT frequencies obtained using MIC and disk data, respectively, were 24 and 10% for amoxicillin, 8 and 2% for florfenicol, and 70 and 64% for oxytetracycline. Considering that the MIC data was more precise than the disk diffusion data, MIC determination would be the preferred method for susceptibility testing for this species and the NWT frequencies derived from the MIC data sets should be

Age-specific differences between conventional and ambulatory daytime blood pressure values

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conen, David; Aeschbacher, Stefanie; Thijs, Lutgarde

2014-01-01

Mean daytime ambulatory blood pressure (BP) values are considered to be lower than conventional BP values, but data on this relation among younger individuals ... population-based cohorts. We compared individual differences between daytime ambulatory and conventional BP according to 10-year age categories. Age-specific prevalences of white coat and masked hypertension were calculated. Among individuals aged 18 to 30, 30 to 40, and 40 to 50 years, mean daytime BP...

El cómic en Ecuador, una historia en génesis permanente

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Daniel Santibáñez

2012-09-01

Full Text Available El presente artículo presenta una síntesis histórica del cómic en Ecuador y las diferentes tendencias temáticas y de uso, a través de su evolución, principalmente en los medios de información de masas. También se exponen los nombres de los cultores de este arte/medio y de los historietistas más reconocidos en el país.

Determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC and mutant prevention concentration (MPC of selected antimicrobials in bovine and swine Pasteurella multocida, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus isolates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kateřina Nedbalcová

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We compared the values of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC and mutant prevention concentration (MPC values ​​of three antimicrobial agents for 72 bovine isolates of Pasteurella multocida, 80 swine isolates of P. multocida, 80 bovine isolates of Escherichia coli, 80 swine isolates of E. coli, and 80 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from bovine mastitis. The ratio of MIC90​​/MPC90 which limited mutant selection window (MSW was ≤ 0.12/4 mg/l for enrofloxacin, 0.5/≥ 64 mg/l for florfenicol and 4/≥ 128 mg/l for tulathromycin in bovine P. multocida isolates, ≤ 0.12/2 mg/l for enrofloxacin, 0.5/≥ 64 mg/l for florfenicol and 4/≥ 128 mg/l for tulathromycin in swine P. multocida isolates, 1/16 mg/l for enrofloxacin, 8/≥ 64 mg/l for florfenicol and 8/≥ 128 mg/l for tulathromycin in bovine E. coli isolates, 0.5/16 mg/l for enrofloxacin, ≥ 64/≥ 64 mg/l for florfenicol and 8/≥ 128 mg/l for tulathromycin in swine E. coli isolates, and 0.25/16 mg/l for enrofloxacin, 4/≥ 64 mg/l for florfenicol and 4/≥ 128 mg/l for tulathromycin in S. aureus isolates. These findings indicate that the dosage of antimicrobial agents to achieve serum concentration equal to or higher than MPC could reduce selection of resistant bacterial subpopulation.

Uso del EcoMic® y el producto bioactivo Pectimorf® en el establecimiento de dos especies forrajeras Use of EcoMic® and the bioactive product Pectimorf® in the establishment of two forage species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gertrudis Pentón

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de EcoMic®, Pectimorf® y/o su combinación en el establecimiento de las especies forrajeras Morus alba L. (morera y Sorghum bicolor L. (sorgo, se realizaron dos experimentos. El primero se hizo con M. alba, inoculada o no con HMA, y se evaluaron las variables del rendimiento y la supervivencia de las plantas a los 90 y 240 días. El experimento con S. bicolor se realizó durante 30 días a partir de la siembra, y se evaluó la germinación de las semillas y las variables del rendimiento a los 7, 15 y 30 días. Los tratamientos fueron: testigo, inoculación con HMA, imbibición en Pectimorf, y su combinación. Se empleó un diseño en bloques al azar, con tres repeticiones. Se obtuvo respuesta de la morera a la inoculación con HMA a los 90 días de establecimiento, en términos de peso verde de las raicillas y las raíces, que triplicaron los resultados del testigo. A los 240 días las plantas inoculadas duplicaron el rendimiento del testigo y no hubo diferencias significativas en la supervivencia, en el incremento de biomasa comestible por unidad de área foliar, ni en la relación del sistema asimilativo por unidad de biomasa comestible. En el sorgo, el empleo combinado del Pectimorf® y el EcoMic® produjo un aumento significativo, respecto al testigo, en la germinación de las semillas a los 30 días (89 vs 58%, la altura efectiva (4,04 vs 3,55 cm, el grosor de la base del tallo (0,18 vs 0,15 cm, el área del limbo, el número de hojas abiertas (4 vs 3 y el largo de las hojas. Se concluye que los productos EcoMic® y Pectimorf®, así como su combinación constituyen una alternativa efectiva para el establecimiento de las especies forrajeras estudiadas.In order to evaluate the effect of EcoMic®, Pectimorf® and/or their combination on the establishment of the forage species Morus alba L. (mulberry and Sorghum bicolor L. (sorghum, two trials were conducted. The first one was done with M. alba

An investigation of microbial diversity in crude oil & seawater injection systems and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) of linepipe steels under different exposure conditions

Science.gov (United States)

AlAbbas, Faisal Mohammed

During oil and gas operations, pipeline networks are subjected to different corrosion deterioration mechanisms that result from the interaction between the fluid process and the linepipe steel. Among these mechanisms is microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) that results from accelerated deterioration caused by different indigenous microorganisms that naturally reside in the hydrocarbon and associated seawater injection systems. The focus of this research is to obtain comprehensive understanding of MIC. This work has explored the most essential elements (identifications, implications and mitigations) required to fully understand MIC. Advanced molecular-based techniques, including sequencing of 16S rRNA genes via 454 pyrosequencing methodologies, were deployed to provide in-depth understanding of the microbial diversity associated with crude oil and seawater injection systems and their relevant impact on MIC. Key microbes including sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and iron reducing bacteria (IRB) were cultivated from sour oil well field samples. The microbes' phylotypes were identified in the laboratory to gain more thorough understanding of how they impact microbial corrosion. Electrochemical and advanced surface analytical techniques were used for corrosion evaluations of linepipe carbon steels (API 5L X52 and X80) under different exposure conditions. On the identification front, 454 pyrosequencing of both 16S rRNA genes indicated that the microbial communities in the corrosion products obtained from the sour oil pipeline, sweet crude pipeline and seawater pipeline were dominated by bacteria, though archaeal sequences (predominately Methanobacteriaceae and Methanomicrobiaceae) were also identified in the sweet and sour crude oil samples, respectively. The dominant bacterial phylotypes in the sour crude sample included members of the Thermoanaerobacterales, Synergistales, and Syntrophobacterales. In the sweet crude sample, the dominant phylotypes included

Tentative Colistin Epidemiological Cut-Off Value for Salmonella spp

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agersø, Yvonne; Torpdahl, Mia; Zachariasen, Camilla

2012-01-01

. Interestingly, Salmonella Dublin and Salmonella Enteritidis belong to the same O-group (O:1, 9,12), suggesting that surface lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of the cell (O-antigen) play a role in colistin susceptibility. The epidemiological cut-off value of >2 mg/L for colistin suggested by European Committee...... on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) is placed inside the distribution for both Salmonella Dublin and Salmonella Enteritidis. All tested Salmonella Dublin isolates, regardless of MIC colistin value, had identical pmrA and pmrB sequences. Missense mutations were found only in pmrA in one Salmonella...

MIC damage in a water coolant header for remote process equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenkins, C.F.

1994-01-01

Stainless steel water piping used to supply coolant for remote chemical separations equipment developed leaks during low flow conditions resulting from an extended interruption of operations. All the leaks occurred at welds in the bottom zone of the pipe, which was blanketed with silt deposits from the unfiltered well water used for cooling. Ultrasonic, radiographic, and metallographic examinations of leak sites revealed worm hole pitting adjacent to the welds. Seepage at the penetrations was strongly acidic and resulted in corrosion on the external pipe surfaces beneath brown crusty deposits which had developed. Analyses of the water and deposits suggest a strong propensity toward microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) and fouling

Are Vancomycin Trough Concentrations of 15 to 20 mg/L Associated With Increased Attainment of an AUC/MIC ≥ 400 in Patients With Presumed MRSA Infection?

Science.gov (United States)

Hale, Cory M; Seabury, Robert W; Steele, Jeffrey M; Darko, William; Miller, Christopher D

2017-06-01

To determine whether there is an association between higher vancomycin trough concentrations and attainment of a calculated area under the concentration-time curve (AUC)/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥400. A retrospective analysis was conducted among vancomycin-treated adult patients with a positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) culture. Attainment of a calculated AUC/MIC ≥400 was compared between patients with troughs in the reference range of 15 to 20 mg/L and those with troughs in the following ranges: 20 mg/L. Nephrotoxicity was assessed as a secondary outcome based on corrected average vancomycin troughs over 10 days of treatment. Overall, 226 patients were reviewed and 100 included. Relative to troughs ≥10, patients with vancomycin troughs AUC/MIC ≥400 (odds ratio [OR] 0.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01-0.75). No difference was found in the attainment of an AUC/MIC ≥400 in patients with troughs of 10 to 14.9 mg/L and >20 mg/L when compared to patients with troughs of 15 to 20 mg/L. The mean corrected average vancomycin trough was higher in patients developing nephrotoxicity compared to those who did not (19.5 vs 14.5 mg/L, P AUC/MIC target relative to troughs of 10 to 14.9 mg/L but may increase nephrotoxicity risk.

Análisis de los problemas expresivos del cómic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Luís RODRÍGUEZ BELTRÁN

2009-11-01

Full Text Available RESUMEN: Se plantea en este artículo una aproximación a los códigos específicos del cómic que busca principalmente determinar algunas de las relaciones existentes entre los mismos. No se busca, por lo tanto, definir cada uno de estos códigos, tarea ya realizada en numerosos trabajos más extensos que el presente artículo, sino buscar claves que permitan entender por qué algunas historietas presentan una narración fluida y otras, en cambio, resultan de lectura difícil y poco clara. El proceso que se siguió a este efecto fue la realización de un estudio estadístico sobre una muestra de cómics "de calidad". Los criterios para la selección de la muestra residieron fundamentalmente en la eliminación de subproductos, con la intención de dejar aisladas una serie de historietas narradas con efectividad. A continuación, una vez definida la muestra, se trató de convertir en variables bipolares todo aquello que, a juicio del autor y de las referencias consultadas, fuera de importancia como código específico o elemento significativo en una narración de viñetas. El resultado arroja cierta luz sobre la conveniencia o no de usar determinados recursos de modo conjunto, y podría resultar útil como marco de referencia flexible para aquellos interesados en conocer la gramática del cómic más allá de sus elementos constitutivos mínimos.ABSTRACT: This article sets forth an approach to the specific codes of the comic, in which the main aim is to determine some of the relationships existing between them. The objective is thus not to define each one of these codes - a task already performed in numerous studies, more extensive than this article, - but to find keys that will enable us to understand why some comic strips have a fluent series of incidents and others, on the contrary, are difficult to read and not very clear. The process foliowed for this purpose was that of carrying out a statistical study of a sample of "quality" comics. The

CONSIDERAȚII TEORETICO-METODOLOGICE PRIVIND DESFĂȘURAREA AUTOEDUCAȚIEI ȘCOLARULUI MIC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia POPA

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Analiza literaturii de specialitate, observațiile noastre, rezultatele chestionării și ale conversației cu cadrele didactice demonstrează posibilitățile realizării unei auto/educații de calitate și necesitatea depunerii unui efort intelectual și moral-volitiv atât din partea elevilor, cât și a părinților și pedagogilor în direcția autoinstruirii, autoeducației și învățării pe parcursul vieții. În acest sens a fost elaborată matricea achizițiilor principale ale școlarului mic, care orientează adulții în direcția strategiilor ce pot fi aplicate în stimularea autoeducației școlarului mic.THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON UNFOLDING PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN SELF-EDUCATIONThe literature analysis, our observations, results of questioning and conversation with teachers demonstrate the possibilities of achieving quality self/education and the need to make an intellectual and moral-volitional effort, both from students, parents and teachers towards self-training, self-education and lifelong learning. In this respect, the matrix of main achievements of small pupil, guiding adults towards strategies that can be applied to stimulate self-education primary school children has been developed.

Absence of methylation of a CpG-rich region at the 5' end of the MIC2 gene on the active X, the inactive X, and the Y chromosome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodfellow, P.J.; Mondello, C.; Darling, S.M.; Pym, B.; Little, P.; Goodfellow, P.N.

1988-01-01

The authors have identified and characterized a Hpa II tiny fragment (HTF) island associated with the promoter region of the pseudoautosomal gene MIC2. The MIC2 HTF island is unmethylated on both the active and inactive X chromosome and is similarly unmethylated on the Y chromosome. Unlike the majority of genes borne on the X chromosome, MIC2 fails to undergo X chromosome inactivation. HTF islands associated with X chromosome-liked genes that are inactivated are highly methylated on the inactive or transcriptionally silent homologue. The failure of MIC2 to undergo X chromosome inactivation correlates with the lack of methylation of HTF island at the 5' end of the gene. These results provide further evidence that DNA methylation plays an important role in the phenomenon of X chromosome inactivation

Application of natural antimicrobial compounds for reservoir souring and MIC prevention in offshore oil and gas production systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Mette Hedegaard; Skovhus, Torben Lund; Mashietti, Marco

Offshore oil production facilities are subjectable to internal corrosion, potentially leading to human and environmental risk and significant economic losses. Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) and reservoir souring - sulphide production by sulfate reducing microorganisms in the reservo...

Human reinforcement learning subdivides structured action spaces by learning effector-specific values.

Science.gov (United States)

Gershman, Samuel J; Pesaran, Bijan; Daw, Nathaniel D

2009-10-28

Humans and animals are endowed with a large number of effectors. Although this enables great behavioral flexibility, it presents an equally formidable reinforcement learning problem of discovering which actions are most valuable because of the high dimensionality of the action space. An unresolved question is how neural systems for reinforcement learning-such as prediction error signals for action valuation associated with dopamine and the striatum-can cope with this "curse of dimensionality." We propose a reinforcement learning framework that allows for learned action valuations to be decomposed into effector-specific components when appropriate to a task, and test it by studying to what extent human behavior and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity can exploit such a decomposition in a multieffector choice task. Subjects made simultaneous decisions with their left and right hands and received separate reward feedback for each hand movement. We found that choice behavior was better described by a learning model that decomposed the values of bimanual movements into separate values for each effector, rather than a traditional model that treated the bimanual actions as unitary with a single value. A decomposition of value into effector-specific components was also observed in value-related BOLD signaling, in the form of lateralized biases in striatal correlates of prediction error and anticipatory value correlates in the intraparietal sulcus. These results suggest that the human brain can use decomposed value representations to "divide and conquer" reinforcement learning over high-dimensional action spaces.

An accelerated electrochemical MIC test for stainless alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gendron, T.S.; Cleland, R.D.

1994-11-01

Previous work in our laboratory and elsewhere has suggested that microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) of stainless steels and nickel-base alloys occurs in locally anaerobic regions that support the growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). The cathodic reaction is provided by oxygen reduction at remote sites. Such a coupling between anode and cathode is difficult to reproduce in the laboratory, but can be simulated indirectly using a double electrochemical cell, as in previous work. A more realistic simulation using a single aerated electrochemical cell has now been developed, in which a second organism (P. aeruginosa) is used to provide an anoxic habitat for SRB growth and possible a source of organic carbon, within a layer of silt. A bare alloy electrode is used as the oxygen cathode. Tests of this kind using rigorous microbiological procedures have generated pitting corrosion of several alloys in low chloride media simulating freshwater heat exchanger conditions. This report discusses the adaption of these procedures to study corrosion of nuclear waste containers. (author). 20 refs., 2 tabs., 7 figs

National and Gender Measurement Invariance of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS): A 10-Nation Study With University Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Crocetti, Elisabetta; Cieciuch, Jan; Gao, Cheng-Hai; Klimstra, Theo; Lin, Ching-Ling; Matos, Paula Mena; Morsünbül, Ümit; Negru, Oana; Sugimura, Kazumi; Zimmermann, Grégoire; Meeus, Wim

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS), a self-report measure aimed at assessing identity processes of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment. We tested its factor structure in university students from a large array of cultural contexts, including 10 nations located in Europe (i.e., Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland), Middle East (i.e., Turkey), and Asia (i.e., China, Japan, and Taiwan). Furthermore, we tested national and gender measurement invariance. Participants were 6,118 (63.2% females) university students aged from 18 to 25 years (Mage = 20.91 years). Results indicated that the three-factor structure of the U-MICS fitted well in the total sample, in each national group, and in gender groups. Furthermore, national and gender measurement invariance were established. Thus, the U-MICS can be fruitfully applied to study identity in university students from various Western and non-Western contexts. © The Author(s) 2015.

The value of prostate specific antigen and prostate specific antigen density in the diagnosis ad treatment of prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Guoying; Yu Mingqi; Feng Xinli

2001-01-01

To study the clinical value of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostate specific antigen density (PSAD), the PSA levels of pre-and post-treatment were measured in 28 cases with prostate cancer (Pca) and 80 patients with being Prostate hyperplasia (BPH). PASD was measured in 18 cases Pca and 50 cases BPH of them. The results suggest that the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of diagnosis for Pca were 85.7%, 80.0% and 81.4%, respectively. The false positive rate was 20%. PSAD is superior to PSA in distinguishing prostate cancer from benign prostate hyperplasia. The false positive rate was only 6%. But in the clinical application, the authors should combine PASD with other materials. The regular observation of post therapeutic PSA is of great value to the earlier discovery of local recurrence and metastasis as well as the judgement of curative effect and prognosis

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Flavobacterium psychrophilum from Chilean Salmon Farms and their Epidemiological Cut-off Values using Agar Dilution and Disk Diffusion Methods

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Claudio D Miranda

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Flavobacterium psychrophilum is the most important bacterial pathogen for freshwater farmed salmonids in Chile. The aims of this study were to determine the susceptibility to antimicrobials used in fish farming of Chilean isolates and to calculate their epidemiological cut-off (COWT values. A number of 125 Chilean isolates of F. psychrophilum were isolated from reared salmonids presenting clinical symptoms indicative of flavobacteriosis and their identities were confirmed by 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction. Susceptibility to antibacterials was tested on diluted Mueller-Hinton by using an agar dilution MIC method and a disk diffusion method. The COWT values calculated by Normalised Resistance Interpretation (NRI analysis allow isolates to be categorized either as wild-type fully susceptible (WT or as manifesting reduced susceptibility (NWT. When MIC data was used, NRI analysis calculated a COWT of ≤ 0.125 μg mL-1, ≤ 2 μg mL-1 and ≤ 0.5 μg mL-1 for amoxicillin, florfenicol and oxytetracycline, respectively. For the quinolones, the COWT were ≤1 μg mL-1, ≤ 0.5 μg mL-1 and ≤ 0.125 μg mL-1 for oxolinic acid, flumequine and enrofloxacin respectively. The disc diffusion data sets obtained in this work were extremely diverse and were spread over a wide range. For the quinolones there was a close agreement between the frequencies of NWT isolates calculated using MIC and disc data. For oxolinic acid, flumequine and enrofloxacin the frequencies were 45, 39 and 38% using MIC data, and 42, 41 and 44%, when disc data were used. There was less agreement with the other antimicrobials, because NWT frequencies obtained using MIC and disc data respectively, were 24% and 10% for amoxicillin, 8% and 2% for florfenicol and 70% and 64% for oxytetracycline. Considering that the MIC data was more precise than the disc diffusion data, MIC determination would be the preferred method for susceptibility testing for this species and the NWT frequencies

The Specific Value of Freedom

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hees, Martin

2010-01-01

Freedom is among the most important values in political life, yet there has always been a great deal of disagreement about what this value demands from us. Libertarians argue that it requires that we protect each person's right to own and exchange private property. Liberals argue that it requires

[Severe diarrhea after the original well-functioning percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube was replaced by a Mic-Key button].

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Susanne Wigh; Eriksen, Jan; Kristensen, Kurt

2006-03-06

We report two cases of colocutaneous fistula as a complication of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in small children. Both children developed severe osmotic diarrhoea immediately after the original PEG tube was replaced by a Mic-Key button which subsequently migrated to the colon.

Measuring coverage in MNCH: tracking progress in health for women and children using DHS and MICS household surveys.

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Attila Hancioglu

Full Text Available Household surveys are the primary data source of coverage indicators for children and women for most developing countries. Most of this information is generated by two global household survey programmes-the USAID-supported Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS and the UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS. In this review, we provide an overview of these two programmes, which cover a wide range of child and maternal health topics and provide estimates of many Millennium Development Goal indicators, as well as estimates of the indicators for the Countdown to 2015 initiative and the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health. MICS and DHS collaborate closely and work through interagency processes to ensure that survey tools are harmonized and comparable as far as possible, but we highlight differences between DHS and MICS in the population covered and the reference periods used to measure coverage. These differences need to be considered when comparing estimates of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health indicators across countries and over time and we discuss the implications of these differences for coverage measurement. Finally, we discuss the need for survey planners and consumers of survey results to understand the strengths, limitations, and constraints of coverage measurements generated through household surveys, and address some technical issues surrounding sampling and quality control. We conclude that, although much effort has been made to improve coverage measurement in household surveys, continuing efforts are needed, including further research to improve and refine survey methods and analytical techniques.

Serum levels of human MIC-1/GDF15 vary in a diurnal pattern, do not display a profile suggestive of a satiety factor and are related to BMI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tsai, Vicky Wang-Wei; Macia, Laurence; Feinle-Bisset, Christine

2015-01-01

The TGF-b superfamily cytokine MIC-1/GDF15 circulates in the blood of healthy humans. Its levels rise substantially in cancer and other diseases and this may sometimes lead to development of an anorexia/cachexia syndrome. This is mediated by a direct action of MIC-1/GDF15 on feeding centres...

Plasma MIC-1 and PAPP-a levels are decreased among women presenting to an early pregnancy assessment unit, have fetal viability confirmed but later miscarry.

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Tu'uhevaha J Kaitu'u-Lino

Full Text Available We have recently shown first trimester Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1 and Pregnancy Associated Plasma Protein-A (PAPP-A serum concentrations are depressed among asymptomatic women destined to miscarry. Here we examined whether plasma levels of MIC-1 and PAPP-A are depressed among women presenting to an Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU, noted to have a confirmed viable fetus, but subsequently miscarry.We performed a prospective cohort study, recruiting 462 women in the first trimester presenting to EPAU and had fetal viability confirmed by ultrasound. We obtained plasma samples on the same day and measured MIC-1, PAPP-A and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG, grouping the cohort according to whether they later miscarried or not. To correct for changes in analyte levels across gestation, we expressed the data as Multiples of the normal Median (MoMs.We recruited 462 participants presenting to EPAU at 5-12 weeks gestation. Most (80% presented with symptoms of threatened miscarriage (e.g. abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding. 34 (7.4% subsequently miscarried. Median plasma MIC-1 levels among those who miscarried were 50% of those with ongoing pregnancies (Miscarriage cohort MoM 0.50 (25(th-75(th centiles: 0.29-1.33 vs ongoing pregnancies MoM 1.00 (0.65-1.38; p=0.0025. Median plasma PAPP-A MoMs among those who miscarried was 0.57 (0.00-1.12, significantly lower than those with ongoing pregnancies (MoMs 1.00 (0.59-1.59; p=0.036. Plasma hCG levels were also significantly depressed among those who miscarried compared to those with ongoing pregnancies. However, the performance of MIC-1 as a diagnostic marker to predict miscarriage in this cohort was modest, and not improved with the addition of hCG.MIC-1 and PAPP-A levels are significantly depressed in women presenting to EPAU with ultrasound evidence of fetal viability, but later miscarry. While they are unlikely to be useful as predictive biomarkers in this clinical setting, they probably play

Predictive value of prostate-specific antigen for prostate cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shepherd, Leah; Borges, Alvaro Humberto; Ravn, Lene

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Although prostate cancer (PCa) incidence is lower in HIV+ men than in HIV- men, the usefulness of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in this population is not well defined and may have higher false negative rates than in HIV- men. We aimed to describe the kinetics and predict......INTRODUCTION: Although prostate cancer (PCa) incidence is lower in HIV+ men than in HIV- men, the usefulness of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in this population is not well defined and may have higher false negative rates than in HIV- men. We aimed to describe the kinetics...... and predictive value of PSA in HIV+ men. METHODS: Men with PCa (n=21) and up to two matched controls (n=40) with prospectively stored plasma samples before PCa (or matched date in controls) were selected. Cases and controls were matched on date of first and last sample, age, region of residence and CD4 count...... at first sample date. Total PSA (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured. Conditional logistic regression models investigated associations between markers and PCa. Sensitivity and specificity of using tPSA >4 µg/L to predict PCa was calculated. Mixed...

Chelsea Boys: paradigmas sexuales de un cómic queer

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Rafael Manuel Mérida Jiménez

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Más allá del barrio neoyorquino que da título a este serie de volúmenes –aunque en diálogo tanto con su realidad como con sus representaciones anteriores, como Rear Window, dónde se presenta ya como espacio sexualizado–; y más allá del estereotipo gay que la misma expresión representa, Chelsea Boys aparece como un espacio de ruptura de clichés. En el contexto del cómic gay norteamericano que se repasa en este artículo, constituye una propuesta plural, donde la universalidad de las situaciones que representa superan tanto el localismo como la rigidez estereotípica de algunas creaciones anteriores. En él emerge una comunidad queer a través de cuya representación se plantean cuestiones cruciales en y para la/s realidad/es gays.

Epidemiological cut-off values for Flavobacterium psychrophilum MIC data generated by a standard test protocol

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, P.; Endris, R.; Kronvall, G.

2016-01-01

-1 for florfenicol, ≤0.025 mg L-1 for oxolinic acid (OXO), ≤0.125 mg L-1 for oxytetracycline and ≤20 (1/19) mg L-1 for trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole. For ampicillin and amoxicillin, the majority of putative wild-type observations were 'off scale', and therefore, statistically valid cut-off values...

Efficient Execution of Microscopy Image Analysis on CPU, GPU, and MIC Equipped Cluster Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, G; Ferreira, R; Teodoro, George; Rocha, Leonardo; Saltz, Joel H; Kurc, Tahsin

2014-10-01

High performance computing is experiencing a major paradigm shift with the introduction of accelerators, such as graphics processing units (GPUs) and Intel Xeon Phi (MIC). These processors have made available a tremendous computing power at low cost, and are transforming machines into hybrid systems equipped with CPUs and accelerators. Although these systems can deliver a very high peak performance, making full use of its resources in real-world applications is a complex problem. Most current applications deployed to these machines are still being executed in a single processor, leaving other devices underutilized. In this paper we explore a scenario in which applications are composed of hierarchical data flow tasks which are allocated to nodes of a distributed memory machine in coarse-grain, but each of them may be composed of several finer-grain tasks which can be allocated to different devices within the node. We propose and implement novel performance aware scheduling techniques that can be used to allocate tasks to devices. We evaluate our techniques using a pathology image analysis application used to investigate brain cancer morphology, and our experimental evaluation shows that the proposed scheduling strategies significantly outperforms other efficient scheduling techniques, such as Heterogeneous Earliest Finish Time - HEFT, in cooperative executions using CPUs, GPUs, and MICs. We also experimentally show that our strategies are less sensitive to inaccuracy in the scheduling input data and that the performance gains are maintained as the application scales.

Memory for general and specific value information in younger and older adults: measuring the limits of strategic control.

Science.gov (United States)

Castel, Alan D; Farb, Norman A S; Craik, Fergus I M

2007-06-01

The ability to selectively remember important information is a critical function of memory. Although previous research has suggested that older adults are impaired in a variety of episodic memory tasks, recent work has demonstrated that older adults can selectively remember high-value information. In the present research, we examined how younger and older adults selectively remembered words with various assigned numeric point values, to see whether younger adults could remember more specific value information than could older adults. Both groups were equally good at recalling point values when recalling the range of high-value words, but younger adults outperformed older adults when recalling specific values. Although older adults were more likely to recognize negative value words, both groups exhibited control by not recalling negative value information. The findings suggest that although both groups retain high-value information, older adults rely more on gist-based encoding and retrieval operations, whereas younger adults are able to remember specific numeric value information.

Heavy Metals Pollution of Alluvial Soil in the Copşa Mică Area

OpenAIRE

, D. Popa; , I.M. Prundeanu; , R. Lăcătuşu

2011-01-01

The objective of our study was to determine the concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and Fe) from soil samples, which have been previously treated with HNO3 and concentrated HClO4. The study was performed on a series of 24 soil samples and one soil profile, collected from the alluvial soil in the Copşa Mică area. The concentrations of heavy metals were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The pH was determined by using the potentiometric method in aqueous...

Minimum inhibitory (MIC) and minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC) of polihexanide and triclosan against antibiotic sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains

Science.gov (United States)

Assadian, Ojan; Wehse, Katrin; Hübner, Nils-Olaf; Koburger, Torsten; Bagel, Simone; Jethon, Frank; Kramer, Axel

2011-01-01

Background: An in-vitro study was conducted investigating the antimicrobial efficacy of polihexanide and triclosan against clinical isolates and reference laboratory strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Methods: The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal microbicidal concentration (MMC) were determined following DIN 58940-81 using a micro-dilution assay and a quantitative suspension test following EN 1040. Polihexanide was tested in polyethylene glycol 4000, triclosan in aqueous solutions. Results: Against all tested strains the MIC of polihexanide ranged between 1–2 µg/mL. For triclosan the MICs varied depending on strains ranging between 0.5 µg/mL for the reference strains and 64 µg/mL for two clinical isolates. A logRF >5 without and logRF >3 with 0.2% albumin burden was achieved at 0.6 µg/mL triclosan. One exception was S. aureus strain H-5-24, where a triclosan concentration of 0.6 µg/mL required 1 minute without and 10 minutes with albumin burden to achieve the same logRFs. Polihexanide achieved a logRF >5 without and logRF >3 with albumin burden at a concentration of 0.6 µg/mL within 30 sec. The exception was the North-German epidemic MRSA strain, were an application time of 5 minutes was required. Conclusion: The clinical isolates of E. coli generally showed higher MICs against triclosan, both in the micro-dilution assay as well in the quantitative suspension test than comparable reference laboratory strains. For polihexanide and triclosan strain dependant susceptibility was shown. However, both antimicrobial compounds are effective when used in concentrations common in practice. PMID:22242087

Governance and asset specificity as facilitators and sources of innovation and value creation

OpenAIRE

Sunde, Per Anders

2007-01-01

Drawing on transaction cost theory and relational exchange theory, this dissertation examines the different performance effects of formal and relational governance mechanisms, project specific investments, and the interaction between governance and project specific investments in inter-firm innovation projects. The following four performance dimensions are studied: goal attainment, value creation potential for the customer and the contractor, and innovative performance. The model and hypo...

Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of clinical isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutta, Subarna; Haq, Sabah; Hasan, Mohammad Rokibul; Haq, Jalaluddin Ashraful

2017-07-20

Melioidosis an infectious disease, caused by a Gram negative bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei, is endemic in Bangladesh. This organism is sensitive to limited number of antimicrobial agents and need prolonged treatment. There is no comprehensive data on the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of B. pseudomallei isolated in Bangladesh over last several years. The present study aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of B. pseudomallei isolated in a tertiary care hospital of Dhaka city from 2009 to 2015. All B. pseudomallei isolated from melioidosis patients over a period of 7 years (2009-2015) in the Department of Microbiology of a 725-bed tertiary care referral hospital in Dhaka city, Bangladesh were included in the study. B. pseudomallei was identified by Gram stain, culture, specific biochemical tests, serology and PCR using specific primers constructed from 16s rRNA region of B. pseudomallei. Antimicrobial susceptibility to specific agents was determined by disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods. A total of 20 isolates of B. pseudomallei which were isolated from patients coming from different geographic locations of Bangladesh were included in the study. All the isolates were uniformly sensitive (100%) to ceftazidime, imipenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and tetracycline by both disk diffusion and MIC methods. Two strains were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole by disk diffusion method but were sensitive by MIC method. The MIC 50 and MIC 90 values of the above antimicrobial agents were almost similar. All the isolates were resistant to amikacin by both MIC and disk diffusion methods. The results of the study suggest that B. pseudomallei prevalent in Bangladesh were still susceptible to all recommended antimicrobial agents used for the treatment of melioidosis. However, regular monitoring is needed to detect any emergence of resistance and shifting of MIC 50 and MIC 90 values.

Webgrafia al voltant del ciberplagi. Referències a la xarxa sobre el ciberplagi acadèmic

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Jaume Sureda

2008-12-01

Full Text Available En aquest article es proporcionen les fonts de documentació que hi ha a internet i que poden aportar al lector que hi estigui interessat un coneixement més profund de qualsevol de les cares, les arestes i els vèrtexs del polièdric fenomen del plagi acadèmic entre l'alumnat. Text complet (PDFDossier complet (PDF

Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC determination of disinfectant and/or sterilizing agents

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Priscila Gava Mazzola

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Due to the growing number of outbreaks of infection in hospital and nurseries, it becomes essential to set up a sanitation program that indicates that the appropriate chemical agent was chosen for application in the most effective way. Validating the effectiveness of decontamination and disinfection is an important and often challenging task. In order to study and compare the behavior of selected microorganisms, they were submitted to minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC. The MIC intervals, which reduced bacteria populations over 6 log10, were: 59 to 156 mg/L of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs; 63 to 10000 mg/L of chlorhexidine; 1375 to 3250 mg/L of glutaraldehyde; 39 to 246 mg/L of formaldehyde; 43750 to 87500 mg/L of ethanol; 1250 to 6250 mg/L of iodine in polyvinyl-pyrolidone complexes, 150 to 4491 mg/L of chlorine-releasing-agents (CRAs and 469 to 2500 mg/L of hydrogen peroxide. Chlorhexidine showed non inhibitory activity over germinating spores. A. calcoaceticus showed resistance to the majority of the agents tested, followed by E. cloacae and S. marcescens.Devido ao número crescente de surtos de infecção hospitalar, torna-se proeminente o estabelecimento de um programa de sanitização que liste os agentes químicos a serem empregados e o modo de aplicação mais efetivo. Validação da eficácia de descontaminação é uma tarefa ao mesmo tempo importante e desafiadora. Para estudar e comparar o comportamento dos microrganismos selecionados foram realizados ensaios de concentração inibitória mínima (CIM. A CIM capaz de reduzir o bioburden inicial (>6 log10 foi: 59 - 156 mg/L de quartenários de amônia; 63 - 10000 mg/L de clorexidina, 1375 - 3250 mg/mL de glutaraldeído, 39 - 246 mg/L de formaldeído, 43750 - 87500 mg/L de etanol 1250 - 6250 mg/L de PVPI, 150 - 4491 mg/L de compostos liberadores de cloro e 469 -2500 mg/L de peróxido de hidrogênio.

Caudate Microstimulation Increases Value of Specific Choices.

Science.gov (United States)

Santacruz, Samantha R; Rich, Erin L; Wallis, Joni D; Carmena, Jose M

2017-11-06

Value-based decision-making involves an assessment of the value of items available and the actions required to obtain them. The basal ganglia are highly implicated in action selection and goal-directed behavior [1-4], and the striatum in particular plays a critical role in arbitrating between competing choices [5-9]. Previous work has demonstrated that neural activity in the caudate nucleus is modulated by task-relevant action values [6, 8]. Nonetheless, how value is represented and maintained in the striatum remains unclear since decision-making in these tasks relied on spatially lateralized responses, confounding the ability to generalize to a more abstract choice task [6, 8, 9]. Here, we investigate striatal value representations by applying caudate electrical stimulation in macaque monkeys (n = 3) to bias decision-making in a task that divorces the value of a stimulus from motor action. Electrical microstimulation is known to induce neural plasticity [10, 11], and caudate microstimulation in primates has been shown to accelerate associative learning [12, 13]. Our results indicate that stimulation paired with a particular stimulus increases selection of that stimulus, and this effect was stimulus dependent and action independent. The modulation of choice behavior using microstimulation was best modeled as resulting from changes in stimulus value. Caudate neural recordings (n = 1) show that changes in value-coding neuron activity are stimulus value dependent. We argue that caudate microstimulation can differentially increase stimulus values independent of action, and unilateral manipulations of value are sufficient to mediate choice behavior. These results support potential future applications of microstimulation to correct maladaptive plasticity underlying dysfunctional decision-making related to neuropsychiatric conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE CHIRONOMIDAE ASSEMBLAGES IN SOMESUL MIC RIVER (ROMANIA DURING 1996 AND 1997

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Maria-Monica Tudorancea

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The communities of Chironomidae larvae in the Gilau – Gherla sector of the Somesul Mic River (Transylvania, Romania were studied during 1996 and 1997 in order to compare their species composition and to see if their component species could be good indicators for water quality deterioration. A total of 102 species were recorded, out of which 12 are new records for the Romanian fauna. Four of these species are known only from East Asia and from the North America. Some species such as Chironomus thumi, Microcricotopus bicolor, Dicrotendipes nervosus and Dicrotendipes notatus occurred in organically enriched waters. Other species, such as Cricotopus algarum, Cricotopus bicinctus, Cricotopus tremulus and Cricotopus trifasciatus occurred in both clean and organically polluted water which indicate they are not good bioindicators for water quality deterioration.

Microbial induced corrosion (MIC) on DHP copper by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and Bacillus megaterium strains in media simulating heater waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zumelzu, E.; Cabezas, C.; Schoebitz, R.; Ugarte, R.; Rodriguez, E.D.; Rios, J.

2003-01-01

The complexity and diversity of microbial populations in water heating systems of steam generators make it necessary to study the magnitude of the metabolic activity of bacteria and biofilm development that may lead to degradation of metal components through microbial induced corrosion (MIC). Electrolytes simulating the conditions found in heater water networks were used to induce biofilm formation on DHP copper coupons by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans DSMZ and Bacillus megaterium C10, a commercial strain and an isolate from these waters, respectively. In order to enhance their action, industrial waters enriched with the minimum nutrient content such as sodium lactate and sodium sulphite for the DSMZ strain and glucose, proteose peptone and starch for the C10 strain were employed. Biofilm formation was studied under controlled temperature, time, shaking, pH and concentrations of the media used in this study. Then, the samples were electrochemically tested in an artificial solution of sea water as control medium, based on the hypothesis that the action of an aggressive biofilm/electrolyte medium generates damaged and non-damaged areas on the metal surface, and assuming that the sea water trial can detect the latter. Hence, a higher anodic current was associated with a lower degradation of the metal surface by the action of one of the media under study. All these trials were performed along with bacterial count, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Furthermore, it was possible to identify under which conditions MIC on DHP copper occurred and complex mechanisms from retention of cations to diffusion processes at the biofilm/tested media interface level were proposed. Surface corrosion by MIC took place on DHP copper; therefore, greater control on the treatment of industrial waters is highly desirable. (author)

Adaptation of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) to the measurement of the parental identity domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Piotrowski, Konrad

2018-04-01

The present studies examined the psychometric properties of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) adapted to the measurement of identity formation in the parental identity domain. As the parental identity domain has only been studied within the neo-Eriksonian approach to a very limited extent, the aim of these studies was to prepare a short, valid and reliable tool for the measurement of parental identity in order to fill this gap. The associations of commitment, in-depth exploration and reconsideration of commitment in the parental domain with well-being and with other identity constructs were analyzed. The results showed that parental identity formation is associated with mothers' satisfaction with life and trait anxiety and with identity formation in other areas as well. The initial results suggest that the adapted version of the U-MICS is a valid and reliable measure that can be used in future studies on parental identity formation. © 2017 The Author. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology published by Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessing the Accuracy of High Resolution Digital Surface Models Computed by PhotoScan® and MicMac® in Sub-Optimal Survey Conditions

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Marion Jaud

2016-06-01

Full Text Available For monitoring purposes and in the context of geomorphological research, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV appear to be a promising solution to provide multi-temporal Digital Surface Models (DSMs and orthophotographs. There are a variety of photogrammetric software tools available for UAV-based data. The objective of this study is to investigate the level of accuracy that can be achieved using two of these software tools: Agisoft PhotoScan® Pro and an open-source alternative, IGN© MicMac®, in sub-optimal survey conditions (rugged terrain, with a large variety of morphological features covering a range of roughness sizes, poor GPS reception. A set of UAV images has been taken by a hexacopter drone above the Rivière des Remparts, a river on Reunion Island. This site was chosen for its challenging survey conditions: the topography of the study area (i involved constraints on the flight plan; (ii implied errors on some GPS measurements; (iii prevented an optimal distribution of the Ground Control Points (GCPs and; (iv was very complex to reconstruct. Several image processing tests are performed with different scenarios in order to analyze the sensitivity of each software package to different parameters (image quality, numbers of GCPs, etc.. When computing the horizontal and vertical errors within a control region on a set of ground reference targets, both methods provide rather similar results. A precision up to 3–4 cm is achievable with these software packages. The DSM quality is also assessed over the entire study area comparing PhotoScan DSM and MicMac DSM with a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS point cloud. PhotoScan and MicMac DSM are also compared at the scale of particular features. Both software packages provide satisfying results: PhotoScan is more straightforward to use but its source code is not open; MicMac is recommended for experimented users as it is more flexible.

Elemental and Isotopic Analysis of Uranium Oxide an NIST Glass Standards by FEMTOSECOND-LA-ICP-MIC-MS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebert, Chris; Zamzow, Daniel S.; McBay, Eddie H.; Bostick, Debra A.; Bajic, Stanley J.; Baldwin, David P.; Houk, R.S.

2009-01-01

The objective of this work was to test and demonstrate the analytical figures of merit of a femtosecond-laser ablation (fs-LA) system coupled with an inductively coupled plasma-multi-ion collector-mass spectrometer (ICP-MIC-MS). The mobile fs-LA sampling system was designed and assembled at Ames Laboratory and shipped to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where it was integrated with an ICP-MIC-MS. The test period of the integrated systems was February 2-6, 2009. Spatially-resolved analysis of particulate samples is accomplished by 100-shot laser ablation using a fs-pulsewidth laser and monitoring selected isotopes in the resulting ICP-MS transient signal. The capability of performing high sensitivity, spatially resolved, isotopic analyses with high accuracy and precision and with virtually no sample preparation makes fs-LA-ICP-MIC-MS valuable for the measurement of actinide isotopes at low concentrations in very small samples for nonproliferation purposes. Femtosecond-LA has been shown to generate particles from the sample that are more representative of the bulk composition, thereby minimizing weaknesses encountered in previous work using nanosecond-LA (ns-LA). The improvement of fs- over ns-LA sampling arises from the different mechanisms for transfer of energy into the sample in these two laser pulse-length regimes. The shorter duration fs-LA pulses induce less heating and cause less damage to the sample than the longer ns pulses. This results in better stoichiometric sampling (i.e., a closer correlation between the composition of the ablated particles and that of the original solid sample), which improves accuracy for both intra- and inter-elemental analysis. The primary samples analyzed in this work are (a) solid uranium oxide powdered samples having different 235 U to 238 U concentration ratios, and (b) glass reference materials (NIST 610, 612, 614, and 616). Solid uranium oxide samples containing 235 U in depleted, natural, and enriched abundances were

SPECIFICS OF FORMATION OF VALUE ORIENTATIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN MODERN SOCIETY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Novichenko Oleg Vladimirovich

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The relevance of the theme is determined by the spread of the principles of individualism in the modern world, that essentially complicates the identification of the young man. In the system of value orientations of modern society is the main emphasis on the satisfaction of personal consumption, resulting in the creation of the imbalance between the ideas of people about the individual and public goods. The aim of the research - the analysis of specific features of value orientations of Russian youth, explication of the role of traditions in contemporary society and the problems of межпоколенного interaction. The article considers the influence of the media and information environment as a whole on the world-view and attitude towards the world of young people. Focuses on the need to develop new values, which are to ensure the survival strategy and progress of mankind.

Appreciating "Thirdspace": An Alternative Way of Viewing and Valuing Site-Specific Dance Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Munjee, Tara

2014-01-01

Site-specific dance performance involves the presentation of choreography in connection with a site. The context of the site combined with a viewer's personal history, beliefs, and identity impact the reading and appreciation of the performance. Although both stage and site dance performance valuing elicit multiple interpretations of artistic…

Initial steps in the microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) of metallic surfaces in a natural marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esteso, M.A.; Estrella, C.N.; Dolores de la Rosa, M.; Martinez-Trujillo, R.; Rosales, B.M.; Podesta, J.J.

1992-01-01

Immersion of various metal samples in polluted seawater from Tenerife Harbor was followed by microbial attachment as an intermediate step in fouling development. The purpose of this research was to determine the initial steps in MIC by identifying the different microbial species attached to the respective metal or alloy. Image analysis was used to determine the morphologic changes in the metal surfaces. The corrosion products were determined by X-ray diffraction. The open circuit potentials were measured periodically and their variation with time used to assess the electrochemical behavior in the aforementioned marine environment

La narració gràfica en àmbit universitari. Perspectives didàctiques del còmic i de l’àlbum il·lustrat

OpenAIRE

Baile López, Eduard; Rovira-Collado, José; Maestre-Brotons, Antoni; Ortiz Hernández, Francisco Javier; Pomares Puig, María Pilar; Soler-Quílez, Guillermo; Villaverde Pérez, Abel; Sánchez Verdú, Ramón; Serna-Rodrigo, Rocío; Vidal Martín-Toledano, Jesús

2017-01-01

Mitjançant la xarxa 3858, s’ha pretés oferir, tal com ja s’ha fet en diverses convocatòries prèvies del programa de xarxes de la Universitat d’Alacant, presència acadèmica a la tasca d’estudi i de difusió sobre les possibilitats didàctiques del còmic que s’està desenvolupant des dels nuclis dels grups Unicòmic i CLUECA. En aquest sentit, la memòria aspira a ser testimoni del treball investigador i docent dut a terme pels membres de la xarxa durant el curs 2016-2017. Al nostre parer, fer recom...

