A pulsated weak-resonant-cavity laser diode with transient wavelength scanning and tracking for injection-locked RZ transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Gong-Ru; Chi, Yu-Chieh; Liao, Yu-Sheng; Kuo, Hao-Chung; Liao, Zhi-Wang; Wang, Hai-Lin; Lin, Gong-Cheng

2012-06-18

By spectrally slicing a single longitudinal-mode from a master weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode with transient wavelength scanning and tracking functions, the broadened self-injection-locking of a slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode is demonstrated to achieve bi-directional transmission in a 200-GHz array-waveguide-grating channelized dense-wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical network system. Both the down- and up-stream slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes are non-return-to-zero modulated below threshold and coherently injection-locked to deliver the pulsed carrier for 25-km bi-directional 2.5 Gbits/s return-to-zero transmission. The master weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode is gain-switched at near threshold condition and delivers an optical coherent pulse-train with its mode linewidth broadened from 0.2 to 0.8 nm by transient wavelength scanning, which facilitates the broadband injection-locking of the slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes with a threshold current reducing by 10 mA. Such a transient wavelength scanning induced spectral broadening greatly releases the limitation on wavelength injection-locking range required for the slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode. The theoretical modeling and numerical simulation on the wavelength scanning and tracking effects of the master and slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes are performed. The receiving power sensitivity for back-to-back transmission at bit-error-rate transmission is less than 2 dB for all 16 channels.

IFE Target Injection Tracking and Position Prediction Update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petzoldt, Ronald W.; Jonestrask, Kevin

2005-01-01

To achieve high gain in an inertial fusion energy power plant, driver beams must hit direct drive targets with ±20 μm accuracy (±100 μm for indirect drive). Targets will have to be tracked with even greater accuracy. The conceptual design for our tracking system, which predicts target arrival position and timing based on position measurements outside of the reaction chamber was previously described. The system has been built and has begun tracking targets at the first detector station. Additional detector stations are being modified for increased field of view. After three tracking stations are operational, position predictions at the final station will be compared to position measurements at that station as a measure of target position prediction accuracy.The as-installed design will be described together with initial target tracking and position prediction accuracy results. Design modifications that allow for improved accuracy and/or in-chamber target tracking will also be presented

Prescription drug monitoring program data tracking of opioid addiction treatment outcomes in integrated dual diagnosis care involving injectable naltrexone.

Science.gov (United States)

Sajid, Ayesha; Whiteman, Aaron; Bell, Richard L; Greene, Marion S; Engleman, Eric A; Chambers, R Andrew

2016-10-01

Fourfold increases in opioid prescribing and dispensations over 2 decades in the U.S. has paralleled increases in opioid addictions and overdoses, requiring new preventative, diagnostic, and treatment strategies. This study examines Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) tracking as a novel measure of opioid addiction treatment outcomes in a university-affiliated integrated mental health-addiction treatment clinic. Repeated measure parametrics examined PDMP and urine drug screening (UDS) data before and after first injection for all patients (N = 68) who received at least one long-acting naltrexone injection (380 mg/IM) according to diagnostic groupings of having either (i) alcohol (control); (ii) opioid; or (iii) combined alcohol and opioid use disorders. There were no group differences post-injection in treatment days, injections delivered, or treatment service encounters. UDS and PDMP measures of opioid exposures were greater in opioid compared to alcohol-only patients. Post-first injection, UDS's positive for opioids declined (p opioid prescriptions (p Opioid patients without alcohol disorders showed the best outcomes with 50% to 80% reductions in PDMP-measures of opioids, down to levels of alcohol-only patients. This study shows PDMP utility for measuring opioid addiction treatment outcomes, supporting the routine use of PDMPs in clinical and research settings. These findings demonstrate that opioid addiction in patients with complex addictions and mental illnesses comorbidities can show effective treatment responses as measured by PDMP tracking of decreases in opioid prescriptions to those patients. (Am J Addict 2016;25:557-564). © 2016 The Authors. The American Journal on Addictions Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP).

Inertial fusion energy target injection, tracking, and beam pointing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petzoldt, R.W.

1995-01-01

Several cryogenic targets must be injected each second into a reaction chamber. Required target speed is about 100 m/s. Required accuracy of the driver beams on target is a few hundred micrometers. Fuel strength is calculated to allow acceleration in excess of 10,000 m/s 2 if the fuel temperature is less than 17 K. A 0.1 μm thick dual membrane will allow nearly 2,000 m/s 2 acceleration. Acceleration is gradually increased and decreased over a few membrane oscillation periods (a few ms), to avoid added stress from vibrations which could otherwise cause a factor of two decrease in allowed acceleration. Movable shielding allows multiple targets to be in flight toward the reaction chamber at once while minimizing neutron heating of subsequent targets. The use of multiple injectors is recommended for redundancy which increases availability and allows a higher pulse rate. Gas gun, rail gun, induction accelerator, and electrostatic accelerator target injection devices are studied, and compared. A gas gun is the preferred device for indirect-drive targets due to its simplicity and proven reliability. With the gas gun, the amount of gas required for each target (about 10 to 100 mg) is acceptable. A revolver loading mechanism is recommended with a cam operated poppet valve to control the gas flow. Cutting vents near the muzzle of the gas gun barrel is recommended to improve accuracy and aid gas pumping. If a railgun is used, we recommend an externally applied magnetic field to reduce required current by an order of magnitude. Optical target tracking is recommended. Up/down counters are suggested to predict target arrival time. Target steering is shown to be feasible and would avoid the need to actively point the beams. Calculations show that induced tumble from electrostatically steering the target is not excessive

Piperacillin and Tazobactam Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called penicillin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria that cause infection. Tazobactam is ... It works by preventing bacteria from destroying piperacillin.Antibiotics ... injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

Cefotaxime Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as cefotaxime injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using ...

Cefuroxime Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as cefuroxime injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using ...

Doripenem Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called carbapenem antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as doripenem injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

Daptomycin Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... in a class of medications called cyclic lipopeptide antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as daptomycin injection will not work for treating colds, flu, or other viral infections. ...

Ceftaroline Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as ceftaroline injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using ...

Aztreonam Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called carbapenem antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as aztreonam injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

Cefazolin Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as cefazolin injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

Ceftazidime Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as ceftazidime injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using ...

Cefotetan Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as cefotetan injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using ...

Cefoxitin Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephamycin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as cefoxitin injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

Ertapenem Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called carbapenem antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as ertapenem injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

Ceftriaxone Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as ceftriaxone injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections.Using ...

Cefepime Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.Antibiotics such as cefepime injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using ...

Meropenem and Vaborbactam Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called carbapenem antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria. Vaborbactam is in a class ... It works by preventing bacteria from destroying meropenem.Antibiotics such as meropenem and vaborbactam injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

AHF Booster Tracking with SIMPSONS.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, D. E. (David E.); Neri, F. (Filippo)

2002-01-01

The booster lattice for the Advanced Hydrotest Facility at Los Alamos was tracked in 3-D with the program SIMPSONS, using the full, symplectic lattice from TEAPOT, using the full set of magnet and misalignment errors, as well as full space-charge effects. The only corrections included were a rough closed-orbit correction and chromaticity correction. The lattice was tracked for an entire booster cycle, from multi-turn injection through acceleration to the top energy of 4 GeV, approximately 99,000 turns. An initial injection intensity of 4x1Ol2, injected in 25 turns, resulted in a final intensity of 3 . 2 {approx} 1 0a' {approx}t 4 GeV. Results of the tracking, including emittance growth, particle loss, and particle tune distributions are presented.

AHF Booster Tracking with SIMPSONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, D.E.; Neri, F.

2002-01-01

The booster lattice for the Advanced Hydrotest Facility at Los Alamos was tracked in 3-D with the program SIMPSONS, using the full, symplectic lattice from TEAPOT, using the full set of magnet and misalignment errors, as well as full space-charge effects. The only corrections included were a rough closed-orbit correction and chromaticity correction. The lattice was tracked for an entire booster cycle, from multi-turn injection through acceleration to the top energy of 4 GeV, approximately 99,000 turns. An initial injection intensity of 4x1Ol2, injected in 25 turns, resulted in a final intensity of 3 . 2 ∼ 1 0a' ∼t 4 GeV. Results of the tracking, including emittance growth, particle loss, and particle tune distributions are presented.

On the evening of June 15, 2008, ALICE physicists saw the first tracks at LHC during the first injection test in transfer line TI 2. The Silicon Pixel detector recorded muon tracks produced in the beam dump near Point 2 of the LHC.

CERN Multimedia

Manzari, Vito

2008-01-01

On the evening of June 15, 2008, ALICE physicists saw the first tracks at LHC during the first injection test in transfer line TI 2. The Silicon Pixel detector recorded muon tracks produced in the beam dump near Point 2 of the LHC

Tigecycline Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called tetracycline antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria that cause infection.Antibiotics such as tigecycline injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using ...

Telavancin Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called lipoglycopeptide antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria that cause infection.Antibiotics such as telavancin injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using ...

Doxycycline Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called tetracycline antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria that cause infections.Antibiotics such as doxycycline injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

Vancomycin Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called glycopeptide antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria that cause infections.Antibiotics such as vancomycin injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

Fault injection as a test method for an FPGA in charge of data readout for a large tracking detector

CERN Document Server

Roed, K; Richter, M; Fehlker, D; Helstrup, H; Alme, J; Ullaland, K

2011-01-01

This paper describes how fault injection has been implemented as a test method for an FPGA in an existing hardware configuration setup. As this FPGA is in charge of data readout for a large tracking detector, the reliability of this FPGA is of high importance. Due to the complexity of the readout electronics, irradiation testing is technically difficult at this stage of the system commissioning. The work presented in this paper is therefore motivated by introducing fault injection as an alternative method to characterize failures caused by SEUs. It is a method to study the effect that a configuration upset may have on the operation of the FPGA. The target platform consists of two independent modules for data acquisition and detector control functionality. Fault injection to test the response of the data acquisition module is made possible by implementing the solution as part of the detector control functionality. Correct implementation is validated by a simple shift register design. Our results demonstrate th...

Bactericide for sulfate-reducing bacteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shklyar, T F; Anoshina, G M; Blokhin, V Ye; Kisarrev, Ye L; Novikovsa, G M

1981-01-01

The aim of the invention is to find a bactericide for sulfate-reducing bacteria of oil fields in Western Siberia in order to suppress the biocorrosive activity on oil industry equipment. This goal is achieved by using M-nitroacetanylide as the bactericide of sulfate-reducing bacteria. This agent suppresses the activity of a stored culture of sulfate-reducing bacteria that comes from industrial waste waters injection wells of the Smotlor oil field.

Imipenem and Cilastatin Injection

Science.gov (United States)

Imipenem and cilastatin injection is used to treat certain serious infections that are caused by bacteria, including ... area), gynecological, blood, skin, bone, and joint infections. Imipenem is in a class of medications called carbapenem ...

Quinupristin and Dalfopristin Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... are in a class of medications called streptogramin antibiotics. They work by killing bacteria that cause infections.Antibiotics such as quinupristin and dalfopristin injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Taking ...

Investigation on behavior of bacteria in reservoir for microbial enhanced oil recovery; Biseibutsuho (MEOR) no tameno yusonai saikin katsudo ni kansuru chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujiwara, K.; Tanaka, S.; Otsuka, M.; Nakaya, K. [Kansai Research Institute, Kyoto (Japan). Lifescience Research Center; Maezumi, S.; Yazawa, N. [Japan National Oil Corp., Tokyo (Japan). Technology Research Center; Hong, C.; Chida, T.; Enomoto, H. [Tohoku University, Miyagi (Japan). Graduate School of Engineering

2000-07-01

Behavior of bacteria activated in reservoir though molasses-injection-tests, was investigated using the restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR-RFLP) method, for elucidating potential bacteria to suppress in situ growth of microbes to be injected into the reservoir in the microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) process. As a result, some bacteria belonging to Enterobacteriaceae species or their close relative species were grown predominantly in the reservoir, among bacteria inhibiting in the ground-water. The foregoing indicates that behavior of these bacteria in reservoir must be taken into consideration when giving a full account of behavior of microbes to be injected into the reservoir to put the MEOR process into operation. Potential proliferation using molasses to activate those bacteria was also estimated on the laboratory tests, to clarify the growth of microbes to be injected into the reservoir to operate the MEOR process. In consequence, it became clear that these bacteria have a potential growth exceeding 10{sup 8} CFU/ml, utilizing molasses. These facts indicated that microbes to be injected into the reservoir at the MEOR field tests are necessary to grow more excellently than bacteria inhabiting in the ground-water. In addition, as flow, the injection fluid is influenced by reservoir heterogeneity caused by injection of molasses, it was inferred that microbes to be injected into the reservoir at the MEOR field process are also necessary to grow more remarkably than bacteria inhabiting in the reservoir brine at high permeability zones and bacteria inhabiting in the reservoir rock. Furthermore, the results of the functional testing for MEOR conducted in the presence of bacteria activated through molasses-injection-tests indicated the importance of effective use of microbes to be injected, taking into account the characteristics of the reservoir and function for MEOR of those microbes. (author)

Cuticular bacteria appear detrimental to social spiders in mixed but not monoculture exposure

Science.gov (United States)

Keiser, Carl N.; Shearer, Taylor A.; DeMarco, Alexander E.; Brittingham, Hayley A.; Knutson, Karen A.; Kuo, Candice; Zhao, Katherine; Pruitt, Jonathan N.

2016-01-01

Abstract Much of an animal’s health status, life history, and behavior are dictated by interactions with its endogenous and exogenous bacterial communities. Unfortunately, interactions between hosts and members of their resident bacterial community are often ignored in animal behavior and behavioral ecology. Here, we aim to identify the nature of host–microbe interactions in a nonmodel organism, the African social spider Stegodyphus dumicola. We collected and identified bacteria from the cuticles of spiders in situ and then exposed spiders to bacterial monocultures cultures via topical application or injection. We also topically inoculated spiders with a concomitant “cocktail” of bacteria and measured the behavior of spiders daily for 24 days after inoculation. Lastly, we collected and identified bacteria from the cuticles of prey items in the capture webs of spiders, and then fed spiders domestic crickets which had been injected with these bacteria. We also injected 1 species of prey-borne bacteria into the hemolymph of spiders. Only Bacillus thuringiensis caused increased mortality when injected into the hemolymph of spiders, whereas no bacterial monocultures caused increased mortality when applied topically, relative to control solutions. However, a bacterial cocktail of cuticular bacteria caused weight loss and mortality when applied topically, yet did not detectibly alter spider behavior. Consuming prey injected with prey-borne bacteria was associated with an elongated lifespan in spiders. Thus, indirect evidence from multiple experiments suggests that the effects of these bacteria on spider survivorship appear contingent on their mode of colonization and whether they are applied in monoculture or within a mixed cocktail. We urge that follow-up studies should test these host–microbe interactions across different social contexts to determine the role that microbes play in colony performance. PMID:29491926

Active targeting of tumor cells using light emitting bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Sung Min; Min, Jung Joon; Hong, Yeong Jin; Kim, Hyun Ju; Le, Uuenchi N.; Rhee, Joon Haeng; Song, Ho Chun; Heo, Young Jun; Bom, Hee Seung; Choy, Hyon E

2004-01-01

The presence of bacteria and viruses in human tumors has been recognized for more than 50 years. Today, with the discovery of bacterial strains that specifically target tumors, and aided by genomic sequencing and genetic engineering, there is new interest in the use of bacteria as tumor vectors. Here, we show that bacteria injected intravenously into live animals entered and replicated in solid tumors and metastases using the novel imaging technology of biophotonics. Bioluminescence operon (LuxCDABE) or fluorescence protein, GFP) has been cloned into pUC19 plasmid to engineer pUC19lux or pUC19gfp. Engineered plasmid was transformed into different kinds of wild type (MG1655) or mutant E. coli (DH5, ppGpp, fnr, purE, crpA, flagella, etc.) strains to construct light emitting bacteria. Xenograft tumor model has been established using CT26 colon cancer cell line. Light emitting bacteria was injected via tail vein into tumor bearing mouse. In vivo bioluminescence imaging has been done after 20 min to 14 days of bacterial injection. We observed localization of tumors by light-emitting E. coli in tumor (CT-26) bearing mice. We confirmed the presence of light-emitting bacteria under the fluorescence microscope with E. coli expressing GFP. Althoug varying mutants strain with deficient invading function has been found in tumor tissues, mutant strains of movement (flagella) couldn't show any light signal from the tumor tissue under the cooled CCD camera, indicating bacteria may actively target the tumor cells. Based on their 'tumor-finding' nature, bacteria may be designed to carry multiple genes or drugs for detection and treatment of cancer, such as prodrug-converting enzymes, toxins, angiogenesis inhibitors and cytokines

In vivo tracking of magnetically labeled mesenchmal stem cells injected via renal arteries in kidney failure rat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Junhui; Teng Gaojun; Ju Shenghong; Ma Zhanlong; Mai Xiaoli; Zhang Yu; Ma Ming

2006-01-01

Objective: To evaluate in vivo depiction and tracking for magnetically labeled bone marrow mesenchymal stern cells (MSCs) in a renal failure rat model injected intravascularly using a 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. Methods: Rat MSCs were isolated, purified, expanded and then incubated with home synthesized Fe 2 O 3 -PLL. Prussian blue stain was employed for identifying intracellular irons. An acute renal failure in rat was induced by intramuscular injection of glycerol and MSCs were injected into renal arteries of 11 recipients (labeled cells in six, unlabeled cells in five). MR images of kidneys were obtained respectively before injection of MSCs, and immediately, 1, 3, 5, and 8 clays after transplantation. MR imaging findings were analyzed, which were correlated with histological findings. Results: Rat MSCs were successfully labeled, and labeling efficiency was almost 100%. Prussian blue staining of Fe 2 O 3 -PLL labeled cells revealed the presence of iron-containing vesicles or endosomes in the cytoplasm. In the renal failure model of rats, the labeled MSCs were demonstrated as signal intensity loss in renal cortex on T 2 * -weighted MR images. The signal intensity decrease was visualized up to days 8 after transplantation. Histological analyses showed that most Prussian blue staining-positive cells were well correlated with the area where a signal intensity loss was observed in MRI. Signal intensity decrease was not detected after transplantation of unlabeled cells. Conclusion: The rat MSCs can be effectively labeled with Fe 2 O 3 -PLL. 1.5-T MR imaging seems to be a good technique to monitor the magnetically labeled MSCs in vivo in renal failure rat model intravascularly administered, which may have much more potential values for studying the engraftment of stem cells in kidneys. (authors)

Injecting a liquid bacteria-based repair system to make porous network conrete healed

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sangadji, S.; Wiktor, V.A.C.; Jonkers, H.M.; Schlangen, H.E.J.G.

2013-01-01

Bacteria induced calcite precipitation has been proven to be effective in making concrete structure self-healing. In Microlab TU Delft, the concept has been enhanced by developing a liquid bacteria-based concrete repair system. The solution contains calcite precipitating bacteria, nutrients and

Antibiotic effects against periodontal bacteria in organ cultured tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Takeshita, Masaaki; Haraguchi, Akira; Miura, Mayumi; Hamachi, Takafumi; Fukuda, Takao; Sanui, Terukazu; Takano, Aiko; Nishimura, Fusanori

2017-02-01

Mechanical reduction of infectious bacteria by using physical instruments is considered the principal therapeutic strategy for periodontal disease; addition of antibiotics is adjunctive. However, local antibiotic treatment, combined with conventional mechanical debridement, has recently been shown to be more effective in periodontitis subjects with type 2 diabetes. This suggests that some bacteria may invade the inflamed inner gingival epithelium, and mechanical debridement alone will be unable to reduce these bacteria completely. Therefore, we tried to establish infected organ culture models that mimic the inner gingival epithelium and aimed to see the effects of antibiotics in these established models. Mouse dorsal skin epithelia were isolated, and periodontal bacteria were injected into the epithelia. Infected epithelia were incubated with test antibiotics, and colony-forming ability was evaluated. Results indicated that effective antibiotics differed according to injected bacteria and the bacterial combinations tested. Overall, in organ culture model, the combination of amoxicillin or cefdinir and metronidazole compensate for the effects of less effective bacterial combinations on each other. This in vitro study would suggest effective periodontal treatment regimens, especially for severe periodontitis.

Clearance of bacteria and differential involvement of mussel hyalinocytes, small and large granulocytes in antibacterial immunity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jouvet, Lionel

2008-01-01

injected into the circulation of the mussel, the number of living intra-hemocyte bacteria dramatically increased in less than an hour, suggesting intense phagocytosis, then gradually decreased, with no viable bacteria remaining 12h post-injection for Micrococcus lysodeikticus, 24h for Vibrio splendidus...

The Effect of Bacteria Penetration on Chalk Permeability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halim, Amalia Yunita; Shapiro, Alexander; Nielsen, Sidsel Marie

number of B. licheniformis was detected on the effluent compared with P. putida. However, in the experiment with B. licheniformis mainly spores were detected in the effluent. The core permeability decreased rapidly during injection of bacteria and a starvation period of 12 days did not allow......Bacteria selective plugging is one of the mechanisms through which microorganisms can be applied for enhanced oil recovery. Bacteria can plug the water-bearing zones of a reservoir, thus altering the flow paths and improving sweep efficiency. It is known that the bacteria can penetrate deeply...... into reservoirs, however, a complete understanding of the penetration behavior of bacteria is lacking, especially in chalk formations where the pore throat sizes are almost comparable with the sizes of bacteria vegetative cells. This study investigates the penetration of bacteria into chalk. Two bacteria types...

Laminar flow assisted anisotropic bacteria absorption for chemotaxis delivery of bacteria-attached microparticle

Science.gov (United States)

Huh, Keon; Oh, Darong; Son, Seok Young; Yoo, Hyung Jung; Song, Byeonghwa; Cho, Dong-il Dan; Seo, Jong-Mo; Kim, Sung Jae

2016-12-01

The concepts of microrobots has been drawn significant attentions recently since its unprecedented applicability in nanotechnology and biomedical field. Bacteria attached microparticles presented in this work are one of pioneering microrobot technology for self-propulsion or producing kinetic energy from ambient for their motions. Microfluidic device, especially utilizing laminar flow characteristics, were employed for anisotropic attachment of Salmonella typhimurium flagellated chemotactic bacteria to 30 um × 30 um and 50 um × 50 um microparticles that made of biodegradable polymer. Any toxic chemicals or harmful treatments were excluded during the attachment process and it finished within 100 s for the anisotropic attachment. The attachments were directly confirmed by fluorescent intensity changes and SEM visualization. Chemotaxis motions were tracked using aspartate and the maximum velocity of the bacteria-attached microrobot was measured to be 5 um/s which is comparable to prior state of art technologies. This reusable and scalable method could play a key role in chemotaxis delivery of functional microparticles such as drug delivery system.

Active ultrasound pattern injection system (AUSPIS for interventional tool guidance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyu Guo

Full Text Available Accurate tool tracking is a crucial task that directly affects the safety and effectiveness of many interventional medical procedures. Compared to CT and MRI, ultrasound-based tool tracking has many advantages, including low cost, safety, mobility and ease of use. However, surgical tools are poorly visualized in conventional ultrasound images, thus preventing effective tool tracking and guidance. Existing tracking methods have not yet provided a solution that effectively solves the tool visualization and mid-plane localization accuracy problem and fully meets the clinical requirements. In this paper, we present an active ultrasound tracking and guiding system for interventional tools. The main principle of this system is to establish a bi-directional ultrasound communication between the interventional tool and US imaging machine within the tissue. This method enables the interventional tool to generate an active ultrasound field over the original imaging ultrasound signals. By controlling the timing and amplitude of the active ultrasound field, a virtual pattern can be directly injected into the US machine B mode display. In this work, we introduce the time and frequency modulation, mid-plane detection, and arbitrary pattern injection methods. The implementation of these methods further improves the target visualization and guiding accuracy, and expands the system application beyond simple tool tracking. We performed ex vitro and in vivo experiments, showing significant improvements of tool visualization and accurate localization using different US imaging platforms. An ultrasound image mid-plane detection accuracy of ±0.3 mm and a detectable tissue depth over 8.5 cm was achieved in the experiment. The system performance is tested under different configurations and system parameters. We also report the first experiment of arbitrary pattern injection to the B mode image and its application in accurate tool tracking.

Etched ion tracks in silicon oxide and silicon oxynitride as charge injection or extraction channels for novel electronic structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fink, D.; Petrov, A.V.; Hoppe, K.; Fahrner, W.R.; Papaleo, R.M.; Berdinsky, A.S.; Chandra, A.; Chemseddine, A.; Zrineh, A.; Biswas, A.; Faupel, F.; Chadderton, L.T.

2004-01-01

The impact of swift heavy ions onto silicon oxide and silicon oxynitride on silicon creates etchable tracks in these insulators. After their etching and filling-up with highly resistive matter, these nanometric pores can be used as charge extraction or injection paths towards the conducting channel in the underlying silicon. In this way, a novel family of electronic structures has been realized. The basic characteristics of these 'TEMPOS' (=tunable electronic material with pores in oxide on silicon) structures are summarized. Their functionality is determined by the type of insulator, the etch track diameters and lengths, their areal densities, the type of conducting matter embedded therein, and of course by the underlying semiconductor and the contact geometry. Depending on the TEMPOS preparation recipe and working point, the structures may resemble gatable resistors, condensors, diodes, transistors, photocells, or sensors, and they are therefore rather universally applicable in electronics. TEMPOS structures are often sensitive to temperature, light, humidity and organic gases. Also light-emitting TEMPOS structures have been produced. About 37 TEMPOS-based circuits such as thermosensors, photosensors, humidity and alcohol sensors, amplifiers, frequency multipliers, amplitude modulators, oscillators, flip-flops and many others have already been designed and successfully tested. Sometimes TEMPOS-based circuits are more compact than conventional electronics

Tri-track: free software for large-scale particle tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Vallotton, Pascal; Olivier, Sandra

2013-04-01

The ability to correctly track objects in time-lapse sequences is important in many applications of microscopy. Individual object motions typically display a level of dynamic regularity reflecting the existence of an underlying physics or biology. Best results are obtained when this local information is exploited. Additionally, if the particle number is known to be approximately constant, a large number of tracking scenarios may be rejected on the basis that they are not compatible with a known maximum particle velocity. This represents information of a global nature, which should ideally be exploited too. Some time ago, we devised an efficient algorithm that exploited both types of information. The tracking task was reduced to a max-flow min-cost problem instance through a novel graph structure that comprised vertices representing objects from three consecutive image frames. The algorithm is explained here for the first time. A user-friendly implementation is provided, and the specific relaxation mechanism responsible for the method's effectiveness is uncovered. The software is particularly competitive for complex dynamics such as dense antiparallel flows, or in situations where object displacements are considerable. As an application, we characterize a remarkable vortex structure formed by bacteria engaged in interstitial motility.

Evaluation of a subsurface oxygenation technique using colloidal gas aphron injections into packed column reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wills, R.A.; Coles, P.

1991-11-01

Bioremediation may be a remedial technology capable of decontaminating subsurface environments. The objective of this research was to evaluate the use of colloidal gas aphron (CGA) injection, which is the injection of micrometer-size air bubbles in an aqueous surfactant solution, as a subsurface oxygenation technique to create optimal growth conditions for aerobic bacteria. Along with this, the capability of CGAs to act as a soil-washing agent and free organic components from a coal tar-contaminated matrix was examined. Injection of CGAs may be useful for remediation of underground coal gasification (UCG) sites. Because of this, bacteria and solid material from a UCG site located in northeastern Wyoming were used in this research. Colloidal gas aphrons were generated and pumped through packed column reactors (PCRS) containing post-burn core materials. For comparison, PCRs containing sand were also studied. Bacteria from this site were tested for their capability to degrade phenol, a major contaminant at the UCG site, and were also used to bioaugment the PCR systems. In this study we examined: (1) the effect of CGA injection on dissolved oxygen concentrations in the PCR effluents, (2) the effect of CGA, H 2 O 2 , and phenol injections on bacterial populations, (3) the stability and transport of CGAs over distance, and (4) CGA injection versus H 2 O 2 injection as an oxygenation technique

Interpretation of Mutation Induction by Accelerated Very Heavy Ions in Bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kozubek, S.; Ryznar, L.; Krasavin, E.A.

1994-01-01

We propose a simple approach for the calculation of the frequency of mutation induction in bacteria. The approach is based on the calculation of the fraction of energy deposited by accelerated particles in indirect hits, e.i. events in which the particle does not pass through the cell, however, the cell is hit by δ-electrons. This descriptor of the radiation field has been evaluated for different values of the particle energy and different radii of sensitive structure. Four models of the track structure have been used for calculations. The results have been compared with experimental data on mutation induction in bacteria. Two different modes of particle mutagenic action can be distinguished. Available experimental data agree reasonably well with the results of the presented theory if appropriate track structure is taken. Very good results have been obtained with the track structure models of Kudryashov, 1973 and Chatterjee and Magee, 1973. 23 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

Multiple approaches to microbial source tracking in tropical northern Australia

KAUST Repository

Neave, Matthew

2014-09-16

Microbial source tracking is an area of research in which multiple approaches are used to identify the sources of elevated bacterial concentrations in recreational lakes and beaches. At our study location in Darwin, northern Australia, water quality in the harbor is generally good, however dry-season beach closures due to elevated Escherichia coli and enterococci counts are a cause for concern. The sources of these high bacteria counts are currently unknown. To address this, we sampled sewage outfalls, other potential inputs, such as urban rivers and drains, and surrounding beaches, and used genetic fingerprints from E. coli and enterococci communities, fecal markers and 454 pyrosequencing to track contamination sources. A sewage effluent outfall (Larrakeyah discharge) was a source of bacteria, including fecal bacteria that impacted nearby beaches. Two other treated effluent discharges did not appear to influence sites other than those directly adjacent. Several beaches contained fecal indicator bacteria that likely originated from urban rivers and creeks within the catchment. Generally, connectivity between the sites was observed within distinct geographical locations and it appeared that most of the bacterial contamination on Darwin beaches was confined to local sources.

LHCb: The LHCb tracking concept and performance

CERN Multimedia

Rodrigues, E

2009-01-01

The LHCb tracking system is designed to reconstruct charged particle trajectories in the forward spectrometer, in view of high precision studies of CP-violating phenomena and searches for rare b-hadron decays at the LHC. The system is composed of four major subdetectors and a dedicated magnet, providing an excellent momentum resolution just above 0.4%. The tracking model is based on the innovative trajectories concept introduced by the BaBar collaboration to reconstruct and fit the tracks, and has been further developed and improved. It is now able to cope with realistic geometries and misalignments in a sophisticated, robust and detector-independent way. The LHCb tracking concept including the interplay of various complementary pattern recognition algorithms and the bi-directional Kalman fitter will be described. The current performance of the tracking, based on the latest simulations, will be presented. Recent results obtained with the first LHC beam tracks from injection tests will be discussed.

Influence of Gamma Radiation on the Treatment of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria in the Injection Water Used for the Enhanced Oil Recovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Shahawy, M.R.; Ramzi, M.; Farag, R.M.

2014-01-01

The counts of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) in the water samples collected from the well head (formation water) and outlet of petroleum treatment plant (Produced water) in a petroleum field in middle delta- Egypt were determined. The data showed a low count of (SRB) in the collected formation water sample and there was an obvious increase in the bacterial counts which appeared in the produced water, that may reveal that the presence of appropriate conditions for the growth of (SRB) in the closed system in treatment plant. Two scale inhibitors were tested through jar test, the scale inhibitor I had maximum efficiency at 20 ppm, two SRB biocides were screened for their bactericidal activities. It was found that the biocides A was slightly superior in respect to the antibacterial efficacy compared to B in presence of 20 ppm scale inhibitor. These biocides were test for the study of the combined treatment with gamma radiation to maximize the efficiency on sulfate reducing bacteria using the minimum effective dose of both radiation and biocides to eliminate the negative impacts of the chemicals used and the radiation applied. The results demonstrated that, the lethal doses of biocides were (300 ppm) of biocides A or (400 ppm) of biocides B at 1 kGy irradiation dose. The treated produced water was evaluated in respect of enhanced oil recovery, the data showed increase of the recovery capacity by the irradiation and chemical treatment. This technology could be used for the water that are injected into reservoirs, and suitable for oil field and pipeline operators, and presented a viable bacteria control method

Longitudinal tracking studies for a high intensity proton synchrotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lessner, E.; Cho, Y.; Harkay, K.; Symon, K.

1995-01-01

Results from longitudinal tracking studies for a high intensity proton synchrotron designed for a 1-MW spallation source are presented. The machine delivers a proton beam of 0.5 mA time-averaged current at a repetition rate of 30 Hz. The accelerator is designed to have radiation levels that allow hands-on-maintenance. However, the high beam intensity causes strong space charge fields whose effects may lead to particle loss and longitudinal instabilities. The space charge fields modify the particle distribution, distort the stable bucket area and reduce the rf linear restoring force. Tracking simulations were conducted to analyze the space charge effects on the dynamics of the injection and acceleration processes and means to circumvent them. The tracking studies led to the establishment of the injected beam parameters and rf voltage program that minimized beam loss and longitudinal instabilities. Similar studies for a 10-GeV synchrotron that uses the 2-GeV synchrotron as its injector are also discussed

Bacterial diversity in water injection systems of Brazilian offshore oil platforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Korenblum, Elisa; Valoni, Erika; Penna, Mônica; Seldin, Lucy

2010-01-01

Biogenic souring and microbial-influenced corrosion is a common scenario in water-flooded petroleum reservoirs. Water injection systems are continuously treated to control bacterial contamination, but some bacteria that cause souring and corrosion can persist even after different treatments have been applied. Our aim was to increase our knowledge of the bacterial communities that persist in the water injection systems of three offshore oil platforms in Brazil. To achieve this goal, we used a culture-independent molecular approach (16S ribosomal RNA gene clone libraries) to analyze seawater samples that had been subjected to different treatments. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the bacterial communities from the different platforms were taxonomically different. A predominance of bacterial clones affiliated with Gammaproteobacteria, mostly belonging to the genus Marinobacter (60.7%), were observed in the platform A samples. Clones from platform B were mainly related to the genera Colwellia (37.9%) and Achromobacter (24.6%), whereas clones obtained from platform C were all related to unclassified bacteria. Canonical correspondence analyses showed that different treatments such as chlorination, deoxygenation, and biocide addition did not significantly influence the bacterial diversity in the platforms studied. Our results demonstrated that the injection water used in secondary oil recovery procedures contained potentially hazardous bacteria, which may ultimately cause souring and corrosion.

Discovery Mondays - 'Particle tracks: Seeing the invisible'

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

Simulation of particle tracks in the CMS detector. How can you 'see' something as infinitesimal and fleeting as an elementary particle that defeats even the most powerful microscope? Well, physicists have detectors to snoop on them. Unlike biologists looking at bacteria, physicists don't see the particles themselves. They study their impact on sensitive materials as they pass through them at ultra high speed, a bit like seeing plane vapour trails in a clear sky. At the next Discovery Monday you will be able to find out about the different methods used at CERN to detect particles. There will be demonstrations of the cloud chamber, where particles leave tell-tale evidence of their passage in tracks of droplets. You will also learn about past and current particle track detection techniques and how the tracks are reconstructed into magnificent composite images. Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the various ways of 'seeing' particles. The event will be conducted in French. Come along to the Microcosm ...

Improved oil recovery using bacteria isolated from North Sea petroleum reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davey, R.A.; Lappin-Scott, H. [Univ. of Exeter (United Kingdom)

1995-12-31

During secondary oil recovery, water is injected into the formation to sweep out the residual oil. The injected water, however, follows the path of least resistance through the high-permeability zones, leaving oil in the low-permeability zones. Selective plugging of these their zones would divert the waterflood to the residual oil and thus increase the life of the well. Bacteria have been suggested as an alternative plugging agent to the current method of polymer injection. Starved bacteria can penetrate deeply into rock formations where they attach to the rock surfaces, and given the right nutrients can grow and produce exo-polymer, reducing the permeability of these zones. The application of microbial enhanced oil recovery has only been applied to shallow, cool, onshore fields to date. This study has focused on the ability of bacteria to enhance oil recovery offshore in the North Sea, where the environment can be considered extreme. A screen of produced water from oil reservoirs (and other extreme subterranean environments) was undertaken, and two bacteria were chosen for further work. These two isolates were able to grow and survive in the presence of saline formation waters at a range of temperatures above 50{degrees}C as facultative anaerobes. When a solution of isolates was passed through sandpacks and nutrients were added, significant reductions in permeabilities were achieved. This was confirmed in Clashach sandstone at 255 bar, when a reduction of 88% in permeability was obtained. Both isolates can survive nutrient starvation, which may improve penetration through the reservoir. Thus, the isolates show potential for field trials in the North Sea as plugging agents.

Bacteria are not too small for spatial sensing of chemical gradients: An experimental evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thar, Roland; Kühl, Michael

2003-01-01

By analyzing the chemotactic behavior of a recently described marine bacterial species, we provide experimental evidence that bacteria are not too small for sensing chemical gradients spatially. The bipolar flagellated vibrioid bacteria (typical size 2 × 6 µm) exhibit a unique motility pattern...... as they translate along as well as rotate around their short axis, i.e., the pathways of the cell poles describe a double helix. The natural habitat of the bacteria is characterized by steep oxygen gradients where they accumulate in a band at their preferred oxygen concentration of ˜2 µM. Single cells leaving...... the band toward the oxic region typically return to the band within 16 s following a U-shaped track. A detailed analysis of the tracks reveals that the cells must be able to sense the oxygen gradient perpendicular to their swimming direction. Thus, they can detect oxygen gradients along a distance of ˜5 µm...

Trail Creek I: Assessing the Water Quality of Streams using Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Microbial Source Tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Saintil, T.; Radcliffe, D. E.; Rasmussen, T. C.; Kannan, A.

2017-12-01

Fecal coliforms are indicators for disease-causing pathogens. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US. EPA) recommends the use of E. coli and Enterococci because they are highly correlated with pathogenic organisms in recreational waters. This standard method helps to determine the overall water quality and the potential health risks. Studies have shown that it is difficult to estimate the exact sources of fecal contamination because both human and certain animal species contain E. coli and Enterococci in their waste. Certain strains of E. coli and Enterococci are also able to survive outside of their hosts, which should not be the case for an appropriate fecal indicator. As a result, microbial source tracking (MST) studies use gene specific markers to identify the possible contributors to water pollution whether human or animal. Trail Creek is a second-order stream located in Athens-Clarke County, GA. The 33-km2 watershed is approximately 64% forests, 18% pastures and 16% residential communities. Trail Creek is on the TMDL list and an extended study on the relationships between the different factors causing elevated fecal bacteria is needed. Synoptic sampling events were conducted during baseflow conditions at six locations. Storm sampling events (> 8 mm) were captured using automated samplers at two locations. These samplers were equipped with pressure transducers which record stage at 30-minute intervals. The samples were analyzed for fecal coliform, E. Coli and Enterococci. Water quality parameters including temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity were also recorded. Relationships between the parameters and fecal indicator bacteria show inconsistent patterns and high variability. Using quantitative PCR and MST techniques, the human specific marker (HF183) and ruminant marker (Rum2Bac) were used to identify the fecal sources in both baseflow and storm samples. The presence and abundance of the different markers at

Investigations of the effect of electron-beam irradiation on bacteria in sewage sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osterstock, G.

1976-01-01

The effect of electron beams on bacteria was investigated in 2 experimental facilities. A 400 kV electron accelerator was used to irradiate sludge quantities of 10 l and 180 l. The total bacterial count, number of coliform bacteria and, in injected sludge, the relative bacteria density of salmonella were investigated. A dose of 0.5 to 0.75 Mrad was required to reduce coliform bacteria to below the detectable level in 0.1 ml. With a dose of 1.5 Mrad salmonella were reduced by 6 orders of magnitude on the average. In addition, the dependence of the reduction in bacteria on the dose rate as well as on mixing of the irradiation material was investigated. Substantial reproduction of bacteria in digested sludge was found in all cases after the irradiation. (author)

Acute toxicity testing of some herbicides-, alkaloids-, and antibiotics-metabolizing soil bacteria in the rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaiser, A; Classen, H G; Eberspächer, J; Lingens, F

1981-01-01

Seven strains of soil bacteria with the ability to metabolize herbicides, alkaloids or antibiotics were tested in rats for acute toxicity. 1. Upon oral administration of 9.0 x 10(8) to 6.6 x 10(10) cells daily during 7 d no adverse reactions were observed. 2. Exposure by air did not lead to specific pulmonary changes. 3. Intracutaneous injection of 7.5 x 10(6) to 1.4 x 10(8) cells did not lead to adverse skin reactions. 4. Intraperitoneal injections up to 10(8) cells per animal did not kill rats although bacteria entered blood. At higher concentrations some mortality occurred partly due to unspecific stress reactions. 5. Animal data and observations on 20 humans being exposed to these strains for 2 months up to 15 years support the view that the bacteria tested are essentially harmless for health.

A Tracking Analyst for large 3D spatiotemporal data from multiple sources (case study: Tracking volcanic eruptions in the atmosphere)

Science.gov (United States)

Gad, Mohamed A.; Elshehaly, Mai H.; Gračanin, Denis; Elmongui, Hicham G.

2018-02-01

This research presents a novel Trajectory-based Tracking Analyst (TTA) that can track and link spatiotemporally variable data from multiple sources. The proposed technique uses trajectory information to determine the positions of time-enabled and spatially variable scatter data at any given time through a combination of along trajectory adjustment and spatial interpolation. The TTA is applied in this research to track large spatiotemporal data of volcanic eruptions (acquired using multi-sensors) in the unsteady flow field of the atmosphere. The TTA enables tracking injections into the atmospheric flow field, the reconstruction of the spatiotemporally variable data at any desired time, and the spatiotemporal join of attribute data from multiple sources. In addition, we were able to create a smooth animation of the volcanic ash plume at interactive rates. The initial results indicate that the TTA can be applied to a wide range of multiple-source data.

Bond strength of two component injection moulded MID

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Islam, Mohammad Aminul; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Tang, Peter Torben

2006-01-01

Most products of the future will require industrially adapted, cost effective production processes and on this issue two-component (2K) injection moulding is a potential candidate for MID manufacturing. MID based on 2k injection moulded plastic part with selectively metallised circuit tracks allows...... the two different plastic materials in the MID structure require good bonding between them. This paper finds suitable combinations of materials for MIDs from both bond strength and metallisation view-point. Plastic parts were made by two-shot injection moulding and the effects of some important process...... the integration of electrical and mechanical functionalities in a real 3D structure. If 2k injection moulding is applied with two polymers, of which one is plateable and the other is not, it will be possible to make 3D electrical structures directly on the component. To be applicable in the real engineering field...

Investigations of the effect of electron-beam irradiation on bacteria in sewage sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osterstock, G.

1976-01-01

The effect of electron beams on bacteria was investigated in 2 experimental facilities. A 400 kV electron accelerator was used to irradiate sludge quantities of 10 l and 180 l. The total bacterial count, the number of coliform bacteria and, in injected sludge, the relative bacteria density of salmonella were investigated. A dose of 0.5 to 0.75 Mrad was required to reduce coliform bacteria to below the detectable level in 0.1 ml. With a dose of 1.5 Mrad salmonella were reduced by 6 orders of magnitude on the average. In addition, the dependence of the reduction in bacteria on the dose rate as well as on mixing of the irradiated material was investigated. Substantial reproduction of bacteria in digested sludge was found in all cases after the irradiation. (orig./MG) [de

Cylinder Pressure-based Combustion Control with Multi-pulse Fuel Injection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luo, X.; Wang, S.; Jager, B. de; Willems, F.P.T.

2015-01-01

With an increased number of fuel injection pulses, the control problem in diesel engines becomes complex. Consisting of multiple single-input single-output (SISO) controllers, the conventional control strategy shows unsatisfactory dynamic performance in tracking combustion load and phase reference

Ocular manifestations of injection drug use.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Rubin W; Juzych, Mark S; Eliott, Dean

2002-09-01

Injection drug use can result in a variety of severe ocular conditions. Hematogenous dissemination of various fungi and bacteria may produce endophthalmitis with resultant severe visual loss. Retinal arterial occlusive disease may result from talc and other particulate emboli. Most commonly, life-threatening systemic diseases such as endocarditis and HIV infection secondarily affect the eye. Because many of these conditions may result in blindness if untreated, accurate diagnosis and prompt initiation of therapy are essential.

Chemogenetic manipulation of ventral pallidal neurons impairs acquisition of sign-tracking in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Stephen E; Todd, Travis P; Bucci, David J; Smith, Kyle S

2015-12-01

Cues associated with rewarding events acquire value themselves as a result of the incentive value of the reward being transferred to the cue. Consequently, presentation of a reward-paired cue can trigger reward-seeking behaviours towards the cue itself (i.e. sign-tracking). The ventral pallidum (VP) has been demonstrated to be involved in a number of motivated behaviours, both conditioned and unconditioned. However, its contribution to the acquisition of incentive value is unknown. Using a discriminative autoshaping procedure with levers, the effects of disrupting VP activity in rats on the emergence of sign-tracking was investigated using chemogenetics, i.e. Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs). Transient disruption of VP neurons [activation of the inhibitory hM4D(Gi) DREADD through systemic injections of clozapine N-oxide (CNO) prior to each autoshaping session] impaired acquisition of sign-tracking (lever press rate) without having any effect on approach to the site of reward delivery (i.e. goal-tracking) or on the expression of sign-tracking after it was acquired. In addition, electrophysiological recordings were conducted in freely behaving rats following VP DREADD activation. The majority of VP units that were responsive to CNO injections exhibited rapid inhibition relative to baseline, a subset of CNO-responsive units showed delayed excitation, and a smaller subset displayed a mixed response of inhibition and excitation following CNO injections. It is argued that disruption of VP during autoshaping specifically disrupted the transfer of incentive value that was attributed to the lever cue, suggesting a surprisingly fundamental role for the VP in acquiring, compared with expressing, Pavlovian incentive values. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model to visualize infection dynamics of Vibrio anguillarum following intraperitoneal injection and bath exposure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Jacob Günther; Korbut, Rozalia; Ohtani, Maki

2017-01-01

, for which the vaccines are targeted. The zebrafish is by now a well established practical vertebrate model species due in part to its size and ease of maintenance and genetic manipulation. Here we use zebrafish as a model to visualize and compare the development of infection of Vibrio anguillarum......Vaccine development is important for sustainable fish farming and novel vaccines need to be efficacy tested before release to the market. Challenge of fish with the pathogen towards which the vaccine has been produced can be conducted either by external exposure though bathing or cohabitation...... on and in the fish following injection or bathing. Injection of 103 bacteria per fish resulted in approximately 50% mortality by day 4 post-injection. Similar mortality levels were reached in the other group by bathing in 1.25 × 109 bacteria for 1 min. The spreading of bacteria was followed for the first 24 h after...

Pathogenic bacteria and microbial-source tracking markers in Brandywine Creek Basin, Pennsylvania and Delaware, 2009-10

Science.gov (United States)

Duris, Joseph W.; Reif, Andrew G.; Olson, Leif E.; Johnson, Heather E.

2011-01-01

The City of Wilmington, Delaware, is in the downstream part of the Brandywine Creek Basin, on the main stem of Brandywine Creek. Wilmington uses this stream, which drains a mixed-land-use area upstream, for its main drinking-water supply. Because the stream is used for drinking water, Wilmington is in need of information about the occurrence and distribution of specific fecally derived pathogenic bacteria (disease-causing bacteria) and their relations to commonly measured fecal-indicator bacteria (FIB), as well as information regarding the potential sources of the fecal pollution and pathogens in the basin. This study focused on five routinely sampled sites within the basin, one each on the West Branch and the East Branch of Brandywine Creek and at three on the main stem below the confluence of the West and East Branches. These sites were sampled monthly for 1 year. Targeted event samples were collected on two occasions during high flow and two occasions during normal flow. On the basis of this study, high flows in the Brandywine Creek Basin were related to increases in FIB densities, and in the frequency of selected pathogen and source markers, in the West Branch and main stem of Brandywine Creek, but not in the East Branch. Water exceeding the moderate fullbody-contact single-sample recreational water-quality criteria (RWQC) for Escherichia coli (E. coli) was more likely to contain selected markers for pathogenic E. coli (eaeA,stx1, and rfbO157 gene markers) and bovine fecal sources (E. hirae and LTIIa gene markers), whereas samples exceeding the enterococci RWQC were more likely to contain the same pathogenic markers but also were more likely to carry a marker indicative of human source (esp gene marker). On four sample dates, during high flow between October and March, the West Branch was the only observed potential contributor of selected pathogen and bovine source markers to the main stem of Brandywine Creek. Indeed, the stx2 marker, which indicates a highly

Application of leftover sample material from waterborne protozoa monitoring for the molecular detection of Bacteroidales and fecal source tracking markers

Science.gov (United States)

In this study, we examined the potential for detecting fecal bacteria and microbial source tracking markers in samples discarded during the concentration of Cryptosporidium and Giardia using USEPA Method 1623. Recovery rates for different fecal bacteria were determined using sp...

Effects of nitrate injection on microbial enhanced oil recovery and oilfield reservoir souring.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Marcio Luis Busi; Soares, Hugo Moreira; Furigo, Agenor; Schmidell, Willibaldo; Corseuil, Henry Xavier

2014-11-01

Column experiments were utilized to investigate the effects of nitrate injection on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) inhibition and microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). An indigenous microbial consortium collected from the produced water of a Brazilian offshore field was used as inoculum. The presence of 150 mg/L volatile fatty acids (VFA´s) in the injection water contributed to a high biological electron acceptors demand and the establishment of anaerobic sulfate-reducing conditions. Continuous injection of nitrate (up to 25 mg/L) for 90 days did not inhibit souring. Contrariwise, in nitrogen-limiting conditions, the addition of nitrate stimulated the proliferation of δ-Proteobacteria (including SRB) and the associated sulfide concentration. Denitrification-specific nirK or nirS genes were not detected. A sharp decrease in water interfacial tension (from 20.8 to 14.5 mN/m) observed concomitantly with nitrate consumption and increased oil recovery (4.3 % v/v) demonstrated the benefits of nitrate injection on MEOR. Overall, the results support the notion that the addition of nitrate, at this particular oil reservoir, can benefit MEOR by stimulating the proliferation of fortuitous biosurfactant-producing bacteria. Higher nitrate concentrations exceeding the stoichiometric volatile fatty acid (VFA) biodegradation demands and/or the use of alternative biogenic souring control strategies may be necessary to warrant effective SRB inhibition down gradient from the injection wells.

UV disinfection of injection and drinking water - an accepted method on offshore oil platforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunner, H.; Klein, H.P.

1985-01-01

Ultraviolet disinfection packages have been developed for the treatment of drinking water and injection water on offshore oil platforms. Large-scale tests with sulphate reducing bacteria out outlined. (Auth.)

Aboveground Injection Sytem Construction and Mecahnical Integrity Test Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Jun [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-10-01

An In-Situ Bioremediation (ISB) Pilot Test Treatability Study is planned at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) Technical Area-V (TA-V) Groundwater Area of Concern. The Treatability Study is designed to gravity inject an electron-donor substrate and bioaugmentation bacteria into groundwater using an injection well. The constituents of concern (COCs) are nitrate and trichloroethene (TCE). The Pilot Test Treatability Study will evaluate the effectiveness of bioremediation and COC treatment over a prescribed period of time. Results of the pilot test will provide data that will be used to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of a fullscale system.

SIMULATIONS OF BOOSTER INJECTION EFFICIENCY FOR THE APS-UPGRADE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calvey, J.; Borland, M.; Harkay, K.; Lindberg, R.; Yao, C.-Y.

2017-06-25

The APS-Upgrade will require the injector chain to provide high single bunch charge for swap-out injection. One possible limiting factor to achieving this is an observed reduction of injection efficiency into the booster synchrotron at high charge. We have simulated booster injection using the particle tracking code elegant, including a model for the booster impedance and beam loading in the RF cavities. The simulations point to two possible causes for reduced efficiency: energy oscillations leading to losses at high dispersion locations, and a vertical beam size blowup caused by ions in the Particle Accumulator Ring. We also show that the efficiency is much higher in an alternate booster lattice with smaller vertical beta function and zero dispersion in the straight sections.

Magnetic detection of ferrofluid injection zones

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borglin, S.; Moridis, G.; Becker, A.

1998-03-01

Ferrofluids are stable colloidal suspensions of magnetic particles that can be stabilized in various carrier liquids. In this study the authors investigate the potential of ferrofluids to trace the movement and position of liquids injected in the subsurface using geophysical methods. An ability to track and monitor the movement and position of injected liquids is essential in assessing the effectiveness of the delivery system and the success of the process. Ferrofluids can also provide a significant detection and verification tool in containment technologies, where they can be injected with the barrier liquids to provide a strong signature allowing determination of the barrier geometry, extent, continuity and integrity. Finally, ferrofluids may have unique properties as tracers for detecting preferential flow features (such as fractures) in the subsurface, and thus allow the design of more effective remediation systems. In this report the authors review the results of the investigation of the potential of ferrofluids to trace the movement and position of liquids injected in the subsurface using geophysical methods. They demonstrate the feasibility of using conventional magnetometry for detecting subsurface zones of injected ferrofluids used to trace liquids injected for remediation or barrier formation. The geometrical shapes considered were a sphere, a thin disk, a rectangular horizontal slab, and a cylinder. Simple calculations based on the principles of magnetometry are made to determine the detection depths of FTs. Experiments involving spherical, cylindrical and horizontal slabs show a very good agreement between predictions and measurements.

Simulation of the injection damping and resonance correction systems for the HEB of the SSC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, M.; Zhang, P.; Machida, S.

