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Sample records for strain lf82 disrupts

  1. Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli, strain LF82 disrupts apical junctional complexes in polarized epithelia

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    Ossa Juan C

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although bacteria are implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD, mechanisms of intestinal injury and immune activation remain unclear. Identification of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC strains in IBD patients offers an opportunity to characterize the pathogenesis of microbial-induced intestinal inflammation in IBD. Previous studies have focused on the invasive phenotype of AIEC and the ability to replicate and survive in phagocytes. However, the precise mechanisms by which these newly identified microbes penetrate the epithelial lining remain to be clarified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to delineate the effects of AIEC, strain LF82 (serotype O83:H1 on model polarized epithelial monolayers as a contributor to intestinal injury in IBD. Results Infection of T84 and Madin-Darby Canine Kidney-I polarized epithelial cell monolayers with AIEC, strain LF82 led to a reduction in transepithelial electrical resistance and increased macromolecular (10 kilodalton dextran flux. Basolateral AIEC infection resulted in more severe disruption of the epithelial barrier. Increased permeability was accompanied by a redistribution of the tight junction adaptor protein, zonula occludens-1, demonstrated by confocal microscopy and formation of gaps between cells, as shown by transmission electron microscopy. After 4 h of infection of intestine 407 cells, bacteria replicated in the cell cytoplasm and were enclosed in membrane-bound vesicles positive for the late endosomal marker, LAMP1. Conclusion These findings indicate that AIEC, strain LF82 disrupts the integrity of the polarized epithelial cell barrier. This disruption enables bacteria to penetrate into the epithelium and replicate in the host cell cytoplasm. These findings provide important links between microbes related to IBD, the intestinal epithelial cell barrier and disease pathogenesis.

  2. Ex vivo intestinal adhesion of Escherichia coli LF82 in Crohn's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Stina Rikke; Fink, Lisbeth Nielsen; Nielsen, Ole Haagen

    2011-01-01

    Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) are reported to inhabit the gut mucosa in Crohn's disease (CD), however, little is known about the importance of host factors for the interplay between AIEC and the human gut. To examine if differences in bacterial adhesion patterns are disease associated......, the AIEC-prototype strain LF82 was evaluated for its ability to adhere to ileal and colonic biopsies from CD and healthy controls (HC). Moreover, the efficacy of the non-pathogenic E. coli Nissle 1917 (ECN) in averting LF82 adhesion to ileal mucosa was assessed. Similar numbers of LF82 adhered to biopsies...

  3. Ileal adhesion of virulent E. coli LF82 is not enhanced in Crohn’s disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Rikke S.; Fink, Lisbeth Nielsen; Pedersen, Susanne Brix

    2011-01-01

    Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) comprise a new group of E. coli species named from their distinctive ability to adhere to and invade the intestinal epithelium. The AIEC strains have been associated to the ileal mucosa in Crohn’s disease (CD), and the impact of AIEC in the pathogenesis...... of CD has been further strengthened from the evidence that the ileum in CD harbors an abnormally high number of E. coli species. S16 2010 IBD Abstracts The aim of this study was to examine the adhesion of the AIEC reference strain, LF82, to tissue samples from ileum and colon in CD and healthy controls...... and comprised: 1) incubation of tissue (inclusive of mucous) with 107 bacteria or buffer for 1 hour, 2) removal of non-adhered bacteria by extensive washing, and 3) absolute quantification of tissue-adhered LF82 and indigenous E. coli by a pre-validated assay including quantitative real-time PCR. Selective...

  4. Escherichia coli LF82 differentially regulates ROS production and mucin expression in intestinal epithelial T84 cells: implication of NOX1.

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    Elatrech, Imen; Marzaioli, Viviana; Boukemara, Hanane; Bournier, Odile; Neut, Christel; Darfeuille-Michaud, Arlette; Luis, José; Dubuquoy, Laurent; El-Benna, Jamel; My-Chan Dang, Pham; Marie, Jean-Claude

    2015-05-01

    Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is associated with inflamed ileal lesions in Crohn's disease colonized by pathogenic adherent-invasive Escherichia coli LF82. We investigated whether such ileal bacteria can modulate ROS production by epithelial cells, thus impacting on inflammation and mucin expression. Ileal bacteria from patients with Crohn's disease were incubated with cultured epithelial T84 cells, and ROS production was assayed using the luminol-amplified chemiluminescence method. The gentamicin protection assay was used for bacterial invasion of T84 cell. The expression of NADPH oxidase (NOX) subunits, mucin, and IL-8 was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blots. Involvement of NOX and ROS was analyzed using diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Among different bacteria tested, only LF82 induced an increase of ROS production by T84 cells in a dose-dependent manner. This response was inhibited by DPI and NAC. Heat- or ethanol-attenuated LF82 bacteria and the mutant LF82ΔFimA, which does not express pili type 1 and poorly adheres to epithelial cells, did not induce the oxidative response. The LF82-induced oxidative response coincides with its invasion in T84 cells, and both processes were inhibited by DPI. Also, we observed an increased expression of NOX1 and NOXO1 in response to LF82 bacteria versus the mutant LF82ΔFimA. Furthermore, LF82 inhibited mucin gene expression (MUC2 and MUC5AC) in T84 cells while increasing the chemotactic IL-8 expression, both in a DPI-sensitive manner. Adherent-invasive E. coli LF82 induced ROS production by intestinal NADPH oxidase and altered mucin and IL-8 expression, leading to perpetuation of inflammatory lesions in Crohn's disease.

  5. [Effect of eicosapentaenoic acid on mRNA expression of tight junction protein ZO-1 in intestinal epithelial cells after Escherichia coli LF82 infection].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Li-Jun; Lin, Yan; Zhang, Wei; Tian, Jiao; Wang, Ya; Chen, Peng-De; Hu, Chong-Kang; Zeng, Ling-Chao; Yang, Jie; Wang, Bao-Xi; Jiang, Xun

    2017-06-01

    To investigate the change in the expression of tight junction protein ZO-1 in intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2 cells) and the protective effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) after adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (E.coli) LF82 infection. The Caco-2 cell line was used to establish an in vitro model of tight junction of intestinal epithelial cells. Caco-2 cells were divided into EPA treatment groups (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μmol/L EPA) and EPA (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μmol/L EPA)+E.coli LF82 treatment (0, 6, and 12 hours) groups. A microscope was used to observe the morphological characteristics of the cells. MTT assay was used to determine the cell growth curve. The activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) at both sides of the cell membrane was compared to evaluate the Caco-2 cell model. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to investigate the effects of different concentrations of EPA on the survival rate and apoptosis rate of Caco-2 cells. RT-qPCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of ZO-1 in Caco-2 cells after EPA and/or E.coli LF82 treatment. ELISA was used to measure the change in the level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in culture supernatant. After EPA treatment (25 and 50 μmol/L), the proliferation of Caco-2 cells was induced in a dose-dependent manner. The survival rates of the cells were significantly higher than those in the control group (PE.coli LF82 treatment groups had decreasing mRNA expression of ZO-1 in Caco-2 cells over the time of treatment and had significantly lower mRNA expression of ZO-1 than the untreated group (PE.coli LF82 and 25 or 50 μmol/L EPA for 6 or 12 hours showed an increase in the mRNA expression of ZO-1 with the increasing concentration of EPA, as well as significantly higher mRNA expression of ZO-1 than the Caco-2 cells treated with E.coli LF82 alone (PE.coli LF82 alone for 6 or 12 hours had increasing secretion of TNF-α over the time of treatment and had significantly higher secretion than the untreated

  6. The Proteome of Biologically Active Membrane Vesicles from Piscirickettsia salmonis LF-89 Type Strain Identifies Plasmid-Encoded Putative Toxins

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    Cristian Oliver

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Piscirickettsia salmonis is the predominant bacterial pathogen affecting the Chilean salmonid industry. This bacterium is the etiological agent of piscirickettsiosis, a significant fish disease. Membrane vesicles (MVs released by P. salmonis deliver several virulence factors to host cells. To improve on existing knowledge for the pathogenicity-associated functions of P. salmonis MVs, we studied the proteome of purified MVs from the P. salmonis LF-89 type strain using multidimensional protein identification technology. Initially, the cytotoxicity of different MV concentration purified from P. salmonis LF-89 was confirmed in an in vivo adult zebrafish infection model. The cumulative mortality of zebrafish injected with MVs showed a dose-dependent pattern. Analyses identified 452 proteins of different subcellular origins; most of them were associated with the cytoplasmic compartment and were mainly related to key functions for pathogen survival. Interestingly, previously unidentified putative virulence-related proteins were identified in P. salmonis MVs, such as outer membrane porin F and hemolysin. Additionally, five amino acid sequences corresponding to the Bordetella pertussis toxin subunit 1 and two amino acid sequences corresponding to the heat-labile enterotoxin alpha chain of Escherichia coli were located in the P. salmonis MV proteome. Curiously, these putative toxins were located in a plasmid region of P. salmonis LF-89. Based on the identified proteins, we propose that the protein composition of P. salmonis LF-89 MVs could reflect total protein characteristics of this P. salmonis type strain.

  7. The Proteome of Biologically Active Membrane Vesicles from Piscirickettsia salmonis LF-89 Type Strain Identifies Plasmid-Encoded Putative Toxins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliver, Cristian; Hernández, Mauricio A; Tandberg, Julia I; Valenzuela, Karla N; Lagos, Leidy X; Haro, Ronie E; Sánchez, Patricio; Ruiz, Pamela A; Sanhueza-Oyarzún, Constanza; Cortés, Marcos A; Villar, María T; Artigues, Antonio; Winther-Larsen, Hanne C; Avendaño-Herrera, Ruben; Yáñez, Alejandro J

    2017-01-01

    Piscirickettsia salmonis is the predominant bacterial pathogen affecting the Chilean salmonid industry. This bacterium is the etiological agent of piscirickettsiosis, a significant fish disease. Membrane vesicles (MVs) released by P. salmonis deliver several virulence factors to host cells. To improve on existing knowledge for the pathogenicity-associated functions of P. salmonis MVs, we studied the proteome of purified MVs from the P. salmonis LF-89 type strain using multidimensional protein identification technology. Initially, the cytotoxicity of different MV concentration purified from P. salmonis LF-89 was confirmed in an in vivo adult zebrafish infection model. The cumulative mortality of zebrafish injected with MVs showed a dose-dependent pattern. Analyses identified 452 proteins of different subcellular origins; most of them were associated with the cytoplasmic compartment and were mainly related to key functions for pathogen survival. Interestingly, previously unidentified putative virulence-related proteins were identified in P. salmonis MVs, such as outer membrane porin F and hemolysin. Additionally, five amino acid sequences corresponding to the Bordetella pertussis toxin subunit 1 and two amino acid sequences corresponding to the heat-labile enterotoxin alpha chain of Escherichia coli were located in the P. salmonis MV proteome. Curiously, these putative toxins were located in a plasmid region of P. salmonis LF-89. Based on the identified proteins, we propose that the protein composition of P. salmonis LF-89 MVs could reflect total protein characteristics of this P. salmonis type strain.

  8. Helicusin E, Isochromophilone X and Isochromophilone XI: New Chloroazaphilones Produced by the Fungus Bartalinia robillardoides Strain LF550

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    Johannes F. Imhoff

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Microbial studies of the Mediterranean sponge Tethya aurantium led to the isolation of the fungus Bartalinia robillardoides strain LF550. The strain produced a number of secondary metabolites belonging to the chloroazaphilones. This is the first report on the isolation of chloroazaphilones of a fungal strain belonging to the genus Bartalinia. Besides some known compounds (helicusin A (1 and deacetylsclerotiorin (2, three new chloroazaphilones (helicusin E (3; isochromophilone X (4 and isochromophilone XI (5 and one new pentaketide (bartanolide (6 were isolated. The structure elucidations were based on spectroscopic analyses. All isolated compounds revealed different biological activity spectra against a test panel of four bacteria: three fungi; two tumor cell lines and two enzymes.

  9. Helicusin E, isochromophilone X and isochromophilone XI: new chloroazaphilones produced by the fungus Bartalinia robillardoides strain LF550.

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    Jansen, Nils; Ohlendorf, Birgit; Erhard, Arlette; Bruhn, Torsten; Bringmann, Gerhard; Imhoff, Johannes F

    2013-03-12

    Microbial studies of the Mediterranean sponge Tethya aurantium led to the isolation of the fungus Bartalinia robillardoides strain LF550. The strain produced a number of secondary metabolites belonging to the chloroazaphilones. This is the first report on the isolation of chloroazaphilones of a fungal strain belonging to the genus Bartalinia. Besides some known compounds (helicusin A (1) and deacetylsclerotiorin (2)), three new chloroazaphilones (helicusin E (3); isochromophilone X (4) and isochromophilone XI (5)) and one new pentaketide (bartanolide (6)) were isolated. The structure elucidations were based on spectroscopic analyses. All isolated compounds revealed different biological activity spectra against a test panel of four bacteria: three fungi; two tumor cell lines and two enzymes.

  10. Isolation of industrial strains of Aspergillus oryzae lacking ferrichrysin by disruption of the dffA gene.

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    Watanabe, Hisayuki; Hatakeyama, Makoto; Sakurai, Hiroshi; Uchimiya, Hirofumi; Sato, Toshitsugu

    2008-11-01

    Based on studies using laboratory strains, the efficiency of gene disruption in Aspergillus oryzae, commonly known as koji mold, is low; thus, gene disruption has rarely been applied to the breeding of koji mold. To evaluate the efficiency of gene disruption in industrial strains of A. oryzae, we produced ferrichrysin biosynthesis gene (dffA) disruptants using three different industrial strains as hosts. PCR analysis of 438 pyrithiamine-resistant transformants showed dffA gene disruption efficiency of 42.9%-64.1%, which is much higher than previously reported. Analysis of the physiological characteristics of the disruptants indicated that dffA gene disruption results in hypersensitivity to hydrogen peroxide. To investigate the industrial characteristics of dffA gene disruptants, two strains were used to make rice koji and their properties were compared to those of the host strains. No differences were found between the dffA gene disruptants and the host strains, except that the disruptants did not produce ferrichrysin. Thus, this gene disruption technique is much more effective than conventional mutagenesis for A. oryzae breeding.

  11. Highly predictive support vector machine (SVM) models for anthrax toxin lethal factor (LF) inhibitors.

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    Zhang, Xia; Amin, Elizabeth Ambrose

    2016-01-01

    Anthrax is a highly lethal, acute infectious disease caused by the rod-shaped, Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The anthrax toxin lethal factor (LF), a zinc metalloprotease secreted by the bacilli, plays a key role in anthrax pathogenesis and is chiefly responsible for anthrax-related toxemia and host death, partly via inactivation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) enzymes and consequent disruption of key cellular signaling pathways. Antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones are capable of clearing the bacilli but have no effect on LF-mediated toxemia; LF itself therefore remains the preferred target for toxin inactivation. However, currently no LF inhibitor is available on the market as a therapeutic, partly due to the insufficiency of existing LF inhibitor scaffolds in terms of efficacy, selectivity, and toxicity. In the current work, we present novel support vector machine (SVM) models with high prediction accuracy that are designed to rapidly identify potential novel, structurally diverse LF inhibitor chemical matter from compound libraries. These SVM models were trained and validated using 508 compounds with published LF biological activity data and 847 inactive compounds deposited in the Pub Chem BioAssay database. One model, M1, demonstrated particularly favorable selectivity toward highly active compounds by correctly predicting 39 (95.12%) out of 41 nanomolar-level LF inhibitors, 46 (93.88%) out of 49 inactives, and 844 (99.65%) out of 847 Pub Chem inactives in external, unbiased test sets. These models are expected to facilitate the prediction of LF inhibitory activity for existing molecules, as well as identification of novel potential LF inhibitors from large datasets. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. STAR CLUSTER DISRUPTION IN THE STARBURST GALAXY MESSIER 82

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Shuo; Li, Chengyuan; De Grijs, Richard; Anders, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Using high-resolution, multiple-passband Hubble Space Telescope images spanning the entire optical/near-infrared wavelength range, we obtained a statistically complete U-band-selected sample of 846 extended star clusters across the disk of the nearby starburst galaxy M82. Based on a careful analysis of the clusters' spectral energy distributions, we determined their galaxy-wide age and mass distributions. The M82 clusters exhibit three clear peaks in their age distribution, thus defining relatively young, log (t yr –1 ) ≤ 7.5, intermediate-age, log (t yr –1 ) in [7.5, 8.5], and old samples, log (t yr –1 ) ≥ 8.5. Comparison of the completeness-corrected mass distributions offers a firm handle on the galaxy's star cluster disruption history. The most massive star clusters in the young and old samples are (almost) all concentrated in the most densely populated central region, while the intermediate-age sample's most massive clusters are more spatially dispersed, which may reflect the distribution of the highest-density gas throughout the galaxy's evolutionary history, combined with the solid-body nature of the galaxy's central region

  13. Nystatin LF (Aronex/Abbott).

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    Arikan, S; Rex, J H

    2001-04-01

    Nystatin LF (Nyotran) is a liposomal, intravenous nystatin formulation under development by Aronex, under license from the MD Anderson Cancer Research Center, as a systemic antifungal agent against strains including Aspergillus and Candida. Like amphotericin, nystatin is a polyene derivative that binds to ergosterol, a fungal cell membrane component, creating a pore in the membrane and thus killing the cell. Nystatin is an established antifungal agent, but is restricted to topical use as it is ineffective orally and severely toxic when administered iv [187583], [187589]. It has demonstrated good, broad in vitro antifungal activity against clinically relevant filamentous fungi [319465], including fungi resistant to fluconazole and amphotericin B products [264505], [2869821, [287790], 1289522]. The company is also conducting a phase III trial to evaluate its efficacy against cryptococcal meningitis [305531], [334156]. Aronex filed for approval of nystatin LF in Spain in December 1997 [272986] and expected to file an NDA in the US by the end of 1999 1311208], [342003]. However, in an effort to ensure that its US and European filings contained data from the phase III cryptococcal meningitis trial in its entirety, Aronex's marketing partner requested that all the 70-day data be gathered prior to unblinding this study. The filing had initially been based on interim data at the 14- and 21-day endpoint 1344887]. In September 2000, the company anticipated an NDA filing in the US in the fourth quarter of 2001 1382861], 1387947]. In December 1997, Aronex, together with Grupo Ferrer Internacional, filed an MAA in Spain seeking approval for Nyotran for the treatment of systemic fungal infections. Aronex intended to follow the filing with additional filings in other European countries 1272986]. In 1997, a commercialization agreement was signed with Ferrer for Spain and Portugal, with Aronex intending to form other such partnerships throughout Europe and Asia 1248346]. In

  14. Comparative analysis of virulence traits between a Legionella feeleii strain implicated in Pontiac fever and a strain that caused Legionnaires' disease.

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    Wang, Changle; Saito, Mitsumasa; Tanaka, Tamami; Amako, Kazunobu; Yoshida, Shin-ichi

    2015-12-01

    Legionella strains of the same species and serogroup are known to cause Legionnaires' disease (a potentially fatal atypical pneumonia) or Pontiac fever (a mild, flu-like disease), but the bacterial factors that define these dramatic differences in pathology have not been elucidated. To gain a better understanding of these factors, we compared the characteristics of Legionella feeleii strains that were isolated from either a sample of freshwater implicated in an outbreak of Pontiac fever (ATCC 35072, serogroup 1, LfPF), or a patient with Legionnaires' disease (ATCC 38549, serogroup 2, LfLD). Growth of LfPF and LfLD in BYE broth was slower than the positive control, Legionella pneumophila strain JR32. However, LfLD grew faster than LfPF at 42 °C. After in vitro infection to J774 murine or U937 human macrophage cell lines and A549 human lung epithelial cell line, LfLD showed a higher cell infection rate, stronger internalization by host cells, and greater cytotoxicity than that of LfPF. Large amounts of IL-6 and IL-8 were secreted by human host cells after infection with LfLD, but not with LfPF. LfLD possessed mono-polar flagellum while LfPF was unflagellated. When LfLD was cultured at 25, 30 and 37 °C, the bacteria had higher motility rate at lower temperatures. Based on our results, this is the first study that showed distinct characteristics between LfPF and LfLD, which may give important leads in elucidating differences in their virulence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. An alternative for the LF model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Veldhuis, R.N.J.

    1996-01-01

    An alternative for the Liljencrants-Fant (LF) glottal-pulse model is presented. This alternative is derived from the Rosenberg model, so we have caned it the Rosenberg++ model. It is described by the same set of Tor R parameters as the LF model but has the advantage over the LF model that it is

  16. A role for the RNA chaperone Hfq in controlling adherent-invasive Escherichia coli colonization and virulence.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karina T Simonsen

    Full Text Available Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC has been linked with the onset and perpetuation of inflammatory bowel diseases. The AIEC strain LF82 was originally isolated from an ileal biopsy from a patient with Crohn's disease. The pathogenesis of LF82 results from its abnormal adherence to and subsequent invasion of the intestinal epithelium coupled with its ability to survive phagocytosis by macrophages once it has crossed the intestinal barrier. To gain further insight into AIEC pathogenesis we employed the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as an in vivo infection model. We demonstrate that AIEC strain LF82 forms a persistent infection in C. elegans, thereby reducing the host lifespan significantly. This host killing phenotype was associated with massive bacterial colonization of the nematode intestine and damage to the intestinal epithelial surface. C. elegans killing was independent of known LF82 virulence determinants but was abolished by deletion of the LF82 hfq gene, which encodes an RNA chaperone involved in mediating posttranscriptional gene regulation by small non-coding RNAs. This finding reveals that important aspects of LF82 pathogenesis are controlled at the posttranscriptional level by riboregulation. The role of Hfq in LF82 virulence was independent of its function in regulating RpoS and RpoE activity. Further, LF82Δhfq mutants were non-motile, impaired in cell invasion and highly sensitive to various chemical stress conditions, reinforcing the multifaceted function of Hfq in mediating bacterial adaptation. This study highlights the usefulness of simple non-mammalian infection systems for the identification and analysis of bacterial virulence factors.

  17. Efficient gene replacements in ku70 disruption strain of Aspergillus chevalieri var. intermedius

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    Qingqing Huang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Aspergillus chevalieri var. intermedius is a dominant filamentous fungal species in Fuzhuan tea and is associated with the quality and health benefits of this tea. The sexual or asexual reproduction of this fungus depends on the osmotic pressure of the tea. Efforts to enhance the beneficial effects of A. chevalieri var. intermedius are hampered by difficulties in disrupting its genes. To address this issue, we identified the A. chevalieri var. intermedius homolog (Acku70 of human Ku70 and generated an Acku70 disruption strain (ΔAcku70, aiming to improve the gene replacement efficiency. ΔAcku70 grew at a slightly lower rate in vitro than the wild-type strain; however, the two strains exhibited similar sensitivity to temperature, osmotic pressure and the effects of ethyl methane sulphonate and H2O2. The replacement efficiency of veA and flbA dramatically increased in ΔAcku70 compared to that in the wild type. The efficiency of flbA replacement increased from 2.6% to 80%, whereas the frequency of veA disruption increased from 15.2% to 83.9% and from 30.8% to 86.8%. Thus, ΔAcku70 is suitable for use as a type strain for large-scale functional genomic analysis of A. chevalieri var. intermedius.

  18. Steel refining possibilities in LF

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumitru, M. G.; Ioana, A.; Constantin, N.; Ciobanu, F.; Pollifroni, M.

    2018-01-01

    This article presents the main possibilities for steel refining in Ladle Furnace (LF). These, are presented: steelmaking stages, steel refining through argon bottom stirring, online control of the bottom stirring, bottom stirring diagram during LF treatment of a heat, porous plug influence over the argon stirring, bottom stirring porous plug, analysis of porous plugs disposal on ladle bottom surface, bottom stirring simulation with ANSYS, bottom stirring simulation with Autodesk CFD.

  19. Inhibition of Hyphal Growth of Azole-Resistant Strains of Candida albicans by Triazole Antifungal Agents in the Presence of Lactoferrin-Related Compounds

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    Wakabayashi, Hiroyuki; Abe, Shigeru; Teraguchi, Susumu; Hayasawa, Hirotoshi; Yamaguchi, Hideyo

    1998-01-01

    The effects of bovine lactoferrin (LF) or the LF-derived antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin B (LFcin B) on the growth of Candida albicans hyphae, including those of three azole-resistant strains, were investigated by a crystal violet staining method. The hyphae of two highly azole-resistant strains were more susceptible to inhibition by LF or LFcin B than the azole-susceptible strains tested. One moderately azole-resistant strain was defective in the formation of hyphae and showed a susceptibility to LF greater than that of the susceptible strains but a susceptibility to LFcin B similar to that of the susceptible strains. The highly azole-resistant strain TIMM3317 showed trailing growth in the presence of fluconazole or itraconazole, while the extent of growth was reduced by the addition of LF or LFcin B at a sub-MIC. Thus, the addition of LF or LFcin B at a sub-MIC resulted in a substantial decrease in the MICs of fluconazole and itraconazole for two highly azole-resistant strains; e.g., the MIC of fluconazole for TIMM3317 was shifted from >256 to 0.25 μg/ml by LF, but the MICs were not decreased for the susceptible strains. The combination effects observed with triazoles and LF-related compounds in the case of the two highly azole-resistant strains were confirmed to be synergistic by the fractional inhibitory concentration index. These results demonstrate that for some azole-resistant C. albicans strains, LF-related compounds combined with triazoles can inhibit the growth of hyphae, an important form of this organism in pathogenesis. PMID:9660988

  20. Recombinant lactoferrin (Lf) of Vechur cow, the critical breed of Bos indicus and the Lf gene variants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anisha, Shashidharan; Bhasker, Salini; Mohankumar, Chinnamma

    2012-03-01

    Vechur cow, categorized as a critically maintained breed by the FAO, is a unique breed of Bos indicus due to its extremely small size, less fodder intake, adaptability, easy domestication and traditional medicinal property of the milk. Lactoferrin (Lf) is an iron-binding glycoprotein that is found predominantly in the milk of mammals. The full coding region of Lf gene of Vechur cow was cloned, sequenced and expressed in a prokaryotic system. Antibacterial activity of the recombinant Lf showed suppression of bacterial growth. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that the full coding region of Lf gene of B. indicus Vechur breed is sequenced, successfully expressed in a prokaryotic system and characterized. Comparative analysis of Lf gene sequence of five Vechur cows with B. taurus revealed 15 SNPs in the exon region associated with 11 amino acid substitutions. The amino acid arginine was noticed as a pronounced substitution and the tertiary structure analysis of the BLfV protein confirmed the positions of arginine in the β sheet region, random coil and helix region 1. Based on the recent reports on the nutritional therapies of arginine supplementation for wound healing and for cardiovascular diseases, the higher level of arginine in the lactoferrin protein of Vechur cow milk provides enormous scope for further therapeutic studies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Atomic structure of the murine norovirus protruding domain and sCD300lf receptor complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilic, Turgay; Koromyslova, Anna; Malak, Virginie; Hansman, Grant S

    2018-03-21

    Human noroviruses are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in human. Noroviruses also infect animals such as cow, mice, cat, and dog. How noroviruses bind and enter host cells is still incompletely understood. Recently, the type I transmembrane protein CD300lf was recently identified as the murine norovirus receptor, yet it is unclear how the virus capsid and receptor interact at the molecular level. In this study, we determined the X-ray crystal structure of the soluble CD300lf (sCD300lf) and murine norovirus capsid-protruding domain complex at 2.05 Å resolution. We found that the sCD300lf binding site is located on the topside of the protruding domain and involves a network of hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. The sCD300lf locked nicely into a complementary cavity on the protruding domain that is additionally coordinated with a positive surface charge on the sCD300lf and a negative surface charge on the protruding domain. Five of six protruding domain residues interacting with sCD300lf were maintained between different murine norovirus strains, suggesting that the sCD300lf was capable of binding to a highly conserved pocket. Moreover, a sequence alignment with other CD300 paralogs showed that the sCD300lf interacting residues were partially conserved in CD300ld, but variable in other CD300 family members, consistent with previously reported infection selectivity. Overall, these data provide insights into how a norovirus engages a protein receptor and will be important for a better understanding of selective recognition and norovirus attachment and entry mechanisms. IMPORTANCE Noroviruses exhibit exquisite host-range specificity due to species-specific interactions between the norovirus capsid protein and host molecules. Given this strict host-range restriction it has been unclear how the viruses are maintained within a species between relatively sporadic epidemics. While much data demonstrates that noroviruses can interact with carbohydrates

  2. Glucose and maltose metabolism in MIG1-disrupted and MAL-constitutive strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klein, Christopher; Olsson, Lisbeth; Rønnow, B

    1997-01-01

    in a mixed glucose-maltose medium revealed that the MAL-constitutive strains were more alleviated than the single MIG1-disrupted transformant. While all transformants exhibited higher maximum specific growth rates (0.24-0.25 h(-1)) in glucose-maltose mixtures than the wild type strain (0.20 h(-1)), the MAL-constitutive...

  3. Synergistic activity of synthetic N-terminal peptide of human lactoferrin in combination with various antibiotics against carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morici, P; Florio, W; Rizzato, C; Ghelardi, E; Tavanti, A; Rossolini, G M; Lupetti, A

    2017-10-01

    The spread of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae strains producing carbapenemases points to a pressing need for new antibacterial agents. To this end, the in-vitro antibacterial activity of a synthetic N-terminal peptide of human lactoferrin, further referred to as hLF1-11, was evaluated against K. pneumoniae strains harboring different carbapenemase genes (i.e. OXA-48, KPC-2, KPC-3, VIM-1), with different susceptibility to colistin and other antibiotics, alone or in combination with conventional antibiotics (gentamicin, tigecycline, rifampicin, clindamycin, and clarithromycin). An antimicrobial peptide susceptibility assay was used to assess the bactericidal activity of hLF1-11 against the different K. pneumoniae strains tested. The synergistic activity was evaluated by a checkerboard titration method, and the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index was calculated for the various combinations. hLF1-11 was more efficient in killing a K. pneumoniae strain susceptible to most antimicrobials (including colistin) than a colistin-susceptible strain and a colistin-resistant MDR K. pneumoniae strain. In addition, hLF1-11 exhibited a synergistic effect with the tested antibiotics against MDR K. pneumoniae strains. The results of this study indicate that resistance to hLF1-11 and colistin are not strictly associated, and suggest an hLF1-11-induced sensitizing effect of K. pneumoniae to antibiotics, especially to hydrophobic antibiotics, which are normally not effective on Gram-negative bacteria. Altogether, these data indicate that hLF1-11 in combination with antibiotics is a promising candidate to treat infections caused by MDR-K. pneumoniae strains.

  4. Enhanced Control of Listeria monocytogenes by Enterococcus faecium KE82, a Multiple Enterocin-Producing Strain, in Different Milk Environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandera, Elpiniki; Lianou, Alexandra; Kakouri, Athanasia; Feng, Jinbo; Koukkou, Anna-Irini; Samelis, John

    2017-01-01

    Enterococcus faecium KE82, isolated from traditional Greek Graviera cheese, was identified in pure broth cultures in vitro as a multiple enterocin-producing bacterial strain possessing the structural entA, entB, and entP enterocin genes. E. faecium KE82 was further assessed for in situ antilisterial activity in raw milk (RM) and commercially thermized milk (TM; 63°C for 30 s) in the presence of the indigenous microbiota and in sterile raw milk (SRM; 121°C for 5 min) with or without the addition of two commercial starter culture (CSC) strains Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactococcus lactis . Growth of Listeria monocytogenes was completely inhibited in RM incubated at 37°C for 6 h, whereas the pathogen was significantly inactivated in RM+KE82 samples during further incubation at 18°C for 66 h. In contrast, L. monocytogenes levels increased by approximately 2 log CFU/ml in TM, but in TM+KE82 samples, pathogen growth was retarded during the first 6 h at 37°C followed by growth cessation and partial inactivation at 18°C. After 48 to 72 h, growth of L. monocytogenes in SRM+CSC samples decreased by 4 to 5 log CFU/ml compared with the SRM control, whereas additional 10-fold decreases in the pathogen were observed in SRM+CSC+KE82 samples. Reverse transcription PCR analysis of SRM+KE82 and SRM+CSC+KE82 samples confirmed that the entA and entB genes were transcribed, but entP gene transcription was not detected. All RM and SRM samples inoculated with E. faecium KE82 displayed strong in situ inhibitory activity against L. monocytogenes in well diffusion bioassays, whereas activity was weaker to undetectable in comparable or additional TM+KE82 samples; no milk sample without E. faecium KE82 had activity against L. monocytogenes . The findings of this study indicate that E. faecium KE82 is an antilisterial agent that could be used in traditional dairy foods because it concomitantly produces enterocins A and B in situ in milk.

  5. MOSFET LF noise under Large Signal Excitation: Measurement, Modelling and Application

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Wel, A.P.

    2005-01-01

    Regarding LF noise in MOSFETs, it is noted that the MOSFET is a surface channel device. Both n and p-channel devices exhibit similar low frequency (LF) noise behaviour that can be explained by a carrier number fluctuation model (section 3.5). LF noise in MOSFETs is predominantly caused by Random

  6. Adhesion of Two Lactobacillus gasseri Probiotic Strains on Caco-2 Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojca Narat

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Previous in vitro and in vivo studies showed that two human isolates of Lactobacillus gasseri, LF221 and K7 are able to survive the passage through the gastrointestinal tract and to colonise intestines of pigs at least temporarily. The aim of this study was to examine the adhesion ability of LF221 and K7 strains to Caco-2 cells. Adhesion of lactobacilli from early stationary growth phase was examined at two pH values of DMEM buffer (4.5 and 7. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, a widely used strain with clinical evidences of its efficiency, served as a positive control. The number of lactobacilli added to each well was found to be crucial in the adhesion assay. When added, lactobacilli were in range of 2.5 · 106 to 2.5 · 108 cfu/well, the linear correlation between the number of adhered cells (log cfu and the number of added cells (log cfu was found for all three strains (R2 > 0.99 at both pH values (4.5 and 7. At the highest concentration of added K7 and GG cells tested (app. 109 cfu/well, the efficiency of adhesion was reduced. pH value of the medium strongly affected the adhesion, which was promoted in acidic conditions (pH=4.5. The adhesion of K7 strain was slightly weaker compared to GG strain at both pH values, while at pH=4.5 the adhesion of LF221 strain was even better than GG adhesion, at least at lower concentration of lactobacilli. The direct comparison of these strains was possible by regression analysis. At lower concentration of lactobacilli (2.5 · 106, the best efficiency of adhesion (% of adhered bacteria was observed for the strain LF221, reaching the values of 7.8 and 1.9 % at pH=4.5 and 7, respectively, while at higher lactobacilli concentration the ration of adhesion was higher for GG strain (3.3 % at pH=4.5. In conclusion, strains LF221 and K7 were demonstrated to be adhesive, especially in acidic conditions. The level of adhesion of K7 and GG strains positively correlates with the number of added lactobacilli only up to the

  7. PDX experimental results in FY82

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaye, S.M.; Bell, M.; Bol, K.

    1983-08-01

    This report presents a detailed summary of the major experimental results of PDX in FY82 and represents the efforts of the entire PDX group. Topics covered include β-scaling and fishbone studies, fluctuations, disruptions, impurities and impurity transport, power handling, limiter conditioning, edge studies, plasma fueling, counter-injection, and diagnostic development. A less detailed version will appear as the FY82 PDX contribution to the PPPL Annual Report

  8. Measurement of MOSFET LF Noise Under Large Signal RF Excitation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Wel, A.P.; Klumperink, Eric A.M.; Nauta, Bram

    A new measurement technique is presented that allows measurement of MOSFET LF noise under large signal RF excitation. Measurements indicate that MOSFETS exhibit a reduction in LF noise when they are cycled from inversion to accummulation and that this reduction does not depend on the frequency of

  9. Technological Innovations of Carbon Dioxide Injection in EAF-LF Steelmaking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Guangsheng; Zhu, Rong; Wu, Xuetao; Dong, Kai; Yang, Lingzhi; Liu, Runzao

    2018-06-01

    In this study, the recent innovations and improvements in carbon dioxide (CO2) injection technologies for electric arc furnace (EAF)-ladle furnace (LF) steelmaking processes have been reviewed. The utilization of CO2 in the EAF-LF steelmaking process resulted in improved efficiency, purity and environmental impact. For example, coherent jets with CO2 and O2 mixed injection can reduce the amount of iron loss and dust generation, and submerged O2 and powder injection with CO2 in an EAF can increase the production efficiency and improve the dephosphorization and denitrification characteristics. Additionally, bottom-blowing CO2 in an EAF can strengthen molten bath stirring and improve nitrogen removal, while bottom-blowing CO2 in a LF can increase the rate of desulfurization and improve the removal of inclusions. Based on these innovations, a prospective process for the cyclic utilization of CO2 in the EAF-LF steelmaking process is introduced that is effective in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the steelmaking shop.

  10. Technological Innovations of Carbon Dioxide Injection in EAF-LF Steelmaking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Guangsheng; Zhu, Rong; Wu, Xuetao; Dong, Kai; Yang, Lingzhi; Liu, Runzao

    2018-03-01

    In this study, the recent innovations and improvements in carbon dioxide (CO2) injection technologies for electric arc furnace (EAF)-ladle furnace (LF) steelmaking processes have been reviewed. The utilization of CO2 in the EAF-LF steelmaking process resulted in improved efficiency, purity and environmental impact. For example, coherent jets with CO2 and O2 mixed injection can reduce the amount of iron loss and dust generation, and submerged O2 and powder injection with CO2 in an EAF can increase the production efficiency and improve the dephosphorization and denitrification characteristics. Additionally, bottom-blowing CO2 in an EAF can strengthen molten bath stirring and improve nitrogen removal, while bottom-blowing CO2 in a LF can increase the rate of desulfurization and improve the removal of inclusions. Based on these innovations, a prospective process for the cyclic utilization of CO2 in the EAF-LF steelmaking process is introduced that is effective in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the steelmaking shop.

  11. Formation of Highly Twisted Ribbons in a Carboxymethylcellulase Gene-Disrupted Strain of a Cellulose-Producing Bacterium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugano, Yasushi; Shoda, Makoto; Sakakibara, Hitoshi; Oiwa, Kazuhiro; Tuzi, Satoru; Imai, Tomoya; Sugiyama, Junji; Takeuchi, Miyuki; Yamauchi, Daisuke

    2013-01-01

    Cellulases are enzymes that normally digest cellulose; however, some are known to play essential roles in cellulose biosynthesis. Although some endogenous cellulases of plants and cellulose-producing bacteria are reportedly involved in cellulose production, their functions in cellulose production are unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that disruption of the cellulase (carboxymethylcellulase) gene causes irregular packing of de novo-synthesized fibrils in Gluconacetobacter xylinus, a cellulose-producing bacterium. Cellulose production was remarkably reduced and small amounts of particulate material were accumulated in the culture of a cmcax-disrupted G. xylinus strain (F2-2). The particulate material was shown to contain cellulose by both solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Electron microscopy revealed that the cellulose fibrils produced by the F2-2 cells were highly twisted compared with those produced by control cells. This hypertwisting of the fibrils may reduce cellulose synthesis in the F2-2 strains. PMID:23243308

  12. Design considerations for large field particle image velocimetery (LF-PIV)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pol, S U; Balakumar, B J

    2013-01-01

    We discuss the challenges and limitations associated with the development of a large field of view particle image velocimetry (LF-PIV) diagnostic, capable of resolving large-scale motions (>1 m per camera) in gas phase laboratory and field experiments. While this diagnostic is developed for the measurement of wakes and local inflow conditions around research wind turbines, the design considerations provided here are also relevant for the application of LF-PIV to atmospheric boundary layer, rotorcraft dynamics and large-scale wind tunnel flows. Measurements over an area of 0.75 m × 1.0 m on a confined vortex were obtained using a standard 2MP camera, with the potential for increasing this area significantly using 11MP cameras. The cameras in this case were oriented orthogonal to the measurement plane receiving only the side-scattered component of light from the particles. Scaling laws associated with LF-PIV systems are also presented along with the performance analysis of low-density, large diameter Expancel particles, that appear to be promising candidates for LF-PIV seeding. (paper)

  13. De Novo Assembly and Genome Analyses of the Marine-Derived Scopulariopsis brevicaulis Strain LF580 Unravels Life-Style Traits and Anticancerous Scopularide Biosynthetic Gene Cluster.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Abhishek; Henrissat, Bernard; Arvas, Mikko; Syed, Muhammad Fahad; Thieme, Nils; Benz, J Philipp; Sørensen, Jens Laurids; Record, Eric; Pöggeler, Stefanie; Kempken, Frank

    2015-01-01

    The marine-derived Scopulariopsis brevicaulis strain LF580 produces scopularides A and B, which have anticancerous properties. We carried out genome sequencing using three next-generation DNA sequencing methods. De novo hybrid assembly yielded 621 scaffolds with a total size of 32.2 Mb and 16298 putative gene models. We identified a large non-ribosomal peptide synthetase gene (nrps1) and supporting pks2 gene in the same biosynthetic gene cluster. This cluster and the genes within the cluster are functionally active as confirmed by RNA-Seq. Characterization of carbohydrate-active enzymes and major facilitator superfamily (MFS)-type transporters lead to postulate S. brevicaulis originated from a soil fungus, which came into contact with the marine sponge Tethya aurantium. This marine sponge seems to provide shelter to this fungus and micro-environment suitable for its survival in the ocean. This study also builds the platform for further investigations of the role of life-style and secondary metabolites from S. brevicaulis.

  14. Targeted Gene Disruption of the Cyclo (L-Phe, L-Pro Biosynthetic Pathway in Streptomyces sp. US24 Strain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samiha Sioud

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available We have previously isolated a new actinomycete strain from Tunisian soil called Streptomyces sp. US24, and have shown that it produces two bioactive molecules including a Cyclo (L-Phe, L-Pro diketopiperazine (DKP. To identify the structural genes responsible for the synthesis of this DKP derivative, a PCR amplification (696 bp was carried out using the Streptomyces sp. US24 genomic DNA as template and two degenerate oligonucleotides designed by analogy with genes encoding peptide synthetases (NRPS. The detection of DKP derivative biosynthetic pathway of the Streptomyces sp. US24 strain was then achieved by gene disruption via homologous recombination using a suicide vector derived from the conjugative plasmid pSET152 and containing the PCR product. Chromatography analysis, biological tests and spectroscopic studies of supernatant cultures of the wild-type Streptomyces sp. US24 strain and three mutants obtained by this gene targeting disruption approach showed that the amplified DNA fragment is required for Cyclo (L-Phe, L-Pro biosynthesis in Streptomyces sp. US24 strain. This DKP derivative seems to be produced either directly via a nonribosomal pathway or as a side product in the course of nonribosomal synthesis of a longer peptide.

  15. Gene disruption in Salmonella typhimurim by modified λ Red disruption system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahani Azari, A; Zahraei Salehi, T; Nayeri Fasaei, B; Alebouyeh, M

    2015-01-01

    There are many techniques to knock out directed genes in bacteria, some of which have been described in Salmonella species. In this study, a combination of SOEing PCR method and the λ Red disruption system were used to disrupt phoP gene in wild type and standard strains of Salmonella typhimurium. Three standards PCR and one fusion PCR reactions were performed to construct a linear DNA including upstream and downstream of phoP gene and Kanamycin cassette. As a template plasmid, we used pKD4 which carries kanamycin gene flanked by FRT (FLP recognition target) sites. The resulting construct was electroporated into prepared competent cells of S. typhimurium. The transformants colonies related to the standard strain appeared on the LB-Km-agar plates after incubation, but there was no colony on LB-Km-agar plates corresponding to the wild type strain. The failure in transformation of the wild type strain may be because of inflexibility of the λ Red disruption system in this strain or its unique restriction-modification system. However, by this construct we are able to generate phoP mutant in many of the Salmonella species due to high homology of the phoP gene which exists in different species.

  16. VLF/LF Radio Sounding of Ionospheric Perturbations Associated with Earthquakes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masashi Hayakawa

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available It is recently recognized that the ionosphere is very sensitive to seismic effects,and the detection of ionospheric perturbations associated with earthquakes, seems to bevery promising for short-term earthquake prediction. We have proposed a possible use ofVLF/LF (very low frequency (3-30 kHz /low frequency (30-300 kHz radio sounding ofthe seismo-ionospheric perturbations. A brief history of the use of subionospheric VLF/LFpropagation for the short-term earthquake prediction is given, followed by a significantfinding of ionospheric perturbation for the Kobe earthquake in 1995. After showingprevious VLF/LF results, we present the latest VLF/LF findings; One is the statisticalcorrelation of the ionospheric perturbation with earthquakes and the second is a case studyfor the Sumatra earthquake in December, 2004, indicating the spatical scale and dynamicsof ionospheric perturbation for this earthquake.

  17. Inhibition of Candida albicans Biofilm Formation by the Synthetic Lactoferricin Derived Peptide hLF1-11.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morici, Paola; Fais, Roberta; Rizzato, Cosmeri; Tavanti, Arianna; Lupetti, Antonella

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of the synthetic peptide hLF1-11 against biofilm produced by clinical isolates of Candida albicans with different fluconazole susceptibility. The antibiofilm activity of the peptide hLF1-11 was assessed in terms of reduction of biofilm cellular density, metabolic activity and sessile cell viability. The extent of morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms was also investigated microscopically. Transcription levels of genes related to cell adhesion, hyphal development and extracellular matrix production were analysed by qRT-PCR in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms. Exogenous dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP) was used to rescue morphogenesis in cells exposed to the peptide. The results revealed that hLF1-11 exhibited an inhibitory effect on biofilm formation by all C. albicans isolates tested in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of their fluconazole susceptibility. Visual inspection of treated or untreated biofilm cells with an inverted microscope revealed a significant reduction in hyphal formation by hLF1-11 treated cells, as early as 3 hours of incubation. Moreover, hLF1-11 showed a reduced activity on preadherent cells. hLF1-11 induced the down-regulation of biofilm and hyphal-associated genes, which were predominantly regulated via the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Indeed, exogenous db-cAMP restored morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated cells. The hLF1-11 peptide significantly inhibited biofilm formation by C. albicans mainly at early stages, interfering with biofilm cellular density and metabolic activity, and affected morphogenesis through the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Our findings provide the first evidence that hLF1-11 could represent a potential candidate for the prevention of biofilm formation by C. albicans.

  18. Inhibition of Candida albicans Biofilm Formation by the Synthetic Lactoferricin Derived Peptide hLF1-11

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morici, Paola; Fais, Roberta; Rizzato, Cosmeri

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of the synthetic peptide hLF1-11 against biofilm produced by clinical isolates of Candida albicans with different fluconazole susceptibility. The antibiofilm activity of the peptide hLF1-11 was assessed in terms of reduction of biofilm cellular density, metabolic activity and sessile cell viability. The extent of morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms was also investigated microscopically. Transcription levels of genes related to cell adhesion, hyphal development and extracellular matrix production were analysed by qRT-PCR in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms. Exogenous dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP) was used to rescue morphogenesis in cells exposed to the peptide. The results revealed that hLF1-11 exhibited an inhibitory effect on biofilm formation by all C. albicans isolates tested in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of their fluconazole susceptibility. Visual inspection of treated or untreated biofilm cells with an inverted microscope revealed a significant reduction in hyphal formation by hLF1-11 treated cells, as early as 3 hours of incubation. Moreover, hLF1-11 showed a reduced activity on preadherent cells. hLF1-11 induced the down-regulation of biofilm and hyphal-associated genes, which were predominantly regulated via the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Indeed, exogenous db-cAMP restored morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated cells. The hLF1-11 peptide significantly inhibited biofilm formation by C. albicans mainly at early stages, interfering with biofilm cellular density and metabolic activity, and affected morphogenesis through the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Our findings provide the first evidence that hLF1-11 could represent a potential candidate for the prevention of biofilm formation by C. albicans. PMID:27902776

  19. Inhibition of Candida albicans Biofilm Formation by the Synthetic Lactoferricin Derived Peptide hLF1-11.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paola Morici

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of the synthetic peptide hLF1-11 against biofilm produced by clinical isolates of Candida albicans with different fluconazole susceptibility. The antibiofilm activity of the peptide hLF1-11 was assessed in terms of reduction of biofilm cellular density, metabolic activity and sessile cell viability. The extent of morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms was also investigated microscopically. Transcription levels of genes related to cell adhesion, hyphal development and extracellular matrix production were analysed by qRT-PCR in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms. Exogenous dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP was used to rescue morphogenesis in cells exposed to the peptide. The results revealed that hLF1-11 exhibited an inhibitory effect on biofilm formation by all C. albicans isolates tested in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of their fluconazole susceptibility. Visual inspection of treated or untreated biofilm cells with an inverted microscope revealed a significant reduction in hyphal formation by hLF1-11 treated cells, as early as 3 hours of incubation. Moreover, hLF1-11 showed a reduced activity on preadherent cells. hLF1-11 induced the down-regulation of biofilm and hyphal-associated genes, which were predominantly regulated via the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Indeed, exogenous db-cAMP restored morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated cells. The hLF1-11 peptide significantly inhibited biofilm formation by C. albicans mainly at early stages, interfering with biofilm cellular density and metabolic activity, and affected morphogenesis through the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Our findings provide the first evidence that hLF1-11 could represent a potential candidate for the prevention of biofilm formation by C. albicans.

  20. A novel heart rate control model provides insights linking LF-HRV behavior to the open-loop gain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dvir, Hila; Bobrovsky, Ben Zion; Gabbay, Uri

    2013-09-20

    Low-frequency heart rate variability (LF-HRV) at rest has already been successfully modeled as self-sustained oscillations in a nonlinear control loop, but these models fail to simulate LF-HRV decreases either during aerobic exercise or in heart failure patients. Following control engineering practices, we assume the existence of a biological excitation (dither) within the heart rate control loop that softens the nonlinearity and studied LF-HRV behavior in a dither-embedded model. We adopted the Ottesen model with some revisions and induced a dither of high-frequency stochastic perturbations. We simulated scenarios of a healthy subject at rest and during aerobic exercise (by decreasing peripheral vascular resistance) and a heart failure patient (by decreasing stroke volume). The simulations resembled physiological LF-HRV behavior, i.e., LF-HRV decreased during aerobic exercise and in the heart failure patient. The simulations exhibited LF-HRV dependency on the open-loop gain, which is related to the product of the feedback gain and the feed forward gain. We are the first to demonstrate that LF-HRV may be dependent on the open-loop gain. Accordingly, reduced open-loop gain results in decreased LF-HRV, and vice versa. Our findings explain a well-known but unexplained observed phenomenon of reduced LF-HRV both in heart failure patients and in healthy subjects performing aerobic exercise. These findings have implications on how changes in LF-HRV can be interpreted physiologically, a necessary step towards the clinical utilization of LF-HRV. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Nonlinear low frequency (LF) waves - Comets and foreshock phenomena

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsurutani, Bruce T.

    1991-01-01

    A review is conducted of LF wave nonlinear properties at comets and in the earth's foreshock, engaging such compelling questions as why there are no cometary cyclotron waves, the physical mechanism responsible for 'dispersive whiskers', and the character of a general description of linear waves. Attention is given to the nonlinear properties of LF waves, whose development is illustrated by examples of waves and their features at different distances from the comet, as well as by computer simulation results. Also discussed is a curious wave mode detected from Comet Giacobini-Zinner, both at and upstream of the bow shock/wave.

  2. Characteristics of VLF/LF Sferics from Elve-producing Lightning Discharges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blaes, P.; Zoghzoghy, F. G.; Marshall, R. A.

    2013-12-01

    Lightning return strokes radiate an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) which interacts with the D-region ionosphere; the largest EMPs produce new ionization, heating, and optical emissions known as elves. Elves are at least six times more common than sprites and other transient luminous events. Though the probability that a lightning return stroke will produce an elve is correlated with the return stroke peak current, many large peak current strokes do not produce visible elves. Apart from the lightning peak current, elve production may depend on the return stroke speed, lightning altitude, and ionospheric conditions. In this work we investigate the detailed structure of lightning that gives rise to elves by analyzing the characteristics of VLF/LF lightning sferics in conjunction with optical elve observations. Lightning sferics were observed using an array of six VLF/LF receivers (1 MHz sample-rate) in Oklahoma, and elves were observed using two high-speed photometers pointed over the Oklahoma region: one located at Langmuir Laboratory, NM and the other at McDonald Observatory, TX. Hundreds of elves with coincident LF sferics were observed during the summer months of 2013. We present data comparing the characteristics of elve-producing and non-elve producing lightning as measured by LF sferics. In addition, we compare these sferic and elve observations with FDTD simulations to determine key properties of elve-producing lightning.

  3. Wavelet analysis of the LF radio signals collected by the European VLF/LF network from July 2009 to April 2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael E. Contadakis

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available

    In 2008, a radio receiver that works in very low frequency (VLF; 20-60 kHz and LF (150-300 kHz bands was developed by an Italian factory. The receiver can monitor 10 frequencies distributed in these bands, with the measurement for each of them of the electric field intensity. Since 2009, to date, six of these radio receivers have been installed throughout Europe to establish a ‘European VLF/LF Network’. At present, two of these are into operation in Italy, and the remaining four are located in Greece, Turkey, Portugal and Romania. For the present study, the LF radio data collected over about two years were analysed. At first, the day-time data and the night-time data were separated for each radio signal. Taking into account that the LF signals are characterized by ground-wave and sky-wave propagation modes, the day-time data are related to the ground wave and the night-time data to the sky wave. In this framework, the effects of solar activity and storm activity were defined in the different trends. Then, the earthquakes with M ≥5.0 that occurred over the same period were selected, as those located in a 300-km radius around each receiver/transmitter and within the 5th Fresnel zone related to each transmitter-receiver path. Where possible, the wavelet analysis was applied on the time series of the radio signal intensity, and some anomalies related to previous earthquakes were revealed. Except for some doubt in one case, success appears to have been obtained in all of the cases related to the 300 km circles in for the ground waves and the sky waves. For the Fresnel cases, success in two cases and one failure were seen in analysing the sky waves. The failure occurred in August/September, and might be related to the disturbed conditions of the ionosphere in summer.

     

  4. The lactoferricin B-derived peptide, LfB17-34, induces melanogenesis in B16F10 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Hsiu-Chin; Lin, Hsuan; Huang, Min-Chuan

    2017-03-01

    Lactoferricin B (LfcinB), a peptide of bovine lactoferrin (LfB), exhibits multiple biological functions, including antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities. However, the role of LfcinB-related peptides in melanogenesis remains unclear. In this study, a set of five LfcinB-related peptides was examined. We found that LfB17‑34, an 18-mer LfcinB-derived peptide, increased melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells without significantly affecting cell viability. LfB17‑34 increased in vitro tyrosinase activity and melanin content in a dose-dependent manner. The results of RT-qPCR and western blot analyses showed that LfB17‑34 increased the mRNA and protein expression of tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein 1 (Trp1). Moreover, LfB17‑34 inhibited the phosphorylation of MAPK/Erk, but not p38 and Akt, and constitutively active MEK was able to reverse the LfB17-34-enhanced pigmentation, melanin content, and tyrosinase activity, suggesting a role of Erk signaling in the process of LfB17‑34-mediated pigmentation. Taken together, these results suggest that LfB17‑34 induces melanogenesis in B16F10 cells primarily through increased tyrosinase expression and activity and that LfB17‑34 could be further developed for the treatment of hypopigmentation disorders.

  5. Discovering potential Streptomyces hormone producers by using disruptants of essential biosynthetic genes as indicator strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thao, Nguyen B; Kitani, Shigeru; Nitta, Hiroko; Tomioka, Toshiya; Nihira, Takuya

    2017-10-01

    Autoregulators are low-molecular-weight signaling compounds that control the production of many secondary metabolites in actinomycetes and have been referred to as 'Streptomyces hormones'. Here, potential producers of Streptomyces hormones were investigated in 40 Streptomyces and 11 endophytic actinomycetes. Production of γ-butyrolactone-type (IM-2, VB) and butenolide-type (avenolide) Streptomyces hormones was screened using Streptomyces lavendulae FRI-5 (ΔfarX), Streptomyces virginiae (ΔbarX) and Streptomyces avermitilis (Δaco), respectively. In these strains, essential biosynthetic genes for Streptomyces hormones were disrupted, enabling them to respond solely to the externally added hormones. The results showed that 20% of each of the investigated strains produced IM-2 and VB, confirming that γ-butyrolactone-type Streptomyces hormones are the most common in actinomycetes. Unlike the γ-butyrolactone type, butenolide-type Streptomyces hormones have been discovered in recent years, but their distribution has been unclear. Our finding that 24% of actinomycetes (12 of 51 strains) showed avenolide activity revealed for the first time that the butenolide-type Streptomyces hormone is also common in actinomycetes.

  6. Indium zinc oxide films deposited on PET by LF magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Eun Lyoung; Jung, Sang Kooun; Sohn, Sang Ho; Park, Duck Kyu

    2007-01-01

    Indium zinc oxide (IZO) has attracted much attention recently for use in transparent oxide films compared with the ITO film. We carried out the deposition of IZO on a polyethylene terapthalate (PET) substrate at room temperature by a low-frequency (LF) magnetron sputtering system. These films have amorphous structures with excellent electrical stability, surface uniformity and high optical transmittance. The effects of LF applied voltage and O 2 flow rate were investigated. The electrical and optical properties were studied. At optimal deposition conditions, thin films of IZO with a sheet resistance of 32 Ω/sq and an optical transmittance of over 80% in the visible spectrum range were achieved. The IZO thin films fabricated by this method do not require substrate heating during the film preparation of any additional post-deposition annealing treatment. The experimental results show that films with good qualities of surface morphology, transmittance and electrical conduction can be grown by the LF magnetron sputtering method on PET which is recommendable

  7. The Terminator Time in subionospheric VLF/LF diurnal variation as recorded by the Romanian VLF/LF radio monitoring system related to earthquake occurrence and volcano erruptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moldovan, I. A.; Moldovan, A. S.; Biagi, P. F.; Ionescu, C.; Schwingenschuh, K.; Boudjada, M. Y.

    2012-04-01

    The Romanian VLF/LF monitoring system consisting in a radio receiver and the infrastructure that is necessary to record and transmit the collected data is part of the European international network named INFREP. Information on electromagnetic fields' intensities created by transmitters at a receiving site are indicating the quality of the propagation along the paths between the receivers and transmitters. Studying the ionosphere's influences on the electromagnetic waves' propagation along a certain path is a method to put into evidence possible modifications of its lower structure and composition as earthquakes' precursors. The VLF/LF receiver installed in Romania was put into operation in February 2009 and has already 3 years of testing, functioning and proving its utility in the forecast of some earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Simultaneously we monitor, in the same site with the VLF/LF receiver, the vertical atmospheric electric field and different other meteorological parameters as: temperature, pressure or rainfall. The global magnetic conditions are emphasized with the help of Daily Geomagnetic Index Kp. At a basic level, the adopted analysis consists in a simple statistical evaluation of the signals by comparing the instantaneous values to the trend of the signal. In this paper we pay attention to the terminator times in subionospheric VLF/LF diurnal variation, which are defined as the times of minimum in amplitude (or phase) around sunrise and sunset. These terminator times are found to shift significantly just around the earthquake. In the case of Kobe earthquake, there were found significant shifts in both morning and evening terminator times and these authors interpreted the shift in terminator time in terms of the lowering of lower ionosphere by using the full-wave mode theory. A LabVIEW application which accesses the VLF/LF receiver through internet was developed. This program opens the receiver's web-page and automatically retrieves the list of data

  8. Growth interactions and antilisterial effects of the bacteriocinogenic Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris M104 and Enterococcus faecium KE82 strains in thermized milk in the presence or absence of a commercial starter culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lianou, Alexandra; Kakouri, Athanasia; Pappa, Eleni C; Samelis, John

    2017-06-01

    Traditional Greek cheeses are often produced from thermized milk (TM) with the use of commercial starter cultures (CSCs), which may not inhibit growth of Listeria monocytogenes completely. Therefore, this study evaluated the behavior of an artificial L. monocytogenes contamination in commercially TM (63 °C; 30 s) inoculated with a CSC plus Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis M104 and/or Enterococcus faecium KE82, two indigenous strains producing nisin A and enterocin A and B, respectively. Inoculation treatments included TM with the CSC only, and TM without the CSC but with strain M104 alone, or combined with strain KE82. All treatments were incubated at 37 °C for 6 h followed by 66 h at 18 °C. L. monocytogenes grew by 0.66-1.24 log cfu/ml at 37 °C, whereas its further growth at 18 °C was retarded, suppressed, or accompanied by different inactivation rates, depending on each TM treatment. Strain M104 caused the greatest inactivation, whereas the CSC per se was the least effective treatment. Strain KE82 assisted the CSC in controlling pathogen growth at 37 °C, whereas both reduced the nisin A-mediated antilisterial activity of strain M104. Overall, the most 'balanced' treatment against L. monocytogenes was CSC+M104+KE82. Hence, this starter/co-starter combination may be utilized in traditional Greek cheese technologies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Mechanical algal disruption for efficient biodiesel extraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krehbiel, Joel David

    mass at the bubble center, and if the bubble-to-cell spacing is much larger than the cell radius, the flow around the cell is approximately extensional in the cell's frame of reference. It is known that the present algae are quasi-spherical with cytoplasmic viscosity approximately 100 times that of water, so the cell is approximated as a viscous sphere. Thus, conditions that cause cell disruption from an expanding microbubble are modeled as either steady inviscid extensional flow or steady point source flow over a viscous sphere. In the inviscid extensional flow model, the flow inside the sphere is dominated by viscous forces so the Stokes equation is solved with matched stresses at the sphere surface from the exterior inviscid extensional flow. The short-time deformation of the sphere surface suggests that inviscid extensional flow is insufficient to disrupt cells. This indicates that asymmetry of the flow over the sphere may be required to provide sufficient surface areal strain to rupture the cell. In a more detailed model, the bubble expansion is modeled as an expansion near a viscous sphere using finite element software. For conditions similar to those seen in the experiment, deformation shows similar scaling to disruption. The deformation in this model is significantly higher than predicted from the inviscid extensional flow model due to the effect of asymmetric flow on the cell membrane. Estimates suggest 21% average areal strain on the algal membrane is required to disrupt algal cells, and this result agrees well with areal strains typically required to disrupt cell membranes although the actual value would be lessened by the effect of an elastic membrane, which is neglected in the present model. The local areal strain on the sphere surface is a maximum closest to the point source, and there is compressive strain near theta = +/-pi/4 with theta the angle from the line between the cell center and the point source. The maximum local areal strain shows less

  10. Job strain and vagal recovery during sleep in shift working health care professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karhula, Kati; Henelius, Andreas; Härmä, Mikko; Sallinen, Mikael; Lindholm, Harri; Kivimäki, Mika; Vahtera, Jussi; Puttonen, Sampsa

    2014-12-01

    Within sample female nurses/nurse assistants in three shift work, we explored the association of job strain with heart rate variability before and during sleep. The participants (n = 95) were recruited from the Finnish Public Sector Study, from hospital wards that belonged either to the top (high job strain [HJS], n = 42) or bottom quartiles on job strain (low job strain [LJS], n = 53) as rated by Job Content Questionnaire responses. A further inclusion criterion was that participants' own job strain was at least as high (HJS group) or low (LJS group) as their ward's average estimation. Three-week field measurements included sleep diary and actigraphy to study the participants' sleep patterns and sleep-wake rhythm. A subset of three pre-selected, circadian rhythm and recovery controlled measurement days, one morning shift, one night shift and a day off, included 24-h heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. The bootstrapped HRV parameters (HR, HF, LF, LF-to-HF-ratio and RMSSD) 30 min before and during 30 min of sleep with lowest average heart rate showed no statistically significant job strain group differences. No association of exposure to stressful work environment and HRV before and during sleep was found.

  11. Antilipolytic and hypotriglyceridemic effects of dietary Salvia triloba Lf

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    management of dyslipidemia, and diabetes and obesity. This study was aimed to evaluate the modulatory effects of Salvia triloba L.f. (Lamiaceae) leaves methanol extract (ME) on a high fat diet .... mg/mL DMSO), was prepared into six different.