Veneno para la mente: La participación de los especialistas en salud mental en la campaña anti-cómic estadounidense (1940-1960)

OpenAIRE

Fernández Sarasola, Ignacio

2016-01-01

Entre 1940 y 1960 se desarrolló en Estados Unidos una intensa campaña anti-cómic impulsada por ciudadanos que consideraban que aquellas revistas no solo suponían una mala influencia para sus niños, sino que eran responsables de un incremento en la delincuencia juvenil. Un punto de inflexión se produjo en el momento en que psiquiatras y psicólogos se incorporaron a la citada campaña. Su líder fue Fredric Wertham, un psiquiatra de origen germano que acusó a los cómics de dañar la mente de los n...

UNC-Utah NA-MIC Framework for DTI Fiber Tract Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Audrey Rose Verde

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Diffusion tensor imaging has become an important modality in the field ofneuroimaging to capture changes in micro-organization and to assess white matterintegrity or development. While there exists a number of tractography toolsets,these usually lack tools for preprocessing or to analyze diffusion properties alongthe fiber tracts. Currently, the field is in critical need of a coherent end-to-endtoolset for performing an along-fiber tract analysis, accessible to non-technicalneuroimaging researchers. The UNC-Utah NA-MIC DTI framework represents acoherent, open source, end-to-end toolset for atlas fiber tract based DTI analysisencompassing DICOM data conversion, quality control, atlas building, fibertractography, fiber parameterization, and statistical analysis of diffusionproperties. Most steps utilize graphical user interfaces (GUI to simplifyinteraction and provide an extensive DTI analysis framework for non-technicalresearchers/investigators. We illustrate the use of our framework on a smallsample, cross sectional neuroimaging study of 8 healthy 1-year-old children fromthe Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS Network. In this limited test study, weillustrate the power of our method by quantifying the diffusion properties at 1year of age on the genu and splenium fiber tracts.

UNC-Utah NA-MIC framework for DTI fiber tract analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Verde, Audrey R; Budin, Francois; Berger, Jean-Baptiste; Gupta, Aditya; Farzinfar, Mahshid; Kaiser, Adrien; Ahn, Mihye; Johnson, Hans; Matsui, Joy; Hazlett, Heather C; Sharma, Anuja; Goodlett, Casey; Shi, Yundi; Gouttard, Sylvain; Vachet, Clement; Piven, Joseph; Zhu, Hongtu; Gerig, Guido; Styner, Martin

2014-01-01

Diffusion tensor imaging has become an important modality in the field of neuroimaging to capture changes in micro-organization and to assess white matter integrity or development. While there exists a number of tractography toolsets, these usually lack tools for preprocessing or to analyze diffusion properties along the fiber tracts. Currently, the field is in critical need of a coherent end-to-end toolset for performing an along-fiber tract analysis, accessible to non-technical neuroimaging researchers. The UNC-Utah NA-MIC DTI framework represents a coherent, open source, end-to-end toolset for atlas fiber tract based DTI analysis encompassing DICOM data conversion, quality control, atlas building, fiber tractography, fiber parameterization, and statistical analysis of diffusion properties. Most steps utilize graphical user interfaces (GUI) to simplify interaction and provide an extensive DTI analysis framework for non-technical researchers/investigators. We illustrate the use of our framework on a small sample, cross sectional neuroimaging study of eight healthy 1-year-old children from the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) Network. In this limited test study, we illustrate the power of our method by quantifying the diffusion properties at 1 year of age on the genu and splenium fiber tracts.

The Poincaré compactification of the MIC-Kepler problem with positive energies

CERN Document Server

Iwai, T

2001-01-01

The Poincare compactification and the symplectic reduction methods are first reviewed and then used to study the behaviour at infinity of the MIC (McIntosh-Cisneros)-Kepler problem at positive energies. The hyperbolic orbits leave the unstable equilibrium point set at infinity and tend eventually to the stable equilibrium point set at infinity. Both of these equilibrium point sets are diffeomorphic with S/sup 2/, the unit sphere in R/sup 3/. The hyperbolic orbits determine a map of the unstable equilibrium point set to the stable equilibrium point set in such a manner that the initial point (or the limit point as t to - infinity ) of an orbit is mapped to its final point (or the limit point as t to infinity ). This map is found explicitly as a rotation matrix which depends on the energy and the angular momentum of the orbits. (9 refs).

National and gender measurement invariance of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) : A 10-nation study with university students

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Crocetti, E.; Cieciuch, J.; Gao, C.-H.; Klimstra, T.A.; Lin, C.-L.; Mena de Matos, P.; Morsünbül, U.; Negru, O.; Sugimura, K.; Zimmermann, G.; Meeus, W.H.J.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS), a self-report measure aimed at assessing identity processes of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment. We tested its factor structure in

National and Gender Measurement Invariance of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) : A 10-Nation Study With University Students

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Crocetti, Elisabetta; Cieciuch, Jan; Gao, Cheng Hai; Klimstra, Theo; Lin, Ching Ling; Matos, Paula Mena; Morsünbül, Ümit; Negru, Oana; Sugimura, Kazumi; Zimmermann, Grégoire; Meeus, Wim

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS), a self-report measure aimed at assessing identity processes of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment. We tested its factor structure in

ENVIRONMENTALLY BENIGN MITIGATION OF MICROBIOLOGICALLY INFLUENCED CORROSION (MIC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

John J. Kilbane II; William Bogan

2004-01-31

The overall program objective is to develop and evaluate environmentally benign agents or products that are effective in the prevention, inhibition, and mitigation of microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) in the internal surfaces of metallic natural gas pipelines. The goal is to develop one or more environmentally benign (a.k.a. ''green'') products that can be applied to maintain the structure and dependability of the natural gas infrastructure. The technical approach for this quarter included the fractionation of extracts prepared from several varieties of pepper plants, and using several solvents, by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A preliminary determination of antimicrobial activities of the new extracts and fractions using a growth inhibition assay, and evaluation of the extracts ability to inhibit biofilm formation was also performed. The analysis of multiple extracts of pepper plants and fractions of extracts of pepper plants obtained by HPLC illustrated that these extracts and fractions are extremely complex mixtures of chemicals. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify the chemical constituents of these extracts and fractions to the greatest degree possible. Analysis of the chemical composition of various extracts of pepper plants has illustrated the complexity of the chemical mixtures present, and while additional work will be performed to further characterize the extracts to identify bioactive compounds the focus of efforts should now shift to an evaluation of the ability of extracts to inhibit corrosion in mixed culture biofilms, and in pure cultures of bacterial types which are known or believed to be important in corrosion.

A neural network based methodology to predict site-specific spectral acceleration values

Science.gov (United States)

Kamatchi, P.; Rajasankar, J.; Ramana, G. V.; Nagpal, A. K.

2010-12-01

A general neural network based methodology that has the potential to replace the computationally-intensive site-specific seismic analysis of structures is proposed in this paper. The basic framework of the methodology consists of a feed forward back propagation neural network algorithm with one hidden layer to represent the seismic potential of a region and soil amplification effects. The methodology is implemented and verified with parameters corresponding to Delhi city in India. For this purpose, strong ground motions are generated at bedrock level for a chosen site in Delhi due to earthquakes considered to originate from the central seismic gap of the Himalayan belt using necessary geological as well as geotechnical data. Surface level ground motions and corresponding site-specific response spectra are obtained by using a one-dimensional equivalent linear wave propagation model. Spectral acceleration values are considered as a target parameter to verify the performance of the methodology. Numerical studies carried out to validate the proposed methodology show that the errors in predicted spectral acceleration values are within acceptable limits for design purposes. The methodology is general in the sense that it can be applied to other seismically vulnerable regions and also can be updated by including more parameters depending on the state-of-the-art in the subject.

Farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems in dairy cattle: From concepts to operational simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Van De Gucht, Tim; Saeys, Wouter; Van Meensel, Jef; Van Nuffel, Annelies; Vangeyte, Jurgen; Lauwers, Ludwig

2018-01-01

Although prototypes of automatic lameness detection systems for dairy cattle exist, information about their economic value is lacking. In this paper, a conceptual and operational framework for simulating the farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems was developed and tested on 4 system types: walkover pressure plates, walkover pressure mats, camera systems, and accelerometers. The conceptual framework maps essential factors that determine economic value (e.g., lameness prevalence, incidence and duration, lameness costs, detection performance, and their relationships). The operational simulation model links treatment costs and avoided losses with detection results and farm-specific information, such as herd size and lameness status. Results show that detection performance, herd size, discount rate, and system lifespan have a large influence on economic value. In addition, lameness prevalence influences the economic value, stressing the importance of an adequate prior estimation of the on-farm prevalence. The simulations provide first estimates for the upper limits for purchase prices of automatic detection systems. The framework allowed for identification of knowledge gaps obstructing more accurate economic value estimation. These include insights in cost reductions due to early detection and treatment, and links between specific lameness causes and their related losses. Because this model provides insight in the trade-offs between automatic detection systems' performance and investment price, it is a valuable tool to guide future research and developments. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of blood cultures from cattle clinically suspected of bacterial endocarditis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Houe, Hans; Eriksen, L.; Jungersen, Gregers

1993-01-01

This study investigated the number of blood culture-positive cattle among 215 animals clinically suspected of having bacterial endocarditis. For animals that were necropsied, the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of the diagnosis of endocarditis were calculated on the basis...... of the isolation of the causative bacteria from blood. Furthermore, it was investigated whether the glutaraldehyde coagulation time, total leucocyte count, per cent neutrophil granulocytes, pulse rate and duration of disease could help to discriminate endocarditis from other diseases. Among 138 animals necropsied...... the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of blood cultivation were 70.7 per cent, 93.8 per cent and 89.1 per cent, respectively. None of the other measurements could be used to discriminate between endocarditis and non-endocarditis cases....

SPECIFICS OF FORMATION OF VALUE ORIENTATIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN MODERN SOCIETY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Олег Владимирович Новиченко

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The relevance of the theme is determined by the spread of the principles of individualism in the modern world, that essentially complicates the identification of the young man. In the system of value orientations of modern society is the main emphasis on the satisfaction of personal consumption, resulting in the creation of the imbalance between the ideas of people about the individual and public goods.The aim of the research - the analysis of specific features of value orientations of Russian youth, explication of the role of traditions in contemporary society and the problems of межпоколенного interaction. The article considers the influence of the media and information environment as a whole on the world-view and attitude towards the world of young people. Focuses on the need to develop new values, which are to ensure the survival strategy and progress of mankind.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-4-8

Liberalismo vs. neo-fascismo: perspectiva sociosemiótica y análisis político del cómic Guerra Civil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liber Daniel Cuñarro Conde

2014-01-01

Full Text Available La presente investigación analiza desde una perspectiva sociosemiótica y política algunos de los aspectos más relevantes del cómic Guerra Civil de Marvel como expresión de los eventos del 11 de septiembre de 2001 en los Estados Unidos de América. Dicho texto se examina desde los enfoques postulados por Greimas (1966 y Eco (1993. A tal efecto se ha seleccionado un corpus concreto, constituido por los siete ejemplares que representan la historia principal de la serie titulada Civil War, en su lenguaje original. Para lograr la comprensión del programa narrativo del cómic, este estudio proporciona el antetexto y la información pertinente para hacer posible una interpretación de los elementos políticos e ideológicos de la Guerra Civil de Marvel, su relación con la representación alegórica de los hechos históricos y su textualización como expresión simbólica de la sociedad contemporánea.

Mastite micótica em ruminantes causada por leveduras Mycotic mastitis in ruminants caused by yeasts

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Andréia Spanamberg

2009-02-01

Full Text Available A ocorrência de casos esporádicos de mastite causados por microrganismos de origem ambiental pode ser considerada como emergente e as leveduras, os fungos leveduriformes e os filamentosos são alguns dos principais agentes envolvidos. Em relação à mastite micótica, as leveduras são freqüentemente causas de infecções da glândula mamária em animais produtores de leite. A maior parte dos casos ocorre sob a forma de surtos localizados e/ou após tratamento com antimicrobianos. Os principais gêneros envolvidos são Candida e Cryptococcus, além de outros como Geotrichum, Pichia e Trichosporon. O objetivo do trabalho é revisar os aspectos gerais sobre a mastite micótica causada por leveduras e fungos leveduriformes, tais como etiologia, causas predisponentes, patogenicidade, diagnóstico, tratamento e profilaxia por meio de uma abordagem cronológica dos primeiros relatos, mas com enfoque principal nos resultados descritos recentemente na literatura veterinária nacional e internacional. O controle da mastite micótica é fundamentado em métodos preventivos, como adequado manejo da ordenha, correta higienização dos equipamentos e das instalações, com a finalidade de reduzir o número de animais acometidos, além de garantir a qualidade e a inocuidade dos produtos lácteos.The veterinary literature registers sporadic cases of infections caused by environmental microorganisms in which the main agents involved are yeasts, yeasts-like and filamentous fungi. In relation to dairy animals, the yeasts are more frequently incriminated as the aetiological agents of mycotic mastitis. Most cases occur under the form of localized outbreaks and / or after treatment with antimicrobial agents. The main genera involved in mastitis are Candida and Cryptococcus, besides others such as Geotrichum, Pichia and Trichosporon. The purpose of this review is to point out the main aspects of mastitis caused by yeasts and yeast-like fungi, such as etiology

Anorexia-cachexia and obesity treatment may be two sides of the same coin: role of the TGF-b superfamily cytokine MIC-1/GDF15.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, V W W; Lin, S; Brown, D A; Salis, A; Breit, S N

2016-02-01

Anorexia-cachexia associated with cancer and other diseases is a common and often fatal condition representing a large area of unmet medical need. It occurs most commonly in advanced cancer and is probably a consequence of molecules released by tumour cells, or tumour-associated interstitial or immune cells. These may then act directly on muscle to cause atrophy and/or may cause anorexia, which then leads to loss of both fat and lean mass. Although the aetiological triggers for this syndrome are not well characterized, recent data suggest that MIC-1/GDF15, a transforming growth factor-beta superfamily cytokine produced in large amounts by cancer cells and as a part of other disease processes, may be an important trigger. This cytokine acts on feeding centres in the hypothalamus and brainstem to cause anorexia leading to loss of lean and fat mass and eventually cachexia. In animal studies, the circulating concentrations of MIC-1/GDF15 required to cause this syndrome are similar to those seen in patients with advanced cancer, and at least some epidemiological studies support an association between MIC-1/GDF15 serum levels and measures of nutrition. This article will discuss its mechanisms of central appetite regulation, and the available data linking this action to anorexia-cachexia syndromes that suggest it is a potential target for therapy of cancer anorexia-cachexia and conversely may also be useful for the treatment of severe obesity.

Diagnostic value of prostate-specific antigen in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farahnaz Mardanian

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder in women. Its presentation is that of irregular menstruation associated with ovulation defects. Because of adverse outcomes such as metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, its diagnosis and treatment is very important. Therefore, the diagnostic value of prostatespecific antigen (PSA in women with polycystic ovary syndrome was evaluated. Methods: A total of 32 women with PCOS and 32 aged matched healthy females were recruited in this case-control study. The subjects were compared by means of metabolic measures and serum PSA level. The correlations between these markers were evaluated. Sensitivity and specificity values and cut off levels of PSA were established for diagnosis of PCOS. Results: Mean PSA, Ferriman Gallwey score (FGS, luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone ratio (LH/FSH, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS, 17α hydroxyprogesterone (17α HP levels were significantly higher in PCOS (P<0.001, respectively. PSA levels greater than 0.07 ng/ml yielded a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 82%, and was helpful as a diagnostic tool for women with PCOS. Circulating androgens and hirsutism were associated with higher levels of PSA in PCOS women. Conclusions: Our results showed direct correlation between PSA, hirsutism and hyperandrogemsm state. Therefore, it seems logical to use PSA level for detection of hyperandrogemsm state in women.

The reliability, validity, sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of the Chinese version of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chia-Wei; Chu, Hsin; Tsai, Chia-Fen; Yang, Hui-Ling; Tsai, Jui-Chen; Chung, Min-Huey; Liao, Yuan-Mei; Chi, Mei-Ju; Chou, Kuei-Ru

2015-11-01

The purpose of this study was to translate the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale into Chinese and to evaluate the psychometric properties (reliability and validity) and the diagnostic properties (sensitivity, specificity and predictive values) of the Chinese version of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale. The accurate detection of early dementia requires screening tools with favourable cross-cultural linguistic and appropriate sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values, particularly for Chinese-speaking populations. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. Overall, 130 participants suspected to have cognitive impairment were enrolled in the study. A test-retest for determining reliability was scheduled four weeks after the initial test. Content validity was determined by five experts, whereas construct validity was established by using contrasted group technique. The participants' clinical diagnoses were used as the standard in calculating the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value. The study revealed that the Chinese version of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale exhibited a test-retest reliability of 0.90, an internal consistency reliability of 0.71, an inter-rater reliability (kappa value) of 0.88 and a content validity index of 0.97. Both the patients and healthy contrast group exhibited significant differences in their cognitive ability. The optimal cut-off points for the Chinese version of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale in the test for mild cognitive impairment and dementia were 24 and 22, respectively; moreover, for these two conditions, the sensitivities of the scale were 0.79 and 0.76, the specificities were 0.91 and 0.81, the areas under the curve were 0.85 and 0.78, the positive predictive values were 0.99 and 0.83 and the negative predictive values were 0.96 and 0.91 respectively. The Chinese version of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale

A phase III trial of docetaxel/carboplatin versus mitomycin C/ifosfamide/cisplatin (MIC) or mitomycin C/vinblastine/cisplatin (MVP) in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a randomised multicentre trial of the British Thoracic Oncology Group (BTOG1).

Science.gov (United States)

Booton, R; Lorigan, P; Anderson, H; Baka, S; Ashcroft, L; Nicolson, M; O'Brien, M; Dunlop, D; O'Byrne, K; Laurence, V; Snee, M; Dark, G; Thatcher, N

2006-07-01

Phase III studies suggest that non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with cisplatin-docetaxel may have higher response rates and better survival compared with other platinum-based regimens. We report the final results of a randomised phase III study of docetaxel and carboplatin versus MIC or MVP in patients with advanced NSCLC. Patients with biopsy proven stage III-IV NSCLC not suitable for curative surgery or radiotherapy were randomised to receive four cycles of either DCb (docetaxel 75 mg/m(2), carboplatin AUC 6), or MIC/MVP (mitomycin 6 mg/m(2), ifosfamide 3 g/m(2) and cisplatin 50 mg/m(2) or mitomycin 6 mg/m(2), vinblastine 6 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 50 mg/m(2), respectively), 3 weekly. The primary end point was survival, secondary end points included response rates, toxicity and quality of life. The median follow-up was 17.4 months. Overall response rate was 32% for both arms (partial response = 31%, complete response = 1%); 32% of MIC/MVP and 26% of DCb patients had stable disease. One-year survival was 39% and 35% for DCb and MIC/MVP, respectively. Two-year survival was 13% with both arms. Grade 3/4 neutropenia (74% versus 43%, P MVP. The MIC/MVP arm had significant worsening in overall EORTC score and global health status whereas the DCb arm showed no significant change. The combination of DCb had similar efficacy to MIC/MVP but quality of life was better maintained.

Age differences in personal values: Universal or cultural specific?

Science.gov (United States)

Fung, Helene H; Ho, Yuan Wan; Zhang, Rui; Zhang, Xin; Noels, Kimberly A; Tam, Kim-Pong

2016-05-01

Prior studies on value development across adulthood have generally shown that as people age, they espouse communal values more strongly and agentic values less strongly. Two studies investigated whether these age differences in personal values might differ according to cultural values. Study 1 examined whether these age differences in personal values, and their associations with subjective well-being, showed the same pattern across countries that differed in individualism-collectivism. Study 2 compared age differences in personal values in the Canadian culture that emphasized agentic values more and the Chinese culture that emphasized communal values more. Personal and cultural values of each individual were directly measured, and their congruence were calculated and compared across age and cultures. Findings revealed that across cultures, older people had lower endorsement of agentic personal values and higher endorsement of communal personal values than did younger people. These age differences, and their associations with subjective well-being, were generally not influenced by cultural values. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Brief report: the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS): gender and age measurement invariance and convergent validity of the Turkish version.

Science.gov (United States)

Morsunbul, Umit; Crocetti, Elisabetta; Cok, Figen; Meeus, Wim

2014-08-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and convergent validity of the Turkish version of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS). Participants were 1201 (59.6% females) youth aged between 12 and 24 years (M(age) = 17.53 years, SD(age) = 3.25). Results indicated that the three-factor model consisting of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment provided a very good fit to the data and applied equally well to boys and girls as well as to three age groups (early adolescents, middle adolescents, and emerging adults). Significant relations between identity processes and self-concept clarity, personality, internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, and parental relationships supported convergent validity. Thus, the Turkish version of U-MICS is a reliable tool for assessing identity in Turkish-speaking respondents. Copyright © 2014 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brief report: The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) : Gender and age measurement invariance and convergent validity of the Turkish version

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morsunbul, Umit; Crocetti, Elisabetta; Cok, Figen; Meeus, W.H.J.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and convergent validity of the Turkish version of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS). Participants were 1201 (59.6% females) youth aged between 12 and 24 years (Mage = 17.53 years, SDage = 3.25). Results

The Epidemiologic and Pharmacodynamic Cutoff Values of Tilmicosin against Haemophilus parasuis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haihong eHao

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to establish antimicrobial susceptibility breakpoints for tilmicosin against Haemophilus parasuis, which is an important pathogen of respiratory tract infections. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs of 103 H. parasuis isolates were determined by the agar dilution method. The wild-type (WT distribution and epidemiologic cutoff value (ECV were evaluated by statistical analysis. The new bronchoaveolar lavage (BAL was used to establish intrapulmonary pharmacokinetic (PK model in swine. The pharmacokinetic (PK parameters of tilmicosin, both in pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF and in plasma, were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC method and WinNonlin software. The pharmacodynamic cutoff (COPD was calculated using Monte Carlo simulation. Our results showed that 100% of WT isolates were covered when the ECV was set at 16μg/mL. The tilmicosin had concentration-dependent activity against H. parasuis. The PK data indicated that tilmicosin concentrations in PELF was rapidly increased to high levels at 4 hours and kept stable until 48 hours after drug administration, while the tilmicosin concentration in plasma reached maximum levels at 4 hours and continued to decrease during 4-72 hours. Using Monte Carlo simulation, COPD was defined as 1 μg/mL. Conclusively, the ECV and COPD of tilmicosin against H. parasuis were established for the first time based on the MIC distribution and PK-PD analysis in the target tissue, respectively. These values are of great importance for detection of tilmicosin-resistant H. parasuis and for effective treatment of clinical intrapulmonary infection caused by H. parasuis.

Contingent capture can occur at specific feature values: behavioral and electrophysiological evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Jun; Zhao, Guang; Wang, Qi; Zhang, Kan; Li, Hong; Sun, Hong-Jin; Liu, Qiang

2013-02-01

The notion that attentional top-down control can be tuned to a stimulus feature is widely accepted. Although previous studies suggested that the stimulus-driven attentional capture could be contingent on top-down attentional control settings, it was uncertain whether contingent capture can occur at a specific feature value. Three experiments were conducted to address this issue using both behavioral and ERPs measures. Participants were required to respond to one color singleton in the search display (target) but refrain from responding to the search display containing another color singleton (nontarget). When target and nontarget belonged to different color categories (Experiment 1), only the target-color cue and within category irrelevant-color cue elicited the significant cue validity effect (i.e. RTs were shorter when the target was presented at the same location as the preceding cue rather than at a different location); they also lead to a robust N2pc effect, indicative of attention-capture. In addition, these two cue types had similar attention-capturing capacity. However, when target and nontarget belonged to the same color category (Experiments 2 and 3), only the target-color cue elicited the significant cue validity effect and the robust N2pc effect. The same within category irrelevant-color cue no longer elicited the cue validity effect, and the N2pc effect was also attenuated. Present findings suggest that contingent capture can occur at a specific feature value. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In vitro activity of ACH-702, a new isothiazoloquinolone, against Nocardia brasiliensis compared with econazole and the carbapenems imipenem and meropenem alone or in combination with clavulanic acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Vera-Cabrera, Lucio; Campos-Rivera, Mayra Paola; Escalante-Fuentes, Wendy G; Pucci, Michael J; Ocampo-Candiani, Jorge; Welsh, Oliverio

2010-05-01

The in vitro activities of ACH-702 and other antimicrobials against 30 Nocardia brasiliensis isolates were tested. The MIC(50) (MIC for 50% of the strains tested) and MIC(90) values of ACH-702 were 0.125 and 0.5 microg/ml. The same values for econazole were 2 and 4 microg/ml. The MIC(50) and MIC(90) values of imipenem and meropenem were 64 and >64 microg/ml and 2 and 8 microg/ml, respectively; the addition of clavulanic acid to the carbapenems had no effect.

Predictive value of different prostate-specific antigen-based markers in men with baseline total prostate-specific antigen <2.0 ng/mL.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujizuka, Yuji; Ito, Kazuto; Oki, Ryo; Suzuki, Rie; Sekine, Yoshitaka; Koike, Hidekazu; Matsui, Hiroshi; Shibata, Yasuhiro; Suzuki, Kazuhiro

2017-08-01

To investigate the predictive value of various molecular forms of prostate-specific antigen in men with baseline prostate-specific antigen baseline prostate-specific antigen level baseline prostate-specific antigen- and age-adjusted men who did not develop prostate cancer. Serum prostate-specific antigen, free prostate-specific antigen, and [-2] proenzyme prostate-specific antigen were measured at baseline and last screening visit. The predictive impact of baseline prostate-specific antigen- and [-2] proenzyme prostate-specific antigen-related indices on developing prostate cancer was investigated. The predictive impact of those indices at last screening visit and velocities from baseline to final screening on tumor aggressiveness were also investigated. The baseline free to total prostate-specific antigen ratio was a significant predictor of prostate cancer development. The odds ratio was 6.08 in the lowest quintile baseline free to total prostate-specific antigen ratio subgroup. No serum indices at diagnosis were associated with tumor aggressiveness. The Prostate Health Index velocity and [-2] proenzyme prostate-specific antigen/free prostate-specific antigen velocity significantly increased in patients with higher risk D'Amico risk groups and higher Gleason scores. Free to total prostate-specific antigen ratio in men with low baseline prostate-specific antigen levels seems to predict the risk of developing prostate cancer, and it could be useful for a more effective individualized screening system. Longitudinal changes in [-2] proenzyme prostate-specific antigen-related indices seem to correlate with tumor aggressiveness, and they could be used as prognostic tool before treatment and during active surveillance. © 2017 The Japanese Urological Association.

Predictive value of prostate specific antigen in a European HIV-positive cohort

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shepherd, Leah; Borges, Álvaro H; Ravn, Lene

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: It is common practice to use prostate specific antigen (PSA) ≥4.0 ng/ml as a clinical indicator for men at risk of prostate cancer (PCa), however, this is unverified in HIV+ men. We aimed to describe kinetics and predictive value of PSA for PCa in HIV+ men. METHODS: A nested case...... control study of 21 men with PCa and 40 matched-controls within EuroSIDA was conducted. Prospectively stored plasma samples before PCa (or matched date in controls) were measured for the following markers: total PSA (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Conditional...... logistic regression models investigated associations between markers and PCa. Mixed models were used to describe kinetics. Sensitivity and specificity of using tPSA >4 ng/ml to predict PCa was calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to identify optimal cutoffs in HIV+ men for total...

En Route towards European Clinical Breakpoints for Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: A Position Paper Explaining the VetCAST Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Toutain, Pierre-Louis; Bousquet-Mélou, Alain; Damborg, Peter; Ferran, Aude A.; Mevius, Dik; Pelligand, Ludovic; Veldman, Kees T.; Lees, Peter

2017-01-01

VetCAST is the EUCAST sub-committee for Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. Its remit is to define clinical breakpoints (CBPs) for antimicrobial drugs (AMDs) used in veterinary medicine in Europe. This position paper outlines the procedures and reviews scientific options to solve challenges for the determination of specific CBPs for animal species, drug substances and disease conditions. VetCAST will adopt EUCAST approaches: the initial step will be data assessment; then procedures for decisions on the CBP; and finally the release of recommendations for CBP implementation. The principal challenges anticipated by VetCAST are those associated with the differing modalities of AMD administration, including mass medication, specific long-acting product formulations or local administration. Specific challenges comprise mastitis treatment in dairy cattle, the range of species and within species breed considerations and several other variable factors not relevant to human medicine. Each CBP will be based on consideration of: (i) an epidemiological cut-off value (ECOFF) – the highest MIC that defines the upper end of the wild-type MIC distribution; (ii) a PK/PD breakpoint obtained from pre-clinical pharmacokinetic data [this PK/PD break-point is the highest possible MIC for which a given percentage of animals in the target population achieves a critical value for the selected PK/PD index (fAUC/MIC or fT > MIC)] and (iii) when possible, a clinical cut-off, that is the relationship between MIC and clinical cure. For the latter, VetCAST acknowledges the paucity of such data in veterinary medicine. When a CBP cannot be established, VetCAST will recommend use of ECOFF as surrogate. For decision steps, VetCAST will follow EUCAST procedures involving transparency, consensus and independence. VetCAST will ensure freely available dissemination of information, concerning standards, guidelines, ECOFF, PK/PD breakpoints, CBPs and other relevant information for AST

En Route towards European Clinical Breakpoints for Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: A Position Paper Explaining the VetCAST Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Toutain, Pierre-Louis; Bousquet-Mélou, Alain; Damborg, Peter; Ferran, Aude A; Mevius, Dik; Pelligand, Ludovic; Veldman, Kees T; Lees, Peter

2017-01-01

VetCAST is the EUCAST sub-committee for Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. Its remit is to define clinical breakpoints (CBPs) for antimicrobial drugs (AMDs) used in veterinary medicine in Europe. This position paper outlines the procedures and reviews scientific options to solve challenges for the determination of specific CBPs for animal species, drug substances and disease conditions. VetCAST will adopt EUCAST approaches: the initial step will be data assessment; then procedures for decisions on the CBP; and finally the release of recommendations for CBP implementation. The principal challenges anticipated by VetCAST are those associated with the differing modalities of AMD administration, including mass medication, specific long-acting product formulations or local administration. Specific challenges comprise mastitis treatment in dairy cattle, the range of species and within species breed considerations and several other variable factors not relevant to human medicine. Each CBP will be based on consideration of: (i) an epidemiological cut-off value (ECOFF) - the highest MIC that defines the upper end of the wild-type MIC distribution; (ii) a PK/PD breakpoint obtained from pre-clinical pharmacokinetic data [this PK/PD break-point is the highest possible MIC for which a given percentage of animals in the target population achieves a critical value for the selected PK/PD index ( f AUC/MIC or f T > MIC)] and (iii) when possible, a clinical cut-off, that is the relationship between MIC and clinical cure. For the latter, VetCAST acknowledges the paucity of such data in veterinary medicine. When a CBP cannot be established, VetCAST will recommend use of ECOFF as surrogate. For decision steps, VetCAST will follow EUCAST procedures involving transparency, consensus and independence. VetCAST will ensure freely available dissemination of information, concerning standards, guidelines, ECOFF, PK/PD breakpoints, CBPs and other relevant information for AST

En Route towards European Clinical Breakpoints for Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: A Position Paper Explaining the VetCAST Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pierre-Louis Toutain

2017-12-01

Full Text Available VetCAST is the EUCAST sub-committee for Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. Its remit is to define clinical breakpoints (CBPs for antimicrobial drugs (AMDs used in veterinary medicine in Europe. This position paper outlines the procedures and reviews scientific options to solve challenges for the determination of specific CBPs for animal species, drug substances and disease conditions. VetCAST will adopt EUCAST approaches: the initial step will be data assessment; then procedures for decisions on the CBP; and finally the release of recommendations for CBP implementation. The principal challenges anticipated by VetCAST are those associated with the differing modalities of AMD administration, including mass medication, specific long-acting product formulations or local administration. Specific challenges comprise mastitis treatment in dairy cattle, the range of species and within species breed considerations and several other variable factors not relevant to human medicine. Each CBP will be based on consideration of: (i an epidemiological cut-off value (ECOFF – the highest MIC that defines the upper end of the wild-type MIC distribution; (ii a PK/PD breakpoint obtained from pre-clinical pharmacokinetic data [this PK/PD break-point is the highest possible MIC for which a given percentage of animals in the target population achieves a critical value for the selected PK/PD index (fAUC/MIC or fT > MIC] and (iii when possible, a clinical cut-off, that is the relationship between MIC and clinical cure. For the latter, VetCAST acknowledges the paucity of such data in veterinary medicine. When a CBP cannot be established, VetCAST will recommend use of ECOFF as surrogate. For decision steps, VetCAST will follow EUCAST procedures involving transparency, consensus and independence. VetCAST will ensure freely available dissemination of information, concerning standards, guidelines, ECOFF, PK/PD breakpoints, CBPs and other relevant information

Multicenter Study of Method-Dependent Epidemiological Cutoff Values for Detection of Resistance in Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp. to Amphotericin B and Echinocandins for the Etest Agar Diffusion Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Espinel-Ingroff, A; Arendrup, M; Cantón, E

2017-01-01

Method-dependent Etest epidemiological cutoff values (ECVs) are not available for susceptibility testing of either Candida or Aspergillus species with amphotericin B or echinocandins. In addition, reference caspofungin MICs for Candida spp. are unreliable. Candida and Aspergillus species wild-typ...

Green Ultrasound versus Conventional Synthesis and Characterization of Specific Task Pyridinium Ionic Liquid Hydrazones Tethering Fluorinated Counter Anions: Novel Inhibitors of Fungal Ergosterol Biosynthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadjet Rezki

2017-11-01

Full Text Available A series of specific task ionic liquids (ILs based on a pyridiniumhydrazone scaffold in combination with hexafluorophosphate (PF6−, tetrafluoroboron (BF4− and/or trifluoroacetate (CF3COO− counter anion, were designed and characterized by IR, NMR and mass spectrometry. The reactions were conducted under both conventional and green ultrasound procedures. The antifungal potential of the synthesized compounds 2–25 was investigated against 40 strains of Candida (four standard and 36 clinical isolates. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC90 of the synthesized compounds were in the range of 62.5–2000 μg/mL for both standard and oral Candida isolates. MIC90 results showed that the synthesized 1-(2-(4-chlorophenyl-2-oxoethyl-4-(2-(4-fluorobenzylidenehydrazinecarbonyl-pyridin-1-ium hexafluorophosphate (11 was found to be most effective, followed by 4-(2-(4-fluorobenzylidenehydrazinecarbonyl-1-(2-(4-nitrophenyl-2-oxoethyl-pyridin-1-ium hexafluorophosphate (14 and 1-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl-4-(2-(4-fluorobenzylidenehydrazinecarbonylpyridin-1-ium hexafluorophosphate (8. All the Candida isolates showed marked sensitivity towards the synthesized compounds. Ergosterol content was drastically reduced by more active synthesized compounds, and agreed well with MIC90 values. Confocal scanning laser microscopy (CLSM results showed that the red colored fluorescent dye enters the test agent treated cells, which confirms cell wall and cell membrane damage. The microscopy results obtained suggested membrane-located targets for the action of these synthesized compounds. It appears that the test compounds might be interacting with ergosterol in the fungal cell membranes, decreasing the membrane ergosterol content and ultimately leading to membrane disruption as visible in confocal results. The present study indicates that these synthesized compounds show significant antifungal activity against Candida which forms the basis to carry out further in vivo experiments

26 CFR 1.430(h)(3)-2 - Plan-specific substitute mortality tables used to determine present value.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... to determine present value. 1.430(h)(3)-2 Section 1.430(h)(3)-2 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE... § 1.430(h)(3)-2 Plan-specific substitute mortality tables used to determine present value. (a) In general. This section sets forth rules for the use of substitute mortality tables under section 430(h)(3...

Liberalismo vs. neo-fascismo: perspectiva sociosemiótica y análisis político del cómic Guerra Civil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liber Daniel Cuñarro Conde

2014-01-01

Full Text Available La presente investigación analiza desde una perspectiva socios emiótica y política algunos de los aspectos más relevantes del cómic Guerra Civil de Marvel como expresión de los eventos del 11 de septiembre de 2001 en los Estados Unidos de América. Dicho texto se examina desde los enfoques postulados por Greimas (1966 y Eco (1993. A tal efecto se ha seleccionado un corpus concreto, constituido por los siete ejemplares que representan la historia principal de la serie titulada Civil War, en su lenguaje original. Para lograr la comprensión del programa narrativo del cómic, este estudio proporciona el ante texto y la información pertinente para hacer posible una interpretación de los elementos políticos e ideológicos de la Guerra Civil de Marvel, su relación con la representación alegórica de los hechos históricos y su textualización como expresión simbólica de la sociedad contemporánea.

La rentabilidad del cómic en la enseñanza de la cultura en E/LE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaume Brines Gandía

2012-08-01

Full Text Available El presente trabajo trata sobre el uso del cómic como recurso didáctico en la clase de E/LE para enseñar cultura. Aunque la cultura en la clase de E/LE muchas veces pasa desapercibida, constituye un excelente instrumento para la enseñanza de la lengua extranjera y, sobre todo, para que el futuro aprendiente sepa cómo, cuándo y de qué modo usar la lengua. Antes de desarrollar la presente experiencia práctica, es necesario que tratemos el término cultura y las distintas acepciones que supone.

La rentabilidad del cómic en la enseñanza de la cultura en E/LE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaume Brines Gandía

2012-01-01

Full Text Available El presente trabajo trata sobre el uso del cómic como recurso didáctico en la clase de E/LE para enseñar cultura. Aunque la cultura en la clase de E/LE muchas veces pasa desapercibida, constituye un excelente instrumento para la enseñanza de la lengua extranjera y, sobre todo, para que el futuro aprendiente sepa cómo, cuándo y de qué modo usar la lengua. Antes de desarrollar la presente experiencia práctica, es necesario que tratemos el término cultura y las distintas acepciones que supone.

Brief report: The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS): Gender and age measurement invariance and convergent validity of the Turkish version

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morsunbul, Umit; Crocetti, Elisabetta; Cok, Figen; Meeus, Wim

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and convergent validity of the Turkish version of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS). Participants were 1201 (59.6% females) youth aged between 12 and 24 years (Mage=17.53 years, SDage=3.25). Results indicated

Considerations of anthropometric, tissue volume, and tissue mass scaling for improved patient specificity of skeletal S values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolch, W.E.; Patton, P.W.; Shah, A.P.; Rajon, D.A.; Jokisch, D.W.

2002-01-01

It is generally acknowledged that reference man (70 kg in mass and 170 cm in height) does not adequately represent the stature and physical dimensions of many patients undergoing radionuclide therapy, and thus scaling of radionuclide S values is required for patient specificity. For electron and beta sources uniformly distributed within internal organs, the mean dose from self-irradiation is noted to scale inversely with organ mass, provided no escape of electron energy occurs at the organ boundaries. In the skeleton, this same scaling approach is further assumed to be correct for marrow dosimetry; nevertheless, difficulties in quantitative assessments of marrow mass in specific skeletal regions of the patient make this approach difficult to implement clinically. Instead, scaling of marrow dose is achieved using various anthropometric parameters that presumably scale in the same proportion. In this study, recently developed three-dimensional macrostructural transport models of the femoral head and humeral epiphysis in three individuals (51-year male, 82-year female, and 86-year female) are used to test the abilities of different anthropometric parameters (total body mass, body surface area, etc.) to properly scale radionuclide S values from reference man models. The radionuclides considered are 33 P, 177 Lu, 153 Sm, 186 Re, 89 Sr, 166 Ho, 32 P, 188 Re, and 90 Y localized in either the active marrow or endosteal tissues of the bone trabeculae. S value scaling is additionally conducted in which the 51-year male subject is assigned as the reference individual; scaling parameters are then expanded to include tissue volumes and masses for both active marrow and skeletal spongiosa. The study concludes that, while no single anthropometric parameter emerges as a consistent scaler of reference man S values, lean body mass is indicated as an optimal scaler when the reference S values are based on 3D transport techniques. Furthermore, very exact patient-specific scaling of

Rapid detection of methicillin resistance in coagulase-negative staphylococci by a penicillin-binding protein 2a-specific latex agglutination test.

Science.gov (United States)

Horstkotte, M A; Knobloch, J K; Rohde, H; Mack, D

2001-10-01

The detection of PBP 2a by the MRSA-Screen latex agglutination test with 201 clinical coagulase-negative staphylococci had an initial sensitivity of 98% and a high degree of specificity for Staphylococcus epidermidis strains compared to PCR for mecA. Determination of oxacillin MICs evaluated according to the new breakpoint (0.5 microg/ml) of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards exhibited an extremely low specificity for this population.

Do country-specific preference weights matter in the choice of mapping algorithms? The case of mapping the Diabetes-39 onto eight country-specific EQ-5D-5L value sets.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamu, Admassu N; Chen, Gang; Gamst-Klaussen, Thor; Olsen, Jan Abel

2018-03-22

To develop mapping algorithms that transform Diabetes-39 (D-39) scores onto EQ-5D-5L utility values for each of eight recently published country-specific EQ-5D-5L value sets, and to compare mapping functions across the EQ-5D-5L value sets. Data include 924 individuals with self-reported diabetes from six countries. The D-39 dimensions, age and gender were used as potential predictors for EQ-5D-5L utilities, which were scored using value sets from eight countries (England, Netherland, Spain, Canada, Uruguay, China, Japan and Korea). Ordinary least squares, generalised linear model, beta binomial regression, fractional regression, MM estimation and censored least absolute deviation were used to estimate the mapping algorithms. The optimal algorithm for each country-specific value set was primarily selected based on normalised root mean square error (NRMSE), normalised mean absolute error (NMAE) and adjusted-r 2 . Cross-validation with fivefold approach was conducted to test the generalizability of each model. The fractional regression model with loglog as a link function consistently performed best in all country-specific value sets. For instance, the NRMSE (0.1282) and NMAE (0.0914) were the lowest, while adjusted-r 2 was the highest (52.5%) when the English value set was considered. Among D-39 dimensions, the energy and mobility was the only one that was consistently significant for all models. The D-39 can be mapped onto the EQ-5D-5L utilities with good predictive accuracy. The fractional regression model, which is appropriate for handling bounded outcomes, outperformed other candidate methods in all country-specific value sets. However, the regression coefficients differed reflecting preference heterogeneity across countries.

Consideration of statistical uncertainties for the determination of representative values of the specific activity of wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barthel, R.

2008-01-01

The German Radiation Protection Commission has recommended 'Principles and Methods for the Consideration of Statistical Uncertainties for the Determination of Representative Values of the Specific Activity of NORM wastes' concerning the proof of compliance with supervision limits or dose standards according to paragraph 97 and paragraph 98 of the Radiation Protection Ordinance, respectively. The recommendation comprises a method ensuring the representativeness of estimates for the specific activity of NORM wastes, which also assures the required evidence for conformity with respect to supervision limits or dose standards, respectively. On the basis of a sampling survey, confidence limits for expectation values of specific activities are determined, which will be used to show that the supervision limit or the dose standard is met or exceeded with certainty, or that the performed sampling is not sufficient for the intended assessment. The sampling effort depends on the type and the width of the distribution of specific activities and is determined by the position of the confidence interval with respect to the supervision limit or of the resulting doses with respect to the dose standard. The statistical uncertainties that are described by confidence limits may be reduced by an optimised extension of the sample number, as far as necessary. (orig.)

Pasteurellaceae bacteria from the oral cavity of Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus Harrisii) show high minimum inhibitory concentration values towards aminoglycosides and clindamycin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gutman, N.; Hansen, Mie Johanne; Bertelsen, M. F.

2016-01-01

of the oral microbiota. In medical management of such bite wounds, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles are crucial. Prior to this investigation, no available data on minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values existed. A total of 26 isolates obtained from the oral cavity of 26 healthy Tasmanian devils...... for antimicrobial therapy against bite wound infections caused by Pasteurellaceae originating from the oral cavity of Tasmanian devils....

EL CÓMIC COMO RECURSO DIDÁCTICO PARA EL APRENDIZAJE DE LAS ACTIVIDADES FÍSICAS EN EL MEDIO NATURAL EN EL 2º CICLO DE LA EDUCACIÓN PRIMARIA ESPAÑOLA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliseo García Cantó

2010-01-01

Full Text Available El presente artículo pretende mostrar la manera de trabajar la competencia lingüística en el segundo ciclo del área de Educación Física en España y más concretamente en los contenidos relacionados con las actividades en la naturaleza, a través de una herramienta motivadora para los niños como es el cómic. El alumnado va a mejorar sus hábitos lectores a través de la lectura del cómic y la realización de su correspondiente ficha de trabajo.

Flares on dMe stars: IUE and optical observations of At Mic, and comparison of far-ultraviolet stellar and solar flares

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bromage, G.E.; Phillips, K.J.H.; Dufton, P.L.; Kingston, A.E.