1993-02-01

An injection damping and resonance correction system for the High Energy Booster (HEB) of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) was investigated by means of multiparticle tracking. For an injection damping study, the code Simpsons is modified to utilize two Beam Position Monitors (BPM) and two dampers. ne particles of 200 Gev/c, numbered 1024 or more, with Gaussian distribution in 6-D phase space are injected into the HEB with certain injection offsets. The whole bunch of particles is then kicked in proportion to the BPM signals with some upper limit. Tracking these particles up to several hundred turn while the damping system is acting shows the turn-by-turn emittance growth, which is caused by the tune spread due to nonlinearity of the lattice and residual chromaticity with synchrotron oscillations. For a resonance correction study, the operating tune is scanned as a function of time so that a bunch goes through a resonance. The performance of the resonance correction system is demonstrated. We optimize the system parameters which satisfy the emittance budget of the HEB, taking into account the realistic hardware requirement.

Simulation of the injection damping and resonance correction systems for the HEB of the SSC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, M.; Zhang, P.; Machida, S. (Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory, Dallas, Texas 75237 (United States))

1993-12-25

An injection damping and resonance correction system for the High Energy Booster (HEB) of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) was investigated by means of multiparticle tracking. For an injection damping study, the code Simpsons is modified to utilize two Beam Position Monitors (BPM) and two dampers. The particles of 200 Gev/c, numbered 1024 or more, with Gaussian distribution in 6-D phase space are injected into the HEB with certain injection offsets. The whole bunch of particles is then kicked in proportion to the BPM signals with some upper limit. Tracking these particles up to several hundred turns while the damping system is acting shows the turn-by-turn emittance growth, which is caused by the tune spread due to nonlinearity of the lattice and residual chromaticity with synchrotron oscillations. For a resonance correction study, the operating tune is scanned as a function of time so that a bunch goes through a resonance. The performance of the resonance correction system is demonstrated. We optimize the system parameters which satisfy the emittance budget of the HEB, taking into account the realistic hardware requirement.

Fast symplectic map tracking for the CERN Large Hadron Collider

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan T. Abell

2003-06-01

Full Text Available Tracking simulations remain the essential tool for evaluating how multipolar imperfections in ring magnets restrict the domain of stable phase-space motion. In the Large Hadron Collider (LHC at CERN, particles circulate at the injection energy, when multipole errors are most significant, for more than 10^{7} turns, but systematic tracking studies are limited to a small fraction of this total time—even on modern computers. A considerable speedup is expected by replacing element-by-element tracking with the use of a symplectified one-turn map. We have applied this method to the realistic LHC lattice, version 6, and report here our results for various map orders, with special emphasis on precision and speed.

Cooccurrence patterns of plants and soil bacteria in the high-alpine subnival zone track environmental harshness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew J. King

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Plants and soil microorganisms interact to play a central role in ecosystem functioning. To determine the potential importance of biotic interactions in shaping the distributions of these organisms in a high-alpine subnival landscape, we examine cooccurrence patterns between plant species and bulk-soil bacteria abundances. In this context, a cooccurrence relationship reflects a combination of several assembly processes: that both parties can disperse to the site, that they can survive the abiotic environmental conditions, and that interactions between the biota either facilitate survival or allow for coexistence. Across the entire landscape, 31% of the bacterial sequences in this dataset were significantly correlated to the abundance distribution of one or more plant species. These sequences fell into 14 clades, 6 of which are related to bacteria that are known to form symbioses with plants in other systems. Abundant plant species were more likely to have significant as well as stronger correlations with bacteria and these patterns were more prevalent in lower altitude sites. Conversely, correlations between plant species abundances and bacterial relative abundances were less frequent in sites near the snowline. Thus, plant-bacteria associations became more common as environmental conditions became less harsh and plants became more abundant. This pattern in cooccurrence strength and frequency across the subnival landscape suggests that plant-bacteria interactions are important for the success of life, both below- and above-ground, in an extreme environment.

A simple scheme for injection and extraction in compact rings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, H. S.; Huang, W. H.; Tang, C. X.

2014-01-01

There has been great interest in building compact synchrotrons for various applications, for example, inverse Compton scattering X-ray sources. However, the beam injection and extraction in compact rings require careful design for the lack of space. In this paper, we propose a simple combined injection-extraction scheme exploiting the fringe field of existing dipole magnets instead of additional septum magnets. This scheme is illustrated by using the 4.8 m ring proposed for Tsinghua Thomson scattering X-ray source as an example. Particle tracking is applied to demonstrate the validity of this scheme

A complex dissected chronic occlusion: targeted balloon dilatation of false lumen to access true lumen, combined localized subintimal tracking and reentry, parallel wire, contralateral injection and a useful antegrade lumen re-entry technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James W. Tam

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Chronic total occlusion (CTO angioplasty is one of the most challenging procedures remaining for the interventional operator. Recanalizing CTOs can improve exercise capacity, symptoms, left ventricular function and possibly reduce mortality. Multiple strategies such as escalating wire, parallel wire, seesaw, contralateral injection, subintimal tracking and re-entry (STAR, retrograde wire techniques (controlled antegrade retrograde subintimal tracking, CART, reverse CART, confluent balloon, rendezvous in coronary, and other techniques have all been described. Selection of the most appropriate approach is based on assessment of vessel course, length of occluded segment, presence of bridging collaterals, presence of bifurcating side branches at the occlusion site, and other variables. Today, with significant operator expertise and the use of available techniques, the literature reports a 50-95% success rate for recanalizing CTOs.

Iron Administration before Stem Cell Harvest Enables MR Imaging Tracking after Transplantation

OpenAIRE

Khurana, Aman; Chapelin, Fanny; Beck, Graham; Lenkov, Olga D.; Donig, Jessica; Nejadnik, Hossein; Messing, Solomon; Derugin, Nikita; Chan, Ray Chun-Fai; Gaur, Amitabh; Sennino, Barbara; McDonald, Donald M.; Kempen, Paul J.; Tikhomirov, Grigory A.; Rao, Jianghong

2013-01-01

Transplanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could be detected and tracked with MR imaging, if the donor is treated with an intravenous injection of the Food and Drug Administration–approved iron supplement ferumoxytol prior to MSC harvesting.

Excitons in intact cells of photosynthetic bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Freiberg, Arvi; Pajusalu, Mihkel; Rätsep, Margus

2013-09-26

Live cells and regular crystals seem fundamentally incompatible. Still, effects characteristic to ideal crystals, such as coherent sharing of excitation, have been recently used in many studies to explain the behavior of several photosynthetic complexes, especially the inner workings of the light-harvesting apparatus of the oldest known photosynthetic organisms, the purple bacteria. To this date, there has been no concrete evidence that the same effects are instrumental in real living cells, leaving a possibility that this is an artifact of unnatural study conditions, not a real effect relevant to the biological operation of bacteria. Hereby, we demonstrate survival of collective coherent excitations (excitons) in intact cells of photosynthetic purple bacteria. This is done by using excitation anisotropy spectroscopy for tracking the temperature-dependent evolution of exciton bands in light-harvesting systems of increasing structural complexity. The temperature was gradually raised from 4.5 K to ambient temperature, and the complexity of the systems ranged from detergent-isolated complexes to complete bacterial cells. The results provide conclusive evidence that excitons are indeed one of the key elements contributing to the energetic and dynamic properties of photosynthetic organisms.

Tracking study of hadron collider boosters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machida, S.; Bourianoff, G.; Huang, Y.; Mahale, N.

1992-07-01

A simulation code SIMPSONS (previously called 6D-TEASE T) of single- and multi-particle tracking has been developed for proton synchrotrons. The 6D phase space coordinates are calculated each time step including acceleration with an arbitrary ramping curve by integration of the rf phase. Space-charge effects are modelled by means of the Particle In Cell (PIC) method. We observed the transverse emittance growth around the injection energy of the Low Energy Booster (LEB) of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) with and without second harmonic rf cavities which reduce peak line density. We also employed the code to see the possible transverse emittance deterioration around the transition energy in the Medium Energy Booster (MEB) and to estimate the emittance dilution due to an injection error of the MEB.

Sulfate Reduction Remediation of a Metals Plume Through Organic Injection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phifer, M.A.

2003-01-01

Laboratory testing and a field-scale demonstration for the sulfate reduction remediation of an acidic/metals/sulfate groundwater plume at the Savannah River Site has been conducted. The laboratory testing consisted of the use of anaerobic microcosms to test the viability of three organic substrates to promote microbially mediated sulfate reduction. Based upon the laboratory testing, soybean oil and sodium lactate were selected for injection during the subsequent field-scale demonstration. The field-scale demonstration is currently ongoing. Approximately 825 gallons (3,123 L) of soybean oil and 225 gallons (852 L) of 60 percent sodium lactate have been injected into an existing well system within the plume. Since the injections, sulfate concentrations in the injection zone have significantly decreased, sulfate-reducing bacteria concentrations have significantly increased, the pH has increased, the Eh has decreased, and the concentrations of many metals have decreased. Microbially mediated sulfate reduction has been successfully promoted for the remediation of the acidic/metals/sulfate plume by the injection of soybean oil and sodium lactate within the plume

Diversity, abundance, and possible sources of fecal bacteria in the Yangtze River.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Haohao; He, Xiwei; Ye, Lin; Zhang, Xu-Xiang; Wu, Bing; Ren, Hongqiang

2017-03-01

The fecal bacteria in natural waters may pose serious risks on human health. Although many source tracking methods have been developed and used to determine the possible sources of the fecal pollution, little is known about the overall diversity and abundance of fecal bacterial community in natural waters. In this study, a method based on fecal bacterial sequence library was introduced to evaluate the fecal bacterial profile in the Yangtze River (Nanjing section). Our results suggested that the Yangtze River water harbors diverse fecal bacteria. Fifty-eight fecal operational taxonomic units (97% identity level) were detected in the Yangtze River water samples and the relative abundance of fecal bacteria in these samples ranged from 0.1 to 8%. It was also found that the relative abundances of the fecal bacteria in locations near to the downstream of wastewater treatment plants were obviously higher than those in other locations. However, the high abundance of fecal bacteria could decrease to the normal level in 2~4 km in the river due to degradation or dilution, and the overall fecal bacteria level changed little when the Yangtze River flew through the Nanjing City. Moreover, the fecal bacteria in the Yangtze River water were found to be highly associated (Spearman rho = 0.804, P Yangtze River and advance our understandings of the fecal bacteria community in the natural waters.

Estimation of the production rate of bacteria in the rumen of buffalo calves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, U.B.; Verma, D.N.; Varma, A.; Ranjhan, S.K.

1976-01-01

The rate of bacterial cell growth in the rumen of buffalo calves has been measured applying the isotope dilution technique by injecting labelled mixed rumen bacteria into the rumen, and expressing the specific radioactivity either per mg dry bacterial cells or per μg DAPA in whole rumen samples. The animals were fed daily about 15-20 kg chopped green maize in 12 equal amounts at 2-h intervals. There was no significant difference in the rate of production of bacteria estimated by either method. (author)

Effects of moxifloxacin exposure on the conjunctival flora and antibiotic resistance profile following repeated intravitreal injections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa Ataş

2014-10-01

Full Text Available AIM:To evaluate the effects of moxifloxacin exposure on the conjunctival flora and antibiotic resistance profile following repeated intravitreal injections.METHODS:Seventy-two eyes of 36 patients [36 eyes in control group, 36 eyes in intravitreal injection (IVI group] were enrolled in the study. All the eyes had at least one IVI and had diabetic macular edema (DME or age-related macular degeneration (ARMD. Moxifloxacin was prescribed to all the patients four times a day for five days following injection. Conjunctival cultures were obtained from the lower fornix via standardized technique with every possible effort made to minimize contamination from the lids, lashes, or skin. Before the application of any ophthalmic medication, conjunctival cultures were obtained from both eyes using sterile cotton culture. An automated microbiology system was used to identify the growing bacteria and determine antibiotic sensitivity. RESULTS:The bacterial cultures were isolated from 72 eyes of 36 patients, sixteen of whom patients (44.4% were male and twenty (55.6% were female. Average age was 68.4±9.0 (range 50-86. The average number of injections before taking cultures was 3.1+1.0. Forty-eight (66.7% of 72 eyes had at least one significant organism. There was no bacterial growth in 8 (20.5% of IVI eyes and in 16 (44.4% of control eyes (P=0.03. Of the bacteria isolated from culture, 53.8% of coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS in IVI eyes and 47.2% CoNS in control eyes. This difference between IVI eyes and control eyes about bacteria isolated from culture was not statistically significant (P=0.2. Eleven of 25 bacteria (44.0% isolated from IVI eyes and 11 (57.9% of 19 bacteria isolated from control eyes were resistant to oxacillin. The difference in frequency of moxifloxacine resistance between two groups was not statistically significant (12.0% in IVI eyes and 21.1% in control eyes (P=0.44. There were no cases of resistance to vancomycin, teicoplanin and

Dynamics of ballistically injected latex particles in living human endothelial cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Y.; Vanapalli Veera, V.S.A.R.; Vanapalli, Srinivas; Duits, Michael H.G.

2009-01-01

We studied the dynamics of ballistically injected latex particles (BIP) inside endothelial cells, using video particle tracking to measure the mean squared displacement (MSD) as a function of lag time. The MSD shows a plateau at short times and a linear behavior at longer times, indicating that the

Bacteria between protists and phages: from antipredation strategies to the evolution of pathogenicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Brüssow, Harald

2007-08-01

Bacteriophages and protists are major causes of bacterial mortality. Genomics suggests that phages evolved well before eukaryotic protists. Bacteria were thus initially only confronted with phage predators. When protists evolved, bacteria were caught between two types of predators. One successful antigrazing strategy of bacteria was the elaboration of toxins that would kill the grazer. The released cell content would feed bystander bacteria. I suggest here that, to fight grazing protists, bacteria teamed up with those phage predators that concluded at least a temporary truce with them in the form of lysogeny. Lysogeny was perhaps initially a resource management strategy of phages that could not maintain infection chains. Subsequently, lysogeny might have evolved into a bacterium-prophage coalition attacking protists, which became a food source for them. When protists evolved into multicellular animals, the lysogenic bacteria tracked their evolving food source. This hypothesis could explain why a frequent scheme of bacterial pathogenicity is the survival in phagocytes, why a significant fraction of bacterial pathogens have prophage-encoded virulence genes, and why some virulence factors of animal pathogens are active against unicellular eukaryotes. Bacterial pathogenicity might thus be one playing option of the stone-scissor-paper game played between phages-bacteria-protists, with humans getting into the crossfire.

Calibration of PM-355 nuclear track detectors for low-energy deuterons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malinowski, K.; Skladnik-Sadowska, E.; Sadowski, M.J.; Czaus, K.

2008-01-01

A dependence of track diameters on deuteron energy was investigated for PM-355 nuclear track detectors. Deuteron streams were obtained from RPI-IBIS facility at the pulsed injection of deuterium. Mass and energy analysis was performed with a Thomson-type spectrometer and PM-355 samples. An etched deuteron parabola extended from about 20 keV to about 500 keV. The energy resolution of measurements on the parabola at 20 keV was ±0.2keV, and at 500 keV amounted to ±50keV. Accuracy of the determination of deuteron energies decreased for higher energy values. Results are presented in diagrams showing the track diameters as a function of deuteron energy for chosen etching times (1-8 h)

Long-term follow-up after neoplastic seeding complicating percutaneous ethanol injection for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arrive, L.; Vurgait, A.; Monnier-Cholley, L.; Lewin, M.; Tubiana, J.M.; Balladur, P.; Poupon, R.

2002-01-01

We describe a case of subcutaneous metastasis along the needle track after percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. After surgical resection and extrabeam radiation therapy the patient is alive without evidence of recurrence five years after PEI. One should pay attention to the abdominal wall around the needle track in interpreting CT or MR images of patients with previous PEI. (orig.)

Design requirements for ERD in diffusion-dominated media: how do injection interval, bioactive zones and reaction kinetics affect remediation performance?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chambon, Julie Claire Claudia; Lemming, Gitte; Manoli, Gabriele

is to get contact between the injected bacteria and electron donor and the contaminants trapped in the low-permeability matrix. Sampling of intact cores from the low-permeability matrix has shown that the bioactive zones (where degradation occurs) are limited in the matrix, due to the slow diffusion...... is developed to simulate ERD at a contaminated site, where the source area (mainly TCE) is located in a clayey till with fractures and interbedded sand lenses. Such contaminated sites are common in North America and Europe. Hydro-geological characterization provided information on geological heterogeneities...... experiments. The influence of the reaction kinetics on remediation efficiency is assessed by varying the biomass concentration of the specific degraders. The injected reactants (donor and bacteria) are assumed to spread in horizontal injection zones of various widths, depending on the development of bioactive...

Aerobic salivary bacteria in wild and captive Komodo dragons.

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Joel M; Gillespie, Don; Sastrawan, Putra; Fredeking, Terry M; Stewart, George L

2002-07-01

During the months of November 1996, August 1997, and March 1998, saliva and plasma samples were collected for isolation of aerobic bacteria from 26 wild and 13 captive Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis). Twenty-eight Gram-negative and 29 Gram-positive species of bacteria were isolated from the saliva of the 39 Komodo dragons. A greater number of wild than captive dragons were positive for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The average number of bacterial species within the saliva of wild dragons was 46% greater than for captive dragons. While Escherichia coli was the most common bacterium isolated from the saliva of wild dragons, this species was not present in captive dragons. The most common bacteria isolated from the saliva of captive dragons were Staphylococcus capitis and Staphylococcus capitis and Staphylococcus caseolyticus, neither of which were found in wild dragons. High mortality was seen among mice injected with saliva from wild dragons and the only bacterium isolated from the blood of dying mice was Pasteurella multocida. A competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed the presence of anti-Pasteurella antibody in the plasma of Komodo dragons. Four species of bacteria isolated from dragon saliva showed resistance to one or more of 16 antimicrobics tested. The wide variety of bacteria demonstrated in the saliva of the Komodo dragon in this study, at least one species of which was highly lethal in mice and 54 species of which are known pathogens, support the observation that wounds inflicted by this animal are often associated with sepsis and subsequent bacteremia in prey animals.

Epinephrine auto-injection radically increases risk for clostridial infection and necrotizing fasciitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenneth Larson

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Clostridial perfringens is a bacteria commonly found on skin flora. Due to the optimal growth environment intramuscular epinephrine injections predispose patients to the rapid development of clostridial myonecrosis. There have been only four cases, including this one, reported in the last 60 years of pediatric Clostridium perfringens infections post-epinephrine injection. We detail the successful management of a 16 year old, immunocompetent female who developed gas gangrene and necrotizing fasciitis on her thigh secondary to clostridial infection after utilization of an Epinephrine Auto-Injector and review the pediatric literature of patients with Clostridial perfringens secondary to epinephrine injection. We define common clinical signs and symptoms of clostridial infection from the review of the literature. The relevance of our findings is to raise awareness among emergency physicians when patients present following an injection in order to reduce diagnostic delay that could result in amputation or death.

Study of reduction permeability for deposit of fine particles and bacteria in porous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Restrepo Restrepo, Dora Patricia; Cardona Bernal, Felipe Andres; Usta Diaz, Martha Lucia

2004-01-01

This work shows a theoretical and practical description of the main variables and physical principles that lead to the obstruction by fine particles and therefore a reduction in permeability for unconsolidated porous media with almost a length foot. The results were also adjusted to theoretical model for the obstruction by fine particles in the entrance face. A first study about bacteria plugging was also carried out in order to try to understand it when these bacteria are in the water of injection of a normal process of water flooding

Morphologic characterization and quantitative analysis on in vitro bacteria by nuclear techniques of measurement; Caracterizacao morfologica e analise quantitativa de bacterias in vitro por tecnicas nucleares de medidas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopes, Joana D' Arc Ramos

2001-10-01

The great difficulty to identify microorganisms (bacteria) from infectious processes is related to the necessary time to obtain a reliable result, about 72 hours. The purpose of this work is to establish a faster method to characterize bacterial morphologies through the use of neutron radiography, which can take about 5 hours. The samples containing the microorganisms, bacteria with different morphologies, after the appropriate microbiologic procedures were incubated with B{sup 10} for 30 minutes and soon after deposited in a plate of a solid detector of nuclear tracks (SSNTD), denominated CR-39. To obtain the images relative to bacteria, the detector was submitted to the flow of thermal neutrons of the order of 2.2 x 10{sup 5} n/cm{sup 2}.s from the J-9 channel of the Reactor Argonauta (IEN/CNEN). To observe the images from bacteria in each sample under an optical microscope, the sheets were chemically developed. The analysis of the images revealed morphologic differences among the genera (Gram positive from Gram-negative and coccus from bacillus), in samples containing either isolated or mixed bacteria. We thus verified the viability of the technique to achieve morphological characterization of different microorganisms. A quantitative approach seemed also to be feasible with the technique. The whole process took about 2 hours. (author)

Development of test bolus tracking method and usefulness in coronary CT angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Takayoshi; Takahashi, Daichi

2009-01-01

The test bolus tracking (TBT) method is a new injection method of contrast medium that we developed. The TBT method is an injection technique that continuously performs the test bolus injection and the main bolus injection, such that the best acquisition of scan timing and the improvement of examination efficiency can be expected. We compared the TBT method and the test injection method by coronary CT angiography. The results demonstrated that the contrast enhancement of the coronary arteries was high and the variation of the CT value was also small in the TBT method. When the scan timing expected by the TI method and the TBT method were compared, it was different of two seconds or more by the case with 43%. However, the variation of CT value was small for the TBT method in these cases. Therefore, the TBT method is a very useful method for coronary CT angiography (CCTA). (author)

Decay of Fecal Indicator Bacterial Populations and Bovine-Associated Source-Tracking Markers in Freshly Deposited Cow Pats

Science.gov (United States)

Understanding the survival of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and microbial source-tracking (MST) markers is critical to developing pathogen fate and transport models. Although pathogen survival in water microcosms and manure-amended soils is well documented, little is known about...

Single-cell tracking reveals antibiotic-induced changes in mycobacterial energy metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Maglica, Željka; Özdemir, Emre; McKinney, John D

2015-02-17

ATP is a key molecule of cell physiology, but despite its importance, there are currently no methods for monitoring single-cell ATP fluctuations in live bacteria. This is a major obstacle in studies of bacterial energy metabolism, because there is a growing awareness that bacteria respond to stressors such as antibiotics in a highly individualistic manner. Here, we present a method for long-term single-cell tracking of ATP levels in Mycobacterium smegmatis based on a combination of microfluidics, time-lapse microscopy, and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based ATP biosensors. Upon treating cells with antibiotics, we observed that individual cells undergo an abrupt and irreversible switch from high to low intracellular ATP levels. The kinetics and extent of ATP switching clearly discriminate between an inhibitor of ATP synthesis and other classes of antibiotics. Cells that resume growth after 24 h of antibiotic treatment maintain high ATP levels throughout the exposure period. In contrast, antibiotic-treated cells that switch from ATP-high to ATP-low states never resume growth after antibiotic washout. Surprisingly, only a subset of these nongrowing ATP-low cells stains with propidium iodide (PI), a widely used live/dead cell marker. These experiments also reveal a cryptic subset of cells that do not resume growth after antibiotic washout despite remaining ATP high and PI negative. We conclude that ATP tracking is a more dynamic, sensitive, reliable, and discriminating marker of cell viability than staining with PI. This method could be used in studies to evaluate antimicrobial effectiveness and mechanism of action, as well as for high-throughput screening. New antimicrobials are urgently needed to stem the rising tide of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. All antibiotics are expected to affect bacterial energy metabolism, directly or indirectly, yet tools to assess the impact of antibiotics on the ATP content of individual bacterial cells are lacking. The

Imaging of solid tumor using near-infrared emitting purple bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Sung Min; Min, Jung Joon; Kim, Sun A; Choy, Hyon E.; Bom, Hee Seung

2005-01-01

Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 is α-3 purple nonsulfur eubacterium with an extensive metabolism. Under anaerobic conditions, it is able to grow by photosynthesis, respiration and fermentation. When grown photosynthetically, it uses wavelengths of light in the near-infrared and contains a reaction center that is the peripheral light-harvesting (LH2) complex. These molecules absorb and emit near-infrared light. Using this near-infrared fluorescent bacterial we investigated its targeting capacity of solid tumor in small animals. R. sphaeroides 2.4.1 strains were cultured in sistrons minimal medium A (SIS) at 32 C. Xenograft tumor model has been established by subcutaneous injection of CT26 mouse colon cancer cell line. 1X10 8 Rhodobacter sphaeroides cells suspended in 100 ul of PBS were injected via tail vein with 1-cc insulin syringe into tumor bearing mouse. In vivo fluorescence imaging has been done after 20 min to 30 days of purple bacteria using indocyanine (ICG) emission filter (Em=810∼835 nm). Near-infrared imaging signal from Rhodobacter sphaeroides was initially detected at liver for 3 days but at the necrotic region of tumor mass thereafter. Total photon flux measured 5.5X10 8 (p/s/cm 2 /sr) at Day 1. Also it was increased to 7.8X10 8 (p/s/cm 2 /sr) at 12 day. One of important characteristic is that the signal appeared only at central necrosis area. It has been monitored for 36 day. We successfully imaged cancer with near-infrared fluorescence bacteria. Our result indicate that near-infrared fluorescence purple bacteria are able to be used to monitor bacterial trafficking in living tumor models

Measurement of the rate of production of bacteria in the rumen of buffalo calves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, U.B.; Verma, D.N.; Varma, A.; Ranjhan, S.K.; Srivastava, V.N.

1974-01-01

A technique has been developed for the in vivo estimation of the rates of production of bacteria in the rumen of buffalo calves. The animals were given their daily ration in 12 equal amounts at 2 hourly intervals. The bacterial cells from the rumen were labelled either with 14 C or 35 S by in vitro incubation in the presence of (U- 14 C)DL-leucine or 35 S-sodium sulphate. Labelled bacterial cells were injected in a single dose in the rumen. Samples from the ruminal fluid were drawn at various time intervals for 9 hours and the specific radioactivity of the bacteria was determined. The dilution in the specific radioactivity was used to calculate the turnover time and rates of production of bacteria in the rumen of buffalo calves. (author)

Finding Balance Between Biological Groundwater Treatment and Treated Injection Water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlson, Mark A.; Nielsen, Kellin R.; Byrnes, Mark E.; Simmons, Sally A.; Morse, John J.; Geiger, James B.; Watkins, Louis E.; McFee, Phillip M.; Martins, K.

2015-01-14

At the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company operates the 200 West Pump and Treat which was engineered to treat radiological and chemical contaminants in groundwater as a result of the site’s former plutonium production years. Fluidized bed bioreactors (FBRs) are used to remove nitrate, metals, and volatile organic compounds. Increasing nitrate concentrations in the treatment plant effluent and the presence of a slimy biomass (a typical microorganism response to stress) in the FBRs triggered an investigation of nutrient levels in the system. Little, if any, micronutrient feed was coming into the bioreactors. Additionally, carbon substrate (used to promote biological growth) was passing through to the injection wells, causing biological fouling of the wells and reduced specific injectivity. Adjustments to the micronutrient feed improved microorganism health, but the micronutrients were being overfed (particularly manganese) plugging the injection wells further. Injection well rehabilitation to restore specific injectivity required repeated treatments to remove the biological fouling and precipitated metal oxides. A combination of sulfamic and citric acids worked well to dissolve metal oxides and sodium hypochlorite effectively removed the biological growth. Intensive surging and development techniques successfully removed clogging material from the injection wells. Ultimately, the investigation and nutrient adjustments took months to restore proper balance to the microbial system and over a year to stabilize injection well capacities. Carefully tracking and managing the FBRs and well performance monitoring are critical to balancing the needs of the treatment system while reducing fouling mechanisms in the injection wells.

Magnetic resonance imaging with superparamagnetic iron oxide fails to track the long-term fate of mesenchymal stem cells transplanted into heart.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Ning; Cheng, Huaibing; Lu, Minjie; Liu, Qiong; Chen, Xiuyu; Yin, Gang; Zhu, Hao; Zhang, Lianfeng; Meng, Xianmin; Tang, Yue; Zhao, Shihua

2015-03-12

MRI for in vivo stem cell tracking remains controversial. Here we tested the hypothesis that MRI can track the long-term fate of the superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles labelled mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) following intramyocardially injection in AMI rats. MSCs (1 × 10(6)) from male rats doubly labeled with SPIO and DAPI were injected 2 weeks after myocardial infarction. The control group received cell-free media injection. In vivo serial MRI was performed at 24 hours before cell delivery (baseline), 3 days, 1, 2, and 4 weeks after cell delivery, respectively. Serial follow-up MRI demonstrated large persistent intramyocardial signal-voids representing SPIO during the follow-up of 4 weeks, and MSCs did not moderate the left ventricular dysfunction. The TUNEL analysis confirmed that MSCs engrafted underwent apoptosis. The histopathological studies revealed that the site of cell injection was infiltrated by inflammatory cells progressively and the iron-positive cells were macrophages identified by CD68 staining, but very few or no DAPI-positive stem cells at 4 weeks after cells transplantation. The presence of engrafted cells was confirmed by real-time PCR, which showed that the amount of Y-chromosome-specific SRY gene was consistent with the results. MRI may not reliably track the long-term fate of SPIO-labeled MSCs engraftment in heart.

Improving LIGO calibration accuracy by tracking and compensating for slow temporal variations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuyenbayev, D; Karki, S; Goetz, E; Izumi, K; Kissel, J S; Mendell, G; Savage, R L; Betzwieser, J; Kandhasamy, S; Cahillane, C; Weinstein, A J; Wade, M

2017-01-01

Calibration of the second-generation LIGO interferometric gravitational-wave detectors employs a method that uses injected periodic modulations to track and compensate for slow temporal variations in the differential length response of the instruments. These detectors utilize feedback control loops to maintain resonance conditions by suppressing differential arm length variations. We describe how the sensing and actuation functions of these servo loops are parameterized and how the slow variations in these parameters are quantified using the injected modulations. We report the results of applying this method to the LIGO detectors and show that it significantly reduces systematic errors in their calibrated outputs. (paper)

Time series geophysical monitoring of permanganate injections and in situ chemical oxidation of PCE, OU1 area, Savage Superfund Site, Milford, NH, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Harte, Philip T.; Smith, Thor E.; Williams, John H.; Degnan, James R.

2012-01-01

In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) treatment with sodium permanganate, an electrically conductive oxidant, provides a strong electrical signal for tracking of injectate transport using time series geophysical surveys including direct current (DC) resistivity and electromagnetic (EM) methods. Effective remediation is dependent upon placing the oxidant in close contact with the contaminated aquifer. Therefore, monitoring tools that provide enhanced tracking capability of the injectate offer considerable benefit to guide subsequent ISCO injections. Time-series geophysical surveys were performed at a superfund site in New Hampshire, USA over a one-year period to identify temporal changes in the bulk electrical conductivity of a tetrachloroethylene (PCE; also called tetrachloroethene) contaminated, glacially deposited aquifer due to the injection of sodium permanganate. The ISCO treatment involved a series of pulse injections of sodium permanganate from multiple injection wells within a contained area of the aquifer. After the initial injection, the permanganate was allowed to disperse under ambient groundwater velocities. Time series geophysical surveys identified the downward sinking and pooling of the sodium permanganate atop of the underlying till or bedrock surface caused by density-driven flow, and the limited horizontal spread of the sodium permanganate in the shallow parts of the aquifer during this injection period. When coupled with conventional monitoring, the surveys allowed for an assessment of ISCO treatment effectiveness in targeting the PCE plume and helped target areas for subsequent treatment.

Anaerobic bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Anaerobic bacteria are bacteria that do not live or grow when oxygen is present. In humans, these bacteria ... Brook I. Diseases caused by non-spore-forming anaerobic bacteria. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil ...

Nanohybrids with Magnetic and Persistent Luminescence Properties for Cell Labeling, Tracking, In Vivo Real-Time Imaging, and Magnetic Vectorization.

Science.gov (United States)

Teston, Eliott; Maldiney, Thomas; Marangon, Iris; Volatron, Jeanne; Lalatonne, Yoann; Motte, Laurence; Boisson-Vidal, Catherine; Autret, Gwennhael; Clément, Olivier; Scherman, Daniel; Gazeau, Florence; Richard, Cyrille

2018-04-01

Once injected into a living organism, cells diffuse or migrate around the initial injection point and become impossible to be visualized and tracked in vivo. The present work concerns the development of a new technique for therapeutic cell labeling and subsequent in vivo visualization and magnetic retention. It is hypothesized and subsequently demonstrated that nanohybrids made of persistent luminescence nanoparticles and ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles incorporated into a silica matrix can be used as an effective nanoplatform to label therapeutic cells in a nontoxic way in order to dynamically track them in real-time in vitro and in living mice. As a proof-of-concept, it is shown that once injected, these labeled cells can be visualized and attracted in vivo using a magnet. This first step suggests that these nanohybrids represent efficient multifunctional nanoprobes for further imaging guided cell therapies development. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bioaugmentation of oil reservoir indigenous Pseudomonas aeruginosa to enhance oil recovery through in-situ biosurfactant production without air injection.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Feng; Li, Ping; Guo, Chao; Shi, Rong-Jiu; Zhang, Ying

2018-03-01

Considering the anoxic conditions within oil reservoirs, a new microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) technology through in-situ biosurfactant production without air injection was proposed. High-throughput sequencing data revealed that Pseudomonas was one of dominant genera in Daqing oil reservoirs. Pseudomonas aeruginosa DQ3 which can anaerobically produce biosurfactant at 42 °C was isolated. Strain DQ3 was bioaugmented in an anaerobic bioreactor to approximately simulate MEOR process. During bioaugmentation process, although a new bacterial community was gradually formed, Pseudomonas was still one of dominant genera. Culture-based data showed that hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and biosurfactant-producing bacteria were activated, while sulfate reducing bacteria were controlled. Biosurfactant was produced at simulated reservoir conditions, decreasing surface tension to 33.8 mN/m and emulsifying crude oil with EI 24  = 58%. Core flooding tests revealed that extra 5.22% of oil was displaced by in-situ biosurfactant production. Bioaugmenting indigenous biosurfactant producer P. aeruginosa without air injection is promising for in-situ MEOR applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensitization or tolerance to Mycobacterium leprae antigen by route of injection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shepard, C.C.; Walker, L.L.; Van Landingham, R.M.; Ye, S.Z.

1982-11-01

Aqueous suspensions of heat-killed Mycobacterium leprae in a dose of 10(7) organisms were highly immunogenic when injected intradermally (i.d.). The same dose of bacteria did not sensitize when given intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intravenously (i.v.), and did so only minimally at best when given subcutaneously. The i.d. route was the most immunogenic for sheep erythrocytes also. M. leprae injected i.p. or i.v. stimulated immune tolerance to M. leprae challenge i.d. In older mice (greater than or equal to 8 weeks), the i.v. injections gave more complete tolerance. Mice that had been rendered tolerant by i.v. injections maintained their tolerance for at least 168 days. Prior UV irradiation of intact mice prevented sensitization by the i.d. route. In normal mice, living M. bovis BCG given i.d. produced good sensitization to M. leprae. Mice that had been made tolerant by i.v. injection of M. leprae could be partially sensitized to M. leprae by i.d. immunization with BCG; mixtures of living BCG and heat-killed M. leprae were no more effective than BCG alone. These findings appear to have relevance to the pathogenesis of lepromatous leprosy and its immunoprophylaxis.

Sensitization or tolerance to Mycobacterium leprae antigen by route of injection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shepard, C.C.; Walker, L.L.; Van Landingham, R.M.; Ye, S.Z.

1982-01-01

Aqueous suspensions of heat-killed Mycobacterium leprae in a dose of 10(7) organisms were highly immunogenic when injected intradermally (i.d.). The same dose of bacteria did not sensitize when given intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intravenously (i.v.), and did so only minimally at best when given subcutaneously. The i.d. route was the most immunogenic for sheep erythrocytes also. M. leprae injected i.p. or i.v. stimulated immune tolerance to M. leprae challenge i.d. In older mice (greater than or equal to 8 weeks), the i.v. injections gave more complete tolerance. Mice that had been rendered tolerant by i.v. injections maintained their tolerance for at least 168 days. Prior UV irradiation of intact mice prevented sensitization by the i.d. route. In normal mice, living M. bovis BCG given i.d. produced good sensitization to M. leprae. Mice that had been made tolerant by i.v. injection of M. leprae could be partially sensitized to M. leprae by i.d. immunization with BCG; mixtures of living BCG and heat-killed M. leprae were no more effective than BCG alone. These findings appear to have relevance to the pathogenesis of lepromatous leprosy and its immunoprophylaxis

Tetranychus urticae mites do not mount an induced immune response against bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos-Matos, Gonçalo; Wybouw, Nicky; Martins, Nelson E; Zélé, Flore; Riga, Maria; Leitão, Alexandre B; Vontas, John; Grbić, Miodrag; Van Leeuwen, Thomas; Magalhães, Sara; Sucena, Élio

2017-06-14

The genome of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae , a herbivore, is missing important elements of the canonical Drosophila immune pathways necessary to fight bacterial infections. However, it is not known whether spider mites can mount an immune response and survive bacterial infection. In other chelicerates, bacterial infection elicits a response mediated by immune effectors leading to the survival of infected organisms. In T. urticae , infection by either Escherichia coli or Bacillus megaterium did not elicit a response as assessed through genome-wide transcriptomic analysis. In line with this, spider mites died within days even upon injection with low doses of bacteria that are non-pathogenic to Drosophila Moreover, bacterial populations grew exponentially inside the infected spider mites. By contrast, Sancassania berlesei , a litter-dwelling mite, controlled bacterial proliferation and resisted infections with both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria lethal to T. urticae This differential mortality between mite species was absent when mites were infected with heat-killed bacteria. Also, we found that spider mites harbour in their gut 1000-fold less bacteria than S. berlesei We show that T. urticae has lost the capacity to mount an induced immune response against bacteria, in contrast to other mites and chelicerates but similarly to the phloem feeding aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum Hence, our results reinforce the putative evolutionary link between ecological conditions regarding exposure to bacteria and the architecture of the immune response. © 2017 The Authors.

Seismic modeling of acid-gas injection in a deep saline reservoir

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ursenbach, C.P.; Lawton, D.C. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Geoscience, Consortium for Research in Elastic Wave Exploration Seismology

2008-07-01

Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S) are common byproducts of the energy industry. As such, remediation studies are underway to determine the feasibility of sequestering these byproducts in subsurface reservoirs, including deep saline reservoirs. Acid gas injection at smaller gas wells holds promise. However, in order for such injection programs to work, the progress of the injection plume must be tracked. A modeling study of fluid substitution was carried out to gain insight into the ability of seismic monitoring to distinguish pre- and post-injection states of the reservoir medium. The purpose of this study was to carry out fluid substitution calculations for the modeling of an injection process. A methodology that may be applied or adapted to a variety of acid-gas injection scenarios was also developed. The general approach involved determining acoustic properties at reservoir temperature and pressure of relevant fluids; obtaining elastic properties of the reservoir rock for some reference saturated state, and the elastic properties of the mineral comprising it; and, determining the change in reservoir elastic properties due to fluid substitution via Gassmann's equation. Water, brine and non-aqueous acid gas were the 3 fluids of interest in this case. The feasibility of monitoring was judged by the sensitivity of travel times and reflection coefficients to fluid substitution. 4 refs., 2 figs.

A prebiotic role of Ecklonia cava improves the mortality of Edwardsiella tarda-infected zebrafish models via regulating the growth of lactic acid bacteria and pathogen bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, WonWoo; Oh, Jae Young; Kim, Eun-A; Kang, Nalae; Kim, Kil-Nam; Ahn, Ginnae; Jeon, You-Jin

2016-07-01

In this study, the beneficial prebiotic roles of Ecklonia cava (E. cava, EC) were evaluated on the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and pathogen bacteria and the mortality of pathogen-bacteria infected zebrafish model. The result showed that the original E. cava (EC) led to the highest growth effects on three LABs (Lactobacillus brevis, L. brevis; Lactobacillus pentosus, L. pentosus; Lactobacillus plantarum; L. plantarum) and it was dose-dependent manners. Also, EC, its Celluclast enzymatic (ECC) and 100% ethanol extracts (ECE) showed the anti-bacterial activities on the fish pathogenic bacteria such as (Edwardsiella tarda; E. tarda, Streptococcus iniae; S. iniae, and Vibrio harveyi; V. harveyi). Interestingly, EC induced the higher production of the secondary metabolites from L. plantarum in MRS medium. The secondary metabolites produced by EC significantly inhibited the growth of pathogen bacteria. In further in vivo study, the co-treatment of EC and L. plantarum improved the growth and mortality of E. tarda-infected zebrafish as regulating the expression of inflammatory molecules such as iNOS and COX2. Taken together, our present study suggests that the EC plays an important role as a potential prebiotic and has a protective effect against the infection caused by E. tarda injection in zebrafish. Also, our conclusion from this evidence is that EC can be used and applied as a useful prebiotic. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measuring the 3D motion of particles in microchannel acoustophoresis using astigmatism particle tracking velocimetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Augustsson, P.; Barnkob, Rune; Bruus, Henrik

2012-01-01

We introduce full three-dimensional tracking of particles in an acoustophoresis microchannel using Astigmatism Particle Tracking Velocimetry (APTV) [1]. For the first time the interaction between acoustic streaming and the primary acoustic radiation force in microchannel acoustophoresis are exami...... relative to the influence from the acoustic radiation force. The current study opens the route to optimized acoustophoretic system design and operation to enable manipulation of small biological components such as spores, bacteria and viruses.......We introduce full three-dimensional tracking of particles in an acoustophoresis microchannel using Astigmatism Particle Tracking Velocimetry (APTV) [1]. For the first time the interaction between acoustic streaming and the primary acoustic radiation force in microchannel acoustophoresis...... are examined in three dimensions. We have quantified the velocity of particles driven by the primary acoustic radiation force and acoustic streaming, respectively, using 0.5-μm and 5-μm particles. Increased ultrasound frequency and lowered viscosity of the medium reduced the influence of acoustic streaming...

Time series geophysical monitoring of permanganate injections and in situ chemical oxidation of PCE, OU1 area, Savage Superfund Site, Milford, NH, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Harte, Philip T; Smith, Thor E; Williams, John H; Degnan, James R

2012-05-01

In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) treatment with sodium permanganate, an electrically conductive oxidant, provides a strong electrical signal for tracking of injectate transport using time series geophysical surveys including direct current (DC) resistivity and electromagnetic (EM) methods. Effective remediation is dependent upon placing the oxidant in close contact with the contaminated aquifer. Therefore, monitoring tools that provide enhanced tracking capability of the injectate offer considerable benefit to guide subsequent ISCO injections. Time-series geophysical surveys were performed at a superfund site in New Hampshire, USA over a one-year period to identify temporal changes in the bulk electrical conductivity of a tetrachloroethylene (PCE; also called tetrachloroethene) contaminated, glacially deposited aquifer due to the injection of sodium permanganate. The ISCO treatment involved a series of pulse injections of sodium permanganate from multiple injection wells within a contained area of the aquifer. After the initial injection, the permanganate was allowed to disperse under ambient groundwater velocities. Time series geophysical surveys identified the downward sinking and pooling of the sodium permanganate atop of the underlying till or bedrock surface caused by density-driven flow, and the limited horizontal spread of the sodium permanganate in the shallow parts of the aquifer during this injection period. When coupled with conventional monitoring, the surveys allowed for an assessment of ISCO treatment effectiveness in targeting the PCE plume and helped target areas for subsequent treatment. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Morphologic characterization and quantitative analysis on in vitro bacteria by nuclear techniques of measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopes, Joana D'Arc Ramos

2001-10-01

The great difficulty to identify microorganisms (bacteria) from infectious processes is related to the necessary time to obtain a reliable result, about 72 hours. The purpose of this work is to establish a faster method to characterize bacterial morphologies through the use of neutron radiography, which can take about 5 hours. The samples containing the microorganisms, bacteria with different morphologies, after the appropriate microbiologic procedures were incubated with B 10 for 30 minutes and soon after deposited in a plate of a solid detector of nuclear tracks (SSNTD), denominated CR-39. To obtain the images relative to bacteria, the detector was submitted to the flow of thermal neutrons of the order of 2.2 x 10 5 n/cm 2 .s from the J-9 channel of the Reactor Argonauta (IEN/CNEN). To observe the images from bacteria in each sample under an optical microscope, the sheets were chemically developed. The analysis of the images revealed morphologic differences among the genera (Gram positive from Gram-negative and coccus from bacillus), in samples containing either isolated or mixed bacteria. We thus verified the viability of the technique to achieve morphological characterization of different microorganisms. A quantitative approach seemed also to be feasible with the technique. The whole process took about 2 hours. (author)

Effect of track etch rate on geometric track characteristics for polymeric track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Naby, A.A.; El-Akkad, F.A.

2001-01-01

Analysis of the variable track etch rate on geometric track characteristic for polymeric track detectors has been applied to the case of LR-155 II SSNTD. Spectrometric characteristics of low energy alpha particles response by the polymeric detector have been obtained. The track etching kinematics theory of development of minor diameter of the etched tracks has been applied. The calculations show that, for this type of detector, the energy dependence of the minor track diameter d is linear for small-etched removal layer h. The energy resolution gets better for higher etched removal layer

Significant association between sulfate-reducing bacteria and uranium-reducing microbial communities as revealed by a combined massively parallel sequencing-indicator species approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardenas, Erick; Wu, Wei-Min; Leigh, Mary Beth; Carley, Jack; Carroll, Sue; Gentry, Terry; Luo, Jian; Watson, David; Gu, Baohua; Ginder-Vogel, Matthew; Kitanidis, Peter K; Jardine, Philip M; Zhou, Jizhong; Criddle, Craig S; Marsh, Terence L; Tiedje, James M

2010-10-01

Massively parallel sequencing has provided a more affordable and high-throughput method to study microbial communities, although it has mostly been used in an exploratory fashion. We combined pyrosequencing with a strict indicator species statistical analysis to test if bacteria specifically responded to ethanol injection that successfully promoted dissimilatory uranium(VI) reduction in the subsurface of a uranium contamination plume at the Oak Ridge Field Research Center in Tennessee. Remediation was achieved with a hydraulic flow control consisting of an inner loop, where ethanol was injected, and an outer loop for flow-field protection. This strategy reduced uranium concentrations in groundwater to levels below 0.126 μM and created geochemical gradients in electron donors from the inner-loop injection well toward the outer loop and downgradient flow path. Our analysis with 15 sediment samples from the entire test area found significant indicator species that showed a high degree of adaptation to the three different hydrochemical-created conditions. Castellaniella and Rhodanobacter characterized areas with low pH, heavy metals, and low bioactivity, while sulfate-, Fe(III)-, and U(VI)-reducing bacteria (Desulfovibrio, Anaeromyxobacter, and Desulfosporosinus) were indicators of areas where U(VI) reduction occurred. The abundance of these bacteria, as well as the Fe(III) and U(VI) reducer Geobacter, correlated with the hydraulic connectivity to the substrate injection site, suggesting that the selected populations were a direct response to electron donor addition by the groundwater flow path. A false-discovery-rate approach was implemented to discard false-positive results by chance, given the large amount of data compared.

An experimental study of the attachment of bacteria to submerged surfaces in marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fera, Ph.

1985-09-01

The seasonal variations of the bacterial settling of three materials (stainless steel, aluminium, polycarbonate filters) have been studied inside an open system of circulating seawater (0.7 m.s -1 ). The fixed bacteria counting have been carried out by scanning electron microscopy and epi-fluorescence microscopy. From the results of the first part of this work, it appears that the growth kinetics of the microbial bio-film, and the densities of the bacteria fixed after 15 days of immersion are higher during summer. Qualitatively, the composition of the number of fixed bacteria evolve with immersion time and with the season. The continuous injection of 0.1 ppm of chlorine in the seawater feeding the experimental system, seems not to be sufficient to prevent, for a long time, the settling of a great number of bacteria. The second part of this work deals with the experimental study of the settling of an aluminium surface by a pseudomonas, isolated of the seawater and submitted or not to conditions of preliminary fast. (O.M.)

Microbially Enhanced Oil Recovery by Sequential Injection of Light Hydrocarbon and Nitrate in Low- And High-Pressure Bioreactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Gassara, Fatma; Suri, Navreet; Stanislav, Paul; Voordouw, Gerrit

2015-10-20

Microbially enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) often involves injection of aqueous molasses and nitrate to stimulate resident or introduced bacteria. Use of light oil components like toluene, as electron donor for nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB), offers advantages but at 1-2 mM toluene is limiting in many heavy oils. Because addition of toluene to the oil increased reduction of nitrate by NRB, we propose an MEOR technology, in which water amended with light hydrocarbon below the solubility limit (5.6 mM for toluene) is injected to improve the nitrate reduction capacity of the oil along the water flow path, followed by injection of nitrate, other nutrients (e.g., phosphate) and a consortium of NRB, if necessary. Hydrocarbon- and nitrate-mediated MEOR was tested in low- and high-pressure, water-wet sandpack bioreactors with 0.5 pore volumes of residual oil in place (ROIP). Compared to control bioreactors, those with 11-12 mM of toluene in the oil (gained by direct addition or by aqueous injection) and 80 mM of nitrate in the aqueous phase produced 16.5 ± 4.4% of additional ROIP (N = 10). Because toluene is a cheap commodity chemical, HN-MEOR has the potential to be a cost-effective method for additional oil production even in the current low oil price environment.

Microbial Source Tracking in a Watershed Dominated by Swine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joice F. Lubbers

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The high concentration of swine production in southeastern North Carolina generates public health concerns regarding the potential transport of pathogens from these production systems to nearby surface waters. The microbial source tracking (MST tool, antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA, was used to identify sources of E. coli in a segment of Six Runs Creek in Sampson County, North Carolina. Among 52 water samples, fecal coliform (FC counts averaged 272.1 ± 181.6 CFU/100 mL. Comparisons of isolates from water samples to an ARA library with an average rate of correct classification (ARCC of 94.3% indicated an average of 64% and 27.1% of 1,961 isolates from Six Runs Creek were associated with lagoon effluent and cattle manure respectively. The potential for aerosol transport of bacteria during lagoon spray events, as well as, the potential for wildlife to serve as a vehicle of transport for bacteria from fields and lagoons to nearby surface waters should be investigated further.

Untangling cell tracks: Quantifying cell migration by time lapse image data analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Svensson, Carl-Magnus; Medyukhina, Anna; Belyaev, Ivan; Al-Zaben, Naim; Figge, Marc Thilo

2018-03-01

Automated microscopy has given researchers access to great amounts of live cell imaging data from in vitro and in vivo experiments. Much focus has been put on extracting cell tracks from such data using a plethora of segmentation and tracking algorithms, but further analysis is normally required to draw biologically relevant conclusions. Such relevant conclusions may be whether the migration is directed or not, whether the population has homogeneous or heterogeneous migration patterns. This review focuses on the analysis of cell migration data that are extracted from time lapse images. We discuss a range of measures and models used to analyze cell tracks independent of the biological system or the way the tracks were obtained. For single-cell migration, we focus on measures and models giving examples of biological systems where they have been applied, for example, migration of bacteria, fibroblasts, and immune cells. For collective migration, we describe the model systems wound healing, neural crest migration, and Drosophila gastrulation and discuss methods for cell migration within these systems. We also discuss the role of the extracellular matrix and subsequent differences between track analysis in vitro and in vivo. Besides methods and measures, we are putting special focus on the need for openly available data and code, as well as a lack of common vocabulary in cell track analysis. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Survival and leaching of Tetracycline resistant bacteria and fecal indicators from manure in field scale experiments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bech, Tina; Amin, Mostofa; Lægdsmand, Mette

The spreading of manure on agricultural land is an economic and practical solution for improving soil quality; however, animal manure frequently contains zoonotic pathogenic bacteria, such as certain Eschericia coli, Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. The present experiment was conducted...... as a large multidisciplinary project. Pig manure with a natural content of Tetracycline resistant bacteria and fecal indicator organisms was followed in soil columns and a field scale experiment. In the field experiment pig manure was injected into agricultural soil. The distribution and survival of natural...... occurring indicator bacteria around a manure slurry slit in the soil was followed. During a period of two months, sections of soils with different distance to the manure string were assayed to obtain information on survival and spread of bacteriophage, faecal indicators (Enterococci, Bacterioides, E. coli...

Tracking the movement and colonization of biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis using radiolabelling and tracer techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavitha, P.G.; Jonathan, E.I.; Nakkeeran, S.

2017-01-01

Bacillus subtilis, an endophytic bacteria that lives inside the plant system is viewed as a potential source of novel genes with antimicrobial activity. B. subtilis strain Bs5 isolated from noni was found to be antagonistic to root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognitainvitro. The endophytic nature of the bacteria was ascertained by labeling the bacteria with radioactive 32 P and introduced in to the plant system. Autoradiograph of young noni seedlings was developed 28 days after exposure period in the X-ray film. The work was carried out in the Radioisotope Laboratory, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Autoradiography indicated a difference in intensity of darkening of photographic emulsion. A closer scrutiny of the autoradiograph showed intensity of the film darkening to be accentuated in the top leaves. It revealed that the radio labelled bacteria effectively translocated from root to shoot and colonized the stem, mid ribs and actively growing regions. From the study it becomes evident that the radio labelling and tracer analysis is an effective tool for tracking the movement and colonization of endophytic bacteria which are potential candidates for combating plant pathogens including plant parasitic nematodes. (author)

Latent tracks in polymeric etched track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamauchi, Tomoya

2013-01-01

Track registration properties in polymeric track detectors, including Poly(allyl diglycol carbonate), Bispenol A polycarbonate, Poly(ethylen terephtarate), and Polyimide, have been investigated by means of Fourie transform Infararede FT-IR spectrometry. Chemical criterion on the track formation threshold has been proposes, in stead of the conventional physical track registration models. (author)

Quality of Slab Track Construction - Track Alignment Design and Track Geometry

Science.gov (United States)

Šestáková, Janka

2015-05-01

The slab track superstructure design (without ballast) is a perspective construction especially for building tunnels and bridges in the modernized sections of railway tracks in Slovakia. Monitoring of the structure described in this article is focused on the transition areas between standard structure with ballast and slab track construction.