  12. Glutathione-Disrupted Biofilms of Clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains Exhibit an Enhanced Antibiotic Effect and a Novel Biofilm Transcriptome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Theerthankar; Ibugo, Amaye; Buckle, Edwina; Manefield, Mike; Manos, Jim

    2016-01-01

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections result in high morbidity and mortality rates for individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF), with premature death often occurring. These infections are complicated by the formation of biofilms in the sputum. Antibiotic therapy is stymied by antibiotic resistance of the biofilm matrix, making novel antibiofilm strategies highly desirable. Within P. aeruginosa biofilms, the redox factor pyocyanin enhances biofilm integrity by intercalating with extracellular DNA. The antioxidant glutathione (GSH) reacts with pyocyanin, disrupting intercalation. This study investigated GSH disruption by assaying the physiological effects of GSH and DNase I on biofilms of clinical CF isolates grown in CF artificial sputum medium (ASMDM+). Confocal scanning laser microscopy showed that 2 mM GSH, alone or combined with DNase I, significantly disrupted immature (24-h) biofilms of Australian epidemic strain (AES) isogens AES-1R and AES-1M. GSH alone greatly disrupted mature (72-h) AES-1R biofilms, resulting in significant differential expression of 587 genes, as indicated by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. Upregulated systems included cyclic diguanylate and pyoverdine biosynthesis, the type VI secretion system, nitrate metabolism, and translational machinery. Biofilm disruption with GSH revealed a cellular physiology distinct from those of mature and dispersed biofilms. RNA-seq results were validated by biochemical and quantitative PCR assays. Biofilms of a range of CF isolates disrupted with GSH and DNase I were significantly more susceptible to ciprofloxacin, and increased antibiotic effectiveness was achieved by increasing the GSH concentration. This study demonstrated that GSH, alone or with DNase I, represents an effective antibiofilm treatment when combined with appropriate antibiotics, pending in vivo studies. PMID:27161630

  13. [BLG gene knockout and hLF gene knock-in at BLG locus in goat by TALENs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Shaozheng; Zhu, Mengmin; Yuan, Yuguo; Rong, Yao; Xu, Sheng; Chen, Si; Mei, Junyan; Cheng, Yong

    2016-03-01

    To knock out β-lactoglobulin (BLG) gene and insert human lactoferrin (hLF) coding sequence at BLG locus of goat, the transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) mediated recombination was used to edit the BLG gene of goat fetal fibroblast, then as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer. We designed a pair of specific plasmid TALEN-3-L/R for goat BLG exon III recognition sites, and BLC14-TK vector containing a negative selection gene HSV-TK, was used for the knock in of hLF gene. TALENs plasmids were transfected into the goat fetal fibroblast cells, and the cells were screened three days by 2 μg/mL puromycin. DNA cleavage activities of cells were verified by PCR amplification and DNA production sequencing. Then, targeting vector BLC14-TK and plasmids TALEN-3-L/R were co-transfected into goat fetal fibroblasts, both 700 μg/mL G418 and 2 μg/mL GCV were simultaneously used to screen G418-resistant cells. Detections of integration and recombination were implemented to obtain cells with hLF gene site-specific integration. We chose targeting cells as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer. The mutagenicity of TALEN-3-L/R was between 25% and 30%. A total of 335 reconstructed embryos with 6 BLG-/hLF+ targeting cell lines were transferred into 16 recipient goats. There were 9 pregnancies confirmed by ultrasound on day 30 to 35 (pregnancy rate of 39.1%), and one of 50-day-old fetus with BLG-/hLF+ was achieved. These results provide the basis for hLF gene knock-in at BLG locus of goat and cultivating transgenic goat of low allergens and rich hLF in the milk.

  14. Interaction between lf electric fields and biological bodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Češelkoska Vesna C.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the Equivalent electrodes method is used for electric field calculation in the proximity of the various biological subjects exposed to an electric field in the LF range. Several results of the electric field intensity on the body surface and numerous graphical results for equipotential and equienergetic curves are presented.

  15. Effect of selenium-saturated bovine lactoferrin (Se-bLF) on antioxidant enzyme activities in human gut epithelial cells under oxidative stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burrow, Hannah; Kanwar, Rupinder K; Mahidhara, Ganesh; Kanwar, Jagat R

    2011-10-01

    Cancer and many chronic inflammatory diseases are associated with increased amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The potential cellular and tissue damage created by ROS has significant impact on many disease and cancer states and natural therapeutics are becoming essential in regulating altered redox states. We have shown recently that iron content is a critical determinant in the antitumour activity of bovine milk lactoferrin (bLF). We found that 100% iron-saturated bLF (Fe-bLF) acts as a potent natural adjuvant and fortifying agent for augmenting cancer chemotherapy and thus has a broad utility in the treatment of cancer. Furthermore, we also studied the effects of iron saturated bLF's ability as an antioxidant in the human epithelial colon cancer cell line HT29, giving insights into the potential of bLF in its different states. Thus, metal saturated bLF could be implemented as anti-cancer neutraceutical. In this regard, we have recently been able to prepare a selenium (Se) saturated form of bLF, being up to 98% saturated. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine how oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) alters antioxidant enzyme activity within HT29 epithelial colon cancer cells, and observe changes in this activity by treatments with different antioxidants ascorbic acid (AA), Apo (iron free)-bLF and selenium (Se)-bLF. The states of all antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione- s-transferase (GsT), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) demonstrated high levels within untreated HT29 cells compared to the majority of other treatments being used, even prior to H2O2 exposure. All enzymes showed significant alterations in activity when cells were treated with antioxidants AA, Apo-bLF or Se-bLF, with and/or without H2O2 exposure. Obvious indications that the Se content of the bLF potentially interacted with the glutathione (GSH)/GPx/GR/GsT associated redox system could be

  16. Modeling of the L.F. turbulent spectrum during ohmic discharges, auxiliary heating and disruptions in Tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Truc, A.

    1983-07-01

    The spectrum of low frequency turbulence in the TFR tokamak, as observed along a central chord by a CO 2 laser light diffusion diagnostic, appears to be representable by four monomial branches joining to three vertices. This schematic representation permits to follow more easily the evolution of the turbulence during the life of the plasma, including the ohmic regime, the transitions to auxiliary heating and the minor and major disruptions

  17. D-region Ionospheric Imaging Using VLF/LF Broadband Sferics, Forward Modeling, and Tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCormick, J.; Cohen, M.

    2017-12-01

    The D-region of the ionosphere (60-90 km altitude) is highly variable on timescales from fractions of a second to many hours, and on spatial scales from 10 km to many hundreds of km. VLF and LF (3-30kHz, 30-300kHz) radio waves are guided to global distances by reflecting off of the ground and the D-region, making the Earth-ionosphere waveguide (EIWG). Therefore, information about the current state of the ionosphere is encoded in received VLF/LF radio waves since they act like probes of the D-region. The return stroke of lightning is an impulsive event that radiates powerful broadband radio emissions in VLF/LF bands known as `radio atmospherics' or `sferics'. Lightning flashes occur about 40-50 times per second throughout the Earth. An average of 2000 lightning storms occur each day with a mean duration of 30 minutes creating a broad spatial and temporal distribution of lightning VLF/LF sources. With careful processing, we can recover high fidelity measurements of amplitude and phase of both the radial and azimuthal magnetic field sferic components. By comparison to a theoretical EIWG propagation model such as the Long Wave Propagation Capability (LWPC) developed by the US Navy, with a standard forward modeling approach, we can infer information about the current state of the D-region. Typically, the ionosphere is parametrized to reduce the dimensionality of the problem which usually results in an electron density vs altitude profile. For large distances (Greater than 1000 km), these results can be interpreted as path-averaged information. In contrast to studies using navy transmitters to study the D-region, the full spectral information allows for more complete information and less ambiguous inferred ionospheric parameters. With the spatial breadth of lightning sources taken together with a broadly distributed VLF/LF receiver network, a dense set of measurements are acquired in a tomographic sense. Using the wealth of linear algebra and imaging techniques it is

  18. Exopolysaccharide from Lactobacillus fermentum Lf2 and its functional characterization as a yogurt additive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ale, Elisa C; Perezlindo, Marcos J; Burns, Patricia; Tabacman, Eduardo; Reinheimer, Jorge A; Binetti, Ana G

    2016-11-01

    Lactobacillus fermentum Lf2 is a strain which is able to produce high levels (approximately 1 g/l) of crude exopolysaccharide (EPS) when it is grown in optimised conditions. The aim of this work was to characterize the functional aspects of this EPS extract, focusing on its application as a dairy food additive. Our findings are consistent with an EPS extract that acts as moderate immunomodulator, modifying s-IgA and IL-6 levels in the small intestine when added to yogurt and milk, respectively. Furthermore, this EPS extract, in a dose feasible to use as a food additive, provides protection against Salmonella infection in a murine model, thus representing a mode of action to elicit positive health benefits. Besides, it contributes to the rheological characteristics of yogurt, and could function as a food additive with both technological and functional roles, making possible the production of a new functional yogurt with improved texture.

  19. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with lateral flow (LF) strip for detection of Toxoplasma gondii in the environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Y D; Xu, M J; Wang, Q Q; Zhou, C X; Wang, M; Zhu, X Q; Zhou, D H

    2017-08-30

    Toxoplasma gondii infects all warm-blooded vertebrates, resulting in a great threat to human health and significant economic loss to the livestock industry. Ingestion of infectious oocysts of T. gondii from the environment is the major source of transmission. Detection of T. gondii oocysts by existing methods is laborious, time-consuming and expensive. The objective of the present study was to develop a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) method combined with a lateral flow (LF) strip for detection of T. gondii oocysts in the soil and water. The DNA of T. gondii oocysts was amplified by a pair of specific primers based on the T. gondii B1 gene over 15min at a constant temperature ranging from 30°C to 45°C using RPA. The amplification product was visualized by the lateral flow (LF) strip within 5min using the specific probe added to the RPA reaction system. The sensitivity of the established assay was 10 times higher than that of nested PCR with a lower detection limit of 0.1 oocyst per reaction, and there was no cross-reactivity with other closely related protozoan species. Fifty environmental samples were further assessed for the detection validity of the LF-RPA assay (B1-LF-RPA) and compared with nested PCR based on the B1 gene sequence. The B1-LF-RPA and nested PCR both showed that 5 out of the 50 environmental samples were positive. The B1-LF-RPA method was also proven to be sufficiently tolerant of existing inhibitors in the environment. In addition, the advantages of simple operation, speediness and cost-effectiveness make B1-LF-RPA a promising molecular detection tool for T. gondii. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. A R2R3-MYB Gene LfMYB113 is Responsible for Autumn Leaf Coloration in Formosan sweet gum (Liquidambar formosana Hance).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Chi-Hsiang; Chu, Fang-Hua

    2017-03-01

    The regulation of autumn leaf coloration in deciduous trees has long been an enigma. Due to the fact that different coloration phenotypes may be considered when planting, more understanding of the regulation mechanism is needed. In this study, a R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene LfMYB113 was identified from a subtropical deciduous tree species Formosan sweet gum (Liquidambar formosana Hance). The expression patterns of LfMYB113 in four selected phenotypes were different and were positively correlated with leaf anthocyanin content. In a 35S::LfMYB113 transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plant, both the early and late genes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway were shown to be up-regulated. It was also shown that LfMYB113 can activate the promoter sequence of LfDFR1 and LfDFR2. Transient overexpression of LfMYB113 in Nicotiana benthamiana showed strong anthocyanin accumulation and pre-senescence; the latter was confirmed by up-regulation of senescence-associated genes. In addition, the activation of proLfSGR::YFP by LfMYB113 in transient experiments indicated that LfMYB113 may have a role in regulation of Chl degradation. To our knowledge, this is the first time a R2R3-MYB transcription factor has been functionally identified as one of the key regulators of autumn leaf coloration and autumn leaf senescence. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Proteomic Analysis of Anti-Cancerous Scopularide Production by a Marine Microascus brevicaulis Strain and Its UV Mutant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kramer, Annemarie; Beck, Hans Christian; Kumar, Abhishek; Kristensen, Lars Peter; Imhoff, Johannes F.; Labes, Antje

    2015-01-01

    The marine fungus Microascus brevicaulis strain LF580 is a non-model secondary metabolite producer with high yields of the two secondary metabolites scopularides A and B, which exhibit distinct activities against tumour cell lines. A mutant strain was obtained using UV mutagenesis, showing faster growth and differences in pellet formation besides higher production levels. Here, we show the first proteome study of a marine fungus. Comparative proteomics were applied to gain deeper understanding of the regulation of production and of the physiology of the wild type strain and its mutant. For this purpose, an optimised protein extraction protocol was established. In total, 4759 proteins were identified. The central metabolic pathway of strain LF580 was mapped using the KEGG pathway analysis and GO annotation. Employing iTRAQ labelling, 318 proteins were shown to be significantly regulated in the mutant strain: 189 were down- and 129 upregulated. Proteomics are a powerful tool for the understanding of regulatory aspects: The differences on proteome level could be attributed to limited nutrient availability in the wild type strain due to a strong pellet formation. This information can be applied for optimisation on strain and process level. The linkage between nutrient limitation and pellet formation in the non-model fungus M. brevicaulis is in consensus with the knowledge on model organisms like Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum. PMID:26460745

  2. Proteomic Analysis of Anti-Cancerous Scopularide Production by a Marine Microascus brevicaulis Strain and Its UV Mutant.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annemarie Kramer

    Full Text Available The marine fungus Microascus brevicaulis strain LF580 is a non-model secondary metabolite producer with high yields of the two secondary metabolites scopularides A and B, which exhibit distinct activities against tumour cell lines. A mutant strain was obtained using UV mutagenesis, showing faster growth and differences in pellet formation besides higher production levels. Here, we show the first proteome study of a marine fungus. Comparative proteomics were applied to gain deeper understanding of the regulation of production and of the physiology of the wild type strain and its mutant. For this purpose, an optimised protein extraction protocol was established. In total, 4759 proteins were identified. The central metabolic pathway of strain LF580 was mapped using the KEGG pathway analysis and GO annotation. Employing iTRAQ labelling, 318 proteins were shown to be significantly regulated in the mutant strain: 189 were down- and 129 upregulated. Proteomics are a powerful tool for the understanding of regulatory aspects: The differences on proteome level could be attributed to limited nutrient availability in the wild type strain due to a strong pellet formation. This information can be applied for optimisation on strain and process level. The linkage between nutrient limitation and pellet formation in the non-model fungus M. brevicaulis is in consensus with the knowledge on model organisms like Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum.

  3. Proteomic Analysis of Anti-Cancerous Scopularide Production by a Marine Microascus brevicaulis Strain and Its UV Mutant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kramer, Annemarie; Beck, Hans Christian; Kumar, Abhishek; Kristensen, Lars Peter; Imhoff, Johannes F; Labes, Antje

    2015-01-01

    The marine fungus Microascus brevicaulis strain LF580 is a non-model secondary metabolite producer with high yields of the two secondary metabolites scopularides A and B, which exhibit distinct activities against tumour cell lines. A mutant strain was obtained using UV mutagenesis, showing faster growth and differences in pellet formation besides higher production levels. Here, we show the first proteome study of a marine fungus. Comparative proteomics were applied to gain deeper understanding of the regulation of production and of the physiology of the wild type strain and its mutant. For this purpose, an optimised protein extraction protocol was established. In total, 4759 proteins were identified. The central metabolic pathway of strain LF580 was mapped using the KEGG pathway analysis and GO annotation. Employing iTRAQ labelling, 318 proteins were shown to be significantly regulated in the mutant strain: 189 were down- and 129 upregulated. Proteomics are a powerful tool for the understanding of regulatory aspects: The differences on proteome level could be attributed to limited nutrient availability in the wild type strain due to a strong pellet formation. This information can be applied for optimisation on strain and process level. The linkage between nutrient limitation and pellet formation in the non-model fungus M. brevicaulis is in consensus with the knowledge on model organisms like Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum.

  4. Quantification of specific E. coli in gut mucosa from Crohn's disease patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Stina Rikke; Fink, Lisbeth Nielsen; Struve, Carsten

    2011-01-01

    We here present a method based on qRT-PCR to quantify E. coli LF82 in intestinal human samples. Two different primer-probe sets were designed to detect LF82, and a third to target total E. coli. The assay showed high robustness and specificity for detection of LF82 in the presence of intestinal...

  5. Streptomyces lunalinharesii Strain 235 Shows the Potential to Inhibit Bacteria Involved in Biocorrosion Processes

    OpenAIRE

    Pacheco da Rosa, Juliana; Korenblum, Elisa; Franco-Cirigliano, Marcella Novaes; Abreu, Fernanda; Lins, Ulysses; Soares, Rosângela M. A.; Macrae, Andrew; Seldin, Lucy; Coelho, Rosalie R. R.

    2013-01-01

    Four actinomycete strains previously isolated from Brazilian soils were tested for their antimicrobial activity against Bacillus pumilus LF-4 and Desulfovibrio alaskensis NCIMB 13491, bacteria that are well known to be involved in biofilm formation and biocorrosion. Strain 235, belonging to the species Streptomyces lunalinharesii, inhibited the growth of both bacteria. The antimicrobial activity was seen over a wide range of pH, and after treatment with several chemicals and heat but not with...

  6. Strontium-82/rubidium-82 generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gennaro, G.P.; Haney, P.S.

    1986-01-01

    Hydroxylapatite, a compound having the formula: M 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 wherein M is calcium, strontium, barium, lead, iron, sodium, potassium, zinc, cadmium, magnesium, aluminium or a rare earth metal, is provided as a support medium for strontium-82 in a strontium-82/rubidium-82 parent-daughter radionuclide generator

  7. The effect of different fibre volume fraction on mechanical properties of banana/pineapple leaf (PaLF)/glass hybrid composite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanafee, Z. M.; Khalina, A.; Norkhairunnisa, M.; Syams, Z. Edi; Liew, K. E.

    2017-09-01

    This paper investigates the effect of fibre volume fraction on mechanical properties of banana-pineapple leaf (PaLF)-glass reinforced epoxy resin under tensile loading. Uniaxial tensile tests were carried out on specimens with different fibre contents (30%, 40%, 50% in weight). The composite specimens consists of 13 different combinations. The effect of hybridisation between synthetic and natural fibre onto tensile properties was determined and the optimum fibre volume fraction was obtained at 50% for both banana and PaLF composites. Additional 1 layer of woven glass fibre increased the tensile strength of banana-PaLF composite up to 85%.

  8. Isolation of Penicillium nalgiovense strains impaired in penicillin production by disruption of the pcbAB gene and application as starters on cured meat products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laich, Federico; Fierro, Francisco; Martin, Juan F

    2003-06-01

    The presence of some fungi on a variety of food products, like cheeses or cured meat products, is beneficial for the ripening of the product and for the development of specific flavour features. The utilization of these fungi as starters, which are inoculated normally as asexual spores on the food products at the beginning of the ripening process, is becoming a usual procedure in the food industry. The starter culture also prevents undesirable fungi or bacteria from growing on the product. Penicillium nalgiovense is the most frequently used starter for cured and fermented meat products, but the fact that this fungus can secrete penicillin to the meat product makes it important to get strains unable to synthesize this antibiotic. In this work we report that P. nalgiovense strains impaired in penicillin production can be obtained by disruption of the pcbAB gene (the first gene of the penicillin biosynthetic pathway). When applied as starter on cecina (a salted, smoke-cured beef meat product from the region of León, Spain), the pcbAB-disrupted strain showed no differences with respect to the parental penicillin-producing strain in its ability to colonize the meat pieces and to control their normal mycoflora. Both strains exerted a similar control on the presence of bacteria in cecina. A similar proportion of penicillin-sensitive and penicillin-resistant bacteria were isolated from pieces inoculated with the penicillin-producing or the non-producing P. nalgiovense strains. The decrease of the bacterial population on the surface of cecina seems to be due to the higher competition for nutrients as a consequence of the inoculation and development of the P. nalgiovense mycelium and not due to the production of penicillin by this fungus. Penicillin production was less affected than growth in a solid medium with high NaCl concentrations; this suggests that the high salt concentration present in cecina is not a limiting factor for penicillin production by P. nalgiovense.

  9. Prediction of density limit disruptions on the J-TEXT tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, S Y; Chen, Z Y; Huang, D W; Tong, R H; Yan, W; Wei, Y N; Ma, T K; Zhang, M; Zhuang, G

    2016-01-01

    Disruption mitigation is essential for the next generation of tokamaks. The prediction of plasma disruption is the key to disruption mitigation. A neural network combining eight input signals has been developed to predict the density limit disruptions on the J-TEXT tokamak. An optimized training method has been proposed which has improved the prediction performance. The network obtained has been tested on 64 disruption shots and 205 non-disruption shots. A successful alarm rate of 82.8% with a false alarm rate of 12.3% can be achieved at 4.8 ms prior to the current spike of the disruption. It indicates that more physical parameters than the current physical scaling should be considered for predicting the density limit. It was also found that the critical density for disruption can be predicted several tens of milliseconds in advance in most cases. Furthermore, if the network is used for real-time density feedback control, more than 95% of the density limit disruptions can be avoided by setting a proper threshold. (paper)

  10. Occurrence of the Microcystins MC-LW and MC-LF in Dutch Surface Waters and Their Contribution to Total Microcystin Toxicity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elisabeth J. Faassen

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Microcystins (MCs are the most frequently found cyanobacterial toxins in freshwater systems. Many MC variants have been identified and variants differ in their toxicity. Recent studies showed that the variants MC-LW and MC-LF might be more toxic than MC-LR, the variant that is most abundant and mostly used for risk assessments. As little is known about the presence of these two variants in The Netherlands, we determined their occurrence by analyzing 88 water samples and 10 scum samples for eight MC variants ((dm-7-MC-RR, MC-YR, (dm-7-MC-LR, MC-LY, MC-LW and MC-LF by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. All analyzed MC variants were detected, and MC-LW and/or MC-LF were present in 32% of the MC containing water samples. When MC-LW and MC-LF were present, they contributed to nearly 10% of the total MC concentrations, but due to their suspected high toxicity, their average contribution to the total MC toxicity was estimated to be at least 45%. Given the frequent occurrence and possible high toxicity of MC-LW and MC-LF, it seems better to base health risk assessments on the toxicity contributions of different MC variants than on MC-LR concentrations alone.

  11. An improved asynchronous brain interface: making use of the temporal history of the LF-ASD feature vectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bashashati, Ali; Mason, Steve; Ward, Rabab K.; Birch, Gary E.

    2006-06-01

    The low-frequency asynchronous switch design (LF-ASD) has been introduced as a direct brain interface (BI) for asynchronous control applications. Asynchronous interfaces, as opposed to synchronous interfaces, have the advantage of being operational at all times and not only at specific system-defined periods. This paper modifies the LF-ASD design by incorporating into the system more knowledge about the attempted movements. Specifically, the history of feature values extracted from the EEG signal is used to detect a right index finger movement attempt. Using data collected from individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries and able-bodied subjects, it is shown that the error characteristics of the modified design are significantly better than the previous LF-ASD design. The true positive rate percentage increased by up to 15 which corresponds to 50% improvement when the system is operating with false positive rates in the 1-2% range.

  12. Antimicrobial potential for the combination of bovine lactoferrin or its hydrolysate with lactoferrin-resistant probiotics against foodborne pathogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, P-W; Jheng, T T; Shyu, C-L; Mao, F C

    2013-03-01

    Previous reports have shown that several probiotic strains can resist the antibacterial activity of bovine lactoferrin (bLf), but the results are inconsistent. Moreover, a portion of orally administered apo-bLf is digested in vivo by pepsin to yield bLf hydrolysate, which produces stronger antibacterial activity than that observed with apo-bLf. However, whether bLf hydrolysate affects the growth of probiotic strains is unclear. Therefore, various probiotic strains in Taiwan were collected and evaluated for activity against apo-bLf and bLf hydrolysate in vitro. Thirteen probiotic strains were evaluated, and the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356, Lactobacillus salivarius ATCC 11741, Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 53103, Bifidobacterium longum ATCC 15707, and Bifidobacterium lactis BCRC 17394 were inhibited by both apo-bLf and bLf hydrolysate. The growth of 8 strains were not affected by apo-bLf and bLf hydrolysate, including L. rhamnosus ATCC 7469, Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC 23272, Lactobacillus fermentum ATCC 11739, Lactobacillus coryniformis ATCC 25602, L. acidophilus BCRC 14065, Bifidobacterium infantis ATCC 15697, Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 29521, and Pediococcus acidilactici ATCC 8081. However, apo-bLf and its hydrolysate inhibited the growth of foodborne pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis. Moreover, the supernatants produced by L. fermentum, B. lactis, and B. longum inhibited the growth of most pathogens. Importantly, a combination of apo-bLf or bLf hydrolysate with the supernatants of cultures of the organisms described above showed synergistic or partially synergistic effects against the growth of most of the selected pathogens. In conclusion, several probiotic strains are resistant to apo-bLf and bLf hydrolysate, warranting clinical studies to evaluate the antimicrobial potential for the combination of apo-bLf or its hydrolysate with specific probiotics. Copyright

  13. Development of intra-strain self-cloning procedure for breeding baker's yeast strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakagawa, Youji; Ogihara, Hiroyuki; Mochizuki, Chisato; Yamamura, Hideki; Iimura, Yuzuru; Hayakawa, Masayuki

    2017-03-01

    Previously reported self-cloning procedures for breeding of industrial yeast strains require DNA from other strains, plasmid DNA, or mutagenesis. Therefore, we aimed to construct a self-cloning baker's yeast strain that exhibits freeze tolerance via an improved self-cloning procedure. We first disrupted the URA3 gene of a prototrophic baker's yeast strain without the use of any marker gene, resulting in a Δura3 homozygous disruptant. Then, the URA3 gene of the parental baker's yeast strain was used as a selection marker to introduce the constitutive TDH3 promoter upstream of the PDE2 gene encoding high-affinity cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. This self-cloning procedure was performed without using DNA from other Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, plasmid DNA, or mutagenesis and was therefore designated an intra-strain self-cloning procedure. Using this self-cloning procedure, we succeeded in producing self-cloning baker's yeast strains that harbor the TDH3p-PDE2 gene heterozygously and homozygously, designated TDH3p-PDE2 hetero and TDH3p-PDE2 homo strains, respectively. These self-cloning strains expressed much higher levels of PDE2 mRNA than the parental strain and exhibited higher viability after freeze stress, as well as higher fermentation ability in frozen dough, when compared with the parental strain. The TDH3p-PDE2 homo strain was genetically more stable than the TDH3p-PDE2 hetero strain. These results indicate that both heterozygous and homozygous strains of self-cloning PDE2-overexpressing freeze-tolerant strains of industrial baker's yeast can be prepared using the intra-strain self-cloning procedure, and, from a practical viewpoint, the TDH3p-PDE2 homo strain constructed in this study is preferable to the TDH3p-PDE2 hetero strain for frozen dough baking. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Alleviation of glucose repression of maltose metabolism by MIG1 disruption in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klein, Christopher; Olsson, Lisbeth; Rønnow, B.

    1996-01-01

    The MIG1 gene was disrupted in a haploid laboratory strain (B224) and in an industrial polyploid strain (DGI 342) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The alleviation of glucose repression of the expression of MAL genes and alleviation of glucose control of maltose metabolism were investigated in batch...... cultivations on glucose-maltose mixtures. In the MIG1-disrupted haploid strain, glucose repression was partly alleviated; i.e., maltose metabolism was initiated at higher glucose concentrations than in the corresponding wild-type strain. In contrast, the polyploid Delta mig1 strain exhibited an even more...... stringent glucose control of maltose metabolism than the corresponding wild-type strain, which could be explained by a more rigid catabolite inactivation of maltose permease, affecting the uptake of maltose. Growth on the glucose-sucrose mixture showed that the polyploid Delta mig1 strain was relieved...

  15. Quantitative estimation of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids. 4. Toxoids as international reference materials defining Lf-units for diphtheria and tetanus toxoids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyng, J

    1990-01-01

    The Lf-unit, which is used in the control of diphtheria and tetanus toxoid production and in some countries also to follow immunization of horses for production of antitoxins, has hitherto been defined by means of antitoxin preparations. A diphtheria toxoid and a tetanus toxoid preparation, both freeze-dried, were examined in an international collaborative study for their suitability to serve as reference reagents in the flocculation tests and for defining the Lf-units. It was shown that flocculation tests using the reference toxoids are very reproducible and reliable and the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization established: the toxoid called DIFT as the International Reference Reagent of Diphtheria Toxoid for Flocculation Test with a defined content of 900 Lf-units of diphtheria toxoid per ampoule; and the toxoid called TEFT as the International Reference Reagent of Tetanus Toxoid for Flocculation Test with a defined content of 1000 Lf-units of diphtheria toxoid per ampoule.

  16. Sleep Disruption in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients: Prevalence, Severity, and Clinical Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jim, Heather S.L.; Evans, Bryan; Jeong, Jiyeon M.; Gonzalez, Brian D.; Johnston, Laura; Nelson, Ashley M.; Kesler, Shelli; Phillips, Kristin M.; Barata, Anna; Pidala, Joseph; Palesh, Oxana

    2014-01-01

    Sleep disruption is common among hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients, with over 50% of patients experiencing sleep disruption pre-transplant, up to 82% experiencing moderate to severe sleep disruption during hospitalization for transplant, and up to 43% in the post-transplant period. These rates of sleep disruption are substantially higher than the general population. Although sleep disruption can be distressing to patients and contribute to diminished quality of life, it is rarely discussed during clinical visits. The goal of the current review is to draw attention to sleep disruption as a clinical problem in HCT in order to facilitate patient education, intervention, and research. The review opens with a discussion of sleep disruption measurement and clinical diagnosis of sleep disorders. An overview of the prevalence, severity, and chronicity of sleep disruption and disorders in patients receiving HCT follows. Current evidence regarding sociodemographic and clinical predictors of sleep disruption and disorders is summarized. The review concludes with suggestions for behavioral and pharmacologic management of sleep disruption and disorders as well as directions for future research. PMID:24747335

  17. 82Sr--82Rb radioisotope generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grant, P.M.; Erdal, B.R.; O'Brien, H.A.

    1976-01-01

    An improved 82 Sr- 82 Rb radioisotope generator system, based upon the complexing ion exchange resin Chelex-100, has been developed. Columns of this material can be easily and rapidly milked, and the Rb-Sr separation factor for a fresh generator was found to be greater than 10 7 . Approximately 80 percent of the 82 Rb present was delivered in a 15-ml volume of aqueous 0.2 M NH 4 Cl solution. After more than 6 liters of eluant had been put through the generator, the Rb-Sr separation factor was still observed to be greater than 10 5 , and no unusual strontium breakthrough behavior was seen in the system over nearly three 82 Sr half lives. 2 claims, no drawings

  18. Microalgal cell disruption via ultrasonic nozzle spraying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, M; Yuan, W

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to understand the effect of operating parameters, including ultrasound amplitude, spraying pressure, nozzle orifice diameter, and initial cell concentration on microalgal cell disruption and lipid extraction in an ultrasonic nozzle spraying system (UNSS). Two algal species including Scenedesmus dimorphus and Nannochloropsis oculata were evaluated. Experimental results demonstrated that the UNSS was effective in the disruption of microalgal cells indicated by significant changes in cell concentration and Nile red-stained lipid fluorescence density between all treatments and the control. It was found that increasing ultrasound amplitude generally enhanced cell disruption and lipid recovery although excessive input energy was not necessary for best results. The effect of spraying pressure and nozzle orifice diameter on cell disruption and lipid recovery was believed to be dependent on the competition between ultrasound-induced cavitation and spraying-generated shear forces. Optimal cell disruption was not always achieved at the highest spraying pressure or biggest nozzle orifice diameter; instead, they appeared at moderate levels depending on the algal strain and specific settings. Increasing initial algal cell concentration significantly reduced cell disruption efficiency. In all UNSS treatments, the effectiveness of cell disruption and lipid recovery was found to be dependent on the algal species treated.

  19. Male mating competitiveness of a Wolbachia-introgressed Aedes polynesiensis strain under semi-field conditions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric W Chambers

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Lymphatic filariasis (LF, a global public health problem affecting approximately 120 million people worldwide, is a leading cause of disability in the developing world including the South Pacific. Despite decades of ongoing mass drug administration (MDA in the region, some island nations have not yet achieved the threshold levels of microfilaremia established by the World Health Organization for eliminating transmission. Previously, the generation of a novel Aedes polynesiensis strain (CP infected with an exogenous type of Wolbachia has been described. The CP mosquito is cytoplasmically incompatible (i.e., effectively sterile when mated with wildtype mosquitoes, and a strategy was proposed for the control of A. polynesiensis populations by repeated, inundative releases of CP males to disrupt fertility of wild females. Such a strategy could lead to suppression of the vector population and subsequently lead to a reduction in the transmission of filarial worms.CP males and F1 male offspring from wild-caught A. polynesiensis females exhibit near equal mating competitiveness with F1 females under semi-field conditions.While laboratory experiments are important, prior projects have demonstrated the need for additional testing under semi-field conditions in order to recognize problems before field implementation. The results reported here from semi-field experiments encourage forward progression toward small-scale field releases.

  20. Synergy and antagonism between iron chelators and antifungal drugs in Cryptococcus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Yu-Wen; Campbell, Leona T; Wilkins, Marc R; Pang, Chi Nam Ignatius; Chen, Sharon; Carter, Dee A

    2016-10-01

    Fungal infections remain very difficult to treat, and developing new antifungal drugs is difficult and expensive. Recent approaches therefore seek to augment existing antifungals with synergistic agents that can lower the therapeutic dose, increase efficacy and prevent resistance from developing. Iron limitation can inhibit microbial growth, and iron chelators have been employed to treat fungal infections. In this study, chequerboard testing was used to explore combinations of iron chelators with antifungal agents against pathogenic Cryptococcus spp. with the aim of determining how disruption to iron homeostasis affects antifungal susceptibility. The iron chelators ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), deferoxamine (DFO), deferiprone (DFP), deferasirox (DSX), ciclopirox olamine and lactoferrin (LF) were paired with the antifungal agents amphotericin B (AmB), fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole and caspofungin. All chelators except for DFO increased the efficacy of AmB, and significant synergy was seen between AmB and LF for all Cryptococcus strains. Addition of exogenous iron rescued cells from the antifungal effect of LF alone but could not prevent inhibition by AmB + LF, indicating that synergy was not due primarily to iron chelation but to other properties of LF that were potentiated in the presence of AmB. Significant synergy was not seen consistently for other antifungal-chelator combinations, and EDTA, DSX and DFP antagonised the activity of azole drugs in strains of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii. This study highlights the range of interactions that can be induced by chelators and indicates that most antifungal drugs are not enhanced by iron limitation in Cryptococcus. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

  1. Immunological response of the Sub-Antarctic Notothenioid fish Eleginops maclovinus injected with two strains of Piscirickettsia salmonis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez, D; Díaz-Ibarrola, D; Vargas-Lagos, C; Oyarzún, R; Pontigo, J P; Muñoz, J L P; Yáñez, A J; Vargas-Chacoff, L

    2018-04-01

    Eleginops maclovinus is an endemic fish to Chile that lives in proximity to salmonid culture centers, feeding off of uneaten pellet and salmonid feces. Occurring in the natural environment, this interaction between native and farmed fish could result in the horizontal transmission of pathogens affecting the aquaculture industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the innate and adaptive immune responses of E. maclovinus challenged with P. salmonis. Treatment injections (in duplicate) were as follows: control (100 μL of culture medium), wild type LF-89 strain (100 μL, 1 × 10 8 live bacteria), and antibiotic resistant strain Austral-005 (100 μL, 1 × 10 8 live bacteria). The fish were sampled at various time-points during the 35-day experimental period. The gene expression of TLRs (1, 5, and 8), NLRCs (3 and 5), C3, IL-1β, MHCII, and IgMs were significantly modulated during the experimental period in both the spleen and gut (excepting TLR1 and TLR8 spleen expressions), with tissue-specific expression profiles and punctual differences between the injected strains. Anti-P. salmonis antibodies increased in E. maclovinus serum from day 14-28 for the LF-89 strain and from day 14-35 for the Austral-005 strain. These results suggest temporal activation of the innate and adaptive immune responses in E. maclovinus tissues when injected by distinct P. salmonis strains. The Austral-005 strain did not always cause the greatest increases/decreases in the number of transcripts, so the magnitude of the observed immune response (mRNA) may not be related to antibiotic resistance. This is the first immunological study to relate a pathogen widely studied in salmonids with a native fish. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Noninvasive characterization of carotid plaque strain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Amir A; Sikdar, Siddhartha; Hatsukami, Thomas; Cebral, Juan; Jones, Michael; Huston, John; Howard, George; Lal, Brajesh K

    2017-06-01

    Current risk stratification of internal carotid artery plaques based on diameter-reducing percentage stenosis may be unreliable because ischemic stroke results from plaque disruption with atheroembolization. Biomechanical forces acting on the plaque may render it vulnerable to rupture. The feasibility of ultrasound-based quantification of plaque displacement and strain induced by hemodynamic forces and their relationship to high-risk plaques have not been determined. We studied the feasibility and reliability of carotid plaque strain measurement from clinical B-mode ultrasound images and the relationship of strain to high-risk plaque morphology. We analyzed carotid ultrasound B-mode cine loops obtained in patients with asymptomatic ≥50% stenosis during routine clinical scanning. Optical flow methods were used to quantify plaque motion and shear strain during the cardiac cycle. The magnitude (maximum absolute shear strain rate [MASSR]) and variability (entropy of shear strain rate [ESSR] and variance of shear strain rate [VSSR]) of strain were combined into a composite shear strain index (SSI), which was assessed for interscan repeatability and correlated with plaque echolucency. Nineteen patients (mean age, 70 years) constituting 36 plaques underwent imaging; 37% of patients (n = 7) showed high strain (SSI ≥0.5; MASSR, 2.2; ESSR, 39.7; VSSR, 0.03) in their plaques; the remaining clustered into a low-strain group (SSI routine B-mode imaging using clinical ultrasound machines. High plaque strain correlates with known high-risk echolucent morphology. Strain measurement can complement identification of patients at high risk for plaque disruption and stroke. Copyright © 2017 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Identification of multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates that are highly disruptive to the intestinal epithelial barrier

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shevchenko Olga

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa nosocomial infections are increasingly recognized worldwide. In this study, we focused on the virulence of multi-drug resistant clinical strains P. aeruginosa against the intestinal epithelial barrier, since P. aeruginosa can cause lethal sepsis from within the intestinal tract of critically ill and immuno-compromised patients via mechanisms involving disruption of epithelial barrier function. Methods We screened consecutively isolated multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa clinical strains for their ability to disrupt the integrity of human cultured intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2 and correlated these finding to related virulence phenotypes such as adhesiveness, motility, biofilm formation, and cytotoxicity. Results Results demonstrated that the majority of the multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa clinical strains were attenuated in their ability to disrupt the barrier function of cultured intestinal epithelial cells. Three distinct genotypes were found that displayed an extreme epithelial barrier-disrupting phenotype. These strains were characterized and found to harbor the exoU gene and to display high swimming motility and adhesiveness. Conclusion These data suggest that detailed phenotypic analysis of the behavior of multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa against the intestinal epithelium has the potential to identify strains most likely to place patients at risk for lethal gut-derived sepsis. Surveillance of colonizing strains of P. aeruginosa in critically ill patients beyond antibiotic sensitivity is warranted.

  4. Rapid diagnosis of Theileria annulata by recombinase polymerase amplification combined with a lateral flow strip (LF-RPA) in epidemic regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Fangyuan; Liu, Junlong; Liu, Aihong; Li, Youquan; Luo, Jianxun; Guan, Guiquan; Yin, Hong

    2017-04-15

    Rapid and accurate diagnosis of Theileria annulata infection contributes to the formulation of strategies to eradicate this parasite. A simple and efficient diagnostic tool, recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral flow (LF) strip, was used in detection of Theileria and compared to other methods that require expensive instruments and skilled personnel. Herein, we established and optimized an LF-RPA method to detect the cytochrome b gene of T. annulata mitochondrial DNA from experimentally infected and field-collected blood samples. This method has many unparalleled characteristics, including that it is rapid (clear detection in 5min at constant temperature), sensitive (the limitation of detection is at least 2pg genomic DNA), and specific (no cross-reaction with other piroplasms that infect cattle). The LF-RPA assay was evaluated via testing 17 field blood samples and comparing the results of that of a PCR, showing 100% agreement, which demonstrates the ability of the LF-RPA assay to detect T. annulata infections in small number of samples (n=17). Taken together, the results indicate that this method could be used as an ideal diagnostic tool for detecting T. annulata in endemic regions with limited to fewer and local resources and could also be a potential technique for the surveillance and control of blood protozoa. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. A statistical study on the effect of earthquakes on the ionosphere, based on the subionospheric LF propagation data in Japan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Maekawa

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available A superimposed epoch analysis has been undertaken, in order to find the correlation of the ionospheric perturbations with seismic activity. We take the wave path from the Japanese LF transmitter (frequency=40 kHz and an observing station of Kochi (wave path length of 770 km, and a much longer period (of five years than before, is considered. This subionospheric LF propagation can be called "an integrated measurement" in the sense that any earthquakes in the LF sensitive area just around the great-circle path can influence the observed LF signals, so that we define the "effective magnitude" (Meff by integrating the total energy from different earthquakes in the sensitive area on a current day and by converting it back into magnitude. A superimposed epoch analysis for the effective magnitude greater than 6.0 has yielded that the ionosphere is definitely disturbed in terms of both amplitude and dispersion, and that these perturbations tend to take place prior to an earthquake. The statistical z-test has also been performed, which has indicated that the amplitude is definitely depleted 2–6 days before the earthquake day and also that the dispersion is very much enhanced during the same period. This statistical study has given strong support to the existence of seismo-ionospheric perturbations for high seismic activity.

  6. Detection of ionospheric perturbations associated with Japanese earthquakes on the basis of reception of LF transmitter signals on the satellite DEMETER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Muto

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available There have been recently reported a lot of electromagnetic phenomena associated with earthquakes (EQs. Among these, the ground-based reception of subionospheric waves from VLF/LF transmitters, is recognized as a promising tool to investigate the ionospheric perturbations associated with EQs. This paper deals with the corresponding whistler-mode signals in the upper ionosphere from those VLF/LF transmitters, which is the counterpart of subionospheric signals. The whistler-mode VLF/LF transmitter signals are detected on board the French satellite, DEMETER launched on 29 June 2004. We have chosen several large Japanese EQs including the Miyagi-oki EQ (16 August 2005; M=7.2, depth=36 km, and the target transmitter is a Japanese LF transmitter (JJY whose transmitter frequency is 40 kHz. Due to large longitudinal separation of each satellite orbit (2500 km, we have to adopt a statistical analysis over a rather long period (such as 3 weeks or one month to have reliable data set. By analyzing the spatial distribution of JJY signal intensity (in the form of signal to noise ratio SNR during a period of 4 months including the Miyagi-oki EQ, we have found significant changes in the intensity; generally the SNR is significantly depleted before the EQ, which is considered to be a precursory ionospheric signature of the EQ. This abnormal effect is reasonably explained in terms of either (1 enhanced absorption of whistler-mode LF signals in the lower ionosphere due to the lowering of the lower ionosphere, or (2 nonlinear wave-wave scattering. Finally, this analysis suggests an important role of satellite observation in the study of lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling.

  7. Molecular breeding of the Mureka-non-forming sake koji mold from Aspergillus oryzae by the disruption of the mreA gene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubodera, Takafumi; Yamashita, Nobuo; Nishimura, Akira

    2003-01-01

    Mureka-non-forming sake koji molds were constructed from an Aspergillus oryzae industrial strain by the disruption of the mreA gene using a host-vector system with the ptrA gene as a dominant selectable marker. All of the mreA gene disruptants obtained retained the advantages of the host strain in terms of the brewing characteristics, while their isoamyl alcohol oxidase (IAAOD) activities were significantly lower than that of the host strain. Sake brewing was successfully carried out using the koji prepared with the disruptants, followed by storage of the resultant non-pasteurized sake (nama-shu). The isovaleraldehyde (i-Val) concentration in the sake brewed the host strain increased rapidly and reached the threshold values for mureka, 1.8 ppm and 2.6 ppm after storage at 20 degrees C for 42 d and 63 d, respectively, while those of the disruptants were less than 0.5 ppm even after storage at 20 degrees C or 30 degrees C for 63 d. In the sensory evaluation of the sake stored at 20 degrees C or 30 degrees C for 63 d, all members of the panel recognized the strong mureka flavor of the sake brewed with the host strain, while they did not detect this flavor in the sake brewed with the disruptants. Thus, we concluded that the mreA gene disruptants can be used for the production of sake in which mureka is not formed.

  8. A new type of gene-disruption cassette with a rescue gene for Pichia pastoris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shibui, Tatsuro; Hara, Hiroyoshi

    2017-09-01

    Pichia pastoris has been used for the production of many recombinant proteins, and many useful mutant strains have been created. However, the efficiency of mutant isolation by gene-targeting is usually low and the procedure is difficult for those inexperienced in yeast genetics. In order to overcome these issues, we developed a new gene-disruption system with a rescue gene using an inducible Cre/mutant-loxP system. With only short homology regions, the gene-disruption cassette of the system replaces its target-gene locus containing a mutation with a compensatory rescue gene. As the cassette contains the AOX1 promoter-driven Cre gene, when targeted strains are grown on media containing methanol, the DNA fragment, i.e., the marker, rescue and Cre genes, between the mutant-loxP sequences in the cassette is excised, leaving only the remaining mutant-loxP sequence in the genome, and consequently a target gene-disrupted mutant can be isolated. The system was initially validated on ADE2 gene disruption, where the disruption can easily be detected by color-change of the colonies. Then, the system was applied for knocking-out URA3 and OCH1 genes, reported to be difficult to accomplish by conventional gene-targeting methods. All three gene-disruption cassettes with their rescue genes replaced their target genes, and the Cre/mutant-loxP system worked well to successfully isolate their knock-out mutants. This study identified a new gene-disruption system that could be used to effectively and strategically knock out genes of interest, especially whose deletion is detrimental to growth, without using special strains, e.g., deficient in nonhomologous end-joining, in P. pastoris. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:1201-1208, 2017. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  9. CRISPR–Cas system enables fast and simple genome editing of industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stovicek, Vratislav; Borodina, Irina; Förster, Jochen

    2015-01-01

    , their genetic manipulation is challenging, as they are usually diploid or polyploid. Therefore, there is a need to develop more efficient genetic engineering tools. We applied a CRISPR–Cas9 system for genome editing of different industrial strains, and show simultaneous disruption of two alleles of a gene...... in several unrelated strains with the efficiency ranging between 65% and 78%. We also achieved simultaneous disruption and knock-in of a reporter gene, and demonstrate the applicability of the method by designing lactic acid-producing strains in a single transformation event, where insertion...... of a heterologous gene and disruption of two endogenous genes occurred simultaneously. Our study provides a foundation for efficient engineering of industrial yeast cell factories....

  10. Random insertion and gene disruption via transposon mutagenesis of Ureaplasma parvum using a mini-transposon plasmid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aboklaish, Ali F; Dordet-Frisoni, Emilie; Citti, Christine; Toleman, Mark A; Glass, John I; Spiller, O Brad

    2014-11-01

    While transposon mutagenesis has been successfully used for Mycoplasma spp. to disrupt and determine non-essential genes, previous attempts with Ureaplasma spp. have been unsuccessful. Using a polyethylene glycol-transformation enhancing protocol, we were able to transform three separate serovars of Ureaplasma parvum with a Tn4001-based mini-transposon plasmid containing a gentamicin resistance selection marker. Despite the large degree of homology between Ureaplasma parvum and Ureaplasma urealyticum, all attempts to transform the latter in parallel failed, with the exception of a single clinical U. urealyticum isolate. PCR probing and sequencing were used to confirm transposon insertion into the bacterial genome and identify disrupted genes. Transformation of prototype serovar 3 consistently resulted in transfer only of sequence between the mini-transposon inverted repeats, but some strains showed additional sequence transfer. Transposon insertion occurred randomly in the genome resulting in unique disruption of genes UU047, UU390, UU440, UU450, UU520, UU526, UU582 for single clones from a panel of screened clones. An intergenic insertion between genes UU187 and UU188 was also characterised. Two phenotypic alterations were observed in the mutated strains: Disruption of a DEAD-box RNA helicase (UU582) altered growth kinetics, while the U. urealyticum strain lost resistance to serum attack coincident with disruption of gene UUR10_137 and loss of expression of a 41 kDa protein. Transposon mutagenesis was used successfully to insert single copies of a mini-transposon into the genome and disrupt genes leading to phenotypic changes in Ureaplasma parvum strains. This method can now be used to deliver exogenous genes for expression and determine essential genes for Ureaplasma parvum replication in culture and experimental models. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  11. The Ionospheric Precursor to the 2011 March 11 Earthquake Based upon Observations Obtained from the Japan-Pacific Subionospheric VLF/LF Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masashi Hayakawa

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available By using network observation of subionospheric VLF (very low frequency/LF (low frequency signals in Japan and in Russia, we have found a significant ionospheric perturbation prior to the recent 2011 March 11 Japan earthquake (EQ which occurred at sea proximate to the Tohoku area on the main island (Honshu of Japan was an exceptionally huge plate-type EQ. A remarkable anomaly (with a decrease in the nighttime amplitude and also with enhancement in dispersion was detected on March 5 and 6 along the propagation path from the NLK (Seattle, USA transmitter to Chofu (together with Kochi and Kasugai. We also have observed the corresponding VLF anomaly during a prolonged period of March 1 - 6, with minima in the nighttime amplitude on March 3 and 4 along the path from JJI (Miyazaki, Kyushu to Kamchatka, Russia. This ionospheric perturbation has been discussed extensively with respect to its reliability. (1 How abnormal is this VLF/LF propagation anomaly? (2 What was the temporal evolution of terminator times? (3 Were there any solar-terrestrial effects (especially the effect from geomagnetic storms on the VLF/LF propagation anomaly? (4 The effect of any other EQs and foreshock activities on the VLF/LF anomaly? (5 Were there any correlations with other related phenomena? Finally, (6 are there any other examples of a VLF/LF propagation anomaly for oceanic EQs? We then compared the temporal properties of ionospheric perturbations for this EQ with those of a huge number of inland EQs and compared the corresponding spatial scale with the former result of the same oceanic 2004 Sumatra EQ with nearly the same magnitude. Finally, the generation mechanism of those seismo-ionospheric perturbations is briefly discussed.

  12. Sleep disruption in hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients: prevalence, severity, and clinical management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jim, Heather S L; Evans, Bryan; Jeong, Jiyeon M; Gonzalez, Brian D; Johnston, Laura; Nelson, Ashley M; Kesler, Shelli; Phillips, Kristin M; Barata, Anna; Pidala, Joseph; Palesh, Oxana

    2014-10-01

    Sleep disruption is common among hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients, with over 50% of recipients experiencing sleep disruption pre-transplant, with up to 82% of patients experiencing moderate to severe sleep disruption during hospitalization for transplant and up to 43% after transplant. These rates of sleep disruption are substantially higher than what we see in the general population. Although sleep disruption can be distressing to patients and contribute to diminished quality of life, it is rarely discussed during clinical visits. The goal of the current review is to draw attention to sleep disruption and disorders (ie, insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome) as a clinical problem in HCT in order to facilitate patient education, intervention, and research. We identified 35 observational studies published in the past decade that examined sleep disruption or disorders in HCT. Most studies utilized a single item measure of sleep, had small sample size, and included heterogeneous samples of patients. Six studies of the effects of psychosocial and exercise interventions on sleep in HCT have reported no significant improvements. These results highlight the need for rigorous observational and interventional studies of sleep disruption and disorders in HCT recipients.. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. All rights reserved.

  13. Disruption of Trichoderma reesei cre2, encoding an ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase, results in increased cellulase activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina) is an important source of cellulases for use in the textile and alternative fuel industries. To fully understand the regulation of cellulase production in T. reesei, the role of a gene known to be involved in carbon regulation in Aspergillus nidulans, but unstudied in T. reesei, was investigated. Results The T. reesei orthologue of the A. nidulans creB gene, designated cre2, was identified and shown to be functional through heterologous complementation of a creB mutation in A. nidulans. A T. reesei strain was constructed using gene disruption techniques that contained a disrupted cre2 gene. This strain, JKTR2-6, exhibited phenotypes similar to the A. nidulans creB mutant strain both in carbon catabolite repressing, and in carbon catabolite derepressing conditions. Importantly, the disruption also led to elevated cellulase levels. Conclusions These results demonstrate that cre2 is involved in cellulase expression. Since the disruption of cre2 increases the amount of cellulase activity, without severe morphological affects, targeting creB orthologues for disruption in other industrially useful filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus oryzae, Trichoderma harzianum or Aspergillus niger may also lead to elevated hydrolytic enzyme activity in these species. PMID:22070776

  14. Disruption of Trichoderma reesei cre2, encoding an ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase, results in increased cellulase activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denton Jai A

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina is an important source of cellulases for use in the textile and alternative fuel industries. To fully understand the regulation of cellulase production in T. reesei, the role of a gene known to be involved in carbon regulation in Aspergillus nidulans, but unstudied in T. reesei, was investigated. Results The T. reesei orthologue of the A. nidulans creB gene, designated cre2, was identified and shown to be functional through heterologous complementation of a creB mutation in A. nidulans. A T. reesei strain was constructed using gene disruption techniques that contained a disrupted cre2 gene. This strain, JKTR2-6, exhibited phenotypes similar to the A. nidulans creB mutant strain both in carbon catabolite repressing, and in carbon catabolite derepressing conditions. Importantly, the disruption also led to elevated cellulase levels. Conclusions These results demonstrate that cre2 is involved in cellulase expression. Since the disruption of cre2 increases the amount of cellulase activity, without severe morphological affects, targeting creB orthologues for disruption in other industrially useful filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus oryzae, Trichoderma harzianum or Aspergillus niger may also lead to elevated hydrolytic enzyme activity in these species.

  15. Male Mating Competitiveness of a Wolbachia-Introgressed Aedes polynesiensis Strain under Semi-Field Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bossin, Hervé; Dobson, Stephen L.

    2011-01-01

    Background Lymphatic filariasis (LF), a global public health problem affecting approximately 120 million people worldwide, is a leading cause of disability in the developing world including the South Pacific. Despite decades of ongoing mass drug administration (MDA) in the region, some island nations have not yet achieved the threshold levels of microfilaremia established by the World Health Organization for eliminating transmission. Previously, the generation of a novel Aedes polynesiensis strain (CP) infected with an exogenous type of Wolbachia has been described. The CP mosquito is cytoplasmically incompatible (i.e., effectively sterile) when mated with wildtype mosquitoes, and a strategy was proposed for the control of A. polynesiensis populations by repeated, inundative releases of CP males to disrupt fertility of wild females. Such a strategy could lead to suppression of the vector population and subsequently lead to a reduction in the transmission of filarial worms. Methodology/Principal Findings CP males and F1 male offspring from wild-caught A. polynesiensis females exhibit near equal mating competitiveness with F1 females under semi-field conditions. Conclusions/Significance While laboratory experiments are important, prior projects have demonstrated the need for additional testing under semi-field conditions in order to recognize problems before field implementation. The results reported here from semi-field experiments encourage forward progression toward small-scale field releases. PMID:21829750

  16. Chemical characterization of Xanthan biopolymers synthesized by Xanthomonas campestris pv pruni strains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreira, Angelita da S.; Vendruscolo, Claire T.; Furlan, Ligia; Galland, Griselda

    2001-01-01

    In this work we describe the characterisation of Xanthan biopolymers synthesized by two Xanthomonas campestris pv pruni strains, in aerobic fermentation. By chromatography on TLC we could notice the presence of Mannose monomer in higher proportion in the 82 strain with relation to the another ones. The viscosity results showed the temperature dependence. The 06 and 82 strains had their viscosity increased whereas for the 87 strain we could observe a reduction with temperature increasing. The 13 C NMR spectrum of 87 strain showed the characteristic signals at approximately 92.8, 70.4 and 61.4 ppm, attributed to C1, C4 and C6 from glucose monomer, with higher intensity. (author)

  17. Technological, rheological and sensory characterizations of a yogurt containing an exopolysaccharide extract from Lactobacillus fermentum Lf2, a new food additive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ale, Elisa C; Perezlindo, Marcos J; Pavón, Yanina; Peralta, Guillermo H; Costa, Silvia; Sabbag, Nora; Bergamini, Carina; Reinheimer, Jorge A; Binetti, Ana G

    2016-12-01

    Lactobacillus fermentum Lf2, an autochthonous strain isolated as a non starter culture in Cremoso cheese, produces high EPS levels (~1g/L) in optimized conditions (SDM broth, pH6.0, 30°C, 72h). Technological (texture profile and rheological analysis) and sensory properties of non-fat yogurts with 300 and 600mg EPS/L were studied at 3 and 25days after manufacture. Yogurts with different EPS concentrations showed higher hardness values than the control group at both periods of time, being the only significant difference that remained stable during time. The consistency index was also higher for the treated samples at both times evaluated, being significantly different for samples with 300mg/L of EPS extract, while the flow behavior index was lower for EPS-added yogurts. The thixotropic index was lower (Psensory analysis, those yogurts with 600mg/L of EPS extract presented the highest values of consistency at 3days of storage. No considerable differences for defects (milk powder, acid, bitter and cooked milk flavors) were perceived between treated and control samples at both times evaluated. Syneresis was also studied and samples with 600mg/L of EPS extract presented the lowest syneresis values at 25days of storage, which considerably decreased with the time of storage. In conclusion, the EPS from L. fermentum Lf2, used as an additive, provided yogurt with creamy consistency and increased hardness, without the presence of unwanted defects and improving the water holding capacity of the product. All the analysis done showed the potential of this extract to be used as a technofunctional natural ingredient, and it should be considered its positive impact on health, according to previous studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. In trans complementation of lethal factor reveal roles in colonization and dissemination in a murine mouse model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David E Lowe

    Full Text Available Lethal factor (LF is a component of the B. anthracis exotoxin and critical for pathogenesis. The roles of LF in early anthrax pathogenesis, such as colonization and dissemination from the initial site of infection, are poorly understood. In mice models of infection, LF-deficient strains either have altered dissemination patterns or do not colonize, precluding analysis of the role of LF in colonization and dissemination from the portal of entry. Previous reports indicate rabbit and guinea pig models infected with LF-deficient strains have decreased virulence, yet the inability to use bioluminescent imaging techniques to track B. anthracis growth and dissemination in these hosts makes analysis of early pathogenesis challenging. In this study, the roles of LF early in infection were analyzed using bioluminescent signature tagged libraries of B. anthracis with varying ratios of LF-producing and LF-deficient clones. Populations where all clones produced LF and populations where only 40% of clones produce LF were equally virulent. The 40% LF-producing clones trans complimented the LF mutants and permitted them to colonize and disseminate. Decreases of the LF producing strains to 10% or 0.3% of the population led to increased host survival and decreased trans complementation of the LF mutants. A library with 10% LF producing clones could replicate and disseminate, but fewer clones disseminated and the mutant clones were less competitive than wild type. The inoculum with 0.3% LF producing clones could not colonize the host. This strongly suggests that between 10% and 0.3% of the population must produce LF in order to colonize. In total, these findings suggest that a threshold of LF must be produced in order for colonization and dissemination to occur in vivo. These observations suggest that LF has a major role in the early stages of colonization and dissemination.

  19. The BDGP gene disruption project: Single transposon insertions associated with 40 percent of Drosophila genes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bellen, Hugo J.; Levis, Robert W.; Liao, Guochun; He, Yuchun; Carlson, Joseph W.; Tsang, Garson; Evans-Holm, Martha; Hiesinger, P. Robin; Schulze, Karen L.; Rubin, Gerald M.; Hoskins, Roger A.; Spradling, Allan C.

    2004-01-13

    The Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project (BDGP) strives to disrupt each Drosophila gene by the insertion of a single transposable element. As part of this effort, transposons in more than 30,000 fly strains were localized and analyzed relative to predicted Drosophila gene structures. Approximately 6,300 lines that maximize genomic coverage were selected to be sent to the Bloomington Stock Center for public distribution, bringing the size of the BDGP gene disruption collection to 7,140 lines. It now includes individual lines predicted to disrupt 5,362 of the 13,666 currently annotated Drosophila genes (39 percent). Other lines contain an insertion at least 2 kb from others in the collection and likely mutate additional incompletely annotated or uncharacterized genes and chromosomal regulatory elements. The remaining strains contain insertions likely to disrupt alternative gene promoters or to allow gene mis-expression. The expanded BDGP gene disruption collection provides a public resource that will facilitate the application of Drosophila genetics to diverse biological problems. Finally, the project reveals new insight into how transposons interact with a eukaryotic genome and helps define optimal strategies for using insertional mutagenesis as a genomic tool.

  20. Identification of a 34 kDa protein altered in the LF-1 mutant as the herbicide-binding D1 protein of photosystem II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metz, J.; Pakrasi, H.; Seibert, M.; Arntzen, C.

    1986-01-01

    The LF-1 mutant of Scenedesmus has a complete block on the oxidizing side of its PSII reaction center. However, the reaction center as well as the reducing side of PSII is fully functional in this mutant. Compared to the wildtype (WT) the only detected protein difference in the PSII complex of LF-1 is the change in mobility of a 34 kDa protein to 36 kDa. This protein has been implicated to have a major role in Mn-binding and water-oxidation. The authors have recently shown that photoaffinity labeling of thylakoids with azido-[ 14 C]-atrazine tags the 34 kDa protein in WT and the 36 kDa protein in LF-1. It has been shown that the azido-atrazine labeled protein, called D1, functions in herbicide binding and Q/sub A/ to Q/sub B/ electron transfer on the reducing side of PSII. Polyclonal antibodies directed against the D1 protein of Amaranthus hybridus (Ohad, et al., EMBOJ 1985) were found to recognize the Scenedesmus 34 kDa (WT) and 36 kDa (LF-1) proteins. The implied dual function for the D1 protein on the reducing as well as the oxidizing side of PSII reaction center will be discussed

  1. Variations of the VLF/LF signals during seismic activity in Japan in November 2016

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozhnoi, Alexander; Solovieva, Maria; Levin, Boris; Chebrov, Danila; Hayakawa, Masashi; Fedun, Viktor

    2017-04-01

    The measurements of the very low and low frequency (VLF/LF) signals at the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk stations were used for the analysis in connection with two underwater earthquakes which occurred near Japan in November 2016. The first earthquake with M=6.1 (depth 42 km) happened on 11 November. The second earthquake was recorded on 21 November with M=6.9 (depth 11 km) and had series of aftershocks with M up to 5.6 (USGS/NEIC). The significant negative nighttime amplitude anomalies were found for two sub-ionospheric paths: NWC-Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and JJY-Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk during about a week in case of the first earthquake. The anomalies of signal in the path JJY-Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky were observed during 4-5 days before the second earthquake and during 3 days after it. Taking into account the possible influence of other factors which can produce perturbations in VLF/LF signals (geomagnetic storm, proton burst and the relativistic electron fluxes, as well as atmospheric parameters), also using control paths, we may conclude that observed anomalies very likely were caused by impending earthquakes.

  2. Further enhanced production of heterologous proteins by double-gene disruption (ΔAosedD ΔAovps10) in a hyper-producing mutant of Aspergillus oryzae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Lin; Maruyama, Jun-ichi; Kitamoto, Katsuhiko

    2013-07-01

    The filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae is used as one of the most favored hosts for heterologous protein production due to its ability to secrete large amounts of proteins into the culture medium. We previously generated a hyper-producing mutant strain of A. oryzae, AUT1, which produced 3.2- and 2.6-fold higher levels of bovine chymosin (CHY) and human lysozyme (HLY), respectively, compared with the wild-type strain. However, further enhancement of heterologous protein production by multiple gene disruption is difficult because of the low gene-targeting efficiency in strain AUT1. Here, we disrupted the ligD gene, which is involved in nonhomologous recombination, and the pyrG gene to create uridine/uracil auxotrophy in strain AUT1, to generate a hyper-producing mutant applicable to pyrG marker recycling with highly efficient gene targeting. We generated single and double disruptants of the tripeptidyl peptidase gene AosedD and vacuolar sorting receptor gene Aovps10 in the hyper-producing mutant background, and found that all disruptants showed significant increases in heterologous protein production. Particularly, double disruption of the Aovps10 and AosedD genes increased the production levels of CHY and HLY by 1.6- and 2.1-fold, respectively, compared with the parental strain. Thus, we successfully generated a fungal host for further enhancing the heterologous protein production ability by combining mutational and molecular breeding techniques.