1986-01-01

The paper concerns observations of a large flare event on the dMe star At Mic, detected by the International Ultraviolet Explorer. The far-ultraviolet spectra of the flare is compared with those of other stellar flares, and also with a large solar flare recorded by the Skylab mission in 1973. The quiescent-phase optical and ultraviolet spectrum of the same dMe flare star is discussed. (U.K.)

Arquetipos iconográficos femeninos en el cómic y la animación japonesa para adolescentes masculinos

OpenAIRE

López Rodríguez, Francisco Javier; García Pacheco, Juan A.

2011-01-01

El cómic japonés (manga) y la animación japonesa (anime) son poderosas industrias culturales que, progresivamente, se han ido expandiendo internacionalmente. A medida que estas obras han ido llegando a los mercados occidentales, la atención de los investigadores se ha fijado en las particularidades expresivas, narrativas y culturales de estos productos. La investigación en género relacionada con el manga y el anime se ha centrado principalmente en las obras destinadas a un público femenino y,...

Age-Specific Cutoff Value for the Application of Percent Free Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) in Chinese Men with Serum PSA Levels of 4.0–10.0 ng/ml

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Liping; He, Dalin; Zhou, Liqun; Xu, Chuanliang; Gao, Xu; Ren, Shancheng; Wang, Fubo; Ma, Lulin; Wei, Qiang; Yin, Changjun; Tian, Ye; Sun, Zhongquan; Fu, Qiang; Ding, Qiang; Zheng, Junhua; Ye, Zhangqun; Ye, Dingwei; Xu, Danfeng; Hou, Jianquan; Xu, Kexin; Yuan, Jianlin; Gao, Xin; Liu, Chunxiao; Pan, Tiejun; Sun, Yinghao

2015-01-01

Objective The influence of age on the performance of percent free prostate-specific antigen (%fPSA) in diagnosing prostate cancer (PCa) in East Asians is controversial. We tested the diagnostic performance of %fPSA in a multi-center biopsy cohort in China and identified the proper age-specific cutoff values to avoid unnecessary biopsies. Methods Consecutive patients with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 4.0–10.0 ng/ml or 10.1–20.0 ng/ml who underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided or transperineal prostate biopsy were enrolled from 22 Chinese medical centers from Jan 1, 2010 to Dec 31, 2013. The diagnostic accuracy of PSA and %fPSA was determined using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). Age-specific cutoff values were calculated using ROC curve analysis. Results The median %fPSA was much lower in younger patients compared with older patients with a PSA level of 4.0–10.0 ng/ml or 10.1–20.0 ng/ml. The AUC of %fPSA was higher than PSA only in older patients. In patients aged 50 to 59 years, %fPSA failed to improve the diagnosis compared with PSA in these two PSA ranges. Age-specific cutoff values were 24%, 27% and 32% for patients aged 60–69, 70–79 and ≥80 years, respectively, to reduce unnecessary biopsies in men with PSA levels of 4.0–10.0 ng/ml to detect 90% of all PCa. Conclusions The effectiveness of %fPSA is correlated with age in the Chinese population. Age-specific cutoff values would help avoid unnecessary biopsies in the Chinese population. PMID:26091007

Age-specific reference values for serum FSH and estradiol levels throughout the reproductive period.

Science.gov (United States)

Grisendi, Valentina; Spada, Elena; Argento, Cindy; Plebani, Maddalena; Milani, Silvano; Seracchioli, Renato; Volpe, Annibale; La Marca, Antonio

2014-06-01

High serum day 3 FSH levels are associated with poor ovarian reserve and reduced fertility, but the interpretation of FSH values according to age is still not univocal. The purpose of this study was to determine age-dependent reference values in women with regular menstrual cycles and FSH as a guide for specialists. The study was performed at the Department of Mother-Infant of a University-based tertiary care centre. One-hundred ninety-two healthy normal menstruating women were recruited for the study. All patients attended the department on menstrual cycle day 3 for a blood sample for FSH and estradiol determination. A linear relationship between FSH or estradiol serum levels and age was observed. The FSH level increased by 0.11 IU for every year of age (1 IU for every 9 years of age). The values of FSH and estradiol corresponding to the 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 95th centiles for any specific age have been calculated. Serum FSH levels need to be interpreted according to age-dependent reference values. Serum FSH levels on 95th centile for any age may represent a warning sign for reduced ovarian reserve.

Rapid Detection of Methicillin Resistance in Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci by a Penicillin-Binding Protein 2a-Specific Latex Agglutination Test

OpenAIRE

Horstkotte, Matthias A.; Knobloch, Johannes K.-M.; Rohde, Holger; Mack, Dietrich

2001-01-01

The detection of PBP 2a by the MRSA-Screen latex agglutination test with 201 clinical coagulase-negative staphylococci had an initial sensitivity of 98% and a high degree of specificity for Staphylococcus epidermidis strains compared to PCR for mecA. Determination of oxacillin MICs evaluated according to the new breakpoint (0.5 μg/ml) of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards exhibited an extremely low specificity for this population.

ENVIROMENTALLY BENIGN MITIGATION OF MICROBIOLOGICALLY INFLUENCED CORROSION (MIC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J. Robert Paterek; Gemma Husmillo; Amrutha Daram; Vesna Trbovic

2003-10-31

The overall program objective is to develop and evaluate environmentally benign agents or products that are effective in the prevention, inhibition, and mitigation of microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) in the internal surfaces of metallic natural gas pipelines. The goal is to develop one or more environmentally benign (a.k.a. ''green'') products that can be applied to maintain the structure and dependability of the natural gas infrastructure. The technical approach for this quarter includes the application of the method of fractionation of the extracts by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); determination of antimicrobial activities of the new extracts and fractions using a growth inhibition assay, and evaluation of the extracts' ability to inhibit biofilm formation. We initiated the delivery system for these new biocides in the test cell and in mixtures of foam components and biocides/anti-biofilms. A total of 51 fractions collected by HPLC from crude extracts that were obtained from three varieties of Capsicum sp. (Serrano, Habanero, Chile de Arbol) were subjected to growth inhibition tests against two SRB strains, D. vulgaris and D. desulfuricans. Five fractions showed growth inhibition against both strains while seven inhibited D. desulfuricans only. The crude extracts did not show growth inhibition on both strains but were proven to be potent in preventing the formation of biofilm. Growth inhibition tests of the same set of crude extracts against Comamonas denitrificans did not show positive results. The fractions will be subjected to biofilm inhibition and dissociation assay as well. The delivery system to be evaluated first was foam. The ''foam pig'' components of surfactants and water were tested with the biocide addition. The first chemical and physical parameters to be tested were pH and surfactants. Tests using the fractionated pepper extracts are progressing rapidly. Gas chromatographic analysis

Antibiotic loaded nanocapsules functionalized with aptamer gates for targeted destruction of pathogens.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavruk, M; Celikbicak, O; Ozalp, V C; Borsa, B A; Hernandez, F J; Bayramoglu, G; Salih, B; Arica, M Y

2015-05-18

In this study, we designed aptamer-gated nanocapsules for the specific targeting of cargo to bacteria with controlled release of antibiotics based on aptamer-receptor interactions. Aptamer-gates caused a specific decrease in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of vancomycin for Staphylococcus aureus when mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were used for bacteria-targeted delivery.

La imagen y el texto en Le Photographe: una reflexión sobre fotoperiodismo, cómics y traducción

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Sabrina Moura Aragao

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Este trabajo analiza cómo se produce el conocimiento del otro, es decir, del extranjero, a partir de la imagen y del texto en la traducción al portugués de Brasil del cómic francés “Le Photographe”. La obra está compuesta por dibujos, de Emmanuel Guibert, y de fotografías realizadas por Didier Levèfre que narran el trabajo de los Médicos Sin Fronteras durante la guerra en Afganistán a mediados de los años 1980. La obra fue publicada por primera vez en Francia en 2003 y en Brasil en 2006. Le Photographe constituye un rico material para el análisis gracias a la simultaneidad de discursos: el periodístico y el del cómic, al mismo tiempo que también propicia una reflexión sobre el proceso de traducción, ya que la obra intenta representar una cultura extranjera – la afgana – para franceses (en el contexto original y para brasileños (en el contexto de la traducción, lo que produce distintas representaciones y forma identidades culturales sobre aquel pueblo en los dos contextos de lectura de la obra. De esta manera, en el transcurso de la lectura del original a la traducción se construyen distintos tipos de conocimiento. Cuando analizamos Le Photographe, que se vale de un discurso periodístico y documental con las fotografías y la narración de los hechos de la guerra, nos vemos ante la construcción de “realidades”, y el periodismo tiene, para el sentido común, el poder de mostrar lo “real”. Nos interesa, entonces, investigar y discutir la formación de representaciones de la alteridad y de la “realidad” en el ámbito de los estudios de la traducción de cómics, observando la relación entre imagen y texto propio de este lenguaje y de qué manera el texto original y el traducido contribuyen, o no, para la formación de nuevas identidades culturales acerca del pueblo afgano.

Susceptibility to tigecycline of Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from intensive care unit patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Talaga, Katarzyna; Krzyściak, Paweł; Bulanda, Małgorzata

2016-01-01

Infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii are difficult to cure due to the acquisition of resistance by these bacteria and lead to an increase in the general costs of hospitalization. The aim of this study was to determine tigecycline susceptibility of Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from intensive care unit and non-intensive care unit patients with skin and soft tissue infections. MICs were tested by Etest among 70 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates. The MIC range was from 0.5 to 8.0 mg L⁻¹. For ESBL-producing Acinetobacter baumannii, as well as for strains without carbapenemases, the highest MIC to tigecycline value was 8.0 mg L⁻¹. For AmpC-producing Acinetobacter baumannii, the highest MIC to tigecycline value was 6.0 mg L⁻¹ and, for MBL-producing strains, 2.0 mg L⁻¹. The majority of Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from ICU and non-ICU patients demonstrated high values of MIC range, MIC50 and MIC90 to tigecycline.

Spectrophotometric Determination of Microamounts of Uranium previous Extraction with TBP-MIC; Determinacion Espectrofotometrica de Microcantidades de Uranio previa extraccin con Metilisobutilcetona-Fosfato de Tributilo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vera Palomino, J; Palomares Delgado, F; Petrement, J; Fernandez Cellini, R

1962-07-01

Selective extraction of uranium in nitric acid medium with a mixture of Tbp-MIC (1:10) has been achieved. Aluminium nitrate was used as salting agent. Complexing agents were added in order to avoid extraction of impurities. Extraction conditions have been studied so that extraction is almost practically complete in a single run. (Author) 19 refs.

Comparison of the Vitek 2 yeast susceptibility system with CLSI microdilution for antifungal susceptibility testing of fluconazole and voriconazole against Candida spp., using new clinical breakpoints and epidemiological cutoff values.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfaller, Michael A; Diekema, Daniel J; Procop, Gary W; Rinaldi, Michael G

2013-09-01

A commercially available, fully automated yeast susceptibility test system (Vitek 2; bioMérieux, Marcy d'Etoile, France) was compared in 3 different laboratories with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) reference microdilution (BMD) method by testing 2 quality control strains, 10 reproducibility strains, and 425 isolates of Candida spp. against fluconazole and voriconazole. Reference CLSI BMD MIC endpoints and Vitek 2 MIC endpoints were read after 24 hours and 9.1-27.1 hours incubation, respectively. Excellent essential agreement (within 2 dilutions) between the reference and Vitek 2 MICs was observed for fluconazole (97.9%) and voriconazole (96.7%). Categorical agreement (CA) between the 2 methods was assessed using the new species-specific clinical breakpoints (CBPs): susceptible (S) ≤2 μg/mL, susceptible dose-dependent (SDD) 4 μg/mL, and resistant (R) ≥8 μg/mL for fluconazole and Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis and ≤32 μg/mL (SDD), ≥64 μg/mL (R) for Candida glabrata; S ≤0.12 μg/mL, SDD 0.25-0.5 μg/mL, R ≥1 μg/mL for voriconazole and C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. parapsilosis, and ≤0.5 μg/mL (S), 1 μg/mL (SDD), ≥2 μg/mL (R) for Candida krusei. The epidemiological cutoff value (ECV) of 0.5 μg/mL for voriconazole and C. glabrata was used to differentiate wild-type (WT; MIC ≤ ECV) from non-WT (MIC > ECV) strains of this species. Due to the lack of CBPs for the less common species, the ECVs for fluconazole and voriconazole, respectively, were used for Candida lusitaniae (2 μg/mL and 0.03 μg/mL), Candida dubliniensis (0.5 μg/mL and 0.03 μg/mL), Candida guilliermondii (8 μg/mL and 0.25 μg/mL), and Candida pelliculosa (4 μg/mL and 0.25 μg/mL) to categorize isolates of these species as WT and non-WT. CA between the 2 methods was 96.8% for fluconazole and 96.5% for voriconazole with less than 1% very major errors and 1.3-3.0% major errors. The Vitek 2 yeast susceptibility system

Application of Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture to the Yonsei University planetary boundary layer scheme in Weather Research and Forecasting model

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Melin; Huang, Bormin; Huang, Allen H.

2014-10-01

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model provided operational services worldwide in many areas and has linked to our daily activity, in particular during severe weather events. The scheme of Yonsei University (YSU) is one of planetary boundary layer (PBL) models in WRF. The PBL is responsible for vertical sub-grid-scale fluxes due to eddy transports in the whole atmospheric column, determines the flux profiles within the well-mixed boundary layer and the stable layer, and thus provide atmospheric tendencies of temperature, moisture (including clouds), and horizontal momentum in the entire atmospheric column. The YSU scheme is very suitable for massively parallel computation as there are no interactions among horizontal grid points. To accelerate the computation process of the YSU scheme, we employ Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) Architecture as it is a multiprocessor computer structure with merits of efficient parallelization and vectorization essentials. Our results show that the MIC-based optimization improved the performance of the first version of multi-threaded code on Xeon Phi 5110P by a factor of 2.4x. Furthermore, the same CPU-based optimizations improved the performance on Intel Xeon E5-2603 by a factor of 1.6x as compared to the first version of multi-threaded code.

Tratamiento quirúrgico de un aneurisma micótico en paciente con riñón en herradura por vía retroperitoneal

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Ricardo Muñoz-García

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Presentamos el caso de un paciente de 73 años diagnosticado de un aneurisma de aorta abdominal micótico que presenta un riñón en herradura. El paciente fue intervenido por vía retroperitoneal, realizándose resección del aneurisma, con postoperatorio irregular, pero finalmente siendo dado de alta sin incidencias y asintomático.

Los insectos como Estrategia Didactica en la enseñanza de la Ecologia, a través del Cómic

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Jairo Robles Piñeros

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Este trabajo se desarrolló con el objetivo de implementar una estrategia didáctica basada en el estudio de los insectos como organismo tipo, haciendo énfasis en su importancia filogenética y ecológica. Por consiguiente, se abordaron algunos conceptos estructurantes de ecología pertinentes y necesarios en los grados octavos del Instituto Pedagógico Nacional (IPN; se propició un acercamiento a las problemáticas ambientales actuales y se promovió la conservación biológica desde el contexto inmediato. Parallevar a cabo estos objetivos, el proyecto se fundamentó en la realización de un cómic que funcionó como herramienta y recurso educativo que articula conceptos de entomología, ecología, conservación y permitió contribuir en la alfabetización científica del estudiante a través de un lenguaje sencillo y atractivo, hecho que además brindó la posibilidad de abordar la ciencia desde una visión holística y contextual. La finalización del proyecto de investigación permitió la evaluación de la estrategia y la materialización del cómic. El seguimiento realizado posibilitó visualizar la ampliación delas concepciones en uno de los obstáculos en el aprendizaje de las ciencias referido a los conocimientos previos, lo cual desarrolló en los estudiantes actitudes y tendencias positivas frente a los insectos y la naturaleza, su conservación y la responsabilidad inminente con el medio ambiente. El lenguaje cotidiano, promovido por el contexto social y cultural, se concibe como el principal obstáculo epistemológico en la enseñanza de la ecología. El abordaje de conceptos básicos en ecología fue un factor de transformación en las actitudes y percepciones de los estudiantes con respecto a los insectos. En cuanto al cómic, este se mantiene como una herramienta llamativa, eficaz y motivadora para la enseñanza de las temáticas científicas y promueve al estudiante actuar frente a las problemáticas ambientales más pr

Value of serum TORCH-specific antibody detection in assessment of neonatal jaundice

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Guang-Hua Dai

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Objective: To study the value of serum TORCH-specific antibody detection in assessment of neonatal jaundice. Methods: A total of 70 cases of children with neonatal jaundice were selected as jaundice group, 70 cases of healthy newborn were the control group, and serum serum TORCH-specific antibody content as well as heart function, liver function, kidney function and nerve function indicators were detected. Results: Serum TOX-IgM, RV-IgM, CMV-IgM and HSV-IgM positive rate and content of jaundice group were significantly higher than those of control group; serum CK-MB, cTnI, AST, ALT, Cys-C, RBP, MBP, S100β and NSE content of TORCH-positive children were significantly higher than those of TORCHnegative children, and BDNF, NT-3, NT-4 and NGF content were significantly lower than those of TORCH-negative children; T1WI signal of pallidum MRI of TORCH-positive children was significantly higher than that of TORCH-negative children. Conclusions: Serum TORCHspecific antibodies significantly increase in children with neonatal jaundice and can assess the degree of bilirubin metabolism disorder and the degree of target organ damage.

Monitoring the injured brain: registered, patient specific atlas models to improve accuracy of recovered brain saturation values

Science.gov (United States)

Clancy, Michael; Belli, Antonio; Davies, David; Lucas, Samuel J. E.; Su, Zhangjie; Dehghani, Hamid

2015-07-01

The subject of superficial contamination and signal origins remains a widely debated topic in the field of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), yet the concept of using the technology to monitor an injured brain, in a clinical setting, poses additional challenges concerning the quantitative accuracy of recovered parameters. Using high density diffuse optical tomography probes, quantitatively accurate parameters from different layers (skin, bone and brain) can be recovered from subject specific reconstruction models. This study assesses the use of registered atlas models for situations where subject specific models are not available. Data simulated from subject specific models were reconstructed using the 8 registered atlas models implementing a regional (layered) parameter recovery in NIRFAST. A 3-region recovery based on the atlas model yielded recovered brain saturation values which were accurate to within 4.6% (percentage error) of the simulated values, validating the technique. The recovered saturations in the superficial regions were not quantitatively accurate. These findings highlight differences in superficial (skin and bone) layer thickness between the subject and atlas models. This layer thickness mismatch was propagated through the reconstruction process decreasing the parameter accuracy.

In Vitro Activities of Amphotericin B, Terbinafine, and Azole Drugs against Clinical and Environmental Isolates of Aspergillus terreus Sensu Stricto

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, Mariana S.; Rojas, Florencia D.; Cattana, María E.; Sosa, María de los Ángeles; Iovannitti, Cristina A.; Giusiano, Gustavo E.

2015-01-01

The antifungal susceptibilities of 40 clinical and environmental isolates of A. terreus sensu stricto to amphotericin B, terbinafine, itraconazole, and voriconazole were determined in accordance with CLSI document M38-A2. All isolates had itraconazole and voriconazole MICs lower than epidemiologic cutoff values, and 5% of the isolates had amphotericin B MICs higher than epidemiologic cutoff values. Terbinafine showed the lowest MICs. No significant differences were found when MICs of clinical and environmental isolates were compared. PMID:25824228

In vitro activities of the new antitubercular agents PA-824 and BTZ043 against Nocardia brasiliensis.

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Vera-Cabrera, Lucio; Campos-Rivera, Mayra Paola; Gonzalez-Martinez, Norma Alejandra; Ocampo-Candiani, Jorge; Cole, Stewart T

2012-07-01

The in vitro activity of PA-824 and BTZ043 against 30 Nocardia brasiliensis isolates was tested. The MIC(50) and MIC(90) values for PA-824 were both >64 μg/ml. The same values for BTZ043 were 0.125 and 0.250 μg/ml. Given the MIC values for benzothiazinone (BTZ) compounds, we consider them good candidates to be tested in vivo against N. brasiliensis.

Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of Mycoplasma synoviae strains originating from Central and Eastern Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreizinger, Zsuzsa; Grózner, Dénes; Sulyok, Kinga M; Nilsson, Kristin; Hrivnák, Veronika; Benčina, Dušan; Gyuranecz, Miklós

2017-11-17

Mycoplasma synoviae causes infectious synovitis and respiratory diseases in chickens and turkeys and may lead to egg shell apex abnormalities in chickens; hence possesses high economic impact on the poultry industry. Control of the disease consists of eradication, vaccination or medication. The aim of the present study was to determine the in vitro susceptibility to 14 different antibiotics and an antibiotic combination of M. synoviae strains originating from Hungary and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of a total of 41 M. synoviae strains were determined by the microbroth dilution method. The strains were collected between 2002 and 2016 and originated from Hungary (n = 26), Austria (n = 3), the Czech Republic (n = 3), Slovenia (n = 3), Ukraine (n = 3), Russia (n = 2) and Serbia (n = 1). Tetracyclines (with MIC 50 values of 0.078 μg/ml, ≤0.25 μg/ml and 0.5 μg/ml for doxycycline, oxytetracycline and chlortetracycline, respectively), macrolides (with MIC 50 values of ≤0.25 μg/ml for tylvalosin, tylosin and tilmicosin), pleuromutilins (with MIC 50 values of 0.078 μg/ml and ≤0.039 μg/ml for tiamulin and valnemulin) and the combination of lincomycin and spectinomycin (MIC 50 1 μg/ml (0.333/0.667 μg/ml)) were found to be the most effective antibiotic agents against M. synoviae in vitro. High MIC values were detected in numerous strains for fluoroquinolones (with MIC 50 values of 1.25 μg/ml and 2.5 μg/ml for enrofloxacin and difloxacin), neomycin (MIC 50 32 μg/ml), spectinomycin (MIC 50 2 μg/ml), lincomycin (MIC 50 0.5 μg/ml) and florfenicol (MIC 50 4 μg/ml). Nevertheless, strains with elevated MIC values were detected for most of the applied antibiotics. In the medical control of M. synoviae infections the preliminary in vitro antibiotic susceptibility testing and the careful evaluation of the data are crucial. Based on the in vitro examinations

ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY TEST OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF WHITE AND RED FLESH FROM GUAVA LEAF ( Psidium guajava. L AGAINTS Staphylococcus aureus AND Escherichia coli

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Hilda Maysarah

2016-03-01

Full Text Available An antibacterial activity test of ethanol extract of white and red flesh from guava leaf (Psidium guajava. L against S.aureus and E.coli; using agar diffusion method was carried out in order to produce the extract. The extract was collected using maceration method. The concentration of extract was 7,8125; 6,1035; 5,00; 4,8828; 4,3944; and 3,90625 mg/mL. The results showed that both of extracts had antibacterial activities. Ethanol extract of white flesh of fruit guava leaf had (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration MIC value at 5.000 mg/mL against S.aureus and 4.8828 mg/mL against E.coli. Whereas ethanol extract of red flesh of fruit guava leaf had MIC value at 4.3944 mg/mL against S.aureus and E.coli.  MIC value of ethanol extract of white flesh of fruit guava leaf is equal with MIC value of clindamicin concentration at 3.00 µg/mL against S.aureus, and 1.00 µg/mL against E.coli. The MIC value of red flesh of fruit guava leaf is equal to the MIC value of clindamicin concentration at 3.00 µg/mL against S.aureus, and 1.00 µg/mL against E.coli.

Diagnostic value of tissue polypeptide specific antigen in serum for patients with pancreatic carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Yun; Liu Xingdang; Li Ding; Dei Shouzhen

2009-01-01

Objective: To compare the diagnostic value of tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS) in serum, with the carbohydrate antigens (CA) 19-9, CA50, CA125 and CA242 in pancreatic carcinoma. Methods: Serum TPS was measured with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). CA19-9 and CA125 were measured with chemiluminescent immunoassay. CAS0 and CA242 were measured with immunoradiometric assay in 33 patients with pancreatitis, 34 patients with pathologically proven pancreatic carcinoma, and 35 patients with non-pancreatic malignancies. Statistic analysis was carried out with SPSS 9.0 software. Results: Patients with pancreatic carcinoma had relatively higher levels of TPS [(386.5 ± 315. 1) U/L] and CA19-9 [(10 820.9 ± 389.7) kU/L] when compared with patients with pancreatitis [(86. 2 ± 28.1) U/L and (61.5 ± 24.7) kU/L, respectively; F = 936. 42, P < 0. 001 ; F = 2217. 09, P < 0. 001], with a sensitivity and a specificity of 70.6% (48/68) and 57.4% (39/68), respectively, for TPS, and 82.4% (28/34) and 77.9% (53/68), respectively, for CA19-9. Diagnostic performance was further improved when TPS was assayed in combination with CA19-9, CA50, CA125 and CA242. Conclusion: Serum TPS has an incremental value in complementing CA19-9 in the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma. (authors)

Implementation of an Agent-Based Parallel Tissue Modelling Framework for the Intel MIC Architecture

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Maciej Cytowski

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Timothy is a novel large scale modelling framework that allows simulating of biological processes involving different cellular colonies growing and interacting with variable environment. Timothy was designed for execution on massively parallel High Performance Computing (HPC systems. The high parallel scalability of the implementation allows for simulations of up to 109 individual cells (i.e., simulations at tissue spatial scales of up to 1 cm3 in size. With the recent advancements of the Timothy model, it has become critical to ensure appropriate performance level on emerging HPC architectures. For instance, the introduction of blood vessels supplying nutrients to the tissue is a very important step towards realistic simulations of complex biological processes, but it greatly increased the computational complexity of the model. In this paper, we describe the process of modernization of the application in order to achieve high computational performance on HPC hybrid systems based on modern Intel® MIC architecture. Experimental results on the Intel Xeon Phi™ coprocessor x100 and the Intel Xeon Phi processor x200 are presented.

Antimicrobial resistance in commensal Escherichia coli isolated from animals at slaughter

Science.gov (United States)

Wasyl, Dariusz; Hoszowski, Andrzej; Zając, Magdalena; Szulowski, Krzysztof

2013-01-01

Monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in commensal Escherichia coli (N = 3430) isolated from slaughtered broilers, laying hens, turkeys, swine, and cattle in Poland has been run between 2009 and 2012. Based on minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) microbiological resistance to each of 14 tested antimicrobials was found reaching the highest values for tetracycline (43.3%), ampicillin (42.3%), and ciprofloxacin (39.0%) whereas the lowest for colistin (0.9%), cephalosporins (3.6 ÷ 3.8%), and florfenicol (3.8%). The highest prevalence of resistance was noted in broiler and turkey isolates, whereas it was rare in cattle. That finding along with resistance patterns specific to isolation source might reflect antimicrobial consumption, usage preferences or management practices in specific animals. Regression analysis has identified changes in prevalence of microbiological resistance and shifts of MIC values. Critically important fluoroquinolone resistance was worrisome in poultry isolates, but did not change over the study period. The difference (4.7%) between resistance to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid indicated the scale of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance. Cephalosporin resistance were found in less than 3.8% of the isolates but an increasing trends were observed in poultry and MIC shift in the ones from cattle. Gentamycin resistance was also increasing in E. coli of turkey and cattle origin although prevalence of streptomycin resistance in laying hens decreased considerably. Simultaneously, decreasing MIC for phenicols observed in cattle and layers isolates as well as tetracycline values in E. coli from laying hens prove that antimicrobial resistance is multivariable phenomenon not only directly related to antimicrobial usage. Further studies should elucidate the scope of commensal E. coli as reservoirs of resistance genes, their spread and possible threats for human and animal health. PMID:23935596

Antimicrobial resistance in commensal Escherichia coli isolated from animals at slaughter

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Dariusz eWasyl

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in commensal Escherichia coli (N = 3430 isolated from slaughtered broilers, laying hens, turkeys, swine, and cattle in Poland has been run between 2009 and 2012. Based on minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC microbiological resistance to each of 14 tested antimicrobials was found reaching the highest values for tetracycline (43.3%, ampicillin (42.3%, and ciprofloxacin (39.0% whereas the lowest for colistin (0.9%, cephalosporins (3.6 ÷ 3.8%, and florfenicol (3.8%. The highest prevalence of resistance was noted in broiler and turkey isolates, whereas it was rare in cattle. That finding along with resistance patterns specific to isolation source might reflect antimicrobial consumption, usage preferences or management practices in specific animals. Regression analysis has identified changes in prevalence of microbiological resistance and shifts of MIC values. Critically important fluoroquinolone resistance was worrisome in poultry isolates, but did not change over the study period. The difference (4.7% between resistance to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid indicated the scale of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance. Cephalosporin resistance were found in less than 3.8% of the isolates but an increasing trends were observed in poultry and MIC shift in the ones from cattle. Gentamycin resistance was also increasing in E. coli of turkey and cattle origin although prevalence of streptomycin resistance in laying hens decreased considerably. Simultaneously, decreasing MIC for phenicols observed in cattle and layers isolates as well as tetracycline values in E. coli from laying hens prove that antimicrobial resistance is multivariable phenomenon not only directly related to antimicrobial usage. Further studies should elucidate the scope of commensal E. coli as reservoirs of resistance genes, their spread and possible threats for human and animal health.

Autoras contemporáneas en la historieta española. Revisión de la etiqueta ‘cómic femenino’

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Cortijo, Adela

2011-09-01

Full Text Available This article, whose title is so generic, does not intend to be an exhaustive and historiographic list of women authoring contemporary Spanish comics. A priori, the deficiencies of the global label “woman comic” are questioned and the representative work of a group of draftswomen and scriptwriters is shown, since the 1980 decade (Madriz, El Cairo and El Víbora to nowadays publications: Laura Pérez-Vernetti, Ana Juan, Ana Miralles, Sonia Pulido and Clara- Tanit. These authors are linked by a generational bond and offer a series of sights, paintstrokes, subjects and diverse plastic styles. The woman production phenomenon is observed along with its reception in ad hoc-collections published by some publishing houses through retrospectives, symposium and exhibitions which are still alerting about the so needed visibility. At the same time, both the atraction and the tendency towards the drawing art and equally the links between comic made by women and the concept related to the author comic, literature and egotistic tales are studied too.

Este artículo, de título tan genérico, no pretende ser un listado exhaustivo e historiográfico de autoras de historieta contemporánea española. En esta aproximación se cuestionan a priori las deficiencias de la etiqueta global de “cómic femenino”, y se muestra el trabajo representativo de una serie de dibujantes y guionistas mujeres, desde los años ochenta (desde Madriz, El Cairo y El Víbora hasta la actualidad: Laura Pérez-Vernetti, Ana Juan, Ana Miralles, Sonia Pulido y Clara-Tanit. Autoras que se hilvanan en un hilo generacional y que ofrecen una explosión de miradas, de trazos, temas y estilos plásticos distintos. Se observa el fenómeno de la producción femenina y su recepción a través de colecciones ad hoc de algunas casas de edición, de retrospectivas, coloquios y exposiciones, que siguen alertando de la necesidad de una visibilidad

Increasing penicillin resistance in pneumococci isolated from cerebrospinal fluid samples: Fifteen-year experience from a teaching hospital

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Filiz Pehlivanoğlu

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: There have been prominent changes in evaluation of resistance patterns of pneumococci and breakpoint values in recent years. We aimed to investigate the penicillin sensitivity of pneumococcal strains isolated from the ce­rebrospinal fluid specimens between the years 1997-2011 in our hospital and determine the MIC values under the light of these changes. Methods: Identification of pneumococci was made with conventional methods in patients with meningitis. MIC values for penicillin G were investigated by E test method in all strains. MIC values of pneumococci strains were evaluated ac­cording to values determined by CLSI for meningitis isolates in 2008. Results: A total of 57 strains were investigated in this study. The MIC range for penicillin was 0.016 - 0.75 μg/ml in S. pneumoniae strains. Seventy five percent of the strains were sensitive and eight strains (14% had resistance. MIC50 value was sensitive, and a MIC90 value was resistant. The first resistant strain was detected in 2000, and three strains were resistant in the last year. When examined over the years increased resistance was 5.3% in the first five-year period seems to be 28.6% in the last five-year period. Conclusions: Knowledge on penicillin resistance patterns and surveillance is very important in the empirical treatment in pneumococcal meningitis. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2014; 4(4: 136-140

Entornos tecnológicos en el discurso del cómic japonés: Akira, Dragon Head y Gantz

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Manuel García Pérez

2017-10-01

Full Text Available El estudio de los contenidos de algunos cómics japoneses puede conducirnos al conocimiento de motivos, temas y estructuras recurrentes. El miedo al Apocalipsis y el recelo al milenarismo forman parte de la aventura literaria de muchas obras Manga donde el texto descriptivo y el texto cinematográfico operan juntos para producir esta clase de sensaciones que el receptor asume como premonitorias. Este recurso explica el miedo también a un entorno tecnológico que ha convertido las democracias reales en una clase de democracias virtuales donde los negocios y los lobbies dominan el caudal de la opinión pública

In Vitro Susceptibility Testing of Tedizolid against Isolates of Nocardia.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown-Elliott, Barbara A; Wallace, Richard J

2017-12-01

There is a paucity of efficacious antimicrobials (especially oral) against clinically relevant species of Nocardia To date, all species of Nocardia have been susceptible to linezolid, the first commercially available oxazolidinone. Tedizolid is a new oxazolidinone with previously reported improved in vitro and in vivo (intracellular) potency against multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium sp. and Nocardia brasiliensis Using the current Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute-recommended broth microdilution method, 101 isolates of Nocardia spp., including 29 Nocardia cyriacigeorgica , 17 Nocardia farcinica , 13 Nocardia nova complex, 21 Nocardia brasiliensis , 5 Nocardia pseudobrasiliensis , and 5 Nocardia wallacei isolates and 11 isolates of less common species, were tested for susceptibility to tedizolid and linezolid. For the most common clinically significant species of Nocardia , tedizolid MIC 50 values were 0.25 μg/ml for N. nova complex, N. brasiliensis , N. pseudobrasiliensis , and N. wallacei , compared to linezolid MIC 50 values of 1, 2, 0.5, and 1 μg/ml, respectively. Tedizolid and linezolid MIC 90 values were 2 μg/ml for N. nova complex and N. brasiliensis Tedizolid MIC 50 and MIC 90 values for both N. cyriacigeorgica and N. farcinica were 0.5 μg/ml and 1 μg/ml, respectively, compared to linezolid MIC 50 and MIC 90 values of 2 and 4 μg/ml, respectively. Based on MIC 90 values, this study showed that tedizolid was 2- to 3-fold more active than linezolid in vitro against most common species of Nocardia , with the exception of the N. nova complex and N. brasiliensis , for which values were the same. These results may warrant evaluation of tedizolid as a potential treatment option for Nocardia infections. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Antibiotic resistance of lactic acid bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bulajić Snežana

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Knowledge on the antibiotic resistance of lactic acid bacteria is still limited, possibly because of the large numbers of genera and species encountered in this group, as well as variances in their resistance spectra. The EFSA considers antibiotic resistances, especially transferable resistances, an important decision criterion for determining a strain's QPS status. There are no approved standards for the phenotypic or genotypic evaluation of antibiotic resistances in food isolates. Also, the choice of media is problematic, as well as the specification of MIC breakpoint values as a result of the large species variation and the possible resulting variation in MIC values between species and genera. The current investigations in this field showed that we might end up with a range of different species- or genus-specific breakpoint values that may further increase the current complexity. Another problem associated with safety determinations of starter strains is that once a resistance phenotype and an associated resistance determinant have been identified, it becomes difficult to show that this determinant is not transferable, especially if the resistance gene is not located on a plasmid and no standard protocols for showing genetic transfer are available. Encountering those problems, the QPS system should allow leeway for the interpretations of results, especially when these relate to the methodology for resistance phenotype determinations, determinations of MIC breakpoints for certain genera, species, or strains, the nondeterminability of a genetic basis of a resistance phenotype and the transferability of resistance genes.

Perspectivas de la niñez adulta: El cómic como espacio de denuncia desde la marginalidad de sus personajes

OpenAIRE

Ana Merino

2010-01-01

Este artículo analiza la representación de la niñez en varios cómics iberoamericanos: Mafalda de Quino, Paracuellos de Carlos Jiménez y Socorro de Miguel Rep. En ellos se articula la infancia desde una perspectiva adulta y crítica con la sociedad mostrando una dimensión comprometida que interpela al lector. This article analyzes the representation of childhood in several Latin American comics: Mafalda by Quino, Paracuellos by Carlos Jiménez, and Socorro by Miguel Rep. In these comics, infancy...

Perspectivas de la niñez adulta: el cómic como espacio de denuncia desde la marginalidad de sus personajes

OpenAIRE

Merino, Ana

2010-01-01

Este artículo analiza la representación de la niñez en varios cómics iberoamericanos: mafalda de quino, paracuellos de carlos jiménez y socorro de miguel rep. En ellos se articula la infancia desde una perspectiva adulta y crítica con la sociedad mostrand This article analyzes the representation of childhood in several latin american comics: mafalda by quino, paracuellos by carlos jiménez, and socorro by miguel rep. In these comics, infancy is articulated from an adult angle critical with ...

Susceptibility to antimicrobial agents among bovine mastitis pathogens isolated from North American dairy cattle, 2002-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindeman, Cynthia J; Portis, Ellen; Johansen, Lacie; Mullins, Lisa M; Stoltman, Gillian A

2013-09-01

Approximately 8,000 isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, isolated by 25 veterinary laboratories across North America between 2002 and 2010, were tested for in vitro susceptibility to beta-lactam, macrolide, and lincosamide drugs. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the beta-lactam drugs remained low against most of the Gram-positive strains tested, and no substantial changes in the MIC distributions were seen over time. Of the beta-lactam antimicrobial agents tested, only ceftiofur showed good in vitro activity against E. coli. The MICs of the macrolides and lincosamides also remained low against Gram-positive mastitis pathogens. While the MIC values given by 50% of isolates (MIC50) for erythromycin and pirlimycin and the streptococci were all low (≤0.5 µg/ml), the MIC values given by 90% of isolates (MIC90) were higher and more variable, but with no apparent increase over time. Staphylococcus aureus showed little change in erythromycin susceptibility over time, but there may be a small, numerical increase in pirlimycin MIC50 and MIC90 values. Overall, the results suggest that mastitis pathogens in the United States and Canada have not shown any substantial changes in the in vitro susceptibility to beta-lactam, macrolide, and lincosamide drugs tested over the 9 years of the study.

Postantibiotic effects and postantibiotic sub-MIC effects of tilmicosin, erythromycin and tiamulin on erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus suis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Liping; Zhang, Yuanshu

2009-10-01

The postantibiotic effects (PAEs) and postantibiotic sub-MIC effects (PA SMEs) of tilmicosin, erythromycin and tiamulin on erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant strains of Streptococcus suis (M phenotype) were investigated in vitro. Tilmicosin and tiamulin induced significantly longer PAE and PA SME against both erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant strains than did erythromycin. The durations of PAE and PA SMEs were proportional to the concentrations of drugs used for exposure. The PA SMEs were substantially longer than PAEs on S. suis (P<0.05) regardless of the antimicrobial used for exposure. The results indicated that the PAE and PA SME could help in the design of efficient control strategies for infection especially caused by erythromycin-resistant S. suis and that they may provide additional valuable information for the rational drug use in clinical practice.

Economic values and expected effect of selection index for pathogen-specific mastitis under Danish conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lars Peter; Mark, Thomas; Sørensen, M.K.

2010-01-01

The objectives of this study were 1) to estimate costs related to 5 different pathogen-specific mastitis traits (susceptibility to different pathogens causing mastitis in dairy cattle) and unspecific mastitis, and 2) to compare selection differentials for an udder health index consisting of 5...... different pathogen-specific mastitis traits and lactation average somatic cell count from 5 to 170 d after first calving (LASCC170) with another index consisting of 1 unspecific mastitis trait and LASCC170. Economic values were estimated for mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus...... dysgalactiae, Escherichia coli, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and Streptococcus uberis using a stochastic simulation model (SimHerd IV). Mastitis incidences for SimHerd IV were from incidences of mastitis treatments in primiparous Danish Holstein cows calving in 2007. Estimated costs ranged from 149 euro...

In vitro sensitivity of Hungarian Actinobaculum suis strains to selected antimicrobials.

Science.gov (United States)

Biksi, I; Major, Andrea; Fodor, L; Szenci, O; Vetési, F

2003-01-01

In vitro antimicrobial sensitivity of 12 Hungarian isolates and the type strain ATCC 33144 of Actinobaculum suis to different antimicrobial compounds was determined both by the agar dilution and by the disc diffusion method. By agar dilution, MIC50 values in the range of 0.05-3.125 micrograms/ml were determined for penicillin, ampicillin, ceftiofur, doxycycline, tylosin, pleuromutilins, chloramphenicol, florfenicol, enrofloxacin and lincomycin. The MIC50 value of oxytetracycline and spectinomycin was 6.25 and 12.5 micrograms/ml, respectively. For ofloxacin, flumequine, neomycin, streptomycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin and sulphamethoxazole + trimethoprim MIC50 values were in the range of 25-100 micrograms/ml. With the disc diffusion method, all strains were sensitive to penicillin, cephalosporins examined, chloramphenicol and florfenicol, tetracyclines examined, pleuromutilins, lincomycin and tylosin. Variable sensitivity was observed for fluoroquinolones (flumequine, enrofloxacin, ofloxacin), most of the strains were susceptible to marbofloxacin. Almost all strains were resistant to aminoglycosides but most of them were sensitive to spectinomycin. A strong correlation was determined for disc diffusion and MIC results (Spearman's rho 0.789, p < 0001). MIC values of the type strain and MIC50 values of other tested strains did not differ significantly. Few strains showed a partially distinct resistance pattern for erythromycin, lincomycin and ampicillin in both methods.

Prostate-specific antigen density values among patients with symptomatic prostatic enlargement in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Udeh, Emeka I; Nnabugwu, Ikenna I; Ozoemena, Francis O; Ugwumba, Fred O; Aderibigbe, Adesina S O; Ohayi, Samuel R; Echetabu, Kevin N

2016-06-29

This study aims to estimate the prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD) cutoff level for detecting prostate cancer (CAP) in Nigerian men with "grey zone PSA" (4-10 ng/ml) and normal digital rectal examination findings. We addressed this research question: Is the international PSAD cutoff of 0.15 ideal for detecting CAP in our symptomatic patients with "grey zone PSA?" To estimate the prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD) cutoff level for detecting CAP in Nigerian men with "grey zone PSA" (4-10 ng/ml) and normal digital rectal examination findings. Prospective. A tertiary medical center in Enugu, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty-four men with either benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or CAP were recruited. Patients with PSA above 4 ng/ml or abnormal digital rectal examination or hypoechoic lesion in the prostate were biopsied. PSAD and histology report of BPH or CAP. Ninety-seven patients had CAP while 157 had benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Seventy-two patients had their serum PSA value within the range of 4.0 and 10 ng/ml. PSAD cutoff level to detect CAP was 0.04 (sensitivity 95.88 %; specificity 28.7 %). The PSAD cutoff level generated for Nigerian men in this study is 0.04 which is relatively different from international consensus. This PSAD cutoff level has a positive correlation with histology and could detect patients with CAP who have "grey zone PSA."

Crystal structure of a Gammadelta T-cell Receptor Specific for the Human MHC class I Homolog MICA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

B Xu; J Pizarro; M Holmes; C McBeth; V Groh; T Spies; R Strong

2011-12-31

{gamma}{delta} T cells play important roles in bridging innate and adaptive immunity, but their recognition mechanisms remain poorly understood. Human {gamma}{delta} T cells of the V{sub {delta}}1 subset predominate in intestinal epithelia and respond to MICA and MICB (MHC class I chain-related, A and B; MIC) self-antigens, mediating responses to tumorigenesis or viral infection. The crystal structure of an MIC-reactive V{sub {delta}}1 {gamma}{delta} T-cell receptor (TCR) showed expected overall structural homology to antibodies, {alpha}{beta}, and other {gamma}{delta} TCRs, but complementary determining region conformations and conservation of V{sub {delta}}1 use revealed an uncharacteristically flat potential binding surface. MIC, likewise, serves as a ligand for the activating immunoreceptor natural killer group 2, D (NKG2D), also expressed on {gamma}{delta} T cells. Although MIC recognition drives both the TCR-dependent stimulatory and NKG2D-dependent costimulatory signals necessary for activation, interaction analyses showed that MIC binding by the two receptors was mutually exclusive. Analysis of relative binding kinetics suggested sequential recognition, defining constraints for the temporal organization of {gamma}{delta} T-cell/target cell interfaces.

Crystal structure of a gammadelta T-cell receptor specific for the human MHC class I homolog MICA.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Bin; Pizarro, Juan C; Holmes, Margaret A; McBeth, Christine; Groh, Veronika; Spies, Thomas; Strong, Roland K

2011-02-08

γδ T cells play important roles in bridging innate and adaptive immunity, but their recognition mechanisms remain poorly understood. Human γδ T cells of the V(δ)1 subset predominate in intestinal epithelia and respond to MICA and MICB (MHC class I chain-related, A and B; MIC) self-antigens, mediating responses to tumorigenesis or viral infection. The crystal structure of an MIC-reactive V(δ)1 γδ T-cell receptor (TCR) showed expected overall structural homology to antibodies, αβ, and other γδ TCRs, but complementary determining region conformations and conservation of V(δ)1 use revealed an uncharacteristically flat potential binding surface. MIC, likewise, serves as a ligand for the activating immunoreceptor natural killer group 2, D (NKG2D), also expressed on γδ T cells. Although MIC recognition drives both the TCR-dependent stimulatory and NKG2D-dependent costimulatory signals necessary for activation, interaction analyses showed that MIC binding by the two receptors was mutually exclusive. Analysis of relative binding kinetics suggested sequential recognition, defining constraints for the temporal organization of γδ T-cell/target cell interfaces.