Patterns and sources of fecal coliform bacteria in three streams in Virginia, 1999-2000

Science.gov (United States)

Hyer, Kenneth; Moyer, Douglas

2003-01-01

Surface-water impairment by fecal coliform bacteria is a water-quality issue of national scope and importance. In Virginia, more than 175 stream segments are on the Commonwealth's 1998 303(d) list of impaired waters because of elevated concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria. These fecal coliform-impaired stream segments require the development of total maximum daily load (TMDL) and associated implementation plans, but accurate information on the sources contributing these bacteria usually is lacking. The development of defendable fecal coliform TMDLs and management plans can benefit from reliable information on the bacteria sources that are responsible for the impairment. Bacterial source tracking (BST) recently has emerged as a powerful tool for identifying the sources of fecal coliform bacteria that impair surface waters. In a demonstration of BST technology, three watersheds on Virginia's 1998 303(d) list with diverse land-use practices (and potentially diverse bacteria sources) were studied. Accotink Creek is dominated by urban land uses, Christians Creek by agricultural land uses, and Blacks Run is affected by both urban and agricultural land uses. During the 20-month field study (March 1999?October 2000), water samples were collected from each stream during a range of flow conditions and seasons. For each sample, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, turbidity, flow, and water temperature were measured. Fecal coliform concentrations of each water sample were determined using the membrane filtration technique. Next, Escherichia coli (E. coli) were isolated from the fecal coliform bacteria and their sources were identified using ribotyping (a method of 'genetic fingerprinting'). Study results provide enhanced understanding of the concentrations and sources of fecal coliform bacteria in these three watersheds. Continuum sampling (sampling along the length of the streams) indicated that elevated concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria

Significant Association between Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria and Uranium-Reducing Microbial Communities as Revealed by a Combined Massively Parallel Sequencing-Indicator Species Approach▿ †

Science.gov (United States)

Cardenas, Erick; Wu, Wei-Min; Leigh, Mary Beth; Carley, Jack; Carroll, Sue; Gentry, Terry; Luo, Jian; Watson, David; Gu, Baohua; Ginder-Vogel, Matthew; Kitanidis, Peter K.; Jardine, Philip M.; Zhou, Jizhong; Criddle, Craig S.; Marsh, Terence L.; Tiedje, James M.

2010-01-01

Massively parallel sequencing has provided a more affordable and high-throughput method to study microbial communities, although it has mostly been used in an exploratory fashion. We combined pyrosequencing with a strict indicator species statistical analysis to test if bacteria specifically responded to ethanol injection that successfully promoted dissimilatory uranium(VI) reduction in the subsurface of a uranium contamination plume at the Oak Ridge Field Research Center in Tennessee. Remediation was achieved with a hydraulic flow control consisting of an inner loop, where ethanol was injected, and an outer loop for flow-field protection. This strategy reduced uranium concentrations in groundwater to levels below 0.126 μM and created geochemical gradients in electron donors from the inner-loop injection well toward the outer loop and downgradient flow path. Our analysis with 15 sediment samples from the entire test area found significant indicator species that showed a high degree of adaptation to the three different hydrochemical-created conditions. Castellaniella and Rhodanobacter characterized areas with low pH, heavy metals, and low bioactivity, while sulfate-, Fe(III)-, and U(VI)-reducing bacteria (Desulfovibrio, Anaeromyxobacter, and Desulfosporosinus) were indicators of areas where U(VI) reduction occurred. The abundance of these bacteria, as well as the Fe(III) and U(VI) reducer Geobacter, correlated with the hydraulic connectivity to the substrate injection site, suggesting that the selected populations were a direct response to electron donor addition by the groundwater flow path. A false-discovery-rate approach was implemented to discard false-positive results by chance, given the large amount of data compared. PMID:20729318

Fast-track aquifer characterization and bioremediation of groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owen, S.B.; Erskine, J.A.; Adkisson, C.

1995-01-01

A short duration step-drawdown pumping test has been used to characterize a highly permeable aquifer contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons in support of an in situ, closed loop extraction and reinjection bioremediation system for groundwater. The short-term pumping test produces a manageable quantity of contaminated groundwater while yielding a range of values for transmissivity and specific yield parameters. This range of aquifer coefficients is used in an analytical model to estimate a range of groundwater extraction rates that provide a suitable radius of influence for the extraction and reinjection system. A multi-enzyme complex catalyzed bioremediation process has been used to aerobically degrade petroleum hydrocarbons. Enzymes, amino acids, and biosurfactants are supplied to the extracted groundwater to significantly speed up the degradation by naturally occurring bacteria. During the process, amino acids promote the rapid growth of the microbial population while enzymes and bacteria attach to hydrocarbons forming a transformation state complex that degrades to fatty acids, carbon dioxide, and water. This paper presents a case study of a fast-track bioremediation using pumping test data, analytical modeling, and an enzyme technology

Study on scan timing using a test injection method in head CTA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekito, Yuichi; Sanada, Hidenori

2005-01-01

In head computed tomographic angiography (CTA), circulation from arterial phase to venous phase is more rapid than that in other regions. Therefore, it is necessary to determine correct scan timing to obtain ideal CTA images. A test injection method makes it possible to set correct scan timing from the time density curve (TDC) for each subject. The method, however, has a weak point that is a time lag in an arrival time at peak point of contrast medium on TDC between the test injection and the primary examination because of the difference in total volume of contrast medium used. The purpose of this study calculated the delay time on the TDC in both scans. We used the test injection method and the bolus tracking method in the primary examination. The average errors in start time (Δt1) and slope change time (Δt2) of the contrast medium on the TDC between test injection and primary examination were 0.15 sec and 3.05 sec, respectively. The results indicated that it was important to grasp the delay time in start time and peak arrival time of the contrast medium between test injection and primary examination to obtain ideal images in head CTA. (author)

[Detection of endotoxins of Gram-negative bacteria on the basis of electromagnetic radiation frequency spectrum].

Science.gov (United States)

Likhoded, V G; Kuleshova, N V; Sergieva, N V; Konev, Iu V; Trubnikova, I A; Sudzhian, E V

2007-01-01

Method of Gram-negative bacteria endotoxins detection on the basis of their own spectrum of electromagnetic radiation frequency was developed. Frequency spectrum typical for chemotype Re glycolipid, which is a part of lypopolysaccharides in the majority of Gram-negative bacteria, was used. Two devices--"Mini- Expert-DT" (manufactured by IMEDIS, Moscow) and "Bicom" (manufactured by Regumed, Germany)--were used as generators of electromagnetic radiation. Detection of endotoxin using these devices was performed by electropuncture vegetative resonance test. Immunoenzyme reaction with antibodies to chemotype Re glycolipid was used during analysis of preparations for assessment of resonance-frequency method specificity. The study showed that resonance-frequency method can detect lypopolysaccharides of different enterobacteria in quantities up to 0.1 pg as well as bacteria which contain lypopolysaccharides. At the same time, this method does not detect such bacteria as Staphylococcus aureus, Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., and Candida albicans. The method does not require preliminary processing of blood samples and can be used for diagnostics of endotoxinemia, and detection of endotoxins in blood samples or injection solutions.

Numerical simulation of the processes of small-diameter high-current electron beam shaping and injection

CERN Document Server

Gordeev, V S; Myskov, G A

2001-01-01

With the aid of BEAM 25 program there was carried out the numerical simulation of the non-stationary process of shaping a small-diameter (<= 20mm) high-current hollow electron beam in a diode with magnetic insulation,as well as of the process of beam injection into the accelerating LIA track. The diode configuration for the purpose of eliminating the leakage of electron flux to the anode surface was update. Presented are the results of calculation of the injected beam characteristics (amplitude-time parameters of a current pulse, space-angle distributions of electrons etc.) depending on diode geometric parameters.

Safe injection procedures, injection practices, and needlestick ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Results: Safe injection procedures regarding final waste disposal were sufficiently adopted, while measures regarding disposable injection equipment, waste containers, hand hygiene, as well as injection practices were inadequately carried out. Lack of job aid posters that promote safe injection and safe disposal of ...

Profiling safety of intravitreal injections for retinoblastoma using an anti-reflux procedure and sterilisation of the needle track.

Science.gov (United States)

Munier, Francis L; Soliman, Sameh; Moulin, Alexandre P; Gaillard, Marie-Claire; Balmer, Aubin; Beck-Popovic, Maja

2012-08-01

The preservation of globe integrity has always been a major concern during the treatment of retinoblastoma for fear of extraocular or metastatic spread. Intravitreal chemotherapy has been attempted as a desperate salvage therapy only for eyes with refractory retinoblastoma. Published data on the safety and efficacy of this route are, however, limited. A modified technique of intravitreal injection in eyes with retinoblastoma is described. All children with retinoblastoma who received one or more intravitreal injections using this technique were retrospectively reviewed concerning ocular complications of the injection procedure as well as clinical or histopathological evidence of tumour spread. 30 eyes of 30 children with retinoblastoma received a total of 135 intravitreal injections, with a median follw-up duration of 13.5 months. No extraocular spread was seen on clinical follow-up in any patients and there was no tumour contamination of the retrieved entry sites histopathologically analysed among the five enucleated eyes. No significant ocular side effects were observed except transient localised vitreous haemorrhage (3/135). This technique is potentially safe and effective at a low cost and may play a promising role, especially in the treatment of recurrent and/or resistant vitreous disease in retinoblastoma, as an alternative to enucleation and/or external beam radiotherapy. However, this treatment should not replace the primary standard of care of retinoblastoma and should not be considered in group E eyes. Its application should be approved by an ophthalmological-oncological team and it should be performed by an experienced eye surgeon in a tertiary referral centre after careful selection of a tumour-free injection site.

The chaperonin-60 universal target is a barcode for bacteria that enables de novo assembly of metagenomic sequence data.

Science.gov (United States)

Links, Matthew G; Dumonceaux, Tim J; Hemmingsen, Sean M; Hill, Janet E

2012-01-01

Barcoding with molecular sequences is widely used to catalogue eukaryotic biodiversity. Studies investigating the community dynamics of microbes have relied heavily on gene-centric metagenomic profiling using two genes (16S rRNA and cpn60) to identify and track Bacteria. While there have been criteria formalized for barcoding of eukaryotes, these criteria have not been used to evaluate gene targets for other domains of life. Using the framework of the International Barcode of Life we evaluated DNA barcodes for Bacteria. Candidates from the 16S rRNA gene and the protein coding cpn60 gene were evaluated. Within complete bacterial genomes in the public domain representing 983 species from 21 phyla, the largest difference between median pairwise inter- and intra-specific distances ("barcode gap") was found from cpn60. Distribution of sequence diversity along the ∼555 bp cpn60 target region was remarkably uniform. The barcode gap of the cpn60 universal target facilitated the faithful de novo assembly of full-length operational taxonomic units from pyrosequencing data from a synthetic microbial community. Analysis supported the recognition of both 16S rRNA and cpn60 as DNA barcodes for Bacteria. The cpn60 universal target was found to have a much larger barcode gap than 16S rRNA suggesting cpn60 as a preferred barcode for Bacteria. A large barcode gap for cpn60 provided a robust target for species-level characterization of data. The assembly of consensus sequences for barcodes was shown to be a reliable method for the identification and tracking of novel microbes in metagenomic studies.

MD 2408: Study of Schottky Monitors for Q' Measurement at Injection

CERN Document Server

Tydecks, Tobias; Levens, Tom; Wendt, Manfred; Wenninger, Jorg; CERN. Geneva. ATS Department

2018-01-01

The Schottky monitors installed at the LHC enable the detection of Schottky noise of the two circulating proton / ion beams. From Schottky noise, beam parameters like tune, chromaticity, and relative emittance, can be extracted in a non-destructive and purely parasitic method of measurement. The primary goal of this MD was to study the Schottky monitors capability to reliably and accurately determine the beam chromaticities at injection energy. Furthermore, the possibility to track the beam emittance has been investigated.

Real-time piscicide tracking using Rhodamine WT dye for support of application, transport, and deactivation strategies in riverine environments

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Patrick Ryan; Lageman, Jonathan D.

2013-01-01

Piscicide applications in riverine environments are complicated by the advection and dispersion of the piscicide by the flowing water. Proper deactivation of the fish toxin is required outside of the treatment reach to ensure that there is minimal collateral damage to fisheries downstream or in connecting and adjacent water bodies. In urban settings and highly managed waterways, further complications arise from the influence of industrial intakes and outfalls, stormwater outfalls, lock and dam operations, and general unsteady flow conditions. These complications affect the local hydrodynamics and ultimately the transport and fate of the piscicide. This report presents two techniques using Rhodamine WT dye for real-time tracking of a piscicide plume—or any passive contaminant—in rivers and waterways in natural and urban settings. Passive contaminants are those that are present in such low concentration that there is no effect (such as buoyancy) on the fluid dynamics of the receiving water body. These methods, when combined with data logging and archiving, allow for visualization and documentation of the application and deactivation process. Real-time tracking and documentation of rotenone applications in rivers and urban waterways was accomplished by encasing the rotenone plume in a plume of Rhodamine WT dye and using vessel-mounted submersible fluorometers together with acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) and global positioning system (GPS) receivers to track the dye and map the water currents responsible for advection and dispersion. In this study, two methods were used to track rotenone plumes: (1) simultaneous injection of dye with rotenone and (2) delineation of the upstream and downstream boundaries of the treatment zone with dye. All data were logged and displayed on a shipboard laptop computer, so that survey personnel provided real-time feedback about the extent of the rotenone plume to rotenone application and deactivation personnel. Further

The Survey of Contamination of Platelet Product with Aerobic Bacteria in Isfahan Blood Transfusion Center

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F Baghban

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Although nowadays the risk of transmission of bacterial pathogens through blood transfusion has been decreased, but there is the possibility of transmission of these factors by injection of these kind of products. The purpose of this survey was determination of contamination of platelet products with aerobic bacteria in Isfahan Blood Transfusion Center. Methods: In the spring and summer of 2014, 2000 platelet product samples were examined randomly in 5 months for aerobic bacterial contamination. First, samples were cultured in fluid thioglycollate medium. The bacteria that were grown in this medium were identified by Gram staining and biochemical tests. Then, DNA was extracted from isolated bacteria and PCR was done for 16S rRNA gene. After that the PCR products were sequenced and the bacteria were recognized at the level of species. Results: At this research, 4 contaminated samples were identified. Isolated bacteria were including: Klebsiella pneumoniae 1 case, Staphylococcus aureus 1 case, Staphylococcus epidermidis 1 case and Staphylococcus haemolyticus 1 case.    After sequencing of 16S rRNA gene, the homology was observed 97%, 83%, 99%, and 90% at theses bacteria, respectively. Discussion: According to the results of this research, platelet products may be contaminated with aerobic bacteria. Therefore, providing appropriate conditions in transfusion centers and other therapeutic centers for doing screening tests on platelet products to identifying bacterial contaminations before using of these products seems to be necessary.

Effect of cross-correlation on track-to-track fusion

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Rajat K.

1994-07-01

Since the advent of target tracking systems employing a diverse mixture of sensors, there has been increasing recognition by air defense system planners and other military system analysts of the need to integrate these tracks so that a clear air picture can be obtained in a command center. A popular methodology to achieve this goal is to perform track-to-track fusion, which performs track-to-track association as well as kinematic state vector fusion. This paper seeks to answer analytically the extent of improvement achievable by means of kinetic state vector fusion when the tracks are obtained from dissimilar sensors (e.g., Radar/ESM/IRST/IFF). It is well known that evaluation of the performance of state vector fusion algorithms at steady state must take into account the effects of cross-correlation between eligible tracks introduced by the input noise which, unfortunately, is often neglected because of added computational complexity. In this paper, an expression for the steady-state cross-covariance matrix for a 2D state vector track-to-track fusion is obtained. This matrix is shown to be a function of the parameters of the Kalman filters associated with the candidate tracks being fused. Conditions for positive definiteness of the cross-covariance matrix have been derived and the effect of positive definiteness on performance of track-to-track fusion is also discussed.

NucliTrack: an integrated nuclei tracking application.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Sam; Barr, Alexis R; Glen, Robert; Bakal, Chris

2017-10-15

Live imaging studies give unparalleled insight into dynamic single cell behaviours and fate decisions. However, the challenge of reliably tracking single cells over long periods of time limits both the throughput and ease with which such studies can be performed. Here, we present NucliTrack, a cross platform solution for automatically segmenting, tracking and extracting features from fluorescently labelled nuclei. NucliTrack performs similarly to other state-of-the-art cell tracking algorithms, but NucliTrack's interactive, graphical interface makes it significantly more user friendly. NucliTrack is available as a free, cross platform application and open source Python package. Installation details and documentation are at: http://nuclitrack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ A video guide can be viewed online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6e0D9F-qSU Source code is available through Github: https://github.com/samocooper/nuclitrack. A Matlab toolbox is also available at: https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/61479-samocooper-nuclitrack-matlab. sam@socooper.com. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Novel bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria (LAB): various structures and applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez, Rodney H; Zendo, Takeshi; Sonomoto, Kenji

2014-08-29

Bacteriocins are heat-stable ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides produced by various bacteria, including food-grade lactic acid bacteria (LAB). These antimicrobial peptides have huge potential as both food preservatives, and as next-generation antibiotics targeting the multiple-drug resistant pathogens. The increasing number of reports of new bacteriocins with unique properties indicates that there is still a lot to learn about this family of peptide antibiotics. In this review, we highlight our system of fast tracking the discovery of novel bacteriocins, belonging to different classes, and isolated from various sources. This system employs molecular mass analysis of supernatant from the candidate strain, coupled with a statistical analysis of their antimicrobial spectra that can even discriminate novel variants of known bacteriocins. This review also discusses current updates regarding the structural characterization, mode of antimicrobial action, and biosynthetic mechanisms of various novel bacteriocins. Future perspectives and potential applications of these novel bacteriocins are also discussed.

Quality of Slab Track Construction – Track Alignment Design and Track Geometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Šestáková Janka

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The slab track superstructure design (without ballast is a perspective construction especially for building tunnels and bridges in the modernized sections of railway tracks in Slovakia. Monitoring of the structure described in this article is focused on the transition areas between standard structure with ballast and slab track construction.

Detection of Bacteria by Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization in Culture-Negative Soft Tissue Filler Lesions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjarnsholt, Thomas; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim; Givskov, Michael

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND Adverse reactions to polyacrylamide gel occur as swellings or nodules, and controversy exists whether these are due to bacterial infection or an autoimmune reaction to the filler. OBJECTIVES Biopsies from culture-negative long-lasting nodules after injection with different types...... of polyacrylamide gel were examined with a combination of Gram stain and fluorescence in situ hybridization. RESULTS Bacteria were detected in biopsies from seven of eight patients. They inhabited gel and intervening tissue and tended to lie in aggregates. CONCLUSION This study supports the assumption...... that infection with bacteria in aggregates causes culture-negative late adverse reactions to polyacrylamide gel, suggesting a biofilm environment. The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters....

Radiation dosimetry for microbial experiments in the International Space Station using different etched track and luminescent detectors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Goossens, O.; Vanhavere, F.; Leys, N.; De Boever, P.; O'Sullivan, D.; Zhou, D.; Spurný, František; Yukihara, E.; Gaza, R.; McKeever, S.

2006-01-01

Roč. 120, 1- 4 (2006), s. 433-437 ISSN 0144-8420 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 1P05OC032 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10480505 Keywords : bacteria l experiments * space flight * etched track detectors * thermoluminescent detectors Subject RIV: DN - Health Impact of the Environment Quality Impact factor: 0.446, year: 2006

Specific inflammatory response of Anemonia sulcata (Cnidaria) after bacterial injection causes tissue reaction and enzymatic activity alteration.

Science.gov (United States)

Trapani, M R; Parisi, M G; Parrinello, D; Sanfratello, M A; Benenati, G; Palla, F; Cammarata, M

2016-03-01

The evolution of multicellular organisms was marked by adaptations to protect against pathogens. The mechanisms for discriminating the ''self'' from ''non-self" have evolved into a long history of cellular and molecular strategies, from damage repair to the co-evolution of host-pathogen interactions. We investigated the inflammatory response in Anemonia sulcata (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) following injection of substances that varied in type and dimension, and observed clear, strong and specific reactions, especially after injection of Escherichia coli and Vibrio alginolyticus. Moreover, we analyzed enzymatic activity of protease, phosphatase and esterase, showing how the injection of different bacterial strains alters the expression of these enzymes and suggesting a correlation between the appearance of the inflammatory reaction and the modification of enzymatic activities. Our study shows for the first time, a specific reaction and enzymatic responses following injection of bacteria in a cnidarian. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interactions of the cell-wall glycopolymers of lactic acid bacteria with their bacteriophages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie-Pierre eChapot-Chartier

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Lactic acid bacteria (LAB are Gram positive bacteria widely used in the production of fermented food in particular cheese and yoghurts. Bacteriophage infections during fermentation processes have been for many years a major industrial concern and have stimulated numerous research efforts. Better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of bacteriophage interactions with their host bacteria is required for the development of efficient strategies to fight against infections. The bacterial cell wall plays key roles in these interactions. First, bacteriophages must adsorb at the bacterial surface through specific interactions with receptors that are cell wall components. At next step, phages must overcome the barrier constituted by cell wall peptidoglycan to inject DNA inside bacterial cell. Also at the end of the infection cycle, phages synthesize endolysins able to hydrolyze peptidoglycan and lyse bacterial cells to release phage progeny. In the last decade, concomitant development of genomics and structural analysis of cell wall components allowed considerable advances in the knowledge of their structure and function in several model LAB. Here, we describe the present knowledge on the structure of the cell wall glycopolymers of the best characterized LAB emphasizing their structural variations and we present the available data regarding their role in bacteria-phage specific interactions at the different steps of the infection cycle.

Effect of the space-charge force on tracking at low energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furman, M.A.

1987-01-01

The authors present tracking results for the SSC's Low Energy Booster at injection energy, including the effect of the space-charge force. The bunches are assumed to be gaussian with elliptical cross-section. Magnet errors and sextupoles are not included, but an RF cavity is. The authors compare the phase space with and without synchrotron oscillations, with and without space-charge. The effective emittance is not significantly altered. They also present results on tune shifts with amplitude

Target injection methods for inertial fusion energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petzoldt, R.W.; Moir, R.W.

1994-06-01

We have studied four methods to inject IFE targets: the gas gun, electrostatic accelerator, induction accelerator, and rail gun. We recommend a gas gun for indirect drive targets because they can support a gas pressure load on one end and can slide along the gun barrel without damage. With the gas gun, the amount of gas required for each target (about 10 to 100 mg) is acceptable; for other types of targets, a sabot would be necessary. A cam and poppet valve arrangement is recommended for gas flow control. An electrostatic accelerator is attractive for use with lightweight spherical direct drive targets. Since there is no physical contact between the target and the injector, there will be no wear of either component during the injection process. An induction accelerator has an advantage of no electrical contact between the target and the injector. Physical contact is not even necessary, so the wear should be minimal. It requires a cylindrical conductive target sleeve which is a substantial added mass. A rail gun is a simpler device than an electrostatic accelerator or induction accelerator. It requires electrical contact between the target and the rails and may have a significant wear rate. The wear in a vacuum could be reduced by use of a solid lubricant such as MoS 2 . The total required accuracy of target injection, tracking and beam pointing of ±0.4 mm appears achievable but will require development and experimental verification

Development of track membranes applications in Poland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Starosta, W.; Buczkowski, M.; Wawszczak, D.

1998-01-01

In the work Particle Track Membranes (PTMs), a microfiltration material manufactured by using heavy ion beams from cyclotrons, are characterized. results of radiation resistance measurements for PTMs made of different polymeric films as: PET, PC, PP are given. PTMs have been applied in several fields including biomedicine and biotechnology. In the first case dispensable syringe filters and multilayer medical dressings have been worked out. If pore sizes of PTMs in these products are 0.2 μm they become a barrier for microorganisms including bacteria. Applications of PTMs in a dynamic filtration device with rotating cylinder has been investigated. For pilot testing microfiltration of biotechnological suspensions with yeast cells has been used. From economical point of view obtained microfiltration results could be acceptable. (author)

Nanoscale measurements of proton tracks using fluorescent nuclear track detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sawakuchi, Gabriel O., E-mail: gsawakuchi@mdanderson.org; Sahoo, Narayan [Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States); Ferreira, Felisberto A. [Department of Nuclear Physics, University of Sao Paulo, SP 05508-090 (Brazil); McFadden, Conor H. [Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States); Hallacy, Timothy M. [Biophysics Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States); Granville, Dal A. [Department of Medical Physics, The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6 (Canada); Akselrod, Mark S. [Crystal Growth Division, Landauer, Inc., Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074 (United States)

2016-05-15

Purpose: The authors describe a method in which fluorescence nuclear track detectors (FNTDs), novel track detectors with nanoscale spatial resolution, are used to determine the linear energy transfer (LET) of individual proton tracks from proton therapy beams by allowing visualization and 3D reconstruction of such tracks. Methods: FNTDs were exposed to proton therapy beams with nominal energies ranging from 100 to 250 MeV. Proton track images were then recorded by confocal microscopy of the FNTDs. Proton tracks in the FNTD images were fit by using a Gaussian function to extract fluorescence amplitudes. Histograms of fluorescence amplitudes were then compared with LET spectra. Results: The authors successfully used FNTDs to register individual proton tracks from high-energy proton therapy beams, allowing reconstruction of 3D images of proton tracks along with delta rays. The track amplitudes from FNTDs could be used to parameterize LET spectra, allowing the LET of individual proton tracks from therapeutic proton beams to be determined. Conclusions: FNTDs can be used to directly visualize proton tracks and their delta rays at the nanoscale level. Because the track intensities in the FNTDs correlate with LET, they could be used further to measure LET of individual proton tracks. This method may be useful for measuring nanoscale radiation quantities and for measuring the LET of individual proton tracks in radiation biology experiments.

Assessing Urinary Tract Junction Obstruction Defects by Methylene Blue Dye Injection.

Science.gov (United States)

Yun, Kangsun

2017-10-12

Urinary tract junction obstruction defects are congenital anomalies inducing hydronephrosis and hydroureter. Murine urinary tract junction obstruction defects can be assessed by tracking methylene blue dye flow within the urinary system. Methylene blue dye is injected into the renal pelvis of perinatal embryonic kidneys and dye flow is monitored from the renal pelvis of the kidney through the ureter and into the bladder lumen after applying hydrostatic pressure. Dye accumulation will be evident in the bladder lumen of the normal perinatal urinary tract, but will be constrained between the renal pelvis and the end point of an abnormal ureter, if urinary tract obstructions occur. This method facilitates the confirmation of urinary tract junction obstructions and visualization of hydronephrosis and hydroureter. This manuscript describes a protocol for methylene blue dye injection into the renal pelvis to confirm urinary tract junction obstructions.

Thickness and Closure Kinetics of the Suprachoroidal Space Following Microneedle Injection of Liquid Formulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Bryce; Venugopal, Nitin; Grossniklaus, Hans E; Jung, Jae Hwan; Edelhauser, Henry F; Prausnitz, Mark R

2017-01-01

To determine the effect of injection volume and formulation of a microneedle injection into the suprachoroidal space (SCS) on SCS thickness and closure kinetics. Microneedle injections containing 25 to 150 μL Hanks' balanced salt solution (HBSS) were performed in the rabbit SCS ex vivo. Distribution of SCS thickness was measured by ultrasonography and three-dimensional (3D) cryo-reconstruction. Microneedle injections were performed in the rabbit SCS in vivo using HBSS, Discovisc, and 1% to 5% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) in HBSS. Ultrasonography was used to track SCS thickness over time. Increasing HBSS injection volume increased the area of expanded SCS, but did not increase SCS thickness ex vivo. With SCS injections in vivo, the SCS initially expanded to thicknesses of 0.43 ± 0.06 mm with HBSS, 1.5 ± 0.4 mm with Discovisc, and 0.69 to 2.1 mm with 1% to 5% CMC. After injection with HBSS, Discovisc, and 1% CMC solution, the SCS collapsed to baseline with time constants of 19 minutes, 6 hours, and 2.4 days, respectively. In contrast, injections with 3% to 5% CMC solution resulted in SCS expansion to 2.3 to 2.8 mm over the course of 2.8 to 9.1 hours, after which the SCS collapsed to baseline with time constants of 4.5 to 9.2 days. With low-viscosity formulations, SCS expands to a thickness that remains roughly constant, independent of the volume of fluid injected. Increasing injection fluid viscosity significantly increased SCS thickness. Expansion of the SCS is hypothesized to be controlled by a balance between the viscous forces of the liquid formulation and the resistive biomechanical forces of the tissue.

Diversity and Stability of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Rye Sourdoughs of Four Bakeries with Different Propagation Parameters

OpenAIRE

Viiard, Ene; Bessmeltseva, Marianna; Simm, Jaak; Talve, Tiina; Aasp?llu, Anu; Paalme, Toomas; Sarand, Inga

2016-01-01

We identified the lactic acid bacteria within rye sourdoughs and starters from four bakeries with different propagation parameters and tracked their dynamics for between 5-28 months after renewal. Evaluation of bacterial communities was performed using plating, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. Lactobacillus amylovorus and Lactobacillus frumenti or Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus pontis and Lactobacillus panis prevailed in sourdoug...

Tracking errors in a prototype real-time tumour tracking system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharp, Gregory C; Jiang, Steve B; Shimizu, Shinichi; Shirato, Hiroki

2004-01-01

In motion-compensated radiation therapy, radio-opaque markers can be implanted in or near a tumour and tracked in real-time using fluoroscopic imaging. Tracking these implanted markers gives highly accurate position information, except when tracking fails due to poor or ambiguous imaging conditions. This study investigates methods for automatic detection of tracking errors, and assesses the frequency and impact of tracking errors on treatments using the prototype real-time tumour tracking system. We investigated four indicators for automatic detection of tracking errors, and found that the distance between corresponding rays was most effective. We also found that tracking errors cause a loss of gating efficiency of between 7.6 and 10.2%. The incidence of treatment beam delivery during tracking errors was estimated at between 0.8% and 1.25%

Decreased waterborne pathogenic bacteria in an urban aquifer related to intense shallow geothermal exploitation.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Gil, Alejandro; Gasco-Cavero, Samanta; Garrido, Eduardo; Mejías, Miguel; Epting, Jannis; Navarro-Elipe, Mercedes; Alejandre, Carmen; Sevilla-Alcaine, Elena

2018-08-15

The implications of intensive use of shallow geothermal energy resources in shallow urban aquifers are still not known for waterborne pathogens relevant to human health. Firstly, we hypothesized that waterborne enteric pathogens would be relatively increased in heated groundwater plumes. To prove this, microbiological sampling of 31 piezometers covering the domain of an urban groundwater body affected by microbiological contamination and energetically exploited by 70 groundwater heat pump systems was performed. Mean differences of pathogenic bacteria contents between impacted and non-impacted monitoring points were assessed with a two-tailed independent Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U and correlation coefficients were also calculated. Surprisingly, the results obtained revealed a significant and generalized decrease in waterborne pathogen contents in thermally impacted piezometers compared to that of non-impacted piezometers. This decrease is hypothesized to be caused by a heat shock to bacteria within the heat exchangers. The statistically significant negative correlations obtained between waterborne pathogen counts and temperature could be explained by the spatial distribution of the bacteria, finding that bacteria start to recover with increasing distance from the injection point. Also, different behavior groups fitting exponential regression models were found for the bacteria species studied, justified by the different presence and influence of several aquifer parameters and major, minor and trace elements studied, as well as the coexistence with other bacteria species. The results obtained from this work reinforce the concept of shallow geothermal resources as a clean energy source, as they could also provide the basis to control the pathogenic bacteria contents in groundwater bodies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Occurrence of Beer Spoilage Lactic Acid Bacteria in Craft Beer Production.

Science.gov (United States)

Garofalo, Cristiana; Osimani, Andrea; Milanović, Vesna; Taccari, Manuela; Aquilanti, Lucia; Clementi, Francesca

2015-12-01

Beer is one of the world's most ancient and widely consumed fermented alcoholic beverages produced with water, malted cereal grains (generally barley and wheat), hops, and yeast. Beer is considered an unfavorable substrate of growth for many microorganisms, however, there are a limited number of bacteria and yeasts, which are capable of growth and may spoil beer especially if it is not pasteurized or sterile-filtered as craft beer. The aim of this research study was to track beer spoilage lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inside a brewery and during the craft beer production process. To that end, indoor air and work surface samples, collected in the brewery under study, together with commercial active dry yeasts, exhausted yeasts, yeast pellet (obtained after mature beer centrifugation), and spoiled beers were analyzed through culture-dependent methods and PCR-DGGE in order to identify the contaminant LAB species and the source of contamination. Lactobacillus brevis was detected in a spoiled beer and in a commercial active dry yeast. Other LAB species and bacteria ascribed to Staphylococcus sp., Enterobaceriaceae, and Acetobacter sp. were found in the brewery. In conclusion, the PCR-DGGE technique coupled with the culture-dependent method was found to be a useful tool for identifying the beer spoilage bacteria and the source of contamination. The analyses carried out on raw materials, by-products, final products, and the brewery were useful for implementing a sanitization plan to be adopted in the production plant. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Tracking acquired antibiotic resistance in commensal bacteria of Galápagos land iguanas: no man, no resistance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Cristina Thaller

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance, evolving and spreading among bacterial pathogens, poses a serious threat to human health. Antibiotic use for clinical, veterinary and agricultural practices provides the major selective pressure for emergence and persistence of acquired resistance determinants. However, resistance has also been found in the absence of antibiotic exposure, such as in bacteria from wildlife, raising a question about the mechanisms of emergence and persistence of resistant strains under similar conditions, and the implications for resistance control strategies. Since previous studies yielded some contrasting results, possibly due to differences in the ecological landscapes of the studied wildlife, we further investigated this issue in wildlife from a remote setting of the Galapagos archipelago. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Screening for acquired antibiotic resistance was carried out in commensal enterobacteria from Conolophus pallidus, the terrestrial iguana of Isla Santa Fe, where: i the abiotic conditions ensure to microbes good survival possibilities in the environment; ii the animal density and their habits favour microbial circulation between individuals; and iii there is no history of antibiotic exposure and the impact of humans and introduced animal species is minimal except for restricted areas. Results revealed that acquired antibiotic resistance traits were exceedingly rare among bacteria, occurring only as non-dominant strains from an area of minor human impact. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Where both the exposure to antibiotics and the anthropic pressure are minimal, acquired antibiotic resistance traits are not normally found in bacteria from wildlife, even if the ecological landscape is highly favourable to bacterial circulation among animals. Monitoring antibiotic resistance in wildlife from remote areas could also be a useful tool to evaluate the impact of anthropic pressure.

Tracking acquired antibiotic resistance in commensal bacteria of Galápagos land iguanas: no man, no resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Thaller, Maria Cristina; Migliore, Luciana; Marquez, Cruz; Tapia, Washington; Cedeño, Virna; Rossolini, Gian Maria; Gentile, Gabriele

2010-02-01

Antibiotic resistance, evolving and spreading among bacterial pathogens, poses a serious threat to human health. Antibiotic use for clinical, veterinary and agricultural practices provides the major selective pressure for emergence and persistence of acquired resistance determinants. However, resistance has also been found in the absence of antibiotic exposure, such as in bacteria from wildlife, raising a question about the mechanisms of emergence and persistence of resistant strains under similar conditions, and the implications for resistance control strategies. Since previous studies yielded some contrasting results, possibly due to differences in the ecological landscapes of the studied wildlife, we further investigated this issue in wildlife from a remote setting of the Galapagos archipelago. Screening for acquired antibiotic resistance was carried out in commensal enterobacteria from Conolophus pallidus, the terrestrial iguana of Isla Santa Fe, where: i) the abiotic conditions ensure to microbes good survival possibilities in the environment; ii) the animal density and their habits favour microbial circulation between individuals; and iii) there is no history of antibiotic exposure and the impact of humans and introduced animal species is minimal except for restricted areas. Results revealed that acquired antibiotic resistance traits were exceedingly rare among bacteria, occurring only as non-dominant strains from an area of minor human impact. Where both the exposure to antibiotics and the anthropic pressure are minimal, acquired antibiotic resistance traits are not normally found in bacteria from wildlife, even if the ecological landscape is highly favourable to bacterial circulation among animals. Monitoring antibiotic resistance in wildlife from remote areas could also be a useful tool to evaluate the impact of anthropic pressure.

Large angle tracking and high discriminating tracking in nuclear emulsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuo, Tomokazu; Shibuya, Hiroshi; Ogawa, Satoru; Fukuda, Tsutomu; Mikado, Shoji

2015-01-01

Nuclear emulsion is a high resolution and re-analyzable detector. Conventional “Track Selector” which have angle acceptance |tan θ|<0.6 are widely used to find tracks in emulsion. We made a new track selector “Fine Track Selector” (FTS) which has large angle acceptance and high discriminating ability. The FTS reduces fake tracks using new algorithms, navigation etc. FTS also keeps finding efficiency of tracks around 90% in an angle range of |tan θ| < 3.5. FTS was applied to the τ candidate in OPERA and no additional tracks found. FTS will be useful to our new J-PARC emulsion experiment.

Tracking and quantification of nitrifying bacteria in biofilm and mixed liquor of a partial nitrification MBBR pilot plant using fluorescence in situ hybridization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abzazou, Tarik; Araujo, Rosa M.; Auset, María; Salvadó, Humbert

2016-01-01

A moving bead biofilm reactor (MBBR) pilot plant was implemented as a partial nitrification process for pre-treatment of ammonium-rich liquors (676 ± 195 mg L"−"1), and studied for 479 days under variations in hydraulic retention time. The main purpose of this work, was the study of dynamics abundance of total bacteria and single-cells nitrifying bacteria belonging to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in biofilms and mixed liquor of the plant. The microbial monitoring was successfully achieved using fluorescence in situ hybridization combined with flocs disaggregation protocol as a useful microbial monitoring tool. A partial nitrification process with a N-NH_4"+ removal rate of about 38.6 ± 14.8% was successfully achieved at 211 days after start-up, with a clear dominance of AOB, which accounted for 11.3 ± 17.0% of total bacterial cells compared with only 2.1 ± 4.0% of NOB. The effluent obtained was subsequently supplied to an Anammox reactor for complete ammonium treatment. - Highlights: • Partial nitrification process in a MBBR fed with ammonium-rich liquor was achieved. • The operational key parameters were the HRT and temperature. • DAPI and FISH were useful to monitoring microbial composition of MBBR pilot plant. • The AOB were the dominant nitrifying bacteria, presenting 11.3% of total bacteria. • A significant correlation (R = 0.68) between AOB and ammonia removal was found.

Tracking and quantification of nitrifying bacteria in biofilm and mixed liquor of a partial nitrification MBBR pilot plant using fluorescence in situ hybridization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abzazou, Tarik, E-mail: tabzazou@ub.edu [Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Araujo, Rosa M., E-mail: raraujo@ub.edu [Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Auset, María, E-mail: maria.auset.vallejo@acciona.com [ACCIONA AGUA, S.A., Av de les Garrigues 22, El Prat de Llobregat, 08820 Barcelona (Spain); Salvadó, Humbert, E-mail: hsalvado@ub.edu [Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)

2016-01-15

A moving bead biofilm reactor (MBBR) pilot plant was implemented as a partial nitrification process for pre-treatment of ammonium-rich liquors (676 ± 195 mg L{sup −1}), and studied for 479 days under variations in hydraulic retention time. The main purpose of this work, was the study of dynamics abundance of total bacteria and single-cells nitrifying bacteria belonging to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in biofilms and mixed liquor of the plant. The microbial monitoring was successfully achieved using fluorescence in situ hybridization combined with flocs disaggregation protocol as a useful microbial monitoring tool. A partial nitrification process with a N-NH{sub 4}{sup +} removal rate of about 38.6 ± 14.8% was successfully achieved at 211 days after start-up, with a clear dominance of AOB, which accounted for 11.3 ± 17.0% of total bacterial cells compared with only 2.1 ± 4.0% of NOB. The effluent obtained was subsequently supplied to an Anammox reactor for complete ammonium treatment. - Highlights: • Partial nitrification process in a MBBR fed with ammonium-rich liquor was achieved. • The operational key parameters were the HRT and temperature. • DAPI and FISH were useful to monitoring microbial composition of MBBR pilot plant. • The AOB were the dominant nitrifying bacteria, presenting 11.3% of total bacteria. • A significant correlation (R = 0.68) between AOB and ammonia removal was found.

Influence of tracks densities in solid state nuclear track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guedes O, S.; Hadler N.; Lunes, P.; Saenz T, C.

1996-01-01

When Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTD) is employed to measure nuclear tracks produced mainly by fission fragments and alpha particles, it is considered that the tracks observation work is performed under an efficiency, ε 0 , which is independent of the track density (number of tracks/area unit). There are not published results or experimental data supporting such an assumption. In this work the dependence of ε 0 with track density is studied basing on experimental data. To perform this, pieces of CR-39 cut from a sole 'mother sheet' were coupled to thin uranium films for different exposition times and the resulting ratios between track density and exposition time were compared. Our results indicate that ε 0 is constant for track densities between 10 3 and 10 5 cm -2 . At our etching conditions track overlapping makes impossible the counting for densities around 1.7 x 10 5 cm -2 . For track densities less than 10 3 cm -2 , ε 0 , was not observed to be constant. (authors). 4 refs., 2 figs

The relationship between fission track length and track density in apatite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laslett, G.M.; Gleadow, A.J.W.; Duddy, I.R.

1984-01-01

Fission track dating is based upon an age equation derived from a random line segment model for fission tracks. This equation contains the implicit assumption of a proportional relationship between the true mean length of fission tracks and their track density in an isotropic medium. Previous experimental investigation of this relationship for both spontaneous and induced tracks in apatite during progressive annealment model in an obvious fashion. Corrected equations relating track length and density for apatite, an anisotropic mineral, show that the proportionality in this case is between track density and a length factor which is a generalization of the mean track length combining the actual length and crystallographic orientation of the track. This relationship has been experimentally confirmed for induced tracks in Durango apatite, taking into account bias in sampling of the track lengths, and the effect of the bulk etching velocity. (author)

Symplectic Tracking of Multi-Isotopic Heavy-Ion Beams in SixTrack

CERN Document Server

Hermes, Pascal; De Maria, Riccardo

2016-01-01

The software SixTrack provides symplectic proton tracking over a large number of turns. The code is used for the tracking of beam halo particles and the simulation of their interaction with the collimators to study the efficiency of the LHC collimation system. Tracking simulations for heavy-ion beams require taking into account the mass to charge ratio of each particle because heavy ions can be subject to fragmentation at their passage through the collimators. In this paper we present the derivation of a Hamiltonian for multi-isotopic heavy-ion beams and symplectic tracking maps derived from it. The resulting tracking maps were implemented in the tracking software SixTrack. With this modification, SixTrack can be used to natively track heavy-ion beams of multiple isotopes through a magnetic accelerator lattice.

Contribution of macrophages in the contrast loss in iron oxide-based MRI cancer cell tracking studies

Science.gov (United States)

Danhier, Pierre; Deumer, Gladys; Joudiou, Nicolas; Bouzin, Caroline; Levêque, Philippe; Haufroid, Vincent; Jordan, Bénédicte F.; Feron, Olivier; Sonveaux, Pierre; Gallez, Bernard

2017-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cell tracking of cancer cells labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxides (SPIO) allows visualizing metastatic cells in preclinical models. However, previous works showed that the signal void induced by SPIO on T2(*)-weighted images decreased over time. Here, we aim at characterizing the fate of iron oxide nanoparticles used in cell tracking studies and the role of macrophages in SPIO metabolism. In vivo MRI cell tracking of SPIO positive 4T1 breast cancer cells revealed a quick loss of T2* contrast after injection. We next took advantage of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) for characterizing the evolution of superparamagnetic and non-superparamagnetic iron pools in 4T1 breast cancer cells and J774 macrophages after SPIO labeling. These in vitro experiments and histology studies performed on 4T1 tumors highlighted the quick degradation of iron oxides by macrophages in SPIO-based cell tracking experiments. In conclusion, the release of SPIO by dying cancer cells and the subsequent uptake of iron oxides by tumor macrophages are limiting factors in MRI cell tracking experiments that plead for the use of (MR) reporter-gene based imaging methods for the long-term tracking of metastatic cells. PMID:28467814

Commissioning of the LHCb Silicon Tracker using data from the LHC injection tests

CERN Document Server

Knecht, M; Blanc, F; Bettler, M-O; Conti, G; Fave, V; Frei, R; Gauvin, N; Haefeli, G; Keune, A; Luisier, J; Muresan, R; Nakada, T; Needham, M; Nicolas, L; Perrin, A; Potterat, C; Schneider, O; Tran, M; Bauer, C; Britsch, M; Hofmann, W; Maciuc, F; Schmelling, M; Voss, H; Anderson, J; Buechler, A; Chiapolini, N; Hangartner, V; Salzmann, C; Steiner, S; Steinkamp, O; Van Tilburg, J; Tobin, M; Vollhardt, A; Adeva, B; Fungueiri no Pazos, J; Gallas, A; Pazos-Alvarez, A; Pérez-Trigo, E; Pló-Casasus, M; Rodriguez Perez, P; Saborido, J; Vázquez, P; Iakovenko, V; Okhrimenko, O; Pugatch, V

2011-01-01

LHCb is a single-arm forward spectrometer dedicated to the study of the CP-violation and rare decays in the b-quark sector. An efficient and high precision tracking system is a key requirement of the experiment. The LHCb Silicon Tracker Project consists of two sub-detectors that make use of silicon micro-strip technology: the Tracker Turicensis located upstream of the spectrometer magnet and the Inner Tracker which covers the innermost part of the tracking stations after the magnet. In total an area of 12 m^2 is covered by silicon. In September 2008 and June 2009, injection tests from the SPS to the LHC were performed. Bunches of order 5x10^9 protons were dumped onto a beam stopper (TED) located upstream of LHCb. This produced a spray of ~10 GeV muons in the LHCb detector. Though the occupancy in this environment is relatively large, these TED runs have allowed a first space and time alignment of the tracking system. Results of these studies together and the overall detector performance obtained in the TED ru...

PolarTrack: Optical Outside-In Device Tracking that Exploits Display Polarization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rädle, Roman; Jetter, Hans-Christian; Fischer, Jonathan

2018-01-01

PolarTrack is a novel camera-based approach to detecting and tracking mobile devices inside the capture volume. In PolarTrack, a polarization filter continuously rotates in front of an off-the-shelf color camera, which causes the displays of observed devices to periodically blink in the camera feed....... The periodic blinking results from the physical characteristics of current displays, which shine polarized light either through an LC overlay to produce images or through a polarizer to reduce light reflections on OLED displays. PolarTrack runs a simple detection algorithm on the camera feed to segment...... displays and track their locations and orientations, which makes PolarTrack particularly suitable as a tracking system for cross-device interaction with mobile devices. Our evaluation of PolarTrack's tracking quality and comparison with state-of-the-art camera-based multi-device tracking showed a better...

Transformation of iron sulfide to greigite by nitrite produced by oil field bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shiping; Krause, Federico; Voordouw, Gerrit

2009-05-01

Nitrate, injected into oil fields, can oxidize sulfide formed by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) through the action of nitrate-reducing sulfide-oxidizing bacteria (NR-SOB). When reservoir rock contains siderite (FeCO(3)), the sulfide formed is immobilized as iron sulfide minerals, e.g. mackinawite (FeS). The aim of our study was to determine the extent to which oil field NR-SOB can oxidize or transform FeS. Because no NR-SOB capable of growth with FeS were isolated, the well-characterized oil field isolate Sulfurimonas sp. strain CVO was used. When strain CVO was presented with a mixture of chemically formed FeS and dissolved sulfide (HS(-)), it only oxidized the HS(-). The FeS remained acid soluble and non-magnetic indicating that it was not transformed. In contrast, when the FeS was formed by adding FeCl(2) to a culture of SRB which gradually produced sulfide, precipitating FeS, and to which strain CVO and nitrate were subsequently added, transformation of the FeS to a magnetic, less acid-soluble form was observed. X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive spectrometry indicated the transformed mineral to be greigite (Fe(3)S(4)). Addition of nitrite to cultures of SRB, containing microbially formed FeS, was similarly effective. Nitrite reacts chemically with HS(-) to form polysulfide and sulfur (S(0)), which then transforms SRB-formed FeS to greigite, possibly via a sulfur addition pathway (3FeS + S(0) --> Fe(3)S(4)). Further chemical transformation to pyrite (FeS(2)) is expected at higher temperatures (>60 degrees C). Hence, nitrate injection into oil fields may lead to NR-SOB-mediated and chemical mineral transformations, increasing the sulfide-binding capacity of reservoir rock. Because of mineral volume decreases, these transformations may also increase reservoir injectivity.

The friendly bacteria within us Commensal bacteria of the intestine ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Balance of bacterial species in the gut · Immunosensory detection of intestinal bacteria · Pathogenic bacteria release interleukin-8 from HT-29 cells · Lactobacillus GG prevents the IL-8 release in response to pathogens · Effect of probiotic bacteria on chemokine response of epithelia to pathogens · PCR array studies in colon ...

Big bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schulz, HN; Jørgensen, BB

2001-01-01

A small number of prokaryotic species have a unique physiology or ecology related to their development of unusually large size. The biomass of bacteria varies over more than 10 orders of magnitude, from the 0.2 mum wide nanobacteria to the largest cells of the colorless sulfur bacteria......, Thiomargarita namibiensis, with a diameter of 750 mum. All bacteria, including those that swim around in the environment, obtain their food molecules by molecular diffusion. Only the fastest and largest swimmers known, Thiovulum majus, are able to significantly increase their food supply by motility...... and by actively creating an advective flow through the entire population. Diffusion limitation generally restricts the maximal size of prokaryotic cells and provides a selective advantage for mum-sized cells at the normally low substrate concentrations in the environment. The largest heterotrophic bacteria...

Influence of manure age and sunlight on the community structure of cattle fecal bacteria as revealed by Illumina sequencing

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, K.; Shaw, T. I.; Oladeinde, A.; Molina, M.

2013-12-01

Fecal pollution of environmental waters is a major concern for the general public because exposure to fecal-associated pathogens can have severe impacts on human health. Stream and river impairment due to fecal pollution is largely the result of agricultural activities in the United States. In the last few years, numerous metagenomic studies utilized next generation sequencing to develop microbial community profiles by massively sequencing the 16sRNA hypervariable region. This technology supports the application of water quality assessment such as pathogen detection and fecal source tracking. The bacteria communities of samples in these studies were determined when they were freshly collected; therefore, little is known about how feces age or how environmental stress influences the microbial ecology of fecal materials. In this study we monitored bacteria community changes in cattle feces for 57 days after excretion (day 0, 2, 4 8, 15, 22, 29, 43, 57) by sequencing the 16s variable region 4, using Illumnia MiSeq. Twelve cattle feces were studied; half of the samples were directly exposed to sunlight (unshaded) and half were shaded. Results indicate that the relative abundance (RA) profile in both shaded and unshaded samples rapidly changed from day 0 to 15, but stabilized from day 22 to 57. Firmcutes were the most abundant phylum (~40%) at day 0, but were reduced to rarefaction curve analysis, richness of bacteria diversity in feces decreased as time progressed. Some pathogens such as Campylobacter were detected only at the beginning, meaning they substantially decayed during the course of our study. Overall, this study indicated: (1) sunlight can influence the community structure and (2) after excretion the fecal bacteria diversity can be significantly changed over time. Future studies should therefore use not only the microbial signature of fresh but also moderately aged fecal samples to develop more accurate community profiles for fecal source tracking.

Non-injection Drug Use and Injection Initiation Assistance among People Who Inject Drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben Hamida, Amen; Rafful, Claudia; Jain, Sonia; Sun, Shelly; Gonzalez-Zuniga, Patricia; Rangel, Gudelia; Strathdee, Steffanie A; Werb, Dan

2018-02-01

Although most people who inject drugs (PWID) report receiving assistance during injection initiation events, little research has focused on risk factors among PWID for providing injection initiation assistance. We therefore sought to determine the influence of non-injection drug use among PWID on their risk to initiate others. We used generalized estimating equation (GEE) models on longitudinal data among a prospective cohort of PWID in Tijuana, Mexico (Proyecto El Cuete IV), while controlling for potential confounders. At baseline, 534 participants provided data on injection initiation assistance. Overall, 14% reported ever initiating others, with 4% reporting this behavior recently (i.e., in the past 6 months). In a multivariable GEE model, recent non-injection drug use was independently associated with providing injection initiation assistance (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.39-4.20). Further, in subanalyses examining specific drug types, recent non-injection use of cocaine (AOR = 9.31, 95% CI = 3.98-21.78), heroin (AOR = 4.00, 95% CI = 1.88-8.54), and methamphetamine (AOR = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.16-3.55) were all significantly associated with reporting providing injection initiation assistance. Our findings may have important implications for the development of interventional approaches to reduce injection initiation and related harms. Further research is needed to validate findings and inform future approaches to preventing entry into drug injecting.

Injection, injectivity and injectability in geothermal operations: problems and possible solutions. Phase I. Definition of the problems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vetter, O.J.; Crichlow, H.B.

1979-02-14

The following topics are covered: thermodynamic instability of brine, injectivity loss during regular production and injection operations, injectivity loss caused by measures other than regular operations, heat mining and associated reservoir problems in reinjection, pressure maintenance through imported make-up water, suggested solutions to injection problems, and suggested solutions to injection problems: remedial and stimulation measures. (MHR)

Metabolic activity of uncultivated magnetotactic bacteria revealed by NanoSIMS

Science.gov (United States)

He, M.; Zhang, W.; Gu, L.; Pan, Y.; Lin, W.