  3. Subionospheric VLF/LF radio waves propagation characteristics before, during and after the Sofia, Bulgaria Mw=5.6 earthquake occurred on 22 May 2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moldovan, Iren Adelina; Emilian Toader, Victorin; Nenovski, Petko; Biagi, Pier Francesco; Maggipinto, Tommaso; Septimiu Moldovan, Adrian; Ionescu, Constantin

    2013-04-01

    In 2009, INFREP, a network of VLF (20-60 kHz) and LF (150-300 kHz) radio receivers, was put into operation in Europe having as principal goal, the study of disturbances produced by the earthquakes on the propagation properties of these signals. On May 22nd, 2012 an earthquake with Mw=567 occurred in Bulgaria, near Sofia, inside the "sensitive" area of the INFREP VLF/LF electromagnetic network. The data collected on different frequencies, during April-May 2012 were studied using different methods of analysis: daily correlation methods, spectral approaches and terminator time techniques, in order to find out possible connections between the seismic activity and the subionospheric propagation properties of radio waves. The studies were performed with the help of a specially designed LabVIEW application, which accesses the VLF/LF receiver through internet. This program opens the receiver's web-page and automatically retrieves the list of data files to synchronize the user-side data with the receiver's data. Missing zipped files are also automatically downloaded. The application performs primary, statistical correlation and spectral analysis, appends daily files into monthly and annual files and performs 3D colour-coded maps with graphic representations of VLF and LF signals' intensities versus the minute-of-the-day and the day-of-the-month, facilitating a near real-time observation of VLF and LF electromagnetic waves' propagation. Another feature of the software is the correlation of the daily recorded files for the studied frequencies by overlaying the 24 hours radio activity and taking into account the sunrise and sunset. Data are individually processed (spectral power, correlations, differentiation, filtered using bandpass, lowpass, highpass). JTFA spectrograms (Cone-Shaped Distribution CSD, Gabor, Wavelet, short-time Fourier transform STFT, Wigner-Ville Distribution WVD, Choi-Williams Distribution CWD) are used, too.

  4. Evaluation of blood--brain barrier permeability changes in rhesus monkeys and man using 82Rb and positron emission tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yen, C.K.; Budinger, T.F.

    1981-01-01

    Dynamic positron tomography of the brain with 82 Rb, obtained from a portable generator [ 82 Sr (25 days) -- 82 Rb (76 sec)], provides a means of studying blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in physiological and clinical investigations. The BBB in rhesus monkeys was opened unilaterally by intracarotid infusion of 3 M urea. This osmotic barrier opening allowed entry into the brain of intravenously administered rubidium chloride. The BBB opening was demonstrated noninvasively using 82 Rb and positron emission tomography and corroborated by the accumulation of 86 Rb in tissue samples. Positron emission tomography studies can be repeated every 5 min and indicate that dynamic tomography or static imaging can be used to study BBB permeability changes induced by a wide variety of noxious stimuli. Brain tumors in human subjects are readily detected because of the usual BBB permeability disruption in and around the tumors

  5. Effect of LF 16-0687MS, a new nonpeptide bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist, in a rat model of closed head trauma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruneau, D; Chorny, I; Benkovitz, V; Artru, A; Roitblat, L; Shapira, Y

    1999-11-01

    Bradykinin is an endogenous nonapeptide which potently dilates the cerebral vasculature and markedly increases vascular permeability. These effects are mediated by B2 receptors located on the vascular endothelium. Previous experimental studies have shown that blockade of the kallikreinkinin system, which mediates the formation of bradykinin, afforded a reduction of the brain edema that developed following a cryogenic cortical lesion. In the present study, we investigated the effect of LF 16-0687MS, a novel nonpeptide B2 receptor antagonist, on cerebral edema and neurological severity score (NSS) after closed head injury to rats. LF 16-0687MS or its vehicle (NaCl 0.9%) was continuously infused at 10, 30, and 100 microg/kg/min over 23 h starting 1 h after a focal trauma to the left hemisphere was induced using a weight-drop device. The extent of edema formation was evaluated 24 h after trauma from left and right hemispheres samples by measurement of specific gravity and water content. In a separate study, a neurological severity score based on scoring of behavioural and motor functions was evaluated 1 h and over 1 week after trauma. LF 16-0687MS at 100 microg/kg/min markedly reduced the development of brain edema as indicated by a 68% increase in specific gravity (p<0.05) and a 64% decrease of water content (p<0.05) in the left hemisphere. In addition the recovery of neurological function was significantly improved by 100 microg/kg/min LF 16-0687MS from day 3 to day 7 after CHT. In a separate experiment, we also showed that LF 16-0687MS at 100 microg/kg/min given either 1 h before or 30 min after CHT did not affect mean arterial blood pressure. These results show that blockade of bradykinin B2 receptors is an effective approach to reduce cerebral edema and to improve neurological outcome after a focal contusion to the cranium.

  6. Tidal disruption of white dwarfs by intermediate mass black holes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bode T.

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Modeling ultra-close encounters between a white dwarf and a spinning, intermediate mass black hole requires a full general relativistic treatment of gravity. This paper summarizes results from such a study. Our results show that the disruption process and prompt accretion of the debris strongly depend on the magnitude and orientation of the black hole spin. On the other hand, the late-time accretion onto the black hole follows the same decay, Ṁ ∝  t−5/3, estimated from Newtonian gravity disruption studies. The spectrum of the fallback material peaks in the soft X-rays and sustains Eddington luminosity for 1–3 yrs after the disruption. The orientation of the black hole spin has also a profound effect on how the outflowing debris obscures the central region. The disruption produces a burst of gravitational radiation with characteristic frequencies of ∼3.2 Hz and strain amplitudes of ∼10−18 for galactic intermediate mass black holes.

  7. Measurement of LF Standard-Frequency Waves JJY along the track of Shirase, the Japanese Antarctic Research Icebreaker, during JARE53-JARE54

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitauchi, H.; Nozaki, K.; Ito, H.; Tsuchiya, S.; Imamura, K.; Nagatsuma, T.

    2013-12-01

    We first obtained a strong evidence of reception of the low frequency (LF) radio waves, 40 kHz and 60 kHz, of the call sign JJY by use of a newly developed, highly sensitive receiving system on board the Japanese Antarctic research icebreaker Shirase offshore East Ongul Island, East Antarctica--about 14,000 km away from those transmitting stations in Japan. The measured data sets of the electric field intensity and phase of those signals are to be analysed to examine and/or improve numerical prediction methods of field strength for long-distance propagation of LF radio waves, contributing to the Recommendation 'Prediction of field strength at frequencies below about 150 kHz' made by International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R). The call sign JJY of standard frequency and time signals (SFTS) of LF 40 kHz and 60 kHz are emitted from the transmitting stations, respectively, Ohtakadoya-yama 37° 22‧ 21″ N, 140° 50‧ 56″ E in Fukushima Prefecture (eastern Japan) and Hagane-yama 33° 27‧ 56″ N, 130° 10‧ 32″ E in Saga/Fukuoka Prefecture (western Japan) by NICT. Those are widely used for calibrating frequency standard oscillators and radio-controlled clocks in Japan. Since low signal attenuation in LF radio band allows long distance communication, kilometre waves have been utilized for operations such as SFTS and military communications around the world. Therefore, there is a need to give guidance to engineers for the planning of radio services in LF band so as to avoid interference. ITU-R recommends the guidance 'Prediction of field strength at frequencies below about 150 kHz', in which a numerical prediction method is proposed to compute the electric field intensity, up to 16,000 km of long-distance propagation, away from the transmitting station. Since reliable data sets are limited for the long-distance propagation, in this study we tried to measure the field strength and phase of the LF SFTS JJY of 40 kHz and 60 kHz over 14

  8. Hypothesis: Low frequency heart rate variability (LF-HRV) is an input for undisclosed yet biological adaptive control, governing the cardiovascular regulations to assure optimal functioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabbay, Uri; Bobrovsky, Ben Zion

    2012-02-01

    Cardiovascular regulation is considered today as having three levels: autoregulations, neural regulations and hormonal regulations. We hypothesize that the cardiovascular regulation has an additional (fourth) control level which is outer, hierarchical (adaptive) loop where LF-HRV amplitude serves as a reference input which the neural cardiovascular center detects and responses in order to maintain LF-HRV around some prescribed level. Supporting evidences: LF-HRV absence during artificial cardiac pacing may be associated with "pacemaker syndrome" which had not been sufficiently understood regardless of apparently unimpaired cardiovascular performance. The hypothesis may provide an essential basis for understanding several cardiovascular morbidities and insight toward diagnostic measures and treatments (including but not limited to adding variability to the pulse generator of artificial pacemakers to eliminate "pace maker syndrome"). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. DNA barcoding discriminates the noxious invasive species, floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f.), from non-invasive relatives

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wiel, van de C.C.M.; Schoot, van der J.; Valkenburg, van J.L.C.H.; Duistermaat, H.; Smulders, M.J.M.

    2009-01-01

    Floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f.), a member of the plant family Araliaceae originating from North America, is an example of an invasive aquatic species posing serious problems to the management of waterways outside of its original distribution area in Australia and Western Europe.

  10. Proteomic Analysis of Anti-Cancerous Scopularide Production by a Marine Microascus brevicaulis Strain and Its UV Mutant

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kramer, Annemarie; Beck, Hans Christian; Kumar, Abhishek

    2015-01-01

    The marine fungus Microascus brevicaulis strain LF580 is a non-model secondary metabolite producer with high yields of the two secondary metabolites scopularides A and B, which exhibit distinct activities against tumour cell lines. A mutant strain was obtained using UV mutagenesis, showing faster...... for optimisation on strain and process level. The linkage between nutrient limitation and pellet formation in the non-model fungus M. brevicaulis is in consensus with the knowledge on model organisms like Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum....... growth and differences in pellet formation besides higher production levels. Here, we show the first proteome study of a marine fungus. Comparative proteomics were applied to gain deeper understanding of the regulation of production and of the physiology of the wild type strain and its mutant...... in the mutant strain: 189 were down- and 129 upregulated. Proteomics are a powerful tool for the understanding of regulatory aspects: The differences on proteome level could be attributed to limited nutrient availability in the wild type strain due to a strong pellet formation. This information can be applied...

  11. Canthaxanthin production with modified Mucor circinelloides strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papp, Tamás; Csernetics, Arpád; Nagy, Gábor; Bencsik, Ottó; Iturriaga, Enrique A; Eslava, Arturo P; Vágvölgyi, Csaba

    2013-06-01

    Canthaxanthin is a natural diketo derivative of β-carotene primarily used by the food and feed industries. Mucor circinelloides is a β-carotene-accumulating zygomycete fungus and one of the model organisms to study the carotenoid biosynthesis in fungi. In this study, the β-carotene ketolase gene (crtW) of the marine bacterium Paracoccus sp. N81106 fused with fungal promoter and terminator regions was integrated into the M. circinelloides genome to construct stable canthaxanthin-producing strains. Different transformation methods including polyethylene glycol-mediated transformation with linear DNA fragments, restriction enzyme-mediated integration and Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation were tested to integrate the crtW gene into the Mucor genome. Mitotic stability, site of integration and copy number of the transferred genes were analysed in the transformants, and several stable strains containing the crtW gene in high copy number were isolated. Carotenoid composition of selected transformants and effect of culturing conditions, such as temperature, carbon sources and application of certain additives in the culturing media, on their carotenoid content were analysed. Canthaxanthin-producing transformants were able to survive at higher growth temperature than the untransformed strain, maybe due to the effect of canthaxanthin on the membrane fluidity and integrity. With the application of glucose, trehalose, dihydroxyacetone and L-aspartic acid as sole carbon sources in minimal medium, the crtW-expressing M. circinelloides strain, MS12+pCA8lf/1, produced more than 200 μg/g (dry mass) of canthaxanthin.

  12. CRISPR–Cas system enables fast and simple genome editing of industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vratislav Stovicek

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available There is a demand to develop 3rd generation biorefineries that integrate energy production with the production of higher value chemicals from renewable feedstocks. Here, robust and stress-tolerant industrial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae will be suitable production organisms. However, their genetic manipulation is challenging, as they are usually diploid or polyploid. Therefore, there is a need to develop more efficient genetic engineering tools. We applied a CRISPR–Cas9 system for genome editing of different industrial strains, and show simultaneous disruption of two alleles of a gene in several unrelated strains with the efficiency ranging between 65% and 78%. We also achieved simultaneous disruption and knock-in of a reporter gene, and demonstrate the applicability of the method by designing lactic acid-producing strains in a single transformation event, where insertion of a heterologous gene and disruption of two endogenous genes occurred simultaneously. Our study provides a foundation for efficient engineering of industrial yeast cell factories. Keywords: CRISPR–Cas9, Genome editing, Industrial yeast, Biorefineries, Chemical production

  13. A Role for the RNA Chaperone Hfq in Controlling Adherent-Invasive Escherichia coli Colonization and Virulence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Simonsen, Karina T; Nielsen, Gorm; Bjerrum, Janni Vester

    2011-01-01

    strain LF82 forms a persistent infection in C. elegans, thereby reducing the host lifespan significantly. This host killing phenotype was associated with massive bacterial colonization of the nematode intestine and damage to the intestinal epithelial surface. C. elegans killing was independent of known...... to and subsequent invasion of the intestinal epithelium coupled with its ability to survive phagocytosis by macrophages once it has crossed the intestinal barrier. To gain further insight into AIEC pathogenesis we employed the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as an in vivo infection model. We demonstrate that AIEC...

  14. Role of UV-inducible proteins in repair of various wild-type Escherichia coli cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sedliakova, M.; Slezarikova, V.; Brozmanova, J.; Masek, F.; Bayerova, V.

    1980-01-01

    3 wild-type strains of E. coli, namely K12 AB2497, B/r WP2 and 15 555-7, proficient in excision and post-replication repair, differ markedly in their UV resistance. To elucidate this difference, the influence was investigated of induction by application of inducing fluence (IF) before lethal fluence (LF) on repair processes after LF. In cells distinguished by low UV resistance (E. coli 15 555-7; E. coli B/r WP2), dimer excision was less complete in cultures irradiated with IF + LF than in cultures irradiated with LF only. The highly resistant E. coli K12 AB2497 performed complete excision both after IF + LF or after LF alone. All 3 types of cell survived better after IF + LF than after LF only. Because, in most strains so far investigated, the application of IF reduced dimer excision and increased survival, dimer excision per se does not appear important for survival. We conclude that the rate and completeness of dimer excision can serve as a measure of efficiency of the excision system whose action is necessary for repair of another lesion. Cells of all investigated strains could not resume DNA replication and died progressively when irradiated with LF and post-incubated with chloramphenicol (LF CAP + ). Thus, it appears that inducible proteins are necessary for repair in all wild-type E. coli cells given with potentially lethal doses of UV irradiation. (orig.)

  15. Phagocytosis and Epithelial Cell Invasion by Crohn’s Disease-Associated Adherent-Invasive Escherichia coli Are Inhibited by the Anti-inflammatory Drug 6-Mercaptopurine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federica Migliore

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC strains are overrepresented in the dysbiotic microbiota of Crohn’s disease (CD patients, and contribute to the onset of the chronic inflammation typical of the disease. However, the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs used for CD treatment on AIEC virulence have not yet been investigated. In this report, we show that exposure of AIEC LF82 strain to amino-6-mercaptopurine (6-MP riboside, one of the most widely used anti-inflammatory drugs in CD, impairs its ability to adhere to, and consequently to invade, human epithelial cells. Notably, phagocytosis of LF82 treated with 6-MP by human macrophages is also reduced, suggesting that 6-MP affects AIEC cell surface determinants involved both in interaction with epithelial cells and in uptake by macrophages. Since a main target of 6-MP in bacterial cells is the inhibition of the important signal molecule c-di-GMP, we also tested whether perturbations in cAMP, another major signaling pathway in E. coli, might have similar effects on interactions with human cells. To this aim, we grew LF82 in the presence of glucose, which leads to inhibition of cAMP synthesis. Growth in glucose-supplemented medium resulted in a reduction in AIEC adhesion to epithelial cells and uptake by macrophages. Consistent with these results, both 6-MP and glucose can affect expression of cell adhesion-related genes, such as the csg genes, encoding thin aggregative fimbriae (curli. In addition, glucose strongly inhibits expression of the fim operon, encoding type 1 pili, a known AIEC determinant for adhesion to human cells. To further investigate whether 6-MP can indeed inhibit c-di-GMP signaling in AIEC, we performed biofilm and motility assays and determination of extracellular polysaccharides. 6-MP clearly affected biofilm formation and cellulose production, but also, unexpectedly, reduced cell motility, itself an important virulence factor for AIEC. Our results provide strong evidence

  16. Optimization of bead milling parameters for the cell disruption of microalgae: process modeling and application to Porphyridium cruentum and Nannochloropsis oculata.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montalescot, V; Rinaldi, T; Touchard, R; Jubeau, S; Frappart, M; Jaouen, P; Bourseau, P; Marchal, L

    2015-11-01

    A study of cell disruption by bead milling for two microalgae, Nannochloropsis oculata and Porphyridium cruentum, was performed. Strains robustness was quantified by high-pressure disruption assays. The hydrodynamics in the bead mill grinding chamber was studied by Residence Time Distribution modeling. Operating parameters effects were analyzed and modeled in terms of stress intensities and stress number. RTD corresponded to a 2 CSTR in series model. First order kinetics cell disruption was modeled in consequence. Continuous bead milling was efficient for both strains disruption. SI-SN modeling was successfully adapted to microalgae. As predicted by high pressure assays, N. oculata was more resistant than P. cruentum. The critical stress intensity was twice more important for N. oculata than for P. cruentum. SI-SN modeling allows the determination of operating parameters minimizing energy consumption and gives a scalable approach to develop and optimize microalgal disruption by bead milling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Glucose uptake and growth of glucose-limited chemostat cultures of Aspergillus niger and a disruptant lacking MstA, a high-affinity glucose transporter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Thomas R; vanKuyk, Patricia A; Poulsen, Bjarne R

    2007-01-01

    This is a study of high-affinity glucose uptake in Aspergillus niger and the effect of disruption of a high-affinity monosaccharide-transporter gene, mstA. The substrate saturation constant (K(s)) of a reference strain was about 15 microM in glucose-limited chemostat culture. Disruption of mst......-affinity uptake system of A. niger. The mstA disruptant and a reference strain were cultivated in glucose-limited chemostat cultures at low, intermediate and high dilution rate (D=0.07 h(-1), 0.14 h(-1) and 0.20 h(-1)). Mycelium harvested from steady-state cultures was subjected to glucose uptake assays...

  18. Development of Biotin-Prototrophic and -Hyperauxotrophic Corynebacterium glutamicum Strains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyamoto, Aya; Mutoh, Sumire; Kitano, Yuko; Tajima, Mei; Shirakura, Daisuke; Takasaki, Manami; Mitsuhashi, Satoshi; Takeno, Seiki

    2013-01-01

    To develop the infrastructure for biotin production through naturally biotin-auxotrophic Corynebacterium glutamicum, we attempted to engineer the organism into a biotin prototroph and a biotin hyperauxotroph. To confer biotin prototrophy on the organism, the cotranscribed bioBF genes of Escherichia coli were introduced into the C. glutamicum genome, which originally lacked the bioF gene. The resulting strain still required biotin for growth, but it could be replaced by exogenous pimelic acid, a source of the biotin precursor pimelate thioester linked to either coenzyme A (CoA) or acyl carrier protein (ACP). To bridge the gap between the pimelate thioester and its dedicated precursor acyl-CoA (or -ACP), the bioI gene of Bacillus subtilis, which encoded a P450 protein that cleaves a carbon-carbon bond of an acyl-ACP to generate pimeloyl-ACP, was further expressed in the engineered strain by using a plasmid system. This resulted in a biotin prototroph that is capable of the de novo synthesis of biotin. On the other hand, the bioY gene responsible for biotin uptake was disrupted in wild-type C. glutamicum. Whereas the wild-type strain required approximately 1 μg of biotin per liter for normal growth, the bioY disruptant (ΔbioY) required approximately 1 mg of biotin per liter, almost 3 orders of magnitude higher than the wild-type level. The ΔbioY strain showed a similar high requirement for the precursor dethiobiotin, a substrate for bioB-encoded biotin synthase. To eliminate the dependency on dethiobiotin, the bioB gene was further disrupted in both the wild-type strain and the ΔbioY strain. By selectively using the resulting two strains (ΔbioB and ΔbioBY) as indicator strains, we developed a practical biotin bioassay system that can quantify biotin in the seven-digit range, from approximately 0.1 μg to 1 g per liter. This bioassay proved that the engineered biotin prototroph of C. glutamicum produced biotin directly from glucose, albeit at a marginally

  19. Development of biotin-prototrophic and -hyperauxotrophic Corynebacterium glutamicum strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeda, Masato; Miyamoto, Aya; Mutoh, Sumire; Kitano, Yuko; Tajima, Mei; Shirakura, Daisuke; Takasaki, Manami; Mitsuhashi, Satoshi; Takeno, Seiki

    2013-08-01

    To develop the infrastructure for biotin production through naturally biotin-auxotrophic Corynebacterium glutamicum, we attempted to engineer the organism into a biotin prototroph and a biotin hyperauxotroph. To confer biotin prototrophy on the organism, the cotranscribed bioBF genes of Escherichia coli were introduced into the C. glutamicum genome, which originally lacked the bioF gene. The resulting strain still required biotin for growth, but it could be replaced by exogenous pimelic acid, a source of the biotin precursor pimelate thioester linked to either coenzyme A (CoA) or acyl carrier protein (ACP). To bridge the gap between the pimelate thioester and its dedicated precursor acyl-CoA (or -ACP), the bioI gene of Bacillus subtilis, which encoded a P450 protein that cleaves a carbon-carbon bond of an acyl-ACP to generate pimeloyl-ACP, was further expressed in the engineered strain by using a plasmid system. This resulted in a biotin prototroph that is capable of the de novo synthesis of biotin. On the other hand, the bioY gene responsible for biotin uptake was disrupted in wild-type C. glutamicum. Whereas the wild-type strain required approximately 1 μg of biotin per liter for normal growth, the bioY disruptant (ΔbioY) required approximately 1 mg of biotin per liter, almost 3 orders of magnitude higher than the wild-type level. The ΔbioY strain showed a similar high requirement for the precursor dethiobiotin, a substrate for bioB-encoded biotin synthase. To eliminate the dependency on dethiobiotin, the bioB gene was further disrupted in both the wild-type strain and the ΔbioY strain. By selectively using the resulting two strains (ΔbioB and ΔbioBY) as indicator strains, we developed a practical biotin bioassay system that can quantify biotin in the seven-digit range, from approximately 0.1 μg to 1 g per liter. This bioassay proved that the engineered biotin prototroph of C. glutamicum produced biotin directly from glucose, albeit at a marginally

  20. Türk Fermente Sucuğundan İzole Edilen Laktobasillerin Hidrojen Peroksit ve Hidrojen Sülfür Oluşturma Özelliklerinin Saptanması

    OpenAIRE

    Özdemir, Haydar

    2015-01-01

    This study was made with aim to determine H2O2 and H2S forming properties of some lactobacilli (L. sake, L curvatus, L. plantarum)isolated from Turkish fermented sausages. H2O2 forming properties of lactobacilli were determined in MRS-Pyrolusit agar and MRS-ABTS- Peroxidase agar while, H2S forming properties were determined in Lead Acetate agar, Lysine Iron agar and Triple Sugar Iron agar. The 49 strains (77.7%) in MRS-Pyrolusit agar, 52 strains (82.5%) in MRS-ABTS-Peroxidase agar were reacte...

  1. Aspartic protease from Aspergillus (Eurotium) repens strain MK82 is involved in the hydrolysis and decolourisation of dried bonito (Katsuobushi).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aoki, Kenji; Matsubara, Sayaka; Umeda, Mayo; Tachibanac, Shusaku; Doi, Mikiharu; Takenaka, Shinji

    2013-04-01

    Katsuobushi is a dried, smoked and fermented bonito used in Japanese cuisine. During the fermentation process with several Aspergillus species, the colour of Katsuobushi gradually changes from a dark reddish-brown derived from haem proteins to pale pink. The change in colour gives Katsuobushi a higher ranking and price. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of decolourisation of Katsuobushi. A decolourising factor from the culture supernatant of Aspergillus (Eurotium) repens strain MK82 was purified to homogeneity. The purification was monitored by measuring the decolourising activity using equine myoglobin and bovine haemoglobin as substrates. It was found that the decolourising factor had protease activity towards myoglobin and haemoglobin. Complete inhibition of the enzyme by the inhibitor pepstatin A and the internal amino acid sequence classified the protein as an aspartic protease. The enzyme limitedly hydrolysed myoglobin between 1-Met and 2-Gly, 43-Lys and 44-Phe, and 70-Leu and 71-Thr. The purified enzyme decolourised blood of Katsuwonus pelamis (bonito) and a slice of dried bonito. It is proposed that aspartic protease plays a role in the decolourisation of Katsuobushi by the hydrolysis of haem proteins that allows the released haem to aggregate in the dried bonito. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

  2. Structural responses to plasma disruptions in toroidal shells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tillack, M.S.; Kazimi, M.S.; Lidsky, L.M.

    1985-01-01

    The induced pressures, stresses and strains in unrestrained axisymmetric toroidal shells are studied to scope the behavior of tokamak first walls during plasma disruptions. The modeling includes a circuit analog representation of the shell to solve for induced currents and pressures, and a separate quasi-static 1-D finite element solution for the mechanical response. This work demonstrates that the stresses in tokamkak first walls due to plasma disruption may be large, but to first order will not cause failure in the bulk structure. However, stress concentrations at structural supports and discontinuities together with resonant effects can result in large enhancements of the stresses, which could contribute to plastic deformation or failure when added to the already large steady state thermal and pressure loading of the first wall

  3. Ho:YLF & Ho:LuLF slab amplifier system delivering 200 mJ, 2 µm single-frequency pulses

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Strauss, HJ

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available A single-frequency single-pass amplifier based on Ho:YLF and Ho:LuLF in a scalable slab architecture delivering up to 210 mJ at 2064 nm is demonstrated. The amplifier was end-pumped by a 1890 nm Tm:YLF slab laser and was seeded with a 69 mJ single...

  4. Cre/lox-based multiple markerless gene disruption in the genome of the extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Togawa, Yoichiro; Nunoshiba, Tatsuo; Hiratsu, Keiichiro

    2018-02-01

    Markerless gene-disruption technology is particularly useful for effective genetic analyses of Thermus thermophilus (T. thermophilus), which have a limited number of selectable markers. In an attempt to develop a novel system for the markerless disruption of genes in T. thermophilus, we applied a Cre/lox system to construct a triple gene disruptant. To achieve this, we constructed two genetic tools, a loxP-htk-loxP cassette and cre-expressing plasmid, pSH-Cre, for gene disruption and removal of the selectable marker by Cre-mediated recombination. We found that the Cre/lox system was compatible with the proliferation of the T. thermophilus HB27 strain at the lowest growth temperature (50 °C), and thus succeeded in establishing a triple gene disruptant, the (∆TTC1454::loxP, ∆TTC1535KpnI::loxP, ∆TTC1576::loxP) strain, without leaving behind a selectable marker. During the process of the sequential disruption of multiple genes, we observed the undesired deletion and inversion of the chromosomal region between multiple loxP sites that were induced by Cre-mediated recombination. Therefore, we examined the effects of a lox66-htk-lox71 cassette by exploiting the mutant lox sites, lox66 and lox71, instead of native loxP sites. We successfully constructed a (∆TTC1535::lox72, ∆TTC1537::lox72) double gene disruptant without inducing the undesired deletion of the 0.7-kbp region between the two directly oriented lox72 sites created by the Cre-mediated recombination of the lox66-htk-lox71 cassette. This is the first demonstration of a Cre/lox system being applicable to extreme thermophiles in a genetic manipulation. Our results indicate that this system is a powerful tool for multiple markerless gene disruption in T. thermophilus.

  5. 78 FR 66945 - Proposed Collection; 60-Day Comment request: Gulf Long-Term Follow-Up Study (GuLF STUDY)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-07

    ... GuLF STUDY is to investigate potential short- and long-term health effects associated with oil spill... non-Cleanup Workers Supplemental Mental Health 4,600 4 15/60 4,600 1,533 Telephone Questionnaire... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Proposed Collection; 60-Day...

  6. Identification of sequence changes in live attenuated goose parvovirus vaccine strains developed in Asia and Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shien, J-H; Wang, Y-S; Chen, C-H; Shieh, H K; Hu, C-C; Chang, P-C

    2008-10-01

    Live attenuated vaccines have been used for control of the disease caused by goose parvovirus (GPV), but the mechanism involved in attenuation of GPV remains elusive. This report presents the complete nucleotide sequences of two live attenuated strains of GPV (82-0321V and VG32/1) that were independently developed in Taiwan and Europe, together with the parental strain of 82-0321V and a field strain isolated in Taiwan in 2006. Sequence comparisons showed that 82-0321V and VG32/1 had multiple deletions and substitutions in the inverted terminal repeats region when compared with their parental strain or the field virus, but these changes did not affect the formation of the hairpin structure essential for viral replication. Moreover, 82-0321V and VG32/1 had five amino acid changes in the non-structural protein, but these changes were located at positions distant from known functional motifs in the non-structural protein. In contrast, 82-0321V had nine changes and VG32/1 had 11 changes in their capsid proteins (VP1), and the majority of these changes occurred at positions close to the putative receptor binding sites of VP1, as predicted using the structure of adeno-associated virus 2 as the model system. Taken together, the results suggest that changes in sequence near the receptor binding sites of VP1 might be responsible for attenuation of GPV. This is the first report of complete nucleotide sequences of GPV other than the virulent B strain, and suggests a possible mechanism for attenuation of GPV.

  7. Molecular Characterization of Heterologous HIV-1gp120 Gene Expression Disruption in Mycobacterium bovis BCG Host Strain: A Critical Issue for Engineering Mycobacterial Based-Vaccine Vectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, Joan; Fernández-Lloris, Raquel; Pezzat, Elías; Saubi, Narcís; Cardona, Pere-Joan; Mothe, Beatriz; Gatell, Josep Maria

    2010-01-01

    Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) as a live vector of recombinant bacterial vaccine is a promising system to be used. In this study, we evaluate the disrupted expression of heterologous HIV-1gp120 gene in BCG Pasteur host strain using replicative vectors pMV261 and pJH222. pJH222 carries a lysine complementing gene in BCG lysine auxotrophs. The HIV-1 gp120 gene expression was regulated by BCG hsp60 promoter (in plasmid pMV261) and Mycobacteria spp. α-antigen promoter (in plasmid pJH222). Among 14 rBCG:HIV-1gp120 (pMV261) colonies screened, 12 showed a partial deletion and two showed a complete deletion. However, deletion was not observed in all 10 rBCG:HIV-1gp120 (pJH222) colonies screened. In this study, we demonstrated that E. coli/Mycobacterial expression vectors bearing a weak promoter and lysine complementing gene in a recombinant lysine auxotroph of BCG could prevent genetic rearrangements and disruption of HIV 1gp120 gene expression, a key issue for engineering Mycobacterial based vaccine vectors. PMID:20617151

  8. Molecular Characterization of Heterologous HIV-1gp120 Gene Expression Disruption in Mycobacterium bovis BCG Host Strain: A Critical Issue for Engineering Mycobacterial Based-Vaccine Vectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joan Joseph

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG as a live vector of recombinant bacterial vaccine is a promising system to be used. In this study, we evaluate the disrupted expression of heterologous HIV-1gp120 gene in BCG Pasteur host strain using replicative vectors pMV261 and pJH222. pJH222 carries a lysine complementing gene in BCG lysine auxotrophs. The HIV-1 gp120 gene expression was regulated by BCG hsp60 promoter (in plasmid pMV261 and Mycobacteria spp. α-antigen promoter (in plasmid pJH222. Among 14 rBCG:HIV-1gp120 (pMV261 colonies screened, 12 showed a partial deletion and two showed a complete deletion. However, deletion was not observed in all 10 rBCG:HIV-1gp120 (pJH222 colonies screened. In this study, we demonstrated that E. coli/Mycobacterial expression vectors bearing a weak promoter and lysine complementing gene in a recombinant lysine auxotroph of BCG could prevent genetic rearrangements and disruption of HIV 1gp120 gene expression, a key issue for engineering Mycobacterial based vaccine vectors.

  9. Bactericidal effect of bovine lactoferrin, LFcin, LFampin and LFchimera on antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores-Villaseñor, Héctor; Canizalez-Román, Adrian; Reyes-Lopez, Magda; Nazmi, Kamram; de la Garza, Mireya; Zazueta-Beltrán, Jorge; León-Sicairos, Nidia; Bolscher, Jan G M

    2010-06-01

    Increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a major threat to the health sector worldwide due to their virulence, limited therapeutic options and distribution in both hospital and community settings. Discovery and development of new agents to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria is thus needed. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the ability of bovine lactoferrin (LF), peptides from two antimicrobial domains lactoferricin B (LFcin17-30) and lactoferrampin (LFampin265-284) and a chimeric construct (LFchimera) containing both peptides, as potential bactericidal agents against clinical isolates of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Results in kinetics of growth show that LF chimera and peptides inhibited the growth of both bacterial species. By confocal microscopy and flow cytometry it was observed that LF and FITC-labeled peptides are able to interact with these bacteria and cause membrane permeabilization, as monitored by propidium iodide staining, these effects were decreased by preincubation with lipopolysaccharide in E. coli. By electron microscopy, a clear cellular damage was observed in bacteria after treatments with LFchimera and peptides, suggesting that interaction and membrane disruption are probably involved as a mechanism of action. In conclusion, results show that LFchimera, LF and peptides have potential as bactericidal agents in the antibiotic-resistant strains of S. aureus and E. coli and also the work strongly suggest that LFcin17-30 and LFampin265-284 acts synergistically with antibiotics against multidrug resistant EPEC and MRSA in vitro.

  10. Family resources study: part 1: family resources, family function and caregiver strain in childhood cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panganiban-Corales, Avegeille T; Medina, Manuel F

    2011-10-31

    Severe illness can disrupt family life, cause family dysfunction, strain resources, and cause caregiver burden. The family's ability to cope with crises depends on their resources. This study sought to assess families of children with cancer in terms of family function-dysfunction, family caregiver strain and the adequacy of family resources using a new family resources assessment instrument. This is a cross-sectional study involving 90 Filipino family caregivers of children undergoing cancer treatment. This used a self-administered questionnaire composed of a new 12-item family resources questionnaire (SCREEM-RES) based on the SCREEM method of analysis, Family APGAR to assess family function-dysfunction; and Modified Caregiver Strain Index to assess strain in caring for the patient. More than half of families were either moderately or severely dysfunctional. Close to half of caregivers were either predisposed to strain or experienced severe strain, majority disclosed that their families have inadequate economic resources; many also report inaccessibility to medical help in the community and insufficient educational resources to understand and care for their patients. Resources most often reported as adequate were: family's faith and religion; help from within the family and from health providers. SCREEM-RES showed to be reliable with Cronbach's alpha of 0.80. There is good inter-item correlation between items in each domain: 0.24-0.70. Internal consistency reliability for each domain was also good: 0.40-0.92. Using 2-point scoring system, Cronbach's alpha were slightly lower: full scale (0.70) and for each domain 0.26-.82. Results showed evidence of association between family resources and family function based on the family APGAR but none between family resources and caregiver strain and between family function and caregiver strain. Many Filipino families of children with cancer have inadequate resources, especially economic; and are moderately or severely

  11. Family resources study: part 1: family resources, family function and caregiver strain in childhood cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Panganiban-Corales Avegeille T

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Severe illness can disrupt family life, cause family dysfunction, strain resources, and cause caregiver burden. The family's ability to cope with crises depends on their resources. This study sought to assess families of children with cancer in terms of family function-dysfunction, family caregiver strain and the adequacy of family resources using a new family resources assessment instrument. Methods This is a cross-sectional study involving 90 Filipino family caregivers of children undergoing cancer treatment. This used a self-administered questionnaire composed of a new 12-item family resources questionnaire (SCREEM-RES based on the SCREEM method of analysis, Family APGAR to assess family function-dysfunction; and Modified Caregiver Strain Index to assess strain in caring for the patient. Results More than half of families were either moderately or severely dysfunctional. Close to half of caregivers were either predisposed to strain or experienced severe strain, majority disclosed that their families have inadequate economic resources; many also report inaccessibility to medical help in the community and insufficient educational resources to understand and care for their patients. Resources most often reported as adequate were: family's faith and religion; help from within the family and from health providers. SCREEM-RES showed to be reliable with Cronbach's alpha of 0.80. There is good inter-item correlation between items in each domain: 0.24-0.70. Internal consistency reliability for each domain was also good: 0.40-0.92. Using 2-point scoring system, Cronbach's alpha were slightly lower: full scale (0.70 and for each domain 0.26-.82. Results showed evidence of association between family resources and family function based on the family APGAR but none between family resources and caregiver strain and between family function and caregiver strain. Conclusion Many Filipino families of children with cancer have inadequate

  12. Diagnosis of Fibrosis and Activity by a Combined Use of Strain and Shear Wave Imaging in Patients with Liver Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yada, Norihisa; Tamaki, Nobuhura; Koizumi, Yohei; Hirooka, Masashi; Nakashima, Osamu; Hiasa, Yoichi; Izumi, Namiki; Kudo, Masatoshi

    2017-01-01

    Performing shear wave imaging is simple, but can be difficult when inflammation, jaundice, and congestion are present. Therefore, the correct diagnosis of liver fibrosis using shear wave imaging alone might be difficult in mild-to-moderate fibrosis cases. Strain imaging can diagnose liver fibrosis without the influence of inflammation. Therefore, the combined use of strain and shear wave imaging (combinational elastography) for cases without jaundice and congestion might be useful for evaluating fibrosis and inflammation. We enrolled consecutive patients with liver disease, without jaundice or liver congestion. Strain and shear wave imaging, blood tests, and liver biopsy were performed on the same day. The liver fibrosis index (LF index) was calculated by strain imaging; real-time tissue elastography, and the shear wave velocity (Vs) was calculated by shear wave imaging. Fibrosis index (F index) and activity index (A index) were calculated as a multiple regression equation for determining hepatic fibrosis and inflammation using histopathological diagnosis as the gold standard. The diagnostic ability of F index for fibrosis and A index for inflammation were compared using LF index and Vs. The total number of enrolled cases was 388. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) was 0.87, 0.80, 0.83, and 0.80, at diagnosis of fibrosis stage with an F index of F1 or higher, F2 or higher, F3 or higher, and F4, respectively. The AUROC was 0.94, 0.74, and 0.76 at diagnosis of activity grade with an A index of A1 or higher, A2 or higher, and A3, respectively. The diagnostic ability of F index for liver fibrosis and A index for inflammation was higher than for other conventional diagnostic values. The combined use of strain and shear wave imaging (combinational elastography) might increase the positive diagnosis of liver fibrosis and inflammation. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  13. Perfusion imaging using rubidium-82 ((82)Rb) PET in rats with myocardial infarction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clemmensen, Andreas Ettrup; Ghotbi, Adam Ali; Bodholdt, Rasmus Poul

    2017-01-01

    Assessing myocardial perfusion using 82Rb-PET is emerging as a valuable clinical tool.1,2 The rapid decay (T½ = 76 s) allows for absolute quantification of both rest and stress perfusion within 30 minutes. In addition to evaluation of epicardial disease with perfusion defects, also evaluation...... of balanced coronary and small vessel disease is possible. For further evaluation of how 82Rb-PET can be used clinically, pre-clinical application of the method would be valuable. However, so far no data on the use of 82Rb-PET in small animals have been published nor has the use of 82Rb-PET, to the best...

  14. Actin and microtubule networks contribute differently to cell response for small and large strains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubitschke, H.; Schnauss, J.; Nnetu, K. D.; Warmt, E.; Stange, R.; Kaes, J.

    2017-09-01

    Cytoskeletal filaments provide cells with mechanical stability and organization. The main key players are actin filaments and microtubules governing a cell’s response to mechanical stimuli. We investigated the specific influences of these crucial components by deforming MCF-7 epithelial cells at small (≤5% deformation) and large strains (>5% deformation). To understand specific contributions of actin filaments and microtubules, we systematically studied cellular responses after treatment with cytoskeleton influencing drugs. Quantification with the microfluidic optical stretcher allowed capturing the relative deformation and relaxation of cells under different conditions. We separated distinctive deformational and relaxational contributions to cell mechanics for actin and microtubule networks for two orders of magnitude of drug dosages. Disrupting actin filaments via latrunculin A, for instance, revealed a strain-independent softening. Stabilizing these filaments by treatment with jasplakinolide yielded cell softening for small strains but showed no significant change at large strains. In contrast, cells treated with nocodazole to disrupt microtubules displayed a softening at large strains but remained unchanged at small strains. Stabilizing microtubules within the cells via paclitaxel revealed no significant changes for deformations at small strains, but concentration-dependent impact at large strains. This suggests that for suspended cells, the actin cortex is probed at small strains, while at larger strains; the whole cell is probed with a significant contribution from the microtubules.

  15. [E75, R78 and D82 of Escherichia coli FtsZ are key residues for FtsZ cellular self-assembly and FtsZ-MreB interaction].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huo, Yujia; Lu, Qiaonan; Zheng, Xiaowei; Ma, Yuanfang; Lu, Feng

    2016-02-04

    To explore effects of FtsZ mutants FtsZ(E75A), FtsZ(R78G) and FtsZ(D82A) on FtsZ self-assembly and interaction of FtsZ with MreB in Escherichia coli strains. METHODS) We constructed FtsZ and its mutant's plasmids by molecular clone and site-directed mutagenesis methods, and purified targeted proteins by affinity chromatography. QN6(ftsZ::yfp-cat), QN7(tsZ::yfp-cat), QN8(ftsZ(R78G)::yfp-cat) and QN9 (ftsZ(D82A):.:yfp-cat) strains were constructed by linear DNA homologous recombination. We observed cellular localization pattern of FtsZ and its mutants in E. coli by living cell imaging experiments, examined interaction of FtsZ/FtsZ*-FtsZ* and FtsZ/FtsZ*-MreB by Coimmunoprecipitation and bacteria two hybrid, and analyzed assembly characteristics of FtsZ mutants by Light scattering. RESULTS) The Yfp-labeled FtsZ(E75A), FtsZ(R78G) and FtsZ(D82A) mutant proteins failed to assemble into functional Z-ring structure and localize correctly in E. coli strains. Interaction of FtsZ with its mutants, or FtsZ*-FtsZ* and FtsZ*-MreB interaction were weakened or completely disappeared. In addition, in vitro experiments show that E75A, R78G and D82A mutations decreased the polymerization efficiency of FtsZ monomer. FtsZ E75, R78 and D82 are critical amino acids in the assembly, function of FtsZ protein and FtsZ-MreB interaction in E. coli strains.

  16. Effectiveness of the two microorganisms Lactobacillus fermentum LF15 and Lactobacillus plantarum LP01, formulated in slow-release vaginal tablets, in women affected by bacterial vaginosis: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vicariotto, Franco; Mogna, Luca; Del Piano, Mario

    2014-01-01

    Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common reason for abnormal vaginal discharge in reproductive-age women and one of its most important causative agents is the gram-variable bacterium Gardnerella vaginalis. BV is not accompanied by significant local inflammation, whereas the "fishy odor" test is always positive. In contrast, aerobic vaginitis (AV) is predominantly associated with Escherichia coli, but Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus are also involved. Standard treatment of BV consists of oral or intravaginal antibiotics, although these are unable to spontaneously restore normal flora characterized by a high concentration of lactobacilli. The main limitation is the inability to offer a long-term defensive barrier, thus facilitating relapses and recurrences. This study was undertaken firstly to assess the ability of selected lactobacilli to in vitro antagonize G. vaginalis to determine an association with a strain able to inhibit E. coli, thus identifying a possible use in AV. The second step of the study was to conduct a human pilot trial in women affected by BV using an association of the most promising and active bacteria. For this purpose, neutralized supernatants of individual lactobacilli were tested at percentages ranging from 0.5% to 4% to determine their ability to hinder the growth of G. vaginalis American Type Culture Collection 10231. The bacterium that was able to exert the strongest inhibition was subsequently tested with Lactobacillus plantarum LP01 in a human intervention, placebo-controlled, pilot trial involving 34 female subjects (aged between 18 and 50, mean 34.7±8.9, no menopausal women) diagnosed with BV. The 2 microorganisms Lactobacillus fermentum LF15 (DSM 26955) and L. plantarum LP01 (LMG P-21021) were delivered to the vagina by means of slow-release vaginal tablets, also containing 50 mg of tara gum. The amount of each strain was 400 million live cells per dose. The women were instructed to apply a vaginal tablet once

  17. Draft Genome Sequence of Agrococcusbaldri Strain Marseille-P2731.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afouda, Pamela; Dubourg, Gregory; Labas, Noemie; Raoult, Didier; Fournier, Pierre-Edouard

    2017-03-09

    Agrococcus baldri strain Marseille-P2731 was isolated from a Siberian permafrost specimen dated around 10 million years. The 3,021,022-bp genome of strain Marseille-P2731, with a 71.82% G+C content, includes 2,844 protein-coding genes, 72 toxin/antitoxin modules, nine bacteriocin-encoding genes, and 1,266 genes associated with mobilome. Copyright © 2017 Afouda et al.

  18. Inhibitory effects of bovine lactoferrin and lactoferricin B on Enterobacter sakazakii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakabayashi, Hiroyuki; Yamauchi, Koji; Takase, Mitsunori

    2008-03-01

    The susceptibility of Enterobacter sakazakii, a food-borne pathogen, to several metal-bound forms of bovine lactoferrin (LF), pepsin-hydrolyzed LF (LF-hyd), and LF-derived peptide lactoferricin B (LFcin B) was tested. MIC and MBC testing revealed that 4 strains of E. sakazakii show susceptibility to apo- and Cu-LF, LF-hyd, and LFcin B, but not to Fe-LF, similarly to Escherichia coli. A growth curve test indicated that E. sakazakii was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by apo-LF at 0.5 to 8 mg/ml. Even after being heated at 80 degrees C, LF at above 1 mg/ml inhibited the bacterial growth. These results suggest that bovine LF-related compounds may be useful for the inhibition of E. sakazakii in foods.

  19. Absence of strong strain effects in behavioral analyses of Shank3-deficient mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elodie Drapeau

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Haploinsufficiency of SHANK3, caused by chromosomal abnormalities or mutations that disrupt one copy of the gene, leads to a neurodevelopmental syndrome called Phelan-McDermid syndrome, symptoms of which can include absent or delayed speech, intellectual disability, neurological changes and autism spectrum disorders. The SHANK3 protein forms a key structural part of the post-synaptic density. We previously generated and characterized mice with a targeted disruption of Shank3 in which exons coding for the ankyrin-repeat domain were deleted and expression of full-length Shank3 was disrupted. We documented specific deficits in synaptic function and plasticity, along with reduced reciprocal social interactions, in Shank3 heterozygous mice. Changes in phenotype owing to a mutation at a single locus are quite frequently modulated by other loci, most dramatically when the entire genetic background is changed. In mice, each strain of laboratory mouse represents a distinct genetic background and alterations in phenotype owing to gene knockout or transgenesis are frequently different across strains, which can lead to the identification of important modifier loci. We have investigated the effect of genetic background on phenotypes of Shank3 heterozygous, knockout and wild-type mice, using C57BL/6, 129SVE and FVB/Ntac strain backgrounds. We focused on observable behaviors with the goal of carrying out subsequent analyses to identify modifier loci. Surprisingly, there were very modest strain effects over a large battery of analyses. These results indicate that behavioral phenotypes associated with Shank3 haploinsufficiency are largely strain-independent.

  20. Evaluation of Lactobacillus strains for selected probiotic properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turková, Kristýna; Mavrič, Anja; Narat, Mojca; Rittich, Bohuslav; Spanová, Alena; Rogelj, Irena; Matijašić, Bojana Bogovič

    2013-07-01

    Eleven strains of Lactobacillus collected in the Culture Collection of Dairy Microorganisms (CCDM) were evaluated for selected probiotic properties such as survival in gastrointestinal fluids, antimicrobial activity, and competition with non-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 for adhesion on Caco-2 cells. The viable count of lactobacilli was reduced during 3-h incubation in gastric fluid followed by 3-h incubation in intestinal fluid. All strains showed antimicrobial activity and the three most effective strains inhibited the growth of at least 16 indicator strains. Antimicrobial metabolites of seven strains active against Lactobacillus and Clostridium indicator strains were found to be sensitive to proteinase K and trypsin, which indicates their proteinaceous nature. The degree of competitive inhibition of non-toxigenic E. coli O157:H7 adhesion on the surface of Caco-2 cells was strain-dependent. A significant decrease (P strains were selected for additional studies of antimicrobial activity, i.e., Lactobacillus gasseri CCDM 215, Lactobacillus acidophilus CCDM 149, and Lactobacillus helveticus CCDM 82.

  1. 7 CFR 82.2 - Administration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Administration. 82.2 Section 82.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... PROGRAMS CLINGSTONE PEACH DIVERSION PROGRAM § 82.2 Administration. The program will be administered under...

  2. Mapping the Extent of M82's outlfows with VIRUS-P

    Science.gov (United States)

    Indahl, Briana; Hill, Gary J.; Drory, Niv; McLinden, Emily

    2017-06-01

    Starburst-driven outflows (SBDOs) and other feedback processes play a critical role in the evolution of galaxies through the regulation and disruption of star formation. However, our ability to observe and quantify feedback from SBDOs directly has been limited by the inability to obtain the spectroscopy needed for physical diagnostics over the large areas of local SBDOs. We present integral field spectroscopy taken with the George and Cynthia Mitchell Spectrograph (VIRUS-P) on the 2.7 meter Harlan J. Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory mapping the full extent of M82’s northern outflow out to ~12kpc covering ~139 square arcminutes. We measured line ratios ([OIII]/Hβ, [OI]/Hα, [NII]/Hα), [SII]/Hα) for each spaxel in our fields. Using Ionization Diagnostic Diagrams (IDDs) we spatially map shock dominated regions which we show trace the biconical structure of the outflow. M82 is a local galaxy (z~0.000677) and the classical example of a starburst galaxy with vigorous outflows. As a result it has been comprehensively studied for nearly 50 years. However, we present the most sensitive and extensive map of the warm ionized gas to date from the disk to the Hα cap at ~12kpc.

  3. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts protect against epithelial cell barrier disruption induced by Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Smith, Ida Mosbech; Baker, A; Arneborg, Nils

    2015-01-01

    distinct patterns of non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function. While the established probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii increased TER across a Caco-2 monolayer by 30%, Kluyveromyces marxianus exhibited significantly stronger properties of TER enhancement (50% TER increase....... In addition, probiotic strains may be able to reduce epithelial barrier disruption caused by pathogenic species. The aim of this study was to explore non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function in vitro. Benchmarking against established probiotic strains, we evaluated the ability......). In addition, our data demonstrate significant yeast-mediated modulation of Salmonella-induced epithelial cell barrier disruption and identify K. marxianus and Metschnikowia gruessii as two non-Saccharomyces yeasts capable of protecting human epithelial cells from pathogen invasion. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT...

  4. Investigating Disruption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundgaard, Stine Schmieg; Rosenstand, Claus Andreas Foss

    This book shares knowledge collected from 2015 and onward within the Consortium for Digital Disruption anchored at Aalborg University (www.dd.aau.dk). Evidenced by this publication, the field of disruptive innovation research has gone through several stages of operationalizing the theory. In recent...... years, researchers are increasingly looking back towards the origins of the theory in attempts to cure it from its most obvious flaws. This is especially true for the use of the theory in making predictions about future disruptions. In order to continue to develop a valuable theory of disruption, we...... find it useful to first review what the theory of disruptive innovation initially was, how it has developed, and where we are now. A cross section of disruptive innovation literature has been reviewed in order to form a general foundation from which we might better understand the changing world...

  5. Prebiotic effects of bovine lactoferrin on specific probiotic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Po-Wen; Liu, Zhen-Shu; Kuo, Tai-Chen; Hsieh, Min-Chi; Li, Zhe-Wei

    2017-04-01

    Bovine lactoferrin (bLf) is a natural iron-binding protein and it has been suggested to be a prebiotic agent, but this finding remains inconclusive. This study explores the prebiotic potential of bLf in 14 probiotics. Initially, bLf (1-32 mg/mL) treatment showed occasional and slight prebiotic activity in several probiotics only during the late experimental period (48, 78 h) at 37 °C. We subsequently supposed that bLf exerts stronger prebiotic effects when probiotic growth has been temperately retarded. Therefore, we incubated the probiotics at different temperatures, namely 37 °C, 28 °C, room temperature (approximately 22-24 °C), and 22 °C, to retard or inhibit their growth. As expected, bLf showed more favorable prebiotic activity in several probiotics when their growth was partially retarded at room temperature. Furthermore, at 22 °C, the growth of Bifidobacterium breve, Lactobacillus coryniformis, L. delbrueckii, L. acidophilus, B. angulatum, B. catenulatum, and L. paraplantarum were completely blocked. Notably, these probiotics started regrowing in the presence of bLf (1-32 mg/mL) in a significant and dose-dependent manner. Accordingly, bLf significantly increased the growth of Pediococcus pentosaceus, L. rhamnosus, and L. paracasei (BCRC 17483; a locally isolated strain) when their growth was retarded by incubation at 22 °C. In conclusion, bLf showed inconsistent prebiotic activity in the 14 probiotics at 37 °C, but revealed strong prebiotic activity in 10 probiotic strains at 22 °C. Therefore, this study enables determining additional roles of Lf in probiotic strains, which can facilitate developing novel combinational approaches by simultaneously using Lf and specific probiotics.

  6. Cognitive LF-Ant: A Novel Protocol for Healthcare Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Alencar

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the authors present the Cognitive LF-Ant protocol for emergency reporting in healthcare wireless sensor networks. The protocol is inspired by the natural behaviour of ants and a cognitive component provides the capabilities to dynamically allocate resources, in accordance with the emergency degree of each patient. The intra-cluster emergency reporting is inspired by the different capabilities of leg-manipulated ants. The inter-cluster reporting is aided by the cooperative modulation diversity with spectrum sensing, which can detect new emergency reporting requests and forward them. Simulations results show the decrease of average delay time as the probability of opportunistic access increases, which privileges the emergency reporting related to the patients with higher priority of resources’ usage. Furthermore, the packet loss rate is decreased by the use of cooperative modulation diversity with spectrum sensing.

  7. Can Lactobacillus fermentum LF10 and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA02 in a slow-release vaginal product be useful for prevention of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis?: A clinical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murina, Filippo; Graziottin, Alessandra; Vicariotto, Franco; De Seta, Francesco

    2014-01-01

    To assess the effectiveness of the association of 2 specific strains, Lactobacillus fermentum LF10 (DSM 19187) and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA02 (DSM 21717), specifically formulated in slow-release effervescent tablets, in patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. The study was a clinical trial of 58 women diagnosed with recurrent VVC (≥4 culture-confirmed episodes in a 12-mo period). All patients were given 200 mg of fluconazole orally as an induction dose for 3 alternate days during the first treatment week. Afterward, the patients were given a new product formulated in slow-release vaginal tablets containing at least 0.4 billion live cells of each of lactobacillus L. fermentum LF10 and L. acidophilus LA02 (first phase of the prophylactic period), on alternate days for 10 consecutive nights. Patients who were still free of symptoms were given 1 vaginal tablet every week for the next 10 weeks (second phase of the prophylactic period). Patients asymptomatic after the total duration of the observation phase (7 mo) were considered as responders. During the second 10-week prophylactic phase, 49 of 57 (86.0%) patients remained free of clinical recurrence, whereas symptomatic VVC occurred in 8 patients (14.0%). During the 7-month follow-up, 42 patients of 49 (85.7%) were symptom free at the end of the protocol, whereas clinical recurrences occurred in 7 women (14.3%). Overall, 42 of 58 women enrolled in the study (72.4%) experienced no clinical recurrence throughout the 7-month observation phase (responders). This study strengthens the evidence supporting the use of specific lactobacilli with well-demonstrated activities associated with the creation and maintenance of a vaginal biofilm that hinders the persistence of an infection caused by Candida.

  8. Immunization by intrabronchial administration to 1-week-old foals of an unmarked double gene disruption strain of Rhodococcus equi strain 103+.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pei, Yanlong; Nicholson, Vivian; Woods, Katharine; Prescott, John F

    2007-11-15

    Rhodococcus equi causes fatal granulomatous pneumonia in foals and immunocompromised animals and humans. However, there is no effective vaccine against this infection. In this study, the chromosomal genes isocitrate lyase (icl) and cholesterol oxidase (choE) were chosen as targets for mutation and assessment of the double mutant as an intrabronchial vaccine in 1-week-old foals. Using a modification of a suicide plasmid previously developed in this laboratory, we developed a choE-icl unmarked deletion mutant of R. equi strain 103+. Five 1-week-old foals were infected intrabronchially with the mutant and challenged intrabronchially with the parent, virulent, strain 2 weeks later. Three of the foals were protected against pneumonia caused by the virulent strain, but the other two foals developed pneumonia caused by the mutant strain during the post-challenge period. Since infection of 3-week-old foals by an icl mutant in an earlier study had shown complete attenuation of the strain, we conclude that a proportion of foals in the 1st week or so of life are predisposed to developing R. equi pneumonia because of an inability to mount an effective immune response. This has been suspected previously but this is the first time that this has been demonstrated experimentally.

  9. 40 CFR 82.260 - Definitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Definitions. 82.260 Section 82.260... STRATOSPHERIC OZONE Halon Emissions Reduction § 82.260 Definitions. Halon-containing equipment means equipment.... This group consists of the three halogenated hydrocarbons known as Halon 1211, Halon 1301, and Halon...

  10. 42 CFR 460.82 - Marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Marketing. 460.82 Section 460.82 Public Health... Administrative Requirements § 460.82 Marketing. (a) Information that a PACE organization must include in its marketing materials. (1) A PACE organization must inform the public about its program and give prospective...

  11. 9 CFR 3.82 - Feeding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Feeding. 3.82 Section 3.82 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ANIMAL WELFARE... Animal Health and Husbandry Standards § 3.82 Feeding. (a) The diet for nonhuman primates must be...

  12. 40 CFR 82.62 - Definitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Containing or Manufactured With Class II Substances § 82.62 Definitions. For purposes of this subpart... to subpart A. Class II Substance means any substance designated as class II in 40 CFR part 82.... Hydrochlorofluorocarbon means any substance listed as class II in 40 CFR part 82, appendix B to subpart A. Initial...

  13. Digital Disruption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rosenstand, Claus Andreas Foss

    det digitale domæne ud over det niveau, der kendetegner den nuværende debat, så præsenteres der ny viden om digital disruption. Som noget nyt udlægges Clayton Christens teori om disruptiv innovation med et særligt fokus på små organisationers mulighed for eksponentiel vækst. Specielt udfoldes...... forholdet mellem disruption og den stadig accelererende digitale udvikling i konturerne til ny teoridannelse om digital disruption. Bogens undertitel ”faretruende og fascinerende forandringer” peger på, at der er behov for en nuanceret debat om digital disruption i modsætning til den tone, der er slået an i...... videre kalder et ”disruption-råd”. Faktisk er rådet skrevet ind i 2016 regeringsgrundlaget for VLK-regeringen. Disruption af organisationer er ikke et nyt fænomen; men hastigheden, hvormed det sker, er stadig accelererende. Årsagen er den globale mega-trend: Digitalisering. Og derfor er specielt digital...

  14. The effect of dielectric top lids on materials processing in a low frequency inductively coupled plasma (LF-ICP) reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, J.W.M.; Chan, C.S.; Xu, L.; Xu, S.

    2014-01-01

    The advent of the plasma revolution began in the 1970's with the exploitation of plasma sources for anisotropic etching and processing of materials. In recent years, plasma processing has gained popularity, with research institutions adopting projects in the field and industries implementing dry processing in their production lines. The advantages of utilizing plasma sources would be uniform processing over a large exposed surface area, and the reduction of toxic emissions. This leads to reduced costs borne by manufacturers which could be passed down as consumer savings, and a reduction in negative environmental impacts. Yet, one constraint that plagues the industry would be the control of contaminants in a plasma reactor which becomes evident when reactions are conducted in a clean vacuum environment. In this work, amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin films were grown on glass substrates in a low frequency inductively coupled plasma (LF-ICP) reactor with a top lid made of quartz. Even though the chamber was kept at high vacuum (~10 −4 Pa), it was evident through secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and Fourier-transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) that oxygen contaminants were present. With the aid of optical emission spectroscopy (OES) the contaminant species were identified. The design of the LF-ICP reactor was then modified to incorporate an Alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) lid. Results indicate that there were reduced amounts of contaminants present in the reactor, and that an added benefit of increased power transfer to the plasma, improving deposition rate of thin films was realized. The results of this study is conclusive in showing that Al 2 O 3 is a good alternative as a top-lid of an LF-ICP reactor, and offers industries a solution in improving quality and rate of growth of thin films. (author)

  15. Endocrine disruption: In silico interactions between phthalate plasticizers and corticosteroid binding globulin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheikh, Ishfaq A; Beg, Mohd A

    2017-12-01

    Endocrine disruption is a phenomenon when a man-made or natural compound interferes with normal hormone function in human or animal body systems. Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) have assumed considerable importance as a result of industrial activity, mass production of synthetic chemicals and environmental pollution. Phthalate plasticizers are a group of chemicals used widely and diversely in industry especially in the plastic industry, and many of the phthalate compounds have endocrine-disrupting properties. Increasing evidence indicates that steroid nuclear receptors and steroid binding proteins are the main targets of endocrine disruption. Corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) is a steroid binding protein that binds and transports cortisol in the blood circulation and is a potential target for endocrine disruption. An imbalance of cortisol in the body leads to many health problems. Induced fit docking of nine important and environmentally relevant phthalate plasticizers (DMP, BBP, DBP, DIBP, DnHP, DEHP, DINP, DnOP, DIDP) showed interactions with 10-19 amino acid residues of CBG. Comparison of the interacting residues of CBG with phthalate ligands and cortisol showed an overlapping of the majority (53-82%) of residues for each phthalate. Five of nine phthalate compounds and cortisol shared a hydrogen bonding interaction with the Arg-252 residue of CBG. Long-chain phthalates, such as DEHP, DINP, DnOP and DIDP displayed a higher binding affinity and formed a number of interactions with CBG in comparison to short-chain phthalates. The similarity in structural binding characteristics of phthalate compounds and native ligand cortisol suggested potential competitive conflicts in CBG-cortisol binding function and possible disruption of cortisol and progesterone homeostasis. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. 50 CFR 82.4 - Authority.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Authority. 82.4 Section 82.4 Wildlife and... PROTECTION ACT OF 1972) Introduction § 82.4 Authority. The Secretary of the Interior has delegated to the Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, his authority under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to enter into...

  17. Mating Disruption of the Navel Orangeworm (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Using Widely Spaced, Aerosol Dispensers: Is the Pheromone Blend the Most Efficacious Disruptant?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higbee, Bradley S; Burks, Charles S; Cardé, Ring T

    2017-10-01

    The navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a key pest of almonds and pistachios and is sometimes controlled using mating disruption as part of a program of integrated management. The formulation used has a single, nonattractive compound [(11Z,13Z)-hexadecadienal] as the active ingredient that is emitted from timed aerosol dispensers. This study compared this nonattractive, single-compound formulation with two aerosol formulations also containing two additional compounds [(11Z,13Z)-hexadecadien-1-ol and (3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-tricosapentaene] that are found in the pheromone glands, and that in combination with the aldehyde are attractive in wind-tunnel and field-attraction trials. An experiment in pistachios found 97% to 99% suppression of males captured in female-baited traps and 82-93% suppression of mating in sentinel females. Both assays revealed a trend to greater suppression by the more complete pheromone formulations. In almonds, where the abundance of navel orangeworm was lower, all three formulations suppressed males captured in traps and mating in sentinel females by >99%. Each of the formulations significantly reduced damage to Nonpareil almonds. In almonds, there were no significant differences among the formulations in disruption of sexual communication or in damage. These findings suggest that it may be possible to make mating disruption more cost-effective and to achieve higher levels of mating disruption by using attractive aerosol formulations to reduce the number of dispenser per ha. Such a formulation, however, would be more expensive to register in the United States than pheromones meeting the definition of straight-chain lepidopteran pheromone, including the currently used aldehyde-only formulation. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2017. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

  18. Disruption?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2016-01-01

    This is a short video on the theme disruption and entrepreneurship. It takes the form of an interview with John Murray......This is a short video on the theme disruption and entrepreneurship. It takes the form of an interview with John Murray...

  19. Disruption of the NADPH-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase affects the morphology of two industrial strains of Penicillium chrysogenum

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thykær, Jette; Kildegaard, Kanchana Rueksomtawin; Noorman, H.

    2009-01-01

    recipient strains, was conducted. The reference strains showed a compact structure with highly branched hyphal elements whereas the morphology of the Delta gdhA strains consisting of long elongated hyphal elements with few branches. On solid medium, the hyphal growth unit (length) increased from an average...... of 47 mu m tip(-1) in the reference strains to 117 mu m tip(-1) in the Delta gdhA strains and in submerged cultures a decrease of 18% in branching frequency was measured due to the gdhA deletion. P. chrysogenum Wis 54-1255, the ancestor of most production strains was also characterised and this strain...

  20. Evaluation and application of alumina-based Rb-82 generators charged with high levels of Sr-82/85

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yano, Y.; Budinger, T.F.; Chiang, G.; O'Brien, H.A.; Grant, P.M.