[Antimycoplasmal activities of ofloxacin and commonly used antimicrobial agents on Mycoplasma gallisepticum].

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, I; Yoshida, T

1989-05-01

In vitro activities of ofloxacin (OFLX), a new quinolone derivative, against 29 strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticum was compared with those of 4 commonly used antimicrobial agents, doxycycline (DOXY), tylosin (TS), spectinomycin (SPCM) and thiamphenicol (TP). Antimycoplasmal activities of the drugs were evaluated on the MIC (final MIC) and MPC (minimum mycoplasmacidal concentration) values which were determined by a broth dilution procedure. The following results were obtained. 1. The MIC90s of OFLX and DOXY were both 0.20 micrograms/ml. The MICs of TS were distributed through a wide range (less than or equal to 0.006 - 0.78 micrograms/ml), and its MIC90 was 0.78 micrograms/ml. Of 29 M. gallisepticum strains, 27.6% were recognized as TS-resistant. The MIC90 values of SPCM and TP were 1.56 micrograms/ml and 3.13 micrograms/ml, respectively. The MIC90 of OFLX was equal to that of DOXY and 4- to 16-fold smaller than the values of the other 3 antibiotics. 2. The MPC of OFLX was the lowest among the antibiotics tested, its MPC90 value was 0.39 micrograms/ml and was followed by DOXY (1.56 micrograms/ml). The MPCs of TS were distributed in a wide range (0.012 - 3.13 micrograms/ml), and its MPC90 was 3.13 micrograms/ml. The MPC90 values of SPCM and TP were both 6.25 micrograms/ml. Therefore, the mycoplasmacidal activity of OFLX evaluated with MPC90 values was 4- to 16-fold greater than those of the other 4 antibiotics.

Interpretation of positive results of a methacholine inhalation challenge and 1 week of inhaled bronchodilator use in diagnosing and treating cough-variant asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Irwin, R S; French, C T; Smyrnios, N A; Curley, F J

1997-09-22

In diagnosing cough due to asthma, methacholine chloride inhalation challenge (MIC) interpreted in a traditional fashion has been shown to have positive predictive values from 60% to 82%. To determine whether any features of positive results of an MIC or the results of a 1-week trial of inhaled beta-agonist therapy were helpful in predicting when the cough was due to asthma. The study design was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover format performed in adult, nonsmoking subjects, who were referred for diagnosis and treatment of chronic cough. The subjects had no other respiratory complaints or medical conditions for which they were taking medications, the results of baseline spirometry and chest roentgenograms were normal, and the results of MIC were positive. After obtaining baseline data, including MICs on 2 separate days, objective cough counting, and self-assessment of cough severity using a visual analog scale, subjects were randomized to receive 2 inhalations (1.3 mg) of metaproterenol sulfate or placebo by metered dose inhaler attached to a spacer device every 4 hours while awake. At 1 week, data identical to baseline were collected, and subjects received the other metered dose inhaler for 7 days. At 1 week, data identical to baseline were collected. After completion of the protocol, subjects were followed up in the clinic to observe the final response of the cough to specific therapy. Based on the disappearance of the cough with specific therapy, the cough was due to asthma in 9 of 15 subjects and nonasthma in 6 of 15 subjects. Baseline data were similar between groups. With respect to MICs, there were no significant differences between groups in the cumulative dose of methacholine that provoked a 20% decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 second from the postsaline baseline value (PD20 values), slopes of dose-response curves, and maximal-response plateaus. Cough severity significantly improved after 1 week of

Using the longest significance run to estimate region-specific p-values in genetic association mapping studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Hsin-Chou

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Association testing is a powerful tool for identifying disease susceptibility genes underlying complex diseases. Technological advances have yielded a dramatic increase in the density of available genetic markers, necessitating an increase in the number of association tests required for the analysis of disease susceptibility genes. As such, multiple-tests corrections have become a critical issue. However the conventional statistical corrections on locus-specific multiple tests usually result in lower power as the number of markers increases. Alternatively, we propose here the application of the longest significant run (LSR method to estimate a region-specific p-value to provide an index for the most likely candidate region. Results An advantage of the LSR method relative to procedures based on genotypic data is that only p-value data are needed and hence can be applied extensively to different study designs. In this study the proposed LSR method was compared with commonly used methods such as Bonferroni's method and FDR controlling method. We found that while all methods provide good control over false positive rate, LSR has much better power and false discovery rate. In the authentic analysis on psoriasis and asthma disease data, the LSR method successfully identified important candidate regions and replicated the results of previous association studies. Conclusion The proposed LSR method provides an efficient exploratory tool for the analysis of sequences of dense genetic markers. Our results show that the LSR method has better power and lower false discovery rate comparing with the locus-specific multiple tests.

Moxifloxacin pharmacokinetic profile and efficacy evaluation in empiric treatment of community-acquired pneumonia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Öbrink-Hansen, Kristina; Hardlei, Tore Forsingdal; Brock, Birgitte

2015-01-01

for each patient were evaluated against epidemiological cutoff MIC values for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Legionella pneumophila. PK-PD targets adopted were a Cmax/MIC of ≥12.2 for all pathogens, an fAUC0-24/MIC of >34 for S. pneumoniae, and an fAUC0-24/MIC of >75 for H...

In vitro activity of tylvalosin against Spanish field strains of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae.

Science.gov (United States)

Tavío, M M; Poveda, C; Assunção, P; Ramírez, A S; Poveda, J B

2014-11-29

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is involved in the porcine enzootic pneumonia and respiratory disease complex; therefore, the search for new treatment options that contribute to the control of this organism is relevant. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimal bactericidal concentrations of tylvalosin and 19 other antimicrobial agents against 20 Spanish field isolates of M. hyopneumoniae were determined using the broth microdilution method, with the type strain (J) as a control strain. Tylvalosin had MIC50 and MIC90 values of 0.016 and 0.06 µg/ml, respectively, and was the second-most effective of the assayed antibiotics, after valnemulin. Tiamulin, tylosin and lincomycin were also among the antibiotics with the lowest MIC50 and MIC90 values against the 20 field isolates (0.06-0.25 µg/ml). However, resistance to tylosin and spiramycin, which like tylvalosin, are 16-membered macrolides, was observed. The MIC50 and MIC90 values for ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin ranged from 0.125 to 1 µg/ml; the corresponding values ranged from 2 to 4 µg/ml for oxytetracyline, which was the most active tetracycline. Furthermore, tylvalosin and valnemulin exhibited the highest bactericidal activities. In conclusion, the macrolide tylvalosin and the pleuromutilin valnemulin exhibited the highest in vitro antimicrobial activities against M. hyopneumoniae field isolates in comparison with the other tested antibiotics. British Veterinary Association.

Postantibiotic effects and postantibiotic sub-MIC effects of tilmicosin, erythromycin and tiamulin on erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus suis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liping Wang

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The postantibiotic effects (PAEs and postantibiotic sub-MIC effects (PA SMEs of tilmicosin, erythromycin and tiamulin on erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant strains of Streptococcus suis (M phenotype were investigated in vitro. Tilmicosin and tiamulin induced significantly longer PAE and PA SME against both erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant strains than did erythromycin. The durations of PAE and PA SMEs were proportional to the concentrations of drugs used for exposure. The PA SMEs were substantially longer than PAEs on S. suis (P<0.05 regardless of the antimicrobial used for exposure. The results indicated that the PAE and PA SME could help in the design of efficient control strategies for infection especially caused by erythromycin-resistant S. suis and that they may provide additional valuable information for the rational drug use in clinical practice.

Inter- and intra-specific variability in δ13C and δ18O values of freshwater gastropod shells from Lake Lednica, western Poland

Science.gov (United States)

Apolinarska, Karina; Pełechaty, Mariusz

2017-09-01

This study focuses on the inter- and intra-specific variability in δ13C and δ18O values of shells and opercula of gastropods sampled live from the littoral zone of Lake Lednica, western Poland. The δ13C and δ18O values were measured in individual opercula of Bithynia tentaculata and in shells of Bithynia tentaculata, Gyraulus albus, Gyraulus crista, Lymnaea sp., Physa fontinalis, Radix auricularia, Theodoxus fluviatilis and Valvata cristata. The gastropods selected for the study are among the species most commonly found in European Quaternary lacustrine sediments. The carbon isotope composition of the gastropod shells was species-specific and the same order of species from the most to the least 13C-depleted was observed at all sites sampled. Differences in shell δ13C values between species were similar at all sampling sites, thus the factors influencing shell isotopic composition were interpreted as species-specific. The δ18O values of shells were similar in all the species investigated. Significant intra-specific variability in shell δ13C and δ18O values was observed not only within the populations of Lake Lednica, which can be explained by heterogeneity of δ13C DIC, δ18O water and water temperature between the sites where macrophytes with snails attached were sampled, but also between individuals sampled from restricted areas of the lake's bottom. The latter points to the importance of factors related to the ontogeny of individual gastropods.

Extension of the AMBER molecular dynamics software to Intel's Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Needham, Perri J.; Bhuiyan, Ashraf; Walker, Ross C.

2016-04-01

We present an implementation of explicit solvent particle mesh Ewald (PME) classical molecular dynamics (MD) within the PMEMD molecular dynamics engine, that forms part of the AMBER v14 MD software package, that makes use of Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors by offloading portions of the PME direct summation and neighbor list build to the coprocessor. We refer to this implementation as pmemd MIC offload and in this paper present the technical details of the algorithm, including basic models for MPI and OpenMP configuration, and analyze the resultant performance. The algorithm provides the best performance improvement for large systems (>400,000 atoms), achieving a ∼35% performance improvement for satellite tobacco mosaic virus (1,067,095 atoms) when 2 Intel E5-2697 v2 processors (2 ×12 cores, 30M cache, 2.7 GHz) are coupled to an Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor (Model 7120P-1.238/1.333 GHz, 61 cores). The implementation utilizes a two-fold decomposition strategy: spatial decomposition using an MPI library and thread-based decomposition using OpenMP. We also present compiler optimization settings that improve the performance on Intel Xeon processors, while retaining simulation accuracy.

Age and gender specific normal values of left ventricular mass, volume and function for gradient echo magnetic resonance imaging: a cross sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allansdotter-Johnsson Ase

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Knowledge about age-specific normal values for left ventricular mass (LVM, end-diastolic volume (EDV, end-systolic volume (ESV, stroke volume (SV and ejection fraction (EF by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR is of importance to differentiate between health and disease and to assess the severity of disease. The aims of the study were to determine age and gender specific normal reference values and to explore the normal physiological variation of these parameters from adolescence to late adulthood, in a cross sectional study. Methods Gradient echo CMR was performed at 1.5 T in 96 healthy volunteers (11–81 years, 50 male. Gender-specific analysis of parameters was undertaken in both absolute values and adjusted for body surface area (BSA. Results Age and gender specific normal ranges for LV volumes, mass and function are presented from the second through the eighth decade of life. LVM, ESV and EDV rose during adolescence and declined in adulthood. SV and EF decreased with age. Compared to adult females, adult males had higher BSA-adjusted values of EDV (p = 0.006 and ESV (p Conclusion LV volumes, mass and function vary over a broad age range in healthy individuals. LV volumes and mass both rise in adolescence and decline with age. EF showed a rapid decline in adolescence compared to changes throughout adulthood. These findings demonstrate the need for age and gender specific normal ranges for clinical use.

Diagnostic Value of ELISA Tests for the Detection of Specific Antibodies in Cats and Rabbits with Dermatophytosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marinka Drobnič-Košorok

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Two indirect ELISA tests developed for the detection of specific IgG in cats and rabbits, infected with M. canis and T. mentagrophytes, respectively, were evaluated and compared. The levels of specific antibodies were determined in sera of 20 cats and 25 rabbits naturally infected with M. canis and T. mentagrophytes, respectively. Infection was confirmed by the results of fungal culture. Blood samples from 12 cats and 17 rabbits, previously unexposed to dermatophytes, served as negative controls. A significant increase in the level of specific antibodies in groups of infected animals was demonstrated. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of a positive and a negative test were determined to evaluate the diagnostic potential. ELISA for the detection of specific antibodies in cats infected with M. canis (ELISA-cats test exhibited 75.0 % of sensitivity at 91.7 % of specificity, whereas the test for the detection of specific antibodies in rabbits, infected with T. mentagrophytes (ELISA-rabbits test is highly sensitive (96.0 % and highly specific (94.1 %, confirming its encouraging diagnostic potential. The cross-reactivity of fungal antigens was tested by performing the assays with antigens M. canis, T. mentagrophytes, M. pachydermatis and A. fumigatus. There were no significant indications of cross-reactions in the test T. mentagrophytes-rabbits, whereas strong cross-reaction between dermatophyte antigens was observed in the test M. canis-cats.

Stellar Winds and Dust Avalanches in the AU Mic Debris Disk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiang, Eugene; Fung, Jeffrey, E-mail: echiang@astro.berkeley.edu, E-mail: jeffrey.fung@berkeley.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of California at Berkeley, Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States)

2017-10-10

We explain the fast-moving, ripple-like features in the edge-on debris disk orbiting the young M dwarf AU Mic. The bright features are clouds of submicron dust repelled by the host star’s wind. The clouds are produced by avalanches: radial outflows of dust that gain exponentially more mass as they shatter background disk particles in collisional chain reactions. The avalanches are triggered from a region a few au across—the “avalanche zone”—located on AU Mic’s primary “birth” ring at a true distance of ∼35 au from the star but at a projected distance more than a factor of 10 smaller: the avalanche zone sits directly along the line of sight to the star, on the side of the ring nearest Earth, launching clouds that disk rotation sends wholly to the southeast, as observed. The avalanche zone marks where the primary ring intersects a secondary ring of debris left by the catastrophic disruption of a progenitor up to Varuna in size, less than tens of thousands of years ago. Only where the rings intersect are particle collisions sufficiently violent to spawn the submicron dust needed to seed the avalanches. We show that this picture works quantitatively, reproducing the masses, sizes, and velocities of the observed escaping clouds. The Lorentz force exerted by the wind’s magnetic field, whose polarity reverses periodically according to the stellar magnetic cycle, promises to explain the observed vertical undulations. The timescale between avalanches, about 10 yr, might be set by time variability of the wind mass loss rate or, more speculatively, by some self-regulating limit cycle.

Minimum inhibitory concentration values and problematic disk break ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Latife Ä°ÅŸeri

2015-08-08

Aug 8, 2015 ... to tigecycline, and to test the correlation between the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and ... This study was performed using 108 strains of enterococci. The .... drugs (TetA-E, TetK) from inside the bacterial cell, and ribo-.

NMR-based approach to the analysis of radiopharmaceuticals: radiochemical purity, specific activity, and radioactive concentration values by proton and tritium NMR spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, David J; Dormer, Peter G; Hesk, David; Pollack, Scott R; Lavey, Carolee Flader

2015-06-15

Compounds containing tritium are widely used across the drug discovery and development landscape. These materials are widely utilized because they can be efficiently synthesized and produced at high specific activity. Results from internally calibrated (3)H and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy suggests that at least in some cases, this calibrated approach could supplement or potentially replace radio-high-performance liquid chromatography for radiochemical purity, dilution and scintillation counting for the measurement of radioactivity per volume, and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis for the determination of specific activity. In summary, the NMR-derived values agreed with those from the standard approaches to within 1% to 9% for solution count and specific activity. Additionally, the NMR-derived values for radiochemical purity deviated by less than 5%. A benefit of this method is that these values may be calculated at the same time that (3)H NMR analysis provides the location and distribution of tritium atoms within the molecule. Presented and discussed here is the application of this method, advantages and disadvantages of the approach, and a rationale for utilizing internally calibrated (1)H and (3)H NMR spectroscopy for specific activity, radioactive concentration, and radiochemical purity whenever acquiring (3)H NMR for tritium location. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of Mycoplasma sp. 1220 strains isolated from geese in Hungary.

Science.gov (United States)

Grózner, Dénes; Kreizinger, Zsuzsa; Sulyok, Kinga M; Rónai, Zsuzsanna; Hrivnák, Veronika; Turcsányi, Ibolya; Jánosi, Szilárd; Gyuranecz, Miklós

2016-08-19

Mycoplasma sp. 1220 can induce inflammation primarily in the genital and respiratory tracts of waterfowl, leading to serious economic losses. Adequate housing and appropriate antibiotic treatment are promoted in the control of the disease. The aim of the present study was to determine the in vitro susceptibility to thirteen different antibiotics and an antibiotic combination of thirty-eight M. sp. 1220 strains isolated from geese and a duck in several parts of Hungary, Central Europe between 2011 and 2015. High MIC50 values were observed in the cases of tilmicosin (>64 μg/ml), oxytetracycline (64 μg/ml), norfloxacin (>10 μg/ml) and difloxacin (10 μg/ml). The examined strains yielded the same MIC50 values with spectinomycin, tylosin and florfenicol (8 μg/ml), while enrofloxacin (MIC50 5 μg/ml), doxycycline (MIC50 5 μg/ml), lincomycin (MIC50 4 μg/ml) and lincomycin-spectinomycin (1:2) combination (MIC50 4 μg/ml) inhibited the growth of the bacteria with lower concentrations. Tylvalosin (MIC50 0.5 μg/ml) and two pleuromutilins (tiamulin MIC50 0.625 μg/ml; valnemulin MIC50 ≤ 0.039 μg/ml) were found to be the most effective drugs against M. sp. 1220. However, strains with elevated MIC values were detected for all applied antibiotics. Valnemulin, tiamulin and tylvalosin were found to be the most effective antibiotics in the study. Increasing resistance was observed in the cases of several antibiotics. The results highlight the importance of testing Mycoplasma species for antibiotic susceptibility before therapy.

Age and gender specific normal values of left ventricular mass, volume and function for gradient echo magnetic resonance imaging: a cross sectional study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cain, Peter A; Ahl, Ragnhild; Hedstrom, Erik; Ugander, Martin; Allansdotter-Johnsson, Ase; Friberg, Peter; Arheden, Hakan

2009-01-01

Knowledge about age-specific normal values for left ventricular mass (LVM), end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (EF) by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is of importance to differentiate between health and disease and to assess the severity of disease. The aims of the study were to determine age and gender specific normal reference values and to explore the normal physiological variation of these parameters from adolescence to late adulthood, in a cross sectional study. Gradient echo CMR was performed at 1.5 T in 96 healthy volunteers (11–81 years, 50 male). Gender-specific analysis of parameters was undertaken in both absolute values and adjusted for body surface area (BSA). Age and gender specific normal ranges for LV volumes, mass and function are presented from the second through the eighth decade of life. LVM, ESV and EDV rose during adolescence and declined in adulthood. SV and EF decreased with age. Compared to adult females, adult males had higher BSA-adjusted values of EDV (p = 0.006) and ESV (p < 0.001), similar SV (p = 0.51) and lower EF (p = 0.014). No gender differences were seen in the youngest, 11–15 year, age range. LV volumes, mass and function vary over a broad age range in healthy individuals. LV volumes and mass both rise in adolescence and decline with age. EF showed a rapid decline in adolescence compared to changes throughout adulthood. These findings demonstrate the need for age and gender specific normal ranges for clinical use

Arterial spin labeling-based Z-maps have high specificity and positive predictive value for neurodegenerative dementia compared to FDG-PET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faellmar, David; Larsson, Elna-Marie [Uppsala University, Department of Surgical Sciences, Radiology, Uppsala (Sweden); Haller, Sven [Uppsala University, Department of Surgical Sciences, Radiology, Uppsala (Sweden); University Medical Center Freiburg, Department of Neuroradiology, Freiburg (Germany); University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva (Switzerland); Affidea CDRC - Centre Diagnostique Radiologique de Carouge, Carouge (Switzerland); Lilja, Johan [Uppsala University, Department of Surgical Sciences, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Uppsala (Sweden); Hermes Medical Solutions, Stockholm (Sweden); Danfors, Torsten [Uppsala University, Department of Surgical Sciences, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Uppsala (Sweden); Kilander, Lena [Uppsala University, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Geriatrics, Uppsala (Sweden); Tolboom, Nelleke; Croon, Philip M.; Berckel, Bart N.M. van [VU University Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Egger, Karl [University Medical Center Freiburg, Department of Neuroradiology, Freiburg (Germany); Kellner, Elias [Medical Center University of Freiburg, Department of Radiology, Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg (Germany); Verfaillie, Sander C.J.; Ossenkoppele, Rik [VU University Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Barkhof, Frederik [VU University Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam (Netherlands); UCL, Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering, London (United Kingdom)

2017-10-15

Cerebral perfusion analysis based on arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI has been proposed as an alternative to FDG-PET in patients with neurodegenerative disease. Z-maps show normal distribution values relating an image to a database of controls. They are routinely used for FDG-PET to demonstrate disease-specific patterns of hypometabolism at the individual level. This study aimed to compare the performance of Z-maps based on ASL to FDG-PET. Data were combined from two separate sites, each cohort consisting of patients with Alzheimer's disease (n = 18 + 7), frontotemporal dementia (n = 12 + 8) and controls (n = 9 + 29). Subjects underwent pseudocontinuous ASL and FDG-PET. Z-maps were created for each subject and modality. Four experienced physicians visually assessed the 166 Z-maps in random order, blinded to modality and diagnosis. Discrimination of patients versus controls using ASL-based Z-maps yielded high specificity (84%) and positive predictive value (80%), but significantly lower sensitivity compared to FDG-PET-based Z-maps (53% vs. 96%, p < 0.001). Among true-positive cases, correct diagnoses were made in 76% (ASL) and 84% (FDG-PET) (p = 0.168). ASL-based Z-maps can be used for visual assessment of neurodegenerative dementia with high specificity and positive predictive value, but with inferior sensitivity compared to FDG-PET. (orig.)

Nuclear localization signal targeting to macronucleus and micronucleus in binucleated ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwamoto, Masaaki; Mori, Chie; Osakada, Hiroko; Koujin, Takako; Hiraoka, Yasushi; Haraguchi, Tokuko

2018-06-08

Ciliated protozoa possess two morphologically and functionally distinct nuclei: a macronucleus (MAC) and a micronucleus (MIC). The MAC is transcriptionally active and functions in all cellular events. The MIC is transcriptionally inactive during cell growth, but functions in meiotic events to produce progeny nuclei. Thus, these two nuclei must be distinguished by the nuclear proteins required for their distinct functions during cellular events such as cell proliferation and meiosis. To understand the mechanism of the nuclear transport specific to either MAC or MIC, we identified specific nuclear localization signals (NLSs) in two MAC- and MIC-specific nuclear proteins, macronuclear histone H1 and micronuclear linker histone-like protein (Mlh1), respectively. By expressing GFP-fused fragments of these proteins in Tetrahymena thermophila cells, two distinct regions in macronuclear histone H1 protein were assigned as independent MAC-specific NLSs and two distinct regions in Mlh1 protein were assigned as independent MIC-specific NLSs. These NLSs contain several essential lysine residues responsible for the MAC- and MIC-specific nuclear transport, but neither contains any consensus sequence with known monopartite or bipartite NLSs in other model organisms. Our findings contribute to understanding how specific nuclear targeting is achieved to perform distinct nuclear functions in binucleated ciliates. © 2018 The Authors. Genes to Cells published by Molecular Biology Society of Japan and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

The prognostic value of serum neuron-specific enolase in traumatic brain injury: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng Cheng

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested that neuron-specific enolase (NSE in serum may be a biomarker of traumatic brain injury. However, whether serum NSE levels correlate with outcomes remains unclear. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the prognostic value of serum NSE protein after traumatic brain injury. METHODS: PubMed and Embase were searched for relevant studies published up to October 2013. Full-text publications on the relationship of NSE to TBI were included if the studies concerned patients with closed head injury, NSE levels in serum after injury, and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS or Extended GOS (GOSE scores or mortality. Study design, inclusion criteria, assay, blood sample collection time, NSE cutoff, sensitivity and specificity of NSE for mortality prediction (if sufficient information was provided to calculate these values, and main outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were eligible for the current meta-analysis. In the six studies comparing NSE concentrations between TBI patients who died and those who survived, NSE concentrations correlated with mortality (M.D. 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI, 0.21 to 0.34; I2 55%. In the eight studies evaluating GOS or GOSE, patients with unfavorable outcomes had significantly higher NSE concentrations than those with favorable outcomes (M.D. 0.24, 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.31; I2 64%. From the studies providing sufficient data, the pooled sensitivity and specificity for mortality were 0.79 and 0.50, and 0.72 and 0.66 for unfavorable neurological prognosis, respectively. The areas under the SROC curve (AUC of NSE concentrations were 0.73 (95% CI, 0.66-0.80 for unfavorable outcome and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.62-0.90 for mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality and unfavorable outcome were significantly associated with greater NSE concentrations. In addition, NSE has moderate discriminatory ability to predict mortality and neurological outcome in TBI patients. The optimal discrimination cutoff

In vitro bactericidal activity of aminoglycosides, including the next-generation drug plazomicin, against Brucella spp.

Science.gov (United States)

Plazomicin is a next-generation aminoglycoside with a potentially improved safety profile compared to other aminoglycosides. This study assessed plazomicin MICs and MBCs in four Brucella spp. reference strains. Like other aminoglycosides and aminocyclitols, plazomicin MBC values equaled MIC values ...

Early diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis in newborn infants using IgG subclasses against two Toxoplasma gondii recombinant proteins

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Carlos Henryque de Souza e Silva

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to evaluate the utility of ELISA-based testing of total IgG (IgGt antibodies and its subclasses (IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 against soluble (STAg and recombinant (rSAG1 and rMIC3 antigens of Toxoplasma gondii for diagnosing congenital toxoplasmosis. Sera from 217 newborns initially testing positive for specific IgM in filter paper dried blood spots were tested for specific IgM and IgG by ELFA-VIDAS®. Congenital toxoplasmosis was confirmed in 175 and ruled out in 42 infants. The validity of the ELISA tests was determined using the persistence of IgG antibodies (ELFA-VIDAS® kit at the end of 12 months, which is considered the reference test for the diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis. The frequency of positivity with IgGt against STAg, rSAG1 and rMIC3 was found in 97.2%, 96.3% and 80.2%, respectively, of the newborns with confirmed congenital toxoplasmosis. IgG1 reacted with all three antigens, while IgG3 and IgG4 reacted preferentially with rMIC3. Higher mean values of reactivity (sample optical density/cut-off were found for all subclasses when using rMIC3. All of the antigens showed high sensitivity and low specificity in detecting anti-T. gondii IgGt and IgG1 and low sensitivity and high specificity in detecting IgG3 and IgG4. In conclusion, the combined detection of IgG antibody subclasses against recombinant toxoplasmic antigens may be useful for the early diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.

Competições e festivais na Grécia Pré-Helênica: as evidências minóico-micênicas

OpenAIRE

Ana Claudia Torralvo

1997-01-01

O que conhecemos das competições desportivas e dos festivais durante a Idade do Bronze na Grécia e no Egeu chegou até nós através das imagens representadas sobre os mais diversos suportes, como os afrescos, os relevos, a glíptica e outras manifestações da arte desse período. Neles percebemos algumas atividades físicas que podem caracterizar práticas desportivas: a luta corporal, praticada com luvas de couro, e a corrida, ambas comuns ao universo minóico-micênico. Já a tauromaquia ou salto do ...

The diagnostic value of transrectal ultrasonography combined with prostate specific antigen density in prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Weidong; Zha Yueqin; Wang Ajun; Hou Jianquan; Ouyang Jun

2008-01-01

Objective: To discuss the value of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and prostate specific antigen density (PSAD) and prostate specific antigen density of transition zone (PSATZ) for diagnosing prostate cancer. Methods: Chose cases of prostate cancer(PCa) and benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH), each was 19, all the eases were authenticated by pathology. Then compared the characteristic of prostate cancer with prostate specific antigen (PSA) and homologous PSAD, PSATZ. Results: Fourteen cases were discovered by ultrasound among the 19 PCa, the others were only diagnosed as BPH.Among the 14 cases, diffuse pathological changing was found in 1 patient, nodular changing in 13 patients (16 nodules were found). Among the 16 nodules, there were 13 hypoechoic nodules (75%) and 3 hyper echoic or compound echoic nodules (25%), and there were 13 nodules in outer zone and 3 nodules in transition zone.The PSA of PCa and BPH was 8.61-98.65 ng/ml [(48.79±25.34)ng/ml] and 0.58-28.36 ng/ml [(9.73±8.19)ng/ml]. There were no significant differences between the volume of prostate and prostate transition zone (P>0.05), but there were significant differences between the PSAD and PSATZ (P<0.01). That the PCa group was higher than that in the BPH group. Conclusion: It is higher sensitive but bess specific in diagonosis PCa by means of transrectal ultrasound. If it is combined with PSAD and PSATZ, the diagnostic rate of PCa is highly raised. (authors)

[Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the level of hemoglobin, hematocrit and platelet count as an activity index in ulcerative colitis].

Science.gov (United States)

Ibarra-Rodríguez, J Jesús; Santiago-Luna, Ernesto; Velázquez-Ramírez, Gabriela Abigail; López-Ramírez, María Karina Lizbeth; Fuentes-Orozco, Clotilde; Cortés-Flores, Ana Olivia; González-Ojeda, Alejandro

2005-01-01

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a disease characterized by relapsing and remitting non-infectious inflammation of the colorectal mucosa. Its heterogeneity makes assessment of the disease's activity a prerequisite for a rational choice of therapy. We aimed to determine sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets to develop a simplified activity index of UC. Sixty patients with UC were included and submitted to measurements of hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets, as well as sigmoidoscopy and biopsy. Sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive values were correlated with the reported degree of activity in the biopsy. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine differences between groups, and Pearson and Spearman rank tests were used to correlate each parameter with the degree of activity. A p value hemoglobin level was 51% and 100% for hematocrit, respectively, 51% and 100% for hematocrit, and 84% and 100% for platelet counts. Spearman's correlation for hemoglobin was r = -0.866 (p hematocrit r = -0.864 (p Hemoglobin and hematocrit are useful to catalog the degree of activity of UC when it is severe. Platelet count may be a marker of severity at any time, due to its high sensitivity and specificity as a diagnostic test.

Worrisome trends in rising minimum inhibitory concentration values of antibiotics against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus – Insights from a tertiary care center, South India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nagasundaram Niveditha

2015-11-01

Conclusion: MIC creep was notably observed with vancomycin, and to some extent with tigecycline and linezolid. Selection pressure may result in creeping MICs, which may herald the emergence of resistant organisms.

Optical Coronagraphic Spectroscopy of AU Mic: Evidence of Time Variable Colors?

Science.gov (United States)

Lomax, Jamie R.; Wisniewski, John P.; Roberge, Aki; Donaldson, Jessica K.; Debes, John H.; Malumuth, Eliot M.; Weinberger, Alycia J.

2018-02-01

We present coronagraphic long slit spectra of AU Mic’s debris disk taken with the STIS instrument aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. Our spectra are the first spatially-resolved, scattered light spectra of the system’s disk, which we detect at projected distances between approximately 10 and 45 au. Our spectra cover a wavelength range between 5200 and 10200 Å. We find that the color of AU Mic’s debris disk is bluest at small (12–17 au) projected separations. These results both confirm and quantify the findings qualitatively noted by Krist et al. and are different than IR observations that suggested a uniform blue or gray color as a function of projected separation in this region of the disk. Unlike previous literature, which reported that the color of AU Mic’s disk became increasingly more blue as a function of projected separation beyond ∼30 au, we find the disk’s optical color between 35 and 45 au to be uniformly blue on the southeast side of the disk and decreasingly blue on the northwest side. We note that this apparent change in disk color at larger projected separations coincides with several fast, outward moving “features” that are passing through this region of the southeast side of the disk. We speculate that these phenomenon might be related and that the fast moving features could be changing the localized distribution of sub-micron-sized grains as they pass by, thereby reducing the blue color of the disk in the process. We encourage follow-up optical spectroscopic observations of AU Mic to both confirm this result and search for further modifications of the disk color caused by additional fast moving features propagating through the disk.

Value of Next Generation Sequencing as Monitoring Tool For Microbial Corrosion - A Practical Case from Bioprophyling to Tailor made MMM Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Euverink, Gerrit

2016-01-01

AbstractMicrobiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) can occur unexpectedly in any kind of system in which metal surfaces are involved, leading to integrity problems and economic loss. To manage and control MIC we need a clearer understanding of the microbial communities attached to the metal

Public Values

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck Jørgensen, Torben; Rutgers, Mark R.

2015-01-01

administration is approached in terms of processes guided or restricted by public values and as public value creating: public management and public policy-making are both concerned with establishing, following and realizing public values. To study public values a broad perspective is needed. The article suggest......This article provides the introduction to a symposium on contemporary public values research. It is argued that the contribution to this symposium represent a Public Values Perspective, distinct from other specific lines of research that also use public value as a core concept. Public...... a research agenda for this encompasing kind of public values research. Finally the contributions to the symposium are introduced....

Brief Report: The Identity Style Inventory (ISI-3) and the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS)--Factor Structure, Reliability, and Convergent Validity in French-Speaking University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmermann, Gregoire; Mahaim, Elodie Biermann; Mantzouranis, Gregory; Genoud, Philippe A.; Crocetti, Elisabetta

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and the reliability of the French versions of the Identity Style Inventory (ISI-3) and the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) in a sample of college students (N = 457, 18-25 years old). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the hypothesized three-factor solution…

Performance of a radio link between a base station and a medical implant utilising the MICS standard.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Anders J

2004-01-01

Modern medical implants are of increasing complexity and with that, the need for fast and flexible communication with them grows. A wireless system is preferable and an inductive link is the most commonly used. But it has the drawback of a very short range, essentially limited to having the external transceiver touching the patient. The Medical Implant Communication System, MICS, is a standard aimed at improving the communication distance. It operates at a higher frequency band between 402 MHz and 405 MHz. We have by simulations and measurements investigated the channel properties of this band and calculated the link performance for a typical implant application. The result is a link speed between a base station and a bedridden patient of 600 kbit bits per second with a bit error rate of 2% in the downlink to the implant and 1 % in the uplink to the base station. Conclusions on the necessary complexity of the base station are also given.

Biological Variation and Reference Change Value Data for Serum Neuron-Specific Enolase in a Turkish Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Matyar, Selcuk; Goruroglu Ozturk, Ozlem; Ziyanoglu Karacor, Esin; Yuzbasioglu Ariyurek, Sedefgul; Sahin, Gulhan; Kibar, Filiz; Yaman, Akgun; Inal, Tamer

2016-11-01

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is a recognized biomarker for the assessment of cerebral injury in neurological disorders. This study aims to report a definitive assessment of the biological variation (BV) components of this biomarker, including within-subject BV (CVI), between-subject BV (CVG), index of individuality (II), and reference change value (RCV), in a cohort of Turkish participants using an experimental protocol. Six blood specimens were collected from each of the 13 apparently healthy volunteers (seven women, six men; ranging in age from 23 to 36) on the same day, every 2 weeks for 2 months. Serum specimens were stored at -20°C until analysis. Neuron-specific enolase levels were evaluated in serum samples using an electrochemiluminescence (ECLIA) immunoassay kit with a Roche Cobas e 411 auto-analyser. ANOVA test was used to calculate the variations. The CVI and CVG for NSE were 21.5% and 28.8%, respectively. Analytical variation (CVA) was calculated as 10.2%. Additionally, II and RCV were calculated as 0.74 and 66% (95% confident interval, CI), respectively. As the performance index (PI) was found to be less than 2 (PI = 0.95), it is concluded that the NSE measurements have a desirable performance for analytical imprecision. Since the II was found to be less than 1 (II: 0.74), the reference values will be of little use. Thus, RCV would provide better information for deciding whether a significant change has occurred. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Values Education in the Mathematics Classroom: Subject Values, Educational Values and One Teacher's Articulation of Her Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Bills, Liz; Husbands, Chris

2005-01-01

The issue of values has been a longstanding concern of mathematics education research. Attempts have been made to analyze the specifically mathematical values which characterize the practice of mathematics teachers. In this paper we draw on one teacher's articulation of her practice to explore values issues in the teaching of mathematics, drawing…

A comparison of specific effective energies values obtained for some radioactive element using 3 different decay data banks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nascimento, J.E.C.; Bertelli Neto, L.

1990-01-01

The Specific Effective Energies (SEE) are the dose equivalents received by each of the body organs (targets organs) per nuclear transformation of a radionuclide deposited in an organ or tissue (source organ) after an intake of this isotope. The SEE values were calculated on basis of the dosimetric concepts of Publication 30 of the International Comission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The results were evaluated using two of the three most known decay data banks. This study shows considerables discrepancies in the evaluation of the SEE values for some radionuclides. In theses cases it is recommended the use of the most complete and detailed decay data bank to perform the SEE calculations. (author) [pt

Coupling of MIC-3 overexpression with the chromosome 11 and 14 root-knot nematode (RKN) (Meloidogyne incognita) resistance QTLs provides insights into the regulation of the RKN resistance response in Upland cotton...

Science.gov (United States)

High levels of resistance to root-knot nematode (RKN) (Meloidogyne incognita) in Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is mediated by two major quantitative trait loci (QTL) located on chromosomes 11 and 14. We had previously determined that MIC-3 expression played a direct role in suppressing RKN egg...

Evaluation of the Microbiological Efficacy of a Single 2-Gram Dose of Extended-Release Azithromycin by Population Pharmacokinetics and Simulation in Japanese Patients with Gonococcal Urethritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Soda, Midori; Ito, Shin; Matsumaru, Naoki; Nakamura, Sakiko; Nagase, Izumi; Takahashi, Hikari; Ohno, Yuta; Yasuda, Mitsuru; Yamamoto, Miho; Tsukamoto, Katsura; Itoh, Yoshinori; Deguchi, Takashi; Kitaichi, Kiyoyuki

2018-01-01

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between the pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) parameters of a single 2-g dose of extended-release formulation of azithromycin (AZM-SR) and its microbiological efficacy against gonococcal urethritis. Fifty male patients with gonococcal urethritis were enrolled in this study. In 36 patients, the plasma AZM concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, the AZM MIC values for the Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates were determined, and the microbiological outcomes were assessed. AZM-SR monotherapy eradicated N. gonorrhoeae in 30 (83%) of the 36 patients. AZM MICs ranged from 0.03 to 2 mg/liter. The mean value of the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), estimated by population PK analysis using a two-compartment model, was 20.8 mg · h/liter. Logistic regression analysis showed that the PK/PD target value required to predict an N. gonorrhoeae eradication rate of ≥95% was a calculated AUC/MIC of ≥59.5. The AUC/MIC value was significantly higher in patients who achieved microbiological cure than in patients who achieved microbiological failure. Monte Carlo simulation using this MIC distribution revealed that the probability that AZM-SR monotherapy would produce an AUC/MIC exceeding the AUC/MIC target of 59.5 was 47%. Furthermore, the MIC distribution for strains isolated in this study was mostly consistent with that for strains currently circulating in Japan. In conclusion, in Japan, AZM-SR monotherapy may not be effective against gonococcal urethritis. Therefore, use of a single 2-g dose of AZM-SR either with or without other antibiotics could be an option to treat gonococcal urethritis if patients are allergic to ceftriaxone and spectinomycin or are diagnosed to be infected with an AZM-sensitive strain. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Mathematical model for the growth of P. aeruginosa and four mutator strains in sub-MIC concentration of Ciprofloxacin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Philipsen, Kirsten Riber; Christiansen, Lasse Engbo; Madsen, Henrik

growing under sub-MIC Ciprofloxacin concentration (0.1 μg/ml), in order to describe the growth pattern under the presence of antibiotic. Data available for the modelling process is bioscreen measurements of the bacterial content as a function of time for each bacteria strain growing in LB media...... is that the presence of antibiotic results in selection of mutators in the lungs of CF patients, as these bacteria has a higher fitness under the presence of antibiotics. The goal of this study is to model the growth of P. aeruginosa and four different mutator strains (PAO1 mutT, mutY, mutM and mutM-mutY mutants) when......P. aeruginosa causes very critical and complicated infections, for which treatment is strongly dependent on successful antibiotic treatment. Therefore the evolution of antibiotic resistant P. aeruginosa does have serious consequences. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by the chronic P...

Perspectivas de la niñez adulta: El cómic como espacio de denuncia desde la marginalidad de sus personajes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Merino

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Este artículo analiza la representación de la niñez en varios cómics iberoamericanos: Mafalda de Quino, Paracuellos de Carlos Jiménez y Socorro de Miguel Rep. En ellos se articula la infancia desde una perspectiva adulta y crítica con la sociedad mostrando una dimensión comprometida que interpela al lector. This article analyzes the representation of childhood in several Latin American comics: Mafalda by Quino, Paracuellos by Carlos Jiménez, and Socorro by Miguel Rep. In these comics, infancy is articulated from an adult angle critical with society, showing a dimension of commitment appealing to their readership.

[Susceptibilities of Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from animals to ofloxacin and commonly used antimicrobial agents].

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, I; Yoshida, T; Higashide, Y; Sakano, T

1990-01-01

Susceptibilities of Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from chickens, pigs and cattle to ofloxacin (OFLX) and commonly used antimicrobial agents were investigated. 1. E. coli (28 isolates) demonstrated the highest level of susceptibility of OFLX (MIC 0.10-0.39 micrograms/ml for all the isolates) among all the test drugs. Commonly used antimicrobial agents to which these isolates responded with relatively high susceptibilities (MIC50 0.78-6.25 micrograms/ml) included oxolinic acid (OXA), ampicillin (ABPC), kanamycin (KM) and chloramphenicol (CP) with their MIC50 values in the increasing order as above. Drugs to which these isolates responded with moderate to weak susceptibilities (MIC50 25 approximately greater than 800 micrograms/ml) were doxycycline (DOXY), streptomycin (SM), spectinomycin (SPCM) and sulfadimethoxine (SDMX) in the increasing order of MIC50. E. coli isolates with resistances to all the test drugs other than OFLX and OXA amounted to 7.1-57.1% of the isolates examined and 20 isolates (71.4%) in total. 2. Susceptibilities to OFLX and 4 existing pyridonecarboxylic acid derivatives of E. coli (48 samples) isolated recently from diarrheal pigs were compared. When evaluated in terms of MIC50, the values of OFLX and norfloxacin were both 0.10 micrograms/ml. The values increased by differences of 0.39-3.13 micrograms/ml in an order of OXA, pipemidic acid and nalidixic acid. 3. Salmonella (28 isolates) demonstrated the highest level of susceptibility to OFLX (MIC 0.20-0.39 micrograms/ml for all the isolates) among all the test drugs. The drugs to which these isolates responded with relatively high to moderate susceptibilities (MIC50 0.78-12.5 micrograms/ml) included ABPC, OXA, DOXY, KM, CP and SM with their MIC50 values increasing in this order. The drugs to which the isolates responded with low susceptibilities (MIC50 above 100 micrograms/ml) were SPCM and SDMX. Of all the 28 Salmonella isolates tested, 7.1-32.1% were resistant

Variations in the spectral values of specific absorption of phytoplankton

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sathyendranath, S.; Lazzara, L.; Prieur, L.

Absorption spectra of laboratory cultures of eight species of phytoplankton were studied. These spectra, normalized per unit of chlorophyll a concentration (specific absorption) show variability in magnitude and spectral form. Specific absorption...

Air quality and climate change, Topic 3 of the Model Inter-Comparison Study for Asia Phase III (MICS-Asia III) - Part 1: Overview and model evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Meng; Han, Zhiwei; Liu, Zirui; Li, Meng; Xin, Jinyuan; Tao, Zhining; Li, Jiawei; Kang, Jeong-Eon; Huang, Kan; Dong, Xinyi; Zhuang, Bingliang; Li, Shu; Ge, Baozhu; Wu, Qizhong; Cheng, Yafang; Wang, Yuesi; Lee, Hyo-Jung; Kim, Cheol-Hee; Fu, Joshua S.; Wang, Tijian; Chin, Mian; Woo, Jung-Hun; Zhang, Qiang; Wang, Zifa; Carmichael, Gregory R.

2018-04-01

Topic 3 of the Model Inter-Comparison Study for Asia (MICS-Asia) Phase III examines how online coupled air quality models perform in simulating high aerosol pollution in the North China Plain region during wintertime haze events and evaluates the importance of aerosol radiative and microphysical feedbacks. A comprehensive overview of the MICS-Asia III Topic 3 study design, including descriptions of participating models and model inputs, the experimental designs, and results of model evaluation, are presented. Six modeling groups from China, Korea and the United States submitted results from seven applications of online coupled chemistry-meteorology models. Results are compared to meteorology and air quality measurements, including data from the Campaign on Atmospheric Aerosol Research Network of China (CARE-China) and the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET). The correlation coefficients between the multi-model ensemble mean and the CARE-China observed near-surface air pollutants range from 0.51 to 0.94 (0.51 for ozone and 0.94 for PM2.5) for January 2010. However, large discrepancies exist between simulated aerosol chemical compositions from different models. The coefficient of variation (SD divided by the mean) can reach above 1.3 for sulfate in Beijing and above 1.6 for nitrate and organic aerosols in coastal regions, indicating that these compositions are less consistent from different models. During clean periods, simulated aerosol optical depths (AODs) from different models are similar, but peak values differ during severe haze events, which can be explained by the differences in simulated inorganic aerosol concentrations and the hygroscopic growth efficiency (affected by varied relative humidity). These differences in composition and AOD suggest that future models can be improved by including new heterogeneous or aqueous pathways for sulfate and nitrate formation under hazy conditions, a secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation chemical

In vitro efficacy and pharmacodynamic indices for antibiotics against coagulase-negative staphylococcus endophthalmitis isolates.