2017-12-01

Microorganisms that exhibit magnetotaxis behavior, collectively known as the magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), are those whose motility is influenced by the Earth's magnetic field. MTB are a physiologically diverse group of bacteria with a unique feature of intracellular biomineralization of magnetosomes (Fe3O4 and/or Fe3S4) (Bazylinski et al., 2013). However, the ecophysiology of uncultivated MTB, especially those within the Nitrospirae phylum forming hundreds of bullet-shaped magnetite magnetosomes per cell, is still not well characterized (Lin et al., 2014). Nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) is a powerful tool for revealing element distribution in nanometer-scale resolution, which opens exciting possibilities for the study of interactions between microorganisms and environments (Gao et al., 2016; Musat et al., 2016). Here we applied NanoSIMS to investigate the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen assimilations in two magnetotactic Nitrospirae populations at single cell level. Our NanoSIMS results confirmed the metabolic potential of Nitrospirae MTB proposed by genomic and metagenomic analysis and provided additional insights into the ecophysiology of uncultivated MTB. This study suggests that NanoSIMS-based analyses are powerful approaches for investigating and characterizing the ecological function of environmental microorganisms. References: Bazylinski D A., Lefèvre, C T., Schüler D., 2013. Magnetotactic Bacteria. 453-494.Lin W, Bazylinski DA, Xiao T, Wu L- F, Pan Y., 2014. Life with compass: diversity and biogeography of magnetotactic bacteria. Environ Microbiol, 16: 1462-2920.Gao D., Huang X., Tao Y., 2016. A critical review of NanoSIMS in analysis of microbial metabolic activities at single-cell level. Crit Rev Biotechnol, 36: 884-890.Musat N., Musat F., Weber PK., Pett-Ridge J., 2016. Tracking microbial interactions with NanoSIMS. Curr Opin Biotechnol, 41: 114-121.

Differential Decay of Cattle-associated Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Fresh and Marine Water

Science.gov (United States)

Background: Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) have a long history of use in the assessment of the microbial quality of recreational waters. However, quantification of FIB provides no information about the pollution source(s) and relatively little is known about their fate in the amb...

Track reconstruction at the ILC: the ILD tracking software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaede, Frank; Aplin, Steven; Rosemann, Christoph; Voutsinas, Georgios; Glattauer, Robin

2014-01-01

One of the key requirements for Higgs physics at the International Linear Collider ILC is excellent track reconstruction with very good momentum and impact parameter resolution. ILD is one of the two detector concepts at the ILC. Its central tracking system comprises of an outer Si-tracker, a highly granular TPC, an intermediate silicon tracker and a pixel vertex detector, and it is complemented by silicon tracking disks in the forward direction. Large hit densities from beam induced coherent electron-positron pairs at the ILC pose an additional challenge to the pattern recognition algorithms. We present the recently developed new ILD tracking software, the pattern recognition algorithms that are using clustering techniques, Cellular Automatons and Kalman filter based track extrapolation. The performance of the ILD tracking system is evaluated using a detailed simulation including dead material, gaps and imperfections.

Quorum quenching bacteria can be used to inhibit the biofouling of reverse osmosis membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Hyun-Suk; Tan, Chuan Hao; Low, Jiun Hui; Rzechowicz, Miles; Siddiqui, Muhammad Faisal; Winters, Harvey; Kjelleberg, Staffan; Fane, Anthony G; Rice, Scott A

2017-04-01

Over the last few decades, significant efforts have concentrated on mitigating biofouling in reverse osmosis (RO) systems, with a focus on non-toxic and sustainable strategies. Here, we explored the potential of applying quorum quenching (QQ) bacteria to control biofouling in a laboratory-scale RO system. For these experiments, Pantoea stewartii was used as a model biofilm forming organism because it was previously shown to be a relevant wastewater isolate that also forms biofilms in a quorum sensing (QS) dependent fashion. A recombinant Escherichia coli strain, which can produce a QQ enzyme, was first tested in batch biofilm assays and significantly reduced biofilm formation by P. stewartii. Subsequently, RO membranes were fouled with P. stewartii and the QQ bacterium was introduced into the RO system using two different strategies, direct injection and immobilization within a cartridge microfilter. When the QQ bacterial cells were directly injected into the system, N-acylhomoserine lactone signals were degraded, resulting in the reduction of biofouling. Similarly, the QQ bacteria controlled biofouling when immobilized within a microfilter placed downstream of the RO module to remove QS signals circulating in the system. These results demonstrate the proof-of-principle that QQ can be applied to control biofouling of RO membranes and may be applicable for use in full-scale plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Big bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schulz, HN; Jørgensen, BB

2001-01-01

A small number of prokaryotic species have a unique physiology or ecology related to their development of unusually large size. The biomass of bacteria varies over more than 10 orders of magnitude, from the 0.2 mum wide nanobacteria to the largest cells of the colorless sulfur bacteria...... and by actively creating an advective flow through the entire population. Diffusion limitation generally restricts the maximal size of prokaryotic cells and provides a selective advantage for mum-sized cells at the normally low substrate concentrations in the environment. The largest heterotrophic bacteria......, the 80 x 600 mum large Epulopiscium sp. from the gut of tropical fish, are presumably living in a very nutrient-rich medium. Many large bacteria contain numerous inclusions in the cells that reduce the volume of active cytoplasm. The most striking examples of competitive advantage from large cell size...

Testosterone Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... typical male characteristics. Testosterone injection works by supplying synthetic testosterone to replace the testosterone that is normally ... as a pellet to be injected under the skin.Testosterone injection may control your symptoms but will ...

Assessing the Effectiveness of a Far-Red Fluorescent Reporter for Tracking Stem Cells In Vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Zhou

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Far-red fluorescent reporter genes can be used for tracking cells non-invasively in vivo using fluorescence imaging. Here, we investigate the effectiveness of the far-red fluorescent protein, E2-Crimson (E2C, for tracking mouse embryonic cells (mESCs in vivo following subcutaneous administration into mice. Using a knock-in strategy, we introduced E2C into the Rosa26 locus of an E14-Bra-GFP mESC line, and after confirming that the E2C had no obvious effect on the phenotype of the mESCs, we injected them into mice and imaged them over nine days. The results showed that fluorescence intensity was weak, and cells could only be detected when injected at high densities. Furthermore, intensity peaked on day 4 and then started to decrease, despite the fact that tumour volume continued to increase beyond day 4. Histopathological analysis showed that although E2C fluorescence could barely be detected in vivo at day 9, analysis of frozen sections indicated that all mESCs within the tumours continued to express E2C. We hypothesise that the decrease in fluorescence intensity in vivo was probably due to the fact that the mESC tumours became more vascular with time, thus leading to increased absorbance of E2C fluorescence by haemoglobin. We conclude that the E2C reporter has limited use for tracking cells in vivo, at least when introduced as a single copy into the Rosa26 locus.

Stable isotope reactive transport modeling in water-rock interactions during CO2 injection

Science.gov (United States)

Hidalgo, Juan J.; Lagneau, Vincent; Agrinier, Pierre

2010-05-01

Stable isotopes can be of great usefulness in the characterization and monitoring of CO2 sequestration sites. Stable isotopes can be used to track the migration of the CO2 plume and identify leakage sources. Moreover, they provide unique information about the chemical reactions that take place on the CO2-water-rock system. However, there is a lack of appropriate tools that help modelers to incorporate stable isotope information into the flow and transport models used in CO2 sequestration problems. In this work, we present a numerical tool for modeling the transport of stable isotopes in groundwater reactive systems. The code is an extension of the groundwater single-phase flow and reactive transport code HYTEC [2]. HYTEC's transport module was modified to include element isotopes as separate species. This way, it is able to track isotope composition of the system by computing the mixing between the background water and the injected solution accounting for the dependency of diffusion on the isotope mass. The chemical module and database have been expanded to included isotopic exchange with minerals and the isotope fractionation associated with chemical reactions and mineral dissolution or precipitation. The performance of the code is illustrated through a series of column synthetic models. The code is also used to model the aqueous phase CO2 injection test carried out at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory site (Palisades, New York, USA) [1]. References [1] N. Assayag, J. Matter, M. Ader, D. Goldberg, and P. Agrinier. Water-rock interactions during a CO2 injection field-test: Implications on host rock dissolution and alteration effects. Chemical Geology, 265(1-2):227-235, July 2009. [2] Jan van der Lee, Laurent De Windt, Vincent Lagneau, and Patrick Goblet. Module-oriented modeling of reactive transport with HYTEC. Computers & Geosciences, 29(3):265-275, April 2003.

Effects of associated bacteria on the pathogenicity and reproduction of the insect-parasitic nematode Rhabditis blumi (Nematoda: Rhabditida).

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hae Woong; Kim, Yong Ook; Ha, Jae-Seok; Youn, Sung Hun; Kim, Hyeong Hwan; Bilgrami, Anwar L; Shin, Chul Soo

2011-09-01

Three bacteria, Alcaligenes faecalis , Flavobacterium sp., and Providencia vermicola , were isolated from dauer juveniles of Rhabditis blumi . The pathogenic effects of the bacteria against 4th instar larvae of Galleria mellonella were investigated. Providencia vermicola and Flavobacterium sp. showed 100% mortality at 48 h after haemocoelic injection, whereas A. faecalis showed less than 30% mortality. Dauer juveniles showed 100% mortality against G. mellonella larvae, whereas axenic juveniles, which do not harbor associated bacteria, exhibited little mortality. All of the associated bacteria were used as a food source for nematode growth, and nematode yield differed with bacterial species. Among the bacterial species, P. vermicola was most valued for nematode yield, showing the highest yield of 5.2 × 10(4) nematodes/mL in the plate. In bacterial cocultures using two of the three associated bacteria, one kind stimulated the other. The highest total bacterial yield of 12.6 g/L was obtained when the inoculum ratio of P. vermicola to A. faecalis was 10:1. In air-lift bioreactors, the nematode growth rate increased with an increasing level of dissolved oxygen. The maximum nematode yield of 1.75 × 10(5) nematodes/mL was obtained at 192 h with an aeration rate of 6 vvm.

Novel diesel-oil-degrading bacteria and fungi from the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest.

Science.gov (United States)

Maddela, N R; Masabanda, M; Leiva-Mora, M

2015-01-01

Isolating new diesel-oil-degrading microorganisms from crude-oil contaminated sites and evaluating their degradation capacities are vitally important in the remediation of oil-polluted environments and crude-oil exploitation. In this research, new hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and fungi were isolated from the crude-oil contaminated soil of the oil-fields in the Amazon rainforest of north-east Ecuador by using a soil enrichment technique. Degradation analysis was tracked by gas chromatography and a flame ionization detector. Under laboratory conditions, maximum degradability of the total n-alkanes reached up to 77.34 and 62.62 removal ratios after 30 days of incubation for the evaporated diesel oil by fungi (isolate-1) and bacteria (isolate-1), respectively. The 16S/18S rDNA sequence analysis indicated that the microorganisms were most closely (99-100%) related to Bacillus cereus (isolate-1), Bacillus thuringiensis (isolate-2), Geomyces pannorum (isolate-1), and Geomyces sp. (isolate-2). Therefore, these strains enable the degradation of hydrocarbons as the sole carbon source, and these findings will benefit these strains in the remediation of oil-polluted environments and oil exploitation.

Study of low-mass readout cables for the CBM Silicon Tracking System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singla, Minni [Goethe Univ. Frankfurt am Main (Germany); GSI, Darmstadt (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2013-07-01

The study of thin multi-line readout cables will be reported. The application is the Silicon Tracking System (STS) of the fixed-target heavy-ion experiment Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM), under design at the forthcoming accelerator centre FAIR in Germany. These cables will bridge the distance between the microstrip sensors and the signal processing electronics placed at the periphery of the silicon tracking stations. Finite element simulations (using the TCAD package RAPHAEL) have been used to optimize the cables towards minimum possible Equivalent Noise Charge (ENC). Various trace geometries and trace materials have been explored. SPICE modelling has been implemented in Sentaurus Device to study the transmission loss in the cables. The simulations have been validated with measurements. Charge loss in cables of different lengths was determined by injecting charge pulses of known amplitude. An optimized cable design is reported yielding minimum ENC, material budget and transmission loss.

Safe injection procedures, injection practices, and needlestick ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nermine Mohamed Tawfik Foda

2017-01-10

Jan 10, 2017 ... sures regarding disposable injection equipment, waste containers, hand hygiene ... injection practices lead to high prevalence of NSSIs in operating rooms. .... guidelines, the availability of training courses to HCWs, and provi-.

A simplified Track Assembler I/O for the Muon Trigger Track Finder

CERN Document Server

Dallavalle, Gaetano-Marco; Genchev, Vladimir; Grandi, Claudio; Neumeister, Norbert; Porth, Paul; Rohringer, Herbert

1998-01-01

One of the architectural concerns in the present design of the Muon Trigger Track Finder ( MTTF) is the large number of inputs to the Track Assembler ( TA). In the TA block, input track segment pairs from many Extrapolation Units ( EU) are associated into tracks. The relative contribution of these inputs to the assembled tracks is studied with simulated track patterns for low and high pt muons over the entire eta, phi acceptance of the CMS barrel. A pruning of the EUs is proposed which does not alter the performance of the Track Finder and minimizes the interconnections between azimuthal wedges.

Long-term CO2 injection and its impact on near-surface soil microbiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Gwosdz, Simone; West, Julia M; Jones, David; Rakoczy, Jana; Green, Kay; Barlow, Tom; Blöthe, Marco; Smith, Karon; Steven, Michael; Krüger, Martin

2016-12-01

Impacts of long-term CO 2 exposure on environmental processes and microbial populations of near-surface soils are poorly understood. This near-surface long-term CO 2 injection study demonstrated that soil microbiology and geochemistry is influenced more by seasonal parameters than elevated CO 2 Soil samples were taken during a 3-year field experiment including sampling campaigns before, during and after 24 months of continuous CO 2 injection. CO 2 concentrations within CO 2 -injected plots increased up to 23% during the injection period. No CO 2 impacts on geochemistry were detected over time. In addition, CO 2 -exposed samples did not show significant changes in microbial CO 2 and CH 4 turnover rates compared to reference samples. Likewise, no significant CO 2 -induced variations were detected for the abundance of Bacteria, Archaea (16S rDNA) and gene copy numbers of the mcrA gene, Crenarchaeota and amoA gene. The majority (75%-95%) of the bacterial sequences were assigned to five phyla: Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes The majority of the archaeal sequences (85%-100%) were assigned to the thaumarchaeotal cluster I.1b (soil group). Univariate and multivariate statistical as well as principal component analyses showed no significant CO 2 -induced variation. Instead, seasonal impacts especially temperature and precipitation were detected. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Microbial enhanced oil recovery—a modeling study of the potential of spore-forming bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Sidsel Marie; Nesterov, Igor; Shapiro, Alexander

2016-01-01

resulted in the following conclusions. In order to obtain sufficient local concentrations of surfactant, substantial amounts of substrate should be supplied; however, massive growth of bacteria increases the risk for clogging at the well inlet areas, causing injectivity loss. In such areas, starvation may......Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) utilizes microbes for enhancing the recovery by several mechanisms, among which the most studied are the following: (1) reduction of oil-water interfacial tension (IFT) by the produced biosurfactant and (2) selective plugging by microbes and metabolic products...

Benchmark of the SixTrack-Fluka Active Coupling Against the SPS Scrapers Burst Test

CERN Multimedia

Mereghetti, A; Cerutti, F

2014-01-01

The SPS scrapers are a key ingredient for the clean injection into the LHC: they cut off halo particles quite close to the beam core (e.g.~3.5 sigma) just before extraction, to minimise the risk for quenches. The improved beam parameters as envisaged by the LHC Injectors Upgrade (LIU) Project required a revision of the present system, to assess its suitability and robustness. In particular, a burst (i.e. endurance) test of the scraper blades has been carried out, with the whole bunch train being scraped at the centre (worst working conditions). In order to take into account the effect of betatron and longitudinal beam dynamics on energy deposition patterns, and nuclear and Coulomb scattering in the absorbing medium onto loss patterns, the SixTrack and Fluka codes have been coupled, profiting from the best of the refined physical models they respectively embed. The coupling envisages an active exchange of tracked particles between the two codes at each turn, and an on-line aperture check in SixTrack, in order ...

Temperature and composition profile during double-track laser cladding of H13 tool steel

Science.gov (United States)

He, X.; Yu, G.; Mazumder, J.

2010-01-01

Multi-track laser cladding is now applied commercially in a range of industries such as automotive, mining and aerospace due to its diversified potential for material processing. The knowledge of temperature, velocity and composition distribution history is essential for a better understanding of the process and subsequent microstructure evolution and properties. Numerical simulation not only helps to understand the complex physical phenomena and underlying principles involved in this process, but it can also be used in the process prediction and system control. The double-track coaxial laser cladding with H13 tool steel powder injection is simulated using a comprehensive three-dimensional model, based on the mass, momentum, energy conservation and solute transport equation. Some important physical phenomena, such as heat transfer, phase changes, mass addition and fluid flow, are taken into account in the calculation. The physical properties for a mixture of solid and liquid phase are defined by treating it as a continuum media. The velocity of the laser beam during the transition between two tracks is considered. The evolution of temperature and composition of different monitoring locations is simulated.

Solar tracking system

Science.gov (United States)

Okandan, Murat; Nielson, Gregory N.

2016-07-12

Solar tracking systems, as well as methods of using such solar tracking systems, are disclosed. More particularly, embodiments of the solar tracking systems include lateral supports horizontally positioned between uprights to support photovoltaic modules. The lateral supports may be raised and lowered along the uprights or translated to cause the photovoltaic modules to track the moving sun.

Design calculations for a combined ventilation and brine injection experiment at the Grimsel Rock Laboratory, Switzerland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finsterle, S.; Pruess, K.

1993-07-01

A combined ventilation and brine injection test is planned at the Grimsel Test Site. The objective of the experiment is to study the transport of liquid and gas in the vicinity of a ventilated drift in order to evaluate the impact of the drying process on the characterization of the rock matrix. The proposed test sequence includes a desaturation-resaturation cycle. In addition, brine and fresh water will be injected from a borehole as trace electrolytes in order to better track the propagation of the individual phases. Results of design calculations using the TOUGH2 code show that injection of brine may significantly influence the unsaturated flow behavior by changing the pressure and saturation distribution around the borehole. Transport velocity is predicted to be very slow, requiring several months for the brine to reach the draft wall. However, the presence of preferential flow paths may reduce travel time and alter brine content and saturation distribution so that certain sensors may respond earlier or not at all

Controller Parameter Optimization for Nonlinear Systems Using Enhanced Bacteria Foraging Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Rajinikanth

2012-01-01

Full Text Available An enhanced bacteria foraging optimization (EBFO algorithm-based Proportional + integral + derivative (PID controller tuning is proposed for a class of nonlinear process models. The EBFO algorithm is a modified form of standard BFO algorithm. A multiobjective performance index is considered to guide the EBFO algorithm for discovering the best possible value of controller parameters. The efficiency of the proposed scheme has been validated through a comparative study with classical BFO, adaptive BFO, PSO, and GA based controller tuning methods proposed in the literature. The proposed algorithm is tested in real time on a nonlinear spherical tank system. The real-time results show that, EBFO tuned PID controller gives a smooth response for setpoint tracking performance.

Clinical study on the incidence of vancomycin intraocular injection in treatment with suppurative endophthalmitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Qin Duan

2015-05-01

Full Text Available AIM:To estimate the clinical significance of the microculture of humor and vitreous and vancomycin intraocular injection in treatment of suppurative endophthalmitis associated with intraocular foreign bodies.METHODS: Totally 65 patients with penetrating eye trauma and retained intraocular foreign bodies in emergency operation and intraocular injection from January 2012 to September 2014 were regarded as the study group, another 62 patients with penetrating eye trauma and retained intraocular foreign bodies in emergency operation without intraocular injection before August 2011 were regarded as the control group. Aqueous humor and vitreous humor were taken from each patient of the study group and the control group for bacteria and fungus cultivation. The study group was treated with 1mg vancomycin intraocular injection after operation, while the control group was not. RESULTS: The incidence of endophthalmitis in the control group was 16%(10 cases, while in the study group was 3%(2 cases, with significant difference between two groups(x2=6.32, PP>0.05. The positive rate of vitreous humor germiculture in study group was 14%(9 cases, and the incidence of endophthalmitis was 3%. The positive rate of vitreous humor germiculture in control group was 11%(7 casesand the incidence of endophthalmitis was 16%, with significant differences between two groups(PCONCLUSION: Intraocular foreign bodies treated with emergency operation and vancomycin intraocular injections can decrease the incidence of suppurative endophthalmitis and have a good vision prognosis for the second stage of operation.

Field-Testing of an Active Laser Tracking System

Science.gov (United States)

Markov, V.; Khiznyak, A.; Woll, D.; Liu, S.

Comprehensive space surveillance demands a more accurate technique in tracking multi-dimensional state vector (3D coordinate, velocity, vibration, etc.) of the space objects. RF radiometric techniques typically can not provide the needed accuracy, while passive optical (and laser) tracking systems can provide distance to the object and its angular position, but not a direct reading of velocity, the parameter of primary importance for space object tracking and characterization. Addressing this problem with active optical tracking techniques is challenging because of the great distances involved, the high velocity of the satellites, and the optical aberrations induced by the atmosphere. We have proposed a phase conjugation based laser tracking concept, and accomplished the first version of design and engineering of a prototype for an Active Laser Tracking System (ALTS). In its current state the ALTS is capable to demonstrate the very basics operational principles of the proposed active tracking technique. We then performed a number of experiments to prove operational capabilities of this prototype both at MetroLaser's lab environment and at Edwards AFB Test Range. In its current architecture the ALTS is comprised of two laser cavities, Master and Slave that are coupled through a Phase Conjugate Mirror (PCM) formed in a non-linear medium (NLM) set at Master laser cavity. By pumping NLM and forming PCM, Master laser establishes the cavities coupling mode and injects the photons in the slave cavity. It is essential that the specific features of the PCM not only serve to couple ALTS cavities, but also serves to compensate optical aberrations of the ALTS (gain media and optical elements of the laser resonator). Due to its ability to compensate optical aberrations, phase conjugate resonators are capable of sustaining oscillation with a remote target as an output coupler. The entire system comprises of several modules, including a laser, emitting/receiving telescope, gimbal

Canine scent detection and microbial source tracking of human waste contamination in storm drains.

Science.gov (United States)

Van De Werfhorst, Laurie C; Murray, Jill L S; Reynolds, Scott; Reynolds, Karen; Holden, Patricia A

2014-06-01

Human fecal contamination of surface waters and drains is difficult to diagnose. DNA-based and chemical analyses of water samples can be used to specifically quantify human waste contamination, but their expense precludes routine use. We evaluated canine scent tracking, using two dogs trained to respond to the scent of municipal wastewater, as a field approach for surveying human fecal contamination. Fecal indicator bacteria, as well as DNA-based and chemical markers of human waste, were analyzed in waters sampled from canine scent-evaluated sites (urban storm drains and creeks). In the field, the dogs responded positively (70% and 100%) at sites for which sampled waters were then confirmed as contaminated with human waste. When both dogs indicated a negative response, human waste markers were absent. Overall, canine scent tracking appears useful for prioritizing sampling sites for which DNA-based and similarly expensive assays can confirm and quantify human waste contamination.

Confirmation of putative stormwater impact on water quality at a Florida beach by microbial source tracking methods and structure of indicator organism populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Brownell, M J; Harwood, V J; Kurz, R C; McQuaig, S M; Lukasik, J; Scott, T M

2007-08-01

The effect of a stormwater conveyance system on indicator bacteria levels at a Florida beach was assessed using microbial source tracking methods, and by investigating indicator bacteria population structure in water and sediments. During a rain event, regulatory standards for both fecal coliforms and Enterococcus spp. were exceeded, contrasting with significantly lower levels under dry conditions. Indicator bacteria levels were high in sediments under all conditions. The involvement of human sewage in the contamination was investigated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for the esp gene of Enterococcus faecium and for the conserved T antigen of human polyomaviruses, all of which were negative. BOX-PCR subtyping of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus showed higher population diversity during the rain event; and higher population similarity during dry conditions, suggesting that without fresh inputs, only a subset of the population survives the selective pressure of the secondary habitat. These data indicate that high indicator bacteria levels were attributable to a stormwater system that acted as a reservoir and conduit, flushing high levels of indicator bacteria to the beach during a rain event. Such environmental reservoirs of indicator bacteria further complicate the already questionable relationship between indicator organisms and human pathogens, and call for a better understanding of the ecology, fate and persistence of indicator bacteria.

Bacteria and lignin degradation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Jing LI; Hongli YUAN; Jinshui YANG

2009-01-01

Lignin is both the most abundant aromatic (phenolic) polymer and the second most abundant raw material.It is degraded and modified by bacteria in the natural world,and bacteria seem to play a leading role in decomposing lignin in aquatic ecosystems.Lignin-degrading bacteria approach the polymer by mechanisms such as tunneling,erosion,and cavitation.With the advantages of immense environmental adaptability and biochemical versatility,bacteria deserve to be studied for their ligninolytic potential.

Multi-pulse shadowgraphic RGB illumination and detection for flow tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Menser, Jan; Schneider, Florian; Dreier, Thomas; Kaiser, Sebastian A.

2018-06-01

This work demonstrates the application of a multi-color LED and a consumer color camera for visualizing phase boundaries in two-phase flows, in particular for particle tracking velocimetry. The LED emits a sequence of short light pulses, red, green, then blue (RGB), and through its color-filter array, the camera captures all three pulses on a single RGB frame. In a backlit configuration, liquid droplets appear as shadows in each color channel. Color reversal and color cross-talk correction yield a series of three frozen-flow images that can be used for further analysis, e.g., determining the droplet velocity by particle tracking. Three example flows are presented, solid particles suspended in water, the penetrating front of a gasoline direct-injection spray, and the liquid break-up region of an "air-assisted" nozzle. Because of the shadowgraphic arrangement, long path lengths through scattering media lower image contrast, while visualization of phase boundaries with high resolution is a strength of this method. Apart from a pulse-and-delay generator, the overall system cost is very low.

Acupuncture Injection Combined with Electrokinetic Injection for Polydimethylsiloxane Microfluidic Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ji Won Ha

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We recently reported acupuncture sample injection that leads to reproducible injection of nL-scale sample segments into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS microchannel for microchip capillary electrophoresis. The advantages of the acupuncture injection in microchip capillary electrophoresis include capability of minimizing sample loss and voltage control hardware and capability of introducing sample plugs into any desired position of a microchannel. However, the challenge in the previous study was to achieve reproducible, pL-scale sample injections into PDMS microchannels. In the present study, we introduce an acupuncture injection technique combined with electrokinetic injection (AICEI technique to inject pL-scale sample segments for microchip capillary electrophoresis. We carried out the capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE separation of FITC and fluorescein, and the mixture of 10 μM FITC and 10 μM fluorescein was separated completely by using the AICEI method.

A computer program TRACK_P for studying proton tracks in PADC detectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Nikezic

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A computer program for studying proton tracks in solid state nuclear track detectors was developed and described in this paper. The program was written in Fortran 90, with an additional tool for visualizing the track appearance as seen under the optical microscope in the transmission mode, which was written in the Python programming language. Measurable track parameters were determined and displayed in the application window and written in a data file. Three-dimensional representation of tracks was enabled. Examples of calculated tracks were also given in the present paper.

Persistent Aerial Tracking

KAUST Repository

Mueller, Matthias

2016-04-13

In this thesis, we propose a new aerial video dataset and benchmark for low altitude UAV target tracking, as well as, a photo-realistic UAV simulator that can be coupled with tracking methods. Our benchmark provides the rst evaluation of many state of-the-art and popular trackers on 123 new and fully annotated HD video sequences captured from a low-altitude aerial perspective. Among the compared trackers, we determine which ones are the most suitable for UAV tracking both in terms of tracking accuracy and run-time. We also present a simulator that can be used to evaluate tracking algorithms in real-time scenarios before they are deployed on a UAV "in the field", as well as, generate synthetic but photo-realistic tracking datasets with free ground truth annotations to easily extend existing real-world datasets. Both the benchmark and simulator will be made publicly available to the vision community to further research in the area of object tracking from UAVs. Additionally, we propose a persistent, robust and autonomous object tracking system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) called Persistent Aerial Tracking (PAT). A computer vision and control strategy is applied to a diverse set of moving objects (e.g. humans, animals, cars, boats, etc.) integrating multiple UAVs with a stabilized RGB camera. A novel strategy is employed to successfully track objects over a long period, by \\'handing over the camera\\' from one UAV to another. We integrate the complete system into an off-the-shelf UAV, and obtain promising results showing the robustness of our solution in real-world aerial scenarios.

CRISPR-Cas systems exploit viral DNA injection to establish and maintain adaptive immunity.

Science.gov (United States)

Modell, Joshua W; Jiang, Wenyan; Marraffini, Luciano A

2017-04-06

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas systems provide protection against viral and plasmid infection by capturing short DNA sequences from these invaders and integrating them into the CRISPR locus of the prokaryotic host. These sequences, known as spacers, are transcribed into short CRISPR RNA guides that specify the cleavage site of Cas nucleases in the genome of the invader. It is not known when spacer sequences are acquired during viral infection. Here, to investigate this, we tracked spacer acquisition in Staphylococcus aureus cells harbouring a type II CRISPR-Cas9 system after infection with the staphylococcal bacteriophage ϕ12. We found that new spacers were acquired immediately after infection preferentially from the cos site, the viral free DNA end that is first injected into the cell. Analysis of spacer acquisition after infection with mutant phages demonstrated that most spacers are acquired during DNA injection, but not during other stages of the viral cycle that produce free DNA ends, such as DNA replication or packaging. Finally, we showed that spacers acquired from early-injected genomic regions, which direct Cas9 cleavage of the viral DNA immediately after infection, provide better immunity than spacers acquired from late-injected regions. Our results reveal that CRISPR-Cas systems exploit the phage life cycle to generate a pattern of spacer acquisition that ensures a successful CRISPR immune response.

Compressed air injection technique to standardize block injection pressures.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsui, Ban C H; Li, Lisa X Y; Pillay, Jennifer J

2006-11-01

Presently, no standardized technique exists to monitor injection pressures during peripheral nerve blocks. Our objective was to determine if a compressed air injection technique, using an in vitro model based on Boyle's law and typical regional anesthesia equipment, could consistently maintain injection pressures below a 1293 mmHg level associated with clinically significant nerve injury. Injection pressures for 20 and 30 mL syringes with various needle sizes (18G, 20G, 21G, 22G, and 24G) were measured in a closed system. A set volume of air was aspirated into a saline-filled syringe and then compressed and maintained at various percentages while pressure was measured. The needle was inserted into the injection port of a pressure sensor, which had attached extension tubing with an injection plug clamped "off". Using linear regression with all data points, the pressure value and 99% confidence interval (CI) at 50% air compression was estimated. The linearity of Boyle's law was demonstrated with a high correlation, r = 0.99, and a slope of 0.984 (99% CI: 0.967-1.001). The net pressure generated at 50% compression was estimated as 744.8 mmHg, with the 99% CI between 729.6 and 760.0 mmHg. The various syringe/needle combinations had similar results. By creating and maintaining syringe air compression at 50% or less, injection pressures will be substantially below the 1293 mmHg threshold considered to be an associated risk factor for clinically significant nerve injury. This technique may allow simple, real-time and objective monitoring during local anesthetic injections while inherently reducing injection speed.

Permeation of antigen protein-conjugated nanoparticles and live bacteria through microneedle-treated mouse skin

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Amit; Li, Xinran; Sandoval, Michael A; Rodriguez, B Leticia; Sloat, Brian R; Cui, Zhengrong

2011-01-01

Background: The present study was designed to evaluate the extent to which pretreatment with microneedles can enhance skin permeation of nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo. Permeation of live bacteria, which are physically nanoparticles or microparticles, through mouse skin pretreated with microneedles was also studied to evaluate the potential risk of microbial infection. Methods and results: It was found that pretreatment of mouse skin with microneedles allowed permeation of solid lipid nanoparticles, size 230 nm, with ovalbumin conjugated on their surface. Transcutaneous immunization in a mouse skin area pretreated with microneedles with ovalbumin nanoparticles induced a stronger antiovalbumin antibody response than using ovalbumin alone. The dose of ovalbumin antigen determined whether microneedle-mediated transcutaneous immunization with ovalbumin nanoparticles induced a stronger immune response than subcutaneous injection of the same ovalbumin nanoparticles. Microneedle treatment permitted skin permeation of live Escherichia coli, but the extent of the permeation was not greater than that enabled by hypodermic injection. Conclusion: Transcutaneous immunization on a microneedle-treated skin area with antigens carried by nanoparticles can potentially induce a strong immune response, and the risk of bacterial infection associated with microneedle treatment is no greater than that with a hypodermic injection. PMID:21753877

"Injection first": a unique group of injection drug users in Tijuana, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Meghan D; Brouwer, Kimberly C; Lozada, Remedios M; Gallardo, Manuel; Vera, Alicia; Strathdee, Steffanie A

2012-01-01

Using baseline data from a study of injection drug users (IDUs) in Tijuana, Mexico (N = 1,052), we identified social and behavioral factors associated with injecting at the same age or earlier than other administration routes of illicit drug use (eg, "injection first") and examined whether this IDU subgroup had riskier drug using and sexual behaviors than other IDUs. Twelve-percent "injected first." Characteristics independently associated with a higher odds of "injection first" included being younger at first injection, injecting heroin as their first drug, being alone at the first injection episode, and having a sexual debut at the same age or earlier as when they initiated drug use; family members' illicit drug use was associated with lower odds of injecting first. When adjusting for age at first injection and number of years injecting, "injection first" IDUs had lower odds of ever overdosing, and ever trading sex. On the other hand, they were less likely to have ever been enrolled in drug treatment, and more commonly obtained their syringes from potentially unsafe sources. In conclusion, a sizable proportion of IDUs in Tijuana injected as their first drug using experience, although evidence that this was a riskier subgroup of IDUs was inconclusive.  Copyright © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

PTV analysis of the entrained air into the diesel spray at high-pressure injection

Science.gov (United States)

Toda, Naoki; Yamashita, Hayato; Mashida, Makoto

2014-08-01

In order to clarify the effect of high-pressure injection on soot reduction in terms of the air entrainment into spray, the air flow surrounding the spray and set-off length indicating the distance from the nozzle tip to the flame region in diffusion diesel combustion were investigated using 300MPa injection of a multi-hole injector. The measurement of the air entrainment flow was carried out at non-evaporating condition using consecutive PTV (particle tracking velocimetry) method with a high-speed camera and a high-frequency pulse YAG laser. The set-off length was measured at highpressure and high-temperature using the combustion bomb of constant volume and optical system of shadow graph method. And the amount of air entrainment into spray until reaching set-off length in diffusion combustion was studied as a factor of soot formation.

The fecal bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Sadowsky, Michael J.; Whitman, Richard L.

2011-01-01

The Fecal Bacteria offers a balanced, integrated discussion of fecal bacteria and their presence and ecology in the intestinal tract of mammals, in the environment, and in the food supply. This volume covers their use in examining and assessing water quality in order to offer protection from illnesses related to swimming in or ingesting contaminated water, in addition to discussing their use in engineering considerations of water quality, modeling, monitoring, and regulations. Fecal bacteria are additionally used as indicators of contamination of ready-to-eat foods and fresh produce. The intestinal environment, the microbial community structure of the gut microbiota, and the physiology and genomics of this broad group of microorganisms are explored in the book. With contributions from an internationally recognized group of experts, the book integrates medicine, public health, environmental, and microbiological topics in order to provide a unique, holistic understanding of fecal bacteria. Moreover, it shows how the latest basic science and applied research findings are helping to solve problems and develop effective management strategies. For example, readers will discover how the latest tools and molecular approaches have led to our current understanding of fecal bacteria and enabled us to improve human health and water quality. The Fecal Bacteria is recommended for microbiologists, clinicians, animal scientists, engineers, environmental scientists, food safety experts, water quality managers, and students. It will help them better understand fecal bacteria and use their knowledge to protect human and environmental health. They can also apply many of the techniques and molecular tools discussed in this book to the study of a broad range of microorganisms in a variety of habitats.

Kalman Filter Track Fits and Track Breakpoint Analysis

CERN Document Server

Astier, Pierre; Cousins, R D; Letessier-Selvon, A A; Popov, B A; Vinogradova, T G; Astier, Pierre; Cardini, Alessandro; Cousins, Robert D.; Letessier-Selvon, Antoine; Popov, Boris A.; Vinogradova, Tatiana

2000-01-01

We give an overview of track fitting using the Kalman filter method in the NOMAD detector at CERN, and emphasize how the wealth of by-product information can be used to analyze track breakpoints (discontinuities in track parameters caused by scattering, decay, etc.). After reviewing how this information has been previously exploited by others, we describe extensions which add power to breakpoint detection and characterization. We show how complete fits to the entire track, with breakpoint parameters added, can be easily obtained from the information from unbroken fits. Tests inspired by the Fisher F-test can then be used to judge breakpoints. Signed quantities (such as change in momentum at the breakpoint) can supplement unsigned quantities such as the various chisquares. We illustrate the method with electrons from real data, and with Monte Carlo simulations of pion decays.

Safe injection procedures, injection practices, and needlestick ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nermine Mohamed Tawfik Foda

2017-01-10

Jan 10, 2017 ... Background: Of the estimated 384,000 needle-stick injuries occurring in hospitals each year, 23% occur in surgical settings. This study was conducted to assess safe injection procedures, injection practices, and circumstances contributing to needlestick and sharps injures (NSSIs) in operating rooms.

Framework conditions for tracking electricity in Europe. E-TRACK WP2 report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lise, W.; Boots, M.G.; De Joode, J.; Ten Donkelaar, M.; Timpe, C.; Vrolijk, C.

2006-03-01

The analysis of this report shows that context matters for tracking generation attributes. On the one hand, there are factors that enable the introduction of tracking, like previous experiences with green certificates. Some Member States have already gained experience with tracking generation attributes, which is required to disclose the generation mix to the consumer. On the other hand, there are factors that are making the introduction of tracking generation attributes in Europe more difficult, like the widely varying initiatives among Member States with respect to legislation on GOs and disclosure. Also the market conditions can be of influence. The varying degree of market opening matters, because the usefulness of tracking is lower in a market where a customer cannot switch among suppliers. The amount of electricity traded makes it difficult to link generation to consumption under contract-based tracking, while this is of no concern under certificate-based tracking. One of the ways towards overcoming the aforementioned barriers is harmonisation of schemes for tracking generation attributes

Bleach vs. Bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

... Articles | Inside Life Science Home Page Bleach vs. Bacteria By Sharon Reynolds Posted April 2, 2014 Your ... hypochlorous acid to help kill invading microbes, including bacteria. Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health ...

Gut bacteria are rarely shared by co-hospitalized premature infants, regardless of necrotizing enterocolitis development

Science.gov (United States)

Raveh-Sadka, Tali; Thomas, Brian C; Singh, Andrea; Firek, Brian; Brooks, Brandon; Castelle, Cindy J; Sharon, Itai; Baker, Robyn; Good, Misty; Morowitz, Michael J; Banfield, Jillian F

2015-01-01

Premature infants are highly vulnerable to aberrant gastrointestinal tract colonization, a process that may lead to diseases like necrotizing enterocolitis. Thus, spread of potential pathogens among hospitalized infants is of great concern. Here, we reconstructed hundreds of high-quality genomes of microorganisms that colonized co-hospitalized premature infants, assessed their metabolic potential, and tracked them over time to evaluate bacterial strain dispersal among infants. We compared microbial communities in infants who did and did not develop necrotizing enterocolitis. Surprisingly, while potentially pathogenic bacteria of the same species colonized many infants, our genome-resolved analysis revealed that strains colonizing each baby were typically distinct. In particular, no strain was common to all infants who developed necrotizing enterocolitis. The paucity of shared gut colonizers suggests the existence of significant barriers to the spread of bacteria among infants. Importantly, we demonstrate that strain-resolved comprehensive community analysis can be accomplished on potentially medically relevant time scales. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05477.001 PMID:25735037

Potential role of bacteria packaging by protozoa in the persistence and transmission of pathogenic bacteria

OpenAIRE

Denoncourt, Alix M.; Paquet, Valérie E.; Charette, Steve J.

2014-01-01

Many pathogenic bacteria live in close association with protozoa. These unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms are ubiquitous in various environments. A number of protozoa such as amoebae and ciliates ingest pathogenic bacteria, package them usually in membrane structures, and then release them into the environment. Packaged bacteria are more resistant to various stresses and are more apt to survive than free bacteria. New evidence indicates that protozoa and not bacteria control the packaging...

Bacteria-Mineral Interactions on the Surfaces of Metal-Resistant Bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malkin, A.J.

2010-01-01

The extraordinary ability of indigenous microorganisms, like metal-resistant bacteria, for biotransformation of toxic compounds is of considerable interest for the emerging area of environmental bioremediation. However, the underlying mechanisms by which metal-resistant bacteria transform toxic compounds are currently unknown and await elucidation. The project's objective was to study stress-induced responses of metal-resistant bacteria to environmental changes and chemical stimulants. This project involved a multi-institutional collaboration of our LLNL group with the group of Dr. H.-Y. Holman (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory). In this project, we have utilized metal-resistant bacteria Arthrobacter oxydans as a model bacterial system. We have utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) to visualize for the first time at the nanometer scale formation of stress-induced structures on bacterial surfaces in response to Cr (VI) exposure. We have demonstrated that structure, assembly, and composition of these stress-induced structures are dependent on Cr (VI) concentrations. Our AFM observations of the appearance and development of stress-induced layers on the surfaces of Arthrobacter oxydans bacteria exposed to Cr (VI) were confirmed by Dr. Holman's biochemical, electron microscopy, and synchrotron infrared spectromicroscopy studies. In general, in vitro imaging of live microbial and cellular systems represents one of the most challenging issues in application of AFM. Various approaches for immobilization of bacteria on the substrate for in vitro imaging were tested in this project. Imaging of live bacteria was achieved, however further optimization of experimental methods are needed for high-resolution visualization of the cellular environmental structural dynamics by AFM. This project enhanced the current insight into molecular architecture, structural and environmental variability of bacterial systems. The project partially funded research for two book chapters (1

Tracks: Nurses and the Tracking Network

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2012-06-06

This podcast highlights the utility of the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network for nurses in a variety of work settings. It features commentary from the American Nurses Association and includes stories from a public health nurse in Massachusetts.  Created: 6/6/2012 by National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH)/Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects (DEHHE)/Environmental Health Tracking Branch (EHTB).   Date Released: 6/6/2012.

Decontaminate feature for tracking: adaptive tracking via evolutionary feature subset

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qiaoyuan; Wang, Yuru; Yin, Minghao; Ren, Jinchang; Li, Ruizhi

2017-11-01

Although various visual tracking algorithms have been proposed in the last 2-3 decades, it remains a challenging problem for effective tracking with fast motion, deformation, occlusion, etc. Under complex tracking conditions, most tracking models are not discriminative and adaptive enough. When the combined feature vectors are inputted to the visual models, this may lead to redundancy causing low efficiency and ambiguity causing poor performance. An effective tracking algorithm is proposed to decontaminate features for each video sequence adaptively, where the visual modeling is treated as an optimization problem from the perspective of evolution. Every feature vector is compared to a biological individual and then decontaminated via classical evolutionary algorithms. With the optimized subsets of features, the "curse of dimensionality" has been avoided while the accuracy of the visual model has been improved. The proposed algorithm has been tested on several publicly available datasets with various tracking challenges and benchmarked with a number of state-of-the-art approaches. The comprehensive experiments have demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed methodology.

Injection characteristics study of high-pressure direct injector for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) using experimental and analytical method

Science.gov (United States)

Taha, Z.; Rahim, MF Abdul; Mamat, R.

2017-10-01

The injection characteristics of direct injector affect the mixture formation and combustion processes. In addition, the injector is converted from gasoline operation for CNG application. Thus measurement of CNG direct injector mass flow rate was done by independently tested a single injector on a test bench. The first case investigated the effect of CNG injection pressure and the second case evaluate the effect of pulse-width of injection duration. An analytical model was also developed to predict the mass flow rate of the injector. The injector was operated in a choked condition in both the experiments and simulation studies. In case 1, it was shown that mass flow rate through the injector is affected by injection pressure linearly. Based on the tested injection pressure of 20 bar to 60 bar, the resultant mass flow rate are in the range of 0.4 g/s to 1.2 g/s which are met with theoretical flow rate required by the engine. However, in Case 2, it was demonstrated that the average mass flow rate at short injection durations is lower than recorded in Case 1. At injection pressure of 50 bar, the average mass flow rate for Case 2 and Case 1 are 0.7 g/s and 1.1 g/s respectively. Also, the measured mass flow rate at short injection duration showing a fluctuating data in the range of 0.2 g/s - 1.3 g/s without any noticeable trends. The injector model able to predict the trend of the mass flow rate at different injection pressure but unable to track the fluctuating trend at short injection duration.

Elastic tracking versus neural network tracking for very high multiplicity problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harlander, M.; Gyulassy, M.

1991-04-01

A new Elastic Tracking (ET) algorithm is proposed for finding tracks in very high multiplicity and noisy environments. It is based on a dynamical reinterpretation and generalization of the Radon transform and is related to elastic net algorithms for geometrical optimization. ET performs an adaptive nonlinear fit to noisy data with a variable number of tracks. Its numerics is more efficient than that of the traditional Radon or Hough transform method because it avoids binning of phase space and the costly search for valid minima. Spurious local minima are avoided in ET by introducing a time-dependent effective potential. The method is shown to be very robust to noise and measurement error and extends tracking capabilities to much higher track densities than possible via local road finding or even the novel Denby-Peterson neural network tracking algorithms. 12 refs., 2 figs

Image-guided intraocular injection using multimodality optical coherence tomography and fluorescence confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in rodent ophthalmological models

Science.gov (United States)

Terrones, Benjamin D.; Benavides, Oscar R.; Leeburg, Kelsey C.; Mehanathan, Sankarathi B.; Levine, Edward M.; Tao, Yuankai K.

2018-02-01

Intraocular injections are routinely performed for delivery of anti-VEGF and anti-inflammatory therapies in humans. While these injections are also performed in mice to develop novel models of ophthalmic diseases and screen novel therapeutics, the injection location and volume are not well-controlled and reproducible. We overcome limitations of conventional injections methods by developing a multimodality, long working distance, non-contact optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescence confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO) system for retinal imaging before and after injections. Our OCT+cSLO system combines a custom-built spectraldomain OCT engine (875+/-85 nm) with 125 kHz line-rate with a modified commercial cSLO with a maximum frame-rate of 30 fps (512 x 512 pix.). The system was designed for an overlapping OCT+cSLO field-of-view of 1.1 mm with a 7.76 mm working distance to the pupil. cSLO excitation light sources and filters were optimized for simultaneous GFP and tdTomato imaging. Lateral resolution was 3.02 µm for OCT and 2.74 μm for cSLO. Intravitreal injections of 5%, 10%, and 20% intralipid with Alex Fluor 488 were manually injected intraocularly in C57BL/6 mice. Post-injection imaging showed structural changes associated with retinal puncture, including the injection track, a retinal elevation, and detachment of the posterior hyaloid. OCT enables quantitative analysis of injection location and volumes whereas complementary cSLO improves specificity for identifying fluorescently labeled injected compounds and transgenic cells. The long working distance of our non-contact OCT+cSLO system is uniquely-suited for concurrent imaging with intraocular injections and may be applied for imaging of ophthalmic surgical dynamics and real-time image-guided injections.

Neural network tracking and extension of positive tracking periods

Science.gov (United States)

Hanan, Jay C.; Chao, Tien-Hsin; Moreels, Pierre

2004-04-01

Feature detectors have been considered for the role of supplying additional information to a neural network tracker. The feature detector focuses on areas of the image with significant information. Basically, if a picture says a thousand words, the feature detectors are looking for the key phrases (keypoints). These keypoints are rotationally invariant and may be matched across frames. Application of these advanced feature detectors to the neural network tracking system at JPL has promising potential. As part of an ongoing program, an advanced feature detector was tested for augmentation of a neural network based tracker. The advance feature detector extended tracking periods in test sequences including aircraft tracking, rover tracking, and simulated Martian landing. Future directions of research are also discussed.

[Darwin and bacteria].

Science.gov (United States)

Ledermann D, Walter

2009-02-01

As in 2009 the scientific world celebrates two hundreds years from the birthday of Charles Darwin and one hundred and fifty from the publication of The Origin of Species, an analysis of his complete work is performed, looking for any mention of bacteria. But it seems that the great naturahst never took knowledge about its existence, something rather improbable in a time when the discovery of bacteria shook the medical world, or he deliberately ignored them, not finding a place for such microscopic beings into his theory of evolution. But the bacteria badly affected his familiar life, killing scarlet fever one of his children and worsening to death the evolution of tuberculosis of his favourite Annie. Darwin himself could suffer the sickness of Chagas, whose etiological agent has a similar level to bacteria in the scale of evolution.

New Possibilities of the FLNR Accelerator Complex for the Production of Track Membranes

CERN Document Server

Oganessian, Yu T; Didyk, A Yu; Gulbekyan, G G; Kutner, V B

2000-01-01

The description of the main systems of modified heavy ion accelerator U-400 of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions is presented including the ECR ion source, system of external injection of low energy ions onto median plane. The characteristic parameters for obtaining of accelerated heavy ions from krypton ions to more heavier ones also are presented. The structure and parameters of new beam line and vacuum chamber for irradiation of polymeric and other materials on modified cyclotron U-400 are presented too. The new possibilities for the production of unique track membrane are discussed.

Prevalence and correlates of neck injection among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Rafful, Claudia; Wagner, Karla D; Werb, Dan; González-Zúñiga, Patricia E; Verdugo, Silvia; Rangel, Gudelia; Strathdee, Steffanie A

2015-11-01

Injecting drugs in the neck has been related to adverse health conditions such as jugular vein thrombosis, deep neck infections, aneurysm, haematomas, airway obstruction, vocal cord paralysis and wound botulism, among others. We identified prevalence and correlates of neck injection among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Tijuana, Mexico. Beginning in 2011, PWID aged ≥18 years who injected drugs within the last month were recruited into a prospective cohort. At baseline and semi-annually, PWID completed interviewer-administered surveys soliciting data on drug-injecting practices. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of injecting in the neck as the most frequent injection site at a single visit. Of 380 PWID, 35.3% injected in the neck at least once in the past 6 months, among whom 71.6% reported it as their most common injection site, the most common injecting site after the arms (47%). Controlling for age, years injecting and injecting frequency, injecting heroin and methamphetamine two or more times per day and having sought injection assistance were associated with injecting in the neck [adjusted odds ratios (AOR): 2.12; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.27-3.53 and AOR: 2.65; 95% CI: 1.52-4.53 respectively]. Injecting in the neck was very common among PWID in Tijuana and was associated with polydrug use and seeking injection assistance. Tailoring harm reduction education interventions for individuals who provide injection assistance ('hit doctors') may allow for the dissemination of safe injecting knowledge to reduce injection-related morbidity and mortality. © 2015 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Development of etched nuclear tracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somogyi, G.

1980-01-01

The theoretical description of the evolution of etched tracks in solid state nuclear track detectors is considered for different initial conditions, for the cases of constant and varying track etch rates, isotropic and anisotropic bulk etching as well as for thick and thin detectors. It is summarized how one can calculate the main parameters of etch-pit geometry, the track length, the axes of a surface track opening, track profile and track contour. The application of the theory of etch-track evolution is demonstrated with selected practical problems. Attention is paid to certain questions related to the determination of unknown track parameters and calculation of surface track sizes. Finally, the theory is extended to the description of the perforation and etch-hole evolution process in thin detectors, which is of particular interest for track radiography and nuclear filter production. (orig.)

Development of etched nuclear tracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somogyi, G.

1979-01-01

The theoretical description of the evolution of etched tracks in solid state nuclear track detectors is considered for different initial conditions, for the cases of constant and varying track etch rates, isotopic and unisotropic bulk etching as well as for thick and thin detectors. It is summarized how the main parameters of etch-pit geometry, the track length, the axes of a surface track opening, the track profile and the track contour can be calculated. The application of the theory of etch-track evolution is demonstrated with selected practical problems. Attention is paid to certain questions related to the determination of unknown track parameters and calculation of surface track sizes. Finally, the theory is extended to the description of the perforation and etch-hole evolution process in thin detectors, which is of particular interest for track radiography and nuclear filter production. (author)

Small-Volume Injections: Evaluation of Volume Administration Deviation From Intended Injection Volumes.

Science.gov (United States)

Muffly, Matthew K; Chen, Michael I; Claure, Rebecca E; Drover, David R; Efron, Bradley; Fitch, William L; Hammer, Gregory B

2017-10-01

In the perioperative period, anesthesiologists and postanesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses routinely prepare and administer small-volume IV injections, yet the accuracy of delivered medication volumes in this setting has not been described. In this ex vivo study, we sought to characterize the degree to which small-volume injections (≤0.5 mL) deviated from the intended injection volumes among a group of pediatric anesthesiologists and pediatric postanesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses. We hypothesized that as the intended injection volumes decreased, the deviation from those intended injection volumes would increase. Ten attending pediatric anesthesiologists and 10 pediatric PACU nurses each performed a series of 10 injections into a simulated patient IV setup. Practitioners used separate 1-mL tuberculin syringes with removable 18-gauge needles (Becton-Dickinson & Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ) to aspirate 5 different volumes (0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 mL) of 0.25 mM Lucifer Yellow (LY) fluorescent dye constituted in saline (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) from a rubber-stoppered vial. Each participant then injected the specified volume of LY fluorescent dye via a 3-way stopcock into IV tubing with free-flowing 0.9% sodium chloride (10 mL/min). The injected volume of LY fluorescent dye and 0.9% sodium chloride then drained into a collection vial for laboratory analysis. Microplate fluorescence wavelength detection (Infinite M1000; Tecan, Mannedorf, Switzerland) was used to measure the fluorescence of the collected fluid. Administered injection volumes were calculated based on the fluorescence of the collected fluid using a calibration curve of known LY volumes and associated fluorescence.To determine whether deviation of the administered volumes from the intended injection volumes increased at lower injection volumes, we compared the proportional injection volume error (loge [administered volume/intended volume]) for each of the 5 injection volumes using a linear

Pathogenicity of facultative and obligate anaerobic bacteria in monoculture and combined with either Prevotella intermedia or Prevotella nigrescens.