    1979-01-01

    Generator-produced Rb-82, a 75-sec positron emitter with potential for myocardial blood-flow imaging, was studied with various ion-exchange columns to evaluate the characteristics of alumina as an adsorber for the 25-day Sr-82 parent. Test columns of alumina, Bio Rex 70, and Chelex 100 were loaded with multimillicurie amounts of no-carrier-added Sr-82/Sr-85 (Sr-85 is a production contaminant). The breakthrough of Sr-82/Sr-85, and the yield of Rb-82, were determined for long-term elutions from each column with up to 4 liter of 2% NaCl solution at pH 8 to 9. The breakthrough of Sr-82/85 was 10 -6 to 10 -5 from alumina and 10 -6 to 10 -4 from Chelex 100 and Bio Rex 70. The effects of eluent flow rate and concentration, and of alumina volume, on the breakthrough and yield were also studied. An improved and automated Rb-82 generator was used for myocardial and brain blood-flow studies in experimental animals and in man; it was equipped with solenoid flow-control valves and five in. of lead shielding for the alumina columns, which were charged with 25 to 50 mCi Sr-82 (100 to 150 mCi Sr-85). The Rb-82 generator with alumina column provided up to 20 to 40 mCi of Rb-82 as often as every 5 to 10 min with -5 breakthrough of Sr-82/85 over the 2- to 3-mo, useful life of the generator

  1. ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF KESEMEK LEAVES (Diospyros kaki L.F) USING DPPH (2,2-DIPHENYL-1 PIKRYLHYDRAZINE) METHOD

    OpenAIRE

    Isnindar, Isnindar; Setyowati, Erna Prawita; Wahyuono, Subagus

    2015-01-01

    There are two groups of antioxidant resources, these are synthetic and natural antioxidants. The most important natural antioxidant is phenolic compounds that are produced naturally from plants. Phenolic Antioxidants are potent antiradical, biologically active as they are able to donate hydrogens to free radicals and break the chain of lipid oxidation reactions in the early stages. This study is aimed to search natural antioxidant compounds from the leaves persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.F) that ...

  2. Enhanced production of tetramethylpyrazine in Bacillus licheniformis BL1 by bdhA disruption and 2,3-butanediol supplementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Wu; Xiao, Dongguang; Wang, Ruiming

    2016-03-01

    The 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) dehydrogenase gene (bdhA) of Bacillus licheniformis BL1 was disrupted to construct the tetramethylpyrazine (TMP)-producing BLA strain. During microaerobic fermentation, the bdhA-disrupted BLA strain produced 46.98 g TMP/l, and this yield was 23.99% higher than that produced by the parent BL1 strain. In addition, the yield of acetoin, which is a TMP precursor, also increased by 28.98% in BLA. The TMP production by BL1 was enhanced by supplementing the fermentation medium with 2,3-BD. The yield of TMP improved from 37.89 to 44.77 g/l as the concentration of 2,3-BD increased from 0 to 2 g/l. The maximum TMP and acetoin yields increased by 18.16 and 17.87%, respectively with the increase in 2,3-BD concentration from 0 to 2 g/l. However, no increase was observed when the concentration of 2,3-BD in the matrix was ≥3 g/l. This study provides a valuable strategy to enhance TMP and acetoin productivity of mutagenic strains by gene manipulation and optimizing fermentation conditions.

  3. Kinetics, improved activity and thermostability of endoglucanase and beta glucosidase from a mutant-derivative of aspergillus niger ms82

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sohail, M.; Ahmad, A.; Khan, S.A.; Uddin, F.

    2013-01-01

    A mutant MS301 of Aspergillus niger MS82 showed 1.5 to 2.5-fold improved endoglucanase and beta-glucosidase activity when grown on crude lignocellulosic substrates under solid-state and submerged conditions. Indicators of thermal stability of enzymes (Tm and T1/2) showed that the wild type and mutant endoglucanase was more heat-resistant compared to beta-glucosidase. However, mutant and parent enzymes shared almost the same values for melting temperatures and half-lives. Endoglucanase and beta-glucosidase from both the strains showed optimum activity under acidic pH. Energy of activation (Ea) of mutant beta-glucosidase was substantially lower than the parent enzyme while Ea of mutant endoglucanase was slightly less than the parent. The lowered Ea values can be attributed to the improved beta-glucosidase activity of the mutant strain. Moreover, the MS301 enzymes were better in hydrolyzing purified and crude cellulosic materials than the parent MS82. (author)

  4. Biofilm disruption potential of a glycolipid biosurfactant from marine Brevibacterium casei.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiran, George Seghal; Sabarathnam, Balu; Selvin, Joseph

    2010-08-01

    The antibiofilm activity of a glycolipid biosurfactant isolated from the marine actinobacterium Brevibacterium casei MSA19 was evaluated against pathogenic biofilms in vitro. The isolate B. casei MSA19 was a potential biosurfactant producer among the 57 stable strains isolated from the marine sponge Dendrilla nigra. The biosurfactant production was optimized under submerged fermentation. The purified glycolipid showed a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. Based on the minimum inhibitory concentration/minimum bactericidal concentration ratio, the glycolipid was determined as bacteriostatic. The glycolipid biosurfactant disrupted the biofilm formation under dynamic conditions. The disruption of the biofilm by the MSA19 glycolipid was consistent against mixed pathogenic biofilm bacteria. Therefore, the glycolipid biosurfactant can be used as a lead compound for the development of novel antibiofilm agents.

  5. Lateral Flow Urine Lipoarabinomannan Assay (LF-LAM) for Diagnosis of Active Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Adults: a Prospective Cohort Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Na Songkhla, Munjit; Tantipong, Hutsaya; Tongsai, Sasima; Angkasekwinai, Nasikarn

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Background Early diagnosis and treatment of active tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-positive patients is challenging. Tests based on the detection of mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan (LAM) antigen in urine have emerged as potential point-of-care tests for TB. However, limited data exists on their performance among HIV-TB co-infected patients from Southeast Asian countries. Methods We prospectively recruited HIV-positive adult patients with CD4 count less than or equal to 200/mm3 and symptoms suspected of active TB from two tertiary hospitals between December 2015 and March 2017. Freshly collected urine was applied to the Determine®-TB LAM Ag test strip (4 bands of graded intensity), using grade 1 cutoff. Diagnostic accuracy of urine LAM strip test were assessed against microbiological reference standard, defined as positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultured from one or more clinical specimens (definite TB) or composite reference standard including definite TB and probable TB, defined as those have symptoms consistent with TB and response to anti-TB treatment. Results A total of 280 patients were enrolled. Of whom, 72 (25.7%) and 65 (23.2%) had definite and probable TB. Amongst those with definite TB, LF-LAM test gave a sensitivity of 75.0% (95% CI 63.9–83.6), specificity of 86.0% (95% CI 79.4–90.8) and accuracy of 82.3% (95% CI 76.7–86.8). When compared with the composite reference standard, the test yielded a lower sensitivity (61.3%, 95% CI 53.0–69.1) and accuracy (73.9%, 95% CI 68.5–78.7), with equal specificity. The test showed the highest sensitivity (90.5%, 95% CI 77.9–96.2) and accuracy (85.9%, 95% CI 79.2–90.7) but lower specificity (84.0%, 95% CI 75.6–89.9) in HIV-infected patients with CD4 count less than 50/mm3. The sensitivity of the combined LF-LAM or sputum microscopy was higher than that of either test alone (86.1% vs. 75.0%, 61.1%, respectively). Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) was cultured in 7 out of 20 with false positive

  6. Prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex in pigs and its disruption by D-amphetamine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lind, N. M.; Arnfred, S. M.; Hemmingsen, R. P.

    2004-01-01

    Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating. The dopamine receptor agonist-mediated disruption of PPI in rats is widely used as a model of the sensorimotor gating deficiencies demonstrated in schizophrenia patients. As a possible tool for valid......Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating. The dopamine receptor agonist-mediated disruption of PPI in rats is widely used as a model of the sensorimotor gating deficiencies demonstrated in schizophrenia patients. As a possible tool....../kg with a paradigm including two levels of prepulses (82 and 88dB) and a prepulse (PP) interval of 60 and 120ms. We found an average PPI of the startle reflex of 25.6% and both of the investigated PP intensities and PP intervals were equally effective in this PP-inhibitive paradigm. AMPH significantly disrupted PPI...... and, in spite of only the 0.5mg/kg dose proved statistically significant, the results indicate this to be dose-related. We have demonstrated the phenomenon of PPI of the startle reflex in landrace pigs and its disruption by d-amphetamine. Studies of sensorimotor gating defects could be a valuable...

  7. Electron density profiles in the background of LF absorption during Forbush-decrease and PSE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satori, G.

    1989-01-01

    Based on the simulation of different Forbush decrease and particle precipitation effects in the D region, electron density profiles in the mid-latitudes the ionospheric absorption of low frequency (LF) radio waves was determined. The absorption variations at different frequenceis are strongly affected by the shape of the electron density profile. A structure appears which sometimes resembles the letter S (in a sloping form). Both the height (around 70 to 72 km) and the depth of the local minimum in the electron density contribute to the computed absorption changes of various degree at different frequencies. In this way several observed special absorption events can be interpreted

  8. Evaluation of fatigue crack growth and fracture resistance of SA350 LF2 material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, P.K.; Dubey, J.S.; Chakrabarty, J.K.; Vaze, K.K.; Kushwaha, H.S.

    2003-01-01

    The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the tensile and fracture mechanics properties of the SA350 LF2 carbon steel material used as the Header material in the primary heat transport (PHT) system piping of the Indian pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWR). Tensile, fatigue crack growth rate and fracture toughness tests have been carried out on specimens machined from the Header of the actual PHT pipes. The effect of temperature on tensile properties has been discussed. The effect of temperature and notch orientation on fracture resistance behavior of the material and fatigue crack growth rate dependence on the notch orientation and stress ratio has also been discussed. (author)

  9. Stress Corrosion cracking susceptibility of reduced-activation martensitic steel F82H

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miwa, Y. [Nuclear Energy and Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Jitsukawa, S.; Tsukada, T. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: For fusion power source in near future, supercritical water-cooled type blanket system was planned in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The blankest system was designed by the present knowledge base and a reasonable extrapolation in material and design technology. Reduced-activation martensitic steel, F82H, is one of the blanket system structural materials. Therefore durability of the F82H for corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is one of the concerns for this water-cooling concept of the blanket system. In this paper, SCC susceptibility of F82H was studied after heat treatments simulating post weld heat treatment (PWHT) or neutron-irradiation at 493 K to a dose level of 2.2 dpa. In order to evaluate SCC susceptibility of F82H, slow strain rate testing (SSRT) in high-purity, circulating water was conducted at 513-603 K in an autoclave. The strain rate was 1.0- 2.0x10{sup -7} s{sup -1}. Concentration of dissolved oxygen and hydrogen of the circulating water was controlled by bubbling with these gases. Specimens were heat treated after normalization at 1313 K for 40 min and water quenching. Some of the specimens were tempered at 873-1073 K for 1 h. Since the temperature control during PWHT in vacuum vessel by remote handling will be difficult, it is expected the tempering temperature will be different at place to place. Some specimens after tempering at 1033 K for 1 h were irradiated at 493 K to 2.2 dpa in Japan Research Reactor No.3 at Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The SSRT results showed the as-normalized specimens failed by IGSCC in oxygenated temperature water at 573 K. SSRT results of specimens with other tempering temperature conditions will be presented at conference. In irradiated specimen, IGSCC did not occur in oxygenated water at 5113-603 K. IGSCC also did not occur in hydrogenated water at 573 K. However TGSCC occurred in the irradiated specimen with a round notch (radius= {approx}0.2 mm) in oxygenated water at 573 K

  10. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts protect against epithelial cell barrier disruption induced by Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, I M; Baker, A; Arneborg, N; Jespersen, L

    2015-11-01

    The human gastrointestinal epithelium makes up the largest barrier separating the body from the external environment. Whereas invasive pathogens cause epithelial barrier disruption, probiotic micro-organisms modulate tight junction regulation and improve epithelial barrier function. In addition, probiotic strains may be able to reduce epithelial barrier disruption caused by pathogenic species. The aim of this study was to explore non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function in vitro. Benchmarking against established probiotic strains, we evaluated the ability of four nonpathogenic yeast species to modulate transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) across a monolayer of differentiated human colonocytes (Caco-2 cells). Further, we assessed yeast modulation of a Salmonella Typhimurium-induced epithelial cell barrier function insult. Our findings demonstrate distinct patterns of non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function. While the established probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii increased TER across a Caco-2 monolayer by 30%, Kluyveromyces marxianus exhibited significantly stronger properties of TER enhancement (50% TER increase). In addition, our data demonstrate significant yeast-mediated modulation of Salmonella-induced epithelial cell barrier disruption and identify K. marxianus and Metschnikowia gruessii as two non-Saccharomyces yeasts capable of protecting human epithelial cells from pathogen invasion. This study demonstrates distinct patterns of non-Saccharomyces yeast modulation of epithelial cell barrier function in vitro. Further, our data demonstrate significant yeast-mediated modulation of Salmonella Typhimurium-induced epithelial cell barrier disruption and identify Kluyveromyces marxianus and Metschnikowia gruessii as two non-Saccharomyces yeasts capable of protecting human epithelial cells from pathogen invasion. This study is the first to demonstrate significant non-Saccharomyces yeast

  11. Study of water dynamics in the soaking, steaming, and solid-state fermentation of glutinous rice by LF-NMR: a novel monitoring approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Teng; Tu, Chuanhai; Rui, Xin; Gao, Yangwen; Li, Wei; Wang, Kun; Xiao, Yu; Dong, Mingsheng

    2015-04-01

    Solid-state fermentation (SSF) of starchy grain is a traditional technique for food and alcoholic beverage production in East Asia. In the present study, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was introduced for the elucidation of water dynamics and microstructure alternations during the soaking, steaming, and SSF of glutinous rice as a rapid real-time monitoring method. Three different proton fractions with different mobilities were identified based on the degree of interaction between biopolymers and water. Soaking and steaming significantly changed the proton distribution of the sample. The different phases of SSF were reflected by the T2 parameters. In addition, the variations in the T2 parameters were explained by the microstructure changes of rice induced by SSF. The fermentation time and T2 parameters were sigmoidally correlated. Thus, LF-NMR may be an effective real-time monitoring method for SSF in starch systems.

  12. Chemical characterization of Xanthan biopolymers synthesized by Xanthomonas campestris pv pruni strains; Caracterizacao quimica de biopolimeros sintetizados por Xanthomonas campestris pv pruni

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moreira, Angelita da S.; Vendruscolo, Claire T.; Furlan, Ligia [Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS (Brazil). Centro de Biotecnologia]. E-mail: angelita@ufpel.tche.br; claire@ufpel.tche.br; ligia@ufpel.tche.br; Galland, Griselda [Rio Grande do Sul Univ., Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Inst. de Qumica

    2001-07-01

    In this work we describe the characterisation of Xanthan biopolymers synthesized by two Xanthomonas campestris pv pruni strains, in aerobic fermentation. By chromatography on TLC we could notice the presence of Mannose monomer in higher proportion in the 82 strain with relation to the another ones. The viscosity results showed the temperature dependence. The 06 and 82 strains had their viscosity increased whereas for the 87 strain we could observe a reduction with temperature increasing. The {sup 13}C NMR spectrum of 87 strain showed the characteristic signals at approximately 92.8, 70.4 and 61.4 ppm, attributed to C1, C4 and C6 from glucose monomer, with higher intensity. (author)

  13. Change in Job Strain as A Predictor of Change in Insomnia Symptoms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Halonen, Jaana I.; Lallukka, Tea; Pentti, Jaana

    2017-01-01

    STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine whether change in job strain lead to change in insomnia symptoms. METHODS: Among 24,873 adults (82% women, mean age 44 years) who participated in a minimum of three consecutive study waves (2000-2012), job strain was assessed at the first and second wave and insomnia.......16-1.51). The disappearance of job strain was associated with lower odds of repeated insomnia symptoms (odds ratio compared to no disappearance of job strain 0.78, 95% CI 0.65-0.94). Further adjustment for shift work or sleep apnea did not change these associations. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that job strain...

  14. 7 CFR 905.82 - Effective time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Effective time. 905.82 Section 905.82 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements... TANGELOS GROWN IN FLORIDA Order Regulating Handling Miscellaneous Provisions § 905.82 Effective time. The...

  15. Disruptions in JET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wesson, J.A.; Gill, R.D.; Hugon, M.

    1989-01-01

    In JET, both high density and low-q operation are limited by disruptions. The density limit disruptions are caused initially by impurity radiation. This causes a contraction of the plasma temperature profile and leads to an MHD unstable configuration. There is evidence of magnetic island formation resulting in minor disruptions. After several minor disruptions, a major disruption with a rapid energy quench occurs. This event takes place in two stages. In the first stage there is a loss of energy from the central region. In the second stage there is a more rapid drop to a very low temperature, apparently due to a dramatic increase in impurity radiation. The final current decay takes place in the resulting cold plasma. During the growth of the MHD instability the initially rotating mode is brought to rest. This mode locking is believed to be due to an electromagnetic interaction with the vacuum vessel and external magnetic field asymmetries. The low-q disruptions are remarkable for the precision with which they occur at q ψ = 2. These disruptions do not have extended precursors or minor disruptions. The instability grows and locks rapidly. The energy quench and current decay are generally similar to those of the density limit. (author). 43 refs, 35 figs, 3 tabs

  16. 30 CFR 256.82 - Environmental studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Environmental studies. 256.82 Section 256.82... OIL AND GAS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Studies § 256.82 Environmental studies. (a) The Director... practicable, be designed to predict environmental impacts of pollutants introduced into the environments and...

  17. 7 CFR 945.82 - Effective time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Effective time. 945.82 Section 945.82 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements... § 945.82 Effective time. The provisions of this subpart shall become effective at such time as the...

  18. Data report of ROSA/LSTF experiment TR-LF-07. Loss-of-feedwater transient with primary feed-and-bleed operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takeda, Takeshi

    2016-07-01

    An experiment TR-LF-07 was conducted on June 23, 1992 using the Large Scale Test Facility (LSTF) in the Rig of Safety Assessment-IV (ROSA-IV) Program. The ROSA/LSTF experiment TR-LF-07 simulated a loss-of-feedwater transient in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) under assumptions of primary feed-and-bleed operation and total failure of auxiliary feedwater system. A safety injection (SI) signal was generated when steam generator (SG) secondary-side collapsed liquid level decreased to 3 m. Primary depressurization was initiated by fully opening a power-operated relief valve (PORV) of pressurizer (PZR) 30 min after the SI signal. High pressure injection (HPI) system was started in loop with PZR 12 s after the SI signal, while it was initiated in loop without PZR when the primary pressure decreased to 10.7 MPa. The primary and SG secondary pressures were kept almost constant because of cycle opening of the PZR PORV and SG relief valves. The PZR liquid level began to drop steeply following the PORV full opening, which caused liquid level formation at the hot leg. The PZR and hot leg liquid levels recovered due to the HPI actuation in both loops. The primary pressure became lower than the SG secondary pressure, which resulted in the actuation of accumulator (ACC) system in both loops. The PZR and hot legs became full of liquid again after the ACC actuation. The primary feed-and-bleed operation by use of the PORV, HPI and ACC systems was effective to core cooling because of no core uncovery. The experiment was terminated when the continuous core cooling was confirmed due to the successive coolant injection from the HPI system even after the ACC termination. The obtained data would be useful to study operator actions and procedures in the PWR multiple fault events which behaviors in the PZR affect. This report summarizes the test procedures, conditions and major observation in the ROSA/LSTF experiment TR-LF-07. (author)

  19. Altered selenium status in Huntington's disease: neuroprotection by selenite in the N171-82Q mouse model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Zhen; Marks, Eileen; Chen, Jianfang; Moline, Jenna; Barrows, Lorraine; Raisbeck, Merl; Volitakis, Irene; Cherny, Robert A; Chopra, Vanita; Bush, Ashley I; Hersch, Steven; Fox, Jonathan H

    2014-11-01

    Disruption of redox homeostasis is a prominent feature in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease (HD). Selenium an essential element nutrient that modulates redox pathways and has been reported to provide protection against both acute neurotoxicity (e.g. methamphetamine) and chronic neurodegeneration (e.g. tauopathy) in mice. The objective of our study was to investigate the effect of sodium selenite, an inorganic form of selenium, on behavioral, brain degeneration and biochemical outcomes in the N171-82Q Huntington's disease mouse model. HD mice, which were supplemented with sodium selenite from 6 to 14 weeks of age, demonstrated increased motor endurance, decreased loss of brain weight, decreased mutant huntingtin aggregate burden and decreased brain oxidized glutathione levels. Biochemical studies revealed that selenite treatment reverted HD-associated changes in liver selenium and plasma glutathione in N171-82Q mice and had effects on brain selenoprotein transcript expression. Further, we found decreased brain selenium content in human autopsy brain. Taken together, we demonstrate a decreased selenium phenotype in human and mouse HD and additionally show some protective effects of selenite in N171-82Q HD mice. Modification of selenium metabolism results in beneficial effects in mouse HD and thus may represent a therapeutic strategy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy, blood-brain barrier disruption and amyloid accumulation in SAMP8 mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    del Valle, Jaume; Duran-Vilaregut, Joaquim; Manich, Gemma; Pallàs, Mercè; Camins, Antoni; Vilaplana, Jordi; Pelegrí, Carme

    2011-01-01

    Cerebrovascular dysfunction and β-amyloid peptide deposition on the walls of cerebral blood vessels might be an early event in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Here we studied the time course of amyloid deposition in blood vessels and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption in the CA1 subzone of the hippocampus of SAMP8 mice and the association between these two variables. We also studied the association between the amyloid deposition in blood vessels and the recently described amyloid clusters in the parenchyma, as well as the association of these clusters with vessels in which the BBB is disrupted. SAMP8 mice showed greater amyloid deposition in blood vessels than age-matched ICR-CD1 control mice. Moreover, at 12 months of age the number of vessels with a disrupted BBB had increased in both strains, especially SAMP8 animals. At this age, all the vessels with amyloid deposition showed BBB disruption, but several capillaries with an altered BBB showed no amyloid on their walls. Moreover, amyloid clusters showed no spatial association with vessels with amyloid deposition, nor with vessels in which the BBB had been disrupted. Finally, we can conclude that vascular amyloid deposition seems to induce BBB alterations, but BBB disruption may also be due to other factors. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  1. Nonlinear Conte-Zbilut-Federici (CZF Method of Computing LF/HF Ratio: A More Reliable Index of Changes in Heart Rate Variability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vernon Bond Jr

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Acupuncture treatments are safe and effective for a wide variety of diseases involving autonomic dysregulation. Heart rate variability (HRV is a noninvasive method for assessing sympathovagal balance. The low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF spectral power ratio is an index of sympathovagal influence on heart rate and of cardi

  2. Digital disruption ?syndromes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, Clair; Staib, Andrew

    2017-05-18

    The digital transformation of hospitals in Australia is occurring rapidly in order to facilitate innovation and improve efficiency. Rapid transformation can cause temporary disruption of hospital workflows and staff as processes are adapted to the new digital workflows. The aim of this paper is to outline various types of digital disruption and some strategies for effective management. A large tertiary university hospital recently underwent a rapid, successful roll-out of an integrated electronic medical record (EMR). We observed this transformation and propose several digital disruption "syndromes" to assist with understanding and management during digital transformation: digital deceleration, digital transparency, digital hypervigilance, data discordance, digital churn and post-digital 'depression'. These 'syndromes' are defined and discussed in detail. Successful management of this temporary digital disruption is important to ensure a successful transition to a digital platform. What is known about this topic? Digital disruption is defined as the changes facilitated by digital technologies that occur at a pace and magnitude that disrupt established ways of value creation, social interactions, doing business and more generally our thinking. Increasing numbers of Australian hospitals are implementing digital solutions to replace traditional paper-based systems for patient care in order to create opportunities for improved care and efficiencies. Such large scale change has the potential to create transient disruption to workflows and staff. Managing this temporary disruption effectively is an important factor in the successful implementation of an EMR. What does this paper add? A large tertiary university hospital recently underwent a successful rapid roll-out of an integrated electronic medical record (EMR) to become Australia's largest digital hospital over a 3-week period. We observed and assisted with the management of several cultural, behavioural and

  3. Influence of immunostimulant polysaccharides, nucleic acids, and Bacillus strains on the innate immune and acute stress response in turbots (Scophthalmus maximus) fed soy bean- and wheat-based diets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuchs, V I; Schmidt, J; Slater, M J; Buck, B H; Steinhagen, D

    2017-12-01

    Immunostimulants are widely applied in aquaculture practice and may have beneficial effects on the immune system and physical functions allowing higher tolerance to stress. In the current study, the impact of four (i-iv) dietary active ingredients on the immune and stress response of turbot was examined in two experiments (I and II). A basal low fish meal (FM; 32%) diet was formulated and supplemented with (i) yeast β-glucan and mannan oligosaccharide (GM), (ii) alginic acid (AC), (iii) yeast nucleotides and RNA (NR), or (iv) Bacillus strains (BS). The basal diet (C-LF) and a high FM (59%) control (C-HF) were maintained. All six diets were fed to juvenile turbots for 84 days in experiment I and for additional 28 days prior to experiment II. Immunological and hematological parameters were determined in experiment I. In experiment II, physical stress response to a typical short-term (GM, AC, NR, and C-HF compared to C-LF (I). A significant increase in plasma glucose and triglyceride was observed in GM and NR treatments, while glucose levels were significantly higher in C-HF compared to C-LF. Moreover, the immunostimulant-supplemented diets exhibited significantly lower cortisol levels compared to controls C-LF (at 0.5 h) and C-HF (at 1 h) post stress, respectively (II). According to our findings, FM substitution did not modulate the innate immune response but was associated with reduced levels of cholesterol. Dietary immunostimulants were not effective enough to boost the immune response, but we believe they might be helpful to trigger metabolic advantages during stressful handling events on fish farms.

  4. Disruption of the Eng18B ENGase gene in the fungal biocontrol agent Trichoderma atroviride affects growth, conidiation and antagonistic ability.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mukesh K Dubey

    Full Text Available The recently identified phylogenetic subgroup B5 of fungal glycoside hydrolase family 18 genes encodes enzymes with mannosyl glycoprotein endo-N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (ENGase-type activity. Intracellular ENGase activity is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum associated protein degradation pathway (ERAD of misfolded glycoproteins, although the biological relevance in filamentous fungi is not known. Trichoderma atroviride is a mycoparasitic fungus that is used for biological control of plant pathogenic fungi. The present work is a functional study of the T. atroviride B5-group gene Eng18B, with emphasis on its role in fungal growth and antagonism. A homology model of T. atroviride Eng18B structure predicts a typical glycoside hydrolase family 18 (αβ(8 barrel architecture. Gene expression analysis shows that Eng18B is induced in dual cultures with the fungal plant pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Rhizoctonia solani, although a basal expression is observed in all growth conditions tested. Eng18B disruption strains had significantly reduced growth rates but higher conidiation rates compared to the wild-type strain. However, growth rates on abiotic stress media were significantly higher in Eng18B disruption strains compared to the wild-type strain. No difference in spore germination, germ-tube morphology or in hyphal branching was detected. Disruption strains produced less biomass in liquid cultures than the wild-type strain when grown with chitin as the sole carbon source. In addition, we determined that Eng18B is required for the antagonistic ability of T. atroviride against the grey mould fungus B. cinerea in dual cultures and that this reduction in antagonistic ability is partly connected to a secreted factor. The phenotypes were recovered by re-introduction of an intact Eng18B gene fragment in mutant strains. A putative role of Eng18B ENGase activity in the endoplasmic reticulum associated protein degradation pathway of endogenous

  5. 45 CFR 74.82 - Program income.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Program income. 74.82 Section 74.82 Public Welfare... COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS Special Provisions for Awards to Commercial Organizations § 74.82 Program income. The additional costs alternative described in § 74.24(b)(1) may not be applied to program income...

  6. 7 CFR 930.82 - Effective time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Effective time. 930.82 Section 930.82 Agriculture... Miscellaneous Provisions § 930.82 Effective time. The provisions of this part, and of any amendment thereto, shall become effective at such time as the Secretary may declare, and shall continue in force until...

  7. Improved heterologous protein production by a tripeptidyl peptidase gene (AosedD) disruptant of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Lin; Nemoto, Takeshi; Yoon, Jaewoo; Maruyama, Jun-ichi; Kitamoto, Katsuhiko

    2012-01-01

    Proteolytic degradation is one of the serious bottlenecks limiting the yields of heterologous protein production by Aspergillus oryzae. In this study, we selected a tripeptidyl peptidase gene AosedD (AO090166000084) as a candidate potentially degrading the heterologous protein, and performed localization analysis of the fusion protein AoSedD-EGFP in A. oryzae. As a result, the AoSedD-EGFP was observed in the septa and cell walls as well as in the culture medium, suggesting that AoSedD is a secretory enzyme. An AosedD disruptant was constructed to investigate an effect of AoSedD on the production level of heterologous proteins and protease activity. Both of the total protease and tripeptidyl peptidase activities in the culture medium of the AosedD disruptant were decreased as compared to those of the control strain. The maximum yields of recombinant bovine chymosin (CHY) and human lysozyme (HLY) produced by the AosedD disruptants showed approximately 2.9- and 1.7-fold increases, respectively, as compared to their control strains. These results suggest that AoSedD is one of the major proteases involved in the proteolytic degradation of recombinant proteins in A. oryzae.

  8. 50 CFR 82.20 - Civil rights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Civil rights. 82.20 Section 82.20 Wildlife... (MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT OF 1972) Administration § 82.20 Civil rights. Each cooperative agreement... Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d-2000d-4, and with the Secretary's regulations promulgated...

  9. 50 CFR 216.82 - Dogs prohibited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Dogs prohibited. 216.82 Section 216.82... Pribilof Islands Administration § 216.82 Dogs prohibited. In order to prevent molestation of fur seal herds, the landing of any dogs at Pribilof Islands is prohibited. [41 FR 49488, Nov. 9, 1976. Redesignated at...

  10. 11 CFR 100.82 - Bank loans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 11 Federal Elections 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Bank loans. 100.82 Section 100.82 Federal... Contributions § 100.82 Bank loans. (a) General provisions. A loan of money to a political committee or a candidate by a State bank, a federally chartered depository institution (including a national bank) or a...

  11. Mutation Glu82Lys in lamin A/C gene is associated with cardiomyopathy and conduction defect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Hu; Wang Jizheng; Zheng Weiyue; Wang Xiaojian; Wang Shuxia; Song Lei; Zou Yubao; Yao Yan; Hui Rutai

    2006-01-01

    Dilated cardiomyopathy is a form of heart muscle disease characterized by impaired systolic function and ventricular dilation. The mutations in lamin A/C gene have been linked to dilated cardiomyopathy. We screened genetic mutations in a large Chinese family of 50 members including members with dilated cardiomyopathy and found a Glu82Lys substitution mutation in the rod domain of the lamin A/C protein in eight family members, three of them have been diagnosed as dilated cardiomyopathy, one presented with heart dilation. The pathogenic mechanism of lamin A/C gene defect is poorly understood. Glu82Lys mutated lamin A/C and wild type protein was transfected into HEK293 cells. The mutated protein was not properly localized at the inner nuclear membrane and the emerin protein, which interacts with lamin A/C, was also aberrantly distributed. The nuclear membrane structure was disrupted and heterochromatin was aggregated aberrantly in the nucleus of the HEK293 cells stably transfected with mutated lamin A/C gene as determined by transmission electron microscopy

  12. 25 CFR 82.6 - Petition format.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Petition format. 82.6 Section 82.6 Indians BUREAU OF... REORGANIZED UNDER FEDERAL STATUTE AND OTHER ORGANIZED TRIBES § 82.6 Petition format. Petitions may consist of... of a petition must set forth at least a summary of the objectives of the petitioners and must show...

  13. Disruption of tetR type regulator adeN by mobile genetic element confers elevated virulence in Acinetobacter baumannii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saranathan, Rajagopalan; Pagal, Sudhakar; Sawant, Ajit R; Tomar, Archana; Madhangi, M; Sah, Suresh; Satti, Annapurna; Arunkumar, K P; Prashanth, K

    2017-10-03

    Acinetobacter baumannii is an important human pathogen and considered as a major threat due to its extreme drug resistance. In this study, the genome of a hyper-virulent MDR strain PKAB07 of A. baumannii isolated from an Indian patient was sequenced and analyzed to understand its mechanisms of virulence, resistance and evolution. Comparative genome analysis of PKAB07 revealed virulence and resistance related genes scattered throughout the genome, instead of being organized as an island, indicating the highly mosaic nature of the genome. Many intermittent horizontal gene transfer events, insertion sequence (IS) element insertions identified were augmenting resistance machinery and elevating the SNP densities in A. baumannii eventually aiding in their swift evolution. ISAba1, the most widely distributed insertion sequence in A. baumannii was found in multiple sites in PKAB07. Out of many ISAba1 insertions, we identified novel insertions in 9 different genes wherein insertional inactivation of adeN (tetR type regulator) was significant. To assess the significance of this disruption in A. baumannii, adeN mutant and complement strains were constructed in A. baumannii ATCC 17978 strain and studied. Biofilm levels were abrogated in the adeN knockout when compared with the wild type and complemented strain of adeN knockout. Virulence of the adeN knockout mutant strain was observed to be high, which was validated by in vitro experiments and Galleria mellonella infection model. The overexpression of adeJ, a major component of AdeIJK efflux pump observed in adeN knockout strain could be the possible reason for the elevated virulence in adeN mutant and PKB07 strain. Knocking out of adeN in ATCC strain led to increased resistance and virulence at par with the PKAB07. Disruption of tetR type regulator adeN by ISAba1 consequently has led to elevated virulence in this pathogen.

  14. GAP1, a novel selection and counter-selection marker for multiple gene disruptions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Regenberg, Birgitte; Hansen, J.

    2000-01-01

    the GAP1 gene. This is caused by recombination between two Salmonella typuimurium hisG direct repeats embracing GAP1, and will result in a sub-population of gap1 cells. Such cells are selected on a medium containing D-histidine, and may subsequently be used for a second gene disruption. Hence, multiple...... flanked by short (60 bp) stretches of the gene in question. Through homologous recombination, the cassette will integrate into the target gene, which is thus replaced by GAP1, and mutants are selected for on minimal L-citrulline medium. When propagated under non-selective conditions, some cells will lose...... gene disruptions can be made fast, cheaply and easily in a gap1 strain, with two positive selection steps for each disruption. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....

  15. Mating System and Effective Population Size of the Overexploited Neotropical Tree (Myroxylon peruiferum L.f.) and Their Impact on Seedling Production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silvestre, Ellida de Aguiar; Schwarcz, Kaiser Dias; Grando, Carolina; de Campos, Jaqueline Bueno; Sujii, Patricia Sanae; Tambarussi, Evandro Vagner; Macrini, Camila Menezes Trindade; Pinheiro, José Baldin; Brancalion, Pedro Henrique Santin; Zucchi, Maria Imaculada

    2018-03-16

    The reproductive system of a tree species has substantial impact on genetic diversity and structure within and among natural populations. Such information, should be considered when planning tree planting for forest restoration. Here, we describe the mating system and genetic diversity of an overexploited Neotropical tree, Myroxylon peruiferum L.f. (Fabaceae) sampled from a forest remnant (10 seed trees and 200 seeds) and assess whether the effective population size of nursery-grown seedlings (148 seedlings) is sufficient to prevent inbreeding depression in reintroduced populations. Genetic analyses were performed based on 8 microsatellite loci. M. peruiferum presented a mixed mating system with evidence of biparental inbreeding (t^m-t^s = 0.118). We found low levels of genetic diversity for M. peruiferum species (allelic richness: 1.40 to 4.82; expected heterozygosity: 0.29 to 0.52). Based on Ne(v) within progeny, we suggest a sample size of 47 seed trees to achieve an effective population size of 100. The effective population sizes for the nursery-grown seedlings were much smaller Ne = 27.54-34.86) than that recommended for short term Ne ≥ 100) population conservation. Therefore, to obtain a reasonable genetic representation of native tree species and prevent problems associated with inbreeding depression, seedling production for restoration purposes may require a much larger sampling effort than is currently used, a problem that is further complicated by species with a mixed mating system. This study emphasizes the need to integrate species reproductive biology into seedling production programs and connect conservation genetics with ecological restoration.

  16. Increased production of free fatty acids in Aspergillus oryzae by disruption of a predicted acyl-CoA synthetase gene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamano, Koichi; Bruno, Kenneth S; Koike, Hideaki; Ishii, Tomoko; Miura, Ai; Umemura, Myco; Culley, David E; Baker, Scott E; Machida, Masayuki

    2015-04-01

    Fatty acids are attractive molecules as source materials for the production of biodiesel fuel. Previously, we attained a 2.4-fold increase in fatty acid production by increasing the expression of fatty acid synthesis-related genes in Aspergillus oryzae. In this study, we achieved an additional increase in the production of fatty acids by disrupting a predicted acyl-CoA synthetase gene in A. oryzae. The A. oryzae genome is predicted to encode six acyl-CoA synthetase genes and disruption of AO090011000642, one of the six genes, resulted in a 9.2-fold higher accumulation (corresponding to an increased production of 0.23 mmol/g dry cell weight) of intracellular fatty acid in comparison to the wild-type strain. Furthermore, by introducing a niaD marker from Aspergillus nidulans to the disruptant, as well as changing the concentration of nitrogen in the culture medium from 10 to 350 mM, fatty acid productivity reached 0.54 mmol/g dry cell weight. Analysis of the relative composition of the major intracellular free fatty acids caused by disruption of AO090011000642 in comparison to the wild-type strain showed an increase in stearic acid (7 to 26 %), decrease in linoleic acid (50 to 27 %), and no significant changes in palmitic or oleic acid (each around 20-25 %).

  17. Disruption in a Neurodevelopmental Model of Schizophrenia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Rolland

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Oxidative stress has been implicated in neurodevelopmental theories of schizophrenia. Antioxidant Peroxysome Proliferator-Activated Receptors α (PPARα agonist fenofibrate has neuroprotective properties and could reverse early preclinical infringements that could trigger the illness. We have evaluated the neuroprotective interest of fenofibrate in a neurodevelopmental rat model of schizophrenia. The oxidative lesion induced by Kainic Acid (KA injection at postnatal day (PND 7 has previously been reported to disrupt Prepulse Inhibition (PPI at PND56 but not at PND35. In 4 groups of 15 male rats each, KN (KA-PND7 + normal postweaning food, KF (KA-PND7 + fenofibrate 0.2% food, ON (saline-PND7 + normal food, and OF (saline + fenofibrate food, PPI was recorded at PND35 and PND56. Three levels of prepulse were used: 73 dB, 76 dB, and 82 dB for a pulse at 120 dB. Four PPI scores were analyzed: PPI73, PPI76, PPI82, and mean PPI (PPIm. Two-way ANOVAs were used to evaluate the effects of both factors (KA + fenofibrate, and, in case of significant results, intergroup Student’s t-tests were performed. We notably found a significant difference (P<0.05 in PPIm between groups KN and KF at PND56, which supposes that fenofibrate could be worthy of interest for early neuroprotection in schizophrenia.

  18. Disruptions in Tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bondeson, A.

    1987-01-01

    This paper discusses major and minor disruptions in Tokamaks. A number of models and numerical simulations of disruptions based on resistive MHD are reviewed. A discussion is given of how disruptive current profiles are correlated with the experimentally known operational limits in density and current. It is argued that the q a =2 limit is connected with stabilization of the m=2/n=1 tearing mode for a approx.< 2.7 by resistive walls and mode rotation. Experimental and theoretical observations indicate that major disruptions usually occur in at least two phases, first a 'predisruption', or loss of confinement in the region 1 < q < 2, leaving the q approx.= 1 region almost unaffected, followed by a final disruption of the central part, interpreted here as a toroidal n = 1 external kink mode. (author)

  19. Disruption of the yeast ATH1 gene confers better survival after dehydration, freezing, and ethanol shock: potential commercial applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, J; Alizadeh, P; Harding, T; Hefner-Gravink, A; Klionsky, D J

    1996-01-01

    The accumulation of trehalose is a critical determinant of stress resistance in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have constructed a yeast strain in which the activity of the trehalose-hydrolyzing enzyme, acid trehalase (ATH), has been abolished. Loss of ATH activity was accomplished by disrupting the ATH1 gene, which is essential for ATH activity. The delta ath1 strain accumulated greater levels of cellular trehalose and grew to a higher cell density than the isogenic wild-type strain. In addition, the elevated levels of trehalose in the delta ath1 strain correlated with increased tolerance to dehydration, freezing, and toxic levels of ethanol. The improved resistance to stress conditions exhibited by the delta ath1 strain may make this strain useful in commercial applications, including baking and brewing. PMID:8633854

  20. Effects of body-color mutations on vitality: an attempt to establish easy-to-breed see-through medaka strains by outcrossing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohshima, Ayaka; Morimura, Noriko; Matsumoto, Chizuru; Hiraga, Ami; Komine, Ritsuko; Kimura, Tetsuaki; Naruse, Kiyoshi; Fukamachi, Shoji

    2013-09-04

    "See-through" strains of medaka are unique tools for experiments: their skin is transparent, and their internal organs can be externally monitored throughout life. However, see-through fish are less vital than normally pigmented wild-type fish, which allows only skilled researchers to make the most of their advantages. Expecting that hybrid vigor (heterosis) would increase the vitality, we outcrossed two see-through strains (SK(2) and STIII) with a genetically distant wild-type strain (HNI). Fish with the see-through phenotypes were successfully restored in the F2 generation and maintained as closed colonies. We verified that genomes of these hybrid see-through strains actually consisted of approximately 50% HNI and approximately 50% SK(2) or STIII alleles, but we could not obtain evidence supporting improved survival of larvae or fecundity of adults, at least under our breeding conditions. We also found that four of the five see-through mutations (b(g8), i-3, gu, and il-1 but not lf) additively decrease viability. Given that heterosis could not overwhelm the viability-reducing effects of the see-through mutations, easy-to-breed see-through strains will only be established by other methods such as conditional gene targeting or screening of new body-color mutations that do not reduce viability.

  1. Ex vivo intestinal adhesion of Escherichia coli LF82 in Crohn’s disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Stina Rikke; Fink, Lisbeth Nielsen; Nielsen, Ole Haagen

    2011-01-01

    Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) are reported to inhabit the gut mucosa in Crohn’s disease (CD), however, little is known about the importance of host factors for the interplay between AIEC and the human gut.To examine if differences in bacterial adhesion patterns are disease associated,...

  2. Karakteristik Bubuk Instan Cemcem ( spondiaz pinnata lf kurz

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luh Putu Wrasiati

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available One of tropical plant used as a traditional beverage in Bali is Kecemcem or Cemcem (Spondias pinnata (Lf Kurz or in Indonesian called Kedondong Hutan. Empirically, the beverage is mentioned for treating coughs, increasing appetite, and body refreshment. Besides used as a beverage, Cemcem leafs are also used as a flavor enhancer of fish products. The study was carried out to determine the characteristics of Cemcem instant powder produced by encapsulation using maltodextrin and dried by the thin layer drying method. Cemcem instant powder was then analyzed its content of vitamin C, total phenols, tannins, antioxidant capacity, water cntent, ash content, and solubility. The flavor compounds in Cemcem instant powder obtained in Bukit Jimbaran area are identified by GC-MS devices. The result showed that cemcem instant powder which was produced by 24 hours of maceration time has the best characteristics and potential to be developed as a natural antioxidant products. It has the highest of total phenol, tannin, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity. The content of vitamin C, total phenol, and tannin were 135.06 mg/100g, 38.95 mg GAE/g, and 11.01% respectively. The antioxidant activity of cemcem instant powder which analyzed by DPPH method was about 43.80%. There are 17 compounds detected by GC-MS, these compounds belonged alkenesalcoholsphenols compounds and esters of fatty acidsThe whole compounds were the building blocks of flavor cemcem leaves.Keywords : Characteristic of cemcem instant powder, antioxidant capacity, andflavor compounds of cemcem leaves

  3. 21 CFR 500.82 - Definitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Definitions. 500.82 Section 500.82 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS GENERAL Regulation of Carcinogenic Compounds Used in Food-Producing Animals § 500...

  4. 22 CFR 8.2 - Policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Policy. 8.2 Section 8.2 Foreign Relations... solely for advisory functions and any decision taken pursuant to the advice or recommendation of an... advisory committees will be open to the public unless there is a compelling reason which requires...

  5. Homology-integrated CRISPR-Cas (HI-CRISPR) system for one-step multigene disruption in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Zehua; Xiao, Han; Liang, Jing; Zhang, Lu; Xiong, Xiong; Sun, Ning; Si, Tong; Zhao, Huimin

    2015-05-15

    One-step multiple gene disruption in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a highly useful tool for both basic and applied research, but it remains a challenge. Here, we report a rapid, efficient, and potentially scalable strategy based on the type II Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR associated proteins (Cas) system to generate multiple gene disruptions simultaneously in S. cerevisiae. A 100 bp dsDNA mutagenizing homologous recombination donor is inserted between two direct repeats for each target gene in a CRISPR array consisting of multiple donor and guide sequence pairs. An ultrahigh copy number plasmid carrying iCas9, a variant of wild-type Cas9, trans-encoded RNA (tracrRNA), and a homology-integrated crRNA cassette is designed to greatly increase the gene disruption efficiency. As proof of concept, three genes, CAN1, ADE2, and LYP1, were simultaneously disrupted in 4 days with an efficiency ranging from 27 to 87%. Another three genes involved in an artificial hydrocortisone biosynthetic pathway, ATF2, GCY1, and YPR1, were simultaneously disrupted in 6 days with 100% efficiency. This homology-integrated CRISPR (HI-CRISPR) strategy represents a powerful tool for creating yeast strains with multiple gene knockouts.

  6. 27 CFR 31.82 - Hotels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Hotels. 31.82 Section 31... Same Premises § 31.82 Hotels. The proprietor of a hotel who conducts the sale of liquors throughout the hotel premises is only required to register under this part for one place. For example, different areas...

  7. 27 CFR 24.82 - Samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Samples. 24.82 Section 24.82 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE... vinegar and salted wine as defined in § 24.215, the proprietor shall submit under separate cover at the...

  8. Bacillus thuringiensis monogenic strains: screening and interactions with insecticides used against rice pests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinto, Laura M.N.; Dörr, Natália C.; Ribeiro, Ana Paula A.; de Salles, Silvia M.; de Oliveira, Jaime V.; Menezes, Valmir G.; Fiuza, Lidia M.

    2012-01-01

    The screening of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry proteins with high potential to control insect pests has been the goal of numerous research groups. In this study, we evaluated six monogenic Bt strains (Bt dendrolimus HD-37, Bt kurstaki HD-1, Bt kurstaki HD-73, Bt thuringiensis 4412, Bt kurstaki NRD-12 and Bt entomocidus 60.5, which codify the cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1Ac, cry1Ba, cry1C, cry2A genes respectively) as potential insecticides for the most important insect pests of irrigated rice: Spodoptera frugiperda, Diatraea saccharalis, Oryzophagus oryzae, Oebalus poecilus and Tibraca limbativentris. We also analyzed their compatibility with chemical insecticides (thiamethoxam, labdacyhalothrin, malathion and fipronil), which are extensively used in rice crops. The bioassay results showed that Bt thuringiensis 4412 and Bt entomocidus 60.5 were the most toxic for the lepidopterans, with a 93% and 82% mortality rate for S. frugiperda and D. saccharalis, respectively. For O. oryzae, the Bt kurstaki NRD-12 (64%) and Bt dendrolimus HD-37 (62%) strains were the most toxic. The Bt dendrolimus HD-37 strain also caused high mortality (82%) to O. poecilus, however the strains assessed to T. limbativentris caused a maximum rate of 5%. The assays for the Bt strains interaction with insecticides revealed the compatibility of the six strains with the four insecticides tested. The results from this study showed the high potential of cry1Aa and cry1Ba genes for genetic engineering of rice plants or the strains to biopesticide formulations. PMID:24031872

  9. Wound Disruption Following Colorectal Operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moghadamyeghaneh, Zhobin; Hanna, Mark H; Carmichael, Joseph C; Mills, Steven; Pigazzi, Alessio; Nguyen, Ninh T; Stamos, Michael J

    2015-12-01

    Postoperative wound disruption is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We sought to identify the risk factors and outcomes of wound disruption following colorectal resection. The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was used to examine the clinical data of patients who underwent colorectal resection from 2005 to 2013. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors of wound disruption. We sampled a total of 164,297 patients who underwent colorectal resection. Of these, 2073 (1.3 %) had wound disruption. Patients with wound disruption had significantly higher mortality (5.1 vs. 1.9 %, AOR: 1.46, P = 0.01). The highest risk of wound disruption was seen in patients with wound infection (4.8 vs. 0.9 %, AOR: 4.11, P disruption such as chronic steroid use (AOR: 1.71, P disruption compared to open surgery (AOR: 0.61, P disruption occurs in 1.3 % of colorectal resections, and it correlates with mortality of patients. Wound infection is the strongest predictor of wound disruption. Chronic steroid use, obesity, severe COPD, prolonged operation, non-elective admission, and serum albumin level are strongly associated with wound disruption. Utilization of the laparoscopic approach may decrease the risk of wound disruption when possible.

  10. Prophage-Encoded Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A: Regulation of Production in Staphylococcus aureus Strains Representing Different Sea Regions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikoleta Zeaki

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The present study investigates the nature of the link between the staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA gene and the lifecycle of Siphoviridae bacteriophages, including the origin of strain variation regarding SEA production after prophage induction. Five strains representing three different genetic lines of the sea region were studied under optimal and prophage-induced growth conditions and the Siphoviridae lifecycle was followed through the phage replicative form copies and transcripts of the lysogenic repressor, cro. The role of SOS response on prophage induction was addressed through recA transcription in a recA-disruption mutant. Prophage induction was found to increase the abundance of the phage replicative form, the sea gene copies and transcripts and enhance SEA production. Sequence analysis of the sea regions revealed that observed strain variances were related to strain capacity for prophage induction, rather than sequence differences in the sea region. The impact of SOS response activation on the phage lifecycle was demonstrated by the absence of phage replicative form copies in the recA-disruption mutant after prophage induction. From this study it emerges that all aspects of SEA-producing strain, the Siphoviridae phage and the food environment must be considered when evaluating SEA-related hazards.

  11. Highly Enantioselective Production of (R-Halohydrins with Whole Cells of Rhodotorula rubra KCh 82 Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomasz Janeczko

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Biotransformation of ten α-haloacetophenones in the growing culture of the strain Rhodotorula rubra KCh 82 has been carried out. Nine of the substrates underwent an effective enantioselective reduction to the respective (R-alcohols according to Prelog’s rule, with the exception of 2-chloro-1,2-diphenylethan-1-one that was not transformed by this strain. The expected reduction proceeded without dehalogenation, leading to the respective (R-halohydrins in high yields. The use of this biocatalyst yielded (R-2-bromo-1-phenyl-ethan-1-ol (enantiomeric excess (ee = 97% and its derivatives: 4'-Bromo- (ee = 99%; 4'-Chloro- (ee > 99%; 4'-Methoxy- (ee = 96%; 3'-Methoxy- (ee = 93%; 2'-Methoxy- (ee = 98%. There were also obtained and characterized 2,4'-dichloro-, 2,2',4'-trichloro- and 2-chloro-4'-fluoro-phenyetan-1-ol with >99% of enantiomeric excesses.

  12. Highly enantioselective production of (R)-halohydrins with whole cells of Rhodotorula rubra KCh 82 culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janeczko, Tomasz; Dymarska, Monika; Kostrzewa-Susłow, Edyta

    2014-12-04

    Biotransformation of ten α-haloacetophenones in the growing culture of the strain Rhodotorula rubra KCh 82 has been carried out. Nine of the substrates underwent an effective enantioselective reduction to the respective (R)-alcohols according to Prelog's rule, with the exception of 2-chloro-1,2-diphenylethan-1-one that was not transformed by this strain. The expected reduction proceeded without dehalogenation, leading to the respective (R)-halohydrins in high yields. The use of this biocatalyst yielded (R)-2-bromo-1-phenyl-ethan-1-ol (enantiomeric excess (ee) = 97%) and its derivatives: 4'-Bromo- (ee = 99%); 4'-Chloro- (ee > 99%); 4'-Methoxy- (ee = 96%); 3'-Methoxy- (ee = 93%); 2'-Methoxy- (ee = 98%). There were also obtained and characterized 2,4'-dichloro-, 2,2',4'-trichloro- and 2-chloro-4'-fluoro-phenyetan-1-ol with >99% of enantiomeric excesses.

  13. 21 CFR 82.3 - Definitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Definitions. 82.3 Section 82.3 Food and Drugs FOOD... gloss white means a suspension in water of co-precipitated aluminum hydroxide and barium sulfate. (j... interpretations of terms contained in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act shall be applicable...

  14. 7 CFR 3015.82 - Financial status report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Financial status report. 3015.82 Section 3015.82 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) OFFICE OF THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE UNIFORM FEDERAL ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS Financial Reporting Requirements § 3015.82...

  15. Energy research program 82

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-01-01

    The energy research program 82 (EFP-82) is prepared by the Danish ministry of energy in order to continue the extension of the Danish energy research and development started through the former trade ministry's programs EM-1 (1976) and EM-2 (1978), and the energy ministry's programs EFP-80 and EFP-81. The new program is a continuation of the activities in the period 1982-84 with a total budget of 100 mio.Dkr. The program gives a brief description of background, principles, organization and financing, and a detailed description of each research area. (BP)

  16. A Food-Grade Cloning System for Industrial Strains of Lactococcus lactis

    OpenAIRE

    Sørensen, Kim I.; Larsen, Rasmus; Kibenich, Annette; Junge, Mette P.; Johansen, Eric

    2000-01-01

    We have previously reported the construction of a food-grade cloning vector for Lactococcus using the ochre suppressor, supB, as the selective marker. This vector, pFG1, causes only a slight growth inhibition in the laboratory strain MG1363 but is unstable in the industrial strains tested. As supB suppresses both amber and ochre stop codons, which are present in 82% of all known lactococcal genes, this undesirable finding may result from the accumulation of elongated mistranslated polypeptide...

  17. Investigation of Ionospheric Anomalies related to moderate Romanian earthquakes occurred during last decade using VLF/LF INFREP and GNSS Global Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moldovan, Iren-Adelina; Oikonomou, Christina; Haralambous, Haris; Nastase, Eduard; Emilian Toader, Victorin; Biagi, Pier Francesco; Colella, Roberto; Toma-Danila, Dragos

    2017-04-01

    Ionospheric TEC (Total Electron Content) variations and Low Frequency (LF) signal amplitude data prior to five moderate earthquakes (Mw≥5) occurred in Romania, in Vrancea crustal and subcrustal seismic zones, during the last decade were analyzed using observations from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and the European INFREP (International Network for Frontier Research on Earthquake Precursors) networks respectively, aiming to detect potential ionospheric anomalies related to these events and describe their characteristics. For this, spectral analysis on TEC data and terminator time method on VLF/LF data were applied. It was found that TEC perturbations appeared few days (1-7) up to few hours before the events lasting around 2-3 hours, with periods 20 and 3-5 minutes which could be associated with the impending earthquakes. In addition, in all three events the sunrise terminator times were delayed approximately 20-40 min few days prior and during the earthquake day. Acknowledgments This work was partially supported by the Partnership in Priority Areas Program - PNII, under MEN-UEFISCDI, DARING Project no. 69/2014 and the Nucleu Program - PN 16-35, Project no. 03 01

  18. Strain-based HLA association analysis identified HLA-DRB1*09:01 associated with modern strain tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toyo-Oka, L; Mahasirimongkol, S; Yanai, H; Mushiroda, T; Wattanapokayakit, S; Wichukchinda, N; Yamada, N; Smittipat, N; Juthayothin, T; Palittapongarnpim, P; Nedsuwan, S; Kantipong, P; Takahashi, A; Kubo, M; Sawanpanyalert, P; Tokunaga, K

    2017-09-01

    Tuberculosis (TB) occurs as a result of complex interactions between the host immune system and pathogen virulence factors. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecules play an important role in the host immune system. However, no study has assessed the association between HLA class II genes and susceptibility to TB caused by specific strains. This study investigated the possible association of HLA class II genes with TB caused by modern and ancient Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The study included 682 patients with TB and 836 control subjects who were typed for HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles. MTB strains were classified using a large sequence polymorphism typing method. Association analysis was performed using common HLA alleles and haplotypes in different MTB strains. HLA association analysis of patients infected with modern MTB strains showed significant association for HLA-DRB1*09:01 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.82; P-value = 9.88 × 10 -4 ) and HLA-DQB1*03:03 alleles (OR = 1.76; P-value = 1.31 × 10 -3 ) with susceptibility to TB. Haplotype analysis confirmed that these alleles were in strong linkage disequilibrium and did not exert an interactive effect. Thus, the results of this study showed an association between HLA class II genes and susceptibility to TB caused by modern MTB strains, suggesting the importance of strain-specific analysis to determine susceptibility genes associated with TB. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Center Pacientes y Cuidadores Hormones and Health The Endocrine System Hormones Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) Steroid and Hormone ... Hormones and Health › Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) The Endocrine System Hormones Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) EDCs Myth vs. ...

  20. Microstructural evolution of HFIR-irradiated low activation F82H and F82H-10B steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wakai, E.; Shiba, K.; Sawai, T.; Hashimoto, N.; Robertson, J.P.; Klueh, R.L.

    1998-01-01

    Microstructures of reduced-activation F82H (8Cr-2W-0.2V-0.04Ta) and the F82H steels doped with 10 B, irradiated at 250 and 300 C to 3 and 57 dpa in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), were examined by TEM. In the F82H irradiated at 250 C to 3 dpa, dislocation loops, small unidentified defect clusters with a high number density, and a few MC precipitates were observed in the matrix. The defect microstructure after 300 C irradiation to 57 dpa is dominated by the loops, and the number density of loops was lower than that of the F82H- 10 B steel. Cavities were observed in the F82H- 10 B steels, but the swelling value is insignificant. Small particles of M 6 C formed on the M 23 C 6 carbides that were present in both steels before the irradiation at 300 C to 57 dpa. A low number density of MC precipitate particles formed in the matrix during irradiation at 300 C to 57 dpa

  1. Comparing insertion libraries in two Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains to assess gene essentiality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liberati, Nicole T; Urbach, Jonathan M; Thurber, Tara K; Wu, Gang; Ausubel, Frederick M

    2008-01-01

    Putative essential genes can be identified by comparing orthologs not disrupted in multiple near-saturated transposon insertion mutation libraries in related strains of the same bacterial species. Methods for identifying all orthologs between two bacterial strains and putative essential orthologs are described. In addition, protocols detailing near-saturation transposon insertion mutagenesis of bacteria are presented, including (1) conjugation-mediated mutagenesis, (2) automated colony picking and liquid handling of mutant cultures, and (3) arbitrary polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of genomic DNA adjacent to transposon insertion sites.

  2. 50 CFR 82.7 - Coordination with States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ...-IN-AID (MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT OF 1972) Application for Grants § 82.7 Coordination with States... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Coordination with States. 82.7 Section 82.7 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR...

  3. Disruptions in the TFTR tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janos, A.; Fredrickson, E.D.; McGuire, K.; Batha, S.H.; Bell, M.G.; Bitter, M.; Budny, R.; Bush, C.E.; Efthimion, P.C.; Hawryluk, R.J.; Hill, K.W.; Hosea, J.; Jobes, F.C.; Johnson, D.W.; Levinton, F.; Mansfield, D.; Meade, D.; Medley, S.S.; Monticello, D.; Mueller, D.; Nagayama, Y.; Owens, D.K.; Park, H.; Park, W.; Post, D.E.; Schivell, J.; Strachan, J.D.; Taylor, G.; Ulrickson, M.; Goeler, S. von; Wilfrid, E.; Wong, K.L.; Yamada, M.; Young, K.M.; Zarnstorff, M.C.; Zweben, S.J.; Drake, J.F.; Kleva, R.G.; Fleischmann, H.H.

    1993-03-01

    For a successful reactor, it will be useful to predict the occurrence of disruptions and to understand disruption effects including how a plasma disrupts onto the wall and how reproducibly it does so. Studies of disruptions on TFTR at both high-β pol and high-density have shown that, in both types, a fast growing m/n=1/1 mode plays an important role. In highdensity disruptions, a newly observed fast m/n = 1/1 mode occurs early in the thermal decay phase. For the first time in TFTR q-profile measurements just prior to disruptions have been made. Experimental studies of heat deposition patterns on the first wall of TFTR due to disruptions have provided information on MHD phenomena prior to or during the disruption, how the energy is released to the wall, and the reproducibility of the heat loads from disruptions. This information is important in the design of future devices such as ITER. Several new processes of runaway electron generation are theoretically suggested and their application to TFTR and ITER is considered, together with a preliminary assessment of x-ray data from runaways generated during disruptions

  4. 40 CFR 82.150 - Purpose and scope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...) PROTECTION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE Recycling and Emissions Reduction § 82.150 Purpose and scope. (a) The purpose of this subpart is to reduce emissions of class I and class II refrigerants and their substitutes... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Purpose and scope. 82.150 Section 82...

  5. 21 CFR 1250.82 - Potable water systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Potable water systems. 1250.82 Section 1250.82... SANITATION Sanitation Facilities and Conditions on Vessels § 1250.82 Potable water systems. The following conditions must be met by vessel water systems used for the storage and distribution of water which has met...

  6. Exploiting LF/MF signals of opportunity for lower ionospheric remote sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higginson-Rollins, Marc A.; Cohen, Morris B.

    2017-08-01

    We introduce a method to diagnose and track the D region ionosphere (60-100 km). This region is important for long-distance terrestrial communication and is impacted by a variety of geophysical phenomena, but it is traditionally very difficult to detect. Modern remote sensing methods used to study the D region are predominately near the very low frequency (VLF, 3-30 kHz) band, with some work also done in the high-frequency and very high frequency bands (HF/VHF, 3-300 MHz). However, the frequency band between VLF and HF has been largely ignored as a diagnostic tool for the ionosphere. In this paper, we evaluate the use of 300 kHz radio reflections as a diagnostic tool for characterizing the D region of the ionosphere. We present radio receiver data, analyze diurnal trends in the signal from these transmitters, and identify ionospheric disturbances impacting LF/MF propagation. We find that 300 kHz remote sensing may allow a unique method for D region diagnostics compared to both the VLF and HF/VHF frequency bands, due to a more direct ionospheric reflection coefficient calculation method with high temporal resolution without the use of forward modeling.

  7. BINARY DISRUPTION BY MASSIVE BLACK HOLES: HYPERVELOCITY STARS, S STARS, AND TIDAL DISRUPTION EVENTS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bromley, Benjamin C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, 115 S 1400 E, Rm 201, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (United States); Kenyon, Scott J.; Geller, Margaret J.; Brown, Warren R., E-mail: bromley@physics.utah.edu, E-mail: skenyon@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: mgeller@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: wbrown@cfa.harvard.edu [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

    2012-04-20

    We examine whether disrupted binary stars can fuel black hole growth. In this mechanism, tidal disruption produces a single hypervelocity star (HVS) ejected at high velocity and a former companion star bound to the black hole. After a cluster of bound stars forms, orbital diffusion allows the black hole to accrete stars by tidal disruption at a rate comparable to the capture rate. In the Milky Way, HVSs and the S star cluster imply similar rates of 10{sup -5} to 10{sup -3} yr{sup -1} for binary disruption. These rates are consistent with estimates for the tidal disruption rate in nearby galaxies and imply significant black hole growth from disrupted binaries on 10 Gyr timescales.

  8. The Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 Strain Shows Protective Effects against the B. anthracis LT Toxin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodolphe Pontier-Bres

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii has been prescribed for the prophylaxis and treatment of several infectious diarrheal diseases. Gastrointestinal anthrax causes fatal systemic disease. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects conferred by Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 strain on polarized T84 columnar epithelial cells intoxicated by the lethal toxin (LT of Bacillus anthracis. Exposure of polarized T84 cells to LT affected cell monolayer integrity, modified the morphology of tight junctions and induced the formation of actin stress fibers. Overnight treatment of cells with S. boulardii before incubation with LT maintained the integrity of the monolayers, prevented morphological modification of tight junctions, restricted the effects of LT on actin remodeling and delayed LT-induced MEK-2 cleavage. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that in the presence of S. boulardii, the medium is depleted of both LF and PA sub-units of LT and the appearance of a cleaved form of PA. Our study highlights the potential of the S. boulardii CNCM I-745 strain as a prophylactic agent against the gastrointestinal form of anthrax.