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, Tom; Miller, Darlene; Flynn, Harry W

2007-05-01

To compare pharmacodynamic indices and minimal inhibitory concentrations for vancomycin, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin, linezolid, and combined quinupristin and dalfopristin for historic and current human coagulase-negative staphylococcus (CoNS) endophthalmitis isolates. Experimental study. Fifty-nine CoNS endophthalmitis isolates retrieved from patients at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute from 1993 through 2006. Coagulase-negative staphylococcal endophthalmitis isolates were recovered from the microbiology specimen bank, rehydrated, and processed for susceptibility testing using standard microbiological protocols. E tests were used to determine and compare mean inhibitory concentration for 50% of isolates (MIC50) and mean inhibitory concentration for 90% of isolates (MIC90) values. Peak concentration (C(max)) was defined as the maximum attainable aqueous concentration using topical or oral therapy, or both. The MIC50 and MIC90 values for each antibiotic are the minimum concentrations that inhibit 50% and 90% of CoNS endophthalmitis isolates, respectively. Significance was determined by the McNemar test. Pharmacodynamic indices (C(max)/MIC) were calculated using determined MIC values and published intraocular drug concentrations for topical and oral dosing. The pharmacodynamic index was defined as the achievable aqueous humor concentration of an antibiotic divided by the concentration of the antibiotic required to inhibit a specified percentage of microbiologic isolates. Pharmacodynamic indices for new and conventional antibiotics. General in vitro susceptibility patterns in descending order were vancomycin (100%), linezolid (100%), quinupristin and dalfopristin (98%), moxifloxacin (48%), and gatifloxacin (47%). The corresponding MIC50 and MIC90 values were vancomycin, 2 microg/ml and 3 microg/ml, respectively; linezolid, 1 microg/ml and 4 microg/ml; quinupristin and dalfopristin, 0.25 microg/ml and 0.5 microg/ml; moxifloxacin, 0.75 microg/ml and > or =32 microg

Short communication: In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of Mycoplasma bovis isolates identified in milk from dairy cattle in Belgium, Germany, and Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Barberio, A; Flaminio, B; De Vliegher, S; Supré, K; Kromker, V; Garbarino, C; Arrigoni, N; Zanardi, G; Bertocchi, L; Gobbo, F; Catania, S; Moroni, P

2016-08-01

The objective of this study was to assess the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of 73 isolates of Mycoplasma bovis isolated from milk of dairy cattle herds of Belgium, Germany, and Italy. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined by the microbroth dilution method for the following antimicrobials: erythromycin, spiramycin, tilmicosin, tylosin, lincomycin, enrofloxacin, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, florfenicol, and tiamulin. Macrolides, florfenicol, oxytetracycline, and enrofloxacin, were chosen because they represent antimicrobials families commonly used in several countries for treatment of M. bovis, and their MIC values in cattle population are reported in several studies, allowing a comparison with previous data. Doxycycline and tiamulin were selected to assess the susceptibility of M. bovis to new antimicrobials, because they are not registered in the European Union for the treatment of dairy cattle. Among the agents of the different antimicrobial classes, the macrolides showed the highest concentration to inhibit 90% of isolates (MIC90), all above the highest concentration tested: >8μg/mL for erythromycin, >16μg/mL for spiramycin, and >32μg/mL for tilmicosin and tylosin. Also the MIC90 of lincomycin was above the highest concentration tested (>32μg/mL), but the distribution of the MIC values was almost perfectly bimodal: 41 isolates had a MIC ≤0.5μg/mL and 30 isolates >32μg/mL. Oxytetracycline had a 2-fold higher concentration to inhibit 50% of isolates (2 vs. 0.5μg/mL) and 1-fold higher MIC90 (4 vs. 2μg/mL) than doxycycline. Enrofloxacin and florfenicol had both a MIC90 of 2μg/mL, whereas tiamulin had a MIC90 of 0.5μg/mL. Significant differences on the MIC values were found among the 3 countries for several antimicrobials: compared with Germany, Belgium and Italy showed significantly higher MIC for lincomycin, spiramycin, and tylosin, and lower for oxytetracycline and florfenicol. The Belgian isolates showed the lowest MIC

Factores de riesgo en pacientes con sospecha de úlcera corneal micótica en Pinar del Río Risk factors found in patients with possible diagnosis of mycotic corneal ulcer in Pinar del Río province

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Janet González Sotero

2010-12-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: Identificar los principales factores de riesgo en pacientes con sospecha de úlcera corneal micótica en la provincia Pinar del Río. MÉTODOS: Se realizó una investigación observacional, analítica de tipo caso-control. La información fue obtenida a través de la revisión de historias clínicas de los pacientes que ingresaron en el Servicio de Oftalmología del Hospital Clinicoquirúrgico "Abel Santamaría Cuadrado" con impresión diagnóstica de úlcera corneal micótica en el periodo comprendido entre el 1 de enero de 2004 y el 30 de noviembre de 2007. Se emplearon como variables edad, sexo, ocupación, tipo de lugar de residencia, antecedente reciente de trauma corneal con materia vegetal, trauma corneal, uso de lentes de contacto, uso de esteroides tópicos, enfermedades sistémicas inmunosupresoras, cirugía ocular previa y enfermedades crónicas de la superficie ocular. Se emplearon medidas de frecuencia y asociación. RESULTADOS: Se determinó que la ocupación, el tipo de lugar de residencia y el antecedente de trauma corneal con materia vegetal constituyen posibles factores de riesgo de la úlcera corneal micótica en esa provincia. La frecuencia de la úlcera corneal micótica fue de un 27 % con respecto al total de pacientes ingresados con diagnóstico de úlcera corneal. El sexo más afectado fue el masculino y el grupo etario el de 38 a 57 años. CONCLUSIONES: El antecedente de trauma corneal con materia vegetal, el lugar de residencia rural y las actividades laborales relacionadas con la manipulación directa de plantas constituyeron factores de riesgo de úlcera corneal micótica en los pacientes estudiados. La frecuencia de la úlcera corneal micótica en el estudio se correspondió con el patrón observado en países con clima cálido y húmedo, especialmente cerca del ecuador. La úlcera corneal micótica es más común en hombres en edades laboralmente activas.OBJECTIVE: To identify the main risk factors in

Nuclide documentation. Element specific parameter values used in the biospheric models of the safety assessments SR 97 and SAFE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karlsson, Sara; Bergstroem, Ulla

2002-05-01

In this report the element and nuclide specific parameter values used in the biospheric models of the safety assessments SR 97 and SAFE are presented. The references used are presented and where necessary the process of estimation of data is described. The parameters treated in this report are distribution coefficients in soil, organic soil and suspended matter in freshwater and brackish water, root uptake factors for pasturage, cereals, root crops and vegetables, bioaccumulation factors for freshwater fish, brackish water fish, freshwater invertebrates and marine water plants, transfer coefficients for transfer to milk and meat, translocation factors and dose coefficients for external exposure, ingestion (age-dependent values) and inhalation (age-dependent values). The radionuclides treated are those which could be of interest in the two safety assessments. Physical data such as half-lives and type of decay are also presented

Nuclide documentation. Element specific parameter values used in the biospheric models of the safety assessments SR 97 and SAFE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karlsson, Sara; Bergstroem, Ulla [Studsvik Eco and Safety AB, Nykoeping (Sweden)

2002-05-01

In this report the element and nuclide specific parameter values used in the biospheric models of the safety assessments SR 97 and SAFE are presented. The references used are presented and where necessary the process of estimation of data is described. The parameters treated in this report are distribution coefficients in soil, organic soil and suspended matter in freshwater and brackish water, root uptake factors for pasturage, cereals, root crops and vegetables, bioaccumulation factors for freshwater fish, brackish water fish, freshwater invertebrates and marine water plants, transfer coefficients for transfer to milk and meat, translocation factors and dose coefficients for external exposure, ingestion (age-dependent values) and inhalation (age-dependent values). The radionuclides treated are those which could be of interest in the two safety assessments. Physical data such as half-lives and type of decay are also presented.

Atividade antibacteriana de floroglucinóis e do extrato hexânico de Hypericum brasiliense Choysi Antibacterial activity of the phloroglucinols and hexanic extract from Hypericum brasiliense Choysi

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Hildegardo Seibert França

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Three phloroglucinols were obtained from Hypericum brasiliense: japonicine A (1, isouliginosin B (2 and uliginosin B (3. Bioautography and disk diffusion methods were used to determine antibacterial activity of the hexanic extract. Strains of the Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus and American Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones showed a growth inhibition zone ranging from 10 to 12 mm and 7 to 15 mm, respectively. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC values were used to measure antistaphylococcal activity for all phloroglucinols. Isouliginosin B and uliginosin B presented MIC values of 1.5 and 3.0 µg/mL, respectively, while japonicine A displayed MIC value of 50.0 µg/mL.

Nature of protein family signatures: insights from singular value analysis of position-specific scoring matrices.

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Akira R Kinjo

Full Text Available Position-specific scoring matrices (PSSMs are useful for detecting weak homology in protein sequence analysis, and they are thought to contain some essential signatures of the protein families. In order to elucidate what kind of ingredients constitute such family-specific signatures, we apply singular value decomposition to a set of PSSMs and examine the properties of dominant right and left singular vectors. The first right singular vectors were correlated with various amino acid indices including relative mutability, amino acid composition in protein interior, hydropathy, or turn propensity, depending on proteins. A significant correlation between the first left singular vector and a measure of site conservation was observed. It is shown that the contribution of the first singular component to the PSSMs act to disfavor potentially but falsely functionally important residues at conserved sites. The second right singular vectors were highly correlated with hydrophobicity scales, and the corresponding left singular vectors with contact numbers of protein structures. It is suggested that sequence alignment with a PSSM is essentially equivalent to threading supplemented with functional information. In addition, singular vectors may be useful for analyzing and annotating the characteristics of conserved sites in protein families.

Failure of Quality Control Measures To Prevent Reporting of False Resistance to Imipenem, Resulting in a Pseudo-Outbreak of Imipenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Science.gov (United States)

Carmeli, Yehuda; Eichelberger, Karen; Soja, Don; Dakos, Joanna; Venkataraman, Lata; DeGirolami, Paola; Samore, Matthew

1998-01-01

False results showing an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with resistance to imipenem were traced to a defective lot of microdilution MIC testing panels. These panels contained two- to threefold lower concentrations of imipenem than expected and resulted in artifactual two- to fourfold increases in MICs of imipenem. The quality-control MIC results for Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 were 4 μg/ml, the highest value within the range recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. We recommend that this value be considered out of the quality-control range. PMID:9466787

Commercial broth microdilution panel validation and reproducibility trials for NVP PDF-713 (LBM 415), a novel inhibitor of bacterial peptide deformylase.

Science.gov (United States)

Fritsche, T R; Moet, G J; Jones, R N

2004-09-01

NVP PDF-713 (LBM 415) is a peptide deformylase inhibitor being progressed into clinical trials. Dry-form broth microdilution panels of NVP PDF-713 were compared to reference MIC panels of 552 recent clinical isolates. Most (99.2%) dry-form MIC results were within +/- 1 log(2) dilution of the reference panel MICs. Of the bacteria tested, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae showed a bias towards higher and lower MICs, respectively. Same-day and between-day reproducibility tests showed that 98.9% and 96.7% of MIC values, respectively, were within +/- 1 log(2) dilution step, thereby demonstrating a high degree of reliability of the dry-form MIC product for clinical studies.

El cómic en la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera

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Jorge Catalá Carrasco

2007-01-01

Full Text Available La experiencia práctica que voy a relatar pretende mostrar las posibilidades que el cómic tiene, como producto cultural, dentro de las clases de español para extranjeros. Mi relación con las clases de español como lengua extranjera (E/LE se ciñe a estudiantes universitarios de un nivel avanzado, esto es, aquellos que han cursado las clases básicas de gramática y quieren profundizar en la lengua y la cultura hispánicas. Dentro de este marco es donde encuadro la presente experiencia. Los estudiantes con los que he trabajado provienen, en su mayoría, de The University of Georgia en los EE.UU. y cursan un semestre en Valencia (España para perfeccionar el idioma. Mi relación profesional con esta universidad norteamericana data de hace más de 4 años, primero como profesor asistente de español en los EE.UU. y luego como coordinador y profesor dentro del programa académico UGA en España, en Valencia.

El cómic en la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Catalá Carrasco

2012-08-01

Full Text Available La experiencia práctica que voy a relatar pretende mostrar las posibilidades que el cómic tiene, como producto cultural, dentro de las clases de español para extranjeros. Mi relación con las clases de español como lengua extranjera (E/LE se ciñe a estudiantes universitarios de un nivel avanzado, esto es,  aquellos que han cursado las clases básicas de gramática y quieren profundizar en la lengua y la cultura hispánicas. Dentro de este marco es donde encuadro la presente experiencia. Los estudiantes con los que he trabajado provienen, en su mayoría, de The University of Georgia en los EE.UU. y cursan un semestre en Valencia (España para perfeccionar el idioma. Mi relación profesional con esta universidad norteamericana data de hace más de 4 años, primero como profesor asistente de español en los EE.UU. y luego como  coordinador y profesor dentro del programa académico UGA en España, en Valencia.

Evaluation of anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of Campomanesia adamantium (Myrtaceae

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Fernando Rogério Pavan

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of Campomanesia adamantium fruits extracts were evaluated. Six compounds, identified as flavanones and chalcones were quantified by HPLC-DAD-UV. Promising antitubercular activity was observed with ethyl acetate extract (MIC 62.5 µg/mL and their fractions (MIC values ranging from 39 to above 250 µg/mL. The better MIC result of 39 µg/mL was associated with two fractions that contain bigger amounts of 5,7-dihydroxy-6, 8-di-C-methylflavanone and 2',4'-dihydroxy-3',5'-dimethyl-6'-methoxychalcone. These compounds exhibited MICs >250 and 62.5 µg/mL, respectively, while their mixtures showed values ranging from 62.5 to 7.8 µg/mL, demonstrating a synergism between them.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2006-05-01

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

Estimating Time-Varying PCB Exposures Using Person-Specific Predictions to Supplement Measured Values: A Comparison of Observed and Predicted Values in Two Cohorts of Norwegian Women

Science.gov (United States)

Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Breivik, Knut; Wania, Frank; Rylander, Charlotta; Odland, Jon Øyvind; Sandanger, Torkjel Manning

2015-01-01

, Rylander C, Odland JØ, Sandanger TM. 2016. Estimating time-varying PCB exposures using person-specific predictions to supplement measured values: a comparison of observed and predicted values in two cohorts of Norwegian women. Environ Health Perspect 124:299–305; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409191 PMID:26186800

Antimicrobial activity of apitoxin, melittin and phospholipase A2 of honey bee (Apis mellifera venom against oral pathogens

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Luís F. Leandro

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In this work, we used the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC technique to evaluate the antibacterial potential of the apitoxin produced by Apis mellifera bees against the causative agents of tooth decay. Apitoxin was assayed in naturaand in the commercially available form. The antibacterial actions of the main components of this apitoxin, phospholipase A2, and melittin were also assessed, alone and in combination. The following bacteria were tested: Streptococcus salivarius, S. sobrinus, S. mutans, S. mitis, S. sanguinis, Lactobacillus casei, and Enterococcus faecalis. The MIC results obtained for the commercially available apitoxin and for the apitoxin in natura were close and lay between 20 and 40µg / mL, which indicated good antibacterial activity. Melittin was the most active component in apitoxin; it displayed very promising MIC values, from 4 to 40µg / mL. Phospholipase A2 presented MIC values higher than 400µg / mL. Association of mellitin with phospholipase A2 yielded MIC values ranging between 6 and 80µg / mL. Considering that tooth decay affects people's health, apitoxin and its component melittin have potential application against oral pathogens.

In vitro antifungal activity of isavuconazole against 345 mucorales isolates collected at study centers in eight countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Verweij, P E; González, G M; Wiedrhold, N P; Lass-Flörl, C; Warn, P; Heep, M; Ghannoum, M A; Guinea, J

2009-06-01

Although mucormycoses (formerly zygomycoses) are relatively uncommon, they are associated with high mortality and treatment options are limited. Isavuconazole is a novel, water soluble, broad-spectrum azole in clinical development for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and candidiasis. The objective of this report was to collate data on the in vitro activity of isavuconazole against a collection of 345 diverse mucorales isolates, collected and tested at eight study centers in europe, mexico and North America. Each study center undertook minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) susceptibility testing of their isolates, according to EUCAST or CLSI guidelines. Across all study centers, isavuconazole exhibited MIC(50 )values of 1-4 mg/l and MIC(90 )values of 4-16 mg/l against the five genera. There were also marked differences in MIC distributions, which could be ascribed to differences in inoculum and/or endpoint. EUCAST guidelines appeared to generate modal MICs 2-fold higher than CLSI. These results confirm that isavuconazole possesses at least partial antifungal activity against mucorales.

Predictive value of different conventional and non-conventional MRI-parameters for specific domains of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis

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Daniela Pinter

2015-01-01

Conclusions: The predictive value of distinct MRI-parameters differs for specific domains of cognitive function, with a greater impact of cortical volume, focal and diffuse white matter abnormalities on overall cognitive function, an additional role of basal ganglia iron deposition on cognitive efficiency, and thalamic and hippocampal volume on memory function. This suggests the usefulness of using multiparametric MRI to assess (microstructural correlates of different cognitive constructs.

Core Values: A History of Values-Related Initiatives in the Air Force

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dierker, Gregory

1997-01-01

.... This study specifically examines two of the assumptions made in the current Air Force Core Values initiative against the historic values-related initiatives to identify any differences that have occurred over time...

The Widely Used ATB FUNGUS 3 Automated Readings in China and Its Misleading High MICs of Candida spp. to Azoles: Challenges for Developing Countries' Clinical Microbiology Labs

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Li; Wang, He; Xiao, Meng; Kudinha, Timothy; Mao, Lei-Li; Zhao, Hao-Ran; Kong, Fanrong; Xu, Ying-Chun

2014-01-01

The rapid development in the clinical microbiology diagnostic assays presents more challenges for developing countries than for the developed world, especially in the area of test validation before the introduction of new tests. Here we report on the misleading high MICs of Candida spp. to azoles using the ATB FUNGUS 3 (bioMérieux, La Balme-les Grottes, France) with automated readings in China to highlight the dangers of introducing a diagnostic assay without validation. ATB FUNGUS 3 is the m...

Sensitivity and specificity of various beta-lactam antibiotics and phenotypical methods for detection of TEM, SHV and CTX-M extended-spectrum beta-lactamases.

Science.gov (United States)

Bedenic, B; Vranes, J; Mihaljevic, Lj; Tonkic, M; Sviben, M; Plecko, V; Kalenic, S

2007-04-01

The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of six different beta-lactam antibiotics using five phenotypical tests for detection of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) based on synergism of beta-lactam antibiotics and clavulanate. Experiments were performed on a set of 80 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains and 105 Escherichia coli strains with previously characterized ESBLs (SHV, TEM and CTX-M). ESBLs were detected by five different phenotypical methods: MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) determination of beta-lactam antibiotics with and without clavulanate, double-disk synergy test (DDST), inhibitor-potentiated disk-diffusion test (IPDDT), CLSI-Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institution (former NCCLS) combined-disk-test, and modified MAST-disk-diffusion test (MAST-DD-test). Seven antibiotics were tested as indicators of ESBL production: ceftazidime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, aztreonam, ceftibuten, cefpodoxime and cefepime. Ceftazidime and aztreonam were the best indicators for SHV-5, SHV-12 and TEM beta-lactamases whereas cefotaxime and ceftriaxone were the most sensitive in detection of SHV-2 and CTX-M beta-lactamases in DDST, IPDDT and CLSI test. MIC determination of beta-lactam antibiotics with and without clavulanate was the most sensitive method. DDST was the least sensitive test. Double-disk synergy test, which is the most frequently used test for detection of ESBLs in routine laboratories, was the least sensitive independently of the indicator antibiotic. Since MIC determination is a very laborious and time consuming method, we would recommend the NCCLS combined disk test or IPDD test for detection of ESBLs in routine laboratories with 5 mm zone augmentation breakpoint.

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic integration and modelling of oxytetracycline administered alone and in combination with carprofen in calves.

Science.gov (United States)

Brentnall, C; Cheng, Z; McKellar, Q A; Lees, P

2013-06-01

The pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) profiles of oxytetracycline were investigated, when administered both alone and in the presence of carprofen, in healthy calves. The study comprised a four treatment, four sequences, and four period cross-over design and used a tissue cage model, which permitted the collection of serum, inflamed tissue cage fluid (exudate) and non-inflamed tissue cage fluid (transudate). There were no clinically relevant differences in the PK profile of oxytetracycline when administered alone and when administered with carprofen. PK-PD integration was undertaken for a pathogenic strain of Mannheimia haemolytic (A1 76/1), by correlating in vitro minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and time-kill data with in vivo PK data obtained in the cross-over study. Based on in vitro susceptibility in cation adjusted Mueller Hinton Broth (CAMHB) and in vivo determined PK variables, ratios of maximum concentration (Cmax) and area under curve (AUC) to MIC and time for which concentration exceeded MIC (T>MIC) were determined. The CAMHB MIC data satisfied integrated PK/PD relationships predicted to achieve efficacy for approximately 48 h after dosing; mean values for serum were 5.13 (Cmax/MIC), 49.3 h (T>MIC) and 126.6 h (AUC(96h)/MIC). Similar findings were obtained when oxytetracycline was administered in the presence of carprofen, with PK-PD indices based on MIC determined in CAMHB. However, PK-PD integration of data, based on oxytetracycline MICs determined in the biological fluids, serum, exudate and transudate, suggest that it possesses, at most, limited direct killing activity against the M. haemolytica strain A1 76/1; mean values for serum were 0.277 (Cmax/MIC), 0 h (T>MIC) and 6.84 h (AUC(96h)/MIC). The data suggest that the beneficial therapeutic effects of oxytetracycline may depend, at least in part, on actions other than direct inhibition of bacterial growth. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SOLUTION FOR ICHTHYOFAUNA MIGRATION UPSTREAM- DOWNSTREAM OF THE TWO SPILLWAYS LOCATED NEAR MANASTUR DAM ON THE SOMESUL MIC RIVER IN THE CLUJ NAPOCA CITY (ROMÂNIA

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Razvan VOICU

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Longitudinal connectivity represent the way in which organisms move the energy and material exchanges located throughout the water. Fragmentation the longitudinal connectivity of watercourses caused by dams or other hydrotechnical constructions represent a major impact on sediment transport, hydrological regime, downstream moving and biota migration. The hydromorphological elements (river continuity, as well as chemical, biological, physicochemical elements characterize the ecological status of rivers.Migratory fish species: nase (Chondrostoma nasus - protected by Bern Convention - Appendix III and barbel (Barbus barbus - rare species, protected Habitats Directive (Annex V, annex 4A of Low nr.462 and Red List of RBDD are blocked but the Hydrotechnical constructions (discharge sills, dams etc located across the watercourse Somes Mic River. One of the important think of this system is the gravitational fall of water. This solution will lead to the restoration of the longitudinal connection of the Someşul Mic River in the Manastur neighborhood. România is part of the European Union and it has the obligation to implement the provisions of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, transposed into Romanian legislation by the Water Law 107/1996 as supplemented and amended (Act 310/2004. This engineering solution for fish fauna migration upstream – downstream of the spillways supports the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, transposed into Romanian legislation by the Water Law 107/1996 as supplemented and amended (Act 310/2004.

Air quality and climate change, Topic 3 of the Model Inter-Comparison Study for Asia Phase III (MICS-Asia III – Part 1: Overview and model evaluation

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M. Gao

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Topic 3 of the Model Inter-Comparison Study for Asia (MICS-Asia Phase III examines how online coupled air quality models perform in simulating high aerosol pollution in the North China Plain region during wintertime haze events and evaluates the importance of aerosol radiative and microphysical feedbacks. A comprehensive overview of the MICS-Asia III Topic 3 study design, including descriptions of participating models and model inputs, the experimental designs, and results of model evaluation, are presented. Six modeling groups from China, Korea and the United States submitted results from seven applications of online coupled chemistry–meteorology models. Results are compared to meteorology and air quality measurements, including data from the Campaign on Atmospheric Aerosol Research Network of China (CARE-China and the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET. The correlation coefficients between the multi-model ensemble mean and the CARE-China observed near-surface air pollutants range from 0.51 to 0.94 (0.51 for ozone and 0.94 for PM2.5 for January 2010. However, large discrepancies exist between simulated aerosol chemical compositions from different models. The coefficient of variation (SD divided by the mean can reach above 1.3 for sulfate in Beijing and above 1.6 for nitrate and organic aerosols in coastal regions, indicating that these compositions are less consistent from different models. During clean periods, simulated aerosol optical depths (AODs from different models are similar, but peak values differ during severe haze events, which can be explained by the differences in simulated inorganic aerosol concentrations and the hygroscopic growth efficiency (affected by varied relative humidity. These differences in composition and AOD suggest that future models can be improved by including new heterogeneous or aqueous pathways for sulfate and nitrate formation under hazy conditions, a secondary organic aerosol (SOA

Antimicrobial susceptibility of porcine Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli isolated in Sweden between 1990 and 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The anaerobic spirochetes Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli cause diarrheal diseases in pigs. Their fastidious nature has hampered standardization of methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. For monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility wild type cutoff values are needed to define where the wild type distribution of MICs ends and no approved cutoffs are available for Brachyspira spp. In this study antimicrobial susceptibility data for both species (in total 906 isolates) were compiled and analyzed and wild type cut off values for B. hyodysenteriae proposed. Methods The MICs of tiamulin, valnemulin, tylosin, tylvalosin, doxycycline and lincomycin were determined by broth dilution in brain heart infusion broth supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. Results The compiled MICs from the broth dilution tests of the B. hyodysenteriae type strain, B78T (ATCC® 27164T), showed that the method yields reproducible results. In an international perspective the frequencies of isolates with decreased antimicrobial susceptibility were low among both B. hyodysenteriae and B. pilosicoli. However, in B. pilosicoli a constant level of 10-15% isolates with tiamulin MICs >4 μg/ml was detected between 2002 and 2010 and in B. hyodysenteriae a gradual increase in tiamulin MICs was seen between 1990 and 2003 although this increase has ceased during the last years. The wild type cutoff values proposed for B. hyodysenteriae are: tiamulin >0.25 μg/ml, valnemulin >0.125 μg/ml, tylosin >16 μg/ml, tylvalosin >1 μg/ml, lincomycin >1 μg/ml and doxycycline >0.5 μg/ml. Conclusions The broth dilution method used in this study has over the years generated tightly grouped MIC populations for the field isolates and reproducible results for the control strain B78T and is therefore a suitable antimicrobial susceptibility test method for monitoring of Brachyspira spp. Here we propose wild type cutoff values for six antimicrobial agents for B. hyodysenteriae

Antimicrobial susceptibility of porcine Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli isolated in Sweden between 1990 and 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Pringle, Märit; Landén, Annica; Unnerstad, Helle Ericsson; Molander, Benedicta; Bengtsson, Björn

2012-09-21

The anaerobic spirochetes Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli cause diarrheal diseases in pigs. Their fastidious nature has hampered standardization of methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. For monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility wild type cutoff values are needed to define where the wild type distribution of MICs ends and no approved cutoffs are available for Brachyspira spp. In this study antimicrobial susceptibility data for both species (in total 906 isolates) were compiled and analyzed and wild type cut off values for B. hyodysenteriae proposed. The MICs of tiamulin, valnemulin, tylosin, tylvalosin, doxycycline and lincomycin were determined by broth dilution in brain heart infusion broth supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. The compiled MICs from the broth dilution tests of the B. hyodysenteriae type strain, B78T (ATCC® 27164T), showed that the method yields reproducible results. In an international perspective the frequencies of isolates with decreased antimicrobial susceptibility were low among both B. hyodysenteriae and B. pilosicoli. However, in B. pilosicoli a constant level of 10-15% isolates with tiamulin MICs >4 μg/ml was detected between 2002 and 2010 and in B. hyodysenteriae a gradual increase in tiamulin MICs was seen between 1990 and 2003 although this increase has ceased during the last years. The wild type cutoff values proposed for B. hyodysenteriae are: tiamulin >0.25 μg/ml, valnemulin >0.125 μg/ml, tylosin >16 μg/ml, tylvalosin >1 μg/ml, lincomycin >1 μg/ml and doxycycline >0.5 μg/ml. The broth dilution method used in this study has over the years generated tightly grouped MIC populations for the field isolates and reproducible results for the control strain B78T and is therefore a suitable antimicrobial susceptibility test method for monitoring of Brachyspira spp. Here we propose wild type cutoff values for six antimicrobial agents for B. hyodysenteriae tested by broth dilution based on MIC

Antimicrobial susceptibility of porcine Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli isolated in Sweden between 1990 and 2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pringle Märit

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The anaerobic spirochetes Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli cause diarrheal diseases in pigs. Their fastidious nature has hampered standardization of methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. For monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility wild type cutoff values are needed to define where the wild type distribution of MICs ends and no approved cutoffs are available for Brachyspira spp. In this study antimicrobial susceptibility data for both species (in total 906 isolates were compiled and analyzed and wild type cut off values for B. hyodysenteriae proposed. Methods The MICs of tiamulin, valnemulin, tylosin, tylvalosin, doxycycline and lincomycin were determined by broth dilution in brain heart infusion broth supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. Results The compiled MICs from the broth dilution tests of the B. hyodysenteriae type strain, B78T (ATCC® 27164T, showed that the method yields reproducible results. In an international perspective the frequencies of isolates with decreased antimicrobial susceptibility were low among both B. hyodysenteriae and B. pilosicoli. However, in B. pilosicoli a constant level of 10-15% isolates with tiamulin MICs >4 μg/ml was detected between 2002 and 2010 and in B. hyodysenteriae a gradual increase in tiamulin MICs was seen between 1990 and 2003 although this increase has ceased during the last years. The wild type cutoff values proposed for B. hyodysenteriae are: tiamulin >0.25 μg/ml, valnemulin >0.125 μg/ml, tylosin >16 μg/ml, tylvalosin >1 μg/ml, lincomycin >1 μg/ml and doxycycline >0.5 μg/ml. Conclusions The broth dilution method used in this study has over the years generated tightly grouped MIC populations for the field isolates and reproducible results for the control strain B78T and is therefore a suitable antimicrobial susceptibility test method for monitoring of Brachyspira spp. Here we propose wild type cutoff values for six antimicrobial

Evaluation of anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of Campomanesia adamantium (Myrtaceae)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavan, Fernando Rogerio; Leite, Clarice Queico Fujimura

2009-01-01

The anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of Campomanesia adamantium fruits extracts were evaluated. Six compounds, identified as flavanones and chalcones were quantified by HPLC-DAD-UV. Promising antitubercular activity was observed with ethyl acetate extract (MIC 62.5 μg/mL) and their fractions (MIC values ranging from 39 to above 250 μg/mL). The better MIC result of 39 μg/mL was associated with two fractions that contain bigger amounts of 5,7-dihydroxy-6, 8-di-C-methylflavanone and 2',4'-dihydroxy-3',5'-dimethyl-6'-methoxychalcone. These compounds exhibited MICs >250 and 62.5 μg/mL, respectively, while their mixtures showed values ranging from 62.5 to 7.8 μg/mL, demonstrating a synergism between them. (author)

Different patterns in the prognostic value of age for bladder cancer-specific survival depending on tumor stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Huan; Zhang, Wei; Li, Jiajun; Lu, Xiaozhe

2015-01-01

To compare the pathological features and long-term survival of bladder cancer (BCa) in young patients with elderly counterparts. Using the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) population-based data, we identified 93115 patients with non-metastatic bladder cancer diagnosed between 1988 and 2003. Patients were categorized into young (50 years and under) and elderly groups (over 50 years of age). The overall and five-year bladder cancer specific survival (BCSS) data were obtained using Kaplan-Meier plots. Multivariable Cox regression models were built for the analysis of long-term survival outcomes and risk factors. There were significant differences between the two groups in primary site, pathologic grading, histologic type, AJCC stage (pstage patients. The study findings show different patterns in the prognostic value of age for determining BCSS, depending on the tumor stages. Compared with elderly patients, young patients with bladder cancer surgery appear to have unique characteristics and a higher overall and cancer specific survival rate.

Habituation of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus to Origanum vulgare L. essential oil does not induce direct-tolerance and cross-tolerance to salts and organic acids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adassa Gama Tavares

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus strains that were isolated from foods were investigated for their ability to develop direct-tolerance and cross-tolerance to sodium chloride (NaCl, potassium chloride (KCl, lactic acid (LA and acetic acid (AA after habituation in sublethal amounts (1/2 of the minimum inhibitory concentration - 1/2 MIC and 1/4 of the minimum inhibitory concentration - 1/4 MIC of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OVEO. The habituation of S. aureus to 1/2 MIC and 1/4 MIC of OVEO did not induce direct-tolerance or cross-tolerance in the tested strains, as assessed by modulation of MIC values. Otherwise, exposing the strains to OVEO at sublethal concentrations maintained or increased the sensitivity of the cells to the tested stressing agents because the MIC values of OVEO, NaCl, KCl, LA and AA against the cells that were previously habituated to OVEO remained the same or decreased when compared with non-habituated cells. These data indicate that OVEO does not have an inductive effect on the acquisition of direct-tolerance or cross-tolerance in the tested enterotoxigenic strains of S. aureus to antimicrobial agents that are typically used in food preservation.

El problema de las concepciones alternativas en la actualidad (parte III). Utilización didáctica de los errores conceptuales que aparecen en cómics, prensa, novelas y libros de texto

OpenAIRE

Jaime Carrascosa-Alís

2006-01-01

La existencia de graves errores conceptuales en artículos de prensa, novelas, cómics e incluso libros de texto está relacionada con el origen y persistencia de determinadas ideas alternativas. Cabe plantearse si no podrían utilizarse estos mismos medios para contribuir al tratamiento y el cambio de tales ideas.

Amino acid specific stable nitrogen isotope values in avian tissues: Insights from captive American kestrels and wild herring gulls

Science.gov (United States)

Hebert, Craig E.; Popp, B.N.; Fernie, K.J.; Ka'apu-Lyons, C.; Rattner, Barnett A.; Wallsgrove, N.

2016-01-01

Through laboratory and field studies, the utility of amino acid compound-specific nitrogen isotope analysis (AA-CSIA) in avian studies is investigated. Captive American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were fed an isotopically characterized diet and patterns in δ15N values of amino acids (AAs) were compared to those in their tissues (muscle and red blood cells) and food. Based upon nitrogen isotope discrimination between diet and kestrel tissues, AAs could mostly be categorized as source AAs (retaining baseline δ15N values) and trophic AAs (showing 15N enrichment). Trophic discrimination factors based upon the source (phenylalanine, Phe) and trophic (glutamic acid, Glu) AAs were 4.1 (muscle) and 5.4 (red blood cells), lower than those reported for metazoan invertebrates. In a field study involving omnivorous herring gulls (Larus argentatus smithsonianus), egg AA isotopic patterns largely retained those observed in the laying female’s tissues (muscle, red blood cells, and liver). Realistic estimates of gull trophic position were obtained using bird Glu and Phe δ15N values combined with β values (difference in Glu and Phe δ15N in primary producers) for aquatic and terrestrial food webs. Egg fatty acids were used to weight β values for proportions of aquatic and terrestrial food in gull diets. This novel approach can be applied to generalist species that feed across ecosystem boundaries.

A library of MiMICs allows tagging of genes and reversible, spatial and temporal knockdown of proteins in Drosophila

Science.gov (United States)

Nagarkar-Jaiswal, Sonal; Lee, Pei-Tseng; Campbell, Megan E; Chen, Kuchuan; Anguiano-Zarate, Stephanie; Cantu Gutierrez, Manuel; Busby, Theodore; Lin, Wen-Wen; He, Yuchun; Schulze, Karen L; Booth, Benjamin W; Evans-Holm, Martha; Venken, Koen JT; Levis, Robert W; Spradling, Allan C; Hoskins, Roger A; Bellen, Hugo J

2015-01-01

Here, we document a collection of ∼7434 MiMIC (Minos Mediated Integration Cassette) insertions of which 2854 are inserted in coding introns. They allowed us to create a library of 400 GFP-tagged genes. We show that 72% of internally tagged proteins are functional, and that more than 90% can be imaged in unfixed tissues. Moreover, the tagged mRNAs can be knocked down by RNAi against GFP (iGFPi), and the tagged proteins can be efficiently knocked down by deGradFP technology. The phenotypes associated with RNA and protein knockdown typically correspond to severe loss of function or null mutant phenotypes. Finally, we demonstrate reversible, spatial, and temporal knockdown of tagged proteins in larvae and adult flies. This new strategy and collection of strains allows unprecedented in vivo manipulations in flies for many genes. These strategies will likely extend to vertebrates. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05338.001 PMID:25824290

La Multimodalidad del cómic: Una experiencia de lectura de imágenes en los primeros grados escolares

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Chacón Méndez

2015-07-01

Full Text Available El presente artículo es el resultado de la investigación “Lectores de cómics: constructores de sentido”, una experiencia de lectura de imágenes que desde la perspectiva semiótica favorece la construcción de sentido de lo que se lee y posibilita la producción escrita en el contexto escolar. Esta investigación se realizó con estudiantes de segundo de primaria, en clase de lenguaje, en una institución educativa pública de Bogotá. El proyecto se desarrolló a través del diseño metodológico de la sistematización de experiencias que correlaciona los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje a través de prácticas pedagógicas que responden a nuevos modos de leer nuevos lenguajes, nuevas formas de representar y configurar la cultura.

Inferring Phytoplankton, Terrestrial Plant and Bacteria Bulk δ¹³C Values from Compound Specific Analyses of Lipids and Fatty Acids

Science.gov (United States)

Taipale, Sami J.; Peltomaa, Elina; Hiltunen, Minna; Jones, Roger I.; Hahn, Martin W.; Biasi, Christina; Brett, Michael T.

2015-01-01

Stable isotope mixing models in aquatic ecology require δ13C values for food web end members such as phytoplankton and bacteria, however it is rarely possible to measure these directly. Hence there is a critical need for improved methods for estimating the δ13C ratios of phytoplankton, bacteria and terrestrial detritus from within mixed seston. We determined the δ13C values of lipids, phospholipids and biomarker fatty acids and used these to calculate isotopic differences compared to the whole-cell δ13C values for eight phytoplankton classes, five bacterial taxa, and three types of terrestrial organic matter (two trees and one grass). The lipid content was higher amongst the phytoplankton (9.5±4.0%) than bacteria (7.3±0.8%) or terrestrial matter (3.9±1.7%). Our measurements revealed that the δ13C values of lipids followed phylogenetic classification among phytoplankton (78.2% of variance was explained by class), bacteria and terrestrial matter, and there was a strong correlation between the δ13C values of total lipids, phospholipids and individual fatty acids. Amongst the phytoplankton, the isotopic difference between biomarker fatty acids and bulk biomass averaged -10.7±1.1‰ for Chlorophyceae and Cyanophyceae, and -6.1±1.7‰ for Cryptophyceae, Chrysophyceae and Diatomophyceae. For heterotrophic bacteria and for type I and type II methane-oxidizing bacteria our results showed a -1.3±1.3‰, -8.0±4.4‰, and -3.4±1.4‰ δ13C difference, respectively, between biomarker fatty acids and bulk biomass. For terrestrial matter the isotopic difference averaged -6.6±1.2‰. Based on these results, the δ13C values of total lipids and biomarker fatty acids can be used to determine the δ13C values of bulk phytoplankton, bacteria or terrestrial matter with ± 1.4‰ uncertainty (i.e., the pooled SD of the isotopic difference for all samples). We conclude that when compound-specific stable isotope analyses become more widely available, the determination of �

Increasing penicillin resistance in pneumococci isolated from cerebrospinal fluid samples: Fifteen-year experience from a teaching hospital

OpenAIRE

Pehlivanoglu, Filiz; Sengoz, Gonul; Şengöz, Gönül; Gursoy, Sevtap

2015-01-01

Objective: There have been prominent changes in evaluation of resistance patterns of pneumococci and breakpoint values in recent years. We aimed to investigate the penicillin sensitivity of pneumococcal strains isolated from the ce­rebrospinal fluid specimens between the years 1997-2011 in our hospital and determine the MIC values under the light of these changes. Methods: Identification of pneumococci was made with conventional methods in patients with meningitis. MIC values for penicilli...

[Evaluation of in vitro antimicrobial activity of cefazolin alone and in combination with cefmetazole or flomoxef using agar dilution method and disk diffusion method].

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuo, K; Uete, T

1992-10-01

Antimicrobial activities of cefazolin (CEZ) against 251 strains of various clinical isolates obtained during 1989 and 1990 were determined using the Mueller-Hinton agar dilution method at an inoculum level 10(6) CFU/ml. The reliability of the disk susceptility test was also studied using Mueller-Hinton agar and various disks at inoculum levels of 10(3-4) CFU/cm2 in estimating approximate values of MICs. In addition, antimicrobial activities of CEZ and cefmetazole (CMZ) or flomoxef (FMOX) in combination were investigated against methicillin-sensitive and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA and MRSA) using the checkerboard agar dilution MIC method and the disk diffusion test either with the disks contained CEZ, CMZ, and FMOX alone, or CEZ, and CMZ or FMOX in combination. In this study, the MICs of CEZ against S. aureus were distributed with the 3 peak values at 0.39 microgram/ml, 3.13 micrograms/ml and > 100 micrograms/ml. MICs against MSSA were 0.39 microgram/ml to 0.78 microgram/ml, whereas those against MRSA were greater than 0.78 microgram/ml. MICs against majority of strains of Enterococcus faecalis were 25 micrograms/ml. Over 90% of strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were inhibited at the level of 3.13 micrograms/ml. About 60% of isolates of indole negative Proteus spp. were inhibited at the levels of less than 3.13 micrograms/ml and 100% at 6.25 micrograms/ml, but MICs against indole positive Proteus spp., Serratia spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were over 100 micrograms/ml. The antimicrobial activities of CEZ against these clinical isolates were not significantly different compared to those reported about 15-20 years ago, except for S. aureus. Highly resistant strains of S. aureus to CEZ were more prevalent in this study. The inhibitory zones obtained with the disk test were compared with MICs. The results of CEZ disk susceptibility test with 30 micrograms disk (Showa) or 10 micrograms disk (prepared in this laboratory) were well

The predictive value of specific immunoglobulin E levels in serum for the outcome of the development of tolerance in cow's milk allergy.

Science.gov (United States)

Martorell, A; García Ara, M C; Plaza, A M; Boné, J; Nevot, S; Echeverria, L; Alonso, E; Garde, J

2008-01-01

Immunoglobulin E-mediated allergy to cow's milk protein (CMP) tends to subside over years of follow-up. The gold standard for detecting such allergy has been the oral challenge test. The development of some other test for determining the correct timing of the oral challenge test would avoid unnecessary patient discomfort. The aim of this study was to determine whether monitoring cow's milk (CM) specific IgE levels over time can be used as a predictor for determining when patients develop clinical tolerance. A prospective 4-year follow-up study was made of 170 patients with IgE-mediated allergy to CMP, involving periodic evaluations (12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 months) with the determination of casein and CM specific IgE on each visit, along with CM challenge testing. ROC curves were used to analyse the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of the casein and CM specific IgE levels versus the challenge test outcomes at the different moments of follow-up. In the course of follow-up, 140 infants (82 %) became tolerant. Specific IgE levels to CM: 2.58, 2.5, 2.7, 2.26, 5 kU(A)/l and to casein: 0.97, 1.22, 3, 2.39, 2.73 kU(A)/l, respectively, predicted clinical reactivity (greatest diagnostic efficiency values) at the different analysed moments of follow-up (12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 months). Quantification of CMP specific IgE is a useful test for diagnosing symptomatic allergy to CM in the paediatric population, and could eliminate the need to perform oral challenges tests in a significant number of children.

El vídeo, el cómic y el rap: una forma diferente de desbloquear al candidato del DELE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florencia Battagliero Bocco

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Resumen: El objetivo del presente artículo es trabajar y reforzar las destrezas y competencias necesarias para aprobar el Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera. Para ello, se planteará una serie de recursos que buscan desbloquear al estudiante en un ambiente distendido, sobre todo los días previos al examen. La propuesta se centrará en la Prueba de Expresión e Interacción Orales, concretamente en la tarea 3 del nivel B1 y en la tarea 2 del nivel B2, que corresponden a la descripción de una fotografía. Se empleará, por una parte, un vídeo de carácter estático (donde el interlocutor no expresa movimientos corporales pronunciados y por otra, cómics de Argentina que a su vez servirán para ampliar el léxico en la variante rioplatense. Por último, se tratará el uso del rap como herramienta para mejorar la pronunciación, entonación y el empleo del lenguaje no verbal. Palabras claves: DELE, vídeo, cómic, rap.   Abstract: The purpose of the following essay is to train and to strengthen the skills and the competences required to pass the “Spanish as a Foreign Language Certificate”. In order to do so, we will first consider various resources which aim to release students from any kind of stress by setting up a relaxed atmosphere – especially a few days before the exam. The focus of the present essay has to be linked to the Expression and Oral Interaction tests and above all to the assignments 3 (B1 level and 2 (B2 level, and their picture descriptions. On the one hand, we will use a static video and, on the other hand, we will tackle Argentinian comics in order to expand students’ knowledge of the Río de la Plata lexicon. Finally, we will deal with the use of rap as a tool to improve pronunciation, intonation, and non-verbal communication. Key words: DELE, video, comic, rap.