Science.gov (United States)

Siqueira, J F; Magalhães, F A; Lima, K C; de Uzeda, M

1998-12-01

The pathogenicity of obligate and facultative anaerobic bacteria commonly found in endodontic infections was tested using a mouse model. The capacity of inducing abscesses was evaluated seven days after subcutaneous injection of the bacteria in pure culture and in combinations with either Prevotella intermedia or Prevotella nigrescens. Nine of the fifteen bacterial strains tested were pathogenic in pure culture. No statistically significant differences were detected between these strains in pure culture and in mixtures with either P. intermedia or P. nigrescens. Synergism between the bacterial strains was only apparent when associating Porphyromonas endodontalis with P. intermedia or P. nigrescens. Histopathological examination of tissue sections from induced abscesses revealed an acute inflammatory reaction, dominated by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Sections from the control group using sterile medium showed no evidence of inflammatory reaction.

Final technical report: The effect of physical and chemical heterogeneities in a porous medium on the transport of bacteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hornberger, George M.; Mills, Aaron L.; Herman, Janet S.

2001-04-01

Among the demonstrated processes influencing the transport of bacteria through aquifers, the deposition of cells on mineral surfaces is one of the most important. Heterogeneous distribution of aquifer properties such as mineral-grain oxide coatings and preferred flow paths can control the numbers of microbes arriving a point down gradient from their injection, and these properties can also affect the distribution of the organisms remaining in the sedimentary matrix. The distribution of metal oxide coatings affects the final location of retained cells within the matrix but had no effect on total breakthrough of applied bacteria. We were able to demonstrate transverse mixing of both conservative tracers and bacteria between regions of differing hydraulic conductivity; the conservative tracer could be used to model the transverse mixing of the bacteria. We were able to show that the presence of metal oxide coatings on aquifer surfaces retarded a reactive tracer (SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}) that simulated bacterial retardation in the laboratory. When metal oxide coatings were absent (due to bacterial establishment of a reducing environment) the tracer and bacteria were not retarded. The effect was reproduced in a tracer experiment done in the field. The results suggest that bacterial transport in the subsurface is controlled by a number of interrelated and confounding factors that prevent accurate prediction of transport given the present state of knowledge.

Sampling strong tracking nonlinear unscented Kalman filter and its application in eye tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zu-Tao, Zhang; Jia-Shu, Zhang

2010-01-01

The unscented Kalman filter is a developed well-known method for nonlinear motion estimation and tracking. However, the standard unscented Kalman filter has the inherent drawbacks, such as numerical instability and much more time spent on calculation in practical applications. In this paper, we present a novel sampling strong tracking nonlinear unscented Kalman filter, aiming to overcome the difficulty in nonlinear eye tracking. In the above proposed filter, the simplified unscented transform sampling strategy with n + 2 sigma points leads to the computational efficiency, and suboptimal fading factor of strong tracking filtering is introduced to improve robustness and accuracy of eye tracking. Compared with the related unscented Kalman filter for eye tracking, the proposed filter has potential advantages in robustness, convergence speed, and tracking accuracy. The final experimental results show the validity of our method for eye tracking under realistic conditions. (classical areas of phenomenology)

Naturally etched tracks in apatites and the correction of fission track dating

CERN Document Server

Tien, J L

1999-01-01

Naturally etched tracks have been found in apatites from the rapid cooled, high-level Kunon pluton in the Zhangzhou Igneous Complex, SE China. This is manifested by the fact that the apatite fission track (FT) age derived from conventional counting of spontaneous and induced tracks yields a result of 140.6+-6.5 Ma, which is much older than the ages determined using other methods on different minerals from the same rock. When tracks are observed after etching the polished inner sections of the apatite grains, the naturally etched tracks characterized by having hazy boundaries can be distinguished from the normal tracks with sharp boundaries. The age obtained by omitting these fading-resistant hazy tracks, 76.5+-4.0 Ma, indicates the time of the Kunon pluton cooling down to approx 100 deg. C. The corrected peak age (73.8 Ma) is consistent with the other apatite FT peak ages (79.2 to 70.2 Ma) of the nearly contemporaneous plutons in the same igneous complex.

Indução de empiema em ratos através da inoculação pleural de bactérias Experimental empyema in rats through intrapleural injection of bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Carlos Fraga

2001-12-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: avaliar a indução experimental de empiema em ratos, através da inoculação intrapleural de duas bactérias (Pasteurella multocida e Staphylococcus aureus, utilizando técnica cirúrgica simples e de fácil execução. MÉTODOS: foram utilizados 24 ratos albinos da raça Wistar, de ambos os sexos, pesando entre 250 e 300g, que, após a anestesia geral, foram submetidos à toracotomia anterior direita, afastamento da musculatura e inoculação de 0,2ml de solução, conforme descrição a seguir: grupo I (n=12, inoculação de Pasteurella multocida, 10(10 unidades formadoras de colônia/ml cultivados em caldo cérebro-coração; grupo II (n=8, inoculação de Staphylococcus aureus, 10(10 unidades formadoras de colônia/ml cultivados em caldo cérebro-coração; e grupo III (n=4, inoculação de caldo cérebro-coração estéril (controle. Os animais foram sacrificados em até 7 dias e a intensidade da reação pleural, analisada macroscopicamente conforme escala padronizada. Também foram avaliados a mortalidade, o volume de líquido na cavidade pleural e o exame bacteriológico (animais mortos e líquido pleural. RESULTADOS: no grupo I (Pasteurella multocida, sete ratos morreram nas primeiras 48 horas de experimento. Cinco ratos foram sacrificados no período programado, mas nenhum deles apresentava empiema. No grupo II (Staphylococcus aureus, somente um animal morreu nas primeiras 24 horas, os outros 7 (88% foram sacrificados e apresentavam empiema. No grupo III, considerados controles, todos os animais sobreviveram, não se observando nenhuma anormalidade torácica ao sacrifício. Analisando conjuntamente os grupos, a indução de empiema esteve associada de maneira significativa à inoculação de Staphylococcus aureus no espaço pleural (p OBJECTIVE: to evaluate empyema formation in rats through the injection of two bacteria (Pasteurella multocida and Staphylococcus aureus, using a simple, easy-to-use surgical technique

Potential role of bacteria packaging by protozoa in the persistence and transmission of pathogenic bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alix M Denoncourt

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Many pathogenic bacteria live in close association with protozoa. These unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms are ubiquitous in various environments. A number of protozoa such as amoebae and ciliates ingest pathogenic bacteria, package them usually in membrane structures, and then release them into the environment. Packaged bacteria are more resistant to various stresses and are more apt to survive than free bacteria. New evidence indicates that protozoa and not bacteria control the packaging process. It is possible that packaging is more common than suspected and may play a major role in the persistence and transmission of pathogenic bacteria. To confirm the role of packaging in the propagation of infections, it is vital that the molecular mechanisms governing the packaging of bacteria by protozoa be identified as well as elements related to the ecology of this process in order to determine whether packaging acts as a Trojan Horse.

Anesthetic efficacy of a repeated intraosseous injection following a primary intraosseous injection.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Joanne; Nusstein, John; Drum, Melissa; Reader, Al; Beck, Mike

2008-02-01

The purpose of this prospective, randomized, single-blinded study was to determine the anesthetic efficacy of a repeated intraosseous injection given 30 minutes after a primary intraosseous injection. Using a crossover design, 55 subjects randomly received a primary X-tip intraosseous injection (Dentsply Inc, York, PA) of 1.4 mL of 2% lidocaine with epinephrine (using the Wand; Milestone Scientific, Deerfield, IL) and a repeated intraosseous or mock injection at 30 minutes in two appointments. The first molar and adjacent teeth were pulp tested every 2 minutes for a total of 120 minutes. Success was defined as obtaining two consecutive 80 readings with the electric pulp tester. Success of the initial intraosseous injection was 100% for the first molar. The repeated intraosseous injection mimicked the initial intraosseous injection in terms of pulpal anesthesia and statistically provided another 15 minutes of pulpal anesthesia. In conclusion, using the methodology presented, repeating the intraosseous injection 30 minutes after an initial intraosseous injection will provide an additional 15 minutes of pulpal anesthesia.

The Measurement of cloud velocity using the pulsed laser and image tracking technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Seong-Ouk; Baik, Seung-Hoon; Park, Seung-Kyu; Park, Nak-Gyu; Kim, Dong-lyul; Ahn, Yong-Jin [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

The height of the clouds is also important for the three dimensional radiative interaction of aerosols and clouds, since the radiative effects vary strongly depending whether the cloud is above, below or even embedded in an aerosol layer. Clouds play an important role in climate change, in the prediction of local weather, and also in aviation safety when instrument assisted flying is unavailable. Presently, various ground-based instruments used for the measurements of the cloud base height or velocity. Lidar techniques are powerful and have many applications in climate studies, including the clouds' temperature measurement, the aerosol particle properties, etc. Otherwise, it is very circumscribed in cloud velocity measurements In this paper, we propose a new method to measure the cloud velocity. In this paper, we presented a method for the measurement of the cloud altitude and velocity using lidar's range detection and the tracking system. For the lidar system, we used an injection-seeded pulsed Nd:YAG laser as the transmitter to measure the distance to the target clouds. We used the DIC system to track the cloud image and calculate the actual displacement per unit time. The configured lidar system acquired the lidar signal of clouds at a distance of about 4 km. The developed fast correlation algorithm of the tracking, which is used to track the fast moving cloud relatively, was efficient for measuring the cloud velocity in real time. The measurement values had a linear distribution.

Sign tracking, but not goal tracking, is resistant to outcome devaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara E. Morrison

2015-12-01

Full Text Available During Pavlovian conditioning, a conditioned stimulus (CS may act as a predictor of a reward to be delivered in another location. Individuals vary widely in their propensity to engage with the CS (sign tracking or with the site of eventual reward (goal tracking. It is often assumed that sign tracking involves the association of the CS with the motivational value of the reward, resulting in the CS acquiring incentive value independent of the outcome. However, experimental evidence for this assumption is lacking. In order to test the hypothesis that sign tracking behavior does not rely on a neural representation of the outcome, we employed a reward devaluation procedure. We trained rats on a classic Pavlovian paradigm in which a lever CS was paired with a sucrose reward, then devalued the reward by pairing sucrose with illness in the absence of the CS. We found that sign tracking behavior was enhanced, rather than diminished, following reward devaluation; thus, sign tracking is clearly independent of a representation of the outcome. In contrast, goal tracking behavior was decreased by reward devaluation. Furthermore, when we divided rats into those with high propensity to engage with the lever (sign trackers and low propensity to engage with the lever (goal trackers, we found that nearly all of the effects of devaluation could be attributed to the goal trackers. These results show that sign tracking and goal tracking behavior may be the output of different associative structures in the brain, providing insight into the mechanisms by which reward-associated stimuli – such as drug cues – come to exert control over behavior in some individuals.

Sign Tracking, but Not Goal Tracking, is Resistant to Outcome Devaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Sara E.; Bamkole, Michael A.; Nicola, Saleem M.

2015-01-01

During Pavlovian conditioning, a conditioned stimulus (CS) may act as a predictor of a reward to be delivered in another location. Individuals vary widely in their propensity to engage with the CS (sign tracking) or with the site of eventual reward (goal tracking). It is often assumed that sign tracking involves the association of the CS with the motivational value of the reward, resulting in the CS acquiring incentive value independent of the outcome. However, experimental evidence for this assumption is lacking. In order to test the hypothesis that sign tracking behavior does not rely on a neural representation of the outcome, we employed a reward devaluation procedure. We trained rats on a classic Pavlovian paradigm in which a lever CS was paired with a sucrose reward, then devalued the reward by pairing sucrose with illness in the absence of the CS. We found that sign tracking behavior was enhanced, rather than diminished, following reward devaluation; thus, sign tracking is clearly independent of a representation of the outcome. In contrast, goal tracking behavior was decreased by reward devaluation. Furthermore, when we divided rats into those with high propensity to engage with the lever (sign trackers) and low propensity to engage with the lever (goal trackers), we found that nearly all of the effects of devaluation could be attributed to the goal trackers. These results show that sign tracking and goal tracking behavior may be the output of different associative structures in the brain, providing insight into the mechanisms by which reward-associated stimuli—such as drug cues—come to exert control over behavior in some individuals. PMID:26733783

Exploring new biological functions of amyloids: bacteria cell agglutination mediated by host protein aggregation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc Torrent

Full Text Available Antimicrobial proteins and peptides (AMPs are important effectors of the innate immune system that play a vital role in the prevention of infections. Recent advances have highlighted the similarity between AMPs and amyloid proteins. Using the Eosinophil Cationic Protein as a model, we have rationalized the structure-activity relationships between amyloid aggregation and antimicrobial activity. Our results show how protein aggregation can induce bacteria agglutination and cell death. Using confocal and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy we have tracked the formation in situ of protein amyloid-like aggregates at the bacteria surface and on membrane models. In both cases, fibrillar aggregates able to bind to amyloid diagnostic dyes were detected. Additionally, a single point mutation (Ile13 to Ala can suppress the protein amyloid behavior, abolishing the agglutinating activity and impairing the antimicrobial action. The mutant is also defective in triggering both leakage and lipid vesicle aggregation. We conclude that ECP aggregation at the bacterial surface is essential for its cytotoxicity. Hence, we propose here a new prospective biological function for amyloid-like aggregates with potential biological relevance.

Injection Laryngoplasty Materials

OpenAIRE

Haldun Oðuz

2013-01-01

Injection laryngoplasty is one of the treatment options for voice problems. In the recent years, more safe and more biocompatible injection materials are available on the market. Long and short term injection materials are discussed in this review.

Glenohumeral Joint Injections

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Christopher; Dhawan, Aman; Harwood, Daniel; Gochanour, Eric; Romeo, Anthony

2013-01-01

Context: Intra-articular injections into the glenohumeral joint are commonly performed by musculoskeletal providers, including orthopaedic surgeons, family medicine physicians, rheumatologists, and physician assistants. Despite their frequent use, there is little guidance for injectable treatments to the glenohumeral joint for conditions such as osteoarthritis, adhesive capsulitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Evidence Acquisition: We performed a comprehensive review of the available literature on glenohumeral injections to help clarify the current evidence-based practice and identify deficits in our understanding. We searched MEDLINE (1948 to December 2011 [week 1]) and EMBASE (1980 to 2011 [week 49]) using various permutations of intra-articular injections AND (corticosteroid OR hyaluronic acid) and (adhesive capsulitis OR arthritis). Results: We identified 1 and 7 studies that investigated intra-articular corticosteroid injections for the treatment of osteoarthritis and adhesive capsulitis, respectively. Two and 3 studies investigated the use of hyaluronic acid in osteoarthritis and adhesive capsulitis, respectively. One study compared corticosteroids and hyaluronic acid injections in the treatment of osteoarthritis, and another discussed adhesive capsulitis. Conclusion: Based on existing studies and their level of evidence, there is only expert opinion to guide corticosteroid injection for osteoarthritis as well as hyaluronic acid injection for osteoarthritis and adhesive capsulitis. PMID:24427384

Long-term monitoring of molecular markers can distinguish different seasonal patterns of fecal indicating bacteria sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Riedel, Timothy E; Thulsiraj, Vanessa; Zimmer-Faust, Amity G; Dagit, Rosi; Krug, Jenna; Hanley, Kaitlyn T; Adamek, Krista; Ebentier, Darcy L; Torres, Robert; Cobian, Uriel; Peterson, Sophie; Jay, Jennifer A

2015-03-15

Elevated levels of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) have been observed at Topanga Beach, CA, USA. To identify the FIB sources, a microbial source tracking study using a dog-, a gull- and two human-associated molecular markers was conducted at 10 sites over 21 months. Historical data suggest that episodic discharge from the lagoon at the mouth of Topanga Creek is the main source of bacteria to the beach. A decline in creek FIB/markers downstream from upper watershed development and a sharp increase in FIB/markers at the lagoon sites suggest sources are local to the lagoon. At the lagoon and beach, human markers are detected sporadically, dog marker peaks in abundance mid-winter, and gull marker is chronically elevated. Varied seasonal patterns of FIB and source markers were identified showing the importance of applying a suite of markers over long-term spatial and temporal sampling to identify a complex combination of sources of contamination. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mineral transformations during the dissolution of uranium ore minerals by dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Glasauer, S.; Weidler, P.; Fakra, S.; Tyliszczak, T.; Shuh, D.

2011-12-01

Carnotite minerals [X2(UO2)2(VO4)2]; X = K, Ca, Ba, Mn, Na, Cu or Pb] form the major ore of uranium in the Colorado Plateau. These deposits are highly oxidized and contain U(VI) and V(IV). The biotransformation of U(VI) bound in carnotite by bacteria during dissimilatory metal reduction presents a complex puzzle in mineral chemistry. Both U(VI) and V(V) can be respired by metal reducing bacteria, and the mineral structure can change depending on the associated counterion. We incubated anaerobic cultures of S. putrefaciens CN32 with natural carnotite minerals from southeastern Utah in a nutrient-limited defined medium. Strain CN32 is a gram negative bacterium and a terrestrial isolate from New Mexico. The mineral and metal transformations were compared to a system that contained similar concentrations of soluble U(VI) and V(V). Electron (SEM, TEM) microscopies and x-ray spectromicroscopy (STXM) were used in conjunction with XRD to track mineral changes, and bacterial survival was monitored throughout the incubations. Slow rates of metal reduction over 10 months for the treatment with carnotite minerals revealed distinct biotic and abiotic processes, providing insight on mineral transformation and bacteria-metal interactions. The bacteria existed as small flocs or individual cells attached to the mineral phase, but did not adsorb soluble U or V, and accumulated very little of the biominerals. Reduction of mineral V(V) necessarily led to a dismantling of the carnotite structure. Bioreduction of V(V) by CN32 contributed small but profound changes to the mineral system, resulting in new minerals. Abiotic cation exchange within the carnotite group minerals induced the rearrangement of the mineral structures, leading to further mineral transformation. In contrast, bacteria survival was poor for treatments with soluble U(VI) and V(V), although both metals were reduced completely and formed solid UO2 and VO2; we also detected V(III). For these treatments, the bacteria

Injection Tests

CERN Document Server

Kain, V

2009-01-01

The success of the start-up of the LHC on 10th of September was in part due to the preparation without beam and injection tests in 2008. The injection tests allowed debugging and improvement in appropriate portions to allow safe, efficient and state-of-the-art commissioning later on. The usefulness of such an approach for a successful start-up becomes obvious when looking at the problems we encountered before and during the injection tests and could solve during this period. The outline of the preparation and highlights of the different injection tests will be presented and the excellent performance of many tools discussed. A list of shortcomings will follow, leading to some planning for the preparation of the run in 2009.

Lipopolysaccharides in diazotrophic bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Serrato, Rodrigo V

2014-01-01

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is a process in which the atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is transformed into ammonia (NH3) by a select group of nitrogen-fixing organisms, or diazotrophic bacteria. In order to furnish the biologically useful nitrogen to plants, these bacteria must be in constant molecular communication with their host plants. Some of these molecular plant-microbe interactions are very specific, resulting in a symbiotic relationship between the diazotroph and the host. Others are found between associative diazotrophs and plants, resulting in plant infection and colonization of internal tissues. Independent of the type of ecological interaction, glycans, and glycoconjugates produced by these bacteria play an important role in the molecular communication prior and during colonization. Even though exopolysaccharides (EPS) and lipochitooligosaccharides (LCO) produced by diazotrophic bacteria and released onto the environment have their importance in the microbe-plant interaction, it is the lipopolysaccharides (LPS), anchored on the external membrane of these bacteria, that mediates the direct contact of the diazotroph with the host cells. These molecules are extremely variable among the several species of nitrogen fixing-bacteria, and there are evidences of the mechanisms of infection being closely related to their structure.

Procedure Oriented Torsional Anatomy of the Forearm for Spasticity Injection.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiou-Tan, Faye; Cianca, John; John, Joslyn; Furr-Stimming, Erin; Pandit, Sindhu; Taber, Katherine H

2015-01-01

: This is the second in a series of articles related to the concept of "torsional" anatomy. The objective of this article is to provide musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS) anatomy of the forearm in the position of hemispastic flexion as a reference relevant to needle procedures. The MSKUS images were obtained in a healthy human subject. Marker dots were placed over common injection sites in the forearm for spasticity. The MSKUS probe was centered over each dot to obtain a cross-sectional view. A pair of MSKUS images was recorded for each site: the first in anatomic neutral and second in hemiparetic spastic position. The images were compared side to side. In addition, a video recording was made at each site to track the movement of the muscles and nerves during internal rotation. The pronator teres (PT) rotated medially and the brachialis and biceps tendon rotated in view. In addition, the median nerve became more superficial. The flexor carpi radialis rotated medially and was replaced by PT and the median nerve. The flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor digitorum profundus rotated medially and were replaced by the flexor carpi radialis, PT and median nerve. The flexor digitorum superficialis was replaced by the brachioradialis, extensor carpi radialis brevis, and radial nerve. The brachioradialis was replaced by the extensor carpi radialis brevis and extensor digitorum communis. Intended muscle targets rotate out of view and injection range. These are replaced by other muscles and nerves that could inadvertently be injected. This potentially could result in both increased complications and decreased efficacy of the procedure. It is hoped that this series of images will increase the accuracy and safety of needle placement for spasticity injections in the forearm.

Cable Bacteria in Freshwater Sediments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Risgaard-Petersen, Nils; Kristiansen, Michael; Frederiksen, Rasmus

2015-01-01

In marine sediments cathodic oxygen reduction at the sediment surface can be coupled to anodic sulfide oxidation in deeper anoxic layers through electrical currents mediated by filamentous, multicellular bacteria of the Desulfobulbaceae family, the so-called cable bacteria. Until now, cable...... bacteria have only been reported from marine environments. In this study, we demonstrate that cable bacteria also occur in freshwater sediments. In a first step, homogenized sediment collected from the freshwater stream Giber Å, Denmark, was incubated in the laboratory. After 2 weeks, pH signatures...... marine cable bacteria, with the genus Desulfobulbus as the closest cultured lineage. The results of the present study indicate that electric currents mediated by cable bacteria could be important for the biogeochemistry in many more environments than anticipated thus far and suggest a common evolutionary...

A novel strong tracking finite-difference extended Kalman filter for nonlinear eye tracking

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHANG ZuTao; ZHANG JiaShu

2009-01-01

Non-Intrusive methods for eye tracking are Important for many applications of vision-based human computer interaction. However, due to the high nonlinearity of eye motion, how to ensure the robust-ness of external interference and accuracy of eye tracking poses the primary obstacle to the integration of eye movements into today's interfaces. In this paper, we present a strong tracking finite-difference extended Kalman filter algorithm, aiming to overcome the difficulty In modeling nonlinear eye tracking. In filtering calculation, strong tracking factor is introduced to modify a priori covariance matrix and im-prove the accuracy of the filter. The filter uses finite-difference method to calculate partial derivatives of nonlinear functions for eye tracking. The latest experimental results show the validity of our method for eye tracking under realistic conditions.

Infrared fluorescent protein 1.4 genetic labeling tracks engrafted cardiac progenitor cells in mouse ischemic hearts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lijuan Chen

Full Text Available Stem cell therapy has a potential for regenerating damaged myocardium. However, a key obstacle to cell therapy's success is the loss of engrafted cells due to apoptosis or necrosis in the ischemic myocardium. While many strategies have been developed to improve engrafted cell survival, tools to evaluate cell efficacy within the body are limited. Traditional genetic labeling tools, such as GFP-like fluorescent proteins (eGFP, DsRed, mCherry, have limited penetration depths in vivo due to tissue scattering and absorption. To circumvent these limitations, a near-infrared fluorescent mutant of the DrBphP bacteriophytochrome from Deinococcus radiodurans, IFP1.4, was developed for in vivo imaging, but it has yet to be used for in vivo stem/progenitor cell tracking. In this study, we incorporated IFP1.4 into mouse cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs by a lentiviral vector. Live IFP1.4-labeled CPCs were imaged by their near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF using an Odyssey scanner following overnight incubation with biliverdin. A significant linear correlation was observed between the amount of cells and NIRF signal intensity in in vitro studies. Lentiviral mediated IFP1.4 gene labeling is stable, and does not impact the apoptosis and cardiac differentiation of CPC. To assess efficacy of our model for engrafted cells in vivo, IFP1.4-labeled CPCs were intramyocardially injected into infarcted hearts. NIRF signals were collected at 1-day, 7-days, and 14-days post-injection using the Kodak in vivo multispectral imaging system. Strong NIRF signals from engrafted cells were imaged 1 day after injection. At 1 week after injection, 70% of the NIRF signal was lost when compared to the intensity of the day 1 signal. The data collected 2 weeks following transplantation showed an 88% decrease when compared to day 1. Our studies have shown that IFP1.4 gene labeling can be used to track the viability of transplanted cells in vivo.

Range measurements and track kinetics in Dielectric Nuclear Track Detectors (DNTDs)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aframian, A

1981-01-01

Observations of nuclear track development profiles and the kinetics of etched tracks in sensitive dielectric nuclear track detectors indicate three separate phases: the inception phase or the cone phase, the transition phase and the sphere phase. Continued etching of the sphere phase to through-tracks yields accurate range data for particles of different masses and energies and minimum critical angles of registration for each particle. The present results show an energy resolution of 40 keV (fwhm) for 5.48 MeV alpha-particles emitted from Am-241.

Large scale tracking algorithms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, Ross L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Love, Joshua Alan [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Melgaard, David Kennett [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Karelitz, David B. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Pitts, Todd Alan [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Zollweg, Joshua David [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Anderson, Dylan Z. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Nandy, Prabal [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Whitlow, Gary L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bender, Daniel A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Byrne, Raymond Harry [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-01-01

Low signal-to-noise data processing algorithms for improved detection, tracking, discrimination and situational threat assessment are a key research challenge. As sensor technologies progress, the number of pixels will increase signi cantly. This will result in increased resolution, which could improve object discrimination, but unfortunately, will also result in a significant increase in the number of potential targets to track. Many tracking techniques, like multi-hypothesis trackers, suffer from a combinatorial explosion as the number of potential targets increase. As the resolution increases, the phenomenology applied towards detection algorithms also changes. For low resolution sensors, "blob" tracking is the norm. For higher resolution data, additional information may be employed in the detection and classfication steps. The most challenging scenarios are those where the targets cannot be fully resolved, yet must be tracked and distinguished for neighboring closely spaced objects. Tracking vehicles in an urban environment is an example of such a challenging scenario. This report evaluates several potential tracking algorithms for large-scale tracking in an urban environment.

High accuracy injection circuit for the calibration of a large pixel sensor matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quartieri, E.; Comotti, D.; Manghisoni, M.

2013-01-01

Semiconductor pixel detectors, for particle tracking and vertexing in high energy physics experiments as well as for X-ray imaging, in particular for synchrotron light sources and XFELs, require a large area sensor matrix. This work will discuss the design and the characterization of a high-linearity, low dispersion injection circuit to be used for pixel-level calibration of detector readout electronics in a large pixel sensor matrix. The circuit provides a useful tool for the characterization of the readout electronics of the pixel cell unit for both monolithic active pixel sensors and hybrid pixel detectors. In the latter case, the circuit allows for precise analogue test of the readout channel already at the chip level, when no sensor is connected. Moreover, it provides a simple means for calibration of readout electronics once the detector has been connected to the chip. Two injection techniques can be provided by the circuit: one for a charge sensitive amplification and the other for a transresistance readout channel. The aim of the paper is to describe the architecture and the design guidelines of the calibration circuit, which has been implemented in a 130 nm CMOS technology. Moreover, experimental results of the proposed injection circuit will be presented in terms of linearity and dispersion

Hydrologic monitoring of a waste-injection well near Milton, Florida, June 1975 - June 1977

Science.gov (United States)

Pascale, Charles A.; Martin, J.B.

1978-01-01

This report presents the hydraulic and chemical data collected from June 1, 1975, when injection began, to June 30, 1977 through a monitoring program at a deep-well waste-injection system at the American Cyanamid Company's plant near Milton, about 12 miles northwest of Pensacola. The injection system consists of a primary injection well, a standby injection well, and two deep monitor wells all completed open hole in the lower limestone of the Floridan aquifer and one shallow-monitor well completed in the upper limestone of the Floridan aquifer. Two of the monitor wells and the standby injection well are used to observe hydraulic and geochemical effects of waste injection in the injection zone at locations 8,180 feet northeast, 1,560 feet south, and 1,025 feet southwest of the primary injection well. The shallow-monitor well, used to observe any effects in the first permeable zone above the 200-foot-thick confining bed, is 28 feet north of the primary injection well. Since injection began in June 1975, 607 million gallons of treated industrial liquid waste with a pH of 4.6 to 6.3 and containing high concentrations of nitrate, organic nitrogen and carbon have been injected into a saline-water-filled limestone aquifer. Wellhead pressure at the injection well in June 1977 average 137 pounds per square inch and the hydraulic pressure gradient was 0.53 pound per square inch per foot of depth to the top of the injection zone. Water levels rose from 36 to 74 feet at the three wells used to monitor the injection zone during the 25-month period. The water level in the shallow-monitor well declined about 8 feet. No changes were detected in the chemical character of water from the shallow-monitor well and deep-monitor well-north. Increases in concentration of bicarbonate and dissolved organic carbon were detected in water from the deep-test monitor well in February 1976 and at the standby injection well in August 1976. In addition to increases in bicarbonate and dissolved

High bacterial diversity of biological soil crusts in water tracks over permafrost in the high arctic polar desert.

Science.gov (United States)

Steven, Blaire; Lionard, Marie; Kuske, Cheryl R; Vincent, Warwick F

2013-01-01

In this study we report the bacterial diversity of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) inhabiting polar desert soils at the northern land limit of the Arctic polar region (83° 05 N). Employing pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes this study demonstrated that these biocrusts harbor diverse bacterial communities, often as diverse as temperate latitude communities. The effect of wetting pulses on the composition of communities was also determined by collecting samples from soils outside and inside of permafrost water tracks, hill slope flow paths that drain permafrost-affected soils. The intermittent flow regime in the water tracks was correlated with altered relative abundance of phylum level taxonomic bins in the bacterial communities, but the alterations varied between individual sampling sites. Bacteria related to the Cyanobacteria and Acidobacteria demonstrated shifts in relative abundance based on their location either inside or outside of the water tracks. Among cyanobacterial sequences, the proportion of sequences belonging to the family Oscillatoriales consistently increased in relative abundance in the samples from inside the water tracks compared to those outside. Acidobacteria showed responses to wetting pulses in the water tracks, increasing in abundance at one site and decreasing at the other two sites. Subdivision 4 acidobacterial sequences tended to follow the trends in the total Acidobacteria relative abundance, suggesting these organisms were largely responsible for the changes observed in the Acidobacteria. Taken together, these data suggest that the bacterial communities of these high latitude polar biocrusts are diverse but do not show a consensus response to intermittent flow in water tracks over high Arctic permafrost.

Worldwide Injection Technique Questionnaire Study: Population Parameters and Injection Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Frid, Anders H; Hirsch, Laurence J; Menchior, Astrid R; Morel, Didier R; Strauss, Kenneth W

2016-09-01

From February 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, 13,289 insulin-injecting patients from 423 centers in 42 countries took part in one of the largest surveys ever performed in diabetes. The goal was to assess patient characteristics, as well as historical and practical aspects of their injection technique. Results show that 4- and 8-mm needle lengths are each used by nearly 30% of patients and 5- and 6-mm needles each by approximately 20%. Higher consumption of insulin (as measured by total daily dose) is associated with having lipohypertrophy (LH), injecting into LH, leakage from the injection site, and failing to reconstitute cloudy insulin. Glycated hemoglobin values are, on average, 0.5% higher in patients with LH and are significantly higher with incorrect rotation of sites and with needle reuse. Glycated hemoglobin values are lower in patients who distribute their injections over larger injection areas and whose sites are inspected routinely. The frequencies of unexpected hypoglycemia and glucose variability are significantly higher in those with LH, those injecting into LH, those who incorrectly rotate sites, and those who reuse needles. Needles associated with diabetes treatment are the most commonly used medical sharps in the world. However, correct disposal of sharps after use is critically suboptimal. Many used sharps end up in public trash and constitute a major accidental needlestick risk. Use of these data should stimulate renewed interest in and commitment to optimizing injection practices in patients with diabetes. Copyright © 2016 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Granisetron Injection

Science.gov (United States)

Granisetron immediate-release injection is used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy and to ... nausea and vomiting that may occur after surgery. Granisetron extended-release (long-acting) injection is used with ...

Edaravone Injection

Science.gov (United States)

Edaravone injection is used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease; a condition in which ... die, causing the muscles to shrink and weaken). Edaravone injection is in a class of medications called ...

Defibrotide Injection

Science.gov (United States)

Defibrotide injection is used to treat adults and children with hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD; blocked blood ... the body and then returned to the body). Defibrotide injection is in a class of medications called ...

Nalbuphine Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... injection is in a class of medications called opioid agonist-antagonists. It works by changing the way ... suddenly stop using nalbuphine injection, you may experience withdrawal symptoms including restlessness; teary eyes; runny nose; yawning; ...

Quantization-Based Adaptive Actor-Critic Tracking Control With Tracking Error Constraints.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Quan-Yong; Yang, Guang-Hong; Ye, Dan

2018-04-01

In this paper, the problem of adaptive actor-critic (AC) tracking control is investigated for a class of continuous-time nonlinear systems with unknown nonlinearities and quantized inputs. Different from the existing results based on reinforcement learning, the tracking error constraints are considered and new critic functions are constructed to improve the performance further. To ensure that the tracking errors keep within the predefined time-varying boundaries, a tracking error transformation technique is used to constitute an augmented error system. Specific critic functions, rather than the long-term cost function, are introduced to supervise the tracking performance and tune the weights of the AC neural networks (NNs). A novel adaptive controller with a special structure is designed to reduce the effect of the NN reconstruction errors, input quantization, and disturbances. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, the boundedness of the closed-loop signals and the desired tracking performance can be guaranteed. Finally, simulations on two connected inverted pendulums are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Making tracks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1986-10-15

In many modern tracking chambers, the sense wires, rather than being lined up uniformly, are grouped into clusters to facilitate the pattern recognition process. However, with higher energy machines providing collisions richer in secondary particles, event reconstruction becomes more complicated. A Caltech / Illinois / SLAC / Washington group developed an ingenious track finding and fitting approach for the Mark III detector used at the SPEAR electron-positron ring at SLAC (Stanford). This capitalizes on the detector's triggering, which uses programmable logic circuits operating in parallel, each 'knowing' the cell patterns for all tracks passing through a specific portion of the tracker (drift chamber)

Piezoelectric Injection Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mock, R.; Lubitz, K.

The origin of direct injection can be doubtlessly attributed to Rudolf Diesel who used air assisted injection for fuel atomisation in his first self-ignition engine. Although it became apparent already at that time that direct injection leads to reduced specific fuel consumption compared to other methods of fuel injection, it was not used in passenger cars for the moment because of its disadvantageous noise generation as the requirements with regard to comfort were seen as more important than a reduced specific consumption.

Multisensor Distributed Track Fusion AlgorithmBased on Strong Tracking Filter and Feedback Integration1）

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YANGGuo-Sheng; WENCheng-Lin; TANMin

2004-01-01

A new multisensor distributed track fusion algorithm is put forward based on combiningthe feedback integration with the strong tracking Kalman filter. Firstly, an effective tracking gateis constructed by taking the intersection of the tracking gates formed before and after feedback.Secondly, on the basis of the constructed effective tracking gate, probabilistic data association andstrong tracking Kalman filter are combined to form the new multisensor distributed track fusionalgorithm. At last, simulation is performed on the original algorithm and the algorithm presented.

Low submetamorphic doses of dexamethasone and thyroxine induce complete metamorphosis in the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) when injected together.

Science.gov (United States)

Kühn, Eduard R; De Groef, Bert; Grommen, Sylvia V H; Van der Geyten, Serge; Darras, Veerle M

2004-06-01

Entanglement of functions between the adrenal (or interrenal) and thyroid axis has been well described for all vertebrates and can be tracked down up to the level of gene expression. Both thyroid hormones and corticosteroids may induce morphological changes leading to metamorphosis climax in the neotenic Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). In a first series of experiments, metamorphosis was induced with an injection of 25 microg T(4) on three alternate days as judged by a decrease in body weight and tail height together with complete gill resorption. This injection also resulted in elevated plasma concentrations of T(3) and corticosterone. Previous results have indicated that the same dose of dexamethasone (DEX) is ineffective in this regard (Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 127 (2002) 157). In a second series of experiments low doses of T(4) (0.5 microg) or DEX (5 microg) were ineffective to induce morphological changes. However, when these submetamorphic doses were injected together, morphological changes were observed within one week leading to complete metamorphosis. It is concluded that thyroid hormones combined with corticosteroids are essential for metamorphosis in the axolotl and that only high doses of either thyroid hormone or corticosteroid can induce morphological changes when injected separately.

Track finding and track reconstruction in the internal forward drift chamber of SAPHIR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umlauf, G.

1993-03-01

A track finding algorithm has been developed for the inner forward drift chamber of the SAPHIR detector (at ELSA in Bonn) using the Principal Components Analysis as a tool for interpolating track coordinates. The drift chamber consists of twelve planar layers with six different inclinations and is being operated in an inhomogenous magnetic field. The task of track finding is basicly split into a primary stage that defines track candidates without the use of drift-time information and a second stage that serves to verify the track candidate and to resolve the intrinsic left-right ambiguities of the drift chamber signals. Tracks with at most three missing signals can be found. (orig.) [de

Timber tracking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Düdder, Boris; Ross, Omry

2017-01-01

Managing and verifying forest products in a value chain is often reliant on easily manipulated document or digital tracking methods - Chain of Custody Systems. We aim to create a new means of tracking timber by developing a tamper proof digital system based on Blockchain technology. Blockchain...

Source tracking swine fecal waste in surface water proximal to swine concentrated animal feeding operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Heaney, Christopher D; Myers, Kevin; Wing, Steve; Hall, Devon; Baron, Dothula; Stewart, Jill R

2015-04-01

Swine farming has gone through many changes in the last few decades, resulting in operations with a high animal density known as confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These operations produce a large quantity of fecal waste whose environmental impacts are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate microbial water quality in surface waters proximal to swine CAFOs including microbial source tracking of fecal microbes specific to swine. For one year, surface water samples at up- and downstream sites proximal to swine CAFO lagoon waste land application sites were tested for fecal indicator bacteria (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus) and candidate swine-specific microbial source-tracking (MST) markers (Bacteroidales Pig-1-Bac, Pig-2-Bac, and Pig-Bac-2, and methanogen P23-2). Testing of 187 samples showed high fecal indicator bacteria concentrations at both up- and downstream sites. Overall, 40%, 23%, and 61% of samples exceeded state and federal recreational water quality guidelines for fecal coliforms, E. coli, and Enterococcus, respectively. Pig-1-Bac and Pig-2-Bac showed the highest specificity to swine fecal wastes and were 2.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.03, 5.94) and 2.30 times (95% CI=0.90, 5.88) as prevalent proximal down- than proximal upstream of swine CAFOs, respectively. Pig-1-Bac and Pig-2-Bac were also 2.87 (95% CI=1.21, 6.80) and 3.36 (95% CI=1.34, 8.41) times as prevalent when 48 hour antecedent rainfall was greater than versus less than the mean, respectively. Results suggest diffuse and overall poor sanitary quality of surface waters where swine CAFO density is high. Pig-1-Bac and Pig-2-Bac are useful for tracking off-site conveyance of swine fecal wastes into surface waters proximal to and downstream of swine CAFOs and during rain events. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dependence of yield of nuclear track-biosensors on track radius and analyte concentration

Science.gov (United States)

García-Arellano, H.; Muñoz H., G.; Fink, D.; Vacik, J.; Hnatowicz, V.; Alfonta, L.; Kiv, A.

2018-04-01

In swift heavy ion track-based polymeric biosensor foils with incorporated enzymes one exploits the correlation between the analyte concentration and the sensor current, via the enrichment of charged enzymatic reaction products in the track's confinement. Here we study the influence of the etched track radius on the biosensor's efficiency. These sensors are analyte-specific only if both the track radii and the analyte concentration exceed certain threshold values of ∼15 nm and ∼10-6 M (for glucose sensing), respectively. Below these limits the sensor signal stems un-specifically from any charge carrier. In its proper working regime, the inner track walls are smoothly covered by enzymes and the efficiency is practically radius independent. Theory shows that the measured current should be slightly sub-proportional to the analyte concentration; the measurements roughly reconfirm this. Narrower tracks (∼5-15 nm radius) with reduced enzyme coverage lead to decreasing efficiency. Tiny signals visible when the tracks are etched to effective radii between 0 and ∼5 nm are tentatively ascribed to enzymes bonded to surface-near nano-cracks in the polymer foil, resulting from its degradation due to aging, rather than to the tracks. Precondition for this study was the accurate determination of the etched track radii, which is possible only by a nanofluidic approach. This holds to some extent even for enzyme-covered tracks, though in this case most of the wall charges are compensated by enzyme bonding.

Radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yano, K [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture

1975-09-01

This paper reports the biological and ecological examinations on the radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria (mainly concerning Micrococcus radiodurans). Radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria were isolated from the irradiated areas of the natural world as well as from the general areas and from the Rn waters in the Misasa hot spring. The acquiring of the tolerance to radiation in bacteria was also examined. In addition, the future problems of microbiological treatment with irradiation were mentioned.

Radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yano, Keiji

1975-01-01

This paper reports the biological and ecological examinations on the radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria (mainly concerning Micrococcus radiodurans). Radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria were isolated from the irradiated areas of the natural world as well as from the general areas and from the Rn waters in the Misasa hot spring. The acquiring of the tolerance to radiation in bacteria was also examined. In addition, the future problems of microbiological treatment with irradiation were mentioned. (Tsukamoto, Y.)

Immunomodulatory properties of probiotic bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fink, Lisbeth Nielsen

2007-01-01

Certain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are part of the commensal intestinal flora and considered beneficial for health, as they compete with pathogens for adhesion sites in the intestine and ferment otherwise indigestible compounds. Another important property of these so-called probiotic bacteria...... with bacteria, and the cytokine pattern induced by specific bacteria resembled the pattern induced in MoDC, except for TNF-alpha and IL-6, which were induced in response to different bacteria in blood DC/monocytes and monocyte-derived DC. Autologous NK cells produced IFN-gamma when cultured with blood DC......, monocytes and monocyte-derived DC and IL-12-inducing bacteria, whereas only DC induced IFN-gamma production in allogeneic T cells. In vitro-generated DC is a commonly used model of tissue DC, but they differ in certain aspects from intestinal DC, which are in direct contact with the intestinal microbiota...

Tracks: A National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network Overview

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

In this podcast, Dr. Mike McGeehin, Director of CDC's Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, provides an overview of the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. It highlights the Tracking Network's goal, how it will improve public health, its audience, and much more.

Urbanism on Track : Application of tracking technologies in urbanism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Hoeven, F.D.; Van Schaick, J.; Van der Spek, S.C.; Smit, M.G.J.

2008-01-01

Tracking technologies such as GPS, mobile phone tracking, video and RFID monitoring are rapidly becoming part of daily life. Technological progress offers huge possibilities for studying human activity patterns in time and space in new ways. Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) held an

A comparison of molding procedures - Contact, injection and vacuum injection

Science.gov (United States)

Cathiard, G.

1980-06-01

The technical and economic aspects of the contact, injection and vacuum injection molding of reinforced plastic components are compared for the example of a tractor roof with a gel-coated surface. Consideration is given to the possibility of reinforcement, number of smooth faces, condition of the gel-coated surface, reliability, and labor and workplace requirements of the three processes, and advantages of molding between the mold and a countermold in smooth faces, reliability, labor requirements, working surface and industrial hygiene are pointed out. The times and labor requirements of each step in the molding cycles are examined, and material requirements and yields, investment costs, amortization and product cost prices of the processes are compared. It is concluded that, for the specific component examined, the processes of vacuum injection and injection molding appear very interesting, with injection molding processes resulting in lower cost prices than contact molding for any production volume.

An insight on advantage of hybrid sun–wind-tracking over sun-tracking PV system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahimi, Masoud; Banybayat, Meisam; Tagheie, Yaghoub; Valeh-e-Sheyda, Peyvand

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: Real photograph of hybrid sun–wind-tracking system. - Highlights: • Novel hybrid sun–wind-tracking system proposed to enhance PV cell performance. • The wind tracker can cool down the PV cell as sun-tracking system work. • The hybrid tracker achieved 7.4% increase in energy gain over the sun tracker. • The overall daily output energy gain was increased by 49.83% by using this system. - Abstract: This paper introduces the design and application of a novel hybrid sun–wind-tracking system. This hybrid system employs cooling effect of wind, besides the advantages of tracking sun for enhancing power output from examined hybrid photovoltaic cell. The principal experiment focuses on comparison between dual-axes sun-tracking and hybrid sun–wind-tracking photovoltaic (PV) panels. The deductions based on the research tests confirm that the overall daily output energy gain was increased by 49.83% compared with that of a fixed system. Moreover, an overall increase of about 7.4% in the output power was found for the hybrid sun–wind-tracking over the two-axis sun tracking system.

Prevalence of injections and knowledge of safe injections among rural residents in Central China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Y W; Yan, J; Zhang, G P; Gao, Z L; Jian, H X

2007-08-01

Abuse of the injection services, namely unnecessary injections and unsafe injections, exists extensively in developing countries. Unsafe injection practices contribute to the transmission of blood-borne pathogens. The aims of this study were to survey the prevalence of injections and knowledge of injection safety among the rural residents in Jingzhou district, Hubei, China and to provide scientific data for developing a health educational programme. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 villages, which were selected from the Jingzhou district by the random sampling method. 50 rural residents were interviewed per village using a questionnaire. Among the 595 residents studied, 192 had received at least one injection in the past three months, with an injection prevalence of 32.3 percent and an average of 0.93 injections. 90.3 percent of the rural residents knew that unsafe injections could transmit the following blood-borne pathogens: human immunodeficiency virus (74.4 percent), hepatitis B virus (55.8 percent) and hepatitis C virus (22.9 percent). Logistic regression analysis showed that the residents' age, educational level and residential area were important factors in influencing their knowledge about injection safety. The results indicated that the injection prevalence was high among rural residents in the study area, and their knowledge regarding injection safety should be further improved.

A natural odor attraction between lactic acid bacteria and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jae Im; Yoon, Kyoung-Hye; Subbammal Kalichamy, Saraswathi; Yoon, Sung-Sik; Il Lee, Jin

2016-03-01

Animal predators can track prey using their keen sense of smell. The bacteriovorous nematode Caenorhabditis elegans employs sensitive olfactory sensory neurons that express vertebrate-like odor receptors to locate bacteria. C. elegans displays odor-related behaviors such as attraction, aversion and adaptation, but the ecological significance of these behaviors is not known. Using a combination of food microbiology and genetics, we elucidate a possible predator-prey relationship between C. elegans and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in rotting citrus fruit. LAB produces the volatile odor diacetyl as an oxidized by-product of fermentation in the presence of citrate. We show that C. elegans is attracted to LAB when grown on citrate media or Citrus medica L, commonly known as yuzu, a citrus fruit native to East Asia, and this attraction is mediated by the diacetyl odor receptor, ODR-10. We isolated a wild LAB strain and a wild C. elegans-related nematode from rotten yuzu, and demonstrate that the wild nematode was attracted to the diacetyl produced by LAB. These results not only identify an ecological function for a C. elegans olfactory behavior, but contribute to the growing understanding of ecological relationships between the microbial and metazoan worlds.

A natural odor attraction between lactic acid bacteria and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jae Im; Yoon, Kyoung-hye; Subbammal Kalichamy, Saraswathi; Yoon, Sung-Sik; Il Lee, Jin

2016-01-01

Animal predators can track prey using their keen sense of smell. The bacteriovorous nematode Caenorhabditis elegans employs sensitive olfactory sensory neurons that express vertebrate-like odor receptors to locate bacteria. C. elegans displays odor-related behaviors such as attraction, aversion and adaptation, but the ecological significance of these behaviors is not known. Using a combination of food microbiology and genetics, we elucidate a possible predator–prey relationship between C. elegans and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in rotting citrus fruit. LAB produces the volatile odor diacetyl as an oxidized by-product of fermentation in the presence of citrate. We show that C. elegans is attracted to LAB when grown on citrate media or Citrus medica L, commonly known as yuzu, a citrus fruit native to East Asia, and this attraction is mediated by the diacetyl odor receptor, ODR-10. We isolated a wild LAB strain and a wild C. elegans-related nematode from rotten yuzu, and demonstrate that the wild nematode was attracted to the diacetyl produced by LAB. These results not only identify an ecological function for a C. elegans olfactory behavior, but contribute to the growing understanding of ecological relationships between the microbial and metazoan worlds. PMID:26241504

Processive movement of MreB-associated cell wall biosynthetic complexes in bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Domínguez-Escobar, Julia; Chastanet, Arnaud; Crevenna, Alvaro H; Fromion, Vincent; Wedlich-Söldner, Roland; Carballido-López, Rut

2011-07-08

The peptidoglycan cell wall and the actin-like MreB cytoskeleton are major determinants of cell shape in rod-shaped bacteria. The prevailing model postulates that helical, membrane-associated MreB filaments organize elongation-specific peptidoglycan-synthesizing complexes along sidewalls. We used total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy to visualize the dynamic relation between MreB isoforms and cell wall synthesis in live Bacillus subtilis cells. During exponential growth, MreB proteins did not form helical structures. Instead, together with other morphogenetic factors, they assembled into discrete patches that moved processively along peripheral tracks perpendicular to the cell axis. Patch motility was largely powered by cell wall synthesis, and MreB polymers restricted diffusion of patch components in the membrane and oriented patch motion.

Injection-controlled laser resonator

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, J.J.

1995-07-18

A new injection-controlled laser resonator incorporates self-filtering and self-imaging characteristics with an efficient injection scheme. A low-divergence laser signal is injected into the resonator, which enables the injection signal to be converted to the desired resonator modes before the main laser pulse starts. This injection technique and resonator design enable the laser cavity to improve the quality of the injection signal through self-filtering before the main laser pulse starts. The self-imaging property of the present resonator reduces the cavity induced diffraction effects and, in turn, improves the laser beam quality. 5 figs.

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.

CT-guided cervical nerve root injections: comparing the immediate post-injection anesthetic-related effects of the transforaminal injection with a new indirect technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutter, Reto; Pfirrmann, Christian W.A.; Peterson, Cynthia K.; Zanetti, Marco; Hodler, Juerg

2011-01-01

To describe an ''indirect'' cervical nerve root injection technique with a dorsal approach that should carry less inherent risk than the ''direct'' cervical transforaminal injection approach, and to compare the immediate post-injection results of the two procedures. The indirect and direct cervical nerve root injection procedures are described in detail. Fifty-three consecutive patients receiving the indirect nerve root injections during 2009-2010 were age- and gender-matched to 53 patients who underwent direct transforaminal nerve root injections performed in 2006. Pain level data were collected immediately before and 20-30 min after each procedure. The percentages of pain change in the two groups were compared using the unpaired Student's t test. Fifty-two men (mean age 49) and 54 women (mean age 55) were included. The mean percentage of pain reduction for patients receiving indirect nerve root injections was 38.4% and for those undergoing the direct nerve root injections approach it was 43.2%. This was not significantly different (P = 0.455). No immediate or late adverse effects were reported after either injection procedure. The indirect cervical nerve root injection procedure is a potentially safer alternative to direct cervical transforaminal nerve root injections. The short-term pain reduction is similar using the two injection methods. (orig.)

Bacteria-surface interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuson, Hannah H; Weibel, Douglas B

2013-05-14

The interaction of bacteria with surfaces has important implications in a range of areas, including bioenergy, biofouling, biofilm formation, and the infection of plants and animals. Many of the interactions of bacteria with surfaces produce changes in the expression of genes that influence cell morphology and behavior, including genes essential for motility and surface attachment. Despite the attention that these phenotypes have garnered, the bacterial systems used for sensing and responding to surfaces are still not well understood. An understanding of these mechanisms will guide the development of new classes of materials that inhibit and promote cell growth, and complement studies of the physiology of bacteria in contact with surfaces. Recent studies from a range of fields in science and engineering are poised to guide future investigations in this area. This review summarizes recent studies on bacteria-surface interactions, discusses mechanisms of surface sensing and consequences of cell attachment, provides an overview of surfaces that have been used in bacterial studies, and highlights unanswered questions in this field.

Non-etching nuclear track visualization in polymers: fluorescent and dyed tracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somogyi, G.; Toth-Szilagyi, M.; Monnin, M.; Gourcy, J.

1979-01-01

A report is presented on progress in two methods of non-etching nuclear track visualization. The basis for one method is to graft polymer chains in the vicinity of the ion path in a polymer, and then to dye it, making the track visible. The second method is similar, but in this case saturated organic molecules can be used, which prevents subsequent polymerization. The detector is soaked with a solution of a sensitization molecule that can react with a convenient dye and fix it. The sensitization molecules may diffuse into the detector either through the bulk of it or/ and along the region damaged by a charged particle. Depending on the detailed procedure used, the tracks may be seen as 'dyed tracks' with visible-light illumination or as 'fluorescent tracks' with u.v. illumination. Experimental procedures and results are given and discussed. (U.K.)

Genomics of Probiotic Bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

O'Flaherty, Sarah; Goh, Yong Jun; Klaenhammer, Todd R.

Probiotic bacteria from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species belong to the Firmicutes and the Actinobacteria phylum, respectively. Lactobacilli are members of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) group, a broadly defined family of microorganisms that ferment various hexoses into primarily lactic acid. Lactobacilli are typically low G + C gram-positive species which are phylogenetically diverse, with over 100 species documented to date. Bifidobacteria are heterofermentative, high G + C content bacteria with about 30 species of bifidobacteria described to date.

EnTracked: Energy-Efficient Robust Position Tracking for Mobile Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun; Jensen, Jakob Langdal; Godsk, Torben

2009-01-01

conditions and mobility, schedules position updates to both minimize energy consumption and optimize robustness. The realized system tracks pedestrian targets equipped with GPS-enabled devices. The system is configurable to realize different trade-offs between energy consumption and robustness. We provide...... of the mobile device. Furthermore, tracking has to robustly deliver position updates when faced with changing conditions such as delays due to positioning and communication, and changing positioning accuracy. This work proposes EnTracked --- a system that, based on the estimation and prediction of system...... extensive experimental results by profiling how devices consume power, by emulation on collected data and by validation in several real-world deployments. Results from this profiling show how a device consumes power while tracking its position. Results from the emulation indicate that the system can...