  9. The Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 strain shows protective effects against the B. anthracis LT toxin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pontier-Bres, Rodolphe; Rampal, Patrick; Peyron, Jean-François; Munro, Patrick; Lemichez, Emmanuel; Czerucka, Dorota

    2015-10-30

    The probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) has been prescribed for the prophylaxis and treatment of several infectious diarrheal diseases. Gastrointestinal anthrax causes fatal systemic disease. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects conferred by Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 strain on polarized T84 columnar epithelial cells intoxicated by the lethal toxin (LT) of Bacillus anthracis. Exposure of polarized T84 cells to LT affected cell monolayer integrity, modified the morphology of tight junctions and induced the formation of actin stress fibers. Overnight treatment of cells with S. boulardii before incubation with LT maintained the integrity of the monolayers, prevented morphological modification of tight junctions, restricted the effects of LT on actin remodeling and delayed LT-induced MEK-2 cleavage. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that in the presence of S. boulardii, the medium is depleted of both LF and PA sub-units of LT and the appearance of a cleaved form of PA. Our study highlights the potential of the S. boulardii CNCM I-745 strain as a prophylactic agent against the gastrointestinal form of anthrax.

  10. Cell Factory Stability and Genetic Circuits for Improved Strain Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rugbjerg, Peter

    . However, all synthetic gene systems -­ including the target metabolic pathways themselves -­ represent a possible fitness burden to the cell and thus constitute a threat to strain stability. In this thesis, several studies served to develop genetic systems for optimizing cell factory development...... systems can challenge the stability of strain designs. A metabolite-­producing Escherichia coli strain was long-­term cultured to study production stability and the dynamic effects of mutations within the cell population. A genetic error landscape of pathway disruptions was identified including particular......Development of new chemical-­‐producing microbial cell factories is an iterative trial-­and-­error process, and to screen candidate cells at high throughput, genetic biosensor systems are appealing. Each biosensor has distinct biological parameters, making modular tuning networks attractive...

  11. 7 CFR 8.2 - Delegation of authority.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Delegation of authority. 8.2 Section 8.2 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture 4-H CLUB NAME AND EMBLEM § 8.2 Delegation of authority. The... Agriculture, may authorize the use of the 4-H Club Name and Emblem in accordance with the regulations in this...

  12. Statistical analysis of JET disruptions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanga, A.; Johnson, M.F.

    1991-07-01

    In the operation of JET and of any tokamak many discharges are terminated by a major disruption. The disruptive termination of a discharge is usually an unwanted event which may cause damage to the structure of the vessel. In a reactor disruptions are potentially a very serious problem, hence the importance of studying them and devising methods to avoid disruptions. Statistical information has been collected about the disruptions which have occurred at JET over a long span of operations. The analysis is focused on the operational aspects of the disruptions rather than on the underlining physics. (Author)

  13. Disruptions in DIII-D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reiman, A.; Taylor, P.; Kellman, A.; LaHaye, R.

    1996-01-01

    We report on the results of a statistical analysis of the DIII-D disruption data base, and on an examination of a selected subset of the shots to determine the likely causes of disruptions. The statistical analysis focuses on the dependence of the disruption rate on key dimensionless parameters. We find that the disruption frequency is high at modest values of the parameters, and that it can be relatively low at operational limits. For example, the disruption frequency in an ITER relevant regime (β N /l i ∼ 2, 3 G > 0.6, where n G is the Greenwald limit) is approximately 23%. For this range of q, the disruption frequency rises only modestly to about 35% at the β limit, consistent with previous observations of a soft β limit for this q regime. For the range 6 95 G G < .9) in all q regimes we have studied. The location of the minimum moves to higher density with increasing q

  14. [Antagonism between hospital strains of Staphylococcus aureus and lactic acid bacteria in vitro and the use of the latter as a sanitary agent].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambartsumian, A D; Dekhtsunian, K M; Atopek, S Ia; Erzinkian, L A

    1983-08-01

    The study of antagonism between S. aureus hospital strains and lactic acid bacteria, strain 317/402 "Nariné", revealed that the latter possessed high antagonistic activity. A new method for the sanitation of carriers of S. aureus hospital strains was developed; this method made it possible to limit the epidemiological significance of 82% of these strains.

  15. Phenotypic and molecular characterization of Rhizobium vitis strains from vineyards in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Didem CANIK OREL

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Crown gall-affected grapevine samples were collected during 2009–2010 from major vineyards, located in different Turkish provinces. One hundred and three bacterial strains were obtained from 88 vineyards and 18 grapevine varieties; they were tumorigenic when inoculated in tobacco, sunflower and Datura stramonium plants and were identified as Rhizobium vitis using biochemical and physiological tests as well as PCR and specific primers. Nineteen R. vitis strains presented a number of anomalous biochemical and physiological characters. PCR and opine-specific primers revealed the presence of octopine/cucumopine-type plasmid in 82 R. vitis strains, nopaline-type plasmids in 18 strains and vitopine-type plasmids in three strains. Clonal relationship of strains was determined using Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis following digestion of genomic DNA with the restriction endonuclease PmeI. The greatest genetic diversity was found for the strains from Denizli, Ankara and Nevşehir provinces. Nopaline and vitopine-types of Rhizobium vitis were detected for the first time in Turkey.

  16. Disruption model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murray, J.G.; Bronner, G.

    1982-07-01

    Calculations of disruption time and energy dissipation have been obtained by simulating the plasma as an electrical conducting loop that varies in resistivity, current density, major radius. The calculations provide results which are in good agreement with experimental observations. It is believed that this approach allows engineering designs for disruptions to be completed in large tokamaks such as INTOR or FED

  17. Internal disruption in tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuvshinov, B.N.; Savrukhin, P.V.

    1990-01-01

    A review of results of experimental and theoretical investigations of internal disruption in tokamaks is given. Specific features of various types of saw-tooth oscillations are described and their classification is performed. Theoretical models of the process of development of internal disruption instability are discussed. Effect of internal disruption on parameters of plasma, confined in tokamak, is considered. Scalings of period and amplitude of saw-tooth oscillations, as well as version radius are presented. Different methods for stabilizing instability of internal disruption are described

  18. Internal disruptions in tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuvshinov, B.N.; Savrukhin, P.V.

    1990-01-01

    Experimental and theoretical studies of the phenomenon of internal disruptions in tokamaks are reviewed. A classification scheme is introduced and the features of different types of sawtooth oscillations are described. A theoretical model for the development of the internal disruption instability is discussed. The effect of internal disruptions on the parameters of plasma confined in tokamaks is discussed. Scaling laws for the period and amplitude of sawtooth oscillations, as well as for the inversion radius, are presented. Different methods of stabilizing the internal disruption instability are described

  19. Comparative genomic characterization of Francisella tularensis strains belonging to low and high virulence subspecies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mia D Champion

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Tularemia is a geographically widespread, severely debilitating, and occasionally lethal disease in humans. It is caused by infection by a gram-negative bacterium, Francisella tularensis. In order to better understand its potency as an etiological agent as well as its potential as a biological weapon, we have completed draft assemblies and report the first complete genomic characterization of five strains belonging to the following different Francisella subspecies (subsp.: the F. tularensis subsp. tularensis FSC033, F. tularensis subsp. holarctica FSC257 and FSC022, and F. tularensis subsp. novicida GA99-3548 and GA99-3549 strains. Here, we report the sequencing of these strains and comparative genomic analysis with recently available public Francisella sequences, including the rare F. tularensis subsp. mediasiatica FSC147 strain isolate from the Central Asian Region. We report evidence for the occurrence of large-scale rearrangement events in strains of the holarctica subspecies, supporting previous proposals that further phylogenetic subdivisions of the Type B clade are likely. We also find a significant enrichment of disrupted or absent ORFs proximal to predicted breakpoints in the FSC022 strain, including a genetic component of the Type I restriction-modification defense system. Many of the pseudogenes identified are also disrupted in the closely related rarely human pathogenic F. tularensis subsp. mediasiatica FSC147 strain, including modulator of drug activity B (mdaB (FTT0961, which encodes a known NADPH quinone reductase involved in oxidative stress resistance. We have also identified genes exhibiting sequence similarity to effectors of the Type III (T3SS and components of the Type IV secretion systems (T4SS. One of the genes, msrA2 (FTT1797c, is disrupted in F. tularensis subsp. mediasiatica and has recently been shown to mediate bacterial pathogen survival in host organisms. Our findings suggest that in addition to the duplication of

  20. Calculation of voltages and currents induced in the vacuum vessel of ASDEX by plasma disruptions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Preis, H.

    1978-01-01

    An approximation method is used to analyze the electromagnetic diffusion process induced in the walls of the ASDEX vacuum vessel by plasma disruptions. For this purpose the rotational-symmetric vessel is regarded as N = 82 circular conductors connected in parallel and inductively coupled with one another and with the plasma. The transient currents and voltages occurring in this circuit are calculated with computer programs. From the calculated currents it is possible to determine the time behavior of the distributions of the current density and magnetic force density in the vessel walls. (orig.) [de

  1. Streptomyces lunalinharesii strain 235 shows the potential to inhibit bacteria involved in biocorrosion processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pacheco da Rosa, Juliana; Korenblum, Elisa; Franco-Cirigliano, Marcella Novaes; Abreu, Fernanda; Lins, Ulysses; Soares, Rosângela M A; Macrae, Andrew; Seldin, Lucy; Coelho, Rosalie R R

    2013-01-01

    Four actinomycete strains previously isolated from Brazilian soils were tested for their antimicrobial activity against Bacillus pumilus LF-4 and Desulfovibrio alaskensis NCIMB 13491, bacteria that are well known to be involved in biofilm formation and biocorrosion. Strain 235, belonging to the species Streptomyces lunalinharesii, inhibited the growth of both bacteria. The antimicrobial activity was seen over a wide range of pH, and after treatment with several chemicals and heat but not with proteinase K and trypsin. The antimicrobial substances present in the concentrated supernatant from growth media were partially characterized by SDS-PAGE and extracellular polypeptides were seen. Bands in the size range of 12 to 14.4 kDa caused antimicrobial activity. Transmission electron microscopy of D. alaskensis cells treated with the concentrated supernatant containing the antimicrobial substances revealed the formation of prominent bubbles, the spherical double-layered structures on the cell membrane, and the periplasmic space completely filled with electron-dense material. This is the first report on the production of antimicrobial substances by actinomycetes against bacteria involved in biocorrosion processes, and these findings may be of great relevance as an alternative source of biocides to those currently employed in the petroleum industry.

  2. [Burnout, work disruptions, interpersonal and psychosomatic problems--degree-specific comparison of students at a German university].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gumz, A; Brähler, E; Heilmann, V K; Erices, R

    2014-03-01

    In the context of the public debate on psychological strain among students, the prevalence of burnout, procrastination, test anxiety, other work disruptions, interpersonal problems and psychic symptoms were analyzed depending on academic degree. The data of 358 college students (of Leipzig University) were examined. The academic degree had only a marginal effect on burnout- and work disruptions-related variables. In terms of interpersonal problems and psychic symptoms, differences between students were identified, depending on the academic degree. Diploma students reported many complaints, whereas undergraduates aspiring for a State Examination, were comparatively less affected. Knowledge of the population-specific psychological load is useful in order to develop preventive and therapeutic measures. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  3. Symposium on disruptive instabilities at Garching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lackner, K.

    1979-01-01

    The phenomenon of disruptive instabilities was investigated with a special care at the IPP at Garching. After lectures and panel sessions it appears suitable, to subdivide the disruptive phenomena into four classes: 1. The internal disruption (the socalled saw-tooth oscillators). 2. the socalled reconnection disruptions. 3. The large disruptions. 4. The small disruptions. The four appearance forms of the phenomena are briefly explained. (GG) [de

  4. Whole genome assembly of a natto production strain Bacillus subtilis natto from very short read data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishito, Yukari; Osana, Yasunori; Hachiya, Tsuyoshi; Popendorf, Kris; Toyoda, Atsushi; Fujiyama, Asao; Itaya, Mitsuhiro; Sakakibara, Yasubumi

    2010-04-16

    Bacillus subtilis natto is closely related to the laboratory standard strain B. subtilis Marburg 168, and functions as a starter for the production of the traditional Japanese food "natto" made from soybeans. Although re-sequencing whole genomes of several laboratory domesticated B. subtilis 168 derivatives has already been attempted using short read sequencing data, the assembly of the whole genome sequence of a closely related strain, B. subtilis natto, from very short read data is more challenging, particularly with our aim to assemble one fully connected scaffold from short reads around 35 bp in length. We applied a comparative genome assembly method, which combines de novo assembly and reference guided assembly, to one of the B. subtilis natto strains. We successfully assembled 28 scaffolds and managed to avoid substantial fragmentation. Completion of the assembly through long PCR experiments resulted in one connected scaffold for B. subtilis natto. Based on the assembled genome sequence, our orthologous gene analysis between natto BEST195 and Marburg 168 revealed that 82.4% of 4375 predicted genes in BEST195 are one-to-one orthologous to genes in 168, with two genes in-paralog, 3.2% are deleted in 168, 14.3% are inserted in BEST195, and 5.9% of genes present in 168 are deleted in BEST195. The natto genome contains the same alleles in the promoter region of degQ and the coding region of swrAA as the wild strain, RO-FF-1. These are specific for gamma-PGA production ability, which is related to natto production. Further, the B. subtilis natto strain completely lacked a polyketide synthesis operon, disrupted the plipastatin production operon, and possesses previously unidentified transposases. The determination of the whole genome sequence of Bacillus subtilis natto provided detailed analyses of a set of genes related to natto production, demonstrating the number and locations of insertion sequences that B. subtilis natto harbors but B. subtilis 168 lacks

  5. Whole genome assembly of a natto production strain Bacillus subtilis natto from very short read data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fujiyama Asao

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Bacillus subtilis natto is closely related to the laboratory standard strain B. subtilis Marburg 168, and functions as a starter for the production of the traditional Japanese food "natto" made from soybeans. Although re-sequencing whole genomes of several laboratory domesticated B. subtilis 168 derivatives has already been attempted using short read sequencing data, the assembly of the whole genome sequence of a closely related strain, B. subtilis natto, from very short read data is more challenging, particularly with our aim to assemble one fully connected scaffold from short reads around 35 bp in length. Results We applied a comparative genome assembly method, which combines de novo assembly and reference guided assembly, to one of the B. subtilis natto strains. We successfully assembled 28 scaffolds and managed to avoid substantial fragmentation. Completion of the assembly through long PCR experiments resulted in one connected scaffold for B. subtilis natto. Based on the assembled genome sequence, our orthologous gene analysis between natto BEST195 and Marburg 168 revealed that 82.4% of 4375 predicted genes in BEST195 are one-to-one orthologous to genes in 168, with two genes in-paralog, 3.2% are deleted in 168, 14.3% are inserted in BEST195, and 5.9% of genes present in 168 are deleted in BEST195. The natto genome contains the same alleles in the promoter region of degQ and the coding region of swrAA as the wild strain, RO-FF-1. These are specific for γ-PGA production ability, which is related to natto production. Further, the B. subtilis natto strain completely lacked a polyketide synthesis operon, disrupted the plipastatin production operon, and possesses previously unidentified transposases. Conclusions The determination of the whole genome sequence of Bacillus subtilis natto provided detailed analyses of a set of genes related to natto production, demonstrating the number and locations of insertion sequences that B

  6. Survey of disruption causes at JET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Vries, P.C.; Johnson, M.F.; Alper, B.; Hender, T.C.; Riccardo, V.; Buratti, P.; Koslowski, H.R.

    2011-01-01

    A survey has been carried out into the causes of all 2309 disruptions over the last decade of JET operations. The aim of this survey was to obtain a complete picture of all possible disruption causes, in order to devise better strategies to prevent or mitigate their impact. The analysis allows the effort to avoid or prevent JET disruptions to be more efficient and effective. As expected, a highly complex pattern of chain of events that led to disruptions emerged. It was found that the majority of disruptions had a technical root cause, for example due to control errors, or operator mistakes. These bring a random, non-physics, factor into the occurrence of disruptions and the disruption rate or disruptivity of a scenario may depend more on technical performance than on physics stability issues. The main root cause of JET disruptions was nevertheless due to neo-classical tearing modes that locked, closely followed in second place by disruptions due to human error. The development of more robust operational scenarios has reduced the JET disruption rate over the last decade from about 15% to below 4%. A fraction of all disruptions was caused by very fast, precursorless unpredictable events. The occurrence of these disruptions may set a lower limit of 0.4% to the disruption rate of JET. If one considers on top of that human error and all unforeseen failures of heating or control systems this lower limit may rise to 1.0% or 1.6%, respectively.

  7. Establishment of 9L/F344 rat intracerebral glioma model of brain tumor stem cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zong-yu XIAO

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective To establish the 9L/F344 rat intracerebral glioma model of brain tumor stem cells.  Methods Rat 9L gliosarcoma stem-like cells were cultured in serum-free suspension. The expression of CD133 and nestin were tested by immunohistochemistry. A total of 48 inbredline male F344 rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, and 9L tumor sphere cells and 9L monolayer cells were respectively implanted into the right caudate nucleus of F344 rats in 2 groups. Survival time was observed and determined using the method of Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Fourteen days after implantation or when the rats were dying, their brains were perfused and sectioned for HE staining, and CD133 and nestin were detected by immunohistochemistry.  Results Rat 9L tumor spheres were formed with suspension culture in serum-free medium. The gliomas formed in both groups were invasive without obvious capsule. More new vessels, bleeding and necrosis could be detected in 9L tumor spheres group. The tumor cells in both groups were positive for CD133 and nestin. There was no significant difference in the expression of CD133 and nestin between 2 groups (P > 0.05, for all. According to the expression of nestin, the tumors formed by 9L tumor sphere cells were more invasive. The median survival time of the rats bearing 9L tumor sphere cells was 15 d (95%CI: 15.219-15.781, and the median survival time of the rats bearing 9L monolayer cells was 21 d (95%CI: 20.395-21.605. There was significant difference between 2 groups (χ2 = 12.800, P = 0.000.  Conclusions 9L/F344 rat intracerebral glioma model of brain tumor stem cells is successfully established, which provides a glioma model for the future research. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2015.04.012

  8. Global transcriptome analysis of the maize (Zea mays L.) inbred line 08LF during leaf senescence initiated by pollination-prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Liancheng; Li, Mingna; Tian, Lei; Wang, Shunxi; Wu, Liuji; Ku, Lixia; Zhang, Jun; Song, Xiaoheng; Liu, Haiping; Chen, Yanhui

    2017-01-01

    In maize (Zea mays), leaf senescence acts as a nutrient recycling process involved in proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids degradation and transport to the developing sink. However, the molecular mechanisms of pre-maturation associated with pollination-prevention remain unclear in maize. To explore global gene expression changes during the onset and progression of senescence in maize, the inbred line 08LF, with severe early senescence caused by pollination prevention, was selected. Phenotypic observation showed that the onset of leaf senescence of 08LF plants occurred approximately 14 days after silking (DAS) by pollination prevention. Transcriptional profiling analysis of the leaf at six developmental stages during induced senescence revealed that a total of 5,432 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 2314 up-regulated genes and 1925 down-regulated genes. Functional annotation showed that the up-regulated genes were mainly enriched in multi-organism process and nitrogen compound transport, whereas down-regulated genes were involved in photosynthesis. Expression patterns and pathway enrichment analyses of early-senescence related genes indicated that these DEGs are involved in complex regulatory networks, especially in the jasmonic acid pathway. In addition, transcription factors from several families were detected, particularly the CO-like, NAC, ERF, GRAS, WRKY and ZF-HD families, suggesting that these transcription factors might play important roles in driving leaf senescence in maize as a result of pollination-prevention.

  9. MHC Class II and Non-MHC Class II Genes Differentially Influence Humoral Immunity to Bacillus anthracis Lethal Factor and Protective Antigen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Judith A. James

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Anthrax Lethal Toxin consists of Protective Antigen (PA and Lethal Factor (LF, and current vaccination strategies focus on eliciting antibodies to PA. In human vaccination, the response to PA can vary greatly, and the response is often directed toward non-neutralizing epitopes. Variable vaccine responses have been shown to be due in part to genetic differences in individuals, with both MHC class II and other genes playing roles. Here, we investigated the relative contribution of MHC class II versus non-MHC class II genes in the humoral response to PA and LF immunization using three immunized strains of inbred mice: A/J (H-2k at the MHC class II locus, B6 (H-2b, and B6.H2k (H-2k. IgG antibody titers to LF were controlled primarily by the MHC class II locus, whereas IgG titers to PA were strongly influenced by the non-MHC class II genetic background. Conversely, the humoral fine specificity of reactivity to LF appeared to be controlled primarily through non-MHC class II genes, while the specificity of reactivity to PA was more dependent on MHC class II. Common epitopes, reactive in all strains, occurred in both LF and PA responses. These results demonstrate that MHC class II differentially influences humoral immune responses to LF and PA.

  10. Statistical analysis of disruptions in JET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Vries, P.C.; Johnson, M.F.; Segui, I.

    2009-01-01

    The disruption rate (the percentage of discharges that disrupt) in JET was found to drop steadily over the years. Recent campaigns (2005-2007) show a yearly averaged disruption rate of only 6% while from 1991 to 1995 this was often higher than 20%. Besides the disruption rate, the so-called disruptivity, or the likelihood of a disruption depending on the plasma parameters, has been determined. The disruptivity of plasmas was found to be significantly higher close to the three main operational boundaries for tokamaks; the low-q, high density and β-limit. The frequency at which JET operated close to the density-limit increased six fold over the last decade; however, only a small reduction in disruptivity was found. Similarly the disruptivity close to the low-q and β-limit was found to be unchanged. The most significant reduction in disruptivity was found far from the operational boundaries, leading to the conclusion that the improved disruption rate is due to a better technical capability of operating JET, instead of safer operations close to the physics limits. The statistics showed that a simple protection system was able to mitigate the forces of a large fraction of disruptions, although it has proved to be at present more difficult to ameliorate the heat flux.

  11. 40 CFR 82.36 - Approved refrigerant handling equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... equipment. 82.36 Section 82.36 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PROTECTION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE Servicing of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners § 82.36...-12, Extraction and Recycle Equipment for Mobile Automotive Air-Conditioning Systems, and Standard of...

  12. Improvements in disruption prediction at ASDEX Upgrade

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aledda, R., E-mail: raffaele.aledda@diee.unica.it; Cannas, B., E-mail: cannas@diee.unica.it; Fanni, A., E-mail: fanni@diee.unica.it; Pau, A., E-mail: alessandro.pau@diee.unica.it; Sias, G., E-mail: giuliana.sias@diee.unica.it

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • A disruption prediction system for AUG, based on a logistic model, is designed. • The length of the disruptive phase is set for each disruption in the training set. • The model is tested on dataset different from that used during the training phase. • The generalization capability and the aging of the model have been tested. • The predictor performance is compared with the locked mode detector. - Abstract: In large-scale tokamaks disruptions have the potential to create serious damage to the facility. Hence disruptions must be avoided, but, when a disruption is unavoidable, minimizing its severity is mandatory. A reliable detection of a disruptive event is required to trigger proper mitigation actions. To this purpose machine learning methods have been widely studied to design disruption prediction systems at ASDEX Upgrade. The training phase of the proposed approaches is based on the availability of disrupted and non-disrupted discharges. In literature disruptive configurations were assumed appearing into the last 45 ms of each disruption. Even if the achieved results in terms of correct predictions were good, it has to be highlighted that the choice of such a fixed temporal window might have limited the prediction performance. In fact, it generates confusing information in cases of disruptions with disruptive phase different from 45 ms. The assessment of a specific disruptive phase for each disruptive discharge represents a relevant issue in understanding the disruptive events. In this paper, the Mahalanobis distance is applied to define a specific disruptive phase for each disruption, and a logistic regressor has been trained as disruption predictor. The results show that enhancements on the achieved performance on disruption prediction are possible by defining a specific disruptive phase for each disruption.

  13. Improvements in disruption prediction at ASDEX Upgrade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aledda, R.; Cannas, B.; Fanni, A.; Pau, A.; Sias, G.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A disruption prediction system for AUG, based on a logistic model, is designed. • The length of the disruptive phase is set for each disruption in the training set. • The model is tested on dataset different from that used during the training phase. • The generalization capability and the aging of the model have been tested. • The predictor performance is compared with the locked mode detector. - Abstract: In large-scale tokamaks disruptions have the potential to create serious damage to the facility. Hence disruptions must be avoided, but, when a disruption is unavoidable, minimizing its severity is mandatory. A reliable detection of a disruptive event is required to trigger proper mitigation actions. To this purpose machine learning methods have been widely studied to design disruption prediction systems at ASDEX Upgrade. The training phase of the proposed approaches is based on the availability of disrupted and non-disrupted discharges. In literature disruptive configurations were assumed appearing into the last 45 ms of each disruption. Even if the achieved results in terms of correct predictions were good, it has to be highlighted that the choice of such a fixed temporal window might have limited the prediction performance. In fact, it generates confusing information in cases of disruptions with disruptive phase different from 45 ms. The assessment of a specific disruptive phase for each disruptive discharge represents a relevant issue in understanding the disruptive events. In this paper, the Mahalanobis distance is applied to define a specific disruptive phase for each disruption, and a logistic regressor has been trained as disruption predictor. The results show that enhancements on the achieved performance on disruption prediction are possible by defining a specific disruptive phase for each disruption.

  14. Bovine Lactoferrin and Lactoferrin-Derived Peptides Inhibit the Growth of Vibrio cholerae and Other Vibrio species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erika Acosta-Smith

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Vibrio is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria, some of which can cause serious infectious diseases. Vibrio infections are associated with the consumption of contaminated food and classified in Vibrio cholera infections and non-cholera Vibrio infections. In the present study, we investigate whether bovine lactoferrin (bLF and several synthetic peptides corresponding to bLF sequences, are able to inhibit the growth or have bactericidal effect against V. cholerae and other Vibrio species. The antibacterial activity of LF and LF-peptides was assessed by kinetics of growth or determination of colony forming unit in bacteria treated with the peptides and antibiotics. To get insight in the mode of action, the interaction between bLF and bLF-peptides (coupled to FITC and V. cholera was evaluated. The damage of effector-induced bacterial membrane permeability was measured by inclusion of the fluorescent dye propidium iodide using flow cytometry, whereas the bacterial ultrastructural damage in bacteria treated was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that bLF and LFchimera inhibited the growth of the V. cholerae strains; LFchimera permeabilized the bacteria which membranes were seriously damaged. Assays with a multidrug-resistant strain of Vibrio species indicated that combination of sub-lethal doses of LFchimera with ampicillin or tetracycline strongly reduced the concentration of the antibiotics to reach 95% growth inhibition. Furthermore, LFchimera were effective to inhibit the V. cholerae counts and damage due to this bacterium in a model mice. These data suggest that LFchimera and bLF are potential candidates to combat the V. cholerae and other multidrug resistant Vibrio species.

  15. Bovine Lactoferrin and Lactoferrin-Derived Peptides Inhibit the Growth of Vibrio cholerae and Other Vibrio species

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acosta-Smith, Erika; Viveros-Jiménez, Karina; Canizalez-Román, Adrian; Reyes-Lopez, Magda; Bolscher, Jan G. M.; Nazmi, Kamran; Flores-Villaseñor, Hector; Alapizco-Castro, Gerardo; de la Garza, Mireya; Martínez-Garcia, Jesús J.; Velazquez-Roman, Jorge; Leon-Sicairos, Nidia

    2018-01-01

    Vibrio is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria, some of which can cause serious infectious diseases. Vibrio infections are associated with the consumption of contaminated food and classified in Vibrio cholera infections and non-cholera Vibrio infections. In the present study, we investigate whether bovine lactoferrin (bLF) and several synthetic peptides corresponding to bLF sequences, are able to inhibit the growth or have bactericidal effect against V. cholerae and other Vibrio species. The antibacterial activity of LF and LF-peptides was assessed by kinetics of growth or determination of colony forming unit in bacteria treated with the peptides and antibiotics. To get insight in the mode of action, the interaction between bLF and bLF-peptides (coupled to FITC) and V. cholera was evaluated. The damage of effector-induced bacterial membrane permeability was measured by inclusion of the fluorescent dye propidium iodide using flow cytometry, whereas the bacterial ultrastructural damage in bacteria treated was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that bLF and LFchimera inhibited the growth of the V. cholerae strains; LFchimera permeabilized the bacteria which membranes were seriously damaged. Assays with a multidrug-resistant strain of Vibrio species indicated that combination of sub-lethal doses of LFchimera with ampicillin or tetracycline strongly reduced the concentration of the antibiotics to reach 95% growth inhibition. Furthermore, LFchimera were effective to inhibit the V. cholerae counts and damage due to this bacterium in a model mice. These data suggest that LFchimera and bLF are potential candidates to combat the V. cholerae and other multidrug resistant Vibrio species. PMID:29375503

  16. Disruption prediction at JET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milani, F.

    1998-12-01

    The sudden loss of the plasma magnetic confinement, known as disruption, is one of the major issue in a nuclear fusion machine as JET (Joint European Torus). Disruptions pose very serious problems to the safety of the machine. The energy stored in the plasma is released to the machine structure in few milliseconds resulting in forces that at JET reach several Mega Newtons. The problem is even more severe in the nuclear fusion power station where the forces are in the order of one hundred Mega Newtons. The events that occur during a disruption are still not well understood even if some mechanisms that can lead to a disruption have been identified and can be used to predict them. Unfortunately it is always a combination of these events that generates a disruption and therefore it is not possible to use simple algorithms to predict it. This thesis analyses the possibility of using neural network algorithms to predict plasma disruptions in real time. This involves the determination of plasma parameters every few milliseconds. A plasma boundary reconstruction algorithm, XLOC, has been developed in collaboration with Dr. D. O'Brien and Dr. J. Ellis capable of determining the plasma wall/distance every 2 milliseconds. The XLOC output has been used to develop a multilayer perceptron network to determine plasma parameters as l i and q ψ with which a machine operational space has been experimentally defined. If the limits of this operational space are breached the disruption probability increases considerably. Another approach for prediction disruptions is to use neural network classification methods to define the JET operational space. Two methods have been studied. The first method uses a multilayer perceptron network with softmax activation function for the output layer. This method can be used for classifying the input patterns in various classes. In this case the plasma input patterns have been divided between disrupting and safe patterns, giving the possibility of

  17. Development of a high-throughput microscale cell disruption platform for Pichia pastoris in rapid bioprocess design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bláha, Benjamin A F; Morris, Stephen A; Ogonah, Olotu W; Maucourant, Sophie; Crescente, Vincenzo; Rosenberg, William; Mukhopadhyay, Tarit K

    2018-01-01

    The time and cost benefits of miniaturized fermentation platforms can only be gained by employing complementary techniques facilitating high-throughput at small sample volumes. Microbial cell disruption is a major bottleneck in experimental throughput and is often restricted to large processing volumes. Moreover, for rigid yeast species, such as Pichia pastoris, no effective high-throughput disruption methods exist. The development of an automated, miniaturized, high-throughput, noncontact, scalable platform based on adaptive focused acoustics (AFA) to disrupt P. pastoris and recover intracellular heterologous protein is described. Augmented modes of AFA were established by investigating vessel designs and a novel enzymatic pretreatment step. Three different modes of AFA were studied and compared to the performance high-pressure homogenization. For each of these modes of cell disruption, response models were developed to account for five different performance criteria. Using multiple responses not only demonstrated that different operating parameters are required for different response optima, with highest product purity requiring suboptimal values for other criteria, but also allowed for AFA-based methods to mimic large-scale homogenization processes. These results demonstrate that AFA-mediated cell disruption can be used for a wide range of applications including buffer development, strain selection, fermentation process development, and whole bioprocess integration. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:130-140, 2018. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  18. 40 CFR 82.34 - Prohibitions and required practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    .... 82.34 Section 82.34 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PROTECTION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE Servicing of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners § 82.34..., any class I or class II substance that is suitable for use as a refrigerant in motor vehicle air...

  19. [Comparison on agronomy and quality characters and breeding of new strains of Erigeron breviscapus].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Shengchao; Yang, Jianwen; Pan, Yinghua; Li, Guoxing; Liu, Binghua; Zhang, Qiong; Wen, Guosong; Wang, Pingli

    2010-03-01

    To explore breeding method and breed new varieties of Erigeron breviscapus. Superior individual were selected from natural outcrossing population of E. breviscapus, lines and strains were established and selected and compared. The scutellarin contents of two E. breviscapus strains of 2003-15 and 2003-6 through line breeding were 3.21% and 3.01%, respectively, and increased 15.77% and 23.46% comparing with the control strain (QS-1), respectively, the yield increased 20.37% and 17.59%, scutellarin yield per hectare enhanced 39.31% and 44.82%. New varieties of E. breviscapus can be bred through lines breeding.

  20. 34 CFR 82.300 - Professional and technical services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... and analysis directly applying any professional or technical discipline. For example, drafting or a... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Professional and technical services. 82.300 Section 82... by Other Than Own Employees § 82.300 Professional and technical services. (a) The prohibition on the...

  1. Genome analysis of E. coli isolated from Crohn's disease patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakitina, Daria V; Manolov, Alexander I; Kanygina, Alexandra V; Garushyants, Sofya K; Baikova, Julia P; Alexeev, Dmitry G; Ladygina, Valentina G; Kostryukova, Elena S; Larin, Andrei K; Semashko, Tatiana A; Karpova, Irina Y; Babenko, Vladislav V; Ismagilova, Ruzilya K; Malanin, Sergei Y; Gelfand, Mikhail S; Ilina, Elena N; Gorodnichev, Roman B; Lisitsyna, Eugenia S; Aleshkin, Gennady I; Scherbakov, Petr L; Khalif, Igor L; Shapina, Marina V; Maev, Igor V; Andreev, Dmitry N; Govorun, Vadim M

    2017-07-19

    Escherichia coli (E. coli) has been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). The phylogeny of E. coli isolated from Crohn's disease patients (CDEC) was controversial, and while genotyping results suggested heterogeneity, the sequenced strains of E. coli from CD patients were closely related. We performed the shotgun genome sequencing of 28 E. coli isolates from ten CD patients and compared genomes from these isolates with already published genomes of CD strains and other pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains. CDEC was shown to belong to A, B1, B2 and D phylogenetic groups. The plasmid and several operons from the reference CD-associated E. coli strain LF82 were demonstrated to be more often present in CDEC genomes belonging to different phylogenetic groups than in genomes of commensal strains. The operons include carbon-source induced invasion GimA island, prophage I, iron uptake operons I and II, capsular assembly pathogenetic island IV and propanediol and galactitol utilization operons. Our findings suggest that CDEC are phylogenetically diverse. However, some strains isolated from independent sources possess highly similar chromosome or plasmids. Though no CD-specific genes or functional domains were present in all CD-associated strains, some genes and operons are more often found in the genomes of CDEC than in commensal E. coli. They are principally linked to gut colonization and utilization of propanediol and other sugar alcohols.

  2. Commercial biocides induce transfer of prophage Φ13 from human strains of Staphylococcus aureus to livestock CC398

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tang, Yuanyue; Nielsen, Lene Nørby; Hvitved, Annemette

    2017-01-01

    if exposure to biocidal products induces phage transfer, and find that during co-culture, Φ13 from strain 8325, belonging to ΦSa3 group, is induced and transferred from a human strain to LA-MRSA CC398 when exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of commercial biocides containing hydrogen peroxide. Integration...... variation in CC398 strains that disrupts the phage attachment site, but not the expression of β-hemolysin. Our results show that hydrogen peroxide present in biocidal products stimulate transfer of ΦSa3 from human to LA-MRSA CC398 strains and that in these strains prophage stability depends...

  3. New Clox Systems for rapid and efficient gene disruption in Candida albicans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahida Shahana

    Full Text Available Precise genome modification is essential for the molecular dissection of Candida albicans, and is yielding invaluable information about the roles of specific gene functions in this major fungal pathogen of humans. C. albicans is naturally diploid, unable to undergo meiosis, and utilizes a non-canonical genetic code. Hence, specialized tools have had to be developed for gene disruption in C. albicans that permit the deletion of both target alleles, and in some cases, the recycling of the Candida-specific selectable markers. Previously, we developed a tool based on the Cre recombinase, which recycles markers in C. albicans with 90-100% efficiency via site-specific recombination between loxP sites. Ironically, the utility of this system was hampered by the extreme efficiency of Cre, which prevented the construction in Escherichia coli of stable disruption cassettes carrying a methionine-regulatable CaMET3p-cre gene flanked by loxP sites. Therefore, we have significantly enhanced this system by engineering new Clox cassettes that carry a synthetic, intron-containing cre gene. The Clox kit facilitates efficient transformation and marker recycling, thereby simplifying and accelerating the process of gene disruption in C. albicans. Indeed, homozygous mutants can be generated and their markers resolved within two weeks. The Clox kit facilitates strategies involving single marker recycling or multi-marker gene disruption. Furthermore, it includes the dominant NAT1 marker, as well as URA3, HIS1 and ARG4 cassettes, thereby permitting the manipulation of clinical isolates as well as genetically marked strains of C. albicans. The accelerated gene disruption strategies afforded by this new Clox system are likely to have a profound impact on the speed with which C. albicans pathobiology can be dissected.

  4. Mycobacterium eburneum sp. nov., a non-chromogenic, fast-growing strain isolated from sputum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nouioui, Imen; Carro, Lorena; Teramoto, Kanae; Igual, José M; Jando, Marlen; Del Carmen Montero-Calasanz, Maria; Sutcliffe, Iain; Sangal, Vartul; Goodfellow, Michael; Klenk, Hans-Peter

    2017-09-01

    A polyphasic study was undertaken to establish the taxonomic position of a non-chromogenic, rapidly growing Mycobacterium strain that had been isolated from sputum. The strain, CECT 8775T, has chemotaxonomic and cultural properties consistent with its classification in the genus Mycobacterium and was distinguished from the type strains of closely related mycobacterial species, notably from Mycobacterium paraense DSM 46749T, its nearest phylogenetic neighbour, based on 16S rRNA, hsp65 and rpoB gene sequence data. These organisms were also distinguished by a broad range of chemotaxonomic and phenotypic features and by a digital DNA-DNA relatedness value of 22.8 %. Consequently, the strain is considered to represent a novel species of Mycobacterium for which the name Mycobacterium eburneum sp. nov is proposed; the type strain is X82T (CECT 8775T=DSM 44358T).

  5. Lumbar spine and total-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in children with severe neurological impairment and intellectual disability: a pilot study of artefacts and disrupting factors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mergler, S.; Rieken, R.; Evenhuis, H.M.; Penning, C. [Erasmus University Medical Centre, Intellectual Disability Medicine, Department of General Practice, PO Box 2040, CA, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Tibboel, D. [Erasmus University Medical Centre, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Rijn, R.R. van [Academic Medical Centre, Department of Radiology, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    2012-05-15

    Children with severe neurological impairment and intellectual disability (ID) are susceptible for developing low bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures. BMD is generally measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). To describe the occurrence of factors that may influence the feasibility of DXA and the accuracy of DXA outcome in children with severe neurological impairment and ID. Based on literature and expert opinion, a list of disrupting factors was developed. Occurrence of these factors was assessed in 27 children who underwent DXA measurement. Disrupting factors that occurred most frequently were movement during measurement (82%), aberrant body composition (67%), small length for age (56%) and scoliosis (37%). The number of disrupting factors per child was mean 5.3 (range 1-8). No correlation was found between DXA outcomes and the number of disrupting factors. Factors that may negatively influence the accuracy of DXA outcome are frequently present in children with severe neurological impairment and ID. No systematic deviation of DXA outcome in coherence with the amount of disrupting factors was found, but physicians should be aware of the possible influence of disrupting factors on the accuracy of DXA. (orig.)

  6. Lumbar spine and total-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in children with severe neurological impairment and intellectual disability: a pilot study of artefacts and disrupting factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mergler, S.; Rieken, R.; Evenhuis, H.M.; Penning, C.; Tibboel, D.; Rijn, R.R. van

    2012-01-01

    Children with severe neurological impairment and intellectual disability (ID) are susceptible for developing low bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures. BMD is generally measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). To describe the occurrence of factors that may influence the feasibility of DXA and the accuracy of DXA outcome in children with severe neurological impairment and ID. Based on literature and expert opinion, a list of disrupting factors was developed. Occurrence of these factors was assessed in 27 children who underwent DXA measurement. Disrupting factors that occurred most frequently were movement during measurement (82%), aberrant body composition (67%), small length for age (56%) and scoliosis (37%). The number of disrupting factors per child was mean 5.3 (range 1-8). No correlation was found between DXA outcomes and the number of disrupting factors. Factors that may negatively influence the accuracy of DXA outcome are frequently present in children with severe neurological impairment and ID. No systematic deviation of DXA outcome in coherence with the amount of disrupting factors was found, but physicians should be aware of the possible influence of disrupting factors on the accuracy of DXA. (orig.)

  7. Monitoring-induced disruption in skilled typewriting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, Kristy M; Logan, Gordon D

    2013-10-01

    It is often disruptive to attend to the details of one's expert performance. The current work presents four experiments that utilized a monitor to report protocol to evaluate the sufficiency of three accounts of monitoring-induced disruption. The inhibition hypothesis states that disruption results from costs associated with preparing to withhold inappropriate responses. The dual-task hypothesis states that disruption results from maintaining monitored information in working memory. The implicit-explicit hypothesis states that disruption results from explicitly monitoring details of performance that are normally implicit. The findings suggest that all three hypotheses are sufficient to produce disruption, but inhibition and dual-task costs are not necessary. Experiment 1 showed that monitoring to report was disruptive even when there was no requirement to inhibit. Experiment 2 showed that maintaining information in working memory caused some disruption but much less than monitoring to report. Experiment 4 showed that monitoring to inhibit was more disruptive than monitoring to report, suggesting that monitoring is more disruptive when it is combined with other task requirements, such as inhibition. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  8. Disruptive Intelligence - How to gather Information to deal with disruptive innovations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vriens, D.J.; Solberg Søilen, K.

    2014-01-01

    Disruptive innovations are innovations that have the capacity to transform a whole business into one with products that are more accessible and affordable (cf. Christensen et al. 2009). As Christensen et al. argue no business is immune to such disruptive innovations. If these authors are right, it

  9. 34 CFR 82.205 - Professional and technical services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ..., drafting of a legal document accompanying a bid or proposal by a lawyer is allowable. Similarly, technical... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Professional and technical services. 82.205 Section 82... by Own Employees § 82.205 Professional and technical services. (a) The prohibition on the use of...

  10. 29 CFR 452.82 - Reprisal for exercising rights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Reprisal for exercising rights. 452.82 Section 452.82 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor OFFICE OF LABOR-MANAGEMENT STANDARDS, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR LABOR-MANAGEMENT... DISCLOSURE ACT OF 1959 Campaign Safeguards § 452.82 Reprisal for exercising rights. A member has a right to...

  11. Ftr82 Is Critical for Vascular Patterning during Zebrafish Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsueh-Wei Chang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Cellular components and signaling pathways are required for the proper growth of blood vessels. Here, we report for the first time that a teleost-specific gene ftr82 (finTRIM family, member 82 plays a critical role in vasculature during zebrafish development. To date, there has been no description of tripartite motif proteins (TRIM in vascular development, and the role of ftr82 is unknown. In this study, we found that ftr82 mRNA is expressed during the development of vessels, and loss of ftr82 by morpholino (MO knockdown impairs the growth of intersegmental vessels (ISV and caudal vein plexus (CVP, suggesting that ftr82 plays a critical role in promoting ISV and CVP growth. We showed the specificity of ftr82 MO by analyzing ftr82 expression products and expressing ftr82 mRNA to rescue ftr82 morphants. We further showed that the knockdown of ftr82 reduced ISV cell numbers, suggesting that the growth impairment of vessels is likely due to a decrease of cell proliferation and migration, but not cell death. In addition, loss of ftr82 affects the expression of vascular markers, which is consistent with the defect of vascular growth. Finally, we showed that ftr82 likely interacts with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF and Notch signaling. Together, we identify teleost-specific ftr82 as a vascular gene that plays an important role for vascular development in zebrafish.

  12. Yield improvement of heterologous peptides expressed in yps1-disrupted Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egel-Mitani; Andersen; Diers; Hach; Thim; Hastrup; Vad

    2000-06-01

    Heterologous protein expression levels in Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentations are highly dependent on the susceptibility to endogenous yeast proteases. Small peptides, such as glucagon and glucagon-like-peptides (GLP-1 and GLP-2), featuring an open structure are particularly accessible for proteolytic degradation during fermentation. Therefore, homogeneous products cannot be obtained. The most sensitive residues are found at basic amino acid residues in the peptide sequence. These heterologous peptides are degraded mainly by the YPS1-encoded aspartic protease, yapsin1, when produced in the yeast. In this article, distinct degradation products were analyzed by HPLC and mass spectrometry, and high yield of the heterologous peptide production has been achieved by the disruption of the YPS1 gene (previously called YAP3). By this technique, high yield continuous fermentation of glucagon in S. cerevisiae is now possible.

  13. An efficient mechanism for dynamic survivable multicast traffic grooming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xiaojun; Xiao, Gaoxi; Cheng, Tee Hiang

    2015-06-01

    Recent advances in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks have helped enhance the popularity of multicasting services. However, as a single network failure may disrupt the information transmission to multiple end-users, protecting multicast requests against network failures becomes an important issue in network operation. This paper investigates the sub-wavelength level protection for dynamic multicast traffic grooming. A new method named lightpath-fragmentation based segment shared protection (LF-SSP) scheme is proposed. By carefully splitting primary/backup lightpaths into segments to improve resource sharing for both traffic grooming and protection, LF-SSP aims to minimize the network resources allocated for request protection. Extensive simulations are carried out to compare the performance of LF-SSP to some existing approaches, on sub-wavelength-level as well as wavelength-level multicast protections in different cases. Results show that LF-SSP steadily outperforms these existing methods as long as the network resources are not too limited. Influences of the add/drop port resources and the average number of destinations per connection request on the LF-SSP performance are also evaluated.

  14. Modelling concentrations of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane in two UK rivers using LF2000-WQX

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Price, Oliver R.; Williams, Richard J.; Zhang, Zhong; Egmond, Roger van

    2010-01-01

    Current regulatory environmental exposure assessments for decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D 5 ), used in a range of personal care products, are based on a number of erroneous assumptions. Using an estimated D 5 flux to waste water of 11.6 mg cap -1 d -1 , a 95.2% removal rate in Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) and a dilution factor of 10 results in modelled surface water concentrations that are up to an order of magnitude higher than concentrations observed downstream of STPs in two UK rivers. A GIS-based water quality model (LF2000-WQX) was used to predict concentrations of D 5 in two UK rivers. Assuming the STP removal rate is reasonable, a waste water flux of 2.4 mg cap -1 d -1 is needed in order to obtain a reasonable match between predicted and observed in-river concentrations. This flux is consistent with measured effluent concentrations. The results highlight major uncertainties in estimating chemical emission rates for volatile chemicals used in personal care products and suggest that measured concentrations in waste water are needed to refine exposure assessments. - Surface water modelling of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane.

  15. Modelling concentrations of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane in two UK rivers using LF2000-WQX

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Price, Oliver R., E-mail: oliver.price@unilever.co [Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC), Unilever, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ (United Kingdom); Williams, Richard J.; Zhang, Zhong [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB (United Kingdom); Egmond, Roger van [Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC), Unilever, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ (United Kingdom)

    2010-02-15

    Current regulatory environmental exposure assessments for decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D{sub 5}), used in a range of personal care products, are based on a number of erroneous assumptions. Using an estimated D{sub 5} flux to waste water of 11.6 mg cap{sup -1} d{sup -1}, a 95.2% removal rate in Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) and a dilution factor of 10 results in modelled surface water concentrations that are up to an order of magnitude higher than concentrations observed downstream of STPs in two UK rivers. A GIS-based water quality model (LF2000-WQX) was used to predict concentrations of D{sub 5} in two UK rivers. Assuming the STP removal rate is reasonable, a waste water flux of 2.4 mg cap{sup -1} d{sup -1} is needed in order to obtain a reasonable match between predicted and observed in-river concentrations. This flux is consistent with measured effluent concentrations. The results highlight major uncertainties in estimating chemical emission rates for volatile chemicals used in personal care products and suggest that measured concentrations in waste water are needed to refine exposure assessments. - Surface water modelling of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane.

  16. Lassa hemorrhagic fever in a late term pregnancy from northern sierra leone with a positive maternal outcome: case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bangura James J

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Lassa fever (LF is a devastating viral disease prevalent in West Africa. Efforts to take on this public health crisis have been hindered by lack of infrastructure and rapid field deployable diagnosis in areas where the disease is prevalent. Recent capacity building at the Kenema Government Hospital Lassa Fever Ward (KGH LFW in Sierra Leone has lead to a major turning point in the diagnosis, treatment and study of LF. Herein we present the first comprehensive rapid diagnosis and real time characterization of an acute hemorrhagic LF case at KGH LFW. This case report focuses on a third trimester pregnant Sierra Leonean woman from the historically non-endemic Northern district of Tonkolili who survived the illness despite fetal demise. Employed in this study were newly developed recombinant LASV Antigen Rapid Test cassettes and dipstick lateral flow immunoassays (LFI that enabled the diagnosis of LF within twenty minutes of sample collection. Deregulation of overall homeostasis, significant hepatic and renal system involvement, and immunity profiles were extensively characterized during the course of hospitalization. Rapid diagnosis, prompt treatment with a full course of intravenous (IV ribavirin, IV fluids management, and real time monitoring of clinical parameters resulted in a positive maternal outcome despite admission to the LFW seven days post onset of symptoms, fetal demise, and a natural still birth delivery. These studies solidify the growing rapid diagnostic, treatment, and surveillance capabilities at the KGH LF Laboratory, and the potential to significantly improve the current high mortality rate caused by LF. As a result of the growing capacity, we were also able to isolate Lassa virus (LASV RNA from the patient and perform Sanger sequencing where we found significant genetic divergence from commonly circulating Sierra Leonean strains, showing potential for the discovery of a newly emerged LASV strain with expanded geographic

  17. Politisk disruption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tække, Jesper

    2018-01-01

    Dette blogindlæg giver en kort analyse af hvordan de sociale medier ved at give en ny tid har åbnet for den disruption af de politiske processer som især Trump stå som et eksempel på.......Dette blogindlæg giver en kort analyse af hvordan de sociale medier ved at give en ny tid har åbnet for den disruption af de politiske processer som især Trump stå som et eksempel på....

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-08-01

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

  19. A Proof of Concept to Bridge the Gap between Mass Spectrometry Imaging, Protein Identification and Relative Quantitation: MSI~LC-MS/MS-LF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laëtitia Théron

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI is a powerful tool to visualize the spatial distribution of molecules on a tissue section. The main limitation of MALDI-MSI of proteins is the lack of direct identification. Therefore, this study focuses on a MSI~LC-MS/MS-LF workflow to link the results from MALDI-MSI with potential peak identification and label-free quantitation, using only one tissue section. At first, we studied the impact of matrix deposition and laser ablation on protein extraction from the tissue section. Then, we did a back-correlation of the m/z of the proteins detected by MALDI-MSI to those identified by label-free quantitation. This allowed us to compare the label-free quantitation of proteins obtained in LC-MS/MS with the peak intensities observed in MALDI-MSI. We managed to link identification to nine peaks observed by MALDI-MSI. The results showed that the MSI~LC-MS/MS-LF workflow (i allowed us to study a representative muscle proteome compared to a classical bottom-up workflow; and (ii was sparsely impacted by matrix deposition and laser ablation. This workflow, performed as a proof-of-concept, suggests that a single tissue section can be used to perform MALDI-MSI and protein extraction, identification, and relative quantitation.

  20. Towards a Disruptive Digital Platform Model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kazan, Erol

    that digital platforms leverage on three strategic design elements (i.e., business, architecture, and technology design) to create supportive conditions for facilitating disruption. To shed light on disruptive digital platforms, I opted for payment platforms as my empirical context and unit of analysis......Digital platforms are layered modular information technology architectures that support disruption. Digital platforms are particularly disruptive, as they facilitate the quick release of digital innovations that may replace established innovations. Yet, despite their support for disruption, we have...... not fully understood how such digital platforms can be strategically designed and configured to facilitate disruption. To that end, this thesis endeavors to unravel disruptive digital platforms from the supply perspective that are grounded on strategic digital platform design elements. I suggest...

  1. Hydropower plans in eastern and southern Africa increase risk of concurrent climate-related electricity supply disruption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conway, Declan; Dalin, Carole; Landman, Willem A.; Osborn, Timothy J.

    2017-12-01

    Hydropower comprises a significant and rapidly expanding proportion of electricity production in eastern and southern Africa. In both regions, hydropower is exposed to high levels of climate variability and regional climate linkages are strong, yet an understanding of spatial interdependences is lacking. Here we consider river basin configuration and define regions of coherent rainfall variability using cluster analysis to illustrate exposure to the risk of hydropower supply disruption of current (2015) and planned (2030) hydropower sites. Assuming completion of the dams planned, hydropower will become increasingly concentrated in the Nile (from 62% to 82% of total regional capacity) and Zambezi (from 73% to 85%) basins. By 2030, 70% and 59% of total hydropower capacity will be located in one cluster of rainfall variability in eastern and southern Africa, respectively, increasing the risk of concurrent climate-related electricity supply disruption in each region. Linking of nascent regional electricity sharing mechanisms could mitigate intraregional risk, although these mechanisms face considerable political and infrastructural challenges.

  2. Growth and microcystin production of a Brazilian Microcystis aeruginosa strain (LTPNA 02 under different nutrient conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stella Bortoli

    Full Text Available Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic and photosynthetic organisms, which can produce a wide range of bioactive compounds with different properties; including a variety of toxic compounds, also known as cyanotoxins. In this work, we describe the isolation of seven cyanobacterial strains from two reservoirs in São Paulo State, Brazil. Seven different chemical variants of microcystins (MC-RR, MC-LR, MC-YR, MC-LF, MC-LW, and two demethylated variants, dm-MC-RR and dm-MC-LR were detected in three of the ten isolated strains. One particular Microcystis aeruginosa strain (LTPNA 02 was chosen to evaluate its growth by cell count, and its toxin production under seven different nutritional regimes. We observed different growth behaviors in the logarithmic growth period for only three experiments (p < 0.05. The total growth analysis identified four experiments as different from the control (p < 0.01. Three microcystin variants (MC-RR, MC-LR and MC-YR were quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. At the experimental end, the toxin content was unchanged when comparing cell growth in ASM-1 (N:P = 1, MLA and BG-11 (N:P = 10 medium. In all other experiments, the lowest microcystin production was observed from cells grown in Bold 3N medium during the exponential growth phase. The highest microcystin content was observed in cultures using BG-11(N:P = 100 medium.

  3. Annual report 1981-82

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    The research and teaching programmes of the Universities Research Reactor, Risley, U.K. are reviewed giving outlines of the individual experiments undertaken during 1981-82 and the reactor operation and safety arrangements. (U.K.)

  4. Thigmotaxis Mediates Trail Odour Disruption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stringer, Lloyd D; Corn, Joshua E; Sik Roh, Hyun; Jiménez-Pérez, Alfredo; Manning, Lee-Anne M; Harper, Aimee R; Suckling, David M

    2017-05-10

    Disruption of foraging using oversupply of ant trail pheromones is a novel pest management application under investigation. It presents an opportunity to investigate the interaction of sensory modalities by removal of one of the modes. Superficially similar to sex pheromone-based mating disruption in moths, ant trail pheromone disruption lacks an equivalent mechanistic understanding of how the ants respond to an oversupply of their trail pheromone. Since significant compromise of one sensory modality essential for trail following (chemotaxis) has been demonstrated, we hypothesised that other sensory modalities such as thigmotaxis could act to reduce the impact on olfactory disruption of foraging behaviour. To test this, we provided a physical stimulus of thread to aid trailing by Argentine ants otherwise under disruptive pheromone concentrations. Trail following success was higher using a physical cue. While trail integrity reduced under continuous over-supply of trail pheromone delivered directly on the thread, provision of a physical cue in the form of thread slightly improved trail following and mediated trail disruption from high concentrations upwind. Our results indicate that ants are able to use physical structures to reduce but not eliminate the effects of trail pheromone disruption.

  5. High concentration of human lactoferrin in milk of rhLf-transgenic cows relieves signs of bovine experimental Staphylococcus chromogenes intramammary infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simojoki, Heli; Hyvönen, Paula; Orro, Toomas; Pyörälä, Satu

    2010-08-15

    Six transgenic cows producing recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLf) in their milk and five normal cows at the same lactation stage were experimentally infected with Staphylococcus chromogenes to study the effect of a high concentration of lactoferrin in milk. Coagulase-negative staphylococci such as S. chromogenes have become very common as agents causing mild or subclinical mastitis. All transgenic cows became infected but showed no clinical signs, unlike the control cows, which developed mild clinical mastitis. Transgenic cows eliminated bacteria faster from the quarters than did the controls. Local clinical signs were milder, and the inflammatory reaction assessed by NAGase activity in the milk and by the concentration of milk amyloid A was lower in the transgenic cows. The mild response probably reflected the rapid elimination of bacteria. The milk concentration of rhLf remained constant throughout the study period, but the total concentration of bovine lactoferrin in the milk peaked in both groups at 46h post-challenge. Three cows, all in the control group, exhibited systemic acute phase response as increased concentrations of serum amyloid A in the blood circulation. Transgenic cows with a high concentration of human lactoferrin in their milk seemed to be protected from clinical disease and from prolonged inflammatory reaction, but not from experimental intramammary infection induced by S. chromogenes. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Supply disruption cost for power network planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kjoelle, G.H.

    1992-09-01

    A description is given of the method of approach to calculate the total annual socio-economic cost of power supply disruption and non-supplied energy, included the utilities' cost for planning. The total socio-economic supply disruption cost is the sum of the customers' disruption cost and the utilities' cost for failure and disruption. The mean weighted disruption cost for Norway for one hour disruption is NOK 19 per kWh. The customers' annual disruption cost is calculated with basis in the specific disruption cost referred to heavy load (January) and dimensioning maximum loads. The loads are reduced by factors taking into account the time variations of the failure frequency, duration, the loads and the disruption cost. 6 refs

  7. Disrupting the Industry with Play

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lund, Henrik Hautop

    2016-01-01

    or two ago. This is significantly disrupting the industry in several market sectors. This paper describes the components of the playware and embodied artificial intelligence research that has led to disruption in the industrial robotics sector, and which points to the next disruption of the health care...

  8. Antimicrobial drug susceptibility of Neisseria meningitidis strains isolated from carriers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dayamí García

    2000-06-01

    Full Text Available When it is necessary to determine the susceptibility of Neisseria meningitidis (Nm strains to antimicrobial drugs, it is important to consider that it should be analyzed in a double context. One of them related to the use of drugs in a specific medical treatment; and the other; to chemoprophylatic drugs, both with the same purpose: the accurate selection of the “in vivo” antimicrobial agent. This requires the study of the sensitivity and resistance of strains isolated in both carriers and patients. With the aim of further studying the behavior of the strains that currently circulate in Cuba, an antimicrobial drug susceptibility study was conducted in 90 strains isolated from carriers during the first half of 1998. The agar dilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs to: penicillin, ampicillin, rifampin, sulfadiazine, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime. The study of the three latter drugs was done for the first time in our country. The search for β- lactamase-producer strains was also performed. There was a predominance of penicillin sensitive strains (82,2% with an intermediate sensitivity to ampicillin (57,8%, while 70% of the strains were sensitive to sulfadiazine. Regarding the rest of the antimicrobial drugs, 100% of the strains were sensitive. The paper shows the MICs for each drug as well as the phenotypic characteristics of the strains with the penicillin and sulfadiazine sensitivity and resistance patterns. No β-lactamase-producer strains were found.

  9. Cell disruption for microalgae biorefineries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Günerken, E; D'Hondt, E; Eppink, M H M; Garcia-Gonzalez, L; Elst, K; Wijffels, R H

    2015-01-01

    Microalgae are a potential source for various valuable chemicals for commercial applications ranging from nutraceuticals to fuels. Objective in a biorefinery is to utilize biomass ingredients efficiently similarly to petroleum refineries in which oil is fractionated in fuels and a variety of products with higher value. Downstream processes in microalgae biorefineries consist of different steps whereof cell disruption is the most crucial part. To maintain the functionality of algae biochemicals during cell disruption while obtaining high disruption yields is an important challenge. Despite this need, studies on mild disruption of microalgae cells are limited. This review article focuses on the evaluation of conventional and emerging cell disruption technologies, and a comparison thereof with respect to their potential for the future microalgae biorefineries. The discussed techniques are bead milling, high pressure homogenization, high speed homogenization, ultrasonication, microwave treatment, pulsed electric field treatment, non-mechanical cell disruption and some emerging technologies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Major disruption process in tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurita, Gen-ichi; Azumi, Masafumi; Tuda, Takashi; Takizuka, Tomonori; Tsunematsu, Toshihide; Tokuda, Shinji; Itoh, Kimitaka; Takeda, Tatsuoki

    1981-11-01

    The major disruption in a cylindrical tokamak is investigated by using the multi-helicity code, and the destabilization of the 3/2 mode by the mode coupling with the 2/1 mode is confirmed. The evolution of the magnetic field topology caused by the major disruption is studied in detail. The effect of the internal disruption on the 2/1 magnetic island width is also studied. The 2/1 magnetic island is not enhanced by the flattening of the q-profile due to the internal disruption. (author)

  11. Plasma disruption modeling and simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hassanein, A.

    1994-01-01

    Disruptions in tokamak reactors are considered a limiting factor to successful operation and reliable design. The behavior of plasma-facing components during a disruption is critical to the overall integrity of the reactor. Erosion of plasma facing-material (PFM) surfaces due to thermal energy dump during the disruption can severely limit the lifetime of these components and thus diminish the economic feasibility of the reactor. A comprehensive understanding of the interplay of various physical processes during a disruption is essential for determining component lifetime and potentially improving the performance of such components. There are three principal stages in modeling the behavior of PFM during a disruption. Initially, the incident plasma particles will deposit their energy directly on the PFM surface, heating it to a very high temperature where ablation occurs. Models for plasma-material interactions have been developed and used to predict material thermal evolution during the disruption. Within a few microseconds after the start of the disruption, enough material is vaporized to intercept most of the incoming plasma particles. Models for plasma-vapor interactions are necessary to predict vapor cloud expansion and hydrodynamics. Continuous heating of the vapor cloud above the material surface by the incident plasma particles will excite, ionize, and cause vapor atoms to emit thermal radiation. Accurate models for radiation transport in the vapor are essential for calculating the net radiated flux to the material surface which determines the final erosion thickness and consequently component lifetime. A comprehensive model that takes into account various stages of plasma-material interaction has been developed and used to predict erosion rates during reactor disruption, as well during induced disruption in laboratory experiments

  12. Disrupt mig vel: Fire gode råd om disruption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rydén, Pernille; Ringberg, Torsten; Østergaard Jacobsen, Per

    2017-01-01

    Forandring. Ønsket om at være teknologisk foran, kommer ofte til at ske på bekostning af fokus på kundernes oplevelser. Lighedstegnet mellem disruption og ny teknologi er kun den halve sandhed.......Forandring. Ønsket om at være teknologisk foran, kommer ofte til at ske på bekostning af fokus på kundernes oplevelser. Lighedstegnet mellem disruption og ny teknologi er kun den halve sandhed....

  13. IHC-TM connect-disconnect in relation to sensitization and masking of a HF-tone burst by a LF tone. IV.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crane, H D

    1982-05-01

    Evidence continues to accumulate that although the outer hair cells (OHCs) of the cochlea are firmly bonded to the tectorial membrane (TM), the inner hair cells (IHCS) are not. This is the fourth in a series of papers that explores how the idea of a set of disconnected hair cells that "impact" the TM is consistent with psychophysical data. The paper extends the exploration to the masking of high-frequency (HF) tone bursts by low-frequency (LF) tones and shows that the model can explain the important features of these complex data.

  14. Disrupting Business

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cox, Geoff; Bazzichelli, Tatiana

    Disruptive Business explores some of the interconnections between art, activism and the business concept of disruptive innovation. With a backdrop of the crisis of financial capitalism, austerity cuts in the cultural sphere, the idea is to focus on potential art strategies in relation to a broken...... economy. In a perverse way, we ask whether this presents new opportunities for cultural producers to achieve more autonomy over their production process. If it is indeed possible, or desirable, what alternative business models emerge? The book is concerned broadly with business as material for reinvention...