El problema de las concepciones alternativas en la actualidad (parte III. utilización didáctica de los errores conceptuales que aparecen en cómics, prensa, novelas y libros de texto

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carrascosa, J.

2006-01-01

Full Text Available La existencia de graves errores conceptuales en artículos de prensa, novelas, cómics e incluso libros de texto está relacionada con el origen y persistencia de determinadas ideas alternativas. Cabe plantearse si no podrían utilizarse estos mismos medios para contribuir al tratamiento y el cambio de tales ideas.

Public Value Dimensions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, lotte bøgh; Beck Jørgensen, Torben; Kjeldsen, Anne-Mette

2012-01-01

Further integration of the public value literature with other strands of literature within Public Administration necessitates a more specific classification of public values. This paper applies a typology linked to organizational design principles, because this is useful for empirical public...... administration studies. Based on an existing typology of modes of governance, we develop a classification and test it empirically, using survey data from a study of the values of 501 public managers. We distinguish between seven value dimensions (the public at large, rule abidance, societal interests, budget...... the integration between the public value literature and other parts of the Public Administration discipline....

Antibacterial screening of the root, seed and stembark extracts of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... 33.3% against Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6051 and 13.3% against Salmonella kintambo Human 1,13,23:mt: -. The MIC values for the ethanol extracts range from 6.25 to 50 mg/ml, while the MIC values for the cold water seed extract (CWs) was 50 mg/ml. The results provide a rationalization for the traditional use of P. nitida for ...

La intertextualidad en el cine de Álex de la Iglesia:El caso del cómic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neftalí Pérez Franco

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Este artículo repasa la influencia del tebeo en las películas del director vasco, Alex de la Iglesia, cuyas primeras obras artísticas se deben a su condición de joven autor de historietas. El cine de este cineasta está marcado por claras reminiscencias provenientes de las viñetas: los superhéroes patéticos de Acción mutante se mueven por un contexto futurista muy del cómic de ciencia ficción; el humor estereotipado y los personajes grotescos del tebeo de la editorial Bruguera inundan todas sus comedias; o también son destacables los diversos homenajes narrativos o estéticos a la escuela franco-belga de Hergé y Goscinny. Esta fuerte influencia recorre toda su filmografía desde la mencionada ópera prima Acción mutante, hasta Crimen Ferpecto, pasando por títulos como El día de la bestia, Perdita Durango, Muertos de risa o La comunidad, hasta convertirse en un autor abanderado del fenómeno freak que marca tendencia en el cine español.

Specific net present value: an improved method for assessing modularisation costs in water services with growing demand.

Science.gov (United States)

Maurer, M

2009-05-01

A specific net present value (SNPV) approach is introduced as a criterion in economic engineering decisions. The SNPV expresses average costs, including the growth rate and plant utilisation over the planning horizon, factors that are excluded from a standard net present value approach. The use of SNPV favours alternatives that are cheaper per service unit and are therefore closer to the costs that a user has to cover. It also shows that demand growth has a similar influence on average costs as an economy of scale. In a high growth scenario, solutions providing less idle capacity can have higher present value costs and still be economically favourable. The SNPV approach is applied in two examples to calculate acceptable additional costs for modularisation and comparable costs for on-site treatment (OST) as an extreme form of modularisation. The calculations show that: (i) the SNPV approach is suitable for quantifying the comparable costs of an OST system in a different scenario; (ii) small systems with projected high demand growth rates and high real interest rates are the most probable entry market for OST water treatment systems; (iii) operating expenses are currently the main economic weakness of membrane-based wastewater OST systems; and (iv) when high growth in demand is expected, up to 100% can be additionally invested in modularisation and staging the expansion of a treatment plant.

R-values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, K.

2009-01-01

I'll try to keep this short and simple. R LANL = (beta cpm of X exp on system 'A')/ (beta cpm of 99 Mo exp on system 'A')/ (beta cpm of X on system 'A', from thermal on 235 U)/ (beta cpm of 99 Mo on system 'A', from thermal on 235 U). As I understand it, the above equation is the historical (as well as current) way of determining R-values using data from beta counting at LANL. The ratio in the denominator, a little 'r', is the 'baseline' or 'calibration' value for a specific beta detector. Over time, if the detector 'drifts' one would see a variation in this 'r' during a thermal calibration measurement. This baseline is what LANL likes to track to monitor specific detector performance - this is not relevant to LLNL where gamma detection is used for determining R-values. LANL states that uncertainty is only dependent upon the count statistics for the isotopes measured. If one tries to convert this to an atom basis, the uncertainties will increase due to the incorporation of the uncertainties in the nuclear data used to convert the cpm to atoms. LLNL switched to gamma detection methods in the 1970s thus replacing our beta counting effort. The equation below is how we have since determined R-values. The numerator ratios atom values of isotopes that are determined by measuring gamma cpm (usually? using several peaks per isotope) and then converting to particle decay in dpm using detector efficiency for each peak and the appropriate branch ratio for each gamma emission. Isotope decay is then converted to atoms using specific activity, mass or volume?, and Avogadro's number. The denominator is simply the ratio of published, cumulative fission product chain yields for isotopes produced in a thermal irradiation on 235U - values of England and Ryder are used by LLNL for the NTNF program. Uncertainties in LLNL R-values are dependent upon gamma counting statistics as well as the nuclear data for each isotope. R LLNL = (Atoms of X exp )/(Atoms of 99 Mo exp )/(Cumulative

Technical note: Antimicrobial susceptibility of Portuguese isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis in subclinical bovine mastitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, S F; Bexiga, R; Cavaco, L M; Vilela, C L

2007-07-01

To evaluate the antimicrobial resistance traits of staphylococci responsible for subclinical bovine mastitis in Portugal, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 7 antimicrobial agents, frequently administered for mastitis treatment, were determined for 30 Staphylococcus aureus and 31 Staphylococcus epidermidis field isolates. Beta-lactamase production was detected through the use of nitrocefin-impregnated discs. The MIC that inhibited 90% of the isolates tested (MIC90) of penicillin, oxacillin, cefazolin, gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, oxytetracycline, and enrofloxacin were, respectively, 4, 0.5, 1, 1, 0.25, 0.25, and 0.06 microg/mL for Staph. aureus and > or = 64, 8, 1, 32, > or = 64, > or = 64, and 0.06 microg/mL for Staph. epidermidis. All Staph. aureus isolates showed susceptibility to oxacillin, cefazolin, gentamicin, sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim, and enrofloxacin. Beta-lactamase production was detected in 20 of these isolates (66.7%), all of which were resistant to penicillin. Of the 31 Staph. epidermidis tested, 24 (77.4%) were beta-lactamase positive. All isolates were susceptible to both cefazolin and enrofloxacin. Nine Staph. epidermidis isolates were resistant to oxacillin, with MIC values ranging from 4 to 8 microg/mL. The MIC values of 5 antimicrobial agents tested were higher than those reported in other countries. Enrofloxacin was the only exception, showing lower MIC values compared with other reports. Overall, the antimicrobial agents tested in our study, with the exception of penicillin, were active against the 61 isolates studied.

[Molecular epidemiology and antifungal susceptibility of Candida species isolated from urine samples of patients in intensive care unit].

Science.gov (United States)

Yüksekkaya, Serife; Fındık, Duygu; Arslan, Uğur

2011-01-01

The aims of this study were to analyse the amphotericin B and fluconazole susceptibility and molecular epidemiology of Candida strains (Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Candida glabrata) isolated from the urine samples of patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit. Identification of the isolates was done according to microscopic morphology (chlamydospor, blastospor, pseudohyphae and true hyphae) on cornmeal agar, germ tube formation and carbohydrate assimilation patterns (API ID 32C bioMérieux, France). Antifungal susceptibilities of the isolates were determined by in vitro broth microdilution method recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). To investigate the clonal relationship of the isolates, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was performed by using Cnd3 primer. Of the 56 Candida isolates minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges, MIC50 and MIC90 values for amphotericin B were 0.125-1 µg/ml, 0.125 and 0.5 µg/ml for C.albicans, 0.125-1 µg/ml, 0.25 and 1 µg/ml for C.tropicalis and 0.125-1 µg/ml, 0.25 and 1 µg/ml for C.glabrata, respectively. Fluconazole MIC ranges, MIC50 and MIC90 values were 0.25-4 µg/ml, 0.25 and 0.5 µg/ml for C.albicans, 0.25-16 µg/ml, 0.5 and 1 µg/ml for C.tropicalis and 0.5-64 µg/ml, 8 and 16 µg/ml for C.glabrata, respectively. For amphotericin B, none of the isolates had high MIC values (MIC > 1 µg/ml). While one of the C.glabrata isolates was resistant to fluconazole (MIC ≥ 64 µg/ml), one C.tropicalis and two C.glabrata isolates were dose-dependent susceptible (MIC: 16-32 µg/ml). The results of RAPD analysis indicated an exogenous spread from two clones for C.albicans, one clone for C.glabrata and one clone for C.tropicalis. This study underlines the importance of molecular epidemiological analysis of clinical samples together with hospital environmental samples in terms of Candida spp. To determine the exogenous origin for the related strains and to prevent

The in vitro Antibacterial Activity of Florfenicol in Combination with Amoxicillin or Cefuroxime against Pathogenic Bacteria of Animal Origin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myung-Jin Choia, Eun-Mi Leea, Seung-Jin Lee, Md. Ahsanur Reza, Joong-Su Lee, Elias Gebru, Man-Hee Rhee and Seung-Chun Park*

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This study evaluated the in vitro activity of florfenicol (F in combination with amoxicillin (AM or cefuroxime (CRM against pathogenic bacteria of animal origin, including E. coli, S. aureus, S. cholerasuis and P. mirabilis. The MIC of AM ranged from 16 to 256 μg/ml. The MBC of AM (64 μg/ml was four-fold higher than its MIC value (16 μg/ml for E. coli, and similar to the MIC for the other three species. The MIC of F ranged from 8 to 16 μg/ml. The MBC values of F for E. coli, S. aureus, and S. cholerasuis were eight-fold higher than the respective MIC values, and 32-fold higher than the MIC of P. mirabilis. The MIC of CRM ranged from 8 to 128 μg/ml. The MBC of CRM was the highest ( 256 μg/ml, except for E. coli. The F/AM combination resulted in synergism (FIC index  0.5 for E. coli, S. aureus, and P. mirabilis and in-difference (FIC index >1 for S. cholerasuis. For F/CRM combination, synergism (E. coli and S. cholerasuis and in-difference (S. aureus and P. mirabilis were observed. Killing rate study showed a 1.5 - > 3 log 10 cfu/ml reduction of E. coli with F/AM compared to AM or F alone. The highest activity of the combinations was observed when F comprised at least 50% of the combination. Further studies using many bacterial isolates and various proportion of each drug would reveal the potential of a combination product containing F and AM/CRM for use in veterinary practice.

Trojan technical specification verification project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bates, L.; Rickenback, M.

1991-01-01

The Trojan Technical Specification Verification (TTSV) project at the Trojan plant of Portland General Electric Company was motivated by the recognition that many numbers in the Trojan technical specifications (TTS) potentially lacked the consideration of instrument- and/or process-related errors. The plant setpoints were known to consider such errors, but many of the values associated with the limiting conditions for operation (LCO) did not. In addition, the existing plant instrument error analyses were based on industry values that do not reflect the Trojan plant-specific experience. The purpose of this project is to ensure that the Trojan plant setpoint and LCO values include plant-specific instrument error

Sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and accuracy of ultrasonography in pregnancy rate prediction in Sahelian goats after progesterone impregnated sponge synchronization

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Justin Kouamo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Aim: This study was aimed to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and accuracy of ultrasonography in pregnancy rate (PR prediction in Sahelian goats after progesterone impregnated sponge synchronization within the framework of caprine artificial insemination (AI program in Fatick (Senegal. Materials and Methods: Of 193 candidate goats in AI program, 167 were selected (day 50 in six villages. Estrus was synchronized by progesterone impregnated sponges installed for 11 days. Two days before the time of sponge removal (day 4, each goat was treated with 500 IU of equine chorionic gonadotropin and 50 μg of dcloprostenol. All goats were inseminated (day 0 with alpine goat semen from France at 45±3 h after sponge removal (day 2. Real-time B-mode ultrasonography was performed at day 50, day 13, day 0, day 40 and day 60 post-AI. Results: Selection rate, estrus response rate, AI rate, PR at days 40 and days 60 were 86.53%; 71.85%; 83.34%; 51% and 68% (p<0.05 respectively. Value of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, accuracy, total conformity, conformity of correct positive, conformity of correct negative and discordance of pregnancy diagnosis by trans-abdominal ultrasonography (TU were 98.03%; 63.26%; 73.52%; 3.12%; 81%; 81%; 50%; 31% and 19%, respectively. Conclusion: These results indicate that the TU can be performed in goats under traditional condition and emphasized the importance of re-examination of goats with negative or doubtful TU diagnoses performed at day 40 post-AI.

[Bacteriological and clinical studies on flomoxef in the pediatric field].

Science.gov (United States)

Sunakawa, K; Ishizuka, Y; Kawai, N; Saito, N; Iwata, S; Sato, Y; Akita, H; Kusano, S; Aoki, T

1987-08-01

Bacteriological and clinical studies on flomoxef (FMOX, 6315-S) were performed and the results obtained are summarized below. 1. The MIC values of FMOX against 307 clinically isolated strains of Staphylococcus aureus were 0.024 to 100 micrograms/ml with a peak MIC of 0.39 microgram/ml, and the MIC90 value was 1.56 micrograms/ml. The MIC90 against methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was 25 micrograms/ml. 2. FMOX was administered to 15 children with pediatric bacterial infections, and the effectiveness was rated excellent or good in all cases. 3. In bacteriological evaluation, 7 of 11 strains identified prior to the treatment were eliminated (63.6%). 4. As side effects, diarrhea or soft stool was found in 3 cases and eruption in 1 case. As abnormal laboratory values, eosinophilia and thrombocytosis were found in 1 case each. 5. On the intestinal bacterial flora, FMOX had a marked influence just as did other Group 4 and 5 cephems antibiotics. 6. FMOX interfered little with the coagulation system or platelet aggregation.

Predictive value of different conventional and non-conventional MRI-parameters for specific domains of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinter, Daniela; Khalil, Michael; Pichler, Alexander; Langkammer, Christian; Ropele, Stefan; Marschik, Peter B; Fuchs, Siegrid; Fazekas, Franz; Enzinger, Christian

2015-01-01

While many studies correlated cognitive function with changes in brain morphology in multiple sclerosis (MS), few of them used a multi-parametric approach in a single dataset so far. We thus here assessed the predictive value of different conventional and quantitative MRI-parameters both for overall and domain-specific cognitive performance in MS patients from a single center. 69 patients (17 clinically isolated syndrome, 47 relapsing-remitting MS, 5 secondary-progressive MS) underwent the "Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests" assessing overall cognition, cognitive efficiency and memory function as well as MRI at 3 Tesla to obtain T2-lesion load (T2-LL), normalized brain volume (global brain volume loss), normalized cortical volume (NCV), normalized thalamic volume (NTV), normalized hippocampal volume (NHV), normalized caudate nuclei volume (NCNV), basal ganglia R2* values (iron deposition) and magnetization transfer ratios (MTRs) for cortex and normal appearing brain tissue (NABT). Regression models including clinical, demographic variables and MRI-parameters explained 22-27% of variance of overall cognition, 17-26% of cognitive efficiency and 22-23% of memory. NCV, T2-LL and MTR of NABT were the strongest predictors of overall cognitive function. Cognitive efficiency was best predicted by NCV, T2-LL and iron deposition in the basal ganglia. NTV was the strongest predictor for memory function and NHV was particularly related to memory function. The predictive value of distinct MRI-parameters differs for specific domains of cognitive function, with a greater impact of cortical volume, focal and diffuse white matter abnormalities on overall cognitive function, an additional role of basal ganglia iron deposition on cognitive efficiency, and thalamic and hippocampal volume on memory function. This suggests the usefulness of using multiparametric MRI to assess (micro)structural correlates of different cognitive constructs.

Sensitivity, Specificity and Predictive Value of Heart Rate Variability Indices in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

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Anne Kastelianne França da Silva

Full Text Available Abstract Background: Heart rate variability (HRV indices may detect autonomic changes with good diagnostic accuracy. Type diabetes mellitus (DM individuals may have changes in autonomic modulation; however, studies of this nature in this population are still scarce. Objective: To compare HRV indices between and assess their prognostic value by measurements of sensitivity, specificity and predictive values in young individuals with type 1 DM and healthy volunteers. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, physical and clinical assessment was performed in 39 young patients with type 1 DM and 43 young healthy controls. For HRV analysis, beat-to-beat heart rate variability was measured in dorsal decubitus, using a Polar S810i heart rate monitor, for 30 minutes. The following indices were calculated: SDNN, RMSSD, PNN50, TINN, RRTri, LF ms2, HF ms2, LF un, HF un, LF/HF, SD1, SD2, SD1/SD2, and ApEn. Results: Type 1 DM subjects showed a decrease in sympathetic and parasympathetic activities, and overall variability of autonomic nervous system. The RMSSD, SDNN, PNN50, LF ms2, HF ms2, RRTri, SD1 and SD2 indices showed greater diagnostic accuracy in discriminating diabetic from healthy individuals. Conclusion: Type 1 DM individuals have changes in autonomic modulation. The SDNN, RMSSD, PNN50, RRtri, LF ms2, HF ms2, SD1 and SD2 indices may be alternative tools to discriminate individuals with type 1 DM.

Isolation and identification of antibacterial compounds from Thymus kotschyanus aerial parts and Dianthus caryophyllus flower buds.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Muthanna J; Al-Bayati, Firas A

2009-06-01

The aerial parts of Thymus kotschyanus Boiss. and Hohen. (Lamiaceae) and flower buds of Dianthus caryophyllus L. (Caryophyllaceae) have been traditionally implemented in the treatment of wounds, throat and gum infections and gastro-intestinal disorder by the indigenous people of northern Iraq, although the compounds responsible for the medicinal properties have not been identified. In this study, antibacterial compounds from both plants were isolated and characterized, and the biological activity of each compound was assessed individually and combined. Compounds were isolated and characterized from the extracted essential oils of both plants using different spectral techniques: TLC, FTIR spectra and HPLC. The minimum inhibitory concentrations MIC values for the compounds were assessed individually and combined based on a microdilution and the checkerboard method in 96 multi-well microtiter plates. Two known compounds were isolated from the essential oils of both plants and were identified as thymol and eugenol. The isolated compounds were investigated for their single and combined antibacterial activities against seven selected pathogenic bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thymol MIC values ranged from 15.6 to 250.0 microg/ml and B. cereus was found to be the most sensitive pathogen with a MIC value of 15.6 microg/ml. Eugenol achieved stronger MIC values against most tested pathogens and the best MIC value (15.6 microg/ml) was observed against B. cereus, L. monocytogenes and K. pneumoniae whereas, S. aureus, P. mirabilis and E. coli were inhibited with a MIC value of 31.2 microg/ml. Combination results had antibacterial enhancement against most pathogens and the best synergistic result was seen against P. mirabilis and E. coli. The isolation of two antibacterial compounds from Thymus kotschyanus aerial parts and Dianthus caryophyllus flower

Valuing future citizens' values regarding risk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleming, Patricia

2006-01-01

Valuing present citizen's values regarding the risks they face is an important aspect of risk assessment and risk acceptability. Conferences like VALDOR are held for this reason. Governments like Sweden have national referendums on various risk-prone enterprises. The results of these referendums can determine the future of these programs. In the United States, when guidelines are set for determining acceptable levels of risk, the relevant federal agencies are often required to provide a comment period regarding proposed guidelines in order to ascertain the judgments, including the weights place on certain values, of individual members of society as well as stakeholder groups. After the comment period ends, the agency decides on the acceptable level of risk, taking into account the comments from present citizens. Do we also have a duty to value the not-yet-existing values of future citizens, especially if the risks created by the activities of present citizens extend into the future to citizens not yet living? If so, are there any circumstances which entitle us to de-value those not-yet-existing values. In this paper, I ground my discussion of the question of valuing future citizens' values in one of the areas of focus of the VALDOR conference: nuclear waste management and specifically the question facing the United States' program regarding an acceptable dose standard associated with the release of radioactivity into the biosphere from an underground repository. The underlying conference theme to which this discussion may be attached is community environmental justice as it applies to future citizens. I focus on the role that uncertainty plays is providing justice between present and future citizens

Valuing future citizens' values regarding risk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fleming, Patricia [Creighton Univ., Omaha (United States). College of Arts and Sciences/Philosophy

2006-09-15

Valuing present citizen's values regarding the risks they face is an important aspect of risk assessment and risk acceptability. Conferences like VALDOR are held for this reason. Governments like Sweden have national referendums on various risk-prone enterprises. The results of these referendums can determine the future of these programs. In the United States, when guidelines are set for determining acceptable levels of risk, the relevant federal agencies are often required to provide a comment period regarding proposed guidelines in order to ascertain the judgments, including the weights place on certain values, of individual members of society as well as stakeholder groups. After the comment period ends, the agency decides on the acceptable level of risk, taking into account the comments from present citizens. Do we also have a duty to value the not-yet-existing values of future citizens, especially if the risks created by the activities of present citizens extend into the future to citizens not yet living? If so, are there any circumstances which entitle us to de-value those not-yet-existing values. In this paper, I ground my discussion of the question of valuing future citizens' values in one of the areas of focus of the VALDOR conference: nuclear waste management and specifically the question facing the United States' program regarding an acceptable dose standard associated with the release of radioactivity into the biosphere from an underground repository. The underlying conference theme to which this discussion may be attached is community environmental justice as it applies to future citizens. I focus on the role that uncertainty plays is providing justice between present and future citizens.

In vitro susceptibilities of Brucella melitensis isolates to eleven antibiotics

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Loukaides Feidias

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Brucellosis is an endemic disease present in many countries worldwide, but it is rare in Europe and North America. Nevertheless brucella is included in the bacteria potentially used for bioterrorism. The aim of this study was the investigation of the antibiotic susceptibility profile of brucella isolates from areas of the eastern Mediterranean where it has been endemic. Methods The susceptibilities of 74 Brucella melitensis isolates derived from clinical samples (57 and animal products (17 were tested in vitro. The strains originate from Crete (59, Cyprus (10, and Syria (5. MICs of tetracycline, rifampicin, streptomycin, gentamicin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and erythromycin were detected by E-test method. The NCCLS criteria for slow growing bacteria were considered to interpret the results. Results All the isolates were susceptible to tetracycline, streptomycin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and levofloxacin. Two isolates presented reduced susceptibility to rifampicin (MIC value: 1.5 mg/l and eight to SXT (MIC values: 0.75–1.5 mg/l. Erythromycin had the highest (4 mg/l MIC90value and both norfloxacin and erythromycin the highest (1.5 mg/l MIC50 value. Conclusion Brucella isolates remain susceptible in vitro to most antibiotics used for treatment of brucellosis. The establishment of a standardized antibiotic susceptibility method for Brucella spp would be useful for resistance determination in these bacteria and possible evaluation of bioterorism risks.

Minimum inhibitory concentration of Brazilian Brachyspira hyodysenteriae strains

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Amanda G.S. Daniel

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The objectives of this study were to characterize Brachyspira hyodysenteriae isolates and to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of strains obtained from pigs in Brazil based on the minimal inhibitory concentration test (MIC. The MIC was performed for 22 B. hyodysenteriae isolates obtained from 2011 to 2013 using the following antimicrobial drugs: tylosin, tiamulin, valnemulin, doxycycline, lincomycin and tylvalosin. Outbreaks of swine dysentery were diagnosed based on clinical presentation, bacterial isolation, gross and microscopic lesions, duplex PCR for B. hyodysenteriae and B. pilosicoli and nox gene sequencing. All obtained MIC values were consistently higher or equal to the microbiological cut-off described in the literature. The MIC 90 values for the tested drugs were 8μg/ml for doxycycline, >4μg/ml for valnemulin, 8μg/ml for tiamulin, 32μg/ml for tylvalosin, >64μg/ml for lincomycin and >128μg/ml for tylosin. These results largely corroborate those reported in the literature. Tiamulin, doxycycline and tylvalosin showed the lowest MIC results. All of the samples subjected to phylogenetic analysis based on the nox gene sequence exhibited similar results, showing 100% identity to B. hyodysenteriae. This is the first study describing the MIC pattern of B. hyodysenteriae isolated in Brazil.

[A study for testing the antifungal susceptibility of yeast by the Japanese Society for Medical Mycology (JSMM) method. The proposal of the modified JSMM method 2009].

Science.gov (United States)

Nishiyama, Yayoi; Abe, Michiko; Ikeda, Reiko; Uno, Jun; Oguri, Toyoko; Shibuya, Kazutoshi; Maesaki, Shigefumi; Mohri, Shinobu; Yamada, Tsuyoshi; Ishibashi, Hiroko; Hasumi, Yayoi; Abe, Shigeru

2010-01-01

The Japanese Society for Medical Mycology (JSMM) method used for testing the antifungal susceptibility of yeast, the MIC end point for azole antifungal agents, is currently set at IC(80). It was recently shown, however that there is an inconsistency in the MIC value between the JSMM method and the CLSI M27-A2 (CLSI) method, in which the end- point was to read as IC(50). To resolve this discrepancy and reassess the JSMM method, the MIC for three azoles, fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole were compared to 5 strains of each of the following Candida species: C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis and C. krusei, for a total of 25 comparisons, using the JSMM method, a modified JSMM method, and the CLSI method. The results showed that when the MIC end- point criterion of the JSMM method was changed from IC(80) to IC(50) (the modified JSMM method) , the MIC value was consistent and compatible with the CLSI method. Finally, it should be emphasized that the JSMM method, using a spectrophotometer for MIC measurement, was superior in both stability and reproducibility, as compared to the CLSI method in which growth was assessed by visual observation.

The Sensitivity, Specificity and Predictive Values of Snellen Chart Compared to the Diagnostic Test in Amblyopia Screening Program in Iran

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Fatemeh Rivakani

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction Amblyopia is a leading cause of visual impairment in both childhood and adult populations. Our aim in this study was to assess the epidemiological characteristics of the amblyopia screening program in Iran. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was done on a randomly selected sample of 4,636 Iranian children who were referred to screening program in 2013 were participated in validity study, too. From each provinces the major city were selected. Screening and diagnostic tests were done by instructors in first stage and optometrists in second stage, respectively. Finally data were analyzed by Stata version 13. Results The sensitivity was ranged from 74% to 100% among the various provinces such that Fars and Ardabil province had maximum and minimum values, respectively. The pattern of specificity was differ and ranged 44% to 84% among the provinces; Hormozgan and Fars had maximum and minimum values, respectively. The positive predictive value was also ranged from 35% to %81 which was assigned to Khuzestan and Ardabil provinces, respectively. The range of Negative Predictive value was 61% to 100% which was belonged to Ardabil and Fars provinces. Conclusion The total sensitivity (89% and negative predictive values (93% of screening test among children aged 3-6 years is acceptable, but only 51% of children refereed to second stage are true positive and this imposes considerable cost to health system.

Measuring coverage in MNCH: challenges in monitoring the proportion of young children with pneumonia who receive antibiotic treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Harry; El Arifeen, Shams; Hazir, Tabish; O'Kelly, James; Bryce, Jennifer; Rudan, Igor; Qazi, Shamim Ahmad

2013-01-01

Pneumonia remains a major cause of child death globally, and improving antibiotic treatment rates is a key control strategy. Progress in improving the global coverage of antibiotic treatment is monitored through large household surveys such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), which estimate antibiotic treatment rates of pneumonia based on two-week recall of pneumonia by caregivers. However, these survey tools identify children with reported symptoms of pneumonia, and because the prevalence of pneumonia over a two-week period in community settings is low, the majority of these children do not have true pneumonia and so do not provide an accurate denominator of pneumonia cases for monitoring antibiotic treatment rates. In this review, we show that the performance of survey tools could be improved by increasing the survey recall period or by improving either overall discriminative power or specificity. However, even at a test specificity of 95% (and a test sensitivity of 80%), the proportion of children with reported symptoms of pneumonia who truly have pneumonia is only 22% (the positive predictive value of the survey tool). Thus, although DHS and MICS survey data on rates of care seeking for children with reported symptoms of pneumonia and other childhood illnesses remain valid and important, DHS and MICS data are not able to give valid estimates of antibiotic treatment rates in children with pneumonia.

Activity of Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oil and ethanolic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ICC

2015-01-28

Jan 28, 2015 ... concentration values (MIC) of the essential oil ranged from 0.8 to 20.2 μg/ml. The MIC of ethanolic ... of valuable products that can be used in the treatment of .... cell purification Kit with automatic DNA extraction machine.

A Systematic Review on Normative Values of Trimester-specific Thyroid Function Tests in Indian Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Kannan, Subramanian; Mahadevan, Shriraam; Sigamani, Alben

2018-01-01

Small cross-sectional studies are published on the trimester-specific normal ranges of thyrotropin and thyroxine levels in Indian women from various parts of the country. We sought to review the published literature on thyroid function tests in normal pregnant Indian women to see if the pooled data from various studies can define normative data and hypothyroidism in pregnancy. We retrieved 56 studies from online databases with detailed search using multiple search terms. Unanimously eight studies were finalized. Data of 2703 pregnant women (age 16-45 years; 966 were in the first trimester, 1072 in their second trimester, and 1037 women in their third trimester) were analyzed. All eight studies included singleton pregnancies from the northern and eastern part of India with seven studies being cross-sectional in nature. The exclusion criteria in all studies included those with historical/clinical evidence of thyroid dysfunction, those with family history of thyroid dysfunction, infertility and those with history of recurrent miscarriages (usually >3). Ultrasound evidence of thyroid disease, urinary iodine assessment, and thyroid antibodies were included as additional exclusion criteria in two, three, and four studies, respectively. None of the studies included the outcome of pregnancy as part of follow-up. As part of the pooled data analysis, the 5 th -95 th centile values of normal TSH extended from 0.09 to 6.65 IU/mL in the first trimester, 0.39-6.61 IU/mL in the second trimester, and 0.70-5.18 IU/mL in the third trimester. The FT4 levels (5 th -95 th centile values) extended from 8.24 to 25.74 pmol/L in the first trimester, 6.82-26.0 pmol/L, and 5.18-25.61 pmol/L in the third trimester. With due limitations imposed by the quality of the available studies, the current review suggests that upper normal limit of TSH values can extend up to 5-6 IU/mL in pregnancy.

Public values: core or confusion? Introduction to the centrality and puzzlement of public values research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beck Jørgensen, T.; Rutgers, M.R.

2015-01-01

This article provides the introduction to a symposium on contemporary public values research. It is argued that the contribution to this symposium represent a Public Values Perspective, distinct from other specific lines of research that also use public value as a core concept. Public administration

Choosing a design to fit the situation: how to improve specificity and positive predictive values using Bayesian lot quality assurance sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Olives, Casey; Pagano, Marcello

2013-02-01

Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) is a provably useful tool for monitoring health programmes. Although LQAS ensures acceptable Producer and Consumer risks, the literature alleges that the method suffers from poor specificity and positive predictive values (PPVs). We suggest that poor LQAS performance is due, in part, to variation in the true underlying distribution. However, until now the role of the underlying distribution in expected performance has not been adequately examined. We present Bayesian-LQAS (B-LQAS), an approach to incorporating prior information into the choice of the LQAS sample size and decision rule, and explore its properties through a numerical study. Additionally, we analyse vaccination coverage data from UNICEF's State of the World's Children in 1968-1989 and 2008 to exemplify the performance of LQAS and B-LQAS. Results of our numerical study show that the choice of LQAS sample size and decision rule is sensitive to the distribution of prior information, as well as to individual beliefs about the importance of correct classification. Application of the B-LQAS approach to the UNICEF data improves specificity and PPV in both time periods (1968-1989 and 2008) with minimal reductions in sensitivity and negative predictive value. LQAS is shown to be a robust tool that is not necessarily prone to poor specificity and PPV as previously alleged. In situations where prior or historical data are available, B-LQAS can lead to improvements in expected performance.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bordetella bronchiseptica Isolates from Swine and Companion Animals and Detection of Resistance Genes.

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Sandra Prüller

Full Text Available Bordetella bronchiseptica causes infections of the respiratory tract in swine and other mammals and is a precursor for secondary infections with Pasteurella multocida. Treatment of B. bronchiseptica infections is conducted primarily with antimicrobial agents. Therefore it is essential to get an overview of the susceptibility status of these bacteria. The aim of this study was to comparatively analyse broth microdilution susceptibility testing according to CLSI recommendations with an incubation time of 16 to 20 hours and a longer incubation time of 24 hours, as recently proposed to obtain more homogenous MICs. Susceptibility testing against a panel of 22 antimicrobial agents and two fixed combinations was performed with 107 porcine isolates from different farms and regions in Germany and 43 isolates obtained from companion animals in Germany and other European countries. Isolates with increased MICs were investigated by PCR assays for the presence of resistance genes. For ampicillin, all 107 porcine isolates were classified as resistant, whereas only a single isolate was resistant to florfenicol. All isolates obtained from companion animals showed elevated MICs for β-lactam antibiotics and demonstrated an overall low susceptibility to cephalosporines. Extension of the incubation time resulted in 1-2 dilution steps higher MIC50 values of porcine isolates for seven antimicrobial agents tested, while isolates from companion animals exhibited twofold higher MIC50/90 values only for tetracycline and cefotaxime. For three antimicrobial agents, lower MIC50 and MIC90 values were detected for both, porcine and companion animal isolates. Among the 150 isolates tested, the resistance genes blaBOR-1 (n = 147, blaOXA-2, (n = 4, strA and strB (n = 17, sul1 (n = 10, sul2 (n = 73, dfrA7 (n = 3 and tet(A (n = 8 were detected and a plasmid localisation was identified for several of the resistance genes.

Interactive cervical motion kinematics: sensitivity, specificity and clinically significant values for identifying kinematic impairments in patients with chronic neck pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarig Bahat, Hilla; Chen, Xiaoqi; Reznik, David; Kodesh, Einat; Treleaven, Julia

2015-04-01

Chronic neck pain has been consistently shown to be associated with impaired kinematic control including reduced range, velocity and smoothness of cervical motion, that seem relevant to daily function as in quick neck motion in response to surrounding stimuli. The objectives of this study were: to compare interactive cervical kinematics in patients with neck pain and controls; to explore the new measures of cervical motion accuracy; and to find the sensitivity, specificity, and optimal cutoff values for defining impaired kinematics in those with neck pain. In this cross-section study, 33 patients with chronic neck pain and 22 asymptomatic controls were assessed for their cervical kinematic control using interactive virtual reality hardware and customized software utilizing a head mounted display with built-in head tracking. Outcome measures included peak and mean velocity, smoothness (represented by number of velocity peaks (NVP)), symmetry (represented by time to peak velocity percentage (TTPP)), and accuracy of cervical motion. Results demonstrated significant and strong effect-size differences in peak and mean velocities, NVP and TTPP in all directions excluding TTPP in left rotation, and good effect-size group differences in 5/8 accuracy measures. Regression results emphasized the high clinical value of neck motion velocity, with very high sensitivity and specificity (85%-100%), followed by motion smoothness, symmetry and accuracy. These finding suggest cervical kinematics should be evaluated clinically, and screened by the provided cut off values for identification of relevant impairments in those with neck pain. Such identification of presence or absence of kinematic impairments may direct treatment strategies and additional evaluation when needed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resolved Dual-Frequency Observations of the Debris Disk Around AU Mic: Strengths of Bodies in the Collisional Cascade

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Evan; Hughes, A. Meredith; Daley, Cail; Flaherty, Kevin; Pan, Margaret; Schlichting, Hilke; Chiang, Eugene; MacGregor, Meredith Ann; Wilner, David; Dent, Bill; Carpenter, John; Andrews, Sean; Moor, Attila; Kospal, Agnes

2018-01-01

Debris disks are hallmarks of mature planetary systems, with second-generation dust produced via collisions between pluto-like planetesimals. The vertical structure of a debris disk encodes unique information about the dynamical state of the system, particularly at millimeter wavelengths where gravitational effects dominate over the effects of stellar radiation. We present 450 μm Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the edge-on debris disk around AU Mic, a nearby (d = 9.91 ± 0.10 pc) M1-type star. The 0.3'' angular resolution of the data allows us to spatially resolve the scale height of the disk, complementing previous observations at a wavelength of 1.3 mm. By resolving the vertical structure of the disk at these two widely-separated frequencies, we are able to spatially resolve the spectral index and study variations in the grain size distribution as a function of disk radius. The comparison of scale heights for two different wavelengths and therefore particle sizes also constrains the velocity dispersion as a function of grain size, which allows us to probe the strengths of bodies in the collisional cascade for the first time outside the Solar System.

El discurso político del Cómic sobre el pasado nacional. Tres lecturas del Siglo de Oro.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabelle Touton

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Este artículo se propone mostrar cómo la representación del pasado en el cómic, por medio de opciones estéticas y de recursos específicos a este arte, conlleva como cualquier relectura una dimensión política no siempre explícita. Para ello, nos hemos centrado en la reelaboración de tres “lugares de memoria” del Siglo de Oro (la España y la figura de Felipe II; los tercios de Flandes en tiempos de Felipe IV; Santa Teresa de Jesús en tres obras con objetivos, tonos, modalidades formales y dimensiones plásticas bastante alejados unos de otros: Felipe II (1999 de Antonio Hernández Palacios; El capitán Alatriste (2005, adaptación de la primera novela del ciclo de Pérez-Reverte, con guión Carlos Giménez y dibujos de Joan Mundet, y La vie passionnée de Thérèse d’Avila (1980 de la historietista francesa Claire Brétécher.

Determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations of itraconazole, terbinafine and ketoconazole against dermatophyte species by broth microdilution method

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V K Bhatia

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Various antifungal agents both topical and systemic have been introduced into clinical practice for effectively treating dermatophytic conditions. Dermatophytosis is the infection of keratinised tissues caused by fungal species of genera Trichophyton, Epidermophyton and Microsporum, commonly known as dermatophytes affecting 20–25% of the world's population. The present study aims at determining the susceptibility patterns of dermatophyte species recovered from superficial mycoses of human patients in Himachal Pradesh to antifungal agents; itraconazole, terbinafine and ketoconazole. The study also aims at determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs of these agents following the recommended protocol of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI (M38-A2. Methodology: A total of 53 isolates of dermatophytes (T. mentagrophyte-34 in no., T. rubrum-18 and M. gypseum-1 recovered from the superficial mycoses were examined. Broth microdilution method M38-A2 approved protocol of CLSI (2008 for filamentous fungi was followed for determining the susceptibility of dermatophyte species. Results: T. mentagrophyte isolates were found more susceptible to both itraconazole and ketoconazole as compared to terbinafine (MIC50: 0.125 µg/ml for itraconazole, 0.0625 µg/ml for ketoconazole and 0.5 µg/ml for terbinafine. Three isolates of T. mentagrophytes (VBS-5, VBSo-3 and VBSo-73 and one isolate of T. rubrum (VBPo-9 had higher MIC values of itraconazole (1 µg/ml. Similarly, the higher MIC values of ketoconazole were observed in case of only three isolates of T. mentagrophyte (VBSo-30 = 2 µg/ml; VBSo-44, VBM-2 = 1 µg/ml. The comparative analysis of the three antifungal drugs based on t-test revealed that 'itraconazole and terbinafine' and 'terbinafine and ketoconazole' were found independent based on the P < 0.005 in case of T. mentagrophyte isolates. In case of T. rubrum, the similarity existed between MIC values of 'itraconazole and

[Emerging pathogen: Candida kefyr (Kluvyeromyces marxianus)].

Science.gov (United States)

Çuhadar, Tuğba; Kalkancı, Ayşe

2017-10-01

In the central microbiology laboratory of Gazi University Hospital Candida kefyr was isolated from different clinical samples as 5.3% in 2016 and in 2017 this rate increased to 9.3% which was nearly two-fold and this has drawn our attention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the special characteristics, antifungal susceptibility and virulence properties of C.keyfr species. Germ tube, corn meal-tween 80 agar morphology and carbohydrate assimilation profiles on ID32C yeast identification system were used for the diagnosis of Candida species. In this study, DNA sequencing was performed using ITS1 and ITS4 primers amplifying fungal gene between 5.8S and 18S regions of rRNA. Antifungal susceptibility was performed using M27A microdilution method recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole and itraconazole were determined. MIC distribution, MIC50 and MIC90 values and geometric mean (GM) were detected. The existence of virulence factors caseinase, secreted aspartyl proteinase, esterase and phospholipase were investigated in vitro. A total of 865 Candida species were isolated from different clinical samples in the central microbiology laboratory of Gazi University Hospital in 2016. Among them, 46 (5.3%) were C.kefyr. In the first four months of 2017, 30 (9.3%) C.kefyr were identified among 320 Candida isolates. Ten isolates which have shown atypical morphology on corn meal agar were selected. Among these 10 isolates, nine of them were identified as C.kefyr by using ID32C system and DNA sequencing method. Amphotericin B MIC value was 2 µg/ml for one isolate, and fluconazole MIC value was 8 µg/ml for another isolate among 46 isolates. Among the 30 isolates of the year 2017, one of them presented MIC value for fluconazole as 8 µg/ml. No marked antifungal resistance was detected in our isolate group. Caseinase was positive in one C.kefyr isolate, and

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of various extracts of Inula cuspidata C.B. Clarke stem

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Sarvesh Kumar Paliwal

2017-06-01

All the extracts showed significant antibacterial activities against Gram positive bacterial strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC values ranging from 187.5 to 750 µg/mL and moderate to weak inhibition against Gram negative bacteria with MIC values ranging from 750 to 3000 µg/mL. The present study proves the in vitro anti-oxidant and antibacterial activities of different extracts of I. cuspidata stem.

Political Values or the Value of Politics

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Simoska, Emilija

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This essay was motivated by the gap between proclaimed democratic principles and the perceptions of politics which are exhibited by the citizens in transitional countries -more specifically in the Republic of Macedonia. It is based on research data collected in the past few decades, which illustrate that, in their political actions, the citizens are highly motivated by personal benefits and profits, rather than by their internalized values and ideologies. Non-democratic, authoritarian values prevail, while politics is perceived as a value itself, in the most materialistic meaning of the word. It creates a suitable milieu for growth of corruption, nepotism and clientelism. The authors conclude that such a circulus vitsiosus is a corner stone of the Macedonian political regime, and an enormous obstacle for the advancement of the participative, democratic political culture in reality, in spite of its formal acceptance.

Analytical performance, reference values and decision limits. A need to differentiate between reference intervals and decision limits and to define analytical quality specifications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Per Hyltoft; Jensen, Esther A; Brandslund, Ivan

2012-01-01

of the values of analytical components measured on reference samples from reference individuals. Decision limits are based on guidelines from national and international expert groups defining specific concentrations of certain components as limits for decision about diagnosis or well-defined specific actions....... Analytical quality specifications for reference intervals have been defined for bias since the 1990s, but in the recommendations specified in the clinical guidelines analytical quality specifications are only scarcely defined. The demands for negligible biases are, however, even more essential for decision...... limits, as the choice is no longer left to the clinician, but emerge directly from the concentration. Even a small bias will change the number of diseased individuals, so the demands for negligible biases are obvious. A view over the analytical quality as published gives a variable picture of bias...

In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Pomegranate Juice and Peel Extracts on Cariogenic Bacteria

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Gianmaria Fabrizio Ferrazzano

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of pomegranate (Punica granatum L. peel and juice, against the microorganisms considered the main etiologic agents of dental caries. Methods. The values of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC were determined against Streptococcus mutans Clarke ATCC® 25175™ strain and Rothia dentocariosa clinical isolate. Results. Peel extracts inhibit effectively the growth and survival of S. mutans ATCC 25175 strain and R. dentocariosa clinical isolate with MIC and MBC values of 10 μg/μl and 15 μg/μl, respectively. Furthermore, the pomegranate juice extract showed high inhibitory activity against S. mutans ATCC 25175 strain with a MIC value of 25 μg/μl and a MBC value of 40 μg/μl, whereas, against R. dentocariosa, it has displayed a moderate inhibitory activity, with MIC and MBC values of 20 μg/μl and 140 μg/μl, respectively. Conclusions. In vitro microbiological tests demonstrate that the hydroalcoholic extracts of pomegranate juice and peel are able to contrast the main cariogenic bacteria involved in tooth decay. Although being preliminary data, our results suggest that pomegranate polyphenolic compounds could represent a good adjuvant for the prevention and treatment of dental caries.