Solid state nuclear track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medeiros, J.A.; Carvalho, M.L.C.P. de

1992-12-01

Solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) are dielectric materials, crystalline or vitreous, which registers tracks of charged nuclear particles, like alpha particles or fission fragments. Chemical etching of the detectors origin tracks that are visible at the optical microscope: track etching rate is higher along the latent track, where damage due to the charged particle increase the chemical potential, and etching rate giving rise to holes, the etched tracks. Fundamental principles are presented as well as some ideas of main applications. (author)

Measurement of fission track of uranium particle by solid state nuclear track detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, S. C.; Pyo, H. W.; Ji, K. Y.; Kim, W. H.

2002-01-01

In this study, we discussed results of the measurement of fission tracks for the uranium containing particles by solid state nuclear track detector. Uranium containing silica and uranium oxide particles were prepared by uranium sorption onto silica powder in weak acidic medium and laser ablation on uranium pellet, respectively. Fission tracks for the uranium containing silica and uranium oxide particles were detected on Lexan plastic detector. It was found that the fission track size and shapes depend on the particle size uranium content in particles. Correlation of uranium particle diameter with fission track radius was also discussed

Nitrogen-fixing methane-utilizing bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bont, de J.A.M.

1976-01-01

Methane occurs abundantly in nature. In the presence of oxygen this gas may be metabolized by bacteria that are able to use it as carbon and energy source. Several types of bacteria involved in the oxidation of methane have been described in literature. Methane-utilizing bacteria have in

Nonlinear core deflection in injection molding

Science.gov (United States)

Poungthong, P.; Giacomin, A. J.; Saengow, C.; Kolitawong, C.; Liao, H.-C.; Tseng, S.-C.

2018-05-01

Injection molding of thin slender parts is often complicated by core deflection. This deflection is caused by molten plastics race tracking through the slit between the core and the rigid cavity wall. The pressure of this liquid exerts a lateral force of the slender core causing the core to bend, and this bending is governed by a nonlinear fifth order ordinary differential equation for the deflection that is not directly in the position along the core. Here we subject this differential equation to 6 sets of boundary conditions, corresponding to 6 commercial core constraints. For each such set of boundary conditions, we develop an explicit approximate analytical solution, including both a linear term and a nonlinear term. By comparison with finite difference solutions, we find our new analytical solutions to be accurate. We then use these solutions to derive explicit analytical approximations for maximum deflections and for the core position of these maximum deflections. Our experiments on the base-gated free-tip boundary condition agree closely with our new explicit approximate analytical solution.

Pathogenic Assay of Probiotic Bacteria Producing Proteolytic Enzymes as Bioremediation Bacteria Against Vannamei Shrimp Larvae (Litopenaeus vannamei)

OpenAIRE

Wilis Ari Setyati; Muhammad Zainuddin; Person Pesona Renta

2017-01-01

Application of bacteria in bioremediation of shrimp culture ponds is one of the methods used to clean internal pollutants. This study aimed to evaluate the pathogenicity of extracellular proteolytic enzyme produced by the probiotic bacteria as bioremediation bacteria on vannamei shrimp larvae culture. There were five probiotic bacteria, which were successfully isolated from the sediments served as substrate in mangrove area. The isolated bacteria were coded in number as 13, 19, 30, 33, and 36...

Optimization of injection law for direct injection diesel engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feola, M.; Bella, G.; Pelloni, P.; Casoli, P.; Toderi, G.; Cantore, G.

1992-01-01

This paper describes how different timing and shape of the injection law can influence pollutant emission of a direct injection diesel engine. The study was carried out making use of a multizone thermodynamic model as regards the closed valve phase, and a filling-emptying one as regards the open valve phase. After being calibrated by comparison with experimental data, the abovementioned model was used for injection law optimization as regards minimum pollutant concentration (NO x and soot) in the exhaust gases with the smallest engine performance reduction possible

Cadmium resistance of endophytic bacteria and rizosféricas bacteria isolated from Oriza sativa in Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataly Ayubb T

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The present study had as objective to evaluate in vitro the resistance of endophytic bacteria and rizospheric bacteria to different concentrations of Cadmium.This bacteria were isolated fron different tissues of commercial rice varieties and from bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere in rice plantations of the Nechí (Antioquía and Achí (Bolivar.  Plant growth promotion was evaluated in vitro by nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization and siderophores production of endophytic bacteria. Of each tissue isolated from rice plants was carried out isolation in culture medium for endophytic bacteria, and the soil samples were serially diluted in peptone water. Each sample was determined the population density by counting in CFU / g of tissue and morphotypes were separated by shape, color, size and appearance in culture media. Significant differences were observed for density population of bacteria with respect to tissue, with higher values in root (4x1011 g/root, followed of the stem (3x1010g/etem, leaf (5x109 g/ leaf, flag leaf (3x109 g/ flag leaf and with less density in panicle (4x108 g/panicle. The results of the identification with kit API were confirmed the presence of endophytic bacteria Burkholderia cepaceae and rizospheric bacteria Pseudomona fluorescens With the ability to tolerate different concentrations of Cd, fix nitrogen, solubilize phosphates and produce siderophores.

Subcutaneous Injections

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Maria

This thesis is about visualization and characterization of the tissue-device interaction during subcutaneous injection. The tissue pressure build-up during subcutaneous injections was measured in humans. The insulin pen FlexTouchr (Novo Nordisk A/S) was used for the measurements and the pressure ...

Ketorolac Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... an older adult, you should know that ketorolac injection is not as safe as other medications that can be used to treat your condition. Your doctor may choose to prescribe a different medication ... to ketorolac injection.Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the ...

Sonographically guided deep plantar fascia injections: where does the injectate go?

Science.gov (United States)

Maida, Eugene; Presley, James C; Murthy, Naveen; Pawlina, Wojciech; Smith, Jay

2013-08-01

To determine the distribution of sonographically guided deep plantar fascia injections in an unembalmed cadaveric model. A single experienced operator completed 10 sonographically guided deep plantar fascia injections in 10 unembalmed cadaveric specimens (5 right and 5 left) obtained from 6 donors (2 male and 4 female) aged 49 to 95 years (mean, 77.5 years) with a mean body mass index of 23.2 kg/m(2) (range, 18.4-26.3 kg/m(2)). A 12-3-MHz linear array transducer was used to direct a 22-gauge, 38-mm stainless steel needle deep to the plantar fascia at the anterior aspect of the calcaneus using an in-plane, medial-to-lateral approach. In each case, 1.5 mL of 50% diluted colored latex was injected deep to the plantar fascia. After a minimum of 72 hours, study coinvestigators dissected each specimen to assess injectate placement. All 10 injections accurately placed latex adjacent to the deep side of the plantar fascia at the anterior calcaneus. However, the flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) origin from the plantar fascia variably limited direct latex contact with the plantar fascia, and small amounts of latex interdigitated with the FDB origin in 90% (9 of 10). In all 10 specimens, latex also covered the traversing first branch of the lateral plantar nerve (FBLPN, ie, Baxter nerve) between the FDB and quadratus plantae muscles. No latex was found in the plantar fat pad or plantar fascia in any specimen. Sonographically guided deep plantar fascia injections reliably deliver latex deep to the plantar fascia while avoiding intrafascial injection. However, the extent of direct plantar fascia contact is variable due to the intervening FDB. On the contrary, the traversing FBLPN is reliably covered by the injection. Deep plantar fascia injections may have a role in the management of refractory plantar fasciitis, particularly following failed superficial perifascial or intrafascial injections, in cases of preferential deep plantar fascia involvement, or when entrapment

Presence and Persistence of Viable, Clinically Relevant Legionella pneumophila Bacteria in Garden Soil in the Netherlands

Science.gov (United States)

van Heijnsbergen, E.; van Deursen, A.; Bouwknegt, M.; Bruin, J. P.; Schalk, J. A. C.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Garden soils were investigated as reservoirs and potential sources of pathogenic Legionella bacteria. Legionella bacteria were detected in 22 of 177 garden soil samples (12%) by amoebal coculture. Of these 22 Legionella-positive soil samples, seven contained Legionella pneumophila. Several other species were found, including the pathogenic Legionella longbeachae (4 gardens) and Legionella sainthelensi (9 gardens). The L. pneumophila isolates comprised 15 different sequence types (STs), and eight of these STs were previously isolated from patients according to the European Working Group for Legionella Infections (EWGLI) database. Six gardens that were found to be positive for L. pneumophila were resampled after several months, and in three gardens, L. pneumophila was again isolated. One of these gardens was resampled four times throughout the year and was found to be positive for L. pneumophila on all occasions. IMPORTANCE Tracking the source of infection for sporadic cases of Legionnaires' disease (LD) has proven to be hard. L. pneumophila ST47, the sequence type that is most frequently isolated from LD patients in the Netherlands, is rarely found in potential environmental sources. As L. pneumophila ST47 was previously isolated from a garden soil sample during an outbreak investigation, garden soils were investigated as reservoirs and potential sources of pathogenic Legionella bacteria. The detection of viable, clinically relevant Legionella strains indicates that garden soil is a potential source of Legionella bacteria, and future research should assess the public health implication of the presence of L. pneumophila in garden soil. PMID:27316958

Presence and Persistence of Viable, Clinically Relevant Legionella pneumophila Bacteria in Garden Soil in the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

van Heijnsbergen, E; van Deursen, A; Bouwknegt, M; Bruin, J P; de Roda Husman, A M; Schalk, J A C

2016-09-01

Garden soils were investigated as reservoirs and potential sources of pathogenic Legionella bacteria. Legionella bacteria were detected in 22 of 177 garden soil samples (12%) by amoebal coculture. Of these 22 Legionella-positive soil samples, seven contained Legionella pneumophila Several other species were found, including the pathogenic Legionella longbeachae (4 gardens) and Legionella sainthelensi (9 gardens). The L. pneumophila isolates comprised 15 different sequence types (STs), and eight of these STs were previously isolated from patients according to the European Working Group for Legionella Infections (EWGLI) database. Six gardens that were found to be positive for L. pneumophila were resampled after several months, and in three gardens, L. pneumophila was again isolated. One of these gardens was resampled four times throughout the year and was found to be positive for L. pneumophila on all occasions. Tracking the source of infection for sporadic cases of Legionnaires' disease (LD) has proven to be hard. L. pneumophila ST47, the sequence type that is most frequently isolated from LD patients in the Netherlands, is rarely found in potential environmental sources. As L. pneumophila ST47 was previously isolated from a garden soil sample during an outbreak investigation, garden soils were investigated as reservoirs and potential sources of pathogenic Legionella bacteria. The detection of viable, clinically relevant Legionella strains indicates that garden soil is a potential source of Legionella bacteria, and future research should assess the public health implication of the presence of L. pneumophila in garden soil. Copyright © 2016 van Heijnsbergen et al.

Particle tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mais, H.; Ripken, G.; Wrulich, A.; Schmidt, F.

1986-02-01

After a brief description of typical applications of particle tracking in storage rings and after a short discussion of some limitations and problems related with tracking we summarize some concepts and methods developed in the qualitative theory of dynamical systems. We show how these concepts can be applied to the proton ring HERA. (orig.)

Mechanism of track formation by charged particles in inorganic and organic solid-state track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doerschel, B.; Pretzsch, G.; Streubel, G.

1979-01-01

Knowledge of the individual phases of track formation mechanism is necessary in some applications of solid-state track detectors. The generation of latent tracks is described by energy transfer processes of the charged particles along their paths using several different models. Etchability of the latent tracks is discussed on the basis of some distinct criteria taking into account different fractions of energy release by the primary and secondary particles during track generation. If these etchability criteria for latent tracks are fulfilled, visual particle tracks can be produced by a chemical etching process. Etch pit formation depends on the etching conditions. The geometrical parameters of the etching pits are given on the basis of known etching rates. Evaluation of individual particle tracks or determination of track density yields results depending on both the properties of the particles and the etching conditions. Determination of particle energy and particle fluence is discussed as an example. (author)

Development of a railway wagon-track interaction model: Case studies on excited tracks

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Lei; Chen, Xianmai; Li, Xuwei; He, Xianglin

2018-02-01

In this paper, a theoretical framework for modeling the railway wagon-ballast track interactions is presented, in which the dynamic equations of motion of wagon-track systems are constructed by effectively coupling the linear and nonlinear dynamic characteristics of system components. For the linear components, the energy-variational principle is directly used to derive their dynamic matrices, while for the nonlinear components, the dynamic equilibrium method is implemented to deduce the load vectors, based on which a novel railway wagon-ballast track interaction model is developed, and being validated by comparing with the experimental data measured from a heavy haul railway and another advanced model. With this study, extensive contributions in figuring out the critical speed of instability, limits and localizations of track irregularities over derailment accidents are presented by effectively integrating the dynamic simulation model, the track irregularity probabilistic model and time-frequency analysis method. The proposed approaches can provide crucial information to guarantee the running safety and stability of the wagon-track system when considering track geometries and various running speeds.

Advanced Tracking of Vehicles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Christian Søndergaard; Li, K.-J.; Pakalnis, Stardas

2005-01-01

efficient tracking techniques. More specifically, while almost all commercially available tracking solutions simply offer time-based sampling of positions, this paper's techniques aim to offer a guaranteed tracking accuracy for each vehicle at the lowest possible costs, in terms of network traffic...

Method of Detecting Coliform Bacteria and Escherichia Coli Bacteria from Reflected Light

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent, Robert (Inventor)

2013-01-01

The present invention relates to a method of detecting coliform bacteria in water from reflected light and a method of detecting Eschericha Coli bacteria in water from reflected light, and also includes devices for the measurement, calculation and transmission of data relating to that method.

Binomial distribution of Poisson statistics and tracks overlapping probability to estimate total tracks count with low uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khayat, Omid; Afarideh, Hossein; Mohammadnia, Meisam

2015-01-01

In the solid state nuclear track detectors of chemically etched type, nuclear tracks with center-to-center neighborhood of distance shorter than two times the radius of tracks will emerge as overlapping tracks. Track overlapping in this type of detectors causes tracks count losses and it becomes rather severe in high track densities. Therefore, tracks counting in this condition should include a correction factor for count losses of different tracks overlapping orders since a number of overlapping tracks may be counted as one track. Another aspect of the problem is the cases where imaging the whole area of the detector and counting all tracks are not possible. In these conditions a statistical generalization method is desired to be applicable in counting a segmented area of the detector and the results can be generalized to the whole surface of the detector. Also there is a challenge in counting the tracks in densely overlapped tracks because not sufficient geometrical or contextual information are available. It this paper we present a statistical counting method which gives the user a relation between the tracks overlapping probabilities on a segmented area of the detector surface and the total number of tracks. To apply the proposed method one can estimate the total number of tracks on a solid state detector of arbitrary shape and dimensions by approximating the tracks averaged area, whole detector surface area and some orders of tracks overlapping probabilities. It will be shown that this method is applicable in high and ultra high density tracks images and the count loss error can be enervated using a statistical generalization approach. - Highlights: • A correction factor for count losses of different tracks overlapping orders. • For the cases imaging the whole area of the detector is not possible. • Presenting a statistical generalization method for segmented areas. • Giving a relation between the tracks overlapping probabilities and the total tracks

Single particle tracking reveals spatial and dynamic organization of the Escherichia coli biofilm matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birjiniuk, Alona; Doyle, Patrick S; Billings, Nicole; Ribbeck, Katharina; Nance, Elizabeth; Hanes, Justin

2014-01-01

Biofilms are communities of surface-adherent bacteria surrounded by secreted polymers known as the extracellular polymeric substance. Biofilms are harmful in many industries, and thus it is of great interest to understand their mechanical properties and structure to determine ways to destabilize them. By performing single particle tracking with beads of varying surface functionalization it was found that charge interactions play a key role in mediating mobility within biofilms. With a combination of single particle tracking and microrheological concepts, it was found that Escherichia coli biofilms display height dependent charge density that evolves over time. Statistical analyses of bead trajectories and confocal microscopy showed inter-connecting micron scale channels that penetrate throughout the biofilm, which may be important for nutrient transfer through the system. This methodology provides significant insight into a particular biofilm system and can be applied to many others to provide comparisons of biofilm structure. The elucidation of structure provides evidence for the permeability of biofilms to microscale objects, and the ability of a biofilm to mature and change properties over time. (paper)

Real-Time Tumor Tracking in the Lung Using an Electromagnetic Tracking System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shah, Amish P., E-mail: Amish.Shah@orlandohealth.com [Department of Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida (United States); Kupelian, Patrick A.; Waghorn, Benjamin J.; Willoughby, Twyla R.; Rineer, Justin M.; Mañon, Rafael R.; Vollenweider, Mark A.; Meeks, Sanford L. [Department of Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida (United States)

2013-07-01

Purpose: To describe the first use of the commercially available Calypso 4D Localization System in the lung. Methods and Materials: Under an institutional review board-approved protocol and an investigational device exemption from the US Food and Drug Administration, the Calypso system was used with nonclinical methods to acquire real-time 4-dimensional lung tumor tracks for 7 lung cancer patients. The aims of the study were to investigate (1) the potential for bronchoscopic implantation; (2) the stability of smooth-surface beacon transponders (transponders) after implantation; and (3) the ability to acquire tracking information within the lung. Electromagnetic tracking was not used for any clinical decision making and could only be performed before any radiation delivery in a research setting. All motion tracks for each patient were reviewed, and values of the average displacement, amplitude of motion, period, and associated correlation to a sinusoidal model (R{sup 2}) were tabulated for all 42 tracks. Results: For all 7 patients at least 1 transponder was successfully implanted. To assist in securing the transponder at the tumor site, it was necessary to implant a secondary fiducial for most transponders owing to the transponder's smooth surface. For 3 patients, insertion into the lung proved difficult, with only 1 transponder remaining fixed during implantation. One patient developed a pneumothorax after implantation of the secondary fiducial. Once implanted, 13 of 14 transponders remained stable within the lung and were successfully tracked with the tracking system. Conclusions: Our initial experience with electromagnetic guidance within the lung demonstrates that transponder implantation and tracking is achievable though not clinically available. This research investigation proved that lung tumor motion exhibits large variations from fraction to fraction within a single patient and that improvements to both transponder and tracking system are still

Motility of electric cable bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerg, Jesper Tataru; Damgaard, Lars Riis; Holm, Simon Agner

2016-01-01

Cable bacteria are filamentous bacteria that electrically couple sulfide oxidation and oxygen reduction at centimeter distances, and observations in sediment environments have suggested that they are motile. By time-lapse microscopy, we found that cable bacteria used gliding motility on surfaces...... with a highly variable speed of 0.50.3 ms1 (meanstandard deviation) and time between reversals of 155108 s. They frequently moved forward in loops, and formation of twisted loops revealed helical rotation of the filaments. Cable bacteria responded to chemical gradients in their environment, and around the oxic......-anoxic interface, they curled and piled up, with straight parts connecting back to the source of sulfide. Thus, it appears that motility serves the cable bacteria in establishing and keeping optimal connections between their distant electron donor and acceptors in a dynamic sediment environment....

Fermentation of D-Tagatose by Human Intestinal Bacteria and Dairy Lactic Acid Bacteria

OpenAIRE

Bertelsen, Hans; Andersen, Hans; Tvede, Michael

2011-01-01

A number of 174 normal or pathogenic human enteric bacteria and dairy lactic acid bacteria were screened for D-tagatose fermentation by incubation for 48 hours. Selection criteria for fermentation employed included a drop in pH below 5.5 and a distance to controls of more than 0.5. Only a few of the normal occurring enteric human bacteria were able to ferment D-tagatose, among those Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus strains. D-Tagatose fermentation seems to be comm...

Controlled ion track etching

Science.gov (United States)

George, J.; Irkens, M.; Neumann, S.; Scherer, U. W.; Srivastava, A.; Sinha, D.; Fink, D.

2006-03-01

It is a common practice since long to follow the ion track-etching process in thin foils via conductometry, i.e . by measurement of the electrical current which passes through the etched track, once the track breakthrough condition has been achieved. The major disadvantage of this approach, namely the absence of any major detectable signal before breakthrough, can be avoided by examining the track-etching process capacitively. This method allows one to define precisely not only the breakthrough point before it is reached, but also the length of any non-transient track. Combining both capacitive and conductive etching allows one to control the etching process perfectly. Examples and possible applications are given.

METHODS FOR DETECTING BACTERIA USING POLYMER MATERIALS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Grinsven Bart Robert, Nicolaas; Cleij, Thomas

2017-01-01

A method for characterizing bacteria includes passing a liquid containing an analyte comprising a first bacteria and a second bacteria over and in contact with a polymer material on a substrate. The polymer material is formulated to bind to the first bacteria, and the first bacteria binds to the

Multitarget multisensor closed-loop tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders-Reed, John N.

2004-07-01

This paper describes a closed-loop tracking system using multiple co-located sensors to develop multi-sensor track histories on multiple targets. The use of multiple, co-aligned sensors to track multiple, possibly maneuvering targets, presents a number of tracker design challenges and opportunities. Many of these problems have been addressed individually in the published literature from a theoretical point of view. However, no one has yet addressed the design and implementation of a specific tracker to meet all of these requirements at once. Specific questions addressed in this paper include how to assign N detections in a current frame to M active tracks, how to initiate new tracks and terminate dead tracks, how to combine information from multiple sensors into a single integrated picture, represented by a global track file, and how to perform these functions in a timely manner to support a precision closed loop tracking system.

VSP Monitoring of CO2 Injection at the Aneth Oil Field in Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, L.; Rutledge, J.; Zhou, R.; Denli, H.; Cheng, A.; Zhao, M.; Peron, J.

2008-12-01

Remotely tracking the movement of injected CO2 within a geological formation is critically important for ensuring safe and long-term geologic carbon sequestration. To study the capability of vertical seismic profiling (VSP) for remote monitoring of CO2 injection, a geophone string with 60 levels and 96 channels was cemented into a monitoring well at the Aneth oil field in Utah operated by Resolute Natural Resources and Navajo National Oil and Gas Company. The oil field is located in the Paradox Basin of southeastern Utah, and was selected by the Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, to demonstrate combined enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and CO2 sequestration. The geophones are placed at depths from 805 m to 1704 m, and the oil reservoir is located approximately from 1731 m to 1786 m in depth. A baseline VSP dataset with one zero-offset and seven offset source locations was acquired in October, 2007 before CO2 injection. The offsets/source locations are approximately 1 km away from the monitoring well with buried geophone string. A time-lapse VSP dataset with the same source locations was collected in July, 2008 after five months of CO2/water injection into a horizontal well adjacent to the monitoring well. The total amount of CO2 injected during the time interval between the two VSP surveys was 181,000 MCF (million cubic feet), or 10,500 tons. The time-lapse VSP data are pre-processed to balance the phase and amplitude of seismic events above the oil reservoir. We conduct wave-equation migration imaging and interferometry analysis using the pre-processed time-lapse VSP data. The results demonstrate that time-lapse VSP surveys with high-resolution migration imaging and scattering analysis can provide reliable information about CO2 migration. Both the repeatability of VSP surveys and sophisticated time-lapse data pre-processing are essential to make VSP as an effective tool for monitoring CO2 injection.

Printed Tag Real-time Tracking

KAUST Repository

Bilal, Rana M.

2014-09-18

Disclosed are various embodiments for monitoring tracking devices capable of seamless indoor and outdoor tracking transitions. A tracking device may comprise, for example, printable circuitry and antennas combined with one or more receivers/transceivers on a substrate. The tracking device may be configured, for example, to localize the tracking device via GPS or an alternative localization strategy based on a determination of whether GPS communication is available. A modified RSSI fingerprinting methodology may be used to accurately determine a location of the tracking device using Wi-Fi access points. A device monitoring service may communicate with internal and/or external mapping API\\'s to render a device monitoring user interface comprising a visual representation of the location of the tracking device.

Thermal Tracking of Sports Players

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rikke Gade

2014-07-01

Full Text Available We present here a real-time tracking algorithm for thermal video from a sports game. Robust detection of people includes routines for handling occlusions and noise before tracking each detected person with a Kalman filter. This online tracking algorithm is compared with a state-of-the-art offline multi-target tracking algorithm. Experiments are performed on a manually annotated 2-minutes video sequence of a real soccer game. The Kalman filter shows a very promising result on this rather challenging sequence with a tracking accuracy above 70% and is superior compared with the offline tracking approach. Furthermore, the combined detection and tracking algorithm runs in real time at 33 fps, even with large image sizes of 1920 × 480 pixels.

Thermal tracking of sports players.

Science.gov (United States)

Gade, Rikke; Moeslund, Thomas B

2014-07-29

We present here a real-time tracking algorithm for thermal video from a sports game. Robust detection of people includes routines for handling occlusions and noise before tracking each detected person with a Kalman filter. This online tracking algorithm is compared with a state-of-the-art offline multi-target tracking algorithm. Experiments are performed on a manually annotated 2-minutes video sequence of a real soccer game. The Kalman filter shows a very promising result on this rather challenging sequence with a tracking accuracy above 70% and is superior compared with the offline tracking approach. Furthermore, the combined detection and tracking algorithm runs in real time at 33 fps, even with large image sizes of 1920 × 480 pixels.

Paclitaxel Injection

Science.gov (United States)

(pak'' li tax' el)Paclitaxel injection must be given in a hospital or medical facility under the supervision of a doctor who is experienced in giving chemotherapy medications for cancer.Paclitaxel injection may cause a large decrease in the number of white blood cells (a type of blood cell ...

Differential Decay of Cattle-associated Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Fresh and Marine Water (ASM 2017 Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Background: Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) have a long history of use in the assessment of the microbial quality of recreational waters. However, quantification of FIB provides no information about the pollution source(s) and relatively little is known about their fate in the amb...

Diversity of Metabolically Active Bacteria in Water-Flooded High-Temperature Heavy Oil Reservoir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamara N. Nazina

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The goal of this work was to study the overall genomic diversity of microorganisms of the Dagang high-temperature oilfield (PRC and to characterize the metabolically active fraction of these populations. At this water-flooded oilfield, the microbial community of formation water from the near-bottom zone of an injection well where the most active microbial processes of oil degradation occur was investigated using molecular, cultural, radiotracer, and physicochemical techniques. The samples of microbial DNA and RNA from back-flushed water were used to obtain the clone libraries for the 16S rRNA gene and cDNA of 16S rRNA, respectively. The DNA-derived clone libraries were found to contain bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes and the alkB genes encoding alkane monooxygenases similar to those encoded by alkB-geo1 and alkB-geo6 of geobacilli. The 16S rRNA genes of methanogens (Methanomethylovorans, Methanoculleus, Methanolinea, Methanothrix, and Methanocalculus were predominant in the DNA-derived library of Archaea cloned sequences; among the bacterial sequences, the 16S rRNA genes of members of the genus Geobacillus were the most numerous. The RNA-derived library contained only bacterial cDNA of the 16S rRNA sequences belonging to metabolically active aerobic organotrophic bacteria (Tepidimonas, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, as well as of denitrifying (Azoarcus, Tepidiphilus, Calditerrivibrio, fermenting (Bellilinea, iron-reducing (Geobacter, and sulfate- and sulfur-reducing bacteria (Desulfomicrobium, Desulfuromonas. The presence of the microorganisms of the main functional groups revealed by molecular techniques was confirmed by the results of cultural, radioisotope, and geochemical research. Functioning of the mesophilic and thermophilic branches was shown for the microbial food chain of the near-bottom zone of the injection well, which included the microorganisms of the carbon, sulfur, iron, and nitrogen cycles.

Sulfur metabolism in phototrophic sulfur bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frigaard, Niels-Ulrik; Dahl, Christiane

2008-01-01

Phototrophic sulfur bacteria are characterized by oxidizing various inorganic sulfur compounds for use as electron donors in carbon dioxide fixation during anoxygenic photosynthetic growth. These bacteria are divided into the purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) and the green sulfur bacteria (GSB......). They utilize various combinations of sulfide, elemental sulfur, and thiosulfate and sometimes also ferrous iron and hydrogen as electron donors. This review focuses on the dissimilatory and assimilatory metabolism of inorganic sulfur compounds in these bacteria and also briefly discusses these metabolisms...... in other types of anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria. The biochemistry and genetics of sulfur compound oxidation in PSB and GSB are described in detail. A variety of enzymes catalyzing sulfur oxidation reactions have been isolated from GSB and PSB (especially Allochromatium vinosum, a representative...

Forward tracking detectors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Forward tracking is an essential part of a detector at the international linear collider (ILC). The requirements for forward tracking are explained and the proposed solutions in the detector concepts are shown.

Isolation and Presumptive Identification of Adherent Epithelial Bacteria (“Epimural” Bacteria) from the Ovine Rumen Wall

OpenAIRE

Mead, Lorna J.; Jones, G. A.

1981-01-01

One hundred sixty-one strains of adherent bacteria were isolated under anaerobic conditions from four sites on the rumen epithelial surface of sheep fed hay or a hay-grain ration. Before isolation of bacteria, rumen tissue was washed six times in an anaerobic dilution solution, and viable bacteria suspended in the washings were counted. Calculation indicated that unattached bacteria would have been removed from the tissue by this procedure, but a slow and progressive release of attached bacte...

Tracking spore-forming bacteria in food: from natural biodiversity to selection by processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Postollec, Florence; Mathot, Anne-Gabrielle; Bernard, Muriel; Divanac'h, Marie-Laure; Pavan, Sonia; Sohier, Danièle

2012-08-01

Sporeforming bacteria are ubiquitous in the environment and exhibit a wide range of diversity leading to their natural prevalence in foodstuff. The state of the art of sporeformer prevalence in ingredients and food was investigated using a multiparametric PCR-based tool that enables simultaneous detection and identification of various genera and species mostly encountered in food, i.e., Alicyclobacillus, Anoxybacillus flavithermus, Bacillus, B. cereus group, B. licheniformis, B. pumilus, B. sporothermodurans, B. subtilis, Brevibacillus laterosporus, Clostridium, Geobacillus stearothermophilus, Moorella and Paenibacillus species. In addition, 16S rDNA sequencing was used to extend identification to other possibly present contaminants. A total of 90 food products, with or without visible trace of spoilage were analysed, i.e., 30 egg-based products, 30 milk and dairy products and 30 canned food and ingredients. Results indicated that most samples contained one or several of the targeted genera and species. For all three tested food categories, 30 to 40% of products were contaminated with both Bacillus and Clostridium. The percentage of contaminations associated with Clostridium or Bacillus represented 100% in raw materials, 72% in dehydrated ingredients and 80% in processed foods. In the last two product types, additional thermophilic contaminants were identified (A. flavithermus, Geobacillus spp., Thermoanaerobacterium spp. and Moorella spp.). These results suggest that selection, and therefore the observed (re)-emergence of unexpected sporeforming contaminants in food might be favoured by the use of given food ingredients and food processing technologies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Re-engineering bacteria for ethanol production

Science.gov (United States)

Yomano, Lorraine P; York, Sean W; Zhou, Shengde; Shanmugam, Keelnatham; Ingram, Lonnie O

2014-05-06

The invention provides recombinant bacteria, which comprise a full complement of heterologous ethanol production genes. Expression of the full complement of heterologous ethanol production genes causes the recombinant bacteria to produce ethanol as the primary fermentation product when grown in mineral salts medium, without the addition of complex nutrients. Methods for producing the recombinant bacteria and methods for producing ethanol using the recombinant bacteria are also disclosed.

Oligotrophic bacteria isolated from clinical materials.

OpenAIRE

Tada, Y; Ihmori, M; Yamaguchi, J

1995-01-01

Oligotrophic bacteria (oligotrophs) are microorganisms that grow in extremely nutritionally deficient conditions in which the concentrations of organic substances are low. Many oligotrophic bacteria were isolated from clinical materials including urine, sputum, swabbings of the throat, vaginal discharges, and others. Seventy-seven strains of oligotrophic bacteria from 871 samples of clinical material were isolated. A relatively higher frequency of isolation of oligotrophic bacteria was shown ...

Seeing green bacteria in a new light: genomics-enabled studies of the photosynthetic apparatus in green sulfur bacteria and filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frigaard, Niels-Ulrik; Bryant, Donald A

2004-01-01

Based upon their photosynthetic nature and the presence of a unique light-harvesting antenna structure, the chlorosome, the photosynthetic green bacteria are defined as a distinctive group in the Bacteria. However, members of the two taxa that comprise this group, the green sulfur bacteria...... (Chlorobi) and the filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria ("Chloroflexales"), are otherwise quite different, both physiologically and phylogenetically. This review summarizes how genome sequence information facilitated studies of the biosynthesis and function of the photosynthetic apparatus...... a and carotenoid biosynthesis enzymes, gene cluster analysis in Cfx. aurantiacus, and gene inactivation studies in Chl. tepidum. Based on these results, BChl a and BChl c biosynthesis is similar in the two organisms, whereas carotenoid biosynthesis differs significantly. In agreement with its facultative anaerobic...

Diffusion tensor imaging fiber tracking with reliable tracking orientation and flexible step size☆

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Xufeng; Wang, Manning; Chen, Xinrong; Nie, Shengdong; Li, Zhexu; Xu, Xiaoping; Zhang, Xuelong; Song, Zhijian

2013-01-01

We propose a method of reliable tracking orientation and flexible step size fiber tracking. A new directional strategy was defined to select one optimal tracking orientation from each directional set, which was based on the single-tensor model and the two-tensor model. The directional set of planar voxels contained three tracking directions: two from the two-tensor model and one from the single-tensor model. The directional set of linear voxels contained only one principal vector. In addition, a flexible step size, rather than fixable step sizes, was implemented to improve the accuracy of fiber tracking. We used two sets of human data to assess the performance of our method; one was from a healthy volunteer and the other from a patient with low-grade glioma. Results verified that our method was superior to the single-tensor Fiber Assignment by Continuous Tracking and the two-tensor eXtended Streamline Tractography for showing detailed images of fiber bundles. PMID:25206444

Quantification of Propionic Acid in the Bovine Spinal Disk After Infection of the Tissue With Propionibacteria acnes Bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnitsky, Sergey; Dudli, Stefan; Tang, Xinyan; Kaur, Jaskanwaljeet; Diaz, Joycelyn; Miller, Steve; Lotz, Jeffrey C

2018-06-01

Research. The goal of this study was to investigate whether Propionibacteria acnes infection of the intervertebral disc can be detected noninvasively by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Microbiological studies of surgical samples suggest that a significant subpopulation of back pain patients may have occult disc infection with P. acnes bacteria. This hypothesis is further supported by a double-blind clinical trial showing that back pain patients with Modic type 1 changes may respond to antibiotic treatment. Because significant side effects are associated with antibiotic treatment, there is a need for a noninvasive method to detect whether specific discs in back pain patients are infected with P acnes bacteria. P. acnes bacteria were obtained from human patients. NMR detection of a propionic acid (PA) in the bacteria extracts was conducted on 500 MHz high-resolution spectrometer, whereas in vivo NMR spectroscopy of an isolated bovine disk tissue infected with P. acnes was conducted on 7 T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. NMR spectra of P. acnes metabolites revealed a distinct NMR signal with identical chemical shits (1.05 and 2.18 ppm) as PA (a primary P. acne metabolite). The 1.05 ppm signal does not overlap with other bacteria metabolites, and its intensity increases linearly with P. acnes concentration. Bovine disks injected with P. acnes bacteria revealed a very distinct NMR signal at 1.05 ppm, which linearly increased with P. acnes concentration. The 1.05 ppm NMR signal from PA can be used as a marker of P. acnes infection of discs. This signal does not overlap with other disc metabolites and linearly depends on P. acnes concentration. Consequently, NMR spectroscopy may provide a noninvasive method to detect disc infection in the clinical setting. N/A.

TRACKING CONTROL FOR A HYDRAULIC DRIVE WITH A PRESSURE COMPENSATOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. V. Aranovskiy

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A problem of tracking control is considered for a hydraulic drive with a pressure compensator that is widespread in the equipment of heavy-duty machines. Method. The control problem is solved by means of a switching sliding-mode controller coupled with static nonlinear compensation and desired velocity feedforward. Main Results. Mathematical model of a hydraulic drive is given in view of the pressure compensator presence. Traditional model of a hydraulic drive is formulated for a system with a spool valve; purpose and principles of operation of the pressure compensator in hydraulic systems are described, and the extended model is presented illustrating compensator contribution to overall system dynamics. It is shown that the obtained model has an input static nonlinearity; the nonlinearity cancellation method is proposed giving the possibility for injection of a desired velocity feedforward term. The control law is chosen as a switching one and two chattering attenuation methods are studied: equivalent control estimation via filtering and sign function integration. Experimental studies are performed at a forestry hydraulic crane prototype and illustrate high tracking accuracy achieved for typical crane motions. Practical Significance. The results are suitable for heavy-duty hydraulic machines automation in construction, road building and forestry.

Compressed air injection technique to standardize block injection pressures : [La technique d'injection d'air comprimé pour normaliser les pressions d'injection d'un blocage nerveux].

Science.gov (United States)

Tsui, Ban C H; Li, Lisa X Y; Pillay, Jennifer J

2006-11-01

Presently, no standardized technique exists to monitor injection pressures during peripheral nerve blocks. Our objective was to determine if a compressed air injection technique, using an in vitro model based on Boyle's law and typical regional anesthesia equipment, could consistently maintain injection pressures below a 1293 mmHg level associated with clinically significant nerve injury. Injection pressures for 20 and 30 mL syringes with various needle sizes ( 18G, 20G, 21 G, 22G, and 24G) were measured in a closed system. A set volume of air was aspirated into a saline-filled syringe and then compressed and maintained at various percentages while pressure was measured. The needle was inserted into the injection port of a pressure sensor, which had attached extension tubing with an injection plug clamped "off". Using linear regression with all data points, the pressure value and 99% confidence interval (CI) at 50% air compression was estimated. The linearity of Boyle's law was demonstrated with a high correlation, r = 0.99, and a slope of 0.984 (99% CI: 0.967-1.001). The net pressure generated at 50% compression was estimated as 744.8 mmHg, with the 99% CI between 729.6 and 760.0 mmHg. The various syringe/needle combinations had similar results. By creating and maintaining syringe air compression at 50% or less, injection pressures will be substantially below the 1293 mmHg threshold considered to be an associated risk factor for clinically significant nerve injury. This technique may allow simple, real-time and objective monitoring during local anesthetic injections while inherently reducing injection speed. Présentement, aucune technique normalisée ne permet de vérifier les pressions d'injection pendant les blocages nerveux périphériques. Nous voulions vérifier si une technique d'injection d'air comprimé, utilisant un modèle in vitro fondé sur la loi de Boyle et du matériel propre à l'anesthésie régionale, pouvait maintenir avec régularité les

Comparative study of diode-pumping self-injection and injection-locking Tm:YAG lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, C T; Chen, F; Ju, Y L; Wang, Y Z

2013-01-01

A comparative study of the laser characteristics of self-injection and injection-locking Tm:YAG lasers is given in this paper. At a pump energy of 145 mJ and Q-switched repetition rate of 100 Hz, an output energy of 2.39 mJ was obtained for an injection-locking Tm:YAG laser, with a pulse width of 403.2 ns and a pulse building-up time of 2.12 μs. Under the same conditions, the output energy, pulse width and pulse build-up time for a self-injection Tm:YAG laser were 2.21 mJ, 407.0 ns and 3.95 μs, respectively. The threshold of the Q-switched injection-locking Tm:YAG laser was much lower than that of the self-injection laser, and the pulse width was narrower and the pulse build-up time shorter. Additionally, the output spectrum was much purer for the injection-locking laser. (paper)

How honey kills bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kwakman, Paulus H. S.; te Velde, Anje A.; de Boer, Leonie; Speijer, Dave; Vandenbroucke-Grauls, Christina M. J. E.; Zaat, Sebastian A. J.

2010-01-01

With the rise in prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, honey is increasingly valued for its antibacterial activity. To characterize all bactericidal factors in a medical-grade honey, we used a novel approach of successive neutralization of individual honey bactericidal factors. All bacteria

Fast track-hoftealloplastik

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Torben Bæk; Gromov, Kirill; Kristensen, Billy B

2017-01-01

Fast-track surgery implies a coordinated perioperative approach aimed at reducing surgical stress and facilitating post-operative recovery. The fast-track programme has reduced post-operative length of stay and has led to shorter convalescence with more rapid functional recovery and decreased...... morbidity and mortality in total hip arthroplasty. It should now be a standard total hip arthroplasty patient pathway, but fine tuning of the multiple factors in the fast-track pathway is still needed in patients with special needs or high comorbidity burden....

Calculation method of water injection forward modeling and inversion process in oilfield water injection network

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Long; Liu, Wei

2018-04-01

A forward modeling and inversion algorithm is adopted in order to determine the water injection plan in the oilfield water injection network. The main idea of the algorithm is shown as follows: firstly, the oilfield water injection network is inversely calculated. The pumping station demand flow is calculated. Then, forward modeling calculation is carried out for judging whether all water injection wells meet the requirements of injection allocation or not. If all water injection wells meet the requirements of injection allocation, calculation is stopped, otherwise the demand injection allocation flow rate of certain step size is reduced aiming at water injection wells which do not meet requirements, and next iterative operation is started. It is not necessary to list the algorithm into water injection network system algorithm, which can be realized easily. Iterative method is used, which is suitable for computer programming. Experimental result shows that the algorithm is fast and accurate.

Pathogenic Assay of Probiotic Bacteria Producing Proteolytic Enzymes as Bioremediation Bacteria Against Vannamei Shrimp Larvae (Litopenaeus vannamei

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilis Ari Setyati

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Application of bacteria in bioremediation of shrimp culture ponds is one of the methods used to clean internal pollutants. This study aimed to evaluate the pathogenicity of extracellular proteolytic enzyme produced by the probiotic bacteria as bioremediation bacteria on vannamei shrimp larvae culture. There were five probiotic bacteria, which were successfully isolated from the sediments served as substrate in mangrove area. The isolated bacteria were coded in number as 13, 19, 30, 33, and 36. Pathogenic bacteria Vibrio harveyi was used as positive control. Pathogenic assay was carried out in two different bacterial concentrations, i.e. 10⁸ and 10⁶ cells.mL-1. The results showed that the lowest survival rate (SR of shrimp larvae in positive control V. harveyi was 53 and 65%. Whereas isolates with the highest SR value (100% were obtained from bacteria coded as 13 and 30. Isolates no. 19, 33 and 36 had SR of more than 90%. Total plate count (TPC data showed that the bacteria increased significantly at the end of the study with an average increase value of 24%. The smallest TPC value was shown by bacterial isolate no. 19, while the largest was obtained from the isolate no. 13. These results suggest that all probiotic bacteria were not pathogenic to the vannamei shrimp larvae.   Keywords: aquaculture, shrimp, bioremediation, pathogenesis, vibrio.

Worldwide Injection Technique Questionnaire Study: Injecting Complications and the Role of the Professional.

Science.gov (United States)

Frid, Anders H; Hirsch, Laurence J; Menchior, Astrid R; Morel, Didier R; Strauss, Kenneth W

2016-09-01

From February 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, 13,289 insulin-injecting patients from 423 centers in 42 countries participated in one of the largest surveys ever performed in diabetes. The first results of this survey are published elsewhere in this issue. Herein we report that the most common complication of injecting insulin is lipohypertrophy (LH), which was self-reported by 29.0% of patients and found by physical examination in 30.8% by health care professionals (HCPs). Patients with LH consumed a mean of 10.1 IU more insulin daily than patients without LH. Glycated hemoglobin levels averaged 0.55% higher in patients with vs without LH. Lipohypertrophy was associated with higher rates of unexplained hypoglycemia and glycemic variability as well as more frequent diabetic ketoacidosis, incorrect rotation of injection sites, use of smaller injection zones, longer duration of insulin use, and reuse of pen needles (each P<.05). Routine inspection of injection sites by the HCP was associated with lower glycated hemoglobin levels, less LH, and more correct injection site rotation. Patients were also more likely to rotate correctly if they received injection instructions from their HCP in the past 6 months. Fewer than 40% of patients claimed to have gotten such instructions in the past 6 months, and 10% said that they have never received training on how to inject correctly despite injecting for a mean of nearly 9 years. Use of these data should stimulate renewed commitment to optimizing insulin injection practices. Copyright © 2016 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen/oxygen injection stopping method for nuclear power plant and emergent hydrogen/oxygen injection device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishida, Ryoichi; Ota, Masamoto; Takagi, Jun-ichi; Hirose, Yuki

1998-01-01

The present invention provides a device for suppressing increase of electroconductivity of reactor water during operation of a BWR type reactor, upon occurrence of reactor scram of the plant or upon stopping of hydrogen/oxygen injection due to emergent stoppage of an injection device so as not to deteriorate the integrity of a gas waste processing system upon occurrence of scram. Namely, when injection of hydrogen/oxygen is stopped during plant operation, the injection amount of hydrogen is reduced gradually. Subsequently, injection of hydrogen is stopped. With such procedures, the increase of electroconductivity of reactor water can be suppressed upon stoppage of hydrogen injection. When injection of hydrogen/oxygen is stopped upon shut down of the plant, the amount of hydrogen injection is changed depending on the change of the feedwater flow rate, and then the plant is shut down while keeping hydrogen concentration of feedwater to a predetermined value. With such procedures, increase of the reactor water electroconductivity can be suppressed upon stoppage of hydrogen injection. Upon emergent stoppage of the hydrogen/oxygen injection device, an emergent hydrogen/oxygen injection device is actuated to continue the injection of hydrogen/oxygen. With such procedures, elevation of reactor water electroconductivity can be suppressed. (I.S.)

Electromagnetic servoing-a new tracking paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Reichl, Tobias; Gardiazabal, José; Navab, Nassir

2013-08-01

Electromagnetic (EM) tracking is highly relevant for many computer assisted interventions. This is in particular due to the fact that the scientific community has not yet developed a general solution for tracking of flexible instruments within the human body. Electromagnetic tracking solutions are highly attractive for minimally invasive procedures, since they do not require line of sight. However, a major problem with EM tracking solutions is that they do not provide uniform accuracy throughout the tracking volume and the desired, highest accuracy is often only achieved close to the center of tracking volume. In this paper, we present a solution to the tracking problem, by mounting an EM field generator onto a robot arm. Proposing a new tracking paradigm, we take advantage of the electromagnetic tracking to detect the sensor within a specific sub-volume, with known and optimal accuracy. We then use the more accurate and robust robot positioning for obtaining uniform accuracy throughout the tracking volume. Such an EM servoing methodology guarantees optimal and uniform accuracy, by allowing us to always keep the tracked sensor close to the center of the tracking volume. In this paper, both dynamic accuracy and accuracy distribution within the tracking volume are evaluated using optical tracking as ground truth. In repeated evaluations, the proposed method was able to reduce the overall error from 6.64±7.86 mm to a significantly improved accuracy of 3.83±6.43 mm. In addition, the combined system provides a larger tracking volume, which is only limited by the reach of the robot and not the much smaller tracking volume defined by the magnetic field generator.

Effect of air pollution on the total bacteria and pathogenic bacteria in different sizes of particulate matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Huan; Zhang, Xu; Zhang, Hao; Yao, Xiangwu; Zhou, Meng; Wang, Jiaqi; He, Zhanfei; Zhang, Huihui; Lou, Liping; Mao, Weihua; Zheng, Ping; Hu, Baolan

2018-02-01

In recent years, air pollution events have occurred frequently in China during the winter. Most studies have focused on the physical and chemical composition of polluted air. Some studies have examined the bacterial bioaerosols both indoors and outdoors. But few studies have focused on the relationship between air pollution and bacteria, especially pathogenic bacteria. Airborne PM samples with different diameters and different air quality index values were collected in Hangzhou, China from December 2014 to January 2015. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA was used to categorize the airborne bacteria. Based on the NCBI database, the "Human Pathogen Database" was established, which is related to human health. Among all the PM samples, the diversity and concentration of total bacteria were lowest in the moderately or heavily polluted air. However, in the PM2.5 and PM10 samples, the relative abundances of pathogenic bacteria were highest in the heavily and moderately polluted air respectively. Considering the PM samples with different particle sizes, the diversities of total bacteria and the proportion of pathogenic bacteria in the PM10 samples were different from those in the PM2.5 and TSP samples. The composition of PM samples with different sizes range may be responsible for the variances. The relative humidity, carbon monoxide and ozone concentrations were the main factors, which affected the diversity of total bacteria and the proportion of pathogenic bacteria. Among the different environmental samples, the compositions of the total bacteria were very similar in all the airborne PM samples, but different from those in the water, surface soil, and ground dust samples. Which may be attributed to that the long-distance transport of the airflow may influence the composition of the airborne bacteria. This study of the pathogenic bacteria in airborne PM samples can provide a reference for environmental and public health researchers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

Antibiotics from predatory bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliane Korp

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Bacteria, which prey on other microorganisms, are commonly found in the environment. While some of these organisms act as solitary hunters, others band together in large consortia before they attack their prey. Anecdotal reports suggest that bacteria practicing such a wolfpack strategy utilize antibiotics as predatory weapons. Consistent with this hypothesis, genome sequencing revealed that these micropredators possess impressive capacities for natural product biosynthesis. Here, we will present the results from recent chemical investigations of this bacterial group, compare the biosynthetic potential with that of non-predatory bacteria and discuss the link between predation and secondary metabolism.

Beer spoilage bacteria and hop resistance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sakamoto, K; Konings, WN

2003-01-01

For brewing industry, beer spoilage bacteria have been problematic for centuries. They include some lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus lindneri and Pediococcus damnosus, and some Gram-negative bacteria such as Pectinatus cerevisiiphilus, Pectinatus frisingensis and

Persistent Aerial Tracking

KAUST Repository

Mueller, Matthias

2016-01-01

persistent, robust and autonomous object tracking system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) called Persistent Aerial Tracking (PAT). A computer vision and control strategy is applied to a diverse set of moving objects (e.g. humans, animals, cars, boats, etc

Using injection molding and reversible bonding for easy fabrication of magnetic cell trapping and sorting devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Royet, David; Hériveaux, Yoann; Marchalot, Julien; Scorretti, Riccardo [Univ Lyon, ECL, UCB Lyon1, CNRS, Ampere, F-69134 Ecully (France); Dias, André; Dempsey, Nora M. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes - CNRS, Inst Neel, F-38042 Grenoble (France); Bonfim, Marlio [Universidade Federal do Paraná, DELT, Curitiba (Brazil); Simonet, Pascal; Frénéa-Robin, Marie [Univ Lyon, ECL, UCB Lyon1, CNRS, Ampere, F-69134 Ecully (France)

2017-04-01

Magnetism and microfluidics are two key elements for the development of inexpensive and reliable tools dedicated to high-throughput biological analysis and providing a large panel of applications in domains ranging from fundamental biology to medical diagnostics. In this work, we introduce a simple protocol, relying on injection molding and reversible bonding for fabrication of magnetic cell trapping and sorting devices using only standard soft-lithography equipment. Magnetic strips or grids made of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) doped with hard (NdFeB) or soft (carbonyl iron) magnetic powders were integrated at the bottom of whole PDMS chips. Preliminary results show the effective deviation/trapping of magnetic beads or magnetically-labeled bacteria as the sample flows through the microchannel, proving the potential of this rapid prototyping approach for easy fabrication of magnetic cell sorters. - Highlights: • Soft and hard magnetic PDMS composites were microstructured by injection molding. • Tunable or autonomous magnetic microdevices can be fabricated using this approach. • Continuous-flow bacterial cell trapping and deviation were demonstrated.

Using injection molding and reversible bonding for easy fabrication of magnetic cell trapping and sorting devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Royet, David; Hériveaux, Yoann; Marchalot, Julien; Scorretti, Riccardo; Dias, André; Dempsey, Nora M.; Bonfim, Marlio; Simonet, Pascal; Frénéa-Robin, Marie

2017-01-01

Magnetism and microfluidics are two key elements for the development of inexpensive and reliable tools dedicated to high-throughput biological analysis and providing a large panel of applications in domains ranging from fundamental biology to medical diagnostics. In this work, we introduce a simple protocol, relying on injection molding and reversible bonding for fabrication of magnetic cell trapping and sorting devices using only standard soft-lithography equipment. Magnetic strips or grids made of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) doped with hard (NdFeB) or soft (carbonyl iron) magnetic powders were integrated at the bottom of whole PDMS chips. Preliminary results show the effective deviation/trapping of magnetic beads or magnetically-labeled bacteria as the sample flows through the microchannel, proving the potential of this rapid prototyping approach for easy fabrication of magnetic cell sorters. - Highlights: • Soft and hard magnetic PDMS composites were microstructured by injection molding. • Tunable or autonomous magnetic microdevices can be fabricated using this approach. • Continuous-flow bacterial cell trapping and deviation were demonstrated.

MO-FG-BRD-02: Real-Time Imaging and Tracking Techniques for Intrafractional Motion Management: MV Tracking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berbeco, R. [Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (United States)

2015-06-15

Intrafraction target motion is a prominent complicating factor in the accurate targeting of radiation within the body. Methods compensating for target motion during treatment, such as gating and dynamic tumor tracking, depend on the delineation of target location as a function of time during delivery. A variety of techniques for target localization have been explored and are under active development; these include beam-level imaging of radio-opaque fiducials, fiducial-less tracking of anatomical landmarks, tracking of electromagnetic transponders, optical imaging of correlated surrogates, and volumetric imaging within treatment delivery. The Joint Imaging and Therapy Symposium will provide an overview of the techniques for real-time imaging and tracking, with special focus on emerging modes of implementation across different modalities. In particular, the symposium will explore developments in 1) Beam-level kilovoltage X-ray imaging techniques, 2) EPID-based megavoltage X-ray tracking, 3) Dynamic tracking using electromagnetic transponders, and 4) MRI-based soft-tissue tracking during radiation delivery. Learning Objectives: Understand the fundamentals of real-time imaging and tracking techniques Learn about emerging techniques in the field of real-time tracking Distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of different tracking modalities Understand the role of real-time tracking techniques within the clinical delivery work-flow.