  15. STS-82 Pilot Scott Horowitz at SLF

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-01-01

    STS-82 Pilot Scott J. 'Doc' Horowitz flashes a wide grin for photographers after he lands his T-38 jet at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility. Horowitz and the other six members of the STS-82 crew came from their home base at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, to spend the last few days before launch at KSC. STS-82 is scheduled for liftoff on Feb. 11 during a 65-minute launch window which opens at 3:56 a.m. EST. The 10-day flight aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery will be the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

  16. Sleep disruption in chronic rhinosinusitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahdavinia, Mahboobeh; Schleimer, Robert P; Keshavarzian, Ali

    2017-05-01

    Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disease of the upper airways and paranasal sinuses with a marked decline in quality of life (QOL). CRS patients suffer from sleep disruption at a significantly higher proportion (60 to 75%) than in the general population (8-18 %). Sleep disruption in CRS causes decreased QOL and is linked to poor functional outcomes such as impaired cognitive function and depression. Areas covered: A systematic PubMed/Medline search was done to assess the results of studies that have investigated sleep and sleep disturbances in CRS. Expert commentary: These studies reported sleep disruption in most CRS patients. The main risk factors for sleep disruption in CRS include allergic rhinitis, smoking, and high SNOT-22 total scores. The literature is inconsistent with regard to the prevalence of sleep-related disordered breathing (e.g. obstructive sleep apnea) in CRS patients. Although nasal obstruction is linked to sleep disruption, the extent of sleep disruption in CRS seems to expand beyond that expected from physical blockage of the upper airways alone. Despite the high prevalence of sleep disruption in CRS, and its detrimental effects on QOL, the literature contains a paucity of studies that have investigated the mechanisms underlying this major problem in CRS.

  17. 40 CFR 8.2 - Applicability and effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Applicability and effect. 8.2 Section 8... OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES IN ANTARCTICA § 8.2 Applicability and effect. (a) This part is intended to ensure that potential environmental effects of nongovernmental activities undertaken in Antarctica...

  18. Strain improvement and metabolic flux analysis in the wild-type and a mutant Lactobacillus lactis strain for L(+)-lactic acid production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Dong-Mei; Zhao, Xue-Ming; Li, Xin-Gang; Xu, Shi-Min

    2004-12-20

    The effects of initial glucose concentration and calcium lactate concentration on the lactic acid production by the parent strain, Lactobacillus lactis BME5-18, were studied. The results of the experiments indicated that glucose and lactate repressed the cell growth and the lactic acid production by Lactobacillus lactis BME5-18. A L(+)-lactic acid overproducing strain, Lactobacillus lactis BME5-18M, was screened by mutagenizing the parent strain with ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation and selecting the high glucose and lactate calcium concentration repression resistant mutant. Starting with a concentration of 100g L(-1) glucose, the mutant produced 98.6 g L(-1) lactic acid after 60 h in flasks, 73.9% higher than that of the parent strain. The L(+)-lactic acid purity was 98.1% by weight based on the amount of total lactic acid. The culture of the parent strain could not be analyzed well by conventional metabolic flux analysis techniques, since some pyruvate were accumulated intracellularly. Therefore, a revised flux analysis method was proposed by introducing intracellular pyruvate pool. Further studies demonstrate that there is a high level of NADH oxidase activity (12.11 mmol mg(-1) min(-1)) in the parent strain. The molecular mechanisms of the strain improvement were proposed, i.e., the high level of NADH oxidase activity was eliminated and the uptake rate of glucose was increased from 82.1 C-mmol (g DW h)(-1) to 98.9 C-mmol (g DW h)(-1) by mutagenizing the parent strain with UV, and therefore the mutant strain converts mostly pyruvate to lactic acid with a higher productivity (1.76 g L(-1) h(-1)) than the parent strain (0.95 g L(-1) h(-1)).

  19. Streptomyces lunalinharesii Strain 235 Shows the Potential to Inhibit Bacteria Involved in Biocorrosion Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliana Pacheco da Rosa

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Four actinomycete strains previously isolated from Brazilian soils were tested for their antimicrobial activity against Bacillus pumilus LF-4 and Desulfovibrio alaskensis NCIMB 13491, bacteria that are well known to be involved in biofilm formation and biocorrosion. Strain 235, belonging to the species Streptomyces lunalinharesii, inhibited the growth of both bacteria. The antimicrobial activity was seen over a wide range of pH, and after treatment with several chemicals and heat but not with proteinase K and trypsin. The antimicrobial substances present in the concentrated supernatant from growth media were partially characterized by SDS-PAGE and extracellular polypeptides were seen. Bands in the size range of 12 to 14.4 kDa caused antimicrobial activity. Transmission electron microscopy of D. alaskensis cells treated with the concentrated supernatant containing the antimicrobial substances revealed the formation of prominent bubbles, the spherical double-layered structures on the cell membrane, and the periplasmic space completely filled with electron-dense material. This is the first report on the production of antimicrobial substances by actinomycetes against bacteria involved in biocorrosion processes, and these findings may be of great relevance as an alternative source of biocides to those currently employed in the petroleum industry.

  20. Enhancing cellulase production by overexpression of xylanase regulator protein gene, xlnR, in Talaromyces cellulolyticus cellulase hyperproducing mutant strain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okuda, Naoyuki; Fujii, Tatsuya; Inoue, Hiroyuki; Ishikawa, Kazuhiko; Hoshino, Tamotsu

    2016-10-01

    We obtained strains with the xylanase regulator gene, xlnR, overexpressed (HXlnR) and disrupted (DXlnR) derived from Talaromyces cellulolyticus strain C-1, which is a cellulase hyperproducing mutant. Filter paper degrading enzyme activity and cellobiohydrolase I gene expression was the highest in HXlnR, followed by C-1 and DXlnR. These results indicate that the enhancement of cellulase productivity was succeeded by xlnR overexpression.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    The complete genome of a sparfloxacin-resistant Streptococcus agalactiae vaccine strain 138spar is 1,838,126 bp in size. The genome has 1892 coding sequences and 82 RNAs. The annotation of the genome is added by the NCBI Prokaryotic Genome Annotation Pipeline. The publishing of this genome will allo...

  2. Understanding disruptions in tokamaksa)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakharov, Leonid E.; Galkin, Sergei A.; Gerasimov, Sergei N.; contributors, JET-EFDA

    2012-05-01

    This paper describes progress achieved since 2007 in understanding disruptions in tokamaks, when the effect of plasma current sharing with the wall was introduced into theory. As a result, the toroidal asymmetry of the plasma current measurements during vertical disruption event (VDE) on the Joint European Torus was explained. A new kind of plasma equilibria and mode coupling was introduced into theory, which can explain the duration of the external kink 1/1 mode during VDE. The paper presents first results of numerical simulations using a free boundary plasma model, relevant to disruptions.

  3. Myocardial study with rubidium-82 using positron emission tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Landsheere, C.; Brihaye, C.; Chevigne, M.; Guillaume, M.; Lamotte, D.; Larock, M.P.; Quaglia, L.; Rigo, P. (Universite de Liege (Belgium))

    1982-01-01

    The rubidium-82 is eluted from a strontium-82/rubidium-82 generator. Its short half-life (78 sec.) enables the sequential repetition of dynamic studies. Myocardial ischemia produced in the dog by a stenosis of the left anterior descending artery is investigated. In this case, intravenous administration of rubidium demonstrates a decrease in the cation uptake in the anterior wall of the left ventricle. Through ischemia studies various parameters which are liked to modify the rubidium distribution according to the equation describing the cation exchanges, are considered. The generator strontium-82/rubidium-82 delivers a reference tracer for myocardial flow evaluation without requiring a cyclotron which is then available for the direct production of metabolic tracers.

  4. A 90-day safety study in Sprague-Dawley rats fed milk powder containing recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) derived from transgenic cloned cattle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Cui; Wang, Jian Wu; Huang, Kun Lun; He, XiaoYun; Chen, Xiu Ping; Sun, Hong; Yu, Tian; Che, Hui Lian

    2011-10-01

    Transgenic cloned animals expressing beneficial human nutritional traits offer a new strategy for large-scale production of some kinds of functional substances. In some cases, the required safety testing for genetically modified (GM) foods do not seem appropriate for human food safety, though regulations do not seem to provide alternatives. A 90-day rat feeding study is the core study for the safety assessment of GM foods. The test material in this 90-day study was prepared nonfat milk powder containing recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF), which was expressed in transgenic cloned cattle. Groups of 10 male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given a nutritionally balanced purified diet containing 7.5, 15, or 30% transgenic or conventional milk powder for 90 days. A commercial AIN93G diet was used as an additional control group. Clinical, biological, and pathological parameters were compared between groups. The only significant effect of treatment was higher mean ferritin and Fe(+) concentrations for both male and female rats fed the transgenic milk powder diets, as compared to rats fed nontransgenic milk diets or the commercial diet. The results of the present study are consistent with previous research, which indicates that milk powder containing rhLF derived from healthy transgenic cloned cattle is as safe as conventional milk powder.

  5. [Genetic modification of Methylobacterium extorquens G10 producer strain of polyhydroxybutyrate].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedorov, D N; Zamakhaeva, S A; Ezhov, V A; Doronina, N V; Trotsenko, Iu A

    2014-01-01

    The effect of the increased copy number of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) biosynthesis genes in pink-pigmented methylobacterium Methylobacterium extorquens G10 on properties of the biopolymer was studied. The activity of poly-3-hydroxybutyril-synthase (PHB-synthase) was shown to increase and the molecular weight of synthesized PHB decreases twofold (150 --> 79 kDa) after insertion of extra copies of phaC and phaCAB genes into cells of the producer strain, whereas the physicochemical properties of the plastic changed insignificantly. White mutant M. extorquens G10-W with disrupted synthesis of the carotenoid pigment (defect by the crtI gene, which codes for phytoene desaturase) was established to have the same rate of growth and level of PHB accumulation as the initial strain G10. The G10-W strain is a promising producer of PHB, with decreased expenses for purification and PHB biosynthesis.

  6. Thyroid effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boas, Malene; Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla; Main, Katharina M

    2012-01-01

    In recent years, many studies of thyroid-disrupting effects of environmental chemicals have been published. Of special concern is the exposure of pregnant women and infants, as thyroid disruption of the developing organism may have deleterious effects on neurological outcome. Chemicals may exert ...... thyroid-disrupting effects, and there is emerging evidence that also phthalates, bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated chemicals may have thyroid disrupting properties....

  7. Characterization of Micrococcaceae strains isolated from the human urogenital tract by the conventional scheme and a micromethod.

    OpenAIRE

    Baldellon, C; Mégraud, F

    1985-01-01

    Two hundred and twelve Micrococcaceae isolates were obtained from 82 men with nongonococcal urethritis, 24 women with vaginitis, and 54 girls with vulvovaginitis. Identification and biotyping of these strains were carried out by using the simplified scheme of Kloos and Schleifer (W. E. Kloos and K. H. Schleifer, J. Clin. Microbiol. 1:82-88, 1975) and the commercially available API Staph test (DMS Staph Trac). Staphylococcus epidermidis occurred in about half of these isolates. There was no st...

  8. A high efficiency gene disruption strategy using a positive-negative split selection marker and electroporation for Fusarium oxysporum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Liqin; Li, Jianqiang; Cheng, Lin; Ling, Jian; Luo, Zhongqin; Bai, Miao; Xie, Bingyan

    2014-11-01

    The Fusarium oxysporum species complex consists of fungal pathogens that cause serial vascular wilt disease on more than 100 cultivated species throughout the world. Gene function analysis is rapidly becoming more and more important as the whole-genome sequences of various F. oxysporum strains are being completed. Gene-disruption techniques are a common molecular tool for studying gene function, yet are often a limiting step in gene function identification. In this study we have developed a F. oxysporum high-efficiency gene-disruption strategy based on split-marker homologous recombination cassettes with dual selection and electroporation transformation. The method was efficiently used to delete three RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) genes. The gene-disruption cassettes of three genes can be constructed simultaneously within a short time using this technique. The optimal condition for electroporation is 10μF capacitance, 300Ω resistance, 4kV/cm field strength, with 1μg of DNA (gene-disruption cassettes). Under these optimal conditions, we were able to obtain 95 transformants per μg DNA. And after positive-negative selection, the transformants were efficiently screened by PCR, screening efficiency averaged 85%: 90% (RdRP1), 85% (RdRP2) and 77% (RdRP3). This gene-disruption strategy should pave the way for high throughout genetic analysis in F. oxysporum. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  9. Disruption Physics and Mitigation on DIII-D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whyte, D.G.; Humphreys, D.A.; Kellman, A.G.

    2005-01-01

    The contributions of the DIII-D tokamak toward the understanding and control of disruptions are reviewed. Disruptions are found to be deterministic, and the underlying causes of disruption can therefore be predicted and avoided. With sufficiently rapid detection, possible damage from disruptions can be mitigated using an understanding of disruption phenomenology and plasma physics. Regimes of high β are readily available in DIII-D and provide access to relatively high energy density disruptions, despite DIII-D's moderate magnetic field and size. DIII-D, with all-graphite wall armor and wall conditioning between discharges, has proven highly resilient to the deleterious effects that disruptions can have on plasma operations. Simultaneously, exploitation and adaptation of DIII-D's extensive core and edge plasma diagnostic set have allowed for unique plasma measurements during disruptions. These measurements have tied into the development of several physical models used to understand aspects of disruptions, such as magnetohydrodynamic growth at the disruption onset, radiation energy balance through the thermal quench, and halo currents during the current quench. Based on this fundamental understanding, DIII-D has developed techniques to mitigate the harmful effects of disruptions by radiative dissipation of the plasma energy and extrapolated these techniques for possible use on larger devices like ITER

  10. Peptide drug stability: The anti-inflammatory drugs Pep19-2.5 and Pep19-4LF in cream formulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuhlmann, Nicole; Heinbockel, Lena; Correa, Wilmar; Gutsmann, Thomas; Goldmann, Torsten; Englisch, Uwe; Brandenburg, Klaus

    2018-03-30

    In previous years, we developed anti-infective drugs based on antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which have been shown to effectively block severe infections and inflammation in vitro as well as in vivo. Besides systemic application, the occurrence of severe local infections necessitates a topical application for example in the case of severe skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). Recent investigations show that the synthetic anti-lipopolysaccharide peptide (SALP) Pep19-2.5 (Aspidasept® I) and a variant called Pep19-4LF (Aspidasept® II) are able to supress inflammation reactions also in keratinocytes, Langerhans cells, and dendritic cells from the skin. For topical application, a possible formulation represents the drug dispersed into a pharmaceutical cream (DAC base cream). Here, we present investigations on the stability of the peptides using this formulation in dependence on time, which includes the evaluation of the extraction procedure, the quantitative analysis of the peptides after extraction, its sensitivity to protease degradation and its ability to maintain activity against LPS-induced inflammation in vitro. We have developed an extraction procedure for the peptides with an optimum yield and showed that Pep19-2.5 is present as a dimer after extraction from the cream, whereas Pep19-4LF retains its monomeric form. Both peptides show no degradation by chymotrypsin after extraction for at least 1 h, which is indicative for an attachment of constituents of the base cream, inhibiting the cutting into peptidic part structures. The extracted peptides and in particular the dimeric Pep19-2.5 are still able to inhibit the LPS-induced inflammation reaction in human mononuclear cells. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Strain ratio ultrasound elastography increases the accuracy of colour-Doppler ultrasound in the evaluation of Thy-3 nodules. A bi-centre university experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cantisani, Vito; Maceroni, Piero; D'Andrea, Vito; Patrizi, Gregorio; Di Segni, Mattia; De Vito, Corrado; Grazhdani, Hektor; Isidori, Andrea M; Giannetta, Elisa; Redler, Adriano; Frattaroli, Fabrizio; Giacomelli, Laura; Di Rocco, Giorgio; Catalano, Carlo; D'Ambrosio, Ferdinando

    2016-05-01

    To assess whether ultrasound elastography (USE) with strain ratio increases diagnostic accuracy of Doppler ultrasound in further characterisation of cytologically Thy3 thyroid nodules. In two different university diagnostic centres, 315 patients with indeterminate cytology (Thy3) in thyroid nodules aspirates were prospectively evaluated with Doppler ultrasound and strain ratio USE before surgery. Ultrasonographic features were analysed separately and together as ultrasound score, to assess sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to identify optimal cut-off value of the strain ratio were also provided. Diagnosis on a surgical specimen was considered the standard of reference. Higher strain ratio values were found in malignant nodules, with an optimum strain ratio cut-off of 2.09 at ROC analysis. USE with strain ratio showed 90.6% sensitivity, 93% specificity, 82.8% PPV, 96.4% NPV, while US score yielded a sensitivity of 52.9%, specificity of 84.3%, PPV 55.6% and NPV 82.9%. The diagnostic gain with strain ratio was statistically significant as proved by ROC areas, which was 0.9182 for strain ratio and 0.6864 for US score. USE with strain ratio should be considered a useful additional tool to colour-Doppler US, since it improves characterisation of thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology. • Strain ratio measurements improve differentiation of thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology • Elastography with strain ratio is more reliable than ultrasound features and ultrasound score • Strain ratio may help to better select patients with Thy 3 nodules candidate for surgery.

  12. Teaching Parents Behavioral Strategies for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Effects on Stress, Strain, and Competence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iadarola, Suzannah; Levato, Lynne; Harrison, Bryan; Smith, Tristram; Lecavalier, Luc; Johnson, Cynthia; Swiezy, Naomi; Bearss, Karen; Scahill, Lawrence

    2018-01-01

    We report on parent outcomes from a randomized clinical trial of parent training (PT) versus psychoeducation (PEP) in 180 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and disruptive behavior. We compare the impact of PT and PEP on parent outcomes: Parenting Stress Index (PSI), Parent Sense of Competence (PSOC), and Caregiver Strain Questionnaire…

  13. 27 CFR 70.82 - Payment on notice and demand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... demand. 70.82 Section 70.82 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE... Collection of Excise and Special (Occupational) Tax Notice and Demand § 70.82 Payment on notice and demand. Upon receipt of notice and demand from the appropriate TTB officer, there shall be paid at the place...

  14. 27 CFR 479.82 - Rate of tax.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Rate of tax. 479.82... OTHER FIREARMS Transfer Tax § 479.82 Rate of tax. The transfer tax imposed with respect to firearms... transfer tax on any firearm classified as “any other weapon” shall be at the rate of $5 for each such...

  15. Disruptive innovation as an entrepreneurial process

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chandra, Y.; Yang, S.-J.S.; Singh, P.; Prajogo, D.; O'Neill, P.; Rahman, S.

    2008-01-01

    Research on conditions and causal mechanisms that influence disruptive innovation has been relatively unexplored in the extant research in disruptive innovation. By re-conceptualizing disruptive innovation as an entrepreneurial process at product, firm and industry levels, this paper draws on

  16. Automatic location of disruption times in JET

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno, R.; Vega, J.; Murari, A.

    2014-11-01

    The loss of stability and confinement in tokamak plasmas can induce critical events known as disruptions. Disruptions produce strong electromagnetic forces and thermal loads which can damage fundamental components of the devices. Determining the disruption time is extremely important for various disruption studies: theoretical models, physics-driven models, or disruption predictors. In JET, during the experimental campaigns with the JET-C (Carbon Fiber Composite) wall, a common criterion to determine the disruption time consisted of locating the time of the thermal quench. However, with the metallic ITER-like wall (JET-ILW), this criterion is usually not valid. Several thermal quenches may occur previous to the current quench but the temperature recovers. Therefore, a new criterion has to be defined. A possibility is to use the start of the current quench as disruption time. This work describes the implementation of an automatic data processing method to estimate the disruption time according to this new definition. This automatic determination allows both reducing human efforts to locate the disruption times and standardizing the estimates (with the benefit of being less vulnerable to human errors).

  17. Automatic location of disruption times in JET.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno, R; Vega, J; Murari, A

    2014-11-01

    The loss of stability and confinement in tokamak plasmas can induce critical events known as disruptions. Disruptions produce strong electromagnetic forces and thermal loads which can damage fundamental components of the devices. Determining the disruption time is extremely important for various disruption studies: theoretical models, physics-driven models, or disruption predictors. In JET, during the experimental campaigns with the JET-C (Carbon Fiber Composite) wall, a common criterion to determine the disruption time consisted of locating the time of the thermal quench. However, with the metallic ITER-like wall (JET-ILW), this criterion is usually not valid. Several thermal quenches may occur previous to the current quench but the temperature recovers. Therefore, a new criterion has to be defined. A possibility is to use the start of the current quench as disruption time. This work describes the implementation of an automatic data processing method to estimate the disruption time according to this new definition. This automatic determination allows both reducing human efforts to locate the disruption times and standardizing the estimates (with the benefit of being less vulnerable to human errors).

  18. Search and Disrupt

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ørding Olsen, Anders

    . However, incumbent sources engaged in capability reconfiguration to accommodate disruption improve search efforts in disruptive technologies. The paper concludes that the value of external sources is contingent on more than their knowledge. Specifically, interdependence of sources in search gives rise...... to influence from individual strategic interests on the outcomes. More generally, this points to the need for understanding the two-way influence of sources, rather than viewing external search as one-way knowledge accessing....

  19. Pursuing minimally disruptive medicine: disruption from illness and health care-related demands is correlated with patient capacity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boehmer, Kasey R; Shippee, Nathan D; Beebe, Timothy J; Montori, Victor M

    2016-06-01

    Chronic conditions burden patients with illness and treatments. We know little about the disruption of life by the work of dialysis in relation to the resources patients can mobilize, that is, their capacity, to deal with such demands. We sought to determine the disruption of life by dialysis and its relation to patient capacity to cope. We administered a survey to 137 patients on dialysis at an academic medical center. We captured disruption from illness and treatment, and physical, mental, personal, social, financial, and environmental aspects of patient capacity using validated scales. Covariates included number of prescriptions, hours spent on health care, existence of dependents, age, sex, and income level. On average, patients reported levels of capacity and disruption comparable to published levels. In multivariate regression models, limited physical, financial, and mental capacity were significantly associated with greater disruption. Patients in the top quartile of disruption had lower-than-expected physical, financial, and mental capacity. Our sample generally had capacity comparable to other populations and may be able to meet the demands imposed by treatment. Those with reduced physical, financial, and mental capacity reported higher disruption and represent a vulnerable group that may benefit from innovations in minimally disruptive medicine. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Integrative Expression of Glucoamylase Gene in a Brewer’s Yeast Saccharomyces pastorianus Strain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangyi Zhang

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The recombinant brewer’s yeast Saccharomyces pastorianus strain was constructed byintroducing the ilv2:GLA fragment released from pMGI6, carrying glucoamylase gene (GLA and using the yeast α-acetolactate synthase gene (ILV2 as the recombination sequence. The strain was able to utilise starch as the sole carbon source, its glucoamylase activity was 6.3 U/mL and its α-acetolactate synthase activity was lowered by 33.3 %. The introduced GLA gene was integrated at the recipient genomic ILV2 gene, one copy of ILV2 gene was disrupted and the other copy remained intact. Primary wort fermentation test confirmed that the diacetyl and residual sugar concentration in the wort fermented by the recombinant strain were reduced by 65.6 and 34.2 % respectively, compared to that of the recipient strain. Under industrial operating conditions, the maturation time of beer fermented by the recombinant strain was reduced from 7 to 4 days, there were no significant differences in the appearance and mouthfeel, and the beer satisfied the high quality demands. That is why the strain could be used in beer production safely.

  1. Endocrine Parameters and Phenotypes of the Growth Hormone Receptor Gene Disrupted (GHR−/−) Mouse

    Science.gov (United States)

    List, Edward O.; Sackmann-Sala, Lucila; Berryman, Darlene E.; Funk, Kevin; Kelder, Bruce; Gosney, Elahu S.; Okada, Shigeru; Ding, Juan; Cruz-Topete, Diana

    2011-01-01

    Disruption of the GH receptor (GHR) gene eliminates GH-induced intracellular signaling and, thus, its biological actions. Therefore, the GHR gene disrupted mouse (GHR−/−) has been and is a valuable tool for helping to define various parameters of GH physiology. Since its creation in 1995, this mouse strain has been used by our laboratory and others for numerous studies ranging from growth to aging. Some of the most notable discoveries are their extreme insulin sensitivity in the presence of obesity. Also, the animals have an extended lifespan, which has generated a large number of investigations into the roles of GH and IGF-I in the aging process. This review summarizes the many results derived from the GHR−/− mice. We have attempted to present the findings in the context of current knowledge regarding GH action and, where applicable, to discuss how these mice compare to GH insensitivity syndrome in humans. PMID:21123740

  2. 21 CFR 82.1260 - D&C Orange No. 10.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false D&C Orange No. 10. 82.1260 Section 82.1260 Food... CERTIFIED PROVISIONALLY LISTED COLORS AND SPECIFICATIONS Drugs and Cosmetics § 82.1260 D&C Orange No. 10. The color additive D&C Orange No. 10 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements...

  3. 21 CFR 82.1261 - D&C Orange No. 11.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false D&C Orange No. 11. 82.1261 Section 82.1261 Food... CERTIFIED PROVISIONALLY LISTED COLORS AND SPECIFICATIONS Drugs and Cosmetics § 82.1261 D&C Orange No. 11. The color additive D&C Orange No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements...

  4. EMI free fiber optic strain sensor system for TFTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szuchy, N.C.; Caserta, A.L.; Ferrara, A.A.; Squires, R.W.; Sredniawski, J.J.

    1983-01-01

    In certain applications, structural components are subjected to loadings in high electromagnetic interference (EMI) environments. The mechanical responses of these components must be monitored under rapidly varying electromagnetic fields. A Fiber Optic Strain Sensor System (FOSSS) is an acceptable solution since it is immune to EMI. Grumman Aerospace Corporation initiated the development of a FOSSS that can be used in high EMI situations where resistive/electronic-based strain measurement systems would not be effective, such as on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) during plasma disruption. Tests have indicated that because of their increased sensitivity due to the size of the fiber optic (FO) transducer (1-in. 2 ) and responsiveness due to the areal changes of the FO sensor, the strain tracking capability of FO sensors are excellent. For the TFTR application a jacketed 400-micron fiber capable of operating in a 250 0 C temperature environment was used. Continuous 30 foot lengths of high-temperature FO cables were affixed to 304 LN SS tabs, forming an integrated strain sensor and pigtail unit. By fusion splicing 400-micron room temperature fibers to the pigtails, the required runs (approximately 200 feet) to the TFTR data acquisition room were made with minimum coupling attenuation. Development methodology is discussed and test data presented

  5. Cardiac 82rubidium PET/CT: initial European experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Groves, Ashley M.; Dickson, John C.; Kayani, Irfan; Endozo, Raymondo; Blanchard, Patty; Shastry, Manu; Prvulovich, Elizabeth; Waddington, Wendy A.; Ben-Haim, Simona; Bomanji, Jamshed B.; Ell, Peter J.; Speechly-Dick, Marie-Elsya; McEwan, Jean R.

    2007-01-01

    Myocardial perfusion with PET/CT has advantages over conventional SPECT. We describe our initial European experience using 82 Rubidium-PET/CT, as part of a clinical myocardial perfusion service. We studied the first 100 patients (64 male; 36 female, mean age = 60: SD +/-12.5y, mean body mass index = 30: SD +/-6.9kg/m 2 ) who underwent 82 Rubidium cardiac PET/CT in our institution. Thirty patients had recently undergone coronary angiography. Patients underwent imaging during adenosine infusion and at rest. Images were acquired over 5 minutes using a GE-PET/CT instrument. Image quality was described as good, adequate or inadequate. Images were reported patient-by-patient by a minimum of five nuclear medicine physicians. A segment-by-segment analysis (17-segment model) was also performed. Image quality was good in 77%, adequate 23% and inadequate 0%. There was no statistical difference in image quality between obese and non-obese patients (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.2864). 59% had normal perfusion studies, 29% had inducible ischaemia, 12% had myocardial infarction (11% with super added ischaemia). There was reduced 82 Rubidium uptake in 132/1700 segments during stress. There was reduced 82 Rubidium uptake at rest in 42/1700 segments. The 82 Rubidium PET/CT findings were consistent with the angiographic findings in 28/30 cases. We show that, even from initial use of 82 Rubidium, it is possible to perform myocardial perfusion studies quickly with good image quality, even in the obese. The PET findings correlated well in the third of the cases where angiography was available. As such, 82 Rubidium cardiac PET/CT is likely to be an exciting addition to the European nuclear physician/ cardiologist's radionuclide imaging arsenal. (orig.)

  6. A quorum sensing-disrupting brominated thiophenone with a promising therapeutic potential to treat luminescent vibriosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tom Defoirdt

    Full Text Available Vibrio harveyi is amongst the most important bacterial pathogens in aquaculture. Novel methods to control this pathogen are needed since many strains have acquired resistance to antibiotics. We previously showed that quorum sensing-disrupting furanones are able to protect brine shrimp larvae against vibriosis. However, a major problem of these compounds is that they are toxic toward higher organisms and therefore, they are not safe to be used in aquaculture. The synthesis of brominated thiophenones, sulphur analogues of the quorum sensing-disrupting furanones, has recently been reported. In the present study, we report that these compounds block quorum sensing in V. harveyi at concentrations in the low micromolar range. Bioluminescence experiments with V. harveyi quorum sensing mutants and a fluorescence anisotropy assay indicated that the compounds disrupt quorum sensing in this bacterium by decreasing the ability of the quorum sensing master regulator LuxR to bind to its target promoter DNA. In vivo challenge tests with gnotobiotic brine shrimp larvae showed that thiophenone compound TF310, (Z-4-((5-(bromomethylene-2-oxo-2,5-dihydrothiophen-3-ylmethoxy-4-oxobutanoic acid, completely protected the larvae from V. harveyi BB120 when dosed to the culture water at 2.5 µM or more, whereas severe toxicity was only observed at 250 µM. This makes TF310 showing the highest therapeutic index of all quorum sensing-disrupting compounds tested thus far in our brine shrimp model system.

  7. A quorum sensing-disrupting brominated thiophenone with a promising therapeutic potential to treat luminescent vibriosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Defoirdt, Tom; Benneche, Tore; Brackman, Gilles; Coenye, Tom; Sorgeloos, Patrick; Scheie, Anne Aamdal

    2012-01-01

    Vibrio harveyi is amongst the most important bacterial pathogens in aquaculture. Novel methods to control this pathogen are needed since many strains have acquired resistance to antibiotics. We previously showed that quorum sensing-disrupting furanones are able to protect brine shrimp larvae against vibriosis. However, a major problem of these compounds is that they are toxic toward higher organisms and therefore, they are not safe to be used in aquaculture. The synthesis of brominated thiophenones, sulphur analogues of the quorum sensing-disrupting furanones, has recently been reported. In the present study, we report that these compounds block quorum sensing in V. harveyi at concentrations in the low micromolar range. Bioluminescence experiments with V. harveyi quorum sensing mutants and a fluorescence anisotropy assay indicated that the compounds disrupt quorum sensing in this bacterium by decreasing the ability of the quorum sensing master regulator LuxR to bind to its target promoter DNA. In vivo challenge tests with gnotobiotic brine shrimp larvae showed that thiophenone compound TF310, (Z)-4-((5-(bromomethylene)-2-oxo-2,5-dihydrothiophen-3-yl)methoxy)-4-oxobutanoic acid, completely protected the larvae from V. harveyi BB120 when dosed to the culture water at 2.5 µM or more, whereas severe toxicity was only observed at 250 µM. This makes TF310 showing the highest therapeutic index of all quorum sensing-disrupting compounds tested thus far in our brine shrimp model system.

  8. 21 CFR 82.1255 - D&C Orange No. 5.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false D&C Orange No. 5. 82.1255 Section 82.1255 Food and... PROVISIONALLY LISTED COLORS AND SPECIFICATIONS Drugs and Cosmetics § 82.1255 D&C Orange No. 5. (a) The color additive D&C Orange No. 5 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74.1255(a...

  9. 21 CFR 82.1254 - D&C Orange No. 4.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false D&C Orange No. 4. 82.1254 Section 82.1254 Food and... PROVISIONALLY LISTED COLORS AND SPECIFICATIONS Drugs and Cosmetics § 82.1254 D&C Orange No. 4. The color additive D&C Orange No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74.1254(a...

  10. Structured Literature Review of digital disruption literature

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vesti, Helle; Rosenstand, Claus Andreas Foss; Gertsen, Frank

    2018-01-01

    Digital disruption is a term/phenomenon frequently appearing in innovation management literature. However, no academic consensus exists as to what it entails; conceptual nor theoretical. We use the SLR-method (Structured Literature Review) to investigate digital disruption literature. A SLR......-study conducted in 2017 revealed some useful information on how disruption and digital disruption literature has developed over a specific period. However, this study was less representative of papers addressing digital disruption; which is the in-depth subject of this paper. To accommodate this, we intend...... to conduct a similar SLR-study assembling a body literature having digital disruption as the only common denominator...

  11. Mechanistic evaluation of endocrine disrupting chemicals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Taxvig, Camilla

    BACKGROUND: This PhD project is part of the research area concerning effects of endocrine disrupters at the National Food Institute at DTU in Denmark. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have proved to be important for improper development of the male reproductive organs and subsequent for the ...... metabolising system using liver S9 mixtures or hepatic rat microsomes could be a convenient method for the incorporation of metabolic aspects into in vitro testing for endocrine disrupting effects.......BACKGROUND: This PhD project is part of the research area concerning effects of endocrine disrupters at the National Food Institute at DTU in Denmark. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have proved to be important for improper development of the male reproductive organs and subsequent......, to be able to detect effects and predict mixture effects. In addition, a new hypothesis have emerge concerning a potential role of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, and the development of obesity and obesity related diseases. AIM: This PhD project aimed to gain more information regarding...

  12. Possible earthquake precursors revealed by LF radio signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. F. Biagi

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Among radio signals, low frequency (LF radio signals lie in the band between 30–300 kHz. Monitoring equipment with the ability to measure the electric strength of such signals at field sites, were designed and assembled in Italy. From 1993 onwards, the electric field strength of the MCO (216 kHz, France broadcasting station has been collecting measurements at two sites in central Italy that were chosen according to very low noise levels. At the end of 1996, radio signals from the CLT (189 kHz, Italy and CZE (270 kHz, Czech Republic broadcasting stations were included in the measurements. Meteorological data from central Italy were also collected over the same time period in order to study the influence of weather conditions on the experimental measurements. During the monitoring period, we observed some evident attenuation of the electric field strength in some of the radio signals at some of the receivers. The duration of the attenuation observed was several days, so it could possibly be related to particular meteorological conditions. On the other hand, this phenomenon might represent precursors of moderate (3.0 M 3.5 earthquakes that occurred near the receivers (within 50 km along the transmitter-receiver path. In this case, it is possible that the pre-seismic processes could have produced irregularities in the troposphere, such as ducts, reflecting layers and scattering zones, so that some local troposphere defocusing of the radio signals might have occurred. These observations were related only to moderate earthquakes and in these cases, suitable meteorological conditions were probably needed to observe the effect. Between February – March 1998, we observed at one measuring site, a significant increase in the CZE electric field strength. Unfortunately, we could not use the data of the other receiver in this case, due to frequent interruptions in the data set. The increase might have been a precursor of the strong seismic sequence (M = 5

  13. Overview of core disruptive accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marchaterre, J.F.

    1977-01-01

    An overview of the analysis of core-disruptive accidents is given. These analyses are for the purpose of understanding and predicting fast reactor behavior in severe low probability accident conditions, to establish the consequences of such conditions and to provide a basis for evaluating consequence limiting design features. The methods are used to analyze core-disruptive accidents from initiating event to complete core disruption, the effects of the accident on reactor structures and the resulting radiological consequences are described

  14. Recommended activation detector cross sections (RNDL-82)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bondars, Kh.Ya.; Lapenas, A.A.

    1984-01-01

    The results of the comparison between measured and calculated average cross sections in 5 benchmark experiments are presented. Calculations have been based on the data from 10 libraries of evaluated cross sections. The recommended library (RNDL-82) of the activation detector cross sections has been created on the basis of the comparison. RNDL-82, including 26 reactions, and the basic characteristics of the detectors are presented. (author)

  15. Disruption studies in ASDEX Upgrade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pautasso, G.

    2002-01-01

    Disruption generate large thermal and mechanical stresses on the tokamak components. For a future reactor disruptions have a significant impact on the design since all loading conditions must be analyzed in accordance with stricter design criteria (due to safety or difficult maintenance). Therefore the uncertainties affecting the predicted stresses must be reduced as much as possible with a more comprehensive set of measurements and analyses in this generation of experimental machines, and avoidance/ predictive methods must be developed further. The study of disruptions on ASDEX Upgrade is focused on these subjects, namely on: (1) understanding the physical mechanisms leading to this phenomenon and learning to avoid it or to predict its occurrence (with neural networks, for example) and to mitigate its effects; (2) analyzing the effects of disruptions on the machine to determine the functional dependence of the thermal and mechanical loads upon the discharge parameters. This allows to dimension or reinforce the machine components to withstand these loads and to extrapolate them to tokamaks still in the design phase; (3) learning to mitigate the consequence of disruptions. (author)

  16. Effect of multiple freeze-thaw cycles on the quality of instant sea cucumber: Emphatically on water status of by LF-NMR and MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Mingqian; Lin, Zhuyi; Zu, Yinxue; Zhu, Beiwei; Cheng, Shasha

    2018-07-01

    Instant sea cucumber has become one popular product due to its convenience to eat, favourable taste and minimal loss of nutrients and bioactive components. However, there was rare information about the water dynamic of instant sea cucumber subjected to multiple freeze-thaw cycles. In this study, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) and magnetic resonance image (MRI) were employed to investigate the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on water status of instant sea cucumber. Four water populations corresponding to strongly bound water, weakly bound water, immobile water and free water were observed in instant sea cucumber. With the increase of freeze-thaw cycles, the transverse relaxation time of immobile and free water increased, while the peak area of free water decreased significantly. MRI enabled the visualization of water migration of instant sea cucumber during multiple freeze-thaw cycles. Multiple freeze-thaw cycles also led to significant changes of other quality properties including thawing loss, WHC, color parameters, texture and protein content, and enlarge the interspace between fiber network in microstructure. Good correlations between T 22 , A 22 , A 23 and thaw loss, WHC, L*, hardness and collagen content (0.873 ≤ r ≤ 0.958) revealed LF-NMR may be an effective real-time monitoring method of these physicochemical parameters as a non-destructive technique. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. DNA barcoding discriminates the noxious invasive plant species, floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f.), from non-invasive relatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    VAN DE Wiel, C C M; VAN DER Schoot, J; VAN Valkenburg, J L C H; Duistermaat, H; Smulders, M J M

    2009-07-01

    Floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f.), a member of the plant family Araliaceae originating from North America, is an example of an invasive aquatic species posing serious problems to the management of waterways outside of its original distribution area in Australia and Western Europe. As a consequence, its import was banned in the Netherlands. It can be difficult to distinguish H. ranunculoides from other species of the genus on a morphological basis. In this regard, DNA barcoding may become a good alternative once this could be performed on a routine basis. In this study, we show that it is possible to distinguish H. ranunculoides from a series of closely related congeners by using a single plastid DNA sequence, trnH-psbA. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  18. Disruptive event analysis: volcanism and igneous intrusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crowe, B.M.

    1979-01-01

    Three basic topics are addressed for the disruptive event analysis: first, the range of disruptive consequences of a radioactive waste repository by volcanic activity; second, the possible reduction of the risk of disruption by volcanic activity through selective siting of a repository; and third, the quantification of the probability of repository disruption by volcanic activity

  19. Routine Responses to Disruption of Routines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guha, Mahua

    2015-01-01

    "Organisational routines" is a widely studied research area. However, there is a dearth of research on disruption of routines. The few studies on disruption of routines discussed problem-solving activities that are carried out in response to disruption. In contrast, this study develops a theory of "solution routines" that are a…

  20. The disruption management model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McAlister, James

    2011-10-01

    Within all organisations, business continuity disruptions present a set of dilemmas that managers may not have dealt with before in their normal daily duties. The disruption management model provides a simple but effective management tool to enable crisis management teams to stay focused on recovery in the midst of a business continuity incident. The model has four chronological primary headlines, which steer the team through a quick-time crisis decision-making process. The procedure facilitates timely, systematic, rationalised and justified decisions, which can withstand post-event scrutiny. The disruption management model has been thoroughly tested within an emergency services environment and is proven to significantly support clear and concise decision making in a business continuity context.

  1. Sustainable Disruption Management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vaaben, Bo Valdemar

    The world we live in is globalized. Goods are seldom made in the place where they are used or consumed, and we do increasingly travel to other countries for either business or pleasure. In our everyday lives we rely on well-functioning global transportations systems to continue the standard...... in the same way, when operation is disrupted. Never the less, we may recall that the Suez Canal was closed due to riots in Egypt, that the fuel price was impacted by threats of closing of the Strait of Hormuz, and we do from time to time hear about acts of piracy outside the coast of Somalia. All...... papers combining disruption management and flight planning through an integrated optimization approach. An additional contribution of the thesis is to show how flexible flight speeds can be used to improve recovery from disruptions, while at the same time allowing an airline to trade off fuel costs...

  2. Transposon-mediated random gene disruption with moderate halophilic bacteria and its application for halophilic bacterial siderophore analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsui, Toru; Nishino, Tomohiko

    2016-12-01

    Analytical conditions using chromo azurol S was validated for quantification of siderophore in aqueous samples, followed by the characterization of siderophore derived from newly isolated moderately halophilic bacteria. Conditions with good linearity between the absorbance and the siderophore concentration were obtained at a siderophore concentration less than 20 µM, in the wavelength range between 630 and 660 nm with developing time for at least 2 h. Of the halophilic bacteria isolated from Tunisian soil, Halomonas sp., namely strain 21a was selected as siderophore producing halophiles. The strain produced siderophore significantly in the absence of iron in minimal medium. Siderophore-deficient mutant, namely IIa10, of the strain 21a was obtained from gene disruptant library constructed using transposon complex by electroporation. Genomic sequence analysis of the mutant IIa10 revealed that the transposon-inserted gene was TonB-dependent receptor. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Disruption and Distinctiveness in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purcell, Wendy

    2014-01-01

    "Disruption"--while an evocative word triggering feelings of anxiety and perhaps even fear--also signals renewal and growth. The Higher Education (HE) sector in England has experienced some profound disruption over the years, and yet has emerged stronger and renewed in many ways. The impact of recent disruptive forces, from fees to the…

  4. Engineered CRISPR/Cas9 system for multiplex genome engineering of polyploid industrial yeast strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lian, Jiazhang; Bao, Zehua; Hu, Sumeng; Zhao, Huimin

    2018-06-01

    The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been widely used for multiplex genome engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, its application in manipulating industrial yeast strains is less successful, probably due to the genome complexity and low copy numbers of gRNA expression plasmids. Here we developed an efficient CRISPR/Cas9 system for industrial yeast strain engineering by using our previously engineered plasmids with increased copy numbers. Four genes in both a diploid strain (Ethanol Red, 8 alleles in total) and a triploid strain (ATCC 4124, 12 alleles in total) were knocked out in a single step with 100% efficiency. This system was used to construct xylose-fermenting, lactate-producing industrial yeast strains, in which ALD6, PHO13, LEU2, and URA3 were disrupted in a single step followed by the introduction of a xylose utilization pathway and a lactate biosynthetic pathway on auxotrophic marker plasmids. The optimized CRISPR/Cas9 system provides a powerful tool for the development of industrial yeast based microbial cell factories. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Human biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of 82Rb.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senthamizhchelvan, Srinivasan; Bravo, Paco E; Esaias, Caroline; Lodge, Martin A; Merrill, Jennifer; Hobbs, Robert F; Sgouros, George; Bengel, Frank M

    2010-10-01

    Prior estimates of radiation-absorbed doses from (82)Rb, a frequently used PET perfusion tracer, yielded discrepant results. We reevaluated (82)Rb dosimetry using human in vivo biokinetic measurements. Ten healthy volunteers underwent dynamic PET/CT (6 contiguous table positions, each with separate (82)Rb infusion). Source organ volumes of interest were delineated on the CT images and transferred to the PET images to obtain time-integrated activity coefficients. Radiation doses were estimated using OLINDA/EXM 1.0. The highest mean absorbed organ doses (μGy/MBq) were observed for the kidneys (5.81), heart wall (3.86), and lungs (2.96). Mean effective doses were 1.11 ± 0.22 and 1.26 ± 0.20 μSv/MBq using the tissue-weighting factors of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), publications 60 and 103, respectively. Our current (82)Rb dosimetry suggests reasonably low radiation exposure. On the basis of this study, a clinical (82)Rb injection of 2 × 1,480 MBq (80 mCi) would result in a mean effective dose of 3.7 mSv using the weighting factors of the ICRP 103-only slightly above the average annual natural background exposure in the United States (3.1 mSv).

  6. Detailed analysis of targeted gene mutations caused by the Platinum-Fungal TALENs in Aspergillus oryzae RIB40 strain and a ligD disruptant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mizutani, Osamu; Arazoe, Takayuki; Toshida, Kenji; Hayashi, Risa; Ohsato, Shuichi; Sakuma, Tetsushi; Yamamoto, Takashi; Kuwata, Shigeru; Yamada, Osamu

    2017-03-01

    Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), which can generate DNA double-strand breaks at specific sites in the desired genome locus, have been used in many organisms as a tool for genome editing. In Aspergilli, including Aspergillus oryzae, however, the use of TALENs has not been validated. In this study, we performed genome editing of A. oryzae wild-type strain via error of nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair by transient expression of high-efficiency Platinum-Fungal TALENs (PtFg TALENs). Targeted mutations were observed as various mutation patterns. In particular, approximately half of the PtFg TALEN-mediated deletion mutants had deletions larger than 1 kb in the TALEN-targeting region. We also conducted PtFg TALEN-based genome editing in A. oryzae ligD disruptant (ΔligD) lacking the ligD gene involved in the final step of the NHEJ repair and found that mutations were still obtained as well as wild-type. In this case, the ratio of the large deletions reduced compared to PtFg TALEN-based genome editing in the wild-type. In conclusion, we demonstrate that PtFg TALENs are sufficiently functional to cause genome editing via error of NHEJ in A. oryzae. In addition, we reveal that genome editing using TALENs in A. oryzae tends to cause large deletions at the target region, which were partly suppressed by deletion of ligD. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Neural-net disruption predictor in JT-60U

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshino, R.

    2003-01-01

    The prediction of major disruptions caused by the density limit, the plasma current ramp-down with high internal inductance l i , the low density locked mode and the β-limit has been investigated in JT-60U. The concept of 'stability level', newly proposed in this paper to predict the occurrence of a major disruption, is calculated from nine input parameters every 2 ms by the neural network and the start of a major disruption is predicted when the stability level decreases to a certain level, the 'alarm level'. The neural network is trained in two steps. It is first trained with 12 disruptive and six non-disruptive shots (total of 8011 data points). Second, the target output data for 12 disruptive shots are modified and the network is trained again with additional data points generated by the operator. The 'neural-net disruption predictor' obtained has been tested for 300 disruptive shots (128 945 data points) and 1008 non-disruptive shots (982 800 data points) selected from nine years of operation (1991-1999) of JT-60U. Major disruptions except for those caused by the -limit have been predicted with a prediction success rate of 97-98% at 10 ms prior to the disruption and higher than 90% at 30 ms prior to the disruption while the false alarm rate is 2.1% for non-disruptive shots. This prediction performance has been confirmed for 120 disruptive shots (56 163 data points), caused by the density limit, as well as 1032 non-disruptive shots (1004 611 data points) in the last four years of operation (1999-2002) of JT-60U. A careful selection of the input parameters supplied to the network and the newly developed two-step training of the network have reduced the false alarm rate resulting in a considerable improvement of the prediction success rate. (author)

  8. Hydrogen permeation behavior through F82H at high temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsuda, S.; Katayama, K.; Shimozori, M.; Fukada, S. [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Science, Kyushu University, Kyushu (Japan); Ushida, H. [Energy Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Kyushu (Japan); Nishikawa, M. [Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, UTM, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    2015-03-15

    F82H is a primary candidate of structural material and coolant pipe material in a blanket of a fusion reactor. Understanding tritium permeation behavior through F82H is important. In a normal operation of a fusion reactor, the temperature of F82H will be controlled below 550 C. degrees because it is considered that F82H can be used up to 30,000 hours at 550 C. degrees. However, it is necessary to assume the situation where F82H is heated over 550 C. degrees in a severe accident. In this study, hydrogen permeation behavior through F82H was investigated in the temperature range from 500 to 800 C. degrees. In some cases, water vapor was added in a sample gas to investigate an effect of water vapor on hydrogen permeation. The permeability of hydrogen in the temperature range from 500 to 700 C. degrees agreed well with the permeability reported by E. Serra et al. The degradation of the permeability by water vapor was not observed. After the hydrogen permeation reached in a steady state at 700 C. degrees, the F82H sample was heated to 800 C. degrees. The permeability of hydrogen through F82H sample which was once heated up to 800 C. degrees was lower than that of the original one. (authors)

  9. Probabilistic analysis of tokamak plasma disruptions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanzo, D.L.; Apostolakis, G.E.

    1985-01-01

    An approximate analytical solution to the heat conduction equations used in modeling component melting and vaporization resulting from plasma disruptions is presented. This solution is then used to propagate uncertainties in the input data characterizing disruptions, namely, energy density and disruption time, to obtain a probabilistic description of the output variables of interest, material melted and vaporized. (orig.)

  10. EclipseMob: Results from a nation-wide citizen science experiment on the effects of the 2017 Solar Eclipse on Low-frequency (LF) Radio Propagation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liles, W. C.; Lukes, L.; Nelson, J.; Henry, J.; Oputa, J.; Kerby-Patel, K. C.

    2017-12-01

    Early experiments to study the effects of a solar eclipse on radio wave propagation were done with either a limited number of sites before any theory of the ionosphere had been confirmed or involved collecting data that proved to be unusable because submissions were missing critical information such as date, time or location. This study used the 2017 solar eclipse over the continental U.S. to conduct the first wide-area (across the U.S.) low-frequency (LF) propagation study. The data collection process was crowdsourced through the engagement of students/educators, citizens, ham radio enthusiasts, and the scientific community. In order to accomplish data collection by geographically dispersed citizen scientists, the EclipseMob team designed and shared a low cost, low tool/skill DIY receiver system to collect LF data that leveraged existing cell phone technology and made the experiment more accessible to students and people with no prior experience constructing electronic systems. To support engagement, in addition to web guides (eclipsemob..org), EclipseMob supplied 150 DIY kits and provided build/Q&A webinars and events. For the experiment, participants constructed a simple receiver system consisting of a homemade antenna, a simple homemade receiver to convert the radio frequency (RF) signals to audio frequencies, and a smart phone app. Before, during, and after the eclipse, participants used their receiver systems to record transmitter signal data from WWVB located near Fort Collins, Colorado on 60.000 kHz (a U.S. frequency standard that is operated by NIST and transmits time codes). A second frequency, 55.500 kHz transmitted by a LF station in Dixon, CA was also used. By using the time, date and location features of the smart phone, the problems experienced in earlier experiments could be minimized. By crowdsourcing the observation sites across the U.S., data from a number of different short, medium and long- paths could be obtained as the total eclipse crossed

  11. 75 FR 80744 - Airworthiness Directives; McDonnell Douglas Corporation Model DC-9-81 (MD-81), DC-9-82 (MD-82...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-23

    ...-1203; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-168-AD] RIN 2120-AA64 Airworthiness Directives; McDonnell Douglas... amends Sec. 39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness directive (AD): McDonnell Douglas Corporation... Douglas Corporation Model DC-9-81 (MD-81), DC-9-82 (MD-82), DC-9-83 (MD-83), DC-9-87 (MD-87) and MD-88...

  12. 9 CFR 82.15 - Replacement birds and poultry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Replacement birds and poultry. 82.15... AGRICULTURE INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS EXOTIC NEWCASTLE DIS- EASE (END) AND CHLAMYDIOSIS Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) § 82.15 Replacement birds and poultry. Birds...

  13. Plasma membrane disruption: repair, prevention, adaptation

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNeil, Paul L.; Steinhardt, Richard A.

    2003-01-01

    Many metazoan cells inhabit mechanically stressful environments and, consequently, their plasma membranes are frequently disrupted. Survival requires that the cell rapidly repair or reseal the disruption. Rapid resealing is an active and complex structural modification that employs endomembrane as its primary building block, and cytoskeletal and membrane fusion proteins as its catalysts. Endomembrane is delivered to the damaged plasma membrane through exocytosis, a ubiquitous Ca2+-triggered response to disruption. Tissue and cell level architecture prevent disruptions from occurring, either by shielding cells from damaging levels of force, or, when this is not possible, by promoting safe force transmission through the plasma membrane via protein-based cables and linkages. Prevention of disruption also can be a dynamic cell or tissue level adaptation triggered when a damaging level of mechanical stress is imposed. Disease results from failure of either the preventive or resealing mechanisms.

  14. From Digital Disruption to Business Model Scalability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Christian; Lund, Morten; Thomsen, Peter Poulsen

    2017-01-01

    This article discusses the terms disruption, digital disruption, business models and business model scalability. It illustrates how managers should be using these terms for the benefit of their business by developing business models capable of achieving exponentially increasing returns to scale...... will seldom lead to business model scalability capable of competing with digital disruption(s)....... as a response to digital disruption. A series of case studies illustrate that besides frequent existing messages in the business literature relating to the importance of creating agile businesses, both in growing and declining economies, as well as hard to copy value propositions or value propositions that take...

  15. β limit disruptions in the TFTR tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fredrickson, E.D.; McGuire, K.; Janos, A.; Bell, M.; Budny, R.V.; Bush, C.E.; Manickam, J.; Mynick, H.; Nazikian, R.; Taylor, G.

    1994-11-01

    A disruptive β limit (β = plasma pressure/magnetic pressure) is observed in high performance plasmas in TFTR. The MHD character of these disruptions differs substantially from the disruptions in high density plasmas (density limit disruptions) on TFTR. The high β disruptions can occur with less than a milliseconds warning in the form of a fast growing precursor. The precursor appears to be an external kink or internal (m,n)=(1,1) kink strongly coupled through finite β effects and toroidal terms to higher m components. It does not have the open-quote cold bubble close-quote structure found in density limit disruptions. There is also no evidence for a change in the internal inductance, i.e., a major reconnection of the flux, at the time of the thermal quench

  16. 42 CFR 408.82 - Conditions for group billing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Conditions for group billing. 408.82 Section 408.82 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE... for group billing. CMS agrees to a group billing arrangement only if the following conditions are met...

  17. 42 CFR 102.82 - Calculation of death benefits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Calculation of death benefits. 102.82 Section 102... COMPENSATION PROGRAM Calculation and Payment of Benefits § 102.82 Calculation of death benefits. (a... paragraph (d) of this section for the death benefit available to dependents. (2) Deceased person means an...

  18. 3rd Annual Disruptive Technology Conference

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-09-07

    Panel -- The Warfighter’s Perspective The Impact of Disruptive Technologies on Joint Warfighting MG Michael Vane, USA, Vice Director for Force...Structure, Resources & Assessment, Joint Staff, J-8 Panel -- Perspectives of Change: Identifying the Emerging Commercial Disruptive Technologies Decision...Mark Lucas, Board Member OSGeo, RadiantBlue Technologies Panel -- The Search for Disruptive Technologies - a “Blue Force” Multiplier Advanced

  19. Evaluation of local deformation behavior accompanying fatigue damage in F82H welded joint specimens by using digital image correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakata, Toshiya; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► In tensile, the TIG welded joint material was concentrated in the THAZ. ► In tensile, fracture occurred at the point where the axial strain converged. ► In fatigue, fracture occurred at the point where the Max. shear strain converged. ► Many macrocracks and cavities formed in the FGHAZ and THAZ of the cross section. - Abstract: By using digital image correlation, the deformation behaviors of local domains of F82H joint specimens welded using tungsten inert gas (TIG) and electron beam (EB) welding were evaluated during tensile and fatigue testing. In the tensile test specimens, the tensile strength decreased in the TIG-welded joints, and ductility decreased in both the EB- and TIG-welded joints. Because axial strain increased in the tempered heat-affected zone (HAZ) and led to the fracture of the TIG-welded joint, the strength was considered to have decreased because of welding. In fatigue testing, the number of cycles to fracture for the welded joint decreased to less than 40–60% of that for the base metal. For both fracture specimens, the largest value of shear strain was observed in the region approximately between the fine-grained HAZ and tempered HAZ; this shear strain ultimately led to fracture. Cavities and macrocracks were observed in the fine-grained HAZ and tempered HAZ in the cross sections of the fracture specimens, and geometrical damage possibly resulted in the reduction of fatigue lifetime.

  20. Novel Feruloyl Esterase from Lactobacillus fermentum NRRL B-1932 and Analysis of the Recombinant Enzyme Produced in Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Siqing; Bischoff, Kenneth M; Anderson, Amber M; Rich, Joseph O

    2016-09-01

    A total of 33 Lactobacillus strains were screened for feruloyl esterase (FE) activity using agar plates containing ethyl ferulate as the sole carbon source, and Lactobacillus fermentum NRRL B-1932 demonstrated the strongest FE activity among a dozen species showing a clearing zone on the opaque plate containing ethyl ferulate. FE activities were monitored using high-performance liquid chromatography with an acetonitrile-trifluoroacetic acid gradient. To produce sufficient purified FE from L. fermentum strain NRRL B-1932 (LfFE), the cDNA encoding LfFE (Lffae) was amplified and cloned by using available closely related genome sequences and overexpressed in Escherichia coli A 29.6-kDa LfFE protein was detected from the protein extract of E. coli BL21(pLysS) carrying pET28bLffae upon IPTG (isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside) induction. The recombinant LfFE containing a polyhistidine tag was purified by nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid affinity resin. The purified LfFE showed strong activities against several artificial substrates, including p-nitrophenyl acetate and 4-methylumbelliferyl p-trimethylammoniocinnamate chloride. The optimum pH and temperature of the recombinant LfFE were around 6.5 and 37°C, respectively, as determined using either crude or purified recombinant LfFE. This study will be essential for the production of the LfFE in E. coli on a larger scale that could not be readily achieved by L. fermentum fermentation. The production of feruloyl esterase (FE) from Lactobacillus fermentum NRRL B-1932 reported in this study will have immense potential commercial applications not only in biofuel production but also in pharmaceutical, polymer, oleo chemical, cosmetic additive, and detergent industries, as well as human health-related applications, including food flavoring, functional foods, probiotic agents, preventive medicine, and animal feed. Given the essential role FE plays in the production of hydroxycinnamic acids and ferulic acid, plus the generally

  1. Simultaneous removal of chlorothalonil and nitrate by Bacillus cereus strain NS1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yiqiang; Lu Jianhang; Wu Laosheng; Chang, Andrew; Frankenberger, William T.

    2007-01-01

    Elevated NO 3 - and chlorothalonil (CTN) have been found in production nursery recycling ponds. Bacillus cereus strain NS1 isolated from nursery recycling pond sediment was assessed for its ability to reduce NO 3 - and degrade CTN in a mineral medium. The results showed that the efficiency of NO 3 - reduction and CTN degradation by B. cereus strain NS1 were related to the nature of organic carbon sources added to the medium. In the medium amended with 100 mg/L yeast extract, 86% of NO 3 - (100 mg/L) and 99% of CTN (78 μg/L) were simultaneously removed by B. cereus strain NS1 during the first day of the experiment. It took 6 days for the removal of 82-93% of NO 3 - and 87-91% of CTN in the media containing glucose and acetate. B. cereus strain NS1 needed organic carbon as energy sources and electron donors to respire NO 3 - , and simultaneously degrade CTN. These results suggest that B. cereus strain NS1 may have great potential to remediate NO 3 - and CTN contaminated water in nursery recycling ponds

  2. Post-irradiation mechanical tests on F82H EB and TIG welds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rensman, J.; Osch, E.V. van; Horsten, M.G.; D'Hulst, D.S.

    2000-01-01

    The irradiation behaviour of electron beam (EB) and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welded joints of the reduced-activation martensitic steel IEA heat F82H-mod. was investigated by neutron irradiation experiments in the high flux reactor (HFR) in Petten. Mechanical test specimens, such as tensile specimens and KLST-type Charpy impact specimens, were neutron irradiated up to a dose level of 2-3 dpa at a temperature of 300 deg. C in the HFR reactor in Petten. The tensile results for TIG and EB welds are as expected with practically no strain hardening capacity left. Considering impact properties, there is a large variation in impact properties for the TIG weld. The irradiation tends to shift the DBTT of particularly the EB welds to very high values, some cases even above +250 deg. C. PWHT of EB-welded material gives a significant improvement of the DBTT and USE compared to the as-welded condition

  3. The Effects of Disruption on Strategic Management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Drejer, Anders

    2017-01-01

    There is a lot of interest in Disruption these days even though the concept itself is still under formation. Disruption can be traced back to the idea of disruptive technological change and the late 1990s but has reemerged in the public eye in current years under guises such as Big Data......, Digitalization, Globalization and much more. Furthermore, the effects of disruption are now being felt by organizations and industries all over the world. In this paper, we will try to outline and illustrate some of those effects using the case-study of an international, Danish, SME. The case company has been...... forced to face some challenges caused by disruption and in the process of doing so has changed its strategy process significantly towards a more learning based approach to strategic management. Keywords: disruption; case- study; SME; strategy process....

  4. Enhancement of ethanol fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae sake yeast by disrupting mitophagy function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiroma, Shodai; Jayakody, Lahiru Niroshan; Horie, Kenta; Okamoto, Koji; Kitagaki, Hiroshi

    2014-02-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae sake yeast strain Kyokai no. 7 has one of the highest fermentation rates among brewery yeasts used worldwide; therefore, it is assumed that it is not possible to enhance its fermentation rate. However, in this study, we found that fermentation by sake yeast can be enhanced by inhibiting mitophagy. We observed mitophagy in wild-type sake yeast during the brewing of Ginjo sake, but not when the mitophagy gene (ATG32) was disrupted. During sake brewing, the maximum rate of CO2 production and final ethanol concentration generated by the atg32Δ laboratory yeast mutant were 7.50% and 2.12% higher than those of the parent strain, respectively. This mutant exhibited an improved fermentation profile when cultured under limiting nutrient concentrations such as those used during Ginjo sake brewing as well as in minimal synthetic medium. The mutant produced ethanol at a concentration that was 2.76% higher than the parent strain, which has significant implications for industrial bioethanol production. The ethanol yield of the atg32Δ mutant was increased, and its biomass yield was decreased relative to the parent sake yeast strain, indicating that the atg32Δ mutant has acquired a high fermentation capability at the cost of decreasing biomass. Because natural biomass resources often lack sufficient nutrient levels for optimal fermentation, mitophagy may serve as an important target for improving the fermentative capacity of brewery yeasts.

  5. Aggregation of endosomal-vacuolar compartments in the Aovps24-deleted strain in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tatsumi, Akinori; Shoji, Jun-ya; Kikuma, Takashi; Arioka, Manabu; Kitamoto, Katsuhiko

    2007-01-01

    Previously, we found that deletion of Aovps24, an ortholog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae VPS24, that encodes an ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport)-III component required for late endosomal function results in fragmented and aggregated vacuoles. Although defective late endosomal function is likely responsible for this phenotype, critical lack of our knowledge on late endosomes in filamentous fungi prevented us from further characterization. In this study, we identified late endosomes of Aspergillus oryzae, by expressing a series of fusion proteins of fluorescent proteins with orthologs of late endosomal proteins. Using these fusion proteins as markers, we observed late endosomes in the wild type strain and the Aovps24 disruptant and demonstrated that late endosomes are aberrantly aggregated in the Aovps24 disruptant. Moreover, we revealed that the aggregated late endosomes have features of vacuoles as well. As deletion of another ESCRT-III component-encoding gene, Aovps2, resulted in similar phenotypes to that in the Aovps24 disruptant, phenotypes of the Aovps24 disruptant are probably due to defective late endosomal function

  6. Crowdsourcing a Spatial Temporal Study of Low Frequency (LF) Propagation Effects Due to a Total Solar Eclipse: Engaging Students and Citizens in STEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lumsden, N. A.; Lukes, L.; Nelson, J.; Liles, W. C.; Kerby, K. C.; Crowov, F.; Rockway, J.