Cholangiocarcinoma in Cirrhosis: Value of Hepatocyte Specific Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Piscaglia, Fabio; Iavarone, Massimo; Galassi, Marzia; Vavassori, Sara; Renzulli, Matteo; Forzenigo, Laura Virginia; Granito, Alessandro; Salvatore, Veronica; Sangiovanni, Angelo; Golfieri, Rita; Colombo, Massimo; Bolondi, Luigi

2015-10-01

The diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (ICC) remains elusive at imaging, which is a critical issue in cirrhotic patients in whom a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be established only by imaging. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential of MRI in the diagnosis of ICC in cirrhosis using 'hepatocyte-specific' Gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents. Sixteen histologically proven and retrospectively identified ICCs on cirrhosis were investigated with hepatocyte-specific magnetic resonance contrast agents (6 in Bologna with Gd-EOB-DTPA and 10 in Milan with Gd-BOPTA). The control group consisted of 41 consecutively and prospectively collected nodules (31 HCCs) imaged with Gd-EOB-DTPA. Fifteen ICC nodules (94%) displayed hypointensity in the hepatobiliary phase, suggesting malignancy. Thirteen cholangiocarcinomas (81%) showed hyperenhancement in the venous phase. Only 2 cholangiocarcinoma nodules showed hypoenhancement in the venous phase, corresponding to washout, in both cases preceded by rim enhancement in arterial phase. All the hepatocarcinomas showed hypointensity in hepatobiliary phase, but was always preceded by hypointensity in the venous phase; arterial rim enhancement was never observed in any hepatocarcinoma or regenerative nodule. MRI with hepatocyte-specific Gd-based contrast agents showed a pattern of malignancy in almost all the ICCs, concurrently avoiding misdiagnosis with hepatocarcinoma. These findings suggest a greater diagnostic capacity for this technique compared with the results of MRI with conventional contrast agents reported in the literature in this setting. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Ciprofloxacin susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from keratitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lomholt, JA; Kilian, Mogens

2003-01-01

keratitis, endophthalmitis, contact lens associated red eye (CLARE), and contact lens storage cases showed MIC values below 1 mg/l. Several allelic forms of gyrA and a single variation in the mexR gene product were detected in 10 ciprofloxacin susceptible strains. CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of eye......AIM: To examine the ciprofloxacin susceptibility of 106 Pseudomonas aeruginosa eye isolates from the United Kingdom, Denmark, India, the United States, and Australia, and to determine the molecular mechanisms of resistance. METHODS: Ciprofloxacin susceptibility was tested by an agar dilution method...... isolates of P aeruginosa from European countries are fully susceptible to ciprofloxacin and the concentration of ciprofloxacin eye drops used for local treatment (3000 mg/l) exceeds MIC values for strains recorded as resistant. Mutations in more than one target gene were associated with higher MIC values....

Ciprofloxacin susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from keratitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lomholt, JA; Kilian, Mogens

2003-01-01

AIM: To examine the ciprofloxacin susceptibility of 106 Pseudomonas aeruginosa eye isolates from the United Kingdom, Denmark, India, the United States, and Australia, and to determine the molecular mechanisms of resistance. METHODS: Ciprofloxacin susceptibility was tested by an agar dilution method...... keratitis, endophthalmitis, contact lens associated red eye (CLARE), and contact lens storage cases showed MIC values below 1 mg/l. Several allelic forms of gyrA and a single variation in the mexR gene product were detected in 10 ciprofloxacin susceptible strains. CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of eye...... isolates of P aeruginosa from European countries are fully susceptible to ciprofloxacin and the concentration of ciprofloxacin eye drops used for local treatment (3000 mg/l) exceeds MIC values for strains recorded as resistant. Mutations in more than one target gene were associated with higher MIC values....

Limited-sampling strategies for anidulafungin in critically ill patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wanrooy, Marjolijn J.P.; Proost, Johannes H.; Rodgers, Michael G. G.; Zijlstra, Jan G.; Uges, Donald R.A.; Kosterink, Jos G.W.; van der Werf, Tjip S.; Alffenaar, Jan-Willem C.

2015-01-01

Efficacy of anidulafungin is driven by the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC)/MIC ratio. Determination of the anidulafungin AUC along with MIC values can therefore be useful. Since obtaining a full concentration-time curve to determine an AUC is not always feasible or appropriate,

In vitro susceptibilities to fluoroquinolones in current and archived Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae isolates from meat-type turkeys.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerchman, Irina; Lysnyansky, Inna; Perk, Shimon; Levisohn, Sharon

2008-10-15

Monitoring of susceptibility to antibiotics in field isolates of pathogenic avian mycoplasmas is important for appropriate choice of treatment. Our study compared in vitro susceptibility to enrofloxacin and difloxacin in recent (2005-2006) isolates of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae from meat-type turkey flocks with archived (1997-2003) isolates and reference strains. Comparison of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values determined by microtest, agar dilution and commercial Etest showed good agreement, but underscored the need for standardized methods for testing. Notably, while the commercial Etest was convenient and accurate for determining MICs for enrofloxacin in the range 0.002-0.094microg/ml, the endpoint of inhibition for M. gallisepticum and M. synoviae strains with MIC values > or =1.0microg/ml could not be determined. A decrease in susceptibility to both fluoroquinolones was detected in archived strains but to a greater degree in recent isolates, most of which had MICs above the NCCLS susceptibility breakpoint for these antibiotics (meat-type turkeys suggests that these strains have become established in Israel, necessitating a reevaluation of antibiotic therapy. Periodic survey of MICs in field isolates of avian mycoplasmas to monitor for the possible appearance of resistant strains is recommended.

Antipneumococcal activity of ceftobiprole, a novel broad-spectrum cephalosporin.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosowska, Klaudia; Hoellman, Dianne B; Lin, Gengrong; Clark, Catherine; Credito, Kim; McGhee, Pamela; Dewasse, Bonifacio; Bozdogan, Bülent; Shapiro, Stuart; Appelbaum, Peter C

2005-05-01

Ceftobiprole (previously known as BAL9141), an anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus cephalosporin, was very highly active against a panel of 299 drug-susceptible and -resistant pneumococci, with MIC(50) and MIC(90) values (microg/ml) of 0.016 and 0.016 (penicillin susceptible), 0.06 and 0.5 (penicillin intermediate), and 0.5 and 1.0 (penicillin resistant). Ceftobiprole, imipenem, and ertapenem had lower MICs against all pneumococcal strains than amoxicillin, cefepime, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, or cefdinir. Macrolide and penicillin G MICs generally varied in parallel, whereas fluoroquinolone MICs did not correlate with penicillin or macrolide susceptibility or resistance. All strains were susceptible to linezolid, quinupristin-dalfopristin, daptomycin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin. Time-kill analyses showed that at 1x and 2x the MIC, ceftobiprole was bactericidal against 10/12 and 11/12 strains, respectively. Levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin were each bactericidal against 10 to 12 strains at 2x the MIC. Azithromycin and clarithromycin were slowly bactericidal, and telithromycin was bactericidal against only 5/12 strains at 2x the MIC. Linezolid was mainly bacteriostatic, whereas quinupristin-dalfopristin and daptomycin showed marked killing at early time periods. Prolonged serial passage in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of ceftobiprole failed to yield mutants with high MICs towards this cephalosporin, and single-passage selection showed very low frequencies of spontaneous mutants with breakthrough MICs towards ceftobiprole.

Effect of citral and carvacrol on the susceptibility of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua to antibiotics.

Science.gov (United States)

Zanini, S F; Silva-Angulo, A B; Rosenthal, A; Rodrigo, D; Martínez, A

2014-05-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility of Listeria innocua (L. innocua) and Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) cells in the presence of citral and carvacrol at sublethal concentrations in an agar medium. The presence of terpenes in the L. monocytogenes and L. innocua culture medium provided a reduction in the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of all the antibiotics tested. These effects were dependent on the concentration of terpenes present in the culture medium. The combination of citral and carvacrol potentiated antibiotic activity by reducing the MIC values of bacitracin and colistin from 32.0 and 128.0 μg ml⁻¹ to 1.0 and 2.0 μg ml⁻¹, respectively. Thus, both Listeria species became more susceptible to these drugs. In this way, the colistin and bacitracin resistance of L. monocytogenes and L. innocua was reversed in the presence of terpenes. Results obtained in this study show that the phytochemicals citral and carvacrol potentiate antibiotic activity, reducing the MIC values of cultured L. monocytogenes and L. innocua. Phytochemicals citral and carvacrol potentiate antibiotic activity of erythromycin, bacitracin and colistin by reducing the MIC values of cultured Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua. This effect in reducing the MIC values of the antibiotics tested in both micro-organisms was increased when natural antimicrobials were combined. This finding indicated that the combination among terpenes and antibiotic may contribute in reducing the required dosage of antibiotics due to the possible effect of terpenes on permeation barrier of the micro-organism cell membrane. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Valuing future citizens' values regarding risk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fleming, Patricia [Creighton Univ., Omaha (United States). College of Arts and Sciences/Philosophy

2006-09-15

Valuing present citizen's values regarding the risks they face is an important aspect of risk assessment and risk acceptability. Conferences like VALDOR are held for this reason. Governments like Sweden have national referendums on various risk-prone enterprises. The results of these referendums can determine the future of these programs. In the United States, when guidelines are set for determining acceptable levels of risk, the relevant federal agencies are often required to provide a comment period regarding proposed guidelines in order to ascertain the judgments, including the weights place on certain values, of individual members of society as well as stakeholder groups. After the comment period ends, the agency decides on the acceptable level of risk, taking into account the comments from present citizens. Do we also have a duty to value the not-yet-existing values of future citizens, especially if the risks created by the activities of present citizens extend into the future to citizens not yet living? If so, are there any circumstances which entitle us to de-value those not-yet-existing values. In this paper, I ground my discussion of the question of valuing future citizens' values in one of the areas of focus of the VALDOR conference: nuclear waste management and specifically the question facing the United States' program regarding an acceptable dose standard associated with the release of radioactivity into the biosphere from an underground repository. The underlying conference theme to which this discussion may be attached is community environmental justice as it applies to future citizens. I focus on the role that uncertainty plays is providing justice between present and future citizens.

Monetizing French Distance Education: A Field Enquiry on Higher Education Value(s

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Olivier Marty

2014-04-01

Full Text Available A field enquiry in French distance education allows us to analyze the evolution of a specific institution towards new public management: Parallel to a trend of free courseware and open education, there is a paradoxical reality of distance education monetization. Whereas history shows how traditional French education is a state controlled public good, a new policy is changing the organization’s culture towards a commercial and industrial activity. From inside the institution, we describe the cultural changes, with its human resources, accounting, and marketing dimensions. We relate debates about the institution’s business model within the economy of knowledge – selling either services or contents, focusing on the learner’s experience. Lastly, we analyze the notion of value underlying this monetization of a distance education institution: both the computing of a specific training’s value and the shared values of the workers binding up their collective identity.

Nordic Noir Production Values

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Waade, Anne Marit; Jensen, Pia Majbritt

2013-01-01

In this article the authors argue that Nordic noir constitutes a set of production values utilised and conceptualised to make Danish television series attractive in the international market. The idea of production values is embedded into a media industrial context where market principles of target...... by relating the specific Nordic noir production values present in the two series to changing conditions in Danish television drama production, in particular the internationalisation of DR’s Drama Division....

In vitro assessment of the antimicrobial susceptibility of caprine isolates of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri.

Science.gov (United States)

Paterna, A; Tatay-Dualde, J; Amores, J; Prats-van der Ham, M; Sánchez, A; de la Fe, C; Contreras, A; Corrales, J C; Gómez-Martín, Á

2016-08-01

The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum mycoplasmacidal concentration (MMC) of 17 antimicrobials against 41 Spanish caprine isolates of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri (Mmc) obtained from different specimens (milk, external auricular canal and semen) were determined using a liquid microdilution method. For half of the isolates, the MIC was also estimated for seven of the antimicrobials using an epsilometric test (ET), in order to compare both methods and assess the validity of ET. Mutations in genes gyrA, gyrB, parC and parE conferring fluoroquinolone resistance, which have been recently described in Mmc, were investigated using PCR. The anatomical origin of the isolate had no effect on its antimicrobial susceptibility. Moxifloxacin and doxycycline had the lowest MIC values. The rest of the fluoroquinolones studied (except norfloxacin), together with tylosin and clindamycin, also had low MIC values, although the MMC obtained for clindamycin was higher than for the other antimicrobials. For all the aminoglycosides, spiramycin and erythromycin, a notable level of resistance was observed. The ET was in close agreement with broth microdilution at low MICs, but not at intermediate or high MICs. The analysis of the genomic sequences revealed the presence of an amino acid substitution in codon 83 of the gene gyrA, which has not been described previously in Mmc. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Value addition in the efficacy of conventional antibiotics by Nisin against Salmonella.

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Aman Preet Singh

Full Text Available Frequent and indiscriminate use of existing battery of antibiotics has led to the development of multi drug resistant (MDR strains of pathogens. As decreasing the concentration of the antibiotic required to treat Salmonellosis might help in combating the development of resistant strains, the present study was designed to assess the synergistic effects, if any, of nisin, in combination with conventional anti-Salmonella antibiotics against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs of the selected antimicrobial agents were determined by micro and macro broth dilution assays. In-vitro synergy between the agents was evaluated by radial diffusion assay, fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC index (checkerboard test and time-kill assay. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM was also performed to substantiate the effect of the combinations. In-vivo synergistic efficacy of the combinations selected on the basis of in-vitro results was also evaluated in the murine model, in terms of reduction in the number of Salmonellae in liver, spleen and intestine. Nisin-ampicillin and nisin-EDTA combinations were observed to have additive effects, whereas the combinations of nisin-ceftriaxone and nisin-cefotaxime were found to be highly synergistic against serovar Typhimurium as evident by checkerboard test and time-kill assay. SEM results revealed marked changes on the outer membrane of the bacterial cells treated with various combinations. In-vivo synergy was evident from the larger log unit decreases in all the target organs of mice treated with the combinations than in those treated with drugs alone. This study thus highlights that nisin has the potential to act in conjunction with conventional antibiotics at much lower MICs. These observations seem to be significant, as reducing the therapeutic concentrations of antibiotics may be a valuable strategy for avoiding/reducing the development of emerging antibiotic resistance

Bacterial Peptide deformylase inhibition of cyano substituted biaryl analogs: Synthesis, in vitro biological evaluation, molecular docking study and in silico ADME prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Firoz A Kalam; Patil, Rajendra H; Shinde, Devanand B; Sangshetti, Jaiprakash N

2016-08-15

Herein, we report the synthesis and screening of cyano substituted biaryl analogs 5(a-m) as Peptide deformylase (PDF) enzyme inhibitors. The compounds 5a (IC50 value=13.16μM), 5d (IC50 value=15.66μM) and 5j (IC50 value=19.16μM) had shown good PDF inhibition activity. The compounds 5a (MIC range=11.00-15.83μg/mL), 5b (MIC range=23.75-28.50μg/mL) and 5j (MIC range=7.66-16.91μg/mL) had also shown potent antibacterial activity when compared with ciprofloxacin (MIC range=25-50μg/mL). Thus, the active derivatives were not only potent PDF inhibitors but also efficient antibacterial agents. In order to gain more insight on the binding mode of the compounds with PDF, the synthesized compounds 5(a-m) were docked against PDF enzyme of Escherichia coli and compounds exhibited good binding properties. In silico ADME properties of synthesized compounds were also analyzed and showed potential to develop as good oral drug candidates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Firm-specific impacts of CO_2 prices on the stock market value of the Spanish power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereira da Silva, Patricia; Moreno, Blanca; Figueiredo, Nuno Carvalho

2016-01-01

European Union carbon emissions allowances (EUA) price fluctuations can affect electricity companies' stock market values as these oscillations may change firms' profitability and thus investors' decisions. This outcome can differ not only contingent on the EU ETS Phase, but also on firms' generation mix. Moreover, stock markets may react differently to EUA increases in comparison to decreases, thus asymmetrically. By using daily data from January 2008 to July 2014, this article analyses long-run equilibrium relations and short-run interactions between the aggregated electricity industry stock market returns and EUA price changes. Moreover, we test if the relationship between EUA price variations and electricity stock returns is asymmetric and if the carbon price effect and the asymmetry are power firm-specific. Adding to earlier studies, we initially provide an inspection of the individual impact of EU ETS Phase II and on-going Phase III; followed by a comparative analysis between power firms which core activity relies on renewable energy sources and those whose sources are fundamentally non-renewable ones. A statistically significant positive long-run impact of EU ETS on the aggregated power sector stock market return is found concerning Phase II and works asymmetrically. Moreover, evidence is provided demonstrating that asymmetry and EUA effects are power firm-specific. - Highlights: •EU ETS impacts on stock market returns of Spanish power sector. •Long-run positive effect of EU ETS on market returns is found only in Phase II. •No short-run effects were found. •EUA price effect is company-specific.

The specifics of applying value added tax for local authorities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miloš Grásgruber

2010-01-01

Full Text Available If local authorities units carry out an economic activity, are considered to be taxable under Act No. 235/2004 Coll., On Value Added Tax as amended. Adjustment of VAT in all countries of the European Union is based on Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax as amended. The application of this directive is binding for all EU member states and national treatment of VAT may diverge from the Directive only in cases where the Directive permits. Decisions of the European Court of Justice are of considerable importance during the interpretation of the Czech VAT Act.For the municipalities and regions article defines the activities that are considered to be an economic activity and activities that are deemed to exercise of public administration and are not therefore subject to VAT. Further the paper defines the concept of turnover of local authorities. At paper there are evaluating the impact of the application of VAT on municipalities and regions in the provision of the individual fulfillment. Great attention must municipalities and region devote to the problem of correct application of claim to tax deduction if they carry out the exercise of public administration, taxable activities and fulfillments exempt from VAT.

Serum total prostate-specific antigen values in men with symptomatic prostate enlargement in Nigeria: role in clinical decision-making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nnabugwu II

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Ikenna I Nnabugwu,1,2 Fred O Ugwumba,1 Oghenekaro A Enivwenae,2 Emeka I Udeh,1 Chris O Otene,2 Chinwe A Nnabugwu3 1Urology Unit, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 2Urology Unit, Department of Surgery, 3Department of Medical Laboratory Services, Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Nigeria Background: Prostatic enlargement is a common cause of bladder outlet obstruction in men in Nigeria. Malignant enlargements must be differentiated from benign enlargements for adequate treatment of each patient. High serum total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA levels suggest malignancy, but some of the biopsies done due to a serum tPSA value >4 ng/mL would be negative for malignancy because of the low specificity of tPSA for prostate cancer. This study aims to compare the histologic findings of all prostate specimens obtained from core needle biopsy, open simple prostatectomy, and transurethral resection of the prostate with the respective serum tPSA values in an attempt to decipher the role of serum tPSA in the management of these patients.Methods: The case notes of patients attended to from April 2009 to March 2012 were analyzed. Essentially, the age of the patient, findings on digital rectal examination, abdominopelvic ultrasonography report on the prostate, serum tPSA, and histology reports from biopsy or prostatectomy specimens as indicated were extracted for analysis.Results: The relationship between age, findings on digital rectal examination, serum tPSA, abdominopelvic ultrasonography report, and histology are compared. A statistically significant relationship existed between a malignant histology and age 65 years and older, suspicious findings on digital rectal examination, suspicious ultrasonography findings, and serum tPSA >10 ng/mL, but not tPSA >4 ng/mL.Conclusion: In Nigerian patients with symptomatic prostate enlargement, serum tPSA should be seen as a continuum with increasing risk of prostate malignancy

An investigation of vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration creep among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from pediatric patients and healthy children in Northern Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chia-Ning; Lo, Wen-Tsung; Chan, Ming-Chin; Yu, Ching-Mei; Wang, Chih-Chien

2017-06-01

The phenomenon of vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) creep is an increasingly serious problem in the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. In this study, we investigated the vancomycin and daptomycin MIC values of MRSA strains isolated from pediatric patients and MRSA colonized healthy children. Then, we assessed whether there was evidence of clonal dissemination for strains with an MIC to vancomycin of ≥ 1.5 μg/mL. We collected clinical MRSA isolates from pediatric patients and from healthy children colonized with MRSA during 2008-2012 at a tertiary medical center in northern Taiwan and obtained vancomycin and daptomycin MIC values using the Etest method. Pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCCmec) typing were used to assess clonal dissemination for strains with an MIC to vancomycin of ≥ 1.5 μg/mL. A total 195 MRSA strains were included in this study; 87 were isolated patients with a clinical MRSA infection, and the other 108 strains from nasally colonized healthy children. Vancomycin MIC≥1.5 μg/mL was seen in more clinical isolates (60/87, 69%) than colonized isolates (32/108, 29.6%), p < 0.001. The PFGE typing of both strains revealed multiple pulsotypes. Vancomycin MIC creeps existed in both clinical MRSA isolates and colonized MRSA strains. Great diversity of PFGE typing was in both strains collected. There was no association between the clinical and colonized MRSA isolates with vancomycin MIC creep. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Serum total prostate-specific antigen values in men with symptomatic prostate enlargement in Nigeria: role in clinical decision-making.

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Nnabugwu, Ikenna I; Ugwumba, Fred O; Enivwenae, Oghenekaro A; Udeh, Emeka I; Otene, Chris O; Nnabugwu, Chinwe A

2015-01-01

Prostatic enlargement is a common cause of bladder outlet obstruction in men in Nigeria. Malignant enlargements must be differentiated from benign enlargements for adequate treatment of each patient. High serum total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) levels suggest malignancy, but some of the biopsies done due to a serum tPSA value >4 ng/mL would be negative for malignancy because of the low specificity of tPSA for prostate cancer. This study aims to compare the histologic findings of all prostate specimens obtained from core needle biopsy, open simple prostatectomy, and transurethral resection of the prostate with the respective serum tPSA values in an attempt to decipher the role of serum tPSA in the management of these patients. The case notes of patients attended to from April 2009 to March 2012 were analyzed. Essentially, the age of the patient, findings on digital rectal examination, abdominopelvic ultrasonography report on the prostate, serum tPSA, and histology reports from biopsy or prostatectomy specimens as indicated were extracted for analysis. The relationship between age, findings on digital rectal examination, serum tPSA, abdominopelvic ultrasonography report, and histology are compared. A statistically significant relationship existed between a malignant histology and age 65 years and older, suspicious findings on digital rectal examination, suspicious ultrasonography findings, and serum tPSA >10 ng/mL, but not tPSA >4 ng/mL. In Nigerian patients with symptomatic prostate enlargement, serum tPSA should be seen as a continuum with increasing risk of prostate malignancy.

Choosing a design to fit the situation: how to improve specificity and positive predictive values using Bayesian lot quality assurance sampling

OpenAIRE

Olives, Casey; Pagano, Marcello

2013-01-01

Background Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) is a provably useful tool for monitoring health programmes. Although LQAS ensures acceptable Producer and Consumer risks, the literature alleges that the method suffers from poor specificity and positive predictive values (PPVs). We suggest that poor LQAS performance is due, in part, to variation in the true underlying distribution. However, until now the role of the underlying distribution in expected performance has not been adequately examined.

Clinical Value of Specific Immunoglobulin E Detection by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay in Cases of Acquired and Congenital Toxoplasmosis

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Foudrinier, F.; Villena, I.; Jaussaud, R.; Aubert, D.; Chemla, C.; Martinot, F.; Pinon, J. M.

2003-01-01

The clinical value of immunoenzymatic (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) detection of anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulin E (IgE) was assessed by studying 2,036 sera from 792 subjects, comprising seronegative controls and subjects with acute, active, reactivated, or congenital toxoplasmosis. Included were nonimmunized adults; pregnant women with recently acquired infection (acute toxoplasmosis); immunocompetent subjects with recently acquired severe infection (active toxoplasmosis) expressed as fever, adenopathies, splenomegaly, pneumonia, meningitis, or disseminated infection; subjects—some of them immunocompromised—whose previously moderate IgG antibody levels rose, suggesting a reactivation of quiescent toxoplasmosis; and infants born to seroconverted mothers and evaluated for diagnosis of congenital infection and therapeutic management. Specific IgE antibodies were never detected in seronegative subjects. They were present in 85.7% of asymptomatic seroconverters and in 100% of seroconverters with overt toxoplasmosis, following two different kinetics: in the former, the specific IgE titer generally presented a brief peak 2 to 3 months postinfection and then fell rapidly, whereas specific IgE persisted at a very high titer for several months in the latter. IgE emerged concomitantly with the increase in IgG during toxoplasmic reactivation. For neonatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis, IgE was less informative than IgM and IgA (sensitivities, 59.5, 64.3, and 76.2%, respectively) and had a specificity of 91.9%. Nevertheless, simultaneous measurement of the three isotypes at birth improved the diagnostic yield to 81% relative to the combination of IgA and IgM. Emergence of specific IgE during postnatal treatment for congenital toxoplasmosis is a sign of poor adherence or inadequate dosing. PMID:12682160

Technical note: Coordination and harmonization of the multi-scale, multi-model activities HTAP2, AQMEII3, and MICS-Asia3: simulations, emission inventories, boundary conditions, and model output formats

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Galmarini, Stefano; Koffi, Brigitte; Solazzo, Efisio; Keating, Terry; Hogrefe, Christian; Schulz, Michael; Benedictow, Anna; Griesfeller, Jan Jurgen; Janssens-Maenhout, Greet; Carmichael, Greg; Fu, Joshua; Dentener, Frank

2017-01-01

We present an overview of the coordinated global numerical modelling experiments performed during 2012-2016 by the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF HTAP), the regional experiments by the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII) over Europe and North America, and the Model Intercomparison Study for Asia (MICS-Asia). To improve model estimates of the impacts of intercontinental transport of air pollution on climate, ecosystems, and human health and to answer a set of policy-relevant questions, these three initiatives performed emission perturbation modelling experiments consistent across the global, hemispheric, and continental/regional scales. In all three initiatives, model results are extensively compared against monitoring data for a range of variables (meteorological, trace gas concentrations, and aerosol mass and composition) from different measurement platforms (ground measurements, vertical profiles, airborne measurements) collected from a number of sources. Approximately 10 to 25 modelling groups have contributed to each initiative, and model results have been managed centrally through three data hubs maintained by each initiative. Given the organizational complexity of bringing together these three initiatives to address a common set of policy-relevant questions, this publication provides the motivation for the modelling activity, the rationale for specific choices made in the model experiments, and an overview of the organizational structures for both the modelling and the measurements used and analysed in a number of modelling studies in this special issue.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bacillus Strains Isolated from Primary Starters for African Traditional Bread Production and Characterization of the Bacitracin Operon and Bacitracin Biosynthesis

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Sørensen, Kim I.; Thorsen, Line; Stuer-Lauridsen, Birgitte; Abdelgadir, Warda S.; Nielsen, Dennis S.; Derkx, Patrick M. F.; Jespersen, Lene

2012-01-01

Bacillus spp. are widely used as feed additives and probiotics. However, there is limited information on their resistance to various antibiotics, and there is a growing concern over the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. The MIC for 8 antibiotics was determined for 85 Bacillus species strains, Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis (n = 29), Bacillus licheniformis (n = 38), and Bacillus sonorensis (n = 18), all of which were isolated from starters for Sudanese bread production. All the strains were sensitive to tetracycline (8.0 mg/liter), vancomycin (4.0 mg/liter), and gentamicin (4.0 mg/liter) but resistant to streptomycin. Sensitivity to clindamycin, chloramphenicol, and kanamycin was species specific. The erythromycin resistance genes ermD and ermK were detected by PCR in all of the erythromycin-resistant (MIC, ≥16.0 mg/liter) B. licheniformis strains and one erythromycin-sensitive (MIC, 4.0 mg/liter) B. licheniformis strain. Several amino acid changes were present in the translated ermD and ermK nucleotide sequences of the erythromycin-sensitive strain, which could indicate ErmD and ErmK protein functionalities different from those of the resistance strains. The ermD and ermK genes were localized on an 11.4-kbp plasmid. All of the B. sonorensis strains harbored the bacitracin synthetase gene, bacA, and the transporter gene bcrA, which correlated with their observed resistance to bacitracin. Bacitracin was produced by all the investigated species strains (28%), as determined by ultra-high-definition quadrupole time-of-flight liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHD-QTOF LC/MS). The present study has revealed species-specific variations in the antimicrobial susceptibilities of Bacillus spp. and provides new information on MIC values, as well as the occurrence of resistance genes in Bacillus spp., including the newly described species B. sonorensis. PMID:22941078

Sensitivity, Specificity, Predictive Values, and Accuracy of Three Diagnostic Tests to Predict Inferior Alveolar Nerve Blockade Failure in Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis

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Daniel Chavarría-Bolaños

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB is the most common anesthetic technique used on mandibular teeth during root canal treatment. Its success in the presence of preoperative inflammation is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy of three diagnostic tests used to predict IANB failure in symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (SIP. Methodology. A cross-sectional study was carried out on the mandibular molars of 53 patients with SIP. All patients received a single cartridge of mepivacaine 2% with 1 : 100000 epinephrine using the IANB technique. Three diagnostic clinical tests were performed to detect anesthetic failure. Anesthetic failure was defined as a positive painful response to any of the three tests. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, accuracy, and ROC curves were calculated and compared and significant differences were analyzed. Results. IANB failure was determined in 71.7% of the patients. The sensitivity scores for the three tests (lip numbness, the cold stimuli test, and responsiveness during endodontic access were 0.03, 0.35, and 0.55, respectively, and the specificity score was determined as 1 for all of the tests. Clinically, none of the evaluated tests demonstrated a high enough accuracy (0.30, 0.53, and 0.68 for lip numbness, the cold stimuli test, and responsiveness during endodontic access, resp.. A comparison of the areas under the curve in the ROC analyses showed statistically significant differences between the three tests (p<0.05. Conclusion. None of the analyzed tests demonstrated a high enough accuracy to be considered a reliable diagnostic tool for the prediction of anesthetic failure.

Pre-Use Susceptibility to Ceftaroline in Clinical Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Germany: Is There a Non-Susceptible Pool to be Selected?

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Birgit Strommenger

Full Text Available Ceftaroline is a new cephalosporin active against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA. Based on a representative collection of clinical S. aureus isolates from Germany, supplemented with isolates of clonal lineages ST228 and ST239, we demonstrate the in-vitro susceptibility towards ceftaroline prior to its introduction into clinical use for a total of 219 isolates. Susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution, disc diffusion and Etest, respectively. Results were interpreted according to EUCAST guidelines and showed considerable variance in dependence on clonal affiliation of the isolates tested. Among isolates of widespread hospital-associated lineages we found a high proportion of clinical isolates with MICs close to the EUCAST breakpoint (MIC50/90 1.0/1.5 mg/L; currently, interpretation of these "borderline" MICs is complicated by a lack of concordant susceptibility testing methods and reasonable breakpoint determination. Isolates of clonal lineages ST228 and ST239 demonstrated increased MIC50/90 values of 2.5/3.33 mg/L. Sequencing of mecA revealed no association of resistance to a specific mecA polymorphism, but rather reveals two regions in the non-penicillin-binding domain of PbP2a which displayed different combinations of mutations putatively involved in resistance development. This study provides national baseline data to (i adjust susceptibility testing methods and current breakpoints to clinical and epidemiological requirements, (ii evaluate current breakpoints with respect to therapeutic outcome and (iii monitor further resistance evolution.

Measuring coverage in MNCH: challenges in monitoring the proportion of young children with pneumonia who receive antibiotic treatment.

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Harry Campbell

Full Text Available Pneumonia remains a major cause of child death globally, and improving antibiotic treatment rates is a key control strategy. Progress in improving the global coverage of antibiotic treatment is monitored through large household surveys such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS, which estimate antibiotic treatment rates of pneumonia based on two-week recall of pneumonia by caregivers. However, these survey tools identify children with reported symptoms of pneumonia, and because the prevalence of pneumonia over a two-week period in community settings is low, the majority of these children do not have true pneumonia and so do not provide an accurate denominator of pneumonia cases for monitoring antibiotic treatment rates. In this review, we show that the performance of survey tools could be improved by increasing the survey recall period or by improving either overall discriminative power or specificity. However, even at a test specificity of 95% (and a test sensitivity of 80%, the proportion of children with reported symptoms of pneumonia who truly have pneumonia is only 22% (the positive predictive value of the survey tool. Thus, although DHS and MICS survey data on rates of care seeking for children with reported symptoms of pneumonia and other childhood illnesses remain valid and important, DHS and MICS data are not able to give valid estimates of antibiotic treatment rates in children with pneumonia.

Susceptibility to antimicrobial agents of Streptococcus suis capsular type 2 strains isolated from pigs.

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Seol, B; Kelneric, Z; Hajsig, D; Madic, J; Naglic, T

1996-03-01

The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for thirty-three epidemiologicaly unrelated clinical isolates of Streptococcus suis capsular type 2 were determined in relation to ampicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, amoxicillin, clavulanate-amoxicillin, penicillin G, cephalexin, gentamicin, streptomycin, erythromycin, tylosin and doxycycline, using the microtitre broth dilution procedure described by the U.S. National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). Gentamicin was the most active compound tested, with an MIC for 90% of the strains tested (MIC(90)) of 0.4 mg/L. Overall, 70% of strains were resistant to doxycycline (MIC(90) > or = 100.0 mg/L), followed by penicillin G (51% of strains) (MIC(90) + or = 100.0 mg/L). Resistance to amoxicillin and ampicillin was 36.4% (MIC(90) 12.5 mg/L) and 33.3% (MIC(90) 50.0 mg/L), respectively. 15.2% of S. suis strains were resistant to streptomycin, tylosin and cephalexin with MIC90 values of 25.0 mg/L, 12.5 mg/L and 25.0 mg/L, respectively. A combination of ampicillin and sulbactam (MIC(90) 6.3 mg/L) and a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanate (MIC(90) 3.1 mg/L) as well as erythromycin (1.6 mg/L) were of the same efficacy, with a total of 9.1% resistant S. suis strains. This high percentage of resistance to doxycycline and penicillin G precludes the use of these antibiotics as empiric therapy of swine diseases.

Susceptibility to pleuromutilins in Brachyspira (Serpulina) hyodysenteriae.

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Karlsson, M; Gunnarsson, A; Franklin, A

2001-06-01

The pleuromutilins are the only antimicrobial agents with sufficient minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values left to treat swine dysentery in Sweden. Other antimicrobials are either not approved for use against swine dysentery or only partly active against Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. To date, in Sweden two pleuromutilins, tiamulin and valnemulin, are authorized for use in pigs. This study includes a comparison between MICs of tiamulin and valnemulin for Swedish field isolates of B. hyodysenteriae, as determined by broth dilution. For different isolates the MIC of tiamulin was between 0 and 8 times higher than that of valnemulin. No resistance to pleuromutilins was recorded (tiamulin MIC range 0.031-2 microg/ml, valnemulin MIC range tiamulin resistance was also studied. Two B. hyodysenteriae and two B. pilosicoli strains became resistant to tiamulin following reiterated passages on agar containing tiamulin in increasing concentrations. The resistance emerged slowly and three of the strains that went through more than 60 passages increased their tiamulin MICs from 0.031-0.25 to more than 128 microg/ml. The tiamulin MIC for one B. hyodysenteriae strain that went through 29 passages increased from 0.0125 to 4 microg/ml. One B. pilosicoli strain developed cross-resistance to valnemulin; the MIC increased from 0.25 to more than 64 microg/ml. The valnemulin MIC for one B. hyodysenteriae strain increased from 0.031 microg/ml to 32 microg/ml. Valnemulin MIC was not determined for the B. hyodysenteriae strain that only went through 29 passages. The valnemulin MIC of the other B. pilosicoli strain increased from 0.031 to 4 microg/ml.

Evaluation of the efficacy of four weak acids as antifungal preservatives in low-acid intermediate moisture model food systems.

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Huang, Yang; Wilson, Mark; Chapman, Belinda; Hocking, Ailsa D

2010-02-01

The potential efficacy of four weak acids as preservatives in low-acid intermediate moisture foods was assessed using a glycerol based agar medium. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC, % wt./wt.) of each acid was determined at two pH values (pH 5.0, pH 6.0) and two a(w) values (0.85, 0.90) for five food spoilage fungi, Eurotium herbariorum, Eurotium rubrum, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium roqueforti. Sorbic acid, a preservative commonly used to control fungal growth in low-acid intermediate moisture foods, was included as a reference. The MIC values of the four acids were lower at pH 5.0 than pH 6.0 at equivalent a(w) values, and lower at 0.85 a(w) than 0.90 a(w) at equivalent pH values. By comparison with the MIC values of sorbic acid, those of caprylic acid and dehydroacetic acid were generally lower, whereas those for caproic acid were generally higher. No general observation could be made in the case of capric acid. The antifungal activities of all five weak acids appeared related not only to the undissociated form, but also the dissociated form, of each acid.

Many-valued logics

CERN Document Server

Bolc, Leonard

1992-01-01

Many-valued logics were developed as an attempt to handle philosophical doubts about the "law of excluded middle" in classical logic. The first many-valued formal systems were developed by J. Lukasiewicz in Poland and E.Post in the U.S.A. in the 1920s, and since then the field has expanded dramatically as the applicability of the systems to other philosophical and semantic problems was recognized. Intuitionisticlogic, for example, arose from deep problems in the foundations of mathematics. Fuzzy logics, approximation logics, and probability logics all address questions that classical logic alone cannot answer. All these interpretations of many-valued calculi motivate specific formal systems thatallow detailed mathematical treatment. In this volume, the authors are concerned with finite-valued logics, and especially with three-valued logical calculi. Matrix constructions, axiomatizations of propositional and predicate calculi, syntax, semantic structures, and methodology are discussed. Separate chapters deal w...

Comparative Study of Betacyanin Profile and Antimicrobial Activity of Red Pitahaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) and Red Spinach (Amaranthus dubius).

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Yong, Yi Yi; Dykes, Gary; Lee, Sui Mae; Choo, Wee Sim

2017-03-01

Betacyanins are reddish to violet pigments that can be found in red pitahaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) and red spinach (Amaranthus dubius). This study investigated the impact of sub-fractionation (solvent partitioning) on betacyanin content in both plants. Characterization of betacyanins and evaluation of their antimicrobial activities were also carried out. Betanin was found in both plants. In addition, isobetanin, phyllocactin and hylocerenin were found in red pitahaya whereas amaranthine and decarboxy-amaranthine were found in red spinach. Sub-fractionated red pitahaya and red spinach had 23.5 and 121.5 % more betacyanin content, respectively, than those without sub-fractionation. Sub-fractionation increased the betanin and decarboxy-amaranthine content in red pitahaya and red spinach, respectively. The betacyanin fraction from red spinach (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] values: 0.78-3.13 mg/mL) demonstrated a better antimicrobial activity profile than that of red pitahaya (MIC values: 3.13-6.25 mg/mL) against nine Gram-positive bacterial strains. Similarly, the red spinach fraction (MIC values: 1.56-3.13 mg/mL) was more active than the red pitahaya fraction (MIC values: 3.13-6.25 mg/mL) against five Gram-negative bacterial strains. This could be because of a higher amount of betacyanin, particularly amaranthine in the red spinach.

Short communication: In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of Mycoplasma agalactiae strains isolated from dairy goats.

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Paterna, A; Sánchez, A; Gómez-Martín, A; Corrales, J C; De la Fe, C; Contreras, A; Amores, J

2013-01-01

This study examined the susceptibility to several antimicrobials of 28 isolates of Mycoplasma agalactiae obtained from goats in a region (southeastern Spain) where contagious agalactia is endemic. For each isolate, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against 12 antimicrobials of the quinolone, macrolide, aminoglycoside, and tetracycline families was determined. The antimicrobials with the lowest MIC were enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tylosin, and doxycycline, all with MIC90 (concentration at which growth of 90% of the isolates is inhibited) <1 µg/mL. Norfloxacin (a quinolone) showed a wide MIC range (0.1-12.8 µg/mL), suggesting a resistance mechanism toward this antimicrobial that was not elicited by enrofloxacin or ciprofloxacin (the other quinolones tested). Erythromycin showed the highest MIC90 such that its use against Mycoplasma agalactiae is not recommended. Finally, Mycoplasma agalactiae isolates obtained from goat herds with clinical symptoms of contagious agalactia featured higher MIC90 and MIC50 (concentration at which growth of 50% of the isolates is inhibited) values for many of the antimicrobials compared with isolates from asymptomatic animals. The relationship between the extensive use of antimicrobials in herds with clinical contagious agalactia and variations in MIC requires further study. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interpretive criteria of antimicrobial disk susceptibility tests with flomoxef.

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Grimm, H

1991-01-01

320 recently isolated pathogens, 20 strains from each of 16 species, were investigated using Mueller-Hinton agar and DIN as well as NCCLS standards. The geometric mean of the agar dilution MICs of flomoxef were 0.44 mg/l for Staphylococcus aureus, 0.05 mg/l (Klebsiella oxytoca) to 12.6 mg/l (Enterobacter spp.) for enterobacteriaceae, 33.1 mg/l for Acinetobacter anitratus, 64 mg/l for Enterococcus faecalis, and more than 256 mg/l for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For disk susceptibility testing of flomoxef a 30 micrograms disk loading and the following interpretation of inhibition zones using the DIN method were recommended: resistant-up to 22 mm (corresponding to MICs of 8 mg/l or more), moderately susceptible-23 to 29 mm (corresponding to MICs from 1 to 4 mg/l), and susceptible-30 mm or more (corresponding to MICs of 0.5 mg/l or less). The respective values for the NCCLS method using the American high MIC breakpoints are: resistant--up to 14 mm (corresponding to MICs of 32 mg/l or more), moderately susceptible--15 to 17 mm (corresponding to MICs of 16 mg/l), and susceptible--18 mm or more (corresponding to MICs of 8 mg/l or less).

East Asian Values Surveys : making a case for East Asian-origin values survey concepts

OpenAIRE

Vinken, Henk

2006-01-01

This paper aims to contribute to social scientific work towards enhancing the cultural fit of comparative values surveys projects on a conceptual level both for Western and East Asian survey research communities and their publics. It starts with noting that, after a long period in which Western values were regarded superior ('orientalism'), in recent decades certain East Asian and specifically Confucian values are much celebrated ('reversed orientalism'). Yet, most contemporary cross-cultural...

Neisseria gonorrhoeae and extended-spectrum cephalosporins in California: surveillance and molecular detection of mosaic penA.

Science.gov (United States)

Gose, Severin; Nguyen, Duylinh; Lowenberg, Daniella; Samuel, Michael; Bauer, Heidi; Pandori, Mark

2013-12-04

The spread of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains with mosaic penA alleles and reduced susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins is a major public health problem. While much work has been performed internationally, little is known about the genetics or molecular epidemiology of N. gonorrhoeae isolates with reduced susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins in the United States. The majority of N. gonorrhoeae infections are diagnosed without a live culture. Molecular tools capable of detecting markers of extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance are needed. Urethral N. gonorrhoeae isolates were collected from 684 men at public health clinics in California in 2011. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to ceftriaxone, cefixime, cefpodoxime and azithromycin were determined by Etest and categorized according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control 2010 alert value breakpoints. 684 isolates were screened for mosaic penA alleles using real-time PCR (RTPCR) and 59 reactive isolates were subjected to DNA sequencing of their penA alleles and Neisseria gonorrhoeae multi-antigen sequence typing (NG-MAST). To increase the specificity of the screening RTPCR in detecting isolates with alert value extended-spectrum cephalosporin MICs, the primers were modified to selectively amplify the mosaic XXXIV penA allele. Three mosaic penA alleles were detected including two previously described alleles (XXXIV, XXXVIII) and one novel allele (LA-A). Of the 29 isolates with an alert value extended-spectrum cephalosporin MIC, all possessed the mosaic XXXIV penA allele and 18 were sequence type 1407, an internationally successful strain associated with multi-drug resistance. The modified RTPCR detected the mosaic XXXIV penA allele in urethral isolates and urine specimens and displayed no amplification of the other penA alleles detected in this study. N. gonorrhoeae isolates with mosaic penA alleles and reduced susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins are currently

Role of renal function in risk assessment of target non-attainment after standard dosing of meropenem in critically ill patients: a prospective observational study.

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Ehmann, Lisa; Zoller, Michael; Minichmayr, Iris K; Scharf, Christina; Maier, Barbara; Schmitt, Maximilian V; Hartung, Niklas; Huisinga, Wilhelm; Vogeser, Michael; Frey, Lorenz; Zander, Johannes; Kloft, Charlotte

2017-10-21

Severe bacterial infections remain a major challenge in intensive care units because of their high prevalence and mortality. Adequate antibiotic exposure has been associated with clinical success in critically ill patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the target attainment of standard meropenem dosing in a heterogeneous critically ill population, to quantify the impact of the full renal function spectrum on meropenem exposure and target attainment, and ultimately to translate the findings into a tool for practical application. A prospective observational single-centre study was performed with critically ill patients with severe infections receiving standard dosing of meropenem. Serial blood samples were drawn over 4 study days to determine meropenem serum concentrations. Renal function was assessed by creatinine clearance according to the Cockcroft and Gault equation (CLCR CG ). Variability in meropenem serum concentrations was quantified at the middle and end of each monitored dosing interval. The attainment of two pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic targets (100%T >MIC , 50%T >4×MIC ) was evaluated for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 2 mg/L and 8 mg/L and standard meropenem dosing (1000 mg, 30-minute infusion, every 8 h). Furthermore, we assessed the impact of CLCR CG on meropenem concentrations and target attainment and developed a tool for risk assessment of target non-attainment. Large inter- and intra-patient variability in meropenem concentrations was observed in the critically ill population (n = 48). Attainment of the target 100%T >MIC was merely 48.4% and 20.6%, given MIC values of 2 mg/L and 8 mg/L, respectively, and similar for the target 50%T >4×MIC . A hyperbolic relationship between CLCR CG (25-255 ml/minute) and meropenem serum concentrations at the end of the dosing interval (C 8h ) was derived. For infections with pathogens of MIC 2 mg/L, mild renal impairment up to augmented renal function was

Helicopter Noise Definition Report UH-60A, S-76, A-109, 206-L

Science.gov (United States)

1981-12-01

idealized monopole , dipole or quadrapole radiator of acoustical energy. In each case the equation is supplemented by the addition of a specific...acoustical radiation patterns are hybrids; combinations of monopoles , dipoles, quadrapoles and various other anomolous acoustical interactions...4 ft, C2-6 Mic. 6, Sideline 284m North 4 ft. C2-7 Mics. 1G, Centerline Center (Ground) C2-8 Mice 1H, Centerline Center 33 ft, C2-9 .Mic. 5G, Sideline

In vitro activity of five tetracyclines and some other antimicrobial agents against four porcine respiratory tract pathogens.