MO-FG-BRD-04: Real-Time Imaging and Tracking Techniques for Intrafractional Motion Management: MR Tracking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Low, D. [University of California Los Angeles: Real-Time Imaging and Tracking Techniques for Intrafractional Motion Management: MR Tracking (United States)

2015-06-15

Intrafraction target motion is a prominent complicating factor in the accurate targeting of radiation within the body. Methods compensating for target motion during treatment, such as gating and dynamic tumor tracking, depend on the delineation of target location as a function of time during delivery. A variety of techniques for target localization have been explored and are under active development; these include beam-level imaging of radio-opaque fiducials, fiducial-less tracking of anatomical landmarks, tracking of electromagnetic transponders, optical imaging of correlated surrogates, and volumetric imaging within treatment delivery. The Joint Imaging and Therapy Symposium will provide an overview of the techniques for real-time imaging and tracking, with special focus on emerging modes of implementation across different modalities. In particular, the symposium will explore developments in 1) Beam-level kilovoltage X-ray imaging techniques, 2) EPID-based megavoltage X-ray tracking, 3) Dynamic tracking using electromagnetic transponders, and 4) MRI-based soft-tissue tracking during radiation delivery. Learning Objectives: Understand the fundamentals of real-time imaging and tracking techniques Learn about emerging techniques in the field of real-time tracking Distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of different tracking modalities Understand the role of real-time tracking techniques within the clinical delivery work-flow.

MO-FG-BRD-03: Real-Time Imaging and Tracking Techniques for Intrafractional Motion Management: EM Tracking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keall, P. [University of Sydney (Australia)

2015-06-15

Intrafraction target motion is a prominent complicating factor in the accurate targeting of radiation within the body. Methods compensating for target motion during treatment, such as gating and dynamic tumor tracking, depend on the delineation of target location as a function of time during delivery. A variety of techniques for target localization have been explored and are under active development; these include beam-level imaging of radio-opaque fiducials, fiducial-less tracking of anatomical landmarks, tracking of electromagnetic transponders, optical imaging of correlated surrogates, and volumetric imaging within treatment delivery. The Joint Imaging and Therapy Symposium will provide an overview of the techniques for real-time imaging and tracking, with special focus on emerging modes of implementation across different modalities. In particular, the symposium will explore developments in 1) Beam-level kilovoltage X-ray imaging techniques, 2) EPID-based megavoltage X-ray tracking, 3) Dynamic tracking using electromagnetic transponders, and 4) MRI-based soft-tissue tracking during radiation delivery. Learning Objectives: Understand the fundamentals of real-time imaging and tracking techniques Learn about emerging techniques in the field of real-time tracking Distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of different tracking modalities Understand the role of real-time tracking techniques within the clinical delivery work-flow.

MO-FG-BRD-04: Real-Time Imaging and Tracking Techniques for Intrafractional Motion Management: MR Tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Low, D.

2015-01-01

Intrafraction target motion is a prominent complicating factor in the accurate targeting of radiation within the body. Methods compensating for target motion during treatment, such as gating and dynamic tumor tracking, depend on the delineation of target location as a function of time during delivery. A variety of techniques for target localization have been explored and are under active development; these include beam-level imaging of radio-opaque fiducials, fiducial-less tracking of anatomical landmarks, tracking of electromagnetic transponders, optical imaging of correlated surrogates, and volumetric imaging within treatment delivery. The Joint Imaging and Therapy Symposium will provide an overview of the techniques for real-time imaging and tracking, with special focus on emerging modes of implementation across different modalities. In particular, the symposium will explore developments in 1) Beam-level kilovoltage X-ray imaging techniques, 2) EPID-based megavoltage X-ray tracking, 3) Dynamic tracking using electromagnetic transponders, and 4) MRI-based soft-tissue tracking during radiation delivery. Learning Objectives: Understand the fundamentals of real-time imaging and tracking techniques Learn about emerging techniques in the field of real-time tracking Distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of different tracking modalities Understand the role of real-time tracking techniques within the clinical delivery work-flow

MO-FG-BRD-03: Real-Time Imaging and Tracking Techniques for Intrafractional Motion Management: EM Tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keall, P.

2015-01-01

Intrafraction target motion is a prominent complicating factor in the accurate targeting of radiation within the body. Methods compensating for target motion during treatment, such as gating and dynamic tumor tracking, depend on the delineation of target location as a function of time during delivery. A variety of techniques for target localization have been explored and are under active development; these include beam-level imaging of radio-opaque fiducials, fiducial-less tracking of anatomical landmarks, tracking of electromagnetic transponders, optical imaging of correlated surrogates, and volumetric imaging within treatment delivery. The Joint Imaging and Therapy Symposium will provide an overview of the techniques for real-time imaging and tracking, with special focus on emerging modes of implementation across different modalities. In particular, the symposium will explore developments in 1) Beam-level kilovoltage X-ray imaging techniques, 2) EPID-based megavoltage X-ray tracking, 3) Dynamic tracking using electromagnetic transponders, and 4) MRI-based soft-tissue tracking during radiation delivery. Learning Objectives: Understand the fundamentals of real-time imaging and tracking techniques Learn about emerging techniques in the field of real-time tracking Distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of different tracking modalities Understand the role of real-time tracking techniques within the clinical delivery work-flow

MO-FG-BRD-02: Real-Time Imaging and Tracking Techniques for Intrafractional Motion Management: MV Tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berbeco, R.

2015-01-01

Intrafraction target motion is a prominent complicating factor in the accurate targeting of radiation within the body. Methods compensating for target motion during treatment, such as gating and dynamic tumor tracking, depend on the delineation of target location as a function of time during delivery. A variety of techniques for target localization have been explored and are under active development; these include beam-level imaging of radio-opaque fiducials, fiducial-less tracking of anatomical landmarks, tracking of electromagnetic transponders, optical imaging of correlated surrogates, and volumetric imaging within treatment delivery. The Joint Imaging and Therapy Symposium will provide an overview of the techniques for real-time imaging and tracking, with special focus on emerging modes of implementation across different modalities. In particular, the symposium will explore developments in 1) Beam-level kilovoltage X-ray imaging techniques, 2) EPID-based megavoltage X-ray tracking, 3) Dynamic tracking using electromagnetic transponders, and 4) MRI-based soft-tissue tracking during radiation delivery. Learning Objectives: Understand the fundamentals of real-time imaging and tracking techniques Learn about emerging techniques in the field of real-time tracking Distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of different tracking modalities Understand the role of real-time tracking techniques within the clinical delivery work-flow

Ampicillin and Sulbactam Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... in a class of medications called penicillin-like antibiotics. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. Sulbactam is ... It works by preventing bacteria from destroying ampicillin. Antibiotics will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections.

Microbial source tracking: a tool for identifying sources of microbial contamination in the food chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Ling-Lin; Li, Jian-Rong

2014-01-01

The ability to trace fecal indicators and food-borne pathogens to the point of origin has major ramifications for food industry, food regulatory agencies, and public health. Such information would enable food producers and processors to better understand sources of contamination and thereby take corrective actions to prevent transmission. Microbial source tracking (MST), which currently is largely focused on determining sources of fecal contamination in waterways, is also providing the scientific community tools for tracking both fecal bacteria and food-borne pathogens contamination in the food chain. Approaches to MST are commonly classified as library-dependent methods (LDMs) or library-independent methods (LIMs). These tools will have widespread applications, including the use for regulatory compliance, pollution remediation, and risk assessment. These tools will reduce the incidence of illness associated with food and water. Our aim in this review is to highlight the use of molecular MST methods in application to understanding the source and transmission of food-borne pathogens. Moreover, the future directions of MST research are also discussed.

Human body may produce bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Salerian, Alen J

2017-06-01

"Human body may produce bacteria" proposes that human body may produce bacteria and represent an independent source of infections contrary to the current paradigm of infectious disorders proposed by Louis Pasteur in 1880. The following observations are consistent with this hypothesis: A. Bidirectional transformations of both living and nonliving things have been commonly observed in nature. B. Complex multicellular organisms harbor the necessary properties to produce bacteria (water, nitrogen and oxygen). C. Physical laws suggest any previously observed phenomenon or action will occur again (life began on earth; a non living thing). D. Animal muscle cells may generate energy (fermentation). E. Sterilized food products (i.e. boiled eggs), may produce bacteria and fungus under special conditions and without any exposure to foreign living cells. "Human body may produce bacteria" may challenge the current medical paradigm that views human infectious disorders as the exclusive causative byproducts of invading foreign cells. It may also introduce new avenues to treat infectious disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of soil bacteria able to degrade phenanthrene bound to a hydrophobic sorbent in situ

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Regonne, Raïssa Kom [CEA, DSV/iRTSV, Chimie et Biologie des Métaux, 38054, Grenoble cedex 9 (France); Univ. Grenoble Alpes and CNRS, UMR 5249, 38042, Grenoble (France); Laboratoire de Substances Actives et Pollution, ENSAI, Université de Ngaoundéré, BP 455, Ngaoundéré (Cameroon); Martin, Florence [CEA, DSV/iRTSV, Chimie et Biologie des Métaux, 38054, Grenoble cedex 9 (France); Univ. Grenoble Alpes and CNRS, UMR 5249, 38042, Grenoble (France); Mbawala, Augustin [Laboratoire de Microbiologie, ENSAI, Université de Ngaoundéré, BP 455, Ngaoundéré (Cameroon); Ngassoum, Martin Benoît [Laboratoire de Substances Actives et Pollution, ENSAI, Université de Ngaoundéré, BP 455, Ngaoundéré (Cameroon); Jouanneau, Yves [CEA, DSV/iRTSV, Chimie et Biologie des Métaux, 38054, Grenoble cedex 9 (France); Univ. Grenoble Alpes and CNRS, UMR 5249, 38042, Grenoble (France)

2013-09-15

Efficient bioremediation of PAH-contaminated sites is limited by the hydrophobic character and poor bioavailability of pollutants. In this study, stable isotope probing (SIP) was implemented to track bacteria that can degrade PAHs adsorbed on hydrophobic sorbents. Temperate and tropical soils were incubated with {sup 13}C-labeled phenanthrene, supplied by spiking or coated onto membranes. Phenanthrene mineralization was faster in microcosms with PAH-coated membranes than in microcosms containing spiked soil. Upon incubation with temperate soil, phenanthrene degraders found in the biofilms that formed on coated membranes were mainly identified as Sphingomonadaceae and Actinobacteria. In the tropical soil, uncultured Rhodocyclaceae dominated degraders bound to membranes. Accordingly, ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase sequences recovered from this soil matched PAH-specific dioxygenase genes recently found in Rhodocyclaceae. Hence, our SIP approach allowed the detection of novel degraders, mostly uncultured, which differ from those detected after soil spiking, but might play a key role in the bioremediation of PAH-polluted soils. -- Highlights: •Soil bacteria with the ability to degrade sorbent-bound PAHs were investigated. •In soil, membrane-bound phenanthrene was readily mineralized. •PAH degraders found in biofilms were different in temperate and tropical soils. •Uncultured Rhodocyclaceae were dominant phenanthrene degraders in the tropical soil. •PAH-specific ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase sequences were identified in soil DNA. -- Bacteria able to degrade PAHs bound to a hydrophobic sorbent were mainly identified as uncultured Rhodocyclaceae and Sphingomonadaceae in polluted soils from tropical and temperate area, respectively.

Identification of soil bacteria able to degrade phenanthrene bound to a hydrophobic sorbent in situ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regonne, Raïssa Kom; Martin, Florence; Mbawala, Augustin; Ngassoum, Martin Benoît; Jouanneau, Yves

2013-01-01

Efficient bioremediation of PAH-contaminated sites is limited by the hydrophobic character and poor bioavailability of pollutants. In this study, stable isotope probing (SIP) was implemented to track bacteria that can degrade PAHs adsorbed on hydrophobic sorbents. Temperate and tropical soils were incubated with 13 C-labeled phenanthrene, supplied by spiking or coated onto membranes. Phenanthrene mineralization was faster in microcosms with PAH-coated membranes than in microcosms containing spiked soil. Upon incubation with temperate soil, phenanthrene degraders found in the biofilms that formed on coated membranes were mainly identified as Sphingomonadaceae and Actinobacteria. In the tropical soil, uncultured Rhodocyclaceae dominated degraders bound to membranes. Accordingly, ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase sequences recovered from this soil matched PAH-specific dioxygenase genes recently found in Rhodocyclaceae. Hence, our SIP approach allowed the detection of novel degraders, mostly uncultured, which differ from those detected after soil spiking, but might play a key role in the bioremediation of PAH-polluted soils. -- Highlights: •Soil bacteria with the ability to degrade sorbent-bound PAHs were investigated. •In soil, membrane-bound phenanthrene was readily mineralized. •PAH degraders found in biofilms were different in temperate and tropical soils. •Uncultured Rhodocyclaceae were dominant phenanthrene degraders in the tropical soil. •PAH-specific ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase sequences were identified in soil DNA. -- Bacteria able to degrade PAHs bound to a hydrophobic sorbent were mainly identified as uncultured Rhodocyclaceae and Sphingomonadaceae in polluted soils from tropical and temperate area, respectively

Tracks: A National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network Overview

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2009-08-04

In this podcast, Dr. Mike McGeehin, Director of CDC's Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, provides an overview of the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. It highlights the Tracking Network's goal, how it will improve public health, its audience, and much more.  Created: 8/4/2009 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 8/4/2009.

Therapeutic hip injections: Is the injection volume important?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, R.; Harding, J.; Kingsly, A.; Bradley, M.

2012-01-01

Aim: To assess whether an increased volume of local anaesthetic injection given with intra-articular steroids improves symptom relief in osteoarthritis of the hip. Materials and methods: One hundred and ten patients with hip osteoarthritis were randomized into two groups (A and B). All patients were given 40 mg triamcinolone and 2 ml bupivicaine, and patients from group B were also given 6 ml of sterile water for injection. Change in WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index Version 3.1) scores from baseline to 3 months were calculated and assessed for clinical and statistical significance. The patients were assessed for pain at 2 weekly intervals using the Oxford pain chart. Results: Patients from group B showed some reduction in stiffness (7%) and improved function (3%) compared with group A, and there were more clinical responders in these two categories. However, there was no significant statistical or clinical difference in WOMAC scores between the two groups at 3 months. There was also no statistical difference in pain symptoms between the two groups during the study period, measured at 2 weekly intervals. One hundred and two patients reached the study endpoint; eight patients who had bilateral hip injections were subsequently included in the analysis, and these patients did not alter the findings significantly. Conclusions: Published total injection volumes used for treating osteoarthritis of the hip with intra-articular steroids vary from 3 to 12 ml. The present study has shown that there is no detriment to using a larger volume of injectate, and recommends that practitioners use total volumes between 3 and 9 ml.

Therapeutic hip injections: Is the injection volume important?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, R., E-mail: russell.young@gwh.nhs.uk [Department of Radiology, Great Western Hospital, Swindon (United Kingdom); Harding, J. [Department of Radiology, University Hospital Coventry, Coventry (United Kingdom); Kingsly, A. [Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Bristol Institue of Technology, University of the West of England, Bristol (United Kingdom); Bradley, M. [Department of Radiology, Southmead Hospital, Bristol (United Kingdom)

2012-01-15

Aim: To assess whether an increased volume of local anaesthetic injection given with intra-articular steroids improves symptom relief in osteoarthritis of the hip. Materials and methods: One hundred and ten patients with hip osteoarthritis were randomized into two groups (A and B). All patients were given 40 mg triamcinolone and 2 ml bupivicaine, and patients from group B were also given 6 ml of sterile water for injection. Change in WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index Version 3.1) scores from baseline to 3 months were calculated and assessed for clinical and statistical significance. The patients were assessed for pain at 2 weekly intervals using the Oxford pain chart. Results: Patients from group B showed some reduction in stiffness (7%) and improved function (3%) compared with group A, and there were more clinical responders in these two categories. However, there was no significant statistical or clinical difference in WOMAC scores between the two groups at 3 months. There was also no statistical difference in pain symptoms between the two groups during the study period, measured at 2 weekly intervals. One hundred and two patients reached the study endpoint; eight patients who had bilateral hip injections were subsequently included in the analysis, and these patients did not alter the findings significantly. Conclusions: Published total injection volumes used for treating osteoarthritis of the hip with intra-articular steroids vary from 3 to 12 ml. The present study has shown that there is no detriment to using a larger volume of injectate, and recommends that practitioners use total volumes between 3 and 9 ml.

78 FR 23246 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-18

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9804-8] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; BASF... exemption to the land disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste [[Page 23247...

Why we are tracking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tække, Jesper

2015-01-01

In this short essay, concerning why we are tracking, I will try to frame tracking as an evolutionary developed skill that humans need to survive. From an evolutionary point zero life must reflect upon itself in regard to its surrounding world as a kind of societal self-synchronization in this reg......In this short essay, concerning why we are tracking, I will try to frame tracking as an evolutionary developed skill that humans need to survive. From an evolutionary point zero life must reflect upon itself in regard to its surrounding world as a kind of societal self......-synchronization in this regard (Spencer 1890, Luhmann 2000, Tække 2014, 2011). I was inspired by Jill Walker Rettberg’s book: “Seeing Ourselves through Technology” and her presentation at the seminar: “Tracking Culture” arranged by Anders Albrechtslund in Aarhus January 2015....

Multimodality optical coherence tomography and fluorescence confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy for image-guided feedback of intraocular injections in mouse models

Science.gov (United States)

Benavides, Oscar R.; Terrones, Benjamin D.; Leeburg, Kelsey C.; Mehanathan, Sankarathi B.; Levine, Edward M.; Tao, Yuankai K.

2018-02-01

Rodent models are robust tools for understanding human retinal disease and function because of their similarities with human physiology and anatomy and availability of genetic mutants. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been well-established for ophthalmic imaging in rodents and enables depth-resolved visualization of structures and image-based surrogate biomarkers of disease. Similarly, fluorescence confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO) has demonstrated utility for imaging endogenous and exogenous fluorescence and scattering contrast in the mouse retina. Complementary volumetric scattering and en face fluorescence contrast from OCT and cSLO, respectively, enables cellular-resolution longitudinal imaging of changes in ophthalmic structure and function. We present a non-contact multimodal OCT+cSLO small animal imaging system with extended working distance to the pupil, which enables imaging during and after intraocular injection. While injections are routinely performed in mice to develop novel models of ophthalmic diseases and screen novel therapeutics, the location and volume delivered is not precisely controlled and difficult to reproduce. Animals were imaged using a custom-built OCT engine and scan-head combined with a modified commercial cSLO scan-head. Post-injection imaging showed structural changes associated with retinal puncture, including the injection track, a retinal elevation, and detachment of the posterior hyaloid. When combined with imagesegmentation, we believe OCT can be used to precisely identify injection locations and quantify injection volumes. Fluorescence cSLO can provide complementary contrast for either fluorescently labeled compounds or transgenic cells for improved specificity. Our non-contact OCT+cSLO system is uniquely-suited for concurrent imaging with intraocular injections, which may be used for real-time image-guided injections.

Characterizing relationships among fecal indicator bacteria ...

Science.gov (United States)

Bed sediments of streams and rivers may store high concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and pathogens. Due to resuspension events, these contaminants can be mobilized into the water column and affect overall water quality. Other bacterial indicators such as microbial source tracking (MST) markers, developed to determine potential sources of fecal contamination, can also be resuspended from bed sediments. The primary objective of this study was to predict occurrence of waterborne pathogens in water and streambed sediments using a simple statistical model that includes traditionally measured FIB, environmental parameters and source allocation, using MST markers as predictor variables. Synoptic sampling events were conducted during baseflow conditions downstream from agricultural (AG), forested (FORS), and wastewater pollution control plant (WPCP) land uses. Concentrations of FIB and MST markers were measured in water and sediments, along with occurrences of the enteric pathogens Campylobacter, Listeria and Salmonella, and the virulence gene that carries Shiga toxin, stx2. Pathogens were detected in water more often than in underlying sediments. Shiga toxin was significantly related to land use, with concentrations of the ruminant marker selected as an independent variable that could correctly classify 76% and 64% of observed Shiga toxin occurrences in water and sediment, respectively. FIB concentrations and water quality parameters were also selected a

Effects of Ethanolic Ferolagu angulata Extract on Pathogenic Gastrointestinal Bacteria and Probiotic Bacteria in Skimmed Milk Medium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Naghiha

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background:    Due to excessive consumption of synthetic drugs, drug resistance rate of pathogenic bacteria is increasing and there is an ever-increasing need to find new safe compounds to tackle this problem. This study was conducted to investigate the consequences of chavill extract on the growth and viability of gastrointestinal pathogenic bacterium and probiotics bacteria. Methods:    The experiment contained three levels of the chavill extract concentrations (0, 1 and 3% which were added to the milk free fat in accompany with three probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and lactobacillus plantaram and a pathogenic gastrointestinal bacterium (Salmonella typhimurium. Bacterial inoculums (1×107 CFU/ml with different concentrations of chavill extract were added to skimmed milk medium and bacteria growth were enumerated. Results:  The concentration of 1% chavill extract significantly increased the total count of probiotic bacteria compared to the control group, while the number of pathogenic bacteria was decreased. At 3% chavill extract the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantaram were increased. On the other hand, it prevented the growth of Salmonella typhimurium Conclusion:   Chavill extracts would play as an alternative to antibiotics in pharmacological studies to decreases harmful bacteria and increase probiotic bacteria.

Significant Association between Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria and Uranium-Reducing Microbial Communities as Revealed by a Combined Massively Parallel Sequencing-Indicator Species Approach▿ †

OpenAIRE

Cardenas, Erick; Wu, Wei-Min; Leigh, Mary Beth; Carley, Jack; Carroll, Sue; Gentry, Terry; Luo, Jian; Watson, David; Gu, Baohua; Ginder-Vogel, Matthew; Kitanidis, Peter K.; Jardine, Philip M.; Zhou, Jizhong; Criddle, Craig S.; Marsh, Terence L.

2010-01-01

Massively parallel sequencing has provided a more affordable and high-throughput method to study microbial communities, although it has mostly been used in an exploratory fashion. We combined pyrosequencing with a strict indicator species statistical analysis to test if bacteria specifically responded to ethanol injection that successfully promoted dissimilatory uranium(VI) reduction in the subsurface of a uranium contamination plume at the Oak Ridge Field Research Center in Tennessee. Remedi...

Efficient Spin Injection into Semiconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nahid, M.A.I.

2010-06-01

Spintronic research has made tremendous progress nowadays for making future devices obtain extra advantages of low power, and faster and higher scalability compared to present electronic devices. A spintronic device is based on the transport of an electron's spin instead of charge. Efficient spin injection is one of the very important requirements for future spintronic devices. However, the effective spin injection is an exceedingly difficult task. In this paper, the importance of spin injection, basics of spin current and the essential requirements of spin injection are illustrated. The experimental technique of electrical spin injection into semiconductor is also discussed based on the experimental experience. The electrical spin injection can easily be implemented for spin injection into any semiconductor. (author)

77 FR 26755 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-07

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9669-6] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Diamond... reissuance of an exemption to the land disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste...

76 FR 55908 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-09

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9461-5] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Great Lakes... of an exemption to the land disposal restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste...

76 FR 36129 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-21

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9321-3] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; ExxonMobil... disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and...

78 FR 42776 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-17

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL9834-8] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Blanchard Refining... disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and...

77 FR 52717 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-30

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9724-1] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Cornerstone... exemption to the land disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the...

Current strategies for improving food bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuipers, O P; Buist, Girbe; Kok, Jan

2000-01-01

Novel concepts and methodologies are emerging that hold great promise for the directed improvement of food-related bacteria, specifically lactic acid bacteria. Also, the battle against food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria can now be fought more effectively. Here we describe recent advances in

[Unique properties of highly radioresistant bacteria].

Science.gov (United States)

Romanovskaia, V A; Rokitko, P V; Malashenko, Iu R

2000-01-01

In connection with the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) accident and the negative ecological after-effects for biota in this zone the interest has arisen to radioresistant bacteria, as to the most dynamic model of the given ecosystem, and to mechanisms which provide resistance of bacteria to ionizing radiation. The analysis of published data has shown that the radioresistant bacteria are not interrelated taxonomically and phylogenetically. The extreme radioresistant bacteria are represented by the Deinococcus species, which form a group phylogenetically close to the line Thermus-Meiothermus. Other radioresistant bacteria are the representatives of the genera Rubrobacter, Methylobacterium, Kocuria, Bacillus and some archebacteria. Data on natural habitats, of radioresistant bacteria are not numerous. In a number of cases it is difficult to distinguish their natural habitats, as they were isolated from the samples which were previously exposed to X-ray or gamma-irradiation, or from the ecosystems with the naturally raised radioactivity. To understand the strategy of survival of radioresistant bacteria, we briefly reviewed the mechanism of action of various species of radiation on cells and macromolecules; physiological signs of the cell damage caused by radiation; mechanisms eliminating (repairing) these damages. More details on mechanisms of the DNA repair in D. radiodurans are described. The extreme resistance of D. radiodurans to the DNA damaging factors is defined by 1) repair mechanisms which fundamentally differ from those in other procaryotes; 2) ability to increase the efficiency of a standard set of the DNA repairing proteins. Literary and own data on the effect of radiation on survival of various groups of bacteria in natural ecosystems are summarized. The ecological consequences of the ChNPP accident for soil bacteria in this region were estimated. The reduction of the number of soil bacteria and recession of microbial diversity under the effect of

The DOe Silicon Track Trigger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinbrueck, Georg

2003-01-01

We describe a trigger preprocessor to be used by the DOe experiment for selecting events with tracks from the decay of long-lived particles. This Level 2 impact parameter trigger utilizes information from the Silicon Microstrip Tracker to reconstruct tracks with improved spatial and momentum resolutions compared to those obtained by the Level 1 tracking trigger. It is constructed of VME boards with much of the logic existing in programmable processors. A common motherboard provides the I/O infrastructure and three different daughter boards perform the tasks of identifying the roads from the tracking trigger data, finding the clusters in the roads in the silicon detector, and fitting tracks to the clusters. This approach provides flexibility for the design, testing and maintenance phases of the project. The track parameters are provided to the trigger framework in 25 μs. The effective impact parameter resolution for high-momentum tracks is 35 μm, dominated by the size of the Tevatron beam

Yersinia enterocolitica targets cells of the innate and adaptive immune system by injection of Yops in a mouse infection model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Köberle

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Yersinia enterocolitica (Ye evades the immune system of the host by injection of Yersinia outer proteins (Yops via a type three secretion system into host cells. In this study, a reporter system comprising a YopE-beta-lactamase hybrid protein and a fluorescent staining sensitive to beta-lactamase cleavage was used to track Yop injection in cell culture and in an experimental Ye mouse infection model. Experiments with GD25, GD25-beta1A, and HeLa cells demonstrated that beta1-integrins and RhoGTPases play a role for Yop injection. As demonstrated by infection of splenocyte suspensions in vitro, injection of Yops appears to occur randomly into all types of leukocytes. In contrast, upon infection of mice, Yop injection was detected in 13% of F4/80(+, 11% of CD11c(+, 7% of CD49b(+, 5% of Gr1(+ cells, 2.3% of CD19(+, and 2.6% of CD3(+ cells. Taking the different abundance of these cell types in the spleen into account, the highest total number of Yop-injected cells represents B cells, particularly CD19(+CD21(+CD23(+ follicular B cells, followed by neutrophils, dendritic cells, and macrophages, suggesting a distinct cellular tropism of Ye. Yop-injected B cells displayed a significantly increased expression of CD69 compared to non-Yop-injected B cells, indicating activation of these cells by Ye. Infection of IFN-gammaR (receptor- and TNFRp55-deficient mice resulted in increased numbers of Yop-injected spleen cells for yet unknown reasons. The YopE-beta-lactamase hybrid protein reporter system provides new insights into the modulation of host cell and immune responses by Ye Yops.

76 FR 42125 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-18

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9440-3] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; ConocoPhillips... Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act...

78 FR 76294 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-17

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9904-21-OW] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Mosaic... Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act...

75 FR 60457 - Underground Injection Control Program Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-30

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9208-4] Underground Injection Control Program Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection Dow Chemical Company (DOW... 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act have been...

Water quality considerations resulting in the impaired injectivity of water injection and disposal wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennion, D.B.; Thomas, F.B.; Imer, D.; Ma, T.

2000-01-01

An environmentally responsible way to improve hydrocarbon recovery is to maintain pressure by water injection. This is a desirable method because unwanted produced water from oil and gas wells can be re-injected into producing or disposal formations. The success of the operation, however, depends on injecting the necessary volume of water economically, below the fracture gradient pressure of the formation. Well placement, geometry and inherent formation quality and relative permeability characteristics are some of the many other factors which influence the success of any injection project. Poor injection or poor quality of disposal water can also compromise the injectivity for even high quality sandstone or carbonate formations. This would necessitate costly workovers and recompletions. This paper presented some leading edge diagnostic techniques and evaluation methods to determine the quality of injected water. The same techniques could be used to better understand the effect of potential contaminants such as suspended solids, corrosion products, skim/carryover oil and grease, scales, precipitates, emulsions, oil wet hydrocarbon agglomerates and many other conditions which cause injectivity degradation. 14 refs., 1 tab., 15 figs

Ion track etching revisited: II. Electronic properties of aged tracks in polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, D.; Muñoz Hernández, G.; Cruz, S. A.; Garcia-Arellano, H.; Vacik, J.; Hnatowicz, V.; Kiv, A.; Alfonta, L.

2018-02-01

We compile here electronic ion track etching effects, such as capacitive-type currents, current spike emission, phase shift, rectification and background currents that eventually emerge upon application of sinusoidal alternating voltages across thin, aged swift heavy ion-irradiated polymer foils during etching. Both capacitive-type currents and current spike emission occur as long as obstacles still prevent a smooth continuous charge carrier passage across the foils. In the case of sufficiently high applied electric fields, these obstacles are overcome by spike emission. These effects vanish upon etchant breakthrough. Subsequent transmitted currents are usually of Ohmic type, but shortly after breakthrough (during the track' core etching) often still exhibit deviations such as strong positive phase shifts. They stem from very slow charge carrier mobility across the etched ion tracks due to retarding trapping/detrapping processes. Upon etching the track's penumbra, one occasionally observes a split-up into two transmitted current components, one with positive and another one with negative phase shifts. Usually, these phase shifts vanish when bulk etching starts. Current rectification upon track etching is a very frequent phenomenon. Rectification uses to inverse when core etching ends and penumbra etching begins. When the latter ends, rectification largely vanishes. Occasionally, some residual rectification remains which we attribute to the aged polymeric bulk itself. Last not least, we still consider background currents which often emerge transiently during track etching. We could assign them clearly to differences in the electrochemical potential of the liquids on both sides of the etched polymer foils. Transient relaxation effects during the track etching cause their eventually chaotic behaviour.

Fast Compressive Tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kaihua; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Ming-Hsuan

2014-10-01

It is a challenging task to develop effective and efficient appearance models for robust object tracking due to factors such as pose variation, illumination change, occlusion, and motion blur. Existing online tracking algorithms often update models with samples from observations in recent frames. Despite much success has been demonstrated, numerous issues remain to be addressed. First, while these adaptive appearance models are data-dependent, there does not exist sufficient amount of data for online algorithms to learn at the outset. Second, online tracking algorithms often encounter the drift problems. As a result of self-taught learning, misaligned samples are likely to be added and degrade the appearance models. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective and efficient tracking algorithm with an appearance model based on features extracted from a multiscale image feature space with data-independent basis. The proposed appearance model employs non-adaptive random projections that preserve the structure of the image feature space of objects. A very sparse measurement matrix is constructed to efficiently extract the features for the appearance model. We compress sample images of the foreground target and the background using the same sparse measurement matrix. The tracking task is formulated as a binary classification via a naive Bayes classifier with online update in the compressed domain. A coarse-to-fine search strategy is adopted to further reduce the computational complexity in the detection procedure. The proposed compressive tracking algorithm runs in real-time and performs favorably against state-of-the-art methods on challenging sequences in terms of efficiency, accuracy and robustness.

In vivo tracking of neuronal-like cells by magnetic resonance in rabbit models of spinal cord injury

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ruiping; Zhang, Kun; Li, Jianding; Liu, Qiang; Xie, Jun

2013-01-01

In vitro experiments have demonstrated that neuronal-like cells derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can survive, migrate, integrate and help to restore the function and behaviors of spinal cord injury models, and that they may serve as a suitable approach to treating spinal cord injury. However, it is very difficult to track transplanted cells in vivo. In this study, we injected superparamagnetic iron oxide-labeled neuronal-like cells into the subarachnoid space in a rabbit model of spinal cord injury. At 7 days after cell transplantation, a small number of dot-shaped low signal intensity shadows were observed in the spinal cord injury region, and at 14 days, the number of these shadows increased on T2-weighted imaging. Perl's Prussian blue staining detected dot-shaped low signal intensity shadows in the spinal cord injury region, indicative of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle-labeled cells. These findings suggest that transplanted neuronal-like cells derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can migrate to the spinal cord injury region and can be tracked by magnetic resonance in vivo. Magnetic resonance imaging represents an efficient noninvasive technique for visually tracking transplanted cells in vivo. PMID:25206659

Physics of the current injection process during localized helicity injection

Science.gov (United States)

Hinson, Edward Thomas

An impedance model has been developed for the arc-plasma cathode electron current source used in localized helicity injection tokamak startup. According to this model, a potential double layer (DL) is established between the high-density arc plasma (narc ˜ 1021 m-3) in the electron source, and the less-dense external tokamak edge plasma (nedge ˜ 10 18 m-3) into which current is injected. The DL launches an electron beam at the applied voltage with cross-sectional area close to that of the source aperture: Ainj ≈ 2 cm 2. The injected current, Iinj, increases with applied voltage, Vinj, according to the standard DL scaling, Iinj ˜ V(3/2/ inj), until the more restrictive of two limits to beam density nb arises, producing Iinj ˜ V(1/2/inj), a scaling with beam drift velocity. For low external tokamak edge density nedge, space-charge neutralization of the intense electron beam restricts the injected beam density to nb ˜ nedge. At high Jinj and sufficient edge density, the injected current is limited by expansion of the DL sheath, which leads to nb ˜ narc. Measurements of narc, Iinj , nedge, Vinj, support these predicted scalings, and suggest narc as a viable control actuator for the source impedance. Magnetic probe signals ≈ 300 degrees toroidally from the injection location are consistent with expectations for a gyrating, coherent electron beam with a compact areal cross-section. Technological development of the source has allowed an extension of the favorable Iinj ˜ V(1/2/inj) to higher power without electrical breakdown.

Advanced cell therapies: targeting, tracking and actuation of cells with magnetic particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Connell, John J; Patrick, P Stephen; Yu, Yichao; Lythgoe, Mark F; Kalber, Tammy L

2015-01-01

Regenerative medicine would greatly benefit from a new platform technology that enabled measurable, controllable and targeting of stem cells to a site of disease or injury in the body. Superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles offer attractive possibilities in biomedicine and can be incorporated into cells, affording a safe and reliable means of tagging. This review describes three current and emerging methods to enhance regenerative medicine using magnetic particles to guide therapeutic cells to a target organ; track the cells using MRI and assess their spatial localization with high precision and influence the behavior of the cell using magnetic actuation. This approach is complementary to the systemic injection of cell therapies, thus expanding the horizon of stem cell therapeutics.

Calcitonin Salmon Injection

Science.gov (United States)

Calcitonin salmon injection is used to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to weaken and break more easily. Calcitonin salmon injection is also used to treat Paget's disease ...

Optimization of Spore Forming Bacteria Flooding for Enhanced Oil Recovery in North Sea Chalk Reservoir

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halim, Amalia Yunita; Nielsen, Sidsel Marie; Eliasson Lantz, Anna

2015-01-01

.2-3.8 cm) during bacteria injection. Further seawater flooding after three days shut in period showed that permeability gradually increased in the first two sections of the core and started to decrease in the third section of the core (3.8-6.3 cm). Complete plugging was never observed in our experiments.......Little has been done to study microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) in chalk reservoirs. The present study focused on core flooding experiments to see microbial plugging and its effect on oil recovery. A pressure tapped core holder with pressure ports at 1.2 cm, 3.8 cm, and 6.3 cm from the inlet...

Simultaneous tracking and activity recognition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manfredotti, Cristina Elena; Fleet, David J.; Hamilton, Howard J.

2011-01-01

be used to improve the prediction step of the tracking, while, at the same time, tracking information can be used for online activity recognition. Experimental results in two different settings show that our approach 1) decreases the error rate and improves the identity maintenance of the positional......Many tracking problems involve several distinct objects interacting with each other. We develop a framework that takes into account interactions between objects allowing the recognition of complex activities. In contrast to classic approaches that consider distinct phases of tracking and activity...... tracking and 2) identifies the correct activity with higher accuracy than standard approaches....

TrackingNet: A Large-Scale Dataset and Benchmark for Object Tracking in the Wild

KAUST Repository

Mü ller, Matthias; Bibi, Adel Aamer; Giancola, Silvio; Al-Subaihi, Salman; Ghanem, Bernard

2018-01-01

Despite the numerous developments in object tracking, further development of current tracking algorithms is limited by small and mostly saturated datasets. As a matter of fact, data-hungry trackers based on deep-learning currently rely on object detection datasets due to the scarcity of dedicated large-scale tracking datasets. In this work, we present TrackingNet, the first large-scale dataset and benchmark for object tracking in the wild. We provide more than 30K videos with more than 14 million dense bounding box annotations. Our dataset covers a wide selection of object classes in broad and diverse context. By releasing such a large-scale dataset, we expect deep trackers to further improve and generalize. In addition, we introduce a new benchmark composed of 500 novel videos, modeled with a distribution similar to our training dataset. By sequestering the annotation of the test set and providing an online evaluation server, we provide a fair benchmark for future development of object trackers. Deep trackers fine-tuned on a fraction of our dataset improve their performance by up to 1.6% on OTB100 and up to 1.7% on TrackingNet Test. We provide an extensive benchmark on TrackingNet by evaluating more than 20 trackers. Our results suggest that object tracking in the wild is far from being solved.

TrackingNet: A Large-Scale Dataset and Benchmark for Object Tracking in the Wild

KAUST Repository

Müller, Matthias

2018-03-28

Despite the numerous developments in object tracking, further development of current tracking algorithms is limited by small and mostly saturated datasets. As a matter of fact, data-hungry trackers based on deep-learning currently rely on object detection datasets due to the scarcity of dedicated large-scale tracking datasets. In this work, we present TrackingNet, the first large-scale dataset and benchmark for object tracking in the wild. We provide more than 30K videos with more than 14 million dense bounding box annotations. Our dataset covers a wide selection of object classes in broad and diverse context. By releasing such a large-scale dataset, we expect deep trackers to further improve and generalize. In addition, we introduce a new benchmark composed of 500 novel videos, modeled with a distribution similar to our training dataset. By sequestering the annotation of the test set and providing an online evaluation server, we provide a fair benchmark for future development of object trackers. Deep trackers fine-tuned on a fraction of our dataset improve their performance by up to 1.6% on OTB100 and up to 1.7% on TrackingNet Test. We provide an extensive benchmark on TrackingNet by evaluating more than 20 trackers. Our results suggest that object tracking in the wild is far from being solved.

Mycorrhiza helper bacteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deveau, Aurelie [French National Insitute for Agricultural Research (INRA); Labbe, Jessy [ORNL

2016-10-01

This chapter focuses on the Mycorrhiza Helper Bacteria (MHB), a generic name given to bacteria which stimulate the formation of mycorrhizal symbiosis. By extension, some bacterial strains that positively impact the functioning of mycorrhizal symbiosis are also called MHB. These bacteria have applicative interests, as they indirectly improve the health and growth of tree seedlings. MHB are not restricted to a specific type of ecosystem, but are rather generalist in the way that they associate with both herbaceous and woody mycorrhizal plants from boreal, temperate, arid and tropical ecosystems. However, understanding the molecular mechanisms and their specificities will help us to know more about the ecology of the MHB. The process of acquisition varies between fungal species; while ectomycorrhizal fungi most probably recurrently acquire them from the environment, the association between bacterial endosymbionts and Glomeromycota probably dates back to very ancient times, and has since been vertically transmitted.

Development of nuclear track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somogyi, Gyoergy

1985-01-01

The birth and development of two decades of a new nuclear detection method is briefly summarized by one of the first inventors. The main steps of the development and broadening application of nuclear solid state track detectors are described underlying the contribution and main results of the research group of ATOMKI, Hungary (i.e. the finding of the proper plastic materials for track detectors, the discovery of correlations between the track diameter and the particle energy, the increasing of energy resolution, explanation of the track developing process, elaboration of new electrochemical track analyzing methods and automatic track analyzers). Recently, this detecting technique has grown to the phase of the industrial mass production and broad application in radiogeochemistry, mining, radioecology, personal monitoring in nuclear power plants, etc. (D.Gy.)

UV-visible digital imaging of split injection in a Gasoline Direct Injection engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Merola Simona Silvia

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Ever tighter limits on pollutant emissions and the need to improve energy conversion efficiency have made the application of gasoline direct injection (GDI feasible for a much wider scale of spark ignition engines. Changing the way fuel is delivered to the engine has thus provided increased flexibility but also challenges, such as higher particulate emissions. Therefore, alternative injection control strategies need to be investigated in order to obtain optimum performance and reduced environmental impact. In this study, experiments were carried out on a single-cylinder GDI optical engine fuelled with commercial gasoline in lean-burn conditions. The single-cylinder was equipped with the head of a commercial turbocharged engine with similar geometrical specifications (bore, stroke, compression ratio and wall guided fuel injection. Optical accessibility was ensured through a conventional elongated hollow Bowditch piston and an optical crown, accommodating a fused-silica window. Experimental tests were performed at fixed engine speed and injection pressure, whereas the injection timing and the number of injections were adjusted to investigate their influence on combustion and emissions. UV-visible digital imaging was applied in order to follow the combustion process, from ignition to the late combustion phase. All the optical data were correlated with thermodynamic analysis and measurements of exhaust emissions. Split injection strategies (i.e. two injections per cycle with respect to single injection increased combustion efficiency and stability thanks to an improvement of fuel air mixing. As a consequence, significant reduction in soot formation and exhaust emission with acceptable penalty in terms of HC and NOx were measured.

Deoxycholic Acid Injection

Science.gov (United States)

Deoxycholic acid injection is used to improve the appearance and profile of moderate to severe submental fat ('double chin'; fatty tissue located under the chin). Deoxycholic acid injection is in a class of medications called ...

Antigen injection (image)

Science.gov (United States)

Leprosy is caused by the organism Mycobacterium leprae . The leprosy test involves injection of an antigen just under ... if your body has a current or recent leprosy infection. The injection site is labeled and examined ...

Bacteria modulate the CD8+ T cell epitope repertoire of host cytosol-exposed proteins to manipulate the host immune response.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaakov Maman

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The main adaptive immune response to bacteria is mediated by B cells and CD4+ T-cells. However, some bacterial proteins reach the cytosol of host cells and are exposed to the host CD8+ T-cells response. Both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria can translocate proteins to the cytosol through type III and IV secretion and ESX-1 systems, respectively. The translocated proteins are often essential for the bacterium survival. Once injected, these proteins can be degraded and presented on MHC-I molecules to CD8+ T-cells. The CD8+ T-cells, in turn, can induce cell death and destroy the bacteria's habitat. In viruses, escape mutations arise to avoid this detection. The accumulation of escape mutations in bacteria has never been systematically studied. We show for the first time that such mutations are systematically present in most bacteria tested. We combine multiple bioinformatic algorithms to compute CD8+ T-cell epitope libraries of bacteria with secretion systems that translocate proteins to the host cytosol. In all bacteria tested, proteins not translocated to the cytosol show no escape mutations in their CD8+ T-cell epitopes. However, proteins translocated to the cytosol show clear escape mutations and have low epitope densities for most tested HLA alleles. The low epitope densities suggest that bacteria, like viruses, are evolutionarily selected to ensure their survival in the presence of CD8+ T-cells. In contrast with most other translocated proteins examined, Pseudomonas aeruginosa's ExoU, which ultimately induces host cell death, was found to have high epitope density. This finding suggests a novel mechanism for the manipulation of CD8+ T-cells by pathogens. The ExoU effector may have evolved to maintain high epitope density enabling it to efficiently induce CD8+ T-cell mediated cell death. These results were tested using multiple epitope prediction algorithms, and were found to be consistent for most proteins tested.

First demonstration of laser engagement of 1-Hz-injected flying pellets and neutron generation

Science.gov (United States)

Komeda, Osamu; Nishimura, Yasuhiko; Mori, Yoshitaka; Hanayama, Ryohei; Ishii, Katsuhiro; Nakayama, Suisei; Kitagawa, Yoneyoshi; Sekine, Takashi; Sato, Nakahiro; Kurita, Takashi; Kawashima, Toshiyuki; Kan, Hirofumi; Nakamura, Naoki; Kondo, Takuya; Fujine, Manabu; Azuma, Hirozumi; Motohiro, Tomoyoshi; Hioki, Tatsumi; Kakeno, Mitsutaka; Sunahara, Atsushi; Sentoku, Yasuhiko; Miura, Eisuke

2013-01-01

Pellet injection and repetitive laser illumination are key technologies for realizing inertial fusion energy. Numerous studies have been conducted on target suppliers, injectors, and tracking systems for flying pellet engagement. Here we for the first time demonstrate the pellet injection, counter laser beams' engagement and neutron generation. Deuterated polystyrene (CD) bead pellets, after free-falling for a distance of 18 cm at 1 Hz, are successfully engaged by two counter laser beams from a diode-pumped, ultra-intense laser HAMA. The laser energy, pulse duration, wavelength, and the intensity are 0.63 J per beam, 104 fs, and 811 nm, 4.7 × 1018 W/cm2, respectively. The irradiated pellets produce D(d,n)3He-reacted neutrons with a maximum yield of 9.5 × 104/4π sr/shot. Moreover, the laser is found out to bore a straight channel with 10 μm-diameter through the 1-mm-diameter beads. The results indicate potentially useful technologies and findings for the next step in realizing inertial fusion energy. PMID:24008696

Expectations on Track? High School Tracking and Adolescent Educational Expectations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karlson, Kristian Bernt

2015-01-01

This paper examines the role of adaptation in expectation formation processes by analyzing how educational tracking in high schools affects adolescents' educational expectations. I argue that adolescents view track placement as a signal about their academic abilities and respond to it in terms...... of modifying their educational expectations. Applying a difference-in-differences approach to the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, I find that being placed in an advanced or honors class in high school positively affects adolescents’ expectations, particularly if placement is consistent across...... subjects and if placement contradicts tracking experiences in middle school. My findings support the hypothesis that adolescents adapt their educational expectations to ability signals sent by schools....

Injection of tennis elbow: Hit and miss? A cadaveric study of injection accuracy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keijsers, Renee; van den Bekerom, Michel P. J.; Koenraadt, Koen L. M.; Bleys, Ronald L. A. W.; van Dijk, C. Niek; Eygendaal, Denise; van Riet, Roger; Middernacht, Bart; Defoort, Saartje; Wagener, Marc; Harake, Ramzi; Ciornohac, Jean-Florin; Montarnal, Robert; van Benthem, Yasmin; Cattaneo, Stefano; Faber, Dirk; Galatz, Leesa; Birkisson, Illugi; van der Hoeven, Henk; Witjes, Suzanne; Heeren, M.; Ahmed, El-Gammal; Husif, N. N.; Beumer, Annechien; The, Bertram

2017-01-01

Different injection therapies are used in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis (LE). Usually, the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) tendon is affected. Therefore, an injection should be aimed at the origin of this tendon. This study demonstrates the accuracy of manual injections in the

Photostable bipolar fluorescent probe for video tracking plasma membranes related cellular processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xinfu; Wang, Chao; Jin, Liji; Han, Zhuo; Xiao, Yi

2014-08-13

Plasma membranes can sense the stimulations and transmit the signals from extracellular environment and then make further responses through changes in locations, shapes or morphologies. Common fluorescent membrane markers are not well suited for long time tracking due to their shorter retention time inside plasma membranes and/or their lower photostability. To this end, we develop a new bipolar marker, Mem-SQAC, which can stably insert into plasma membranes of different cells and exhibits a long retention time over 30 min. Mem-SQAC also inherits excellent photostability from the BODIPY dye family. Large two-photon absorption cross sections and long wavelength fluorescence emissions further enhance the competitiveness of Mem-SQAC as a membrane marker. By using Mem-SQAC, significant morphological changes of plasma membranes have been monitored during heavy metal poisoning and drug induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells; the change tendencies are so distinctly different from each other that they can be used as indicators to distinguish different cell injuries. Further on, the complete processes of endocytosis toward Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by RAW 264.7 cells have been dynamically tracked. It is discovered that plasma membranes take quite different actions in response to the two bacteria, information unavailable in previous research reports.

Ceftazidime and Avibactam Injection

Science.gov (United States)

... is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria. Avibactam is in a class ... works by preventing bacteria from breaking down ceftazidime.Antibiotics such as ceftazidime and avibactam will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using ...

Imaging of Bubonic Plague Dynamics by In Vivo Tracking of Bioluminescent Yersinia pestis

Science.gov (United States)

Nham, Toan; Filali, Sofia; Danne, Camille; Derbise, Anne; Carniel, Elisabeth

2012-01-01

Yersinia pestis dissemination in a host is usually studied by enumerating bacteria in the tissues of animals sacrificed at different times. This laborious methodology gives only snapshots of the infection, as the infectious process is not synchronized. In this work we used in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) to follow Y. pestis dissemination during bubonic plague. We first demonstrated that Y. pestis CO92 transformed with pGEN-luxCDABE stably emitted bioluminescence in vitro and in vivo, while retaining full virulence. The light produced from live animals allowed to delineate the infected organs and correlated with bacterial loads, thus validating the BLI tool. We then showed that the first step of the infectious process is a bacterial multiplication at the injection site (linea alba), followed by a colonization of the draining inguinal lymph node(s), and subsequently of the ipsilateral axillary lymph node through a direct connection between the two nodes. A mild bacteremia and an effective filtering of the blood stream by the liver and spleen probably accounted for the early bacterial blood clearance and the simultaneous development of bacterial foci within these organs. The saturation of the filtering capacity of the spleen and liver subsequently led to terminal septicemia. Our results also indicate that secondary lymphoid tissues are the main targets of Y. pestis multiplication and that colonization of other organs occurs essentially at the terminal phase of the disease. Finally, our analysis reveals that the high variability in the kinetics of infection is attributable to the time the bacteria remain confined at the injection site. However, once Y. pestis has reached the draining lymph nodes, the disease progresses extremely rapidly, leading to the invasion of the entire body within two days and to death of the animals. This highlights the extraordinary capacity of Y. pestis to annihilate the host innate immune response. PMID:22496846

Imaging of bubonic plague dynamics by in vivo tracking of bioluminescent Yersinia pestis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toan Nham

Full Text Available Yersinia pestis dissemination in a host is usually studied by enumerating bacteria in the tissues of animals sacrificed at different times. This laborious methodology gives only snapshots of the infection, as the infectious process is not synchronized. In this work we used in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI to follow Y. pestis dissemination during bubonic plague. We first demonstrated that Y. pestis CO92 transformed with pGEN-luxCDABE stably emitted bioluminescence in vitro and in vivo, while retaining full virulence. The light produced from live animals allowed to delineate the infected organs and correlated with bacterial loads, thus validating the BLI tool. We then showed that the first step of the infectious process is a bacterial multiplication at the injection site (linea alba, followed by a colonization of the draining inguinal lymph node(s, and subsequently of the ipsilateral axillary lymph node through a direct connection between the two nodes. A mild bacteremia and an effective filtering of the blood stream by the liver and spleen probably accounted for the early bacterial blood clearance and the simultaneous development of bacterial foci within these organs. The saturation of the filtering capacity of the spleen and liver subsequently led to terminal septicemia. Our results also indicate that secondary lymphoid tissues are the main targets of Y. pestis multiplication and that colonization of other organs occurs essentially at the terminal phase of the disease. Finally, our analysis reveals that the high variability in the kinetics of infection is attributable to the time the bacteria remain confined at the injection site. However, once Y. pestis has reached the draining lymph nodes, the disease progresses extremely rapidly, leading to the invasion of the entire body within two days and to death of the animals. This highlights the extraordinary capacity of Y. pestis to annihilate the host innate immune response.

Iron Dextran Injection

Science.gov (United States)

Iron dextran injection is used to treat iron-deficiency anemia (a lower than normal number of red blood cells ... treated with iron supplements taken by mouth. Iron dextran injection is in a class of medications called ...

Aminocaproic Acid Injection

Science.gov (United States)

Aminocaproic acid injection is used to control bleeding that occurs when blood clots are broken down too quickly. This ... the baby is ready to be born). Aminocaproic acid injection is also used to control bleeding in ...

Cluster beam injection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bottiglioni, F.; Coutant, J.; Fois, M.

1978-01-01

Areas of possible applications of cluster injection are discussed. The deposition inside the plasma of molecules, issued from the dissociation of the injected clusters, has been computed. Some empirical scaling laws for the penetration are given

Injection and lessons for 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bracco, C.; Barnes, M.J.; Bartmann, W.; Cornelis, K.; Drosdal, L.N.; Goddard, B.; Kain, V.; Meddahi, M.; Mertens, V.; Uythoven, J.

2012-01-01

Injection of 144 bunches into the LHC became fully operational during the 2011 run and one nominal injection of 288 bunches was accomplished. Several mitigation solutions were put in place to minimise losses from the Transfer Line (TL) collimators and losses from kicking de-bunched beam during injection. Nevertheless, shot-by- shot and bunch-by-bunch trajectory variations, as well as long terms drifts, were observed and required a regular re-steering of the TL implying a non negligible amount of time spent for injection setup. Likely sources of instability have been identified (i.e. MKE and MSE ripples) and possible cures to optimise 2012 operation are presented. Well defined references for TL steering will be defined in a more rigorous way in order to allow a more straightforward and faster injection setup. Encountered and potential issues of the injection system, in particular the injection kickers MKI, are discussed also in view of injections with a higher number of bunches. (authors)

Injection and lessons for 2012

CERN Document Server

Bracco, C; Bartmann, W; Cornelis, K; Drosdal, L N; Goddard, B; Kain, V; Meddahi, M; Mertens, V; Uythoven, J

2012-01-01

Injection of 144 bunches into the LHC became fully operational during the 2011 run and a nominal injection of 288 bunches was accomplished during MD time. Several mitigation solutions were put in place to minimise losses from the transfer line (TL) collimators and losses from kicking debunched beam during injection. Nevertheless, shot-by-shot and bunch-by-bunch trajectory variations, as well as long terms drifts, were observed and required a regular resteering of the TL implying a non negligible amount of time spent for injection setup. Likely sources of instability have been identified (i.e. MKE and MSE ripples) and possible cures to optimise 2012 operation are presented. Well defined references for TL steering will be defined in a more rigorous way in order to allow a more straightforward and faster injection setup. Encountered and potential issues of the injection system, in particular the injection kickers MKI, are discussed also in view of injections with a higher number of bunches.