    2015-12-01

    The first experiments to study the effects of a solar eclipse on radio wave propagation were done in 1912 utilizing Low Frequency (LF; 30 - 300 kHz) radio waves at a handful of sites across Europe before any theory of the ionosphere had been confirmed and even before the word "ionosphere" existed. In the 1920s, a large cooperative experiment was promoted in the U.S. by Scientific American magazine. They collected over 2000 reports of AM broadcast stations from throughout the U.S. Unfortunately, many of the submissions were unusable because they lacked critical information such as date, time or location. We propose to use the 2017 solar eclipse over the continental U.S. to conduct the first wide-area LF propagation study. To perform this study, we plan to crowdsource the collection of the data by engaging student groups, citizens, and the scientific community. The tools for the different collection stations will consist of a simple homemade antenna, a simple receiver to convert the radio frequency (RF) signals to audio frequencies and a smart phone app. By using the time, date and location features of the smart phone, the problems experienced in the Scientific American experiment will be minimized. By crowdsourcing the observation sites, a number of different short, medium and long-paths studies can be obtained as the total eclipse crosses the continental U.S. The transmitter for this experiment will be WWVB located near Fort Collins, Colorado on 60.000 kHz. This is a U.S. frequency standard that is operated by NIST and transmits time codes. A second frequency, 55.500 kHz transmitted by a LF station in Dixon, CA is also being considered for this experiment. We will present an overall strategy for recruiting participants/crowdsourcing the RF collections during the 2017 total solar eclipse. Preliminary coverage calculations will be presented for WWVB and Dixon, as well as path loss calculations that can be expected during the solar eclipse condition. We will also

  7. A Food-Grade Cloning System for Industrial Strains of Lactococcus lactis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sørensen, Kim I.; Larsen, Rasmus; Kibenich, Annette; Junge, Mette P.; Johansen, Eric

    2000-01-01

    We have previously reported the construction of a food-grade cloning vector for Lactococcus using the ochre suppressor, supB, as the selective marker. This vector, pFG1, causes only a slight growth inhibition in the laboratory strain MG1363 but is unstable in the industrial strains tested. As supB suppresses both amber and ochre stop codons, which are present in 82% of all known lactococcal genes, this undesirable finding may result from the accumulation of elongated mistranslated polypeptides. Here, we report the development of a new food-grade cloning vector, pFG200, which is suitable for overexpressing a variety of genes in industrial strains of Lactococcus lactis. The vector uses an amber suppressor, supD, as selectable marker and consists entirely of Lactococcus DNA, with the exception of a small polylinker region. Using suppressible pyrimidine auxotrophs, selection and maintenance are efficient in any pyrimidine-free medium including milk. Importantly, the presence of this vector in a variety of industrial strains has no significant effect on the growth rate or the rate of acidification in milk, making this an ideal system for food-grade modification of industrially relevant L. lactis strains. The usefulness of this system is demonstrated by overexpressing the pepN gene in a number of industrial backgrounds. PMID:10742196

  8. Carbazole degradation in the soil microcosm by tropical bacterial strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lateef B. Salam

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In a previous study, three bacterial strains isolated from tropical hydrocarbon-contaminated soils and phylogenetically identified as Achromobacter sp. strain SL1, Pseudomonassp. strain SL4 and Microbacterium esteraromaticum strain SL6 displayed angular dioxygenation and mineralization of carbazole in batch cultures. In this study, the ability of these isolates to survive and enhance carbazole degradation in soil were tested in field-moist microcosms. Strain SL4 had the highest survival rate (1.8 x 107 cfu/g after 30 days of incubation in sterilized soil, while there was a decrease in population density in native (unsterilized soil when compared with the initial population. Gas chromatographic analysis after 30 days of incubation showed that in sterilized soil amended with carbazole (100 mg/kg, 66.96, 82.15 and 68.54% were degraded by strains SL1, SL4 and SL6, respectively, with rates of degradation of 0.093, 0.114 and 0.095 mg kg−1 h−1. The combination of the three isolates as inoculum in sterilized soil degraded 87.13% carbazole at a rate of 0.121 mg kg−1 h−1. In native soil amended with carbazole (100 mg/kg, 91.64, 87.29 and 89.13% were degraded by strains SL1, SL4 and SL6 after 30 days of incubation, with rates of degradation of 0.127, 0.121 and 0.124 mg kg−1h−1, respectively. This study successfully established the survivability (> 106 cfu/g detected after 30 days and carbazole-degrading ability of these bacterial strains in soil, and highlights the potential of these isolates as seed for the bioremediation of carbazole-impacted environments.

  9. Lactoferrin: Balancing Ups and Downs of Inflammation Due to Microbial Infections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Elisa Drago-Serrano

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Lactoferrin (Lf is a glycoprotein of the primary innate immune-defense system of mammals present in milk and other mucosal secretions. This protein of the transferrin family has broad antimicrobial properties by depriving pathogens from iron, or disrupting their plasma membranes through its highly cationic charge. Noteworthy, Lf also exhibits immunomodulatory activities performing up- and down-regulation of innate and adaptive immune cells, contributing to the homeostasis in mucosal surfaces exposed to myriad of microbial agents, such as the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. Although the inflammatory process is essential for the control of invasive infectious agents, the development of an exacerbated or chronic inflammation results in tissue damage with life-threatening consequences. In this review, we highlight recent findings in in vitro and in vivo models of the gut, lung, oral cavity, mammary gland, and liver infections that provide experimental evidence supporting the therapeutic role of human and bovine Lf in promoting some parameters of inflammation and protecting against the deleterious effects of bacterial, viral, fungal and protozoan-associated inflammation. Thus, this new knowledge of Lf immunomodulation paves the way to more effective design of treatments that include native or synthetic Lf derivatives, which may be useful to reduce immune-mediated tissue damage in infectious diseases.

  10. Specific binding of lactoferrin to Escherichia coli isolated from human intestinal infections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naidu, S.S.; Erdei, J.; Forsgren, A.; Naidu, A.S.; Czirok, E.; Gado, I.; Kalfas, S.; Thoren, A.

    1991-01-01

    The degrees of human lactoferrin (HLf) and bovine lactoferrin (BLf) binding in 169 Escherichia coli strains isolated from human intestinal infections, and in an additional 68 strains isolated from healthy individuals, were examined in a 125 I-labelled protein binding assay. The binding was expressed as a percentage calculated from the total labelled ligand added to bacteria. The HLf and BLf binding to E. coli was in the range 3.7 to 73.4% and 4.8 to 61.6%, respectively. Enterotoxigenic strains demonstrated a significantly higher HLf binding (median = 19%) than enteropathogenic, enteroinvasive, enterohaemorrhagic strains or normal intestinal E. coli isolates (medians 6 to 9). Enteropathogenic strains belonging to serotypes O44 and O127 demonstrated significantly higher HLf binding compared to O26, O55, O111, O119 and O126. No significant differences in the degree of HLf or BLf binding were found between aerobactin-producing and non-producing strains. The interaction was further characterized in a high Lf-binging EPEC strain, E34663 (serotype O127). The binding was stable in the pH range 4.0 to 7.5, did not dissociate in the presence of 2M NaCl or 2M urea, and reached saturation within two h. Unlabelled HLf and BLf displaced the 125 I-HLf binding to E34663 in a dose-dependent manner. Apo- and iron-saturated forms of Lf demonstrated similar binding to E34663. Among various unlabelled subephithelial matrix proteins and carbohydrates tested (in 10 4 -fold excess) only fibronectin and fibrinogen caused a moderate inhibition of 125 I-HLf binding. According to Scatchard plot analysis, 5,400 HLf-binding sites/cell, with an affinity constant (K a ) of 1.4 x 10 -7 M, were estimated in strain E34663. These data establish the presence of a specific Lf-binding mechanism in E. coli. (au)

  11. Towards a Framework of Digital Platform Disruption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kazan, Erol; Tan, Chee-Wee; Lim, Eric T. K.

    2014-01-01

    Digital platforms are disruptive information technology (IT) artifacts that erode conventional business logic associated with traditional market structures. This paper presents a framework for examining the disruptive potential of digital platforms whereby we postulate that the strategic interplay...... digital platforms purposely decouple platform layers, to foster open innovation and accelerate market disruption. This paper therefore represents a first concrete step aimed at unravelling the disruptive potential of digital platforms....... of governance regimes and platform layers is deterministic of whether disruptive derivatives are permitted to flourish. This framework has been employed in a comparative case study between centralized (i.e., PayPal) and decentralized (i.e., Coinkite) digital payment platforms to illustrate its applicability...

  12. Real-time disruption handling at ASDEX upgrade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zehetbauer, Th.; Pautasso, G.; Tichmann, C.; Egorov, S.; Lorenz, A.; Mertens, V.; Neu, G.; Raupp, G.; Treutterer, W.; Zasche, D.

    2001-01-01

    A neural network for prediction of disruptions has been developed at ASDEX Upgrade with the goal to mitigate or avoid these. The novel idea is to compute the remaining time-to-disruption to indicate the stability level of the discharge. The neural network has been specified, trained and then implemented within the real-time plasma control system. The current version of the system terminates the discharge with an impurity pellet when the computed time-to-disruption falls below a threshold of 80 ms. Routine operation shows that disruptions are recognized reliably. Vessel currents and forces are considerably reduced. The system will be enhanced to avoid disruptions with a soft landing initiated in time

  13. Family Disruptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Spread the Word Shop AAP Find a Pediatrician Family Life Medical Home Family Dynamics Adoption & Foster Care ... Life Listen Español Text Size Email Print Share Family Disruptions Page Content Article Body No matter how ...

  14. Disruption modeling in support of ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bandyopadhyay, I.

    2015-01-01

    Plasma current disruptions and Vertical Displacement Events (VDEs) are one of the major concerns in any tokamak as they lead to large electromagnetic forces to tokamak first wall components and vacuum vessel. Their occurrence also means disruption to steady state operations of tokamaks. Thus future fusion reactors like ITER must ensure that disruptions and VDEs are minimized. However, since there is still finite probability of their occurrence, one must be able to characterize disruptions and VDEs and able to predict, for example, the plasma current quench time and halo current amplitude, which mainly determine the magnitude of the electromagnetic forces. There is a concerted effort globally to understand and predict plasma and halo current evolution during disruption in tokamaks through MHD simulations. Even though Disruption and VDEs are often 3D MHD perturbations in nature, presently they are mostly simulated using 2D axisymmetric MHD codes like the Tokamak Simulation Code (TSC) and DINA. These codes are also extensively benchmarked against experimental data in present day tokamaks to improve these models and their ability to predict these events in ITER. More detailed 3D models like M3D are only recently being developed, but they are yet to be benchmarked against experiments, as also they are massively computationally exhaustive

  15. 40 CFR 82.152 - Definitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ..., restaurants and other food service establishments. Cold storage includes the equipment used to store meat... apprentice in service, maintenance, repair, or disposal of appliances with the U.S. Department of Labor's... Administrator pursuant to § 82.160. Certified refrigerant recovery or recycling equipment means equipment...

  16. 40 CFR 82.32 - Definitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Administrator pursuant to § 82.38. (b) Approved refrigerant recycling equipment means equipment certified by the... equipment extracts and recycles refrigerant or extracts refrigerant for recycling on-site or reclamation off... for reclamation. (2) Refrigerant from reclamation facilities that is used for the purpose of...

  17. Disrupted Disclosure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krause Hansen, Hans; Uldam, Julie

    appearances become challenged through disruptive disclosures in mediaenvironments characterized by multiple levels of visibility, with companies both observing andbeing observed by civil society groups that criticize them; (c) why and how the mobilization aroundtransparency and ensuing practices...

  18. MHD stability, operational limits and disruptions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-01-01

    The present physics understandings of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability of tokamak plasmas, the threshold conditions for onset of MHD instability, and the resulting operational limits on attainable plasma pressure (beta limit) and density (density limit), and the consequences of plasma disruption and disruption related effects are reviewed and assessed in the context of their application to a future DT burning reactor prototype tokamak experiment such as ITER. The principal considerations covered within the MHD stability and beta limit assessments are (i) magnetostatic equilibrium, ideal MHD stability and the resulting ideal MHD beta limit; (ii) sawtooth oscillations and the coupling of sawtooth activity to other types of MHD instability; (iii) neoclassical island resistive tearing modes and the corresponding limits on beta and energy confinement; (iv) wall stabilization of ideal MHD instabilities and resistive wall instabilities; (v) mode locking effects of non-axisymmetric error fields; (vi) edge localized MHD instabilities (ELMs, etc.); and (vii) MHD instabilities and beta/pressure gradient limits in plasmas with actively modified current and magnetic shear profiles. The principal considerations covered within the density limit assessments are (i) empirical density limits; (ii) edge power balance/radiative density limits in ohmic and L-mode plasmas; and (iii) edge parameter related density limits in H-mode plasmas. The principal considerations covered in the disruption assessments are (i) disruption causes, frequency and MHD instability onset; (ii) disruption thermal and current quench characteristics; (iii) vertical instabilities (VDEs), both before and after disruption, and plasma and in-vessel halo currents; (iv) after disruption runaway electron formation, confinement and loss; (v) fast plasma shutdown (rapid externally initiated dissipation of plasma thermal and magnetic energies); (vi) means for disruption avoidance and disruption effect mitigation; and

  19. Increasing dynamic range of a fibre Bragg grating edge-filtering interrogator with a proportional control loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stan, Nikola; Bailey, D C; Chadderdon, S L; Selfridge, R H; Schultz, S M; Webb, S; Zikry, M; Peters, K J

    2014-01-01

    We present a fibre Bragg grating (FBG) interrogator that uses a microcontroller board and a tunable optical filter in a proportional control loop to increase dynamic range and achieve high strain sensitivity. It is an edge-filtering interrogator with added proportional control loop that locks the operating wavelength to the mid-reflection point on the FBG spectrum. The interrogator separates low-frequency (LF) components of strain and measures them with extended dynamic range, while at the same time measuring high-frequency (HF) strain without loss in strain sensitivity. In this paper, we describe the implementation of the interrogator and analyse the characteristics of individual components, such as the speed and voltage resolution of the microcontroller and the tunable optical filter. We measure the performance of the proportional control loop at frequencies up to 1 kHz and characterize the system using control theory. We illustrate the limitation of the conventional interrogator to measure strains greater than 40 μϵ and demonstrate successful application of the proposed interrogator for simultaneous measurement of 450 μϵ LF strain at 50 Hz superimposed with 32 kHz HF strain. (paper)

  20. CD82 endocytosis and cholesterol-dependent reorganization of tetraspanin webs and lipid rafts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Congfeng; Zhang, Yanhui H.; Thangavel, Muthusamy; Richardson, Mekel M.; Liu, Li; Zhou, Bin; Zheng, Yi; Ostrom, Rennolds S.; Zhang, Xin A.

    2009-01-01

    Tetraspanin CD82 suppresses cell migration, tumor invasion, and tumor metastasis. To determine the mechanism by which CD82 inhibits motility, most studies have focused on the cell surface CD82, which forms tetraspanin-enriched microdomains (TEMs) with other transmembrane proteins, such as integrins. In this study, we found that CD82 undergoes endocytosis and traffics to endosomes and lysosomes. To determine the endocytic mechanism of CD82, we demonstrated that dynamin and clathrin are not essential for CD82 internalization. Depletion or sequestration of sterol in the plasma membrane markedly inhibited the endocytosis of CD82. Despite the demand on Cdc42 activity, CD82 endocytosis is distinct from macropinocytosis and the documented dynamin-independent pinocytosis. As a TEM component, CD82 reorganizes TEMs and lipid rafts by redistributing cholesterol into these membrane microdomains. CD82-containing TEMs are characterized by the cholesterol-containing microdomains in the extreme light- and intermediate-density fractions. Moreover, the endocytosis of CD82 appears to alleviate CD82-mediated inhibition of cell migration. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that lipid-dependent endocytosis drives CD82 trafficking to late endosomes and lysosomes, and CD82 reorganizes TEMs and lipid rafts through redistribution of cholesterol.—Xu, C., Zhang, Y. H., Thangavel, M., Richardson, M. M., Liu, L., Zhou, B., Zheng, Y., Ostrom, R. S., Zhang, X. A. CD82 endocytosis and cholesterol-dependent reorganization of tetraspanin webs and lipid rafts. PMID:19497983

  1. Disruption of motor behavior and injury to the CNS induced by 3-thienylboronic acid in mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farfán-García, E.D.; Pérez-Rodríguez, M. [Academias de Fisiología Humana, Bioquímica y Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n, 11340 Ciudad de México (Mexico); Espinosa-García, C. [Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), 09310 Ciudad de México (Mexico); Castillo-Mendieta, N.T.; Maldonado-Castro, M.; Querejeta, E.; Trujillo-Ferrara, J.G. [Academias de Fisiología Humana, Bioquímica y Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n, 11340 Ciudad de México (Mexico); and others

    2016-09-15

    The scarcity of studies on boron containing compounds (BCC) in the medicinal field is gradually being remedied. Efforts have been made to explore the effects of BCCs due to the properties that boron confers to molecules. Research has shown that the safety of some BCCs is similar to that found for boron-free compounds (judging from the acute toxicological evaluation). However, it has been observed that the administration of 3-thienylboronic acid (3TB) induced motor disruption in CD1 mice. In the current contribution we studied in deeper form the disruption of motor performance produced by the intraperitoneal administration of 3TB in mice from two strains (CD1 and C57BL6). Disruption of motor activity was dependent not only on the dose of 3TB administered, but also on the DMSO concentration in the vehicle. The ability of 3TB to enter the Central Nervous System (CNS) was evidenced by Raman spectroscopy as well as morphological effects on the CNS, such as loss of neurons yielding biased injury to the substantia nigra and striatum at doses ≥ 200 mg/kg, and involving granular cell damage at doses of 400 mg/kg but less injury in the motor cortex. Our work acquaints about the use of this compound in drug design, but the interesting profile as neurotoxic agent invite us to study it regarding the damage on the motor system. - Highlights: • Intraperitoneal 3-thienylboronic acid (3TB) induces tremor in CD1 or C57BL6 mice. • Injury on CNS as well as motor disruption is dose-dependent. • Damage is greater in basal ganglia than in cerebellum or motor cortex. • The DMSO as vehicle plays a key role in the induced effect. • Motor disruption seems to involve basal ganglia and cerebellum damage.

  2. Disruption of motor behavior and injury to the CNS induced by 3-thienylboronic acid in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farfán-García, E.D.; Pérez-Rodríguez, M.; Espinosa-García, C.; Castillo-Mendieta, N.T.; Maldonado-Castro, M.; Querejeta, E.; Trujillo-Ferrara, J.G.

    2016-01-01

    The scarcity of studies on boron containing compounds (BCC) in the medicinal field is gradually being remedied. Efforts have been made to explore the effects of BCCs due to the properties that boron confers to molecules. Research has shown that the safety of some BCCs is similar to that found for boron-free compounds (judging from the acute toxicological evaluation). However, it has been observed that the administration of 3-thienylboronic acid (3TB) induced motor disruption in CD1 mice. In the current contribution we studied in deeper form the disruption of motor performance produced by the intraperitoneal administration of 3TB in mice from two strains (CD1 and C57BL6). Disruption of motor activity was dependent not only on the dose of 3TB administered, but also on the DMSO concentration in the vehicle. The ability of 3TB to enter the Central Nervous System (CNS) was evidenced by Raman spectroscopy as well as morphological effects on the CNS, such as loss of neurons yielding biased injury to the substantia nigra and striatum at doses ≥ 200 mg/kg, and involving granular cell damage at doses of 400 mg/kg but less injury in the motor cortex. Our work acquaints about the use of this compound in drug design, but the interesting profile as neurotoxic agent invite us to study it regarding the damage on the motor system. - Highlights: • Intraperitoneal 3-thienylboronic acid (3TB) induces tremor in CD1 or C57BL6 mice. • Injury on CNS as well as motor disruption is dose-dependent. • Damage is greater in basal ganglia than in cerebellum or motor cortex. • The DMSO as vehicle plays a key role in the induced effect. • Motor disruption seems to involve basal ganglia and cerebellum damage.

  3. Sucrase Activity and Exopolysaccharide Partial Characterization From Three Weissella confusa Strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amarila Malik

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Exopolysaccharides (EPSs produced by lactic acid bacteria have been well known for their important economic value in food, pharmaceutical and health industries. Large extracellular enzyme sucrases are used by lactic acid bacteria to polymerize EPS, i.e. fructansucrase and glucansucrase. This study aimed to characterize sucrase activity of three Weissella confusa strains MBF8-1, MBF8-2 and MBFCNC-2(1, which were isolated previously from local beverages and their EPS products as well. All strains showed ability to form mucoid and slimy colonies by visual inspection on agar plate using raffinose as substrate suggesting that they possessed fructansucrase activity besides glucansucrase. Obtained EPS products were characterized by HPLC analysis after hydrolysis using 3% TCA at 100 °C for 1 hour, and by viscosity as well. All strains exhibited similar peak patterns, assuming that all of them possessed fructan EPS product. Supernatant and cell pellet were also analyzed by in situ activity assay performing periodic acid Schiff staining after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; only cell pellet showed sucrase activity. Viscosity observation showed that EPS products from all strains were able to increase the viscosity slightly.

  4. Glucose-free fructose production from Jerusalem artichoke using a recombinant inulinase-secreting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Jing; Jiang, Jiaxi; Ji, Wangming; Li, Yuyang; Liu, Jianping

    2011-01-01

    Using inulin (polyfructose) obtained from Jerusalen artichokes, we have produced fructose free of residual glucose using a recombinant inulinase-secreting strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a one-step fermentation of Jerusalem artichoke tubers. For producing fructose from inulin, a recombinant inulinase-producing Saccharomyce cerevisiae strain was constructed with a deficiency in fructose uptake by disruption of two hexokinase genes hxk1 and hxk2. The inulinase gene introduced into S. cerevisiae was cloned from Kluyveromyces cicerisporus. Extracellular inulinase activity of the recombinant hxk-mutated S. cerevisiae strain reached 31 U ml(-1) after 96 h growth. When grown in a medium containing Jerusalem artichoke tubers as the sole component without any additives, the recombinant yeast accumulated fructose up to 9.2% (w/v) in the fermentation broth with only 0.1% (w/v) glucose left after 24 h.

  5. Disruption studies on ASDEX upgrade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pautasso, G.; Egorov, S.; Finken, K.H.

    2003-01-01

    Disruptions generate large thermal and mechanical stresses on the tokamak components and are occasionally responsible for damages to the machine. For a future reactor disruptions have a significant impact on the design since all loading conditions must be analyzed in accordance with stricter design criteria (due to safety or difficult maintenance). Therefore the uncertainties affecting the predicted stresses must be reduced as much as possible with a more comprehensive set of measurements and analyses in this generation of experimental machines, and avoidance/predictive methods must be developed further. Disruption studies on ASDEX Upgrade are focused on these subjects, namely on: (1) understanding the physical mechanisms leading to this phenomenon in order to learn to avoid it or to predict its occurrence and to mitigate its effects; (2) analyzing the effects of disruptions on the machine to determine the functional dependence of the thermal and mechanical loads upon the discharge parameters. This allows, firstly, to dimension or reinforce the machine components to withstand these loads and, secondly, to extrapolate them to tokamaks still in the design phase; (3) learning to mitigate the consequence of disruptions, i.e. thermal loads, mechanical forces and runaways with injection of impurity pellets or gas. This paper is focused on most recent results concerning points, i.e. on the analysis of the degree of asymmetry of the forces and on the use of impurity puff for mitigation

  6. 10 CFR 431.82 - Definitions concerning commercial packaged boilers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... gases. Manufacturer of a commercial packaged boiler means any person who manufactures, produces... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Definitions concerning commercial packaged boilers. 431.82... COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Commercial Packaged Boilers § 431.82 Definitions concerning commercial...

  7. Symptoms of depression in non-routine caregivers: the role of caregiver strain and burden.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Anna C; Gallagher, Stephen; Hunt, Kate; Der, Geoff; Carroll, Douglas

    2009-11-01

    The origins and persistence of psychological morbidity in caregivers are not fully understood. The present analysis examined the relationship between the strain and burden of caregiving and depression and anxiety in a large community sample. Social support and sleep quality were investigated as potential mediators. Cross-sectional and prospective observational study. Individuals caring for someone other than their own child (N=393) were identified from a population of 2,079. Caregiving strain and burden, social support, and sleep quality were assessed. Participants completed the hospital anxiety and depression scale at the same time and 5 years later. Caregiving strain and burden were associated with depression and anxiety symptoms cross-sectionally, and with a worsening of symptoms 5 years later. Sleep quality appeared to mediate the cross-sectional relationships. The demands of caregiving and associated sleep disruption contribute to symptoms of depression and anxiety in caregivers.

  8. Disruptive technologies and transportation : final report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-01

    Disruptive technologies refer to innovations that, at first, may be considered unproven, lacking refinement, relatively unknown, or even impractical, but ultimately they supplant existing technologies and/or applications. In general, disruptive techn...

  9. Emerging and Disruptive Technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kricka, Larry J

    2016-08-01

    Several emerging or disruptive technologies can be identified that might, at some point in the future, displace established laboratory medicine technologies and practices. These include increased automation in the form of robots, 3-D printing, technology convergence (e.g., plug-in glucose meters for smart phones), new point-of-care technologies (e.g., contact lenses with sensors, digital and wireless enabled pregnancy tests) and testing locations (e.g., Retail Health Clinics, new at-home testing formats), new types of specimens (e.g., cell free DNA), big biology/data (e.g., million genome projects), and new regulations (e.g., for laboratory developed tests). In addition, there are many emerging technologies (e.g., planar arrays, mass spectrometry) that might find even broader application in the future and therefore also disrupt current practice. One interesting source of disruptive technology may prove to be the Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize, currently in its final stages.

  10. 22 CFR 226.82 - Program income.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... Relations AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION OF ASSISTANCE AWARDS TO U.S. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS Additional Provisions For Awards to Commercial Organizations § 226.82 Program income. The... commercial organization. ...

  11. Preliminary results of the round-robin testing of F82H

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shiba, K.; Yamanouchi, N.; Tohyama, A.

    1996-10-01

    Preliminary results of metallurgical, physical and mechanical properties of low activation ferritic steel F82H (IEA heat) were obtained in the round-robin test in Japan. The properties of IEA heat F82H were almost the same as the original F82H.

  12. 42 CFR 82.0 - Background information on this part.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 82.0 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY... EMPLOYEES OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS COMPENSATION PROGRAM ACT OF 2000 Introduction § 82.0 Background information on this part. The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA), 42 U.S.C...

  13. Ge nanobelts with high compressive strain fabricated by secondary oxidation of self-assembly SiGe rings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lu, Weifang; Li, Cheng; Lin, Guangyang

    2015-01-01

    Curled Ge nanobelts were fabricated by secondary oxidation of self-assembly SiGe rings, which were exfoliated from the SiGe stripes on the insulator. The Ge-rich SiGe stripes on insulator were formed by hololithography and modified Ge condensation processes of Si0.82Ge0.18 on SOI substrate. Ge...... nanobelts under a residual compressive strain of 2% were achieved, and the strain should be higher before partly releasing through bulge islands and breakage of the curled Ge nanobelts during the secondary oxidation process. The primary factor leading to compressive strain is thermal shrinkage of Ge...... nanobelts, which extrudes to Ge nanobelts in radial and tangent directions during the cooling process. This technique is promising for application in high-mobility Ge nano-scale transistors...

  14. Coral-associated bacteria, quorum sensing disrupters, and the regulation of biofouling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golberg, Karina; Pavlov, Valentina; Marks, Robert S; Kushmaro, Ariel

    2013-01-01

    Marine biofouling, the settlement of microorganisms and macroorganisms on structures submerged in seawater, although economically detrimental, is a successful strategy for survival in hostile environments, where coordinated bacterial communities establish biofilms via the regulation of quorum sensing (QS) communication systems. The inhibition of QS activity among bacteria isolated from different coral species was investigated to gain further insight into its potency in the attenuation, or even the prevention, of undesirable biofouling on marine organisms. It is hypothesized that coral mucus/microorganism interactions are competitive, suggesting that the dominant communities secrete QS disruptive compounds. One hundred and twenty bacterial isolates were collected from healthy coral species and screened for their ability to inhibit QS using three bioreporter strains. Approximately 12, 11, and 24% of the isolates exhibited anti-QS activity against Escherichia coli pSB1075, Chromobacterium violaceum CV026, and Agrobacterium tumefaciens KYC55 indicator strains, respectively. Isolates with positive activity against the bioluminescent monitor strains were scanned via a cytotoxic/genotoxic, E. coli TV1061 and DPD2794 antimicrobial panel. Isolates detected by C. violaceum CV026 and A. tumefaciens KYC55 reporter strains were tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of these reporter strains, which were found to be unaffected. Tests of the Favia sp. coral isolate Fav 2-50-7 (>98% similarity to Vibrio harveyi) for its ability to attenuate the formation of biofilm showed extensive inhibitory activity against biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. To ascertain the stability and general structure of the active compound, cell-free culture supernatants exposed to an increasing temperature gradient or to digestion by proteinase K, were shown to maintain potent QS attenuation and the ability to inhibit the growth of biofilms. Mass spectrometry confirmed

  15. Helicobacter pylori Disrupts Host Cell Membranes, Initiating a Repair Response and Cell Proliferation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsueh-Fen Juan

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori, the human stomach pathogen, lives on the inner surface of the stomach and causes chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. Plasma membrane repair response is a matter of life and death for human cells against physical and biological damage. We here test the hypothesis that H. pylori also causes plasma membrane disruption injury, and that not only a membrane repair response but also a cell proliferation response are thereby activated. Vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA and cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA have been considered to be major H. pylori virulence factors. Gastric cancer cells were infected with H. pylori wild type (vacA+/cagA+, single mutant (ΔvacA or ΔcagA or double mutant (ΔvacA/ΔcagA strains and plasma membrane disruption events and consequent activation of membrane repair components monitored. H. pylori disrupts the host cell plasma membrane, allowing localized dye and extracellular Ca2+ influx. Ca2+-triggered members of the annexin family, A1 and A4, translocate, in response to injury, to the plasma membrane, and cell surface expression of an exocytotic maker of repair, LAMP-2, increases. Additional forms of plasma membrane disruption, unrelated to H. pylori exposure, also promote host cell proliferation. We propose that H. pylori activation of a plasma membrane repair is pro-proliferative. This study might therefore provide new insight into potential mechanisms of H. pylori-induced gastric carcinogenesis.

  16. The Logic of Digital Platform Disruption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kazan, Erol; Tan, Chee-Wee; Lim, Eric T. K.

    Digital platforms are disruptive IT artifacts, because they facilitate the quick release of innovative platform derivatives from third parties (e.g., apps). This study endeavours to unravel the disruptive potential, caused by distinct designs and configurations of digital platforms on market...... environments. We postulate that the disruptive potential of digital platforms is determined by the degree of alignment among the business, technology and platform profiles. Furthermore, we argue that the design and configuration of the aforementioned three elements dictates the extent to which open innovation...... is permitted. To shed light on the disruptive potential of digital platforms, we opted for payment platforms as our unit of analysis. Through interviews with experts and payment providers, we seek to gain an in-depth appreciation of how contemporary digital payment platforms are designed and configured...

  17. Disruptive coloration in woodland camouflage: evaluation of camouflage effectiveness due to minor disruptive patches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selj, Gorm K.; Heinrich, Daniela H.

    2016-10-01

    We present results from an observer based photosimulation study of generic camouflage patterns, intended for military uniforms, where three near-identical patterns have been compared. All the patterns were prepared with similar effective color, but were different in how the individual pattern patches were distributed throughout the target. We did this in order to test if high contrast (black) patches along the outline of the target would enhance the survivability when exposed to human observers. In the recent years it has been shown that disruptive coloration in the form of high contrast patches are capable of disturbing an observer by creating false edges of the target and consequently enhance target survivability. This effect has been shown in different forms in the Animal Kingdom, but not to the same extent in camouflaged military targets. The three patterns in this study were i) with no disruptive preference, ii) with a disruptive patch along the outline of the head and iii) with a disruptive patch on the outline of one of the shoulders. We used a high number of human observers to assess the three targets in 16 natural (woodland) backgrounds by showing images of one of the targets at the time on a high definition pc screen. We found that the two patterns that were thought to have a minor disruptive preference to the remaining pattern were more difficult to detect in some (though not all) of the 16 scenes and were also better in overall performance when all the scenes were accounted for.

  18. 40 CFR 82.154 - Prohibitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... substance for use in motor vehicle air conditioners in accordance with 40 CFR part 82, subpart G; (4) The... wholly or in part of a class I or class II substance for use in motor vehicle air conditioners pursuant... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PROTECTION OF...

  19. VR versus LF: towards the limitation-free 3D

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balogh, Tibor; Kara, Peter A.

    2017-06-01

    The evolution of 3D technologies shows a cyclical learning curve with a series of hypes and dead ends, with mistakes and consequences. 3D images contain significantly more information than the corresponding 2D ones. 3D display systems should be built on more pixels, or higher speed components. For true 3D, this factor is in the order of 100x, which is a real technological challenge. If not fulfilled, the capabilities of 3D systems will be compromised: headgears will be needed, or the viewers should be positioned or tracked, single-user devices, lack of parallax, missing cues, etc. The temptation is always there: why to provide all the information, just what the person absorbs that moment (subjective or objective visualization). Virtual Reality (VR) glasses have been around for more than two decades. With the latest technical improvements, VR became the next hype. 3D immersion was added as a new phenomenon; however, VR represents an isolated experience, and still requires headgears and a controlled environment. Augmented Reality (AR) in this sense is different. Will the VR/AR hype with the headgears be a dead end? While VR headsets may sell better than smart glasses or 3D TV glasses, also consider that using the technology may require a set of behavioral changes that the majority of people do not want to make. Displays and technologies that restrict viewers, or cause any discomfort will not be accepted on the long term. The newer wave of 3D is forecasted to 2018-2020, answering the need for unaided, limitation-free 3D experience. Light Field (LF) systems represent the next-generation in 3D. The HoloVizio system, having a capacity in the order of 100x, offers natural, restrictions-free 3D experience on a full field of view, enabling collaborative use for an unlimited number of viewers, even in a wider, immersive space. As a scalable technology, the display range goes from monitor-style units, through automotive 3D HUDs, screen-less solutions, up to cinema systems

  20. Overvoltage protection for magnetic system during disruption in tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Ming; Li, Xiaolong; He, Yang; Zhang, Jun; Chen, Zhongyong; Yu, Kexun

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We investigate the way to limit the plasma disruption overvoltage by using the MOVs. • An overvoltage model of plasma disruption is introduced. • The overvoltage protection scheme has been verified by disruption experiments. • The overvoltage during plasma disruption can be limited to 330 V. - Abstract: During a plasma disruption the magnetic flux in the tokamak changes rapidly, which in most cases will cause high-voltage surges among the magnetic systems and may bring severe damage to the components if there is no overvoltage protection. This paper investigates the way to limit the plasma disruption overvoltage and absorb the energy with the use of metal oxide varistors (MOVs). An overvoltage model of plasma disruption is introduced which can be used for the simulation of plasma disruption and the analysis of the overvoltage. The effectiveness of the overvoltage protection system is validated with disruption experiments. It shows that by optimizing the varistors voltage, the overvoltage during plasma disruption can be limited to an ideal low value. Now the overvoltage protection system has been deployed in J-TEXT tokamak and serves well for daily experiments.

  1. Modeling solar flare induced lower ionosphere changes using VLF/LF transmitter amplitude and phase observations at a midlatitude site

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitter, E. D.

    2013-04-01

    Remote sensing of the ionosphere bottom using long wave radio signal propagation is a still going strong and inexpensive method for continuous monitoring purposes. We present a propagation model describing the time development of solar flare effects. Based on monitored amplitude and phase data from VLF/LF transmitters gained at a mid-latitude site during the currently increasing solar cycle no. 24 a parameterized electron density profile is calculated as a function of time and fed into propagation calculations using the LWPC (Long Wave Propagation Capability). The model allows to include lower ionosphere recombination and attachment coefficients, as well as to identify the relevant forcing X-ray wavelength band, and is intended to be a small step forward to a better understanding of the solar-lower ionosphere interaction mechanisms within a consistent framework.

  2. Disruptive School Peers and Student Outcomes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristoffersen, Jannie H. G.; Krægpøth, Morten; Nielsen, Helena Skyt

    2015-01-01

    This paper estimates how peers’ achievement gains are affected by the presence of potentially disruptive and emotionally sensitive children in the school-cohort. We exploit that some children move between schools and thus generate variation in peer composition in the receiving school-cohort. We...... identify three groups of potentially disruptive and emotionally sensitive children from detailed Danish register data: children with divorced parents, children with parents convicted of crime, and children with a psychiatric diagnosis. We find that adding potentially disruptive children lowers the academic...

  3. Disruptive School Peers and Student Outcomes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristoffersen, Jannie H. Grøne; Krægpøth, Morten; Nielsen, Helena Skyt

    This paper estimates how peers’ achievement gains are affected by the presence of potentially disruptive and emotionally sensitive children in the school-cohort. We exploit that some children move between schools and thus generate variation in peer composition in the receiving school-cohort. We...... identify three groups of potentially disruptive and emotionally sensitive children from detailed Danish register data: children with divorced parents, children with parents convicted of crime, and children with a psychiatric diagnosis. We find that adding potentially disruptive children lowers the academic...

  4. Disruptive School Peers and Student Outcomes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristoffersen, Jannie H. G.; Krægpøth, Morten Visby; Skyt Nielsen, Helena

    This paper estimates how peers’ achievement gains are affected by the presence of potentially disruptive and emotionally sensitive children in the school-cohort. We exploit that some children move between schools and thus generate variation in peer composition in the receiving schoolcohort. We...... identify three groups of potentially disruptive and emotionally sensitive children from detailed Danish register data: children with divorced parents, children with parents convicted of crime, and children with a psychiatric diagnosis. We find that adding potentially disruptive children lowers the academic...

  5. Phenomenology of high density disruptions in the TFTR tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fredrickson, E.D.; McGuire, K.M.; Bell, M.G.

    1993-01-01

    Studies of high density disruptions on TFTR, including a comparison of minor and major disruptions at high density, provide important new information regarding the nature of the disruption mechanism. Further, for the first time, an (m,n)=(1,1) 'cold bubble' precursor to high density disruptions has been experimentally observed in the electron temperature profile. The precursor to major disruptions resembles the 'vacuum bubble' model of disruptions first proposed by B.B. Kadomtsev and O.P. Pogutse (Sov. Phys. - JETP 38 (1974) 283). (author). Letter-to-the-editor. 25 refs, 3 figs

  6. Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Drimys granadensis L.f. leaves from Colombia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaviria, Mauricio; Quijano, Clara; Pino, Jorge; Madriñán, Santiago

    2011-03-01

    Drimys granadensis L.f., a native plant from Colombia, has been included in the Vademecum de Plantas Medicinales de Colombia by the Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, due to its widespread use in the folk medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments. The chemical composition of the essential oil of Drimys granadensis obtained by hydrodistillation of the leaves was analyzed by GC and GC/MS analyses. A total of 85 components were identified, with the major compounds germacrene D (1, 14.7%), sclarene (9.5%), a-cadinol (7.3%), longiborneol acetate (2, 6.3%), drimenol (4.2%), (Z)-β-ocimene (3, 4.2%), a-pinene (4, 3.2%), and β-elemene (5, 2.7%). The essential oil was also tested against eight bacteria using the Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion method. Most of the Gram-positive bacteria tested were susceptible to the D. granadensis essential oil, while the Gram-negative bacteria tested were not.

  7. Status of Isoetes coromandeliana L.f. and Equisetum debile Roxb. ex Voucher in Gujarat State, Western India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suresh K. PATEL

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Occurrence of Isoetes coromandeliana L.f. in natural ponds of Harni, Savali and Tuwa (India is known since 1956 by earlier workers. Equisetum debile Roxb. ex Voucher was also reported in 1962 growing as wild at Savali. Available literature indicates that I. coromandeliana falls under the category of ‘near threatened’ in Asian continents and as an ‘endangered species’ at national (India level. In the current field work study, the authors could not locate the investigated species from the locations earlier documented by researchers. Few saplings of I. coromandeliana were observed at Talod and Vaktapur near Gandhinagar, a new location for the species. In contrast, E. debile appeared to be lost in wild from Gujarat. Their extinction from earlier reported locations is associated with anthropogenic pressure and thus legal action for their protection is needed. The present paper suggests further survey and habitat based studies and recommends conservation and management action plans based upon the ecology of the habitat.

  8. Meiotic sex chromosome inactivation is disrupted in sterile hybrid male house mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Polly; Good, Jeffrey M; Nachman, Michael W

    2013-03-01

    In male mammals, the X and Y chromosomes are transcriptionally silenced in primary spermatocytes by meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI) and remain repressed for the duration of spermatogenesis. Here, we test the longstanding hypothesis that disrupted MSCI might contribute to the preferential sterility of heterogametic hybrid males. We studied a cross between wild-derived inbred strains of Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus in which sterility is asymmetric: F1 males with a M. m. musculus mother are sterile or nearly so while F1 males with a M. m. domesticus mother are normal. In previous work, we discovered widespread overexpression of X-linked genes in the testes of sterile but not fertile F1 males. Here, we ask whether this overexpression is specifically a result of disrupted MSCI. To do this, we isolated cells from different stages of spermatogenesis and measured the expression of several genes using quantitative PCR. We found that X overexpression in sterile F1 primary spermatocytes is coincident with the onset of MSCI and persists in postmeiotic spermatids. Using a series of recombinant X genotypes, we then asked whether X overexpression in hybrids is controlled by cis-acting loci across the X chromosome. We found that it is not. Instead, one large interval in the proximal portion of the M. m. musculus X chromosome is associated with both overexpression and the severity of sterility phenotypes in hybrids. These results demonstrate a strong association between X-linked hybrid male sterility and disruption of MSCI and suggest that trans-acting loci on the X are important for the transcriptional regulation of the X chromosome during spermatogenesis.

  9. Expression of curli by Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains isolated from patients during outbreaks is different from similar strains isolated from leafy green production environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Subbarao Venkata Ravva

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available We previously reported that the strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EcO157 that survived longer in austere soil environment lacked expression of curli, a fitness trait linked with intestinal colonization. In addition, the proportion of curli-positive variants of EcO157 decreased with repeated soil exposure. Here we evaluated 84 and 176 clinical strains from outbreaks and sporadic infections in the US, plus 211 animal fecal and environmental strains for curli expression. These shiga-toxigenic strains were from 328 different genotypes, as characterized by multi-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA. More than half of the fecal strains (human and animal and a significant proportion of environmental isolates (82% were found to lack curli expression. EcO157 strains from several outbreaks linked with the consumption of contaminated apple juice, produce, hamburgers, steak and beef were also found to lack curli expression. Phylogenetic analysis of fecal strains indicates curli expression is distributed throughout the population. However, a significant proportion of animal fecal isolates (84% gave no curli expression compared to human fecal isolates (58%. In addition, analysis of environmental isolates indicated nearly exclusive clustering of curli expression to a single branch of the minimal spanning tree. This indicates that curli expression depends primarily upon the type of environmental exposure and the isolation source, although genotypic differences also contribute to clonal variation in curli. Furthermore, curli-deficient phenotype appears to be a selective trait for survival of EcO157 in agricultural environments.

  10. Enhancement of endotoxin neutralization by coupling of a C12-alkyl chain to a lactoferricin-derived peptide

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-01-01

    Antibacterial peptide acylation, which mimics the structure of the natural lipopeptide polymyxin B, increases antimicrobial and endotoxin-neutralizing activities. The interaction of the lactoferricin-derived peptide LF11 and its N-terminally acylated analogue, lauryl-LF11, with different chemotypes of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS Re, Ra and smooth S form) was investigated by biophysical means and was related to the peptides' biological activities. Both peptides exhibit high antibacterial activity against the three strains of Salmonella enterica differing in the LPS chemotype. Lauryl-LF11 has one order of magnitude higher activity against Re-type, but activity against Ra- and S-type bacteria is comparable with that of LF11. The alkyl derivative peptide lauryl-LF11 shows a much stronger inhibition of the LPS-induced cytokine induction in human mononuclear cells than LF11. Although peptide–LPS interaction is essentially of electrostatic nature, the lauryl-modified peptide displays a strong hydrophobic component. Such a feature might then explain the fact that saturation of the peptide binding takes place at a much lower peptide/LPS ratio for LF11 than for lauryl-LF11, and that an overcompensation of the negative LPS backbone charges is observed for lauryl-LF11. The influence of LF11 on the gel-to-liquid-crystalline phase-transition of LPS is negligible for LPS Re, but clearly fluidizing for LPS Ra. In contrast, lauryl-LF11 causes a cholesterol-like effect in the two chemotypes, fluidizing in the gel and rigidifying of the hydrocarbon chains in the liquid-crystalline phase. Both peptides convert the mixed unilamellar/non-lamellar aggregate structure of lipid A, the ‘endotoxic principle’ of LPS, into a multilamellar one. These data contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of the peptide-mediated neutralization of endotoxin and effect of lipid modification of peptides. PMID:15344905

  11. The 82-plex plasma protein signature that predicts increasing inflammation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tepel, Martin; Beck, Hans C; Tan, Qihua

    2015-01-01

    The objective of the study was to define the specific plasma protein signature that predicts the increase of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein from index day to next-day using proteome analysis and novel bioinformatics tools. We performed a prospective study of 91 incident kidney....... The prediction model selected and validated 82 plasma proteins which determined increased next-day C-reactive protein (area under receiver-operator-characteristics curve, 0.772; 95% confidence interval, 0.669 to 0.876; P signature (P ....001) was associated with observed increased next-day C-reactive protein. The 82-plex protein signature outperformed routine clinical procedures. The category-free net reclassification index improved with 82-plex plasma protein signature (total net reclassification index, 88.3%). Using the 82-plex plasma protein...

  12. Disrupting reconsolidation: pharmacological and behavioral manipulations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Soeter, M.; Kindt, M.

    2011-01-01

    We previously demonstrated that disrupting reconsolidation by pharmacological manipulations "deleted" the emotional expression of a fear memory in humans. If we are to target reconsolidation in patients with anxiety disorders, the disruption of reconsolidation should produce content-limited

  13. Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants—Beyond the Dogma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guillette, Louis J.

    2006-01-01

    Descriptions of endocrine disruption have largely been associated with wildlife and driven by observations documenting estrogenic, androgenic, antiandrogenic, and antithyroid actions. These actions, in response to exposure to ecologically relevant concentrations of various environmental contaminants, have now been established in numerous vertebrate species. However, many potential mechanisms and endocrine actions have not been studied. For example, the DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane] metabolite, p,p′-DDE [1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene] is known to disrupt prostaglandin synthesis in the uterus of birds, providing part of the explanation for DDT-induced egg shell thinning. Few studies have examined prostaglandin synthesis as a target for endocrine disruption, yet these hormones are active in reproduction, immune responses, and cardiovascular physiology. Future studies must broaden the basic science approach to endocrine disruption, thereby expanding the mechanisms and endocrine end points examined. This goal should be accomplished even if the primary influence and funding continue to emphasize a narrower approach based on regulatory needs. Without this broader approach, research into endocrine disruption will become dominated by a narrow dogma, focusing on a few end points and mechanisms. PMID:16818240

  14. Zika Virus Infects, Activates, and Crosses Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells, without Barrier Disruption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papa, Michelle P.; Meuren, Lana M.; Coelho, Sharton V. A.; Lucas, Carolina G. de Oliveira; Mustafá, Yasmin M.; Lemos Matassoli, Flavio; Silveira, Paola P.; Frost, Paula S.; Pezzuto, Paula; Ribeiro, Milene R.; Tanuri, Amilcar; Nogueira, Mauricio L.; Campanati, Loraine; Bozza, Marcelo T.; Paula Neto, Heitor A.; Pimentel-Coelho, Pedro M.; Figueiredo, Claudia P.; de Aguiar, Renato S.; de Arruda, Luciana B.

    2017-01-01

    Zika virus (ZIKV) has been associated to central nervous system (CNS) harm, and virus was detected in the brain and cerebrospinal fluids of microcephaly and meningoencephalitis cases. However, the mechanism by which the virus reaches the CNS is unclear. Here, we addressed the effects of ZIKV replication in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), as an in vitro model of blood brain barrier (BBB), and evaluated virus extravasation and BBB integrity in an in vivo mouse experimental model. HBMECs were productively infected by African and Brazilian ZIKV strains (ZIKVMR766 and ZIKVPE243), which induce increased production of type I and type III IFN, inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Infection with ZIKVMR766 promoted earlier cellular death, in comparison to ZIKVPE243, but infection with either strain did not result in enhanced endothelial permeability. Despite the maintenance of endothelial integrity, infectious virus particles crossed the monolayer by endocytosis/exocytosis-dependent replication pathway or by transcytosis. Remarkably, both viruses' strains infected IFNAR deficient mice, with high viral load being detected in the brains, without BBB disruption, which was only detected at later time points after infection. These data suggest that ZIKV infects and activates endothelial cells, and might reach the CNS through basolateral release, transcytosis or transinfection processes. These findings further improve the current knowledge regarding ZIKV dissemination pathways. PMID:29312238

  15. Statistical optimization of cell disruption techniques for releasing intracellular X-prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase from Lactococcus lactis spp. lactis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Üstün-Aytekin, Özlem; Arısoy, Sevda; Aytekin, Ali Özhan; Yıldız, Ece

    2016-03-01

    X-prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (PepX) is an intracellular enzyme from the Gram-positive bacterium Lactococcus lactis spp. lactis NRRL B-1821, and it has commercial importance. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of several cell disruption methods on the activity of PepX. Statistical optimization methods were performed for two cavitation methods, hydrodynamic (high-pressure homogenization) and acoustic (sonication), to determine the more appropriate disruption method. Two level factorial design (2FI), with the parameters of number of cycles and pressure, and Box-Behnken design (BBD), with the parameters of cycle, sonication time, and power, were used for the optimization of the high-pressure homogenization and sonication methods, respectively. In addition, disruption methods, consisting of lysozyme, bead milling, heat treatment, freeze-thawing, liquid nitrogen, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), Triton-X, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), chloroform, and antibiotics, were performed and compared with the high-pressure homogenization and sonication methods. The optimized values of high-pressure homogenization were one cycle at 130 MPa providing activity of 114.47 mU ml(-1), while sonication afforded an activity of 145.09 mU ml(-1) at 28 min with 91% power and three cycles. In conclusion, sonication was the more effective disruption method, and its optimal operation parameters were manifested for the release of intracellular enzyme from a L. lactis spp. lactis strain, which is a Gram-positive bacterium. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. High-spin states in 82Sr

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baktash, C.; Halper, M.L.; Garcia Bermudez, G.J.

    1989-01-01

    As recent theoretical calculations that predicted the onset of superdeformation in the A ≅ 80 region, the 52 Cr( 34 S,2p2n) reaction at 130 MeV beam energy was employed to populate the high-spin states in 82 Sr. The detection system consisted of the ORNL Compton-Suppression Spectrometer System (18 Ge detectors), the Spin Spectrometer, and the 4 φ CsI Dwarf Ball of Washington University. Off-line analysis of the proton-gated data resulted in nearly 170 million Ge-Ge pairs, which were mostly due to the 2p2n channel. A decay scheme extending to spin I=27h has been established. No strong evidence for the presence of superdeformed states in 82 Sr was found in a preliminary analysis of the data. (Author) [es

  17. Disruption Management in Passenger Railway Transportation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jespersen-Groth, Julie; Potthoff, Daniel; Clausen, Jens

    This paper deals with disruption management in passenger railway transportation. In the disruption management process, many actors belonging to different organizations play a role. In this paper we therefore describe the process itself and the roles of the different actors. Furthermore, we discuss...... the three main subproblems in railway disruption management: timetable adjustment, and rolling stock and crew re-scheduling. Next to a general description of these problems, we give an overview of the existing literature and we present some details of the specific situations at DSB S-tog and NS....... These are the railway operators in the suburban area of Copenhagen, Denmark, and on the main railway lines in the Netherlands, respectively. Since not much research has been carried out yet on Operations Research models for disruption management in the railway context, models and techniques that have been developed...

  18. 7 CFR 3.82 - Procedures for salary offset: types of collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset: types of collection. 3.82 Section 3.82 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT Federal Salary Offset § 3.82 Procedures for salary offset: types of collection. A debt will be collected in a lump-sum...

  19. STS-82 Pilot Scott Horowitz arrives for TCDT

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-01-01

    STS-82 Pilot Scott J. 'Doc' Horowitz arrives at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility in a T-38 jet from Houston, TX. Horowitz and the other six crew members are at KSC to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), a dress rehearsal for launch. The crew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-82 will conduct the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. The 10-day flight is targeted for a Feb. 11 liftoff.

  20. The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes strains recovered from clinical and non-clinical samples using phenotypic methods and confirmed by PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    abazar pournajaf

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen that causes listeriosis which has extensive clinical manifestations. Infections with L. monocytogenes are a serious threat to immunocompromised persons. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of L. monocytogenes strains recovered from clinical and non-clinical samples using phenotypic methods and confirmed by PCR. Materials and Methods: In this study, 617 specimens were analyzed. All specimens were cultured in the specific PALCAM agar. Colonies were initially identified by routine biochemical tests. Finally, PCR assays using primers specific for inlA gene were performed. Results: In all, 46 (8.2% L. monocytogenes isolates were recovered from 617 specimens. Fourteen (8.2% strains, including 4 (7.5%, 2 (5.7%, 5 (14.2% and 3 (8.5% isolates were obtained from placental tissue, urine, vaginal and rectal swabs, respectively. In addition, 9 (7.4% strains of L. monocytogenes which were isolated from 107 different dairy products originated from cheese 5 (7.1%, cream 2 (10% and kashk 2 (11.7%, respectively. Among 11 (5.2% strains isolated from 210 different meat products, 5 (5.5%, 4 (7.2% and 2 (3% strains belonged to sausage, meat and poultry extracts, respectively. Finally, 12 (9.2% Listeria strains were recovered from 130 animal specimens that included 6 (10%, 4 (8% and 2 (10% strains from goat, sheep and cattle, respectively. Furthermore, all Listeria isolates (100% were found to be carriers of  inlA gene in PCR assay. Conclusion: The present study showed that the clinical and non-clinical specimens were contaminated with L. monocytogenes. So, it seems necessary to use a simple and standard technique such as PCR for rapid detection of this organism from various sources.

  1. Visual in-pile fuel disruption experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cano, G.L.; Ostensen, R.W.; Young, M.F.

    1978-01-01

    In a loss-of-flow (LOF) accident in an LMFBR, the mode of disruption of fuel may determine the probability of a subsequent energetic excursion. To investigate these phenomena, in-pile disruption of fission-heated irradiated fuel pellets was recorded by high speed cinematography. Instead of fuel frothing or dust-cloud breakup (as used in the SAS code) massive and very rapid fuel swelling, not predicted by analytical models, occurred. These tests support massive fuel swelling as the initial mode of fuel disruption in a LOF accident. (author)

  2. Management of Mauritia flexuosa L.f. for the handicraft production in Orinoco high plains, Colombia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Isabel Mesa Castellanos

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We present information about the spear leaves harvest, fiber processing and trade of Mauritia flexuosa L.f. for the handicrafts production by the Sikuani people in Wacoyo indigenous Village, in Puerto Gaitán, Meta, Colombia. We made  a semi-structured interviews and workshops with harvesters, artisans and traders. During these sessions we inquired about their harvesting techniques, characteristics of harvestable individuals, distribution area of the palms, market aspects  and other uses of the species. Mauritia flexuosa, locally known as moriche, is one of the economic livelihoods for the artisans who inhabit the Wacoyo reservation. The harvest of spear leaves is carried out  in juvenile and subadult palms. The fibers are extracted from the spear leaves to manufacture handicrafts like bags, baskets, hats and hammocks. Artisans sell the products to tourists visiting the reservation, and intermediary sellers who commercialize them in the municipality center of Puerto Gaitán and Puerto Lopez, Meta. The use of M. flexuosa has the potential to become a sustainable activity, since the leaf harvest does not involve the death of the individuals.

  3. A case for change: disruption in academic medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahn, Marc J; Maurer, Ralph; Wartman, Steven A; Sachs, Benjamin P

    2014-09-01

    Disruptive technologies allow less expensive and more efficient processes to eventually dominate a market sector. The academic health center's tripartite mission of education, clinical care, and research is threatened by decreasing revenues and increasing expenses and is, as a result, ripe for disruption. The authors describe current disruptive technologies that threaten traditional operations at academic health centers and provide a prescription not only to survive, but also to prosper, in the face of disruptive forces.

  4. NH125 kills methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus persisters by lipid bilayer disruption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Wooseong; Fricke, Nico; Conery, Annie L; Fuchs, Beth Burgwyn; Rajamuthiah, Rajmohan; Jayamani, Elamparithi; Vlahovska, Petia M; Ausubel, Frederick M; Mylonakis, Eleftherios

    2016-01-01

    NH125, a known WalK inhibitor kills MRSA persisters. However, its precise mode of action is still unknown. The mode of action of NH125 was investigated by comparing its spectrum of antimicrobial activity and its effects on membrane permeability and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) with walrycin B, a WalR inhibitor and benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium chloride (16-BAC), a cationic surfactant. NH125 killed persister cells of a variety of Staphylococcus aureus strains. Similar to 16-BAC, NH125 killed MRSA persisters by inducing rapid membrane permeabilization and caused the rupture of GUVs, whereas walrycin B did not kill MRSA persisters or induce membrane permeabilization and did not affect GUVs. NH125 kills MRSA persisters by interacting with and disrupting membranes in a detergent-like manner.

  5. 21 CFR 82.5 - General specifications for straight colors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false General specifications for straight colors. 82.5... LISTING OF CERTIFIED PROVISIONALLY LISTED COLORS AND SPECIFICATIONS General Provisions § 82.5 General specifications for straight colors. No batch of a straight color listed in subpart B, C, or D shall be certified...

  6. When Disruptive Approaches Meet Disruptive Technologies: Learning at a Distance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, Chere Campbell

    2000-01-01

    Reviews research on constructivism in learning and selection of learning strategies. Suggests linking constructivism with instructional technologies for continuing medical education in order to "disrupt" reactive, habitual ways of learning and encourage active engagement. (SK)

  7. Application of the Disruption Predictor Feature Developer to developing a machine-portable disruption predictor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parsons, Matthew; Tang, William; Feibush, Eliot

    2016-10-01

    Plasma disruptions pose a major threat to the operation of tokamaks which confine a large amount of stored energy. In order to effectively mitigate this damage it is necessary to predict an oncoming disruption with sufficient warning time to take mitigative action. Machine learning approaches to this problem have shown promise but require further developments to address (1) the need for machine-portable predictors and (2) the availability of multi-dimensional signal inputs. Here we demonstrate progress in these two areas by applying the Disruption Predictor Feature Developer to data from JET and NSTX, and discuss topics of focus for ongoing work in support of ITER. The author is also supported under the Fulbright U.S. Student Program as a graduate student in the department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  8. Identifying Tm-C82 isomers with density functional theory calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Limin; He Hongqing; Yang Minghui; Zeng Qun; Yang Mingli

    2010-01-01

    Density functional theory calculations have been performed to study the geometrical and electronic properties of endohedral metallofullerene Tm-C 82 isomers. Three energetically favorable isomers (with C s , C 2 and C 2v symmetry, respectively) are identified which are consistent with the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) observations. The simulated ultraviolet photoelectron spectra (UPS) based on the three structures agree well with the measurements. Particularly, the parent cage of the experimentally observed Tm-C 82 isomer with C s symmetry is newly assigned, which matches the experiments better than early assignments. In addition, strong interaction between an endohedral Tm atom and the C 82 cage is discussed and is thought to be responsible for the dramatic change in the relative stability of C 82 isomers when Tm is encapsulated.

  9. Disruption Management in Passenger Railway Transportation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Groth, Julie Jespersen; Potthoff, Daniel; Clausen, Jens

    2009-01-01

    This paper deals with disruption management in passenger railway transportation. In the disruption management process, many actors belonging to different organizations play a role. In this paper we therefore describe the process itself and the roles of the different actors. Furthermore, we discuss...

  10. Structured Literature Review of disruptive innovation theory within the digital domain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vesti, Helle; Nielsen, Christian; Rosenstand, Claus Andreas Foss

    2017-01-01

    The area of interest is disruption is the digital domain. The research questions are: How has the disruption and digital disruption literature developed over time? What is the research focus into disruption regarding the digital domain and how has this changed over time? Which methods are being...... utilized in research regarding disruption and digital disruption? Where are the key contributors to disruption in general and in digital disruption? Is there a future for digital disruption research? The method is a Structured Literature Review (SLR). The contribution is the results of an analysis of 95...... publications within the field of disruption in the digital domain and disruptive innovation theory in general. Works of twelve practitioners and 83 academics are investigated....

  11. Disruption mitigation studies in DIII-D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, P.L.; Kellman, A.G.; Evans, T.E.

    1999-01-01

    Data on the discharge behavior, thermal loads, halo currents, and runaway electrons have been obtained in disruptions on the DIII-D tokamak. These experiments have also evaluated techniques to mitigate the disruptions while minimizing runaway electron production. Experiments injecting cryogenic impurity killer pellets of neon and argon and massive amounts of helium gas have successfully reduced these disruption effects. The halo current generation, scaling, and mitigation are understood and are in good agreement with predictions of a semianalytic model. Results from killer pellet injection have been used to benchmark theoretical models of the pellet ablation and energy loss. Runaway electrons are often generated by the pellets and new runaway generation mechanisms, modifications of the standard Dreicer process, have been found to explain the runaways. Experiments with the massive helium gas puff have also effectively mitigated disruptions without the formation of runaway electrons that can occur with killer pellets

  12. Kinetoplast adaptations in American strains from Trypanosoma vivax

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greif, Gonzalo; Rodriguez, Matías; Reyna-Bello, Armando; Robello, Carlos; Alvarez-Valin, Fernando

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • American T. vivax strains exhibit a drastic process of mitochondrial genome degradation. • T. vivax mitochondrial genes have among the fastest evolutionary rates in eukaryotes. • High rates of kDNA evolution are associated with relaxation of selective constrains. • Relaxed selective pressures are the result of mechanical transmission. • The evolutionary strategy of T. vivax differs from that of T. brucei-species complex. - Abstract: The mitochondrion role changes during the digenetic life cycle of African trypanosomes. Owing to the low abundance of glucose in the insect vector (tsetse flies) the parasites are dependent upon a fully functional mitochondrion, capable of performing oxidative phosphorylation. Nevertheless, inside the mammalian host (bloodstream forms), which is rich in nutrients, parasite proliferation relies on glycolysis, and the mitochondrion is partially redundant. In this work we perform a comparative study of the mitochondrial genome (kinetoplast) in different strains of Trypanosoma vivax. The comparison was conducted between a West African strain that goes through a complete life cycle and two American strains that are mechanically transmitted (by different vectors) and remain as bloodstream forms only. It was found that while the African strain has a complete and apparently fully functional kinetoplast, the American T. vivax strains have undergone a drastic process of mitochondrial genome degradation, in spite of the recent introduction of these parasites in America. Many of their genes exhibit different types of mutations that are disruptive of function such as major deletions, frameshift causing indels and missense mutations. Moreover, all but three genes (A6-ATPase, RPS12 and MURF2) are not edited in the American strains, whereas editing takes place normally in all (editable) genes from the African strain. Two of these genes, A6-ATPase and RPS12, are known to play an essential function during bloodstream stage

  13. Kinetoplast adaptations in American strains from Trypanosoma vivax

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greif, Gonzalo [Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo (Uruguay); Rodriguez, Matías [Sección Biomatemática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica (Uruguay); Reyna-Bello, Armando [Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Carrera en Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas (Ecuador); Centro de Estudios Biomédicos y Veterinarios, Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez-IDECYT, Caracas (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Robello, Carlos [Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo (Uruguay); Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República Uruguay (Uruguay); Alvarez-Valin, Fernando, E-mail: falvarez@fcien.edu.uy [Sección Biomatemática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica (Uruguay)

    2015-03-15

    Highlights: • American T. vivax strains exhibit a drastic process of mitochondrial genome degradation. • T. vivax mitochondrial genes have among the fastest evolutionary rates in eukaryotes. • High rates of kDNA evolution are associated with relaxation of selective constrains. • Relaxed selective pressures are the result of mechanical transmission. • The evolutionary strategy of T. vivax differs from that of T. brucei-species complex. - Abstract: The mitochondrion role changes during the digenetic life cycle of African trypanosomes. Owing to the low abundance of glucose in the insect vector (tsetse flies) the parasites are dependent upon a fully functional mitochondrion, capable of performing oxidative phosphorylation. Nevertheless, inside the mammalian host (bloodstream forms), which is rich in nutrients, parasite proliferation relies on glycolysis, and the mitochondrion is partially redundant. In this work we perform a comparative study of the mitochondrial genome (kinetoplast) in different strains of Trypanosoma vivax. The comparison was conducted between a West African strain that goes through a complete life cycle and two American strains that are mechanically transmitted (by different vectors) and remain as bloodstream forms only. It was found that while the African strain has a complete and apparently fully functional kinetoplast, the American T. vivax strains have undergone a drastic process of mitochondrial genome degradation, in spite of the recent introduction of these parasites in America. Many of their genes exhibit different types of mutations that are disruptive of function such as major deletions, frameshift causing indels and missense mutations. Moreover, all but three genes (A6-ATPase, RPS12 and MURF2) are not edited in the American strains, whereas editing takes place normally in all (editable) genes from the African strain. Two of these genes, A6-ATPase and RPS12, are known to play an essential function during bloodstream stage

  14. Longitudinal association between marital disruption and child BMI and obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arkes, Jeremy

    2012-08-01

    This research examines whether family disruptions (i.e., divorces and separation) contribute to children's weight problems. The sample consists of 7,299 observations for 2,333 children, aged 5-14, over the 1986-2006 period, from a US representative sample from the Child and Young Adult Survey accompanying the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). The study uses individual-fixed-effects models in a longitudinal framework to compare children's BMI and weight problems before and after a disruption. Furthermore, besides doing a before-after comparison for children, the study also estimates the effects at various periods relative to the disruption in order to examine whether children are affected before the disruption and whether any effects change as time passes from the disruption, as some effects may be temporary or slow to develop. Despite having a larger sample than the previous studies, the results provide no evidence that, on average, children's BMI and BMI percentile scores (measured with continuous outcomes) are affected before the disruption, after the disruption, and as time passes from the disruption, relative to a baseline period a few years before the disruption. However, children experiencing a family disruption do have an increased risk of obesity (having a BMI percentile score of 95 or higher) in the two years leading up to the disruption as well as after the disruption, and as time passes from the disruption.