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Pijpers, A; Van Klingeren, B; Schoevers, E J; Verheijden, J H; Van Miert, A S

1989-09-01

The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of five tetracyclines and ten other antimicrobial agents were determined for four porcine bacterial respiratory tract pathogens by the agar dilution method. For the following oxytetracycline-susceptible strains, the MIC50 ranges of the tetracyclines were: P. multocida (n = 17) 0.25-0.5 micrograms/ml; B. bronchiseptica (n = 20) 0.25-1.0 micrograms/ml; H. pleuropneumoniae (n = 20) 0.25-0.5 micrograms/ml; S. suis Type 2 (n = 20) 0.06-0.25 micrograms/ml. For 19 oxytetracycline-resistant P. multocida strains the MIC50 of the tetracyclines varied from 64 micrograms/ml for oxytetracycline to 0.5 micrograms/ml for minocycline. Strikingly, minocycline showed no cross-resistance with oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline in P. multocida and in H. pleuropneumoniae. Moreover, in susceptible strains minocycline showed the highest in vitro activity followed by doxycycline. Low MIC50 values were observed for chloramphenicol, ampicillin, flumequine, ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin against P. multocida and H. pleuropneumoniae. B. bronchiseptica was moderately susceptible or resistant to these compounds. As expected tiamulin, lincomycin, tylosin and spiramycin were not active against H. pleuropneumoniae. Except for flumequine, the MIC50 values of nine antimicrobial agents were low for S. suis Type 2. Six strains of this species showed resistance to the macrolides and lincomycin.

DETERMINAÇÃO SIMULTÂNEA DE METAIS E ENXOFRE POR ICP-OES EM RESÍDUOS DE DESTILAÇÃO DE PETRÓLEO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel T. Druzian

Full Text Available A method for digestion of crude oil distillation residues (atmospheric residue, AR and vacuum residue, VR using microwave-induced combustion (MIC was developed for simultaneous determination of metals (Ba, Co, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni and V and sulfur by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES. Samples were wrapped in polyethylene films and combusted using 20 bar of oxygen. Nitric acid solutions were evaluated using 5 min of reflux after combustion. Accuracy was evaluated using certified reference material and comparison with the results obtained by microwave-assisted wet digestion (MAWD. No statistical difference was observed between the certified values and those obtained using MIC as well as between the values obtained using MAWD or MIC. In spite of both methods have been apparently suitable for crude oil digestion, MIC was preferable in view of the possibility of using 3 mol L-1 HNO3 as absorbing solution. Furthermore, it is important to notice that using MIC, C content in digests was lower than 10 mg L-1, preventing interferences in ICP-OES. In addition, the simultaneous digestion of eight samples was possible in less than 30 min and without using concentrated acids and/or longer heating times, making the proposed method well-suited for routine analysis.

Value chain analysis in quality management context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popescu, M.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the description of value chain analysis, which is a strategic management tool attributed to Michel Porter, the paper aims to demonstrate that quality management applies this method, under specific forms. The paper's specific objectives are: to redefine the functions of value chain analysis in the context of quality management; to clarify the significance and the possibilities of measuring the value added; to present management tools and techniques needed to control and systematically improve performance. Research methodology is based on examples, previous studies and a case study that reveals the diversity of indicators for measuring the value added and analysis tools used in quality management.

Getting Value out of Value-Added: Report of a Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

Braun, Henry, Ed.; Chudowsky, Naomi, Ed.; Koenig, Judith, Ed.

2010-01-01

Value-added methods refer to efforts to estimate the relative contributions of specific teachers, schools, or programs to student test performance. In recent years, these methods have attracted considerable attention because of their potential applicability for educational accountability, teacher pay-for-performance systems, school and teacher…

Determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations of itraconazole, terbinafine and ketoconazole against dermatophyte species by broth microdilution method.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatia, V K; Sharma, P C

2015-01-01

Various antifungal agents both topical and systemic have been introduced into clinical practice for effectively treating dermatophytic conditions. Dermatophytosis is the infection of keratinised tissues caused by fungal species of genera Trichophyton, Epidermophyton and Microsporum, commonly known as dermatophytes affecting 20-25% of the world's population. The present study aims at determining the susceptibility patterns of dermatophyte species recovered from superficial mycoses of human patients in Himachal Pradesh to antifungal agents; itraconazole, terbinafine and ketoconazole. The study also aims at determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of these agents following the recommended protocol of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) (M38-A2). A total of 53 isolates of dermatophytes (T. mentagrophyte-34 in no., T. rubrum-18 and M. gypseum-1) recovered from the superficial mycoses were examined. Broth microdilution method M38-A2 approved protocol of CLSI (2008) for filamentous fungi was followed for determining the susceptibility of dermatophyte species. T. mentagrophyte isolates were found more susceptible to both itraconazole and ketoconazole as compared to terbinafine (MIC50: 0.125 µg/ml for itraconazole, 0.0625 µg/ml for ketoconazole and 0.5 µg/ml for terbinafine). Three isolates of T. mentagrophytes (VBS-5, VBSo-3 and VBSo-73) and one isolate of T. rubrum (VBPo-9) had higher MIC values of itraconazole (1 µg/ml). Similarly, the higher MIC values of ketoconazole were observed in case of only three isolates of T. mentagrophyte (VBSo-30 = 2 µg/ml; VBSo-44, VBM-2 = 1 µg/ml). The comparative analysis of the three antifungal drugs based on t-test revealed that 'itraconazole and terbinafine' and 'terbinafine and ketoconazole' were found independent based on the P terbinafine and ketoconazole'. The MIC values observed in the present study based on standard protocol M38-A2 of CLSI 2008 might serve as reference for further studies

A commitment to values. A system integrates core values with leadership development.

Science.gov (United States)

Maxfield, M M

1991-01-01

The Values in Leadership program, a new leadership development program created by the Sisters of Charity Health Care Systems (SCHCS), is designed to empower effective leaders to live out personal values compatible with those of the organization. The program, designed for middle and senior managers, comprises seven educational modules- Living Our Values; Valuing Individual Differences; Leader as Servant; Leader as Visionary; Leader as Catalyst; Leader as Mentor; Formative Leadership; and Leader as Mentor; Motivational Coaching. Throughout the sessions, participants discuss the four roles of an effective leader-servant, visionary, catalyst, and mentor-which are grounded in SCHCS core values. Participants are also challenged to identify specific actions that can be integrated into their leadership styles. These actions, drawn from SCHCS leadership practices and core values, are reinforced when participants return to their jobs and write plans to incorporate these practices into their daily work.

How Marine Conditions Affect Severity of MIC of Steels

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Little, B; Lee, J; Ray, R

2007-01-01

.... A specific type of carbon sheet piling corrosion. accelerated low water corrosion, k has been attributed to a microbiologically generated sulfur cycle in the presence of heave macrofouling in tidal zones...

Sensitivity, specificity and predictive probability values of serum agglutination test titres for the diagnosis of Salmonella Dublin culture-positive bovine abortion and stillbirth.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Miguel, C; Crilly, J; Grant, J; Mee, J F

2018-06-01

The objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of maternal serology for the diagnosis of Salmonella Dublin bovine abortion and stillbirth. A retrospective, unmatched, case-control study was carried out using twenty year's data (1989-2009) from bovine foetal submissions to an Irish government veterinary laboratory. Cases (n = 214) were defined as submissions with a S. Dublin culture-positive foetus from a S. Dublin unvaccinated dam where results of maternal S. Dublin serology were available. Controls (n = 415) were defined as submissions where an alternative diagnosis other than S. Dublin was made in a foetus from an S. Dublin unvaccinated dam where the results of maternal S. Dublin serology were available. A logistic regression model was fitted to the data: the dichotomous dependent variable was the S. Dublin foetal culture result, and the independent variables were the maternal serum agglutination test (SAT) titre results. Salmonella serology correctly classified 87% of S. Dublin culture-positive foetuses at a predicted probability threshold of 0.44 (cut-off at which sensitivity and specificity are at a maximum, J = 0.67). The sensitivity of the SAT at the same threshold was 73.8% (95% CI: 67.4%-79.5%), and the specificity was 93.2% (95% CI: 90.3%-95.4%). The positive and negative predictive values were 84.9% (95% CI: 79.3%-88.6%) and 87.3% (95% CI: 83.5%-91.3%), respectively. This study illustrates that the use of predicted probability values, rather than the traditional arbitrary breakpoints of negative, inconclusive and positive, increases the diagnostic value of the maternal SAT. Veterinary laboratory diagnosticians and veterinary practitioners can recover from the test results, information previously categorized, particularly from those results declared to be inconclusive. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Tolerance response of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica strains to habituation to Origanum vulgare L. essential oil

Science.gov (United States)

Monte, Daniel F. M.; Tavares, Adassa G.; Albuquerque, Allan R.; Sampaio, Fábio C.; Oliveira, Tereza C. R. M.; Franco, Octavio L.; Souza, Evandro L.; Magnani, Marciane

2014-01-01

Multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica isolates from human outbreaks or from poultry origin were investigated for their ability to develop direct-tolerance or cross-tolerance to sodium chloride, potassium chloride, lactic acid, acetic acid, and ciprofloxacin after habituation in subinhibitory amounts ( of the minimum inhibitory concentration – (MIC) and of the minimum inhibitory concentration – MIC) of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OVEO) at different time intervals. The habituation of S. enterica to OVEO did not induce direct-tolerance or cross-tolerance in the tested strains, as assessed by the modulation of MIC values. However, cells habituated to OVEO maintained or increased susceptibility to the tested antimicrobials agents, with up to fourfold double dilution decrease from previously determined MIC values. This study reports for the first time the non-inductive effect of OVEO on the acquisition of direct-tolerance or cross-tolerance in multidrug-resistant S. enterica strains to antimicrobial agents that are largely used in food preservation, as well as to CIP, the therapeutic drug of salmonellosis. PMID:25566231

Value of prostate specific antigen and prostatic volume ratio (PSA/V) as the selection criterion for US-guided prostatic biopsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veneziano, S.; Paulica, P.; Querze', R.; Viglietta, G.; Trenta, A.

1991-01-01

US-guided biopsy was performed in 94 patients with suspected lesions at transerectal US. Histology demonstrated carcinoma in 43 cases, benign hyperplasia in 44, and prostatis in 7. In all cases the prostate specific antigen (PSA) was calculated, by means of US, together with prostatic volume (v). PSA was related to the corresponding gland volume, which resulted in PSA/V ratio. Our study showed PSA/V ration to have higher sensitivity and specificity than absolulute PSA value in the diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma. The authors believe prostate US-guided biopsy to be: a) necessary when the suspected area has PSA/V ratio >0.15, and especially when PSA/V >0.30; b) not indicated when echo-structural alterations are associated with PSA/V <0.15, because they are most frequently due to benign lesions. The combined use of PSA/V ratio and US is therefore suggested to select the patients in whom biopsy is to be performed

Investigation of the antimicrobial activities of Snakin-Z, a new cationic peptide derived from Zizyphus jujuba fruits.

Science.gov (United States)

Daneshmand, Fatemeh; Zare-Zardini, Hadi; Ebrahimi, Leila

2013-01-01

Snakin-Z is a novel antimicrobial peptide (AMP) that is identified from the fruit of Zizyphus jujuba. This peptide is composed of 31 amino acids which is determined with the sequence of CARLNCVPKGTSGNTETCPCYASLHSCRKYG and molecular weight of 3318.82 Da. Snakin-Z is not identical to any AMP in the peptide database. According to this study, Snakin-Z potentially has antimicrobial property against bacteria and fungi. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of this peptide is suitable for antimicrobial activity. We assessed that Snakin-Z could affect Phomopsis azadirachtae with the MIC value of 7.65 μg/mL and vice versa Staphylococcus aureus with the MIC value of 28.8 μg/mL. Interestingly, human red blood cells also showed good tolerance to the Snakin-Z. On the basis of this study, Snakin-Z can be an appropriate candidate for therapeutic applications in the future due to its antimicrobial property.

Values in environmental research: Citizens’ views of scientists who acknowledge values

Science.gov (United States)

McCright, Aaron M.; Allen, Summer; Dietz, Thomas

2017-01-01

Scientists who perform environmental research on policy-relevant topics face challenges when communicating about how values may have influenced their research. This study examines how citizens view scientists who publicly acknowledge values. Specifically, we investigate whether it matters: if citizens share or oppose a scientist’s values, if a scientist’s conclusions seem contrary to or consistent with the scientist’s values, and if a scientist is assessing the state of the science or making a policy recommendation. We conducted two 3x2 factorial design online experiments. Experiment 1 featured a hypothetical scientist assessing the state of the science on the public-health effects of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), and Experiment 2 featured a scientist making a policy recommendation on use of BPA. We manipulated whether or not the scientist expressed values and whether the scientist’s conclusion appeared contrary to or consistent with the scientist’s values, and we accounted for whether or not subjects’ values aligned with the scientist’s values. We analyzed our data with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression techniques. Our results provide at least preliminary evidence that acknowledging values may reduce the perceived credibility of scientists within the general public, but this effect differs depending on whether scientists and citizens share values, whether scientists draw conclusions that run contrary to their values, and whether scientists make policy recommendations. PMID:29069087

Baudrillard's Theory of Value

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zander, Pär Ola

2014-01-01

theory. The paper concludes that Baudrillard's arguments for abandoning Marxism altogether are problematic and led him away from developing a more finished theory of value. This is unfortunate because it remains a project that may yield interesting insights even in contemporary social theory, not least......Jean Baudrillard outlined a theory of value in his early writings that built on, but also criticized, Marxist concepts of use value and exchange value. In this paper, I use a close reading to delineate the diachronic transition of Baudrillard's writings toward anti-Marxism and (allegedly......) postmodernism, with specific focus on his value theory, in order to understand his own reasons for abandoning his previous position. I then follow the marginal stream of scholars who are making use of the early Baudrillard. I find his value theory promising but still a mere sketch rather than an actual general...

The effects of noise reduction technologies on the acceptance of background noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowery, Kristy Jones; Plyler, Patrick N

2013-09-01

Directional microphones (D-Mics) and digital noise reduction (DNR) algorithms are used in hearing aids to reduce the negative effects of background noise on performance. Directional microphones attenuate sounds arriving from anywhere other than the front of the listener while DNR attenuates sounds with physical characteristics of noise. Although both noise reduction technologies are currently available in hearing aids, it is unclear if the use of these technologies in isolation or together affects acceptance of noise and/or preference for the end user when used in various types of background noise. The purpose of the research was to determine the effects of D-Mic, DNR, or the combination of D-Mic and DNR on acceptance of noise and preference when listening in various types of background noise. An experimental study in which subjects were exposed to a repeated measures design was utilized. Thirty adult listeners with mild sloping to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss participated (mean age 67 yr). Acceptable noise levels (ANLs) were obtained using no noise reduction technologies, D-Mic only, DNR only, and the combination of the two technologies (Combo) for three different background noises (single-talker speech, speech-shaped noise, and multitalker babble) for each listener. In addition, preference rankings of the noise reduction technologies were obtained within each background noise (1 = best, 3 = worst). ANL values were significantly better for each noise reduction technology than baseline; and benefit increased significantly from DNR to D-Mic to Combo. Listeners with higher (worse) baseline ANLs received more benefit from noise reduction technologies than listeners with lower (better) baseline ANLs. Neither ANL values nor ANL benefit values were significantly affected by background noise type; however, ANL benefit with D-Mic and Combo was similar when speech-like noise was present while ANL benefit was greatest for Combo when speech spectrum noise was

In Vitro Resistance Studies with Bacteria That Exhibit Low Mutation Frequencies: Prediction of “Antimutant” Linezolid Concentrations Using a Mixed Inoculum Containing both Susceptible and Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Science.gov (United States)

Golikova, Maria V.; Strukova, Elena N.; Portnoy, Yury A.; Romanov, Andrey V.; Edelstein, Mikhail V.; Zinner, Stephen H.

2014-01-01

Bacterial resistance studies using in vitro dynamic models are highly dependent on the starting inoculum that might or might not contain spontaneously resistant mutants (RMs). To delineate concentration-resistance relationships with linezolid-exposed Staphylococcus aureus, a mixed inoculum containing both susceptible cells and RMs was used. An RM selected after the 9th passage of the parent strain (MIC, 2 μg/ml) on antibiotic-containing media (RM9; MIC, 8 μg/ml) was chosen for the pharmacodynamic studies, because the mutant prevention concentration (MPC) of linezolid against the parent strain in the presence of RM9 at 102 (but not at 104) CFU/ml did not differ from the MPC value determined in the absence of the RMs. Five-day treatments with twice-daily linezolid doses were simulated at concentrations either between the MIC and MPC or above the MPC. S. aureus RMs (resistant to 2× and 4× MIC but not 8× and 16× MIC) were enriched at ratios of the 24-h area under the concentration-time curve (AUC24) to the MIC that provide linezolid concentrations between the MIC and MPC for 100% (AUC24/MIC, 60 h) and 86% (AUC24/MIC, 120 h) of the dosing interval. No such enrichment occurred when linezolid concentrations were above the MIC and below the MPC for a shorter time (37% of the dosing interval; AUC24/MIC, 240 h) or when concentrations were consistently above the MPC (AUC24/MIC, 480 h). These findings obtained using linezolid-susceptible staphylococci supplemented with RMs support the mutant selection window hypothesis. This method provides an option to delineate antibiotic concentration-resistance relationships with bacteria that exhibit low mutation frequencies. PMID:25451050

Efectivitat de l'exoesquelet en comparació amb la hidroteràpia per a la reeducació de l'equilibri i la marxa en pacients post-ictus isquèmic

OpenAIRE

Rabasa Martín, Oscar

2016-01-01

Pregunta clínica: En la recuperació de l’equilibri i la marxa després de tres mesos d’un accident cerebrovascular isquèmic en adults, s’evidencia millora en el dolor, l’espasticitat, la dependència i la qualitat de vida amb l´ús de l’exosquelet combinat amb la fisioteràpia convencional en comparació amb la hidroteràpia i la fisioteràpia convencional? Objectius: - General: Valorar l’efectivitat de l’exosquelet comparat amb la hidroteràpia en pacients entre 65 i 85 anys diagnosticats d’...

Antimicrobial activity of Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd. Poir. from Northeast Brazil against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Itácio Q. M. Padilha

Full Text Available Mimosa tenuiflora is a native plant of Northeast Brazil where it is popularly known as ''jurema-preta'' and it is widely used in folk medicine. In this work the anti-Staphylococcus aureus activity of ethanol extract of M tenuiflora was evaluated by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of clinical isolates by the agar dilution method, and by time-kill assay using a reference strain. MIC values against 30 isolates were 0,18 mg/mL (16/30 or 0,36 mg/mL (14/30, and also the reference strain. In the reference strains, at concentrations up to 4x MIC, only bacteriostatic effect was observed, but at 8x MIC a fast bactericidal effect was observed.

In Vitro Effect of New Antibiotics Against Clinical Isolates of Salmonella Typhi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malik, N.

2016-01-01

Objective: To determine the in vitrodisk diffusion and MIC patterns of the therapeutic alternatives for Salmonella Typhi. Study Design: Across-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, from June 2011 to May 2013. Methodology: Clinical samples were collected from suspected cases of Salmonella infections. Culture was obtained on standard media. Suspected Salmonella colonies were tested by API 20E and confirmed by serology. The isolates were tested for resistance to various antibiotics by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. MIC was done on MDR and ciprofloxacin intermediate or resistant cases by E-strips for selected antibiotics. Results: One hundred and twenty-eight isolates of Salmonella Typhi were recovered from 2230 specimens. Resistance by disk diffusion technique was 72% for ampicillin, 41.2% for cotrimoxazole, 38% for chloramphenicol, 8% for ciprofloxacin, 4.7% for cefpodoxime, 3.5% each for ertapenem aztreonam and moxifloxacin 2.4% for ceftriaxone and 2.3% for doripenem. No resistance was noted for imipenem, cefepime and gatifloxacin. Imipenem MIC90 was 0.38 and MIC50 was 0.25. For cefpirome, MIC90 was 0.64 and MIC50 was 0.09. For aztreonam, MIC90 was 0.12 and MIC50 was 0.09. For cefpodoxime MIC90 was 0.75 and MIC50 was 0.38. For azithromycin, these values were 16.0 and 7.0; and for tigecycline they were 0.25 and 0.09. Conclusion: Imipenem, azithromycin, tigecycline, aztreonam, cefpodoxime and cefpirome are potential therapeutic agents for resistant Salmonella Typhi infection. (author)

Susceptibility screening of hyphae-forming fungi with a new, easy, and fast inoculum preparation method.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmalreck, Arno; Willinger, Birgit; Czaika, Viktor; Fegeler, Wolfgang; Becker, Karsten; Blum, Gerhard; Lass-Flörl, Cornelia

2012-12-01

In vitro susceptibility testing of clinically important fungi becomes more and more essential due to the rising number of fungal infections in patients with impaired immune system. Existing standardized microbroth dilution methods for in vitro testing of molds (CLSI, EUCAST) are not intended for routine testing. These methods are very time-consuming and dependent on sporulating of hyphomycetes. In this multicentre study, a new (independent of sporulation) inoculum preparation method (containing a mixture of vegetative cells, hyphae, and conidia) was evaluated. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of amphotericin B, posaconazole, and voriconazole of 180 molds were determined with two different culture media (YST and RPMI 1640) according to the DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) microdilution assay. 24 and 48 h MIC of quality control strains, tested per each test run, prepared with the new inoculum method were in the range of DIN. YST and RPMI 1640 media showed similar MIC distributions for all molds tested. MIC readings at 48 versus 24 h yield 1 log(2) higher MIC values and more than 90 % of the MICs read at 24 and 48 h were within ± 2 log(2) dilution. MIC end point reading (log(2 MIC-RPMI 1640)-log(2 MIC-YST)) of both media demonstrated a tendency to slightly lower MICs with RPMI 1640 medium. This study reports the results of a new, time-saving, and easy-to-perform method for inoculum preparation for routine susceptibility testing that can be applied for all types of spore-/non-spore and hyphae-forming fungi.

Resilient Software Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

and tools, called model-integrated computing ( MIC ) [3] relies on the use of domain-specific modeling languages for creating models of the system to be...hence giving reflective capabilities to it. We have followed the MIC method here: we designed a domain- specific modeling language for modeling...are produced one-off and not for the mass market , the scope for price reduction based on the market demands is non-existent. Processes to create

Enteroclysis in adult celiac disease: diagnostic value of specific radiographic features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lomoschitz, F.; Schima, W.; Schober, E.; Turetschek, K.; Kaider, A.; Vogelsang, H.

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of various radiographic findings at enteroclysis in adult patients with untreated celiac disease. Twenty-seven adult patients underwent enteroclysis because of unspecific intestinal symptoms before definitive biopsy proof of celiac disease. Enteroclysis of 123 subjects with similar clinical presentation, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, occult intestinal bleeding, and weight loss, who had a definitive diagnosis other than celiac disease, served as controls. The radiographic features previously described in the literature as indicative of adult celiac disease (i.e., fold thickening, decrease of jejunal folds, increase of ileal folds, small bowel dilatation, flocculation) were evaluated in blinded fashion in all studies and the subjective likelihood of diagnosis of celiac disease was assessed. Assessing every finding separately, each feature proved to have a high specificity (78-100%) but low sensitivity (19-59%) for celiac disease. Reversal of jejunoileal fold pattern was the single best feature (specificity 100%, 95% CI 97-100%; sensitivity 59%, 95% CI 40-78%); however, combination of criteria enables establishment of the diagnosis of celiac disease quite accurately (specificity 100%, 95% CI 98-100%; sensitivity 78%, 95% CI 58-91%). Reversal of jejunoileal fold pattern as a single finding as well as combination at least three of the following features, i.e., fold thickening, decrease of jejunal folds (''colonization''), increase of ileal folds (''jejunization''), dilatation, and flocculation, make enteroclysis an accurate tool for diagnosis of celiac disease in adult patients with suspected intestinal disease. (orig.)

Synthesis and biological evaluation of (3-arylisoxazol-5-yl methyl 6-fluoro-4-oxo-4H-chromene-2-carboxylates as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Battula Kumaraswamy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A series of novel (3-aryl-1,2-oxazol-5-yl methyl 6-fluoro-4-oxo-4H- -chromene-2-carboxylate derivatives (C1-C12 were synthesized by Cu (I catalyzed reaction of in situ generated nitrile oxides with prop-2-yn-1-yl 6-fluoro-4-oxo-4H-chromene-2-carboxylate in good yields and investigated their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Among all the synthesized compounds, C1 (IC50: 16.43 ± 0.57 μM and C12 (IC50:15.98 ± 0.72 μM have registered good antioxidant activity as compared to the standard drug Trolox. Compound-C1, C3, and C6 have registered very good inhibition against all gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains with MIC values ranging from 9.375 to 37.5 (μg mL-1. Compound-C7, C8, C9, C10, and C11 have registered good inhibition against B. subtilis and S. aureus with MIC values ranging from 18.75 to 37.5 (μg mL-1. Compound-C10 and C11 against P. aero-ginosa have shown prominent activity than the standard drug Penicillin (MIC: 12.5 μg mL-1 with MIC 9.375 μg mL-1 (~ 1.33 fold potent than Penicillin. Compound-C7, C8, and C9 have registered good to moderate antifungal activity against four tested fungal strains with MIC values ranging from 18.75 and 37.5 μg mL-1

The Value of a Healthy Home: Lead Paint Remediation and Housing Values

OpenAIRE

Billings, Stephen B.; Schnepel, Kevin T.

2017-01-01

The presence of lead paint significantly impairs cognitive and behavioral development, yet little is known about the value to households of avoiding this residence-specific environmental health risk. In this paper, we estimate the benefits of lead-paint remediation on housing prices. Using data on all homes that applied to a HUD-funded program in Charlotte, North Carolina, we adopt a difference-in-differences estimator that compares values among remediated properties with those for which an i...

Comparative Pharmacodynamics and Antimutant Potentials of Doripenem and Imipenem with Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an In Vitro Model

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, Deborah; Greer, Kenneth; Portnoy, Yury A.; Zinner, Stephen H.

2012-01-01

To compare the antipseudomonal efficacy of doripenem and imipenem as well as their abilities to restrict the enrichment of resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, multiple-dosing regimens of each drug were simulated at comparable values of the cumulative percentages of a 24-h period that the drug concentration exceeds the MIC under steady-state pharmacokinetic conditions (T>MIC) and ratios of the 24-hour area under the curve (AUC24) to the MIC. Three clinical isolates of ciprofloxacin-resistant P. aeruginosa (MIC of doripenem, 1 μg/ml; MICs of imipenem, 1, 2, and 2 μg/ml) were exposed to thrice-daily doripenem or imipenem for 3 days at AUC24/MIC ratios of from 50 to 170 h (doripenem) and from 30 to 140 h (imipenem). The antimicrobial effects for susceptible and resistant subpopulations of bacteria were expressed by the areas between control growth and time-kill curves (IEs) and areas under the bacterial mutant concentration curves (AUBCMs), respectively. With each antibiotic, the IE and AUBCM versus log AUC24/MIC relationships were bacterial strain independent. At similar AUC24/MIC ratios, doripenem was slightly less efficient than imipenem against susceptible and resistant subpopulations of bacteria. However, doripenem appeared to be somewhat more efficient than imipenem at clinically achievable AUC24s related to the means of the MICs for the three studied strains and had higher antimutant potentials for two of the three strains. PMID:22203591

De los cómics a la cinematografía = From Comics to Cinematography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Román Gubern Garriga-Nogués

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Desde una perspectiva multidisciplinar nos sumergimos en la Historia del Arte para bucear en los antecedentes del cómic y, a partir de ahí, seguir a lo largo del tiempo la interacción que ha existido entre éste y los grandes medios de difusión de imágenes y de creación de iconos visuales: pintura, fotografía y especialmente el cine. Analiza el paso de la imagen estática a la imagen en movimiento tanto en la alta cultura como en la cultura popular y como todas estas artes visuales se han interrelacionado y retroalimentado, mucho más aún en la actualidad. Un largo recorrido que tiene por objeto rastrear los procesos, la dinámica y la evolución que existe alrededor de la viñeta desde sus orígenes ancestrales hasta el mundo del cine, sus semejanzas y sus diferencias, su interactividad y, sobre todo la influencia y los nexos existentes entre uno y otro en la búsqueda y desarrollo de un lenguaje plástico narrativo.From a multidisciplinary perspective we immerse ourselves into the History of Art, to dive into the background of the history of comics and, from there, to follow along the way the interaction that has existed between this and the main media that are specialized in images and creating visual icons, painting, photography and especially the cinema. It analyses the step from the static image to the moving image, in both high culture and popular culture, and shows how all these visual arts have been interrelating and have nurtured themselves, even more so nowadays. A long journey that aims to track the processes, the dynamic and the evolution that exist around the vignette from their ancestral origins to the cinematic world, their similarities and their differences, its interactivity and especially the influence and links between one another in the pursuit and development of a narrative visual language.

Biological and physicochemical stability of ceftazidime and aminophylline on glucose parenteral solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Alves dos Santos

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Ceftazidime is a broad spectrum antibiotic administered mainly by the parenteral route, and it is especially effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The period of time in which serum levels exceed the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC is an important pharmacodynamic parameter for its efficacy. One of the forms to extend this period is to administer the antibiotic by continuous infusion, after prior dilution in a Parenteral Solution (PS. The present work assessed the stability of ceftazidime in 5% glucose PS for 24 hours, combined or not with aminophylline, through High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC. The physicochemical evaluation was accompanied by in vitro antimicrobial activity compared MIC test in the 24-hour period. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the microorganisms chosen for the MIC comparison. The HPLC analysis confirmed ceftazidime and aminophylline individual stability on PS, while the MIC values were slightly higher than the mean described in the literature. When both drugs were associated in the same PS, the ceftazidime concentration by HPLC decreased 25% after 24 hours. Not only did the MIC values show high loss of antibiotic activity within the same period, but also altered MIC values immediately after the preparation, which was not detected by HPLC. Our results indicate that this drug combination is not compatible, even if used right away, and that PS might not be the best vehicle for ceftazidime, emphasizing the importance of the MIC evaluation for drug interactions.Ceftazidima é um antimicrobiano administrado por via parenteral, que apresenta amplo espectro de ação, principalmente contra Pseudomonas aeruginosa. O tempo em que a concentração sérica de ceftazidima permanece acima da concentração mínima inibitória (MIC é um importante parâmetro farmacodinâmico para a determinação da eficácia antimicrobiana e pode ser potencializado através da utilização de infusão contínua em

A Ser29Leu substitution in the cytosine deaminase Fca1p is responsible for clade-specific flucytosine resistance in Candida dubliniensis.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

McManus, Brenda A

2009-11-01

The population structure of the opportunistic yeast pathogen Candida dubliniensis is composed of three main multilocus sequence typing clades (clades C1 to C3), and clade C3 predominantly consists of isolates from the Middle East that exhibit high-level resistance (MIC(50) > or = 128 microg\\/ml) to the fungicidal agent flucytosine (5FC). The close relative of C. dubliniensis, C. albicans, also exhibits clade-specific resistance to 5FC, and resistance is most commonly mediated by an Arg101Cys substitution in the FUR1 gene encoding uracil phosphoribosyltransferase. Broth microdilution assays with fluorouracil (5FU), the toxic deaminated form of 5FC, showed that both 5FC-resistant and 5FC-susceptible C. dubliniensis isolates exhibited similar 5FU MICs, suggesting that the C. dubliniensis cytosine deaminase (Fca1p) encoded by C. dubliniensis FCA1 (CdFCA1) may play a role in mediating C. dubliniensis clade-specific 5FC resistance. Amino acid sequence analysis of the CdFCA1 open reading frame (ORF) identified a homozygous Ser29Leu substitution in all 12 5FC-resistant isolates investigated which was not present in any of the 9 5FC-susceptible isolates examined. The tetracycline-inducible expression of the CdFCA1 ORF from a 5FC-susceptible C. dubliniensis isolate in two separate 5FC-resistant clade C3 isolates restored susceptibility to 5FC, demonstrating that the Ser29Leu substitution was responsible for the clade-specific 5FC resistance and that the 5FC resistance encoded by FCA1 genes with the Ser29Leu transition is recessive. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed no significant difference in CdFCA1 expression between 5FC-susceptible and 5FC-resistant isolates in either the presence or the absence of subinhibitory concentrations of 5FC, suggesting that the Ser29Leu substitution in the CdFCA1 ORF is the sole cause of 5FC resistance in clade C3 C. dubliniensis isolates.

STUDY OF THE ISOLATES OF SUSPECTED VAP, PREVALENCE OF THE DIFFERENT ORGANISMS AND MIC PATTERNS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

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Swagnik Roy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND The development of nosocomial infections mostly ventilator-associated pneumonia due to prolonged stay in the ICUs varies grossly in different outcomes including increased morbidity and mortality. The American Thoracic Society (ATS guidelines recommend that quantitative cultures can be performed on ETA or samples collected either bronchoscopically or nonbronchosopically. 1 More importantly, recent small trials have repeatedly shown that there is no advantage of bronchoscopic cultures over quantitative endotracheal aspirate. 2,3,4 Detection of causative organisms and their antibiotic MIC determination is absolutely necessary to initiate the specific antibiotic with appropriate dose thereby reducing the adverse effects of inadequate antibiotic treatment on the patient prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The prospective study was carried out during the period from August 2012 to January 2015 in Department of Microbiology from the samples those were received as a routine culture from VAP suspected patients from the ICU. There were 373 samples from which 123 were culture positives. Inclusion criteria were all the patients 18 years and more age group who were intubated in mechanical ventilator and others were excluded in the study. Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS was given to each patient included in the study on daily basis. CPIS of greater than six was used as diagnostic criteria for VAP. 5 Clinically diagnosed ventilator-associated pneumonia were observed and clinical parameters were recorded from their medical records and bedside charts. All patients with clinical and radiological signs suggestive of pneumonia on admission. Endotracheal aspirate was collected by using a 22-inch Romsons suction catheter. Chest vibration or percussion for 10 mins. was used. Only 1 ETA sample was collected from each patient and was immediately taken to the laboratory for processing. RESULTS Klebsiella pneumonia was isolated 39.02%, Pseudomonas

Determination Of Prevalence Of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Infections Through Measurement Of Mics Of S. Aureus Isolates Imam Hospital (November 2001 To January 2003

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M. Mohraz

2003-08-01

Full Text Available Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA is a predominantly nosocomial pathogen which its prevalence has increased worldwide over the past three decades."nMaterials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The following study is designed for determination of prevalence of MRSA infection through measurement of MICs of S. aureus isolates in Imam Khomeini Hospital (a teaching hospital from November 2001 to January 2003. A total number of 402 specimens were isolated and specified as S. aureus by Imam Khomeini microbiology lab. Demographic and clinical data and results of MIC were analysed by Epilnfo 6 software."nResults: During the study, staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 402 patients that 187 (46.5% of isolates were MRSA and 215 (53.5% were MSSA. Of 402 patients, 254 (63.2% were male and 148 (36.8% were female. The difference of the prevalence of MRSA between males and females was not statistically significant (p= 0.09. The difference in mean age in MRSA and MSSA groups was not statistically significant (p= 0.55. In the age group of < 1 month, the prevalence of MRSA infection was significantly higher than other groups (P= 0.01."nConclusion: In this study, the prevalence of MRSA infection was increased, statistically significant in the presence of such factors as sepsis, longer duration of hospitalization, hospital- acquired infection, history of invasive procedure, history of antimicrobials used in the past 3 months and type of administered antimicrobial (s, history of hospitalization in the preceding year, certain underlying diseases, type of admission ward, type of infection, type of specimen and type of administered antimicrobials for treatment. Surprisingly, the prevalence of MRSA infection in IV drug user group was low that was statistically significant (p< 0.0001. In this study, there was no statistically significant difference in outcome between MRSA infected and MSSA infected patients. Based on results of

Value Creation from Public Healthcare IS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup; Svejvig, Per; Andersen, Povl Erik Rostgaard

2014-01-01

value. During the project, specific key performance indicators (KPIs) were identified and a baseline was established for the stroke process. The outcome is a framework for measuring IS public value as: professional, organizational, patient-perceived and employee-perceived quality as well as learning...

Antimicrobial activity of southern African medicinal plants with dermatological relevance: From an ethnopharmacological screening approach, to combination studies and the isolation of a bioactive compound.

Science.gov (United States)

Mabona, Unathi; Viljoen, Alvaro; Shikanga, Emmanual; Marston, Andrew; Van Vuuren, Sandy

2013-06-21

, Diospyros mespiliformis reported for its traditional use to treat ringworm, also displayed noteworthy antimicrobial activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes (MIC 0.10mg/ml) and Microsporum canis (MIC 0.50mg/ml). The aqueous root extracts of Pentanisia prunelloides combined (1:1) with Elephantorrhiza elephantina displayed synergistic interactions (ƩFIC values 0.31-0.38) against Staphylococcus aureus, gentamycin-methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans. Fractionation of Aristea ecklonii resulted in the isolation of the known bio-active compound, plumbagin, displaying noteworthy antimicrobial activity (MIC range between 2.00μg/ml and 16.00μg/ml). Most of the plant extracts demonstrated pathogen specific antimicrobial effects with a few exhibiting broad-spectrum activities. Positive antimicrobial effects noted for plants such as Elephantorrhiza elephantina and Diospyros mespiliformis used for acne vulgaris and ringworm infections, respectively, give some validation to their reported traditiona l uses. Synergistic interactions noted for Pentanisia prunelloides combined with Elephantorrhiza elephantina validate an enhanced antimicrobial effect when used in combination. Noteworthy antimicrobial activities (MIC range between 2.00μg/ml and 16.00μg/ml) were observed for plumbagin isolated from Aristea ecklonii. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enteroclysis in adult celiac disease: diagnostic value of specific radiographic features

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lomoschitz, F.; Schima, W.; Schober, E.; Turetschek, K. [Department of Radiology and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Clinical and Experimental Radiologic Research, University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna (Austria); Kaider, A. [Department of Medical Computer Sciences, University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna (Austria); Vogelsang, H. [Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna (Austria)

2003-04-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of various radiographic findings at enteroclysis in adult patients with untreated celiac disease. Twenty-seven adult patients underwent enteroclysis because of unspecific intestinal symptoms before definitive biopsy proof of celiac disease. Enteroclysis of 123 subjects with similar clinical presentation, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, occult intestinal bleeding, and weight loss, who had a definitive diagnosis other than celiac disease, served as controls. The radiographic features previously described in the literature as indicative of adult celiac disease (i.e., fold thickening, decrease of jejunal folds, increase of ileal folds, small bowel dilatation, flocculation) were evaluated in blinded fashion in all studies and the subjective likelihood of diagnosis of celiac disease was assessed. Assessing every finding separately, each feature proved to have a high specificity (78-100%) but low sensitivity (19-59%) for celiac disease. Reversal of jejunoileal fold pattern was the single best feature (specificity 100%, 95% CI 97-100%; sensitivity 59%, 95% CI 40-78%); however, combination of criteria enables establishment of the diagnosis of celiac disease quite accurately (specificity 100%, 95% CI 98-100%; sensitivity 78%, 95% CI 58-91%). Reversal of jejunoileal fold pattern as a single finding as well as combination at least three of the following features, i.e., fold thickening, decrease of jejunal folds (''colonization''), increase of ileal folds (''jejunization''), dilatation, and flocculation, make enteroclysis an accurate tool for diagnosis of celiac disease in adult patients with suspected intestinal disease. (orig.)

Evaluation of semisolid agar method for antifungal susceptibility test of T. rubrum

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Sultana Razia

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background: With increasing fungal disease many newer antifungal drugs are available with different spectrum of activ­ity. Antifungal susceptibility test will help clinicians for selection of effective drug and thereby treatment of patient. Objective: The study was undertaken to perform a simple screening drug susceptibility test of T. rnbrum by Semi Solid Agar Antifungal Susceptibility (SAAS Method: Perfonnance of susceptibility method was assessed by comparing the MICs of three commonly prescribed antifungal agents namely- tluconazole (FCZ, itraconazole (ITZ and terbinafine (TER to the CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute recommended M-38, a broth microdilution method. Results: In SAAS method, among twenty nine T. rubrum, twenty five (86.2% were susceptible (MIC range 0.5-64 µg/ml to Fluconazole (FCZ and four (13.7% were resistant (MIC value >64 µg/ml. In broth microdilution method, among twenty nine T. rubrum, twenty six (89.6% were susceptible (MIC range 0.3-64 µg/ml to FCZ and three (10.3% were resistant (MIC value >64 µg/ml. In case of both ITZ and TER, all were susceptible (MIC range 0.3-64 µg/ml to both methods. The SAAS method demonstrated the susceptibility pattern of T. rubrum against FCZ, ITZ and TER usually within 72 to 96 hours after organism isolation and results were concordance with the results of CLSI broth microdilution method. Conclusion: Though it is a newer method with proper standardization of the test method, SAAS method is simple and easily applicable screening method for susceptibility testing of antifungal agents against dermatophytes in any microbiology laboratories.

Commitment to personal values and guilt feelings in dementia caregivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallego-Alberto, Laura; Losada, Andrés; Márquez-González, María; Romero-Moreno, Rosa; Vara, Carlos

2017-01-01

Caregivers' commitment to personal values is linked to caregivers' well-being, although the effects of personal values on caregivers' guilt have not been explored to date. The goal of this study is to analyze the relationship between caregivers´ commitment to personal values and guilt feelings. Participants were 179 dementia family caregivers. Face-to-face interviews were carried out to describe sociodemographic variables and assess stressors, caregivers' commitment to personal values and guilt feelings. Commitment to values was conceptualized as two factors (commitment to own values and commitment to family values) and 12 specific individual values (e.g. education, family or caregiving role). Hierarchical regressions were performed controlling for sociodemographic variables and stressors, and introducing the two commitment factors (in a first regression) or the commitment to individual/specific values (in a second regression) as predictors of guilt. In terms of the commitment to values factors, the analyzed regression model explained 21% of the variance of guilt feelings. Only the factor commitment to family values contributed significantly to the model, explaining 7% of variance. With regard to the regression analyzing the contribution of specific values to caregivers' guilt, commitment to the caregiving role and with leisure contributed negatively and significantly to the explanation of caregivers' guilt. Commitment to work contributed positively to guilt feelings. The full model explained 30% of guilt feelings variance. The specific values explained 16% of the variance. Our findings suggest that commitment to personal values is a relevant variable to understand guilt feelings in caregivers.

Activities of Tedizolid and Linezolid Determined by the Reference Broth Microdilution Method against 3,032 Gram-Positive Bacterial Isolates Collected in Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Latin American Countries in 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfaller, Michael A; Flamm, Robert K; Jones, Ronald N; Farrell, David J; Mendes, Rodrigo E

2016-09-01

Tedizolid and linezolid in vitro activities against 3,032 Gram-positive pathogens collected in Asia-Pacific, Eastern European, and Latin American medical centers during 2014 were assessed. The isolates were tested for susceptibility by the current reference broth microdilution methods. Due to concern over the effect of MIC endpoint criteria on the results of testing the oxazolidinones tedizolid and linezolid, MIC endpoint values were read by two methods: (i) reading the MIC at the first well where the trailing began without regard for pinpoint trailing, according to CLSI M07-A10 and M100-S26 document instructions for reading linezolid (i.e., 80% inhibition of growth; these reads were designated tedizolid 80 and linezolid 80), and (ii) at 100% inhibition of growth (designated tedizolid 100 and linezolid 100). All Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus anginosus group, and Enterococcus faecalis isolates were inhibited at tedizolid 80 and 100 MIC values of 0.25 and 0.5, 0.25 and 0.25, 0.25 and 0.5, 0.12 and 0.25, and 0.5 and 1 μg/ml, respectively. Generally, MIC50 and MIC90 results for tedizolid 80 and linezolid 80 were one doubling dilution lower than those read at 100% inhibition. Tedizolid was 4- to 8-fold more potent than linezolid against all the isolates tested regardless of the MIC endpoint criterion used. Despite the differences in potency, >99.9% of isolates tested in this survey were susceptible to both linezolid and tedizolid using CLSI and EUCAST interpretive criteria. In conclusion, tedizolid demonstrated greater in vitro potency than linezolid against Gram-positive pathogens isolated from patients in medical centers across the Asia-Pacific region, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.