Surgical versus injection treatment for injection-confirmed chronic sacroiliac joint pain

Science.gov (United States)

Spiker, William Ryan; Lawrence, Brandon D.; Raich, Annie L.; Skelly, Andrea C.; Brodke, Darrel S.

2012-01-01

Study design: Systematic review. Study rationale: Chronic sacroiliac joint pain (CSJP) is a common clinical entity with highly controversial treatment options. A recent systematic review compared surgery with denervation, but the current systematic review compares outcomes of surgical intervention with therapeutic injection for the treatment of CSJP and serves as the next step for evaluating current evidence on the comparative effectiveness of treatments for non-traumatic sacroiliac joint pain. Objective or clinical question: In adult patients with injection-confirmed CSJP, does surgical treatment lead to better outcomes and fewer complications than injection therapy? Methods: A systematic review of the English-language literature was undertaken for articles published between 1970 and June 2012. Electronic databases and reference lists of key articles were searched to identify studies evaluating surgery or injection treatment for injection-confirmed CSJP. Studies involving traumatic onset or non-injection–confirmed CSJP were excluded. Two independent reviewers assessed the level of evidence quality using the grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) system, and disagreements were resolved by consensus. Results: We identified twelve articles (seven surgical and five injection treatment) meeting our inclusion criteria. Regardless of the type of treatment, most studies reported over 40% improvement in pain as measured by Visual Analog Scale or Numeric rating Scale score. Regardless of the type of treatment, most studies reported over 20% improvement in functionality. Most complications were reported in the surgical studies. Conclusion: Surgical fusion and therapeutic injections can likely provide pain relief, improve quality of life, and improve work status. The comparative effectiveness of these interventions cannot be evaluated with the current literature. PMID:23526911

Injection Technique and Pen Needle Design Affect Leakage From Skin After Subcutaneous Injections

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Præstmark, Kezia Ann; Stallknecht, Bente; Jensen, Morten Lind

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: After a subcutaneous injection fluid might leak out of the skin, commonly referred to as leakage or backflow. The objective was to examine the influence of needle design and injection technique on leakage after injections in the subcutaneous tissue of humans and pigs. METHOD: Leakage ...

Self-Tracking: Reflections from the BodyTrack Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Anne

2016-07-06

Based on the author's experiences the practice of self-tracking can empower individuals to explore and address issues in their lives. This work is inspired by examples of people who have reclaimed their wellness through an iterative process of noticing patterns of ups and downs, trying out new ideas and strategies, and observing the results. In some cases, individuals have realized that certain foods, environmental exposures, or practices have unexpected effects for them, and that adopting custom strategies can greatly improve quality of life, overcoming chronic problems. Importantly, adopting the role of investigator of their own situation appears to be transformative: people who embarked on this path changed their relationship to their health situation even before making discoveries that helped lead to symptom improvement. The author co-founded the BodyTrack project in 2010 with the goal of empowering a broader set of people to embrace this investigator role in their own lives and better address their health and wellness concerns, particularly those with complex environmental or behavioral components. The core of the BodyTrack system is an open source web service called Fluxtream ( https://fluxtream.org ) that allows users to aggregate, visualize, and reflect on data from myriad sources on a common timeline. The project is also working to develop and spread peer coaching practices to help transfer the culture and skills of self-tracking while mentoring individuals in how to self-assess their own situation and guide the process for themselves.

Effect of Tracking Error of Double-Axis Tracking Device on the Optical Performance of Solar Dish Concentrator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Yan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a flux distribution model of the focal plane in dish concentrator system has been established based on ray tracking method. This model was adopted for researching the influence of the mirror slope error, solar direct normal irradiance, and tracking error of elevation-azimuth tracking device (EATD on the focal spot characteristics (i.e., flux distribution, geometrical shape, centroid position, and intercept factor. The tracking error transmission law of the EATD transferred to dish concentrator was also studied. The results show that the azimuth tracking error of the concentrator decreases with the increase of the concentrator elevation angle and it decreases to 0 mrad when the elevation angle is 90°. The centroid position of focal spot along x-axis and y-axis has linear relationship with azimuth and elevation tracking error of EATD, respectively, which could be used to evaluate and calibrate the tracking error of the dish concentrator. Finally, the transmission law of the EATD azimuth tracking error in solar heliostats is analyzed, and a dish concentrator using a spin-elevation tracking device is proposed, which can reduce the effect of spin tracking error on the dish concentrator. This work could provide fundamental for manufacturing precision allocation of tracking devices and developing a new type of tracking device.

Horizontal gene transfer between bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Heuer, Holger; Smalla, Kornelia

2007-01-01

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) refers to the acquisition of foreign genes by organisms. The occurrence of HGT among bacteria in the environment is assumed to have implications in the risk assessment of genetically modified bacteria which are released into the environment. First, introduced genetic sequences from a genetically modified bacterium could be transferred to indigenous micro-organisms and alter their genome and subsequently their ecological niche. Second, the genetically modified bacterium released into the environment might capture mobile genetic elements (MGE) from indigenous micro-organisms which could extend its ecological potential. Thus, for a risk assessment it is important to understand the extent of HGT and genome plasticity of bacteria in the environment. This review summarizes the present state of knowledge on HGT between bacteria as a crucial mechanism contributing to bacterial adaptability and diversity. In view of the use of GM crops and microbes in agricultural settings, in this mini-review we focus particularly on the presence and role of MGE in soil and plant-associated bacteria and the factors affecting gene transfer.

ANNOTATION SUPPORTED OCCLUDED OBJECT TRACKING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Devinder Kumar

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Tracking occluded objects at different depths has become as extremely important component of study for any video sequence having wide applications in object tracking, scene recognition, coding, editing the videos and mosaicking. The paper studies the ability of annotation to track the occluded object based on pyramids with variation in depth further establishing a threshold at which the ability of the system to track the occluded object fails. Image annotation is applied on 3 similar video sequences varying in depth. In the experiment, one bike occludes the other at a depth of 60cm, 80cm and 100cm respectively. Another experiment is performed on tracking humans with similar depth to authenticate the results. The paper also computes the frame by frame error incurred by the system, supported by detailed simulations. This system can be effectively used to analyze the error in motion tracking and further correcting the error leading to flawless tracking. This can be of great interest to computer scientists while designing surveillance systems etc.

Multi-shot type pellet injection device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onozuka, Masaki; Uchikawa, Takashi; Kuribayashi, Shitomi.

1988-01-01

Purpose: To inject pellets at high speed without melting or sublimating not-injected pellets even at a long pellet injection interval. Constitution: In the conventional multi-shot pellet injection device, the pellet injection interval is set depending on the plasma retention time. However, as the pellet injection interval is increased, not-injected pellets are melted or sublimated due to the introduced heat of acceleration gases supplied from an acceleration gas introduction pipe to give an effect on the dimensional shape of the pellets. In view of the above, a plurality of pellet forming and injection portions each comprising a carrier, an injection pipe and a holder are disposed independently of each other and pellets are formed and injected independently to thereby prevent the thermal effects of the acceleration gases. (Kamimura, M.)

Multi-shot type pellet injection device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Onozuka, Masaki; Uchikawa, Takashi; Kuribayashi, Shitomi.

1988-07-27

Purpose: To inject pellets at high speed without melting or sublimating not-injected pellets even at a long pellet injection interval. Constitution: In the conventional multi-shot pellet injection device, the pellet injection interval is set depending on the plasma retention time. However, as the pellet injection interval is increased, not-injected pellets are melted or sublimated due to the introduced heat of acceleration gases supplied from an acceleration gas introduction pipe to give an effect on the dimensional shape of the pellets. In view of the above, a plurality of pellet forming and injection portions each comprising a carrier, an injection pipe and a holder are disposed independently of each other and pellets are formed and injected independently to thereby prevent the thermal effects of the acceleration gases. (Kamimura, M.).

Syringe injectable electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Guosong; Zhou, Tao; Jin, Lihua; Duvvuri, Madhavi; Jiang, Zhe; Kruskal, Peter; Xie, Chong; Suo, Zhigang; Fang, Ying; Lieber, Charles M.

2015-01-01

Seamless and minimally-invasive three-dimensional (3D) interpenetration of electronics within artificial or natural structures could allow for continuous monitoring and manipulation of their properties. Flexible electronics provide a means for conforming electronics to non-planar surfaces, yet targeted delivery of flexible electronics to internal regions remains difficult. Here, we overcome this challenge by demonstrating syringe injection and subsequent unfolding of submicrometer-thick, centimeter-scale macroporous mesh electronics through needles with a diameter as small as 100 micrometers. Our results show that electronic components can be injected into man-made and biological cavities, as well as dense gels and tissue, with > 90% device yield. We demonstrate several applications of syringe injectable electronics as a general approach for interpenetrating flexible electronics with 3D structures, including (i) monitoring of internal mechanical strains in polymer cavities, (ii) tight integration and low chronic immunoreactivity with several distinct regions of the brain, and (iii) in vivo multiplexed neural recording. Moreover, syringe injection enables delivery of flexible electronics through a rigid shell, delivery of large volume flexible electronics that can fill internal cavities and co-injection of electronics with other materials into host structures, opening up unique applications for flexible electronics. PMID:26053995

Why tracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burchart, J.; Kral, J.

1979-01-01

A comparison is made of two methods of determining the age of rocks, ie., the krypton-argon method and the fission tracks method. The former method is more accurate but is dependent on the temperature and on the grain size of the investigated rocks (apatites, biotites, muscovites). As for the method of fission tracks, the determination is not dependent on grain size. This method allows dating and the determination of uranium concentration and distribution in rocks. (H.S.)

Pennsylvania Source Term Tracking System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-08-01

The Pennsylvania Source Term Tracking System tabulates surveys received from radioactive waste generators in the Commonwealth of radioactive waste is collected each quarter from generators using the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Quarterly Report Form (hereafter called the survey) and then entered into the tracking system data base. This personal computer-based tracking system can generate 12 types of tracking reports. The first four sections of this reference manual supply complete instructions for installing and setting up the tracking system on a PC. Section 5 presents instructions for entering quarterly survey data, and Section 6 discusses generating reports. The appendix includes samples of each report

Development of a method for bacteria and virus recovery from heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) filters.

Science.gov (United States)

Farnsworth, James E; Goyal, Sagar M; Kim, Seung Won; Kuehn, Thomas H; Raynor, Peter C; Ramakrishnan, M A; Anantharaman, Senthilvelan; Tang, Weihua

2006-10-01

The aim of the work presented here is to study the effectiveness of building air handling units (AHUs) in serving as high volume sampling devices for airborne bacteria and viruses. An HVAC test facility constructed according to ASHRAE Standard 52.2-1999 was used for the controlled loading of HVAC filter media with aerosolized bacteria and virus. Nonpathogenic Bacillus subtilis var. niger was chosen as a surrogate for Bacillus anthracis. Three animal viruses; transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), avian pneumovirus (APV), and fowlpox virus were chosen as surrogates for three human viruses; SARS coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and smallpox virus; respectively. These bacteria and viruses were nebulized in separate tests and injected into the test duct of the test facility upstream of a MERV 14 filter. SKC Biosamplers upstream and downstream of the test filter served as reference samplers. The collection efficiency of the filter media was calculated to be 96.5 +/- 1.5% for B. subtilis, however no collection efficiency was measured for the viruses as no live virus was ever recovered from the downstream samplers. Filter samples were cut from the test filter and eluted by hand-shaking. An extraction efficiency of 105 +/- 19% was calculated for B. subtilis. The viruses were extracted at much lower efficiencies (0.7-20%). Our results indicate that the airborne concentration of spore-forming bacteria in building AHUs may be determined by analyzing the material collected on HVAC filter media, however culture-based analytical techniques are impractical for virus recovery. Molecular-based identification techniques such as PCR could be used.

Screening and characterization of phosphate solubilizing bacteria from isolate of thermophilic bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Yulianti, Evy; Rakhmawati, Anna

2017-08-01

The aims of this study were to select bacteria that has the ability to dissolve phosphate from thermophilic bacteria isolates after the Merapi eruption. Five isolates of selected bacteria was characterized and continued with identification. Selection was done by using a pikovskaya selective medium. Bacterial isolates were grown in selective medium and incubated for 48 hours at temperature of 55 ° C. Characterization was done by looking at the cell and colony morphology, physiological and biochemical properties. Identification was done with the Profile Matching method based on the reference genus Oscillospira traced through Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. Dendogram was created based on similarity index SSM. The results showed there were 14 isolates of bacteria that were able to dissolve phosphate indicated by a clear zone surrounding the bacterial colony on selective media. Five isolates were selected with the largest clear zone. Isolates D79, D92, D110a, D135 and D75 have different characters. The result of phenotypic characters identification with Genus Oscillospira profile has a percentage of 100% similarity to isolate D92 and D110a; 92.31% for isolates D79, and 84.6% for isolates D75 and D135. Dendogram generated from average linkage algorithm / UPGMA using the Simple Matching Coefficient (SSM) algorithms showed, isolate thermophilic bacteria D75 and D135 are combined together to form cluster 1. D110a and D92 form a sub cluster A. Sub cluster A and D79 form cluster 2

Deployable micro-traps to sequester motile bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

di Giacomo, Raffaele; Krödel, Sebastian; Maresca, Bruno; Benzoni, Patrizia; Rusconi, Roberto; Stocker, Roman; Daraio, Chiara

2017-04-01

The development of strategies to reduce the load of unwanted bacteria is a fundamental challenge in industrial processing, environmental sciences and medical applications. Here, we report a new method to sequester motile bacteria from a liquid, based on passive, deployable micro-traps that confine bacteria using micro-funnels that open into trapping chambers. Even in low concentrations, micro-traps afford a 70% reduction in the amount of bacteria in a liquid sample, with a potential to reach >90% as shown by modelling improved geometries. This work introduces a new approach to contain the growth of bacteria without chemical means, an advantage of particular importance given the alarming growth of pan-drug-resistant bacteria.

Track segment synthesis method for NTA film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumazawa, Shigeru

1980-03-01

A method is presented for synthesizing track segments extracted from a gray-level digital picture of NTA film in automatic counting system. In order to detect each track in an arbitrary direction, even if it has some gaps, as a set of the track segments, the method links extracted segments along the track, in succession, to the linked track segments, according to whether each extracted segment bears a similarity of direction to the track or not and whether it is connected with the linked track segments or not. In the case of a large digital picture, the method is applied to each subpicture, which is a strip of the picture, and then concatenates subsets of track segments linked at each subpicture as a set of track segments belonging to a track. The method was applied to detecting tracks in various directions over the eight 364 x 40-pixel subpictures with the gray scale of 127/pixel (picture element) of the microphotograph of NTA film. It was proved to be able to synthesize track segments correctly for every track in the picture. (author)

COMPETITION BETWEEN ANOXYGENIC PHOTOTROPHIC BACTERIA AND COLORLESS SULFUR BACTERIA IN A MICROBIAL MAT

NARCIS (Netherlands)

VISSCHER, PT; VANDENENDE, FP; SCHAUB, BEM; VANGEMERDEN, H

The populations of chemolithoautotrophic (colorless) sulfur bacteria and anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria were enumerated in a marine microbial mat. The highest population densities were found in the 0-5 mm layer of the mat: 2.0 X 10(9) cells CM-3 sediment, and 4.0 X 10(7) cells cm-3 sediment for

Quorum sensing in gram-negative bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, H.; Song, Z.J.; Høiby, N.

2004-01-01

Bacteria can communicate with each other by means of signal molecules to coordinate the behavior of the entire community, and the mechanism is referred to as quorum sensing (QS). Signal systems enable bacteria to sense the size of their densities by monitoring the concentration of the signal...... molecules. Among Gram-negative bacteria N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL)-dependent quorum sensing systems are particularly widespread. These systems are used to coordinate expression of phenotypes that are fundamental to the interaction of bacteria with each other and with their environment...

Alignment of the ALICE Inner Tracking System with cosmic-ray tracks

CERN Document Server

Aamodt, K; Abeysekara, U; Abrahantes Quintana, A; Adamová, D; Aggarwal, M M; Aglieri Rinella, G; Agocs, A G; Aguilar Salazar, S; Ahammed, Z; Ahmad, A; Ahmad, N; Ahn, S U; Akimoto, R; Akindinov, A; Aleksandrov, D; Alessandro, B; Alfaro Molina, R; Alici, A; Almaráz Aviña, E; Alme, J; Altini, V; Altinpinar, S; Alt, T; Andrei, C; Andronic, A; Anelli, G; Angelov, V; Anson, C; Anticic, T; Antinori, F; Antinori, S; Antipin, K; Antonczyk, D; Antonioli, P; Anzo, A; Aphecetche, L; Appelshäuser, H; Arcelli, S; Arceo, R; Arend, A; Armesto, N; Arnaldi, R; Aronsson, T; Arsene, I C; Asryan, A; Augustinus, A; Averbeck, R; Awes, T C; Äystö, J; Azmi, M D; Bablok, S; Bach, M; Badalà, A; Baek, Y W; Bagnasco, S; Bailhache, R; Bala, R; Baldisseri, A; Baldit, A; Bán, J; Barbera, R; Barile, F; Barnaföldi, G G; Barnby, L; Barret, V; Bartke, J; Basile, M; Basmanov, V; Bastid, N; Bathen, B; Batigne, G; Batyunya, B; Baumann, C; Bearden, I G; Becker, B; Belikov, I; Bellwied, R; Belmont-Moreno, E; Belogianni, A; Benhabib, L; Beolé, S; Berceanu, I; Bercuci, A; Berdermann, E; Berdnikov, Y; Betev, L; Bhasin, A; Bhati, A K; Bianchi, L; Bianchin, C; Bianchi, N; Bielcík, J; Bielcíková, J; Bilandzic, A; Bimbot, L; Biolcati, E; Blanc, A; Blanco, F; Blanco, F; Blau, D; Blume, C; Boccioli, M; Bock, N; Bogdanov, A; Bøggild, H; Bogolyubsky, M; Bohm, J; Boldizsár, L; Bombara, M; Bombonati, C; Bondila, M; Borel, H; Borshchov, V; Bortolin, C; Bose, S; Bosisio, L; Bossú, F; Botje, M; Böttger, S; Bourdaud, G; Boyer, B; Braun, M; Braun-Munzinger, P; Bravina, L; Bregant, M; Breitner, T; Bruckner, G; Bruna, E; Bruno, G E; Brun, R; Budnikov, D; Buesching, H; Bugaev, K; Buncic, P; Busch, O; Buthelezi, Z; Caffarri, D; Caines, H; Cai, X; Camacho, E; Camerini, P; Campbell, M; Canoa Roman, V; Capitani, G P; Cara Romeo, G; Carena, F; Carena, W; Carminati, F; Casanova Díaz, A; Caselle, M; Castillo Castellanos, J; Castillo Hernandez, J F; Catanescu, V; Cattaruzza, E; Cavicchioli, C; Cerello, P; Chambert, V; Chang, B; Chapeland, S; Charpy, A; Charvet, J L; Chattopadhyay, S; Chattopadhyay, S; Cherney, M; Cheshkov, C; Cheynis, B; Chiavassa, E; Chibante Barroso, V; Chinellato, D D; Chochula, P; Choi, K; Chojnacki, M; Christakoglou, P; Christensen, C H; Christiansen, P; Chujo, T; Chuman, F; Cicalo, C; Cifarelli, L; Cindolo, F; Cleymans, J; Cobanoglu, O; Coffin, J P; Coli, S; Colla, A; Conesa Balbastre, G; Conesa del Valle, Z; Conner, E S; Constantin, P; Contin, G; Contreras, J G; Cormier, T M; Corrales Morales, Y; Cortese, P; Cortés Maldonado, I; Cosentino, M R; Costa, F; Cotallo, M E; Crescio, E; Crochet, P; Cuautle, E; Cunqueiro, L; Cussonneau, J; Dainese, A; Dalsgaard, H H; Danu, A; Dash, A; Dash, S; Das, I; Das, S; de Barros, G O V; De Caro, A; de Cataldo, G; de Cuveland, J; De Falco, A; De Gaspari, M; de Groot, J; De Gruttola, D; de Haas, A P; De Marco, N; De Pasquale, S; De Remigis, R; de Rooij, R; de Vaux, G; Delagrange, H; Dellacasa, G; Deloff, A; Demanov, V; Dénes, E; Deppman, A; D'Erasmo, G; Derkach, D; Devaux, A; Di Bari, D; Di Giglio, C; Di Liberto, S; Di Mauro, A; Di Nezza, P; Dialinas, M; Díaz, L; Díaz, R; Dietel, T; Ding, H; Divià, R; Djuvsland, Ø; do Amaral Valdiviesso, G; Dobretsov, V; Dobrin, A; Dobrowolski, T; Dönigus, B; Domínguez, I; Dordic, O; Dubey, A K; Dubuisson, J; Ducroux, L; Dupieux, P; Dutta Majumdar, A K; Dutta Majumdar, M R; Elia, D; Emschermann, D; Enokizono, A; Espagnon, B; Estienne, M; Evans, D; Evrard, S; Eyyubova, G; Fabjan, C W; Fabris, D; Faivre, J; Falchieri, D; Fantoni, A; Fasel, M; Fearick, R; Fedunov, A; Fehlker, D; Fekete, V; Felea, D; Fenton-Olsen, B; Feofilov, G; Fernández Téllez, A; Ferreiro, E G; Ferretti, A; Ferretti, R; Figueredo, M A S; Filchagin, S; Fini, R; Fionda, F M; Fiore, E M; Floris, M; Fodor, Z; Foertsch, S; Foka, P; Fokin, S; Formenti, F; Fragiacomo, E; Fragkiadakis, M; Frankenfeld, U; Frolov, A; Fuchs, U; Furano, F; Furget, C; Fusco Girard, M; Gaardhøje, J J; Gadrat, S; Gagliardi, M; Gago, A; Gallio, M; Ganoti, P; Ganti, M S; Garabatos, C; García Trapaga, C; Gebelein, J; Gemme, R; Germain, M; Gheata, A; Gheata, M; Ghidini, B; Ghosh, P; Giraudo, G; Giubellino, P; Gladysz-Dziadus, E; Glasow, R; Glässel, P; Glenn, A; Gomez, R; González Santos, H; González-Trueba, L H; González-Zamora, P; Gorbunov, S; Gorbunov, Y; Gotovac, S; Gottschlag, H; Grabski, V; Grajcarek, R; Grelli, A; Grigoras, A; Grigoras, C; Grigoriev, V; Grigoryan, A; Grinyov, B; Grion, N; Gros, P; Grosse-Oetringhaus, J F; Grossiord, J Y; Grosso, R; Guarnaccia, C; Guber, F; Guernane, R; Guerzoni, B; Gulbrandsen, K; Gulkanyan, H; Gunji, T; Gupta, A; Gupta, R; Gustafsson, H A; Gutbrod, H; Haaland, Ø; Hadjidakis, C; Haiduc, M; Hamagaki, H; Hamar, G; Hamblen, J; Han, B H; Harris, J W; Hartig, M; Harutyunyan, A; Hasch, D; Hasegan, D; Hatzifotiadou, D; Hayrapetyan, A; Heide, M; Heinz, M; Helstrup, H; Herghelegiu, A; Hernández, C; Herrera Corral, G; Herrmann, N; Hetland, K F; Hicks, B; Hiei, A; Hille, P T; Hippolyte, B; Horaguchi, T; Hori, Y; Hristov, P; Hrivnácová, I; Huber, S; Humanic, T J; Hu, S; Hutter, D; Hwang, D S; Ichou, R; Ilkaev, R; Ilkiv, I; Innocenti, P G; Ippolitov, M; Irfan, M; Ivan, C; Ivanov, A; Ivanov, M; Ivanov, V; Iwasaki, T; Jachokowski, A; Jacobs, P; Jancurová, L; Jangal, S; Janik, R; Jayananda, K; Jena, C; Jena, S; Jirden, L; Jones, G T; Jones, P G; Jovanovic, P; Jung, H; Jung, W; Jusko, A; Kaidalov, A B; Kalcher, S; Kalinák, P; Kalliokoski, T; Kalweit, A; Kamal, A; Kamermans, R; Kanaki, K; Kang, E; Kang, J H; Kapitan, J; Kaplin, V; Kapusta, S; Karavicheva, T; Karpechev, E; Kazantsev, A; Kebschull, U; Keidel, R; Khan, M M; Khan, S A; Khanzadeev, A; Kharlov, Y; Kikola, D; Kileng, B; Kim, D J; Kim, D S; Kim, D W; Kim, H N; Kim, J H; Kim, J; Kim, J S; Kim, M; Kim, M; Kim, S H; Kim, S; Kim, Y; Kirsch, S; Kiselev, S; Kisel, I; Kisiel, A; Klay, J L; Klein-Bösing, C; Klein, J; Kliemant, M; Klovning, A; Kluge, A; Kniege, S; Koch, K; Kolevatov, R; Kolojvari, A; Kondratiev, V; Kondratyeva, N; Konevskih, A; Kornas, E; Kour, R; Kowalski, M; Kox, S; Kozlov, K; Králik, I; Kral, J; Kramer, F; Kraus, I; Kravcáková, A; Krawutschke, T; Krivda, M; Krumbhorn, D; Krus, M; Kryshen, E; Krzewicki, M; Kucheriaev, Y; Kuhn, C; Kuijer, P G; Kumar, L; Kumar, N; Kupczak, R; Kurashvili, P; Kurepin, A; Kurepin, A N; Kuryakin, A; Kushpil, S; Kushpil, V; Kutouski, M; Kvaerno, H; Kweon, M J; Kwon, Y; Lackner, F; Ladrón de Guevara, P; Lafage, V; Lal, C; Lara, C; La Rocca, P; Larsen, D T; Laurenti, G; Lazzeroni, C; Le Bornec, Y; Le Bris, N; Lee, H; Lee, K S; Lee, S C; Lefèvre, F; Lehnert, J; Leistam, L; Lenhardt, M; Lenti, V; León, H; León Monzón, I; León Vargas, H; Lévai, P; Lietava, R; Lindal, S; Lindenstruth, V; Lippmann, C; Lisa, M A; Listratenko, O; Liu, L; Li, Y; Loginov, V; Lohn, S; López Noriega, M; López-Ramírez, R; López Torres, E; Lopez, X; Løvhøiden, G; Lozea Feijo Soares, A; Lunardon, M; Luparello, G; Luquin, L; Lu, S; Lutz, J R; Luvisetto, M; Madagodahettige-Don, D M; Maevskaya, A; Mager, M; Mahajan, A; Mahapatra, D P; Maire, A; Makhlyueva, I; Ma, K; Malaev, M; Maldonado Cervantes, I; Malek, M; Mal'Kevich, D; Malkiewicz, T; Malzacher, P; Mamonov, A; Manceau, L; Mangotra, L; Manko, V; Manso, F; Manzari, V; Mao, Y; Mares, J; Margagliotti, G V; Margotti, A; Marín, A; Martashvili, I; Martinengo, P; Martínez Davalos, A; Martínez García, G; Martínez, M I; Maruyama, Y; Ma, R; Marzari Chiesa, A; Masciocchi, S; Masera, M; Masetti, M; Masoni, A; Massacrier, L; Mastromarco, M; Mastroserio, A; Matthews, Z L; Mattos Tavares, B; Matyja, A; Mayani, D; Mazza, G; Mazzoni, M A; Meddi, F; Menchaca-Rocha, A; Mendez Lorenzo, P; Meoni, M; Mercado Pérez, J; Mereu, P; Miake, Y; Michalon, A; Miftakhov, N; Milosevic, J; Minafra, F; Mischke, A; Miskowiec, D; Mitu, C; Mizoguchi, K; Mlynarz, J; Mohanty, B; Molnar, L; Mondal, M M; Montaño Zetina, L; Monteno, M; Montes, E; Morando, M; Moretto, S; Morsch, A; Moukhanova, T; Muccifora, V; Mudnic, E; Muhuri, S; Müller, H; Munhoz, M G; Munoz, J; Musa, L; Musso, A; Nandi, B K; Nania, R; Nappi, E; Navach, F; Navin, S; Nayak, T K; Nazarenko, S; Nazarov, G; Nedosekin, A; Nendaz, F; Newby, J; Nianine, A; Nicassio, M; Nielsen, B S; Nikolaev, S; Nikolic, V; Nikulin, S; Nikulin, V; Nilsen, B S; Nilsson, M S; Noferini, F; Nomokonov, P; Nooren, G; Novitzky, N; Nyatha, A; Nygaard, C; Nyiri, A; Nystrand, J; Ochirov, A; Odyniec, G; Oeschler, H; Oinonen, M; Okada, K; Okada, Y; Oldenburg, M; Oleniacz, J; Oppedisano, C; Orsini, F; Ortíz Velázquez, A; Ortona, G; Oskamp, C; Oskarsson, A; Osmic, F; Österman, L; Ostrowski, P; Otterlund, I; Otwinowski, J; Øvrebekk, G; Oyama, K; Ozawa, K; Pachmayer, Y; Pachr, M; Padilla, F; Pagano, P; Paic, G; Painke, F; Pajares, C; Palaha, A; Palmeri, A; Pal, S K; Pal, S; Panse, R; Pappalardo, G S; Park, W J; Pastircák, B; Pastore, C; Paticchio, V; Pavlinov, A; Pawlak, T; Peitzmann, T; Pepato, A; Pereira, H; Peressounko, D; Pérez, C; Perini, D; Perrino, D; Peryt, W; Peschek, J; Pesci, A; Peskov, V; Pestov, Y; Peters, A J; Petrácek, V; Petridis, A; Petris, M; Petrovici, M; Petrov, P; Petta, C; Peyré, J; Piano, S; Piccotti, A; Pikna, M; Pillot, P; Pinsky, L; Pitz, N; Piuz, F; Platt, R; Pluta, J; Pocheptsov, T; Pochybova, S; Podesta Lerma, P L M; Poggio, F; Poghosyan, M G; Poghosyan, T; Polák, K; Polichtchouk, B; Polozov, P; Polyakov, V; Pommeresch, B; Pop, A; Posa, F; Poskon, M; Pospisil, V; Potukuchi, B; Pouthas, J; Prasad, S K; Preghenella, R; Prino, F; Pruneau, C A; Pshenichnov, I; Puddu, G; Pujahari, P; Pulvirenti, A; Punin, A; Punin, V; Putis, M; Putschke, J; Quercigh, E; Rachevski, A; Rademakers, A; Radomski, S; Räihä, T S; Rak, J; Rakotozafindrabe, A; Ramello, L; Ramírez Reyes, A; Rammler, M; Raniwala, R; Raniwala, S; Räsänen, S; Rashevskaya, I; Rath, S; Read, K F; Real, J; Redlich, K; Renfordt, R; Reolon, A R; Reshetin, A; Rettig, F; Revol, J P; Reygers, K; Ricaud, H; Riccati, L; Ricci, R A; Richter, M; Riedler, P; Riegler, W; Riggi, F; Rivetti, A; Rodriguez Cahuantzi, M; Røed, K; Röhrich, D; Román López, S; Romita, R; Ronchetti, F; Rosinský, P; Rosnet, P; Rossegger, S; Rossi, A; Roukoutakis, F; Rousseau, S; Roy, C; Roy, P; Rubio-Montero, A J; Rui, R; Rusanov, I; Russo, G; Ryabinkin, E; Rybicki, A; Sadovsky, S; Safarík, K; Sahoo, R; Saini, J; Saiz, P; Sakata, D; Salgado, C A; Salgueiro Dominques da Silva, R; Salur, S; Samanta, T; Sambyal, S; Samsonov, V; Sándor, L; Sandoval, A; Sano, M; Sano, S; Santo, R; Santoro, R; Sarkamo, J; Saturnini, P; Scapparone, E; Scarlassara, F; Scharenberg, R P; Schiaua, C; Schicker, R; Schindler, H; Schmidt, C; Schmidt, H R; Schossmaier, K; Schreiner, S; Schuchmann, S; Schukraft, J; Schutz, Y; Schwarz, K; Schweda, K; Scioli, G; Scomparin, E; Segato, G; Semenov, D; Senyukov, S; Seo, J; Serci, S; Serkin, L; Serradilla, E; Sevcenco, A; Sgura, I; Shabratova, G; Shahoyan, R; Sharkov, G; Sharma, N; Sharma, S; Shigaki, K; Shimomura, M; Shtejer, K; Sibiriak, Y; Siciliano, M; Sicking, E; Siddi, E; Siemiarczuk, T; Silenzi, A; Silvermyr, D; Simili, E; Simonetti, G; Singaraju, R; Singhal, V; Singh, R; Sinha, B C; Sinha, T; Sitar, B; Sitta, M; Skaali, T B; Skjerdal, K; Smakal, R; Smirnov, N; Snellings, R; Snow, H; Søgaard, C; Sokolov, O; Soloviev, A; Soltveit, H K; Soltz, R; Sommer, W; Son, C W; Song, M; Son, H S; Soos, C; Soramel, F; Soyk, D; Spyropoulou-Stassinaki, M; Srivastava, B K; Stachel, J; Staley, F; Stan, I; Stefanek, G; Stefanini, G; Steinbeck, T; Stenlund, E; Steyn, G; Stocco, D; Stock, R; Stolpovsky, P; Strmen, P; Suaide, A A P; Subieta Vásquez, M A; Sugitate, T; Suire, C; Sumbera, M; Susa, T; Swoboda, D; Symons, J; Szanto de Toledo, A; Szarka, I; Szostak, A; Szuba, M; Tadel, M; Tagridis, C; Takahara, A; Takahashi, J; Tanabe, R; Tapia Takaki, J D; Taureg, H; Tauro, A; Tavlet, M; Tejeda Muñoz, G; Telesca, A; Terrevoli, C; Thäder, J; Tieulent, R; Tlusty, D; Toia, A; Tolyhy, T; Torcato de Matos, C; Torii, H; Torralba, G; Toscano, L; Tosello, F; Tournaire, A; Traczyk, T; Tribedy, P; Tröger, G; Truesdale, D; Trzaska, W H; Tsiledakis, G; Tsilis, E; Tsuji, T; Tumkin, A; Turrisi, R; Turvey, A; Tveter, T S; Tydesjö, H; Tywoniuk, K; Ulery, J; Ullaland, K; Uras, A; Urbán, J; Urciuoli, G M; Usai, G L; Vacchi, A; Vala, M; Valencia Palomo, L; Vallero, S; van den Brink, A; van der Kolk, N; Vande Vyvre, P; van Leeuwen, M; Vannucci, L; Vargas, A; Varma, R; Vasiliev, A; Vassiliev, I; Vassiliou, M; Vechernin, V; Venaruzzo, M; Vercellin, E; Vergara, S; Vernet, R; Verweij, M; Vetlitskiy, I; Vickovic, L; Viesti, G; Vikhlyantsev, O; Vilakazi, Z; Villalobos Baillie, O; Vinogradov, A; Vinogradov, L; Vinogradov, Y; Virgili, T; Viyogi, Y P; Vodopianov, A; Voloshin, K; Voloshin, S; Volpe, G; von Haller, B; Vranic, D; Vrláková, J; Vulpescu, B; Wagner, B; Wagner, V; Wallet, L; Wan, R; Wang, D; Wang, Y; Watanabe, K; Wen, Q; Wessels, J; Wiechula, J; Wikne, J; Wilk, A; Wilk, G; Williams, M C S; Willis, N; Windelband, B; Xu, C; Yang, C; Yang, H; Yasnopolsky, A; Yermia, F; Yi, J; Yin, Z; Yokoyama, H; Yoo, I-K; Yuan, X; Yushmanov, I; Zabrodin, E; Zagreev, B; Zalite, A; Zampolli, C; Zanevsky, Yu; Zaporozhets, Y; Zarochentsev, A; Závada, P; Zbroszczyk, H; Zelnicek, P; Zenin, A; Zepeda, A; Zgura, I; Zhalov, M; Zhang, X; Zhou, D; Zhou, S; Zhu, J; Zichichi, A; Zinchenko, A; Zinovjev, G; Zinovjev, M; Zoccarato, Y; Zychácek, V

2010-01-01

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiment devoted to investigating the strongly interacting matter created in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC energies. The ALICE ITS, Inner Tracking System, consists of six cylindrical layers of silicon detectors with three different technologies; in the outward direction: two layers of pixel detectors, two layers each of drift, and strip detectors. The number of parameters to be determined in the spatial alignment of the 2198 sensor modules of the ITS is about 13,000. The target alignment precision is well below 10 micron in some cases (pixels). The sources of alignment information include survey measurements, and the reconstructed tracks from cosmic rays and from proton-proton collisions. The main track-based alignment method uses the Millepede global approach. An iterative local method was developed and used as well. We present the results obtained for the ITS alignment using about 10^5 charged tracks from cosmic rays that h...

Cost-Utility of a Single-Injection Combined Corticosteroid-Hyaluronic Acid Formulation vs a 2-Injection Regimen of Sequential Corticosteroid and Hyaluronic Acid Injections.

Science.gov (United States)

Belzile, Etienne L; Deakon, Robert T; Vannabouathong, Christopher; Bhandari, Mohit; Lamontagne, Martin; McCormack, Robert

2017-01-01

Research has shown early and sustained relief with a combination therapy of a corticosteroid (CS) and hyaluronic acid (HA) in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. This can be administered via a single injection containing both products or as separate injections. The former may be more expensive when considering only product cost, but the latter incurs the additional costs and time of a second procedure. The purpose of this study was to compare the cost-utility of the single injection with the 2-injection regimen. The results of this analysis revealed that the single-injection formulation of a CS and HA may be cost-effective, assuming a willingness-to-pay of $50 000 per quality-adjusted life year gained, for symptomatic relief of OA symptoms. This treatment may also be more desirable to patients who find injections to be inconvenient or unpleasant.

General formula for on-axis sun-tracking system and its application in improving tracking accuracy of solar collector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chong, K.K.; Wong, C.W. [Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Off Jalan Genting Kelang, Setapak, 53300 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2009-03-15

Azimuth-elevation and tilt-roll tracking mechanism are among the most commonly used sun-tracking methods for aiming the solar collector towards the sun at all times. It has been many decades that each of these two sun-tracking methods has its own specific sun-tracking formula and they are not interrelated. In this paper, the most general form of sun-tracking formula that embraces all the possible on-axis tracking methods is presented. The general sun-tracking formula not only can provide a general mathematical solution, but more significantly it can improve the sun-tracking accuracy by tackling the installation error of the solar collector. (author)

Permeation of antigen protein-conjugated nanoparticles and live bacteria through microneedle-treated mouse skin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kumar A

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Amit Kumar, Xinran Li, Michael A Sandoval, B Leticia Rodriguez, Brian R Sloat, Zhengrong CuiUniversity of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutics Division, Austin, TX, USABackground: The present study was designed to evaluate the extent to which pretreatment with microneedles can enhance skin permeation of nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo. Permeation of live bacteria, which are physically nanoparticles or microparticles, through mouse skin pretreated with microneedles was also studied to evaluate the potential risk of microbial infection.Methods and results: It was found that pretreatment of mouse skin with microneedles allowed permeation of solid lipid nanoparticles, size 230 nm, with ovalbumin conjugated on their surface. Transcutaneous immunization in a mouse skin area pretreated with microneedles with ovalbumin nanoparticles induced a stronger antiovalbumin antibody response than using ovalbumin alone. The dose of ovalbumin antigen determined whether microneedle-mediated transcutaneous immunization with ovalbumin nanoparticles induced a stronger immune response than subcutaneous injection of the same ovalbumin nanoparticles. Microneedle treatment permitted skin permeation of live Escherichia coli, but the extent of the permeation was not greater than that enabled by hypodermic injection.Conclusion: Transcutaneous immunization on a microneedle-treated skin area with antigens carried by nanoparticles can potentially induce a strong immune response, and the risk of bacterial infection associated with microneedle treatment is no greater than that with a hypodermic injection.Keywords: antibody responses, safety of microneedles, transepidermal water loss

Tracking planets and moons: mechanisms of object tracking revealed with a new paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Tombu, Michael; Seiffert, Adriane E

2011-04-01

People can attend to and track multiple moving objects over time. Cognitive theories of this ability emphasize location information and differ on the importance of motion information. Results from several experiments have shown that increasing object speed impairs performance, although speed was confounded with other properties such as proximity of objects to one another. Here, we introduce a new paradigm to study multiple object tracking in which object speed and object proximity were manipulated independently. Like the motion of a planet and moon, each target-distractor pair rotated about both a common local point as well as the center of the screen. Tracking performance was strongly affected by object speed even when proximity was controlled. Additional results suggest that two different mechanisms are used in object tracking--one sensitive to speed and proximity and the other sensitive to the number of distractors. These observations support models of object tracking that include information about object motion and reject models that use location alone.

Track finding and fitting in the H1 Forward Track Detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burke, S.; Henderson, R.C.W.; Maxfield, S.J.; Patel, G.D.; Morris, J.V.; Sankey, D.P.C.; Skillicorn, I.O.

1995-07-01

The tracking environment in the H1 Forward Tracker Detector, where the hit multiplicity from proton fragments is high, is parituclarly hostile. The techniques and software which have been developed for pattern recognition and Kalman fitting of charged particle tracks in this region are described in detail. (orig.)

Mitigation of tip vortex cavitation by means of air injection on a Kaplan turbine scale model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivetti, A; Angulo, M; Lucino, C; Liscia, S

2014-01-01

Kaplan turbines operating at full-load conditions may undergo excessive vibration, noise and cavitation. In such cases, damage by erosion associated to tip vortex cavitation can be observed at the discharge ring. This phenomenon involves design features such as (1) overhang of guide vanes; (2) blade profile; (3) gap increasing size with blade opening; (4) suction head; (5) operation point; and (6) discharge ring stiffness, among others. Tip vortex cavitation may cause erosion at the discharge ring and draft tube inlet following a wavy pattern, in which the number of vanes can be clearly identified. Injection of pressurized air above the runner blade centerline was tested as a mean to mitigate discharge ring cavitation damage on a scale model. Air entrance was observed by means of a high-speed camera in order to track the air trajectory toward its mergence with the tip vortex cavitation core. Post-processing of acceleration signals shows that the level of vibration and the RSI frequency amplitude decrease proportionally with air flow rate injected. These findings reveal the potential mitigating effect of air injection in preventing cavitation damage and will be useful in further tests to be performed on prototype, aiming at determining the optimum air flow rate, size and distribution of the injectors

Mitigation of tip vortex cavitation by means of air injection on a Kaplan turbine scale model

Science.gov (United States)

Rivetti, A.; Angulo, M.; Lucino, C.; Liscia, S.

2014-03-01

Kaplan turbines operating at full-load conditions may undergo excessive vibration, noise and cavitation. In such cases, damage by erosion associated to tip vortex cavitation can be observed at the discharge ring. This phenomenon involves design features such as (1) overhang of guide vanes; (2) blade profile; (3) gap increasing size with blade opening; (4) suction head; (5) operation point; and (6) discharge ring stiffness, among others. Tip vortex cavitation may cause erosion at the discharge ring and draft tube inlet following a wavy pattern, in which the number of vanes can be clearly identified. Injection of pressurized air above the runner blade centerline was tested as a mean to mitigate discharge ring cavitation damage on a scale model. Air entrance was observed by means of a high-speed camera in order to track the air trajectory toward its mergence with the tip vortex cavitation core. Post-processing of acceleration signals shows that the level of vibration and the RSI frequency amplitude decrease proportionally with air flow rate injected. These findings reveal the potential mitigating effect of air injection in preventing cavitation damage and will be useful in further tests to be performed on prototype, aiming at determining the optimum air flow rate, size and distribution of the injectors.

Laser-Based Identification of Pathogenic Bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Rehse, Steven J.

2009-01-01

Bacteria are ubiquitous in our world. From our homes, to our work environment, to our own bodies, bacteria are the omnipresent although often unobserved companions to human life. Physicists are typically untroubled professionally by the presence of these bacteria, as their study usually falls safely outside the realm of our typical domain. In the…

SimTrack: A compact c++ library for particle orbit and spin tracking in accelerators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Yun [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

2015-06-24

SimTrack is a compact c++ library of 6-d symplectic element-by-element particle tracking in accelerators originally designed for head-on beam-beam compensation simulation studies in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. It provides a 6-d symplectic orbit tracking with the 4th order symplectic integration for magnet elements and the 6-d symplectic synchro-beam map for beam-beam interaction. Since its inception in 2009, SimTrack has been intensively used for dynamic aperture calculations with beam-beam interaction for RHIC. Recently, proton spin tracking and electron energy loss due to synchrotron radiation were added. In this article, I will present the code architecture, physics models, and some selected examples of its applications to RHIC and a future electron-ion collider design eRHIC.

SimTrack: A compact c++ code for particle orbit and spin tracking in accelerators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Yun

2015-11-21

SimTrack is a compact c++ code of 6-d symplectic element-by-element particle tracking in accelerators originally designed for head-on beam–beam compensation simulation studies in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. It provides a 6-d symplectic orbit tracking with the 4th order symplectic integration for magnet elements and the 6-d symplectic synchro-beam map for beam–beam interaction. Since its inception in 2009, SimTrack has been intensively used for dynamic aperture calculations with beam–beam interaction for RHIC. Recently, proton spin tracking and electron energy loss due to synchrotron radiation were added. In this paper, I will present the code architecture, physics models, and some selected examples of its applications to RHIC and a future electron-ion collider design eRHIC.

Mimicking Seawater For Culturing Marine Bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rygaard, Anita Mac; Sonnenschein, Eva; Gram, Lone

2015-01-01

Only about 1% of marine bacteria have been brought into culture using traditional techniques. The purpose of this study was to investigate if mimicking the natural bacterial environment can increase culturability.We used marine substrates containing defined algal polymers or gellan gum as solidif......Only about 1% of marine bacteria have been brought into culture using traditional techniques. The purpose of this study was to investigate if mimicking the natural bacterial environment can increase culturability.We used marine substrates containing defined algal polymers or gellan gum...... as solidifying agents, and enumerated bacteria from seawater and algal exudates. We tested if culturability could be influenced by addition of quorum sensing signals (AHLs). All plates were incubated at 15°C. Bacterial counts (CFU/g) from algal exudates from brown algae were highest on media containing algal...... polymers. In general, bacteria isolated from algal exudates preferred more rich media than bacteria isolated from seawater. Overall, culturability ranged from 0.01 to 0.8% as compared to total cell count. Substitution of agar with gellan gum increased the culturability of seawater bacteria approximately...

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria in drinking water.

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, J L; Shigeno, D S; Calomiris, J J; Seidler, R J

1981-08-01

We analyzed drinking water from seven communities for multiply antibiotic-resistant (MAR) bacteria (bacteria resistant to two or more antibiotics) and screened the MAR bacterial isolates obtained against five antibiotics by replica plating. Overall, 33.9% of 2,653 standard plate count bacteria from treated drinking waters were MAR. Two different raw water supplies for two communities carried MAR standard plate count bacteria at frequencies of 20.4 and 18.6%, whereas 36.7 and 67.8% of the standard plate count populations from sites within the respective distribution systems were MAR. Isolate identification revealed that MAR gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus) and MAR gram-negative, nonfermentative rods (Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Moraxella-like group M, and Acinetobacter) were more common in drinking waters than in untreated source waters. Site-to-site variations in generic types and differences in the incidences of MAR organisms indicated that shedding of MAR bacteria living in pipelines may have contributed to the MAR populations in tap water. We conclude that the treatment of raw water and its subsequent distribution select for standard plate count bacteria exhibiting the MAR phenotype.

Effects of Gram-negative Bacteria, E.coli and Cold Exposure on Free Radicals Production, Lactate Dehydrogenase and Glutathione Peroxidase Activity in the Lungs of Rats, Rattus norvigicus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AlSaid, A Haffor

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of LPS-gram negative bacteria and low ambient temperature on free radicals (FR) production, the activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the lungs of rats, Rattus norvigisu. Twenty four male rats, matched with age and weigh, were divided randomly into four groups namely control (C), Bacteria (B), cold temperature (T), and bacteria plus cold (BT). The T group was exposed to 10-12degree C ambient temperature for 3 days. Animals of the BT was injected LPS bacteria (IP, 500 micron g/kg) during the last five hour of cold exposure to 10-12 degree C for 3 days. In comparison with C group FR increased significantly (p<0.05) in the experimental groups, indicating high rate of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. The activity of LDH increased significantly (p<0.05) in the T and BT groups, which demonstrated that bacteria and exposure to cold are causes for cellular injury in the lungs. The synergetic effect of both bacteria and cold on LDH was more intense, as compared with the single effect. The activity of GPx increased significantly (p<0.05) in the B and BT, as compared with the C group. The results of the present study is the first worldwide report to demonstrate that both cold exposure and bacteria infection are mediated by elevation in FR generation. (author)

Lithium pellet injection experiments on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garnier, Darren Thomas [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

1996-06-01

A pellet enhanced performance mode, showing significantly reduced core transport, is regularly obtained after the injection of deeply penetrating lithium pellets into Alcator C-Mod discharges. These transient modes, which typically persist about two energy confinement times, are characterized by a steep pressure gradient (ℓ_p ℓ a/5) in the inner third of the plasma, indicating the presence of an internal transport barrier. Inside this barrier, particle and energy diffusivities are greatly reduced, with ion thermal diffusivity dropping to near neoclassical values. Meanwhile, the global energy confinement time shows a 30% improvement over ITER89-P L-mode scaling. The addition of ICRF auxiliary heating shortly after the pellet injection leads to high fusion reactivity with neutron rates enhanced by an order of magnitude over L-mode discharges with similar input powers. A diagnostic system for measuring equilibrium current density profiles of tokamak plasmas, employing high speed lithium pellets, is also presented. Because ions are confined to move along field lines, imaging the Li⁺ emission from the toroidally extended pellet ablation cloud gives the direction of the magnetic field. To convert from temporal to radial measurements, the 3-D trajectory of the pellet is determined using a stereoscopic tracking system. These measurements, along with external magnetic measurements, are used to solve the Grad-Shafranov equation for the magnetic equilibrium of the plasma. This diagnostic is used to determine the current density profile of PEP modes by injection of a second pellet during the period of good confinement. This measurement indicates that a region of reversed magnetic shear exists at the plasma core. This current density profile is consistent with TRANSP calculations for the bootstrap current created by the pressure gradient. MHD stability analysis indicates that these plasmas are near the n = ∞ and the n = 1 marginal stability limits.

Lithium pellet injection experiments on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnier, D.T.

1996-06-01

A pellet enhanced performance mode, showing significantly reduced core transport, is regularly obtained after the injection of deeply penetrating lithium pellets into Alcator C-Mod discharges. These transient modes, which typically persist about two energy confinement times, are characterized by a steep pressure gradient (ell p ≤ a/5) in the inner third of the plasma, indicating the presence of an internal transport barrier. Inside this barrier, particle and energy diffusivities are greatly reduced, with ion thermal diffusivity dropping to near neoclassical values. Meanwhile, the global energy confinement time shows a 30% improvement over ITER89-P L-mode scaling. The addition of ICRF auxiliary heating shortly after the pellet injection leads to high fusion reactivity with neutron rates enhanced by an order of magnitude over L-mode discharges with similar input powers. A diagnostic system for measuring equilibrium current density profiles of tokamak plasmas, employing high speed lithium pellets, is also presented. Because ions are confined to move along field lines, imaging the Li + emission from the toroidally extended pellet ablation cloud gives the direction of the magnetic field. To convert from temporal to radial measurements, the 3-D trajectory of the pellet is determined using a stereoscopic tracking system. These measurements, along with external magnetic measurements, are used to solve the Grad-Shafranov equation for the magnetic equilibrium of the plasma. This diagnostic is used to determine the current density profile of PEP modes by injection of a second pellet during the period of good confinement. This measurement indicates that a region of reversed magnetic shear exists at the plasma core. This current density profile is consistent with TRANSP calculations for the bootstrap current created by the pressure gradient. MHD stability analysis indicates that these plasmas are near the n = ∞ and the n = 1 marginal stability limits

Extracellular deoxyribonuclease production by periodontal bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, L J; Chapple, I L C; Wright, H J; Roberts, A; Cooper, P R

2012-08-01

Whilst certain bacteria have long been known to secrete extracellular deoxyribonuclease (DNase), the purpose in microbial physiology was unclear. Recently, however, this enzyme has been demonstrated to confer enhanced virulence, enabling bacteria to evade the host's immune defence of extruded DNA/chromatin filaments, termed neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). As NETs have recently been identified in infected periodontal tissue, the aim of this study was to screen periodontal bacteria for extracellular DNase activity. To determine whether DNase activity was membrane bound or secreted, 34 periodontal bacteria were cultured in broth and on agar plates. Pelleted bacteria and supernatants from broth cultures were analysed for their ability to degrade DNA, with relative activity levels determined using an agarose gel electrophoresis assay. Following culture on DNA-supplemented agar, expression was determined by the presence of a zone of hydrolysis and DNase activity related to colony size. Twenty-seven bacteria, including red and orange complex members Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Parvimonas micra, Prevotella intermedia, Streptococcus constellatus, Campylobacter rectus and Prevotella nigrescens, were observed to express extracellular DNase activity. Differences in DNase activity were noted, however, when bacteria were assayed in different culture states. Analysis of the activity of secreted DNase from bacterial broth cultures confirmed their ability to degrade NETs. The present study demonstrates, for the first time, that DNase activity is a relatively common property of bacteria associated with advanced periodontal disease. Further work is required to determine the importance of this bacterial DNase activity in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.