  15. Evaluation of the efficacy of photodynamic antimicrobial therapy using a phenothiazine compound and LED (red-orange) on the interface: macrophage vs S. aureus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sampaio, Fernando José P.; de Oliveira, Susana C. P. S.; Monteiro, Juliana S. C.; Pires-Santos, Gustavo M.; Gesteira, Maria F. M.; Pinheiro, Antônio L. B.

    2015-03-01

    Antimicrobial Photodynamic therapy is a technique in which microorganisms are exposed to a photosensitizing drug and then irradiated with low-intensity visible light of the appropriate wavelength. The resulting photochemical reaction generates cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, such as singlet oxygen and free radicals, which are able to exert bactericidal effect. Much is already known about the photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms: both antibiotic-sensitive and - resistant strains can be successfully photo inactivated, and there is the additional advantage that repeated photosensitization of bacterial cells does not induce a selection of resistant strains. Recently, a series of studies have shown that it is possible to kill bacteria with a light source after the microorganisms have been sensitized with low concentration of dye, such as phenothiazines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phagocytic function of macrophages J774 against S. aureus in the presence and absence of AmPDT with phenothiazine compound (12.5 μg/mL) and red-orange LED. Experimental groups: Control Group (L-F-), Phenothiazine group (L-F+) LED group (L+F-), Photodynamic therapy group (L+F+). The tests presented in this study were carried out in triplicate. This study demonstrated that AmPDT is able to increase about twice the phagocytic ability of macrophages; however, the bactericidal capacity of these cells did not show a substantial improvement, probably because the oxidative burst was less intense.

  16. Disruption of the nitrogen regulatory gene AcareA in Acremonium chrysogenum leads to reduction of cephalosporin production and repression of nitrogen metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jinyang; Pan, Yuanyuan; Liu, Gang

    2013-12-01

    AcareA, encoding a homologue of the fungal nitrogen regulatory GATA zinc-finger proteins, was cloned from Acremonium chrysogenum. Gene disruption and genetic complementation revealed that AcareA was required for nitrogen metabolism and cephalosporin production. Disruption of AcareA resulted in growth defect in the medium using nitrate, uric acid and low concentration of ammonium, glutamine or urea as sole nitrogen source. Transcriptional analysis showed that the transcription of niaD/niiA was increased drastically when induced with nitrate in the wild-type and AcareA complemented strains but not in AcareA disruption mutant. Consistent with the reduction of cephalosporin production, the transcription of pcbAB, cefD2, cefEF and cefG encoding the enzymes for cephalosporin production was reduced in AcareA disruption mutant. Band shift assays showed that AcAREA bound to the promoter regions of niaD, niiA and the bidirectional promoter region of pcbAB-pcbC. Sequence analysis showed that all the AcAREA binding sites contain the consensus GATA elements. These results indicated that AcAREA plays an important role both in the regulation of nitrogen metabolism and cephalosporin production in A. chrysogenum. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Sideways wall force produced during tokamak disruptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strauss, H.; Paccagnella, R.; Breslau, J.; Sugiyama, L.; Jardin, S.

    2013-07-01

    A critical issue for ITER is to evaluate the forces produced on the surrounding conducting structures during plasma disruptions. We calculate the non-axisymmetric ‘sideways’ wall force Fx, produced in disruptions. Simulations were carried out of disruptions produced by destabilization of n = 1 modes by a vertical displacement event (VDE). The force depends strongly on γτwall, where γ is the mode growth rate and τwall is the wall penetration time, and is largest for γτwall = constant, which depends on initial conditions. Simulations of disruptions caused by a model of massive gas injection were also performed. It was found that the wall force increases approximately offset linearly with the displacement from the magnetic axis produced by a VDE. These results are also obtained with an analytical model. Disruptions are accompanied by toroidal variation of the plasma current Iφ. This is caused by toroidal variation of the halo current, as verified computationally and analytically.

  18. Fuel disruption mechanisms determined in-pile in the ACRR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wright, S.A.; Fischer, E.A.

    1984-09-01

    Over thirty in-pile experiments were performed to investigate fuel disruption behavior for LMFBR loss of flow (LOF) accidents. These experiments reproduced the heating transients for a variety of accidents ranging from slow LOF accidents to rapid LOF-driven-TOP accidents. In all experiments the timing and mode of the fuel disruption were observed with a high speed camera, enabling detailed comparisons with a fuel pin code, SANDPIN. This code transient intra- and inter-granular fission gas behavior to predict the macroscopic fuel behavior, such as fission gas induced swelling and frothing, cracking and breakup of solid fuel, and fuel vapor pressure driven dispersal. This report reviews the different modes of fuel disruption as seen in the experiments and then describes the mechanism responsible for the disruption. An analysis is presented that describes a set of conditions specifying the mode of fuel disruption and the heating conditions required to produce the disruption. The heating conditions are described in terms of heating rate (K/s), temperature gradient, and fuel temperature. A fuel disruption map is presented which plots heating rate as a function of fuel temperature to illustrate the different criteria for disruption. Although this approach to describing fuel disruption oversimplifies the fission gas processes modeled by SANDPIN, it does illustrate the criteria used to determine which fuel disruption mechanism is dominant and on what major fission gas parameters it depends

  19. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius colonization patterns and strain diversity in healthy dogs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paul, Narayan Chandra; Bärgman, Sofia Cathrine; Moodley, Arshnee

    2012-01-01

    This is the first large-scale study of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius colonization and diversity in healthy dogs where samples were collected over a long time and strains were identified by PCR according to the current taxonomy of the S. intermedius group and typed by a highly discriminatory...... method such as pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A cross-sectional study of nasal, oral, perineal and inguinal carriage in 119 healthy dogs was followed by a longitudinal study where oral and perineal carriage was examined in 16 dogs for 10 times over a period of 1 year. Altogether we collected...... 762 samples and 285 S. pseudintermedius isolates, 182 of which were typed by PFGE to determine spatial and temporal strain diversity within individual carriers. In the cross-sectional study, S. pseudintermedius was isolated from at least one body site in 82 (69%) of the 119 dogs. The most frequent...

  20. Genetic variation of viral protein 1 genes of field strains of waterfowl parvoviruses and their attenuated derivatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Hsiang-Jung; Tseng, Chun-hsien; Chang, Poa-chun; Mei, Kai; Wang, Shih-Chi

    2004-09-01

    To understand the genetic variations between the field strains of waterfowl parvoviruses and their attenuated derivatives, we analyzed the complete nucleotide sequences of the viral protein 1 (VP1) genes of nine field strains and two vaccine strains of waterfowl parvoviruses. Sequence comparison of the VP1 proteins showed that these viruses could be divided into goose parvovirus (GPV) related and Muscovy duck parvovirus (MDPV) related groups. The amino acid difference between GPV- and MDPV-related groups ranged from 13.1% to 15.8%, and the most variable region resided in the N terminus of VP2. The vaccine strains of GPV and MDPV exhibited only 1.2% and 0.3% difference in amino acid when compared with their parental field strains, and most of these differences resided in residues 497-575 of VP1, suggesting that these residues might be important for the attenuation of GPV and MDPV. When the GPV strains isolated in 1982 (the strain 82-0308) and in 2001 (the strain 01-1001) were compared, only 0.3% difference in amino acid was found, while MDPV strains isolated in 1990 (the strain 90-0219) and 1997 (the strain 97-0104) showed only 0.4% difference in amino acid. The result indicates that the genome of waterfowl parvovirus had remained highly stable in the field.

  1. Criteria for initiation of tokamak disruptions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hopcraft, K.I.; Turner, M.F.

    1986-01-01

    The process by which a tokamak plasma evolves from an equilibrium state containing a saturated magnetic island to one which is disruptively unstable is discussed and illustrated by numerical simulation of a resistive magnetoplasma. Those elements which are required to initiate a disruption are delineated

  2. Inventory strategies to manage supply disruptions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Atan, Z.; Snyder, L.V.; Gurnani, H.; Mehrotra, H.; Ray, S.

    2012-01-01

    Disruptions in supply chains occur routinely—both large ones, due to natural disasters, labor strikes, or terrorist attacks, and small ones, due to machine breakdowns, supplier stockouts, or quality problems (to name a few examples). Companies whose supply processes are affected by disruptions may

  3. Characterisation of iunH gene knockout strain from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne Drumond Villela

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Tuberculosis (TB is an infectious disease caused mainly by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The better understanding of important metabolic pathways from M. tuberculosis can contribute to the development of novel therapeutic and prophylactic strategies to combat TB. Nucleoside hydrolase (MtIAGU-NH, encoded by iunH gene (Rv3393, is an enzyme from purine salvage pathway in M. tuberculosis. MtIAGU-NH accepts inosine, adenosine, guanosine, and uridine as substrates, which may point to a pivotal metabolic role. OBJECTIVES Our aim was to construct a M. tuberculosis knockout strain for iunH gene, to evaluate in vitro growth and the effect of iunH deletion in M. tuberculosis in non-activated and activated macrophages models of infection. METHODS A M. tuberculosis knockout strain for iunH gene was obtained by allelic replacement, using pPR27xylE plasmid. The complemented strain was constructed by the transformation of the knockout strain with pNIP40::iunH. MtIAGU-NH expression was analysed by Western blot and LC-MS/MS. In vitro growth was evaluated in Sauton’s medium. Bacterial load of non-activated and interferon-γ activated RAW 264.7 cells infected with knockout strain was compared with wild-type and complemented strains. FINDINGS Western blot and LC-MS/MS validated iunH deletion at protein level. The iunH knockout led to a delay in M. tuberculosis growth kinetics in Sauton’s medium during log phase, but did not affect bases and nucleosides pool in vitro. No significant difference in bacterial load of knockout strain was observed when compared with both wild-type and complemented strains after infection of non-activated and interferon-γ activated RAW 264.7 cells. MAIN CONCLUSION The disruption of iunH gene does not influence M. tuberculosis growth in both non-activated and activated RAW 264.7 cells, which show that iunH gene is not important for macrophage invasion and virulence. Our results indicated that MtIAGU-NH is not a

  4. Erosion products in disruption simulation experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Safronov, V.; Arkhipov, N.; Bakhtin, V.; Barsuk, V.; Kurkin, S.; Mironova, E.; Toporkov, D.; Vasenin, S.; Zhitlukhin, A.; Arkhipov, I.; Werle, H.; Wuerz, H.

    1998-01-01

    Erosion of divertor materials under tokamak disruption event presents a serious problem of ITER technology. Erosion restricts the divertor lifetime and leads to production of redeposited layers of the material retaining large amount of tritium, which is a major safety issue for future fusion reactor. Since ITER disruptive heat loads are not achievable in existing tokamaks, material erosion is studied in special simulation experiments. Till now the simulation experiments have focused mainly on investigation of shielding effect and measurement of erosion rate. In the present work the properties of eroded and redeposited graphite are studied under condition typical for hard ITER disruption. (author)

  5. Effect of music on mealtime disruptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooper, Jeff; Carson, Derek; Lindsay, Bill

    People with learning disabilities can disrupt mealtimes with non-cooperative, aggressive and self-injurious behaviours that challenge other people to tolerate and manage them. These behaviours appear to arise because the proximity of other people, and the heightened activity and noise of a dining room, causes anxiety and agitation. To examine how delivering calming background music via headphones affected anxiety-driven behaviours that disrupted mealtimes. A sample of 30 adults with mild, moderate or severe learning disabilities were videotaped during mealtimes on two consecutive days. On the first day, half the group ate without any calming music while the other half sat opposite them wearing earphones and listening to calming music. On the second day, the non-music and music groups swapped around. Of the participants who tolerated the earphones, only three showed disruptive behaviour; all three had been sitting at the table waiting for their food. With so few examples, meaningful inferential analysis was not possible. However, there were signs that calming music had a positive effect on disruptive mealtime behaviours. It eliminated physical harm, complaining and verbal repetition in one person, and stopped another from shouting/swearing. It also reduced the incidence of shouting/swearing, restlessness and vocalising. Calming music and reduced waiting at tables for food may reduce disruptive behaviours.

  6. Transcriptome analysis of sweet orange trees infected with 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' and two strains of Citrus Tristeza Virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Shimin; Shao, Jonathan; Zhou, Changyong; Hartung, John S

    2016-05-11

    Huanglongbing (HLB) and tristeza, are diseases of citrus caused by a member of the α-proteobacteria, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (CaLas), and Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) respectively. HLB is a devastating disease, but CTV strains vary from very severe to very mild. Both CaLas and CTV are phloem-restricted. The CaLas-B232 strain and CTV-B6 cause a wide range of severe and similar symptoms. The mild strain CTV-B2 doesn't induce significant symptoms or damage to plants. Transcriptome profiles obtained through RNA-seq revealed 611, 404 and 285 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) after infection with CaLas-B232, CTV-B6 and CTV-B2. These DETs were components of a wide range of pathways involved in circadian rhythm, cell wall modification and cell organization, as well as transcription factors, transport, hormone response and secondary metabolism, signaling and stress response. The number of transcripts that responded to both CTV-B6 and CaLas-B232 was much larger than the number of transcripts that responded to both strains of CTV or to both CTV-B2 and CaLas-B232. A total of 38 genes were assayed by RT-qPCR and the correlation coefficients between Gfold and RT-qPCR were 0.82, 0.69, 0.81 for sweet orange plants infected with CTV-B2, CTV-B6 and CaLas-B232, respectively. The number and composition of DETs reflected the complexity of symptoms caused by the pathogens in established infections, although the leaf tissues sampled were asymptomatic. There were greater similarities between the sweet orange in response to CTV-B6 and CaLas-B232 than between the two CTV strains, reflecting the similar physiological changes caused by both CTV-B6 and CaLas-B232. The circadian rhythm system of plants was perturbed by all three pathogens, especially by CTV-B6, and the ion balance was also disrupted by all three pathogens, especially by CaLas-B232. Defense responses related to cell wall modification, transcriptional regulation, hormones, secondary metabolites, kinases and

  7. Commercial Biocides Induce Transfer of Prophage Φ13 from Human Strains of Staphylococcus aureus to Livestock CC398.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Yuanyue; Nielsen, Lene N; Hvitved, Annemette; Haaber, Jakob K; Wirtz, Christiane; Andersen, Paal S; Larsen, Jesper; Wolz, Christiane; Ingmer, Hanne

    2017-01-01

    Human strains of Staphylococcus aureus commonly carry the bacteriophage ΦSa3 that encodes immune evasion factors. Recently, this prophage has been found in livestock-associated, methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) CC398 strains where it may promote human colonization. Here, we have addressed if exposure to biocidal products induces phage transfer, and find that during co-culture, Φ13 from strain 8325, belonging to ΦSa3 group, is induced and transferred from a human strain to LA-MRSA CC398 when exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of commercial biocides containing hydrogen peroxide. Integration of ΦSa3 in LA-MRSA CC398 occurs at multiple positions and the integration site influences the stability of the prophage. We did not observe integration in hlb encoding β-hemolysin that contains the preferred ΦSa3 attachment site in human strains, and we demonstrate that this is due to allelic variation in CC398 strains that disrupts the phage attachment site, but not the expression of β-hemolysin. Our results show that hydrogen peroxide present in biocidal products stimulate transfer of ΦSa3 from human to LA-MRSA CC398 strains and that in these strains prophage stability depends on the integration site. Knowledge of ΦSa3 transfer and stability between human and livestock strains may lead to new intervention measures directed at reducing human infection by LA-MRSA strains.

  8. Aggregate formation affects ultrasonic disruption of microalgal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wei; Lee, Duu-Jong; Lai, Juin-Yih

    2015-12-01

    Ultrasonication is a cell disruption process of low energy efficiency. This study dosed K(+), Ca(2+) and Al(3+) to Chlorella vulgaris cultured in Bold's Basal Medium at 25°C and measured the degree of cell disruption under ultrasonication. Adding these metal ions yielded less negatively charged surfaces of cells, while with the latter two ions large and compact cell aggregates were formed. The degree of cell disruption followed: control=K(+)>Ca(2+)>Al(3+) samples. Surface charges of cells and microbubbles have minimal effects on the microbubble number in the proximity of the microalgal cells. Conversely, cell aggregates with large size and compact interior resist cell disruption under ultrasonication. Staining tests revealed high diffusional resistance of stains over the aggregate interior. Microbubbles may not be effective generated and collapsed inside the compact aggregates, hence leading to low cell disruption efficiencies. Effective coagulation/flocculation in cell harvesting may lead to adverse effect on subsequent cell disruption efficiency. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Ionospheric turbulence from ground-based and satellite VLF/LF transmitter signal observations for the Simushir earthquake (November 15, 2006

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pier Francesco Biagi

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available

    Signals from very low frequency (VLF/ low frequency (LF transmitters recorded on the ground station at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and on board the French DEMETER satellite were analyzed for the Simushir earthquake (M 8.3; November 15, 2006. The period of analysis was from October 1, 2006, to January 31, 2007. The ground and satellite data were processed by a method based on the difference between the real signal at night-time and the model signal. The model for the ground observations was the monthly averaged signal amplitudes and phases, as calculated for the quiet days of every month. For the satellite data, a two-dimensional model of the signal distribution over the selected area was constructed. Preseismic effects were found several days before the earthquake, in both the ground and satellite observations.

     

  10. Management of posterior urethral disruption injuries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myers, Jeremy B; McAninch, Jack W

    2009-03-01

    Posterior urethral disruption is a traumatic injury to the male urethra, which most often results from pelvic fracture. After trauma, the distraction defect between the two ends of the urethra often scars and becomes fibrotic, blocking the urethra and bladder emptying. Increasing evidence suggests that many posterior urethral disruptions occur at the junction between the membranous urethra and the bulbar urethra, which is distal to the rhabdosphincter. In the acute setting, when a posterior urethral disruption is suspected, retrograde urethrography should be performed. Posterior urethral disruptions can be managed acutely by realignment of the urethra over a urethral catheter or by placement of a suprapubic catheter for bladder drainage only. Once fibrosis has stabilized, the patient can undergo posterior urethroplasty. In most cases, this procedure can be performed via a perineal approach in a single-stage surgery. The results of this single-stage perineal urethroplasty are excellent, and a patent urethra can be re-established in the majority of men who undergo surgery.

  11. Time scales in tidal disruption events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krolik J.

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available We explore the temporal structure of tidal disruption events pointing out the corresponding transitions in the lightcurves of the thermal accretion disk and of the jet emerging from such events. The hydrodynamic time scale of the disrupted star is the minimal time scale of building up the accretion disk and the jet and it sets a limit on the rise time. This suggest that Swift J1644+57, that shows several flares with a rise time as short as a few hundred seconds could not have arisen from a tidal disruption of a main sequence star whose hydrodynamic time is a few hours. The disrupted object must have been a white dwarf. A second important time scale is the Eddington time in which the accretion rate changes form super to sub Eddington. It is possible that such a transition was observed in the light curve of Swift J2058+05. If correct this provides interesting constraints on the parameters of the system.

  12. Runaway electron generation in tokamak disruptions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Helander, P.; Andersson, F.; Fueloep, T.; Smith, H.; Anderson, D.; Lisak, M.; Eriksson, L.-G.

    2005-01-01

    The time evolution of the plasma current during a tokamak disruption is calculated by solving the equations for runaway electron production simultaneously with the induction equation for the toroidal electric field. The resistive diffusion time in a post-disruption plasma is typically comparable to the runaway avalanche growth time. Accordingly, the toroidal electric field induced after the thermal quench of a disruption diffuses radially through the plasma at the same time as it accelerates runaway electrons, which in turn back-react on the electric field. When these processes are accounted for in a self-consistent way, it is found that (1) the efficiency and time scale of runaway generation agrees with JET experiments; (2) the runaway current profile typically becomes more peaked than the pre-disruption current profile; and (3) can easily become radially filamented. It is also shown that higher runaway electron generation is expected if the thermal quench is sufficiently fast. (author)

  13. The Effects of Anthrax Lethal Toxin on Host Barrier Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David M. Frucht

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The pathological actions of anthrax toxin require the activities of its edema factor (EF and lethal factor (LF enzyme components, which gain intracellular access via its receptor-binding component, protective antigen (PA. LF is a metalloproteinase with specificity for selected mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (MKKs, but its activity is not directly lethal to many types of primary and transformed cells in vitro. Nevertheless, in vivo treatment of several animal species with the combination of LF and PA (termed lethal toxin or LT leads to morbidity and mortality, suggesting that LT-dependent toxicity is mediated by cellular interactions between host cells. Decades of research have revealed that a central hallmark of this toxicity is the disruption of key cellular barriers required to maintain homeostasis. This review will focus on the current understanding of the effects of LT on barrier function, highlighting recent progress in establishing the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects.

  14. DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES: AN EXPANDED VIEW

    OpenAIRE

    JAMES M. UTTERBACK; HAPPY J. ACEE

    2005-01-01

    The term "disruptive technology" as coined by Christensen (1997, The Innovator's Dilemma; How New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Harvard Business School Press) refers to a new technology having lower cost and performance measured by traditional criteria, but having higher ancillary performance. Christensen finds that disruptive technologies may enter and expand emerging market niches, improving with time and ultimately attacking established products in their traditional markets. This...

  15. Multistage Logistic Network Optimization under Disruption Risk

    OpenAIRE

    Rusman, Muhammad

    2013-01-01

    Getting over disruptions risk has been a challenging issue for many companies under the globalization that will link to potential external source such as demand uncertainties, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks. The disruption is an unexpected event that disturbs normal flows of products and materials within a supply chain. The disruption at one members of supply chain will propagate the offers and finally affect significant impacts on the entire chain. If we look back...

  16. 40 CFR 82.162 - Certification by owners of recovery and recycling equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... and recycling equipment. 82.162 Section 82.162 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) PROTECTION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE Recycling and Emissions Reduction § 82.162 Certification by owners of recovery and recycling equipment. (a) No later than August 12...

  17. Results on charm hadroproduction from CERN experiment WA82

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antinori, F.; Barberis, D.; Beusch, W.; Davenport, M.; Dufey, J.P.; French, B.R.; Harrison, K.; Jacholkowski, A.; Kirk, A.; Lamanna, E.; Lassalle, J.C.; Muller, F.; Redaelli, N.; Roda, C.; Weymann, M. (CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)); Forino, A.; Gessaroli, R.; Mazzanti, P.; Quareni, A.; Viaggi, F. (Dipartimento di Fisica and INFN, Bologna (Italy)); Anselmi, R.; Casanova, V.; Dameri, M.; Hurst, R.; Novelli, P.; Osculati, B.; Rossi, L.; Tomasini, G. (Dipartimento di Fisica and INFN, Genova (Italy)); Buys, A.; Grard, F.; Legros, P. (Universite de Mons-Hainaut and IISN, Mons (Belgium)); Adamovich, M.; Alexandrov, Y.; Kharlamov, S.; Nechaeva, P.; Zavertyaev, M. (Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation))

    1992-02-01

    Experiment WA82 has collected data from 1987 to 1989 with the [Omega][prime] spectrometer at the CERN SPS. The aim of WA82 was a high statistics study of charm hadroproduction, using a silicon microstrip vertex detector and an impact parameter trigger. Latest results on the nuclear dependence of charm production and on the [ital x][sub [ital F

  18. Disrupted Sleep : From Molecules to Cognition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Someren, Eus J W; Cirelli, Chiara; Dijk, Derk-Jan; Van Cauter, Eve; Schwartz, Sophie; Chee, Michael W L

    2015-01-01

    UNLABELLED: Although the functions of sleep remain to be fully elucidated, it is clear that there are far-reaching effects of its disruption, whether by curtailment for a single night, by a few hours each night over a long period, or by disruption in sleep continuity. Epidemiological and

  19. Practice Oriented Algorithmic Disruption Management in Passenger Railways

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J.C. Wagenaar (Joris)

    2016-01-01

    markdownabstractHow to deal with a disruption is a question railway companies face on a daily basis. This thesis focusses on the subject how to handle a disruption such that the passenger service is upheld as much as possible. The current mathematical models for disruption management can not yet be

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-12-01

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

  1. Strain-Annealing Based Grain Boundary Engineering to Evaluate its Sole Implication on Intergranular Corrosion in Extra-Low Carbon Type 304L Austenitic Stainless Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pradhan, S. K.; Bhuyan, P.; Kaithwas, C.; Mandal, Sumantra

    2018-07-01

    Strain-annealing based thermo-mechanical processing has been performed to promote grain boundary engineering (GBE) in an extra-low carbon type austenitic stainless steel without altering the grain size and residual strain to evaluate its sole influence on intergranular corrosion. Single-step processing comprising low pre-strain ( 5 and 10 pct) followed by annealing at 1273 K for 1 hour have resulted in a large fraction of Σ3 n boundaries and significant disruption in random high-angle grain boundaries (RHAGBs) connectivity. This is due to the occurrence of prolific multiple twinning in these specimens as confirmed by their large twin-related domain and twin-related grain size ratio. Among the iterative processing, the schedule comprising two cycles of 10 and 5 pct deformation followed by annealing at 1173 K for 1 hour has yielded the optimum GBE microstructure with the grain size and residual strain akin to the as-received condition. The specimens subjected to the higher number of iterations failed to realize GBE microstructures due to the occurrence of partial recrystallization. Owing to the optimum grain boundary character distribution, the GBE specimen has exhibited remarkable resistance against sensitization and intergranular corrosion as compared to the as-received condition. Furthermore, the lower depth of percolation in the GBE specimen is due to the significant disruption of RHAGBs connectivity as confirmed from its large twin-related domain and lower fractal dimension.

  2. Disruption characteristics in PDX with limiter and divertor discharges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Couture, P.; McGuire, K.

    1986-09-01

    A comparison has been made between the characteristics of disruptions with limiter and divertor configurations in PDX. A large data base on disruptions has been collected over four years of machine operation, and a total of 15,000 discharges are contained in the data file. It was found that divertor discharges have less disruptions during ramp up and flattop of the plasma current. However, for divertor discharges a large number of fast, low current disruptions take place during the current ramp down. These disruptions are probably caused by the deformation of the plasma shape

  3. Disruption mitigation on Tore Supra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, G.; Sourd, F.; Saint-Laurent, F.; Bucalossi, J.; Eriksson, L.G.

    2004-01-01

    During disruptions, the plasma energy is lost on the first wall within 1 ms, forces up to hundred tons are applied to the structures and kA of electrons are accelerated up to 50 MeV (runaway electrons). Already sources of concern in present day tokamaks, extrapolation to ITER shows the necessity of mitigation procedures, to avoid serious damages to in-vessel components. Massive gas injection was proposed, and encouraging tests have been done on Textor and DIII-D. Similar experiments where performed on Tore Supra, with the goal to validate their effect on runaway electrons, observed during the majority of disruptions. 0.1 mole of helium was injected within 5 ms in ohmic plasmas, up to 1.2 MA, either stable, or in a pre-disruptive phase (argon puffing). Beneficial effects where obtained: reduction of the current fall rate and eddy currents, total disappearance of runaway electrons and easy recovery for the next pulse, without noticeable helium pollution of following plasmas. Analysis of the 4 ms period between injection and disruption indicates that to reach these goals, one need to inject enough helium to keep it only partially ionised. It corresponds to 0.1 g for Tore Supra, and extrapolate to hundreds of grams for ITER. (authors)

  4. Disruption mitigation on Tore Supra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, G.; Sourd, F.; Saint-Laurent, F.; Bucalossi, J.; Eriksson, L.G.

    2005-01-01

    During disruptions, the plasma energy is lost on the first wall within 1 ms, forces up to hundred tons are applied to the structures and kA of electrons are accelerated up to 50 MeV (runaway electrons). Already sources of concern in present day tokamaks, extrapolation to ITER shows the necessity of mitigation procedures, to avoid serious damages to in-vessel components. Massive gas injection was proposed, and encouraging tests have been done on Textor and DIII-D. Similar experiments where performed on Tore Supra, with the goal to validate their effect on runaway electrons, observed during the majority of disruptions. 0.1 mole of helium was injected within 5 ms in ohmic plasmas, up to 1.2 MA, either stable, or in a pre-disruptive phase (argon puffing). Beneficial effects where obtained: reduction of the current fall rate and eddy currents, total disappearance of runaway electrons and easy recovery for the next pulse, without noticeable helium pollution of following plasmas. Analysis of the 4 ms period between injection and disruption indicates that to reach these goals, one need to inject enough helium to keep it only partially ionised. It correspond to 0.1 g for Tore Supra, and extrapolate to hundred's of grams for ITER. (author)

  5. Disruption of microbial biofilms by an extracellular protein isolated from epibiotic tropical marine strain of Bacillus licheniformis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Devendra H Dusane

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Marine epibiotic bacteria produce bioactive compounds effective against microbial biofilms. The study examines antibiofilm ability of a protein obtained from a tropical marine strain of Bacillus licheniformis D1. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: B. licheniformis strain D1 isolated from the surface of green mussel, Perna viridis showed antimicrobial activity against pathogenic Candida albicans BH, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and biofouling Bacillus pumilus TiO1 cultures. The antimicrobial activity was lost after treatment with trypsin and proteinase K. The protein was purified by ultrafiltration and size-exclusion chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF analysis revealed the antimicrobial agent to be a 14 kDa protein designated as BL-DZ1. The protein was stable at 75°C for 30 min and over a pH range of 3.0 to 11.0. The sequence alignment of the MALDI-fingerprint showed homology with the NCBI entry for a hypothetical protein (BL00275 derived from B. licheniformis ATCC 14580 with the accession number gi52082584. The protein showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC value of 1.6 µg/ml against C. albicans. Against both P. aeruginosa and B. pumilus the MIC was 3.12 µg/ml. The protein inhibited microbial growth, decreased biofilm formation and dispersed pre-formed biofilms of the representative cultures in polystyrene microtiter plates and on glass surfaces. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We isolated a protein from a tropical marine strain of B. licheniformis, assigned a function to the hypothetical protein entry in the NCBI database and described its application as a potential antibiofilm agent.

  6. Disruption of Microbial Biofilms by an Extracellular Protein Isolated from Epibiotic Tropical Marine Strain of Bacillus licheniformis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dusane, Devendra H.; Damare, Samir R.; Nancharaiah, Yarlagadda V.; Ramaiah, N.; Venugopalan, Vayalam P.; Kumar, Ameeta Ravi; Zinjarde, Smita S.

    2013-01-01

    Background Marine epibiotic bacteria produce bioactive compounds effective against microbial biofilms. The study examines antibiofilm ability of a protein obtained from a tropical marine strain of Bacillus licheniformis D1. Methodology/Principal Findings B. licheniformis strain D1 isolated from the surface of green mussel, Perna viridis showed antimicrobial activity against pathogenic Candida albicans BH, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and biofouling Bacillus pumilus TiO1 cultures. The antimicrobial activity was lost after treatment with trypsin and proteinase K. The protein was purified by ultrafiltration and size-exclusion chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis revealed the antimicrobial agent to be a 14 kDa protein designated as BL-DZ1. The protein was stable at 75°C for 30 min and over a pH range of 3.0 to 11.0. The sequence alignment of the MALDI-fingerprint showed homology with the NCBI entry for a hypothetical protein (BL00275) derived from B. licheniformis ATCC 14580 with the accession number gi52082584. The protein showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 1.6 µg/ml against C. albicans. Against both P. aeruginosa and B. pumilus the MIC was 3.12 µg/ml. The protein inhibited microbial growth, decreased biofilm formation and dispersed pre-formed biofilms of the representative cultures in polystyrene microtiter plates and on glass surfaces. Conclusion/Significance We isolated a protein from a tropical marine strain of B. licheniformis, assigned a function to the hypothetical protein entry in the NCBI database and described its application as a potential antibiofilm agent. PMID:23691235

  7. EGCG Inhibited Lipofuscin Formation Based on Intercepting Amyloidogenic β-Sheet-Rich Structure Conversion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuxian Cai

    Full Text Available Lipofuscin (LF is formed during lipid peroxidation and sugar glycosylation by carbonyl-amino crosslinks with biomacrolecules, and accumulates slowly within postmitotic cells. The environmental pollution, modern dietary culture and lifestyle changes have been found to be the major sources of reactive carbonyl compounds in vivo. Irreversible carbonyl-amino crosslinks induced by carbonyl stress are essentially toxiferous for aging-related functional losses in modern society. Results show that (--epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG, the main polyphenol in green tea, can neutralize the carbonyl-amino cross-linking reaction and inhibit LF formation, but the underlying mechanism is unknown.We explored the mechanism of the neutralization process from protein, cell, and animal levels using spectrofluorometry, infrared spectroscopy, conformation antibodies, and electron microscopy. LF demonstrated an amyloidogenic β-sheet-rich with antiparallel structure, which accelerated the carbonyl-amino crosslinks formation and disrupted proteolysis in both PC12 cells and D-galactose (D-gal-induced brain aging mice models. Additionally, EGCG effectively inhibited the formation of the amyloidogenic β-sheet-rich structure of LF, and prevented its conversion into toxic and on-pathway aggregation intermediates, thereby cutting off the carbonyl-amino crosslinks.Our study indicated that the amyloidogenic β-sheet structure of LF may be the core driving force for carbonyl-amino crosslinks further formation, which mediates the formation of amyloid fibrils from native state of biomacrolecules. That EGCG exhibits anti-amyloidogenic β-sheet-rich structure properties to prevent the LF formation represents a novel strategy to impede the development of degenerative processes caused by ageing or stress-induced premature senescence in modern environments.

  8. In vitro and in vivo cytotoxic activity of human lactoferricin derived antitumor peptide R-DIM-P-LF11-334 on human malignant melanoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riedl, Sabrina; Rinner, Beate; Schaider, Helmut; Liegl-Atzwanger, Bernadette; Meditz, Katharina; Preishuber-Pflügl, Julia; Grissenberger, Sarah; Lohner, Karl; Zweytick, Dagmar

    2017-09-22

    Di-peptides derived from the human host defense peptide lactoferricin were previously described to specifically interact with the negatively charged lipid phosphatidylserine exposed by cancer cells. In this study one further derivative, namely R-DIM-P-LF11-334 is shown to exhibit even increased cancer toxicity in vitro and in vivo while non-neoplastic cells are not harmed. In liposomal model systems composed of phosphatidylserine mimicking cancerous and phosphatidylcholine mimicking non-cancerous membranes the specific interaction with the cancer marker PS was confirmed by specific induction of membrane perturbation and permeabilization in presence of the peptide. In vitro studies with cell lines of human malignant melanoma, such as A375, or primary cells of human melanoma metastases to the brain, as MUG Mel1, and non-neoplastic human dermal fibroblasts NHDF revealed high cytotoxic effect of R-DIM-P-LF11-334 on melanoma cells of A375 and MUG Mel1, whereas only minor effect on the dermal fibroblasts NHDF was observed, yielding an about 20-fold killing-specificity for A375 and MUG-Mel1. The LC 50 values for melanoma A375 and MUG Mel1 were about 10 μM. Analysis of secondary structure of the peptide revealed an increase in the proportion of β-sheets exclusively in presence of the cancer mimic. Stability studies further indicated a potential adequate stability in blood or under stringent conditions. Importantly the cytotoxic effect on cancer cells was also proven in vivo in mouse xenografts of human melanoma, where peptide treatment induced strong tumor regression and in average a tumor area reduction of 85% compared to tumors of control mice without peptide treatment.

  9. Abnormal energy deposition on the wall through plasma disruptions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, K.; Schmidt, G.L.

    1984-07-01

    The dissipation of plasma kinetic and magnetic energy during sawtooth oscillstions and disruptions in tokamaks is analyzed using Kadomtsev's disruption model and the plasma-circuit equations. New simple scalings of several characteristic times are obtained for sawteeth and for thermal and magnetic energy quenches of disruptions. The abnormal energy deposition on the wall during major or minor disruptions, estimated from this analysis, is compared with bolometric measurements in the PDX tokamak. Especially, magnetic energy dissipation during current termination period is shown to be reduced by the strong coupling of the plasma current with external circuits. These analyses are found to be useful to predict the phenomenological behavior of plasma disruptions in large future tokamaks, and to estimate abnormal heat deposition on the wall during plasma disruptions. (author)

  10. Materials design data for reduced activation martensitic steel type F82H

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tavassoli, A.-A.F. E-mail: tavassoli@cea.fr; Rensman, J.-W.; Schirra, M.; Shiba, K

    2002-11-01

    This paper presents materials data for design of ITER test blanket modules with the reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel type F82H as structural material. From the physical properties databases, variations of modulus of elasticity, density, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat, mean and instantaneous linear coefficients of thermal expansion versus temperature are derived. Also reported are Poisson's ratio and magnetic properties. From the tension test results, nominal and minimum stress values of S{sub y} and S{sub u} are derived and used for calculation of allowable primary membrane stress intensity S{sub m}. Likewise, uniform and total elongations, as well as reduction of area data, are used for calculation of minimum and true ductility at rupture values. From the instrumented Charpy impact and fracture toughness test data, ductile to brittle transition temperature, toughness and behavior of material in different fracture modes are evaluated. The effect of specimen size and geometry are discussed but preference is given to standard size specimens. From the fatigue data, total strain range versus number of cycles to failure curves are plotted and used to derive fatigue design curves, using a reduction factor of 2 on strain and a reduction factor of 20 on number of cycles to failure. Cyclic hardening curves are also derived and compared with monotonic hardening curves. From the creep data, time dependent allowable stresses S{sub r} and S{sub t} are calculated. Combination of tension and creep results are used to deduce S{sub mt} and isochronus curves. Finally, irradiated and aged materials data are compared to insure that the safety margins incorporated in unirradiated design limits are not exceeded.

  11. Disruptions and Their Mitigation in TEXTOR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Finken, K.H.; Jaspers, R.; Kraemer-Flecken, A.; Savtchkov, A.; Lehnen, M.; Waidmann, G.

    2005-01-01

    Disruptions remain a major concern for tokamak devices, particularly for large machines. The critical issues are the induced (halo) currents and the resulting forces, the excessive heating of exposed surfaces by the instantaneous power release, and the possible occurrence of highly energetic runaway electrons. The key topics of the investigations on TEXTOR in the recent years concerned (a) the power deposition pattern recorded by a fast infrared scanner, (b) the runaway generation measured by synchrotron radiation in the infrared spectral region, (c) method development for 'healing' discharges that are going to disrupt, and (d) massive gas puffing for mitigating the adverse effects of disruptions

  12. Disrupted Sleep: From Molecules to Cognition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Someren, E.J.; Cirelli, C.; Dijk, D.J.; Van Cauter, E.; Schwartz, S.; Chee, M.W.L.

    2015-01-01

    Although the functions of sleep remain to be fully elucidated, it is clear that there are far-reaching effects of its disruption, whether by curtailment for a single night, by a few hours each night over a long period, or by disruption in sleep continuity. Epidemiological and experimental studies of

  13. Cost Sharing in the Prevention of Supply Chain Disruption

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen Wang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We examine the influence of cost-sharing mechanism on the disruption prevention investment in a supply chain with unreliable suppliers. When a supply chain faces considerable loss following a disruption, supply chain members are motivated toward investing in manners that reduce their disruption probability. In improving supply chain reliability, the cost-sharing mechanism must be set appropriately to realize the efficiency of the disruption prevention investment. In a supply chain where the focal manufacturing company has its own subsidiary supplier and an outsourcing supplier, we analyze different forms of cost-sharing mechanisms when both suppliers confront disruption risks. Through the cost-sharing mechanisms presented in this study, supply chain members can improve their reliability via disruption prevention investments without considerably increasing the total supply chain cost. We present two concepts, the cost-sharing structure and the cost-sharing ratio, in this study. As the two key components of cost-sharing mechanism, these two elements constitute a practicable cost allocation mechanism to facilitate disruption prevention.

  14. Selected Lactobacillus strains isolated from sugary and milk kefir reduce Salmonella infection of epithelial cells in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zavala, L; Golowczyc, M A; van Hoorde, K; Medrano, M; Huys, G; Vandamme, P; Abraham, A G

    2016-09-01

    The isolation of potentially probiotic strains and the subsequent study of their properties are very important steps to gain insight in the health benefits ascribed to sugary and milk kefir. The aim of the present study was to characterise fifteen Lactobacillus strains isolated from these beverages by determining some surface properties and their ability to antagonise enterocyte cell damage after Salmonella infection in vitro. Lactobacillus surface properties were determined by hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, and coaggregation assays with Salmonella. In addition, lactobacilli adhesion to Caco-2/TC-7 cells and the effect on Salmonella invasion were evaluated. Finally, the disassembly of F-actin cytoskeleton on intestinal epithelial cells was assayed in vitro when Salmonella infection was performed in the presence of selected Lactobacillus strains. Ten out of the 15 strains showed a high adhesion capacity to Caco-2/TC-7 cells. Most of the strains were hydrophilic and non-autoaggregating. Strains isolated from sugary kefir were non-coaggregating with Salmonella, while strains Lactobacillus paracasei CIDCA 83120, 83121, 83123, 83124, 8339, 83102 isolated from milk kefir were able to coaggregate after 1 h. L. paracasei CIDCA 8339 and Lactobacillus kefiri CIDCA 83102 were able to diminish Salmonella invasion to the enterocytes. An antagonistic effect on cytoskeleton disruption elicited by the pathogen was also demonstrated. Our results suggest that both strains isolated from milk kefir could be considered as appropriate probiotic candidates.

  15. Results on charm hadroproduction from CERN experiment WA82

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antinori, F.; Barberis, D.; Beusch, W.; Davenport, M.; Dufey, J.P.; French, B.R.; Harrison, K.; Jacholkowski, A.; Kirk, A.; Lamanna, E.; Lassalle, J.C.; Muller, F.; Redaelli, N.; Roda, C.; Weymann, M.; Forino, A.; Gessaroli, R.; Mazzanti, P.; Quareni, A.; Viaggi, F.; Anselmi, R.; Casanova, V.; Dameri, M.; Hurst, R.; Novelli, P.; Osculati, B.; Rossi, L.; Tomasini, G.; Buys, A.; Grard, F.; Legros, P.; Adamovich, M.; Alexandrov, Y.; Kharlamov, S.; Nechaeva, P.; Zavertyaev, M.

    1992-01-01

    Experiment WA82 has collected data from 1987 to 1989 with the Ω' spectrometer at the CERN SPS. The aim of WA82 was a high statistics study of charm hadroproduction, using a silicon microstrip vertex detector and an impact parameter trigger. Latest results on the nuclear dependence of charm production and on the x F distributions of D + and D - mesons are presented and discussed

  16. Interpreting Disruption Prediction Models to Improve Plasma Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parsons, Matthew

    2017-10-01

    In order for the tokamak to be a feasible design for a fusion reactor, it is necessary to minimize damage to the machine caused by plasma disruptions. Accurately predicting disruptions is a critical capability for triggering any mitigative actions, and a modest amount of attention has been given to efforts that employ machine learning techniques to make these predictions. By monitoring diagnostic signals during a discharge, such predictive models look for signs that the plasma is about to disrupt. Typically these predictive models are interpreted simply to give a `yes' or `no' response as to whether a disruption is approaching. However, it is possible to extract further information from these models to indicate which input signals are more strongly correlated with the plasma approaching a disruption. If highly accurate predictive models can be developed, this information could be used in plasma control schemes to make better decisions about disruption avoidance. This work was supported by a Grant from the 2016-2017 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, administered by the Franco-American Fulbright Commission in France.

  17. Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medic, Goran; Wille, Micheline; Hemels, Michiel Eh

    2017-01-01

    Sleep plays a vital role in brain function and systemic physiology across many body systems. Problems with sleep are widely prevalent and include deficits in quantity and quality of sleep; sleep problems that impact the continuity of sleep are collectively referred to as sleep disruptions. Numerous factors contribute to sleep disruption, ranging from lifestyle and environmental factors to sleep disorders and other medical conditions. Sleep disruptions have substantial adverse short- and long-term health consequences. A literature search was conducted to provide a nonsystematic review of these health consequences (this review was designed to be nonsystematic to better focus on the topics of interest due to the myriad parameters affected by sleep). Sleep disruption is associated with increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, metabolic effects, changes in circadian rhythms, and proinflammatory responses. In otherwise healthy adults, short-term consequences of sleep disruption include increased stress responsivity, somatic pain, reduced quality of life, emotional distress and mood disorders, and cognitive, memory, and performance deficits. For adolescents, psychosocial health, school performance, and risk-taking behaviors are impacted by sleep disruption. Behavioral problems and cognitive functioning are associated with sleep disruption in children. Long-term consequences of sleep disruption in otherwise healthy individuals include hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, weight-related issues, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and colorectal cancer. All-cause mortality is also increased in men with sleep disturbances. For those with underlying medical conditions, sleep disruption may diminish the health-related quality of life of children and adolescents and may worsen the severity of common gastrointestinal disorders. As a result of the potential consequences of sleep disruption, health care

  18. Determination of deep-level impurities and their effects on the small-single and LF noise properties of ion-implanted GaAs MESFETs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sriram, S.; Kim, B.; Ghosh, P.K.; Das, M.B.; Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park; Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park

    1982-01-01

    A large number of deep levels, with energies ranging from Esub(c)-0.19eV to Esub(c)-0.9eV, have been identified and characterized using ion-implanted MESFET's on undoped and Cr-doped LEC-grown semi-insulating GaAs substrates. Measurement techniques used include deep level transient (DLTS) and steady state spectroscopic (DLSS) methods. Large capture cross-section values are obtained for levels below Esub(c)-0.5eV, possibly due to high electric field. Spectral densities of LF noise with distinct bulges have been shown to be related to deep levels. In some samples, natural deep level related oscillations have been observed and their ionization energies have been determined. (author)

  19. [Development and comparative evaluation of up-converting phosphor technology based lateral flow assay for rapid detection of Yersinia pestis, Bacillus anthracis spore and Brucella spp].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Chunfeng; Zhang, Pingping; Wang, Xiaoying; Liu, Xiao; Zhao, Yong; Sun, Chongyun; Wang, Chengbin; Yang, Ruifu; Zhou, Lei

    2015-01-01

    To develop an up-converting phosphor technology based lateral flow (UPT-LF) assay for rapid and quantitative detection of Yersinia pestis, Bacillus anthracis spore and Brucella spp.and make the comparison with BioThreat Alert (BTA) test strips (Tetracore Inc., USA). Using up-converting phosphor nano-particles (UCP-NPs) as the bio-marker, three double-antibody-sandwich model based UPT-LF strips including Plague-UPT-LF, Anthrax-UPT-LF, Brucella-UPT-LF were prepared and its sensitivity, accuracy, linearity and specificity were determined by detecting 10(10), 10(9), 10(8), 10(7), 10(6), 10(5) and 0 CFU/ml series of concentrations of Y.pestis, B.anthracis, Brucella standards and other 27 kinds of 10(9) CFU/ml series of contrations of bacteria strains.Furthermore, the speed, sensitivity and accuracy of bacteria standards and simulated sample detection were compared between UPT-LF and BTA system. The detection limit of Plague-UPT-LF, Anthrax-UPT-LF and Brucella-LF was 10(5) CFU/ml. The CV of series of bacteria concentrations was ≤ 15%, and the r between lg (T/C-cut-off) and lg (concentration) was 0.996,0.998 and 0.999 (F values were 1 647.57, 743.51 and 1 822.17. All the P values were Brucella-LF were excellent, while that of Anthrax-UPT-LF was a little bit regretful because of non-specific reaction with two isolates of B. subtilis and one B.cereus. On-site evaluation showed the detection time of UPT-LF for all Y.pestis, B.anthracis spore and Brucella spp.was 33, 36 and 37 min, while BTA was 115, 115 and 111 min, which revealed the higher detection speed and sensitivity of UPT-LF comparing with BTA. The negative rate of two methods for blank standard was both 5/5, the sensitivity of UPT-LF for Y.pestis,B.anthracis spore and Brucella spp. was all 10(5) CFU/ml, then BTA was 10(6), 10(6) and 10(5) CFU/ml, respectively. The detection rate of UPT-LF for all three bacteria analog positive samples was 16/16, while BTA for B.anthracis was 7/16 only. The good performance

  20. Abnormal energy deposition on the wall through plasma disruptions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, K.; Schmidt, G.L.

    1984-01-01

    The dissipation of plasma kinetic and magnetic energy during sawtooth oscillations and disruptions in tokamak is analyzed using Kadomtsev's disruption model and the plasma-circuit equations. New simple scalings of several characteristic times are obtained for sawteeth and for thermal and magnetic energy quenches of disruptions. The abnormal energy deposition on the wall during major or minor disruptions, estimated from this analysis, is compared with bolometric measurements in the PDX tokamak. Especially, magnetic energy dissipation during the current termination period is shown to be reduced by the strong coupling of the plasma current with external circuits. These analyses are found to be useful to predict the phenomenological behavior of plasma disruptions in large future tokamaks, and to estimate abnormal heat deposition on the wall during plasma disruptions. (orig.)

  1. 30 CFR 203.82 - What is MMS's authority to collect this information?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is MMS's authority to collect this information? 203.82 Section 203.82 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR... Reports § 203.82 What is MMS's authority to collect this information? The Office of Management and Budget...

  2. Disruptive Innovation in Chinese and Indian Businesses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    markets, has made these emerging economies fertile ground for developing and applying disruptive innovations. A novel mix of key attributes distinctive from those of established technologies or business models, disruptive innovations are typically inferior, yet affordable and "good-enough" products...... or services, which originate in lower-end market segments, but later move up to compete with those provided by incumbent firms. This book sheds new light on disruptive innovations both from and for the bottom of the pyramid in China and India, from the point of view of local entrepreneurs and international...... firms seeking to operate their businesses there. It covers both the theoretical and practical implications of disruptive innovation using conceptual frameworks alongside detailed case studies, whilst also providing a comparison of conditions and strategic options in India and China. Further, unlike...

  3. Integrated disruption avoidance and mitigation in KSTAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jayhyun; Woo, M.H.; Han, H.; In, Y.; Bak, J.G.; Eidietis, N.W.

    2014-01-01

    The final target of Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) aims advanced tokamak operation at plasma current 2 MA and toroidal field 3.5 T. In order to safely achieve the target, disruption counter-measures are unavoidable when considering the disruption risks, inevitably accompanied with high performance discharges, such as electro-magnetic load on conducting structures, collisional damage by run-away electrons, and thermal load on plasma facing components (PFCs). In this reason, the establishment of integrated disruption mitigation system (DMS) has been started for routine mega-ampere class operations of KSTAR since 2013 campaign. The DMS mainly consists of the disruption prediction and its avoidance/mitigation in company with logical/technical integration of them. We present the details of KSTAR DMS and the related experimental results in this article. (author)

  4. High-Resolution Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Typing of Lactococcus lactis Strains Enables Identification of Genetic Markers for Subspecies-Related Phenotypes▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kütahya, Oylum Erkus; Starrenburg, Marjo J. C.; Rademaker, Jan L. W.; Klaassen, Corné H. W.; van Hylckama Vlieg, Johan E. T.; Smid, Eddy J.; Kleerebezem, Michiel

    2011-01-01

    A high-resolution amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) methodology was developed to achieve the delineation of closely related Lactococcus lactis strains. The differentiation depth of 24 enzyme-primer-nucleotide combinations was experimentally evaluated to maximize the number of polymorphisms. The resolution depth was confirmed by performing diversity analysis on 82 L. lactis strains, including both closely and distantly related strains with dairy and nondairy origins. Strains clustered into two main genomic lineages of L. lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactis subsp. cremoris type-strain-like genotypes and a third novel genomic lineage rooted from the L. lactis subsp. lactis genomic lineage. Cluster differentiation was highly correlated with small-subunit rRNA homology and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) studies. Additionally, the selected enzyme-primer combination generated L. lactis subsp. cremoris phenotype-specific fragments irrespective of the genotype. These phenotype-specific markers allowed the differentiation of L. lactis subsp. lactis phenotype from L. lactis subsp. cremoris phenotype strains within the same L. lactis subsp. cremoris type-strain-like genomic lineage, illustrating the potential of AFLP for the generation of phenotype-linked genetic markers. PMID:21666014

  5. Analysis of disruptive instabilities in Aditya tokamak discharges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chattopadhyay, Asim Kumar; Anand, Arun; Rao, C.V.S.; Joisa, Shankar; Aditya team

    2006-01-01

    Major disruptions and sawteeth oscillations (internal disruptions) are routinely observed in ohmically heated Aditya tokamak discharges and their characteristics have been investigated with the help of soft x-ray (SXR) tomography along with other diagnostics. The SXR tomography is carried out with the help of single array of detectors assuming rigid rotation of the modes to analyse the mode structure of sawtooth internal disruptions. Coupling of m/n = 2/1 and m/n=1/1 modes could be the main mechanism for the major disruption. Sawteeth periods were measured and compared with the scaling laws and found to be in good agreement. (author)

  6. Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Disease Susceptibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schug, Thaddeus T.; Janesick, Amanda; Blumberg, Bruce; Heindel, Jerrold J.

    2011-01-01

    Environmental chemicals have significant impacts on biological systems. Chemical exposures during early stages of development can disrupt normal patterns of development and thus dramatically alter disease susceptibility later in life. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with the body's endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic and immune effects in humans. A wide range of substances, both natural and man-made, are thought to cause endocrine disruption, including pharmaceuticals, dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, DDT and other pesticides, and components of plastics such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. EDCs are found in many everyday products– including plastic bottles, metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, food additives, toys, cosmetics, and pesticides. EDCs interfere with the synthesis, secretion, transport, activity, or elimination of natural hormones. This interference can block or mimic hormone action, causing a wide range of effects. This review focuses on the mechanisms and modes of action by which EDCs alter hormone signaling. It also includes brief overviews of select disease endpoints associated with endocrine disruption. PMID:21899826

  7. Thyroid effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boas, Malene; Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla; Main, Katharina M

    2012-05-22

    In recent years, many studies of thyroid-disrupting effects of environmental chemicals have been published. Of special concern is the exposure of pregnant women and infants, as thyroid disruption of the developing organism may have deleterious effects on neurological outcome. Chemicals may exert thyroid effects through a variety of mechanisms of action, and some animal experiments and in vitro studies have focused on elucidating the mode of action of specific chemical compounds. Long-term human studies on effects of environmental chemicals on thyroid related outcomes such as growth and development are still lacking. The human exposure scenario with life long exposure to a vast mixture of chemicals in low doses and the large physiological variation in thyroid hormone levels between individuals render human studies very difficult. However, there is now reasonably firm evidence that PCBs have thyroid-disrupting effects, and there is emerging evidence that also phthalates, bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated chemicals may have thyroid disrupting properties. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. An overview on plasma disruption mitigation and avoidance in tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Kaihui; Pan Chuanhong; Feng Kaiming

    2002-01-01

    Plasma disruption, which seems to be unavoidable in Tokamak operation, occurs very fast and uncontrolled. In order to keep Tokamak plasma from disruption and mitigate the disruption frequency, the research on Tokamak plasma major disruption constitutes one of the main topics in plasma physics. The phenomena and processes of the precursor, thermal quench, current quench, VDE, halo current and runaway electrons generation during plasma disruption are analyzed in detail and systematically based on the data obtained from current Tokamaks such as TFTR, JET, JT-60U and ASDEX-U, etc. The methods to mitigate and avoid disruption in Tokamak are also highlighted schematically. Therefore, it is helpful and instructive for plasma disruption research in next generation large Tokamak such as ITER-FEAT

  9. Results of subionospheric radio LF monitoring prior to the Tokachi (M=8, Hokkaido, 25 September 2003 earthquake

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Shvets

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Results of simultaneous LF subionospheric monitoring over two different propagation paths prior to the very strong Tokachi earthquake (near the east coast of Hokkaido Island, 25 September 2003 of magnitude 8.3 are presented firstly. Nighttime amplitude fluctuations of the Japanese Time Standard Transmitter (JG2AS, 40kHz signal received at Moshiri (Japan, 142°E, 44°N and at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski (Russia, 158°E, 53°N were analyzed. As a possible precursory signature we observed synchronous intensification of quasi periodical 16-day variations of the dispersion in the signals received at both observation stations before the earthquake. The strongest deviations observed as a rule were depletions of signal amplitude probably connected with increase of loss in the ionosphere by the enhancement of turbulence. This is due to dissipation of internal gravity waves (IGW at the lower ionosphere heights. A scheme for seismo-IGW-planetary waves (PW interconnection has been justified to explain the observed connection with strong earthquakes. It considers the seasonal variability in the signal.

  10. 40 CFR 82.4 - Prohibitions for class I controlled substances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... violation of this subpart. Any person selling unused class I controlled substances produced or imported... substances. 82.4 Section 82.4 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Prohibitions for class I controlled substances. (a)(1) Prior to January 1, 1996, for all Groups of class I...

  11. Designing reliable supply chain network with disruption risk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Bozorgi Amiri

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Although supply chains disruptions rarely occur, their negative effects are prolonged and severe. In this paper, we propose a reliable capacitated supply chain network design (RSCND model by considering random disruptions in both distribution centers and suppliers. The proposed model determines the optimal location of distribution centers (DC with the highest reliability, the best plan to assign customers to opened DCs and assigns opened DCs to suitable suppliers with lowest transportation cost. In this study, random disruption occurs at the location, capacity of the distribution centers (DCs and suppliers. It is assumed that a disrupted DC and a disrupted supplier may lose a portion of their capacities, and the rest of the disrupted DC's demand can be supplied by other DCs. In addition, we consider shortage in DCs, which can occur in either normal or disruption conditions and DCs, can support each other in such circumstances. Unlike other studies in the extent of literature, we use new approach to model the reliability of DCs; we consider a range of reliability instead of using binary variables. In order to solve the proposed model for real-world instances, a Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II is applied. Preliminary results of testing the proposed model of this paper on several problems with different sizes provide seem to be promising.

  12. Fuel-disruption experiments under high-ramp-rate heating conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wright, S.A.; Worledge, D.H.; Cano, G.L.; Mast, P.K.; Briscoe, F.

    1983-10-01

    This topical report presents the preliminary results and analysis of the High Ramp Rate fuel-disruption experiment series. These experiments were performed in the Annular Core Research Reactor at Sandia National Laboratories to investigate the timing and mode of fuel disruption during the prompt-burst phase of a loss-of-flow accident. High-speed cinematography was used to observe the timing and mode of the fuel disruption in a stack of five fuel pellets. Of the four experiments discussed, one used fresh mixed-oxide fuel, and three used irradiated mixed-oxide fuel. Analysis of the experiments indicates that in all cases, the observed disruption occurred well before fuel-vapor pressure was high enough to cause the disruption. The disruption appeared as a rapid spray-like expansion and occurred near the onset of fuel melting in the irradiated-fuel experiments and near the time of complete fuel melting in the fresh-fuel experiment. This early occurrence of fuel disruption is significant because it can potentially lower the work-energy release resulting from a prompt-burst disassembly accident

  13. Study of runaway current generation following disruptions in KSTAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Z Y; Kim, W C; Yu, Y W; England, A C; Yoo, J W; Hahn, S H; Yoon, S W; Lee, K D; Oh, Y K; Kwak, J G; Kwon, M

    2013-01-01

    The high fraction of runaway current conversion following disruptions has an important effect on the first wall for next-generation tokamaks. Because of the potentially severe consequences of a large full current runaway beam on the first wall in an unmitigated disruption, runaway suppression is given a high priority. The behavior of runaway currents both in spontaneous disruptions and in D 2 massive gas injection (MGI) shutdown experiments is investigated in the KSTAR tokamak. The experiments in KSTAR show that the toroidal magnetic field threshold, B T >2 T, for runaway generation is not absolute. A high fraction of runaway current conversion following spontaneous disruptions is observed at a much lower toroidal magnetic field of B T = 1.3 T. A dedicated fast valve for high-pressure gas injection with 39.7 bar is developed for the study of disruptions. A study of runaway current parameters shows that the conversion efficiency of pre-disruptive plasma currents into runaway current can reach over 80% both in spontaneous disruptions and in D 2 MGI shutdown experiments in KSTAR. (paper)

  14. Disruption simulation for the EAST plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niu Xingping; Wu Bin

    2007-01-01

    The disruptions due to vertical displacement event for the EAST plasma are simulated in this article by using the TSC program. Meanwhile, the evolutions of the halo current and stress on vacuum vessel are calculated; the disruptions at different initial conditions are compared with each other, and killer pellet injection is simulated for the device fast shutting-down. (authors)

  15. Cost Sharing in the Prevention of Supply Chain Disruption

    OpenAIRE

    Wen Wang; Kelei Xue; Xiaochen Sun

    2017-01-01

    We examine the influence of cost-sharing mechanism on the disruption prevention investment in a supply chain with unreliable suppliers. When a supply chain faces considerable loss following a disruption, supply chain members are motivated toward investing in manners that reduce their disruption probability. In improving supply chain reliability, the cost-sharing mechanism must be set appropriately to realize the efficiency of the disruption prevention investment. In a supply chain where the f...

  16. Literature Review on Disruption Recovery in the Supply Chain

    OpenAIRE

    Ivanov , Dmitry; Dolgui , Alexandre; Sokolov , Boris; Ivanova , Marina

    2017-01-01

    International audience; Recent research underlines the crucial role of disruption events and recovery policies in supply chains. Despite a wealth of literature on supply chain design with disruption considerations, to the best of our knowledge there is no survey on supply chain with disruptions and recovery considerations. We analyse state-of-the-art research streams on supply chain design and planning with both disruptions and recovery considerations with the aim of relating the existing qua...

  17. Antecedents and implications of disruptive innovation: Evidence from China

    OpenAIRE

    Wan, Feng; Williamson, Peter; Yin, Eden

    2015-01-01

    A growing recognition of the importance of disruptive innovation has led researchers to examine the question of how disruptive innovation comes about and to what extent it reflects "discovery" versus "creation" of opportunities. Earlier research has focused on the organisational preconditions for disruptive innovation to arise. Much less attention has been paid to the role of innovation processes, including their goals and design, in promoting disruptive innovation. In this paper we aim to be...

  18. 40 CFR 80.82 - Butane blending.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... FUELS AND FUEL ADDITIVES Reformulated Gasoline § 80.82 Butane blending. A refiner for any refinery that produces gasoline by blending butane with conventional gasoline or reformulated gasoline or RBOB may meet... paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the refiner may: (i) Blend the butane with conventional gasoline, or...

  19. 40 CFR 82.65 - Temporary exemptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...) PROTECTION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE Ban on Nonessential Products Containing Class I Substances and Ban on Nonessential Products Containing or Manufactured With Class II Substances § 82.65 Temporary exemptions. (a) Any... January 1, 1996. (e) Any person selling or distributing, or offering to sell or distribute, any product...

  20. Preparation and antimicrobial action of three tryptic digested functional molecules of bovine lactoferrin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilisha Rastogi

    Full Text Available Lactoferrin is an 80 kDa bilobal, iron binding glycoprotein which is primarily antimicrobial in nature. The hydrolysis of lactoferrin by various proteases in the gut produces several functional fragments of lactoferrin which have varying molecular sizes and properties. Here, bovine lactoferrin has been hydrolyzed by trypsin, the major enzyme present in the gut, to produce three functional molecules of sizes approximately 21 kDa, 38 kDa and 45 kDa. The molecules have been purified using ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography and identified using N-terminal sequencing, which reveals that while the 21 kDa molecule corresponds to the N2 domain (21LF, the 38 kDa represents the whole C-lobe (38LF and the 45 kDa is a portion of N1 domain of N-lobe attached to the C-lobe (45LF. The iron binding and release properties of 21LF, 38LF and 45LF have been studied and compared. The sequence and structure analysis of the portions of the excision sites of LF from various species have been done. The antibacterial properties of these three molecules against bacterial strains, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogenes were investigated. The antifungal action of the molecules was also evaluated against Candida albicans. This is the first report on the antimicrobial actions of the trypsin cleaved functional molecules of lactoferrin from any species.